A/N…alright, sick today so I figured I'd type out my last chappie today…I'll say my tearful goodbyes next chapter
Disclaimer….everything in this story, with the exception of Sandy, Jeremy, and Erin, belongs to JK Rowling, the only thing I made off of this story was a lot of new friends and a great creative outlet. Of course the plot line is mine, but I share it with everyone that has used it before me.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hermione pulled her veil over her face and took her father's arm. Harry and Hinny walked down the aisle followed by Ron and Erin. The bridal march began to play and the Head Girl took a deep breath before proceeding.
Draco stood next to Dumbledore, in a black tux with a white dress shirt. His hair fell down around his head, he no longer slicked it back. A single white rose lay in his breast pocket. Hermione took small steps, savoring the look on Draco's face. Her gloved hands grasped the bouquet of red and white roses so hard she thought she may drop it.
Harry and Ron watched their best friend walk down the aisle with lumps forming in their throats. They were no longer the golden trio. Yet, they couldn't decide whether they had lost a friend or gained one.
The song stopped when Hermione stood before her future husband and Dumbledore. The entire school was silent with tears as her father put the veil back behind her head and kissed her on the cheek. Draco took her hands in his and they turned to face Dumbledore.
"We are gathered here today, not just to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony, but also to join two enemy's made lovers together in holy bliss." His eyes seemed to shine with unseen tears as he went on. "At the beginning of this year, none of you suspect that a Slytherin and a Gryffindor would end up like this by graduation. For those of you in 7th year, you know above all others how much these two despised each other. Yet now, they are preparing to marry each other and spend the rest of their lives together. Now…Draco please repeat after me. I Draco Malfoy take this woman, Hermione Granger to be my lawfully wedded wife."
"I Draco Malfoy take this woman, Hermione Granger to be my lawfully wedded wife."
"To have and to hold, to honor and to cherish."
"To have and to hold, to honor and to cherish."
"In sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live."
"In sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live." He smiled at her, an unspoken I love you passing through his eyes to hers.
"Now you Hermione. I Hermione Granger, take this man, Draco Malfoy, to be my lawfully wedded husband." Hermione repeated the same as Draco had done.
"Now, the rings please." Dumbledore held out his hand and Ginny and Harry placed the rings in it. He gave one to Draco. "Put this on her finger and repeat after me. With this ring."
"With this ring." He said as he put the ring on her finger.
"I thee wed."
"I thee wed."
Hermione looked at Draco, tears welling up in her eyes. "Now you Hermione. With this ring."
"With this ring."
"I thee wed."
"I thee wed."
"Now I understand that you have some things that you would like to say to each other before I declare you? Hermione you may go first." He stood back as the pair turned to face each other, taking each other's hands.
She smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. "Draco, when I was young I used to wish that I was just somebody's somebody. When I grew up, I never ever thought that I would be your somebody. You are my sun, my moon, and my stars. You are the reason I wake up every morning, and you are the reason I go to sleep every night. I love you like no other, and I don't care who knows it." She sniffed and wiped a tear as it began to roll down her cheek.
Dumbledore looked at Draco and nodded for him to begin. "Hermione, when I first met you, I knew that there was something about you. You always had a spark in your eye and a comeback to every insult. I think that was why I hated you all those years. When I started this year, I felt trapped, now there was no getting away from you. I figured it would turn out as the worst year at this school. But now, I think of it as the best year of my life. Please remember, I will love you forever and always." He wiped a tear that fell down her cheek again.
Dumbledore smiled, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Please stand to greet Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy." There wasn't a dry eye in the hall as everyone burst into a thunderous applause.
Dumbledore set off a bubble balloon as the couple walked back down the aisle. Once outside the hall, they turned to face each other.
"Well I guess this is it." Hermione mumbled, she had never felt more lost for words.
"I love you, and every day I will love you more and more, until I have no love left to give, and then I'll still keep on loving you." Draco said suddenly, hugging her tightly.
"Always and forever." She said, kissing him softly.
By the time they went back into the hall, the tables had been set and the wedding party was sitting where the prefects table normally was. They took their seats and Dumbledore stood up again.
"The end of the year is here, and another year will begin. Life moves on after tragedy, we all know that. Children will be born, people will die, that's just the way life goes. Remember this, to live is to love, to love is to feel, to feel is to hurt, to hurt is to lose, to lose is to hate, to hate is to heal, to heal is to change, to change is to risk, to risk is to love. Love is a risk everyone takes, some of us win, some of us lose, it's a lottery of hearts, you never know what to expect, just keep playing the odds and pray for the best. And with that, I ask you all to please…tuck in." With a wink of his eye, food covered the tables.
There was loud chatter throughout the hall and Hermione looked to her right to see Ron and Erin talking heatedly. She smiled, seeing that familiar dazed look in Ron's eyes.
Harry and Ginny were mostly smiling at each other and holding hands. The trio was growing up, that was for sure. The Head Girl furrowed her brow and frowned. Draco noticed this and turned to her.
"What's wrong love?"
"Well, this is the last day I will ever spend with all of my friends, I'm just going to miss them so much.
Ron and Harry overheard and looked with concern at the Head Girl. "Its alright Hermione, we'll always be friends, forever." Ron soothed her.
"I know that, and I love you all."
After dinner, the tables were cleared for a short dance as a sort of "reception." The band was back and Hermione and Draco got the first dance. Song was the first one they danced to at the Yule Ball.
We were strangers, starting out on a journey
Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through
Now here we are, And I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you.
No one told me, I was going to find you
Unexpected, What you did to my heart
When I lost hope, You were there to remind me
This is the start.
Life is a road, and I wanna keep going
Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road, now and forever
Wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end, I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you.
They spun slowly, savoring up every last aspect of one another. The song faded away and they broke apart, their friends applauded, along with the teachers. They kissed to an echo of "awww's" from the hall.
"The best man needs to toast!" Seamus shouted, Harry stood up on the stage with a glass of sparkling grape juice *just like the real stuff isn't it!? Hehe I love that stuff!* Everyone grabbed their own glasses and waited as he spoke.
"Today my best friend got married, I can't believe that, it still seems like this is all a dream. I love her very much, but I know her husband does too. I have such a hard time saying that, husband. I never thought that she would ever even get within a foot of Draco, let alone learn to love him. But now that I see how much love there is in her eyes when she looks at him, I know that nothing is impossible. I haven't lost a friend today, I've gained a new one. So now, I toast to you Hermione, and to you Draco, may your lives be happy forever." He raised his glass and wiped his face with his sleeve before anyone noticed a tear fall, but Hermione saw it.
She went up to him as the band started up again. "Harry, I love you too. And remember, you'll never lose me, ever. I'll always be there for you." She hugged him.
As the dance drew to an end Hermione had an idea. She ran up to the band and requested a song. It was one of her favorite muggle songs, some of it wouldn't make sense to the purebloods, but the song still held true.
And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25
I keep thinking times will never change
Keep on thinking things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we won't be coming back
No more hanging out cause we're on a different track
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it right now cause you don't have another day
Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down
These memories are playing like a film without sound
And I keep thinking of that night in June
I didn't know much of love
But it came too soon
And there was me and you
And then we got real cool
Stay at home talking on the telephone with me
We'd get so excited, we'd get so scared
Laughing at our selves thinking life's not fair
And this is how it feels
As we go on
We remember
All the times we
Had together
And as our lives change
Come whatever
We will still be
Friends Forever
So if we get the big jobs
And we make the big money
When we look back now
Will our jokes still be funny?
Will we still remember everything we learned in school?
Still be trying to break every single rule
Will little brainy Bobby be the stockbroker man?
Can we ever find a job that won't interfere with a tan?
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
And this is how it feels
La, la, la, la
Yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la, la, la
We will still be friends forever
Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?
Can we survive it out there?
Can we make it somehow?
I guess I thought that this would never end
And suddenly it's like we're women and men
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?
Will these memories fade when I leave this town
I keep, I keep thinking that it's not goodbye
Keep on thinking it's a time to fly
Everyone held hands and danced in a big circle during the song, and once it was over, they all hugged and cried in each other's arms. Dumbledore stepped up to the platform and took the microphone.
"Well, I'm sorry to have to say this, but it is time for you to return home. Please take the carriages down to the station." He wiped a tear with his dark blue handkerchief.
They all took the carriages down to the station and said their tear filled goodbyes to their teachers. Hagrid blew his nose into an oversized tissue and gripped the trio tightly.
"I'm gonner' miss ya'll." He sniffed.
"We'll miss you too Hagrid, we love you!" Hermione hugged him one last time as the train whistle blew and they hurried off to the train, Erin was saving the compartment. Ron sat next to her and put an arm around her waist. Hermione sat next to her cousin and Draco put his arms around her. Harry and Ginny cuddled on the other side of the compartment.
The train ride home was filled with remembering times and laughter, even Draco joined in. There was a small period of silence when and Ginny broke it.
"So why Draco?" She snickered as he looked at her in a puzzled way.
"Why what?"
"Why did you fall in love with Hermione?"
He looked deeply into his wife's amber eyes, kissing her softly before answering. "I don't know. I guess what they say is true."
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"Opposites attract."
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
~*~The End~*~
A/n…wow, I think that's the first time I have ever cried writing a chapter. I hope you all liked it! It may not be very long, and there's a lot of dialogue but it's the end chappie all the same. I personally like my ending sentence, tell me what you all think! I want long reviews! I put my time into this when I could have been sleeping! I'm going to make a sequel, but not yet, I want to finish my other story first! That won't take long! Maybe in a week or two…so be waiting…and until then…review! that's what will make me write faster!!
I love you all…thank you so much for reading!
Love and Fluff forever…
Natalie