Disclaimer: I'm sorry! I couldn't resist! I had to come back and finish the series!
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Hermione squirmed eagerly as the hair stylist pulled the last section of her hair back, braided it and circled it around the rest of the bun. After putting in a few more pins to hold it in place, she proclaimed it done. Hermione grinned and stood. Her nerves were making her stomach feel a little like a net full of butterflies.
"Thank you so much!" She didn't know the lady's name, but she would be forever grateful.
"You're welcome, my dear. Now if you'll just step over here, Gemma will do your make-up." The hair stylist pointed to a young-looking girl with raven black hair. Hermione nodded, feeling slightly breathless and hurried over to the girl. Once she was seated, Gemma began to ask a few questions and Hermione felt the queasiness melt away as she answered.
--
Draco was taking deep breaths. Breathe in, breathe out, and repeat. He felt like shouting on the rooftops. He felt like he could fly. He felt, well, wonderful! He straightened his bowtie carefully and glanced in the mirror to double-check his hair. He wanted everything to be perfect for this day. He was sure it was going to be the happiest day of his life.
A knock sounded on the door behind him before it was flung open. He felt his spirits droop as he caught sight of the intruders in the mirror. He turned slowly.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Jerk 1 and 2." He smirked slowly. He would never let them know he was worried, about well, everything.
"Speak for yourself, Malfoy." The voice of Harry Potter grated against his ears and for once he wished he hadn't left his wand in his suit jacket, which was currently slung over a chair across the room, safely out of sight.
"I will indeed, as you put it, 'speak for myself'. What are you two doing here?" He really wouldn't have minded if just Potter had come, but Weasley? He wasn't sure he could take the redhead's sarcastic rudeness, although he would never admit it.
"Your mother just told us." Weasley's face was reminded Draco of a healthy carrot. And he also remembered that Mother had insisted on letting all of Hermione's ex-friends know the day of the wedding. She had said it was only fair. That part Draco was still trying to understand. Life wasn't fair, and these two fools had come very close to ruining Hermione's life.
"And exactly what did my mother tell you?" Draco couldn't keep the curiousity out of his voice. Perhaps they'd quote her word for word.
"She came into my office about 10 minutes ago, while Ron and I were working, asking if we'd received an announcement." Potter looked slightly calm, but Weasley was breathing very hard. Draco creased his brow as if confused. "Naturally we asked what it would be for and she looked shocked, like we should have known. But I never would have guessed that the answer she gave us would send me here!" And now he looked positively livid.
Draco smirked, nearly grinning. "You didn't have to come. But I suppose you wanted to congratulate us, or maybe," his voice turned hard and the smirk fell away to an angry frown, "to apologize?"
"Apologize?" Sputtered Weasley. "For what?"
Draco's fist clenched and made it halfway to the tactless oaf before he stopped himself.
"Perhaps," He said slowly, taking a deep breath. "You haven't realized exactly what you've done to Hermione." He held up his hand as Potter opened his mouth to speak. "Let me explain. Six months ago to the day, I ran into Hermione, or rather, she bumped into me. Never in my life have I seen such a sad, broken person. And I asked her what was wrong. Do you know what she told me?"
Weasley glared at him while Potter shook his head.
"She said that every friend she ever had hated her now because of what she dedicated her life to. And at the end of all that she asked me how it felt to be unwanted." The silence in the room was very uncomfortable.
"And then?" The harsh whisper came from Potter. For a moment Draco was confused, but then it cleared and he continued.
"I realized that this wonderful, brilliant witch was hated only because she was better than you for once. And you were both jealous and treated her like scum on the bottom of your shoe. And we've been seeing each other ever since." Draco was breathing hard, but he wasn't nervous anymore. The nerve these two…idiots had to act as if they didn't know! He glanced at the clock and nearly choked.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to be late for a wedding if I don't hurry." He walked around the two men, grabbed his jacket, and slipped out the door.
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Hermione stepped in front of the mirror and couldn't help gasping at herself. She had never felt prettier in her life.
"Wherever did you get it?" asked the girl who had helped her into it.
Hermione smiled fondly. "It's a SeQuina Tormont original and the only one in existence." She answered as she fingered the white fabric.
The girl seemed awestruck and excused herself hurriedly after making sure she wasn't needed any longer.
Hermione turned to the door, the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach once again.
It was time.
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Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were seated in the back of the chapel. While Ron was muttering to himself quite loudly, Harry sat glumly, listening to the music. He couldn't believe he had followed Ron's advice. He had known something bad would come of it, but this wasn't what he had imagined. He could still see Narcissa Malfoy's pale face and her lips saying the words he never expected to hear.
"It will please you to know that my son, Draco Malfoy, will be marrying Hermione Granger today at 12 O'clock. You are invited, no matter how much you don't deserve to be."
No, it hadn't pleased either of them! Not in the least! Harry felt a nudge and looked up. Hermione was walking down the aisle in a perfectly white, wedding dress. It was unique, like Hermione herself and he couldn't help wishing that Draco wasn't the one she was walking toward.
Beside him, Ron had buried his face in his hands, but Harry found he couldn't tear his eyes away as the couple said their vows, were pronounced man and wife, and then kissed before his very eyes.
--
Hermione felt a tear slip down her check and smiled quickly to show she wasn't upset. Draco was her husband. And she was his wife. He was grinning happily now like there was no tomorrow. And she could have cared less if there wasn't. They were together now.
What had once been a casual friendship had become one that she would always have. As she looked out at the sea of faces, she spotted her two old friends. And she smiled sadly. So Narcissa had informed them as she had threatened to do.
"I talked to them," Draco whispered in her ear.
"Oh?" Hermione turned her face to his.
"I couldn't chat with them for long. I didn't want to miss my own wedding." He grinned playfully. "But I talked to them long enough that I think Potter at least might be on speaking terms with you."
Hermione shrugged. It was up to Harry. She didn't feel the same bitterness as before, but she was still slightly hurt by the things he and Ron had done to her. But Draco had been there. And he made her happy.
--
Later that night at the reception, both Hermione and Draco stiffened slightly as Harry and Ron came through the line. Ron was red in the face, muttered congratulations, and shuffled away as fast as he could. Harry, on the other hand, slowly shook Draco's hand, murmured his congratulations, and moved on to Hermione. As he took her hand to shake, he looked her in the eye and said in a solemn voice.
"I'm very sorry for how I treated you, Hermione. If you had only told me how you felt, I would have stopped. It's not that hard to knock some sense in me." He grinned ruefully.
"I didn't think you cared anymore. You and Ron were so hateful and you never talked to me. But thank you, and I accept your apology." Hermione smiled, drew him into a hug and kissed his cheek. "I'm to blame too. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. I guess I was just proud."
"Would you still have…married him?" Harry glanced at Draco hesitantly.
Hermione cocked her head and looked at Draco, who was speaking to his mother quietly. "Truth be told, Harry, I don't know. I ran into him on the street one day and he asked me what was wrong. I'm sure if everything had been normal, he wouldn't have even spoken to me, and I wouldn't have given him the time of day even if he had."
At this point, Draco turned from his mother to take Hermione's hand and looked at Harry.
"Everything solved?" He asked casually, and somehow Harry knew he'd been listening in the whole time.
Harry nodded. "I still don't really get it though. What even made you guys fall in love?"
"Well," Draco said. "She was alone, I was alone, and we decided that we could just be alone together forever."
Hermione smiled at Draco and Harry shook his head when he realized that he had been forgotten, so he said good-bye, although he wasn't heard, and left the two lovebirds alone.
--
As they walked out of the reception hall that night, Draco and Hermione's hands were clasped. The rings on their fingers glinted in the moonlight.
Once they had walked separately, alone and unwanted.
Once they had walked alone together.
Now they walked side by side, never to be alone again.
The End
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First: A BIG thank you to Jousting Elf with a Sabre for allowing SeQuina Tormont to be mentioned. She is an original character of a future story in the Batman Begins category. Coming to September 5th, 2009. Please read it, guys, if you're interested. It's going to be amazing!
Second: This, my readers, is officially the end of the Alone Series. Also, if you look on my page, I'm abandoning , albeit rather slowly. But leaving nonetheless.
Reviews are greatly appreciated.
The one and only (like that SeQuina Tormont original wedding dress),
Celebrytie Aris Channas