Hey guys and gals! Yes, this is chapter 6! Anyway, the wedding this chapter, as I promised! Maybe not till later...and nothing NC-17...so if you were hoping, you can either leave or read the story, doesn't matter to me! Hehe... I'm sooooo glad to see so many loyal readers! Thanks...you guys are the best! Cookies for all of you!

Sorry that it took so long to write this. I wrote the wedding and then rewrote it. It still seems a bit awkward to me, but it's the best I could really do. Plus, that school thing just gets in the way.

Ah, a correction...in chapter 3 I accidentally put Ginny's name as Virginia instead of Ginevra. Sorry bout that. I usually don't make that kind of mistake, and thank you to Midnight Luna for pointing that out!

The ending is dedicated to my very good friend and faithful reader...Midnight Luna!

Disclaimer: As always, I bow to the talents of the lovely JK.

Well then, on with the story!

--

September had turned swiftly into October. Hermione had had to go into overdrive, putting the final touches on the wedding plans. She hadn't gotten her dress yet, so she and Ginny headed into Hogsmeade to the tailor's shop. Hermione stood on a small stool in the center of the shop. The tailor pinned and cut the fabric around her.

"How does it look so far, Gin?" Hermione asked her.

"Radiant," Ginny said vaguely.

"C'mon, Ginny. Don't be like that."

"What?" Ginny shook her head.

"Never mind."

"Sorry," she said, "I was just thinking."

"About?" Hermione prompted her. Ginny grinned. "Dean," Hermione answered for her. Ginny laughed.

"Yeah," she said softly.

"You know, this is your third month together." Ginny flushed.

"I know," she looked excited.

"All done, dear," the tailor said. She helped Hermione to take the dress off carefully, then Hermione and Ginny left the shop.

"Just one more stop," Ginny said. She led Hermione to Fred and George's new shop in Hogsmeade. "I just want to pick up some Pygmy Puff food." Hermione nodded and followed Ginny into the shop. When they walked in, an explosion of noise met her ears.

"SURPRISE!" People jumped out from behind shelves, behind the counter, the back room, and various corners. A large flashing banner had been hung up behind the counter. It read, CONGRATULATIONS HERMIONE AND HARRY. She looked to Ginny for an explanation, who nodded.

"Did you?" Ginny nodded again. Hermione threw her arms around Ginny.

"Do you like it?" Ginny asked.

"It's brilliant, Gin, it really is." She walked over to Harry, who was standing behind the counter now, looking at her and smiling. She hugged him tightly.

"Let's get out of here ASAP, alright? I'm only here because Ginny bribed me," Harry whispered into her ear. She nodded as they broke apart.

--

Two hours later, Harry and Hermione were heading back to Hogwarts, with a band of levitating gifts behind them. They got some strange looks from the students lingering in the Entrance Hall, but nevertheless continued on their way. After they had deposited everything in their dorm, they headed down to dinner. Hermione sat between Ginny and Lily, with Parvati and Lavender across from her.

"Oh come on, Hermione," they whimpered. "How did he propose?" They had been asking her this ever since they had found out that she was engaged. Hermione snapped.

"Will you two kindly leave me alone? Why don't you get a life of your own instead of barging into mine all the time?" she screeched and stormed out of the Hall, leaving her food untouched. Harry caught up to her as she reached the dorm. He spun her around and she hugged him, snuggling her face into his shoulder. She let a few tears fall from her eyes. Harry made soothing noises and rubbed her back. When she stopped crying, he looked down at her and said,

"What was that all about?" She looked up at him with red, puffy eyes and shook her head.

"They've been pestering me ever since they found out about our engagement." Harry nodded.

"Ah."

"And..."

"...you snapped." Hermione smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah." Harry held her close.

"Now the question is, do you want to go back to the Hall and eat, or do you want to sneak down to the kitchens and get food there?" Hermione thought about it.

"The kitchens, I guess," she said. "I don't really want to face the entire Hall just now."

"I didn't think you would." They walked down to the kitchens and got some food, speaking briefly with Dobby, then took the food back to their rooms. Hermione stared, dismayed, at the pile of gifts as they ate.

"You know, I'm going to have to write all those thank-you cards now." Harry looked at her calmly.

"It won't take long, I'll help." Hermione looked at him gratefully and finished her food.

--

"My hand is dying!" Harry said.

"Don't be silly," Hermione said from her desk. They had been writing thank-you notes for the past three hours, stopping only briefly for small breaks. "There. That's the last one!" She folded the parchment and tied it to Hedwig's leg. She had insisted on writing a personal message for each of the thirty five people that had attended their shower. It wasn't so much writing the "thank you for your gift" part that took so long, it was Hermione's personal message. She had made Harry write at least a paragraph in each, before she tied it into a bundle. Hedwig sat on her arm as Hermione walked over to the window. As Hermione reached it, Hedwig took off, flapping her magnificent wings, into the night.

--

"You look beautiful," Ginny said, stepping back from Hermione's vanity mirror. They were in the History of Magic classroom, which had been converted into the bride's dressing room. Hermione had stepped in and conjured a sofa, vanity mirror, and platform straight away. Ginny had just finished fixing Hermione's hair. She had put it into a bun with a few curly tendrils hanging down. How she had gotten her hair to behave, Hermione didn't know. "Now for the makeup." Hermione spun on her chair and allowed Ginny to apply the makeup to her face. "Are you nervous?" Ginny asked as she applied blush.

"You have no idea." She was nervous; ever since that morning, her stomach seemed to have been filled with butterflies. She had only eaten a bit of fruit for breakfast, at Ginny's insistence, of course; other than that, though, she hadn't eaten anything. After breakfast, she and Ginny had bade the boys goodbye and headed into the History of Magic classroom. As the stretch of time between then and the wedding lessened, she had gotten progressively more nervous.

"Don't be, sweetheart," her mother said gently.

"It'll all work out, you know that. And besides, you do love him, I can tell," Ginny said. Hermione knew that she wasn't whole-heartedly in agreement with that, but she appreciated the effort all the same.

"Thanks," she said, quietly.

"All done, take a look." Ginny stepped back and allowed Hermione to look at her reflection in the mirror. She smiled. Ginny had done a wonderful job. "Half an hour," Ginny said, checking her watch. Hermione stood up and walked to where she had hung her dress. This was it, her wedding day. She knew that her parents would be sitting out there, her father waiting to give her away. All of Hogwarts would be there as well; classes had been cancelled for the day. She smiled. The teachers had been so wonderful to her and Harry this past month. They had made allowances, assigning less homework than usual, accepting tardiness to class without question, and even (in the case of Professor McGonnagal) helped her with the plans. "Are you going to get dressed, or just stand there looking at it all day?" Hermione started. She slowly unzipped the garment bag, and exposed her dress. It was a soft white organza with beads, and tulle petticoats. It was a simple style, a sleeveless dress with a form-fitting bodice. She took it out of its bag and stepped onto the platform. With help from Ginny, she pulled it over her head and let it fall to the floor. She waited as Ginny zipped it up in back, then stepped down to put on her shoes.

She had been restless ever since breakfast, unable to stay still. She fidgeted even now as she put on the strappy shoes that she had bought. As she stood up to fix her veil on her head, her mother came and took the tiara from her.

"Here, let me do that." She gently placed the comb beneath Hermione's bun, then fluffed the veil and stepped back. "You look like an angel." Her mother wiped a tear from her eye as she looked at Hermione, who spun slightly on the spot. She sat down on the sofa, then looked at Ginny.

"How much time is left?" Ginny checked her watch.

"Fifteen minutes." Hermione sighed. It was going to be a long fifteen minutes.

--

In the Transfiguration classroom, Harry was nervously pacing around the room.

"Calm down, mate. You're going to wear out those fancy soles of yours." Ron had come to Harry a month after their fight and apologized. He said, however begrudgingly, that he would try to be happy for him and Hermione. Maybe he couldn't be with Hermione, but, as he said, at least he knew that Harry would take care of her. Harry stopped pacing and sat down in one of the chairs that had been put there.

"I don't know if I can do this, Ron," he said, head in his hands. Ron sat down next to him.

"'Course you can. You're Harry Potter! You've beaten Voldemort how many times?" Harry stared at his toes.

"That's completely different."

"Yeah? How?" Harry shrugged.

"This is for the rest of my life, that was...well, it wasn't." Ron snorted.

"Because a life-and-death battle doesn't define the rest of your life at all," he said sarcastically. Harry shot him an annoyed look. "Ten minutes. We'd better get out there." They both stood up and walked out of the room. As Harry was nervously straightening his cuffs, they nearly ran into Ginny, who had just come out of the History of Magic classroom.

"Watch where you're going!" Harry's mouth dropped. Ginny was beautiful. "Are you going to stand there gaping all day, or are you going out there?" Harry shook his head.

"How is she?" Harry asked Ginny.

"Nervous. But I would expect her to be nothing less." They walked outside onto the grounds. Ginny went over to the Weasley clan, while Harry walked up the aisle to speak with the preacher.

"How much longer?" Harry said to Ron out of the corner of his mouth.

"Five minutes," Ron whispered back. Harry's stomach twisted itself into a knot. He passed Dumbledore's portrait, sitting on a mahogany stand. Professor McGonnagal was sitting next to him, holding her handkerchief. Hogwarts had seemed to grow in size. Everyone had worn their dress robes to the wedding, Harry noticed. The Grangers looked oddly out of place. He walked over to them and sat down next to Mr. Granger.

"How are you holding up?" Mr. Granger asked Harry, who swallowed before replying.

"Nervous. Very nervous." Mr. Granger laughed.

"I'd expect so. I almost gave into my cold feet the night before our wedding."

"Luckily for me, you didn't," Harry said with a small laugh. He stood up. "I'd better be going, I need to speak with the preacher before the ceremony." Mr. Granger nodded and Harry walked away.

--

Ginny checked her watch. "Five minutes. We'd better get ready," she said. She, Hermione, and Hermione's mother left the bride's room (Ginny checked first to see if Harry was still lingering in the hallways), Ginny rounding up the bridesmaids. They got into the line, Hermione's father at her left. Ginny signaled the preacher, and the music began.

"Ready?" Hermione's father whispered. She smiled at him.

"As ready as I'll ever be." The music changed and they walked forward. Everything seemed oddly white from under Hermione's veil. She and her father walked along the white aisle, pausing once they got to the end of the chairs. Her father lifted her veil, kissed her on the cheek, and she walked forward to stand next to Harry. She smiled at him and together they turned to face the preacher. Hand in hand, they walked forward, and came to a halt in front of him.

"Dearly Beloved," the preacher began. Hermione watched him as he began the service. Thoughts raced through her head, random thoughts, any thoughts. Before she knew it, Harry was turning to face her as they joined hands to exchange rings. She held his hands, and his green eyes locked onto her brown ones. "Do you, Hermione Jane Granger, take Harry James Potter to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?" She smiled at Harry.

"I do." The preacher turned to Harry.

"Do you, Harry James Potter, take Hermione Jane Granger to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

"I do." The preacher offered a ring to Hermione. She took it and slipped it on Harry's finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed," she said, her voice trembling a bit. Harry did the same.

"Entreat me not to leave thee, or return from following after thee, for where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death part you from me," they recited together. Everything had gone as rehearsed.

"Then by the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He turned to Harry. "You may kiss the bride." Hermione's heart skipped a beat. The kiss. How had she forgotten the kiss? They both leaned in and pressed their lips together as the whole audience cheered. "I now present, for the first time in public, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter." They walked down the aisle and into the entrance hall, then filed into the History of Magic classroom. They sat down on one of the couches that Hermione had conjured there, then Hermione snuggled up to Harry.

"It's a bit weird, isn't it?" Harry looked down at her. "Being married, I mean." He thought for a moment.

"I don't really know yet. Maybe we'll be great. You never know," Harry said defensively as Hermione giggled. Someone cleared their throat at the door, and the pair looked around. It was Ginny.

"They...um...want you two in the Great Hall for the reception. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Hermione blushed.

"No," she said quickly, and got off of the couch. "We'll be there in a sec, Gin. I just want to fix my makeup." Ginny looked skeptically at her before withdrawing her head and closing the door behind her. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist as she looked in the vanity mirror in front of her. "We don't have to keep up the charade if you don't want to," she said, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"Who said it was a charade?" Harry asked softly, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder. She looked him in the eyes, astounded.

"We-we should get going to the reception," Hermione stammered. "Everyone will be waiting for us." She took his hand and led him out of the room. She didn't notice the very disappointed look on his face as she did so.

--

The Hall exploded with noise as Harry and Hermione entered it. Wild applause met them from every direction. A string quartet played somewhere beyond the mass of people that concealed them. Hermione noticed that the Slytherin crew hadn't bothered to stand. They were probably only there for the food, anyway, she thought. She and Harry made their way, hand in hand, to the top table, where the teachers, Hermione's parents, and the wedding party were waiting for them. Their places had been saved in the very middle of the table, in between Dumbledore's portrait and Professor McGonnagal. Hermione picked up the menu in front of her, and, just as she had done at the Yule Ball three years ago, placed her order with her plate.

"You know," she was saying to Harry, "they really should stop ordering food this way. It puts a lot of strain on the house elves, what with..."

"Just for today, forget about S.P.E.W." Harry interrupted her. Hermione gave a reluctant sigh.

"Alright, but just for today."

"Thank you." Harry turned to Ron, who was sitting on his left. Ginny caught Hermione's attention as she played with her corn.

"You know what, Ginny?"

"No, what?"

"Sometimes he annoys me to death." Ginny grinned.

"I know."

--

A half-hour after Hermione had finished eating her meal, the signal was given and their song began to play. Harry took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. They swayed gently on the spot in time to the song that the string quartet was now playing. Cheek to cheek, Harry said to her:

"What I said in the History of Magic classroom...I meant it." Hermione blushed.

"I know." She suddenly felt very awkward.

"I understand if you don't feel the same way...the circumstances are a bit strange, after all." Harry paused and Hermione took the opportunity to think. Did she love him as he obviously loved her?

"I...didn't treat it as a charade. It wasn't. It still isn't," Hermione said quietly. "Not to me, anyway." Harry held her a bit tighter as the quartet played on.