Hermione Granger peered at herself in the mirror. She put on her best 'dazzling smile' and straightened her dress.
She sighed. It really was a miserable day for a wedding. It was very stormy outside. Stormy and dark. Not quite how Hermione imagined her wedding day, but, oh well, the wedding was indoors anyway.
She was currently in the backroom of a muggle church, minutes before her wedding to Orson Hullington, her fiancé.
Orson was a very handsome man; he had blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. He was very fit and had a chiselled jaw line. He was a teacher at Durmstrang, and not mention head of the senior students.
"It's now or never, Hermione." She told herself.
The door swung open and a head of red hair appeared, accompanied by the rest of Ginny Weasley's body. "Ready Hermione?" She asked, looking Hermione up and down, admiring how good she looked.
"I think so." This made Ginny frown.
"You look beautiful." And indeed she did.
Hermione was wearing a white silk dress, which was strapless and went to the floor. The bodice of the dress ran to her hips, where it fanned out into a smooth skirt. The top of the dress was decorated with small cream coloured beads and embroidered with cream coloured stitching.
"I hope so, Ginny."
"Hermione, are you sure you're ready?" Ginny asked, concerned about her friend's lack of excitement.
"Yes." She breathed. "Take me out there." Ginny took Hermione to the doors just outside of the hall of the church. She took a deep breath.
The music started up, and she suddenly felt sick.
Cedric Diggory filed into his row, on the Bride's side. For Cedric, it was a perfect day for a wedding. Well, it was a perfect day for this wedding.
The love of his life was getting married. And it wasn't to him. It was to that bloody pompous prick of man Orson Hullington.
"Ceddy! Didn't know you were invited to dear 'Mione's wedding!" George clapped him on the shoulder cheerfully.
"Yeah, well, I was." He said glumly.
Fred sat on the other side of Cedric, looking concerned. "You're not still in love with her, are you?"
Cedric bit his lip. "So what if I am? It's not like she'll love me back. She with… what's-his-face." He said with a snort of disgust.
"Yeah, but what's-his-face is a git." George said. "You could always object."
Cedric raised an eyebrow. "I couldn't do that to her." He said quietly.
George was about to say something else, but another red-head came into view. "I'm just about to go get her." Ginny said. "Oh, hi Cedric. I didn't know you were invited."
"That was exact reaction, sister dearest." Fred said.
Ginny looked Cedric over briefly. He was pale, his face was unshaven, and well, he looked purely miserable. "Oh well, I'll see you guys soon." She said and left the three boys behind, with a fleeting look back at them. They briefly saw the concern in the twenty-two year old woman's eyes.
"Cedric, you can't let this happen, mate. You've got to stop the wedding or stop torturing yourself and move on. Make your choice."
They were right, of course. But she'd broken his heart. After the war, Hermione had become distant and it had led her to take up drinking. They had ended badly, with Hermione in a drunken rage, screaming at him that he wasn't enough for her, along with any other hurtful thing she could think of.
She had apologised the next day, but suggested they remain friends. "I just don't think I'm in a stable enough condition for a relationship. After all, you can't really love me, I'm not worth it." She had said. Of course he had protested, but in the end, he could only be her friend.
Suddenly, the music started up, and out walked the procession, led by the flower girl and ring bearer. The brides maids came out next, Ginny on Harry's arm. Finally, the bride herself stepped out and everyone lost their breath for a moment.
None more so than Cedric.
She smiled radiantly at her fiancé and he smiled back. She looked so happy and Cedric suddenly realised something. I can't ruin this for her. He abruptly stood and left quietly out the doors, leaving the twins and Ginny looking after him concerned.
,
Hermione looked down the rows, spotting a head of bronze/brown hair. His hair. She looked away quickly. So, Cedric had come.
She was hoping he wouldn't. She was still had very mixed up feelings for him, but she loved Orson. With all her heart. Yep, Orson was the one she loved.
…Maybe. What Hermione didn't know, was that Cedric was very much in love with her, and would probably die for her, whereas Orson was a selfish being.
Hermione didn't know this, but everyone else did.
The flower girl walked out with the ring bearer, followed by the brides maids. She took one more deep breath before stepping out onto the red carpet and beginning her slow walk down the aisle.
She smiled her 'dazzling smile' – yes, the one she had been practicing – and looked lovingly at her very handsome fiancé.
They had met when she had begun training as an Auror. She had been visiting Durmstrang, giving pep talks and such to the older students when he had asked her out. Well, things proceeded from there.
He smiled back at her, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
She barely registered the slight banging noise of the doors, or the concerned look Ginny shot down toward the back of the church. Her eyes were on Orson.
She took his hand, nodding to Harry, who was standing opposite Ginny, and was taken toward the muggle priest.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bring this couple together in holy matrimony. Should anyone have any reason to object, say now, or forever hold your peace."
"We object!" The shout came from the back of the church, two voices shouting.
The twins stood tall and proud, an odd look on their identical faces.
"Why is it that you object?" The priest asked.
"Hermione, you don't love him!" George shouted.
"I-I do love him." She protested.
"No, you don't. The man you really love is outside, in the rain, waiting for the worst day of his life to be over."
"W-who?" She stuttered, already knowing the answer deep down.
"Hermione, can we just ignore those idiots and move on? Please." Orson cut in.
"Do you know what he did, Hermione, just for you?" Fred said.
She shook her head.
"He saw how happy you looked and walked out; even though he knew it would break him." Fred replied.
"He never stopped loving you, 'Mione, not even after you broke his heart." George added.
She was crying now. "I-I l-love Orson." She stuttered, trying to ignore the rapid beating of her heart, and the voice inside her head telling her to go to Cedric.
"Look at what you've done!" Orson shouted, comforting his fiancé. "You've made her cry. All her make-up is running, because you can't let your mate stick to his decision to leave her to be happy."
She blinked. What did he just say? All her make-up is running. Was that all he cared about? Her make-up? How she looked?
"Shut up, you pompous git! You have no right –" George began.
"She's my fiancée, I have every right!" Orson shouted back.
"Hermione, you shouldn't be marrying him! Cedric loves you, and we know you love him, too." Fred cried.
She blinked. "I-I-"
"Sod off you idiots; you're ruining my wedding day!" Orson shouted.
His wedding day? His wedding day?!
"Shut up, you git." George defended. "See, Hermione? It's his wedding day! He doesn't care about you! Not like Cedric does!"
"Why you slimy bast–"
"ENOUGH!" Hermione screamed.
The whole church looked at the distraught woman. "Enough! I can't take this anymore!" She cried.
"Hermione, I think you should go to Cedric. The twins are right." Ginny said tentatively.
"You whore!" Orson growled. He turned back to Hermione. "Of course she'd agree with them, she is their sister!" He was going to say more, but he was cut off.
Cut off by a very hard slapping.
"What was that for?!" He yelled at her.
"Don't you dare call her a whore! You know what? They're all right. You don't care about me, you only care about yourself, you git!" She turned to the twins. "That door?" She pointed to the big wooden doors at the main entrance.
The both nodded.
She ran, picking up her skirts.
"Hermione! Get back here!" Orson yelled after her, but it was no use.
She flung the doors open and wildly looked around. She saw the rain pelt down and spotted a figure, sitting on the curb, soaked to the bone, with his head in his hands.
She wanted to call out to him, but he probably wouldn't hear her. She looked at the sky, then back to the figure she knew as Cedric.
Oh, sod it! She screamed inside and ran out into the rain, heels, white dress, and all.
"Cedric!" She called out over the rain as she got close.
His head whipped up, face contorted in confusion. "Hermione?" He stood up taking the last steps toward her, but staying one away.
Her make-up was running, her hair was wet and her dress was slowly soaking through. Her skin was pricked with goose-bumps and she stood with her eyes ablaze with raw emotion. She was a mess, but to Cedric, she was a beautiful mess.
"Cedric, I'm sorry!" She yelled.
"What for?" He asked loudly.
"I can't do this anymore! I love you!"
He thought this over for a moment; did he want to ruin her happiness?
"No, Hermione go back in there." He said in a pained voice.
She looked at him, shocked. "I can't. I don't love Orson. I love you! Orson doesn't even love me. At least not like you."
"Hermione," He began but stopped and sighed. "How did you know?"
"The twins did the one thing you couldn't."
"See? I don't deserve you! I'm too much of a coward!"
"Cedric, I know why you left, and I'm not leaving you. Ever. I love you." She said the last bit slowly to emphasize her point.
He ran a hand through his wet hair. "C'mon, let's get to shelter." He walked over to the gazebo in the park, Hermione followed.
"Hermione, listen, we can't do this! You've got a fiancé in there, you love him, not me."
"No, Cedric, I don't. I love you, I always have. Orson isn't you."
"He's only much better."
She looked at him sadly. "What's wrong with me?"
"There we are. Now, go back inside and apologise to your fiancé."
"No, Cedric, I mean what's wrong with me? Why don't you want me? I thought you…" She trailed off, looking down. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe he didn't really love her. Perhaps she should take his advice and find Orson.
She felt warm hands grab her by the shoulders and looked up into Cedric's smouldering amber eyes.
"Hermione I do love you. I just can't let you throw away your life like this."
"Cedric I'm not throwing away my life! You are my life! I love you!"
"I am not your life!" He bellowed. "How can I be your life, when you were about to make someone else your life not long ago?!"
"I've always loved you, I realise that now. I was just… confused." She defended.
"Yeah, well maybe you should go back to something less confusing." He said, with a pain in his heart.
"It's too late for that, now. But I guess I'll leave anyway." She looked at him coldly. "Goodbye, Cedric." She said, and stepped out into the rain again, tears mixing with the rain. Her shoes got stuck in the mud, and she found herself dropping to her knees in defeat.
She sobbed, putting her head in her muddy hands.
Suddenly, she felt strong arms encircle her and pull her free. It was Cedric. "You're cold." He stated, and then he took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders, rubbing her arms to keep her warm. It was a useless feat – the jacket was soaked after all, but a welcome gesture.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean it. Any of it." He apologised, pulling her shivering body closer.
She looked into his eyes and knew the truth behind it all. "I love you, you've got to believe me." She whimpered.
"I do, it's just… you looked so… happy."
"I wasn't truly happy. Not without you."
They went silent for a moment, standing in the rain.
Hermione was the first to speak. "One of the twins said you never stopped loving me… even after I broke your heart."
He pulled her to his chest. "Never."
"Why not?" She sounded pathetic to her own ears.
He put a hand under her chin and made her look at him. "I couldn't."
With his bronze hair all wet, water dripping from his nose and chin and his dark blue suit soaked, he kissed her tenderly.
The kiss turned hungrier, heated soon. It was as if the two were teenagers once again, like on the night they had gotten together, only this time, it was a kiss of reunited lovers. One they wished could last forever.
However, everyone needs to breathe, and as they pulled apart, Cedric looked Hermione in the eyes, pulled her into the gazebo and got down on one knee.
"Hermione Granger, will you marry me, and not that pompous moron in the church?"
She laughed and her lips met his in answer.
They suddenly heard cheering from the other side of the road. "Bout time, Ceddy!" The twins whooped. "Oi! Bring it inside, we've got another wedding to plan!"
"Who says you're invited?" Hermione yelled back, laughing.
"We'll just become your official wedding crashers!"
Hermione and Cedric laughed, holding on to one another for dear life.