Disclaimer: Rowling's world. I'm just playing with it.

Chapter 5

The Wedding

Hermione and Ron opted for only a year long engagement, deciding that they would get married the following Christmas. Many things came to pass the year leading up to the wedding. Hermione finally accepted the job at the Ministry of Magic that Kingsley Shacklebolt had offered her the year before. She took a position in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures where she fought, quite successfully, for House-Elf rights. While Hermione finally, grudgingly, after several interviews with hundreds of House Elves was forced to accept that they did not expect nor want full freedom, she managed to get a piece of legislation passed banning physical and verbal abuse of the creatures. It was a tremendous victory and she and Ron celebrated by renting a small flat together not far from the Ministry, a move which Mrs. Weasley did not entirely approve of.

"She's just really traditional about that sort of thing." Ron explained to Hermione after Mrs. Weasley had given Hermione the cold shoulder the day that they had announced their new living arrangements. Hermione and Ron did, however, give Mrs. Weasley the courtesy of staying in separate rooms whenever they visited the Burrow overnight, which occurred often through the year as Hermione's parents made frequent visits to the house to help with wedding preparations and visit their daughter and future in-laws. Mr. Weasley delighted in their presence whenever her parents stayed and hounded them endlessly with questions about the Muggle world.

That summer, Ginny tried out for Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies Quiddich team and was awarded the position. Harry delighted in Ginny's success but found that her absence from The Burrow as she traveled from game to game took away much of the reason he had remained in the Weasley's home for so long. He soon rented a flat not far from Ron and Hermione which Ginny stayed at nearly as often as she returned to the Burrow between games (without her mother's knowledge, of course). While they talked often about getting married, the timing just did not feel right. Ginny's Quiddich career was booming and it looked like she would be on the team for at least another few years. Harry's career as an Auror, meanwhile, was still keeping him decidedly busy. Even three years after Voldemort's downfall, those that held their allegiance to him would find ways to create unrest in the Wizarding world. Fortunately, it was no where near as brutal or heinous as it was during the time when Voldemort was in power and the offenders were usually caught and sent to Azkaban quickly.

Ron and Hermione's wedding was set for the 20th of December. As the date grew nearer, Harry frequented the Burrow (where Ron and Hermione had both agreed would be the perfect location for the wedding) to help with preparations. He was reminded, on these occasions, of a time not that long ago when he, Ron and Hermione helped prepare for Bill and Fleur's wedding. That had been a time of fear, a time of apprehension about undertaking the task Dumbledore had left them – a task which now felt like a lifetime ago.

The 20th of December arrived beautiful, cool and crisp. A fresh snow had fallen overnight, turning everything a dazzling white. A very light snow was still falling as Ron and Harry dressed for the ceremony in Ron's old bedroom. Harry had not seen Ron looking quite so nervous since the first time he played Quiddich at Hogwarts. Harry did his best not to laugh at his friend's nerves, instead helping Ron put his dress robes on right-side-out. Just before the ceremony was set to begin, Harry helped Ron downstairs to the kitchen where Arthur and Molly were waiting for him, beaming. Harry turned and went back upstairs to fetch the rings that he had forgotten in his haste to help Ron when he heard laughter from Ginny's bedroom. He knocked on the door and heard Hermione say "come in."

Harry had never seen Hermione looking so beautiful. She positively beamed in the long-sleeved silk wedding gown she wore. The off-the-shoulder neckline and sleeve ends were lined with a silvery, intricately braided trim that looked very much like unicorn hair. Harry noticed that she was also wearing the same silver tiara that Fleur had worn at her and Bill's wedding, giving Hermione the aura of a princess.

"Wow," Harry said, his voice barely above a whisper. Hermione flushed and tears filled her eyes.

"Oh Harry, don't make her cry before the ceremony. I've just done her make-up." Ginny laughed pointing her wand at Hermione's face and muttering an incantation to dry the tears without smudging her mascara. Ginny, too, looked positively radiant in a midnight blue gown, a silver shawl draped over her shoulders. Harry walked over and gave Ginny a kiss.

"Can I have just a minute with Hermione?" He asked her. She nodded and smiled.

"I'll have your Dad come and get you in a few minutes." Ginny said to Hermione, picking up her small bouquet of white lilies from her dressing table. "Harry, come down before that. I'm sure Ron will be needing you – to hold him up if nothing else." Harry nodded and turned to face Hermione. He walked over to her and took her hands in his.

"Hermione, I just want to tell you that you are closer to me then a sister. You have been there for me through so much and I love you." Hermione beamed, her eyes filling with tears again.

"Oh Harry, I'm so happy!" She said, embracing him. He kissed her on the cheek and brushed an escaped tear from her face with his thumb.

"Well, you ready?" He asked, looking in her wet, chocolaty-brown eyes. She nodded.

"How's Ron?" She asked, picking up her Bouquet, which was also made of white lilies but larger than Ginny's.

"I have a feeling he's going to be much better once he sees you." Harry said.

Harry could not have been more right. The moment Hermione appeared at the end of the aisle in the Burrow's Garden, arm in arm with her father, Ron's whole body relaxed and his face spread into the largest grin Harry had ever seen. Hermione strode down the aisle slowly with the snow falling around her and smiled at Ron. Harry could tell that Ron was the only person she saw, despite the huge number of family and friends that filled the Garden. Harry could not quite keep the lump out of his throat as he watched Hermione and Ron grasp hands so tenderly as the elderly preacher began the ceremony. As Ron and Hermione exchanged vows, he looked over at Ginny and thought about when he would stand in Ron's place with Ginny at his side. And, as Hermione and Ron shared their first kiss as husband and wife, and the crowd broke into applause, Harry and Ginny smiled at each other and both of them knew, without saying a word, that it was time.

A/N: Describing Hermione's wedding dress was near impossible. I can picture it in my head, but translating it to page was a lot harder than I thought. I can only describe it as similar to the wedding dress Meg Ryan tried on in Sleepless in Seattle, but with a trim of woven Unicorn hair.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. I'm glad you like it!