A/N: I wrote this story just to celebrate my 100 reviews on Figuring Out Malfoy. What's better than another marriage fic? No marriage law, though. I know it's a little amount, but I'm still quite happy! So I hope you enjoy this little thing I whipped up! Now, on to the story!
Don't forget to review! And read and review my other stories, if you get a chance! Thank you so much!
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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling does, and always will...
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One Step At A Time
A Harry Potter fanfic by LoVeDoNtHaTe
"One step at a time, Hermione!"
Hermione had heard that phrase all her life. Her parents could pinpoint the first time they said it, when she was four months old and trying to run when she could barely stand on her own. "One step at a time, Hermione!" her father had said with a laugh. The first time Hermione could remember hearing that phrase was when she was four and had tried to write her name. "One step at a time, Hermione," her mother'd said to her then. She'd always been one to try and skip over the tedious things and get right down to the good part. Like reading a book and skipping over to the end, or using magic she hadn't learnt all the steps to yet. She'd learnt her lesson in those departments.
But now, Hermione wasn't reading a book or learning a spell. She was in a dressing room decked in a white gown, a veil in her hair and covering her face, matching pearl earrings and necklace her accessories. Yes, she was getting married. "One step at a time, Hermione," she breathed to herself, feeling breathless and dizzy and nervous all at the same time. She felt as if she could barely stand let alone walk down the aisle all the way to her fiancé. Well, her to-be husband. Whom she loved, just to make that clear.
Hermione looked at herself in the mirror again, and took another deep breath. "You're doing the right thing, 'mione, the right thing. Just take one step at a time."
Ginny rushed into the room and smiled at her best friend. "Merlin, Hermione, you look amazing!"
Hermione smiled feebly. "Thanks."
"Well, the wedding's just started, so let's go!"
"Gin, I'm making the right decision, aren't I?"
"Of course you are!"
"Am…am I supposed to be this nervous?"
"Well, yeah! But you should be excited too! You're about to be married!"
Hermione only felt her stomach lurch. "Oh, yeah."
Ginny noticed her obvious discomfort. "Are you all right?"
"Just great, really. Let's…go."
More deep breaths. Just take one step at a time, one step at a time. She remembered the few times she'd heard it from her ex-boyfriend's mouth.
"Whoa, Granger! Take one step at a time!" he'd said, gesturing at her homework. She had been doing all of it at once to finish it early, and she had just glared.
"Sod off! I'm doing it just fine!"
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"Hey Granger, take a walk with me?"
Hermione looked up, smiling. "Sure Malfoy. Just let me—" And, being the klutz she was, she'd tripped and toppled onto the couch. Malfoy had laughed and helped her up.
"Whoa there, Granger. Just take one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, there you go."
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"And I want, as cliché as it sounds, a picket fence really would look nice in front of my house when I get married, although not white, maybe red. Or a light pink…"
"Take one step at a time, Hermione. You need to find a husband first."
Hermione had just bat her eyes at him and skipped off.
Thinking about him made Hermione's heart sink and she was surprised at the tear about to drop out of her eye. She quickly dabbed it away with her veil, and took her place in front of the open doors. She saw the guests all rise as she took one step onto the carpet leading up to the atlar, up to Ron Weasley, her fiancé. And she froze.
Everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to move. The pianist had played the same thing over and over again, motioning with her head to continue her walk.
"Just take one step at a time," she heard someone murmur, and her eyes snapped to the voice, and widened. Could it be?
"Draco," she breathed, and he nodded at her. He didn't smile much in public, unless he was with her. All Hermione wanted to do right now was throw down her bouquet and rip off her veil and run to him, her ex-boyfriend. Screw the wedding! But she looked back at Ron who looked very concerned, and could not differentiate her emotions. She loved Ron, but she loved Draco. But she loved Ron. But Draco…
She took a step, and felt rather than heard every sigh of relief. Another step. And another. And everyone gasped. Because Hermione Granger was following her heart, which connected to her feet, and her feet led her to Draco Malfoy, not her fiancé, her to-be husband, her current boyfriend.
Draco looked surprised she was walking to him, but he received her with a hug and a smile. "What are you doing?" he whispered into her ear.
"Draco, I don't care if you can't give me what I want right away, or if you don't want a family right away. I don't care that you don't even want to get married right away, really. Sure I want a married life, I want kids, but what I want most of all is you. I almost skipped ahead of love and tried to get married, but now I'm taking one step at a time, and I'll go through all the tediousness of life just to have you."
She felt Draco's hold on her tighten and she smiled, then suddenly gasped. Ron.
"What the bloody 'ell is going on here?!" she heard him roar, and she quickly broke away from Draco to face her now ex-fiancé.
"Ron! I am so sorry! I…I can't marry you!" The guests all gasped. "I'm not…in love with you! I'm in love with Draco!" Another gasp, louder this time. She swore she heard someone faint. "I'm so, so dreadfully sorry, Ron, to disappoint you so, and to crush you, but…I'm sorry! I love you like my friend, like my brother, like…like…I can't think of any more examples but I love you like my brother! I'm so sorry Ron!"
She went to hug him, but Ron stepped back. "You love Malfoy?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes, I do." Someone gripped her hand from behind, and she squeezed it.
"You choose him over me?"
"In the department of love, yes! Just because I love him as my…well, just because I'm in love with him doesn't mean I don't love you! Just not…in that way…"
Harry Potter was with them suddenly, as was Ginny. "You love Malfoy?" came out of the mouths of both Potters, both husband and wife, and Hermione nodded.
"I'm sorry, really I am. But I just can't go through with this."
Ron nodded, albeit angrily, but he still hadn't pummeled Draco yet. That should be a good sign…
"I love you guys so much. Please understand! Marrying Ron would be like marrying my brother! I just can't do that! And Draco…" She looked back at him. "I'm sorry I broke up with you. I'm sorry I wasn't happy enough to be with you, and I'm sorry that stupid fight ever happened. I'm sorry I sprung marriage on you so fast; I was so ready for it, and I thought you'd be too, but I was just skipping all over the damn place again!"
"Shouldn't you be apologising to us?" Ron asked, and Hermione turned to them, her group of best friends since she'd entered Hogwarts. "I have, and I have nothing else to say. If you can't accept my apology, I don't know what else to do! But I won't change my mind. I can't."
The three stood there quietly, Ron's ears turning a darker shade of pink. "I need to go think this over," he said in a strained voice, and Hermione almost sobbed when he Disapparated. Ginny pulled Hermione into a hug and smiled.
"It's all right, Hermione. We'll talk to him. I can't say I'm really surprised, though. I mean, you were feeling so jittery beforehand I knew this couldn't be right for you, even with Ron being my brother and all. I'm sorry he got hurt, but as your friend I'm glad you didn't make the mistake of marrying my brother."
Hermione was in tears. "Oh Gods, thank you Ginny so much!"
Harry was next to her. "I would've said everything Ginny'd did, only she beat me to the punch. We love you, Hermione. We'll talk to Ron. It all takes just one step at a time."
Hermione smiled through her tears. "Yes, just one step at a time."
"Just don't go tripping and falling all over the place now."
Hermione giggled. "Gods, you guys are the best!" She hugged them again and turned to Draco, her soul mate, her other half, her one true love.
"Oh, Draco, I love you!" She kissed him and he pulled her close.
"I love you too. I'm sorry I was such a coward. I didn't think I could handle being with you, but being without you is so, so much worse. Don't leave me again," he murmured in between kisses.
"I wont, I wont," Hermione cried, still kissing him.
The audience clapped feebly, the Granger side clapping louder than the Weasleys. It was only understandable, considering it was their kin being left at the altar.
"Now we'll take it one step at a time, right Hermione? Let's start over. No more marriage arguments, no more insecurities on my part. Let's go." Draco wiped her tears away and kissed her again.
"Come on, Draco, I need to get changed," she said, smiling, and grabbed his hand and they both Apparated to her flat, seeking a new life and a new relationship, just one step at a time.
fin