Chapter 8-The wedding
The day had finally arrived after what seemed like years, but was actually a month. It was the day of Hermione Granger and Harry Potter's wedding. The wizarding world was in a buzz at the anticipation of the event. Although only friends and family were invited, every wizard alike talked about the event as if they were going to be there themselves. Pictures of them covered magazines and the radio would not stop talking about the wedding. Even though few really knew these two people in person, everywhere you went they were talking about the wedding.
It was now noon and Harry sat in a pair of sweats and a gray t-shirt at his window seat in his room. He was reading his favorite book since he had some down time. However, his peace and quiet was broken by the arrival of Hermione banging the door open.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hermione asked angrily.
"Baking a cake," Harry told her with a straight face as he closed his book.
Hermione just rolled her eyes. "It is four hours before his wedding and he is sitting there reading a book," She told herself.
"You don't need to talk about me as if I weren't here."
"You don't need to talk about me as if I weren't here," Hermione mimicked.
"Quit that," Harry said annoyed.
"Quit that," Hermione spoke childishly.
"Remind me to never marry you again." Harry opened his book back up and resumed reading.
"What are you doing?"
Harry raised his eyes. "I thought we already went through this discussion."
"Why aren't you getting ready?"
"Ok, so throwing on a tux takes approximately 10 minutes give or take a few minutes, depending on whether the tie will be cooperative or not," Harry explained.
"Guys," Hermione muttered, exasperated. "Go take a shower."
Harry looked skeptically at Hermione. "And I am just supposed to be taking orders from you?"
Hermione grew a few inches as she straightened her posture and pointed to his bathroom. "Take a shower…now," Hermione spoke forcefully.
Harry put his book down and headed to his bathroom. "Right-o, jolly good."
"Thank you."
At the door he turned around. "If you by any chance hear any weird sounds coming from my bathroom, that would be me attempting to drown myself, because the thought of marrying a bossy, no it all, obsessive compulsive control freak is enough to throw any man over the edge."
Hermione didn't skip a beat though, "Good of you to warn me. If that doesn't work, you can always jump out the window."
"I don't know, the sudden stop at the end kind of scares me."
"That and it would not be a pretty sight."
"Yeah, and if I am going to die young then I want to go out looking absolutely smashing."
Both couldn't speak because they both were laughing. Hermione exited the room, leaving Harry to his shower.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Are you sure you are getting married today?" Ron asked his friend.
"What are you talking about?" Harry answered with a question as he looked up from his book.
"You are sitting there, with a book in hand, an hour before your wedding. Something about this does not seem right. You shouldn't be reading a book at your own wedding," Ron told him.
"Why not?" Harry asked curiously.
Ron was actually at a loss for an answer, "I don't know, you just shouldn't. It seems like something Hermione would do."
Harry shook his head and went back to reading.
"Oh don't worry Ron, Harry has been pretty antsy for this wedding in the last couple of weeks." Sirius finally jumped into the conversation.
Once again Harry just shook his head as he continued on with his book. He already knew what Sirius was going to say and he did not want to ruin his fun.
Sirius replayed everything that has happened in the last couple of weeks from the Boggart, what he told his class, and Snape winning the faculty pool.
"HA, Snape is making money off of Harry's love life," Ron laughed.
"There is no love life. For there to be a love life one must be in love and I am not in love," Harry spoke for the first time while Sirius was telling his story.
"Oh come on, why don't you love Hermione? She is a fine specimen of breeding age," Ron told Harry matter of factly
Harry snorted. "I am so telling her you said that."
"You are avoiding the question." Ron ignored Harry's comment.
"Love doesn't work like that. You should know that."
"Then how does it work, my friend," Ron asked.
Harry sat and thought for a moment. "Love is just something you will know. There is no gray area."
"I am sorry, Harry, but you have been misinformed. Love is one big gray area. I didn't just wake up one day and say `wow! I am in love with Zoë.' To put it into words, I would say she kind of grew on me and slowly I came to realize what had been there all along." Ron's eyes were glistened as he thought fondly upon Zoe.
"Get over it! I am not in love with Hermione."
"Or, you just too far into denial to realize it," Ron told him.
How do you tell someone you are not in denial? Harry looked at Sirius, silently begging for him to back him up on this.
Sirius read his mind. "I am sorry, I agree with Ron. But, it doesn't mean it's true. Like I said before, it's really just a nice thought. But, enough with such serious subjects. We must move on to more pressing matters."
"Oh no," Harry muttered, not liking the tone of his Godfather's voice.
"Now, since your father is not around, I feel that it is my duty to take on this job. Now about the honeymoon…" Sirius got no further as Harry interrupted him.
"Oh no you don't. We are not going to be having sex Sirius," Harry spoke loudly, shocked and embarrassed.
"Why not? You are married. Why not get a little something out of it."
"Yes, I am just going to go up to Hermione, 'yeah, now that we are married we should shag on a regular basis because that is what married couple do,'" Harry's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Well why not?"
"I am not going to be having sex with one of my best friends who I don't even love. Hell no!"
"Now, let's not go back down that road."
"I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH HERMIONE!" Harry yelled.
"Hush now, we don't want the guests hearing that," Ron spoke quickly.
"Come now, Harry. It is perfectly understandable for you two to have sex. It is your honeymoon for crying out loud."
"I am not going to have sex with Hermione," Harry said through gritted teeth, his face blushed from embarrassment.
"If this is about your confidence, remember it is not the size that counts, it's the motion of the ocean."
"SIRIUS!" Ron and Harry said that the same time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"MOTHER!" Hermione yelled, shocked as she put on her dress, in one of the rooms at the church the ceremony was taking place at.
"What? I am just saying that it is your honeymoon, and I am just trying to bestow upon you some motherly advice," Mrs. Granger told her daughter innocently.
"Well, let's hear no more of that `motherly advice.' Anyways, you are forgetting that this is not a real marriage," Hermione reminded her mother.
"I don't see why?" Mrs. Granger almost pouted.
Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "I have gone through this numerous times, mother. He is doing this to help save my life."
"I know, I know, and for that I am extremely thankful. I don't see why you guys don't get married for real. I just simply love Harry. He is so perfect for you."
"Because, we are not in love mom," Hermione told her impatiently as she sat down to put on touch up her make up.
"I don't see why you are not either. You have been friends for heaven knows how long, well, except for that short time when you two were fighting." Hermione did not bother to point out that it had actually been several years where they were not talking to each other. "And he cares for you a great deal, or he wouldn't have agreed to do this. He is handsome. My God he is perfect." Mrs. Granger came to this conclusion, shocked by her finding.
"Why don't you say this about Ron? We have been friend for just as long."
Mrs. Granger just shrugged this off. "You two are just friends."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Mother, Harry and I are just friends. That makes no sense."
The door opened and Mr. Granger walked in, his eyes full of love for his daughter. "You look beautiful, darling."
Hermione blushed and murmured, "thank you."
"It's time." Mr. Granger held out his arm for Hermione to take. Mrs. Granger left the room to take her place in the pews.
Hermione took a deep breath to try to calm her shaky nerves, as they left the room to take their place at the entrance to the chapel.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harry and Hermione decided to have the wedding at a church as to make it easier with inviting Muggle family and it had a quaint feeling to it. The chapel was decorated in flowers and trees with lights in them. It gave the room a feeling of spring when in fact it was the beginning of winter. The aisle leading to the alter was a red velvet carpet covered in rose petals.
The pews were filled with many family relations and friends. Nobody could turn down the chance to see the famous Harry Potter married to his best friend Hermione Granger.
The music started up and Hermione entered with her father escorting her. She was wearing an elegant white medieval dress. It was floor length and flowed around her as she walked. Along the waist was a trim with a Celtic pattern. It had bell-shaped sleeves that fell down her arm beautifully. She had a veil over her curls with a crown holding the veil in place.
However, Harry was wearing a simple tuxedo, with nothing special or different about it. Yet, he looked grand in it. His green eyes shown out even more prominently against the darkness surrounding them.
When Harry and Hermione saw each other, both had to remind themselves to breath. No matter what they told the people around them, at that point, both forgot that the wedding was a fake. They forgot that there was no real relationship between them. All they could think about was that they were getting married.
Hermione reached the alter where Mr. Granger kissed her cheek and handed her over to Harry. Hermione could hear a faint sobs coming from her mother. Inwardly she rolled her eyes. She forgot all about that when she looked into Harry's eyes. They were full of emotion, which she would later think back on and remember vividly that those eyes were filled with love. Harry mouthed the words `you look beautiful' and Hermione blushed once again.
Together the couple stood before the priest as he spoke about marriage and love. They repeated the vows that were given to them from the priest and exchanged rings. It was one of the happier moments in both of their lives. For the blissful hour that was the ceremony, each forgot everything, but the fact that they were getting married.
Finally the man spoke, "If there are any who hold any objections to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." There was a silent pause as everybody look around at one another. Then he continued, "Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," he told Harry who did not need to be told a second time.
Harry leaned forward and gently kissed Hermione that sent tingles up and down both of their spines.
Too bad the marriage wasn't real.
A/NTo see wedding dress go here http://www.lindsayfleming.com/iona.htm#lindsayfleming I can not do it justice. Please
go see it if you are interested.
-->