A/N: First of all, I apologize for the long wait. My mind has been totally blank. I blame it one the Deathly Hallows part 2! I have been super depressed after watching the last installment of Harry Potter two weeks ago and have just come out of that spunk.

Okay, so last time I said that this would be the last chapter, but since it was getting too long (and i get restless with long chapters), I decided to split it again. Hey, at least you get a chapter update, right? Anyway, I hope that it was worth the wait.

Thanks again to everybody who read and continued to review. You guys keep me writing!

I don't own anything but the plot.

Draco looked out his window and saw the house elves putting finishing touches on the backyard where the ceremony was to take place. If he didn't feel the sense of impending doom looming over his head, he'd have admired the elves' handiwork.

The backyard was breathtakingly amazing. Of course, it's a Malfoy wedding. Nothing less than extravagant is expected. It was a lovely spring day, with the Gardenias in the Malfoy backyard garden in full bloom, yet it didn't seem like spring at all. Not with all the white roses and burgundy accents that Astoria wanted.

There was a white gazebo with burgundy trimmings, at the front where the officiate of the ceremony will wait for the bride and groom. White rose petals littered the aisle in place of the red carpet where Astoria was to walk down to Draco and on either side were a hundred or more chairs that were decorated with white roses at both ends tied together with rich burgundy ribbons for guests that Draco probably didn't even know since he didn't really invite anybody, must be other pureblood elitists his father and Astoria wanted to show off to.

All in all, everything was beautiful. It was like winter with the wine colored highlights giving contrast to all that was white. This was the day Draco Malfoy was actually getting married and in an extravagant wedding no less. But that was exactly what it was, just a wedding. There were no feelings, no emotions. It was just a ceremony to him, it didn't mean anything.

Ever since he'd broken free from his father's control, Draco felt that there was a chance for him yet. A chance to start over, a chance to be free to live his life the way he wanted it. And he wanted to fall in love, get married and have a family of his own. He wanted to be a husband and show his wife all the love his heart could give, be a father and show his child everything his father was not. All he wanted was happiness for all the hurt and sadness he had when he was growing up. And he did have that. He had his freedom, gotten to know Hermione and fell in love with her, really fall in love and not just those silly feelings he had secretly loving her from afar. Draco had never felt love for another to this intensity before, but he knew that he would never feel it again. He felt that life wasn't worth living without Hermione. It was like being near a dementor, sucking all the happiness in the world. He lost hope or what little he had springing to life inside of him. His little heart had shriveled up and died the day Hermione rejected his love.

So obviously, he'd fallen back into what he did best—pleasing his father and failing miserably. But he wouldn't fail this time. He would surrender his life to his father and do as he says. That was what Lucius wanted, wasn't it?

Draco closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Before shutting out completely, he took a moment to imagine her one last time. How things must have turned out differently if only if he had never lied to her in the first place. One part of his mind told him that she would never forgive him and she'd laugh at him for feeling something other than disgust and claim to love the one person he hated so much. But after getting to know Hermione, another part of his mind told him that she would have eventually forgiven him. She had a kind heart and a forgiving soul. They would've been friends and he would've asked her out. And maybe, just maybe, this would've been their wedding too. He would've invited all of Wizarding London to see. He didn't care if he was the first Malfoy to marry a muggleborn, didn't care if he was disowned by his father, didn't care if bigoted purebloods ostracized him. He would've stood proud in front of everybody as he waited for her to walk down the aisle to him. All he cared for was being with her for the rest of his life. They would start a family and they'd have a lot of children. He had always wanted a big family because he knew it was sad to grow up with no one else to play with but the house elves. But that was just wishful thinking.

Draco was woken from his reverie when his mum entered his room. She approached him and straightened his dress robes for him. She looked at her son, a perfect picture of a proud man. He had mastered concealing his emotions from everybody else, but Narcissa knew better. A mother could always tell.

"Draco, you don't have to do this, you know. Your father doesn't have any power over you anymore." Draco smiled sadly at his mother. She was everything to him and he had loved her very much even though they never uttered such words when he was growing up. His mother was cold towards him because that was what Lucius wanted, but he could always feel her love despite that.

"I want to do it mum. I want to make him proud of me. And there's nothing you could say to change my mind."

Narcissa sighed and gave her only son a hug, a long, tight hug to make up for all the years she had denied him of such action.

"Just remember that I am proud of you, no matter what you decide to do. I love you and I'll always be here for you.

Guests started to file in slowly and find their seats as Draco watched from the veranda, leaning lazily on the railing, bored. It was obvious that these people were here not because they cared about the occasion, but because they wanted to be associated with the Malfoy name. The Malfoy name still held power even after the ordeal they had been involved in during the rise of Voldemort. And more so now that Draco had redeemed his father's mistakes. It had been hard work on his part, but it eventually paid off. Now he was one of the most influential wizards in Wizarding London. And it seems like those pureblood elitists wanted a piece of him, even if only by association. How he hated this society more than ever.

He straightened up when he saw his father approach him with an unreadable expression. He was probably coming to lecture him or some sort about not disgracing the family.

Here we go. Draco thought as his father had reached him.

"Ah, Draco, may I speak with you a moment?" Draco cocked his head to the side in confusion at his father's gentle question. Lucius Malfoy never asks, he commands and just gets right to it. He even sounded uncertain. This was the first time Draco had heard his father use this tone of voice. Who was this man? He looked a lot like Lucius, but surely this wasn't his father.

"What is it, father?"

"I've been thinking, ah, well actually, it was your mother who brought it to my attention that you are unhappy with this arrangement."

"Don't be bothered by it, father. I will do what is necessary for this family."

"You misunderstand my meaning. I'm not here to berate you. Draco, I have something to tell you. Something that is long overdue now and I should've done something to change that, but you see, I am not very well versed at this kind of, ah, emotions."

Every word his father uttered only made him more confused. What was his father trying to say if he wasn't here to lecture Draco about family traditions and the like?

"I'm sorry is what I'm trying to say…" Draco tried to say something, but Lucius raised his hand, meaning to let him finish without interruptions.

"I know I'm not much of a father, then and now, but I want you to know that I am proud of you. You turned out to be a fine young man, no thanks to me, I might say. You must get that from your mother's side of the family." Lucius gave a chuckle, trying to lessen the awkwardness of the situation which only resulted in making Draco more uncomfortable. This was definitely not the Lucius Malfoy he knew.

"You have done much for our family, son and I couldn't ask for anything more. You don't have to get married today if you choose not to. I want you to be happy like I was when I married your mother. I may not know much about love, but I know that those were the best moments in my life."

Lucius raised his hand for Draco to shake. This was all new to him, a new side to his father that he's never seen before, a side that proved him human. Draco shook his father's hand hesitantly, but in acceptance of Lucius's apology.

"Don't fuck up your life the way I did mine."

Draco was actually free from his familial obligations and he should have rejoiced at the fact that his father was giving him his blessing, but what was the point? He knew that he didn't want anybody else but Hermione and she made it perfectly clear that she didn't want him. He had a moment to decide with his own free will, but years of trying to please his father will always be automatic for him. He will probably regret this in the future, but he said it anyway.

"Don't worry, father. I choose to do this for our family."

Hermione was at her usual spot on the windowsill, staring out at the city as she wrapped herself with her favorite fluffy blanket. She wasn't one to dwell on self-pity, but right now she just feels so hopeless. She feels like her heart is broken forever. Draco was really sincere when he told her he loved her, but she was quick to judge him for his past. She really felt bad after talking to Pansy and knowing what he had gone through.

Hermione took a glance at the clock on her bedside table. According to the Daily Prophet, Draco's wedding would take place after sunset. It wouldn't take long now as the whole city was covered in the orange light of the setting sun.

There was a knock on her door, interrupting her thoughts. She could feel irritation setting in; all she wanted was some alone-time and her friends couldn't give her that?

"We need to talk." Ron said as he stood towering over Hermione.

"Can't this wait? I just want to be left alone."

"No, it can't." And without warning, Ron picked her up from the window and carried her to the bed.

"What the—Ronald! Put me down!" Hermione flailed her arms and legs in attempt to be free from Ron's grasp, but he only held on tighter.

"What the bloody hell was that for?"

"It was the only way to get your attention."

"I told you, I don't feel like talking now. Just give me this time and we can talk all you want tomorrow."

"Tomorrow will be too late."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, 'Mione, Harry and I have been talking…"

"About what?"

"About you—us. I know I've been an arse lately, but I was just so used to you being there for me that I didn't want to lose you and for very selfish reasons too. I love you, 'Mione, but not the way we have been forcing ourselves to believe all these years. I was so afraid of losing you that I didn't even realize that I already did."

"Ron…don't talk like that. You didn't lose me. I'm still here, aren't I?" Hermione softened her expression when she realized that Ron was actually apologizing.

"But I did, you gave your heart to someone else and I was too stubborn to admit it and I may have cost you your happiness. I'm really sorry 'Mione." Tears started to form at Hermione's eyes as Ron leaned in to give her a tight hug.

"Oh Ron…we'll find a way through this, we always do."

"That's the thing, 'Mione. There is no us. We're best friends that were never meant to be as lovers. Look at what happened to us. I don't want you to be unhappy anymore. I know you love someone else: Malfoy. Why don't you go and chase your happiness for once?"

"It's too late…" She said in a dejected whisper.

"The 'Mione I know would never give up without a fight, would never sit idly by when there was something she could do. Where's the 'Mione who pushed us back in Hogwarts, who helped Harry defeat Voldemort, who always had a plan? You've given up without even trying. I can't stand to see you mopping around in this room anymore."

"What do you suppose I do, Ronald?" She was starting to get irritated again. Ron was all talk. There was nothing that they could possibly do now.

"Stop the wedding, of course." He said with a knowing smirk that was so unlike him.

"Don't be thick, Ronald. You know very well that Malfoy Manor has very powerful wards. I'll never be able to find it. And besides, you can't apparate directly without—"

"Without this?" He smiled, holding out the invitation that would allow her to apparate inside Malfoy Manor. She grabbed the invite and ran her fingers on Draco's embossed name on the special parchment.

"Where did you get this?"

"Pansy gave it to Harry. She thought it would come in handy when you finally decide to do something. Well? What are you waiting for? Go stop that wedding."

And just like that, she felt hope spring to life within her. She was given a second chance to make things right. She only hopes that she isn't too late.

"Thanks, Ron!" Hermione kissed Ron on the cheek and hurriedly grabbed her wand. With a swish and a flick, she had magically changed her clothes and freshened up (no time for a proper shower!).

"Wish me luck!" And with a familiar pop, she was gone.

Ron continued to stare sadly at the space where Hermione once stood. "Be happy, 'Mione."

A/N: So was it up to your expectations? I know it has a lot of drama, but I just love drama. lol.

Anyway, you know the drill! Press that review button! Some feedback would be wonderful. I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as possible, hopefully not more than a week.

Don't forget to review, okay? thanks again :D