Authors Notes: Again, I'm sorry this update took so long! It was actually quite a hard one to write and I've had a lot of stuff going on in my life that hasn't left me with much time to be writing fan fics- not that it's calming down any, but I finally got a chance to sit down and write this chapter out fully.
Plus I had some new musical inspiration :p
Oh, and the chocolates are those little things that people give the guests at weddings- I cannot for the life of me remember what they are called but! I just know at my sisters wedding the guests got to keep their champagne glasses.
One more note- halfway through the memory it does jump a bit because I couldn't write out a full scene.
She placed the napkin to the side and closed her eyes as she reached back into the box. And what she pulled out was a very small box, tied with a strand of white ribbon. She untied the ribbon and opened the box, to find a handful of dinner mints.
The wrappers on the mints were black and had tiny little pink hearts covering the surface. On the main side, in gold calligraphy, was written 'Harry 4 Hermione'.
Reaching back into the box, she found yet another small box- she knew what it contained.
The jewellery she wore on their wedding…
There was a gentle breeze blowing as Hermione stood inside the doors of the manor house, trembling slightly. She had her father on her right, her mother on her left. Her one and only bridesmaid Ginny had already started her walk down the aisle and the nerves built inside Hermione as each second passed.
The violins struck up with the wedding march and she felt a lump rise in her throat. This was it… she was about to walk down the aisle…
Her father clenched onto her arm even tighter and Hermione placed her hand over his and looked at him from under her veil, trying to tell him without words that there was no reason to be scared or worried or nervous. She knew how much this wedding meant to her parents, as she was their only child. They wanted it to be perfect.
As did Hermione. She steadied her breathing as she made her way up the aisle, looking at the people gathered. She didn't realise she and Harry knew so many people. Finally, for the first time, she looked up towards the altar.
Harry was standing there with Ron, both looking resplendent in their tuxedos. Harry's hair was even laying flat- she made a note to herself to ask him how long it had taken and whether he had resorted to magic.
'You'll always be my little girl,' her father whispered to her, as they reached the end of the aisle. She wrapped his arms around his neck and hugged him tight, before he gave her arm to Harry.
'We're really doing this?' Harry asked as they walked the few steps to the altar.
'We're really doing this,' she whispered back, squeezing his hand.
The minister began the service and Hermione went through the motions that they'd rehearsed the day before, only with a lot more nerves. Harry was nervous too, he stumbled over her middle name and accidentally called her Hermione Jan instead of Hermione Jane.
'To seal their vows, Hermione and Harry will now read the vows they have prepared for today,' the minister said and Ginny hurried over to Hermione with a small sheet of paper.
'Doing great,' she whispered, retreating back to her position.
'Harry,' she started, finding that the nerves she'd had had vanished. This was just her and Harry. 'I found it hard to write these vows for today. How do you say 'yes, I love you enough to spend my life with you'? But then I realised that I say this to you every day of my life. I have shared so much with you and this new journey is a frightening one, but I know that as long as I have you, my one true love, by my side I can survive anything. From the first day I met you I knew you would end up being someone special- I had no idea that you would become the most special person in the world to me. And that is why I today say yes, I love you enough to spend my life with you. And I can't wait for that life to begin.'
She didn't know for sure, but she thought she saw a tear shine in the corner of Harry's eye. She did know for sure, however, that Harry's words sent tears streaming down her cheeks as if she was a waterfall.
'Hermione, many years ago now, we had a ball at school. I remember struggling to find a date, wondering who would want to go with me. One day you pointed out that you were in fact a girl- something I had noticed, yes, but not in that way. Every day since then I have noticed in some way that yes, you are a girl- a woman. When I saw you dressed up for the ball, my heart skipped a beat and I was speechless. To this day, when you are around, my heart skips and my mind stops. You are an incredibly strong woman and if it was not for your strength I would not be here with you today, on this day, declaring to the entire world that I love you and that I always will. You've had my heart for so long and now you will have it forever.'
A loud sob from behind alerted Hermione to the fact that her mother was crying like a baby and as she turned, she saw that Ginny was also sobbing, along with most of the females.
'Well, by the powers vested in me, I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.'
Harry lifted her veil and smiled at her.
'Hello, Mrs Potter,' he whispered, leaning in and kissing her softly. The guests began to cat call and cheer, causing Hermione to blush beetroot red.
She had never felt so happy as she walked back up the aisle with her arm around Harry's waist, nuzzled into his shoulder. People were reaching out from their seats and clapping them on the shoulders, calling out things like 'good luck' and 'don't let her put you in the doghouse!'.
The reception lunch was loud and cheerful- Hermione found she could hardly eat anything, instead all she could do was look around in wonder and down at the ring Harry had slipped onto her finger. It was a simple gold band to most people who looked at it, but to only Harry and Hermione, they saw the scarlet that ran blended into the gold. Gryffindor colours.
As the dessert plates were cleared away, Ron tapped his spoon onto his glass and got to his feet slowly.
'As best man, it's my duty I believe to give a speech involving embarrassing stories about Harry and Hermione,' he paused to allow a chuckle. 'The problem is, I only have stories about Harry- I knew Hermione being the way she is would cause problems somewhere along the line,' everyone, including Hermione had a chuckle. 'In all seriousness, I can't imagine a better pairing than that of my two best friends. I can still remember the day Harry finally confessed to me that he was lusting after our best friend- after I had finished laughing at him, I remember telling him to go for it. Of course, what made the situation so funny to me was that for a period of about six months all the people in our house had been making a bet as to when they would finally get it together. They finally did- but left it until after the summer to tell everyone. Which was bad for the betting pool- no one had put a date later than Harry's seventeenth birthday, so we all lucked out.
'I cannot imagine a better marriage than what Harry and Hermione will have. For as long as I can remember they have been functioning as one whole of a person, always able to tell what the other is thinking or feeling. Watching from an outsiders perspective their relationship has always been as strong as anything and I know that it will continue to be as strong in the future. So I beg all of you to raise your glasses and give a toast to the newlyweds.'
'To the newlyweds!' rang around the room and everyone took a sip of their champagne.
'Now, I just have one more thing to say- underneath your place card, you will find a small chocolate. These are for you to either eat now, or keep as a souvenir of this day. Thank you and goodnight.'
Hermione place her hand on Ron's arm when he sat down and smiled at him.
'Thank you, Ron,' she said. 'You've been a great friend.'
'Well if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here,' he said, winking. Hermione looked at him curiously and he laughed. 'Never mind.'
They cut the cake just after Ron's toast and as the cake was being served, the band got into position and began playing a slow waltz. They both beamed as they circled around the dance floor, holding onto each other as tight as they possibly could. Hermione never wanted the dance to end.
And it didn't- they didn't sit down again all night, they just kept on dancing, wrapped in each others arms, wrapped in their own world.