~A/N> I know, I know, another update! Don't faint! It may be a different story, but I've posted three
chapters in two days. That's a lot for me :) I'm sorry this last chapter has taken so long, I've been so
busy lately with my Podcast (which is for Harry/Hermione shippers, btw) and taking care of my family...life passes too
quickly it seems. Anyway, this is a very fluffy, romantic chapter that I hope makes you feel all warm and fuzzy after
you read it. And if you haven't read it yet, please check out my new story, "Nanny Wanted". It's a
fun little story that I'm writing to keep my sanity while I try to work out "The Light Within". It's
gotten a great reception so far, the first chapter alone recieved 40 reviews which totally blew me away! Anyway,
here's the last chapter of "Dreams Can Come True", I hope you like it and I have to say, I'm sad to
see this story go. It's one of my favorites :)
The morning of July 31st dawned sunny, warm, and beautiful, much to the delight of the four people who were sharing the
special day. Hermione and Luna had spent the night at the Burrow with Mrs. Weasley, making sure all the last minute
details of the wedding were in place. Harry and Ron had stayed at Harry's flat, having a party that was put
together by their two best men, Neville and Dean. Dean had wanted to go all out, but thankfully Neville's calm
demeanor had won out in the end and it had been a fun, yet uneventful, party.
Daniel had stayed with Hermione that night and Harry had caught himself missing him. Harry and Daniel had formed a bond that was almost better than a Father/Son bond, and Harry hoped that it would continue to grow stronger as Daniel got older. For all Daniel knew, Harry was his Father and Harry was more than happy to play the part. The past three months had been the best of his life, and he could only hope that the future would hold the same happiness for the three of them.
Harry had discussed the possibility of adopting Daniel with Hermione the day after he proposed. Since Michel was dead, Harry wanted to be his Father in every sense of the word, which meant that Daniel would take the name 'Potter' as his own, if Hermione agreed to it. He didn't think she would say no, and of course she happily agreed.
The Burrow was set up for the double wedding...there was a small stage erected on the lawn that had a huge archway of flowers as a backdrop and a red carpet that ran down the middle of all the chairs that had been situated there also. The ceremony was set to begin at sundown, so there were fairy lights strung up all around the area, as well as candles floating overhead. There had been a leak to the press that the famous Harry Potter and Miss Hermione Granger would be having a double wedding with the famous Quidditch Keeper Ron Weasley, who was to wed Luna Lovegood, the daughter of the man who owned the Quibbler. There were so many reporters trying to sneak onto the grounds to get the much sought-after wedding pictures that they had to add extra wards to keep them out, as well as having everyone drink a potion to make sure there was no one using Polyjuice Potion to gain entry. The only reporter and photographer that was allowed in, besides the official wedding photographer of course, were the ones from Mr. Lovegood's paper.
Hermione and Luna sat upstairs in Ginny's bedroom, which had been magically expanded to accommodate them all, fussing over their hair and dresses. Luna had asked Ginny to be her Maid of Honour and Hermione had asked Edna to be hers. With Dean and Neville as the Best Men, there would only be the eight of them on the stage along with the current Minister of Magic, who would be performing the ceremony.
"It's time."
Hermione and Luna both looked toward the doorway where the voice came from and saw Mrs. Weasley standing there, beaming at the two of them. "You both look lovely, just lovely." Tears suddenly making her eyes bright, Mrs. Weasley dabbed at them with a handkerchief and said, "Everyone is waiting for you downstairs."
Luna gathered up the short train on her feather light, soft yellow wedding dress and made her way downstairs where her Father waited to walk her down the isle. Hermione took a deep, calming breath and took one step toward the door, only to stop as she noticed that it was no longer Mrs. Weasley standing there, but her Mother. "Hi Mum," she said with a nervous smile.
"Don't you look beautiful?" Jane asked, looking her daughter over head-to-toe, "I'm so proud that you decided to wear my old wedding dress...your Father loved that dress."
When Hermione saw the tears slip from her Mother's eyes, she closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly. In the months following Daniel's birth, she and her Mum had talked out their differences, becoming closer than they had been before. Jane had even watched Daniel a few times so that she and Harry were able to have a relaxing night out once in a while...it took a lot of patience to raise a child, and even though she and Harry were learning as they went, sometimes it all became so overwhelming. Thankfully Jane and Molly had been there to help, whether it be two in the afternoon or four in the morning, when Daniel had woken up distressed, and she had been unable to comfort him. It was hard being a Mum, and now that Hermione realized that, she had a bit more respect for her Mum. And her Mum had admitted that she had only wanted the best for her daughter, and she could see that Harry was the man to make her blissfully happy and take care of Hermione and Daniel too.
"I wish your Father could be here to walk you down the aisle," Jane said, and then sighed. "He used to talk about it all the time, how a part of him couldn't wait for the day, but then a part of him would be sad to lose his little girl."
Jane was crying harder now, and Hermione had tears running down her cheeks as she listened to the wistfulness in her Mother's voice. It still hurt to think of her Dad, but she had the comfort of knowing she would always carrying a part of him in her heart. "But he is here, Mum. I know he's watching over you and I. As long as we keep his memory alive in our hearts, he'll always be with us."
Both women were crying now, holding onto each other as they remembered their dear Husband and Father. "Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked quietly from the doorway, "Is everything alright dear?"
Hermione sniffled, said, "We're both fine," and graciously accepted the clean white handkerchief that Molly held out to her. After handing one to Jane also she said, "Ginny has Daniel downstairs, all dressed and ready to go...we're ready whenever you are."
As she and her Mum wiped the tears from their eyes, reassuring each other that their make-up looked just fine, the three of them made their way downstairs to join the rest of the wedding party.
~*~
"I don't know who's more nervous, you or I," Ron stated, running his damp palms down the front of his trousers to dry them.
Harry resisted the urge to nervously comb his hand through his somewhat-tamed hair and replied, "I'd say it's probably a tie Ron. I don't think I felt this nervous when I was fighting Voldemort."
"I hear you mate," Ron agreed.
The two of them stood at the base of the short staircase, which consisted of three stairs, waiting for their wives-to-be to join them. From there they would walk up onto the stage together to stand in front of Minister of Magic Thomas . Sturgemore, who stood patiently in front of the flower arch, waiting for the ceremony to begin. He would wait there forever for it to begin if it meant he was able to brag that he was the one to marry two of the most famous couples known to the wizarding world.
"Alright there Harry?" Neville asked, coming down the stairs toward him. He and Dean were checking to make sure everything was ready to go, and then they would go into the house to join their Maid-of-Honour partners.
"A bit nervous, but otherwise fine," Harry answered.
"I'm off to join Edna inside then," Neville said with a smile and then made his way to the front door. Thankfully, when Harry had told him that he would be paired with the much-older witch, he hadn't minded one bit. He had been so honoured that Harry had asked him, he said he would have walked with Dolores Umbridge if he had to. That had given Harry pause for a second, until Neville started to laugh at the look on his face and he was soon laughing with him.
"Good luck mate," Dean said, slugging Ron in the shoulder as he made his way past him to follow Neville, "You too Harry."
"Thanks," Harry replied with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Thanks," Ron had muttered and then asked nervously, "You've got Luna's ring, right?"
"Aye, I do," Dean said as he stopped and turned back to him with a reassuring smile, "No worries, everything's taken care of and we're ready to go."
Ron gave a stiff nod and Dean continued on his way to the house, laughing at the look of sheer terror on his friend's face when he gave one last glance before going inside to join Ginny.
As Harry and Ron both fixed their robes for the millionth time, both of them wearing the finest black dress robes money could buy, they snapped their heads in the direction of the door as they heard it open.
The first pair to emerge from the Burrow were Arthur and Molly, who immediately made their way to their seats in the front row, Molly giving her son a watery smile. Neville and Edna came out next, followed closely by Dean and Ginny. The two couples walked slowly down the aisle, smiling at the people in the crowd they recognized, and Harry and Ron stepped to the side so that they could make their way to their places on the stage. When he heard Ron's sharp intake of breath, Harry turned his gaze from their friends on the stage to the door where Ron was staring intently. There he saw Luna walking out with a firm hold on her Father's arm.
"Bloody hell," Ron whispered in awe as he took in how beautiful she looked. He stared at her as her Father walked her down the aisle, barely aware that he offered his arm for her to take. "Ronald, are you okay?" Luna asked, as she noticed the strange way he was staring at her.
"You're beautiful," he replied, causing a slight pink tinge to color her cheeks. It wasn't very often that he complimented her so in awe and with such sincerity.
"You look very handsome," she said with a loving smile as they carefully made their way up the stairs, going to stand in front of where Ginny and Dean stood.
Harry, left by himself at the bottom of the stairs, stared anxiously at the door as he waited for Hermione to come out. Adjusting the tie he wore underneath his robe, he smiled as he saw the door open slowly, and watched as Jane and Hermione emerged from inside. Hermione held her Mother's hand and cradled Daniel in her other arm; Harry watched as his soon-to-be family made their way toward him, Hermione wearing the most gorgeous smile he had ever seen. Her eyes seemed to radiate happiness and he could feel his heart constricting with all the love he felt for her and Daniel.
His eyes followed them up the aisle and he waited as Hermione gently handed Daniel to her Mum. Before offering his arm to her, Harry leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Daniel's head, causing more than a few of the women in the audience to tear up and smile at the loving gesture. Straightening, he held his arm out for Hermione to take and asked, "Ready to become Mrs. Harry Potter?"
"More than you could ever know," she replied with the same gorgeous smile. The two of them made their way up the stairs to take their place in front of Edna and Neville and next to Ron and Luna. A sudden hush fell over the crowd as the Minister of Magic cast a sonorus on himself and began by saying, "We are gathered here today to join these two loving couples in marriage..."
~*~
Thirty minutes later the two couples were proclaimed Man and Wife. Minister Sturgemore introduced to the applauding crowd Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Weasley as both couples stood hand in hand, happily beaming at the crowd of family and friends.
As they made their way down the aisle and into the Burrow to wait as the outside was magically transformed into their reception by Arthur and Molly, Jane Granger walked up with Daniel and gave Harry a one-armed hug, saying, "Welcome to the family Harry."
"Thank you Mrs. Granger," Harry replied, happily returning the hug and then gently taking Daniel from her.
The two couples stood talking to one another as Jane went outside to help with whatever she could and then made their reappearance after Molly had came in to tell them everything was ready.
After receiving congratualtions and hugs from everyone, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, along with Mr. and Mrs. Ron Weasley, were called out onto the magically conjured dance floor to share their first dance together as man and wife. Harry gave Daniel to Molly and after gliding around the floor together as the music played, everyone else was invited out to join them and the dance floor filled quickly. Harry held Hermione as close as he could, marveling at the fact that she was now his wife, and both looked up from the others gaze as Minister Sturgemore walked up to them and cheerfully said, "Ah, the happy couple...well, one of the happy couples I should say."
"Hello Minister," Harry greeted as Hermione smiled and greeted him also.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have something that I think will make this wonderful day even more special," the Minister said as he handed over a roll of parchment to Harry.
Accepting the roll with a quizzical look, Harry carefully broke the seal and unrolled it. As he read over the quickly-blurring words on the parchment, he blinked his eyes quickly, trying to keep the tears that had flooded his eyes at bay. "Hermione," he asked quietly, "When did you do this?"
"The day after you proposed," Hermione replied as her own eyes filled with tears and a smile formed on her lips, "You had your heart set on legally being Daniel's Father, and you already were in every other sense of the word, so I visited the Ministry of Magic that night and started the process. The fact that it's legal today is such a wonderful surprise."
"It's the best wedding present we could have gotten," Harry said, and then turning to the Minister he said, "Thank you so much for giving this to us personally Sir, it means so much to us."
"Pish-posh my boy, with all you've done for the wizarding and muggle worlds, it was the least that could be done to show you our appreciation." With a smile he said, "I'll leave you to it then, it was an honour to be asked to perform the ceremony today, and I wish you all the best."
"Thank you Sir," both Harry and Hermione replied as they watched him walk away and then Harry looked at Hermione with all the love he felt for her shining in his eyes. "You're wonderful, d'you know that? Being Daniel's Father is a dream come true, and our family is truly complete now."
"Well..." Hermione said with a knowing smile, "You never know, it could get better."
"I can't imagine how," Harry replied, looking at her curiously.
Leaning close to his ear Hermione whispered, "What if I told you that you were going to be a Father...again?"
Harry quickly pulled back so that he could look her in the eye and with happy disbelief he whispered, "You're pregnant?"
"Yes," she answered happily and then flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
Hugging her back, Harry closed his eyes and silently thanked whatever Gods were smiling down on him that day. As he felt his eyes get moist with tears yet again, he leaned back so that he could look at her and said, "Gods Hermione, I never thought I would ever be this happy...it seems that since the day I met you, you've made every hope I've ever had, every wish I've ever made come true and I love you so much."
"I love you too Harry," she replied as tears slipped gently from her eyes, "After my Father died, I felt as if I would never be truly happy again, and then you came practically barging into my life. You've made all my dreams come true Harry, and that's more than I had ever thought possible."
The two of them danced the rest of the night together, holding onto one another, thinking only of the family they had become that day and the new member that would be joining them in just six short months...they were oblivious to everyone around them, wrapped lovingly in each other, both of them knowing that the days, months, and years ahead would be filled with happiness and love...something neither one of them had ever dreamed could happen.
~A/N2> If you didn't figure it out yet, I left it a little up in the air so that I can maybe write a
short follow up to it sometime in the future :) I hope you enjoyed it!!!