Hermione stood at the top of the staircase just out of sight of the rest of the wedding party below. She wasn't superstitious per say but she still didn't want Draco seeing her in her dress just yet. At Mrs. Malfoy's cue, an old wizard who must have been the officiant stepped into ballroom. A few moments later, Narcissa entered and the processional music began. Blaise was the next to step through the doors and then Draco. Once he was out of sight, Hermione descended the stairs to wait her turn. Each of the groomsmen was to escort a bridesmaid and the first pair was Goyle and Pansy. They were followed by Ron and Daphne, Harry and Astoria, and finally Nott and Luna. As the maid of honor, Ginny would walk down the aisle alone.

Finally, the music swelled and the doors to the ballroom were thrown open so that for a moment everything was framed like a picture. Hermione barely registered the people who sat on either side of the aisle except for a vague feeling that she was being stared at. The aisle seemed to go on forever. It seemed that with every step, the aisle grew that much longer. Part of her wished that she would never have to reach the end and the start of her new life. Inevitably though, she reached the altar and stood next to Draco. The officiant started to speak, rather slowly for Hermione's taste and apparently Draco's too since he pursed his lips and subtly rolled his eyes.

"Today we gather to join not only two lives, but two worlds. Almost everybody in this room knows of the events that occurred several years ago during the Second Wizarding War. These two were as good as enemies because of the circumstances of their births and though tragic, those events have given them a strong base on which to build their marriage." Hermione shot a quick glance at Draco and raised her eyebrow. He responded with a short sigh. "Differences can bring people together as we see in the couple standing before me. Once so very different, we now come to bind them together with the ties of love and holy matrimony. The changes that these young people have achieved within themselves in order to get to this altar today are absolutely astounding. They have demonstrated that even the most intense rivalries can be reconciled to friendship and maybe even more than that. The love between Draco and Hermione shows the whole wizarding community that the fissures can be healed and love can be found even in the strangest of places." Hermione was about ready to strangle the wizard and if he had kept speaking she just might have. Luckily for him he had just reached the end of his ridiculous little speech and it was time to move on with the ceremony.

Hermione and Draco turned to face each other so they could dutifully parrot the vows that the officiant fed them. When it came time to exchange rings, Hermione was surprised to find that Draco had chosen a plain gold band. She had expected something more ostentatious but he seemed to be getting into the habit of surprising her with simplicity. Finally, the officiant reached the iconic line.

"You may kiss the bride."

Draco pulled her in to him so that their bodies were pressed against each other. Taking the hint, Hermione gave him a huge smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss itself was surprisingly passionate and a little forceful. When Draco broke away they shared a smile. Just for good measure, Hermione stood on her tip toes to plant one more, gentle kiss on his lips. Together they turned to face the guests. Draco waved and Hermione raised her bouquet with a dazzling smile on her lips. They headed back up the aisle hand in hand. As soon as they exited the ballroom, Rebecca pulled them to the side.

"While everyone is moving to the reception I want to get some pictures of you two and your wedding party." They didn't have a lot of time but Rebecca was very efficient and was soon sending the wedding party into the ballroom for the reception. Draco held out his hand and Hermione took it. When they entered the room, Blaise shouted to the crowd, "May I announce the arrival of the new Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy!" The guests cheered and clapped as Draco led her into the middle of the room.

"Thank you all for coming to celebrate with us! We're delighted to have you here. If you'll all find your seats, we'll have the staff coming around with your food in a few moments." He led the way to a small table just off the dance floor labeled "Bride and Groom". He pulled out her chair for her and she sat down. The dance floor took up a good portion of the room but all around the edges stood circular tables. Each was draped with a snow white table cloth and surrounded by eight black wooden chairs with a blue bow across the back. In the center of each table was a black vase that held a bouquet of white roses and blue hyacinth with a little bit of baby's breath. The lights had been lowered to provide a more romantic atmosphere and fairies sat on each centerpiece so that the tables themselves were well lit. All of the effects combined in a wonderful and mysterious way to create a completely different atmosphere than the ceremony just moments before. Hermione made a mental note to thank Narcissa for putting this together as soon as she got the chance.

As they ate the delicious filet mingon that had been delivered to their table by Nicky, Draco leaned in to talk to her in what seemed like an intimate gesture.

"You're doing well so far," he whispered. "Just keep that smile on for a few more hours."

"Of course." She let out a light airy laugh as though he had just said something delightfully amusing. "You warned me it was going to be like this so I came prepared."

"Well thank you." He leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before turning back to his meal. They continued to share calculated touches and glances for the rest of the meal, always conscious of the reporters watching and analyzing their every move.

Before long, the food had been cleared and Draco and Hermione took to the dance floor for their first dance. It was a slow, graceful dance choreographed to fit with the melody of the song. Hermione gazed into his eyes, grateful that he could lead the dance with such confidence even though there were so many people staring right at them. They managed to get through the song without any missteps. Hermione stepped off the dance floor and Narcissa stepped on for the mother and son dance. The song they had chosen was one Hermione had never heard before but the lyrics seemed to tell the story of a boy growing up even though his mother wished he would stay her little forever. It was a beautiful song but rather impersonal.

When they were finished, Hermione led the guests on the dance floor and for the next several hours she was the life of the party. Harry and Ron at least knew that this was not natural for her and she was putting on a show for the sake of the guests but you would have been hard pressed to figure that out. She was all smiles and laughter and it seemed she talked to everybody in the room whether she knew them or not. Finally, the party started to wind down and one of the reporters pulled her to the side.

"Mrs. Malfoy, could I get a quick interview?"

"Of course. Why don't we find a seat?"

"So Mrs. Malfoy –"

"Hermione, please."

"Hermione. Are you happy to be married?"

"I never thought I would get married so soon but I think it's going to be a wonderful adventure."

"Speaking of adventures, this has been kind of a whirlwind wedding hasn't it? How do you feel about that?"

"It's been hard to pull off exactly the way we wanted to but I had a lot of help from my friends and Draco's family so it's turned into a really good experience for all of us."

"You mentioned friends and your new in-laws but not your own family. May I ask why?"

"It was a personal decision that I put a lot of thought into. Since they aren't really a part of the magical community, it seemed like a prudent decision."

"And your parents are muggles, correct?"

"Yes. I'm a muggleborn."

"Your husband was openly a pureblood supremacist for many years. In fact that was the case when you first met each other and yet you still married him. Why?"

"Draco and his family have changed drastically since the end of the war. They have welcomed me with open arms. Though we were once enemies, Draco and his mother have gone out of their way to make it clear that they no longer agree with the pureblood supremacy or the tactics that were used to try to enforce it."

"Do you believe that they could have changed so much in so little time? Or is this some show they're paying you to put on for our benefit?"

"I don't know what you expected from that question, but I'm insulted that you think I would do all of this for a newspaper story. I really do believe that their change of heart is genuine. If I didn't, I wouldn't have gotten married today."

"My apologies. One last question. Did you chose Mr. Malfoy on your own accord or were you matched up using the CDC?"

"We were matched up by the Ministry. We hadn't seen each other since we left Hogwarts so I'm happy that things turned out the way they did."

"Well thank you Mrs. Malfoy. I appreciate your time."

"You are very welcome. I hope you enjoyed the party."

As Hermione stood to leave the table, she found Draco waiting for her just a few feet away. They stood and watched the last of the guests make their way out of the ballroom before speaking


Author's Note: In celebration of my long weekend and as thanks for several reviews from you all, here's another chapter. Enjoy!