Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling (if I was I would be preparing for an actual book release as opposed to posting a fanfic chapter,) therefore, I do not own Harry Potter.
A/N: After a very long wait, I present to you the final chapter in the final instalment of the 'Serpent Fang' series. It is a bittersweet feeling to be done with it. I will definitely miss writing it, but I am happy in that I feel I have accomplished something by completing the entire series.
I know that everyone is excited and axiously awaiting the release of Deathly Hallows in 10 days, but I hope in the meantime you will enjoy reading this chapter. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed any of the chapters for my fics, you have no idea the confidence, inspiration and happiness reading your reviews provide me. So on that note, I present you with the final chapter of Serpent Fangs and Lion Strength. It has been a pleasure writing...
Chapter 17: I Vow to You
"Draco asked me to marry him."
As soon as Hermione had the words out of her mouth, Ginny squealed and hugged Hermione again. And then Ginny surprised everyone by throwing her arms around Draco; who unprepared for Ginny's attack, stumbled backwards with a shocked expression. He remained tense even after she let go and launched into a whirlwind of congratulations directed to both him and Hermione. Hermione covered her mouth to hide her giggles at how Draco reacted to Ginny's hug. She stepped to his side and put her arm around him to relax him. It worked, and after releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, he managed to calm down at least a little bit. The little Weasley was still blabbering away, but Draco wasn't listening. His attention was focused on the other two visitors, the ones he still could not seem to get along with, and who both looked stunned beyond belief and the announcement they had just heard.
"…and that ring is gorgeous! I don't think I've ever seen a stone quite like that, where on earth did you find it?"
Draco looked like he was going to answer, but at the last minute he shrugged and said, "around."
Hermione narrowed her eyes with curiosity and made a mental note to ask him a bout it later.
Ginny however, either didn't notice or didn't car, she had far too many questions to ask to be concerned about one vague answer from Malfoy. "So, Hermione how did he ask you? Was it romantic? Did you cry? What did you say? Come on! I need details!"
"Ginny!" Hermione reprimanded her friend while doing her best to suppress a blush which was fast spreading across her entire face, "we can talk later alright?"
"Hmph," Ginny slumped in disappointment, "fine, but when we do talk I want full details, got it?"
"Okay, I get it," Hermione smiled, "I won't leave anything out."
"You'd better not!" Ginny smiled.
Hermione then turned her attention to her two best friends, whose lack of reaction was making her nervous. "Guys?" she ventured tentatively, "please say something."
Ron couldn't seem to do anything more that stare at her in open-mouthed shock. Harry on the other hand, managed to close his mouth and blink back to reality. But still, all he could seem to say was "wow."
Hermione bit her lip, unsure of what her friends were thinking. Draco could feel her tensing up, so he gave her a comforting squeeze with the arm that was around her waist.
Luckily for everyone, Ginny was not so patient with the boys. "Oh get over it! This shouldn't be half as surprising as you two are acting like it is, seriously," she rolled her eyes. "After everything they've been through, you had to have known it was going to happen sometime!"
Hermione blushed and smiled and Ginny coming to their defense and supporting their engagement. Draco meanwhile smirked appreciatively, "I think I'm starting to like you little Weasley," he remarked.
Ginny rolled her eyes, "then why don't you try calling me by my name? It's Ginny in case you didn't know."
Draco pretended to consider the idea, "no, I think little Weasley will do."
Ginny laughed under her breath, "whatever Draco," but then she paused and wrinkled her nose, "that sounds so weird to say, mind if I stick with Malfoy?"
"Fine by me," agreed Draco.
Hermione laughed at the pair of them, but was thrilled nonetheless, at least one of her friends was getting along with Draco. The other two however were clearly going to need more time.
But perhaps not as much as Hermione thought; Harry stepped forward and glanced at the couple. He then smiled genuinely, "congratulations Hermione." He opened his arms to give her a big brotherly hug. He then turned to Draco, "Malfoy," he extended his hand, which Draco shook firmly, "take care of her."
Draco nodded.
"Because she deserves nothing but the best."
"That's exactly what I plan on giving her."
Hermione felt heart swell at the exchange, for once there was not a single trace of malice or sarcasm from either of them. She could hardly believe it. Now there was only one left; Hermione turned her attention to Ron, casting him a hopeful glance.
But Ron appeared to be lost in shock in a world all his own until Harry nudged him to get his attention. Ron cleared his throat, but still seemed completely baffled.
"Ron," said Ginny as if she was speaking to a two-year-old, "aren't you happy for Hermione and Malfoy?"
"Oh," Ron stuttered, "right, umm of course, congratulations."
Even though he didn't look entirely pleased with what he had just said, it was good enough for Hermione. She pulled him into a big hug, "thanks Ron!"
- - - - - - - - - -
In the following months, time seemed to fly by. With all the wedding plans and returning to Auror training, Hermione wished she had a time-turner again just so she could catch her breath. However, on this particular day, Hermione would not have turned back time for anything, because it was April 20th, the last day she would be calling herself Hermione Granger. She was thinking such thoughts as she lay with Draco in the garden at the manor watching the sun as it made its descent towards the horizon. She sighed with a rapturous smile on her face.
Draco turned his head and looked at her curiously, "what are you thinking about?"
"How by this time tomorrow, I'm going to be married. I still can't believe it."
Draco didn't say anything; instead he just turned his head and placed butterfly kisses on Hermione's cheek and neck causing Hermione to giggle. "I can't wait for our wedding," he whispered in her ear.
"Me either," she whispered back. But then her expression turned serious, "have you heard from your mother?"
Draco turned his head so that he was staring up at the sky, "no, I sent her an invitation, but she never responded."
Hermione turned so that she was lying on her side facing her fiancé; he was staring up at the sky, refusing to look her way. Hermione knew he wanted her to think that he didn't care about the lack of response from his mother, but she knew the truth. Behind his cool gray eyes was disappointment. Hermione stroked Draco's cheek to draw his attention to her. "I'm sorry."
Draco closed his eyes and shook his head, "it's no big deal, I'm fine."
"But it is a big deal! Her son, her only child his getting married, she should be there to celebrate your happiness!"
Draco sat up and held Hermione's hand, "but she wouldn't celebrate; we both know that. And I would much rather she not be there to ruin our special day."
Hermione sighed sadly, "you're right," she conceded. "But I just wish that she could be happy for you, I know she means a lot to you."
"She does, but you mean more. And between the two of you, I'd much rather you be there and her."
Hermione smiled, "you don't have to worry for one moment about whether or not I'll be there," she kissed him.
"I know," Draco smiled before kissing her back.
Draco pushed himself up and eased forward so that Hermione was laying on the grass with him hovering over her. Draco pulled apart from her and simply gazed at her. He took in every inch of her face, the way he hair was splayed out on the grass in tangled curse, the way her chocolate brown eyes sparkled with golden flecks in the vanishing sunlight, her soft pink lips and perfect white teeth; to him nothing could be more beautiful.
"Please stop," Hermione's soft voice interrupted Draco's appraisal of her perfections; the little things which made her, her, that he now appreciated more than ever.
"What?" he thought for sure that he had heard her wrong, for he hadn't been doing anything other than looking.
"It's torture to be so close to you, to look at you without touching you right now," she explained before grabbing his head and pulling it down to hers.
Draco chuckled into her kiss and first, but then returned it full force; reveling in the gasps and moans coming from his fiancé's mouth.
It was only when the sun had fully set that Draco and Hermione stopped their little escapade to move indoors.
"I should be going anyway," Hermione said once they were back inside the manor.
"Just a little while longer," Draco argued, though he already knew what her response would be.
Hermione smiled at him, "we've been through this, you know that arguments won't work."
Draco grinned, "but they keep you here longer."
Hermione laughed, "yeah okay, well tonight it's not going to work."
Draco pouted.
"Because I plan on being well-rested for tomorrow," Hermione could barely contain her excitement.
Draco smirked and wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist, "I can't wait for tomorrow, after that we'll never have to say goodbye like this again.."
"That will be wonderful," Hermione hugged him back, "so think of it this way, the sooner I have, the sooner you can go to sleep, which will make tomorrow come faster."
"You and your damn logic," kidded Draco, as he began placing soft kisses on Hermione's neck.
Hermione almost gave into him; her hands were making their way around Draco's neck. But at the last moment, her brain kicked in and she pushed him away instead, "no no no, no more of that until tomorrow Mr. Malfoy."
Draco groaned and hugged her closer, "but tonight is the last night I will ever have the chance to kiss you Miss Granger."
Hermione giggled "true," she smiled up at her husband-to-be. "Alright, one more," she leaned in to kiss Draco slow and long.
Draco matched her passion and then some; he pulled her so close that not even air could get between them. He made sure it lasted until neither of them had any air left. When they finally did break apart both of their faces were flushed and they were gasping for air.
For several moments, until they caught their breath, they just stood their staring at each other, until Hermione finally broke the silence, "goodnight Draco."
"Until tomorrow," he smiled,
Hermione nodded, "until tomorrow."
"Sleep well then," he whispered.
"Dreaming of you," Hermione grinned girlishly before disapparating.
Once he was alone, Draco sighed and made his way back inside the manor. He was aware of the fact that he probably should have felt jittery or at least have more on his mind. But instead, he found that he couldn't recall a time that he had felt so relaxed and at peace with his life in general. It wasn't that he wasn't excited, he was, so much so that his heart began to pound at the mere thought of his upcoming wedding and his lovely bride. But besides that, he was completely calm, he had no worries about the following day, or about his future; and it felt good.
- - - - - - - - - -
Hermione apparated just outside the Burrow where she was meeting Ginny; the girls had planned a sleepover at Hermione's house, and Hermione wanted to make sure that Ginny got there alright. She knocked at the door and was greeted by a cheery Mrs. Weasley.
"Hermione dear, it's so nice to see you. Please come in, would you like something to eat, or some tea?"
"No thank you, I had dinner with Draco. Is Ginny ready?"
"Almost, she's gathering her things as we speak. Why don't you take a seat and I'll let her know you're here."
"Great, thank you." Hermione sat down in the Weasley's kitchen She used the brief time alone to reflect on all the feelings she was experiencing. She was almost surprised in a way to find that she was not the least bit scared or nervous. Considering how monumental of a step she was taking the following day, one would think that she would be feeling at least a little nervous. But instead she was filled with excitement and bliss; she had never felt so calm.
Her happiness must have shown on her face because when Mrs. Weasley returned, she remarked with a smile, "such a wonderful feeling to be young and in love."
Hermione smiled, "yes it is. I don't think I've ever been happier."
At that point, Ginny came bouncing into the room carrying an overnight bag on her shoulder, "hey Hermione! Sorry to make you wait."
No worries," assured Hermione," are you ready now?"
"Yup, let's get out of here! Bye Mum!"
"Have fun girls, and I'll see you tomorrow at the wedding!"
The girls waved goodbye to Mrs. Weasley and then went outside so they could apparate easier. Hermione took Ginny's hand and apparated them both directly into her room.
"So," said Ginny after she and Hermione had settled into their pajamas and were lounging around in Hermione's room, "are you really nervous?"
Hermione smiled and shook her head, "no, not at all. I thought I would be, and I'm surprised I'm not, but I just feel happy, like there's nothing for me to ever worry about again."
"Aww!" Ginny smiled, "I think that's how you know you're making the right decision."
"There has never been a doubt in my mind about that."
"You and Draco are going to be so happy together!" Ginny squealed. "Do you think he's nervous?"
"I doubt it, he rarely is. Besides, it's not like he's overtly emotional anyway, so it's hard to tell what he's feeling sometimes."
"True…can I see your dress again?"
"Ginny, you've seen it about a dozen times already!"
"I know, but it's so perfect and beautiful, just once more."
"Oh fine," Hermione pretended to be annoyed, but Ginny knew she wasn't. On the contrary, Hermione loved looking at her dress. She had even found herself waking up in the middle of the night over the past week just to look at it, or even try it on. She kept imagining how Draco would react when he saw it; thinking about it now caused her to grin uncontrollably.
"Malfoy won't know what to do with himself when he sees you wearing that tomorrow!" cried Ginny.
Hermione laughed, "well then it's lucky for him all he needs to do is stand there. I on the other hand…I just hope I don't trip and make a fool of myself in front of everyone."
"Hermione!" groaned Ginny, "don't be silly, you're going to trip, you're going to look beautiful and graceful and everything will be perfect. Trust me."
Hermione smiled, "okay, if you say so."
"I do, and besides, even if you do trip, I'm sure Malfoy would be right there to catch you before you even touched the ground."
"Ginny, that's so corny," Hermione rolled her eyes.
"It's still true. Now go to sleep, I want you well rested for tomorrow."
"Yes Mum," Hermione kidded.
An hour later, both Hermione and Ginny were lying in the darkness of Hermione's room. Hermione was lying with her eyes open, looking around her room on what would be the last night she would ever sleep in it. Again, as is had so many times since Draco proposed, the profoundness of what she was about to do the following day hit her and brought mass amounts of butterflies to her stomach. They tickled and excited her from the inside out so much that she nearly giggled aloud. For a moment she thought she had when she heard Ginny speak.
"Hey Hermione?"
"Yeah?"
"What's it like to be getting married?"
Hermione took a moment to reflect before she answered, "it's very surreal actually," she confessed. "Sometimes I have to stop and pinch myself just to prove it's all real. Just thinking about what my life is going to be like now makes me all giggly and excited."
"I can tell," smiled Ginny, "I can see you glowing from here. I'm glad you and Draco are so happy together."
"Me too," sighed Hermione. Thinking about Draco brought a smile to her face and caused her to completely relax, before she knew it she was fast asleep.
- - - - - - - - - -
The morning of April 21st went by as if time was moving at double speed. Before Hermione knew it, she was slipping on her wedding dress for what would be the final time. Her hair was already done in an elegant up do, small crystal pins which were interspersed throughout glittered in the light. The crystals had been Ginny's idea; the redhead had insisted that since there were small crystals all over Hermione's dress, the ones in her hair completed the look. Now as she saw her reflection in the mirror, Hermione had to admit that Ginny had been absolutely correct.
Mrs. Granger, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny bustled around the room getting themselves and everything else ready. Hermione however, was the utmost picture of calm, it almost seemed as though she was watching another girl's wedding,. It all just seemed too good to be real.
Hermione inhaled a deep breath as she surveyed her reflection. 'This is it,' she thought with a smile. In less than an hour she would be walking down the aisle, which would lead her to her new life married to Draco. Already this was feeling like the greatest day of her life and she hadn't even gotten to the really good part yet.
The room where Draco was preparing was notably less active than Hermione's room; for the sole reason that he was the only one in it. Draco, for his part, was actually more nervous that Hermione, not that anyone other than she would have been able to tell. It was really more anxiousness than nervousness anyway.
Where time was flying by for Hermione, it was standing still for Draco. In his mind, minutes turned to hours, and it seemed like an eternity before a knock on his door signaled that it was about time to begin. Draco opened the door to find his former headmaster on the other side, blue eyes twinkling even more so than usual.
"Draco," Dumbledore bowed his head with a smile.
"Albus," greeted Draco less formally than he usually would. But he was in an extremely good mood, which demanded to be expressed however slightly.
"It's time."
Draco nodded, "thank you." Draco then followed Dumbledore through the corridor to the open hall, which was perfectly set and decorated for an elegant, yet intimate wedding. 'Hermione's going to love this,' was Draco's first thought when he stepped into the hall and saw it all decorated just the way Hermione wanted it.
Because of the fact that they had opted for a small wedding, inviting only their closest friends and family, Draco had encouraged Hermione to go all out on the decorations for the ceremony and reception. At first she turned down his insistences saying that all she needed for the perfect wedding was for Draco to be there. However, Draco wanted her to have fun with it and make it as perfect as she could imagine, so after finding that his encouragement was not enough, he secretly enlisted Ginny's help. Sure enough, the little Weasley succeeded.
Ginny spent days with Hermione talking about all sorts of decorations, flowers, food, etc. so that by the time she was done Hermione had been sucked into the excitement and finally allowed herself to go all out. It was still rather modest compared to the functions Draco had grown up attending, however it was what Hermione wanted, so that made it spectacular.
Allowing a smile, Draco slowly made his way to his place at the front of the room. The hall was small, so nearly all the seats were filled. Hermione's mother set up front, along with Potter, Weasley and little Weasley; Draco and Hermione had agreed not to have a wedding party since Draco had no one for best man and he refused to invite Potter or Weasley to take the position. Hermione conceded and the only one who was disappointed was Ginny, though for all intents and purposes, she served the role of maid of honor anyway, just without the title. Also present were members of Hermione's family, some professors from Hogwarts and several members of the Order.
Draco scanned the crowd, forcing himself not to care that he really had no one there for him. Sure, he was civil to most of them now, but they were really all there for Hermione. But Hermione was there for him and that, he told himself, was all that mattered.
Draco was just beginning to get impatient with waiting and standing there alone in front of everyone when the music began. Everyone turned in their seats to look at the bride; everyone except one that was. It was actually this lack of movement that attracted Draco's attention and drew his eyes away from the doors that Hermione stood behind. Draco could not help but gasp when he spotted his mother sitting in the back of the hall staring directly at him. As he watched her, she raised a handkerchief to her eye and delicately dabbed away a tear. She sent Draco a small, yet genuine smile to which he beamed back. He watched her until a collective sigh drew his attention back to the doors at the end of the aisle.
What he saw caused his heart of pound in his chest. The doors had opened to reveal Hermione, looking radiant, standing beside her father. Draco was mesmerized as she began to glide towards him. Her pearl white dress was perfect, and tiny crystals made her entire body sparkle with every step she took. She was beaming back at Draco so brightly that he could have sworn she was glowing. Before he knew it, Hermione was hugging her father and stepping up beside Draco.
Draco could not take his eyes off her. As if from far away, he heard the Vow Bonder speaking, but he had no clue what was being said. He felt Hermione's hands slip into his and give them a light squeeze.
"Breathe," she whispered.
Draco hadn't even realized that he had been holding his breath the entire time Hermione had been walking down the aisle. He exhaled long and slow and gave Hermione's hands a thankful squeeze. She smiled secretly back at him and turned her attention to the Vow Bonder prompting Draco to do the same.
"Now," the Vow Bonder said, "I have been told that the couple has chosen to write their own vows. Hermione, if you please…"
Hermione nodded, turned to face Draco and took a deep breath. "When I was young my grandmother once told me; 'We choose those we like; with those we love, we have no say in the matter.' At the time I didn't understand it," Hermione smiled up at Draco, "now I know it is true. I don't think anyone in a million years could have predicted that we would be where we are today, sealing a bond, and a promise to be together forever; and I know that I never believed it possible for me to love someone as much as I love you. Even if I could, I would never change anything about our past because it brought us to what we have now. I cherish the love we have, and I can't wait to share it with you from this day on, I know we will have a wonderful future together. I love you Draco, and I am honored to be your wife."
For a moment after Hermione had finished her vow, Draco could not speak. From the front row, Hermione's mother let out a joyous sob. She shook her head and tried to wave attention away from her. Hermione smiled in an embarrassed way, but never took her eyes off Draco's. Draco meanwhile, was rather oblivious to Mrs. Granger; he was thinking of only what he had to say to Hermione. So with a deep breath, he began.
"Hermione, I don't think I will ever be able to adequately express just how thankful I am to you for everything you've done and everything you are, but I promise that I will do my best to show you every day from now on. You somehow believed in my when no one, including myself did. You did more than change my life; you gave me a chance to really live, and to be a different person. You've taught me so much, most importantly, how to love; and I love you more than anyone or anything else in this entire world. I am honored and blessed to pledge my entire self to you for the rest of my life, and I am certain that our future will be great because we will be together in it. I don't know what I would do without you, and I thank you for being there for me, and loving me like you do. You are my everything, and I am honored to become your husband."
By the end of Draco's vow, Mrs. Granger could no longer control her happy tears, and even Hermione seemed to be tearing up, though she was beaming bright as the sun at the same time.
"Wonderful," said the Vow Bonder. "Now please face me and place you left hands together."
Hermione and Draco did as they were told; they placed their palms together and turned towards the Vow Bonder.
The Vow Bonder took out his wand and began waving it in small circles in front of their hands causing gold and platinum threats to swirl through the air. "Friends and family, the vows that these two have shared demonstrate their love and commitment to one another. A commitment, which they vow to honor and cherish from this day forth, and through this ceremony, wish to share with all of you." At this point, the Vow Bonder stopped making circles with his wand and swished it upwards. The gold and platinum threads wound their way around Hermione and Draco's ring fingers, becoming the wedding bands, which would signify their marriage to the rest of the world.
Once the rings were set, Draco laced his fingers in between Hermione's, raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "These two are bound by love from this day on, " continued the Vow Bonder, "and now Draco, you may kiss the bride."
Draco's smile widened at those words, as he had been waiting for them throughout the entire ceremony. He released her hand, and slipped his arms around her waist as he leaned down to kiss her waiting lips. The kiss was long and full of passion, so much so that the newly married couple was entirely oblivious to the clapping and cheers from their friends and family. When they finally broke the kiss, Draco leaned forward and kissed Hermione's forehead, "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she answered as she took his hands into hers.
Hermione and Draco both beamed as they finally became aware of all the cheering going on around them. They turned to face their audience and Draco looped his arm around Hermione's waist, holding her close as they made their way down the aisle together. As soon as the doors had closed behind them, and they were alone, they both attacked each other with kisses as if they hadn't seen each other in years.
"I have been wanting to do that ever since I saw you standing at the end of the aisle," confessed Draco.
Hermione giggled and playfully slapped Draco's shoulder; "well I thank you for restraining yourself then."
"No problem," smiled Draco.
"What were you looking at anyway?"
'What do you mean?"
"When the doors opened, everyone was looking at me, but you were looking somewhere else, off to the side."
"Oh!" exclaimed Draco, "I was looking at my mother."
"She came?!" cried Hermione.
"Yeah."
"Are you, okay with that?" asked Hermione; unsure of what Draco was thinking. He had said that he didn't want his mother there, but Hermione had never believed him.
Draco nodded, "she smiled at me, I think she might be starting to accept the way I want to live my life."
"Draco that's wonderful!" Hermione threw her arms around Draco and kissed him again. For a while the two stood their holding each other, gazing at one another and every now and then kissing each other. Draco would have been content to remain alone with her in that room for the entire day, however Hermione, always the voice of reason spoke up. "So, it's probably about time to get to the reception, we don't want to keep everyone waiting."
"True, or Potter and Weasley will wonder what I've done with you."
Hermione rolled her eyes with a smile. Hand in hand, the newlyweds walked down the hall to where the Vow Bonder was standing outside a pair of double doors behind which everyone was already gathered for the reception. Before they opened the doors, Draco turned to his new wife, "so are you ready to begin our life together Mrs. Malfoy?"
Hermione giggled, it was going to take some time to get used to her new surname, but she definitely liked it. "Yes. Are you?"
"Absolutely. Let's go then," Draco gave a nod to the Vow Bonder.
The Vow Bonder nodded back and slipped inside the door, "ladies and gentleman if I could have your attention please."
The room went silent as everyone anxiously awaited the arrival of the newlyweds.
" I am now pleased present to you, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy."
Everyone cheered as the doors opened, revealing the newlywed couple Draco and Hermione Malfoy.
THE END
The quote that came from Hermione's grandmother, actually came fromMignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960
A/N: Again, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I would love to hear your thoughts in a review, and everyone who writes a review will recieve a delighted responce. I also hope that everyone enjoys reading Deathly Hallows, I know I can't wait. If anyone would like to talk about the book or theories or whatever, I'm always happy to discuss ;)
Finally, one last thing before I go, let's all hope that our favorite Slytherin bad boy, and the hero of all my fanfics, makes it out alive, otherwise it will be really difficult to continue writing D/Hr fics! GOOD LUCK DRACO! (Of course I also want Hermione to survive, but I'm not half as concerned for her life as I am for Draco's at this point...)
Anyway, good bye for now, and just in case anyone's wondering, I have one more fic that I already started but put on hold for this fic. I will be continuing that one after the release of Deathly Hallows, just in case you're interested.
Thank you everyone for your support criticisms and encouragement, it means a lot to me.
slytherin-kittycat