Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction, would I?

This is a work of fanfiction, absolutely no copyright infringement intended.

Trip over love, you can get up. Fall in love and you fall forever.

~ Author Unknown

Chapter 1 – Tomorrow's Gonna Come Too Soon

A loud pop announced her tardiness. There must have been 40 or so people milling around, whose heads turned to note her late arrival. Groom, bride, Ministry officials, parents, groomsmen, bridesmaids, and ushers all watched her make her way to the groom, all the while blushing furiously.

Harry Potter – tomorrow's groom and her best friend – left Kingsley Shacklebolt's side and gave her a warm hug.

"Hermione, you made it!"

"Harry, I'm so sorry I'm late. It's just that I had so much work to do and I barely noticed the time and –"

Harry gave her a smile and held her hands. "Hey. It's okay, don't worry about it. We haven't started yet and we've just been talking about how it will go before we actually walk through it. Come on, let's get you a drink."

Hermione smiled back at Harry, glad her friend understood. It had been a busy and trying morning, and she just wanted to spend the rest of the day with her friends.

"There's my lovely maid of honor! So glad you made it, Hermione." Ginny exclaimed. She looked lovely in a little black dress that accentuated her fair skin and made her trademark Weasley hair stand out.

"Hey Gin, sorry I'm late. You know how it is at St. Mungo's. You look smashing, by the way." She accepted a glass of wine from Harry, sipping delicately.

She looked around and saw Arthur and Molly Weasley with the rest of the Weasley clan, some of Harry and Ron's Auror colleagues and Ginny's teammates from the Holyhead Harpies. There were also people from the Ministry, what with Harry and Ron being Aurors and Arthur a Ministry official.

One person stood out to her, looking out of place. With his platinum blond hair and steel gray eyes, Draco Malfoy hardly blended in with the crowd, most of which seemed to ignore him. He stood alone, nursing what appeared to be a strong drink in his hand, judging from the way he winced as he gulped down the rest of it and refilled his glass with a tap of his wand.

"Hey Harry, what is Malfoy doing here?" she whispered to her friend. "He's not part of the entourage, right?"

"Neville can't make it in time for the wedding tomorrow, had an accident during a lesson with Hufflepuffs. Apparently, one of his students has a severe case of bullheadedness. A bullheaded Hufflepuff; if that doesn't spell trouble, I don't know what does." he shook his head. "He ended up being sent to St. Mungo's earlier today. Didn't you see him there?" Harry asked.

"No, but I heard he was there. I thought he would have been given the okay to go home today, I didn't realize it was that bad." Hermione frowned. "But that doesn't explain why Malfoy is here."

"Neville was supposed to be one of my groomsmen, remember? Since Draco is supposed to attend the wedding anyway, I just thought he might as well replace Neville. Hermione, you know I wanted Draco to be part of the entourage; it was just out of respect for Ron that I didn't insist. For some reason, you two just don't get along with him the way I do. Don't tell me you still have a problem with him?" he furrowed his brows. "Come on, Hermione. We've already talked about this before. He has changed. Arrogant as hell, yes. But not the prat he was in school. We've hung out a lot of times, and played Quidditch too. Surely, you're not surprised that Draco is here?"

Hermione sighed. It's not that she still had a problem with him. She just had a hard time adjusting to him being part of their circle of friends. To their shock, Draco arrived with Snape at an Order meeting and offered his services. She remembered that day clearly. She had never seen Harry and Ron so angry. Although they were skeptical at first, he had proved himself worthy of their trust and was helpful in taking down Voldemort at the risk of his own life and that of his family's. What was even more amazing was how well he got on with Harry. From the way they carried on, one would never think they used to hate each other and were best friends right from the start.

"No, I guess not. Why does he stay in that corner, though?" she wondered aloud.

"Well, he's hopelessly outnumbered here. I think he is the only Slytherin present." he looked around. "He's probably not that comfortable with all the Gryffindors around. His Slytherin charm won't work on any of the people here." Harry said with a chuckle. "I should probably go talk to him, make sure he doesn't change his mind about tomorrow. Wanna come with?"

She hesitated. "I think I'll just stay and chat with Ginny."

"I never pegged you for a coward, Hermione." Harry teased.

"Who says I'm being a coward? I really need to talk to Ginny about her hen night tonight, you know. You want to come with me?" she grinned mischievously.

"I think I'll stick to Malfoy." Harry said, horrified.

"I didn't think so. Later, Harry!" she winked at him.

"Hey, just make sure my bride remembers we're still getting married tomorrow okay?" he called after her.

She made her way to Ginny who was seated in front together with her family. They saw her approaching and gave her a wide smile. She did love this family. Hanging out with the Weasleys every summer was something that she always looked forward to back when she was still in school. Now she was looking forward to officially being a part of the family.

"Hey Gin, where's Ron?" she looked around in search of the missing Weasley.

"He's running late, can't start without him. He did owl earlier to let us know he'll be here in a few so we're just waiting for him. Didn't he tell you? Wait. Did you have another fight?" Ginny asked knowingly as she pulled Hermione aside.

Hermione sighed. "He wants me to work shorter hours. Said it would be better since he figured I'd be quitting anyway after our wedding. But Ginny, I love my job. I don't want to cut my hours. I don't want to quit. I feel like I'm making a difference, you know. And he doesn't understand that."

"Hey, it'll be fine. You know, Harry and I discussed the same thing once we decided to get married. Although I'm happy with my career, nothing would make me happier than being with Harry. Now I'm gonna tell you something we've never told anyone, not even my family." Ginny looked around to ensure no one nearby was close enough to hear. "We've talked it over and I've decided I'm quitting the Harpies after this season. Harry also promised to take on less workload. We have more than enough to get by and there's really no need to work so hard for either of us. Not that the Ministry pays Harry that much anyway." she smiled. "Now as for you two, I'm sure you'll work it out. And I think you better work it out soon. Your wedding is in three months, remember?" she reminded quite sternly.

She rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I know." Wish I could forget - she muttered to herself.

"By the way, where's Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, I left him with Malfoy. Told him I wanted to talk to you about your hen night and he ran away and chose to talk to Malfoy instead. Hah. There goes the guy who faced Voldemort." Hermione giggled.

Ginny laughed. "Come on, give my man a break. He's been a bunch of nerves the past few days. Figures he'd be more scared of the wedding than dear old Voldie."

POP! Everyone turned to see the latest arrival. A long and lanky wizard with bright-red hair and wet robes was standing by the doorway, looking flustered.

"Whatever happened to you Ronald? Didn't you think about casting a drying spell first? Where have you been? Why were you late?" Before Molly Weasley can ask any more questions, Hermione took it upon herself to cast a silent drying spell at Ron and walked towards the blushing wizard.

"Hey you." she greeted him with a chaste kiss. "What happened?"

"Erm. Recon mission went badly. I'll tell you later." he promised. He held up his hand. "Let me talk to Mum before she explodes."

She sighed. She shouldn't have been that surprised and she shouldn't have been hurt that he chose to explain things to Molly first. There was that nagging feeling again. She felt guilty. She's not supposed to be jealous of Ron's closeness to his mother. He was a good son. Besides, the Weasleys have always been close, even more so after the War. She shook her head mentally, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Okay everyone, we're all here. Shall we begin?"

In minutes, Hermione was walking beside Ron toward the entrance. The coordinator directed the proceedings as everyone waited for instructions and cues. She found herself studying Malfoy who was standing a few feet away from them. He was dressed casually, just like most of the people present. He looked unexpectedly good in Muggle attire, she admitted grudgingly. He was wearing jeans that fit snugly across lean hips and a button down blue shirt that fit him well and emphasized his good form.

As if sensing that she was staring at him, he looked up and met her eyes. His profile was startlingly attractive and she found herself staring back. It was only when he raised his eyebrow at her that she managed to look away, trying hard not to blush.

The flower girls were being led up the aisle, to be followed by the attendants. Hermione placed her hand on the crook of Ron's arm and led him towards the front. It was her first time being a maid of honor. She was quite disturbed at feeling so much like a bride. She thought of her upcoming wedding, feeling somewhat anxious. Only three months left before the big day. It is normal to feel anxious, she reminded herself. Getting married is supposed to be life changing. Oh, bother. I am not supposed to be thinking about this right now! She took a deep breath and cleared her mind.

They reached the front and followed directions to separate and take their places on different sides. As she turned to face the aisle, Hermione watched Harry approach. He smiled fondly at her then winked discreetly before taking his place. The rest of the instructions began and they walked through the ritual of the ceremony itself until the part that they were to exit. She was half-surprised upon finding out that Harry and Ginny chose to unite Muggle and Wizarding wedding customs. They walked through the entire ceremony once more before the crowd dispersed.

Hermione walked over to Harry, Ginny, and Ron who were discussing plans for after the rehearsal.

"Ron. I don't understand why you have to go. I'm sure there are other Aurors who can go. And the paperwork can wait. I can ask Grant - "

"Harry. You're the groom, I'm not. I really need to go. I'll be there tomorrow anyway. Come on, I'm just missing tea; it's not as if I'm missing something big. Go on now, I already told Mum they need me at work. I'll be back as soon as I can." Ron saw her approaching and gave her a quick kiss and a hug. "I gotta go, I'm needed at work. See you when I get home." With that, he Disapparated.

Right, she thought. She sighed and turned to face Harry and Ginny. "So. Meet you at the Burrow?"

It was odd to see Draco Malfoy talking amicably with George Weasley. So the man knew how to smile, apparently. He smiled more with the right side of his mouth than the left, and it transformed his face from severe to charming. It was alarming being drawn to what she used to consider her enemy in school. If someone told her years ago that she will be having tea with Draco Malfoy at the Burrow on the eve of Harry and Ginny's wedding, she would have given the person a recommendation to visit St. Mungo's. Or grabbed the nearest straitjacket. They weren't exactly close friends but they certainly weren't enemies either. Two years of working together for the Order forged a reluctant friendship between them and a certain degree of trust.

His head snapped up and her warm brown eyes met his cold gray ones. Drat, to be caught staring again. He smiled widely at her and she flushed unbecomingly. A walk outside would probably do her some good. Whatever was she thinking, staring at Draco Malfoy? Malfoy, of all people!

She finished her tea, stood quietly and walked outside to the porch, sitting on one of the steps. She contemplated going back to her flat but she remembered Ginny's hen night. They have already decided to go to Pandora's Box for a few drinks with Luna, Lavender, and some other girlfriends. She wasn't too fond of drinking although she can hold her own but somebody had to keep Ginny in line and that job fell to her. She still can't believe they were getting married. It had only been a year since she graduated from Hogwarts, the same time that Ginny did. Now Ginny and Harry were getting married. And her own wedding was coming up in three months' time. She fingered her engagement ring absently. She never really thought of herself as the type to get married right out of school. She always thought she'd focus on her career, and starting a family would come later. Much, much later. Nevertheless, she cared deeply about Ron, and said yes when he proposed despite her misgivings. They've always been together since Hogwarts and with Harry marrying Ginny, they would always be together just like before; this time as family, and not just friends.

She heard the door open and looked back to see who it was.

He noticed her staring. He was hard-pressed himself not to stare at her, looking so beautiful in that blue dress. She always did look good in blue, thinking back to the Yule Ball in fourth year. But he caught her staring at him. Twice. He smiled to himself, tuning out whatever George was telling him. Something about getting new investors for the joke shop and the new branch they were thinking of opening. He might as well say yes, he knew that the Wheezes would turn out to be a good investment. He himself was a fan of their work, and had previously ordered some items from the store.

He saw her slip outside and wondered where she was going. He made his excuses to George after setting up a meeting at his office later in the week, grabbed a blanket off the couch, and made his way outside.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" she asked unkindly.

"We don't want you catching a cold a day before the wedding, do we?" he asked as he tossed her the blanket.

She caught the blanket easily and frowned at him. Was he actually concerned? But whyWho knew Malfoy could be a decent person? "What do I need this for? I have plenty of Pepper Up Potion in stock, you know. And I do have a wand; a Warming Spell ought to do the trick."

"Lighten up, Granger. I don't need a lecture from you. I just thought you'd probably appreciate the blanket; it is quite cold after all." He noticed the frown on her face. "However, I can see that I'm not needed so I'll just leave you alone with your thoughts for company." he said stiffly and turned around to head back inside.

She bit her lip guiltily. "Wait!" she called after him. He stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around to face her. She walked over to him and gently placed her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry. I just didn't expect to see you. Will you sit with me? Please?" she said softly.

He was surprised at the tone of her voice. "Well since you asked so nicely..." he teased. He sat on the porch step and motioned for her to sit beside him. "So, what made you go out of the warmth and into this cold?"

She sat down beside him, curled her legs, and hugged her knees to her chest. Draco summoned the blanket from where it had fallen and draped it on her shoulders. Taken aback by the gesture, Hermione felt more than a little disconcerted. That's twice in one night that he had acted kindly towards her. It wasn't that he was unkind, just not openly considerate towards her. She was touched at the gesture and surprised at the sudden rush of warmth that she felt towards him. She cleared her throat. "Um. I was just thinking of Hogwarts, actually. I rather miss it. What about you?"

He stared at her pensively. He looked away to gaze at the sky and remained silent for so long that Hermione feared he didn't want to answer the question.

"You know what, you don't really have to answer – "she started to say.

"It's okay," he interrupted. "I was just thinking of how to answer your question." He paused. "I don't miss Hogwarts, no. It serves as a painful reminder of how foolish I've been, something I deeply regret. You'll notice I didn't exactly jump at the opportunity to go back and finish as others did – as you did." He stared at her. "As you know, I chose to stay at home and my parents provided a private tutor to help prepare me for NEWTS. Mother made arrangements with Headmistress McGonagall and she was kind enough to agree. I am a Hogwarts graduate and I have my NEWTS. Not too shabby, huh?" he ended with a slight smile.

She found herself smiling back at him. "Not at all. Considering that you got seven NEWTS."

Draco silently wondered how she knew about that. Was she keeping tabs on him too? "Yeah, and what did you get – ten? Head Girl, too." he rolled his eyes at her.

She merely raised an eyebrow in response. How odd. She never thought he knew those things about her. "What was your favorite subject in school?"

He mulled it over, thinking carefully. Though it may not have shown, he did enjoy studying most of the subjects he had back then. "I'd have to say Potions. It was one of those subjects that I showed a particular aptitude for. There was something about the precision and complexity of potions that appealed to me. Although I'm not sure if it helped that the Professor was our Head of House and my godfather too." he finished wryly.

This time it was her turn to roll her eyes. She remembered Snape docking points from Gryffindor and awarding points to Slytherin just because he felt like it, and refusing to call on her even though she was obviously the only one who knew the answer. She felt another stab of shame at thinking poorly of the Potions professor who helped their cause at the cost of his own life. Viewing his memories made everything so clear to them. The way he acted all those years, they never thought him capable of feeling. Yet he showed them in his own way he was capable of love and so much more.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" he smirked at her.

"It's nothing. Believe me, they're not even worth a Knut." she looked into his direct gaze. Merlin, he has such devastating eyes! How come I never noticed before? What were we talking about again?

"Hermione?"

She started at the sound of Ginny's voice.

"Oh hey Gin, are we ready to leave? Merlin, I didn't notice the time! Are Luna and Hannah here yet? What about Lavender? I hope they remembered to -" she blabbered, flustered at being caught with Malfoy on the porch.

"Gee Hermione, breathe! What's with you?" Ginny said laughingly, only to stop when she noticed who was with Hermione. "Oh. Hello Draco, I didn't know you were still here."

"Yes, well, I best be getting on my way." He stood. "Thank you for inviting me, Weaselette. Tell Potter not to enjoy his night of drunken carousing too much, I don't think I can stand a repeat of what happened in Grimmauld Place. Come to think of it," he mused, "I don't think you can either." he ended in a mocking grin.

"You're not coming with them? Why, your strict parents won't let you break curfew?" she taunted. "Or maybe your interests lie… elsewhere. I already know you're devious, Draco dear. Perhaps you're also.. deviant? Hm?"

Hermione stood silently to the side, wondering if she should intervene. But before she could decide, she was surprised to hear Draco laugh loudly. He moved closer to Ginny and put his arm around her shoulder. Hermione didn't know what surprised her more, the fact that Draco just laughed without malice, or that his arm was on Ginny and she didn't seem inclined to send a Bat-Bogey Hex his way.

"Now now, Ginny. We're not back to that, are we? It's your wedding tomorrow; it's a little late to be having doubts." Ginny responded by jostling the arm on her shoulder and landing a mock punch on his. "Seriously though, I need to get going." He pulled out a silver watch hanging off a fob chain. "Mother will be home from Aunt's house soon and.. Well, you know." he finished lamely.

Ginny's smile faded. "I understand. We'll see you tomorrow though, right?"she said with false brightness.

"Of course. Someone has to make sure Potter doesn't make a spectacle of himself and that, I believe, is my job." he commented dryly. "I'll be here first thing in the morning, don't worry okay? Granger, it was nice catching up with you. Enjoy your evening, ladies." And with that, he walked off the porch to the property line and promptly Disapparated.

What was that about? Hermione asked herself.

"So, shall we head off then?"