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Chapter 39: Before the Vows:
Harry opened the double doors to the small chapel, and said, "I brought a couple of other guests, whom I met at the Burrow. I hope that's okay with you two."
Hermione said, "As long as one of them isn't Pansy." She looked over at Draco.
He added, "Or Oliver Wood."
Hermione and Draco both laughed, since he finished her sentence for her. Harry said, "No, actually, these two people said they were invited." He moved aside, and Draco's mother and father walked in. Draco's eyes grew wide in shock. Hermione stopped breathing for a moment. Draco leaned over to Hermione and said, "Protect me, please."
Hermione wanted to know who would protect her.
Lucius looked around the little chapel, his disgust evident. Narcissa appeared less apprehensive. She rushed up to Draco, smiling.
Harry started back down the aisle and said, "I'll give you all a moment. You just let me know when the rest of us can come in." He walked backwards out the door, giving Hermione a sympathetic look, and he shut the doors behind him.
Hermione swallowed hard, and took Draco's hand. Mrs. Malfoy smiled at Hermione as well and said, "My, you are more beautiful than I remember." Hermione hoped so, since the last time Mrs. Malfoy had seen her, was when Hermione was tortured in the other woman's home, by her sister, no less. Hermione decided to put all negative thoughts behind her.
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said.
"Well, Draco," his father started, "If you seriously intend to get married today, in this, what is it called? Oh yes, a chapel, I suggest we get started. It's unseemly to be late."
Hermione almost laughed, but Draco squeezed her hand. Hermione could not believe that Mr. Malfoy was worried about the wedding starting late. Seriously? He only cared about the wedding starting late, not the fact that his only son was marrying a Muggle-born, after a two-day courtship. Mr. Malfoy looked at Hermione and said, "Miss Granger, I hope you are ready for all the responsibilities that will come with having the name of Malfoy."
"Well…" Hermione began. She had not given that one thought. She hadn't had time. She wondered if that responsibility included hating Muggles and mudbloods. If it weren't her wedding day, she would ask him that very thing. Instead, she merely ended her statement with, "I'm sure I'm up for the challenge."
"I am sure you are," Lucius stated. "Where do we sit, Draco?" Draco looked toward Hermione. He didn't know where they were to sit.
"You and your wife will sit on this side, in the front row, and my parents will sit on this side, in the front row." Hermione pointed to the appropriate pew. Mr. Malfoy walked over, took out a handkerchief, wiped off the pew, and then took his wife's hand. They both sat down.
Draco turned toward Hermione and said, "Pinch me."
"What?" she asked.
"Pinch me, so I will know this is real," he said again. She pinched his arm, very hard. "Ouch! Not that hard!" He leaned toward her and whispered, "I never in a million years thought they would come. I went to the Manor, told them I was marrying you this afternoon at one, and if they wanted to come, to come to the Burrow. They both started yelling at me, my mother telling me to think of our name and bloodline, my father telling me that I would be disinherited, and I told them I wasn't arguing with them, they could come and share in the joy of my wedding, or they could lose their only son forever. I left, and I thought I would never see them again."
Hermione was shocked. She took his hand, and led him to the corner, out of his parents' earshot. "Draco, you were going to give up your family, for me? I would never ask you to do that. You should have told me that."
"The thing is, Hermione, I was going to tell you that. I was going to tell you that perhaps we should stick with the original plan, and marry one year from today, that way my parents would have time to adjust. But, when you weren't at the Burrow, I suddenly realized that I wanted nothing more than to find you, and marry you, right here, today," he admitted.
"I don't know what to say, but thank you," she said.
"You're so funny," he said with a chuckle. "You don't have to thank me for loving you. Just love me back."
Mrs. Malfoy was carefully watching the young lovers in the corner. She leaned over to her husband and said, "Look at them. He loves her. This is right, Lucius, you have to know that this is right."
"I am here, aren't I?" he answered. He looked over at the unlikely pair. He saw his son lean forward to kiss his bride's cheek. He knew his son was not a fool. He would never make a decision like this, if he were not sure it was right. They did appear fond of each other. He reached down for his wife's hand. He said loudly, "Draco, it is 1:45 pm. Really, it is rude and unseemly to keep your guests waiting for 45 minutes. You need to start the ceremony now."
Draco looked over at his father and said, "Yes, Sir."
Hermione said, "You stay up here, and get ready for me. I need to go to the back of the church, to make my grand entrance anyway. I just wish we had some music for when I walk down the aisle."
"I could hum the wedding march again," Draco volunteered.
"No offense, but no," Hermione offered.
"How about this, we are magical, aren't we? I think I could produce some music, if I tried hard enough, maybe one of those little Beatles songs. Tell me which one you want to hear while you march down the aisle, and I will make sure it plays throughout the chapel."
"You don't even know any Beatle songs," Hermione reminded.
"For goodness sakes, Granger, did you believe that? I may be a pureblood, but they are the ruddy Beatles, for goodness sakes." He turned to his parents and said, "Hermione here thinks we don't know who the Beatles are."
His mother laughed and said, "I love the Beatles. I used to listen to their music all the time, when Draco was young."
Hermione looked more shocked than she looked when the Malfoys entered the chapel. She turned again to Draco and said, "You are such a liar."
"And it's a good thing you have discovered that now, instead of finding it out after we are married," he said.
"What other lies have you told me this weekend?" she asked.
"You have a lifetime to discover my secrets and lies, Hermione, now, which song do you want?" Draco goaded.
"If you know all their songs, you pick one," she said curtly. She walked down the aisle, shaking her head in disbelief, saying to her self, "secrets and lies, those should be his wedding vows." She opened the chapel doors, and told everyone they could enter. Everyone kissed her, or congratulated her on their way in.
"Only 47 minutes late, Hermione," George said, kissing her cheek. "I suppose you are worth the wait."
"I'm as happy as I would be if one of my own children were marrying," Molly said, holding her hand.
Arthur smiled at her and said, "She might as well be one of ours, for we already think of her that way."
Charlie gave her a kiss, and said, "If only I knew you could be so easily courted, I would have tried myself." He laughed and winked at her.
Bill and Fleur both smiled and told her to be happy.
Percy looked embarrassed, and said, "Forgive me about Ron, but I didn't know he would act like he did. I thought he would be an adult, and support you, like you supported him." He gave her a half smile, and she took his hand and smiled back. He went inside.
Ginny grinned, giggled, and ran up the aisle.
Harry smiled at her. He took her hand, leaned in, and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "I love you. Be happy. You deserve more than happiness, but that's all I can offer, I'm afraid." He took the arm of Mrs. Granger, and escorted her in the chapel.
The Officiate and Draco's friend from the Ministry, the one who arranged for the license, walked in last.
She stood outside, alone with her father.
"Are you happy, little girl?" her father asked.
"Yes, Dad, I'm so happy," she said sincerely.
"You look beautiful, you know. That one Weasley, Percy, I think, said he would take some pictures of you when we got back to the Burrow, so we will have some memories to document this day. I want to tell my grandchildren how their parents met and married."
"That would be nice, Dad," Hermione said. She took her father's hand. "Ready?"
"If you are," he said.
Her father opened the doors back up, and everyone stood, in honour of the bride. The Beatles song, "Something" began softly to waft through the little wooden chapel. Hermione loved that song.
She was so nervous, that she was visibly shaking. Her father started walking slowly, and at first, Hermione forgot how to walk. He whispered, "Come on, one foot in front of the other, it's not that hard, you've been doing it since you were ten months old. Always the early bird, you were." She could not even look at him. She could only see Draco. He was smiling so widely, she knew immediately that everything was going to be okay.
She took a deep breath, to fight off the tears that were in her eyes, and to relieve the heaviness in her chest. They walked down the aisle. She could no longer hold back her tears. They were tears of joy. She started crying freely, embarrassed that she could not contain herself, but also, too overwhelmed to try to stop. Her mother was crying also. She heard Mrs. Weasley begin to cry. If Ginny started crying as well, Hermione would not be able to hold herself together. She looked at Ginny, and no, she was not crying. However, Hermione looked over at her dad, and as a tear slipped down his cheek, she started crying harder. She never thought she would be the type to cry at her own wedding.
She looked once more at Draco. He looked concerned that she was crying, so she tried to smile, so he would know that she was just happy. It seemed to take an eternity for her to reach him. That's all she wanted. She just wanted to reach him, and then everything would be fine. Just a few more steps. She was crying harder and harder, and she let go of her dad's arm a few moments before she was meant to and reached out for Draco's hand.
He closed the gap between them, and took her hand. He put his hand to her cheek, to wipe her tears. "Okay, Granger?"
She could only nod, as each breath she took was racked with a sob. She held his hand so tight; he thought she might squeeze if off his wrist. Mr. Granger sat down beside his wife. Draco turned to the Officiate, and said, "A moment?" He turned to Hermione and said, "Are you sure this is what you want? We can wait, if you would rather."
"Oh, Draco, you dense, darling man, these are tears of joy," she said, as her tears continued. "I have never felt this happy in my whole entire life. I love you so much. I can't believe this is even real."
He put his forehead on hers and said softly, "Do you want me to pinch you?"
"Perhaps you should," she smiled.
He said, "Maybe I will kiss you instead," and he placed his lips softly on hers. "I love you." He turned to the man before them and said, "We can begin."
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