He pulled down the sleeves to his button up before straightening his tie underneath his vest. The navy blue highlighted the soft tan Harry's skin held. He gave himself a once over — nervous that he'd missed something, but everything looked perfect. Throwing his suit coat on, he collected his emotions and reminded himself it was a day like any other day.

Today was the day he had been counting down to. He had waited for weeks for it to come, and the anxious twists inside of his stomach told him it was finally here. He let out the breathe he had been holding; it was time.

His breath caught as he walked into the ball room for the first time. It was absolutely stunning.

White wooden chairs sat in lines on two sides of the aisle, adorned by navy blue bows on the first chair of every fourth row. Pictures lined the side of the walk way for guests to look at as they took their seats, sharing memories once lost in time.

He walked down the center aisle to one of the pictures. He picked it up and looked at the two happy kids captured inside the frame. They were dressed up in formal wear, but formalities had long been forgotten as the boy and girl traipsed around, giggling in an everlasting memory.

Harry smiled as he remembered the day Mrs. Granger had snapped the picture of him and Hermione goofing off before a school event. He spun Hermione in circles after she slipped into her newly hemmed dress, but his waltz died out quickly as she fell over his feet and back onto him. The picture failed to show the fall to come, and Harry was left to remember it on his own.

Smirking to himself, he returned the picture to its place on the ground and continued to follow the pictures through the years. He could've sworn along the way he caught one or two moving before quickly returning to their frozen position. Hermione's family and friends mostly came from the muggle world and still were under aware of the magical world she split her time between.

The entire room felt more magical than a silly moving picture to him. Strands of lights hung from the center of the room to the wall, forming a canopy of lights over the room. The aisle ran up to a small stage where a trellis stood on. Flowing curtains hung over the arch with dark blue flowers running up its posts, hiding the dark metal behind their beauty.

A table hid deep under the frame for the unity ceremony. Harry walked under the trellis and up to the table. There were empty jars and some odd items that hadn't been collected after setting up the room. He ignored most of them and picked up the lone piece of paper on the table: MARRIAGE LICENSE.

It made it feel even more surreal than anything. The words blaring their meaning up at them and realizing it wouldn't be long until the blanks would be inked up. The paper felt heavy in his hand.

"Harry." He looked back to see Ginny in her bridesmaid dress. She was gorgeous, and he couldn't help but smile. He had no regrets about letting her go all those years ago, but her beauty always managed to take him back initially. "It's time." She informed him before heading back out the entrance.

The nerves reared their head once again as he put the paper back on the table. He exhaled attempting to gain control before following Ginny out.

Harry hid at the back of the grand hall as the ushers led seated arriving guests. The ceremony was about to start, and the hall filled with chattering voices as their owners waited in anticipation for the music to signal the start of the service. Despite the small number of guests, the noise level pricked Harry's ears as he looked on, looking for familiar faces.

Harry jumped as a soft touch glided across his back.

"Sorry," Mrs. Granger whispered next to him as she joined him in his hiding spot. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No worries," Harry said between calming breaths. "I was just waiting for the ceremony to start."

"It's beautiful isn't it?" She asked.

"Yeah, I imagine it's everything Hermione ever wanted."

"Not everything."

She didn't elaborate, and Harry didn't notice her looking at him. The ceremony was moments away, and Harry knew he needed to take his place on stage soon but couldn't seem to get his feet to move where he needed.

He had dreamed of this day for years, but he never imagined it like this.

"I never thought this day would come." Mrs. Granger pressed on, "I remember the first time you came over to the house. You were so scrawny back then, and I honestly thought your aunt and uncle weren't feeding you — mind you, I still don't think they were. You still had so much life in you though, and it seemed just grow as you spent time with us.

"I hope you know I knew then that you were falling for her. You were so patient over the years, culturing and growing those feelings. You always put her first and protected her from whatever you could, and I'm so glad you ended up at Hogwarts with her. It was easier letting her go knowing you were with her even though you both were so young."

Harry swallowed back the emotions fighting their way up his throat. He watched as Grant walked to the front of the hall with his best man in tow. He said a quick word to the priest before taking his place off to the side.

"It should be you up there." Mrs. Granger whispered as she rubbed Harry's back in sympathy before walking back to the ceremony.

A tear slid down Harry's face as his control broke. He quickly wiped the tear away, trying to recover his composure. The rest of the groomsmen took their place beside Grant and Harry watched as them leave space for him to join them, but as he looked on, he knew he couldn't make it through this.

The years had passed between them, and despite everything, he continued to always show up in support whenever she needed him. He was her groomsman and he never wanted to let her down, but as he looked at his spot next to Grant, he couldn't do it.

Harry slid out the door behind him and headed to the exit across the entrance hall. The music started to play. He stopped half way out the door and looked back, reconsidering his decision. He locked eyes with Mrs. Granger as she talked to her husband. A curt nod from her re-solidified his decision.

He pushed through the door and left Hermione behind for the first time in his life...

Hermione watched as Harry paused at the door. She couldn't see what caused him to stop, but it didn't hold his attention long as he ran out seconds later. She took a step toward the door to go after him to find out where she was going but was caught by the wedding planner and her father.

"It's time." The wedding planner said, "You look beautiful. Now remember to keep breathing and don't lock your knees. Here we go."

Harry walked through the door of his flat and threw the keys onto the counter. His hair was a mess from the number of times he had ran his hand threw it on the way home. His tie was hanging loose around his neck and his vest hung open, giving him a disheveled look as he headed to his kitchen.

He pulled a beer out of the fridge as he pulled off his tie and threw it on the ground. He took a swig, regretting so many decisions he made. If he had simply had courage all those years ago, he wouldn't have gave her away today. He never even told her how he felt.

Hermione stood outside the door. She looked at the bouquet in her hands. The day was here, and her anxiety levels hadn't calmed since she woke up today. She tightened her grip around the flowers, attempting to cease her shaking hands. This was it. This was the day she'd dreamed off.

She looked at the wooden door in front of her and took a deep breathe as it opened.

Knock. Harry barely heard the noise even in the silence of his flat, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd heard something. He took one last swig before setting the beer down and heading to the door. He may not have heard anything at all and simply lost himself in the alcohol rather quickly, but he couldn't shake the feeling to check.

"Hermione…" Harry whispered, finding her behind the door in her wedding dress.

Tears rolled down her flushed cheeks as she stood in his doorway. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out until she eventually choked out something barely audible to even him. He didn't need to hear it to know though as the tears cascaded down her face harder and she fell into his arms.

"It was always suppose to be you."