Summary:Just a little one-shot with a lot of fluff from . . . you'll never guess . . . Harry and Hermione! Please read what came out of my boredom . . . in Harry's POV
I Do
I stood beside Ron on his wedding day. He was marrying our best friend, Hermione Granger. Was I jealous? Yeah, I admit I was. Hermione was so smart, always there for me when I needed her and she was amazing! Who wouldn't be jealous of Ron? Sure, I had Ginny, but it wasn't the same. I didn't feel wanted when I was with her, I felt used. When I was with Hermione, I felt like just Harry! There was a time when I planned on telling Hermione that I was in love with her. That was the night that Ron proposed. And here I was, nine months on, still with Ginny and not Hermione.
"I'm so nervous mate," Ron said when we were standing in front of all of their friends and families, waiting for Hermione to walk down the aisle.
"Just think, it'll be all over in less than an hour," I said, not to him, but to myself. I didn't know how much longer I could deal with the pain in my chest. Just then, the music started up and everyone stood up from their seats. I turned around to see Ron's niece Victoire skip towards the top of the tent throwing flowers on the ground, followed by Ginny in a pale blue dress. And there she was, Hermione, walking with her arm linked with her dad's. She was beautiful. Her hair was in a knot at the back of her head, with some of it flowing down naturally over her shoulders. Her dress was the traditional white, sleevless with lace over the bodice and skirt. I didn't know she could look any more beautiful than she did the night of the Yule Ball in our fourth year. When she reached us, Ron looked at her and smiled, taking her hand from Timothy Granger. Ginny smiled in my direction, but I didn't take much notice of her, because Hermione had just whispered in my ear:
"Thank you Harry." I smiled at her and nodded. I knew what she meant, "Thank you Harry, for making sure he got here and didn't run away like he always does."
"We are all gathered here today . . ." The rest of the ceremony was a blur to me. I stared at Hermione for the entire thing. "If anyone has any reason for why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." Everyone was silent. Hermione looked at Ron and gave him a nervous smile, hoping that everything was going to be ok. I considered saying something, but kept quiet. This was their day, and I wasn't going to ruin it for them, no matter how much I loved Hermione.
"I object," Ginny said from Hermione's side. Everyone turned to her with shocked expressions.
"Is there a reason for this Miss Weasley?"
"Yes, I believe that my boyfriend, Harry Potter," everyone turned to me, "is in love with his best friend Hermione Granger."
"And what is your evidence for this theory Miss Weasley?"
"Have you not noticed how he has been looking at her throughout the whole ceremony? Has anyone noticed how he has been looking at her the past year?" There was still silence. Hermione looked at me and she looked confused. Ron turned around to me looking hurt. I looked at everyone, Mr and Mrs Weasley, the Grangers, Bill, Charlie, George, Percy, the rest of the Weasley relatives, all the Hogwarts Professors, Ginny, Ron and back to Hermione. I stepped down from the raised platform, walked back down the aisle (avoiding eye contact with everyone) and pushed my way through the tent entrance. Once outside, I ran. I just kept running until I was too tired to keep going. I ended up beside the lake just outside the Burrow. I collapsed onto the grass and stared into the crystal clear water. The sun was being reflected off the water and everything looked so peacful. But everything wasn't peaceful. Because of Ginny, Hermione and Ron probably won't get married now, then Ron won't talk to me, and Hermione will probably be too embarrassed to even look at me. Next time I see Ginny, she is in so much trouble. Why did she have to speak what I was thinking? Yes, I loved Hermione, but I knew that Ron loved her too, so I backed away.
"She chose him," I said throwing a stone into the lake.
"I didn't," a familiar voice said behind me. I turned around and saw Hermione standing there, in her wedding dress, hair still up, but her shoes in her hands. "Is it true?" she asked, walking towards me. I nodded and looked back at the lake. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was going to," I replied now looking into the distance.
"When?"
"The night Ron proposed."
"Oh," was all she said. She sat down on the grass beside me and followed my gaze. "It's really beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," I said, looking at her. She saw what I was doing and blushed slightly. "Hermione, I'm so sorry. I didn't ask Ginny to do that. I didn't think she even noticed. I was so happy for you and Ron. He's my best friend and a great guy, but you need someone who will love you everyday of your life. Someone who knows that you wish you had an older sister to teach you about fashion, that you secretly like pink no matter what you tell everyone, that you love to sing in private without anyone knowing, that you weren't the top student in the Muggle world, and that you don't really love Ron. Just stop pretending Hermione, let everyone know the real you and you just might get your happy ending." I stood up and turned to walk away.
"Well since we're sharing," I stopped walking, "I don't think Ginny is the best match for you. You need someone who knows that your favourite colour is brown for some unknown reason, that you tried to befriend Dudley when you were five and gave up too easily, that you wish you had a sibling to go through the pain of losing your parents with, that you regret letting Draco get to you the first day you met him, that you taught yourself guitar when you were seven using one of Dudley's old guitars that he got bored with five minutes after he got it, that you were abused by your aunt and uncle, and that you don't really love Ginny. So you had better stop pretending, let everyone know the real you and get your happy ending like you've always wanted." I turned slowly around and looked at her. She was letting silent tears fall down from her beautiful brown eyes onto her perfect rosy cheeks. Everything she said about me was true. I just didn't know that she knew half of it.
"How did you know I was abused?" I asked angrily. No one knew about that, and no one was ever going to know about that.
"I saw the marks," she replied quietly.
"Hermione, please tell me you haven't told anyone. Especially not Ron," I growled.
"No, I haven't," she said even quieter than before. The tears were falling freely now and she sniffed every minute or so. "Oh look at me, crying like this. I must look a right state," she said laughing slightly and wiping the tears away.
"You're beautiful," I stated.
"Harry, don't start, please."
"No Hermione, it's the truth and you're the one that told me to stop pretending. So I am. Hermione Jean Granger, I love you. I've loved you for three years and I regret not telling you that every single day, because the more I hide it from you, the more I love you. I don't know if you don't love me back, but I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and live out our happy endings. So what do you say Hermione?" She was silent. Silent but beautiful. Like always. Her face was hard to read and her eyes sparkled with fresh tears (of happiness or sadness?). I didn't care if she didn't love me; it just felt good to let it all out. I just wish that she would speak. I was getting the feeling that I was about to be turned down and she was thinking up the kindest way to tell me.
"I do," were the two single words that came out of her mouth.
"I'm sorry?"
"I do Harry, I do love you, I do want to be with you, I do want to live happily ever after with you, I do want to have a family with you, I do Harry, I really do love you," she said. I smiled at her, a true smile that crept across my face without me realising it.
"You do?"
"Haven't I said it enough times already Harry? I do!" She started laughing her sweet laugh. Not at me, but with me. When we stopped there was a comfortable silence between us. "Harry?"
"Hermione?"
"I . . ." But what Hermione was going to say I never found out, because at that moment I leaned in and kissed her. She kissed me back.
A few years later, she said those words again, but this time I said them back, and it was in front of all our friends and family, even Ron and the Weasleys who accepted our relationship and figured that they should have seen it coming.
"You may now kiss your bride Mr Potter." And I did. And I got my happily ever after.
A/N: Ok, so this just came into my head one evening when I was bored of trying to write the last chapter of Prophecies (It's getting no where so it will be another few days). I always listen to music when I'm writing (or just doing house work, or homework, or anything really!) and when I was writing the part where they say all the secrets, "Pretending" by Glee came on and that's where the "Stop pretending and you just might get your happy ending" came from because the lyrics are: "Will we ever have a happy ending or will we forever be pretending?" Listen to it and you'll understand. So review if you want, but there's no point in subscribing to this story because it's only a one-shot, but you can subscribe to my other stories if you want (hint hint there guys!). Thank you