Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, unfortunately, as many things of HBP would have been different if I did…
A/N: Thanks to all of you who are reading this story, and thanks for your reviews. Please, if you read, leave me a comment, that would really make my day. Hope you'll enjoy this. Sadly this ride has ended now.
Chapter Eight
"Of Celebrations, Love and Happiness"
Once they landed in the garden, Harry ran into the house.
"Hermione! Hermione!" he cried desperately wanting to know how she was.
"She's sleeping now" Molly said. "Good that you sent her here, she was almost broken by lots of tortures she suffered"
Harry's heart broke hearing that.
"Hermione…" he whispered softly.
"Don't worry, she's just resting. She'll be fine in few hours" Molly reassured him.
"Good to know, Mum. From what Harry told me, Voldemort was not going easy on her"
"Have you ever seen Voldemort going easy on someone, Ron?" Harry asked darkly.
That shut the redhead up.
All afternoon Harry stayed by her side, not leaving even to eat, and all night, not sleeping.
In the morning, finally he felt his eyes closing against his will. He tried fighting it, but to no avail. He fell asleep.
Some hours later, he woke up to find someone gently caressing his hair.
He turned and found himself staring into the chocolate eyes he had grown to love so much.
"It was time you woke up, sleepyhead" Hermione teased him.
"You speak, you slept all day yesterday!" he teased her back, smiling.
They stared at each other for some time, identical grins plastered on their faces.
Suddenly they started laughing, and hugged each other.
"It's so good to see you're fine!" he said, looking in her eyes. "I feared so much when you didn't come home that night"
"I know, Harry. Trust me, I know. I kept thinking you would save me somehow, and that kept me going, or I would have broken down, I think" she said, growing serious for a moment. "And I was right, wasn't I?" she added then smiling, and resting her forehead on his own.
"Yeah, you were right. I would have never deserted you. When I saw Riddle torturing you, I swear I would have liked to kill him bare-handed" he said, his features darkening.
"Now, now. It is all in the past, and we can enjoy life from this moment on" she said, then captured his lips with her own.
"I kind of like this way of enjoying life" Harry said when they parted, just before kissing her again.
He slid his tongue into her mouth, searching for her own, and once he found it, their tongues started wrestling madly. He pushed her back onto the bed, and she pulled him with her, her hands in his hair, his ones on her back.
He then tried something different, gently nibbling on her bottom lip. She yelped softly, and pushed her tongue once more into his mouth.
Just then, when they were snogging senseless, really savouring freedom for the first time in their young lives, Ron opened the door and entered the room.
They didn't notice though, so wrapped up in themselves, so that the redhead stayed some time looking at them.
He at first felt angry at them, and wanted to shout at his friends. But the more he looked at them, the more he realized he got nothing to be angry about.
Harry was not with Ginny anymore. Hermione and him had broken up as well. And from what he could judge, they were really suited for each other.
He may have the "emotional range of a teaspoon" as Hermione had once said, but he could recognize two soul mates when he saw them.
"Guess I've always known deep in my soul they were done for each other" he said smiling to himself, closing the door softly, so that they would not notice it.
Not that they would so easily anyway, as they were both so pleasantly busy.
Days later, Harry, Ron and Hermione were invited to the party held at Hogwarts to celebrate Voldemort's defeat.
Harry went to retrieve Draco from Grimmauld Place, to bring him with them.
"Our victory has been achieved with his help too. After all, he was the one who said us where Voldemort hid, so that we found out his plans about Hogwarts" he reasoned with Ron and Hermione.
So he Apparated in front of the house, then entered.
"Who's there?" Draco suddenly asked, pointing his wand at him.
"It's me, Harry"
"Oh, Potter. What are you doing here?" Draco asked.
"I've come to invite you and your mother to the party Hogwarts is throwing for celebrating Voldemort's death"
Malfoy's face passed from confusion to shock to happiness in three seconds time.
"So you did it!" the boy cried happily, clearly relieved at having one big worry lifted from his shoulders.
At his scream Narcissa came.
"Draco, what's going on here?" she asked, then spotted Harry. "Oh, Mr. Potter. Good to see you"
" Mother, Harry did it! He vanquished Him! We are free again!" Draco said excitedly.
Narcissa smiled.
"I knew you would, Potter"
"Yeah, so, Hogwarts is having this party to celebrate it, and I would like for you two to come, Mrs. Malfoy" Harry said.
"You would like it, but all the others won't" Draco said sourly.
"They won't question my choice. I'm the special guest and allowed to bring as much people as I want, and who I want" Harry said. "Please, Draco. Come. My won is your doing too. If you didn't tell me where he used to hid, I would have never found out his plans till too late, and Hogwarts wouldn't exist anymore now" Harry said.
After some time, Draco accepted. Narcissa chose to remain there though.
So one hour later Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco were all walking from Hogsmeade to the castle.
Once there, they went to see McGonagall.
"Headmistress" Harry greeted her, bowing.
"Mr. Potter. I see you came with your friends, and other company too" the witch said, looking coldly at Draco.
"Yes. Mr. Malfoy here has been really useful in defeating Voldemort, allowing us to know his plans not too late and save the school. So he should be cherished as me, Ron and Hermione" he said.
Later during the party, Harry and Hermione snuck away for some quality time.
They went to the lake, and sat under a tree, his arm around her shoulders, she leaning on him, relaxing.
"This feels so wonderful" he said, sighing. "For once, seems everything is going fine in my life. Almost like it wasn't my life but someone other's"
"We'll make up for the time Voldemort took from you together, Harry. I promise you" she said, then turned and kissed him softly.
Just then Ginny arrived. Seeing them kissing, she got angry, with the typical Weasley temper rising.
"Harry! What the hell are you doing?" she cried angrily.
The two of them saw her approaching.
"Sorry, luv. I'll take care of her" he said, standing up.
"Ok. Good luck, and mind the Bat Bogey Hexes" Hermione said, smiling.
Harry stuck his tongue at her, then turned to go and face Ginny.
Finally he reached her.
"Ginny, look, we need to talk. Not here, though"
So he led her away from Hermione.
"What were you doing with her, Harry? I thought you loved me!" Ginny said, her anger subsiding and sadness taking its place. She started crying.
"I thought I did too. I liked you, Ginny. But it's been just lust between us, at least on my side. I've understood that in these months. I didn't want for you to find out this way, but I'm in love with Hermione. I really think she's the one, you know" he said, dreamily.
Ginny looked at him, and giggled through her tears.
"Look at yourself!" she said, laughing. "You look like a kid who has just been gifted the toy he desired" she said.
"Well, in a certain way I am, I guess" Harry replied, smiling. Then he grew serious again. "Really, Ginny, I'm sorry for the way you had to find out, but I'm not sorry it happened. Try to understand…"
"I do, Harry. I do. I've always thought you and Hermione would do a great couple. Not as great the two of us, but still quite good"
Harry swatted her playfully on the arm. "Smartass" he said her, laughing.
"You'll make her happy, Harry. I know you would have made me so" Ginny said then kissing him on the cheek and walking away. Harry looked at her retreating form, then walked back to Hermione.
Once she walked away from him, Ginny started crying again. She was happy for both Hermione and Harry, she really was as they deserved each other, but she had come so near to fulfilling her dream of love with him…
Just when she was wiping away her tears angrily, someone approached her.
"Why are you crying with all this people celebrating?"
She turned to the voice, finding herself face to face with Draco Malfoy.
"What are you doing here?" she asked angrily, grabbing her wand.
"No need for that, Harry invited me. I helped him, you know"
So they started chatting.
Before the night ended, Ginny found herself thoroughly fascinated by him.
They ended under the same tree Harry and Hermione had been first.
Draco helped her sit, then tentatively put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"You are really pretty, Weasel, you know that, right?" he said, inhaling in her scent.
"You're not bad yourself Malfoy" she said, smiling shyly at him. "But stop calling me Weasel, will you?"
"Old habits are hard to change" he said, darkly.
Then she did something only few hours before she would have thought impossible. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fully on the lips.
Soon a battle of tongues ensued, her hands grabbing fistfuls of his hair, while he kept caressing her back. He then kissed her on her neck, making her moan loudly.
"Oh, Draco" she whimpered.
He grinned to himself, knowing he had that effect on her. Because she surely was having an effect on him, as his southern regions could prove…
So they snogged each other for long, long time, and never separated from each other for all night, walking around hand in hand, her head leaning on his shoulder. Now and then he would pull her closer with an arm around her waist.
In those same moments Ron was walking around the lake with Luna Lovegood. He had started talking with her almost immediately when they had arrived, and never left her all night.
He had found she was quite charming, if you stopped to listen at her, and he liked her company. The fact that she had become nothing short than sexy didn't hurt too.
They gazed at the stars, it was a romantic sight, and Ron thought right to pull her at him.
"You know, I really like you, Luna" he confessed.
"I really like you too, Ronald" she said, leaning on his chest.
He kissed the back of her neck, making goose bumps grow there.
"It's ticklish" she said. "But makes me feel so good"
"I know" he said, breathing in her ear, "but this will make you feel even better"
Then he kissed the lobe of her ear, sucking and biting it gently. She turned, aroused by his actions, and Ron took the chance to kiss her.
She swiftly sat on his lap, her arms around his neck, and they kept kissing each other passionately, sweetly, every kind of kisses they shared, till Ron noticed Ginny walking hand in hand with Draco.
"Hey! What the hell is my sister doing with Malfoy?"
"Seems she found herself a boyfriend" Harry said from behind him. "I wouldn't bother her about it, tough. Draco is a good pal in the end, and he showed it. But I reckon you're quite busy with Miss Lovegood here, so we better leave you at that, don't we luv?" he said, giving Hermione a quick peck on the lips.
"You can bet on it. After all, we may grow busy very soon too" she said, wriggling her eyebrows at him.
So they left to have some more snogging session.
**
Time passed, the three new official couples were as happy as they could be, and life flowed smoothly.
On Hermione's birthday, they had planned to reunite and have dinner all together to party her.
Harry was savouring the evening they had planned all day through his Auror training, so he got distracted five times during it. Well, five times the instructor noticed, at least.
After training, he Apparated home, had a thorough shower, then entered his bedroom to choose what he would wear.
After some thought, he decided for some black trousers and a green shirt that Hermione had given him for his last birthday and that she always said matched his eyes perfectly. He then shaved, and proceeded to dress.
Once he was ready, he Apparated to Hermione's front door, ringing the bell.
"Who's there?" her muffled voice came from inside.
"It's me, Harry" he replied, curious about what she was doing.
She satisfied his curiosity opening the door, and showing herself wrapped in a towel, another one in her hand as she had been drying her hair.
"Hermione, you still sure you want to go to have dinner with the others? Because we could remain here by ourselves…" he said, taking into her form hungrily.
She blushed, closing the door.
"Harry. Behave yourself" she said, in a mocked warning tone.
"It's funny how I have to behave, but you can open the door to me just in a towel. That's killing me, you know that"
She giggled, not totally used to be the one able to arouse him so much.
Fifteen minutes later, they left and walked to the Italian restaurant they had booked. Turned out that the other two couples were already there.
"Lost track of time during a quick shag, Potter?" Draco teased them.
"No way. In that case we wouldn't have showed up at all" Harry replied nonchalantly.
All of them cracked in laughter, Hermione turning slight pink.
"Oh, come on, Hermione. Nothing to be embarrassed about. It's just natural for young lovers to do that" Ron said. Luna smiled lovingly at him.
He was definitely in for some prize later that night…
So, chitchatting, they went through dinner, enjoying the pleasures of Italian cuisine. Ron above all others, as he tried four different kinds of pasta.
"Ron, really, how you can be so slim with all the things you eat is beyond me" Ginny commented. "If I tried I would surely become fat. I already am"
"No, you aren't and you know it, baby" Draco said her, placing a quick kiss on her lips.
"Hey. The fact I've accepted the two of you going out doesn't mean I've to endure you two snogging" Ron said.
"Oh, stop it, Ron" all said him. Draco smirked in triumph.
When they left, saying their goodbyes, Harry led Hermione taking her hand.
"Harry, my place is on the other side of the restaurant" she protested.
"I know. But we are not going to your place right now" he said, taking his shrunken broom from his pocket, and making it its normal size. "I'll bring you to one special place"
So she mounted the broom with him, and clinging to his body for dear life, she kept her eyes shut.
"You may want to open your eyes, you're losing such a beautiful view" Harry said. She tentatively opened them, and what she saw took her breath away.
The moonlight was shining all over the Tames, making it glisten, the stars were sparkling in the dark night.
"This is beautiful" she whispered softly. Harry grinned.
Soon later, he landed in a small clearing he had found few days before in a wood. It was full of every kind of flowers, and the smell of fresh grass was enticing.
He conjured a blanket and helped Hermione sit on it, then he did too. They gazed silently at the stars.
After some time, he took a deep breath, stood up, then went on one knee, taking a small box out of his pocket and opening it.
"Hermione Eleanor Granger, will you marry me?" he asked, his own voice breaking.
Hermione stared at him open-mouthed, taking in the sight of him proposing to her, and the sparkling ring he ahd chose to do so. It was a white gold band, with small diamonds encased all over it, and one single ruby, her birthstone, in the middle.
Tears started falling from her eyes, while she looked at him unable to speak.
He was starting to get nervous, surely she would have said something if she wanted to, she was probably trying to refuse in a kind way…
Then she flung herself at him, kissing him hard on the mouth, the only way she could think of to show him what her answer was, being that her throat had momentarily gone on vacation.
"I take that as a yes" Harry said, grinning, once they parted.
"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you, Harry!" she finally managed to say, before kissing him again.
And so things got out of hand, and they were almost going to take their relationship to the next step. But then, when they were already half naked, Harry stopped.
"Hermione, we better stop now, or we won't be able to. I want this to be special for you, and I know you dream of your first time being on your wedding night. So it will be. But we need to stop now, for that to be true"
She begrudgingly agreed, even if she had never been more aroused in her life.
From next day, the planning of the wedding started. Ginny and Molly, as soon as they knew the news, volunteered to help. Hermione's mother, Helen, helped too.
They decided to have the ceremony at Hogwarts, in the Great Hall, next Christmas. That gave them just few months to plan.
Hermione and Harry chose the wedding staff, then sent the invitations to all the guests and the requests to those chosen to be on the staff.
Harry James Potter
And
Hermione Eleanor Granger
Request your presence to their wedding,
That is going to be celebrated at
Hogwarts Castle
On December the 24th, at midday.
Please confirm your presence by owl
Harry chose Ron as his best man, and obviously the redhead accepted, while Hermione asked her mother to be her maid of honour.
Then the groomsmen were chosen. They would be Draco, Remus and Neville, while the bridesmaids would be Ginny, Tonks and Luna.
The wedding cake was chosen too, on Hermione's request it was chocolate, vanilla and whipped cream.
Then the moment of choosing the dresses came. For Harry and the groomsmen it was relatively easy. With two days searching, they found what they would wear.
Harry chose a black set of robes, really traditional, with white shirt and silver tie. His wedding staff would wear similar robes, just in light grey, white shirt and silver tie too.
Hermione instead took two weeks to find the dresses for the bridesmaids. In the end the choice fell on some pink coloured robes, that looked good on all the girls.
One more week was needed for finding her wedding dress. Harry was not allowed to see her trying them tough, so he wondered what she would look like the day of their wedding.
"She will be stunning whatever she wears" he thought dreamily. At times, he still couldn't believe he was going to get married in two months time, and to Hermione of all people!
Once the Christmas break at school had started, the two going-to-be-newlyweds and their wedding staff, plus Molly and Helen went there to start adorning the castle.
White roses were placed all inside the Great Hall and the way from the main gates to it, with red ones too, and lilies adorning what would be the altar.
On the outside, flowers of every kind were placed to lighten the castle walls, and protective charms were put on them to keep them beautiful and alive till the ceremony.
Then rehearsals of what the staff should do were done times and times again.
Finally the day came.
Harry that morning woke up really nervous, he was so much that he didn't even notice the signs of the terrible hangover he had, due to one last night of wildness with the guys, organised by the twins.
Ron brought him a Sobering potion, for which Harry thanked profusely his best friend, then he started dressing.
Once he was ready, and his groomsmen too, they teased him about his nervousness.
"You know, if you keep this up, you're gonna beat your father, who puked twice before the ceremony" Remus said.
"Very funny, Remus. I would like to see you in my place"
"Really, Harry, there's nothing to be so worried about. Hermione loves you so much, she would never back away from it right now" Draco said. Just then, Ginny entered.
"Harry, look, I'm so sorry, but Hermione decided she doesn't want to marry you anymore" she said, her face terribly sad.
Harry's face paled, he wasn't able to speak, or think, or do a thing. He kept pacing madly.
After some minutes, Ron thought he was going to pass out, so decided the prank had gone too far.
"Mate, really, it's just a joke. Hermione is waiting for the ceremony to start just like you are" he said.
Colour returned to Harry's face, while everyone laughed at him.
"Very funny, people. But if I got an heart-attack for your prank, you lot would be responsible of the death of the mighty Boy-Who-Lived, you know that, don't you?" he said, faking to be angry.
"Yeah, that would be terrible" Draco said, rolling his eyes.
All of them erupted in laughter.
Midday finally arrived. Harry entered the Great Hall, and after five excruciating minutes in which he kept wiping his sweating hands on his trousers, the wedding march started to play.
Hermione entered the Hall soon later, accompanied by her father on her right arm.
She was wearing a white dress adorned with lots of small diamonds making it sparkle in the light of the Hall, her hair was pulled up in a chignon, two tendrils adorning her face, white roses pinned in her hair, and a light veil, unique concession to her mother, for the rest she was having the wedding she had dreamed of that night at the Burrow when they had spoken about that. One bouquet of white and yellow roses was in her hands. The dress clung to her body perfectly, exalting her sexy figure without need of V-necks plunging too deep, even if the dress did have a V-neck after all.
Harry could feel himself starting to drool at her angelic appearance. Then she looked at him, and smiled that bright smile she reserved for him only, and all the nervousness and the fear of the previous hours vanished. He smiled back, mouthing "I love you".
Her eyes shined at that, and she mouthed back the same. The journey down the aisle seemed to last forever, but in the end she arrived to his side.
"We're here to celebrate the union in wedding of Harry and Hermione" the priest said. "Who gives this woman away?" he added then.
"Me and her mother do" her father, Robert, said, emotion clear in his voice. Harry glanced at Helen, and found her already in tears.
The celebration continued, till they had to speak their vows.
"From the moment I saw you on the Hogwarts Express I knew you were special. In these years I've come to realize just how much. You've been my rock and always pushed me to give my best. Without you I wouldn't be here now. I love you with all myself, Hermione. With every fibre, every cell of my being, I love you"
"Harry, I knew your fame even before meeting you. In these years I've come to see that while you could have been a spoiled brat, just for who you are, you are instead kind, caring, and loving. You do all you can to help the others, and blame yourself every time someone gets hurt, even when blame is not to be assigned to you. For who you truly are, I love you, Harry" she said, looking at him lovingly.
Then Ron brought the rings.
"With this ring, I thee wed" Harry said, placing it on her finger with shaking hands.
"With this ring I thee wed" Hermione repeated, sliding the ring on his finger, not without difficulties as she couldn't hold her hand still if she tried.
"Harry and Hermione, I declare you husband and wife" the priest said. "Harry, you may kiss your wife"
He didn't wait for the priest saying it again. Swiftly he raised her veil, and she thought in that moment that her mother was right, it really was one of the most emotional moments of the ceremony and her whole life, and thanked God she listened to her in the end, then he placed his lips on hers softly.
Cheers erupted in the whole Hall, where the Weasleys, the staff and some students of their class were reunited.
Then, a sumptuous banquet followed, in which Ron really had a field day.
Everyone enjoyed it, eating lots of deliciously cooked dishes, then the moment of the dances came.
As tradition, the newlyweds opened them, swinging to the soft notes of a beautiful Muggle song by Elton John, "Can you Feel the Love Tonight".
There's a calm surrender to the rush of day
When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away
An enchanted moment, and it sees me through
It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you
And can you feel the love tonight
It is where we are
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
That we got this far
And can you feel the love tonight
How it's laid to rest
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best
There's a time for everyone if they only learn
That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn
There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours
They danced to the slow rhythm looking lovingly in each other eyes, from which their happiness was clear and radiant.
Then they kissed once more, for the crowd's joy, as cheers erupted again.
They then switched partners. Harry danced with Ginny, Hermione with Ron. Even if they were with their ex significant others, there was no awkwardness, but only wishes of happiness from their friends.
"Harry, I've never seen your eyes shine like this, not even when we were together" Ginny said, smiling.
"I could say the same of you, Gin" Harry said. "How are things going with Draco?"
"Perfectly. He's so sweet, who would have thought back in school?" she said dreamily.
"Guess another wedding is near then" he teased her.
"I don't know about it, but I surely hope it is" she said.
Hermione, as said, was dancing with Ron.
"So, keeping him in line, are you?" he asked her.
"Well, not that he needs it, unlike someone else we know…" she replied, looking at him, who reddened on his ears.
"You're so cute when you redden this way" she teased him.
"Hermione, men aren't cute. Handsome, maybe, but not cute"
"Ok, then, Mr. Handsome, how are things going with Luna?"
"Very well. I think I might want to marry her soon" he confessed.
"That's great, Ron!" Hermione squealed.
"Shh. There's nothing concrete for now" he said, placing a finger on her lips.
"Still, that's great" she said, grinning.
Few dances later, the ritual of the throwing of the bouquet was held. Luna managed to get it, beating Ginny for mere inches.
The blonde girl ran to Ron, squealing. He caught Hermione's eye and she grinned at him. He blushed.
"Congrats, Luna, Ron. Seems a wedding is near for you" Harry said. Then there was the throwing of the garter, and there Draco was the faster. He was a Seeker after all.
"Well, another probable wedding then. Congrats Draco, Ginny" Hermione said.
Then, after all the guests went away, Harry carried Hermione in his arms into the room McGonagall had assigned them, in the staff wing. The same room Hermione had been in when doing the research on the founders' possessions.
She giggled. "That's very manly of you, Harry" she said, when he placed her on the bed.
"Anything for my extremely sexy wife" he said, kissing her hungrily.
Soon clothes were discarded, even if Harry had some troubles with her wedding dress, and then he managed to unfasten her bra, revealing her soft mounds.
"My, you're beautiful" he whispered, making her shudder with arousal and desire.
So they made love to each other for the first time in their lives, their first at all, almost if they had been saving themselves for the other.
A couple months later, Hermione started puking every morning. Harry was really worried about her, and she was too as she had never been that nauseous. So one day she went to see an Healer.
That night, when Harry came back from training, she had prepared a romantic dinner for two.
"So, how did the visit go?" he asked her at dinner.
"Well, I guess we should start planning a new room in the house" she said, smiling.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, puzzled. She couldn't wait anymore.
"Harry, I'm pregnant! We're gonna be parents!" she squealed.
A grin crept on Harry's face. "Parents…we're gonna be parents…" he repeated dumbly, then stood up, took her in his arms and started swinging her around, both of them laughing madly.
That night some celebration sex took place in their bedroom.
Seven months later, on September, one night Hermione felt really sick. They expected it, the baby was due any day, so they were ready for the emergency.
In few minutes they were at St. Mungo's and Hermione was taken to the maternity ward.
All night the labour lasted, Harry holding her hand and patiently listening all the bad names she called him, till in the early hours of September the 19th little Lily Anne Potter was born, same day of her mother, from who she had inherited, as it later showed, the brown curls, while from her father she got the green eyes.
A Potter family was once again in the world, and no deranged mad wizard was going to disrupt their so long searched and wanted happiness.
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