In a small chapel on New Year's Day, it was to be the day war heroes Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger finally became man and wife. The interior of the chapel had been beautifully decorated as befitting heroes and the guests made appropriate sounds of appreciation as they walked in. Colourful flowers adorned the aisle, the high stained windows had been polished till they shone and miles and miles of gold satin ribbons hung gracefully from the ceilings. To most of the guests they hadn't been surprised when they had received their invitation to the ceremony as they believed that this wedding was already a given in the progression of Ron and Hermione's relationship.

"I knew this would eventually happen," Lavender Brown could be overheard saying from the middle pews. "Of course that was after my tryst with Ron ended back in the sixth year."

"My Ronnie's finally getting married to Hermione!" Molly Weasley sobbed from the front row as they awaited the start of the ceremony. "They were made for each other!"

To the man sitting in the back row however, this wedding was to be the end of him. Figuratively and literally. Draco Malfoy could clearly make out what the incessant chatter was all about but he knew deep in his heart of hearts that they were all wrong.

"Like hell Ron Weasley is the man for Hermione!" Draco thought indignantly as he shot glares at everyone present in the chapel.

When no one seemed to respond to his death glares, Draco turned his irate gaze to the front of the chapel. Dead center at the front, he could see Ron Weasley shuffling his huge feet with a nervous grin on his face. Ron was dressed in a black tuxedo and with his riotous red hair he didn't look a day over seventeen. Right beside him, as best man, stood the heroes of all heroes, Harry Potter. Harry was also dressed in black and his hair had been attempted to be flattened but to no avail. It still looked somewhat like a disaster. Harry was outwardly beaming and patting Ron on the back but Draco caught him shooting furtive looks at the chapel's door.

"Probably afraid she won't show up," Draco thought with a smirk.

Harry had been one of the few people who had even known of Hermione's relationship with Draco during the War. Harry was also the guy that Draco had gotten killed for while trying to assist him in the final battle.

"Potter you still owe me one!" Draco shouted at the top of his lungs, for lack of nothing better to do.

No reaction. Harry was still grinning. Oh well, he wasn't expecting anything anyway.

Draco was getting impatient as he fidgeted in his seat. He was here to see Hermione again on the happiest day of her life. But so far all he had seen were annoying Gryffindors and their disgustingly happy lives.

Draco's attention slowly wandered to the decorations of the chapel. So far Hermione's wedding was nothing like he imagined. At some time long ago when the both of them had spoken freely (albeit a little hesitantly at first) of wedding plans and their future lives, her dreams had been about the complete opposite of what he was presently witnessing. Draco's heart clenched painfully at the thought of how much she had evidently changed since then.

"Will all the guests please stand up in welcoming the wedding procession?" the pleasant faced priest finally called from the front of the room, snapping Draco out of his reverie.

"Took you long enough," Draco muttered as he slowly unfurled his long body and stood up along with the rest of the guests. Without realising it, he was holding his breath in anticipation as he turned his full attention towards the chapel doors. He hadn't seen Hermione for what felt like a million lifetimes and he missed her. Every day, he missed her.

The large doors to the chapel were slowly pushed open and out came two sweet little children throwing flowers on their way down the aisle. Redheads and freckles.

"Junior Weasleys of course," Draco thought without much interest.

Then out came Ginny Weasley looking pretty in a light gold bridesmaid dress that highlighted the gold streaks in her copper hair. Draco watched as she winked cheekily at Potter.

Then the opening notes to the Wedding March swelled grandly. All the guests started craning their necks to get a better glimpse of the bride.

…And finally…. there she was. A vision in wedding white. Her hair rained down in soft chestnut curls and her face was glowing as if she had a secret no one else knew.

Draco's breath caught in his throat as he stood there transfixed, as he watched her walk down the aisle on her beaming father's arm. She was exactly as he remembered. There was something completely bittersweet about this image of her walking down the aisle. Of her about to marry a man that wasn't him. And as much as he resented it, he wanted her to be happy. He wanted that almost more than he wanted anything in the world. His eyes followed her as she reached the front of the chapel and turned to her father. Her father had tears in his eyes as he kissed his only daughter and whispered something in her ear. Hermione's face softened and she smiled gently up at him.

A split second before she turned to her fiancé, Draco caught a flash of unexpected emotion in Hermione's face. Draco froze. Had he seen it right?

Up in the front Hermione and Ron faced each other, hand in hand with the priest visible between them. Draco could now clearly see the expression on Ron's face when Ron looked at Hermione. It was of love and wonderment.

"It'd better be. That Weasley had better treat her right even if he has to sell his poor ass to do it!" Draco thought fiercely.

He was relieved though at the knowledge that Hermione would never have to struggle in life. He had made sure of it. On the event of his death the entire Malfoy estate now belonged to her.

Draco searched Hermione's face carefully but she was smiling again. He must not have seen it right. Not on her wedding day.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today…."

Draco let his eyes rove leisurely on her face. He knew it so well. The curve of her mouth when'd she smiled prettily at a joke he told. Or more accurately she'd probably been smiling at his lousy attempts at jokes. He'd never been that funny after all. Most times he just wanted to make her laugh again after a hard day's work, chasing Death Eaters and experiencing all the death and mayhem. And the colour of her eyes and the way it changed shades when she was happy or sad or mad….

And there it was again! Draco knew he couldn't be mistaken this time. There had definitely been sadness and pain in Hermione's eyes.

"Do you Hermione Jane Granger take Ronald Weasley to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

For the briefest of moments, Draco saw Hermione's eyes slid away from Weasley's face to the back of the chapel where he was standing and their eyes locked. Draco's insides turned to ice. She couldn't see him could she? The moment passed however as soon as it happened and Hermione turned her eyes back to Ron.

"I do," she said gently in a barely audible voice.

Even when he had been expecting those words it still tore at his gut to hear them.

"If anyone opposes this union, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Draco longed so badly to shout that he damn well bloody opposed! He was supposed to marry Hermione! He wanted to be there for her in sickness and in health…He was already half way up his chair and just straining to say the words when with a huge tortured sigh he sat back down heavily. There was no use.

The priest satisfied with the lack of response, proclaimed loudly in a jovial tone,

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Draco turned away at the words. If he had to see Weasley actually kiss Hermione…he'd probably find a way to stab Weasley in his sleep. Draco cast his eyes around the guests with no feeling in his heart. As his eyes passed the middle pews, he realised with a jolt that there was a young girl sitting there staring at him.

Slowly Draco got up his heart pounding with excitement as he walked towards her She could help him. There was no doubt that she could see him. Her wide blue eyes followed his progression until he was right in front of her.

"Hi. I'm Draco," Draco said softly as he knelt in front of her.

"I'm Bethany."

A long pause as they both stared at each other.

Then, "Are you a ghost?"

Draco glanced briefly at the people around them. Nobody seemed to realise that this little girl was talking to herself. They were too busy concentrating on the couple up front.

"Not really. People who die get to pick one day back with the living and well, today's my only day on earth before I move on," Draco explained.

"When did you die?" she asked curiously.

Draco gave a bitter laugh.

"A very very long time ago."

"Then why wait until now to move on?"

Unwillingly Draco's eyes were drawn to Hermione. His Hermione. Now Ron's Hermione.

Bethany saw the changes in his face. One of regret, longing and finally just plain love.

"You wanted to wait to see Aunt Hermione get married," Bethany answered herself as she grasped the situation.

Draco turned back to Bethany and composed his features. He never expected it'd be this hard to see Hermione again. Wasn't death supposed to mellow him or something? Yet he still felt all his emotions stronger than ever. Jealousy, resentment, longing, love.

"Yeah I did. I wanted to remember her as the happiest she'll ever be. I figured it'd be today," Draco admitted softly.

Suddenly before Bethany could reply Draco felt an unwelcome tug at his body and feelings of panic rippled through him. His time was running out. Urgently he turned to Bethany, "Can you do something for me?..."

….A few minutes later, under a shower of rice and well wishes, Ron and Hermione dashed out hand in hand to the front steps of the chapel.