A/N: Sorry for the delay. Had a serious case of writer's block after my vacation, which was awesome, by the way! :-)
I hope it was worth the wait!
Also, I am going to dedicate this chapter to Superscar, who is finally making progress on the last chapter of her story 'Hermione Malfoy'. If you know what I'm talking about, feel free to go and bug her about it, because I do every day ;-)
Love you! Haha!
Also, non-SOTD readers: Draco was reintroduced to Buckbeak and made amends. He even got to ride him with Hermione, which was something she absolutely hated. Of course :-)
And onward …
After the ceremony Draco, Hermione and their wedding party were dragged away to take an enormous amount of photos. Only the first few were for them. The rest were taken by the photographer representing both the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly. Apparently, the candid shots he got during the wedding were not what the public wanted.
The 'photo shoot' with him was definitely not what Draco and Hermione had expected, or wanted. The poses he kept putting them in were ridiculous, to say the least.
"Why am I reading a book on my wedding day exactly?" asked Hermione as he positioned her in an armchair with a book called The Benefits of Marrying a Pureblood. She glanced at the title and grimaced before handing the book back to him. "There is no way I am going to be seen reading that."
When the photographer didn't move Draco took the book from her and started flipping through its pages.
"Well, I need to have you reading something. I mean, we are in a library."
Hermione thought about this. "How about something by Gappelish? After all, his quote on the ceiling in the main room is partially why we chose this place."
The photographer sent his assistant off to find something.
"Hey Mione, did you know that if you marry a pureblood it improves not only your status but your blood potency as well?"
"It does not say that."
"Oh, yes it does. There is an entire chapter on it, actually." He leaned in and showed her.
"Clearly, some of the books in this place are horribly outdated," she said, crinkling her nose.
After the photographer got his shot of her with the book, he wanted to take one with the entire wedding party, but Draco and Hermione refused. While they normally would have been thrilled to take a photo with all of their closest friends, they were also very aware that one member of their wedding party was lying to his father-in-law to be here. Photo evidence of this in the Prophet or Witch Weekly was not an option.
When that idea got vetoed, the photographer then requested a photo of the Malfoys, meaning he wanted Narcissa and Lucius in it as well. Hermione felt extremely uncomfortable as they posed her and Draco with their arms around each other while his parents stood on either side of them. Perhaps it was even more awkward than her reading a book in a wedding dress.
When photos were over, Kingsley brought over the reporter to ask Draco and Hermione a few questions. To their dismay, it was Inga Utkin.
It was extremely hard to be friendly to someone they both despised so much, especially for Hermione. At one point Inga asked her if she had always known Draco was the one, in which she boldly responded, "That depends. If I say no are you going to try and make a move on him again?"
Draco did his best to fight off a chuckle as Inga blushed bright crimson. While her embarrassment might have been highly amusing, that did not take away from his future plans to kill Sophie for ratting him out. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the culprit.
Inga was supposed to stay for the reception, but Hermione had her escorted out instead, much to the reporter's annoyance. Once she was gone, Hermione and Draco finally got their first moment alone as husband and wife.
They were walking hand-in-hand towards the reception area when Draco decided to take a detour through the bookshelves. He slammed Hermione against one of them and said, "Merlin, you look beautiful today," before kissing her, slowly trailing his lips down her chin and onto her neck.
Hermione giggled. "Draco, we haven't even been married for an hour yet. Why don't you … mmmm …" She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning … "save some for the honeymoon?"
"I can't help myself. I've never had the pleasure of tasting Mrs. Draco Malfoy before."
"Hermione Malfoy," she corrected. "There will be none of this 'Mrs. Draco' business."
"Whatever you say, Hermione Malfoy," he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively before going back in for her lips.
His hands moved down her thighs, pulling at the layers of fabric while trying to somehow find access. Clearly, these wedding gowns were not designed for what he had in mind.
"Draco … no …" Hermione moaned. "Our first time as husband and wife shouldn't be a quickie between the bookshelves. It should be special."
Draco stopped. Hermione, only now realizing her eyes were closed, waited a second before opening them and finding his face hovering a mere inch above hers. The moment their eyes locked he smiled. "You're right. You're a Malfoy now, and new Malfoys deserve better than library romps. Tonight will be special." He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. "I guarantee it."
Draco grabbed her hand in his and started pulling her back towards the reception hall. Hermione took a few extra steps so she was walking evenly with him. "Well, I hope being a Malfoy doesn't mean I'll never get a 'library romp'."
Draco grinned. "Nah. You will only be a new Malfoy for a day or so. Then we can romp anywhere we want to."
Hermione grinned back and leaned against his arm while they walked, her mind already flooded with visions of their future endeavors, starting with that night.
Just as Draco and Hermione made it to the end of their aisle, they heard arguing and pulled back in. Ron and Astoria were standing in the bookshelves just across from them having it out.
"It's too little too late, Ron. You can't just get mad and breakup with me every time I accidentally use an inappropriate word on a wrong day. Which I didn't even know about, by the way. I had to hear about it from bloody Hermione!"
"Yes, I know. It was wrong and I'm sorry. I should have told you right then and there but I'm not really an on the spot thinker like that. Can you please forgive me?"
Ron reached out for her. She hesitated for a moment before pulling away. "No! I've already made my decision and I won't let you change my mind! I'm sick of dating guys who I like more than they like me!"
"I'd say right now I definitely like you more than you like me."
Draco chuckled silently at Ron's stupidity. Hermione hit him as quietly as she could.
"That's not funny!" Astoria yelled. "You see? I'm trying to be serious right now and, for some reason, you can't manage to show me the same courtesy!"
"Well, I don't know what you want me to say. I'm no good at this sort of thing." He gulped. "But I love you. I know I do. I just don't know how you expect me to measure something like that. No one can actually say who loves who more."
"I gave up my family just for a chance to be with you, Ron. I did that with absolutely no guarantee of a future. It was nothing more than a feeling that there might be something more here, but you … you couldn't even stand up to yours for me."
"I have now."
"And I repeat; too little too late. You say your mother is all scary and difficult, but do you truly believe my father is any easier? Because, I assure you, he isn't."
"Come on, Astoria. I really am trying here. I don't want to lose you," he said, looking at her pleadingly.
Astoria took several deep breaths. It was obvious that she wanted to cave, but, for some reason, she was fighting it. "I don't want to be the girl you settled for because you couldn't have the one you really wanted."
"And who do you think that is?"
She raised her eyebrows at him. As if it wasn't obvious.
"Hermione?"
She nodded.
"But I already told you, I don't want her. Not anymore. I mean, at one time, of course, I did. I loved her."
"You still do," she said.
"Well, yeah, but not like that," he said. "We've been friends for a long time. Besides, you're friends with your ex. What's the difference?"
"The difference is that Draco and I dated for three weeks. You and Hermione dated for three years. No love was ever involved in my story."
"So? I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I'm over her. I mean, for Merlin's sake, she's married now. If there was ever a need for closure I think I got it."
"I don't know, Ron …"
"Oh, just bloody take him back already."
Hermione's eyes opened wide as she threw a hand over Draco's mouth, but it was too late. Astoria and Ron were already looking in their direction. Draco grabbed onto her waist and pulled her closer to the bookshelves so they couldn't be seen, but, since they already had, it didn't do any good.
Hermione was in the middle of scolding him in a harsh whisper when Astoria and Ron appeared next to them. The newlyweds smiled innocently.
"Hey! Fancy meeting you here!" exclaimed Draco.
"Were you two spying on us?" asked Astoria, eyeing them curiously.
Both of them shook their heads. "We would never," said Hermione.
"Of course, it's hard not to get stuck overhearing when the two of you were more or less blocking our only exit."
"Draco!" Hermione smacked his arm.
"What? It's not like they don't know we heard them."
"Sorry about that," said Astoria, looking embarrassed as she stared down at the ground. "We didn't mean to disrupt your wedding."
"NO! Not at all!"
"It's fine. We were busy snogging, anyway."
"DRACO!" Hermione smacked him again.
"Only an hour married and you are already starting with the spousal abuse. Not cool, Mione."
"It's probably time for us all to get to the reception, anyway," said Astoria, already turning. "We don't want to be rude."
"Astoria, wait," said Ron, grabbing for her arm. She pulled it away.
Draco rolled his eyes. "What's with this self-righteous behavior all of a sudden? Is this your doing, Mione?"
"Me? If she got it from anyone, it's you!"
"What are you guys talking about?" asked Astoria.
Draco huffed. "Come on, Stori. Everyone here already knows you want to forgive him, so why aren't you?"
She blinked. "I …"
"Now, we all know I'm not one to praise Weasel or anything, but I just got married today, so I'm in a damn good mood."
Hermione glanced sideways at him and smirked.
"He's here," Draco continued. "He set his parents straight. They're here. He seems genuinely sorry. He and Hermione mended things." He looked to Hermione for clarification. She nodded. "You get along with his sister now. And he wants you back. So what's the problem?"
"I …" Astoria thought about this … "don't know. Nothing, I guess."
"So then take his hand, go in there, walk right up to his parents and show them some bloody confidence," he said. "After dinner, of course. And, also, get the hell out of Caroline's flat before she gets back together with her boyfriend. Trust me, you don't want to be there when that day comes."
"It's true," said Hermione, nodding. "If you think it's bad now just wait until he moves back in. I would definitely find other lodging before that happens." She pathetically attempted to glance slyly at Ron.
Astoria looked at him less 'slyly'. "Caroline's place is just where I'm staying, not where I'm living. I've been looking for my own flat all week. I wasn't really living with Ron, anyway. It was only temporary, remember?"
"It was temporary six months ago. By this point you're bloody living together," said Draco.
"But my name isn't on the lease."
"Stop making excuses, Stori -"
"If that's what you want then consider it done," Ron blurted out.
Astoria's jaw dropped. "W-what?"
"You want a commitment. A guarantee. Well, this is me giving it to you, Astoria. I love you, I want to be with you, and I want to live with you. I'll write a bloody owl to the manager right now if I have to."
"Polly's around here somewhere," said Hermione, looking delighted. "Let me just go find her and -"
"Hermione, no!" shouted Astoria, throwing her hand up to stop her. "This is your wedding day. You've spent enough time standing here talking with us. Go into the hall and enjoy your reception."
"I'm not going to enjoy myself until I know this is settled," she said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Perhaps it's time you pulled the bride card, darling," Draco whispered.
"Oh, right!" Hermione smirked. "I forgot I could do that." She cleared her throat. "Astoria, I am the bride, and this is my day. I get what I want and what I want is for you to give Ron another chance. Let him prove himself to you. And, if afterwards, you still feel like nothing has changed … well, then you will have my full support in walking away. But not without a second chance. He at least deserves that."
"I don't kn -"
"Bride!" shouted Hermione, pointing at her veil.
Astoria eyed her skeptically for a second before giving her a half-smile and shaking her head. "Not a very convincing argument, but I suppose I can let that slide."
Ron's face lit up.
"On one condition, though."
"Anything," he said quickly.
"When we go in there we walk right up to your parents and tell them how it is. And if they say even one negative word against me I expect you to be on my side."
Ron was about to say yes when Draco threw up his hands and said, "Whoa! Pause for a moment. Like I said before, perhaps we could wait to stir up the drama pot until after dinner. I feel the groom should get at least some say today and that is my demand."
"Fine," said Astoria, looking back at Ron and crossing her arms. "The moment dinner ends we approach your parents together. Can you handle that?"
"Of course," said Ron, once again reaching out for her hand. This time she didn't pull away. "But I don't think they'll say anything negative. We had a pretty long talk and I think they'll be okay."
Astoria smiled.
"So all's forgiven?" asked Hermione.
They both nodded while keeping their eyes fixed on each other.
"Ugh, finally," said Draco. "Shall we seal it with a kiss, then?"
Astoria and Ron turned slowly to look at him, both of their eyebrows raised.
"What? Don't tell me just because we're your former lovers that you're shy around us? Go on. Seal it." Draco put his arm around Hermione and waited expectantly. She did the same, obviously unfazed by her ex kissing another witch right in front of her.
Astoria and Ron looked back at each other and moved skeptically inward before sharing an awkward peck.
"Oh, come on. You can do better than that."
"Draco, perhaps we should turn around so they can do it properly," said Hermione, taking his hand and whirling them to face the other direction.
After the sound of some shared saliva they asked if it was all right to turn back around. When they got the okay they barely had a chance to congratulate the mended couple before Kreacher was running into the aisle.
"There you are! Everyone is waiting! Bride, groom, bridesmaid, wedding guest! Everyone into your proper places!"
The house-elf grabbed Ron's hand and tossed him in the direction of the reception hall before returning and shuffling the other three a little faster to where the rest of the wedding party was waiting. The bridesmaids immediately went to work on removing Hermione's veil. It was now time for Hermione and Draco to make their first entrance as husband and wife.
Draco openly glared at Sophie. She, of course, didn't understand what it was about, but she would.
Their wedding party entered the reception hall in the same order they had walked down the aisle in. Hermione held onto Draco's hand, squeezing a little bit tighter every time two of their friends disappeared through the archway.
Just before Harry and Ginny went through Draco leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Just relax," he whispered. "You have nothing to worry about."
"Because you're here with me?" She smiled.
He smiled back. "Naturally."
They kissed again, only to stop when they heard Kreacher shouting at their feet. It was their turn. They looked at each other and gave one last nervous smile before putting on their confident faces and walking into the dome-shaped room. Everyone cheered as they entered, walking hand-in-hand over to their table where Kingsley was waiting to pop open a bottle of sparkling butterbeer. Now that Hermione had finally come clean about her dislike of champagne they were keeping all traces of it clear out of her vicinity.
While everyone else sat down to eat, Hermione took a good look around at the decorated room. This was her first time seeing it all day. The entire room was covered in blue and white flowers, decorated in burnt orange, gold, and white ribbon. At the moment everyone was seated at round tables covered in lacy white tablecloths. Dinner was served on porcelain china while everyone drank from golden goblets. Draco and Hermione's were sequined with emeralds. Everything looked perfect.
At the current moment the mural on the ceiling was covered in pink and gold clouds, showing a sunset even more beautiful than anything that could be happening outside. A Pegasus flew by, dragging along an extravagant chariot holding a golden Hermione and Draco, making them look almost God-like. Which fit well with the Gappelish quote. While it was normally written in Latin, today it was in English, probably for the benefit of all of their guests. Not everyone was as familiar with foreign languages as Hermione and Draco were. Between them they knew six. They both knew English, French, Latin and Spanish, then he knew Japanese (a fact that both shocked and impressed Hermione) and she knew German. He dabbled in German but only she was fluent.
Strong hearts are capable of grasping the unreachable.
"Do you ever get the feeling that quote is about us?"
Hermione looked over to see Draco watching her. She smiled. "Actually, yes. Do you remember the story that goes with it?"
"No, not really," he said. "My mother used to read me all of Gappelish's work when I was a child but I don't remember much. Are you going to tell me?"
"Not right now," she said, glancing over at Kingsley, who was watching them closely. "But I will. Maybe after our honeymoon."
"Can't wait," he said, kissing her cheek.
The truth was, after Hermione saw that quote her first time here she started reading up on Gappelish and found out many interesting things. One thing in particular that she was very eager to share with Draco. But not now. Not during their reverie. They deserved their day. The drama could come later. And it undoubtedly would.
After dinner the staff used their wands to clear out the tables. Regina watched in awe. She was convinced Hermione had married into a family of magician hippies, and she was fine with that. She kept trying to get Narcissa to show her some of her secrets. Narcissa responded by turning Regina's hair blue, which really wasn't that big of a change, and said, "Figure that one out." She got quite a scolding from Kingsley for this, but Regina seemed none the wiser, so all was well.
The band started playing but Hermione and Draco did not take to the dance floor right away. They stood in the dead center of the room while everyone lined up to properly congratulate them. For the most part, everyone was decent and a great deal of them seemed thrilled.
Ollivander was one of the first in the queue and obviously very proud of the fact that two marriages had come from his incredible hiring process. Though, this year he went about choosing his employees quite differently. They would not be reading about any drama in the Prophet anytime soon.
Just behind him was Madam Rosmerta with her father. He was still a little kooky, but nowhere near like what Draco had witnessed last summer, and he seemed to have his eye on Regina. That would be a disaster waiting to happen.
Grawp and Hagrid came up together, both giving the couple very tight and painful hugs. Draco really enjoyed the sight of Grawp in a suit. When Hermione told him he looked very handsome he was ecstatic. "Thank you, Hermy!"
Neville and Hannah came up to them with Luna's plus one, Rolf. Hermione immediately commented on the diamond that was now on Hannah's finger. While she talked details with the happy couple, Draco put his hand on Rolf's shoulder and asked, "How are things going with Luna?"
Rolf looked over at her skeptically while she chatted with the other bridesmaids. "Umm … it's not," he said.
Draco chuckled. "Let me give you a piece of advice. You are going to have to be blatantly obvious with that one."
"How do I do that?" he asked desperately.
"Oh, I'm sure you will think of something," Draco smirked.
Rolf nodded. He then put on a confident face, walked right up to Luna, took her in his arms, and kissed her. It seemed to go over very well.
"What was that?" Hermione laughed beside him.
"Another happy customer," said Draco.
While Draco and Hermione were talking to Charlie Weasley, something suddenly started grabbing at Draco's leg. He looked down to see Teddy clinging onto him. He reached down and lifted him up.
"Ah, Teddy, my man. Have you told my wife how pretty she looks today yet?"
Teddy looked at Hermione shyly and said, "You look vewy pwetty today, Hewmimy."
"Why thank you, Teddy," she said, giving him a tickle. "And you look very handsome."
"Sorry," said Andromeda, running up to them. "The little bug keeps managing to slip away from me."
"It's no problem," said Draco, handing him back to her.
Andromeda smiled, only stopping when she noticed Narcissa eyeing her over Draco's shoulder. She gulped. "Come on, Teddy. Let's go find Victoire, shall we?"
"Looks like you have a fan," said Hermione, noticing the child's hair color. "Who knew you were so good with children."
Next up were McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn. Draco and Hermione could not help but stare at the fluffy purple robes the Headmistress was wearing.
"Did you lose a bet, professor?" asked Draco.
"Something like that," she said, glaring down at a snickering Flitwick. The best part was the way the robes bounced as she moved.
Draco and Hermione were very thrilled with all of the positive words they were getting from their wedding guests. It wasn't until Arthur and Molly Weasley approached them that they finally got a little nervous. They were the last people to come up to them since they had been off to the side talking to Ron and Astoria. Everything had seemed to go well. There were no jinx's thrown or broken limbs visible, anyway.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," said Draco when Hermione made no attempt to speak. "So glad you could make it."
"Yes, well, we were just happy you were true to your word about not taking us off the list," said Arthur. "Security showed me a glimpse of where the crashers will be stuck all day and I'm very glad to not be among them."
"That was Hermione's idea," boasted Draco. "This way they aren't just pushed back out so they can keep trying to get in."
"Ah. Very brilliant as always, Hermi -"
"I'm sorry, when did the two of you talk?" Hermione asked suddenly. She looked to Draco for an answer.
"Me and Mr. Weasley?" he asked to clarify. She nodded. "Well, it was several months ago now. It's hard to pinpoint an exact time when -"
"Your memory works like mine, Draco. I know you at least know the week if not the exact date."
Draco frowned. "It might have been right around the time we received their response."
Hermione's nostrils flared. She turned to Arthur. "Was he rude to you?"
Draco grunted. "Don't be angry, Mione. I acted on impulse. When I saw their response I was so outraged I -"
"He was no ruder to me than we were for refusing to come in the first place."
Both Draco and Hermione froze before slowly turning to look at the Weasley's.
Arthur smiled. "I went home that day and told Molly I thought we acted too hastily with our response."
Now Molly, making eye contact with Hermione for the first time, did her best to smile. "I thought Arthur had gone mad, but after Ron talked to us the other day I really saw the truth. The point of the war was to break down these barriers classify and separating wizards and witches, and we were acting no better than You-Know-Who's followers. The last thing we want is to be compared with the likes of them."
"You mean … you're not mad at me anymore?" asked Hermione, looking nervously to the floor.
"Oh, dearie," said Molly, using her hand to lift the young witch's chin, "we were never mad at you. While I admit, we were a bit upset when you and Ronald ended things we never blamed you. These things happen."
"You will always be like a daughter to us, Hermione," piped in Arthur. "Nothing will ever change that."
Hermione's eyes began to tear as she smiled at them. Draco could not help but smile too. He just loved to see her happy.
"We brought you a very special gift," said Molly, waving her wand. Shortly after, a well-sized box appeared. "It will come in handy during the months to come."
"Should I open it now?" Hermione asked, fiddling with the ribbon.
They both nodded.
Hermione looked to Draco. He untied the ribbon and let her unwrap the paper. She took off the lid and threw it down before moving aside the tissue paper. Moments later her hands emerged from the box holding a golden clock. Draco reached for his wand to silence it but, before he got to it, he noticed there was no ticking.
"We already took care of that," said Arthur, smiling at Draco's quick hand.
"Is this just like your clock, Mrs. Weasley?" asked Hermione, staring at it wide-eyed. The woman nodded. "Draco, look!"
She held it out to him so he could take a good look at it. There were two hands on the clock, one with his name on it and one with hers, and instead of numbers there were locations. Currently, both hands were pointed at 'library'.
"Well, isn't that nifty," he said, taking the clock from her so he could get a closer look. "I don't much care for this 'mortal peril' one, though. Perhaps we should do our best to avoid it."
"You are so wise," smirked Hermione.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "You should be nicer to your husband, since you're kind of stuck with me for a while."
"Well, if you keep lying to me it's going to be a lot shorter than you think."
Draco rolled his eyes. "I didn't lie to you about speaking to Mr. Weasley, Hermione. I just neglected to mention it."
"Now you're just splitting hairs."
Draco looked at her blankly. "Is that a Muggle term?"
Now Hermione rolled her eyes. "Never mind."
"Time to dance! Time to dance!" Kreacher ran into the middle of them, panicking, as always. He looked at his Mistress's parents and asked, "Finished here?"
"Not yet," said Molly, leaning forward and grabbing Hermione in a hug. "Congratulations, Hermione. We're both very happy for you."
"Yes," said Arthur, grabbing her in his own hug when his wife was finished. "You don't know how thrilled we are to share this day with you."
Molly looked at Draco for a moment before pulling him in for a hug as well. When she had him close, she whispered, "Please, take care of her."
"I will," he said before pulling away. After shaking Arthur's hand, Kreacher had one of the staff members take the clock away while he shuffled them to the dance floor. The band started playing their song, which was a sort of wizard lullaby Hermione had heard Bill sing to Victoire once. She had liked it ever since and when Draco suggested it she immediately knew it was perfect. It was a bit untraditional for a wedding but, as it was, them even being together was a bit untraditional, so why not just go with it?
Are you sleeping under the willow?
Stars twinkling while your heart deep has bled.
Lay yourself down upon the soft pillow.
As true love enters the dreams in your head.
When morning comes you will find him there.
Waiting for you while his heart deep has bled.
Love may be true but is not always fair.
As visions of true love enter your head.
The phoenix sings as it cries for you.
Healing the wounds your heart deep has bled.
Together you will leave all that you knew.
True love is no longer a dream in your head.
Draco and Hermione spent the majority of the night on the dance floor together, only taking a break to cut the cake - an exquisite creation with a snake slithering up the tiers towards a lion on the top. When the two met, flames erupted and a phoenix emerged, flying off into the crowd.
After cake Draco and Hermione were pulled apart to dance with other guests. Hermione danced with her father while Draco danced with his mother, and after that she danced with his father while he danced with her mother. Then they took turns with members of their wedding party.
Draco had been waiting for his chance to dance with Sophie all night. Once he had her he started out by saying, "I know you told Hermione about Inga."
Sophie looked at him innocently. "I do not know what -"
"You can relax, Sophie. I'm about to give you a chance to make it up to me."
"What ees eet?" she asked, her face squinting curiously.
"Hermione mentioned earlier that our first time as husband and wife should be special, and I want to make it just that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. "Do that for me."
Sophie took the key from him and smirked. "What do you 'ave een mind?"
"Oh, I don't know. Rose petals, enchanted candles. Use your imagination."
"You can count on me," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek before running off and grabbing Caroline. The two disappeared together.
When Draco walked off the dance floor, he was immediately pulled aside by Wesley. "Son, I'm in need of a piece of advice."
Draco was surprised at how happy he was to hear Hermione's dad call him son. "What is it?" he asked
"Well, I'm supposed to go and meet your father outside for a smoke in a few minutes, but I've been speaking with Arthur Weasley for a while now and sort of invited him to come as well. Now, I know they don't exactly get along. Will this be an issue?"
"It might," Draco said honestly. "The two of them have had a bit of a rivalry for as long as I can remember. I'm actually surprised Arthur even said yes."
"Yeah, that's kind of the thing. I didn't exactly mention it. I forgot for a moment and just sort of blurted, 'hey, meet me outside for a smoke in five'! I've been looking for whichever of them to give a warning, but both seem to have disappeared. Should I be worried?"
Yes, he definitely should. "Oh, I don't think so." Draco looked around the room for either person in question. They weren't there, but Kingsley was. "Perhaps you should invite the Minister outside with you as well. He gets along with both and might be able to mediate."
"Ah, good plan! Glad to see you're not just another pretty face, Draco. It's no wonder my daughter chose to marry you." Wesley practically skipped off towards Kingsley and the two disappeared together.
"Draco, guess what?"
Draco took a step back as a very drunk Phillip invaded his bubble. "What, mate?"
"I've JUST been talking to Atticus Quartz and he WANTS to help us with this whole Zandicus mess. And THEN once that's straightened out he wants to INNNN-VEST!"
"What? That's great!" said Draco, smiling widely. "What made him change his mind?"
"I'll believe IT when I see IT!"
Drunk Phillip was lucky Draco recognized this as exactly what Atticus had said after Sophie told him Draco was marrying a Muggle-born. He must have finally been convinced that this was real. Draco could not help but smile.
"HAVE you seen my WIFE?"
Draco rubbed at his ear. It seemed that Phillip had picked up a horrible habit of shouting out random words while incredibly intoxicated. Normally he had more control than this.
"She's off doing me a favor. How much have you had to drink, mate?"
Phillip shrugged. "Who KNOWS. We haven't told ANYONE but you guys she's pregnant yet so I've been drinking BOTH of our shares. Tell people to STOP giving us DRINKS!"
"Will do, mate," said Draco, noticing Hermione was standing alone by the dance floor. He patted his friends shoulder before going over and joining her. The two of them danced the night away, only separating for a brief moment when a drunken Phillip ran through them, giving Sophie an opportunity to slip Draco back his key.
At the end of the evening, they and all of their guests took the elevator to the top floor, where everyone proceeded to line the staircase to the roof and shoot stars at them through their wands while the happy couple ascended it. Waiting for them at the top was a chariot identical in appearance to the one in the mural, only this one was pulled by Buckbeak, the hippogriff.
Draco and Hermione climbed inside, both of them waving at everyone as their chariot took off. Draco took the reins and guided it down so they swooped over the heads of everyone who was still waiting outside, giving them one quick glimpse of the couple they had come to see.
When they got back to their flat, Buckbeak dropped them off outside before taking off. Hermione moved to go inside, but Draco pulled her back. "I want to show you something."
He took a blindfold out of his pocket and tied it around her eyes. "I hope you don't plan on getting kinky out in the open like this. Because, I assure you, you will only be disappointed."
Draco laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. Take my arm, please."
He held it out and Hermione reached out until she found it. Once she had a firm hold on him he apparated them elsewhere.
Hermione tried to get a feel for their new location while he guided her up some stairs. "You ready?" he asked.
Hermione nodded.
Draco took off the blindfold, revealing a simple wooden door in front of them. Hermione looked at it curiously for a moment before glancing around. They were in a neighborhood filled with Muggle homes, not unlike those on Grimmauld Place, which was where Harry and Ginny had been residing ever since their marriage.
Hermione could tell instantly that the home in front of them was different. It was protected by magic and, therefore, invisible to Muggles. "Draco, is this -"
"Ours? Why yes, it is," he said, dangling the key in front of her.
"W-wha … H-how … When?"
"Just finalized it the other day, actually. Sophie and Phillip helped me choose it. Apparently, my first choice was a great deal larger than what they thought you would want, and it doesn't hurt that the Potters only live a few blocks away. I thought you would like that."
Hermione took the key and stared at it blankly. "We … have a house?"
"Yes," he smiled. "And don't worry. Other than the stuff from our flat it is completely unfurnished. I figured you would want to do that together."
"Draco, this is … absolutely incredible." She looked at him and smiled. Waving the key, she asked, "Can I see it?"
He took it from her and unlocked the door. Hermione tried to walk in but he put up a hand to stop her. "Sophie told me about this Muggle tradition where I carry you over the threshold. May I?"
Hermione nodded. Draco scooped her into his arms and carried her into their new home for the very first time, only taking his eyes off of hers to make sure he didn't knock her feet into the doorframe. When they got inside they both smirked at the trail of rose petals and floating candles leading the way upstairs.
"We'll get to that in a minute," said Hermione, kissing him as he put her down. "First, show me around."
The house was three stories tall. The first floor had the basics: kitchen, dining room, and drawing room. The drawing room currently held what little furniture they had from their flat, but it was much larger and would need a lot more. One of the main selling points of this house over all of the others Draco had seen was the bookshelf in the back of the room. It opened up to reveal a small library hidden behind it. Hermione already couldn't wait to fill it with books.
The second floor had two bedrooms, an office, and a larger, more open room. Draco was convinced this was meant to be some sort of game room, and Hermione didn't disagree. Only, she figured the games would be more child friendly than what he had in mind.
"For when the other bedrooms are filled," she said with a wink.
"And until then a chessboard, wizard pool table, and sex swing are just a few of a newly married couple's necessities."
"Oh, how I just love your active imagination."
"Dare to dream," he said, giving her a kiss.
They walked out of the room and followed the trail of rose petals and candles up to the final floor. There were three bedrooms here, one, of course, being the master. After a quick peek into the other rooms they entered theirs and took a look at what Sophie had done.
A single candle floated in each of the four corners of the room, emitting a faint, golden light. The center of the bed was covered in rose petals formed into the shape of a heart. As soon as they looked at it, they rearranged to spell Malfoy. Faint, romantic music seemed to be playing in the air all around them and the ceiling was covered in twinkling stars.
Draco took Hermione into his arms and kissed her softly. She put her hands on his chest and moved him back towards the bed. After seating him on it she slipped the blindfold out of his pocket and tied it over his eyes.
"Are you ready to see what I look like underneath the wedding dress?"
"I've been ready all day," he laughed. "Need any help taking it off?"
"I've got it," she said, removing her dress with a wave of her wand. She went back over to Draco and took off his jacket and tie before straddling his lap. She kissed him hard before pulling away, taking the blindfold with her.
Draco let his eyes focus, looking very pleased when he got a good look at the sight in front of him. Hermione was wearing nothing but barely there white lingerie, garnished with green ribbon.
"A gift to you from my bridesmaids," she said, smiling at his dopey expression. "Only, I added a little something extra." She pointed to her hip. He followed her finger and was pleased to find the Malfoy family crest under it.
"Absolutely perfect," he said, reaching out for her. She walked over and let him pull her on top of him. He fell back onto the bed and the two kissed for a moment before he rolled on top of her. Hermione began undoing the buttons on his shirt while he ran his hands up her thighs. After pulling it off of him she began working on his trousers. Once those were off, the two of them stopped for a moment and looked at each other. Draco stroked Hermione's cheek while she caressed his arms.
"Are you ready to shag your husband for the very first time?" he asked.
Hermione giggled. "I've been ready all day," she mocked.
"If I didn't believe that were true I might be offended."
Hermione's hands stopped moving and gripped him tightly. She used this as leverage to push him off of her and flip them so she was on top. She trailed kisses down his chest while her hands slowly removed his boxers. Draco moaned loudly as his hands went into her hair, releasing it from the tight bun so it fell loosely around her face. He pulled her up to kiss him again. As much as he hated to admit it, the lingerie needed to go, since he wanted to see all of Hermione tonight. Correction. All of his wife tonight.
When she was as naked as he was, Draco flipped them again, refusing to lose this game of control.
Once he was positioned properly, he put one hand on her face, looked deeply into her eyes and said, "I love you, Hermione Malfoy."
She smiled and used her own hand to brush the loose hair out of his eyes. "And I love you, Draco Malfoy."
Hermione grabbed the back of his head and pulled it towards her. While she kissed him, Draco moved so he was inside of her. He didn't fight her as she pushed him so she was once again on top, finally realizing that she wasn't trying to beat him at their usual game of control. Tonight she just wanted to please him, and she was doing a damn good job of it.
Their lips did not separate once that night, as both were overcome with a feeling neither quite recognized. It was one of complete joy, a true euphoria Draco and Hermione thought they had experienced previously, only now realizing how wrong they had been.
Everything was perfect as they made love well into the night. Ginny had been right. Wedding night sex was even better than recently engaged sex. It would be hard to top it, but they were both positive they would find a way.
Draco and Hermione did not stop until long after the sun came up. When they finally decided to go to sleep, Hermione made herself comfortable in his arms. Draco stayed awake long after she fell asleep, thinking of how magical their night had been, even without everything the wizarding world had to offer them. Hermione was now his wife, and he could not have been happier. There truly was something powerful between them, and they were not a force to be taken lightly. Together they would beat this prophecy, and they would create a world better for future generations. He was absolutely sure of it.