Chapter 7
The day had arrived, Draco and Hermione's wedding day was upon them! Hermione was practically sick with, nervousness, joy, and even sadness. She knew Harry and Ron, especially Ron, did not at all approve of this marriage, but she felt it was right for her, and that she must forge forward with this life-changing choice. Still she felt sad, in a way, she wished Harry and Ron would be happy for her. They'll learn to accept us eventually she thought hopefully. There was another thing on Hermione's mind. Her parents. Since their tragic divorce several years ago, Hermione hadn't spoken much to her dad, but she sent word of the engagement and the wedding date. Of course neither parent could attend, and it was just as well, as it surely would have been quite awkward, that Hermione's dad was busy with his latest tramp, and her mother was sadly sick with a fever and stomach virus.
It was late afternoon, the wedding would take place as the sun was setting over Hogwarts. The feast would commence, with special wedding dishes prepared, and cake, of course, then the four House tables would be cleared away for the reception and dancing. Ginny, the maid of honor, helped Hermione get ready, she and Luna were already dressed in their deep red bridesmaids' dresses, and Hermione put Harry, Ron, and her parents out of her mind and focused on making herself as beautiful as possible for her Draco. After she had dressed in her gown, stockings, and garter, Ginny presented her with four wedding gifts.
"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" she recited the timeless wedding gift sentiment as she placed the gifts on the table one by one. The first gift (the "something old") was a wreath of small, white, silk flowers to attach to her veil; "They were my mothers" Ginny said "I couldn't find anything older".
"Ancient" said Hermione nervously, and they laughed.
Next, the "something new". This one was wrapped in silver paper, tied with pretty white ribbon. It was rectangular, and Hermione could immediately guess what it was: "A book?" she asked with a smile "You know me so well!" She laughed. "Open it", said Ginny excitedly. Hermione slowly untied the ribbon and removed the silver paper without ripping it. Inside the package was indeed, a book. The title read Handy Household Hexes, Potions, and Spells by Beatrice Langstrum. (Hermione's stomach jumped a little at this woman's name as she realized how closely it resembled Bellatrix Lestrange. She quickly put this out of her mind and smiled.)
"Practical" said Hermione approvingly "thank you Ginny!"
,
Next, Luna, who had just finished with Hermione's makeup and hair, cut in and said "Me next!", and handed Hermione the last two gifts on the table. "Ginny here, trying to take all the bloody credit. " she said as she beamed and watched Hermione open the "something borrowed". This gift was a silver charm bracelet with a lion charm, for Gryffindor. Hermione looked at Luna questioningly, and she answered Hermione's question: "I 'borrowed' it from Lavender Brown" she said, smiling.
"It's beautiful, thank you, and thank Lavender too, when you see her" said Hermione sincerely.
"Open the last one now" said both girls excitedly, and they shot each other a knowing, conspiratorial look, which made Hermione nervous.
Hermione opened the last gift, wrapped in the same silver paper and white bow. It was contained in a flimsy, white, cardboard box like the ones she would open at Christmas when her Mum bought her clothes. Something about the girls' facial expressions, the mischievous glints in their eyes, made Hermione hesitant to find out what was inside. Still she slowly lifted the lid to the flat, rectangular box, and removed several layers of white tissue paper. When the gift was uncovered, she gasped, blushed, and looked up at her friends, who immediately burst out laughing. Through fits of giggles, Ginny said "Happy…wedding day….Hermione! That's…from both…from both of us!" Hermione lifted the garment from the box, still shocked. It was a silk sleeping gown, of a deep royal blue color, low cut, with lace around the cleavage area. Hermione blanched as she held it up against herself and realized that it only reached down to a little past her hips. She blushed scarlet again and whispered to the vanity mirror "You've gone completely batty, haven't you?" The question, she guessed, was really meant for Ginny and Luna. Then, suddenly, she too burst out laughing. Hermione looked at her friends, who now looked concerned, while still oppressing giggles. "You two are completely batty!" she screeched, a statement this time "Where the bloody hell am I supposed to wear this?"
"Your honeymoon, silly!" said Ginny laughing, "Draco will love it, try it on for us!"
"Absolutely not! Hermione said, and she contemplated her chances of successfully chucking the wretched item into the wastebasket across the room. Ginny saw her thought process, and stopped her; "Oh, no you don't!" she said, and she pressed the garment into Hermione's hand and pushed her into the large mahogany wardrobe in their room and locked the door. "We're not letting you out until you try the bloody gown ON!" she yelled to Hermione.
Hermione was reluctant to wear the scandalous thing, but she so did not want to miss her wedding, which was scheduled to take place in no more than two hours. So she stripped quickly out of her wedding dress, hung it against the door on the hook, and closed her eyes as she changed into the nightgown.
Eyes still closed, she turned to the full length mirror hanging against the back wall of the wardrobe. She snapped her eyes open, and was taken aback by the image of herself in the mirror. With her makeup and hair done, her face was beautiful. Her eyes surveyed the gown on her slight frame. The blue silk hugged her hips, and the lace teasingly concealed her cleavage, which appeared nicely lifted by the structure of the garment. She turned and tried to get a view of her backside in the mirror. The silk was skintight against it, she had to admit the entire garment flattered her shape perfectly. She felt…sexy, which was new to her. Unsettled a bit by this, she whirled, took a deep breath. and knocked on the door for the girls to let her out.
"Are you dressed?" yelled Ginny.
"Barely" called Hermione sarcastically.
"Took you long enough" said Ginny, and she finally opened the door.
Hermione walked shyly out of the wardrobe, smiling and blushing. Her friends gasped. "Oh Hermione, just look at you!", Luna gushed, "Once Draco sees you in this, it won't be on for long!" she said, laughing, making Hermione blush deeper. Ginny simply sat and smiled, smug, pleased with herself for forcing Hermione out of her realm of comfort. Again.
"Alright, alright, that's enough of this, I have to get married in little more than an hour!" said Hermione, as she turned and marched back into the wardrobe. She quickly changed back into her wedding dress, tweaked her makeup and hair a bit, walked out of the wardrobe, and commenced pacing nervously over the room in her white deathtrap spike heel shoes, as Luna and Ginny smiled and tried, to no avail, to calm her.
All too soon, and still not soon enough, there came the sound of a knock on the door. Hermione called out, her voice shaky: "Come in?!" She hadn't meant it as a question, but it came out that way in her nervousness. The door opened, it was Harry, who had also agreed to walk her down the aisle to her awaiting husband-to-be, in addition to being Draco's best man, for these things Hermione would be forever grateful. He was dressed in a black tux, rented from a shop in Diagon Alley, with a black bow tie and dress shoes just like Draco's.
"It's time" he said, motioning her out the door.
She glanced at her bridesmaids, who smiled and motioned her away, Ginny stepped forward, hugged her, and whispered "Good luck" to Hermione, and Luna did the same.
"Seriously. guys, we need to go, now!" said Harry. As they walked together to the Great Hall, she heard Dumbledore requesting silence, and the start of the ceremony. Suddenly, Harry whirled and looked at Hermione right in front of the giant double doors to the Great Hall. He grasped her shoulders forcefully and said in a strained, quiet voice "I don't like this, Hermione, but I want you to know, I will support you, I will still be your friend, and Ron will come around eventually. Just…just be happy okay? And don't let him talk you into anything!" He laughed nervously, hoping she understood what he meant.
"Okay, Harry, I promise!" Hermione hugged him and held back tears. He felt her shudder, crying.
"Stop, 'Mione, stop, you're getting married, Mal--I mean Draco--doesn't want to see you cry on your wedding day!"
"Too bad" she said shakily as a few tears escaped her big, bright, chocolate brown eyes. "But, you're right, I mustn't disappoint Draco today."
She tried to stop her tears, and dry her face. The wedding march began thundering through the castle, though there was no organ in the room. Hermione tried to remember what she knew about wedding dynamics, she linked arms with Harry, counted to three, and began marching (as well as she could in her heels) to the beat of the wedding music.
The aisle that was cleared down the middle of the Hall seemed impossibly long, and she suddenly longed to be in Draco's arms, to have the awkward march over and done with. Before she knew it, she had reached the altar. She stepped up and Harry placed her hand in Draco's smooth, outstretched palm. Her engagement ring glittered in the bright lights. She glanced up at the enchanted celling, which glowed softly, orange, pink, peach and purple in the sunset. Hermione beamed at Draco, who looked like he was going to either snog her passionately on the spot, explode with happiness, or both. She smiled at the thought, and he smiled back.
Dumbledore (who had just happened to become certified as a priest just in time for the wedding?) began the traditional wedding vows speech, Hermione tuned out staring at Draco's lovely face, it all seemed unreal. She was brought back to Earth when Draco suddenly said "I do" and placed the gold wedding band on her left ring finger. She listened to Dumbledore, everything seemed as if it was going in slow motion. Somewhere that sounded far away, as she gazed into Draco's burning, ecstatic, liquid silver, beautiful eyes, she heard "And do you, Miss Hermione Jean Granger, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do!" she said through the coming tears.
Next, Dumbledore asked the assembly of students if anyone knew of any reason she and Draco should not be wed, and she prayed that Ron would not raise his hand and make a fool out of himself. He did not. She exhaled. And then she heard, abruptly, "You may now kiss the bride."
