On the morning of the 28th December, Hermione woke unusually early, and for a bit she lay in bed, keeping her eyes closed and willing herself back to sleep. She was clearly not going to be getting a lie in that morning, however, and after a few minutes she blearily opened her eyes and blinked.
She was not in the bedroom she shared with Ron at his and Neville's apartment, where she had moved to on her return from Australia. She reached her arm out to find Ron, but instead her hand swung over the side of the bed. It was then that she woke up properly. Of course, she was at her parents', in the single bed she had slept in as a child. As soon as that realisation dawned on her, she was hit with another and sat bolt up in bed.
"It's my wedding day," she said to the empty room.
Given that her thoughts for the past week had been occupied by little else, she couldn't believe it had taken her so long to remember that this was actually the day, or that she had even thought for a second about having a lie in.
Her hair appointment was booked for ten, and if she intended to achieve what Ron had dubbed her 'Yule look', she was going to be there for a while. Ginny and Hermione's cousin Sophie, as the only bridesmaids, would be arriving at midday, and they would then have a little over two hours to dress and be ready for the cars to take them to the church in time for the three o'clock service, where hopefully Ron, Harry and everyone else would be waiting for them.
Surprisingly the plans had come together very well over the last two months, though having Ron's input had helped immeasurably, and quitting her job to start working for the Phoenix charity - established by the Ministry after the war to give support to Muggle-borns and others affected by Voldemort's reign - had been one of the best things she had ever done. She did not expect to be with the charity forever, but it was work that she enjoyed and was good at, and it was nice not to have the pressure to be the best for a change. She did not earn a lot, but added to Ron's salary it was enough for them to live on.
Ron had, of course, passed his exams and in addition to that achievement, he had actually come top of the trainees followed closed by Harry and Neville. Hermione had attended the ceremony when they had been officially declared Aurors and it was fair to say it was the proudest she had ever been.
His working hours hadn't improved now he was fully trained, but he made more effort to be at home, and without the added burden of the shop, they were able to spend more time with each other than earlier in the year. Living alone together helped as well, and having the apartment had taken another worry off their list. Neville had insisted that he was happy for the couple to have it permanently, and that he had realised that now exams were over, he wanted to be back with his nan anyway, especially while her health was not great. At some point, they hoped to buy a place of their own, but it would be a while before they were in a position to do so, and the apartment suited them perfectly.
"Hermione, are you up?" her mother called up the stairs. "I've got some breakfast down here for you."
Instantly, Hermione's stomach started doing somersaults and she wondered how she was ever supposed to eat anything that day. She quickly dressed in leggings and a button-up dress, which would be easy to take off later on, after her hair was done. On her way down to the kitchen, she slipped into the study and switched on her dad's computer, in order to check her emails, though there were only a handful of people who actually knew how to contact her by email. Sure enough, however, when the screen burst into life, there was a new message from one of those people.
Hermione,
Congratulations on your big day. I'm sorry I couldn't be there but I'm sure it'll go perfectly. Good luck with everything, and I'm so glad you made the right choices for you. I'm hoping to come to England for a holiday next year so hopefully I'll be able to meet your husband while I'm there.
Rich.
She stared at the screen for a minute, a small smile playing on her face, before reaching out to turn off the screen. She was glad to have heard from him, even if she was certain that her feelings towards him were just of friendship.
Telling Ron about Rich had not been easy. She had known she had to though. If they were going to make it work, especially when things were so rocky, she couldn't possibly keep it from him. He had reacted better than she had expected, and better than he perhaps might have done a few weeks earlier, though he had hardly been overjoyed. He definitely didn't love that Hermione had insisted on keeping in touch with him, and there had been a heated argument about it, with the words 'Victor Krum' and 'Lavender Brown' used as justification on both sides. The argument did not bother her though. It felt as if they were returning to normal, where they could talk (or occasionally shout) through their issues rather than the strange silence that had taken over in the weeks leading up to her trip. At the end of the day, she knew she loved Ron, and she had done her best to make sure he knew it too. She knew that she could give up Rich if it came down to it, but Ron had reluctantly accepted that having a male penfriend didn't have to mean anything (especially given that said friend was halfway around the world and not really in a position to try anything).
In the kitchen, her mum had gone overboard on the breakfast preparations, and Hermione instantly felt guilty about her lack of appetite.
"It looks great, Mum," she said honestly as she sat at the table. "But I'm not really that hungry."
"Oh I wasn't really expecting you to be, but you've got to at least eat something, so I thought I'd made a little bit of everything and you could see what you fancied. You'll be fainting by the time you reach the church if you don't have something now."
Surprisingly, once she actually started eating, she was hungrier than she thought, and she made her way through cereal and two croissants before deciding she'd had enough.
"I wonder how things are going at The Burrow," she said anxiously as she looked out the window. "At least it's not raining."
"I'm sure they're absolutely fine, dear. Molly Weasley strikes me as the kind of person who could organise anything. Besides, you were only there yesterday, and almost all the set-up was finished. I'm sure you can trust them to finish the rest. Now, put your coat on and I'll run you to the salon."
Ten minutes later, they pulled up outside the hairdressers. "The flowers should arrive while I'm gone," Hermione said before she climbed out of the car. "The florist said they should keep okay, but you will just check that they look right, won't you?"
Her mother laughed. "Hermione, we've already had this conversation, and yes, I'll make sure they've sent the right thing. Now good luck in there, and I'll be back to pick you up when you're done."
The hairdresser was not Hermione's favourite place to be, but it was nice to watch her frizz being transformed into something far more sleek and manageable.
An hour and a half later her hair had been washed, trimmed, smoothed, straightened and put up in to an elegant knot at the back of her head.
"There," said the hairdresser as she sprayed what seemed like an entire can of hairspray on to Hermione's head. "That should hold it steady. And you know how to attach the veil, right?"
Hermione nodded. "It's lovely. Thank you so much!"
The cut had been paid for in advance, when they had come for the practice session a week earlier, and so Hermione just had to wait for her mum to arrive. She glanced anxiously at the clock. So far they were making excellent time but she couldn't help but think about all the things that could still go wrong.
"You look wonderful," her mum said as she climbed into the car. "They did such a good job."
"Is everything okay? Did the flowers arrive?"
Jean laughed. "Yes, and they're just what you ordered, and Molly came through the fire and said it was all looking good on their end too. All we have to worry about now is getting you dressed and to the church."
She insisted that Hermione eat a little more food when she got home, even though the butterflies had now reached ridiculous levels in her stomach. Ginny and Sophie arrived exactly on time, both of them with loose hair done in gentle waves.
The next two hours passed in a flurry of dresses and make-up. There were one or two minor crises such as the shriek of horror when Ginny dropped her mascara brush and it landed on the skirt of her deep red bridesmaid dress, leaving a black stain, but Jean Granger was on hand to keep everyone calm, and seemed to be ready with a solution for every problem.
At half-past two, Hermione was finally ready. The others had headed downstairs to wait for the cars, but she paused for a minute and stood staring at herself in the full-length mirror. She was not someone who could be called 'pretty' very often, but on this occasion she had surpassed even her 'Yule look.'
The ivory dress fitted perfectly. She ran her hands down her skirt to smooth it, and turned to look at the train behind her, which was by far her favourite part of the dress. It had been stitched with hundreds of tiny pearl beads, which formed a delicate pattern that caught the light as she walked. In the evening, the train could be adjusted so that most of it tucked under the dress, leaving just a little of the detail on show, and allowing her to dance without too much trouble. The beading continued up the skirt and on to the bodice. The dress was completed by short sleeves, and a matching ivory cape covered her shoulders, in order to keep her from freezing in the car.
It was everything she had wanted. She was not someone who had spent her life caring about exactly what she wore or how she looked, but on this day she wanted it to be right. She wanted to feel beautiful.
Right on time, the doorbell rang. "Hermione, the cars are here," her mother called up the stairs.
After one last minute to take in every detail, and then to adjust the veil in her hair, which was still holding, Hermione turned to leave her childhood bedroom for the last time as a Granger.
At the foot of the stairs the photographer was waiting. She was a witch, of course, so that she could stay with them for the whole day, and so that they could have moving pictures developed. Her name was Ruby and she had arrived while they were still getting ready so she could take some photos of the preparations. Hermione paused at the top of the stairs for another shot and then continued down.
Sophie and Ginny were waiting in the kitchen, holding their bouquets. Her mother was adjusting her hat, and tucking a few tissues into her clutch bag. Hermione thought she could see some tears shining behind her eyes already.
"The girls and I had better be going," she said. "We need to arrive a few minutes before you do, so at least they know you're on your way."
Hermione picked her own bouquet of red and white roses, which also contained beads matching those on her dress, and took a deep breath. "I'll see you there then."
Her mother gave her a quick kiss and the three of them left the house, leaving Hermione waiting for her father.
"Are you ready, dear?" he asked, coming in from the living room. He had largely stayed out of the way of the dressing proceedings and now as he came into the room, his face changed at the sight of her. "You look really beautiful. Honestly, a father both dreads and dreams of this day, but I can tell just from looking at you, and how happy you are, that this is the right thing for you."
"Thanks, Dad." It took everything to stop tears from escaping from her own eyes. She picked up the last rose from the table and threaded it through his buttonhole. "I think we're ready to go."
Along with Ruby, who continued to take photos, they made their way to car and within minutes were heading for the church, not too far from her parents' house. She could hear the bells ringing from two streets away and felt a ripple of excitement, knowing they rang for her. When the church came into sight, she saw the other car already there, and Ginny and Sophie standing at the door of the church waiting for her.
"Ready?" her father asked as they pulled in to the drive.
She barely paused before replying, "Ready."
The driver opened the door for them, and first Hermione, then her father exited the car. They paused at the door while Ginny straightened her dress and lifted the veil carefully over her face, then the nod was given, and the organ began to play. Gripping her father's arm tightly, Hermione began to walk. She felt a brief tug as Ginny pulled at the train behind her to straighten it, and then the two bridesmaids fell into step behind her. As they turned down the central aisle, Hermione peered through her veil to find Ron, who was standing ready to meet her. As soon as she saw his nervous but excited face, her butterflies vanished. She really was ready.
The service passed in a blur, and almost before she knew it, the vicar was declaring them to be husband and wife, and she was heading back down the aisle, this time gripping the arm of her new husband.
Of course, it would not be completely official until the wizarding ceremony later on, but that didn't matter to them.
They stayed at the church for an hour, taking photos, and talking to the friends and family members not coming to the reception. Eventually, the cold got too much, and they began to disperse, while the wizarding friends left to Apparate to The Burrow ready for the arrival of the bride and groom.
Molly Weasley had outdone herself on the decorations, and while Hermione had finalised most of the details, she couldn't deny that it was Molly's special touch that had made everything perfect. Another magical tent had been constructed, similar to that of Bill and Fleur's wedding, though with warming charms built in. There were more guests and more smiles, but this time Hermione walked down the aisle with Ron rather than her father. They were already married of course, and so it would have seemed strange to go through all of that again. The wizarding celebrant performed a blessing and created the magical union. It was a short ceremony but very meaningful and exactly what they had wanted. The day so far had been the perfect match of Muggle and magical. It was hard to believe that planning it could have caused so much stress.
Once the ceremony was over, dinner was served, and after eating, Hermione sat in her chair, Ron gripping her hand under the table, and simply looked out over the room. She hadn't been able to stop smiling since she had entered the church. Ron was the same.
"I can't believe we did it," he whispered as he leaned over to give her a kiss.
"It was surprisingly easy in the end. Makes me wonder what we worried about."
"Maybe you should tell Ginny that. She and Harry are going to be next."
Hermione groaned a little. "Do you think we'll ever be free of weddings?"
Ron shrugged. "Probably not. But at least we got to go first!"
Her retort was interrupted by the gentle chink of a fork against a champagne glass. She turned to find her father on his feet, clearing his throat nervously.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, attempting to raise his voice loud enough to reach the edges of the tent. Seeing what he was trying to do, Molly Weasley, who was sitting next to him, subtly pointed her wand at this throat. Instantly, John's voice was magnified to fill the tent. He looked down at the witch gratefully.
"I don't know how these things work at wizarding weddings," John began again, looking out into the crowd. "But in the Muggle world, it is traditional for the father of the bride to lead a round of speeches and toasts. I promise not to keep you for too long, but I couldn't let the marriage of my only daughter pass without taking this opportunity to say publicly how happy her mother and I are.
"When Hermione left us at the age of eleven to enter your world, it is fair to say that we were terrified. We had no idea what would happen to her in this strange place that we knew nothing about, and where instead of maths and English, she would be taught Potions and Transfiguration.
"For the first few months, we worried constantly. But then, her letters home began to mention two names - those of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. These two boys were to become her best friends, and even though there were frequent letters about how infuriating Ron in particular could be, we began to feel happier about our daughter's life.
"It wasn't until a few years later that we found out quite how dangerous it could be to be best friends with Harry Potter." There were chuckles around the room at this point, and Harry blushed. "We received more than one worrying letter from the headmaster, but Hermione insisted that she knew what she was doing, and so we trusted her judgement. I probably don't know the half of what she got up to, but from what I have been told of, I am incredibly proud of what she has achieved as a witch. She proved to us that there was no reason to fear for her, because, as with everything else in her life, Hermione simply took all her new experiences in her stride.
"She was never alone though, and while Harry was usually involved, it quickly became clear that Ron was the special one. The way Hermione spoke of him was different, and while she would never have admitted it, we sensed that this young man was very important to her.
"I don't think I need to go into detail of all the times that Ron has been there for Hermione. We would be here all night. But in this terrifying world, where Jean and I couldn't look after our daughter, he took over, and I can never thank him enough for being her friend and making sure she was safe. I don't think we could ask for a better son-in-law, and I know that if he continues to show the same care and attention in their married life as he did in their young one, then they will be very happy together."
He stopped to wipe a tear from his cheek, and Hermione found her own eyes misting over.
"Hermione," John, continued, picking up his champagne from the table, "nearly eight years ago, we let you leave us to enter a strange new world. Now, as you leave us again, we know we have nothing to be afraid of. We love you so much, and we wish you all the happiness in the world. And now, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to raise a toast to the bride and groom, to Hermione and Ron!"
There was an echo around the room as everyone followed suit and drank. Hermione jumped to her feet and threw her arms around her father. "I love you, Dad," she said, through the tears that were flowing freely down her cheeks.
Once she had released him, he cleared his throat once again. "I would now like to pass over to the best man, Mr Harry Potter."
There was a round of applause as he took his seat again and Molly removed the charm. Then Harry stood.
"I don't think there are many people who were surprised when Hermione and Ron finally realised they were meant for each other. Most of us had noticed years before." There was appreciative laughter from the younger guests. "Anyone who has ever witnessed one of their arguments will know quite how evenly matched these two are, but I think it is the times when they've worked together and been united that have shown the most about them.
"I don't really know what to say about the two of them. Traditionally the best man talks about the groom, but to talk about Ron without mentioning Hermione is almost impossible, and I feel honoured to call both of them my best friends. They've been with me through almost all of the best and worst moments of my life, and now I am privileged to get to be here with them at the start of theirs as husband and wife.
"At this point, I'm supposed to raise a toast of my own. I'd like to finish off by saying that I know there are people who would have wanted to be here today if they could. Fred, I'm sure, would have been pleased to see how well the book he gave you had worked out, Ron, and I know that we all miss him."
It was Ron's turn to well up, and looking out into the see of faces, he could see George's face stained with rare tears as well.
"There are of course, other people missing, and it would be too difficult to name them all. Instead I would like to raise a toast now, to absent friends."
He raised his glass and put it too his lips, and everyone in the room followed suit. There was more than one sniff heard in the moment of silence that followed, until Harry said, "Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the groom."
Another round of applause followed and Ron got to his feet, shaking. This was the part of the wedding he had been looking forward to least ever since the planning began.
"I'm not going to talk for long," he said. "But there are people that my wife and I-" He paused at the unnatural feeling of the words, "that my wife and I would like to thank," he continued after a pause.
"Our parents, of course, without whom we probably wouldn't have made it here today. I don't think Hermione or I realised quite what goes into a wedding, and we are incredibly grateful for their help.
"I would also like to say thank you to Harry and Ginny, my best friend and my best sister, who have always been there for us, not only today as best man and bridesmaid, but over the past eight years.
"Thank you to all of you for being here with us today. It means so much that we could have so many of our friends and family with us and we hope you will enjoy the rest of the evening as much as we have today.
"Finally, I would like to say to my wife, to Mrs Hermione Weasley, that I love you. There was a brief moment when I wasn't sure this day was going to happen and now that it has, I know that I simply can't picture life any other way. I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together, and I hope that I will be able to care for you and never let you down." He put out his hand and she stood and kissed him softly. They were both crying, but they were tears of complete and utter happiness.
The room broke out into applause once more, but this time there were no more speeches. Instead, Harry got to his feet once more and announced, "If you would be kind enough to leave the tent for five minutes, we will prepare for the dancing."
Everyone stood and filed towards the door. A team of wizards immediately began waving their wands to clear a space for the dance floor, and music began to pipe through the tent. When it was done the guests returned, but Ron and Hermione paused outside.
"Was it how you wanted it to be?" Ron asked seriously, an anxious look on his face.
"Better," she replied, smiling. "Though we still have the first dance to get through."
His face fell. "We really have to do that?"
She nodded. "We really do."
"Okay then, may as well get it over and done with." He took her hand firmly in his and led her back in to the tent. The guests were lining the edges of the dance floor and as the couple broke through the crowd, Harry's voice could be heard once again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr and Mrs Ron and Hermione Weasley."
Standing in the middle of the dance floor, Ron put his arms around Hermione as she had taught him to do, and slowly they began to move. They laughed as confetti started to rain down on them from all sides, and even though he had been worrying about tripping or falling, or somehow embarrassing himself, all Ron had to do was look into the eyes of his wife, and everyone else disappeared.
They had each other now, and it was all they would ever need.
Forever Yours by coolh5000
Chapter Notes: Thanks so much to Kara for betaing this chapter. This is the final chapter of the story, and returns it to its fluffy roots - I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Endnotes: I hope you enjoyed reading this - I would love to hear what you think. This story may have taken me a hideously long time to complete but I'm proud that I finally did it, and hopefully there will be many more stories to come!