Chapter two: Getting Married on Christmas? What Were We Thinking?
Hermione Granger, soon to be Potter, really wondered what her and Harry were thinking when they had decided to have their wedding on Christmas Day. She also wondered what they were thinking when they had agreed to take on teaching at Hogwarts, while planning said wedding.
Hermione was acting as Ravenclaw's Head of House, since there were no former Ravenclaws currently teaching and Harry was Gryfinndor's head of house, and they were both so busy that they barely ever saw each other, save for nodding at each other in the great hall before heading their seperate ways. Being the head of the house was a busy job, you were responsible for every student in that house and many needed councelling these days, since many were orphans. You had to oversee their grades and behavior, ensure every student that needed you could reach you. Between that and teaching it was a wonder they had time to breathe.
Despite her and Harry's protests, Molly and her mother, Jane, arranged for the wedding to be a massive and fancy affair. Harry could never resist Molly's pleading, especially since she'd lost Arthur, Bill, Charley, Percy and Fred during the war. She clung to her three remaining children and Harry with a desperation born of the fear of losing them all.
Hermione just wished the wedding wasn't so big. It seemed that Molly had invited anyone in the wizarding world with a pulse. With her 'Don't worry about a thing, dears, I'll take care of everything, you're both so busy', it seemed she'd overridden their every protest.
Hermione ran though her wedding checklist:
Dress: Check.
Flowers ordered: Check.
Food planned: Check. With that one, Molly had been overridden by Dobby the house elf, who'd taken over the menu for the wedding with zeal. Molly tried to argue, but Dobby insisted on being able to prepare the food himself.
Honeymoon: Check. It had been hard finding two subs to take over their subject for a week while they enjoyed a trip to a small, unplotted manor that the Potters owned in the tropics, but it was worth it.
Christmas present for Harry: No check. Darn, she knew she'd forgotten something. Her nerves shot; she began to cry.
Harry found her weeping at her desk, and ran to her, holding her tightly. "What's wrong, Hermione?" He asked, worry making it hard to get the words past a lump in his throat.
"Everything is wrong. Christmas is tomorrow and I forgot to get you a gift. Our wedding is tomorrow, Harry, and it feel like it's not our wedding but the rest of the world's wedding. I'm just so stressed and frazzled that it feels like our honeymoon is going to be recovering from all the stress of arranging everything."
Harry nodded. "The wedding is such work, isn't it? I forgot to get you a present as well, why don't we give ourselves a present tomorrow by spending the morning together before the world finds us to prepare us for our wedding?"
Hermione couldn't help but smile. "Let's meet at the lake to watch the sunrise."
"Professor Granger! Susie is crying again!" One of her ravenclaw's called. Hermione gave Harry a look and then allowed herself to be pulled into the trials and tribulations of her first year students.
Harry walked out of her office, smiling. His grin fell as he remembered something that made him curse out loud. He ran to his office to call Ron through the floo.
"I forgot the ring!" Harry exclaimed.
Ron laughed at his friend's expression.
"Meet you in Diagon Alley then?" Ron asked, his eyes full of mirth.
Harry's body was practically rigid with stress as he made it to the apparition point. He met Ron at the Leaky Calderon, trying not to feel twitchy.
He wished Ron was not getting so much amusement out of his anxiety. He'd forgotten the ring, of all things, the most important part of the ceremony.
Going to Gringotts, Harry hurried to the Potter vault, relieved that he had been granted access at the age of 16. His eyes scanned the chamber, and his heart hit the floor. The ring wasn't there. He didn't remember removing the ring. Had someone stolen it? The only other person to have access to the vaults was Hermione.
He shared a drink at Ron, who was still laughing at his expense, before heading back to Hogwarts.
He tried to find Hermione as he struggled not to panic. He didn't have the ring, it wasn't in his Vault, Hermione was the only person he'd granted access to. Did she have the ring?
His stomach in knots, he tried to find Hermione. She wasn't in her office, nor was she anywhere else that he could find.
Frustrated, he went to his room and tried to sleep. Dobby woke him at quarter to five.
"Don't forget you have to meet Hermione, Mr. Harry Potter, sir." He said in his squeaky voice.
Harry got up and threw on some clothes, then headed to the lake. She was all ready there, sitting on a bench she'd conjured, staring at the sky as light slowly made its way into the night. He was struck by her beauty.
"Good morning." He greeted her. Once she'd greeted him back he added, "Did you grab the ring from my Gringott's vault?"
"No, Harry. Why do you ask?"
"It's not in the vault and I don't have it."
"Someone stole the ring from the Vault?" Her voice went shrill.
Their time together was ruined as both lost themselves to the stress of trying to figure a solution to the missing ring.
Despite frantic searching around their rooms, it remained lost. There wedding was in five hours, and their ring was missing.
Ron and Neville both showed up at the same time in Harry's room, to help him prepare for the wedding. Count down to the wedding: one hour.
After explaining what was wrong, Ron started to laugh.
"Don't you remember Harry you gave the ring to me months ago to keep it safe?"
Harry cursed loud and fluently enough to make a drunken sailor blush.
Harry felt his heart pound in his throat when he was told that it was time for him to make his way to the Great Hall.He stood where the teachers' table should be and tried not to tremble, tried to be the brave Gryfindor he was.
So many people stared at him. He tried not to focus on them either. The music started; the bridesmaid and maid of honor, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley were both beautiful in their dress robes but no where near as beautiful as the stunning vision in white Hermione made.
Her dress robes seemed to shimmer and her hair was in a beautiful up-do. She walked to him slowly, her body shaking with nerves. Her father, wearing an enchanted pendant that allowed him to see Hogwarts held her arm as they walked. People cried and cameras snapped photo's that she knew she'd see plastered all over the papers tommorow. Then she made it to Harry's side and her father placed her hand in Harry's.
Harry's heart pounded in his throat; he felt nervous and nauseous as he took her hand.
Professor Mcgonagall began to preside over the ceremony; it had been one of the few things that Harry and Hermione insisted on, even when the minister offered to preside over it.
Harry and Hermione were too nervous to really listen to the words as they did what they were told to do.
Then they were introduced to the crowd as Mr. and Mrs. Potter. The crowd roared and then left the hall long enough for the tables to reappear.
Hermione could barely eat and was secretly grateful that they had done their photo posing days ago. The last thing she wanted was the barrage of posing for those pictures; it had taken hours for them to finish and she worried that she'd be blinded for life because of the flash.
Molly prodded at them to mingle without giving them more than 20 minutes to eat. They shared the first dance after dinner and then were separated again and told once more to mingle. The toast and wedding cake followed.
It was at last time for them to leave, after receiving well wishes from everyone that attended.
Tired and exhausted, the pair floo'ed to Grimauld Place and collapsed on the couch.
Hermione stared at the beautiful emerald ring on her finger in wonder and then drifted off to sleep in Harry's arms.
Feeling tired himself, Harry carried her to bed, secretly rejoicing that he'd never ever have to get married again.