Disclaimer: This is a fanfic, not a published work, so do I own the HPU?
A/N: This is out of timeline for 'It's All Harry's Fault' because I felt like doing the wedding scene. So even though this chapter is listed as Chapter 3, it takes place between Chapter one 'The Illicit Act' and Chapter 2 "The Greatest Choice". Also, this is not HBP compatible, since I didn't want it to be. But keep an eye out for 'Promise Me This', another SS/HG fic, darker then this one, I have in the working that does follow HBP.
Beware of the fluff! Also humor!
Who's Fault This Time?
By DarkLady4
The day was planned down to every last detail, thanks to Ginerva Weasley. A summer solstice wedding; rose bushes grown in the shape of an arch just for the occasion by Neville Longbottom, a blue sky and a light breeze on the 75 degree day, and for once Harry and Draco weren't snogging at every possible moment.
To the arriving guests it looked exquisite. But currently, the day wasn't going as perfect as the young Miss Weasley had planned.
Thanks to her annoying older twin brothers the grooms wedding robes we're a blinding shade of pink, the bride was worshiping the porcelain god, and her sister-in-law Fleur was complaining about not being in the wedding it's self.
"Harry, get over here and hold 'Mione's hair back, I need to go and fix Severus' robes!" Ginny yelled through the bathroom door. A second later a disgruntled Harry came in and took up her former spot of sitting on the stone floor next to the bride.
Ginny fixed her dress on her way down to the dungeons, spelling the small dirt stains from where her knees had pressed the silk onto the stone. Arriving at the Potion Master's quarters, she didn't bother to knock. Remus, Draco, and the groom were currently sitting around drinking wine, not bothering to even try and fix his robes.
"Oh, you are all hopeless!" She marched over to where the offending clothing was lying on the table. She ran her hands over the soft velvet, relived that despite the color, the robes were unchanged. They were spelling to resist any charms, hexes, jinxes, and curses, but apparently not magical dye. Even Professor Flitwick had been unable to fix them.
Thankfully, she'd grown up with her criminal like brothers and knew most of their tricks. After they had spent almost an hour dodging the numerous spells she'd sent their way, the two had finally given her the counter spell. She set to work running her wand over every millimeter of the fabric, making sure to get crease and crevice. After 20 minutes of deep concentration, the robes were back to their normal black, navy blue, and forest green.
She turned and glared at the guys, annoyed by how lazy they were. Was she the only one trying to get this ceremony to go off without a hitch? It wasn't even her wedding! She threw the robes in Severus' face and pointed at the door to his bedroom, giving him a look that he dared not obey.
"Stand up you two. I need to make sure you're perfect."
"Weasley, when am I not perfect?" Draco drawled.
"In the morning when you haven't had your coffee, or have you forgotten the incident when you almost burned the manor down trying to cook eggs?" Ginny circled Draco like a vulture as she talked, straitening his clothing and fixing a few stray strands of his hair. She was pleased to note the slight reddening of his cheeks.
Remus looked a little ill, but since the full moon had just passed it was expected. She ran her finger just below his eye, healing a scratch that had been there. By the time she was finished with those two, Severus had emerged from his room dressed in his robes.
For a moment, she would see what Hermione saw in him; but only for a moment.
He'd pulled his hair back in a low ponytail, the style Hermione said showed of his regal facial structure. Besides being a little paler then usual, he looked ready to get married.
"We have 15 minutes until the ceremony. Draco, get him to The Alter by 5 till noon. This wedding will start on time even if I have to kill everyone else." She turned on her heal and walked out, not noticing the three men rolling their eyes. She arrived back up in Gryffindor tower 5 minutes later, hoping against hope that everything was fine with the females.
It was chaos.
Fleur was trying to get Hermione to put on some make-up, the bride to be was restraining her self from cursing the French witch, Tonk's had tripped and ripped her dress and was currently failing at the repairing charm. And in the mess Harry was trying to fix Hermione's hair after her 30 minute stint in the loo.
Ginny barely resisted banging her head against the wall.
Ginny was already at The Alter as the clock struck noon and Hermione started her way down the pathway towards her future husband. Her golden robes glowed in the summer sun, the breeze teasing the hair that feathered her face. She looked like a Goddess.
"Friends and loved ones, join with me in the celebration of the union between Severus Alexander Snape and Hermione Jasmine Granger, as their lives' paths now merge to become a singular road paved with love." Albus Dumbledore started when Hermione and Severus had stepped up to the Alter.
"Swear you now, on this sacred blade, that there is no reason known to you that this union should not proceed." Minerva picked up a dagger from the Alter and placed it in Hermione's hand.
Hermione bowed her head for a moment, then look up and straight into to intendeds eyes, "I do so swear."
She handed the blade back to Minerva, who then passed it to Severus, "Swear you now, on this sacred blade, that there is no reason known to you that this union should not proceed."
"I do so swear." The blade was laid to rest again upon the Alter.
Albus raised a golden goblet above his head, saying "The latin phrase "Vitam impendere vero" means to consecrate one's life to truth, and so should truth be the meat of all your dealing within your marriage. Honesty, trust, communication, effort, understanding... all these are the building blocks of a firm marriage, and your solemn responsibility to one another. At this moment you stand at the gateway between your old life and your new. If you, for whatever reason, feel unable to step through that portal at this time, speak now."
He handed the goblet to Severus, who took and drink and handed it back.
"I, Severus Alexander Snape, do ask you, Hermione Jasmine Granger, to be my partner in marriage. I cannot claim love at first sight, for it look me several years to see you for who you truly are. You accept me with all my faults and mistakes. You love me even when I hate my self. You are my soul mate, my other half. I cannot even begin to think where I would be if you hadn't stormed into my life as you had. I have fallen in love with your fiery personality and your intelligence. And each day my love only grows."
Hermione felt tears in her eyes as she listened to her beloved spoke his vows.
"I, Hermione Jasmine Granger, do ask you, Severus Alexander Snape, to be my partner in marriage. I can claim, in a way, love at first sight. I loved your voice and your mind, your sarcasm and your wit. Neither of us is perfect, our love would not exist if we were. You have held me as I cried and cursed; you kept me safe as I slept. You are the only person who has ever made me feel complete. I may have drawn you back from the darkness, but you made me see the light. I love you, Severus, for every aspect that is you. And each day my love only grows."
By now everyone in the audience was crying.
The flames of the two tower candles on the Alter flared up, and when they died, two golden rings floating above them. They hovered there for a moment before moving to float in front of Severus and Hermione. They plucked the rings out of the air and held them in their open palms.
"Here do I promise you love, passion, desire, and warmth. Here do I promise you stability, solidity, dependability, and strength. All this do I promise you." Severus went down to his knees as he spoke, sliding the ring onto her finger.
"Here do I promise you communication, laughter, imagination, and hope. Here do I promise you healing, compassion, honesty, and understanding. All this do I promise you." Hermione joined him on her knees, sliding the matching ring onto his finger.
Again the candles on the Alter flared with life, this time leaving two red roses.
"The rose is a symbol of love and a single rose always meant only one thing - it meant the words "I love you." So it is appropriate that for your first gift - as husband and wife - that gift would be a single rose." Minerva said as the couple held their respective roses.
"Please exchange your first gift as husband and wife. In some ways it seems like you have not done anything at all. Just a moment ago you were holding one small rose - and now you are holding one small rose. In some ways, a marriage ceremony is like this. In some ways, tomorrow is going to seem no different than yesterday. But in fact today, just now, you both have given and received one of the most valuable and precious gifts of life - one I hope you always remember - the gift of true and abiding love.
"Severus and Hermione, I would ask that where ever you make your home in the future - whether it be a large and elegant home - or a small and graceful one - that you both pick one very special location for roses; so that on each anniversary of this truly wonderful occasion you both may take a rose to that spot both as a recommitment to your marriage - and a recommitment that THIS will be a marriage based upon love. In every marriage there are times where it is difficult to find the right words." Minerva lowered her head as Albus took over the rest.
"It is easiest to hurt who we most love. It is easiest to be most hurt by who we most love. It might be difficult some time to words to say "I am sorry" or "I forgive you"; "I need you" or "I am hurting". If this should happen, if you simply can not find these words, leave a rose at that spot which both of you have selected - for that rose than says what matters most of all and should overpower all other things and all other words. That rose says the words: "I still love you." The other should accept this rose for the words which can not be found, and remember the love and hope that you both share today. Severus and Hermione, if there is anything you remember of this marriage ceremony, it is that it was love that brought you here today, it is only love which can make it a glorious union, and it is by love which your marriage shall endure.
"The Lord and Lady have accepted your vows this Summer Solstice. I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride."
The couple had barely stood up before Severus had pulled Hermione to him and placed a passionate kiss on her lips.
The cheer from the assembled crowd blocked out the tell-tail cracks of people apparating.
Ginny was the first person to notice the uninvited guests and she screamed the moment she did. Severus and Hermione broke apart at her cry, pulling their wands out when they saw Death Eaters streaming from the Forbidden Forest. The crowd followed the newly wed couple's example and armed them selves as well.
It was a sad day for all Death Eaters.
It was over in less then five minutes. As the last few Death Eaters fell, everyone in the area hit the ground in fear at an inhuman sound.
All the Muggle-Borns knew what the sound was, and that they had heard it here, deep within the magical world, scared them even more.
It was the sound of a single gunshot.
The grounds were silent as everyone, who was alive that was, picked themselves up. All the members of the Order walked over to where Harry stood, looking at the prone body of the barely human Dark Lord.
"Harry…."
"I knew I could never beat him with magic by it's self. So I spelled the bullet. Voldemort's body is dead and his soul has been trapped." Harry dropped the 9mm hand gun onto the body of the former Dark Lord.
"Potter, where did you trap his soul?" Draco asked as he wrapped his arms around his lover.
"He's going to share Moaning Mytle's toilet. But unlike her, he can't leave. I figured it was just that he be tortured for all eternity by his first victim."
Auror's from the ministry arrived a few minutes later, shocked to find out that You-Know-Who had been killed by a single shot to the head. Minister Scrimgeour arrived after being told the news, acting as if the world had ended.
"Harry, Harry, Harry, have you forgotten that you are a Wizard? Why in Merlin's name did you use a muggle… thingy! The world isn't going to like this Harry; The-Boy-who-Lived having to resort to muggle methods. They had faith in you boy."
The assembled crowd gawked at him.
"Minister, you are bloody insane! Why does it matter that I killed him with a muggle gun? He's dead! After all these years, he's DEAD! I doubt everyone is going to care how I killed him, only that I DID! I don't………."
Harry's rant was cut off as the oddest thing happened. Professor Trelawney came running out of the castle and hugged Harry.
Yes, she hugged him.
"Oh dear boy! You've done it now! You've fulfilled your destiny and now your life is over! Oh poor boy, I fear that you don't have long to live after this!" Draco grasped the teacher by her many shawls and pulled her off the scandalized Harry.
He looked her straight in the face, cold silver eyes glaring into her's.
"This is YOUR fault you know. If you hadn't had the bloody prophecy years ago, none of this would have happened. The magical world would have found some way to kill the bastard, but you had to go have that prediction. If it wasn't for you, he would have died almost 20 years ago! I don't want to hear anymore of your off-key blabber. Harry is not going to die. He's coming home with me and we're going to shag like rabbits."
The bug-like professor promptly fainted.
Ginny sighed as she walked off; this was not how she'd planned the day to go!
And thank you to my lovely reviewers!
Pathatlon: I feel so blessed that you reviewed, and liked, my fic! I love your work!
BrennaM: Glad that I made ya happy! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the last.
Fahzzyquill: Glad you liked it!
Shorty: Liking the continuation?
BrennaM (Again!): Thank you for your praise!
Filope Balcina: I found that out after I had already posted the fic, when I was looking up weather Ginny's name was Ginerva or Virginia. I like Jasmine better though.
Wrinkles the Troll: Here's more!
Jemineyez of Darkness: I feel special that you like the fic even though you are not a shipper!
Stegijsa: I love reading fanfics first thing in the morning! They always brighten the day up. Minerva had something quite evil planned, maybe I'll reveal later!
JoKK: Hehehehe, ohhh, I feel a new plot bunny coming on!
Thank you all for the ego boost!
I will write more, but I just started school on Monday and I'm already swamped in homework! I'll create another installment when I get a chance!