Quidditch League Season 10
Round 7, Fluffin' It Up
Team: Wigtown Wanderers
Position: Chaser 3
Prompt: A Holiday Party or Event
Additional Prompts: 3. [action] dancing; 6. [object] glass bottle; 9. [word] dazzling
Title: Not Just Happily Ever After
Summary: During her honeymoon, Hermione reflects on her wedding to Draco.
Warnings: I don't think any apply
Topics/Tags: Dramione; Platonic Harmione; marriage; fluff
Author's Note/Word Count: Finally a prompt I can excel at! I live for fluff! Stand alone fic, but loosely follows up the fic for round 3. Also, I chose the Coromandel Peninsula because that's where part of CoN Prince Caspian was filmed. 1728 words. Thanks to Aya for being my Beta
Draco Malfoy snaked his arms around his bride's waist. Scratch that, she was his wife now.
"Do you think we made the right choice?" Hermione Jean Granger-Malfoy asked without removing her gaze from the dark waters below. "Eloping, I mean?"
"Running away with our closest friends and family to New Zealand? Where St. Mungo's had no way to contact me? Where reporters and photographers had no knowledge of our whereabouts? Where we've been off the grid for half a month?" He smirked. "Clearly, a horrible choice, Mrs. Granger-Malfoy."
She turned around, detecting his sarcasm. She playfully smacked him against the chest, and he caught her hand in his. "I want a real answer."
He raised a brow. "My real answer is that you, my bride, look dazzling in this dress, just as you did days ago on our wedding day. And this sapphire on your finger sparkles like your eyes. I think eloping was perfect. Just you, me, our parents, and our closest friends. I couldn't ask for anything more.
"And remember my love, our wedding is about us; not anyone else. If we decide to have a larger ceremony later, that's fine too. But tell me: are you happy with how it turned out?"
She rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes. She could feel his heartbeat against her cheek. "It was perfect."
oOoOo
"Malfoy is going to adore you, Hermione," Harry commented as he pinned the final curls in place with a decorative comb. "You look stunning."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, you're the man of honor in my wedding to him. You might start calling him Draco."
He smirked, and she caught his gaze in the mirror before them. "Old habits die hard. He might be your groom, but to me, he'll always be a sarcastic, conniving snake."
Their elopement ceremony would be in the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand, so Hermione had picked an elopement outfit that would be comfortable for such an environment: a dazzling gold dress with navy blue trim that fell below her knees with barefoot sandals. Draco would be wearing navy blue pants and shirt with a gold vest and bow tie. Even though they had scrapped the idea of having a formal ceremony and reception, they had kept the color scheme they'd originally planned.
The celebration today would be exclusive to the bridal party and their parents. Hermione had brought Harry, Neville, Ron, and Ginny along as her bridesmaids and Draco had brought along Pansy, Blaise, Luna, and Theo as his groomsmen. All eight members had chosen either a dress or shorts with suspenders in the same colors as the bride and groom. Hermione and Draco had agreed that for such a small gathering, they might as well all be comfortable. They had less than twenty people in attendance, after all.
Lucius and Narcissa had rented the bride and groom each a suite in a luxury hotel so they could get ready for their nuptials while keeping the tradition of not seeing each other until the moment of. That's where Hermione and her bridesmen and bridesmaid were now.
There was a knock on the door to Hermione's suite. "Hermione, love. We're all ready when you are. Draco just went down with his groomsmen and groomswomen."
"Just a minute mum!" Hermione called back, standing from her chair and fixing her dress.
She spun around to face Harry and the rest of her friends. "Well? How do I look?"
"You look dazzling," Ron commented with a shy smile.
"You look hot!" Ginny exclaimed. "I'm jealous I'm not the one marrying you."
Hermione giggled. "Neville? Harry?"
" You're beautiful as always," Neville said, coming over to hug her. "Draco is one lucky man."
S he turned to Harry last. He was failing to subtly wipe away tears. "Stop it, you're making me cry," he smiled. "I'm so happy for you. You look amazing. Your dress suits you. And it brings out that rock on your hand."
S he engulfed him in a hug. "You can't cry yet, Harry. You're going to make me cry."
" No crying! I worked hard on that make-up!" Ginny exclaimed, fanning Hermione with the elopement invitation she'd brought along.
T hey gathered around her in one last group hug before filing out of the room. Out of the hotel, and down on the beach, Luna took a few pictures of the bride by herself (she'd already taken photos of Draco alone) and then a few photos of both of them, separated from view of each other by the natural features of the land.
E veryone was circled around the two, ready for the big reveal. The camera was set up and charmed to self shoot so nobody would miss the moment. A soft piano tune began from a radio nearby and Hermione and Draco stepped out to meet in front of their friends and family. At the sight of him, Hermione lit up in delight, closing the distance between them quickly. He grabbed her around her waist, hoisting her up so her bare feet dangled above the sandy beach.
" You are dazzling, my love," Draco whispered as she hugged him tightly.
S he pulled back to look up at him. "You as well. You clean up nicely. And this color suits you far better than lime green."
" Oh, don't lie to me, Ms Granger. I know you adore a man in uniform."
T he marriage officiant joined the group, standing behind the bride and groom. "Welcome to New Zealand. It is an honor to be here with you today as you join hands in marriage. Before the bride and groom exchange vows, I would like for each of you, their friends and family, to take a ribbon and tie it around the hands of the bride and groom. Draco and Hermione, if you will grasp hands, please."
Standing across from each other, Hermione and Draco took each other's hands. The officiant wrapped the first ribbon around their hands, tying it and letting the strands dangle below. There were thirteen ribbons total, so each guest had a ribbon to tie. The officiant explained the meaning of each colored ribbon as they were tied. "Now Draco and Hermione, I will read each line and you will repeat it back to each other." They nodded in agreement, their eyes locked as they recited their vows to each other. "You may now share your first kiss as husband and wife."
Their friends and family cheered, gathering around them to exchange hugs and well wishes. Once the officiant had left for the evening, the group stayed to party on the beach. There were snacks and treats aplenty, and as the sun began to set, Pansy raised up a glass bottle of unopened champagne.
"I'd like to propose a toast!" The rest of the party gathered around. "To the most obnoxious roommate I've ever had the displeasure of having, I'm proud of you for growing up and making a life for yourself. You've always been a great friend, I can attest that you are a brilliant healer, and I know you're going to be a wonderful husband. And to the beautiful bride, I'm grateful to have you as a friend now and even more grateful that you're the new roommate. I wish you the best; he's difficult to live with."
Draco rolled his eyes but Hermione giggled and stood up on her toes to kiss him.
Pansy raised the bottle once more. "To Draco and Hermione!" She pulled a pocket knife from the pocket of her shorts and slashed at the mouth of the bottle. It popped open, liquid bubbling over. Everyone cheered.
A s the glass bottle was passed around the circle, now Harry stood front and center. "Hermione, you are my sister in all but blood. And thankfully, they say the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb because you're my sister by choice. Without you, I probably would have died by reckless self-endangerment a long time ago. To Draco, full disclosure, I'm never going to trust you fully." Draco shrugged, smirking. "But you challenge her intellectually, make all her romantic dreams come true, and I can see how happy you make her. That's all I want for my best friend." He was crying again, but he swiped away tears on the shoulder of his dress.
H e aimed his wand at a giant heart hovering from the arched rock above them. The heart burst, showering the two with paper hearts, rings, keys, and roses. "To Hermione and Draco!"
o OoOo
T he sound of applause brought Hermione out of her memories of last weekend. She and Draco were officially husband and wife, and every time she called him her husband, she was filled with such delight. Since building a tentative friendship in their final year of school, they had been through so much together. She had advocated for him in court, he had done everything in his power to heal her scars caused by his aunt. They had supported each other through professional education programs. He had helped her find her parents. She had helped rehabilitate the Malfoy family post-war. And now they were married, cruising back to England from New Zealand once they parted ways with their family and friends.
D raco cleared his throat. "Excuse me ma'am, but may I have this dance?"
He offered out a hand and she took it, following him to the dance floor of the top deck. The live band began playing a drum-heavy song, and Hermione and Draco began dancing together. Hermione felt a bit silly dancing to such an upbeat tune, but with her husband, that didn't matter. She was here to have fun, to celebrate her love with Draco.
The live band began a new tune, a slower song with more romantic vibes than the last. " This dance is dedicated to the newlyweds I've heard are honeymooning with us this week. Congratulations Draco and Hermione Malfoy on your happily ever after."
Draco hugged Hermione close to her, and they began swaying to the music. Her marriage to Draco was far from a happily ever after. Really, it was the once upon a time. A new story was beginning for them. She smiled as she recognized the tune. She glanced up at her husband and began singing along, "but I can't help falling in love with you."
