*sniffle* as much as it pains me to say it, we're almost at the end. One more chapter after this, and then the epilogue. Thank you so much for the reviews thus far!

Severus looked at himself in the mirror, and sighed. He had no idea why he had suggested they have an actual wedding. None whatsoever. Hermione had suggested a private affair, just taking their vows in front of the official and calling it a day. But no, for whatever reason, he had suggested they have an actual wedding.

He looked at himself in the mirror appraisingly. His attire looked no different than any other day. His attire, unless he was around Hermione, was formal anyways. He saw no need to change into something different if what he wore suited just fine. Hermione, however, had been whisked away to don her robes, and Severus had no idea what she looked like.

Ginevra had jumped upon the chance to truss Hermione up, and as soon as Severus had made it quite clear he had no desire to help with choosing the proper wizarding robes, she had rushed off with a frazzled looking Hermione in tow.

Severus glanced at the clock, and then at the calendar. He couldn't believe it. Six months had flown by faster than he could blink. It seemed like yesterday when he had struggled to tell Hermione exactly how much he loved her, and the words had just flown out of their own accord. He recalled with perfect clarity how her eyes had widened at his words.

Her mouth opened and closed in that fish-esque way that Severus had long since given up on breaking her from. It was useless, and he had grown to realise that. He waited, calmly, for her to regain the ability to speak. Hermione reached out and ran a finger through the lock of hair that fell to the side of his forehead.

"Severus...I don't know."

He wasn't upset at her words, nay, he probably would have been highly surprised if she had said yes right away. One of the things he loved about Hermione was that she always thought everything through. He wasn't hurt, he had accepted it stoically; to him, it didn't really matter. He wanted to be with Hermione for the rest of his life, and marriage was, to him, simply a way to express that wish in more than words.

Hermione kissed him, and pulled back, her forehead touching his. "I love you, Severus. I really do. But I can't say yes now. I just can't."

He nodded, but his grip on her tightened as he drew her closer. "I understand."

She had nodded, and for whatever reason (one he had still not figured out, even to this day) she had started to cry. He simply held her, his lips touching her forehead again and again as her shoulders shook and he ran his fingers through her frizzy curls.

After that evening, they had gone back to their normal routines, their relationship basically unchanged. It was comfortable, the weeks after that. There was no pressure, and Hermione hadn't changed how she acted towards him. Until that one day, that one amazing day, almost a month after he had asked her.

She had been acting off the entire day, but Severus had chalked it up to an issue with her friends. She had worked the apothecary that day, and she had come home with a slight frown on her face, and went directly to stand in front of Severus after she had hung her cloak up.

Severus looked up at her, eyebrow arched as usual. She fumbled about in her pockets, and retrieved something. He put his book down, it was obvious she needed to speak to him. "Hermione?"

She looked from her hand to meet his gaze, her brown eyes glowing with surety despite the hint of insecurity deep within them. Hermione took a deep breath, and held out her hand. "Yes."

She opened her hand, and Severus saw a thin, gold band lying in the middle of her palm. It seemed to glow with a luminescence that he couldn't quite describe. He looked back up at her. "Yes?"

"Yes. I want to marry you, Severus Snape."

He couldn't quite believe the words that had come out of her mouth. He stood up, looking at her intently. "Are you sure, Hermione?"

She smiled, that brilliant smile that Severus had been endeared to since the moment she had grinned drunkenly at his wandlight right before he had picked up from the dank, hard bricks of the alleyway floor and she had passed out in his arms.

"I'm more than sure, Severus."

Her hand found his, and she had lifted it up, her fingers gently caressing his. He looked down, wondering what she was doing. She held the gold band up, and Severus had to withhold a gasp at how the light caught it. She slid it onto his ring finger, her smile growing wider with what he suspected was relief at it fitting. She looked back up at him. "Marry me, Severus Snape?"

Severus smirked down at her. "Yes to you too, Miss Granger."

Hermione looked back up at him and smirked back. "Not for much longer!"

Severus paused as he realised what she meant. Soon, all though he didn't know how soon, she would become Mrs. Severus Snape. It fit together perfectly, in his eyes. "Hermione Snape."

"It's wonderful," Hermione replied. "Absolutely wonderful."

Severus smirked again, and held his hand up to the light to look at the ring. The gold had been polished to an almost surreal shine, and the dull luminescence of the ring made the affect somewhat hypnotising. "Where did you get this?"

"I had it made, actually."

He turned to look down at her in surprise. "Where?"

"Well, I had an old friend from the Apothecary I worked at previously who specialized in gold work. I asked him if he could make me a band, but I wanted it mixed and hued with something else."

"And what is it hued with?"

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Moondew."

Severus was puzzled for a few milliseconds. Then it dawned on him. "From...?"

"Yes."

She had made his ring with moondew gathered from the place where they had first kissed. "Hermione..." he looked at her in awe. No one, no one had ever made him something this...sentimental before. He hadn't been expecting anything from her, and she had gone to all this trouble to give him a symbol of their love, something that was completely and utterly unique in a way that was only familiar to them. He couldn't begin to express how it made him feel, but looking at the ring, and the subtle blue hues, and then back to Hermione's beautiful brown eyes, he suddenly realised it.

"I love you."

Hermione looked up at him first in shock, but that quickly turned to something else when her eyes grew misty, and she ducked her head to swipe away the sudden rush of tears. "I love you too, Severus."

Severus looked back to himself in the mirror. Yes, that memory would be with him forever. He looked down at his hand, where the gold band rested on his finger. He and Hermione had picked out wedding rings, as Hermione had wanted some tribute to her muggle heritage. They would have the traditional wizarding ceremony, but the rings were to be added at the end. He glanced back at the clock, and swore under his breath. It was nearly time, he was supposed to already be outside.

He stood up and swept out the room, and out of the house to the yard, his cloak billowing in the way it did with him. This was his first time getting a glimpse of the finished wedding grounds, and he had to admit, he was impressed. They had, despite many mutterings from him, decided to use Neville's house and yard for the wedding and reception. It was large enough, and as Severus had no friends, he couldn't argue against it.

However, looking at all the magnificent plants and the subtle decorations, he knew they had made the right choice. The place wasn't over decorated, just a few white garlands that were still hanging themselves about the shrubs and bushes. The seats were a simple dark green colour, and the stand that the Ministry official stood on was a lighter shade of green. The archway over where he and Hermione would stand was a simple array of white lilies and moondew flowers.

It was pretty, the archway had been entirely Neville and Ginny's idea. No one but he and Hermione knew of the significance of the moon flowers, but he preferred it that way. It was something private that they shared, and all though the wedding would mean just the same without moon flowers, it was a fitting contribution.

The guests were already seated, the small amount of people there were. Luna, Neville, the Weasley twins were all in the front row. As Severus approached the archway, he surreptitiously pointed his wand at the arch and performed a quick revealing spell before moving to stand under it. You could never be entirely sure when the twin devils were in the area. He had learned quite the lasting lesson from his teaching days.

Draco sat on the other side of the walkway, looking stiff and entirely uncomfortable next to his parents. Once their engagement had become official, Severus had felt obligated to let his godson and his oldest friend know what was happening. Draco had accepted it with grace, and had asked to be invited to the ceremony.

Lucius had been slightly less forgiving, as Severus had only kept up the barest minimum of contact with him after the War. Hermione had encouraged him to spend some time with the blonde aristocrat. Her friends understood why the Malfoys were there, and didn't mind in the slightest. He wasn't sure if they were staying for the reception, but he was gratified that they had come.

Lucius caught his eye, and bowed his head, and Severus nodded back to him. The lone cellist they had procured for the wedding struck up a low, haunting melody that spoke not of sadness, but of a quiet happiness.

And then Potter walked out, dressed in black dress robes. He looked at Severus and smiled before turning around and holding out his hand.

Hermione took a deep breath, and stepped out from behind the house to take Harry's hand. He squeezed it reassuringly, and Hermione smiled at him before looking towards where Severus stood. The look in his eyes made her breath hitch.

She didn't know if everyone saw it, but she didn't care. The way his eyes lit up solidified every reason she had that this was the right thing to do. All of her friends turned to look at her, and the Malfoys did the same. Draco smiled at her, and Hermione smiled back. He had grown up, the proof of which was that he was sitting in the same area as numerous other Gryffindors and he wasn't running for the hills. It was a good sign.

Luna and Neville smiled at her, and Hermione knew that Ginny was walking behind her, probably smiling as well. Weddings were full of smiles, Hermione realised. Smiles and tears of happiness. She liked how small the wedding was. Molly had declined Hermione's invitation, and Hermione didn't quite know why, but she wasn't hurt by it. Arthur had to work, and so did Bill and Charlie. Percy, however, had been able to come, and he sat behind Fred, grinning at Hermione.

She finally reached where Severus stood, and she let go of Harry's hand to grab his while Ginny moved to stand behind her.

Severus looked down at Hermione, his face impassive, but his eyes speaking volumes. He leaned down to her, and spoke quietly, "Ginevra's tastes again?"

"You know me, I would have picked something that was already in my closet," Hermione uttered back, a grin spreading across her face.

Severus chuckled deeply, and nodded at the redhead standing behind Hermione. Ginny smiled back at him, and looked entirely too pleased with herself.

Hermione's attire was stunningly simplistic. It was a fitted strapless white dress that ran long, and dragged along the ground with delicate lace embroidery in a pleasingly offsetting shade of extremely light pink. Over the dress Hermione wore a rose-pink dress robe, that was fitted more than every-day robes. It was tailored to fit the dress, and the pink layers came down to just above her ankles. The robes draped off her shoulders in an appealing manner, with the open sleeves adding to the flow of the dress. The ensemble was simple, and carried a perfect blend of traditional muggle wedding wear, and wizard wear.

Her hair, as per Severus' request, was left virtually untouched save for a lock in the front being pulled back in a twist and accented with a small, twirling green vine that followed the flow of her curls. Hermione had left almost all the wedding design to Ginny, as she knew the redhead would have way too much fun with everything, including her apparel.

"You look breathtaking," Severus said in a deep whisper, meant only for her ears.

Hermione looked up at him, her brown eyes growing soft with the mist of tears. It was finally happening. They both turned towards the Ministry official, and the ceremony seemed to just fly by. In what seemed like a matter of seconds, the official declared them bonded for life. They slid the simple gold rings onto each others finger, and the official gestured for them to come together.

Severus stepped forward, his hand tugging Hermione closer to him before he bent down, placing a chaste, yet utterly earth-shattering kiss upon her lips. If you had asked Hermione how and why that gentle, lightly teasing kiss had caused her to see the world in an entirely different light at that moment, she wouldn't have been able to answer.

After what seemed like forever, Severus pulled back, biting back a smirk when he saw his bushy haired witch lose her balance as she tried to chase after his lips. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and they turned to face everyone as they rushed up to congratulate the newly weds.

Severus seemed to simply melt into the background, and Hermione was left to say many a thank you to her friends. It pained her to know that her family couldn't be there, but Severus had promised after the wedding to start working with her on a method that could help bring her parent's memories back. It was a bittersweet moment for her, as she looked at all her friends smiling faces and knowing her parents missed the most important day of her life because of her.

It was for the best, she told herself sternly. She brushed the sorrows off, determined to enjoy her wedding day. The party moved into the cottage, and Severus seemed to just reappear once it was clear the throng of people jostling to give their well wishes had calmed down.

Hermione gave him a reproaching look as he sidled up from behind her and smoothly took a seat at her side.

He merely arched an eyebrow in response before standing up abruptly and holding his hand out to her. "I find myself in need of some air. Mistress Snape?"

Hermione grinned happily at the use of her new surname, and gladly took the proffered hand. The couple ignored the slight glances they received as they slipped out the front door. Severus leaned against the porch archway, and looked down at the ground, a slight frown on his face. "I am more than ready to leave."

Hermione nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yes, I am too. I love my friends, but I'm ready for home."

Severus snorted at her words. "Home? Who said anything about home? I have a –" his words cut short as they both hear the sound of footsteps coming up the gravel path. Hermione turned to look at who had walked up, and gasped.

"Ronald?!"

Severus turned around quickly to see that the gangly redhead was indeed standing right in front of them, a hesitant sheepish grin in place. A cold look of hatred came across Severus' features, and he opened his mouth to speak before, out of the corner of his eye, a pink blur moved in front of him, and Severus watched in awe as Hermione's balled up fist slammed directly into the face of a very surprised looking Ronald Weasley.

seriously, what's a wedding without a little drama? And remember, I did promise an extra Severus-beats-up-Ron scene at the end for you all, so next chapter awaits! ;)