A/N: I'm so, so sorry this is so late, but this chapter almost didn't get posted at all. My computer's motherboard died, and then my dad took it apart and put it back together, only to find (after ordering me a new computer) that the screen is really all that's messed up. So, new monitor and here I am:) Enjoy!
Severus found himself alone upon waking the next morning, and he all but threw himself out of bed. It's today. It's finally happening. I'm marrying Hermione.
Checking the clock, he was somewhat dismayed to find that it was only seven-thirty. He knew he had a long day of waiting ahead of him, and classes had been cancelled, so he needed to find a distraction.
Twelve-and-a-half more hours.
Heaving a sigh, Severus went out to the kitchen and began making breakfast. Going through the motions of cooking and brewing a strong cup of tea kept him temporarily distracted, but it didn't last nearly long enough. Taking his plate to the sitting room to do some reading, Severus was able to lose himself in one of Hermione's Arithmancy books. It wasn't very long, however, and Arithmancy had never been one of his best subjects.
Ten hours to go.
With a groan, he summoned another book and settled in to wait. Yes, it would be a very long day, indeed.
"Hermione, get up! Mum and Fleur are here, and you need to get something to eat before you bathe," Ginny ordered her friend, who was steadfastly refusing to get out of bed.
"Go away," Hermione half-groaned, half-yawned.
Ginny only narrowed her eyes and shared a knowing look with Luna. "Hermione, I would be more than happy to go fetch my mother and let her get you up, if you'd like. Or I could just pour this nice, cold water on you- whichever you'd prefer."
The younger witches watched in amusement as Hermione flopped onto the other side of the bed so that she was facing them.
"Fine, I'm awake. Are you happy now?"
"No. Get out of bed and get breakfast."
Brain still foggy with sleep, Hermione gave a noncommittal grunt and went into the bathroom, returning moments later looking much more alive. It was amazing what some cold water and a hairbrush could do for a girl.
"Much better," Ginny murmured in approval. Luna just looked at her dreamily. "I'm glad the Wrackspurts are leaving you alone today, Hermione. It'd be very rude of them to bother you on your wedding day, don't you think?"
"Absolutely, Luna. Now, let's go eat before Ginny loses it, shall we?" Hermione asked, sending a small smile over to her now-glaring friend. The girls all went out into Minerva's dining area and sat down with Minerva and Fleur. Full plates were before them almost immediately as the Weasley matriarch bustled around the kitchen. The six witches chatted idly, passing the time until Hermione was ordered to by the part-Veela to bathe so they could start getting Hermione ready.
When the bride-to-be finally emerged, Fleur rose and pulled her back into the guest room, where Minerva joined them after a moment. It was time for the preparations to begin. As her former professor closed the door, Hermione checked the clock.
Six more hours.
The sun had just set, and every chair on the grounds was full. The students and faculty were present, along with Hermione's friends from school who weren't in the wedding party, including the Patil twins and Neville, and the Weasleys- with the exception of Ronald and Ginevra, who was with Hermione. Albus, Draco, Harry, andSeverus stood at the altar, waiting for Hermione. Looking out at the scene before him, Severus couldn't help the small smile that graced his face.
Pomona and Longbottom had managed to pull off his vision for the altar- the twinkle lights, lilacs, and baby's breath climbed the trees and formed an intricate arch high above him, providing a gentle glow that illuminated their niche and reflected off of the lake. The aisle was lined with lanterns on the ground, lighting the way for Hermione, with floating candles providing additional light.
As Severus turned his attention back to Albus, who smiled back at him, the charmed instruments from the headmaster's office began to play. Severus straightened as Ginny and Luna came down the aisle, clad in long and simple sage-green dresses that moved softly around them and holding bouquets of lilacs tied with twine. They took their places at the altar and smiled at Severus before they all turned to see Hermione's figure approaching. As she came into the light, the crowd rose, and Severus was blown away.
Her dress was elegant and so… Hermione. From the sweetheart neckline down to her hips, the dress was covered in delicate lace and beading that created a vining floral pattern. Below the hips, the little vines and flowers were scattered, almost as if they were drifting downwards from the bodice like leaves in the fall. The lace trim dragged on the ground behind her in a short train. Her hair was up in a simple twist decorated with sprigs of baby's breath and lilacs that matched her bouquet of the same flowers. As she joined him at the altar, her face was what really struck him, though.
It wasn't the makeup- although it did look lovely. It wasn't her smile, which was big and beautiful and radiant. It was her eyes. They were dancing with emotion, and shining brighter than he'd ever seen. He could see all of her love and happiness as if she'd laid it out, and it was all for him.
For Hermione's part, she reached for Severus' hands with her own and took him in. His raven-colored hair was brushed back from his face, hanging so that it just brushed his shoulders. His robes deep black, and she could see could see the little lilac and sage boutonniere peeking out from its spot on his coat under the robe. Then her gaze shifted to his face.
The half-smile he was giving her spoke depths of his feelings- for him to be showing emotion so openly, he had to feel strongly, and her heart warmed with the thought that she made him that happy. When she looked into those midnight-black eyes of his, though, she was lost in the intensity of the feelings she saw there. It was almost overwhelming, but it wasn't because she felt the exact same.
While the two were lost in each other, Dumbledore began the ceremony.
"Thank you all for coming tonight, April twenty-sixth, two-thousand- two, to witness the joining of our very own Severus Snape and Hermione Granger. They are two of the many that consider Hogwarts their home and, by extension, us, their family.
"Their journey to this point certainly hasn't been easy, but it has been beautiful. To witness the man I see as a son finally open his heart and allow himself to find love with this young woman who had to do the same is truly a wonderful thing, and I can't put into words how happy I am for the two of you."
He turned so that he was addressing Severus.
"Severus Tobias Snape, do you promise to love and to cherish this woman unconditionally, in times of health or sickness, strength or weakness, and hope and despair?"
"I do."
"Hermione Jean Granger, do you promise to love and to cherish this man unconditionally, in times of health or sickness, strength or weakness, and hope and despair?"
"I do."
"Will you protect the other at all costs, to the best of your ability? Help each other in times of need, no matter what it takes?"
"I will," Hermione said, clearly holding back tears.
"I will," said Severus, his voice deep and clear.
"Do you agree to be faithful, to trust and believe in one another, and in turn, to be truthful and honest to each other?"
"I do," they said simultaneously.
"Severus, your vows, if you will?"
The dark wizard took a deep breath and focused his gaze on Hermione, shutting out the rest of the world. It was just the two of them.
"Hermione, I've admired you for your brilliance, your tenacity, your kindness, and your courage since I met you, loath as I was to admit it then. In time, however, I came to respect you and see you as an equal, to want to help you in your time of darkness, and then I went and fell in love with you. You let me in and exposed your vulnerability when you had never done so with anybody else, and you will never know how much that one act of trust has come to mean to me. You put up with my abrasiveness and my unpleasant demeanor only to come back with honesty and understanding. Most importantly, you were able to look past the dark wizard on the outside and see the man on the inside- the man who was hurt nearly beyond repair, who made some horrible life choices that he wished he could take back every minute of every day, and who had completely given up on any hopes for better things to come. You reached out to that man, and you saved him. You have made me whole, Hermione, and I'll never be able to repay you, but I hope that you'll take my love as a show of my gratitude. You are why I'm alive today, Hermione. Never forget that."
Hermione couldn't hold back the tears any longer, and they began to trickle down her face. She knew that it had to have been hard for him to say that in front of so many people, but he'd done it for her. Her love for him grew a little more, and she squeezed his fingers gently.
"And Hermione, your vows, please?"
She nodded closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. Long fingers began brushing the tears from her cheeks, and she opened her eyes to smile at Severus.
"Severus, my love, you are the reason that I am who I am. When I first came to Hogwarts, I wanted to be the best. I wanted to impress everybody with what I knew and how much I could learn, and I did just that- nearly. You were the only one to really challenge me and make me work for what I wanted, to try and teach me any semblance of self-control, and you made me understand that there is always more to somebody than meets the eye. I've always looked up to you, respected you, and believed in you, even if you didn't know it then. You, Severus, made me a better student and, more importantly, a better person. You have helped me overcome so much in these past few years, and there have been some things that we've gotten through together. When I was broken and hurting, you were there. When I woke in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, you were there. Whenever I needed you, you've been there, and I hope you know that I will always be there for you. I love you, Severus. You aren't alone anymore, and you'll never have to be."
Dumbledore smiled at the two of them before reaching out to their joined hands with his wand.
"The color red for passion and ambition, energy and determination," he said, moving his wand so that a stream of red light wrapped around their left hands in the shape of a diagonal infinity symbol.
"Orange, for optimism," and an orange light wrapped around their right hands, mirroring the red. "For happiness and intellect, the color yellow. Green, for balance and growth. The color blue for integrity and loyalty. Indigo, for intuition and structure, and violet for imagination and creativity. White, for completion; gray, for compromise; and black, for the unknown."
The colors wrapped around their hands in a pattern, each infinity overlapping the one before it.
"All of these elements make up the two of you and the relationship that you share. With the power of these elements, your magic flows like a circuit- from you, to the bonds, to your other half, to the bonds again, and back to you. You are now connected to each other in an intimate and ancient way. Your magics call to each other, and will be stronger when used in tandem, just as the two of you are stronger when you are together."
The bands of light faded into their hands, and new golden bands formed and solidified on their ring fingers.
"Finally, gold for success and prosperity. Let the bond you now share experience all of these things as you do. You each are now one half of the same whole. You are now husband and wife. Severus, my boy, you may kiss your bride!"
He didn't need any more than that. Severus pulled Hermione to him and their lips met almost instantly. They were so caught up in each other that they nearly missed the wave of magic that came from them and swept over the grounds as the new magic of the bond rushed through them.
When they pulled apart, they smiled and Hermione almost missed the mischievous glint in her husband's eye before he lifted her up and carried her down the aisle to the reception tent. The crowd- minus the first through third-years, who were only allowed for the ceremony- were close behind, and walked around to take in their surroundings. Bunches of lilacs and sage hung from the ceiling with floating candles in between. On the round white tables that were on three sides of the space, smaller lanterns like those from the ceremony were surrounded by white containers of different shapes and sizes, each full of lilacs and baby's breath. Severus and Hermione- who had been returned to the ground- began making their way to the food on the remaining side, but were pushed aside by Molly.
"We have house-elves for a reason, you know! Go sit down and enjoy yourselves," she said as she motioned towards their seats. There was no designated seating- everyone was free to sit wherever and with whoever they wanted. The newlyweds ended up with the Potters, Draco, Bill, Fleur, and Luna, making for very interesting dinner conversation. Near the end of the meal, Severus had an epiphany of sorts. These people weren't only here for Hermione; everybody was there to support both of them. They weren't only her family, they were his as well.
Coming back to the conversation (which seemed to be centered on Bill at the moment), Severus took Hermione's hand under the table and squeezed, his heart warming when she smiled up at him. Glancing across the tent, Severus' gaze met Dumbledore's who motioned for him to rise. With a sigh, he did as he was told before turning to his wife.
"May I have this dance, Madam Snape?"
"It would be my pleasure, Master Snape," she said, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her to the middle of the tent. She could feel everybody watching, but she focused on Severus and shut them all out. Hermione didn't even know Dumbledore had announced their first dance until the music began and Severus was leading her in a waltz. She loved dancing with Severus; he was always so graceful and elegant.
The song eventually ended, and Severus and Hermione began the next one. As they did so, they were joined by others. Harry and Ginny were first, and Hermione was amused to note that his dancing hadn't improved at all. Arthur and Molly were next, then Neville and Luna, Bill and Fleur, and Albus and Minerva. Hermione ended up being passed around the room, dancing with just about everyone before getting back to her husband. After one last dance, the reception was over, and they all went back to the castle or disapparated home. It had been a beautiful night, and Severus scooped his wife up again and carried her to their quarters, neither paying attention to the fact that students were still present.
"I love you, Mrs. Snape," Severus murmured against her hair, once they were home.
"And I love you, oh-husband-of-mine," she whispered as she tilted her head back so Severus could kiss her. It was sweet and gentle, but quickly became hungry and passionate. Before Hermione knew it, her dress had been unlaced, her undergarments were gone, and she was nearly finished undressing her husband.
That night was the first of many happy nights of their married life, their wedding just being one of plenty more adventures to come.
A/N II: Alright, well... all that's left is the epilogue. Thanks so much to everyone who's stayed with me for my first fanfiction; it really means the world to me!
Here's the link for Hermione's dress:
www dot adoringdress dot com/chic-sweetheart-all-over-lace-wedding-gown-with-detachable-cap-sleeves-p700503 dot html