A/N: Thanks again for the follows and reviews :) Keep hanging on readers, you'll get your answers soon enough... just enjoy for the moment :)

Chapter 3

I find myself walking down a dark corridor, searching for... him. But there is too many options of where he could be. Down that corridor, or through that door...or that door.

I blindly stumble my way through the sea of doors, searching and searching hoping that I could find him.

"Hermione..."

His voice is soft and echoed. He is calling me, but something felt off. Different and strange. Dismissing the odd feeling I tore through more doors and down another corridor... it's cooler now, my breath is starting to show.

Ron...

And just as I thought of him, he appears right before me. The space around us transforms into a field filled with flowers, stones, and a beautiful marble fountain. A garden...but not one I remember.

My chest swells as he stands before me. He is just like I remembered him being. Young and handsome, with flaming red hair, just at his ears and dressed in a plaid dress-shirt and Muggle jeans. He is holding out his hand to me.

"Hermione...you are so beautiful" He says, in the same soft voice, before offering me a lopsided smile.

The familiar shivers race through my body. I clutch his hand, and the coolness of it, chills me to the bone. I pull back and watch his face frown. His emotion hovers around me, encasing my heart. He looks so sad.

"Do you remember Christmas?"

What a random question. I try to inquire further, but no sound comes from me. My lips are frozen shut. I watch as our surroundings change, to something darker and colder as the snow begins to fall.

The location... we're in Godric's Hollow. Christmas music begins to play and laughter of children playing, rings in my ears.

Like a magnetic pull, my hand slips into his, warming both my soul and heart.

How... strange.

I see multi-coloured lights surrounding us and the snow starts to build. I see the odd snowman and fort as the children get themselves into a snowball fight.

More laughter.

More happiness.

"I was going to take you away to Egypt, I remember you envied me back in school about it, but work detained me."

Egypt? Why yes I always wanted to go and see the pyramids... But why would he say it like it's a given thing? He died in the war years ago...

Ron now transforms into someone a few years older... his hair is longer and his features warp into someone really handsome. His bright blue eyes sparkle in the dim light, making my heart do crazy things.

What is going on?!

I clasp his hand out of shock.

It's ice-cold to the touch, stilling my heart this time. I try to break free of his grasp, but Ron just holds on, my fingers start to grow numb.

Ron doesn't say anything else for a long while. He just stands there, frowning as the snow fell all around us. Before he's surrounded by lights. Two of them... like headlights.

"Hermione...wake up..." Ron's voice said again, but something is off about it, sounding more eerie and broken. Why would he say something like that? The music has stopped and no more children are laughing...

Something isn't right. Something doesn't feel right.

My chest tingled and my breath catches. And then I see the car approaching us, and quickly, Ron's grip loosens and he starts to fade away into the falling snow.

"Please...Hermione I-" he breaks off suddenly, when the car tires screech.

Ron!

I try to speak again, but it's futile, no sound comes out.

What was he going to tell me?

Ron is slipping from me... the car grows nearer.

RON!

"Wake up!" The voice changed now. Grown harsher. But I am far too panicked to pay it much attention... I can't have him leave me... not again.

"RON!"

I jolt awake in a cold sweat. My breathing is rough. My eyes dart around rapidly. I'm in a room. A bedroom...my bedroom and then the forest scent engulfs my nostrils...

"It's okay," someone whispers soothingly into my ear.

Draco...

"You're safe now" his hands ran all along my bare back, "The nightmare's over"

I shake with sobs, but no tears spill from me. Surprisingly. My rapid heart slows and my breathing returns to normal. His body is so warm compared to Ron's.

"Feel better now?" he said, stroking my hair.

It's hard to say. I wanted to believe it was okay, but I just couldn't shake off how Ron said the words 'wake up.' Like he missed me or something. My body had erupted with goosebumps. How could that be? Shouldn't I be the one to miss him?

"Hermione?" Draco says, pushing me back so he could look at me in the eyes.

Best not to worry him.

"Yes... I'm much better" I say before resuming my previous position in his arms, my head resting on his chest that I can feel his beating heart under my ear.

"Good,"

I smile to myself. I could easily fall right back asleep, but I am not sure I want to if that darkness awaited me.

"What time is it?" I say playing with the covers locked in between our bodies.

"Quarter past seven. No one's gonna be here for at least three more hours. So you should have yourself some Calming Draught and get more sleep in," he cupped my face, and ran his thumbs along my cheeks. "Dreamless sleep, of course"

Well that's reassuring...

"Okay," I said in a heavy sigh. He kisses my temple and then leaves the bed to retrieve the potion. I waited another minute or so before he comes back and passes me the vial. I feel like such an addict, taking so many potions. I downed the stuff and then passed it back to Draco before lowered myself down on to my back.

Draco climbs back into bed and wraps his arms around me, my head rests on his shoulder and before I know it, I am drifting off to sleep.

When I woke up for a second time, Draco wanted to talk to me about what I dreamt. And it took me a moment to remember, just saying the things that came to mind, up until when Ron asked me wake up, but I realized that was the result of Draco trying to wake me up.

Weird how dreams can work like that. Draco kissed my temple and rubbed my back saying how sorry he was for me having to relive it...

I really didn't want to go dress shopping for the day, but according to my notes on the calendar, I saw last night, it's just with my friends... not my mother. It saddened me greatly, that she would be missing out on this high event of my life...

"Can't I just stay here?" I mumble into his skin. I hear him chuckle, "We'll have the honeymoon for that. Which reminds me, I need to head off to the Ministry for that Portkey."

I perk my head to look at him. He flashes me a grin and then another light kiss on my cheek, "Come on love, time to get up!"

Regrettably, I started blindly searching for some of my clothes... I mean... yes we're engaged, but the idea of walking around a room naked didn't appeal to me in the slightest. Draco of course isn't phased at all, I had to cover my eyes so I wouldn't be tempted.

He laughs again before I hear the bathroom door close.

The afternoon started off well until we started to explore every store in the entire strip! Each girl wanting their own European designer...my feet started to hurt from all this walking, regardless of my comfortable flats and there was still my dress to pick out.

"My ankles are sore..." Ginny moaned as she plumped down on to a nearby bench. "Why must they make this out to being some great adventure? Couldn't they just order these all by owls? Would made things so much easier..."

I combed my fingers through my hair. Yes, that would have suited me quite well.

"In fact, being the lazy ones that they are, I am quite surprised they didn't do just that"

Still, I remain quiet. Ginny notices this of course, and faces me.

"Hey, what's up? You seem so faraway just now."

"Sorry," I murmur, "I just... had this strange dream last night,"

Ginny takes my hand, "What about?"

I chewed on my lip. I really didn't want to tell her, as it involved her brother... but damn I needed another perspective on this.

"Ron..."

Ginny stares at me for a long moment and I took that as my cue to keep talking, "He uh... we were standing in the middle of a garden... and then a street. He... he was talking about Egypt... and then... then..."

I closed my eyes, braving the moment to those lights... "A car came and... he vanished, and then I woke up"

"Hmm... doesn't seem that weird."

"Well it's the second one in two days. Yesterday it was just me and him and that car...today, he actually spoke to me. Like he was speaking to me, talking about Christmas and Egypt... but the funny thing is, he looked older like... our age. Not... not... eighteen..."

Ginny blinked, "Did you tell Draco any of this?"

I nodded again, "He told me not to worry about it, only that he hates that I had to relive the horror..."

"But Ron wasn't struck by a car," she says bluntly. "He... he was hit with the Killing Curse..."

My body freezes and my heart jumps to my throat. I could remember a flash of green... series of more cries... students... Professors... a body with flaming red hair lying sprawled on the floor... the Weasley's... crying...

"I know..." I say softly, "It's... just a weird dream..."

"Hey Granger!" hollered Pansy as she wiggled her way over with her bags swaying to where Ginny and I were sitting.

"Your turn!" She hooked her arm around mine and escorted me out of the store. We walked a few more blocks before we reached the bridal shop. Pansy pushed me right in and immediately harassed the bridal consultant by the name of Bethany, or Brittany, I couldn't be sure. I am too busy drawn to the fact that Pansy and I were arm and arm.

"I say off the shoulder," Pansy stated proudly, "You have lovely shoulders, not too bony, but you have wide hips, so... that style will hide them nicely"

"Er.. thanks, Pansy..."

"Of course your are quite endowed too," she jabbed the side of my breast.

"Hey!" I cried, pushing her hands away from my chest.

The consultant looks at me expectantly, "So... off the shoulder designs then? Any price range in mind?"

From all the things we talked about yesterday, the wedding is pushing fifty, and... well... I just didn't see a reason to spend that much...

"Well-"

"Nothing less than two thousand," Pansy pipes in for me, flashing me a bright smile. "You don't want to wear just any old rag, do you? I mean Draco certainly wouldn't have it!"

Except two thousand dollars on a wedding gown? Are these woman insane? I can find a perfectly reasonable one in Muggle London for under five hundred!

Just humour the girl, I told myself. I mean I might not even find the right dress and leave the shop empty-handed! It's not a given that I would find the one today... especially if my mother isn't here to witness it...

"Draco? As in... Draco Malfoy? He's your fiancé?" Bethany said incredulously. I nodded to Bethany.

Pansy raised her chin proudly, "That's right, so nothing, and I repeat nothing less than two for this one"

Bethany swallowed tightly and then nodded, "Right then, I'll see what I can do..."

She waved me over and guided me to the change rooms as she left to get a couple of samples.

The first dress was a simple design. Hardly much train, and layered in the back. I took a deep breath as I played with the front of the dress. It's such a shame that my mother couldn't make it. I always wanted her at my side when choosing for my dress...

"Alright let's go show off the gown!"

And thus began a very long process.

Thirty dresses later, I was about ready to throw the lot of them out. Not one dress did they agree upon, even the ones they picked out themselves! Either they were too tight, too frumpy, too cheap, too frilly, too sexy... I found it rather overwhelming, given that I didn't have much of a say for their gowns. I can tell Bethany is at her wit's end with them too when they refused to let her pick out other styles.

"I think," I say removing the overly frilly dress from my person, "It's time to call it a day. I'm sorry for wasting your time..."

It seems I would have to custom design my gown...

Until my eyes caught sight of a lovely, simple gown off to the side of the room. Bethany followed my gaze and smiled.

"You think one more?"

My eyes danced over the gown. At first I didn't think I would fit into it... but that happened more than once this afternoon than after a light tug, every dress just magically fit to my body.

My eyes widened as I took in the layered front of the gown. It had a simple floral design, lightly scattered all over the gown and bodice itself. It wasn't as white as the others but the shade suited my skin tone just fine.

Bethany finished tying up the gown and smiled as she stood beside me.

"What do you think? Shall we brave the wolves or not?"

"Actually no" I straightened my posture, "I have only one person in mind that will help me with this decision... and that is my mother."

She might be busy doing her own thing, but hell, I need this. It makes perfect sense to have my mother's opinion in which dress best suited me than my so-called friends.

Bethany raised her eyebrows, obviously not sure of how I would be able to achieve such a thing.

"We can Apparate out of here can't we?"

Slowly, Bethany nods then pulls out her wand and waves the air around us.

"Just lifted the ward. You have ten minutes before my boss' alerted."

"Thank you,"

And with a pop I removed myself from the shop and find myself in my old room of my house. The bell sounds, alerting anyone in the home that I have arrived.

"Hermione dear?" sang my mother's voice from the hallway, "What's the-"

She broke off in an audible gasp.

"I know you said you had errands to do," I say softly. "But I just... couldn't handle them anymore"

Tears welled her eyes as she shuffled her way over to me. She stuck her hand out and smiled at me.

"Oh dear, you're so beautiful..."

"Mum..." my heart speeds up as she pulls me into a warm hug. It feels like its been ages since I've seen and hugged her. And boy, with the afternoon I've had, I really needed it.

"So... this is your dress?" She steps back to take a better look. I give her a twirl and smiled.

"I love it dear," her eyes dance all over my appearance, "A perfect fit. Will you be wearing a veil as well?"

Oh... right. I completely forgot about that.

"You should," Mum said, answering her own question she plays with the locks of my hair. "I'm just sorry I couldn't make it, dear... are your friends giving you a rough time? I remember when I went to pick out my gown. My mother-in-law had to go with me... oh... it was quite... eventful to say the least"

I can just imagine! Narcissa would be...well... actually I am not sure how she would be... come to think of it... I don't know where I stand with Draco's parents... or if they are even alive. But, given the circumstances, I'm betting both are dead.

"Something the matter, dear?"

Before I could answer her, my father had arrived at my door.

"I thought I heard the chime," he said walking over to join us. He takes my hands in his and smiles at me.

"So...this the one, Hermione?"

I see mother roll her eyes, clearly not liking my father's tone of voice. "Honey, please don't be like this. The wedding is two weeks away! She is marrying Draco and that is final!"

"Speaking of... I um.. I should really be heading back. The consultant is waiting for me..."

"Oh my baby girl," Mum hugged me again, sobbing lightly into my shoulder, "Okay you go and do what you must."

Mother beams at me, "And I say yes. This dress is absolutely gorgeous on you. Simple and elegant, just like you. Draco will love it,"

"Thanks Mum." I hug her again and then hugged my father.

"I love you, baby" he rubs my back and I smile.

"Love you too, Dad and Mum" I gave them both a kiss on the cheek and then a wave before Apparating back to the bridal shop.

"Does she approve?" Bethany said, magically zipping up all the dresses I had tried on.

"And that's the only opinion that matters to me" with a firm nod. I slipped the dress off and got back into my regular clothes. "I'm buying it."

I checked the price tag, two...thousand Galleons? I shudder to think what those designer ones Pansy wanted me to try on cost.

"Is it out of your price range?"

"Well..." I glance back at the mirror. It was a really nice dress, and from all the selection I went through, I really didn't have the heart to do it all again...

"It's okay. I'll manage"

"Did you want a veil to go with it or no?"

Well my mother wants one, and I always envisioned my husband lifting the veil before he kisses me...

"Yes..."

"Okay I'll be right back..."

After five or so minutes, I finally found the one. It had a similar design with tiny flowers spread all around. Crowned with a crystal tiara. And the price only was three hundred Galleons.

The shoes would be done another time.

She packed it up and the two of us left the change rooms. In a few steps, the girls jumped from their seats.

"What?! You're away for twenty minutes and you came back looking like that?!" Pansy hissed, as she eyed me up and down at my causal attire. "You're not finished, I have other picks for you!"

I shook my head, "That's not...um necessary, I... I found my dress"

Pansy folded her arms, "On what? None of us really agreed on anything you wore"

"Yes but need I remind you it is my wedding, therefore I can choose what it is I wear." I nodded to Bethany. "Ring it up"

"What about shoes?" Lavender said eyeing the far wall of silver heels.

"Oh and don't forget the garter!" Hannah piped in.

"Hold on! I want to see what dress she chose!" Pansy hissed watching as Bethany walked away.

Ginny smirked, "I suppose you're just going to have to wait for the wedding like the rest of us!"

Oi, this is gonna be a long day.

After dinner and more pointless conversations, I finally set off to go back home where Draco immediately greets me.

"Sorry," I say sadly, knowing what he was about to ask me. Why wasn't I home in time to have dinner with him. "The girls... they wanted to treat me and I just... well they wouldn't accept no for an answer..." Actually it had been just Ginny, as she wanted to cheer me up from our discussion, but I didn't have the heart to worry him again.

"It's expected when you're off with Pansy and Daphne. Those girls don't know when to quit at times," And then he hugged me tightly.

"So you're not upset? I'm sure you wanted to have dinner with me..."

"Well there's still dessert..." he moved his head and his lips connected with the pulse point in my neck.

Hmm yes that would be nice, given the afternoon I just had...

My arms grip tighter around him.

"Draco... come on we can't always be-"

His lips connected with mine and I felt my entire body sigh with relief.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, love." He said taking my hand in his, "There's still that left over chocolate cake you made yesterday"

Oh right...

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as he strolled off toward the kitchen. I glance back over to my purchases of the day, most importantly the bright pink bag coated with hearts, that Lavender gave me. The one that held a lacy black piece of lingerie and a pair of... fuzzy purple cuffs.

Thank goodness he didn't see that.

"However, I am looking forward to you showing off what's in that pink bag, when it's bedtime."

Groaning I incline my neck backward to stare up at the twelve-foot ceiling. So much for him not noticing.

E/N: Now I can see why fluffy stories are so fun to read... I can't seem to help it. Also, I've never been to a bridal gown pick, so I hope it was okay. I don't have any site to show you what her dress looks like, so you'll just have to use your imagination... :)