A/N I'm back for spring break which means a chapter for you lovely readers...sorry they take me forever.
Chapter 20-The Wedding
The day of the wedding had arrived and Draco awoke to an empty bed. A note on the bedside table caught his attention. It was from Hermione.
Draco,
I'm sorry, but I can't go through with the wedding. It is too much, and rather than being your wife, I am running away to someplace you will never be able to find me and claim me as a mate.
Sincerely,
Hermione
Draco apparated directly to Hogwarts in a tear-filled rage. Running up the long stair case of the new Astronomy Tower, he ran out onto the ledge. Remembering her face, he launched himself into the air, and fell to his death on the castle battlements below.
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Just kidding, now for the real story….hehehehe
Hermione woke up the next morning with a splitting headache and unable to move. Opening her eyes a crack, she looked down to see Draco's arm flung across her torso and one leg across both of hers, effectively pinning her to the bed. Smiling to herself in spite of the sledgehammer pounding against her temple, she slid out of bed trying not to disturb her soon-to-be husband. Disentangled from his limbs, she made her way to the adjoining bathroom, calling softly for Tiny as she went. No sooner had she closed the door than the cheerful little house elf appeared.
"Morning Missy My-knee. What can Tiny be doing for the Missy the morning."
"Ugh" Hermione groaned at the elf's loud and cheerful voice. "Please Tiny, can you get me some hangover potion. Some for Master Dray too I think."
"Of course Missy. Tiny be getting it for Missy right away." The little elf disappeared with a pop.
Hermione shuffled over to the tub and began turning the various knobs to begin to fill the tub with steaming water and vanilla scented bubbles. Sinking into the water that had filled up to her neck, Hermione waited with a throbbing head for Tiny to come back with her hang-over potion.
"Here you is Missy My-knee. One hangover potion. What should Tiny do with Master Dray's?"
"Just leave it on the table by the bed Tiny, he'll find it when he wakes up." The elf disappeared as quickly as she had come. Hermione downed the tiny vial of blue potion as one gulp. Almost immediately, the potion did its job. The lights no longer hurt, and the headache that threatened to bring tears to her eyes vanished. Now the only thing left was the nervous knot in the pit of her stomach.
You can do this you great big ninny! You love him for Merlin's sake. Quit being a big baby and pull yourself together. Ginny and the rest are going to be here soon. Hermione's mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. In only a few hours, she would become the new Lady Malfoy. In a few short hours, barely any time at all, she would be tied for all time to a werewolf. YOUR werewolf! Hermione smiled at that thought and finished quickly with her bath. Stepping out of the tub and wrapping herself in her robe, she walked back into the bedroom she shared with Draco just in time to see him downing his own vile of blue potion.
"Morning bella. How are you feeling this morning?" Draco asked sleepily.
"I'm wonderful, and obviously more awake than you considering I've already bathed. You'd best hurry wolf-boy, I don't know when the girls are going to arrive." Hermione smiled as Draco slid out of bed in nothing but his skin and sauntered into the bathroom. No sooner had the door closed behind his back than she heard a call from the fireplace in the library.
"Hermione!!! Are you up yet? Hermione!" Ginny's voice carried up the stairs to the bedroom from the Floo. Hermione hurried down the stairs to tell her friend that she could come through. As soon as the words left her mouth she was bombarded with women coming through her fireplace; Ginny, Fleur, Luna, Mrs. Weasley, and...
"Mom! What are you doing here? Draco didn't say anything to me, I just assumed you and Dad weren't coming."
"As if I would miss my only daughter's wedding day. Now then, we have a lot to do and only a little bit of time to do it in. So let's get you gorgeous."
"Mom, the wedding ceremony isn't until this evening. I don't need to get ready for hours, and the boys are taking care of the decorations," Merlin help us all.
"Are you kidding me? It's already noon. We are barely going to have enough to get you ready. I don't care that you're a witch. I'm your mother, and I say we're going to get you ready for your wedding in the Muggle fashion."
"Mom, really, we can just…"
Ginny cut her off.
"Oh no you don't Hermione Jane Granger. We are all going to have fun primping and prepping you for your wedding day and there isn't a thing you can do to stop us. So march your little witch arse up those stairs to YOUR room and we will meet you up there in two seconds."
"But Gin-"
"No buts, and no seeing that groom of yours either. Your mom was telling us that it's Muggle bad luck." Hermione groaned but walked up the stair, the horde of women trailing behind her.
6 hours later-Just before Sunset
Hermione had suffered through hours of endless poking, prodding, primping, and every other version of Muggle torture there was. But even she had to admit, she looked wonderful. Her hair had been tamed into ringlet curls which were halfway piled atop her head with two framing her face. It looked like her hair had at the Yule Ball but better, because both Fleur and Ginny had attacked her head with curling irons and then applied charms to it to hold it in place. Her makeup was light and natural, her eyes adorned with light silver eye shadow that sparkled when she blinked. Mascara on her already luscious eyelashes and a touch of pale pink lip gloss was the only other makeup she had. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, or nerves and her brown eyes were twinkling. She couldn't seem to stop smiling no matter what she did. Her dress fit perfectly. She couldn't think of anything else that could make her look more beautiful today.
"Hermione," Ginny said. "You know, you're missing something." Hermione looked confused.
"Actually," Luna replied. "She's missing four somethings."
"Somet'ing old, somet'ing new, somet'ing borrowed, and somet'ing blue." Fleur said with a smile.
"I 'ave your somet'ing borrowed." Fleur produced the goblin-made tiara she wore at her wedding. "Don't lose thees, or Aunt Muriel will 'ave my 'ead." Fleur placed it just so on Hermione's head so that it wouldn't muss her perfected curls.
"I have your something blue dear." Mrs. Weasley said. She had been quiet most of the day, willing back tears at the thought of her almost-daughter getting married. She pulled a simple blue brooch from a pocket in her dress. It was a little lily and fit perfectly in the center of Hermione's bodice.
"Our turn," Luna said. She and Ginny stepped forward. "We have your something new." From behind their backs they pulled out two garters.
"One for Draco," Luna said.
"And one for Mirzam." Ginny giggled as she watched Hermione slide both into place.
Finally her mother stepped forward. "I have your something old, love." Hermione looked up into her mother's tear filled eyes. She was almost positive she knew what her something old was. The same thing that had been her mother's, and her mother's mother's. It had been the something old in so many generations of her family that every girl knew it would become hers. The charm bracelet that held one charm from each generation of women. She held out her wrist and her mother hooked the bracelet into place. Hermione looked at all the charms. There was an apple, a horse, a fairy, a bible who knew we had Puritans in our family, a heart, a key, music notes, and finally from her mother, a smiley face. She smiled when she saw that. Leave it to a dentist to have a smiling charm with teeth on a family heirloom. Hermione whipped out her wand, knowing already what she wanted her charm to be. Transfiguring a bobby pin, she made a very simple charm. A witch's wand, well a fairy's wand at any rate. Complete with the sparkly star at the top. The women smiled at the new addition.
"Ladies, you ready?" There was a knock at the door and Harry peeked his head inside.
"'Mione, you look…" Harry was speechless.
Giggling girlishly, something she never did, Hermione said, "I'll take that as a compliment Potter."
Harry shook his head and said to the women, "We're ready for you, let's go."
The procession walked down the stairs and halted at the doors leading to the gardens where they met Hermione's father. He simply smiled at his little girl and held out his arm. Taking it, she waited for the music to start. When all their friends were seated and the old song With this Ring began to play, Fleur and Luna began their walk on Bill and Harry's arms. Steps behind followed Ginny, smiling brightly with Blaise beside her. Then the wedding march came across the magicked speakers. Hermione took a deep breath and walked out the double doors.
The breath she had taken whooshed from her lungs when she saw the garden. The boys had turned it into a dream. But what took her breath away the most was Draco standing in front of her. She had never seen him look more handsome. Reaching his side, her father gave her a kiss on the cheek, and handed her over to her love.
The minister began the ceremony and Hermione went through it in a daze until it came time for the vows. The minister said,
"This extraordinary couple decided to write their own vows. Hermione…"
"Draco, the first time I saw you, I was struck with how amazing you looked. Even as a first year, you managed to make all the girls swoon, even the little bookworms. Now, I'm struck with how amazing you are on the inside. I want to spend the rest of my life in your arms, and by your side, swooning like I did the first time I saw you."
Draco opened his mouth to begin but stopped. His eyes were shifting back and forth from grey to amber and back again. When it was again Draco in control of his emotions he began,
"Hermione, I have loved you since you punched me in our third year. We've been everything a couple can conceivably be. We've been enemies, allies, friends, lovers, and now I want to take that last step together. I want to be your husband for the rest of our lives together." His eyes flashed to amber. "Your mate for life." His grey eyes were back.
The minister began again. "Do you Hermione Jane Granger take Draco to be your husband until the day you both die?"
She looked into Draco's eyes, and looked at the faces of her friends smiling around her and said for all to hear, "I do."
"And do you Draco Lucian Abraxas Malfoy take Hermione to be your wife until the day you both die?"
Without hesitation Draco said, "I do."
The minister asked for the rings and Ginny and Blaise handed them to the couple before them. Placing them on each other's hands and saying the appropriate vows, Hermione felt the first of the werewolf's ritual become completed. Draco had given her his token of human love.
"Does anyone object to this union?"
Hermione looked frantically around, sure that Ron would have a final word to say. Looking at the back row of the garden however, she saw a sight that made her want to giggle. Sitting on either side of Ron, were Fred and George, their wands pointed subtlety at his groin in a manner that suggested if he said something, he would regret it. Hermione smiled at them, and they smirked back at her.
"If there are no objections, then I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride." Draco swooped Hermione backwards over his arm into a kiss that could only be rivaled by the movies. When the crowd around them began cheering and whistling, and Hermione began struggling to stand back up, Draco lifted her back to her feet. The minister said his final words over the roar of the crowd.
"I now present to you Lord and Lady Draco Malfoy."
A/N Hope you liked the wedding. The song the girls walked to is an extremely old one that I don't even know who it's written by. With this ring, I thee wed, my angel here beside me, a moment more and heaven will be mine....I don't own it, I just loved to here my grandfather play it. Reception and ritual are next...We're almost to the end of this story! Review!!!