Author's Note: I've always wanted to do a wedding story, but I always thought it would be angst…oh well; I'll save that idea for later. This has hints of BZGW, by the way.
Hermione's age is 19, Ginny is 18, and Blaisé is 18. Told mostly from Ginny's perspective as the maid of honor, this is a short story describing Hermione's wedding day. Hermione gets married to…
I DO, BY VANILLA SALT
"Wait, Ron! The red roses are supposed to be tied with gold ribbon! Not the black or white ones! Tie it here, you idiot!"
"I need more flowers for the vases! Oh, shut up, Parkinson!"
"Where's Potter? He was supposed to get the Bulgarian wine ready!"
"Oh crap, get the chicken out of the oven before it burns! Neville!"
Ginny groaned and flipped herself over so that her face was covered by her nice pillow and waited for more sleep to come. As she seemed to be pulled closer to the non-existent arms of Edward Cullen, she sat up ramrod straight, remembering what day it was. She pushed away the fancy silken bedcovers and ran, a hundred percent awake, to the windows and yanked the soft fabric of the curtain open and pushed the window open to see a beautiful scene of a garden, the garden that belonged to Hermione's soon-to-be husband.
Every once in a while, Ginny would wonder, how Hermione and her fiancé had actually gotten together- it was an unexpected as when Harry had decided to quit at his part-time job at Weasley Wizarding Wheezes (he wasn't old enough to get a Ministry job) and picked up golf instead.
Ginny could not help but squeal excitedly before slipping on a simple, plain beige gown and slipped her small feet into a pair of comfy slippers before rushing downstairs, and nearly being impaled by a long, white marble pillar-like thing in the carpeted hallway.
"Oh, Merlin's pants-I'm sorry, are you oka-Ginny?" came a most familiar voice.
"Blimey, Harry, don't you know it's rude to attempt murder on a wedding day, especially to the maid of honor?" She smirked. Harry looked above the pillar, and grinned, unabashed, his hair messier than ever. She snickered before she finally found the stairs, (the house was really huge) and slid down the teak banisters before stopping short and taking in a sharp breath at the scene at the bottom.
Whoa.
The foyer was beautifully decorated, with people bustling about, holding items varying from vases to cakes to shoes. Huh. As she twirled around and saw so many things happened around her, she noticed the best man whistling; hands in his pockets, looking very much as though he was sadistically enjoying watching people run around while he slacked.
She sidled over.
"What kind of best man slacks all day at a wedding, Zabini?" she mock-scolded the Italian boy, whom laughed and grabbed a chocolate éclair from a passing levitated tray.
"Says the bridesmaid, who almost collided with the priceless white marble pillar belonging to the musuem des objets façonnés magiques," he replied, chewing. "These éclairs are good," he murmured.
"Sorry, I don't speak French. Only basic Latin." She grinned, unabashed by her seemingly lacking knowledge of languages.
"Museum of Magical Artifacts," Blaisé input before he excused himself to find the passing tray of pastries. Ginny shrugged before turning, noticing every little detail, like how red and black roses had somehow twirled themselves around the posh teak banisters, or how almost everything was now adorned with white ribbons and the enchanted ceiling.
Ginny went to freshen up, thinking that there wouldn't be lots of time to do so later. As she faced the huge mirror in a washroom, she tried to get used to the idea of Hermione Granger getting married.
She suddenly felt a strange hollowness in her chest as she combed her enchanted stick-straight red hair, sighing. She had always been able to go to Hermione when she needed help, and they had once shared an apartment before Hermione got engaged.
It was subconscious, really, that if Ginny did anything wrong before, that she could go to Hermione for help. But Hermione had someone else now. Her throat felt a little tight as she remembered all the fun times together. Ginny smiled reassuringly at herself in the mirror.
"Come on, Weasley, get going," she said to herself, and could not help grinning as she stepped into a casual dress, which she had picked out at random. After she had ran out and down the stairs to the foyer, a sudden thought hit her.
At least Hermione's not marrying Ron, she thought. That'd be so weird and unfitting. Ginny winced before the kitchen doors banged open and a familiar portly lady with dyed dark purple hair and a ruddy face burst out screaming, "The roast chicken has been contaminated!" before she hyperventilated and collapsed.
Ginny snorted in laughter before she pointed her wand at the huge lady and muttered, "Enervate," trying not to burst into laughter. The lady's eyes fluttered open and she stood up, stabled herself and said shrilly, "The wedding is today- TODAY I TELL YOU! The food is not even half ready!" Ginny finally remembered who she was, and tried to make her relax.
"Relax, Madame Whitney! What's wrong?" Ginny questioned her in her I'm-the-most composed-maid-of honour voice.
"Oh, Miss Weasley, I am afraid that...the honey-glazed oil we used was n-n-not…" Madame Whitney burst into tears.
Ginny patted her back, alarmed, glaring at the staring crowd of people in the foyer whom all dispersed at once. "What is it, Madame Whitney? Is the oil expired?" she asked calmly, as though trying to soothe a baby.
Madame Whitney's head snapped up, and her French accent was very audibly heard as she indignantly cried, "Of course not, Miss Weazlee! It was two Knuts cheaper than the honey-glazed oil from approvisionnements alimentaires d'élite, a French food supplier," she said, her bottom lip quivering. "And we have specific orders to use only the finest oil," she said, her voice an octave higher.
It took Ginny fifteen minutes to calm the lady by pretending to dismiss the order, saying that her role as maid of honor allowed her to do so, whilst vehemently hoping that the very rich groom would not pass by anytime soon, and smiled weakly at the lady's gaze of gratitude before spinning on her heel and picking up a box of decorations, intending to help Fred and George, whom were in charge of tying ribbons, before colliding with Harry and Ron, whom were covered with flour and raw minced meat.
She opened her mouth, but Harry muttered, "Centaur accident-they bake really well," he said sarcastically. He cleaned Ron and himself up with a quick spell before eyeing the box in Ginny's arms enviously before looking up at Ginny pleadingly.
Not wishing to be gawked at, she muttered, "Let's swap duties," insincerely before she entered the kitchen, to come face to face with about ten of her friends, thirteen of Hermione and the groom's relatives and a whole bunch of chefs. The first thing that caught her eye, however, was the wedding cake.
It had many layers, and according to passing chefs, was purely chocolate and coffee-flavored and covered with white icing and gold ribbons, with a moving mini figurine of the couple on top. It was huge, and was around Ron's height. In fact, the figurine almost grazed the ceiling.
The head chef, Roland Cassovince, went to stand next to her and said, "That baby took us six hours to complete. Beautiful, isn't it, Miss Maid of Honor?" he smiled down at her. He put his hand on his heart and sighed. Ginny wondered if he was gay.
"It's so majestic! You guys are brilliant!" she said enthusiastically. "Wait, I have duties, don't I? Harry and Ron told me."
"Nay, missy- we do our best, so everything is finished perfectly. You know, the cake has 19 layers, Miss Granger's age? It's also rather convenient her fiancé is also 19, of course. Their story is so romantic-" he was cut short by a huge crash. They both turned to look in the direction of the crash, alarmed.
"YOU BLUBBERING IDIOT! I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE THE ROASTED COLD MEAT AND CHA SOBA TRAYS ALONE! YOU ALMOST RUNINED THE SUSHI AND CAVIAR!" screeched Roland Cassovince, and Ginny smiled weakly at the person who had caused the mayhem, Neville Longbottom, before hot-tailing it out of the kitchen, panting slightly.
She sashayed over to where Harry and Ron were, Ron levitating the box of decorations while Harry affixed a white ribbon to a lamp next to a portrait. He tied it neatly before climbing down and greeting Ginny.
"So, has Percy relaxed yet? He's bound to get coronary thrombosis if he keeps stressing the staff out," Ginny remarked as she straightened a slightly askew portrait absentmindedly.
"Not really. I mean, he's relaxed with ordering people around, but he still asks Hermione every two seconds, "Are you sure, very very very sure?" You know he thinks of her as his little sister," Ron replied, staring at Harry as he balanced on the treacherous ladder affixing a scarlet ribbon to the lamppost. Harry climbed down the ladder he was standing on and moved it to under another lamp.
"Yeah, totally. If I were you, however, I'd go find Hermione. The wedding starts in three hours, and you know, you have to do your girly stuff," Harry said, choosing between a gold or white ribbon before tossing the white ribbon back in the box.
Ginny chuckled. "She's probably having a panic attack in her bathroom," she said jokingly, before she went to find her. It was highly likely that Hermione was regretting her decision now, anyway. She walked around, asking random people if they had seen Hermione, and they said she was being attacked by bridesmaids in her room. She chuckled.
She passed by the garden, admiring its beauty, with the spongy grass, the rose bushes, the stone benches, the trees, the black gates and the vast lakes. It could have been a small nature reserve. She smiled and waved to a bluebird that chirped at her, and made her way to Hermione's room.
But then, she saw the bride and groom in the garden clock courtyard, and was about to leave when she heard the groom's angry voice say, "Hermione, please, be rational!"
Hermione's sharp reply shot through the air. "I am! I agreed to marry you, but you don't trust me at all!" Ginny could not help but peek at the couple. Hermione's husband had his back facing her.
"Of course I trust you! I just said that I don't think you'll be able to change our flight to Japan to a flight to Venice in-" he checked his watch-"two hours before the wedding starts!"
"What, are you doubting my abilities now, my dear Mister-" Hermione was cut short by her husband-to-be crashing his mouth to hers. When they lifted their heads, he said softly, "Of course I trust you,"
And she replied, "Thank you," rather breathlessly, a sparkle in her eyes.
Awww, Ginny said, her heart melting. That was so romantic. She turned to leave before smacking into Blaisé Zabini, who clamped a strong hand over her mouth before she could exclaim in fear.
"Shut it! If they see us here, we're busted," he said in a hushed tone. "Romantic, isn't it? We should do that sometime," Blaisé continued, not allowing Ginny to speak, raising his eyebrows. He unclamped Ginny's mouth.
It fell open, and Blaisé laughed before walking away.
Ginny shook her head. Blaisé Zabini was not flirting with you,she told herself firmly before she went to check on the dining hall, etcetera, as part of her maid of honor duties, which didn't really exist.
In the back of her mind, she was relived. If she had any doubts about Hermione and her husband-to-be getting married, they had all vanished by then.
After venturing around for an hour
Ginny didn't get lost, as she thought she would, and grinned, impressed with herself, and found Hermione's room easily- she heard lots of squeals of delight emitting from it.
"Oh, Hermione, you look beautiful!"
"How do you keep your hair so wavy and soft and luscious? It used to be so bushy and dry!"
"Hermione, Hermione!" Ginny laughed and entered, and Hermione turned her head and leapt up gratefully when she saw Ginny.
One of the over-zealous girls in the room, which Ginny recognized to be the groom's many relatives, attempted to punch Hermione with a powder puff. Hermione nimbly dodged it and announced, "Girls, I have Ginny to help me. Please leave."
The girls squealed angrily but left.
"Thank you so much. I love you." Hermione sighed, falling back into the fancy chair that was planted in front of the dresser.
"I'm not a lesbian, darling," Ginny replied, snorting with laughter.
Hermione picked up a cushion and tossed it at her and smiled good-naturedly. She went to sit on the big, cozy bed, and Ginny sat next to her.
"Aren't you nervous? Are you sure you want to marry-" Ginny started, sounding so much like Percy she felt freaked out. However, Hermione merely smiled wisely. "Nervous? No, just really happy. I love him," she declared.
They were silent for a moment, savouring the peaceful moment. Hermione fingered her engagement ring, a platinum band with sapphires and diamonds. It glinted in the sunlight, and she held it up to bask in the sun's full glory. Ginny sighed. It was so beautiful, and had been in Hermione's husband's family for many years.
'Shouldn't you be getting ready by now?' Ginny wondered aloud after a moment, tilting her head to look at a clock on the wall.
"Probably," Hermione said, her eyes closed, a small smile forming on her face. "The dress's hanging on the wall opposite you."
Ginny got the dress and zipped open the bag it was in, and her jaw unhinged.
The dress was made of a boned embroidered corset, hand-made, and a silk, full, sweeping, romantic skirt with a long train of silk, with pleats at the waistline, white denim ruffles at the back and diamonds. It had transparent, strong straps, which was a relief. The dress was heavy.
"Hermione…wow." Ginny whispered, touching the dress.
"It was my mom's," Hermione smiled. "And I have to wear a corset-" they groaned simultaneously-"so I need lots of help."
After an hour or so of screeches of "It's too tight, Gin!" and "I think a sequin fell off!" Hermione was ready. She was wearing very little make-up, just a hint of blusher, mascara and lip gloss. She looked perfect, but something seemed missing.
"I know!" Hermione's face lit up as she transfigured the only ugly thing in her outfit- the steel tiara- to a garland of roses.
Ginny smiled approvingly before she changed into her own gown with a flick of her wand. It was a simple, white strapless knee-length dress with a black ribbon belt with a matching black ribbon headband. Hermione grinned before she got their bouquets from off the bed and tossed one to Ginny.
"Let's go," Hermione chirped, before they went down to the hall.
Hermione and Ginny were escorted to the rose garden where a marquee and what not had been set up. The wedding was to begin soon.
An hour later:
Ginny felt near tears as she walked behind Hermione down the aisle, ignoring the many looks of awe and hatred. Hatred because not a lot of people liked the couple. She smiled when they stopped, and felt her heart leap in happiness. She exchanged a look with Blaisé Zabini, who smiled and kissed her cheek. A blond lady started to bawl and had to be escorted out of the room by several guards. She had choked, "It's so beautiful!" along with some teenage girls, who had bawled because the most eligible bachelor in Wizarding Britain was getting married.
The obscenely old pastor cleared his throat. "Sir Draco Malfoy and Miss Hermione Granger. You may exchange your vows." Ginny looked around and saw that Ron and Percy were both crying, though both denied it vehemently later.
Draco started, his strong voice clearly audible around the hall.
"With this hand," he said, a ring appearing on his palm, "I shall lift your sorrows, and forever love thy, and we shall be each other's other half for all our lives, for all eternity." before he slid the ring on Hermione's hand.
Two more bawling people were ushered out of the hall.
Hermione giggled before clearing her throat. 'With this hand,' Hermione raised her hand, the hand without the ring. She spoke in a clear, ringing voice and as she spoke, a ring appeared in her hand.
'I will forever love thy, and we shall be each other's other half for all our lives, for all eternity.' Hermione caressed Draco's hand before putting the ring on his fourth finger. Draco held Hermione's hands in his own and looked at the pastor expectantly.
Ginny waited with many others in the hall with baited breath for the couple to be bonded for all eternity with matrimony. She sniffed slightly and Blaise turned his head slightly to look at her and smiled. Ginny smiled back.
'I declare you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.' A golden serpent, or so it seemed, entwined itself around their connected hands and burst into gold sparks. Ginny swore she heard a lion's roar in the background of applause.
And as the pastor spoke those magic words, and the couple kissed, while the hall erupted with applause, Ginny's heart felt as though it would burst with joy.
A/N: This is probably my longest one-shot, ever. Review? (: