The weather was unseasonably warm for April, not the humid warmth Britain had felt the previous summer but still it felt more like summer than spring. The sun shone brightly in the large garden of Mayfeather Cottage, much to the delight of the many guests that were currently in it.
Fifty or so seats were arranged in rows either side of the garden, a walkway down the middle separated them, dressed in bright white chair covers with yellow bows fastened at the back. A man with black messy hair and a red-headed friend were greeting smartly-dressed new arrivals to the garden and leading them to the seats. Those already in position were chatting animatedly, occasionally looking behind them.
Soon the seats were filled and the redheaded man took a seat near the front and the other walked into the cottage that stood at the top of it. He quickly reappeared with a man dressed in coat and tails and the pair walked down the pathway between the chairs and stood at the bottom of them.
Hermione watched out of her bedroom window at the guests below and felt a surge of nerves as she watched the two men take their positions in front of the guests.
"Get away from that window!" a voice snapped. "He could see you!"
Hermione pulled the blind closed and turned to face the woman who had just entered the room. "Sorry Ginny, I just wanted to check he hadn't changed his mind."
"Hermione, don't be stupid, it doesn't suit you," she said grinning. "Of course he hasn't changed his mind, I think he's been more excited about today than you! Now come on, let's get your dress on.
Hermione nodded, feeling reassured. She walked to the huge oak wardrobe that held both hers and Draco's clothes and unzipped a white bag that was hanging from the top and went all the way down to the floor. She pulled out the dress that was inside and handed it to Ginny before removing the bath robe she was wearing. Ginny carefully lifted it over Hermione's head and raised arms and pulled it down, then turned her around and pulled up the zip at the back.
"Okay, turn around and let me see," Ginny said taking a step back.
Hermione turned and watched her friend's face for a reaction. She gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth, tears threatening to form in her eyes.
"What? Is something wrong?" Hermione asked, panic in her voice.
"No, Hermione. You look beautiful. Here," she said as she removed the black cloth she had deliberately placed over the huge full length mirror in the room.
Hermione stepped in front of it and stared at the unfamiliar woman in the mirror. Her hair was no longer wild and curly but smooth and shiny, elegant waves fell softly around her shoulders and half of it was pinned back in what she knew to be a silver and blue crystal clip, her something blue from her mother. The dress she wore was ivory and strapless; fitted to her waist and then flared slightly where it fell to the floor with just a touch of lace on the small train. It was simple and yet completely perfect.
There was a gentle knock on the door which pulled Hermione's thoughts away from the woman in the mirror whom she was positive could not be her.
A voice from outside the room in the hallway spoke. "Is it okay to come in now?"
"Even if it's not we're coming in anyway, I'm dying out here!" another said a little louder.
Hermione laughed. "Yes, you can come in. Calm down Lucy!"
The door burst open and Juliette and Lucy entered, wearing the same dresses as Ginny. They were strapless like Hermione's, pale yellow and went to just below their knees with an ivory band around the middle.
"Oh, Hermione," the two women said in unison.
"Do I look alright?" she asked nervously.
"Beautiful," Juliette replied.
"Not as good as me, but you'll do," Lucy teased, earning her a glare from Ginny. "I'm kidding! You look perfect Hermione. Are you ready to go?"
Hermione opened her mouth but could not seem to find her voice, so simply nodded.
"Excellent. Draco is already waiting for you, Harry is there to keep him calm but he's not even a little nervous by the looks of things. I'll just go and get your dad and the kids from Molly so she can sit down and then we can get you married!"
Juliette left the room and returned a few minutes later, four children being herded into the room in front of her. There was James, now four, and his almost three year old brother Albus; both looking adorable in matching suits. They were accompanied by Ron and Juliette's twin two year old girls, Aylis and Nadia, both of whom had fortunately inherited Juliette's slightly darker shade of red hair and were wearing ivory flower girl dresses. Ron, having already helped to seat the guests, had now been landed with the job of looking after the two latest additions to the ever-growing Weasley family: two month old Lily, Ginny and Harry's daughter, and his third baby girl, Jayde.
Hermione's dad, who had arrived from Australia with her mum the day before, followed Juliette into the room and beamed as soon as he saw his daughter. He crossed the room wordlessly and pulled her into a tight hug.
"You look wonderful darling," he said when he finally let her go.
"Thanks Dad," she replied, smiling back at him.
"You ready?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be."
The group left Hermione and Draco's bedroom and descended the stairs. A screen had been erected in front of the back door that shielded Hermione from the guests as Ginny walked down the aisle with the boys and they were followed by Juliette and the twins. Hermione heard the music give her cue and she linked her arm with her dad.
The walk down the aisle felt like much longer than it had at the previous day's rehearsal. She could see Draco standing at the bottom next to Harry and when he turned to face her, his smile was every bit as wide as her own. She finally reached him and, after a quick kiss on her cheek from her father, she faced the man she was about to marry.
As the only Muggle guests at the wedding were Hermione's parents, they had decided to have a Ministry Official perform their ceremony. The man seemed to be as old as time itself and was so small he could barely be seen by the guests, despite standing on an overturned box, but his wise and beautiful words about love and marriage could be heard by all and soon it was time for the most important part.
"Do you, Draco Lucius Malfoy, take Hermione Jean Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
Draco looked into Hermione's eyes and said, with absolute clarity, "I do."
"And do you, Hermione Jean Granger, take Draco Lucius Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do," she told him with certainty.
"Then, as an official of the Ministry of Magic, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Mr Malfoy."
Draco placed a hand in the small of Hermione's back and another on the side of her face; he pulled her close and kissed her in a gentle but passionate way, she was only vaguely aware of the applauding and cheering coming from their guests. All too soon he pulled away.
"I love you, Mrs. Malfoy," he told her sincerely.
"I love you too."
A flash from the photographer's camera distracted the newlyweds, reminding them that they weren't the only two people in the garden. They turned to face him and posed for their second picture as husband and wife.
One year later, Hermione was looking through one of her albums and paused as she reached the picture of herself and Draco posing at the top of the aisle on their wedding day. She smiled fondly at the memory as the couple waved happily up at her.
"What are you grinning at?" Draco asked as he joined her sitting on the sofa in their living room.
"Our wedding photos, it feels like just yesterday doesn't it? I wish we could go back and do it all over again…"
"I'm not sure time travel is safe in your condition." He took the photo album from her hands to reveal a large bump in her stomach. He placed two hands on it and sighed contentedly. "We need to keep Draco Junior safe in there you know."
"I am not naming our child Draco Junior," Hermione scolded playfully. "Besides, it could be a girl in there. Anyway, I was just reminiscing, that's all." She took back the photo album and flipped the pages until she was back to ones of their wedding.
"Let's keep it that way," he teased, "I think we've had enough trips down Memory Lane to last a lifetime, don't you?"
Hermione couldn't agree more.
A/N So, that's it. It's all over! This story has been like my baby for the last four months and I can't believe it's finished so soon. The amazing reviews each and every one of you have left me has been the biggest motivation to continue writing this story and so this chapter is dedicated to you, especially those who took the time to review every single chapter, I can't stress enough how happy that made me. Aylis, Nadia and Jayde, I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your names to give to Ron and Juliette's children, it's my way of thanking the three of you for the many hours spent talking about all things Potter and your support and kind words about this story that never failed to amaze me. If you've read the story to this point, thank you so much. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it and as always I would love to know what you thought of, not just this final chapter, but the whole thing.
Until the next story…
Dee xx