Hermione Granger sat staring into her huge armoire mirror, wondering if she was doing the right thing. She let her gaze drift from the enormous white dress she was laced into, to the design and carving of her beautiful furniture. Small wooden flowers weaved in and out through the border of the mirror, giving off an endless feeling of sophistication. The flowers were all connected by a solitary vine which met at the very top of the piece in a large and lavish bow.

Hermione then directed her gaze to her shoes. The clear glass heels had a mini pink bow sewed onto them, making them feminine and classy. Moving upward she admired her white gown. With more small pink flowers dabbed here and there, the lacy material stayed close to her body. Her hair, each curl to perfection, was shining in a gloating way, with a single pink rose lain above her ear.

Yet, looking herself in the eye, she couldn’t stand it. Her wonderful eye make-up, all ruined by her tears of doubt. Black mascara left a sad trail along her cheeks, smudged and caked. Her stomach felt like a hurricane, the main offenders being doubt, worry, fright, and nervousness.

A few hours before, she had put on her mask of happiness to take pictures with her mother and father, and her bridesmaid. The groom hadn’t attended though, for those pictures Hermione wanted to take after the ceremony. Yet, after the pictures were taken and done with, Hermione hadn’t the heart to take off the dress. Seeing herself in such a beautiful gown, she worried of what was to come, and what the dress stood for.

What am I doing? she thought. She was now pacing her London flat, thinking, wondering, pondering. Is this right?

She looked over at her alarm clock, the numbers 11:59 PM glared back at her. The clock flashed knowingly at her, taunting her, as if it held the answers to the questions in her heart. In less than a minute, the date would change and turn into a day that would change Hermione’s life forever. In less than a minute, Hermione’s dreams of love could either come true, or crash down upon her.

Her friends really didn’t approve of her beloved, of her groom. They didn’t approve of the love of her life. She did admit, though, that when they were younger, it had seemed unlikely, a never-in-a-million-years pairing. They’d hated each other. Despised every word, every thought, and every bit of the other.

Yet as they grew older, they grew more mature. They realized the mistakes in their childhood, and learned to work together to get past them. Both getting jobs at the Ministry, they saw a lot of each other. Each day in the office, their paths crossed, and each day they talked a bit more than the last. A friendship formed. At first they were skeptical, but eventually the bud of tension and love between them seemed to bloom.

She thought back to the day he proposed. It was in their second year of dating, and he had asked her to meet him at a certain address, one she was unfamiliar with. She remembered clearly, Apparating to a beachside, where he sat with a picnic basket, blanket spread out, and a candle lit. They shared a beautiful dinner with the sunset as their companion. There, with the ocean water tickling their toes, and mist spraying their faces, he had proposed with the most sincere words anyone had ever spoken to Hermione. Her heart had filled with joy, and when she recalled those words, the fret in her mind seemed to dwindle for a few minutes.

Lightly shaking her head to rid her mind of the past she dropped herself down on the bed. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and everyone else she held near and dear to her heart, didn’t approve. She remembered clearly their reactions, their disgusted faces, their cold eyes. Harry had let the shadow of his past arise, and let his judgment be clouded by previous experiences. He thought mainly of how this would be a mistake, and that Hermione would ultimately get hurt. In the end, he gave her a cold congratulations, and left.

But Harry’s reaction was one better than the Weasleys. Ron’s system seemed to shut down completely. His breathing seemed to pass into an abrupt stop, his eyes wide with shock. Hermione flinched as she recalled the face that could no longer hold any more pain. He let none of Hermione’s words in; he offered no branch of understanding. Ginny just gasped and ran up to her room. They had both left her standing there in the living room of the Burrow, with nothing but a regretful expression on her face.

Their last words of the wedding were bitter ones, and Hermione wasn’t sure whether or not they would show up. I hope, oh I hope they come… she thought, sorrow filling her mind.

Unzipping her dress from the back, she felt the tears begin again. As a child, she loved knowing everything that she could. She’d gathered all the information she could. But in this case, she couldn’t use a textbook for reference; only her heart. The problem was her heart was a whirlwind of mixed feelings, and unable to be read.

“Is this right?” Hermione asked herself, staring once again in her mirror. Any second, Hermione felt she would collapse. She secretly wished this was all a nightmare, her mind playing tricks, and that her friends really had accepted her husband-to-be. At least Mother and Father approved… she thought. Her parents had simply told her that whatever made her feel complete and happy, they would go with.

‘Love springs up in mysterious places,’ her mother had said. And Hermione believed her, keeping that as a debating point against Harry and Ron, should the need come up.

Hermione grabbed a tissue from the bathroom, and dabbed her eyes. Be strong, Hermione. You were a Gryffindor!

“This wedding will happen…” Hermione said aloud, trying to find courage within her. “I’m in love with him. I love him entirely and fully, no matter what everyone else says.”

Crawling into her bed, for the last time alone, she eased her mind. Picturing an everlasting amount of darkness, she repeated to herself right until she fell asleep, this wedding will happen…

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Hermione awoke in a few hours time, a smile plastered on her face. It was her wedding day, for heavens sake! She was allowed to be happy! Awakening from a wonderful dream of an amazing wedding, Hermione floated to her bathroom. She knew that in a few hours time, she would be walking down the isle, and that this golden silence wouldn’t be around.

Having choose to have a mid-day, summer wedding, Hermione didn’t have much waiting to do. She also had chosen to have a small wedding. Just her friends and her family. If they show… Hermione thought with a tinge of doubt. Hermione finished getting ready, grabbed her bag, dress, and everything else she needed, and threw it in her car. She began to make the drive over to the small resort where she chose for the ceremony to take place.

Hermione’s heels clicked along as she walked through the main lobby. People buzzed in and out, children laughing, adults generally cheerful. Walking to the area, her new sacred place of happiness, she nearly dropped everything. The wedding would be held outside in a beautiful lush garden. Hues of green popped in at every place, with awe inspiring flowers blooming in all the right places. The bushes meshed and weaved with one another, the flowers of the same fragile splendor. The setup was generally square, with a few white benches lined along either side of a large, white carpet. The flowers and bushes bordered the entire area, and in the front was a small white and pink stained arch. Pink rose petals had been scattered all about, giving the sense of innocence, and beauty. If Hermione didn’t know better, she’d think this one of her extravagant dreams, where the possibilities were endless, and she was sure of everything.

“Oh dear! If it isn’t the bride herself!” exclaimed Liz, Hermione’s muggle friend who had full-heartedly volunteered to help plan the wedding. She came over and gave Hermione a reassuring hug.

“How are you on your big day?” Liz smiled, her blond hair complimenting her royal blue eyes in a way Hermione always envied. She was about Hermione’s age, and the two had met once in a library. Ever since then, they had talked and become great friends.

“Pre-wedding jitters?” Hermione said with laugher in her voice.

“Well, go then! Get ready! I’ll greet everyone and get everything settled. Don’t you worry your pretty little, to-be-married head!” With that, Liz began shoving Hermione out the door, in the direction of the changing quarters, Hermione protesting all the way.

“Alright, alright! Honestly... friends these days! Shove you out a window if they had to!” she said, in mock anger.

Hermione opened the door, and began to get dressed. Here we go… she thought, removing her gorgeous dress from the bag.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Taking in deep breaths, Hermione tried calming herself. With every note the organ played, it left a lasting note in her heart. It struck her, rang in her core and erupted in her heart. She was ready. She stood, arm-in-arm with her father, right outside the doors of the ceremony taking place. Her father gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, as Hermione’s blood began to race. Hermione had wanted a Muggle wedding, with the small intertwining of magic in all the right places.

Just as rehearsed, the doors opened with magic, revealing Hermione and her father to the room. The first eyes she met were silver, warm filled eyes. He smiled at her, and her heart melted. All the doubt, all the tears, all seemed to drift away from her mind as she slowly descended the isle.

He was dressed in traditional black robes, a pink flower coming out of his chest pocket. His blond hair fell across his face, a few strands in his eyes. His chest began rising and falling faster as happiness seemed to flow out of every part of him.

Hermione quickly broke eye-contact, and looked around the guests. Nodding politely to a few of her parents friends, her gaze moved on. Finally, she found what she was looking for. Red hair, and lots of it, all crammed into one bench, each looking at her with what seemed like true relief. Harry was there too, looking at her with a broad brotherly smile. All of a sudden, it seemed as if an angel had come down and lifted the heavy burden off her shoulders, and Hermione felt light as a feather.

She floated up next to her wonderful groom. They smiled and held hands, waiting for the official to begin. And out he came, James Butler, dressed as well in black robes. In his hands, he held two long, thin boxes. Arriving in front of the lovers, flipping his black hair out of his eyes, he used his pale white hands to remove the lids.

From the boxes, he removed two wands. Handing each to their owner, he said a very powerful bonding spell, along with a very long speech of vows and love, none of which sunk into Hermione, for she was twirling and dancing in the silver eyes of her love. She felt every emotion ever experienced, every moment of happiness, outshined by this moment. He looked at her as if she was the only woman in the world, and she returned the loving stare. She saw a slight move in the distance, and blinked, clearing her mind of the fog of swirling love.

As instructed, Hermione held out her wand, and let the tip of hers touch the other drawn wand.

“Do you, Hermione Granger, take this man to be your love, your partner, until death do you part?”

Hermione took a small pause before answering. A stream of memories began playing like film in her eyes. Their first embrace, their first kiss, the first date, all the wonderful smiles. At that moment, she had no doubt in her mind.

“I do.”

“And do you, Draco Malfoy, take this woman to be your love, your partner, until death do you part?”

"I do," Draco said, with a smile that was captured in Hermione's heart forever.

What seemed to be a silver spark extended out from Mr. Butler's hands, wrapping around the two wands, crackling about their hands and drifting about.

"Let these two young people be together forever, with magic to reinforce them, and love to bind them. Their wands, now connected by a never-ending bond, a bond of love, are able to be used by either of the two wizards ," James Butler said with a confident force of superiority.

"You may now kiss the bride," his smile as wide as the guests'.

Hermione's heart pounded so hard she was afraid an earthquake might erupt in the ground beneath her. Draco stepped forward and leaned into Hermione. They shared a passionate kiss, one unlike they had ever experienced in their years of dating. This kiss marked a new beginning, their new life together. It opened many new doors, many new challenges, and an entire galaxy of bliss.

Breaking apart, they clasped hands. Intertwining fingers, they descended the aisle. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the rest of the Weasleys followed behind. Swinging their arms high, Draco and Hermione no longer suppressed their happiness and smiles.

They arrived outside to a large black limo, courtesy of the Malfoy fortune, where Draco opened the door for Hermione. The outside of the car was bordered with simple white roses at the door handles and windows. Stepping inside the car, Hermione looked back at her friends, and gave them a smile of the most grateful nature.

Draco slid in next to her, and they both let out a breath. They began to stare each other in the eye.

"Hermione, I love you."

"I love you too," Hermione said, ecstasy drowning her words.

"Hey, driver! Get us to the nearest Apparation point. I'm pretty sure there's a spot in Hawaii that's waiting for us," Draco said with a glint in his eye.

With that, the limo began taking speed, as Harry and the Weasleys watched it turn into a dot of nothing in the London traffic.

El Fin.