Lookee here! I managed to stick to a schedule this time! It's time for the wedding! Thank you to everyone that has stuck with this so far, you're the ones that keep making me want to write more of this.
As always, everything HP related belongs to JK. Rowling. I make no money and no copyright infringement is intended
Chapter Eleven
The day of the wedding dawned bright and warm. There was barely a cloud in the sky, it was a stark contrast to the sombre mood of the two Gryffindors in their private rooms. Harry stood in his dress robes, a deep blue with silver threading, cuff links in his shirt were small lions with rubies for eyes, his hair was for once behaving and he'd tamed it into some semblance of propriety, and his shoes shined to perfection. The velvet box containing their wedding bands sat in the pocket of his robes, the gold bands shined.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger would be meeting them at the Ministry in just an hour's time. Harry fidgeted with his cuffs and glanced at the clock on their mantle. In the short time they had been in their rooms, they had managed to furnish them quite pleasantly.
Hermione's thousand books lined the far wall, with a cabinet on the left wall that housed Harry's Quidditch trophies, Buckbeak's feather, his album that Hagrid had given him containing photos of his parents, the Snitch he'd caught in his first ever Quidditch match, and his Hogwarts letter.
A cabinet on the right wall was filled with things from Hermione's parents. She'd displayed some photos of them, along with her own Hogwarts letter. Harry smiled at the photo of the two of them, it was taken just last year, the pair laughing while throwing snowballs at one another during the Christmas break. Ron had gone home to the Burrow that Christmas and though Hermione and Harry had been invited, neither of them were particularly looking forward to the raucous that was the Weasley's cramped household.
Instead of going home, Hermione had elected to remain behind with him. He hadn't wanted to go to the Burrow, and the idea of being in Grimmauld Place without Sirius was too painful. So, the pair stayed at Hogwarts, waking together on their wedding morning having spent the night in the Gryffindor common room, asleep on the sofa in front of the fire.
Harry had gotten ready in the boys dormitory, letting the other Gryffindor boys help him get ready, and Ginny had used some intricate charms work to get his hair to comply. Honestly, she really needed to teach him how to do them! Hermione was in their bedroom with Fleur, the newest Weasley helping her get ready and shooing Harry away any time he tried to get close enough to get a peek at his almost-wife.
"Hermione, do you want me to wait for you or meet you at the Ministry?" He called out.
Fleur opened the door a crack and looked out at him. "You look very handsome," she whispered. "We will meet you there, I promise she will be there, Harry."
A pale hand slipped out and pressed a flower into his hand. Harry realised it was for the buttonhole in his waistcoat and slipped it in, calling out a goodbye to Hermione and disappearing through the Floo to the Ministry to wait for his bride.
Back inside the bedroom, Fleur breathed a sigh of relief. "Right! Now that we do not have him pestering us every two minutes we can get wrapped up here!" She said, clapping her hands, her blue eyes shining with tears she refused to shed lest they destroy her makeup.
Hermione looked at the woman then back at the reflection in the mirror. "I don't even look like myself."
Fleur stood behind her and rested her slim hands on the bride's shoulders. "Oh, sweetheart, yes, you do. See those eyes? Those are the same eyes that see everything, devouring knowledge from books, constantly observing and taking in everything in your surroundings. This hair? Yes, it's been tamed with pins but if I removed them, it would spring all over like it always does. That mouth? The same one that smiles so warmly at your friends. You are still you, Hermione. This day does not change who you are. Darling, look at yourself, really look. You are beautiful, sweetheart. Let yourself see that."
The Gryffindor stared at her reflection and then instead of looking at the whole image, she got down from the little podium Fleur had conjured and walked closer to the mirror. She examined her ensemble when she could only see a portion of it. Her dress was gorgeous, even she could not deny that. Wide straps over her shoulders were made of white silk, the neckline low but enough material covered her that it remained tasteful. The bodice cinched at her waist, flaring out suddenly and held out by a number of underskirts, creating an almost princess style skirt, but not as big, more lowkey.
Silver thread was woven throughout the skirt, in delicate leaves and swirls, each piece of thread catching the light any time she moved. Her makeup was minute, nothing more than a little mascara to bring out her eyes, a very tiny amount of lipstick in the softest pink she'd ever seen, and a little blush to highlight the curve of her cheeks.
Her unruly hair had been pinned to the back of her head, a loose sort of bun with tendrils left out to frame her face, accentuating her features. Her earrings were pearls, and a silver chain disappeared into her cleavage, though if anyone had pulled it out to look they would find a tiny lion, with rubies for eyes, at the end. The veil tucked into her pinned hair was small, just stopping below her shoulders and very simple, tiny crystals around the edges to weigh it down. Fleur had tried to talk Hermione out of wearing pumps to the wedding but the Gryffindor refused to be swayed, saying she didn't want to worry about falling over in heels or her toes being pinched.
In the end, Fleur had found a pair of ballet slipper style shoes that were white silk, threaded through with blue stitching that looked silver in certain lights. Hermione still felt dizzy when she thought about how much Fleur had spent in the dress shop, begging to put things back, but the other woman had simply sniffed delicately and refused, handing over a plastic card and paying for it all in one go.
Fleur didn't even so much as blink when Madam Touvelle told her the total was fifteen thousand pounds. Hermione did the maths very quickly in her head and realised that was three-thousand galleons! Her heart actually skipped a beat when she remembered that Harry had given her the key to his vault and that the man she was marrying clearly had no idea how much a wedding dress could cost. But then, neither had Hermione. Her little purse had held just under a thousand pounds to buy a dress with and everything they had looked at had started at the high hundreds. It would have left her with very little for accessories.
Slowly stepping back from the mirror, Hermione was pleasantly surprised to find that now she'd looked at things up close, the image she had been seeing did not come back and she saw just how lovely she looked. "Thank you, Fleur," she whispered, eyes filling with tears.
"Don't you undo my hard work with crying," the woman admonished teasingly.
"I would never!" Hermione laughed and for the first time since this whole sorry affair had started, her heart felt light.
Her hands were held in a loose grip and Hermione met Fleur's blue eyes. "Remember, today is not meant to be sad, even if this has been decided for you, Harry is a good match for you. He will do nothing you do not wish for, and will respect any boundaries you put in place, but I beg you to remember this: Harry has a heart of gold, but even a heart of gold can run out if taken advantage of. Try to make this work, not just for your sake but for his too, and talk to him. No marriage can survive without communication."
Hermione nodded and Fleur charmed a bubble around her to she could go through the Floo without dirtying her dress and the two women were grateful to find they were alone, giving Hermione just enough time to take a breath and collect herself before she would become a married woman. The door opened and Hermione looked up expecting Harry but her parents slipped in and Alice immediately burst into tears. "Hermione, you look beautiful," she cried.
She blushed and smiled awkwardly. "Thanks, Mum."
"Harry looks very dashing," she whispered conspiratorially. "He is so nervous, dear. Poor lamb can't sit still for more than a few seconds. I think he expects to be jilted at the alter the way he keeps pacing around!"
Hermione blushed a little. The thought had crossed her mind for a split second to just run away, disappear into Muggle London and live out the rest of her days a Muggle. It had been a fleeting thought and nothing more. Hermione knew she could never do it. Not just because she couldn't give up her magic, but also Harry deserved so much better than that. She could never be so ungrateful.
Richard took his daughter's arm when music started up and Hermione looked up into her father's dark eyes, the orbs bright as though he was fighting back tears. "You look stunning, my darling. Here, your favourite," he said, handing her a bunch of irises bound together with a dark blue ribbon.
"Thank you, Daddy," she whispered.
The double doors leading to the room she was to be married to Harry in opened and she took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and began walking down the white carpeted aisle to meet Harry at the other end. The moment his eyes lit upon her, her breath was stolen away and her heart hammered deep in her chest. There was nothing short of adoration in the green depths and his eyes never once wavered from her face. He looked completely stunned by her appearance.
-oo0oo-
Harry heard the doors clunk open and he turned around, his heart thundering in his chest, nerves rioting in his stomach. Then he saw her. Every single idea he'd had about how she might look were nothing in comparison to how beautiful she actually looked. There was not a single thing on Earth that would have been able to prepare him for seeing her. If it weren't for the hammering of his heart, Harry was certain he'd believe himself dead. Hermione looked nothing short of ethereal and angelic as she walked toward him.
As soon as they reached where he stood, Harry took a gentle hold of his bride's hand, pressed a kiss to her knuckles and thanked her father. They faced the officiator to begin, Hermione's wide eyes locked on his until they had to look away. The traditional Muggle vows were spoken first, allowing Hermione's parents to see her get married the way they knew. Neither of them had been bothered about speaking their own vows, they had already written some for the magical ceremony as it was required to cement their bond, but coming up with a second lot, or even repeating them, seemed silly.
Next came the magical wedding. Hermione and Harry faced each other, brought both their hands together, finger to finger, palms pressed close. The officiator ran his wand over the hands and chanted quietly, a gold ribbon twined its way around their pressed hands, tying them together at the wrists.
"Repeat after me, Miss Granger," the officiator said. "I, Hermione Jean Granger, do solemnly swear that I will cherish, protect, love and support my husband, Harry James Potter, until the end of my days."
Hermione smiled and repeated the words softly, her eyes never leaving Harry.
The man continued. "I will not stray from my husband's side, I will remain faithful, and I will not break the vows I make today."
Hermione finished the official vows before speaking her own. "Harry, I promise that as long as we are married, I will never stand anywhere but at your side. I will support you in your endeavours, I will protect you against anything that seeks to harm you, I will always be loyal to you and I will never desire anyone except for you."
The golden ribbon around their arms tightened slightly, the glow brightening as her vows were spoken and completed, the bond reading the truth in her words. The officiant turned to Harry and smiled. "Repeat after me, Mr. Potter. I, Harry James Potter, do solemnly swear that I will cherish, protect, love and support my wife, Hermione Jean Granger, until the end of my days."
After repeating the words, Harry was directed to give his own vows. "Hermione, as long as there is breath in my body, I will protect you from harm, I will cherish all that we do together, and I will support you in everything that you do. I will never stray from your side, and I will never desire another so long as I am married to you. Until the end of my life, I will always love you."
The ribbon tightened once more, their hands unable to move even a centimetre apart in its hold. Hermione's eyes widened at his final words and even more when the ribbon accepted his words as true. Their Ministry officiant waved his wand and chanted some more, the ribbon thinning to just a simple strand holding them together.
"With these spoken words, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger will be bound as wedded man and wife until the death of one, or the dissolution of their marriage. Before the marriage is complete, is there anyone who believes this marriage should not take place?"
Harry's lips twitched in a slight smile as his arm tickled. Their golden strand wove around their hands until it circled only their wrists and ring fingers.
"As no one has stepped forward, I complete this marriage ceremony with the exchange of rings." The strand glowed white as it sank into their skin. Harry pulled the box out of his robes and slid Hermione's onto her ring finger, above her engagement ring, and held his own hand out as she returned the gesture.
"Mr. Potter, you may kiss your bride."
Harry laced one hand together with Hermione's, his other rising to cup her cheek and he gently pulled her forward. Their lips met in the softest of kisses, Harry's thumb stroking her cheek, and Hermione had to marvel at how much her nerves disappeared as they kissed. The pair parted to applause from Hermione's parents, Remus, Dumbledore and their officiator. Dumbledore, Remus and Hermione's parents signed their marriage certificate as their witnesses, and they filled out their names as well.
Harry glanced at their joined hands, his wedding ring glinting in the light. He smiled to Hermione, who squeezed his hand and smiled back. "You look beautiful, Hermione," Harry whispered to her, noting the way her cheeks pinked and she offered him a shaky smile.
The certificate was filed, and they were given a copy. A photograph was taken, which Harry slipped into his pocket for them to put somewhere later. With the ceremony completed, they were ushered from the room where Hermione bade goodbye to her parents tearfully.
Remus promised to see them soon, and gave Hermione a warm hug, passing her something that Harry couldn't see properly. He mentally shrugged and ignored it, if she wanted to share it with him, she would do. The headmaster took them back to Hogwarts and left them alone in their rooms but asked them to come see him in the morning before he shut the door.
Harry turned to Hermione and gave her a lop-sided grin. She tried to return it but failed, her eyes filling with tears. He sighed, took the marriage certificate from her trembling hands and cupped her cheek. "Why don't you go change and we can go down to the lake for a bit?"
She nodded and disappeared into their bedroom, a quiet sob making it to his ears through the closed door. Harry scrubbed a hand over his face and pulled off the robes until he was just in his trousers, waistcoat and shirt. He plucked the Iris from his buttonhole and spelled it under a glass dome, preserving it and placing it on the mantle. He prayed the law was repealed soon, he didn't think he could take that lost, frightened look in Hermione's eyes for long.