DISCLAIMER: I am not J.K. Rowling and sadly I do not own Harry Potter and others. I'm just a 15-year-old girl who's got a lot of time on her hands. (lol)

Chapter Two: The Wedding

Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew
You were the one I loved
The one thing that I tried to hold on to
–Michelle Branch "Goodbye To You"

Hermione read and reread the piece of parchment in her hands. 'Congratulations! You have been accepted into the New York Medical Program for Healer Scholars (N.Y.M.P.H.S.)!' The words swirled around and around in Hermione's head. After three days, she was still not fully used to the idea. Well, at least she wasn't caught off guard this time around. She had already accomplished that by shrieking in surprise when she had received the letter halfway up a steep mountain in the Himalayas, almost resulting in her toppling out of sight.

Hermione silently shrunk the letter into the size of a tiny postage-stamp and tucked it into the fake Horcrux locket that she wore around her neck. Harry had given it to her the very first time he had told her he loved her. Hermione gulped nervously. She was planning on showing the letter to Harry tonight.

Harry, Ron, and herself were back in the country– at the Burrow, to be precise. They had arrived the previous night, tired and hungry but immensely pleased, for Tonks and Lupin's wedding. All three had been immensely lucky in their timing since they had just destroyed the last Horcrux, the embellished medallion of Rowena Ravenclaw, deep in the Himalayan mountains just a couple of days ago. It was also the last Horcrux which meant that their year-long search was coming to an end. Harry would soon have to confront Voldemort face-to-face.

Hermione was secretly disappointed that their search was over. Although this meant that Voldemort would no longer be able to exist if successfully killed, she was dreadfully worried for what was to come. When she had voiced her worry to Harry, he had reassured her that this was what he wanted to do even if he hadn't heard the prophecy. To Harry, facing Voldemort one-on-one was like getting the grand prize after all his hard work.

"Hermione?" She had been gazing absentmindedly out the window at the Weasley's backyard where Crookshanks could be seen chasing after a particularly skittish gnome.

"Oh, Ron, it's just you." She grinned, taking in Ron's vivid red hair and recently-acquired tan.

He whistled as his indigo eyes studied Hermione closely. "You look really great, 'Mione," he commented, grinning from ear to ear. Hermione merely blushed and smoothed the front of her dress nervously. She was wearing a strapless dress of the palest blue that hugged her curves nicely. Half of her hair, which has tamed drastically since last year, was put up while the rest hung down her back in luxurious waves. And of course, the finishing touch was Harry's necklace, which adorned her tanned neck beautifully.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Ronald," she replied, laughing at the disgusted expression that crossed his freckled face. It was her revenge to Ron for calling her 'Mione.

"Ack, don't call me that!" Ron groaned, offering his arm out to her. "I hate the name 'Ronald.'"

Accepting Ron's offered arm, they both descended down the staircase together. Although they seemed to be getting along on good terms, Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit awkward and awfully guilty when she was around Ron. After all, they had somewhat maintained a serious relationship for six months. That is, until five months ago when Hermione had to tell Ron that they might as well give up, because it was just not going to work out. The problem was that they were simply too different, and their difference had caused in many vicious bickering over completely idiotic things. Ron had ruefully agreed and ever since then, they've been "just friends".

As for Hermione feeling extremely guilty, it was because she had gotten together with Harry three weeks after she called it off with Ron. As if their break-up wasn't bad enough to shake up Ron's ego pretty badly, she had literally shattered it to pieces by keeping her budding romance with Harry a secret for two weeks. Poor Ron almost had a heart attack when he walked in on them snogging in a tent.

Yes, she was definitely ashamed of herself when it comes to Ron.

And then today she would be facing Ginny after almost a year. For a while, Harry and herself have kept their romantic relationship a secret from Ginny, too. Although technically there was no problem since Harry and Ginny were technically broken up, Hermione still felt terribly ashamed for "betraying" her friendship with Ginny for some guy. (Granted, Harry Potter was a LOT more than just some guy). And then when Ron had found out about the two of them, he had insisted that they tell Ginny as well. Hermione recalled Ron's angry face as he rambled on and on about how Ginny deserved to know what goes on inside dark tents in the middle of South America. And so it was that the morning after Ron's discovery, a very guilty Harry and Hermione had sent a letter to Ginny via Hedwig and awaited her reply.

Funnily enough, Ginny had not responded.

Which is the reason why Hermione definitely dreaded seeing Ginny today.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

(CRASH)

Hermione could literally see tiny, flapping books circling her head...

Her obsessive worrying was momentarily interrupted by a very frantic Fleur who knocked all the wind out of her once she entered the Weasleys' kitchen. She landed with Fleur in a heap on the kitchen floor, thoroughly disoriented. As if the throbbing pain in her head wasn't enough, both her and Fleur were covered from head to toe in gravy. Mrs. Weasley, noticing the commotion, hurried quickly to them.

Fleur got up first and apologized over and over again to the shocked brown-haired girl covered in gravy that was still splayed on the floor, "Oh, I am sorry, 'Ermionee!"

"Here, dear," Mrs. Weasley extended a hand out to Hermione and hoisted her up to a standing position. Ron, looking very surprised yet amused, began suctioning off the gravy off of Hermione with a muttered "Tergeo!" Mrs. Weasley, equally trying to repair the mess that was Fleur, began cleaning her up, too.

In all the commotion, none of them noticed Harry who was walking into the room, walking right smack-dab into...

"ARGH!" Harry yelled as he slipped on the abandoned puddle of gravy and collided with the china cabinet a couple of yards away. The ancient cabinet swayed dangerously before three plates fell out and hit him square on the head one after the other.

Mrs. Weasley clapped a hand to her mouth and hurried to his side with Fleur in tow.

"Oh, no, 'Arry! I am so sorry!" she shrieked, wringing her hands helplessly. Harry blinked a couple of times, looked around, and finally seemed to register what just happened. Instead of being angry, however, his lips twitched involuntarily into a smile.

"It's alright, Fleur. I'm okay," he reassured the trembling blonde girl, wiping tears of mirth from his vibrant green eyes. Mrs. Weasley fussed over him first before repairing the broken china and muttering "scourgify!" at the puddle of gravy that Harry had stepped on. Fleur, still blushing furiously, began busying herself with the utensils, obviously embarrassed by the chain of commotion she'd made.

After Ron was finished with her, Hermione was just about to rush to Harry's side to see if he was alright when a familiar voice drifted from the doorway, "What is going on in here!" Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and turned around gingerly to face a very amused-looking Ginny Weasley framed in the kitchen doorway. However, at the sight of Harry and Hermione, her smile quickly fell.

Hermione forced a huge grin on her face and made to embrace Ginny when the latter backed away quickly, as if she did not want to catch whatever disease Hermione carried. Suddenly, everybody in the kitchen was staring at the drama unfolding between the two girls. The tension was so thick in the room Hermione swore she could cut through it with a kitchen knife.

The younger, redhead spoke up first, her voice slightly trembling, "I–I thought you guys were still abroad..." Hermione opened her mouth to reply but Harry, who was approaching them cautiously, spoke up first.

"We were, but we made it back in time for the wedding," he said in a rush, approaching the two girls warily. Ron, Fleur, and Mrs. Weasley were still staring at them, apparently not even trying to pretend they weren't eavesdropping.

Hermione noticed this and whispered so that only Harry and Ginny would be able to hear, "Let's talk about this somewhere else, okay?" Her eyes were fixed on Ginny and she was pleased to see the younger girl nodding reluctantly.

"We can go up to my room," Ginny said softly, turning around and going back up the stairs. Harry took Hermione's hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly before both of them followed Ginny upstairs.

"What was zat all about?" Fleur asked to nobody in particular as all three of them stared at the trio's retreating backs.

00000

Once the door slammed shut, silence fell heavily upon all three. Ginny was now perched on her bed, examining her hands as if they were the most fascinating objects in the world. Harry, too, was shuffling his feet and staring at the ground furiously as if willing it to open up and swallow him up. Hermione simply looked perplexed.

After a few more minutes of uneasy silence, Ginny broke it by saying, "I'm not mad, you know." She looked up and glanced back and forth between Harry and Hermione. "I didn't write back because I–I just needed some time to get used to the idea." Harry and Hermione, who had been expecting a dramatic outburstfrom Ginny, merely stood there in shock.

Ginny, frowning, misinterpreted their silence and said, "I'm sorry I was acting like such a prat in the kitchen. I was just caught off guard, I guess." She was now looking pointedly at Hermione, seeming to plead with her eyes.

But at the word "sorry," Hermione immediately went to Ginny's side and hugged the younger girl, "No! You have nothing to be sorry about! It's us who should be apologizing, Gin."

After a furtive glance from Hermione, Harry added nervously, "Err... yea, Ginny. We're extremely sorry. We didn't mean for it to happen..." At Harry's perplexed expression, Ginny giggled meekly.

"We can't all choose what's going to happen," she said, more to herself than to Harry and Hermione. "Much less predict the future."

Hermione, teary-eyed, replied, "Oh, I'm so glad you understand! I would never have forgiven myself if you didn't!" Both girls hugged again while Harry looked uncomfortable.

"So, does this mean we have your blessing?" he asked carefully, approaching both girls tentatively. Ginny simply laughed as she stood up and hugged Harry, too.

"Of course."

00000

A few minutes later, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny went downstairs just as the wedding was about to start. They met up with Ron in the now-empty kitchen before making their way up the hill towards the Weasleys' old paddock. It was surrounded by trees which made it perfect for Quidditch games or, in this case, weddings.

At the sight of the paddock, Hermione gasped.

Gone was the old rickety fence that bordered the enclosure (and the slight horse smell, Hermione was glad to note). Instead the trees crisscrossed overhead, blocking off the blazing sunlight and providing a dappled shade for everyone. Rows and rows of neat white wooden chairs faced a charming white gazebo. Gold ribbons were wound around each of the gazebo's posts, giving off an elegant feel. And the loveliest part was the inch-thick layer of golden-yellow marigolds that led up to the gazebo steps.

In all its simplicity, it was extremely romantic.

The four of them were the last to arrive. Everyone else were already seated and chattering amiably amongst themselves. As they slipped into the last row, Hermione quickly spotted a very nervous-looking Lupin standing on the steps of the gazebo with Mad-Eye Moody presiding over the ceremony. She scanned the rows and saw that everyone was indeed here– from Mrs. Weasley to Dobby the house-elf, who had toppled out of sight in glee at the sight of Harry.

Hermione was just about to point out Dobby to an oblivious Harry when the gentle sound of enchanted harps and flutes filled with the air. All at once, the congregation stood up and faced the back of the enclosure at the two advancing figures climbing up the hill. A few seconds later, Hermione gasped once more, as did many others, when a beaming, drop-dead-gorgeous Tonks came into view led by Mr. Weasley. One could hardly recognize Tonks at all for she had traded in her usual outrageous hair styles for loose, wavy, reddish-blond locks that cascaded down her waist. She was not wearing a veil but instead there was a simple circlet of intertwining marigolds upon her head. But the most jaw-dropping part was the dress. It wasn't like it was embellished with jewels or pearls or whatnot. It was actually quite simple with a tight upper bodice that eventually flares out just below the waist into a full, billowing skirt.Yet it suited Tonks nicely and the effect was, to say the least, astonishing.

The actual ceremony was awfully sentimental, in Hermione's opinion. She was so touched that halfway through the ceremony, Harry had to lend her his handkerchief, so she would be able to sob silently into it. By the time it was finished, Harry's handkerchief had turned into a great, big, soggy mess. Not that Harry minded, of course. The Boy Who Lived was just not the type to be disgusted by a small, petty thing like a soggy handkerchief.

When they were traipsing back to the Burrow so Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Moody, Lupin, and Bill would be able to transform the ceremony site into a reception area, Hermione, still sniffling, disappeared with Ginny in search of Tonks to voice their congratulations.

"More like sob their congratulations," Ron muttered under his breath as the girls fled up the stairs. Harry laughed good-naturedly and retrieved two glasses of champagne for Ron and himself.

"Cheers," he toasted, relishing the cool, bubbly feeling coursing down his throat. The two boys retreated to the Weasleys' living room where many others have assembled and chose two armchairs tucked away in a corner. At first, they talked about Quidditch (as usual) and discussed the scores of the last Chudley Cannons match. Once there was a lull in the conversation, Ron suddenly looked dead serious as he leaned towards Harry, champagne in hand.

"So when are you going to do it, mate?" he asked, dropping his voice so others wouldn't be able to overhear. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his ever-messy hair.

He looked down and slowly twirled his empty glass with both hands, "I don't know yet. Soon, I suppose. When the right time comes..."

Ron pressed on, "You've got it, then?"

Harry nodded, "Yup. Ordered it at Diagon Alley when I came back last night. It arrived this morning." Ron slumped back in his chair, shocked beyond belief. Harry looked down, pointedly avoiding Ron's gaze. It was odd to be discussing this with Ron.

"And you're sure about this, now?" Ron asked again, looking at Harry carefully.

Harry looked up and faced Ron dead-on, "Positive." Ron seemed satisfied with this answer and continued to look at Harry withquietastonishmentuntil Ginny and Hermione appeared suddenly, bounding towards them.

So it was that Harry let himself be guided by a very cheery Hermione into the newly-transformed reception area, one hand in his left pocket stroking a certain square, velvet object.

00000

"–and so I whispered to George, 'Well, if that isn't a yellow, furry gorilla, I don't know what is!'" The round table at the far end roared in laughter as Fred finished his account of their last encounter with an unfortunate Vincent Crabbe at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. (Fred had offered Crabbe a "complimentary" Canary Cream that ended with rather odd results). Harry and Ron laughed uproariously, clutching the sides of their stomachs as George provided a very accurate portrayal of a very confused Crabbe, scratching at his armpits in a gorilla-like manner. Hermione and Ginny did not laugh along with the others but looked like they were trying very hard not to.

They were seated at one of the sturdy, round tables that Mr. Weasley and Bill had conjured up all around a polished, wooden dance floor. Each table, set for six, was laden with all kinds of food prepared by none other than Mrs. Weasley with assistance by Fleur and some of the Hogwarts' house-elves, including Dobby. There were real-live fairies hovering in the trees giving off an ethereal glow, which added all the more to the romantic mood (to the girls' excitement and the boys' exasperation).

Feeling incredibly full from the delectable main course, Hermione was content in polishing off a tiny sliver of apple pie, while Harry, Ron, and the twins scarfed down treacle tarts, apple pie, and heaping mounds of pudding. Once the boys have polished off the desserts, a satisfied lull seized their table as the boys leaned back in their chairs and patted their stomachs.

Almost as if on cue, the fairies zoomed to the middle of the dance floor, forming one great, glowing ball just as a rather catchy dance tune appeared out of nowhere. They flashed different colored lights every two seconds in time to the music. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George sat there, dumbstruck, at the shocking change of atmosphere.

"Well, come on! Get up, you lazy oafs!" Mad-Eye Moody roared as he pulled a shocked Professor McGonagall to her feet and escorted her to the dance floor. Laughter ensued from all the tables as Moody led Professor McGonagall into what was unmistakably the boogie. Pretty soon, Lupin and Tonks, the newlyweds, were dancing to the upbeat tune as well and couples popped up all around to dance until Harry and Hermione were the only ones left sitting at their table. (Ron was dancing with Ginny, and Fred and George were doing the Chicken on the middle of the dance floor.)

To Hermione's surprise, Harry stood up, grinned, and extended his arm out to her, "Shall we?" The last time she checked, Harry had two left feet and was determined not to display them in front of a crowd.

"We shall," Hermione responded with a smile as the two of them joined the crowd on the dance floor. They danced through three fast songs (Harry stepped on her feet approximately a hundred times) before a slow song began playing. Hermione wasn't familiar with it, but she let the words and the melody wash over her as she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth in Harry's arms.

Most of the non-couples have left the floor, Ginny and Ron included. They watched in silence as the couples locked in each other's embrace, looking perfectly content and in love. Both Ginny and Ron, however, were only looking at one particular couple.

"They seem perfect for each other, don't they?" Ginny whispered to Ron softly, a bittersweet smile gracing her pretty features.

Ron nodded, "Yup, like pieces of a puzzle." He gave Ginny a sidelong glance. "Are you okay, though?" Ginny caught Ron's worried expression and laughed good-naturedly.

"I suppose Iam okay," she said after a moment, watching Harry and Hermione silently.

Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Harry leaned into Hermione's ear and whispered, "Have I told you how nice you look tonight?"

Her cheeks grew slightly warm as she murmured back, "Like a hundred times." Harry laughed as he tightened his grip around Hermione's waist. "You look quite spiffy yourself, mister."

Harry adopted a pompous look. "Why, thank you, madam." Now it was Hermione's turn to laugh as Harry absentmindedly played with the locket around her neck. "I'm glad I gave this to you. It suits you very well."

At Harry's words, Hermione's mind suddenly snapped back to the letter tucked inside the locket. She had completely forgotten about it. The happy, bubbly feeling left her stomach only to be replaced by a heavy numbness.

She took a deep breath before tapping Harry on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" Harry loosened his grip on her and stared at her questioningly. "What is it?"

Hermione wordlessly led Harry off to the far end of the dance floor where the trees were densest. A particularly huge tree blocked them off from the rest of the party.

"I need to tell you something," she said nervously, taking a seat on the grass. It didn't matter if her dress was going to be ruined; she needed to be seated for this. Hermione patted the ground next to her, motioning Harry to sit down, too. Harry, puzzled, sat obligingly, looking at his girlfriend with concern.

"Is everything okay?" He put a comforting hand on her shoulder; those green eyes boring into her mind. Averting Harry's gaze, Hermione unclasped the locket and took out the tiny letter, restoring it back to its normal size. Harry's eyes widened as the letters 'N.Y.M.P.H.S.' glared up at him from the heading. As his eyes swept down the page and grew larger with each line, Hermione twiddled her thumbs anxiously, overcome with nerves.

It was all up to Harry now...

He finished, clutching the letter loosely in his hand, and said slowly, "You...applied for a Healer school in America?" Hermione nodded, waiting for the blow...

Harry turned to face her, looking shocked and completely at a loss for words. "Wh-when did you apply for this?"

"In our sixth year," Hermione barely whispered, her honey-colored eyes downcast.

"Does Ron know about this?" Harry asked. Hermione shook her head. "Does anyone other than us know about this?" She shook her head again. Harry sighed and ran a shaky hand through his jet-black hair. Hermione gulped. She knew Harry only does that when he's frustrated. Or angry.

After a minute or two, Harry finally spoke again. "Do you–" he cleared his throat. "Do you want to go?" Hermione, who had been bracing for an outburst of some kind, was a bit taken aback by Harry's calm inquiries. She was grateful for that. Hermione couldn't help thinking that if Harry was Ron, he would have been yelling along the lines of what-were-you-thinking right about now.

She paused before saying, "I-I suppose I do want to go. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." She looked down, blushed, and said in a small voice, "And I do want to be a Healer someday... Once all of this is over..."

A minute passed...

Two minutes...

Then Harry merely nodded and placed the letter back in her hands.

"Well, I guess that means you're going then," he said softly, a pained smile on his face. Hermione froze, staring into Harry's hypnotic green eyes. Did he just say–?

"You–you're not mad?" she asked nervously, gripping the letter in her hands. Now it was Harry's turn to look shocked.

"Mad?" he asked, confused. "Why would I be mad? A little disappointed, maybe. Sad, definitely. But why would I be mad?" Hermione laughed gratefully, tackling Harry into a hug. He wasn't angry with her for wanting to leave. He wasn't angry!

As they held each other, Hermione mumbled softly in his ear, "I wish I wouldn't have to leave you, Harry. It doesn't feel right for me to be leaving at a moment like this..."

Harry paused before asking quietly, "At a moment like this?" He pulled away slowly to look into Hermione's brown eyes, looking absolutely puzzled. Hermione lowered her gaze silently. Finally, it dawned on him.

He tilted her chin up and spoke to her in a hushed tone, "Hermione, you know I'll have to battle Voldemort sooner or later. Alone. I would rather you take this opportunity and go, instead of feeling like you're obliged to stay here." When Hermione didn't say anything, he continued, "I'll still be here when you come back, Hermione. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be fine." At this, Hermione raised her eyes and sobbed into Harry's shoulder. He tried to sound so sure and calm when he said that, but underneath his certainty, Hermione was able to detect something else: doubt.

"You promise you'll contact me once something happens?" she asked tentatively.

Harry gulped before answering, "Of course." However, behind Hermione's back, he had his fingers crossed...

"I love you," she murmured into his ear, squeezing his shoulders tighterabsentmindedly.

Harry didn't hesitate a bit as he muttered back, "I love you, too."

They remained that way for a couple more minutes, enjoying each other's warmth and comfort, with Harry stroking Hermione's wavy locks soothingly. Once they stood up and dusted themselves off, Harry couldn't help but ask, struggling to sound casual, "So how long will you be gone?"

Hermione cleared her throat sadly before whispering, "It's a six-month curriculum."

"Oh..." Harry replied, a tone of disappointment apparent in his voice. Hermione noticed that he was edging something lower in his left pocket.

"Well, I guess now it's time to tell the others," Harry said a little too heartily, offering Hermione his arm. She accepted it gratefully, feeling both remorsefulyet excited at what the future held for her.

A/N: So what did you think of Chapter 2? I hope you guys enjoyed it more than I did writing it. It took meFOREVER to get it just right! ( '')It's certainly more fluffy than the first chapter, though. I'm not that thrilled about it, to tell you the truth. It just seems so draggy in the beginning... But I had to do it, for Hermione, Harry, and Ron's sake. (You're not going to see Harry, Ron, and the others for a while.) Oh, and did you guys manage to guess what Harry has hiding in his pocket? I hope I was being obvious about that one!

On a lighter note, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of you that reviewed! (Hands out cookies for everyone!) Especially JTfanaddict for the nice, long review and for being my VERY FIRST REVIEWER! Yay! (Throws confetti!) The next treat I'm planning to hand out are BROWNIES! So please hurry and review this lickety-split! xD