The Granger threshold was brimming with guests. No one who entered it were able to come out without a bruise. Harry Potter's glasses were slightly askew and his face was flushed. Ron Weasley was panting from exhaustion and from relief at having gotten out alive.
"If this is what Hermione's wedding brings to her house, I don't think I will live till the day Ginny gets married to you, mate." said Ron with a look of horror on his face. In his hands, he carried a box of tulips and pansies, all looking beautiful.
Harry recovered enough to respond, "Mate, if you think Ginny's wedding would be the worst, I don't think you have thought of Pansy yet." Ron paled visibly and started shaking his head.
"Blimey, Harry, I am never marrying anyone, not if this is what my life will come to. I can explain to her that I don't do well with crowds, she will understand and we can probably organize a smaller wedding with just a few hundred." Ron said looking a little positive.
"Ya, that will happen." mumbled Harry sarcastically and bent down to pick up some more decorations. They walked out the gate, holding the decorations and turned round the corner and continued walking. They were both exhausted but knew that they couldn't apparate or use magic unless they were out of this Muggle community.
A car that was coming towards them stopped abruptly in front of them. A girl wearing high heels and lots of make up stepped out of the car and walked towards them. She could be considered pretty but the make up wasn't making her look any better. She took out her sunshades and asked Harry and Ron, "You look like you are holding a part of the decorations for a wedding. Any chance you are coming from the Granger house?"
Ron sputtered and answered, "Yes, do you want any directions? All you have to do is go straight, turn left and then take the second right." The girl thanked them and introduced herself as Rachel Granger, Hermione's cousin. She and her sister, Rebecca Granger were on their way to participate in the wedding festivities. Harry and Ron, tired from carrying the boxes for so long, quickly wrapped the conversation up.
As the car drove on, they went under the shade of a tree and looked around before apparating to the church just a little farther as they were too tired to walk anymore.
Meanwhile, the Granger cousins entered the house and after greeting their family and friends, they met their aunt, Helen Granger, Hermione's mother. Helen gushed over how much they had grown up before steering them towards Hermione's room. Inside, Hermione and Ginny were packing up Hermione's clothes in a bag.
"Hey Hermy, it's been so long since I saw you." said Rebecca as she went to hug a stunned Hermione.
Hermione cautiously stepped back and said, "Rach and Becky, I didn't think you would be coming. I am glad you are here for my big day though."
Ginny stepped forward and said, "Hey, I am Ginny, the maid of honor. You must be 'Mione's cousins, Mrs. Granger told me a lot about you."
Hermione asked, "She did?"
Ginny gave a look that silenced Hermione and continued, "I was just on my way downstairs to check up on some things, why don't you all catch up?"
Hermione looked doubtful of being alone with her cousins who were always a little distant from her because as a child, she was completely different from the rest of her cousins. She always had her head stuck in a book and out of all her family, she was the only one with bushy hair. It was safe to say that she had matured a lot since then and now, her hair, though curly looked a lot more beautiful on her.
Her eyes were a lot more brighter than ever before and she had grown into an average woman in height. She was twenty-two with a successful job as a Trainee, on her way to become a Healer at St. Mungo's. As a child, she always got the most attention because of her need to learn from an early age and she had always suspected that her two cousins were always jealous of her.
She sat down on a chair by the bed side, and motioned for her cousins to as well, and asked, "So how have you both been? It's been, what, six years since I last saw you guys."
Rachel smiled, almost cruelly, and answered, "We have been more than fine. Rebecca recently married a successful doctor. He is very rich, you know, probably a lot more than who you are marrying. We are sorry for not inviting you, it was just a small wedding, you see."
Hermione smiled understandingly, though inside she was fuming a little, "So what do you both do for a living?"
Rebecca said, "Well, I have decided to be a housewife. We are planning on starting a family soon and what better way to do that than to get used to this sort of lifestyle."
Rachel then said, "I am on my way to become an interior designer. And I am soon marrying my boyfriend of three years. You should come as well."
Hermione nodded her thanks and looked at her wristwatch, "Oh my god, it's time for me to start getting ready." She got up, looking as if she was slowly panicking and just then Ginny walked in as if she knew just what Hermione wanted.
Ginny continued on to say, "Hermione, you don't have to panic. You told me to tell you if this ever happened, that you love him and are really excited to marry him. It will be alright. Now, sit down in front of the mirror and I will call in your mother."
Hermione sat down and her cousin Rachel asked her, "So who is this mystery guy you are marrying. No one but you and your parents know what he looks like. I am curious. Is he so hideous that you don't want us to see him unless he is filled with make-up or is he instead a rich one?"
Hermione scrunched up her face, "He is not hideous. He is rich and really handsome but that is probably because I love him a lot." She smirked at this and turned back towards the mirror, her mind already formulating a plan to personally humiliate her cousins for all they had done to not include Hermione when they were children.
Rachel and Rebecca after listening to Hermione, thought it was the best time to embarrass Hermione and came at her from both sides, "Now I am very curious. Come on, you much be having a picture. I always knew you were one to go more for someone's brain's than their appearance." said Rebecca.
They went and sat back down on the bed and then Hermione said, "Do you mind closing the zip of my bag? I seemed to have forgotten to do it."
Rachel turned and started closing the sip when she saw a book on top. She brought it out and saw that it was a yearbook of sorts. It read Hogwarts of 1999. Rachel almost squealed and held up the book. Hermione's eyes widened on seeing it. She snatched it out of Rachel's hands and said, "This is my special copy. Why don't I give you another copy of it?"
She went to her wardrobe and pulled out another copy, meant for Muggles who wanted to see it and handed it to her cousins. She then dropped the other copy into her bag and zipped it up.
Rebecca then asked, excitedly, "So, is your fiance someone from your school?"
Hermione nodded, acting as if she were doing so unwillingly. "Yes", shouted Rachel. "We finally get to see him." Rachel said.
"Not so easily, Rach, why don't you go through it and try to guess who I am marrying? You think he is hideous, don't you?" said Hermione with a smirk.
Rebecca and Rachel gave her a smirk rivaling her own and said, "Okay it's a challenge."
The two spent the next hour or so going though the book, furiously whispering to one another before they smiled at Hermione and showed her who they thought she was marrying. All the while, Ginny came in with Mrs. Granger, apologizing for being so late. Hermione filled Ginny in with what was happening with her and her cousins and Ginny couldn't stop laughing.
Ginny helped Hermione put on her make-up. She even used some spells to help beautify Hermione while the other two were engrossed in the book.
Mr. Granger soon came in and held his wife closely, all the while crying that his daughter had finally grown up old enough to marry. He hugged Hermione carefully, cautious of not disturbing her make up and went down to straighten his tie and ensure everything was ready at the church nearby. The two cousins were so into finding the one Hermione was about to marry that they didn't notice anything different about their surroundings.
In the end, they decided that the one Hermione was probably marrying was a Gregory Goyle. He was the most plain looking of all and seemed not so intelligent but you never knew what turned Hermione on. They giggled at the expression on Hermione's face when she saw who they were pointing at. She then said, "Why don't you wait until the wedding then?"
The two then left to change into their dresses and brush up on their make-up. By the time they returned, Hermione looked as if she was freaking out. She was talking to Ginny, saying, "What if someone objects to the marriage and messes up my special day? What is he suddenly decides he could do much better than me?"
"'Mione, the day he would stop loving you or leave you, would be the day hell freezes over. I may not have believed it years ago, but we all have seen the way he looks at you. And in the next month, I expect you to comfort me in this way when I am having my wedding jitters. Okay?" Ginny replied with a mile while she smoothed down her friend's hair with a brush.
"Of course, Ginny, that's what friends are for."Hermione said back looking a little teary-eyed. She was wearing on a bathrobe and make-up, enough that it looked like she had put on some make-up but not so much that it obscured her natural beauty. Ginny was styling her hair and plaiting it beautifully, leaving a few curls to rest beside her face.
Then she got up and went to the bathroom, where she slipped on her wedding dress. Mrs. Granger couldn't stop crying after seeing her daughter put on her wedding dress. Anyone who saw her then would not have believed that she was the Hermione Granger, bookworm of Hogwarts. She was a true beauty to behold.
Her dress was sleeveless and clinged to her every curve. The design of the flowers at the bottom of the dress looked as if it were sparkling every time she turned. Her fiancee wouldn't know what hit him. Mr. Granger soon after came to announce that they were ready to leave the house and to the church in a carriage.
Harry and Ron also entered soon after. "Hermione, you look beautiful. We have a present for you, something blue for you wedding day. It may not be much but we thought of you when we saw it." Inside the box they gave her, lay a beautiful sapphire crested necklace, not too bold to set off the whole dress but instead, looking good around her neck and suiting her dress.
Her parents gave her a something old, a fancy and sparkling hair pin that now held her hair at the nape of her neck. Her hair was beautifully designed into a french plait. Ginny gave her her something new, it was a pair of beautiful earrings matching the necklace that Harry and Ron had given her.
"Don't worry, 'Mione, we ensured the groom wasn't running away. Rather, I would say that he is very excited." said Ron.
"And everything's ready and perfect at the church. Nothing could ruin this day for you now." said Harry, and as they were getting ready to leave, Ginny whispered in both of their ear, the plan that Hermione had put in play to fool her cousins and warned them to play along.
Rachel and Rebecca who were silently huddled into a corner, whispering to each other how Hermione didn't keep much company except boys, slowly went to sit back on the bed once the two boys had left.
Rebecca then said, "So Hermione, what will you give us in return for winning the bet?"
Hermione narrowed her eyes at them, "That is assuming you would win!"
Rachel rolled her eyes, "Hermione, you can't be marrying anyone as good as half the people in your yearbook. By my guess, Gregory Goyle is definitely the best match for you. But what if we did win the bet?" She asked questioningly.
"Then I promise to introduce you to my groom's best man, who is most assuredly single, and a good enough match for Rachel, I suppose. I promise to you that he is not only rich but also extremely handsome and was also my classmate once. Actually, I give the credit for this wedding completely to him, without who I would not have met my former classmate, and now my fiancee, again. But if I win, then Becky and Rach, I request of you not to taunt me anymore with insults of your own. There is nothing more I can ask of people like you who have nothing better to offer." said Hermione with a challenging smile of her own. They both looked a little insulted at that but accepted the challenge.
Soon enough, Hermione got on a carriage along with her maid of honor, Ginny, and together they set off to the church that was located nearby. A car would probably have been a much more modern response, but her fiancee had insisted that the marriage take place in a traditional way. Minutes later, they reached the church. The guests had already arrived and everything seemed to be quiet on this side of the doors.
Rachel and Rebecca carried forth, along with them, a bouquet of flowers as they walked down the aisle. Ginny then walked with Hermione and her dad by her side, following closely behind her.
Rachel and Rebecca were, for a lack of a better word, completely confused over who the groom was. They were pretty sure the groom was still Gregory, who stood on the upturned stage but beside and behind him, were many more man, many of whom handsome. They were already smiling widely at the thought of winning the bet. Rachel was positively beaming up at the stage, looking over all the possible people who could be the best man.
As Hermione walked down the aisle, alongside her father, she looked up to find grey eyes looking at her with the same intensity that she was sure she was looking at him with. He looked so handsome in the muggle suit he had agreed upon wearing for her happiness. For him however, Hermione looked like a radiant angel as she walked down the aisle, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining up at him with so much happiness, he was sure he would collapse.
For everyone knew, that Draco Malfoy absolutely adored Hermione from just after their first date. She looked like she was gliding towards him, her feet barely touching the ground, and he could not look anywhere else, completely mesmerized by her and her beauty. Mr. Granger, on reaching the end of the aisle, offered his daughter's hand to his future son-in-law, a person he would now on wards trust on protecting his daughter.
Draco Malfoy stepped forward and accepted her hand. A gasp could he heard through the crowd but no one paid it much attention except the few around Rachel Granger. The Minister began with the ceremony. "We are here today to witness the union of Draco Lucius Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger. Before we proceed any further, is there anyone who objects this union? Speak now or forever hold you peace."
No one spoke a word. Soon it was time for the vows. Draco first spoke, a smile on his lips, "I have known you for a long time Hermione, for more than ten years. I was an idiot for not noticing that you were a splendid woman that God sent to this earth, solely for me. I am eternally grateful for that. I remember the first time we went on a date. It was a complete disaster. After spending months pursuing you, you finally agreed on going out with me and gave me one chance. I screwed it over right then and there. But you gave me another. Somehow, I knew then that that in the one year I had spent in running after you, I had somehow found in you, the one who was meant for me. My parents, though verbalized their displeasure at first, also came to love you soon after you met them. I am sorry for having treated you horribly in the first few years we met at school but you know I wouldn't have it any other way. As a way to make up for that, I can promise you only one thing. I love you and will continue to love you. I promise to stand by and with you. Always and Forever."
He bent forward and kissed her cheek quickly. Hermione was crying at the end of this and was smiling so widely at him, she feared her teeth would fall out. She softly cleared her throat and spoke, with a surprisingly steady voice, "I love you. I want you to know that I will always love you and nothing you do will ever stop me from loving you. You were my saving grace, in a way, at a time when I was hopelessly drowning in the horrors of the war. I came to learn to love you, rather, tolerate you during my difficult times. You stood by me through all that and for that, I know I will always try to make it up to you. In the dark, vast sky, you, Draco Malfoy are the only star I see." Some looked confused over the mention of the war, but thinking it of something from their school days, just clapped loudly at their beautiful vows.
They both exchanged rings and kissed each other deeply and for a long time. The reception had soon begun, in the backyard of the church, when Rachel and Rebecca approached her sheepishly and opened their mouth to say something...
When a loud cry broke Hermione, from her dreams. She woke up sleepily, to find her son, crying in his bassinet. His sister, on waking up from her sleep due to his loud cries, woke up too with a cry. Draco had already gotten out of the bed and hurried towards them. Hermione was yawning widely when the room grew silent once more, as the twins fell asleep.
The bed shifted as Draco sat down on his side of the bed. He crawled over to her and kissed her forehead and brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Sorry Leo and Lyra woke you up, I could tell you were dreaming something nice. What was it?" Draco asked with a small smirk that looked like a smile.
"Just our wedding day, that's all." Hermione said as she snuggled closer to her husband and just when she was on the verge of sleep, she could faintly hear the bed room door opening, and her eldest son and child stepping through. She could feel the bed dip further as Scorpius joined his parents on the bed but she was already being pulled by the heaviness that sleep brought. She could however hear the soft breaths of her son as he slept and could feel Draco gently stroking her cheek as he too fell into a deep slumber.
And they were together, just as Draco had promised, always and forever.
Author's Note: Sorry for ending the dream at a sort of a cliffhanger, not knowing exactly how it transpired. I hope, however, that you like this story. Don't forget to review and favorite this story if you feel the need to. This story is a one shot for those expecting more. Thank You.