Hermione blinded herself from the inevitable vision facing her. She was scared. If this didn't work, then that would mean that Ron was gone forever, and she knew she could never deal with that. She couldn't peer into those lifeless eyes again. They would only bring tears to hers. Her life flashed before her eyes, as if it was over already, and if he was dead, then she did want it to be.
The light immersed from the crystal and shined onto Ron's still body, but he did not stir. Harry looked at Hermione worryingly as she asked, "Did it work?"
Harry felt as if the answer to that question would result in either life or death. His eyes were also brimmed with drops of water, but tried his best to hold them in for Hermione's sake. The same question was on his mind throughout. How had this happened?
"No…but maybe there's another way. Don't panic. He warned in advance as Hermione gasped vociferously.
"What other way! He's dead!" Hermione cried.
Harry examined Ron's body, and then Hermione, clearly not knowing what to do. The rest of the Death Eaters would be here at any moment. He had lost some of them back where Draco had been tied up. They needed to get out of here.
"Hermione, we need to leave. Help me get him up."
"What? Why?"
"The other Death Eaters will be here any minute now. Let's go."
Hermione didn't do much to agree or disagree, but helped Harry pick up Ron's body. He was tall and heavy, without a doubt. However, that wasn't what troubled her. Were they going to be able to revive him back to life with that crystal?
They headed out, with Harry leading the two, out into the open. Trying to make sure that his body wouldn't encounter the edges of the tunnel, Hermione and Harry were extra careful and slow while walking out of it. A bug fell on Ron's chest, and immediately, Hermione heaved it off, making it pit-pat to the moist ground. Even if he was dead, Ron was going to be clean pure. As stupid as that sounded, she felt an internal attachment to him, a deeper bond as when he had been alive.
Hermione should have expected, this, but since she was so wrapped up with Ron, she didn't see it coming. As they stepped out of the tunnel, the sight in front of her blew her away like a blasting gust of wind, knocking out her senses. Harry jerked with surprise too, jumping back suddenly, shaking Ron's body. Death Eaters had cornered the tunnel like an animal corners its prey. They were standing only two to three feet apart, making it impossible for them to escape. The first face Hermione's eyes laid upon were Bellatrix Lestrange. There was obviously no escaping her. Hermione shivered with fright, knowing they were never going to escape this alive. She looked to Harry's back, hoping he would conjure a miracle with that mind and energy of his. But what surprised her more was the number of Death Eaters she was seeing. Surely there hadn't been this many when they had captured Ron and her back there.
"Awww…" Bellatrix sang halfheartedly, "Looks like little lover boy is dead. It's time for you to join him."
"No. You will be." Harry declared without a scare in the world.
"Give me the crystal, Potter." Lucius Malfoy sneered, holding his hand out in front of Harry. They were inches apart, and anyone of them could ignite their wands at any second. Reminded of this, Hermione held her wand firmly, rolling it in the tips of her fingers randomly.
"What are you going to do with it? It's not as if you can use it."
"Maybe not, but Voldemort sure can. I know he would love to use it on you." Malfoy leered, pointing his wand at Harry. Bellatrix appeared to be dying to say something but wasn't. Hermione guessed she had been silenced by Lucius Malfoy. Stalling like this wasn't going to get them anywhere, as long as the Death Eaters barricaded them.
"Well, hold you excitement, because he's gone." Harry said, smiling.
Bellatrix flashed a worried look, "Gone? What do you mean?"
"He fled, ran, chickened out, whatever you want to call it."
"Watch your mouth!" Bellatrix warned, with a highly elevated voice.
"No, I won't, and if you don't move, then I'll shatter this crystal into pieces. The 'Dark Lord' won't be so happy about that, now will he?"
A trail of whispers scattered throughout the Death Eaters, as if discussing what to do. Hermione took the chance to mouth something to Harry, "Come on, let's go while we have the chance."
"It's impossible to get through. Like it or not, we're going to have to fight them."
Hermione knew he was going to say that. They weren't half dangerous as Voldemort, so she assumed she could take them on. What were they going to do with Ron, though?
"Alright Potter." Lucius Malfoy spoke as if he was compromising with him, "Let's have a deal. We'll let the girl and the dead boy go if you stay here until the Dark Lord comes and decides what to do with you."
"No way." Hermione refused out loud, "Harry, don't."
Harry looked back at her and nodded dismissively, "Yes. If they let you go, you can get help quickly. Send an owl to McGonagall or something like that. Understand?"
"No, I don't understand. I'm staying and fighting." There was no way she was leaving Harry alone. She didn't want Harry to be dead too. What would she do without him either? How would she live?
"Go. I will be fine. Trust me."
Hermione shook her head, whereas Harry nodded, looking in the direction of the gap that the Death Eaters had made for her. She glanced back and forth a few times before making a plan.
"Choose." Malfoy commanded. Taking the order, Hermione told Harry to release Ron, leaving a rather perplexed look on his face at the decision she'd made after all that disagreement. She held Ron up high to her chest, making sure he wouldn't fall out of her grip, and marched across the path, leaving the vicinity of the tunnel, and went straight past Bellatrix. Hermione locked into her stone cold eyes, while Bellatrix said, "Looks like you won't be needed to stalk anymore." Her heart jumped a beat. What had she meant by that? If Hermione remembered correctly, her stalker had been a guy. It was a guy that she had briefly danced with at the Halloween Ball last year, or had Bellatrix impersonated a man and come to kidnap her? Hermione didn't know who to trust anymore. She walked ahead until she was out of their sight, and carefully lowered Ron's body to the ground, making sure he didn't brush a single branch. After equipped with her wand, Hermione headed back to where they were standing. Harry was in the middle, with fire stirring in his eyes, as if he was ready to fight all of them at once, with his wand in one hand and the exquisite crystal in the other.
This gave Hermione another idea. If Voldemort desired the crystal so badly, then it must have extraordinary power, right? Even if the crystal didn't work on Ron, it could kill the Death Eaters. But how was she going to deliver this message to Harry without them knowing? By turning into a cat, her mind answered her question.
And so she transformed into the same old cat and pawed downhill near the tunnel, disguised between the trees, remembering that Bellatrix knew she was an Animagus. The cat in her reminded her stomach that she was hungry. The last thing she had eaten was sausage for breakfast, which had been over half a day ago. She stood behind another tree, anticipating what was about to happen, but nothing did. Hermione saw Harry's reckless lips move more frequently than the others, guessing that he was stalling. Where in the world was Voldemort? Was he this petrified of Harry? Speaking of which, she was still amazed at how Harry had gotten here. He wasn't an Animagus like Sirius to just transform into a dog and escape, so how had he done it, especially at the exact time they had been in trouble? It seemed as if all of this had been planned before.
After waiting ten minutes or so, she couldn't stand it anymore, so she scurried out of the trees and rushed to Harry's side, not caring if they could see her or not anymore. Bellatrix's eyes widened instantly as she saw the ca moving to Harry, and screamed, "It's a trick! GET HIM!"
Lucius did not wait to object her orders, because he had begun to incite spells at them along with everyone else. Blue, red, white, and green strands of light poured contagiously at them. They ran as quickly as they could, not daring to look behind to see if they were being followed. Hermione, by this time, had turned back to a human again, and was running side by side with Harry, who looked at her marvelously and mouthed, "Why in the blazes did you do that?"
"What did you expect me to do? Watch them kill you?"
"They can't, because of the-WATCH OUT!" He screamed, and pushed Hermione to the ground as a jet of green light strung in her direction. Thanks to Harry, she missed it. Quickly, Harry pulled her up and they were back to running off again.
"We can't keep on running forever." Harry yelled in the midst of the Death Eaters' screams of curses and jinx, a sign that they were getting closer.
"I'm only running because you are!" Hermione yelled back, "I reckoned you would use the Crystal at them so we wouldn't have a big mess like before."
Harry halted, bringing Hermione to a stop too, and hugged her with grace, "That's a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that!"
Before Hermione had time to reply, the Death Eaters caught up with them and stopped about a few paces from them. They stared at Harry and Hermione, curious to know why they had ceased running, but had murdering looks on their faces as well.
Lucius was the one who spoke first, "Your games are over, Potter. Hand us the crystal now."
"You're right. It is over." Harry said as a grand finale, and for a second, every single Death Eater had questioning expressions on their faces, not knowing was coming. Before any of them could react, Harry raised the crystal and flashed it across in a stream of light. One by one they fell, starting with Bellatrix Lestrange, who encountered a look of surprise as the white light attacked her face. There was no life left in her after she had fallen. Lucius Malfoy, to the right of her, was next. He tried to run, but failed as the light hit him too, blinding his legs as they swayed precariously, losing his balance, before his whole body collapsed to the floor. One by one, their demise brought upon victory for Harry and Hermione, and before they knew it, all the Death Eaters were dead. Hermione could not believe her eyes as she stared at the crystal object in awe, wondering how such a small object could cause so much damage.
"Are you…seeing what I'm seeing?" Harry was dazed by the sight in front of him, looking quite flabbergasted.
"If you mean fourteen dead Death Eaters in the hands of a puny little object, then yes." She replied, stepping ahead to check if they were really gone. She felt Lucius Malfoy's wrist, sensing not a sign of a pulse in it. She looked back at Harry and shook her head, "They're definitely dead."
"Wow." Harry rolled the crystal in his hand as he goggled at it, at a loss for words, "What is this thing?"
"I know what you mean." Hermione said in unison, getting back to her feet, "We should get out of here…and get Ron."
Harry sensed the somber tone in her voice as she spoke about Ron. "Don't worry, Hermione. We'll think of something. Maybe we'll try using the crystal's powers again. If it can kill fourteen people in one go, then it should certainly be able to resurrect one person."
"Are you sure?"
"As sure as I can be." Harry replied, who was still observing the crystal in amazement.
"Really sure?"
"Hermione."
"I'm trying to make sure. If he died…" Her sentence trailed off into nothing. She was afraid to finish it.
"Ready?" Harry asked her, and she nodded. They headed back to where she had laid Ron, which turned out to be quite a long walk, realizing how far they had run. Neither of them talked along the way. Hermione was too anxious about Ron to say or ask anything. It was as if she wouldn't be able to function well until Ron was alive and well.
Ron's body was right where she had left it, concealed behind a bush so he would be safe. Hermione lowered her knees and held his hand. It was cold and uninviting. Hermione looked at him for a long time, hoping that his eyes would start moving suddenly, but they didn't. She held back her tears with great difficulty. If this did not work, what would she do? What would she say to Mr. and Mrs.Weasley, that she was to blame for her son's death? How was she to face six of his siblings and inform them that Ron was dead? All those questions troubled her, but the one that got to her the most what she would do without her love. Would she be able to live on without him? Never in the past seven years of her life had she spent without him. Even in the summer holidays, they had always been together.
"Move aside, Hermione." Harry ordered her, and she obeyed as she let go of his hand and sat there with her knees locked together. Harry aimed the crystal at Ron and it vibrated bright white light at Ron. They waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. Hermione and Harry exchanged panicked looks, and even Harry couldn't give Hermione some comforting words. Ron was as still as ever.
"May-Maybe if we both try." Harry suggested. His voice was cracking, and Hermione knew he was going to break down in tears at any moment, but didn't say anything on this matter. She stood up, and lended one hand to Harry. They joined forces as both their hands held the crystal. Hermione prayed silently in her head, "Please let this work, please, please…"
Both shined the light at Ron, and in the midst of a second, the shine brightened Hermione's life. Ron's hand twitched slightly, then his eyes moved left and right, perplexed to see where he was.
"Oh my God. It worked." Harry breathed, gazing at Ron in delight. Hermione rushed down to him, pulled him up, and embraced him as tight and lovingly as she could. Tears of joy flushed her cheeks. She screamed Ron's name with happiness. She thought she was going to get a heart attack from being overly happy, believe it or not. He was alive!
"Hermione?" Ron questioned, scratching his head in confusion, "What happened?"
"You're alive!" It was Harry who shrieked with jubilance this time as he came down and hugged Ron and Hermione. It was a touching moment for her, one that she would never forget. The three of them were back together and they had just proved that they could not be separated for long, either dead or alive. Hermione didn't think she had ever loved Ron more than now. Her love for him kept on growing and growing. It had no limits, and she wanted them to be together forever. She felt like she was in a fairy tale, when the prince and princess ended up together and lived happily ever after at the end of the story. She would have been glad to have that story as her life any day.
"You were dead, Ron, dead! And we just brought you back to life! Can you believe it!" Hermione exclaimed, still in his arms. She was never going to let go.
"Dead?" Ron asked, still nonplussed at both of his friends.
"Don't you remember?" Harry inquired, who had let go of him, unlike Hermione.
Ron shook his head, "No. The last thing I remember…was Voldemort. He attacked me, and then…everything is a little fuzzy from there."
"Yeah, well, you died," Hermione was finally able to say these words out loud, "And I think I fainted. The next thing I know, Harry's here and Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange are gone. We tried to a lot of times to bring you back but it didn't work until we used it together. I guess our special bond enabled the crystal to resurrect you.
Ron jumped back in surprise, gazing at Harry, "Where did you come from? You're supposed to be in Azkaban!"
Harry and Hermione chuckled at his clueless nature.
"I think we'll leave that for later," Hermione suggested, "I say we get out of here before we face another obstacle and get ourselves killed."
"I'll agree to that." Ron raised his hand, "Ready to go."
And they were off. Surprisingly, Ron's body didn't hurt in any parts as he tried to walk. They trotted across the forest together. Life couldn't have been any better, and she was still in awe about the whole resurrection concept. Harry had told her one day that Dumbledore had told him that no spell could resurrect the dead…but then again, use of the crystal wasn't exactly a spell. They had been so lucky to get away with this that she couldn't thank her fate and God enough times even if she tried.
The path they took lead them straight back to where Draco Malfoy was standing, still trapped by the Disapparation Jinx. While Ron and Harry smiled smugly in satisfaction of seeing their archenemy helpless, Hermione felt pity for him. Here he was, born in a family of evil and forced to obey and stand them all his life. But she guessed that would change a bit now since his father was dead, but scares cut deep inside like his would never leave him.
"Where did he come from?" Draco and Harry spat at the same time. Both had hatred for the other in their eyes that was going to express itself physically unless Hermione did something.
"Guys, calm down. Harry broke out of Azkaban somehow to help me and Ron from Voldemort, and Draco brought me here in the first place."
"So he lured you into a trap, am I right?" Harry said crossly.
"I still haven't figured that out yet." Hermione said suspiciously.
"Wait, he was here? You Know Who? For real?" Draco spoke, looking awfully astonished.
"Don't play dumb with us. You knew this was all going to happen, so confess." Ron demanded, pulling out his wand and aiming it at him.
"Truly, I didn't know You-Know-Who was going to be here today. Last, we were told he was in Australia searching for potions of some sort. If anything, I was trying to save you, all three of you, from them unintentionally, because I knew they were going to come after Hermione and kidnap her since she was the Keeper of the Crystal after school was over. They tried many times before, especially Bellatrix who had been following her in disguise for the longest time, but they couldn't because she was always together with Weasley. So when Filch said that you had gone in the Forbidden Forest, I decided to take Hermione in so she could get the crystal and give it to one of the teachers since I knew they were planning to use her to get it. I was sure Hermione could handle the Death Eaters, knowing how much of a smarty pants she is."
"So you didn't know anything about Harry breaking out and coming here?" Hermione asked.
Draco said, "No. See, I had to play along with them so they wouldn't suspect me. Why do you think I got rid of Bellatrix? So you could undo the jinx and we could go after the crystal, since I knew where the crystal was."
The three looked at each other, not sure whether to trust him or not. How many times had Hermione believed him and he had turned out to be a traitor. Hell, he had even made up the drama of kissing her, so Ron and she would get into a fight. Maybe there was another way of telling.
"Draco." Hermione said.
"What?"
"Take off your shirt."
"WHAT?" Ron blew into rage, goggling at Hermione. Even Draco looked at her with curiosity. Harry laughed.
"Don't get too excited," She told them, standing near Draco, "I want to check something."
After Hermione took the jinx off him, he took off his cloak and top shirt to reveal another undershirt. She checked his top right arm in search of the Dark Mark. It wasn't there. She checked the other side and it was not present there either. Was that possible?
"It's not there…" Hermione said, and signaled Ron and Harry to come over next to her, "Look, his Dark Mark is gone."
"Wait, he had a Dark Mark? He's an official Death Eater? Why didn't you tell me?" Ron asked one after one.
"I promised him that I wouldn't, but anyways, look. It's gone. That has to mean that he's telling the truth."
"I suppose." Harry said doubtfully, and Ron looked as If he had his suspicions too. Hermione didn't care, though. She was not going to spend all her time trying to convince them that Draco had turned over a new leaf. If it wasn't good enough for them, then so be it.
"Don't worry about them," she assured Draco, "I believe you, and I don't blame you for anything that happened back there, even though you might blame us for it." She looked at Harry gloomily. She was referring to his father, Lucius Malfoy, of course. How were they going to tell him that they had killed him?
"What does that mean?" Draco eyed her.
"Yeah, what does it mean?" Ron mocked him.
"You'll find out later. All I want to do right now is get out of here." Hermione voice, and fortunately, they were in agreement with her when they all headed out of the Forbidden Forest, finally with slight smiles on their faces.
…
Hermione had the ups and downs for the rest of the week of the school year. Luckily, none of them got into trouble for taking off to the Forbidden Forest, although Professor McGonagall had been outraged and worried out of her mind when the three of them had been missing at dinner in the Great Hall. Despite this, they did not get detention or House points taken off. However, she had almost fainted when she had seen the sight of Harry trotting up to her with the rest.
Draco found peace with Ron, Harry, and Hermione, because he stopped bickering and fighting with them in the last days of class. Hermione wouldn't have gone as far as to say there were friends, but they were mutual. They had gone to visit him when he found out that his father was dead. They felt sorry for him, but they couldn't understand how he felt, except for Harry, that is. It turned out that they had something in common now, something they could base their mutuality on.
Dumbledore, it turned out, had been captured before the final Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The impostor the day of the match had been Bellatrix of course. Hermione was still haunted of the thought of Bellatrix Lestrange watching her move all those past months. She hoped no one would ever stalk her again. But back to Dumbledore. He was captured and put into Australia, the place where Voldemort had also allegedly been, according to Draco, but he escaped in a few days and investigated a few things out himself. What he had gone looking for, no one knew, because he chose to keep it a secret when he returned the day after their Forbidden Forest incident. This had been a strange year in every aspect, and Hermione knew she would miss Hogwarts very much.
They had received their N.E.W.T results the day before the end of the term, and Hermione was utterly disappointed. She had gotten an Outstanding in all her main subjects, except for Astronomy, where she had gotten an Acceptable, and Ancient Runes an Exceeded Expectations. She was ready to cry and Ron and Harry were ready to laugh at the time, but she didn't, deciding there were more important things in life than grades and school.
And now, here they were on the Hogwarts train, heading back to Platform nine and three-quarters for the rest of their lives, never to see Hogwarts again. She was sad in one way, but happy in another, because her studies were over and summer vacation had approached. The bad side was that she still hadn't decided who she was going to live with, her Mum or her Dad. She knew that whoever she picked first, they would end up hurting the other. If only they hadn't gotten divorced…
It was a funny sight. On each side of the compartment, a pair was all over each other, either making out or staring at each other with love. It wasn't much of a surprise to distinguish Harry and Ginny as the making out couple, and Ron and Hermione as the staring couple. Hermione was feeding Ron chocolate frogs one by one and then kissing him. She felt transcendent to be in his arms. She felt safe and loved, and she would do nothing else than love Ron. She didn't need to tell him that she loved him anymore, because he knew she loved him, and she knew he loved her. It was a feeling between them that could never be broken apart. She grinned toothily at him, and in return, Ron said, "Me too."
…
The train came to a halt at the station. It was time to say goodbye. She didn't want to. She felt as if a part of her was leaving her heart and she wouldn't be able to get it back. All the people in the school, most of them that she would never see again.
She went to find Draco first, since he was the one that she had learned to like, and ironically, he had tried to search her also. They awkwardly shook hands, "Uh, bye, I guess." I muttered, and he laughed at her nervousness, saying, "Yeah, I'll see you around. Don't lose touch."
"I won't, Draco." She finally pulled him into a hug, and he whispered into her ear, "Just wanted to let you know that that kiss didn't mean anything."
"Thank goodness." She said, relieved to hear it.
They broke off, and with one last goodbye from Draco, they went their separate ways. Next, Hermione went up to Parvati and Lavender, who were sharing hugs with a bunch of Gryffindors as well, and said farewell to them. Even though they weren't that close, they had been her roommates for seven years, and that counted for a lot.
On her way back, just as she thought she was done saying by to everybody, Neville poked her in the back, and she turned to face him.
"I'm going to miss you, Neville." She hugged him tightly, "Write me this summer…actually, I'll write you first." She added, considering that she didn't know where she was going to live yet.
"I will. It's been fun, Hermione."
"Yes it has." She agreed, and saw Ron coming towards them.
"Bye for now."
Hermione waved. But just as he turned and took three steps, he crashed into Ron. Both of them fell to the hard rock floor and groaned in pain. "Sorry, sorry." Neville apologized frantically. Ron said something back to him, but Hermione wasn't paying attention to them. Something had fallen out of Ron's jean pocket (they had changed on the train). It was a shiny blue box with a gold ribbon encrusted on the top. She picked it up in curiosity, and was about to open it, but Ron exclaimed, "No! Don't open it!"
"Why? Is it Pandora's Box?" Hermione smirked.
"No." He said in a squeamish manner, watching the box in her hand, as if he was planning a way to get it out.
"Then?"
"It's nothing. Can I have it back now?"
"No." Hermione disagreed, pulling her fingers in between, ready to open it, "If you don't' tell me what it is, I'm going to open it."
He looked oddly nervous, "Alright, I'll tell you, but can I have it back first?"
"Hmm…" She handed it to him, and out of nowhere, Ron kneeled down halfway, with one foot bended, and one foot flat, and took her hand softly. Hermione's eyes widened, her heart racing, anticipating what was about to happen.
"Hermione, I love you more than anything in this world, and I promise I will love you forever. Will you marry me?"
Hermione gasped. It was a happy gasp, and as she widened her lips, Ron opened the blue box and conjured a glamorous diamond ring with a thin gold band and a huge diamond in the middle. He placed it in her finger, stood up, and kissed her passionately. Claps could be heard in the background. Hermione or didn't know it, but the entire Weasley family, Harry, and about half the members of the Order of the Phoenix were watching and clapping, happy to finally see two destined lovers together.
…
Two months went by, and it was the morning before the wedding day. Hermione's home had been selected unintentionally, which was a small two bedroom flat n London. They had insisted that Harry live with them. Hermione and Ron never wanted the Trio to break, ever. They would be together as long as possible.
Ginny was going to be Hermione's bridesmaid, and Harry was Ron's best man, naturally. The wedding was to be held in Hermione's house's backyard (her Dad was still living in it) because it was huge: three acres, to be exact. She hoped it would be a sunny and warm day, and by what Dad had told her after watching the news, it was going to be. It was going to be pretty much a private wedding, with fifty of their closest relatives and friends. Surprisingly, Ron had been the one to suggest inviting Draco, and he had assured them that he would be there. Harry had been acting a bit jealous lately, maybe because Ron had proposed to her first, and not him. She had a feeling Harry was going to do it soon, and she would be very happy to see Ginny and Harry married.
Ron and Hermione were sitting in her backyard, the place of the wedding, making last minute decisions.
"Alright, deserts check." Hermione crossed off an item off their to do list, and went on the next thing, "What kind of flowers to decorate?"
"Roses." Ron said, while Hermione said, "Magnolias."
"What, in the name of Merlin, are magnolias?"
Hermione giggled, "They're a type of flower. Why do you care what kind of flowers we have, anyway? I thought that was a girl thing."
"It is, but I hear roses bring good luck, especially pink and yellow ones."
"Alright, then. Pink and yellow roses it is."
"Thank you mam." Ron made a small bow. Hermione laughed again. He was sure giddy this morning.
"I still can't believe we're getting married this early. It feels like a dream, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," Ron nodded, "A really ecstatic dream."
"I hope everything goes as planned tomorrow."
"It will, don't worry. Nothing will stop us from getting married tomorrow."
"That's what makes me love you so much." Hermione leaned on her chair and pecked him on the cheek. She couldn't hold her excitement. If she had her way, she would have gotten married that day. They were already there, but they had the rehearsal dinner left. When would tomorrow come?
…
"Wow," Ginny goggled at her, "You look absolutely gorgeous, Hermione."
"Thanks to you." Hermione said, while gazing at her reflection in the full size mirror in her parents' bedroom. Not to sound conceited, but Ginny was right. She didn't think she had ever looked prettier. From top to bottom, she felt like fresh and sparkly diamonds. Her hair was in wide, elaborate curls that went down graciously to almost her hips. It was amazing how long her hair had gotten since the time she had chopped it in Christmas vacation. Hermione loved her dress. It was white, obviously, with no neckline and small beads at the hem of the line. It swayed down to fit her curves, and then widened at the bottom, feeling like pure silk. For jewelry, she wore the diamond necklace that Ron had given her on Valentine's Day (he had given it back to her later) and a pair of her mom's diamond earrings. She put her veil on slowly, and then took a deep breath. This was the day. She was going to marry Ron.
"Hermione, dear!" Mrs.Weasley came calling, opening the door to the bedroom and peeking in, "Read to go, honey?"
"Yes, Mrs.Weasley."
"Call me Mum." She said sweetly.
"Yes, Mum." Hermione said.
She left the house in small steps, making sure her dress wouldn't rip. Roses had been placed as a trail to lead her to the altar, and she walked graciously on them. Hermione soon faced an entire audience standing up, awaiting her arrival, and her father coming to her side to escort her to the altar. Hermione could see Ron's beautiful face, and as they made eye contact, they both knew they married inside already.
A/N: Well, it's over. I didn't include the whole wedding because I that would be a little bit too cheesy for my taste, so I left it out and you can imagine what happened next (won't be hard). I still can't believe I finished this story. If you look at the publish date, I started writing this two years ago, so it's a wonder that I finished it after abandoning it for a year and then getting back to it.
I want to let all the readers and reviewers know that I couldn't have done it without you. Seriously. Your reviews meant so much, I can't compare their values to ANYTHING. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!
A lot of people asked before, and I'm sorry, but there will be no sequel to this. I am, however, working on a story that centers Harry as the main character, and that includes Ron and Hermione out of school, if you want to check that out when I repost it.
Ok, that's about it. Thanks once again for all your support, and see you around the site!