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Chapter 41: The End, (Or in the words of Draco, The Beginning):

Hermione felt happier than she had felt in a very long time. Perhaps happier than she had been her entire life. This was such a surreal day, and yet, it was the most real thing she had ever experienced. Was it just yesterday that she thought her world would never be the same? Was it only twenty-four hours ago (give or take a few hours) that she thought her broken heart would never mend? As she sat next to her HUSBAND, watching her friends and family enjoy her reception, eating, drinking and being merry, she thought she was more content than she had a right to be.

Draco leaned over to her and said softly, "It all seems surreal, doesn't it?"

"You little mind reader, you," she said, touching his cheek. She looked at her new husband, and took his hand under the table. She looked back out among their guests, marveling at how lucky she felt. Draco looked directly at her smiling face. He knew he was the lucky one.

"Did you like my choice of songs, at the chapel?" he asked.

She turned to look back at him, "It was beautiful. I wish you had picked a song that had expressed how I felt as well, but still, it was as if each word was coming from you."

"It was," he answered. He brought her hand up to his mouth, and kissed her knuckles. "There's something in the way you move, that attracts me like no other lover," he quoted the song.

"Sing for me," she laughed.

"If you heard my singing voice, you would run away, demanding an annulment, believe me," he told her.

"Okay, I trust you, never sing for me," she said again.

As Hermione continued to watch their guest, he continued to watch her. It could have been so easy to leave her at the chapel yesterday. That was almost what he did. He had not even expected an invitation to the wedding. He worked in the same department as Weasley and Potter, so he had heard the talk of an upcoming wedding for a long time. He also had heard Potter talking to others about how hurt Hermione was, and how he was concerned for her.

At first, when he received the invitation, (from Pansy, he was sure, not Ron), he thought it might be too awkward, so he was going to decline. Then, one day, he heard Potter talking to his wife in the hallway of the Ministry. He told Ginny that Hermione had decided to come to the wedding after all, and he said he almost wished she would not, for he knew it would be hard on her.

Draco decided to come, at that very moment. He told himself at first he wanted to come to see the show. He half hoped that Hermione would come, curse the whole lot of them, and then disappear. He would have paid a million galleons to see that. However, when he showed up to the chapel, and he saw Granger sitting near the back, on the bride's side, no less, and he saw how sad, alone, and small she looked, he decided to sit behind her, in case she totally fell apart, and needed a helping hand.

He never felt such a longing to help someone in his life. The feelings he had for her were foreign to him. He could not possibly be attracted to her, could he? Still, he sat behind her, and it took all his resolve not to reach out to her, when he saw her begin to cry. After the ceremony, when all the guests stood, she remained in her seat. He followed the throng outside. Finally, he saw her come out as well. He almost wet himself in pleasure when he saw her throw her whole bag of rice right at Weasley's head. She hid behind another guest, but Draco saw the whole thing. Weasley yelped in pain, and Draco laughed in delight.

He saw her slip back in the chapel, after everyone else had headed off to the reception. He decided to wait for her to come back outside. He had no idea what he was going to say to her. He decided he would just improvise. He paced back and forth, and finally sat down to wait for her. After almost twenty minutes, he decided she must have disapparated from inside the chapel.

He opened the door a crack to see if she had gone, and there she was, still inside, sitting in the very last pew, crying opening. Mourning the stupid bastard who broke her heart. If Weasley was there, Draco was sure he would throttle the man himself. She turned slightly in her seat, sensing that someone had entered. Draco looked right in her sad, red, tear-brimmed, eyes, and quickly shut the door again. He felt like he was witnessing the baring of her soul, and he was ashamed, for some reason. No, not just some reason, he was ashamed for every bad thing he had ever said or done to her.

At first, he was not going to wait for her. He was going to leave, right there and then, but something in his heart made him wait. He sat down on the little wooden steps, and decided if he had to, he would wait a lifetime for her.

She walked out the doors, and saw him sitting on the steps, his tie hanging loosely around his neck. He looked up at her as she walked out the door. She sat down beside him. "Hello, Malfoy, I didn't see you at the wedding."

"Really? I saw you," he said. "I was in the pew right behind you. You didn't look like you enjoyed the ceremony very much," he said, lightly.

"I don't suppose I did," she agreed.

"Do you want to be alone to wallow in self-pity a bit longer, or are you heading to the reception?" he asked.

"I'm not wallowing in self-pity," she pointed out.

"Yes you were," he laughed.

"No, I really wasn't," she said again. He glared at her and frowned. She said, "Fine, I was wallowing. What are you still doing here? Why aren't you at the reception?"

"Heavens," he laughed, "it was asking a lot of me to just come to the ceremony. I certainly cannot imagine myself entertaining the thought of going to a reception with a bunch of Weasleys. I would probably be blinded by a sea of red hair."

She laughed. "Then why are you still here?"

"I was waiting for you, of course," he said.

"Why?"

"I don't know, really," he answered honestly. "You just seemed sad, and I don't know, but I thought I would wait for you. Do you want me to leave?"

When she did not tell him to leave, he was encouraged. Even though she was fragile, she was still open and receptive. He knew she could love again. At the time, he thought it might take a long time for her to trust him, open up, and accept his friendship. No one in his or her right mind would have thought it would only take a few hours.

At the time, he asked her, "So, are you mourning the fact that Weasley married someone besides you, or are you mourning the fact that you weren't the one getting married?"

"Aren't they the same thing?" she asked.

"No, you could just feel jealous that you weren't the one up there in the white dress, the gloves, and the veil. Weasley doesn't have to fit in that equation," he pointed out.

"Well, then," she mumbled, trying to be truthful, "I guess I am jealous. I want the marriage, the house, and the kids. It doesn't mean I want Ron."

"Hooray for you," he said, standing back up. He felt restless.

"What do you mean, hooray for me?" she asked, confused.

"I am just glad you can admit the truth. I would hate to think you would shed a tear over that Red-headed vermin," he laughed.

"Oh," she said softly.

He came and sat back down next to her on the wooden steps again. She was looking down at his black shoes. He said, "Are my shoes interesting?" She looked back up to his face and he asked another question, "What do you do now, Granger?"

They started talking small talk. She told him what she did for a living, even though he already knew. He told her what he did for a living, although he knew that she already knew as well.

She told him that she was going to leave. He asked her again if she was going to the reception, and she said no, she was heading home for some Vodka and ice cream. He thought that seemed sad. He told her he was going, even though he had absolutely no plans to attend a reception with a bunch of Weasleys.

They told each other goodbye, and she started to disapparate, when he came up to her and said, "By the way, you have some rice in your hair."

"Do I?" she wondered.

He reached up and removed several grains of white rice. He said, "Your hair is so much softer than I ever imagined it being." He was embarrassed at first that he had said that. She blushed as well. She started to run her hands through her hair.

She asked, "Did I get it all?"

He leaned in closer and said, "I believe you did." He looked away quickly, back toward the chapel. He knew in the depths of this soul that he wanted her more than anything he had ever wanted his entire life. "See you at the next wedding," he said to her, with no real intention of parting from her. He was just bidding time. He was trying to figure out how he could prolong their meeting. He didn't want to say goodbye, ever.

"Till then," she said, holding up her hand, to say goodbye.

Again, before she could leave, he said, "Would you like company tonight, or is it just going to be you and your special bottle of vodka?"

She grinned at him and asked, "What did you have in mind?"

He smiled a crooked smile and said, "Take my arm and find out." To his utter amazement and surprise, she did just that, and he took her to the reception. That was the beginning.

She looked back over to Draco as he reminisced about their meeting yesterday and said, "What are you thinking of so intently, Draco?"

"You." It was his only response, and it was true. He was thinking about her. When he thought about how he almost did not show up to the wedding, he broke out in a cold sweat. He might have missed all of this. If he had not shown up, he would not be sitting here at this point in time, the happiest man on earth. She smiled sweetly at him, and put her hand on his face. She leaned over closely and kissed his cheek. He smiled as well, a smile, which reflected her joy and happiness.

He said again, "I was just thinking of you, and how we met at the chapel, and how fate really is fickle, for if either of us had decided not to show up at the wedding, everything would have been lost, ruined."

"Yes, everything would have turned out differently, that's for sure," she added. "I would probably still be at home in my pajamas, perhaps with an empty bottle of vodka at my feet, and two empty cartons of ice cream on my bed. I would have a tear soaked face, mourning over what might have been, and what never would be."

He shuddered to think of that. Draco said, "If I hadn't decided to come, I would probably be lounging around, dreading the thought of going to work tomorrow, instead of looking forward to the start of my wonderful new life with you."

Hermione asked, "Why did you come?"

"I have been pondering that very question," Draco admitted, "and I wish I could say I came for you," he added wistfully, "but I really came to the wedding for selfish reasons. I wanted closure, too, you know?"

"Did you get your closure?" Hermione asked.

"No, instead, I got a new life, and that's better than closure," he said.

Hermione grinned and said, "What if I hadn't come to the reception with you. What would you have done?"

"You know, Hermione," Draco began, "at that point, that wasn't an option. I would have forced you to come, hell, I practically did, I mean, face it, you had no idea we were coming here. I knew you didn't want to come, but my own selfishness won out, and in the end, I'm so glad it did."

"I'm glad, too," she stated, "for if I had gone home, I really would still be empty, walking around with my broken heart, and broken existence, barely able to pick myself up and continue to live my empty life. Thank you, Draco."

"You're ever so welcome," he said seriously. He leaned over, cupped her face, and brought his lips to hers. He pressed her lips to his slightly, pulled back, and then came in again; applying more pressure, before he finally put his hand behind her neck, and forced her closer. He wanted to cry, for her lips never tasted sweeter, now that he knew she was his forever.

Draco took her hand, and led her through their guests, to walk with her toward the back garden. "Did you mean what you said in your vows, that you felt sad and lonely?"

"Yes, I did. I don't any longer," she said.

"I felt sad and lonely too, most of my life, and now I no longer feel that way either, funny huh?" he asked.

"Yes, hilarious," she added.

"I meant, funny, strange," he added.

"I know," she grinned. Hermione looked back toward the guests, and saw Ron standing all alone, on the outside of the crowd, watching them. She said, "He needs to go back to his wife."

Draco turned and looked back. "Maybe he's having his own regrets. Too little, too late." They both turned back around, and continued walking away from their guests.

"So, what happens tomorrow?" she asked.

"Well, since I'm apparently no longer disinherited, I think I will quit my job. I only worked there for fulfillment, which by the way, I never felt, until now. I haven't enjoyed my job for a long time. Perhaps we could take a long holiday," he said, pulling her into his warm embrace.

"I do love my job, and I don't want to quit, but I think they will let me have some time off for a honeymoon. They love me there, and I am due a vacation," she said. "Where shall we go?"

"It doesn't matter, as long as we're together," he waxed poetically.

She just stared at him a minute, and said, "We could just start our lives. Stay at home, get to know each other, learn what it's like to be married."

"I don't even know where you live," Draco suddenly realized.

Hermione laughed and said, "See, there's so much we don't know about each other. I have a small cottage, and I would like us to live there, if you have no objections."

"How small?" he asked, with the look of tasting something bad, on his face.

"Not that small. It's no Manor, but I love it," she said.

"Then I shall love it as well," he answered.

"We should get back to our guests," Hermione said. He started to walk back with her, but she wavered.

"I thought you wanted to go back," he said.

"I do, but, I also don't want this to end," she said sadly. "I want to carry on with you, here at the Burrow, the way I have the last two days, forever. Is that selfish?"

"Not at all," he said, "it's what I want as well, but that's impractical and unrealistic. Nevertheless, even good things must come to an end, and it's time for this story to end. We will continue on, though, perhaps with a new story someday."

"I would like that. I wonder if anyone else would?" she laughed.

"We'll find out, I'm sure," he answered. "Everyone will find a way to let us know if they want to hear from us again." They walked back to their guests, hand in hand. He stopped right as they reached the corner of the tent, took her face in his hands, and kissed her again. "I really do love you, you know," he said.

"I really do know that, you know, and I feel the same," Hermione answered. She took his hands from her face, and clasped them in hers. She said, "We really are an unlikely pair. We weren't even friends before this, we were barely acquaintances, and I didn't start out wanting to be more, but I'm so glad it evolved to what it is now. Are you?"

"What a stupid question," he said sincerely. "And we aren't that unlikely of a pair. We really are meant for each other. All great romance stories start with a boy and a girl, and that's all that's needed for a good story. You are the girl, and I am the boy, and we have fallen in love, and married, and so for now, do you know what that means?"

"The End?" she asked.

"Heavens, Granger, no," he laughed, "The Beginning."

The End……….or is it the beginning? (Read the Epilogue and find out!)