Author's note: Hey everyone, this is a pretty sensitive chapter for me. I'm not so sure about the ceremony, so please, tell me how you like it.
Chapter 16 - Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Dumbledore, Snape and Draco were already in the clearing when Hermione and Mc Gonagall arrived.
"Ah, Miss Granger," professor Dumbledore greeted, his eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles. "My, you are looking wonderful."
Hermione managed a feeble smile.
Next to Dumbledore, Malfoy pasted a delighted smile on his face. She stopped a few paces from them, trying very hard to quell a look of confusion on her face.
Mc Gonagall began speaking to Dumbledore in hushed tones and Snape joined in almost immediately. Draco let his smile falter slightly, and then strode up to Hermione keeping his face obscured from view. It fell back to the dispassionate mask he always wore.
"Before we begin," he said his tone seemed separate from his face. Jovial, happy even, his face was nonchalant. His voice was lowered only slightly, it was as if he wanted the professors to hear. "I have something for you, love."
Hermione raised an eyebrow as he produced a small dove gray box and handed it to her. it was obvious what it was. Behind him, the professors now looked on smiling. The grin had returned to Malfoy's face as well; however it was now rather genuine, it was also tinged more with mischief that delight.
"Go ahead," he urged. "I know how you love presents."
Hermione spared him an incredulous look as she opened the box and promptly gasped. It was a round diamond flanked by two small stones, opals, and set in white gold. That he had a ring to give her did not surprise her. She had figured that he was probably something for her as well. She had expected, however, a huge gaudy diamond set in gold so heavy that she would not be able to life her hand. The diamond was smaller than expected, still large, perfectly clear and obviously expensive, but only as large as the nail on her pinky finger. The two opals that flanked it were magnificent each was a rainbow of colour dominated by green and red. a lot more care had gone into the picking of these rings than she had thought. He didn't just order the most expensive. He had actually looked for something she would like.
She didn't think he was capable.
"Mal-" she caught herself before she gasped his name out loud. "Magnificent." she quickly added. "Oh, m-Draco its-its-"
"Holding up the ceremony." Draco finished for her. He turned back to the professors, fake smile back in place. "Shall we begin?"
"Certainly." Dumbledore said, he nodded to Mc Gonagall. "Minerva if you will,"
Mc Gonagall smiled and waved her wand at Hermione, a crown of white flowers appeared on her head. Hermione touched it and smiled. she mouthed thank you at there teacher knowing that it was no longer permitted to talk outside the what was chanted during the ceremony..
"We are gathered here today to bear witness to the joining of these two people." Dumbledore began. He was reciting the ceremony from pure memory. "They have agreed to be bound together in the sacred sacrament of matrimony. They are here of their own will and no one else's."
He turned to Hermione.
"Who are you?"
"I am Hermione Granger." Hermione said firmly.
"Who do you pledge yourself to?"
Hermione spared Draco a glance before she said,
"Draco Malfoy."
"Do you accept him fully, bear with his faults and rejoice in his virtues?"
Hermione cringed inwardly. She very much wanted to ask Dumbledore what his virtues were.
"I do."
"Do you vow to be with him and be his whole as long as your love shall live?
"I do."
"Who does stand to bear witness to Hermione Granger's vow?"
Professor mc Gonagall placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"I do stand."
Dumbledore took Hermione's hand and turned to Draco and asked him the same question.
"Who are you?"
"I am Draco Malfoy." Draco replied with out hesitation.
"Who do you pledge yourself to?"
"Hermione Granger."
"Do you accept her completely, mourn her losses and rejoice her gains?"
"I do."
"Do you vow to be with her, to be her strength as long as your love shall live?"
"I do."
"Who does stand to bear witness to Draco Malfoy's vow?"
Professor Snape stepped up and placed his hand on Draco's shoulder.
"I do stand."
Dumbledore took Draco's hand and joined it with Hermione's.
"We shall begin the ceremony of the rings." he said solemnly.
Hermione knew her cue. Mc Gonagall handed her the ring of platinum.
"Take this Ring, Draco." she said repeating ancient words. "as a symbol of my love, as a symbol of my trust and my devotion."
She placed the band on his right hand ring finger. in the muggle world, both the bride and groom wear their rings on their left ring fingers, but in the wizarding world, they followed the more archaic symbolisms. Right for male, left for female.
"By accepting it, you accept me wholly. Do you accept?"
She looked into Draco's eyes. There was no love in her gaze. It was a challenge. His eyes met hers, slowly and deliberately.
"I do." he replied.
She was distracted by a sudden glint; she realized that that must be the ring for her. Snape had just handed it to Draco. She looked down at it and has to stifle a gasp. It was beautiful. No it was more than beautiful. She had to hand it to Malfoy; he had excellent taste in rings.
"Take this ring, Hermione," he said impassively. He saw her eyes widen as she caught sight of the magnificent ring he was bestowing upon her. He very nearly smirked. "As a symbol of my love, as a symbol of my protection and my trust."
He placed the band on the ring finger on her left hand.
"By accepting it, you accept me wholly. Do you accept?"
"I do."
Dumbledore then took a white rope and showed it to the assembled four.
"Hermione Granger, I cannot bind you to Draco Malfoy, only you have the power to do that, is it your will?"
Hermione sighed and nodded.
"it is my will."
Dumbledore nodded once and turned to Draco.
"Draco Malfoy, I cannot bind you to Hermione Granger, only you have the power to do that. Is it your will?"
"It is my will." Draco replied again devoid of any self consciousness. He had seen this done a million times, he could have recited this is his sleep if need be. in fact, he would rather have been asleep for the ceremony.
Hermione looked on with envy as if she knew what was going on in his head. She was jealous of his careless ease with everything. She really had to pay attention to learn her cues.
The old headmaster took the rope and would it three times around the clasped hands of Draco and Hermione.
"Then, by the leave of these two people do I bind them together as one." Dumbledore continued reciting the final words of the ceremony. "One in love, one in life, one in soul."
they all felt it, there was a surge of power that shocked them momentarily, the two ends of the rope merged into each other, creating a circle. That was not the only difference, Hermione inspected the cord thoroughly, now interwoven between the white fibers were a single silver and a single gold strand.
"Best be keeping that, Madame Malfoy." Mc Gonagall said from behind her, the older woman closed Hermione's hands around it. "Many believe that severing the cord means the ruin of the marriage. I've known many a witch who has cast dozens of safety charms on hers."
Hermione struggled to come up with something to say in reply, apparently she hesitated for a moment too long because Snape whipped out his wand and turned to her.
"Allow me, Madam Malfoy." he said, Hermione could swear there was a hint of a sinister smile on his face. "Incorgio."
A silver ribbon shot out of his wand and then surrounded the white cord, for a second the entire cord was silver, and then the silver seeped into the white leaving the rope exactly as it was before. He turned to his protégé.
"Can't be too careful, eh, Draco?"
Even Draco's smile was half hearted; he and Hermione stared at the circle.
The rope sealed the deal. They really were in this together, and they were going to have to be together for a while.
"Look at them, headmaster," Snape said, his voice filled with malice. "They are so delighted they can't even speak." he paused. Draco had to stop himself from wincing. He knew Snape well, when he paused in the middle of a statement like this, it meant the worse was yet to come. He wasn't sure how much worse he could stand for it to get. "Just imagine how delighted they will be when they find out what we have in store for them."
Dumbledore nodded.
"My, yes." he said.
"What do you have for us?" Hermione squeaked, next to her Draco cringed as her voice came out an octave higher than he was sure she intended.
"You will be quite pleased Madame Malfoy." Snape said silkily. "Trust me."
Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"It's about time we return to the castle." he said. "We have been here quite long enough. Come, Professor Mc Gonagall, Madame Malfoy."
Hermione looked back at Draco, but Dumbledore urged her on.
"You will see him later." the headmaster whispered to her. "Not to worry."
She swallowed and then nodded, she allowed herself to be steered back up to the castle. She was glad the teachers were there to guide her, because she suddenly felt completely dazed.
Madame Malfoy.
Oh Merlin.