Save The Best For Last

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Save The Best For Last

Sometimes the snow comes down in June

Sometimes the sun goes round the moon

I see the passion in your eyes

Sometimes it's all a big surprise

Hermione Granger stood inside a dressing room of Chadsworth Hall. All around her excitement was in the air. And for a very good reason. A wedding was about to take place. Not just any wedding, but one of the most celebrated joinings the wizarding world had seen in a very long time.

Today over a hundred people had shown up to witness the joining of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Yes, Harry Potter, "The Boy Who Lived" or more currently known as the savior of the wizarding world was marrying his best friend of ten years, former Hogwart's Head Girl, and now the love of his life, Hermione Granger.

It was a joyous occasion. Hermione stood in front of a mirror stiffly as Mrs. Weasley mended the hem of her dress with her wand. Ginny was currently applying the finishing touches to her makeup. Her own mom had tried to help but every time she looked at her daughter she would burst into tears muttering, "My baby's all grown up." There were other people coming in and out the room, but Hermione barely took notice. She was too dazed to say anything. She could hardly believe this day was finally here. After all this time she was finally marrying the man of her dreams.

She thought about everything they had gone through to get to this point. It was not an easy road. The ongoing battle with Voldemort had finally come to an end at the end of their seventh year at Hotwarts, when Harry finally defeated his nemesis. It had taken its toll on everyone, but no one was affected more than Harry. Though their teenage hormones were raging, relationships were placed on the back burner. When Harry did take on a girlfriend, he never looked to Hermione to fill that roll. This left Hermione, who had always had feelings for him, to be the confidant or the one he ran to for advice and comfort when those relationships did not work out.

Cause there was a time when all I did was wish

You'd tell me this was love

It's not the way I hoped or how I planned

But somehow it's enough

***Flashback: 6^th Year at Hogwarts

Hermione struggled into the Gryffindor common room, armload of books in hand. It was a few minutes after curfew and she had just come in from the library hoping to get in another hour of studying before going to bed. With her prefect duties, helping Harry with Dumbledore's Army, and her constant worrying about Voldemort's rise, Hermione did not have as much time as usual to study. But she didn't mind. She was willing to do whatever it took to assist with the downfall of Voldemort and ensure the safety of her family and friends, especially Harry.

She worked for a little over an hour before deciding to call it quits. Yawning, she began to pack up her belongings. The common room was empty now, everyone having gone to bed. Hermione assumed that this was where Harry and Ron were also. They had Quidditch practice earlier that day and were usually too tired to do anything afterwards.

Her head snapped up when she heard the portrait swing open. She thought it was weird because she didn't see anyone. Then she saw Harry step out from under his invisibility cloak.

"Oh Harry, it's only you," Hermione said, breathing a sigh of relief. She had to admit that she was always a bit on edge lately. Knowing that a war was raging between good and evil and your best friend was in the middle of it can do that to you.

"Didn't mean to frighten you," Harry said. He was still in his Quidditch robes and had dirt smeared at various spots on his clothes. Dirt or no dirt, he was still very appealing to Hermione. He came and sat on the couch next to her.

Immediately Hermione knew that something was wrong. They had been friends for nearly six years and she was very observant. Harry was like an open book to her and she could easily read his moods. Right now he wouldn't meet her eyes like he was trying to hide the fact that something was bothering him.

"What's wrong Harry?" Hermione asked urgently. "Has something happened?"

"Nothing like that," Harry answered quickly, knowing she probably thought that something was going on with the Order or Voldemort. Harry sighed heavily, trying to decide whether to confide in Hermione or not. It was pointless because he desperately wanted to talk to someone.

"Hannah broke up with me," he said finally.

"I'm so sorry Harry," Hermione said, patting his hand which rested on his lap. Pain coursed though Hermione. So this was about a girl. First there had been Cho in 5^th year, which turned into a disaster. Then came Hannah Abbott. She had expressed an interest in Harry at the beginning of 6^th year. She and Harry eventually began dating and Harry often came to Hermione for advice. Though Hermione wanted Harry for herself, she never let on. Harry had enough to worry about and she didn't want to add to it. So she endured and helped him when he needed it.

Harry stood abruptly and began pacing the floor.

"Well, I suppose it was bound to happen," Harry said bitterly. He continued pacing in front of the fire.

"Why do you say that?" Hermione asked. "I thought things were going good between you two."

"So did I. I guess I was wrong. Apparently Hannah's parents have been pressuring her to end our relationship. They feel that she is placing herself in harm's way by being close to me," Harry said. He had now stopped pacing but still looked very upset.

"That's ridiculous," Hermione said. "She's in danger whether she is with you or not. We all are." It still amazed Hermione that everyone was willing to place such a big burden on Harry, but at the same time shun him for carrying it. I really angered her that people could be so ignorant.

"Try telling that to Hannah," Harry said. "She seems to agree with them. She never thought about the danger until her parents brought it up. Up until then, it was all fun and games. I guess I really can't blame her though."

"I really am sorry Harry," Hermione said again.

"Ah well, it's not like we were serious or anything," Harry said, sitting back down next to Hermione and burying his face in his hands. Truthfully, Harry found Hannah a bit boring but held on to her because it felt nice to have something normal like a girlfriend in his life. "I mean, I liked her, but I wasn't in love with her."

Harry sat silently for a few moments. Though he really wasn't that upset about the breakup, something was bothering him. He hesitated before expressing his feelings to Hermione. He usually kept his feelings inside, but he found himself opening up to her more and more. Something about the way she comforted him made him feel that everything would be okay.

"It's just that sometimes I think I'll never have a normal life. The constant threat of Voldemort haunts me like a curse. Who would want to be with me? Their life would always be in danger. Then I think about you and Ron and the risk you guys take everyday just by being my friends. Is it really worth it? Should you guys really risk your life to be friends with me? But I never say anything to stop you. It is really selfish of me, but I couldn't imagine life without you."

Hermione felt her heart break for Harry. He looked so sad, like he had been struggling with this for a while. Life had definitely been hard on him, having lost his parents so early in life and then Sirius. Now he had to feel guilty for having friends, knowing the danger they would be in because of him.

"Harry, it's not your fault," Hermione said, hugging him close to her. Harry allowed her to pull him into her arms and comfort him. "You can't help the circumstances you were born into. And really, we would be in danger even if we weren't friends with you. As long as there are people out there like Voldemort and his followers and people like us who believe in what is right then we will be in danger. And I don't care if Voldemort was standing in this room right now, I would still be by your side. That's what friends do Harry. They stick by each other even when times are tough. You will have a normal life. I have faith that you will defeat Voldemort and live happily ever after and I'll be right there to help you through it all. So deal with it."

What Hermione told him eased his mind. Though he doubted they would be in as much danger if they were not his friends, it helped to know that they accepted him anyway. For the first time Harry believed that he was actually capable of doing what needed to be done. He didn't know how he would do it, but he knew as long as he had friends like Hermione he would be able to face anything.

**End of Flashback

And now we're standing face to face

Isn't this world a crazy place

Just when I thought our chance had passed

You go and save the best for last.

Harry Potter waited nervously at the alter as the wedding finally began. He couldn't believe his luck. He was about to marry the most beautiful, intelligent witch alive. He had never met anyone as loyal and exquisite as Hermione, not to mention brilliant. Her brain was always one step ahead of everyone else and her advice had saved his life on many occasions. And she was his, all his.

He thought about how close he had come to losing her. He had tested their friendship on many occasions with his mood swings and temper tantrums. Hermione would calmly tell him to shut the hell up (well not in those exact words) and remind him that they are on the same side. Then of course there were the other women. They had come and gone. Harry was trying to fill a void in his life. He was in and out of meaningless relationships trying to be "normal" in at least one aspect of his life. He finally realized that this would never happen. He was not normal. In fact, he was the furthest thing from it and that was that. And the one that he was meant to be with would have to live with that. He knew who that person was. She had always been there, no matter what. And he didn't have to fill the void in his life because she had already done it. She made him feel that everything was okay even when no one else could. He couldn't believe how long it had taken him to realize that he was in love with her. He thought back to the day he had first realized it.

All of those nights you came to me

Some silly girl had set you free

You wondered how you'd make it through

I wondered what was wrong with you.

Flash Back: 7^th Year

Harry, Ron and Hermione were all sitting in the common room by the fire studying. In fact, just about every fifth year and seventh year student could be found hunched over a book. The OWLs and the NEWTs were drawing near and every teacher seemed to heaping on the homework. Not even the threat of Voldemort kept their minds off the impending tests.

Hermione, as usual, had drawn up schedules for Harry and Ron. Fortunately, she did not have to spend much time pressuring them to study. They too knew the importance of these tests and had been taking their studies very seriously. Especially Harry. He had gotten enough OWLs in his fifth year to gear his studies towards a career as an Auror. He took this goal very seriously. The war was still going strong and Harry knew that it would take more than the lucky breaks that had helped him in the past to bring it to an end. He would need to take his studies more seriously, even if it meant two more years of Snape.

But the pressure was beginning to get to him. He was trying to read his potions text when he realized he had just read the same line about five times. Frustrated he slammed the book on the table in front of him, causing several people around him, including Ron and Hermione to jump.

"What's the matter?" Ron asked while Hermione looked on curiously.

"Nothing," Harry replied grumpily, rubbing his hand through his hair. He was very uptight and stressed. He felt he would explode from all the pressure that was placed on him. He wanted to lash out at someone.

"We're all a bit stressed," Hermione said placing her hand on Harry's arm.

"As if you would know," Harry replied.

"Okay, I see that you're in one of your moods. Maybe you should take a break"

"I said I was fine," Harry snapped, snatching his arm away.

"Well excuse me for being concerned. You don't have to bite my head off every five minutes." Hermione knew that it was just the stress talking, but she was stressed too. She knew that Harry had his plate full but she was taking more subjects than anyone and you didn't see her snapping at people.

"I don't need you to act as if you're my mother," Harry said, practically yelling now. "Maybe if you'd leave me alone I'd be able to work in peace."

"Fine," Hermione yelled standing up. She looked close to tears as she began stuffing her books into her bag. "If I'm so much of a bother, I'll just stay out of you way." With that, she angrily strode out of the common room, while everyone stared after her. It was not everyday that you saw Harry and Hermione argue. Usually it was Ron on the receiving end of Hermione's wrath.

Harry immediately felt guilty. He didn't really feel that she was a bother. Actually she had calmed down a bit in their last year, figuring that if she hadn't convinced them to take their studies seriously in six years, it was never going to happen. He just needed to vent his frustrations and unfortunately she was the closest thing to him.

Harry leaned forward on the table, placing his face in his hands and releasing a frustrated sigh.

"Don't you think you were a bit hard on Hermione," Ron asked cautiously. He didn't want Harry to have a go at him either but Harry needed to know that he shouldn’t have jumped on Hermione like that.

Harry didn't answer. He slowly began to put away his books. Of course Hermione was right. He did need a break.

"I think I do need to take a break," Harry told Ron before heading out of the common room also.

He didn't know where he was going so he just wandered around for a while hoping to clear his head. After a while he began to feel better and wanted to clear things up with Hermione. He began to walk towards the library, knowing that this was probably where she had run off to. He found her sitting at a table alone, angrily turning pages of a book. He doubted she was able to concentrate. Harry hesitated before joining and took a moment to study her. He could tell she was still pissed and for a good reason too. He knew he couldn't put it off for long and made his way over to her table.

Hermione peered at him over her book, lifting an eyebrow. She put on her best McGonagall face.

"I can hardly stay out of your way if you insist on following me," Hermione told him coolly.

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

Hermione gave a small "hmph" and turned away from him.

"Hermione," Harry said pleadingly. "I didn't mean to yell at you."

Hermione continued to ignore him. Her feelings were hurt and he wasn't going to get off that easily.

"Hermione," Harry said again, taking her book away. He grabbed her hands and pulled her around to face him. "Look at me." Hermione reluctantly turned towards Harry.

"I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better you can hit me. Go on, take your best shot. Just try not to hurt me too bad."

Bam! Hermione punched him in the arm.

"Ouch," Harry yelled, causing people to look in their direction. He rubbed the spot that Hermione hit. He didn't know she had it in her. "You weren't really supposed to do it."

"You're right," Hermione said laughing. "That did make me feel better."

Harry smiled as she kept laughing. He was happy to make her smile, even if it was at his own expense. He was surprised when he felt butterflies in his stomach as he watched her laugh. That had never happened before. She looked beautiful when she smiled and he wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. Suddenly he didn't want her to stop.

"Think that’s funny huh," Harry said as he began to poke her in her side, tickling her. This caused her to laugh even harder.

"Stop Harry," Hermione said gasping for breath. "You're going to get us kicked out."

"That will teach you not to hit me again," Harry said. He stopped tickling her, only because he noticed Madam Pince looking in their direction. He still held her close not wanting to let go.

"I really am sorry," Harry said softly, peering intently into her eyes.

"I know," she replied allowing him to hold her. She felt a little nervous being this close to him thinking he may be able to tell how she felt, but she relished the moment anyway.

Harry held her and felt closer to her than anyone else. Warmth spread through him as he stared into her eyes. It was as if every one else around them disappeared leaving him and Hermione alone. He felt a hungry need growing within him. Gently he tilted her face towards his and placed his lips upon hers.

It was the most exhilarating thing he ever felt. 'This is right,' Harry thought as he saw Hermione's eyes close. Nothing else mattered, not even the fact that everyone in the library was staring attentively at him and Hermione. He didn’t care, as long as he could be with her. And he surrendered his heart to her at that very moment.

**End of Flashback

Cause how could you give your love to someone else

And share your dreams with me

Sometimes the very thing you’re looking for

Is the one thing you can’t see

Hermione nervously waited for her cue to begin her walk down the aisle. She watched as the wedding party began their march; Ron and Ginny (the best man and maid of honor) Neville and Luna, and both Weasley twins accompanied by Hermione’s muggle cousins. One by one, bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle to Harry who was already there looking absolutely gorgeous in his tux. Finally it was Hermione’s turn, as Harry continued to wait anxiously in front of Professor Dumbledore, who had volunteered to perform the ceremony.

“You ready sweetheart,” Hermione heard her father say as the soft music that she had chosen to come down the aisle to began to play. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”

“Thanks dad,” Hermione said, tears already beginning to spill. She loved this man so much that she would go to hell and back with him. And now she was going to be his wife. She thought about how happy and surprised she had been when he proposed.

And now we’re standing face to face

Isn’t this world a crazy place

Just when I thought our chance had passed

You go and save the best for last

**Flash Back – Two Years After Hogwarts

Hermione walked into the apartment she and Harry shared. She, Ron and Harry began living together directly after graduating from Hogwarts. While Ron followed in his father’s footsteps and went to work for the Ministry of Magic, Harry went directly into Auror training. Hermione could not decide what she wanted to do. Instead she chose to continue her education. They had fun living together. Though life was still far from normal, they were content. Ron eventually moved into his own apartment saying that the mushiness between Harry and Hermione was too much to bear. He stayed close by and they still hung out regularly.

It was about 8:00 when Hermione arrived home. She had been out shopping with Ginny and thought she would have been home earlier but Ginny kept insisting that they try one more shop. The first thing Hermione noticed when she walked through the door was how dark it was. There were no lights on which was unusual since Harry usually at least had on the television (Harry not having the chance to watch when he was with the Dursleys wanted to purchase one when they left Hogwarts). However, Hermione did notice a glow coming from the table in the living room. She sat her shopping bags down and moved further into the apartment to get a better look. When she reached the table she found that it was a piece of parchment emitting the glow.

‘That’s odd,’ she thought as she picked it up for further inspection. At first it appeared to be blank, but after it had been in her hands for a few seconds the glow began to die and words appeared.

For seven years we’ve faced our fears

Some times there were laughs and often tears

In our first year we wrestled a troll

And then we found the Sorcerer’s Stone

Week after week we searched for his tale

Do you remember how we found Nicholas Flame?

Hermione reread the parchment and smiled. ‘So Harry wants to play a game,’ she thought. This was one of the many reasons she loved him. In many ways Harry was predictable. She knew his moods and was able to predict his reactions better than he did. But then there was a part of Harry that was unpredictable and unexpected. A part of him that set up scavenger hunts in their apartment when she least expected it. For this reason Hermione knew that life with Harry would never be dull.

Hermione turned her attention back to the clue. She knew they had found Nicholas Flamel on Harry’s first Chocolate Frog card of Albus Dumbledore. She needed to remember where Harry kept his collection. She walked over to a closet in the hall that they barely used and pushed past a pair of old shoes and a box of Christmas decorations and jackpot, she found the small box that held Harry’s cards. She didn’t even know that he still used it.

When she opened the box there was another piece of parchment on top with the same eerie glow as the one she found in the living room. Once again when she picked it up the glow died and words appeared.

In fourth year you helped me prepare for a game

It was trying, no doubt, but you helped me stay sane

I learned jinxes and hexes and fought a dragon of tremendous size

But what did I do with my Triwizard Prize?

Of course Hermione knew that he gave his winnings to Fred and George to start the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. It had become quite a successful store and Fred and George always made sure that Harry had a supply of joke items.

Hermione walked to Ron’s old room which was now used as something like an office. Harry kept all the things that Fred and George sent safely tucked in this room to ensure that they weren’t confused with regular household items. Sure enough, Hermione found another piece of glowing parchment on a bookshelf in the room. She picked it up and read the riddle.

In seventh year, though the war was extreme

You showed me what true love really means

Now it is time for you to hear what I have to say

Come to the picture we took on our last day.

On the last day at Hogwarts they took a picture together after graduation. It was Hermione’s favorite and she kept it on the nightstand next to their bed. Hermione hurried into their room anxious to see where this was leading. She found another glowing note next to the picture. Only this time there was no riddle to solve. It simply said: Marry Me?

Hermione gasped in shock. This was something she definitely had not expected. She turned around and found Harry standing before her. He gently took her hand in his and knelt down on one knee before her.

“Hermione, you have stuck by my side through everything, even if it meant risking your life. I can’t begin to let you know how much you mean to me. I can’t imagine life without you. We’ve already been through the worst times. I want to spend the rest of my life making the best of times with you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Hermione said after coming out of her shock. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

Hermione pulled Harry into a deep kiss as his tears of joy mingled with her own.

**End of Flashback

Sometimes the very thing you’re looking for

Is the one thing you can’t see

Harry and Hermione stood at the alter having just vowed to love each other for the rest of their lives. Harry placed his ring on the woman that he loved finger and Hermione did the same.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” Professor Dumbledore said smiling.

Harry leaned forward and kissed Hermione, his new wife, hearing thunderous applause all around. Yes, life had treated Harry cruelly in the beginning but he now knew what people meant when they said “good things come to those who wait.” He had that best thing anyone could ask for: True Love.

Sometimes the snow comes down in June

Sometimes the sun goes round the moon

Just when I thought your chance had past

You went and saved the best for last

THE End

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. It was just something that popped into my head and I had to let it out. Please review. I would really appreciate any comments or criticism you have. Thanks for reading!

The Sweetest Things