Well, under threat of the earth blowing up - you know who you are :) I present to you Chapter 11 of Please, Let Death Part Us. Please enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Mother, really, is this necessary?" Hermione asked, her voice part embarassed and part amused as a stylist twisted and turned her head in every direction. She thought of the pains she had to go through during Yule ball, and hoped that her hair would look doubly beautiful tonight judging by the amount of pain her scalp was enduring.
The woman dabbed her eyes lightly, and sniffed, a smile on her face. She nodded and smoothed out dark green dress.
"Oh Hermione, of course it's necessary. My mother had the same talk with me when I was getting married even though your father and I were…much more impatient than you and Draco. You have been patient haven't you?" She babbled. Hermione blushed profusely and nodded.
"Yes, mother. Draco and I have definitely not taken THAT step yet, we both want it to be special." Hermione said through gritted teeth, she winced as the spell spread over her scalp and stung slightly.
How the hell do women do this everyday?
Hermione took a glance at Ginny next to her who looked as if she were tried to hide a smile. She narrowed her eyes warningly which only made Ginny smile wider and chuckle at her obvious discomfort. The bride-to-be wanted to groan as both hers and Ginny's hairstylists looked beyond amused with the current conversation.
"Mum, we had this talk, remember? I came back from my first year and you found out my best friends were boys." Hermione mumbled, ignoring the pull at her chest at the mention of the two boys. Ginny snickered at that and if it weren't for the drying paint on her nails, Hermione was sure she would have hit her already. Ginny seeming to pick up on this, decided to break out in a wide smile.
"Emma, you'll never guess what I bought Hermione for tonight-" She laughed as Hermione slid down as far as she could and tried to kick at her maid of honor, making everyone laugh.
"Hermione, that 'talk' was to ward you off of having premarital sex. You're going to be a married woman, and tonight is your wedding night." Her mother laughed at Hermione's blushing face as if finding everything her daughter did was deemed completely adorable. The smile on her mothers face made Hermione forget her embarrassment for a minute and she smiled in return. In the back of her mind she made the mental promise that she would spend more time with both of her parents once the war was over.
With their grandchild...if Draco and I survive.
"Alright mum, if you insist." Hermione told her patting her mothers hand. They watched as the older woman nearly burst into tears all over again and laughed as she swatted the hands of slightly amused sympathizers. Ginny smiled at Hermione, grabbing her best friends hand as she saw the bride begin to tear up at her mothers actions.
"Well, sweetheart…" Emma began.
Draco stood in front of the mirror smoothing out the front of his robes once more. He thought of the shrunken bag in his pocket and Hermione's acceptance of him backing out and leaving her at the altar and without meaning to he would catch himself checking the inner pocket of his robes for the shrunken broom he had stowed there.
"Man, relax will you? It's not as if you're getting married or something." Blaise joked, coming up behind him and dusting off lint from his friends shoulders. Draco glared halfheartedly at him through the mirrors reflection and the other wizard laughed, clapping him on the back.
"Are you going to put the moves on Weasley at my wedding? I'd like to know if you'll still be around when they ask for the best man's toast." Draco grumbled, fixing the boutinere on his chest. Blaise punched his arm, and Draco pushed him back only this time with a small smirk on his lips.
"Don't say it like that, you make it seem like I'll be stuffing her brother or something. Her name is Ginny and she's not the kind of girl you 'put the moves on'." Blaise told him warningly in a dramatically serious tone that made Draco roll his eyes.
"I'm sure. You think you could remember to keep her dress on all night?" Draco teased once more, throwing his hands up in surrender as Blaise turned angrily towards him.
"Kidding! Geez, don't get your wand in a wad-" Draco told him laughing, momentarily forgetting the awaiting ceremony. Blaise opened his mouth to say something when Draco followed his questioning look to the person standing at the door. A man with light brown hair and hazel eyes stood at the door, clearly amused with the friendly banter.
Two months ago
"Granger, will you stop fidgeting. It's unbecoming." Draco snapped as they arrived at her parents doorstep. He put the small ragdoll into his pocket and was glad they travelled by portkey instead of entrusting Hermione to apparate them to her parents house. He was sure that by her nervous twitching all day that she would have splinched them both.
"Malfoy, my grandmother doesn't even say 'it's unbecoming'" Hermione snapped back, mocking him in a tone not unlike a five year old, annoyed that he'd caught her fidgeting once more. Hermione had just put her key in the door when she pressed her head against it and stopped herself from opening it. Draco stared at her as if she had gone around the bend.
"I really hope that isn't some muggle tradition of opening doors, cause I'm not doing it." Draco told her dryly. The witch in front of him tensed and he could tell that she was trying not to scream at him, causing him to grin in satisfaction. She turned around slowly, her eyes bright and watery as if on the verge of tears causing the wizard's grin to fall slightly and he stepped back.
An angry Granger is better than a vulnerable one.
"Look, these are my parents, and I'm going to lie to them and ask them to give me away to a prick while telling them I love you. So just…please, Malfoy. Tonight, just…please…" She didn't finish and Draco could hear the excited footsteps nearing the front door. He could only guess that they had heard them talking outside and had come to welcome them. She stared at him and he grabbed her hand just as the door opened.
"Hermione! We've missed you!" Emma Granger cried, throwing her arms around her daughter. Hermione smiled, and gave her a hug, her hand shaking in Draco's.
"Oh mum, I've only been gone about a month. Mum, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Draco. Draco this is my mum Emma." Hermione told her in a convincingly happy voice. The woman smiled at him, and Draco was a bit surprised at how genuine she looked. People in their world were never genuinely kind to a Malfoy in his eyes.
"Ms. Granger, thank you for having me over tonight." Draco said politely, and Emma waved him off.
"Oh it's our pleasure and call me Emma. Hermione rarely ever makes it home throughout the school year, and if you're the reason she's come to visit then I think you'll find us indebted to you. She's never brought a boy home before!" The woman rambled, leading them into the house. Draco helped Hermione out of her coat, and grinned as Hermione groaned.
"Mum, don't do the embarrassing story bit. Please!" Hermione begged, leading Draco into the living room. Emma winked at Hermione mischeviously and she whined again, this time with a smile on her face.
"Oh, I'm sure I won't mind an embarrassing story or two, Emma." Draco drawled playfully, and Hermione pinched the inside of his arm when her mother wasn't watching. He swatted her hand away and ignored her slight glare until someone interrupted the beginning of Emma's first story.
"Is that my daughter I hear?" They both turned around and Hermione broke out into a wide smile as she hugged her father.
"Dad, this is Draco. Draco this is my dad, David."
"Sir, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Draco felt the slight fear of meeting his girlfriends parent's for the very first time. The muggle man smiled at him and clapped him on the shoulder in greeting.
"And you, Draco. You'll have to forgive me, it's not every day your only child brings her boyfriend to meet us. For Hermione to bring you by it must mean the two of you are getting serious-" David was cut off by his wife tutting him as if he were in trouble.
"David, try not to scare the boy off within the first five minutes. Hermione, why don't you two finish setting the dinner table and I'll distract your father from giving the third, forth and fifth degree." Emma joked, shooing her husband into the kitchen, winking at her daughter. The second they left the room, Draco and Hermione instantly dropped their hands, wiping it on their clothes as if they were children who still believed in "cooties".
"Help me set the table." She grumbled, walking towards the dining room. Draco rolled his eyes.
"I've never set a table in my life, Granger. THAT is what house elves are for." He lied, enjoying the redness growing in her face as she gripped the china in her hands.
"Not when we're married. That's the first to go." She grumbled, thrusting the plate into his arms. He scoffed and flicked his wand, Hermione needed to duck as a glass whizzed pass her head and onto the table, everything setting evenly. She was just about to stomp her foot and snap at him for relying on magic when her mother swooped in with dinner steaming.
"The table looks wonderful! Hermione, you should have brought him around sooner." Emma teased.
Hermione forced a laugh as Draco basked in her mother's compliments.
I think me and your parents will get on just fine.
Shoot me, Merlin, shoot me now.
As the dinner continued, Draco had begun to feel more at home than he'd ever felt anywhere else. The company of the Grangers was sophisticated yet warm and welcoming, something he'd never experienced in the manor from which he grew up. Hermione watched him with interest as he slowly came at ease with her muggle parents. She was even shocked to find herself watching his smile as he and her father spoke of things she wasn't paying attention to.
"Darling, we'll be right back. I'll help you with the table afterward."
Hermione was about to open her mouth to object when her mother placed her hand on her arm to stop her, smiling and winking at her knowingly before starting up conversation on her schoolwork.
Draco winked at her as he followed her father into the study and she narrowed her eyes at him before turning to smile back at her mother.
"Draco, thought I'd stop in for a bit, see how you were doing."
"Thank you, Mr. Granger. Uh Blaise, this is Hermione's father, David. Mr. Granger this is my best man Blaise Zabini." They exchanged pleasantries and Draco had to refrain from standing in front of the mirror, smoothing out his robes once more. As Blaise politely left the room, his soon to be father in law started to laugh.
"It's alright, my boy. I promise you that Hermione will be walking down the aisle in-" He pulled out a silver pocket watch and checked the time.
"In ten minutes." He told him. Draco tried to smile as if the idea put him at ease. David clapped Draco on the shoulder and handed him the pocket watch, and Draco took it, running his fingers over the celtic outside design. He opened it to see a simple inscription on the other side of the clocks face.
"Time heals what reason cannot."
The words stuck Draco hard, and he thought of his birth mother: the woman who had died for him, the woman who had loved his father even for all of his faults, the woman who fought for the right side. He often brooded over the simple word: HOW? How could his father have done such a thing? How could he just give him away to the dark lord? How could fate be so cruel? The simple inscription gave him a strange sense of hope that when this was all over, the time he would be given in a world of peace would not be wasted living out the life of his father and his fathers father. He took in a breath, and wasn't aware of how much better he felt that Hermione's father – man he once felt superior to, a man he barely knew- squeezed his shoulder like a father would to a son.
"Emma's father gave this to me twenty five years ago right before my wedding. It may not be as fancy as all of the wonderous things in yours and Hermione's world-"
"It's perfect, sir, really it is. Thank you." Draco told him softly, genuinely. David squeezed his should again.
"But it has helped me through the oddest sorts of time during my marriage. Time truly does heal that which we don't understand, if you let it. Though, when Emma's father gave me this time piece he told me that it was because I was in love with a woman who despised being late, so be prepared…" The two men chuckled.
"I'm afraid I'll have to tell you that as well. I'm sure you're already aware of that about Hermione though…" The man sighed heavily, trailing off. Suddenly, Draco felt like a cad in front of the kind man next to him for he knew what would be said next.
"Please, take care of her. When you came to the house that day, I knew...I knew that you were different. I know that you explained to us about this law but I knew that you would take care of my daughter. You both are so young and although Hermione thinks we know absolutely nothing about her world, we know enough to be worried about how people will react to you marrying her. Her beautiful mind doesn't always think of all the ugly in the world, and I wanted to keep the world beautiful for her as long as I possibly could. I hope you'll try to continue to protect that." David told him quietly.
For the first time Draco didn't have the heart to tell someone they were wrong.
Hermione knows all about the ugly in the world, she's marrying into it. He thought, suddenly feeling even more nauseous than he was before his future father in law came in. He wanted to shake the man, and tell him to take his daughter and run far away from this world. He wanted to tell him that he won't be able to protect her and that he can't make things beautiful for her, but instead he only nodded quietly. The man clapped his shoulder again and smiled at him. Just as he was about to say something, the door opened once more and Draco felt himself darken as Lucius stepped in.
"Draco-" He stopped and stared at the two men in the room before an obviously fake smile graced his face.
"You must be Ms. Grangers father." He told them. Draco realized that David must've felt him stiffen for he gave him a reassuring squeeze of his shoulder before walking towards the elder Malfoy.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy. I'm David Granger." The muggle man made to shake his hand, and Draco watched as his father exchanged pleasantries with a partial satisfaction at knowing his father was secretly disgusted by the simple act of touching a muggle. The other part of him felt ready to boil over at the fact that his father was so stupidly prejudiced.
David smiled at Lucius one last time, tactfully hiding his uneasiness towards the man.
"Well, I'm sure you'd like some time alone before the ceremony. I'd better tend to my wife seeing as she's probably driving your future wife batty." He joked more to Draco, feeling as if the tension between father and son could be carved through with a knife. They bid goodbye and Draco turned back to the mirror, his face blank and uncaring. He watched as Lucius wiped his hands with a silk handkerchief, glaring at the door that David had just left through.
"Disgusting commoners." He hissed. Draco continued to stare into the mirror as his father came up behind him, hovering over his shoulder much like how he did when Draco was a young boy.
I used to be scared of you then. He thought bitterly, straightening out his robes, as he looked up to see his fathers cold stare in the mirror and mimicked it to perfection. Not anymore.
"Is there a reason you're here, Lucius?" Draco drawled turning away from the mirror, and looking at the man as if he were tired of him. The elder Malfoy's face darkened and he narrowed his eyes at his son.
"I am not your equal, boy-" The word was said with such malice that Draco felt the reckless need to smile at the situation.
"You will not address me as such. I am your father and you will respect me." Lucius hissed, his already pale hand gripping tightly onto the top of his cane. Draco's laughed darkly, surprising the man for a second.
"You're quite right, Lucius. You are not my equal. I have surpassed you. As Lord Voldemort's son, I am your superior. However-" Draco looked down, purposefully pulling at his cufflinks, as if Lucius were so unimportant to him that he didn't deserve to be paid attention to. When he looked back up, Lucius stepped back as the boy he raised seemed to stand a foot taller and his presence was strikingly cold.
"However, you…are not my father and you will earn my respect as I am Lord of this family. Do otherwise and perhaps I shall find the need to deal with this through my new father, my true father…" He told him, stepping forward threateningly, his entire being was deathly calm and Lucius stepped back once more. The man made to open his mouth to protest when the door began to open, and Lucius' eyes flickered to whoever was coming into the room. Draco felt as if the monster within him was sickeningly pleased with the look of fear in his father's eyes.
"Get out of my sight." Draco ordered, dismissing the elder Malfoy as if he were a mere house elf. He turned away from his father, and back to the mirror. He tried not to look shocked at how completely different he appeared, how much more evil, as he looked at himself in mirror.
Blaise opened the door, not waiting for a response, coughing in surprise at seeing the older Malfoy where Hermione's father was not too long ago.
"Draco…oh, Mr. Malfoy as well, the ceremony is about to start. Draco, you need to get to the front." Blaise told him, not missing the look of shock on Lucius' face that remained for the split second after he opened the door. Lucius left the room without a word to either of them, swooping through to the ballroom where the wedding would be held. Draco let go of the breath he was holding and relaxed as he felt Blaise clap a hand onto his shoulder.
"Don't let him ruin yours and Hermione's day, okay mate?" Blaise told him quietly. Draco eyes darted around the room, not trusting that roaming ears weren't everywhere waiting for him to slip up and say something very stupid.
"Blaise, you know that the mudblood and I aren't real. You know what the Dark Lord's plans are. Why would it matter what the day is like?" Draco asked him, if any voice was listening Draco knew then at least it would appear that he didn't care. His friend stood next to him his jaw clenched slightly and his face thoughtful before answering. He looked as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to.
"You're my best mate. Don't be stupid." Blaise told him simply, his eyes narrowed knowingly at Draco. As he turned towards the door, Draco paused on what he meant before asking.
"It was Weasley, wasn't it?" He watched as Blaise's hand stopped, almost as if he were frozen in time just at the door knob, his back turned to him.
"The end of last year, and this past summer…it was her right? The one you got shit faced for in August?" Draco asked him quietly. He noticed Blaise stiffen once more and watched how he slowly nodded.
"Like I said, you're my best mate. Don't be stupid. You can only fool yourself for so long." Blaise told him calmly.
As Draco walked to the front of the aisle, he could only wonder what exactly his best friend meant.
Hermione stared out the window as Ginny helped to fluff the back of her dress. It was beautiful outside, a perfect November day and if she was honest with herself it was every brides dream of perfect wedding weather. Ms. Weasley had just walked out with her mother about five minutes prior and it was just her and Ginny now.
"It's almost time." Ginny squealed, clapping her hands together. Hermione turned away from the window and smiled, spinning slightly.
"How do I look?" She asked nervously her voice small and quiet.
"Amazing, truly amazing. Hermione you look...perfect." Ginny told her, clasping her hands against her chest wistfully. Hermione blushed at the compliment, her hands shaking.
This is it. This is it. This is it. Oh, god, this is it.
The two women looked up at the sound of the door opening and Hermione welcomed the sight of her father entering the room with a nervous smile. Without warning, Hermione practically jumped up and ran to him, throwing her arms around him and taking in the scent of him.
"It's time, my dear." He told her, wrapping his arms around his daughter. Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying as she held him tightly, ignoring the strangled laugh mixed in with a noise that sounded awfully like a cry coming from him. Ginny patted her arm and slipped out of the room, and Hermione could vaguely hear the "I'll see you out there" that she whispered on her way out.
"I love you, dad." Hermione whispered to him as she slipped her arm under his, squeezing her father's arm for support as they stood near the large doors. They watched Ginny and Blaise enter through the large doors taking only the slightest peak out to the crowd outside. The soft music humming through the walls as they waited for their cue. David squeezed her hand in return, and Hermione wondered if it were for her reassurance or for his.
"I love you too, my busy bee." He told her. The nickname was all it took, and Hermione felt a few tears slip down her cheek.
The wedding coordinator that Narcissa had hired was running back and forth in front of them, holding her hand up to instruct them to wait, and Hermione swore she saw enchanted birds holding white ribbons flying as the doors closed once more.
"He's going to take care of you now dear." David told her, causing Hermione to stiffen for a second before turning to him.
"Dad, what did he say to you that night? That night I first brought him to meet you."
As the wedding coordinator began counting them down, her dad just smiled at her letting the musical cue cut her question from being answered. Her heart began to race and she closed her eyes as the doors reopened and their guests began to stand in unison for her entrance.
This is it. No turning back now.
Draco watched as the Blaise and Ginny made their way down the aisle, smiling as they made their way to him. He ignored the blatant whispering amongst the pureblooded socialites and smiled at Hermione's mother who seemed to be on the verge of tears. The Slythern's stared at him with looks of a dark humor that made his stomach turn and he knew what they were thinking. They were thinking of the torture they would inflict on the other side of the room where the red and gold lions lay. The Gryffindors stared at him with distrust and smiled at Ginny as she made her way opposite of Draco.
Ginny kissed Draco on both cheeks, whispering "Good luck." He nodded to her with what he hoped was a somewhat confident smile and she moved over for Hermione's entrance.
The crowd stood up as the music changed, announcing his fiancés arrival, and Draco felt as if he might vomit from being so nervous.
This is it. Merlin, this is it.
If the sheer nervousness hadn't stopped his breath than watching as Hermione walked towards him did. He felt his face flush as he watched her in silent awe. The person in front of him was not the one he had grown up bantering with since the ripe age of eleven. It wasn't the girl he'd gotten punched by. It was definitely not the girl he had spent two months faking a happily engaged couple with. She was a woman. A beautiful, mysterious, warm and perfect woman.
He watched as her father gently lifted the small veil kissing her cheeks and hugging her. He whispered something to Hermione that made the bride's nervous shaking turn to a short lived quizzical look that flickered to Draco before her father guided her hand into his. They mirrored one another's nervous butterflies-in-the-stomach smile as they both turned to the minister of magic.
She squeezed his hand, her heart pounding, and felt herself become self conscious as her palms grew sweaty. Draco rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and they heard their guests sit down behind them. As his thumb continued to graze over the soft skin of her hand she tried to rationalize that it was impossible to have your heart pound the way it was and yet feel calmer at the touch.
The Minister began to speak about marriage and about the example that Hermione and Draco were setting for the rest of the wizarding world but they both droned them out.
Fudge has a stupid looking face. Draco's thoughts slid into her head. Hermione's eyes flickered at him and though she tried to ignore the comment, the second she looked up at the minister before her, she bit her lip to keep from giggling. The two students smiled at one another, trying to suppress a laugh.
I feel sorry for his mother, Hermione commented back, mentally rolling her eyes as he continued on.
He probably still lives with his mum.
Hermione smiled widely at Draco, and he noticed how it reached her eyes just right, the stained glass shimmering light pale colors on her face. The women in the crowd seemed to sigh wistfully at the exchange which made it even funnier for the soon to be wed Gryffindor. He smiled back at her and Hermione thought that it was as if they were pulling off the greatest prank in history, one so good that it would put Fred, George and the Great Zonko to shame.
"Do you, Draco Malfoy, take Hermione Granger to be your wife under magical law ?" The minister asked suddenly, causing Hermione and Draco to finally take their eyes off one another. Without a moments hesitation, he answered "I do" and Hermione felt herself relax, almost as if she were afraid he'd still have a change of heart at the altar.
"And do you, Hermione Granger, take the Draco Malfoy to be your husband under magical law?" Hermione smiled at Draco who's face seemed to go a bit pale at that instant, and she felt better knowing that he was just as insecure.
"I do." She answered, her eyes flickered to their guests as she saw her mother tearing up.
"And now, the exchanging of the rings…" Hermione turned to Ginny who was currently dabbing her eyes as they switched her bouquet for the fated ring that they had selected together. Blaise squeezed Draco's shoulder just before he turned back to Hermione. The minister placed the tip of his wand at their hands.
"May you cherish one another through all obstacles, let this ring be a symbol of the promise of lasting love and marriage." The minister mumbled what seemed like a complicated spell before finally touching the rings each in turn. Hermione felt tears falling gently from her eyes as Draco slipped the ring easily onto her finger and he laughed slightly, lifting his hand and wiping the tears away from her face. She slid the ring onto his finger and as their hands connected once more they felt as if their magic pulsed through them. It was as if they were eleven again when they first walked into Hogwarts and felt their magic connect with their new home. As if their magic had awoken once more, stronger than ever. Simultaneously their eyes widened and without reading the others thoughts, they knew they'd both felt a surge of power in their veins.
They were forced to snap out of their thoughts as the next line came out of the ministers mouth.
"For anyone who feels that these two should not be bonded in matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."
Hermione's heart stopped as she scanned the crowd. She could tell that her fellow Gryffindors were uncomfortable while the Slythern's remained completely indifferent. Her eyes fell on Pansy who instantly looked away while Draco swore he saw two pairs of green and blue eyes starring at him in contempt.
After what seemed the longest and most uncomfortable seven seconds of her life, Hermione finally released a breath of relief as the minister continued.
"With the power vested in me as the Minister of Magic, I now pronounce you man and wife. Draco, you may now kiss the bride." The minister bowed away slightly, and Draco squeezed her hands before taking a step in closer to her.
In that instant, Hermione knew it was different compared to all of the times they had held hands or kissed on the cheek. She was his wife, and this would be their first kiss as a married couple.
My first kiss as Mrs. Malfoy.
The thought made her heart pound, and she hoped that the smile on her face didn't show how nervous she was at that moment.
It was when his lips made their way to hers that everything went silent and everything was beautiful. There was no war and no prophecy. All that existed were her lips on his and the petite hand that grazed his cheek. She felt her senses go wild and swore that his taste was the one she'd never get enough of. Draco felt as if trying to reinvent her lips would be as impossible as drinking sunlight for thats what it was. When she opened her eyes, she swore she'd never seen such colors as the ones starring back at her. Blinking herself out of her reverie, she let him lead her down the aisle hand in hand, the smile of a new bride plastered on her face.
From the second their lips touched to the moment they were alone in the horse drawn carriage, Draco couldn't remember blocking anyone from his thoughts. He couldn't remember thinking at all. Hermione stared at him unabashedly from her seat across of him, biting down on her bottom lip. He stared at her right back, and clenched his fists at how his body seemed to be on fire just seeing her white teeth bite into her lips.
They didn't remember what came first, his finger rubbing over lip to stop her from biting or her hands reaching over and running through his hair that led to drinking in the other until they had arrived for their reception.
"Hermione! That kiss was possibly THE most perfect wedding kiss I've ever seen in my life!" Ginny whispered in her ear over the dinner table. The wedding party sat in front of their guests happily as the reception was in full swing. Hermione blushed appropriately before smiling at her.
"Well, you only have one 'first married kiss'." She said to her quietly leaning over. They were over halfway through with the reception and Hermione felt like she could fall in love with the closest mattress available and incendio her heels as soon as time allowed. The part that stunned her was that besides the fact that the entire wedding was a fraud, she was having a wonderful time. She cried when she danced with her dad, and blushed the entire time during her first dance with Draco. She even laughed when he took off her garter belt and tossed it into a handful of eligible bachelors where someone with emerald eyes caught it.
"Can a bloke get a dance with the lady in white?" Hermione looked up to see the familiar eyes of Ronald Weasley starring down at her but with a face that she didn't recognize.
"Of course." She answered warmly, taking his hand.
She was surprised as Ron took her to the dance floor with an odd grace that he didn't seem to have before.
"Wipe that look off your face, tonight, I am your dashing childhood friend Benjamin who goes to school overseas." Ron chastised, causing her to snort a laugh that made one of Draco's relatives stick her nose up in annoyance.
"With an accent no less." Hermione laughed as he twirled her around and spun them together. Before all of this, she and Ron had always had these rare moments that they could go back to in order to reassure why they were ever friends in the first place.
"Did you enjoy the ceremony?" She asked as she slid under his arm. He rolled his eyes in the Ron-like fashion that she grew accustomed to and as the song ended he wrapped his arms around her in a big hug. He could see Draco making his way over to them and Ron hugged her tighter.
"Don't be too hard on him for not dancing with you at your wedding, but he wanted me to tell you that you look beautiful." Ron whispered to her just as Draco stepped towards them. Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying although her eyes watered noticeably. He let go of her and took the dramatized stance of an aristocrat as he stared down Draco. Draco narrowed his eyes at him as much as his public manners allowed before Hermione slid next to him, wrapping an arm around his back.
"Draco, this is Benjamin. A childhood friend of mine." Hermione told him in a raised tone as to appease the passing listener. Ron's blue eyes scanned over Draco as if he were the dirt under his shoe before he extended his hand over for a stiff handshake. She tried not to laugh as Ron put on his act of an arrogant American wizard while Draco tried his very best to be polite.
"Pleasure to meet you." Draco said through a gritted grin.
"Yes, Hermione is quite the catch. Hopefully you can keep her happy long enough to keep the marriage going past the first month." Ron told him, laughing as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever said. Hermione felt Draco's hand press onto her exposed back as Draco laughed as well.
"Better than you ever could, I'm sure. Right, darling?" Draco told him smiling, pretending to keep the banter up. Hermione forced herself to keep up her plastic smile as she suddenly realized that the situation was quickly losing it's humor.
"Dear, I'm already off the market so I think that already answers your question." She told him laughing, relief washing over her as they began waving goodbye. As they returned to their table she saw Ron walk over to Pansy Parkinson and the dusty blond boy she was dancing with.
"He's such a ponce." Draco grumbled almost silently as they sat down.
"I'm sure he thinks the same of you, dear." Hermione told him teasingly. He glared at her for a second before turning towards Pansy and no doubt Harry Potter a la Polyjuice were dancing. The newlyweds watched as the couple gently swept the floor, talking quietly to one another as the "mysterious" boy stumbled slightly on his feet.
"What are you two staring at?" Ginny asked, breaking them out of their reverie. Hermione blinked out of it first, and smiled at her friend.
"Oh Gin, I think we're just tired, we're beginning to get a bit hazy." She told her best friend as Draco nodded silently, making Hermione shiver as his thumb ran over her bare shoulder. Ginny looked over to Pansy Parkinson and her dancing partner and frowned.
"Shouldn't the maid of honor get the pick of the handsome singles?" She pouted, Blaise glaring at her from his seat next to Draco. Hermione laughed and Draco grinned at her.
"Those are Hermione's pals from snot days...that single ponce looking chap over there waiting for them is Benjamin. You should ask him for a dance." Draco offered, ignoring the elbow Hermione subtly tried to send him or the obvious glare of hate that Blaise was flying at the back of his head. Ginny craned her neck at the handsome blue eyed brunette and waggled her eyebrows playfully at them, pretending that Blaise wasn't there.
"Well if he's a ponce, he's a good looking one. Excuse me." Ginny told them, going through the crowd as if she were on a mission. They watched as she arrived at him and Draco laughed genuinely at the confused and slightly disgusted face as Ginny practically pulled him onto the floor to dance.
"You're an ass!" Blaise hissed, standing up. Hermione gave him an apologetic smile as Blaise marched his way over to Ginny. She tried not to laugh at the terrified look on his face as Ginny seemed to try and flirt with him to make Blaise angry while "Benjamin" looked like he'd rather kiss Millicent Bulstrode than suffer through his sisters odd attempts at obvious flirtation.
"That was mean." She told her husband, smiling. Draco smiled back at her as they watched their wedding guests, and kissed her hairline.
"Get used to it, Malfoy." He told her, mocking her usual disapproving tone, making her roll her eyes.
Malfoy...malfoy...merlin am I really a Malfoy now?
Without finishing her thought, Draco returned her to the dance floor, sweeping her up into his arms. In that moment, Hermione lost all care of "pretending" to be a happy bride and just was. She would've been happy to know that Draco did the same, enjoying every graceful smile his wife afforded him.
"Draco, where exactly are we again?" Hermione asked in a half moan as she slipped off her heels, looking at the room around her. The long sheer white curtains billowed through the room, and she could smell the sea from what seemed to be a balcony. Her feet touched the cooled floor and she forgot all about her question as she took quiet and curious steps towards the balcony.
As she passed through the curtains, she could actually hear the ocean. The salty wind blew through her curls, gently sending them out of their "perfect" magicked state. In the dim light of the moon she could make out the waves that she heard crashing clearly in front of them.
"It's beautiful." She whispered to herself, forgetting about everything as she wrapped her arms around her.
Draco stood quietly at the entrance of the balcony, watching his new wife lost in thought with her stare at the ocean. He watched mesmerized as her brown hair slid out of it's styled bun and curls to wild wisps that slipped against her bare back, her dress swaying freely in the ocean wind. Her arms wrapped around herself and he took his dress robe jacket and gently placed it over her shoulders, making her jump out of her reverie.
"It's one of the Malfoy islands. It's uncharted. Our family has had a home here for centuries." Draco told her, trying not to look at her longer than he already had. He thought of their tryst in the carriage before the reception and their kiss at the wedding and found it nearly impossible not to touch her let alone not look at her.
She scoffed slightly, and Draco raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. She shook her head, smiling.
"Just trying to wrap my mind around the idea of having an island." She told him. He nodded, a small smile on his lips and Hermione saw that he had loosened his tie, letting it fall lazily on his collar and shoulders. His hair fell at his eyes and he seemed loose, free. The two watched each other, saying nothing until finally Hermione laughed softly.
"What Granger?" Draco asked, wanting to smile with her for some reason.
"It's Malfoy now, and I've never seen you without your shoes..." She said, making him shoot down to his bare feet furrowing his brow as she giggled once more.
"It's official, you're the only bride in history to get married and on her wedding night, make comment of her husbands feet." Draco teased, slipping his arms on either side of Hermione as the two grinned at one another.
"Well if you were more impressive in other aspects, perhaps I wouldn't be so amazed by your glowing white feet." Hermione told him, her fingers having a mind of their own and toying with the buttons on his shirt. He watched her, fascinated with her fingers as she timidly played with one button then another, never undoing one and never putting enough pressure for him to feel her. He could see every part of her always questioning brain at work and she watched as his breathing seemed to be more focused, as if he were telling himself to remain calm.
"Malfoy, what will we do tomorrow?" She asked quietly toying with the tie so that it slipped through her fingers gently, falling back onto the shirt. Draco clenched his jaw struggling with his own inner demons as he tried not to lift his hand off the balcony rail and touch her.
"I haven't got a bastard clue, Granger." He told her, staring at her with no lack of intensity as she finally looked up at him.
"It's Malfoy now. Are you too much of a coward to say anything about our kiss today? Or to say anything about the carriage ride?" She asked him, sounding almost annoyed. The timidness in her was almost as if it were never there as the familiar fire in her eyes had replaced it. The change in atitude made Draco grin wickedly down at her, a warmth rising in her more than ever at the look in his eyes as he did so.
There's the girl I married. Draco thought in part amusement and part desire, the latter being the greater of the two.
"Why, Granger?" He emphasized her former last name to enjoy the hint of annoyance being smothered by something else, something he wasn't accustomed to seeing in her.
"Are you going to analyze it until you've stripped the moment down into a series of events that are unrecognizable?" He asked her sarcastically, the underlaying challenge waiting for either of them to take.
Then without warning, Hermione raised herself onto the tip of her toes, her hands on his chest to steady her and placed the most feather light kiss he'd ever received on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground with ease, allowing them to drink in the taste of one another again. The ocean wind blew around them a bit harder than before and as she felt the cold floor of the balcony reach her feet once more, she was breathing heavily and starring up at him.
"Draco, I've never..." She told him, her hands still holding onto the front of his shirt. He clenched his jaw, the uncomfortable feeling of his groin growing from that first kiss and worse as she told him what he'd already known.
"I know, Granger." He lifted her gently off the ground once more, kissing her lightly from the corner of her lips to base of neck, each time make her gasp. The softest sounds making for the greatest desire he'd ever felt in his young life. As he let her back down she slid her hands to his face, then to slipped it gently over his jaw and finally through his hair.
"You'll be gentle?"
Without another word, he lifted her up and Hermione never touched the floor again that night.
Authors Note: Alright, please read and review. I love you all so very much. My dear friend, thistooshallpass has offered to write a Harry/Pansy spin off of sorts, same time line, same story but from their point of view only. Please tell me if you are interested as she would like to start writing if there is substantial interest. Thank you, again I love you. Please Review, Dev.
