AN: I apologize for the delay in posting. Been having some real-life upheavals and stresses between work and my mother being in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Things are calming down now, so I present you chapter 20! Hope you all enjoy it!

Empty Rooms

Chapter 20 – Love

Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. Before they were ready for it, their wedding was fast approaching. They chose September first as the date of their wedding. The anniversary of when they first met on the train to Hogwarts. Hermione wanted an outdoor wedding. Harry was more than happy to give her anything she wanted and praised her for being sensible.

She chose Hogsmeade for their wedding. There was a courtyard behind the Three Broomsticks that she loved, so she worked with Madam Rosemerta and they were able to turn it into something from a fairytale. They didn't want a large wedding. Their guest list included Hermione's parents, given special permission to attend, Teddy, all the Weasleys except Ron and Lavender, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Luna, Neville, Andromeda, and a few other of their close friends. The Weasleys alone took up more than half of the guest list.

When the big day arrived, Hermione got ready in one of the rooms above with Ginny and Luna helping her. She was terrified that she would get down there and find that Harry had abandoned her, despite all his promises otherwise. Her mother sat next to the mirror, watching her transform from an anxious wreck to a beautiful anxious wreck. Every time Hermione turned around, she started to cry, fearful that Harry would hurt her.

Thank Merlin for the magic that kept her makeup from running in streaks down her face.

"What do I do if he's not there?" Hermione whispered.

Finally, her mother stood up. Mrs. Granger took her daughter's hands and held them tight. She looked at Ginny and Luna. "Will you find Harry and bring him in here, please?" she asked.

Hermione gaped at her mother. "But it's bad luck!" she protested.

Mrs. Granger shook her head. "No, it isn't," she said. "You know better than that, Hermione. Now, I want you to close your eyes," she said. Hermione did as she was told. "Take a deep breath." Hermione inhaled until she couldn't take in any more air. "Let it out slowly." She did. "Do it again."

Hermione took three more deep breaths before she started to feel calmer. She opened her eyes and looked into her mother's. "Will I ever feel normal again?" she whispered.

Mrs. Granger smiled as she cupped her daughter's cheek with her palm. "One day at a time, my love," she said. "You are much farther today than you were the day that you walked into that empty room. Harry adores you. He worships the ground you walk on. The spark in his eyes every time he sees you, speaks about you, or even hears your name speaks volumes of his love for you. I promise you that he will be waiting for you when you walk into that courtyard."

The door to the room opened. Hermione and her mother looked to see Harry step inside. The concern in his eyes made Hermione want to start crying again.

"What's this I hear about you being afraid I won't be there?" he asked as he stepped up to her. He looked at her. Her white dress was simple and elegant. The bodice snugged her body with tiny pearl beads sewn in a floral design. The skirt was full and bell-shaped with layers of tulle.

Hermione sighed, dragging Harry's eyes from her dress to her face. "I can't get over the fear that you're going to walk out on me," she whispered.

"Would you feel better if we sign the paperwork now, make everything official, and then go down there and do the ceremony for everyone else?" Harry asked.

"You mean elope before we get married?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "We'll get your dad in here. Just you, me, and your parents. We'll do the big, scary, official part of it now so that you know that I'm not going to abandon you."

Hermione nodded. "Let's do it," she said.

Harry smiled. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm going to go get your dad and Kingsley."

"Promise?" she asked.

Harry cupped her cheeks in his hands. "Hermione, if I have to make an Unbreakable Vow for you to believe that I'm coming back, I will make it. Not even death will stop me from coming back to you, do you hear me?"

More tears leaked from Hermione's eyes. She nodded. "I hear you," she whispered.

Harry leaned in and kissed her before he left the room in search of her father and their officiant. Along the way, he explained to a couple of people that there might be a slight delay in starting the ceremony but that everything was just fine. Once he found the two men he was in search of, they returned to Hermione's room.

Kingsley smiled at them. "You know, this part usually comes after the ceremony, not before it," he said.

Hermione nodded. "We're doing things backward today," she said.

Kingsley chuckled and stepped up to a table where he put the license down. "Legally, I have to ask," he said. "Harry, do you take Hermione to be your wife?"

Harry nodded. "I do," he said.

Kingsley smiled. "Hermione, do you take Harry to be your husband?"

Hermione grinned. "I do," she replied.

Kingsley nodded. "Then by the power invested in me, I pronounce you married. Let's sign this and get on with the fun part."

Harry and Hermione laughed as they signed the certificate. Hermione's parents acted as witnesses. Once everyone signed, it was official. They were married and Hermione felt all of her worries dissolve away. She hugged Harry tightly. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

Harry smiled. "I love you," he said. "I'll do whatever I have to in order to make you happy."

Hermione blinked back more tears. "I love you too, Harry," she replied.

After the ceremony, the celebration began. They took over the entirety of the Three Broomsticks and Madam Rosemerta did not disappoint. She kept on top of drinks, food, and everything else that came with catering an event. This wasn't the first wedding at the Broomsticks, after all.

She stopped Harry as he passed her. Tears glistened in her eyes. "I just wanted to say that I think it's a great honor to your parents that you got married here like they did," she said.

Harry gaped at her. "They—what?" he asked.

Madam Rosemerta smiled at him. "You didn't know?" she asked. "I thought that was why you two wanted to be married here. Your parents' first date was here, so they came back and got married here as well. I have a photograph somewhere, would you like it?"

Harry nodded and watched the landlady disappear into the back of the inn. She returned a few minutes later with the photograph in her hands. Harry took it from her and stared at it in amazement. There were his parents, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, along with a few other faces that Harry didn't recognize. They smiled and waved at him.

With tears in his eyes, Harry held the photo out to Madam Rosemerta. She shook her head. "You keep it," she said. "I imagine you have precious few things from your parents."

Harry nodded. "That's certainly true," he said. "Thank you. This means a lot to me."

The landlady smiled. "You're welcome, Harry," she said. "And congratulations. I always hoped it would be you two in the end."

Harry grinned. "So did I," he said before he made his way back to the celebration. He sat down next to his wife and held out the photograph. "My parents got married here," he said.

"Did they?" Hermione asked with a grin. There was a note to her voice that told Harry that she'd already known.

He stared at her. "Is that why you chose this as our venue?" he asked.

Hermione chuckled. "Guilty," she said. "I was going through some old records at work and stumbled on an old Daily Prophet article about your parents' wedding. The article stated that they got married here, so I wanted us to get married here too. I was planning on telling you in my speech, but we haven't gotten that far yet."

Harry kissed his wife. "You are utterly amazing," he said as someone tapped their fork against their glass to get everyone's attention.

Hermione's father stood up. Mr. Granger smiled at everyone. "As the father of the bride, I feel like it's my place to start things off here," he said. "I'm sure everyone knows that my wife and I are Muggles, so we're grateful for the special permission to allow us here today to be at our only child's wedding." He looked at Kingsley. "Thank you, Minister," he said. Kingsley nodded. Mr. Granger turned back to the guests as he reached for his wife's hand. "I'll never forget the day my wife told me she was pregnant. We were living in a cheap apartment, fresh out of school, barely married. I had never been more terrified and excited in my entire life. Now, we have the most amazing daughter and she has become such an inspiration. Kind, generous, loving. There are so many adjectives I could use to describe her.

"Which was why we were so fearful for her when it came time for her to leave us for Hogwarts. Thankfully, we were blissfully unaware of the things she went through in her years at school. I'm certain we wouldn't have allowed her to come back if we'd known while she was still a child. No one should fight a war at fifteen, after all.

"Through all the ups and downs in her life, there has been one person standing at her side and supporting her. They've leaned on each other through every hardship and happiness. There are not many couples in the world who can say they started off as great friends, but the best ones, the ones who stand in the face of time and shout about how they made it, can.

"So, Harry," Mr. Granger said, turning to face the boy who lived. "Welcome to the family, son. We're proud to have you."

Harry grinned. "Thank you, sir," he said.

Mr. Granger nodded as everyone collectively sipped from their glasses. Hermione smiled at Harry before she leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Harry replied. "Now, are you still afraid that you're going to wake up in the morning and find that I've disappeared?"

Hermione shook her head. "No," she whispered.

Arthur stood up before anyone else could take the floor. "Harry, if you don't mind, I'd like to say something." Harry nodded to him.

Arthur smiled and looked at the gathered guests around him. "The first time I met Harry, he was sitting at my dining table after my sons had taken it upon themselves to break him out of his aunt and uncle's house. He was a scrawny boy with shaggy black hair and I was suddenly terrified that I'd missed us having another child. I didn't recognize him right away, not like most people do. But I looked at that malnourished boy and decided at that moment that if he was going to be my son, in whatever form, then I would make sure that he knew that I loved him as much as my own kids.

"When I realized just who Harry was, I knew I could never replace the parents he lost. No one could. No one should. But I also knew that he needed someone. Even if he never came to me for advice about girls, dating, or academics, I wanted to be someone he knew he could count on. I wanted to be there for him, just as I was for my other children.

"Harry, you've always been like a son to me, I hope you know that. I'd have loved to have you marry into the family, but I'm honestly glad that you didn't because we wouldn't be here today. You have exactly the right woman at your side. Just don't forget about us when you're wondering where to eat dinner on Friday night."

Harry smiled with tears blurring his vision. "We won't," he promised.