WARNING! A couple of scenes have been added at the end of chapter 13 - be sure to read those before continuing!!

Finally - here's the expected wedding. Enjoy!

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This chapter is dedicated to hate2luv, my 300th reviewer!!

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Hello darkness, my old friend,
I’ve come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

The Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel

--

--

Hermione stood in the park, watching the swans glide on the lake before her. Her head fell lazily on Ron’s shoulder, who wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her towards him.

She looked up, smiling, before gazing back across the lake.

“I’m so happy,” Ron whispered in her ear, tickling her with his breath. “I’m so happy with you.”

His hand reached for her cheek and he pulled her into a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into him.

“Nothing can go wrong,” he breathed out, breaking away.

She nodded, closing her eyes again and breathing in the flower scented wind around them mixed with Ron’s odour. His strong arms were so familiar now; she felt safe in them – she had always felt safe in them.

However, a voice spoke up behind them. “I chose my destiny and that means I have to leave.”

Hermione’s eyes snapped open as she instantly recognised the husky voice. She opened her eyes, suddenly finding herself alone in the park and turning around, confused, she spotted him.

“Malfoy?”

And then it started to rain.

“I love you, Hermione. But I made a choice.”

He was standing in the rain wearing only a black shirt and black trousers. He was standing so close to her now, she could see the raindrops glide down his wet hair and onto his face.

“I know,” she told him, resisting the urge to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen over his silver eyes.

“You have to go,” he told her, gently cupping her face with his hands, his fingers curling behind her neck. “Just go and marry Weasley before you do something we’re both going to regret.”

She watched him carefully, examining every feature of his face as if she hadn’t truly seen him in a very long time.

“I missed you,” she told him.

He smiled at her through the rain and Hermione felt a sudden joy within her that she had never felt before with Ron. And then, he was kissing her and it was tense and soft at the same time. Hermione couldn’t make sense of anything around her anymore, but his lips on hers. Gripping his shirt in her hands, she desperately pulled him against her as if nothing else existed – as if nothing else mattered.

Something suddenly coursed through her veins; something she hadn’t felt in a very long time suddenly ran through her skin and through her mind.

And just when she thought her head would explode from all the emotions she was feeling – she woke up.

--

Hermione opened her eyes groggily and lay in bed motionless as she slowly remembered where she was and why everything was suddenly so dry and warm around her. The overwhelming feeling of happiness inside of her vanished instantly as she realised she had been dreaming.

If she had been dreaming, then why did it feel so real? Why were her lips still tingling from the kiss?

She turned on her side pulling the duvet back over her shoulders as she firmly gripped her pillow, wondering why she was feeling so disappointed to wake up when she had been dreaming of Malfoy.

Maybe because it hadn’t been Malfoy, she realised. Maybe it was because she had dreamt of Draco – her Draco - and the few times that that had happened to her, the same feeling of emptiness and disappointment had taken over her as soon as she had woken up.

Swinging the duvet aside, she got out of bed in desperate need to forget what her mind had fabricated. Pulling on her bathrobe, she headed for the kitchen, breathing in the smell of coffee Abigail had probably brewed while she was sleeping.

Sure enough, Abigail was sitting at the table, sipping away her mug of coffee while lazily flicking through the Daily Prophet.

“Morning,” Hermione mumbled, grasping the kettle to boil water for her tea.

“Morning.”

“Anything worth reading today?” she asked, reaching for the teapot.

Abigail closed the paper, shaking her head. “Nah, nothing much. There’s a small mention about your wedding taking place tomorrow, but that’s about it.”

Hermione noticed Abigail was taking her time this morning as she was still wearing her hoodie and pajama bottoms.

“Is Ron here?” Abigail asked, peering down the hallway into Hermione’s bedroom. “I was hoping he’d go to the park with me and Ginny. She’s coaxed me into doing some sort of physical therapy for my shoulder and I’m sure it’d be good for his leg.”

Hermione listened as she slided down on the seat across her, with a mug of tea and toast. “No, it was his stag night, last night, remember? And following Malfoy’s interrogation yesterday, I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the Auror department ended up going as well to celebrate with him. I doubt he’ll be up before noon.”

Hermione noticed Abigail’s lips curve into a smile at the mention of Malfoy, but it was quickly gone as she popped the last of her toast in her mouth and started clearing up her plate and mug.

“Oh, by the way, I know you didn’t want a hen night, Hermione,” Abigail began, heading for the sink. “But don’t forget we’re still having a girl’s night tonight to celebrate. You only get married once after all!”

Hermione immediately opened her mouth to protest.

“Yes, yes, I know!” Abigail cut her off, winking at her. “No male strippers and all that. Just us girls with a few bottles of wine and maybe a good movie. Nothing else, I promise.”

“Hmmm, you I might trust, but it’s the red-haired vixen that worries me,” Hermione teased, sipping from her tea. “You know how crazy she is about parties. Besides, she feels obligated to make a big fuss this time because it’s her brother’s wedding.”

“Don’t worry about Ginny,” Abigail added quickly, wiping her hands on the tea towel. “She’s been so busy yesterday dealing with her own problems that I doubt she’s had time to brew any trouble for tonight.”

Hermione glanced up from her tea, realising who Abigail meant by ‘problems’. “Oh, you mean Christopher. Did Ginny see him yesterday?”

Abigail expelled a very weary-sounding breath as she sat down again opposite Hermione. “Yeah, apparently they met up and Bailey was very nice to her. They chatted several hours and before he left, he requested to see Ryan.”

“Oh, I bet Molly and Arthur loved that one,” Hermione muttered, finishing up her toast.

“Yeah,” Abigail agreed, although something seemed to be nagging her, “but I think I feel a bit sorry for the guy. Don’t get me wrong, I still remember how he left Ginny and all, but he lost his sister and then he got kidnapped by Lestrange! You should have seen the state I found him in -”

But then Abigail caught her tongue, remembering Hermione wasn’t actually part of the Order.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter what we say, it’s Ginny’s life after all. It’s her son, so it’s her decision.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Hermione answered, although she was still concerned about her friend. B suddenly pounded into the kitchen and Hermione couldn’t help smiling to herself as the big dog get hold of Abigail’s sleeve in his mouth and started tugging at it.

“Right, I need to get going,” Abigail told her, getting herself up again. “I need to meet Ginny in Regent’s park and I thought it’d be a good idea to bring B along. Yes, yes, I’m coming you silly boy, but I need to get changed first!”

B had successfully managed to drag her a little towards the door as Abigail was still talking.

“Have fun Hermione, wherever it is you’re going, and don’t forget about tonight!”

“I’m meeting Harry for lunch actually!” Hermione exclaimed, clearing up the table. “Would you like me to tell him you said ‘hi’?”

But the only answer she got back was an irritated “Bye, Hermione!”

--

--

A couple of hours later, Hermoine waited for Harry inside a small Italian restaurant, off Goodge Street in central London. She had chosen a quiet Muggle restaurant she’d already eaten at with the girls where she knew no one would recognise them.

Sitting at the table, peering outside the window, memories of her dream suddenly crept back into her mind and she couldn’t help wonder what it had all meant.

Nothing, it’s just a stupid dream. It doesn’t mean anything!

But even though it had only been a dream, the feelings she had felt had been real. She had just felt so incredibly happy with Malfoy, a lot more than with Ron and just thinking about the dream made her insides suddenly feel all warm and fuzzy. Surely that wasn’t a good thing to feel about somebody other than the person she was supposed to marry in less than twenty-four hours!

Focusing her thoughts on the street outside again, she spotted Harry walking quickly towards the restaurant. He was wearing dark baggy jeans with a warm khaki jacket and a black baseball cap over his head, covering his scar. Noticing that his clothes were fashionable and expensive, Hermione smiled to herself, wondering at what point in the past couple of years Harry had started caring about the way he looked.

He quickly spotted her once indoors and she greeted him as he sat down opposite her.

“It’s okay, Harry,” she told him as he looked unsure whether to take off his hat or not. “I doubt anyone will recognise us here.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, you wouldn’t believe how crazy people can get,” he said, tilting the hat off. “It seems no one has a problem following me into the Muggle world anymore. Back in Australia, only the hardcore Woollongong fans seemed to care about my photo or autograph, but over here it’s bloody crazy!”

Hermione laughed softly as she picked up the menu. “When’s England playing their next game?”

“Tonight, actually,” he answered, peering at the wide selection of dishes. “We’re up against Greece. If we beat them, we’re through to the quarter-finals.”

“Well I would have loved to see you play tonight, but I’m busy with last minute preparations. Maybe next time.”

Harry looked up again from his menu, amused. “Don’t lie, Hermione. I haven’t forgotten how much you hate Quidditch!”

She laughed again and then they placed their orders with the waiter.

“So, talking about the wedding,” Harry began, his green eyes suddenly fixed on her. “How are you feeling? You nervous yet?”

“I’m okay – for now,” Hermione answered truthfully. “Tomorrow, however, I’ll probably be a mess!”

“That bad, huh?”

The compassion in his eyes suddenly made her want to tell Harry everything about the past few months. Everything from her encounters with Malfoy to her true feelings for Ron and even her dreams. But she couldn’t open up to him. Harry had no idea what had happened between Malfoy and her in Hogwarts and it was best that way.

“I’ve just got a million things that still need sorting,” she lied to him, wringing her hands together. “I’m busy all morning with the dress fitting, the make-up and then the hair. I still don’t know who’s going to sort out the guests when they arrive. Who’s going to make sure the caterer brought the right food, that the tables are set and -”

“Hermione, don’t worry so much, it’ll be fine,” Harry told her, giving her a small smile.

No, it won’t, she wanted to tell him, but kept her mouth shut.

“You’ll be fine. Everyone will be there to help and besides, I doubt either your mum or Mrs. Weasley will let anything bad happen. Tomorrow’s your day and you need to make the most of it. Oh and guess who’s been invited at the last minute?”

His words caused her to freeze, a sudden feeling of panic clenching her gut. Could it be that someone had accidentally invited Malfoy to the wedding? The thought of Malfoy watching her walk down the aisle to marry Ron suddenly made her want to be sick. Harry gave her an odd look seeing the expression on her face, but she quickly forced a smile on her face as the waiter arrived with their orders.

“I don’t know, Harry. Who?”

“Me, you dolt!” he told her, looking at her in a funny way. “Ron invited my friend Dan and I to go last night.”

He couldn’t help but smile again at her dumbfounded expression. “Yeah, I know you said Ron didn’t want me to be there and that it might be awkward for me to go, but Fred and Lupin invited us last night for the bachelor party. Ron got so drunk that we actually started talking, you know – like old times. By the end of the night, he was begging for me to go to the wedding!”

Hermione listened to him in astonishment, a short wave of guilty relief passing over her. “Well, I’m glad you two managed to patch things up! Even though it’s silly you both needed the help of alcohol to set things right.”

Harry looked back at her sheepishly, but quickly told her about the rest of Ron’s bachelor party causing them both to laugh while they ate.

A half an hour later, they had fallen into a comfortable silence, both busy finishing off their plates. Hermione chewed on the last of her pasta thoughtfully, as she wondered how to bring up the news she had heard that morning on the Wizarding Wireless Network.

“So,” she began tentatively, picking up her glass of water. “Isn’t there something else you want to tell me, Harry?”

He caught her meaning and instantly his face screwed up. “Oh God, how did you find out?”

“Oh, come on,” she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “It was the first thing I heard when I switched on the radio. That – and then I saw this.”

She leaned to the side, fishing out a copy of Witch Weekly from her bag, which she promptly showed him. Harry groaned in return as soon as he saw a picture of himself on the cover. It showed him trying to hide his face from the camera with a big bold headline printed on top: “Harry splits with girlfriend!”

“Apparently they changed the cover at the last second to feature the juicy gossip about your love life,” Hermione added, as an afterthought.

“God, I hate the press,” he moaned, giving her back the magazine. “Yeah, Linda and I – we split up. I was going to tell you, but -”

“But between what happened with the Order and my wedding coming up, I guess you never got a chance,” she said softly, reaching out for his hand on the table. “Do you want to talk about it? Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I mean, it’s for the best really, there were just too many secrets between us – you know, Order stuff mostly.”

He pulled away, his shoulders sagging slightly, as the waiter cleared away their plates.

“Besides,” he continued, a sudden sharpness to his voice. “I think the whole relationship was set up by Linda’s dad to jump-start her career.”

Hermione cocked her side to one side. “So this has absolutely nothing to do with you being back in England and a certain stubborn girl with red streaks in her hair?” she asked, giving him a knowing look.

He flashed her a smile. “Cheeky,” he teased her, her bold behaviour catching him off guard. “And the answer to your question is no.”

However, Hermione knew there was more to it.

“Is that a ‘no’ spelt Y-E-S?” she asked, laughing loudly at the shocked look on his face. “Oh come on Harry, as soon as she’s in the room you can’t take your eyes off her! Besides, you’re the only one who knew where to find Abigail after she came back from the mission. No one else knew how to deal with her.”

He shook his head. “Yes well, I haven’t spoken to her since. She’s been avoiding me and still refuses to forgive me for leaving.”

“Then maybe it’s time you came clean,” Hermione told him, noticing he never answered her question. “Maybe, it’s time you told her the truth about why you left, what you did, why you were there – you know, give her some answers – hell, even I’d like to know one of these days.”

He looked back at her thoughtfully. “Think she’ll listen?”

She shrugged in return. “It’s worth a try.”

--

--

The double doors opened and everyone in the church turned around to see the bride. Hermione smiled back at them all, unable to restrain her joy and happiness as she walked down the aisle in pace with the soft music provided by the orchestra they had hired for the occasion.

A blur of faces streamed past her as she took one step after another, her left arm entwined with her father’s as he led her down the aisle, towards her future husband.

Hermione only had eyes for him. He looked even more handsome in his black suit, which accentuated his hair and eyes. He was looking at her too, a genuine smile on his face, causing her knees to feel weak.

She had made the right decision. She knew it now – her heart knew it too. No other man could make her feel this way. There was no one else she would rather spend the rest of her life with.

As she reached the altar, her father kissed her on the cheek and went to sit back down again. Hermione clasped hands with her future husband and smiled at him again before turning to face the priest.

She suddenly felt hot breath against her cheek and looking up into the eyes of the man she loved – two deep pools of silver – she heard him whisper in her ear.

“You make a beautiful bride, Granger.”

--

Hermione woke up with a start. Realising she had been dreaming again, she cursed out loudly.

Of all the dreams she could have before her wedding day, she had dreamt of marrying Malfoy! What was wrong with her?

Her mother had once told her that dreams were only the expression of people’s subconscious. They reflected the information people had stored away during the day and not processed properly – or in Hermione’s case - had refused to process. She had convinced herself that her relationship with Malfoy was strictly professional and that anything that had happened in the past month was simply a weakness on her part.

A weakness.

Hermione sighed heavily as she turned onto her back to stare at the ceiling. She didn’t believe that anymore. Maybe what she called weakness was instead her buried feelings – feelings she had buried deep after Hogwarts and refused to acknowledge when she had seen Malfoy again.

And now they had come back to haunt her in her dreams. They had come back to haunt her on her wedding day.

Before Hermione could finish thinking things through, she heard a loud knock on her door and Abigail and Ginny came bursting through, running in to jump on her bed, squealing with excitement.

“Hermione! Come on, get up! You’re getting married today!”

--

--

A few hours later, Hermione was standing in front of a full-length mirror, adjusting her veil around her hair. She had locked herself up with her mother in one of the back rooms of the church to add the final touches to her dress and hair and to keep away from the guests that were filing into the church.

Hermione had wanted a small wedding in her hometown church and Ron had reluctantly agreed to a Muggle wedding, although he had eventually warmed up to the idea since the presence of Muggles would keep away nosy wizard and witches.

Once she had finished pinning down the veil, she turned around to face her mother.

“Oh Hermione,” she gasped, smiling at her daughter. “You simply look beautiful!”

Hermione turned around again and took a step back.

She couldn’t help but smile as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Together with the make-up and hairdo, Hermione looked like a totally different person in the long ivory dress. The dress she had chosen with her mother was a strapless taffeta gown with a boned lace bodice down to her hips. The rest of the taffeta gown softly flared around her with a long train behind. The whole bodice was delicately beaded and embroidered with flowery motifs.

She couldn’t believe this was it. She couldn’t believe today was her wedding day! Continuing to gaze at herself in the mirror in disbelief for several minutes, she looked away as tears suddenly began to prick her eyes.

“Now come on, sweetheart,” her mother scolded her softly, taking Hermione’s hands in hers. “No crying now or you’ll ruin your make-up. What’s wrong? Is it the dress?”

Hermione shook her head, taking the handkerchief from her mother and dabbing her eyes softly. “No, it’s not the dress. It’s just – it’s just that I think I’m having second thoughts about the wedding, Mum. I just don’t know what’s wrong with me and I don’t know what to do.”

Hermione closed her eyes trying to hold back her tears and suddenly felt her mother’s hands grip her shoulders tightly.

“Hermione, come and sit down,” she told her softly, taking her over to only chair in the room. “You need to relax and think things through for yourself. Your father and I always thought you were a bit too young to get married, but you seemed to know what you were doing, so we agreed to it.”

Hermione nodded and kept her head down, feeling guilty about all the money her parents had spent on the wedding.

“Now, I know you love Ronald, sweetheart,” her mother continued, lifting her daughter’s chin up. “But if you don’t want to go through with this, then we’ll understand.”

Hermione wanted to cry all over again at her mother’s understanding words, but instead she kept herself in check and breathed deeply, willing herself to stop being so emotional.

“The wedding doesn’t start for another twenty minutes or so,” her mother told her, checking her watch. “I’ll leave you to your thoughts and come by later to see how you’re doing. I need to check up on Ronald’s brothers anyway and see if they’ve managed to seat the guests correctly. I’m sure the girls will be in soon, wanting to see you.”

Hermione looked up smiling at her mother, before standing up and giving her a hug. “Thank you, Mum.”

Her mother smiled in return, her hand gripping her daughter’s before she turned to leave. Hermione went back to mirror to check on her dress again. She took a deep breath, forcing a smile on her lips and tried muttering a couple of ‘I do’s.

She tried to think of Ron and all the good times they had had together. She tried to think of how happy she was when he had proposed to her. She tried to think back to all the times he had been there for her and how understanding he had been when she was sad or depressed and couldn’t tell him the reason why.

She tried to think of the way she felt when they were together, when he kissed her, when he made love to her.

Her thoughts were cut off by a soft knock on the door, followed by Abigail and Ginny entering. They were both dressed in similar light yellow satin bridesmaid gowns and both gasped as they saw Hermione in full wedding dress and veil.

“Hermione!” Abigail exclaimed, her jaw dropping in awe.

“Merlin, you look so beautiful!” Ginny told her, looking the dress up and down. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Hermione lied, putting the flowers back down on the table. “Is everything ready?”

“Yes, everything’s set. I’m here to tell you the ceremony begins in ten minutes,” Ginny answered, setting down more presents on the table. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay, I’ve got to look after Ryan. See you after the wedding!”

And she was off again, leaving Hermione alone with Abigail, who had sat down on the chair to take off her shoes.

“These stilettos are killing me,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her feet. “Pity I left my wand with Fred. I can’t seem to find him anywhere.”

Hermione barely listened as she had proceeded back to the mirror and stood once more frozen in front of it, gazing at her reflection.

“So, how are you really feeling?” Abigail asked her suddenly, looking at her anxiously. “You look mortified, hon.”

Hermione didn’t know what to say. It didn’t seem appropriate to bring up her dream about Malfoy ten minutes before her wedding. Or maybe, on the contrary, now was her last chance to voice her thoughts?

She realised that in her panic she still hadn’t answered the question. This only seemed to increase Abigail’s worry.

“Hermione, I hate to say it – but, are you sure about this?” she asked her, standing up all of a sudden. “You look really quite pale.”

However, as soon as Hermione sensed her step closer, she freaked out.

“Yes, I’m sure and I’m fine!” she burst out angrily, gripping the soft taffeta of her dress tightly in her hands. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

Abigail stopped abruptly, taken aback by her friend’s outburst.

“I love Ron, I’ve been with him for over a year now and I can do this! We’re going to get married and everything will be fine! I want to be with him, I love him and I want to spend the rest-”

But she stopped short, suddenly wondering if she really did want to spend the rest of her life with him. How many years exactly would that be? The thought scared her and she immediately started to feel dizzy.

“Merlin Hermione, come sit down,” Abigail exclaimed, leading her to the chair. “You need to breathe, sweetie, or you’re going to faint on me.”

She grabbed the nearest water bottle she could find and passed it to her.

“Now stop talking for a minute and listen to me,” Abigail continued, kneeling down next to her and looking at her calmly as Hermione sipped the water. “It’s okay if you’re having second thoughts about this. You’re about to get married and you’re only twenty-one for Christ’s sake. Everyone knows you love Ron, but you have to really think about this Hermione. Once you’re married, you’ll have to forget about your doubts, you’ll have to forget about any regrets you might have - and that includes Malfoy.”

Hermione looked up sharply at her words.

“Once you’re married, you have to forget about him because you simply can’t do that to Ron – do you understand? He’s crazy about you and if he ever found out about Malfoy, it would break his heart.”

Hermione nodded at her words, knowing what would come next.

“The real question you need to ask yourself now, before you leave this room, is whether or not you can forget about what happened with Malfoy and cut him out of your life – for good. Because until you make that decision, there’s no moving on with your life with Ron.”

Abigail stood up again, smoothing out the creases in Hermione’s dress, before glancing anxiously back at her again.

“I’ll be right outside,” she continued softly, squeezing Hermione’s hands tightly with affection. “No one’s coming in until you made that decision. And don’t forget, whatever you decide today, I’ll be right there for you.”

Hermione looked up in surprise. She didn’t deserve such loyalty from her friend. Abigail spent so much more time with Ron and Ginny because of their work for the Order that she should be angry with her instead. However, she was technically family after all, even if she was only a distant cousin, and ever since the end of Hogwarts, they had both felt the need to look out for each other.

Hermione nodded again, not trusting herself to speak and Abigail left her to her thoughts – once more. The muffled sound of the guests, chattering, could be heard through the door, but Hermione paid them no notice.

Instead, she thought about her seventh year at Hogwarts. Her time spent with Draco and her certainty back then that Ron wasn’t right for her. How things had changed!

Wringing her hands nervously, she stood up from the chair and walked towards the large bay windows. She could see the church gardens and graveyard from where she stood. She could also catch glimpses of several guests, running hurriedly down the path to the church, afraid to be late. She looked back at the gardens, at the cluster of cherry tress blossoming in the spring weather and spotted a shadow from afar. There seemed to be someone walking through the gardens, probably one of the guests.

Turning her back to the window, she noticed the pile of presents and flowers on a table for her. Picking up the cards from the presents Ginny had just brought in, Hermione smiled at the good wishes people had sent her. A magnificent bouquet of red and white roses suddenly caught her eyes. It had been delivered to her as she was fixing the veil to her hair and she hadn’t had time to read the card that came with it. Curious, she took the bouquet in her arms and inhaled the divine scent of the roses, closing her eyes as she did. She smiled, wondering if the person who had sent them knew how much she loved those particular flowers.

Deftly catching the small white greeting card between her fingers, she quickly read the neat handwriting inside.

-

Best wishes for the happy wedding.

You were right. It was unfair for me to question it.

Weasley will never fail you like I did.

D.M.

P.S. You make a beautiful bride, Granger.

-

Hermione’s whole body suddenly froze. Her throat felt constricted and she could hear her heart starting to beat loudly against her chest. Her eyes, however, kept on reading the small card over and over again.

She couldn’t believe the words she had read. Not only was Malfoy apologising, but he has here. He was actually here at the wedding and he had seen her.

Suddenly wondering if he had been the one she had seen in the orchard, she turned around quickly, her eyes scanning the garden again but the shadow was gone. Feeling the bouquet of roses still in her hand, she lifted it up slowly, inhaling the scent once more as her eyes continued to look out for a hint of silver among the trees.

You make a beautiful bride, Granger.

The words kept replaying in her mind. He had said the same in her dream – she remembered now.

Smiling down at the bouquet in her hands, she realised what needed to be done. Grabbing a quill and a bit of parchment from her handbag, she quickly scribbled a note and left it on the hairdresser in plain sight. Fetching her wand, she took a deep breath, thinking of the pain she was about to cause and Disapparated with a loud crack.

--

--

Five minutes later, Abigail knocked on the back-room door and walked in.

“Hermione?”

She looked around quickly and realised her friend was gone. Noticing the piece of parchment on the hairdresser, she picked it up and read it.

It was addressed to Ron. Hermione had finally made her choice it seemed and had decided to leave rather than confront him at the church.

Looking around the room again, Abigail wondered what she should do next. She spotted a small white card on the floor, next to the gift’s table, and went to pick it up. Opening it, she recognised Malfoy’s handwriting.

Abigail smiled as she read the card and looked up through the window, realising Malfoy had seen Hermione at some point. She had to congratulate the arrogant bastard, he had once more managed to screw up his friend’s life.

Well done, Draco – I didn’t think you still had it in you.

Crushing the card in her hand and throwing it in the bin before anyone else could see it, Abigail turned back towards the door. She needed to find Fred and fast, only he would know how to deal with his brother in this situation.

Successfully avoiding the guests, Abigail made it to the front of the church, but still she could not find Fred. She stopped a few seconds, allowing her swollen feet to rest and quickly noticed Harry standing by the entrance, in deep conversation with several guests. They all seemed to be gushing at him about his recent Quidditch match against Greece. England had won spectacularly. Ginny had told her all about it while getting ready and Harry, apparently, had played amazingly well.

Abigail wanted to roll her eyes at the crowd of fans gathered around Harry, but instead realised she was running out of time and needed help. She fixed Harry’s eyes, hoping to catch his attention and was surprised at how quickly he noticed her, excused himself from the crowd and then walked over to her side.

“Hey, are you alright?” he asked her, a tentative smile on his lips.

“Harry, I need to find Fred,” she told him urgently, hoping he’d be able to help her. Instead she noticed his eyes suddenly seemed to light up and she quickly realised that she had called him by his first name.

“I think he was by the gate earlier, welcoming in late guests. He might be by the altar now, I’m not sure.”

Abigail turned around but couldn’t see the gateway from the door. Looking inside the church, the altar was all set and ready for the wedding with Bill standing nearby as one of Ron’s best men. However, there was still no sign of Fred.

“It’s okay, he’ll be here soon,” Harry added, noticing her worried expression. “The wedding is starting in a couple of minutes.”

“Hermione’s gone,” Abigail said abruptly, turning to face him. “She was having second-thoughts about the wedding and now she’s gone.”

Harry’s eyes opened wide. “What?”

“We’ve got to find Ron,” she continued, suddenly whispering in case someone overheard. “The wedding’s about to start and we’ve got to tell him before he finds out for himself.”

Harry agreed with a nod and quickly led her through the side alley, slipping past guests until they reached the hallway where the back-room was located. Turning round the corner, they suddenly spotted Ron standing outside the room, one hand gripping the parchment note tightly as the other grasped Ginny’s shoulder.

“Where is she, Ginny?” Ron shouted angrily as he shook her fiercely.

Abigail gasped as she watched Ron shout at his sister and noticed little Ryan, hiding behind his mother, clutching her dress.

“Ron, I’m sorry I don’t know,” Ginny answered, fear in her voice. “Please, you have to calm down.”

“Where the hell is she?” he roared in return, frowning over her like thunder.

Ryan’s sudden outcry brought Abigail back to her senses.

“Ron, don’t!”

She sprinted over to them as quickly as she could, wanting to stop Ron’s outburst, but Harry beat her to it. In one quick movement, he pulled Ron away from Ginny and held him back.

“Ginny, are you okay?” Abigail asked, scooping down to pick up Ryan and comfort him. The red head nodded in return, her eyes widening in shock as she watched her brother wrestle out of Harry’s grasp.

“Get off me!” he yelled, trying to push Harry away.

Ryan cried even louder and Abigail held him close, stroking his hair soothingly and hushing him gently. This was exactly what she had tried to prevent by finding Fred, but it seemed that nothing could prevent Ron’s anger and Abigail couldn’t blame him for it.

“He just came out of the room and suddenly asked me where Hermione was,” Ginny explained, her voice still shaking slightly.

“Hermione’s gone,” Abigail admitted, causing Ginny to stare at her. “Ron must have found the note she left. I went to find Fred, but couldn’t find him.”

“Ron, you’ve got to calm down, mate,” she heard Harry say across the hallway.

“Damnit Harry, she left me!” Ron yelled back, waving the note in his hand. “She actually took off without warning and just left me this note. I don’t even know where she is!”

Harry took the note from his hand and read it quickly, his face frowning deeply as he did. “You need to go after her. You need to talk to her, but you’ve got to calm down first.”

Ron took a deep breath and slumped against the stone wall, willing to calm down his anger. Abigail had seen him do the same countless times before after Order meetings and missions.

“Ron, you’ll find her,” Ginny spoke up, taking a step towards him. “She can’t have gone far.”

He looked up at her, his eyes filled with despair. “I’m sorry, Gin. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It’s okay,” she told him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. Abigail stood in silence as she watched Ginny comfort her brother. She continued to stroke Ryan’s hair as he snuggled his face in the crook of her neck, sobbing slightly.

“Ron, let’s go,” Harry suddenly spoke up. “We’ll Apparate to her flat and start looking for her there. She’s probably waiting for you to find her so you two can talk things through.”

Ron simply nodded his head.

“Don’t worry we’ll deal with the guests,” Ginny told them, looking back at Abigail, who quickly agreed.

“See you back at the Burrow,” Harry said, before both of them took out their wands and disapparated out of sight.

“I’ve never seen him like this before,” Ginny muttered softly, staring out after them. “Not even after Charlie and George died. I don’t think Hermione has any idea of the pain she’s just caused.”

Abigail watched her in silence, still holding Ryan in her arms, a heavy feeling in her heart.

--

--

Hermione stared out towards the lake, watching the sunshine glitter across it. She had Apparated to her parent’s house and walked through the garden towards the small lake that stretched in front of the local forest.

She had been here several times with Ron and she knew that he would eventually find her. He would want to hear her explanation, he would want to know the whole truth – he would want to know why she had ruined the happiest day of his life.

Hermione wasn’t sure what she would tell him and had decided to run away to the lake and try to make sense of the chaos in her head before he found her. After all, how was she supposed to tell the man she supposedly loved that she didn’t want to marry him anymore?

Looking down at the soft ripples on the water’s surface, she realised there weren’t any swans on this lake. This wasn’t the lake from her dreams.

She turned to sit down on the wooden bench behind her, still wearing her wedding dress and holding Malfoy’s bouquet. Tears made their way down her cheeks as she looked down at the roses and started to pluck the petals off them, one by one.

Hermione felt sure that she was doing the right thing and yet, that meant hurting Ron and knowing that killed her inside. She couldn’t face seeing the disappointment and pain in his eyes as she told him the truth about her feelings. She didn’t want to see the hurt on his face when he realised she didn’t want to marry him. She couldn’t lie to him either though, he deserved to know why she had left, but could she tell him about Malfoy?

The wind picked up blowing the petals away onto the water as her elegantly coiffed hair, began to fall down. She looked down at her bouquet and inhaled the scent of the remaining flowers once more. Leaving it on the bench, she stood up, wiping her tear-stained cheeks and decided maybe it was time to head back towards her parent’s house. She wouldn’t tell Ron about Malfoy. There was no need. She wasn’t leaving Ron for another man; she was leaving because he wasn’t right for her. He couldn’t make her happy and neither could she make him.

She looked out across the lake once last time, sighing softly, and distinctly heard two soft pops behind her. It took all her strength to rip her gaze from the water and turn around.

Harry and Ron stood motionless several metres behind her, both in Muggle attire for the wedding. As Ron broke away to walk towards her, a numbing shiver ran down Hermione’s spine.

“Ron,” she breathed out in a near whisper.

He walked quickly, stopping only when he caught sight of her strained brown eyes. She watched him standing before her and took a breath for control, waiting for him to say something.

However, he remained silent.

The proximity was deafening and Hermione prayed that he would say something soon because silence was more painful than anything that could come from his lips.

“You look beautiful,” he finally said, taking in the sight of her in her wedding dress.

Hermione felt something inside her shrink. “Ron, I’m so sorry, I don’t -”

“Just tell me why,” he cut in harshly.

His voice – it froze her veins. She had expected him to be angry, to lash out at her, but she had never dealt with this kind of cold fury before.

“Because I’ve been lying to myself,” she told him, a deep sense of failure starting to envelope her. “Because I thought I loved you enough to spend the rest of my life with you, but I don’t.”

Her words hurt him. She could tell by the way his expression had turned to stone, his blue eyes suddenly looking at her with intensity she had never seen before.

“It’s not your fault Ron,” she continued, taking a step closer. “I’m just not ready to get married. Please don’t hate me for doing what’s right – we would never have been happy together.”

“You don’t know that,” he told her, his perfectly calm exterior suddenly showing cracks.

“Yes, I do,” she answered, taking his hand in hers. “I do love you Ron, but not enough to marry you. I’m so sorry.”

She stared into his eyes, hoping maybe he could understand why she had left and perhaps forgive her. Maybe he wouldn’t hate her for it, but instead his eyes glared back at her.

“That’s not the only reason, Hermione, and we both know it.” He shook her hand off and took a step back as she stared back at him in surprise.

“Damn it, I love you!” he finally exclaimed, his gaze piercing through her own. “My whole life I’ve loved you and I can’t imagine waking up every day without you by my side. I thought we would always be together, I thought you loved me – but when I saw your note -”

He stopped and Hermione noticed his eyes swimming with tears. Her heart was suddenly caught in her throat and her hand went out to him, but he brushed it away.

“I’ve had a lot of people in my life who’ve left,” he continued, clenching his jaw and turning his head away. “Thought those days were over, but I guess they aren’t.”

Hermione watched him, pain etched in his face and all of a sudden, she couldn’t stop the tears any longer. “Ron, I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

But he shook his head, the glare returning in his eyes.

“You and I - we’re done,” he said in a very flat, very cold and very final voice. “Whatever we had, it’s over.”

He turned around and left, leaving her behind, her dress billowing in the wind and her hair sticking to the tears on her cheeks. She clasped a hand over her mouth, trying to control the gut wrenching sobs that were trying to escape and realised she had to stop him. She couldn’t let Ron leave – not like this - not until she could make him understand she could never make him happy, that she was doing this for both their sakes.

Grasping her dress in one hand, she ran towards him, calling out his name. However, he kept on walking and as she nearly reached him, Harry caught her by the arm, stopping her, and Ron Disapparated with a crack.

“I think you’ve done enough damage for one day,” Harry told her sharply, releasing her arm, before disappearing as well.

And then there was nothing, but silence.

--

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Welcome back everyone! I'm sorry this wasn't posted last week but I was waiting for my beta-reader to get back to me! I didn't hear back and couldn't wait anymore so sorry if there are some spelling or grammar mistakes. Feel free to point them out to me! (and if anyone is interesting in beta-reading, let me know!!)

So the wedding was avoided... were you expecting it? And before anyone askes, yes that was Malfoy lurking around in the orchard! Also if you're wondering why Abigail reacts the way she does at seeing Malfoy's note - it'll be expained in later chapters!

Once again, sorry for the long wait between chapters - I'll do my best to get chapter 15 out sometime in August.

Thanks for all your wonderful reviews - your comments really encourage me to keep writing! I look forward to reading your thoughts about this chapter, I hope most of you will be pleased that Hermione broke off the wedding! :)