Will You Give Me Away?

Hermione barely slept that night—partly because of all the excitement before the wedding, but mostly because her mind couldn't stop circling around that moment she had given in to the urge to kiss him.

She'd be a fool not to admit that beneath her hurt and disappointment, she still had feelings for him. For twenty years, she had thought she had left that summer behind, that she had moved on and built up her own little world in a place that hadn't been touched by memories.

And now he was here.

Bringing back all those stupid memories—of him holding her whenever she needed it in her grief over her parents dying in an accident, of all those soft kisses and murmured words against her skin, or the safety of his arms.

She hated him for that.

And yet, her heart ached as if those twenty years hadn't passed; it still ached for him, still wanted the comfort of his arms, the soft smile on his lips just before he'd lean down to steal a kiss from her.

Just why did she have to kiss him last night?

..

It was almost noon when she saw her daughter slowly cross the main yard towards the kitchen, eyes covered with a pair of sunglasses and her face all pale. "Sofia! Why aren't you getting ready?"

Sofia winced and then slowly turned around, covering her unease with a thin smile. "Mama, please! Not so loud!"

After a brief chuckle at the apparent bad hangover of her daughter, Hermione came closer and offered her hand. "Come with me, I'll make you one of my hangover cures, although you're not going to like the taste."

"Your cures always taste horrible, Mama..." Despite her complaining, Sofia followed her willingly to the small storage room where they kept a small stack of potion ingredients, mostly to cure simple ailments and heal small injuries. Or the occasional hangover.

"You sure had fun last night," Hermione said as she entered the small storage room, immediately checking the shelves; Sofia briefly gagged in response to the sea of smells that greeted them, but then managed to sit down on the chair that was leaning against the walls. "When did you go to bed?"

"I don't remember, only that Myles and Andrea brought me up to my room. I think they made sure I had some water before sleeping. Ugh, my head!"

Hermione nodded and searched for the ingredients she needed for her hangover cure, making mental notes that a few of the pots were dangerously empty.

"Mama?" Sofia winced at her own voice, as well as the sound of the mortar that Hermione used to grind everything. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"I feel like... I mean, sometimes I think you don't like the idea of me getting married. Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

Hermione didn't quite know how to answer this question, as it had taken her by surprise. So, instead, she silently kept working on mixing everything together.

"Mum? Please? Do you think I'm making a mistake? I mean I don't want to leave you all alone–"

"You're hung-over, my dear," Hermione replied evasively and liquefied everything before pouring it into the cup and handing it to Sofia."Drink this."

Hesitantly, Sofia took the cup and swallowed it as fast as she could, before the taste buds could catch up. It was indeed a horrible taste, but it was the price you paid to cure a hangover.

Meanwhile, Hermione pulled the small stool closer that was usually stored under the work table; she sighed deeply as she sat down. "Why are you asking? Isn't the white wedding what you wanted?"

Sofia swallowed once more in a probably futile attempt to remove the rest of the horrible drink that still clung to her tongue; at least she had regained some colour in her cheeks. "It was. You know I always dreamed to have my whole family at my wedding... I mean you, my father, and everyone we know. But... You know, I want to see the world too. And I want children. I'm sure Myles would be a great father. Just, what if it doesn't work out and I end up like you?"

"What do you mean?" Confused, Hermione leaned forward, trying to resist the urge to cross her arms. "We had a great time together–"

"Did we?"

"Sofia, is everything okay?" Hermione's confusion was replaced with worry, although she still didn't quite understand what was going on. "Did you have a fight with Myles?"

"Mama! No!"

"I can still call everything off; they would understand–"

"Ugh, no!" Sofia straightened up. "I was right! You think it's stupid to get married! I mean, you just did the baby thing–"

"Sofia!"

"You never married, so of course you wouldn't like me doing exactly that! I love Myles and I do want to be with him; I do want to have children with him one day. But I don't want my children to grow up without their father, or even know who their father is, because it's... it's just crap, okay?"

"We did well enough without your father–"

"Mama, I wasn't blind, okay? I saw the families that stayed at our hotel. I saw all those children playing with both their parents. And I only had you. Didn't you think I might want to know too?"

"I... Sofia, I... Maybe we should talk ab–"

"Forget it! You're not going to tell me anyway." With a sudden move, Sofia rose to her feet to storm out of the storage room.

Hermione was baffled at the sudden emotional turn their conversation had taken, and she was wondering why Sofia was asking all those questions right now, just before her wedding. She followed her outside, but once she reached the yard, she could only see her turn around a corner, already too far away to catch up with her.

Hermione was sure it was going to be an emotional day, however it was going to end...

..

"So, this is your little dungeon..." Pansy leaned against the open door, with a smirk and a pair of sunglasses that hid what was probably rings as big as her bracelets; Hermione was moving. "And from the smell, exactly what I was looking for."

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle and motioned her to come inside and sit down. "Don't tell me you did finish that bottle after I left–"

"Maybe. But Stavros helped me." Pansy let herself fall on the chair where Sofia had just sat moments ago. "But honestly, I didn't get much sleep because, boy, he's got some stamina and a damn wicked tongue."

"Too much information!" Hermione briefly covered her ears, but still had to laugh before she started preparing a Hangover Potion for her friend. "Maybe I should remind my staff that intimate relationships with my guests are a no-go–"

"Blame me, then." Pansy pushed her sunglasses up, placing them on her head, wincing slightly at the light in the room. "But come on, he's single and good looking; have you never thought about... you know?"

"Pansy!"

"I mean it, my dear. I think you do need to get laid again–"

"I'm done with men! Nothing but empty promises and heartbreak." With a deep sigh, Hermione ground the ingredients for the potion in her mortar, maybe with a little more force than necessary.

"Oh yes, you absolutely need to get laid again, honey!" Pansy chuckled, only to wince in pain afterwards.

"Yeah, last time I got laid I ended up pregnant with Sofia... So, no, not going to happen again." Ignoring Pansy's wince, Hermione filled the ground ingredients in the cup before casting a spell to liquefy it. "And definitely not with Draco! No!"

"What?" Pansy looked at her with furrowed brows, her hands still massaging her temples. "You saw him? I thought he had enough sense to leave the party–"

"He was there!" Hermione handed her the Hangover Potion with a sigh. "It was so stupid... I mean, he-he just stood there, in the courtyard while I sang the song Sofia loves so much. He hasn't changed at all, that damn idiot!"

"Did you hex him?" Pansy inspected the drink in her cup, making a face at the smell but still put the cup to her lips to down it as fast as she could.

"Worse. I kissed him."

Pansy spat out the last mouthful of the potion and coughed hard. "WHAT?"

"It-It was his smell. He still uses the same aftershave... Ugh!" Hermione rubbed her face, mostly to hide the tears that threatened to well up in response to the memory. "It was exactly like he used to kiss me..."

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..."

"Yeah, and now Sofia is questioning everything as well. Maybe I should just call everything off and close the hotel for a few days."

"I'm sure it's just nerves," Pansy replied with a sympathetic smile and got up. "I mean, she is about to make a lifelong commitment to another person."

"I-I don't know, Pans. I feel like there's something else going on that she isn't telling me, you know?" Hermione moved around the table until she was right in front of her friend and then leaned against it, her arms crossed in front of her.

Pansy opened her arms in an offer of a hug, and Hermione gladly accepted, letting herself go for a moment as she was held. She was so tired of taking care of everything and having no one who would take care of her. Right now, she was glad that her best friend was staying at the hotel, with no distances separating them.

"I'm sure that at the end of the day, everything will be just fine. Your daughter will be married by then, and we all enjoy a wonderful feast in the main yard. And if you want, I'll hex that idiot off the island for you, his son included."

"Thanks," Hermione replied, with a deep sigh. "But I think I'll deal with him myself."

"Okay." Pansy let get of her, even taking a small step back. "Now, come and join me for a late breakfast before I need to get started on my look."

"I think I do have a bit of time," Hermione replied with a relieved chuckle. "By the way, do you still use that facial cream with extracts of donkey testicles?"

"Honey, no! That is so over! These days, it's all about those Indian snails! You can have some if you want–"

"No! I'll stick with my soap!" Hermione laughed as she led Pansy out of her storage room. "Now, breakfast."

..

Later in the afternoon, Hermione was finally satisfied with the preparations for the wedding feast, and after giving Maria the last instructions, she now enjoyed a breather in her room, relishing in a long shower to get all the dirt and sweat off her skin; her hair needed a completely different routine though, and it was always the most time-consuming one.

The dress Pansy had brought her as a gift hung on her wardrobe door, simple but elegant and flowing softly in the light afternoon breeze. Slowly, she worked her favourite care product into her hair, the one that really helped to tame it enough in order to have any hairstyle done. Tonight, at the wedding, she didn't want to wear her usual bun that kept it out of her neck, but rather let it curl down her back, or maybe over her shoulder.

Or should she do a braid? It was never easy with her hair.

She sighed in response to her own indecisiveness as she kept massaging her head to make sure the lotion was worked in well.

"Mama?" Sofia knocked on the door, sounding unsure.

"Just come in. I'm doing my hair."

A towel wrapped around her body, Sofia entered the room, a few drops still running down her skin. "I think I made a mistake. I'm never going to have my hair dry in time..."

Hermione got up with a soft smile, reaching for her wand as soon as she was on her feet. "Let's see what we can do..."

Sofia stood still while Hermione briefly checked her hair before she started to use a softer Heating Spell that helped to dry hair, much like the hair dryers the Muggles used. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, Mama. I didn't mean to hurt you..."

Hermione gave her daughter a small kiss on her cheek before she continued drying her hair. "It's okay. And in a way, you were right, I really only did the baby thing. But I think I did a good job raising you, didn't I? I only wish I could have you here a little longer, my dear."

"I know." Sofia winced when Hermione run her fingers through the hair and caught a small knot. "Do... Do you feel like I'm letting you down?"

Hermione stopped and stepped around Sofia to look at her; there was that questioning expression again she had seen earlier in her storage room. "Why do you think that? Because you get married while I never did?"

Sofia shook her head. "I mean, you told me you were top of her class at Hogwarts, that you had a chance for a great career, and now you're running a business all on your own."

"I'd rather have you than some career, my love. Seeing you grow up, that was the most rewarding thing in my life. Seeing how you learned to find your own way, and your own happiness—nothing can beat that! And the only advice I really want to give you is, do what makes you happy, okay?"

Nodding, Sofia hugged her tightly and took several deep breaths. "Thanks, Mama."

Hermione felt just as emotional as her daughter, and she fought hard not to cry. However, when they broke the hug, they were both wiping their eyes; thankfully neither of them had yet applied their make-up. "You wanted a braid, right?"

"Yes, but... but I can do that myself." Sofia checked her hair that was now finally as dry as it needed to be for the style she wanted.

"Let me, at least one last time," Hermione said as she reached for the hand of her daughter to lead her to her vanity where she had just sat earlier. "And we'll add a few of those pearls you love so much; I think they'd fit your dress perfectly."

However, Sofia made a step towards the door with a sheepish smile. "I think I need to put on the dress first..."

"Right." Hermione nodded and glanced to her own dress, feeling a tiny wave of excitement flowing through her. And she figured that she'd let her hair flow freely, only using a little fixator to keep the frizz at bay. She loved how it framed her face right now, only loosely kept out of her face, and a few strands falling over her shoulder.

Just as she sat down again to finish her styling, the door was opened once more.

Sofia poked her head through, her cheeks blushing. "Mama, I forgot to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Will you give me away?"

Hermione dropped the bottle she already held in her hand and ran over to the door, only to kiss her daughter on the forehead, cupping her cheeks. "Of course!"

..

Of course, and she had almost expected it, Hermione was running late to her daughter's wedding. First, she had to redo her whole make-up, and then Maria who wanted to know something that apparently couldn't wait until later.

Thankfully, Pansy remembered that she hated heels with a passion, so she was reasonably fast in her flats, as she crossed the small square just in front of the small village church. She could already hear the organ playing, knowing that her daughter was just waiting inside in a corner, ready to be led down the aisle.

"Hermione! Hermione! Wait!"

She had just reached the first steps that led up to the church entrance when she heard her name being called across the square. The familiar voice sent a shiver down her spine before she managed to keep her calm, as she still very much wanted to hex him into the next dimension.

Especially for that goddamn kiss.

"Now is not the time, Draco! And I already told you to leave us alone!"

"Who's giving Sofia away?" He ran towards her, careful not to stumble over the stone plates.

"I will." She chuckled bitterly and shook her head in disbelief. "She asked me. Now leave us alone. I'm already late as it is."

"I have an invitation too. And she told me that she wants her father here. Ever figured her father might want that too?"

"Not now, please!"

"Come on, Hermione. This is about us. And the fact that we're really bad at communicating–"

"Oh no! Don't you Hermione me now! You fucking ran away and left me alone when I needed you the most!"

"Oh for fuck's sake. Listen for once, will you? I had to go back because of my job, I told you that! But I only went back to quit my position as well as break off my engagement with Astoria. I thought you'd wait for me. I did come back, but you were gone… Just gone. For a whole fucking month, I tried to find you, but either people tried to protect you for whatever reason or told me you had already someone else. Some redhead or so..."

"You-You came back for me?"

"Yes. I tried to tell you that for the last few days. I never stopped thinking about you, always wondered where you were now, and what you were doing. I really missed you."

Hermione didn't know what to say in response to those words, she only took a deep breath and shook her head before she ran up the rest of the stairs to finally join the wedding ceremony. She couldn't believe what he had just told her, and her heart beat so hard that she thought her chest was about to explode.

But she didn't have the time to process those emotions right now, as she was supposed to be the happy mother of the bride.

"Mama! Finally!" With a relieved smile, Sofia immediately hugged her.

"Don't you cry before you kiss your groom," Hermione said after letting go, seeing the teary eyes of her daughter, just before she pulled the veil down. "But you look wonderful, my dear."

"Thanks, Mama."

The priest gave the sign to the organ player, and as soon as the first notes of the Wedding March were played, Hermione led Sofia down the aisle. Everyone was smiling, wearing their best suits and dresses. They all wished Sofia good luck and good fertility as she passed them.

Angelos and Christos sat in the front row and bowed their heads as Sofia waved at them, her grandfathers of sorts who wouldn't miss the wedding of their little angel for nothing in the world.

Hermione's seat was next to Christos, and after one last kiss on her daughter's cheek, she made to sit down; her heart made another jump when she saw a blond head all the way in the back, leaning against the wall next to the church entrance. With a deep sigh, she let herself fall on her seat, gladly accepting the handkerchief Christos silently offered her.

For the moment, she was just overwhelmed with emotions, and she wished she knew how to deal with them. How to deal with him. And how to deal with herself too.

"Welcome to Sofia and Myles," the priest began, his hands raised and a warm smile on his face, "and to all your friends and family who have gathered together this evening. And welcome, especially to Hermione, who represents the family of the bride. We are all here together in this glorious–"

Hermione stood up, without thinking twice about the interruption. "And welcome... Welcome to Sofia's father."

Sofia and everyone assembled in the church looked at her, either in confusion or pure curiosity. "Mama?"

"He's here. I don't know why, but he's here."

Giving Myles and the priest a quick apologising smile, Sofia turned towards her mother. "I know. I invited him."

For the longest of moments, Hermione just switched between Sofia in front of her and Draco in the back before she finally managed to process it. "Oh my gods! That's why he's here!"

"Mama, I'm sorry! I just... I just had to. Please forgive me. Please!"

With careful steps, Draco came closer, although he still remained silent to not interrupt the moment.

By now, Hermione could no longer hold back her tears. "I'm so sorry. I should have told you long ago. But maybe I hoped you'd never ask. Can you forgive me?"

"You're my mother, and the best one I could have hoped for. I love you! I don't care what happened back then; I'll always love you..."

"She's right, you know?" Draco said in a low, soft voice as he made another step closer. "You did a great job."

"Now you're butting in," Pansy remarked from her spot in the second row, throwing him a glare. "It only took you twenty years to show up."

"She's sort of right," Sofia added as she carefully wiped her eyes until Myles handed her a tissue from his pocket. "I mean, you did leave my mother and married someone else and had a son, while we build up our lives here. But I'm still glad you came at all."

"Now, since it seems that it's been sorted out, shall we continue?" the priest asked, looking at each of them expectantly.

"Of course." Hermione took a deep breath to calm her nerves and returned to her seat; behind her, she could hear Pansy grumble as she had to move to make space for Draco. With a smile, she saw Sofia and Myles briefly chat as the priest checked where he had been interrupted in his speech.

"Dearly beloved–"

"Wait!" Sofia said, with Myles nodding in agreement, and turned towards her mother once more. "You told me this afternoon to do what makes me happy. Now I know what I want, what makes me happy. Myles, let not get married just yet–"

"What?" Hermione let out with a gasp; behind her, many more shocked gasps and confused murmurs could be heard.

"I never wanted this; it was always Sofia's dream–"

"Let's get off this island and see the world! See Paris, London, New York!"

"Make a trip through Africa!" Myles added as he grabbed Sofia's hand to lead her down the aisle. "I love you even more now!"

Everyone watched them run out of the church, laughing as they shared more destinations they wanted to see. The confused murmur only grew once the couple was out of sight, and the priest cleared his throat to gain attention. "Hermione, am I right to assume that the wedding is cancelled?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure what just happened," Hermione replied, still looking around, only stopping when she met Draco's gaze. If only her heart would stop jumping every time she noticed him. It was almost startling how openly he showed his adoration for her—she could see it in his eyes, even his smile. And damn, she wanted it back.

Then Draco got up from his seat, his smile growing. "Let's not waste a good wedding."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd love to know too," the priest said, about to close his notebook and the bible in front of him.

But without hesitation, Draco kneeled down in front of her. "I should have asked you twenty years ago, Hermione. All I can say is, you still have my heart, even after all this time. Marry me?"

Everyone in the church gasped loudly, except for Hermione who just stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I've never been more clear than now–"

"Draco, I'm not a bigamist! You can't marry me for heaven's sake!"

"I'm a divorced man–"

"It's true!" Scorpius added from his row in the back. "I was in like fourth year when they divorced..."

"Hermione, the summer I spent with you was the happiest of my life, and I've loved you ever since. I promise to do everything to make you happy, to show you how much you still mean to me–"

"Draco... I–"

"And I'm sure you now need someone else to boss around, and who tells you from time to time to take a break. So, would you do me the honour and marry me?"

Christos nudged her. "Say yes. He seems to be a great man."

"Say yes!" Agatha threw in from the other side, with everyone else nodding in agreement.

Even Pansy smiled now and nodded. "Just say yes. Your heart will thank you later..."

"Hermione?" The priest as well looked at her in expectation of her answer.

With a soft smile, she grabbed his hand. "Promise me to be honest, to love and support me no matter what."

"Anything you want or need. I promise to cherish you every single day, to love you for the rest of our lives and support you until the end." He held her hand with both of his, his thumb caressing her wrist gently.

"My answer is yes," Hermione whispered and leaned forward to kiss him. "I missed you too."

"I thus pronounce you husband and wife."

Hermione barely heard the priest's words as she was fully into kissing Draco with delight, as a long lost sense of happiness filled her heart once more.

..

"Everyone!" Sofia shouted over the noise in the main yard of the hotel where the wedding party had started; the guests were still discussing what had happened in the church while they were enjoying an utterly delectable feast and drinks. "A toast!"

"Sofia!" Hermione groaned and hid her face in embarrassment as her daughter got to her feet. However, her smile widened when Draco pressed a kiss on her temple and pulled her closer, his arm around her shoulder.

"Today has been an emotional day, at least for me, my mother... I mean, for both my parents. Today, I realised that happiness is both worth fighting for and also worth waiting for. I have never seen my mother happier than today, and I wish both of you many more happy days and years, filled with laughter and all the love you both deserve. To my parents, and to happiness!"

"To happiness!" the guests responded and lifted their glasses to the toast.

"I still can't believe you said yes," Draco whispered, adding a soft kiss to her earlobe.

"And I still can't believe you even kneeled down and proposed," Hermione replied in the same whispering tone, leaning in; she smiled when he leaned his head against hers. "But I'm not going to let you run away again."

"Oh, I plan to stay until the end, make sure my new wife knows how much I adore and love her."

"What do you think? How many more toasts do we have to hear before we could excuse ourselves?" Hermione lifted her hand to caress his cheek. After the turmoil of the afternoon, she felt happy at the moment, relishing in every little touch between her and Draco, enjoying the food, waiting for the wedding cake to be brought in because she knew how absolutely gorgeous it would be. But on the other hand, she was also looking forward to the moment they finally were alone in her room, finally able to renew their connection and rebuild the intimacy they had once shared.

"I think not until those two old men have said theirs."

"Angelos and Christos?" Hermione looked over to the one end of the table where the two old men were in a deep conversation about a topic she didn't get. "Yeah, I think you are right."

After another kiss on her temple, Draco reached for his glass and stood up. "Toast! To a daughter who had the wish to see her father at her wedding, and who thus initiated a family reunion with a happy ending!"

"To Sofia!"

"And to Hermione, the most beautiful woman with an unmatched passion. I'm honoured you accepted my proposal, and as your husband, I promise to make up for all the missed years, and cherish you every single day we have left in our lives! You will always have my heart..."

"Love you too!" Hermione rose to her feet and pulled him down for a kiss, which he gladly accepted to the cheers of the other guests.

..

There's no hurry any more when all is said and done.