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TRUST IN ME
by Tyde

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Chapter Ten

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Hermione was humming, loudly and melodically. It was her wedding day and she was marrying Ron. The man she'd been in love with since the moment they met, she just hadn't known it at the time. It's amazing what time can do for a relationship. Her heart swelled with happiness.

There was an almost inaudible knock at the door.

"Come in" she called.

Percy walked in, holding his top hat in his hand.

"You look absolutely smashing" he commented.

"Thanks Perce" she grinned.

"So are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be" she fiddled nervously with the front of her gown. "What if I stuff it up? Everyone will be watching!"

"Calm down, you're going to be fine. You remember that reaction you got last week? You're fabulous and you're going to blow everyone away"

Hermione licked her lips nervously. "If you say so Percy"

"I know so," he said while leaning over to give her a hug. "Now you go out there tiger and knock em dead!"

He left the room and Ginny and the other bridesmaids bustled in.

Their blue gowns were exquisite. The blue exactly matched the colour of the bluebell fires Ron had lit in the chapel. They were square necked, gathered at the bust and flowed from there. A light silvery material floated over the top of the satin blue material of the skirt. The girls had their hair swept up into french rolls and little Billywigs glimmered at the top as decoration in lieu of flowers.

Ginny pulled Hermione's cloak from out of it's box and rested it on her shoulders.

"You look gorgeous Mione. Ron's going to do his block when he sees you floating down the aisle towards him"

"You really think so?" she smiled anxiously.

"Absolutely. I just hope he'll still be able to talk after you are by his side. Might have to get Harry to be proxy"

The bride hugged her maid of honour fiercely. "Just wait until he hears my vows" she said. Percy's confidence and Ginny's encouragement had her filled with self-assurance.

"Pretty special stuff?" asked Lavender who was trying to get the Billywig in her hair to settle down.

"You could say that" was all she would say.

~*~

The pounding on the bathroom door was getting more frantic.

"Ron, come on! Ceremony starts in fifteen minutes!" his best friend yelled through the door.

Harry was beside himself. He'd just caught a glimpse of Ginny who was looking beautiful beyond belief and now he was expected to concentrate on a wedding and get the groom out there and ready. It was all too much.

"Did you throw up again?" There was a slight groan from the bathroom. "Dean whipped up an Anti-Nausea Draught. A few sips of that and you'll be right as rain".

The door opened up a crack and a hand reached out. Dean passed the cup filled with the bubbling yellow liquid in it.

Within a few minutes Ron was out of the bathroom and as Harry predicted, feeling as right as rain.

On the way downstairs and towards the chapel he was stopped by no more than twenty people wanting to give him useful (or in the case of Mister Weasley un-useful advice, something about making sure to buy a Muggle house so he could experiment with plugs) tips on marriage and what not.

He bent down to check that Crookshanks hadn't bitten off the ribbons tied to his collar. In light of a ring bearer they had chosen the cat to walk down the aisle as a sort of page boy. It would be an interesting wedding that was for sure!

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A magic quartet of violins stood in the alcove of the entrance to the chapel and on a signal from Mister Weasley (who was conducting the civil ceremony as he was a WP – Wizard of the Peace) started to play.

Parvati was first down the aisle and there were gasps from the onlookers at the gorgeous gown she wore and the glass rose bouquet clutched in her hand that seemed to be alive with light. Lavender was next and then Ginny followed. Even from the distance at the back of the church Ginny could see the reaction her appearance had on Harry.

His eyes were bugging out of his head and he was adjusting his tie nervously over and over again. She smiled a little to herself and straightened up as she passed Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore who appeared very much in awe of the whole proceedings.

Outside of the chapel, standing in a few inches of snow were Hermione and Mister Granger, waiting their turn. Her fingers were trembling as he helped her put on her gloves. A pearl pendant set in white gold shone at her throat. Crookshanks had just started his walk towards the altar and Hermione's father put out his arm for her to lean on.

"Are you ready honey?" His face shone with happiness, his beautiful and only daughter was getting married today and he couldn't think of a more proud moment in his life, save for the moment when she was born.

"Yes Dad"

The bride smoothed out her skirt once more and arranged her sleeves carefully. The bell sleeves fell right to the ground with small slits around waist height so she could slip her hands and forearms out to gather the blood red roses in front of her, as was tradition. Her gown was square necked like those of her attendants and a half-inch of embroidery lined the edges.

"I'm so proud of you, Mio" he used her childhood nickname which made her blush, "When you were born I didn't think that any moment in my life could better that, but here you are marrying Ron and I'm positively glowing. You'd think it was my own wedding day or something" he quipped lightly. "I guess this is it. My little girl has officially grown up. I love you honey and I know you're going to be so blissfully happy" Hermione suddenly tilted her head back and looked up towards the sky. "Mio?"

"You're making me cry Dad. Can't go up the aisle to my future husband with panda eyes!" she dabbed lightly at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief. Mister Granger pulled the hood up over her head and it rested lightly on her hair. She slipped the wand out of her sleeve and aimed it at her own face. He looked on with a little concern washing over his face but he knew this was a common practise and safe.

"Celo abstruse" A misty substance wafted out of the tip of her wand and fixed itself about her face. "Right, witch veil in place. Let's go"

He led her in through the glass doors and down the aisle. Everyone stood up and Ron turned towards the back of the chapel so that he might glimpse her as she made her way towards him.

The hood of the cloak was lined with ermine (which she'd had to administer with a simple sleeping draught so they'd stop wriggling around) that framed her face nicely. Ron fingered his cloak pocket to make sure he had his wand there.

His father had shown him the night before the incantation to remove the mist and reveal her face when the time was right. Hermione had told him all about Muggle veils which he'd found to be rather odd and much preferred the wizard version.

Mrs Weasley had a handkerchief pressed to her nose as she became mesmerised by Hermione's gown, no doubt thinking back to her own wedding to Arthur.

At the waist the cream satin material cutaway into a downward v shape to reveal a panel of embroidery. From a distance it appeared to be of floral or vine pattern but if you looked closely (with the aide of a magicfying glass) you would see it was the words Ron + Hermione and they were entwined around each other. This was also accompanied by tiny paw prints – the signifying of two Gryffindors joining together.

Harry held Ron steady as he noticed his legs start to wobble a bit.

"Careful mate, don't want you to pass out before it's all begun".

Ginny had just finished the long walk down the aisle and had taken her place beside Lavender. Harry couldn't help winking at her and she couldn't help mouthing back something that wasn't readily talked about in polite circles. The best man adjusted his top hat after his exclamation of surprise at her brazenness had almost caused it to topple off.

Mister Granger handed his daughter over to Ron with a wink of the eye and took his place next to Mrs Granger. Hermione and Ron joined hands and faced Mister Weasley as he rose up to his full height and began the ceremony.

From the end of Arthur's wand issued a stream of bubbles that surrounded the couple standing before him in two large rings.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to join this man with this woman, in the bonds of something sacred. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly and these two don't do things by halves as you can see" he gestured around at the environs.

He then turned towards the pews containing the bride's side of the family.

"A wedding ceremony joining a witch and a wizard is not all that different from a non-magic folk one, although we all have our little traditions. I am honoured to be selected by Hermione and Ron to perform the ceremony today"

He nodded to Ron who looked like he might burst from excitement. The mist was lifted from her face and they stared at one another.

"Would you please join hands and face one another. The couple have decided to write their own vows and they will recite them now, starting with the groom" Ron held both of Hermione's hands in his, massaging the palms lightly as he started his vows, shaking ever so slightly.

"Hermione Louise Granger, you are my light. You mean more to me than anything in the world. I would gladly walk through a valley of giant spiders to be by your side"

Harry smiled at this, he knew Ron truly meant it. In the front pew Mrs Weasley blew her nose.

"I love the fire that lives inside you, your ambition, your desire, your sense of humour, your compassion, your love. I couldn't ever imagine having to live in a world that didn't have you in it. So take these vows that I express and lock them away in your heart, right next to the place you have for me, cause you're my always and forever".

The bride sniffed a little, her eyes brimming with tears of love, and Parvati quickly dried up them up with a Parching spell. Hermione nodded her thanks and her heart thudded in her chest.

As Arthur turned to Hermione to indicate it was her turn to say the vows she herself had written she gulped nervously. Ron squeezed her hand tightly and smiled encouragingly. His brother had told him her vows were something really special and there was no way he wanted to miss a beat. Taking a deep breath she opened her mouth.

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Author's note: Ah yes, I think it's fairly obvious now what Percy was helping her with. Don't you think?

owl post 1992 – I like the way you think. But no. Close though :o)