I will warn you now this is by far my longest chapter!
"What'd you do to Hermione you bitch?" Gerry yelled.
"I didn't do anything. It's all thanks to the bunch of you for putting her under the most powerful sleeping spell that's ever been created." Lady Felicia said as she gave them a cold smirk that did not look right on Hermione's face.
"You you tricked us!" Ron yelled.
"It didn't take much. Your worry over her blinded all of you." She spat sounding quite disgusted.
Rianne and Luna both clenched their fists. "How dare you." Luna said in a low cold voice. Everyone turned to stare at her. It was a voice unlike the others she'd ever used. It wasn't in the slightest bit whimsical or soft but rather stone hard. "How dare you use us as pawns against our own friend." She said as she raised her wand towards Lady Felicia.
"Ah uh ah." Lady Felicia tisked. "You can hex all you want but you won't harm me in the slightest. Now this body on the other hand…"
"Why are you doing all this? I'll marry you, just give Hermione back." Oliver said.
She turned so that she could face him.
"Oh hell no. You're not bloody marrying her Oliver. She already went back on her word once why should we trust her not to again." Rianne said.
Lady Felicia gave a cold smile. Then she began to run, running all the way up the banister.
Everyone watched in shock. Bill whom was the first to snap back ran after her. Oliver was second and he too began to run after her. Soon the whole lot was running after her.
Lady Felicia looked back behind her. She could see them all following her. She gave a delirious laugh then picked up her pace.
"What the bloody hell is that crazy ghost doing?" Ginny yelled.
"She's off her rocker that's for sure." George yelled back.
"That laugh is giving me the creeps." Neville said in between breaths.
Oliver and Bill ran as fast aas they could be it seemed that she was always faster. Eventually they ran into a room on the fourth floor. Technically it was a tower.
Bill leaned over huffing. Oliver though from quidditch training was a lot less tired so he focused on the other person in the room.
Lady Felicia gave a cruel smile that to Oliver looked unnatural on Hermione's usually cheerful face.
"Where the bloody hell are we?" George asked as he was the third to come followed by Harry and the rest.
"Nice of you all to finally catch up."
"You are one crazy poltergeist." Ron said trying to catch his breath.
"This here used to be my old chamber when I stayed here." She said completely ignoring Ron. "I was to become the lady of this castle…"
"Did you kill him?" Gerry asked.
Lady Felicia turned around and glared at her. "No. I loved Callum."
"Then he left you." Gerry said glaring back.
Fire burned in Hermione's brown eyes. "He didn't leave me!" She yelled.
"It sure explains a lot." Gerry kept going.
"Shut up, shut up!"
A vase came flying at Gerry and Rianne. Luckily Gerry ducked and George grabbed Rianne, pulling her down just in time.
"Why are we here?" Daisy asked quietly, her eyes focused only on Hermione's body.
A ghost of somber look made an appearance on her face as she faced down looking at the ground. "That night he left me at the altar…I jumped off this very balcony."
Ginny gave a shocked gasp. Rianne even raised her eyebrows and Gerry was quite speechless.
"I've already done it once." Then she turned to look at them. "I'll do it again."
Eyes flew open in shock.
"If Oliver doesn't marry me tomorrow, I'll jump." Tears started to flow down her cheeks.
"Oh my god." Ginny and Gerry exclaimed together. All the guys could do was stare.
"Ok." Oliver said softly not seeing any other way.
Lady Shaw smiled. She threw her arms around Oliver's neck.
Oliver whom had as close of a blank look anyone could have, unwrapped her arms from around his neck. He dropped them by her side. "I'm marrying you but not because I want to, nor because I love you, but but to protect the one I do love. Don't take my consent as affection." Then he turned to walk out without a look back.
The others followed right after him but many of them had turned around to glare at her.
"If you weren't in Hermione's body I would be assisting you to jump off the balcony by pushing you." Gerry said giving her a bright smile and walking out.
"Oh god what have I done." Oliver said pounding his fist against the dining room table.
"Oliver you did the only rational thing to protect Hermione. Much better job than me. I just swore like a sailor." Gerry admitted.
"She's right, Oliver. You couldn't have done anything else." Harry assured.
"Yeah, that… ghost is just bloody crazy." Ron said.
"But she was probably fine unitl she was left at the altar." Luna said.
Everybody turned to look at her.
"I mean she…" Luna tried to explain.
"Luna I know what you mean." Ginny said softly. "I don't know what I would do if Harry were to ever do that to me."
"We do." All three Weasley boys said. "We'd pummel him into a heap, hero or not."
Harry blanched a bit but recovered knowing he'd do the same for Hermione or even Luna for that matter.
"What makes it worse was that this was what 100 or so years ago." Rianne said.
"I think it's been later than that." Oliver said.
"Can you imagine girls, being left at the altar 100 or so years before when we didn't have as much say or independence as we do now." Rianne said.
"You would forever be an outcast. You might as well be dead, your life was over. " Gerry said quietly.
A silence drifted throughout the room.
"I guess we should start working on this wedding if it's going to happen tomorrow." Rianne said.
All the guys simultaneously groaned except Oliver as all of them had been working on Ginny and Harry's wedding for the past half year.
Lady Shaw sat on her old bed, Oliver's words still ringing in her ears. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to herself tightly.
They all worked for seven hours straight. They had bought an array of flowers for the reception. Molly Weasley had agreed to cook foods along with Oliver's mum, after a long explanation of what had happened. Gerry and Rianne had made an arch of daffodils and dahlias where the vows could be exchanged. They had also hired a priest to do the ceremony. A local young band that was just trying to make it had been hired to play. A wedding cake was being ordered from the best bakery the village had.
The only thing they had left to do was make a list of the guests and the wedding dress.
At last it was decided that they would have a very small list. Only of the closest family and friends. All the Weasleys. Oliver's parents. Alicia of course and all of the Puddlemere players.
"What are we going to do about Hermione's parents?" Harry asked.
Everybody turned to look at each other.
"Oh dang. How are we supposed to explain that their daughter's body has been taken over by a ghost?"
"You don't. Just don't tell them. It will be better that way."
Everyone turned to see Hermione in a white wedding dress.
"This was my wedding dress." She said in a soft voice noticing everyone's look. "Obviously it needs a bit of work. I know this is asking fo too much but could someone help me to restore it?" She looked so vulnerable at the moment like a child that had gotten lost and in a way she was.
She had been raised in the 1800s. Where it was a male dominated society, where women were expected to marry and bare children. She had been given the minimum education and been engaged at the tender age of five and at seven was moved out of her home so that she could live with her fiancé's family. All so that she could learn about how to become the wife her future husband wanted. Then came the day for all her efforts to at last be rewarded. She'd been left at the altar and humiliated as she watched the person whom she had learned to love and tried to always please, propose to another girl the day that was supposed to be her day.
"Sure." Rianne said at last breaking the awkward silence.
"I'll help too." Ginny said.
Gerry turned around to look away from her.
It took them hours to finish working on the dress. It was now nine o' clock and they were all exhausted. Oliver waited outside the door of Felicia's door for them to come out.
"Oliver?" Rianne asked as she exited the room.
"Hey Rianne."
"Do you need something?"
"I just need to talk to... Lady Felicia."
"Oh, Ginny will be out soon."
"Thanks. Are you staying here with the rest?"
"Yeah, is that okay?"
"It's great, you can just take your old room or room with Gerry. Though the later would probably be a better idea. Gerry might just try to strangle her in the middle of the night to see if she can get Hermione back."
"Yeah probably. Are you okay Oliver?"
"I don't know Rianne."
Rianne gave a small smile. She tip toed to give him a chaste kiss in the forehead. "Get some good sleep tonight. We can't have you looking like the living dead at your wedding tomorrow."
Ginny had soon left after helping Lady Felicia out of the wedding dress.
Oliver knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Oliver came walking in, his hand in his pocket.
"Oliver." She said in surprise.
Oliver gave a small half smile half grimace. That moment she had sounded so much like Hermione that it made his heart clench.
"I got this ring adjusted a couple of days ago. Since we're getting married, I would like you to wear it." Oliver presented a beautiful diamond ring. It was a pear cut diamond ring. The band was a yellow gold with an intricate design.
"Oh god it's beautiful." She exclaimed in awe as she looked at it.
Oliver softly took her hand and slipped the ring on her left ring finger. It fit perfectly. Like he knew it would. What he didn't mention was that it was his grandmother's old ring and he had indeed gone to get it adjusted to fit Hermione's hand so that he could be prepared for one day when he could propose. But life didn't always come out the way you planned.
That night every person in the castle had the most restless night they had ever had since the war.
Morning seem to have come much too early for them.
"It's bloody six in the morning." Ron said as he leaned his head on the table.
"Well we have a wedding to set up and get ready for."
"Ugh." Ron, Harry, and George all groaned together. Bill whom had left so that he could be with his wife and child at the Burrow would be coming at eight to help set up the food with his mum and Oliver's.
"Come on people." Ginny said before she began to bark orders on where things should go. It took a whole hour to set up the seating and the aisle, making sure flowers were placed in their right areas, one not more flowered than the other even with magic. Fairy lights had also been set up to float and turn on at dusk. A pond had been created and star gazer lilies had been set to stay afloat.
As they all came in from the decorating, a wonderful aroma drifted.
Ron's stomach grumbled.
"I cooked breakfast." Lady Felicia said as she stepped away to show a whole array of foods. From black pudding, porridge to potato scones and kippers.
Ron started to run towards it but then stopped suddenly. "Uh um." He said.
"It's not poisoned." She said then chewed a piece of potato hash and swallowed.
"Great, I'm starved." Then he sat down and began to pile up his plate.
Slowly the others joined one by one.
"Merlin this is good, almost as good as Mum's." George said.
"I naw." Ron said with his mouth full.
"Ron that's disgusting." Ginny said.
"We're here!" Molly Weasley said as she apparated right outside of the old Scottish castle.
"Oliver honey, your mum and dad are here!"
"And us too!" Cody and James yelled along with the rest of the Puddlemere team.
"So what's going on exactly?" James asked Gerry when they all sat down in the garden area.
"It's a very long story James."
"We have an hour before the reception starts."
"You've been watching the show haven't you?"
"Yeah but for some reason it stopped playing two days ago."
"Wait what?" Gerry asked.
"Yeah it was so strange one moment it was on, the next, nada. Do you know who did it?"
"Yes."
"You're not going to tell me are you?"
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Gerry said smiling at him.
James gave her a look. "Try me." "Do tell Ger." Alicia said sitting right beside them.
"Alicia!" Gerry screamed then threw her arms over her friend.
"Sure. Now let's see where to start. Well there's this ghost, who's in love with Oliver."
"Wait wha-"
"So she made Hermione disappear and tricked us into putting her into a coma in a sense so that she could take over Hermione's body."
James's eyes went wide and his head felt like it was spinning from the information. Alicia just stared.
"So then she threatened to commit suicide in Hermione's body if Oliver doesn't marry her and so now we're here."
James blinked and blinked again. "I'm sorry that's just…"
"Unbelievable right?"
"Beyond that even." James said scratching his head.
"A ghost. It was a ghost!" Alicia yelled.
It took both James and Gerry to calm her down enough. "I'm going to kill that ghost."
The local band whom was really excited to be playing at the Oliver Wood and Hermione Granger's wedding, began to set up their equipment along with help from the guests.
"This is so cool, I mean we're going to play at a wedding for two LEGENDS!" One of the guys said.
"I can't belive we got this gig, I mean wow." Another agreed.
"I've always wanted to see what Oliver Wood looks like in person." The only girl squealed.
"I want to see Hermione Granger." The first boy said.
"Hell yes." The other boy said as the two high fived causing their female member to roll her eyes as she said boys in a disgusted sound.
"Let me help with that." Rianne said as she helped Felicia put her veil on.
"Why are you helping me, you should hate me."
"I dislike you very much yes. But for my best friend's sakes and for all women in this world that have ever been left at the altar, I want you to have the best wedding anyone could ask for." Rianne said smiling as she adjusted the veil.
"I wish that I'd had a best friend like you when I was alive." Lady Felicia said sadly.
Rianne bit her lip not sure what to say. "Let's go, we don't want to be late do we."
"Yes, thank you."
Oliver stood at the altar along with his dad and Harry both.
"Son are you sure you want to do this, there's got to be another way."
"No dad I'm not risking Hermione's li…" Oliver drifted off as he saw Hermione's body come out of the door. She was dressed in an old fashioned white dress but she looked beautiful all the same.
The music began to play and all the guests stood up. James and Danny both had to keep a grip on Alicia so that she wouldn't attack Lady Felicia.
A bright smile appeared on Hermione's face as she walked toward Oliver.
Oliver had to shake himself to remind himself that this wasn't his Hermione.
At last she made it to the altar. Oliver took a long hard breath. He took the veil and lifted it up and over. Hermione's eyes stared back at him but it seemed that they were empty of the spark that his Hermione had.
"We are here today…"
Gerry and Ginny held onto each other's hands gripping them tight.
Everyone there except the band and the priest, now knew exactly what was going on thanks to Alicia's out bursts, held their breaths.
"Do you Hermione Granger take…"
Rianne hid her face into Geroge's shoulders, Yulisa doing the same but into Rianne's hair.
"And do you Oliver Wood, take Hermione Granger to be lawfully wedded wife forever and always…"
Oliver took a deep breath then said the two words. "I do."
"You may now kiss the bride."
Oliver closed his eyes and leaned down but was stopped by two hands pushing on his chest.
"Oliver."
Oliver opened his eyes in confusion.
"You are such a sweet boy. Have always been, even since you were three. Thank you so much for everything. I appreciate it all. I'll never forget ever." Then she leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Oliver stood shell shocked.
Hermione's eyes closed then her whole faltered. Before she could fall though, Oliver stepped out of his shock and caught her just before she fell.
Everyone in their seats rushed up to them.
"Someone get water!" Ginny yelled. Harry handed her a glass. Ginny dipped her fingers into the water and proceeded to sprinkle it lightly over Hermione.
Hermione's eyes fluttered.
"Hermione?" Gerry asked worried.
"Uhh." Hermione groaned. "What happened?" She asked as she tried to sit up.
Sorry if it's too long.
I have officially one more chapter before it's complete. Hope you will all stay tuned and will review.
Plus check out the ring, it's on my profile. It's gorgeous