A/N: This, my friends, is the end. Thank you for staying with me until now. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Chapter Eighteen: For The Sake of Vows
Seven months later...
Since it's impossible to plan a wedding in less than a day (rather, because it's impossible for someone marrying into Malfoy bloodline to plan a wedding in a day), it took seven months to plan the entire wedding. And today, today's the day.
"Hermione, would you puh-lease relax!" Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"But-" replied Hermione.
"My God! Hermione!"
"Mum? Oh, Merlin, it is you! And Dad! Oh my gosh!" said Hermione, running to her parents and embracing them.
"My, you've grown. Last time you were seventeen and explaining to us what's happening in the Wizarding World the now you're getting married! Good thing this handsome lad explained everything to us. That was—although very touching—a very nasty trick, young woman. We nearly lost a decade of your life!" Jean Granger ratted out.
"Oh Mum... I'm so sorry, but it's the best thing I could ever plan during that time of distraught and madness and worry and everything else in between." Replied Hermione.
"Hmm, good thing it worked, as expected of a Granger. You may be one half Picasso, but you're also one half Granger." Harold Granger said,
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jean snapped back.
"None at all, none at all." Harold backtracked almost at once, making the others laugh.
"Oh, the handsome lad gave me this portable DVD player and give it to you. He said that must watch it immediately and privately." Jean said. "So, you guys, out."
Ginny and Harold nodded, and then followed Jean out. As soon as she was alone, Hermione turned on the player and Draco's face came into view.
"Testing... Testing... Damn Muggle contraptions, but I guess it's quite nice, rather than making a Howler, which was my first choice, although on second thoughts, I want to keep this a secret." He said, not looking at the camera. When he finally looked at the camera, he looked surprised.
"Oh. Oh, so it's on then? And you caught all the things I said? Fuck." He said, looked down, and then looked back at the camera, smiling. "I guess I better start then."
He took a deep breath. "Hi there Hermione Jean Granger-Weasley soon-to-be Malfoy. I wish you liked my wedding present, that is, your parents. I searched a whole of Australia for that." He said brightly. "And yes, that's what I've been doing the last four months... I wasn't away to deal with a rather moody Australian Minister of Magic... I searched for your parents, undid your Memory Charm which was rather strong by the way, and returned them back here while filling them with the last nine years of your life... etc, etc."
"So, that's it, I love you, and you're the best thing that ever happened to me ever since... uhm, nothing. I so...can't find a word to say it... but I'm more than happy to be married to you. I love you." Then Draco looked at something behind the camera. "It's done, Scorp, Aries."
"Oh okay. See ya Mum!" a girl's voice said.
"Yeah, see ya Mother!" said a boy.
"Hey! She wasn't supposed to know you're in this!"
"We're not in 100% go-go with your plan Dad."
"Besides, you blew our cover, we didn't really say a word until you said our names."
And the screen went black. A knock was heard, signalling that it's time.
"Coming." Said Hermione, smiling. She looked at the mirror for the las time, and proceeded down to the grounds.
Once she was down, music started and Scorpius and Aries proudly walked on, both of them wearing pristine white angel-like clothes, Scorpius holding two small boxes (one red and one green) while Aries daintily threw around assorted flower petals from a small wicker basket.
Luna walked on next, together with Harry, both holding candles and in clad of pale blue silk. Ginny and Blaise Zabini were next, as best man and maid of honour. They walked to the gazebo, standing a step away from where the bride and groom are.
Mandy Brocklehurst and Rolf Scamander with Lisa Turpin and George Weasley a few steps behind them followed, as Witnesses.
Next up, Bill and Fleur Weasley strutted down the carpet, smiling here and there.
The doors opened, and every eye turned to look at the bride. Everyone become transfixed, staring at Hermione. The girl was wearing a rather simple gown, the top accentuating her curves, while the skirt was a simple slightly puffed piece, with pearls on the waistband and numerous strings of pearls and small sapphire jewels hanging from the waistband. The veil was just above her hips, while train was simply two feet long.
Beside her walked her parents, smiling proudly. Hermione was blinking back tears while Harold dabbed his eyes with his handkerchief.
Nothing could compare to Draco's expression. He couldn't stop looking at Hermione, smiling like he can't believe that this is all real.
"No tears!"Said Hermione, making Harold laugh. Hermione hugged her mother again, and when they let go, Hermione turned to Harold and hugged him so hard that Harold had trouble breathing.
"Can't – breathe – Sunshine.." Harold said, and Hermione let go.
"Sorry." Hermione said, and then lokked at Draco, who was yet to come down. As if remembering what he needed to do, he walked briskly towards Hermione and silently asked for her hand.
"Take care of my Sunshine, son." Said Harold.
"Will do, sir, will do." Replied Draco, nodding.
"You're a good lad, Draco, remember that." Said Jean, smiling. Draco smiled in reply and led Hermione up the gazebo..
The music softened, and the Minister waved his wand as a sign of the start of the wedding.
"Friends, we are gathered here today to witness the wedding of two very in love people, Draco Hyperion Abraxas Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger-Weasley." Said the Minister. "They have written, uh, a few things for each other."
Draco smirked good-naturedly and nodded at Blaise, who smiled and handed Draco a Muggle guitar.
"Actually, I'm singing her a song." Said Draco, and conjured a chair, sat on it and started to play.
[insert lyrics of Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars]
Hermione dabbed tears from her eyes when Draco finished.
"You're something, do you know that?" Hermione said, laughing.
"Well, I am well-known for my antics." Replied Draco, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't have a song for you or any of those fancy business, but I have a small speech." Said Hermione, smiling.
"Get rollin' then. Something tells me that's rather long." Replied Draco.
"Okay then." Hermione nodded, and then cleared her throat.
"Well, well, well. Look here. We're fully garbed in wedding clothes, standing before the Minister. Who would have thought? After all those years of bickering and name-calling and denial, we are finally here, at the end of line. After the long procession, the queen finally waved." She smiled, and then continued. "Draco Hyperion Abraxas Malfoy. Dragon, Titan, Charm, Bad Faith. You're my Dragon, and I've learned not to tickle you when you're asleep. You're our children's Titan, their idol, but most importantly, their father. You have excessive charm, almost too much, in fact. And I'm just going to skip the Bad Faith." A few laughed, while Lucius Malfoy stiffened. "Who would have thought? If, a decade ago, you told me that I'd be marrying Draco Malfoy, I would have cursed you into the next century. But I am right here, right now, and there's no one who can stop us."
"Don't be too sure, Mudblood."
Everyone looked around, and saw a half-crazed Pansy Parkinson, fully garbed in her supposed to wedding clothes, looking livid.
"I should be the one there. Don't try to use your wands, I have yours right here." Pansy pointed several wands at Hermione, and most drew out their wands, but Pansy was not to be deterred.
"You can't escape now, Mudblood, I've got wards around here. You won't be able to Apparate or use magic at me." And the pug-faced witch laughed maniacally. "I have the final laugh."
"How'd you get out?" Hermione said, almost panicky.
"The little Mudblood forgets that money makes the world go around. And there I was thinking that she's the brightest witch of our generation." Replied Pansy. "On second thought, maybe she is the brightest, but definitely lacking some… physical attributes."
"You don't insult Hermione like that!" said Draco, his eyes dark with anger. A few fired spells at Pansy, but somehow, it did not reach her.
"Lower your wands! Don't touch her!" said Aries.
"Why, the little half-blood sides with me." Said Pansy, and smiled at Aries, who smiled back.
"Aries? Are you insane?" Danielle yelled.
"Uh, no." said Aries.
"Far from it." agreed Scorpius.
Aries and Scorpius grinned, and then walked towards Pansy.
"And the itsy bitsy crazy Bellatrix-slash-Malfoy wannabe struts down the carpet, hoping to sabotage a little wedding-" Said Scorpius.
"But she forgets that two children are present-" said Aries.
"One who's an Agua Diwata-" said Scorpius, and Aries conjured water and made it move around in magical swirls and ten suddenly dumps it to Pansy.
"I thought you needed it. You smell of Dementor's Kiss. Say, had any of those lately?" Aries said.
"I don't think so. She doesn't have a soul." Said Scorpius, wrinkling his nose. "Besides, I think Dementor's have much more taste than that."
"My bad, I forgot." Said Aries. "Say, bro, I believe it's your turn. The muddy half-blood Squib's turn."
"Spot on, sis." Replied Scorpius. "I believe a costume change is in order."
Scorpius conjured smoke around Pansy, and then, narrowed his eyes as if thinking hard.
"Oh, I know!" he suddenly said, and then fired a couple of spells at the smoke. Slowly, the smoke cleared away. "I now present you, Pansy in Samba, courtesy of moi. "
The smoke cleared away fully, revealing a Pansy fully garbed in red and gold Samba attire.
"And in winter!" said Aries, giggling, and then conjured snow fall on Pansy.
Everyone stared blankly at first, and then laughed. It was hilarious! Pansy's reaction was priceless too, and everybody applauded, making the Samba-clothed witch tomato red.
"And then she gets trapped in a bubble, like a little freaky snow-globe, and flies off to Azkaban." Said Scorpius, and Aries grinned. They conjured up a large bubble, enclosing Pansy in it and laughing. Pansy waved the finger at Malfoy and Granger and accepted defeat.
"Pug-face, go away, don't come back any other day, little half-bloods don't want you here." The two said in the tune of a Muggle rhyme, Rain, Rain, Go Away.
Scorpius and Aries then blew together and a Pansy floated up in the sky, up and up until she was a mere dot. The twins faced the audience and bowed.
"Mission accomplished brother dear." Said Aries.
"Fantastic work, sister dearest." Replied Scorpius. "I didn't think that you could control snow though."
"Water, dear bro, anything related to water."
"Right."
"Show's done, Mr. Minister, carry on with the wedding of the century."
"More like the millennium."
"Because who would have thought?"
"Yep, yep, yeppers!"
"'Kay then, back to our seats?"
"Hmm, guess so."
The twins then walked to their seats and smiled innocently. Everyone was watching them, but they didn't make a single move that can hint utter naughtiness.
"You have very powerful children, Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Weasley." Said the Minister, his eyes twinkling. "Quite a show, and rather entertaining."
"Is it just me, or is this man channeling Dumbledore?" whispered Harry.
"I dunno, love, I'm having doubts. Maybe he is. Twinkly eyes." Replied Ginny.
"To the official ceremony then," said the Minister. "The candles, if you may.."
Luna and Harry walked up the gazebo, each holding a pure white candle, which they placed on the candle stands before Draco and Hermione.
"May these candles be your Light in times of Darkness, may it symbolize your blazing love and may the pure white wax symbolize your pure love for each other." Said the Minister. "The veil and cord.."
Bill and Fleur walked up the gazebo, just as Luna and Harry were going down and placed the veil and cord over Draco and Hermione.
"May this veil symbolize your care for each other, and this cord symbolize your trust, both never to waver and never to cease." Said the Minister, and nodded to Blaise, who handed Draco a small satin bag of Knuts and other coins from all over the Muggle world.
"With this bag of money, I trust you with all of our finances, with every material thing I own, I trust you to take care of everything, as you do." Said Draco.
"I'm not that good in numbers, but I did get an O in my Arithmancy N.E.W.T.s, so no worries there." Hermione said cheekily, making a lot of the people present grin.
The Minister nodded at Ginny, who handed Hermione a small platinum rattle.
"With this, I trust you with our future, with our to-be children, for you to take care of them as I will, to love them as I do." Said Hermione.
They looked at each other and smiled, the kind of smile that you are trying to keep in your laugh.
"Draco Malfoy, do you take Hermione Granger-Weasley as your wife, in love and in law, through sickness and health, for richer and poorer, till death do you part?"
"I do."
"Hermione Granger-Weasley, do you take Draco Malfoy as your husband, in love and in law, through sickness and health, for richer and poorer, till death do you part?"
"I do."
"The rings, please."
Scorpius and Aries walked up the gazebo, Scorpius handing Hermione's ring to Draco and Aries handing Draco's ring to Hermione.
Draco took Hermione's hand.
"With this ring, I give you my promise of eternal and unconditional love, symbolized by the never ending circle, till nothing do us part." He said this as he slipped the ring on her finger. Aries did the same to him and they held hands.
"With the power invested upon me by the Ministry of Magic, I, Antonio Wulfric Dumbledore Bladdernut, therefore pronounce you man and wife." Said the Minister, and waved his wand. A small pearl of light dropped from his wand and it exploded into criss-crossing lines that descended upon Draco and Hermione.
"Ah, finally figured out the twinkly-eyes thing. They're related!" said Harry, grinning.
"You may kiss the bride."
Draco lifted Hermione's veil and kissed her like he's never kissed anyone before.
"Friends, I present you, for the first time, Mr. Draco Malfoy and Mrs. Hermione Malfoy!"
~END~
A/N: Wow. I actually finished a story. Feels super great right now.
*sigh* I couldn't have reached the end without your outrageous support. You have been a source of happiness for me, you guys, especially when I'm down. I'll just check my email and I'll see your reviews and I smile. My mood changes immediately. THANK YOU!
WE still have the epilogue, bonus chapters, requested scenes and deleted scenes. I want to give everything back to my readers, as a little thank you gift. I doubt if it'll be enough though.
-Nessa