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AUTHORS NOTE:
There is a poem used in this story that first was used in a soap opera, Days of Our Lives, when one of my favorite couples on that show (JACK AND JENNIFER) got married for the first time. I always loved the poem and thought it would fit in superbly here. It was written by one of the show's writers, Maura Penders. Also, the inspiration for my story, the song "All Along" is again used here. You guys should really listen to it if you get a chance. It is by Blessid Union of Souls.

Chapter 26

Tying Up Loose Ends, Tying the Knot

Ron

It had been two days since she'd been rescued. Ron had wanted to go and visit her, but he hadn't really felt it was the right time. He'd always asked about her whenever his mother or Ginny came back from visiting her, but he hadn't really worked up the courage to go and see her. He knew he was being stupid, but something kept holding him back.

Today, though, was going to be different. He was going to visit her today. He needed to see for himself that she was okay and that she was happy. So, he awoke early that morning and dressed quickly. He wanted to get to St. Mungo's right when visiting hours started. She would probably be asleep and he could just stick his head in her room and maybe leave her a note or something like that.

After checking in at the front desk at St. Mungo's, he took the quick walk to Hermione's room. He had expected to find her asleep, but to his surprise when he walked into her room, she was wide awake, sitting up in her bed eating her breakfast. She dropped her piece of toast when she saw Ron. She smiled shyly at him. He stood nervously in the doorway, fidgeting.

"Would you like to come in, Ron? Please have a seat," she said, softly.

"Uh, yeah," Ron said. "That'd be nice."

He tentatively took a few steps before finally taking a seat in the chair beside her bed. There was an uncomfortable silence between them for what seemed like hours, but only lasted a few moments.

The silence was broken, however, when Ron said, "So how are you?" and Hermione said, at the exact same time, "I wanted to thank you-".

They both laughed.

"You go first," she said.

"So how are you feeling?" he asked.

She looked thoughtful. "Okay," she said. "I want nothing more to be at home in my own bed, but they wanted to keep me here for a few days to keep an eye on me."

Ron nodded. "So where's Harry?"

She looked thoughtful before answering. "He, um, well, I finally talked him into going home and getting some rest and getting a shower."

"Starting to smell, was he?" Ron asked cheekily.

"A bit," Hermione said. "Reminded me of how he'd be when he'd come back to the Common Room after Quidditch practice."

Ron began to laugh.

"I wouldn't laugh so much at that if I were you. I happen to know of another person in this room who had the habit of getting all grotty on occasion," Hermione said.

"You know you really shouldn't talk about yourself like that," Ron said.

"Ha! Ha!" Hermione said. "You should give up Quidditch and become a standup comic."

"Yeah, well," Ron said, his voice trailing off.

Hermione pushed her tray of food away and looked intently at Ron. "This is so surreal, isn't it?"

"You're telling me! A few months ago, we were planning our wedding and yesterday's Daily Prophet had a big cover story about you and Harry's engagement."

Hermione looked down. "I'm really sorry about that Ron. None of this has been fair to you."

Ron shook his head. "Yeah, well. We'll get past it. I'll get past it. I'm trying to get past it."

Hermione nodded. "I hope you know that I did love you. I do love you. You were there for me at a time when I thought my world was falling apart. You made me smile again when I thought I never would again. I don't want to get all maudlin on you or anything, but I want you to know that I can't imagine my life without you being a part of it. I know that things can never be like they once were, but I hope someday that we can all be friends again."

"I want that, too," Ron said. "We've all been through so much together. I just think it's too soon. This is going to take some time for me. For all of us to get past this, you know."

"I want you to be happy, Hermione. I want all of to be happy. I mean that's part of what being a friend is, right? Even those of us with the emotional depth of a teaspoon would know that, right?" Ron said, breaking into a smile.

Hermione got the joke and smiled. "Take care of yourself, Ron."

"You do the same," Ron said, getting up from the chair. He leaned over her and kissed her on the cheek. "Take care of the little one, too. Goodbye, 'Mione."

Hermione clasped Ron's hand in hers. "Goodbye, Ron."

Ron didn't know how to feel as he left Hermione's hospital room. He looked down at his watch, it was just past 10 in the morning. He was scheduled to return to active duty with his team and was scheduled to report at 10:30 at the pitch.

He didn't have time to dwell on their conversation, he needed to get to the field quickly. He'd already taken off way too much time. He was lucky they had saved a place for him on the team. Quidditch and his family were pretty much all he had left in his life at the moment.

He quickened his pace down the hallway and before he knew it, he had felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. The effect of the figure barreling into him at full speed had left both he and she sprawled on the floor.

"You should watch where you're going, you know? This is a hospital, not a racetrack!" Ron said, getting up from the floor.

"Sorry," the woman said, she pushed her hair out of her face. Ron felt heartbeat get faster. She was beautiful. She was about his age, with shoulder length blonde hair. She had a slim, athletic build and she was smiling broadly at him. "I can't believe it!"

"What?" Ron asked crossly.

"You have absolutely no idea who I am, do you?" she asked amused.

"No," Ron said nonplussed.

"You don't remember me?" she asked. "Honestly! Well, I guess I shouldn't be upset about that. I do look a whole lot different now than I did back then."

She looked at him expectedly, but Ron just stared at her. He was racking his brain trying to remember her face. He had never met her before, had he? If he'd known someone as pretty as she was, wouldn't he have remembered?

"I'm sorry," he said, smiling at her. "I have absolutely no idea who you are."

She frowned. "Well, I'll give you a hint, then. Did you ever read The Quibbler?"

"The Quibbler? I have, yeah, but what does that have to do with-" He stopped mid-sentence and took his hand and slapped his own forehead. It had finally dawned on him who this girl was. All thoughts of Quidditch practice, of Hermione and Harry, of anything went right out of his head.

"Loony Lovegood?" he asked her. "Is that really you?"

"Loony? Heavens, no one has called me that in ages," she said, laughing. "I prefer Luna actually."

"Wow," he said, in almost a whisper. "Wow. Wow. Wow."

WEDDING OF THE YEAR STILL ON, BUT WITH DIFFERENT CAST

The Daily Prophet reported last week on the engagement between Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. We are now happy to announce that we have the finalized plans on what promises to be the wedding of the century.

Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger will marry in two weeks time at the Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. No explanation was given for the urgency of the ceremony, but The Daily Prophet has reason to believe that Potter and Granger may be welcoming a new member to their family in a few months time.

There is no word yet on whether Ron Weasley, Mr. Potter's best friend and Ms. Granger's one-time fiancé, will play a role in the wedding.

The wedding will blend together the Muggle and wizarding world and will be officiated by Albus Dumbledore, the couple's former headmaster at Hogwarts. Ms. Granger will wear the wedding dress her own mother wore on her wedding day, nearly 25 years ago. Mr. Potter will wear traditional wizarding wedding robes.

Keep your eyes to The Daily Prophet for more forthcoming details about the wedding of the year.

It had now been a week since Hermione had been released from the hospital. The wedding preparations were in full swing. Hermione's mum and a wedding planner were busily making the final plans. They would run everything past Harry and Hermione for the final say so on everything from the flowers, the wedding cake and the reception.

Hermione had been told to take it easy and had been granted an extended leave of absence from her job.

Despite the hectic schedule, Hermione and Harry had spent as much time together as possible. It was on a quiet Tuesday night when they'd decided to have a quiet night in without any disturbances. This had been a good idea in theory, but Hermione's mum had popped in with a flower emergency and they'd just resolved the issue and sat down for a quick dinner.

Harry had made them some sandwiches and drinks, a butterbeer for him and a glass of milk for the expectant mom.

"Do you ever feel like we're just characters in some movie and all of our actions and thoughts are planned out?" Hermione asked. "I feel like we have no say in any of this."

"We could always elope," Harry said, smiling at her. "Go to Las Vegas in the States. Get married by an Elvis impersonator."

"Las Vegas? Um, I don't think so," Hermione said, laughing. "But, seriously. I think this is getting out of hand. Did you see the guest list my mum had? I don't think I know half the people on that list."

"What was the final count?" Harry asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"722," Hermione said. "Plus, the entire student body at Hogwarts."

Harry spit out his drink. "Sorry, but you did just say 722 plus the entire student body at Hogwarts? That's over a thousand people. Is your mother insane?"

"Yes," she said. "So, now you know what you're up against, feel free to bail out on me."

"Not a chance," Harry said.

Hermione beamed at him. "So, did you decide on your part of the wedding party?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, Sirius agreed to be my best man."

"Excellent choice," Hermione said.

"I always thought if I ever got married, Ron would be my best man and vice versa."

Hermione nodded sadly. "Yeah, but under the circumstances, we couldn't really expect him to stand up with us."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said. "Have you heard from him?"

"Not since he came to see me in the hospital," Hermione said. "Ginny said he's been getting back into Quidditch and said that he's not been around much. I hope he's okay."

Harry nodded. "So, how about you? Maids of honor, bridesmaids? Who's the lucky lot?"

"Well, Ginny agreed to be my maid of honor. She said she asked Ron if it'd be okay and he consented. Maybe that's a good sign, right? As for bridesmaids, Lavender and Susan and Joyce, of course. You did ask Seamus and Dean and Neville to be groomsmen, didn't you?"

Harry didn't answer her. A far away look had come over his face.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, concerned. "Harry?"

"Hmm?" he said, focusing on her. "I'm sorry."

"You looked a million miles away," Hermione said. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course, it's just when we were talking about the guest list, I couldn't help thinking of the people who won't be there."

Hermione sighed. "Oh, Harry. You were thinking about your mum and dad, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but I was also thinking about Hagrid."

Hermione reached across the table and took Harry's hand in hers. "Me, too. You know not a day goes by that I don't think about him. He was such a great man."

Harry smiled. "I loved him like I would have a dad, you know? He was always looking out for me, for all of us, really. We could even thank him for helping me realize what a clueless, dense bastard I was being."

Hermione looked at him bemused. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, " Harry began, "I reckon it was sometime during sixth year when he and I were talking at his cabin about he and Madame Maxime and out of the blue he told me that I needn't look any further than right in front of me if I wanted to find happiness. He said that I should wake up and take notice of what a beautiful person my best friend was becoming before some bloody git came along and took her away."

Hermione smiled at him. "I never knew that."

"And I never looked at you the same way again after that conversation."

Hermione blushed. "Well, he told me something along those lines once too. I was pretty upset when you started getting serious with Cho Chang. One night I went for a walk on the grounds and ran into him. I was crying, you know, and he sat me down and said that I shouldn't shed tears over this because some day you'd realize how special I was."

Harry laughed. "I never knew that."

"Hagrid did," Hermione said. "I'll never forget him for a number of things, but the one thing that will always hold a special place in my heart about him would be his compassion. He cared so much about everything, you know."

Harry was silent as he listened to Hermione talk. He owed a lot to Hagrid. He never felt as if he thanked him enough while he was alive for all that he'd done. He hoped Hagrid knew how much he'd meant to him, to Hermione, and to Ron.

Hermione had started to cry as she remembered their dear friend.

"Come here," Harry said. She got up from her chair and walked around the table to Harry. She sat on his lap and he embraced her. They held each other tight.

The wedding day finally arrived. Harry and Hermione had decided to stick with tradition and hadn't seen each other since the day before.

"We've had enough bad luck in our time," Hermione had told him. "Let's not tempt fate now."

So, they had begrudgingly spent the night before their wedding apart. Harry stayed at Hermione's flat and Hermione spent the night at her parents' house. The week before, they'd both had their respective hen and stag weekends.

Now, they were back at the place where it had all began---Hogwarts. The grounds were alive with action and anticipation. The Great Hall had been cleared shortly after dinner, which had been an early one for the students. Flowers had been lined along every square inch of the hall. Almost every flower imaginable adorned the walls and aisles---daisies, carnations and roses of every kind and color. Professor Flitwick was playing piano in the corner of the hall as guests had begun to arrive.

Dobby the House Elf had asked to work the wedding, but Hermione had told him he'd have the day off. She'd insisted on a catering staff that didn't include house elves.

"Spew refuses to die, doesn't it?" Harry had teased her.

"It's not spew, for the two thousandth time," Hermione had retorted exasperatedly. "It's-"

"I know, I know, the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," Harry had teased. "S-P-E-W, not spew, duly noted."

Dobby was dressed in his finest---a small t-shirt that Hermione had given him that said, "Take this job and shove it". He wore a tuxedo bow-tie wrapped around his head. At the moment, he was watching the goings on in the grooms room, which was in reality the faculty lounge. Seamus and Dean were playing a last minute game of exploding snap as Sirius was watching as Harry struggled with his tie.

"Are you going to keep laughing at me or are you going to help me?" Harry asked, exasperated. "I should probably go and get Hermione to tie this for me."

"You'll do no such thing," Sirius said. "She'd kill me if I let you get within 2 feet of her before you're supposed to. Here, let me do this. You are as bad as your dad. "

"He was like this before he got married?" Harry asked, as Sirius expertly tied the tie.

"Worse," Sirius said. "He spent the entire morning throwing up everything he'd ever eaten in his life, I believe. Nervous as all get out, he was."

"How did he make it through?" Harry asked.

"Well, he was positively green until he saw your mother walking towards him and he was okay," Sirius said. "He forgot about everything but her the moment he saw her in that dress. I expect you'll be the same way."

Harry smiled. "I think so, too."

Sirius said, "You're doing the right thing, you know?"

"For once, right?" Harry asked.

"They'd be real proud of you, Harry," Sirius said. "They'll be here today for you. You can count on that."

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry said, turning to take a last look in the mirror.

"Would you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Sirius said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Could you go and check on Hermione and tell her that I can't wait to see her," Harry said. "Could you do that for me? And," he continued, taking a small wrapped box out of his pocket. "Give her this for me, too."

Sirius took the box and nodded. "I'll be right back, then."

Sirius walked a few doors down from the groom's room and knocked softly on the door of the room Hermione and her attendants were using.

"Who is it?" Ginny's voice came from the other side.

"The best man on a mission from the groom," Sirius said. "Get decent ladies."

Ginny laughed as she opened the door. "Sirius, you clean up nice."

"Thank you," Sirius said, kissing her on the cheek. "You look lovely. You all do."

He looked around at the group of girls dressed in their royal blue bridesmaid gowns. Susan and Lavender were putting the finishing touches on their makeup.

"Where is the bride?" Sirius asked.

Ginny smiled. "She's putting on her dress. We finally finished with her makeup and hair. She looks so beautiful."

At that moment, Hermione entered from the bathroom.

"Beautiful is an understatement, Ginny," Sirius said, beaming at Hermione. The other girls gasped and let out "oohs" and "ahhs" as Hermione walked toward them blushing. Hermione's mum gave out a sob as she watched her daughter.

"Honey, you look amazing," Mrs. Granger said. "I can't believe that dress. You just look, beautiful."

"Thanks, Mum," Hermione said. "Hi, Sirius."

"She's right, you know," Sirius said, beaming at her. "You look amazing, my dear Hermione."

"Thanks," she said. "How's Harry?"

"Present and accounted for," Sirius said. "He asked me to come and see how you were."

"I'm fantastic," she said. "I can't believe this day is finally here."

Sirius looked around at the crowd watching them and asked if they'd give him a minute with Hermione. They quickly filed out as Hermione looked at herself in the mirror.

"He asked me to give you something," Sirius said. "Here you are."

"What is this?" Hermione said. "We agreed not to give each other any gifts before the wedding. I'm going to kill him. I didn't get him anything."

She quickly unwrapped the paper from the box and opened it up to find a pair of sparkling diamond earrings.

She gasped as she looked at them. "They're beautiful."

"They are, but they can't hold a candle to you," Sirius said. He watched as she put them in her ears. When she was finished, he took her hand. "So, have you got your something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?"

Hermione nodded. "With the earrings, I have something new. The locket that belonged to Harry's mum, I'm considering my something borrowed. I have a blue handkerchief that my mum gave me. I don't have something old."

"Yes, you do," Sirius said. "You have me. I'm about as old as they come."

Hermione laughed. She playfully hit him on the shoulder.

"You were wrong before, Hermione. When you said that you didn't get him anything, you were wrong. You've given him much more than he ever thought he would have. You've given him love, you've given him a family, you've given him a home. I want to thank you for that," Sirius said.

Hermione felt the lump form in her throat and felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't you make me cry, Sirius! Oh, thank Merlin for waterproof mascara."

"Well, I better get back to the groom," Sirius said. "I'll see you at the altar."

Harry stood alongside Dean, Seamus and Neville as they all waited for the signal to go out front. Sirius was talking with Lupin, who'd come back to wish the groom good luck. A knock on the door interrupted all conversation and the source of that knock brought all conversation to an end.

It was Ron. He was dressed in a simple black suit and tie. He nervously said hello to the assembled men in the room.

"Ron," Harry said finally. "I didn't think you'd come."

"Um, neither did I, truthfully," Ron said. "Could I have a moment?"

"Sure," Harry said. "Guys, could you give us a second, please?"

The others nodded and left Harry and Ron alone in the room.

"So," Harry said.

"So," Ron repeated. "I don't really know why I'm here. I've been debating and debating this all in my head the past few days. I think I need this for closure, you know? It's not easy, but I think it'll be okay. Besides, it's not everyday your best friends marry each other, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Ron, I-"

"You don't have to say anything, Harry. It's all been said before, just know that you guys have my blessing and my best wishes. And if you do anything to hurt her, I'll hex you into the next century. Deal?"

"Deal," Harry said, offering Ron his hand. "Thanks, Ron. You don't know what this means to Hermione and me."

"Well, I better get back to my date," Ron said. "Good luck, Harry."

"Wait, wait. Your date?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, and you won't believe with who," Ron said. "Do you remember Loony, I mean Luna Lovegood? She's actually grown up quite nicely. We've been out every night the past two weeks. She's something else, I'll tell you."

"That's brilliant, Ron," Harry said. "Who would have thought? Luna Lovegood and Ron Weasley. You do know she had a raving crush on you when we were in school here? Ginny told me so."

Ron smiled. "I didn't know that then, but I sure know it now. I guess when you're younger you should pay more attention to the people around you or you might miss out on something wonderful. Like you and Hermione and me and old Loony Lovegood."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, who would have thunk it?"

"Treat her good," Ron said, heading toward the door. "She deserves it."

Ten minutes later, Harry took the walk down the Great Hall to the altar that had been set up. Dumbledore smiled brightly at Harry and his eyes seemed to sparkle over his half moon glasses.

"Ready, then, Harry?" Dumbledore asked him.

"More than ready, sir," Harry said.

"Good to hear," Dumbledore said. Professor Flitwick began to play a nice orchestral number as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle and took their places opposite the groomsmen. Then, Flitwick began the wedding march as the entire congregation turned to look at the bride.

Her father accompanied her down the aisle, but Harry didn't see him at all. His eyes were on the vision in white coming toward him. Even through her veil, he could see her eyes shining and a smile on her face as bright and as wide as possible.

"Told you she looked amazing, didn't I?" Sirius whispered in his ear.

Harry nodded, he didn't think he could speak.

Dumbledore winked at Hermione as she and her dad stopped in front of them.

"Who gives this young woman in marriage?" Dumbledore asked.

Hermione's dad stepped forward and offered Hermione's hand to Harry. "Her mother and I do, Dumbledore."

He kissed his daughter's cheek before taking his seat beside her mother.

"Hi," Hermione whispered.

"Hi," Harry said, smiling at her.

"Well, then. We are gathered here together on this most momentous of occasions to join these two people, Hermione Elizabeth Granger and Harry James Potter in matrimony. If there is anymore here who knows just cause why they should not be married, may they speak now or forever hold their peace.

Before we begin the ceremony, the couple has asked that a special song be sung signifying their relationship. Mr. Dean Thomas will sing the song that holds special meaning to the couple, I believe it's called "All Along". Dean."

Dumbledore motioned for Dean to begin and Dean walked over to the piano as Flitwick began to play the opening notes to the song.

Seems like yesterday but years have passed us by
Precious memories are clear before my eyes
I can hear your voice calling out my name
But I don't know you now, nothing stays the same

All along I have wanted you
I pray tonight that you want me, too
All along there was no one else
I've been waiting here all by myself

If you were here with me we'd ride the ocean tide
To that special place I held for you deep inside
I've kept good company since you've been away
Lonely stayed with me when pride began to fade

Yeah, all along I have wanted you (I wanted you)
I pray tonight that you want me, too
All along there was no one else
I've been waiting here all by myself

The assembled crowd applauded as Dean finished the song and took his place at the altar with the other groomsmen. Harry could hear Hermione's intermittent sobs and he clasped her hand tighter as they both turned their attention back to Dumbledore.

"Excellent, Mr. Thomas," Dumbledore said. "Now, we will begin the ceremony. I have been around for a long time, and of all the things that I have seen and that I have witnessed, there is nothing more exciting than watching two people fall in love. I had the pleasure of seeing these two students dance around their feelings knowing that one day they would admit what was in their hearts and in their souls. Today, they will pledge their love, their honor and their commitment to each other. Harry and Hermione, nothing is easier than saying words and nothing is harder than living them day after day after day. What you promise today, must be renewed and decided again tomorrow, and tomorrow after that and the tomorrow after that."

"They have decided to recite both their own vows and the traditional Muggle wedding vows."

"Hermione," Dumbledore said, looking at her.

She took a deep breath.

"Harry, as I was thinking of what I would say to you today in front of our family and our friends, I was actually at a loss for words. I know that's hard to believe, but it's the truth. How can you sum up how much someone means to you in a few words? I don't know why we found each other, but we did, and I think both of our lives our richer for the experience of it all. We've been through so much together, both good and bad, but instead of tearing us apart, it's made us stronger. I never imagined in my life that I would know a love like this, a love that has saved me, time and time again. "

She took another deep breath and looked into his brilliant green eyes before continuing.

"As I was thinking of what I'd say today, I found a poem that spoke so much to me. It's called 'The Journey'," she paused, and recited the poem from memory, holding tightly to Harry's hand and looking intently into his warm eyes.

Now we will feel no rain
For each of us will be shelter to each other.
And now we will feel no cold
For each of us will be warmth to each other.
Now there is no loneliness
We are two bodies, but there is one life before us and one home.
When evening falls, I'll look to you and there you'll be.
And I'll take your hand and you'll take mine
And we'll turn together and we'll look to the road we travelled to reach
this--The hour of our happiness.
It stretched far behind us, and our future lies ahead--
A long and winding road where every turning means discovery
All the hopes, new laughter, shared tears,
The adventure has just begun.

Dumbledore smiled at Hermione. "Excellent, Hermione. Now, the groom's turn. Harry."

Harry suppressed the urge to kiss Hermione. It wasn't time for that now, but her words had moved him so much. He beamed at her before he, too, began to recite his vows.

"How do you follow up, that?" he asked. The assembled guests laughed.

"I, um, remember when I was 11 years old and I was traveling on the Hogwarts Express for the first time on my way to Hogwarts. I was sitting there in the compartment when this bushy-haired, know-it-all came barreling into the room all confident and self-assured. I had no idea at the time that this person would become the most important person in my life. I had no idea that she would lead me on such an adventure. She has been the one person in my life who has always been there for me, even when times were bad. She stood by me when I was at my lowest point and she showed me the way back to life."

"I made the mistake of letting you go once in my life, but I promise you I will never let you down like that again. You are my life. You are my home. You are my family."

Dumbledore nodded as Harry finished. "Now, we will have the traditional vows. Hermione, you go first."

"I, Hermione Elizabeth Granger, take you Harry James Potter, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
What may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep"

Dumbledore motioned for Harry to begin his vows.

"I, Harry James Potter, take you Hermione Elizabeth Granger, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.
I will trust you and honor you
I will laugh with you and cry with you.
I will love you faithfully
Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
What may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep"

Through the best and the worst,
Through the difficult and the easy.
What may come I will always be there.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep"

"Sirius, I believe you have the rings?" Dumbledore asked.

Sirius nodded and took the rings from his pocket. He handed them to Dumbledore, who held the two rings in the palm of his hand.

"These rings signify a bond between the two of you. They symbolize the joining of your hearts and the coming together of your souls," Dumbledore said. He took one of the golden bands and handed it to Harry.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Harry said, as he placed the wedding band on Hermione's trembling fingers.

Dumbledore handed the other golden band to Hermione and as she placed the ring on Harry's finger, she recited the same vow, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Brilliant," Dumbledore said, gleaming.

"Ladies, gentlemen, house elves, ghosts, and goblins, I now pronounce that they are husband and wife. Harry, you may kiss your bride."

Harry looked at Dumbledore and then looked at Hermione. He let go of her hand and raised the veil away from her face. Her cheeks were tear-stained, but she wore a bright smile. Harry leaned in and softly kissed her. The Great Hall erupted in great applause.

Dumbledore shouted over the noise, "I present to you, Harry and Hermione Potter."

The receiving line went on for what seemed like miles. Harry and Hermione stood side by side, as well-wishers came by, some they knew, some they didn't.

"So where are you going on the honeymoon?" Parvati Patil asked as she passed them in the receiving line.

"I don't know," Hermione said, nudging Harry. "He's keeping it a secret."

"I think you could give me a hint," Hermione said. "Just a tiny one."

"No, that would spoil the surprise," Harry said. He leaned in to whisper so only she would hear, "It really doesn't matter, we probably won't leave the room, anyway."

Hermione giggled and playfully hit him on the shoulder.

"Ah, the abuse starts already and they haven't even been married for an hour yet," Fred said. "Once a prefect, always a prefect, right Hermione?"

"And don't you forget it, Fred," Hermione said, as he gave her a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for coming today. It really meant a lot to the both of us to have all the Weasleys here. You've always been like a second family to us."

"We wouldn't have missed it," Fred said. "Free food, dancing. That's my kind of party."

After the last guest had passed through the receiving line, Harry and Hermione made it over to the wedding cake and playfully cut the cake as photographers snapped pictures.

The bandleader suddenly began playing music and announced that it was time for the happy couple to dance the first dance. Harry smiled as he walked toward his wife. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

The singer began to sing "When You Say Nothing At All". Hermione wrapped her arms around her husband's neck as they began to dance slow. They could feel all the eyes on the room on them, but they only saw each other.

"Can you believe it?" Hermione whispered in his ear. "We're married!"

"My wife," Harry whispered back. "My wife. As in, this is my wife, Hermione."

"I kind of like the sound of that," she whispered. "Just don't ever call me the old ball and chain, okay?"

"Deal," Harry said. "I love you, you know?"

"I sure hope so," Hermione said, cheekily. "I'm kind of crazy about you, too, you know."

They kissed softly and the crowd around them clapped enthusiastically. They laughed and motioned for the other guests to dance, too. Harry watched as Hermione's dad took his daughter out on the dance floor. He looked at the two of them dancing and wondered how he'd ever gotten so lucky. She was one in a million and she'd picked him. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve it, but he was happy that she was with him and he was happy that they were going to start their own family.

As he thought back on everything they'd been through, he realized he'd always known deep down that this was where they would end up, together. This wasn't an ending, though, this was just the beginning.

(THE END---OF MY FANFICTION ANYWAY!!!!)

THANK YOU TO ALL THAT TOOK THE TIME TO LEAVE ME REVIEWS. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN EXCELLENT. I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE THIS HAS BEEN FOR ME. I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED READING IT AS MUCH AS I ENJOYED WRITING IT.