Disclaimer: Not again…
Hesitantly, Hermione walked into the hall. Although she had special permission to be in here early, she was still slightly scared that someone would challenge her. She had awoken this morning to a fireplace call from Sabrina. Apparently, Sabrina and Ginny had decided (after Hermione had left last night) that it would be best if someone (meaning Hermione) check over the place; making sure that everything was perfect before the wedding started (and, of course, to fix whatever wasn't). So, after making a brief stop at Ginny's to be ooh-ed and aw-ed over, she headed over to the wedding site.
She stopped right inside the doorway, stunned.
Yes, she had helped plan the wedding, but never in her wildest dreams would the place have looked so … "Perfect." She whispered, as she took a step forward.
"Funny, I was just going to say the same thing about you." Said a familiar voice behind her.
She turned to look back at the red-haired man standing in the doorway. "Ron! How'd you get in? The guests shouldn't be allowed in for another hour…"
He smiled cheekily. "Hey, I can't help that people love me, can I?"
"Ron! You shouldn't…" She stopped and blushed. Nice going, Hermione. You swallow your pride enough to invite him here, then almost ruin it by nagging him. Smooth, very smooth. "I mean, it's nice to see you."
She was relieved to see a blush come over his cheeks as well. "It's nice to see you too." He replied. She took a minute to look him over. He was dressed in black dress robes. Clearly, he had come a long way from the maroon dress robes with lace that he wore in 4th year. She smiled slightly at the memory, then her thoughts drifted to a more recent memory – that of the acceptance letter.
"Might I… could I ask you a question?" She asked, quietly.
"Technically, you just did, but go ahead." He joked.
"In the letter…" There was no need to say which letter she was referring to. "You said you were sorry. What did you mean you were sorry for?"
"For being a prat. For expecting you to apologize for something you were completely entitled to do. For chasing you away again. For not writing you until you wrote first. For being stubborn and …"
That's about where she stopped listening. Instead, she opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't get a word in edgewise. Ron continued to ramble on, listing all of his faults. Finally, she placed a finger over his lips, causing him to halt in mid-sentence. "You silly boy, I forgive you." She kissed him on the cheek; then stepped away, her heart beating a little faster. She had never kissed Ron before. Harry, yes, but Ron… Calm down, Hermione. It was only a peck on the cheek. Nothing to write home about…
*Unless you wanted to do more than kiss him on the cheek…*
She shook her head to clear it of its thoughts. Smiling up at Ron, she asked, "Since you're here, want to help me look the place over?"
"Sure." He replied, smiling back at her. They turned and surveyed the room. They walked all over, looking for any mistakes, but mostly simply enjoying each other's company. About halfway through, Ron reached for her hand. Instead of objecting, she simply smiled and continued to change the roses on the pedestals from red to the palest pink. She and Ginny had decided at the last moment that it would accent the bride better – as well as match Hermione's dress.
They then continued on, double-checking for any other errors. When they finished – minutes before the guests were to be allowed in – they were still holding hands. Hermione turned to ask Ron a question, but never quite got that far. Instead, she simply stared into his twinkling blue eyes, thoroughly entranced.
That was how Draco found them – staring into each other's eyes. He had been sent by Seth to steal her away from the bridal party for a moment. Although Draco wasn't officially part of the wedding, he had become good friends with Seth and had stopped in to see if he was doing okay. That was how he had gotten conned into finding Hermione.
Draco cleared his throat and Hermione turned to look at him. She immediately blushed. I really wish I knew an anti-blushing spell… Stop it, Hermione! You have nothing to be blushing about! You weren't doing anything wrong!
Again, Ginny's and 'Rina's comments floated through her head.
"Does Draco know?" … "And… was he… happy for you?"
Stop thinking about that! Casually, she let go of Ron's hand. "Can I help you, Draco?" She asked.
Draco showed no emotion in his eyes as he said, "Seth would like to see you for a minute before you take your place with the wedding party." Then he nodded at Ron. "Hello again, Ron." With that, he turned and began to walk away.
Hermione smiled at Ron. "I better go."
He nodded in reply. She walked off after Draco, hoping that he hadn't gotten too far in front of her. However, she needn't have feared, for he was waiting for her around the corner.
"Thank you for waiting." She said.
"Don't I always?" He said, quietly, looking at the ground.
Hermione reached out and touched his sleeve, drawing his eyes up to hers. "Yes, you do."
He stared at her for a moment. He seemed to be searching for something in her eyes, but apparently didn't find it, for the next words he spoke were, "But it seems that you can't do that yourself, can you 'Mione?" She was quiet for a second, confused as to what he was asking. "Merlin! Why did I even ask? After all, you're running back to Ron already – again. He's hurt you time and again, doesn't bother to write you at all until you pick up the quill and write, and everything's just swell again? Just like that?
Hermione was stunned. I never thought of it that way… Then, she bristled. "Who do you think you are? My father? I don't have to explain anything to you." Even if I am feeling a little guilty… She brushed aside that thought, not wanting to try and figure out why she felt guilty, and continued, "And since you asked, no, everything's not peachy-keen in Ron's and my friendship but we're working on it. Okay? Isn't a start better than a nothing? Or am I off on the wrong subject? Maybe you're finally admitting you're no better than Ron at sharing?" The hurt was apparent in his eyes, but he said nothing else. Instead, he simply turned and walked back to where Seth was waiting. "No, I didn't think so." She stated quietly, before hurrying to catch up with him.
Hermione walked silently beside him, partly glad of the fact that she had hurt him, and partly astonished that she had gone off on him like that. He's a friend, Hermione; he's concerned for you. Is that such a bad thing? The farther they walked, the unhappier she felt about railing at him like that. However, she was unsure of what to say to break the awkwardness that she had created between the two of them, so she was very relieved when they reached Seth.
Seth stood when he saw her. "Hermione! Tell me she looks half as nervous as me!" Said the tense bridegroom.
She smiled. "You'll do fine, Seth. Just make sure you breathe as she's walking up the aisle. She would kill you if you fainted on your wedding day."
He smiled back at her, his tension lessoning some as they talked. He shot a glance at Draco, who was still in the room, talking with the best man. "So, tell me who the lucky guy it. Draco insists that you two didn't come together to this."
Did everyone assume that? She wondered before replying, "I asked Ron to accompany me."
Seth looked confused for a second, then his eyes widened. "We invited Ron Weasley to our wedding?" She nodded. "And he accepted?" Another nod. "Oh God…" He sank back down into his chair, hands covering his face.
She poked him in the shoulder. "Hey. What's the big deal?"
"It's Ron Weasley, 'Mione!" He cried, throwing his arms out to emphasize his point.
"Don't be ridiculous. He won't do anything – except wish you a happy marriage, of course. If he tries anything else, I'll hex him." She stopped for a second to reflect. "Besides, he's just a normal person, like you and me."
"Are you kidding me? He's one of the Two Who Won!"
"So am I, and I didn't turn out half bad, did I?" She teased.
If it was possible, his eyes got even wider. "I forgot all about that. And you two came as a couple?" She nodded again, starting to get a little annoyed. Didn't I just say that? He groaned. "Pictures of our wedding are going to be on the front page tomorrow of every newspaper in the world!"
"What are you talking about, Seth?" She asked impatiently.
"What he's saying, 'Mione, is that this is going to be the event of the year. For the first time since the Ball, you and Ron will be reunited. And the fact that you came together? Gossip columns are going to be talking about that forever." Commented Draco sardonically. Somehow, he had appeared at her side without her realizing it.
Her eyes widened as well. "Oh my. I hadn't even thought of it like that…" Slowly, she sank into a chair.
Draco and Seth exchanged a look. "You really forget that you're famous sometimes, don't you?" Asked an amused Draco. She glared at him. I'm glad he at least finds this funny. Apparently, he's forgotten the scene in the hallway – for now.
But before she could answer, she heard the cue music start up. She rose; then turned to hug Seth. "I'll try to be as inconspicuous as possible, I promise. Today is about you." She whispered, before heading to the back, where Sabrina was waiting.
A/N:
Siognee: Yeah, Draco doesn't seem to be faring to well as of late in this story, huh? Ginny is slowly becoming one of my favorite characters to write, can you tell? smile I'm glad you think I'm portraying her accurately. Don't worry so much about Draco. He's tough. He can survive all this and more. wink
Nikkifaro: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I know this is taking forever, but honestly, I don't want to post until I feel I'm satisfied with the characters, the dialogue and where the scene is heading us. I will try to update more often, but the storyline must come first. You understand? Don't forget to add your email to your next review, and I'll add you to my mailing list. And yes, your choice of Hr/D is noted. wink
Snwflakesweety: I'm sorry that you don't care at all about poor Draco. sniff, sniff After all my hard work to make you like him, too! And I'm not sure WHO Hermione is going to end up with. Thanks for supporting me, though.
Totally_2bular_girl: Hey! I'm glad you're caught up with me again! It's nice to hear from old reviewers every so often. smile Hope everything's been going great for you. And if you want me to update sooner, try to guess what's going to happen next. devilish grin who knows? Maybe my idea will grow off of something you offer. Then you'd get a chapter dedicated to you! big smile