A/N: So here we are at the final chapter. Thank you to Mamacita for being my beta and thank you to everyone who has read the story this far. I really hope you enjoyed it. Dx

Hermione paced the room anxiously. She hated not being in charge and it was making her fretful. She knew she was supposed to be having a long, luxurious, and relaxing bath before getting ready for the ceremony, but instead she was stalking the room, unable to do anything but worry about what was going on downstairs. The stupid thing was that it wasn't even as if she didn't trust the people organising the wedding. Logically she knew Draco, Maia, Rose, Ginny, and Mrs Weasley and everyone else roped into helping were more than capable of ensuring everything ran smoothly, even with Harry and Ron helping — although god only knew what those two were bringing to the celebration. But she couldn't stop the panic that came from having no idea what she was going to find when she finally went downstairs . . . and having no control over what was happening.

Knowing Hermione could be a bit of a control freak, and aware that this would cause headaches and stress for everyone — not least him and his beautiful fiancée — Draco had refused to allow her to have anything to do with organising the wedding except for choosing her dress. Everything else had been completely co-ordinated by Draco's band of helpers, with him overseeing the project. He had even gone so far as to move Hermione into a different bedroom, one not overlooking the garden where the wedding was to take place, and had steadfastly refused to divulge any details of what was planned, nor had anyone else given her a hint. It seemed to Hermione that everyone she knew had been sworn to secrecy by Draco, and she found it incredibly frustrating.

She had tried in vain to learn what the colour scheme was going to be so she could get the right dress, as she had no intention of dressing in the traditional white, cream, or ivory, feeling that as a mother of three it seemed a bit silly and anyway she was too old for those colours. But even that was forbidden to her, the only concession being a delegation of women who knew of the wedding plans accompanying her to Madam Malkin's shop, which had apparently already been provided with all the required details on colours and such-like. She had spent almost two hours at the shop trying on dress after dress which had been considered and critiqued by those who accompanied her, until finally the "perfect" dress had been found. Hermione had gone back to Malfoy Manor knowing the dress would look beautiful, but still no nearer to knowing what the colour would be, although she knew it wasn't going to be the white one she had tried on. Nor did she know what accessories she would be wearing with it, as none had been provided or tried on during the shopping session. Madam Malkin and her assistant were due to arrive at eleven o'clock, which was when she would finally discover what Draco had planned. As the time ticked closer, the more anxious she got.

There was a knock on the door and Hermione jumped. Chiding herself for being so nervy, she walked rapidly to the door and opened it. Standing outside was Rose, wearing her dressing gown and carrying a tray containing breakfast. Hermione realised that she was a little disappointed. She had been hoping her daughter would have already been dressed in her bridesmaid outfit, as that would tell her what the colour scheme was. She just hoped it wasn't, as she half-suspected, going to be the green, silver, and black of Slytherin.

'Draco asked me to bring you this. He thought you'd probably need something to settle your nerves. There's a glass of Bucks Fizz as well as tea, and a soft-boiled egg and marmite toasty soldiers.' Rose stopped and looked at her mother. 'I thought you were supposed to be relaxing in the bath. Madam Malkin is due soon, isn't she?'

Hermione took the tray from Rose and went to sit on the bed. She hadn't felt hungry all morning, the tension knotting in her stomach making her feel sick rather than anything else; but seeing and smelling the marmite toast made her stomach rumble. The Bucks Fizz was a nice touch, too. Rose closed the door and came to join her mother on the bed.

'I can't relax until I know what the colour scheme is,' Hermione admitted as she dipped one of the soldiers into the runny bright yellow yolk of the egg. 'It's driving me mad not knowing.'

Rose gave her an infuriating smile. 'You don't need to worry, Mum. Draco's done a really good job. It looks brilliant down there.' She looked at Hermione for a moment as she continued to eat. 'Even Hugo's happy, and you know what a pain-in-the-arse he is these days.'

Hermione gave Rose a reproachful look, knowing that she should berate her daughter for her comment about Hugo but understanding it entirely.

'Surely you could tell me now, couldn't you?' she wheedled. 'I mean, it's too late for me to change it if it's wrong.'

Rose gave her that smile again. 'I'm not telling you — it's a surprise. You'll have to wait until Madam Malkin arrives. But you're going to love it, Mum. I promise. You won't want to change a thing. You'd better hurry up and eat, though, or you're not going to have time for a bath before she arrives.'

Hermione spooned the last of the egg from the shell and then put the tray aside and picked up the teacup. She took a large mouthful of tea.

'What's the time, anyway?' She looked around at the clock on the bedside table and realised it was quarter to eleven. 'I suppose I should go and have a bath,' she conceded. 'I don't suppose Madam Malkin would be very impressed with me if I were all smelly and unwashed when she turned up.'

Rose wrinkled her nose but then laughed. 'You don't smell, actually. But I think it's best for everyone if you do have a bath.' She stood up and moved out of Hermione's reach as her mother tried to slap her. 'I'm off to get ready, too. I'll see you downstairs. Unless you want me to come back when you've got dressed?'

Hermione got up, too. She nodded. 'I want to see what you look like before you go downstairs — and you can check to make sure I look all right, too. The last thing I need is for the dress to be wrong.'

Rose moved to give Hermione a hug. 'You're worrying over nothing,' she said soothingly. 'The dress looks fantastic on you regardless of colour and you're going to love it. Go and have a bath and I'll see you once I'm dressed. I'll bring you another glass of Bucks Fizz if you want.'

'That would be nice,' Hermione said with a smile, releasing her daughter, 'although maybe just the champagne this time.'

As Rose left the room, Hermione made her way into the bathroom. She wasn't going to have time for the relaxing bath; she had left it far too late for that. Instead she set to work brushing her teeth, taking her time as she always did. This was relaxing enough for her. She peered at herself in the mirror. She didn't look too shabby, considering her age. She sighed as she looked at her hair. She had no idea what to do with it. Until Madam Malkin turned up she wouldn't know whether she was wearing a veil or whether her hair needed to be braided. She couldn't even do her makeup until she knew what colour she was wearing. She turned on the shower and stepped into it, soaping herself down with her favourite scented shower gel before washing and conditioning her hair. Five minutes later she was back in the bedroom, wearing a fluffy white bathrobe, her hair wrapped up in a towel, hopefully keeping it from doing anything too dreadful.

Nervous butterflies replaced the rock of tension in her stomach as there was a knock on the door. For a moment Hermione felt faint, but she walked to the door and opened it, smiling widely at Madam Malkin, who was dressed in a bright purple robe, and the two young assistants, both dressed in black, that she had brought with her. Hermione moved back to allow them into the room, watching with fascination as dress bags and boxes were carried over the threshold.

'Good morning, my dear,' Madam Malkin said brightly, a genuine and open smile on her face. 'I bet you're excited to see your dress, aren't you?'

Hermione suddenly found that for some strange reason she didn't seem to be able to talk, so she nodded vigorously to show her interest.

'It really is beautiful,' Madam Malkin gushed as she bustled around laying out the bags and boxes, the assistants carefully making sure they stayed out of her way. Hermione watched her. 'Mr Malfoy has a very fine eye for detail and colour. It's just divine . . . and of course the style you chose is simply exquisite.' Once she finished, Madam Malkin turned to Hermione once more and passed her a box. 'So, first things first, my dear: here's your underwear. I understand from Mr Malfoy that this is somewhat significant. We'll just wait out here while you go and pop it on.'

Hermione carried the box into the bathroom and looked at it closely. It very much resembled the box the underwear had come in that Draco had bought her before their relationship had started. Untying the black velvet bow she pulled off the lid and peeled back the layers of white tissue paper, eager to see what lay within. Surely this would give her a clue as to the colour scheme of the wedding. But a moment later her heart had sunk a little as the green, black, and silver underwear was revealed. Draco had chosen Slytherin colours after all. She pulled the garments from the box and examined them. Although the bra and knickers were similar to the ones Draco had bought her before, the quality of these items was far better and Hermione knew instinctively that they had cost a lot more. In addition, there was a suspender belt and the sheerest, softest flesh-coloured stockings Hermione had ever seen, along with a garter belt, which she just knew he had included to give him a thrill. Rapidly she changed into the underwear, her heart beating faster now as she waited to see what her dress looked like. She just hoped it wasn't too dark or it would make her skin look sallow. Returning to the bedroom, Hermione was greeted by the ever-effusive Madam Malkin, who cooed over the exquisite underwear.

'Now, how do you want to play this?' the woman asked, pointing to the dress bag which covered the whole length of the bed. 'Do you want me to show you the dress before you put it on, or do you want to close your eyes and wait until you're wearing it, to see the full effect? The choice is yours, my dear.'

Hermione debated for a moment. Part of her really wanted to see the dress to see just how bad it was, but part of her wanted to wait and be surprised. Perhaps it would look better on.

'I'll wait until it's on,' she told the expectant Madam Malkin.

'That's the spirit, dear,' the dressmaker said. 'Now just close your eyes and let us guide you.' She clapped her hands with delight and began issuing orders to her assistants.

Hermione closed her eyes and waited, hearing the rustle as the dress was pulled from the bag. Then Madam Malkin began to give her instructions. Hermione put her arms over her head and stood exactly as she had been told, enjoying the feeling of the cool, silky material as it slid over her body. She dropped her arms as someone, she assumed one of the assistants, began to lace up the dress, pulling the ties tight at her back. A couple of times she had the urge to peek, but having decided to wait she forced herself to keep her eyes closed.

There was a knock on the door and the other assistant was despatched to open it. Hermione recognised the visitor as her daughter by the sound of her voice. Her eyes almost opened then so she could see what colour dress she was wearing, but still she somehow managed to keep them shut.

'I've brought you some champagne,' Rose told her as she joined her. 'I'll put it on the bedside table for when you've finished getting dressed.' She moved away, then a moment later added, 'That looks really stunning, Mum.'

Just when Hermione began to think they would never finish lacing her in, Madam Malkin took hold of her arm and led her across the room to where she knew the mirror stood. A moment later she felt the towel being removed from her head.

'You can open your eyes now, dear,' Madam Malkin said.

Hermione opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the mirror covered with a dark cloth. Automatically her eyes lowered to look at the dress, but as she did so one of the assistants whipped the material from the mirror and she caught sight of her reflection in the glass and froze, absolutely entranced by what she saw.

The dress, which had several well-cut swags designed to hide those areas she had never felt comfortable with, fitted like a glove and gave her, she had to admit with some admiration, an amazing figure. The material of the dress was soft and silky and coloured not as she had expected in Slytherin colours, but in a soft and incredibly flattering shade of gold; and on top of the satin was a gauzy material in a similar shade that made the dress shimmer. With an appreciative gasp Hermione moved closer to the mirror to get a better look at herself. The dress was perfect, and such a beautiful colour. Suddenly her mind was whirling with possible colour schemes. She turned to look at the back of the gown in the mirror and then she knew what colour scheme Draco had chosen. Her eyes filled with tears at what he had done for her. A panel in the back of her skirt, underneath the gauzy shimmering fabric, was a deep claret red — the colours of Gryffindor.

'You look beautiful, Mum,' Rose said sincerely, coming to stand at her mother's side.

Hermione looked at her daughter in the mirror, too. She was wearing a satin halter-necked dress in the same shade as the panel in Hermione's gown. The skirt flared slightly, pulled out by petticoats.

'Didn't Draco do a fantastic job?' Rose said enthusiastically. 'You should see it down there, Mum. It looks lovely. He's worked really hard to get it just right.'

Hermione nodded, still unable to speak for the moment. She wiped her eyes, brushing away the tears.

'This is for you,' Rose said, handing her mother a package. 'Draco asked me to give it to you. It goes with this.' She waved a black box she was still holding.

Hermione grinned stupidly as she looked at the beautifully wrapped box. The paper was heavy and gold, similar to her dress, and there was a gold and green lamé ribbon tied around it with a string of green crystals threaded through it. She moved towards the bed and sat down. Slowly she opened the wrapping paper, her hands shaking. After staring at the box for a few seconds, she opened the lid. Nestled inside on a bed of black velvet were a bracelet and earrings that perfectly matched the ruby necklace Draco had bought her for Christmas. This time Hermione couldn't stop the tears from flowing, she was so overwhelmed both by Draco's generosity and his thoughtfulness. Even the underwear made sense now. It was a nod to their early days, to the first day they had spent together, and it was completely perfect.

'Are you okay, Mum?' Rose asked worriedly. She joined her mother on the bed where she still held the box containing the necklace. Rose pulled a tissue from a box on the bedside table and handed it to Hermione.

Hermione dabbed at her eyes. 'I'm fine, love,' she said with a smile. 'Just a little overwhelmed by what Draco's done.'

'He really loves you,' Rose said. 'I mean, we all knew he did, but what he's done for the wedding is just astounding.' She picked up the glass of champagne and passed it to Hermione. 'Perhaps you need some of this to calm you down.'

Hermione took the glass and had a sip.

'So what am I supposed to do with my hair?' she asked Madam Malkin. 'Have I got a veil or should I be doing something with it?'

Madam Malkin smiled and gestured to one of her assistants. The girl rushed to her side and handed her a box. Madam Malkin lifted the lid and showed the contents to Hermione.

'You have two choices. There is this tiara—' she lifted an exquisite ruby tiara from the box — 'or you can style your hair and thread strings of rubies through it, if you prefer.'

Hermione took the tiara and looked at it closely, thinking about how she would style her hair if she wore it. She stood up again and placed it on her head, looking at herself critically in the mirror. It was beautiful, but she wasn't sure it was what she wanted. She pulled it from her head and handed it back to Madam Malkin.

'I think I'll go with the crystals,' she said.

Madam Malkin smiled approvingly and handed her the box. 'We'll just get the rest of your things ready while you do your hair and makeup,' she said.

Thirty minutes later Hermione left the bedroom, accompanied by Rose. Her hair had been styled into an elegant chignon, strands of rubies threaded through it. On her feet were sandals of the same claret red and she was now wearing the jewellery, which she was delighted to find complemented the dress perfectly.

'I'll go first and let everyone know you're coming,' Rose told her. 'You need to make a grand entrance.'

Hermione kissed her daughter on the cheek and then released her and stood waiting on the landing for the signal to move. She could hear the sound of a lot of people downstairs and for a moment her heart fluttered at the idea of being centre of attention, even if she did know them all.

A moment later Rose's head appeared around the corner. 'Okay, you can come down now, Mum.' She grinned and disappeared again.

Hermione took a deep breath and moved to the top of the stairs, looking down in astonishment at the crowd below her. The stairs and the whole of the entrance hall was festooned with garlands of gold with large claret tea roses worked into the swags. The doors to the drawing room were open, showing that that room, too, had been decorated in a similar style with the addition of huge vases of Gryffindor-inspired roses on either side of the French windows that opened out onto the lawn.

She walked down the stairs, trying not to feel self-conscious as the assembled guests looked up at her. She looked around and spotted Rose standing with Scorpius and Hugo, both of whom were looking very handsome dressed in dark claret suits of a similar shade to Rose's dress with brocade waistcoats of gold poking from beneath the open jackets. Rose was holding on to Clio, who was dressed in a gown the same colour as Hermione's, the shimmery material once again making an appearance.

Hermione smiled at the guests as she made her way through the drawing room and looked out through the French windows and into the garden. The Gryffindor theme was out there, too. The chairs had been laid out on the lawn and were gold-framed with cushions and seat backs of claret velvet, with still more displays of roses in impressive gold urns. In front of the chairs was a gold lattice-work structure covered with more of the large claret and gold roses, and in front of that was a large marquee containing, Hermione was sure, even more Gryffindor-styled decor. Hermione could see Draco standing there already, tall and handsome in a suit the same colour as those worn by the boys. His best friend, Blaise Zabini, stood next to him dressed in a similar style.

Hermione looked around with pleasure, watching as the guests filed into the garden and began to take their seats. And then coming towards her was her father, also in the claret and gold combination, and she could feel tears in her eyes once more. She felt someone touch her hand and realised it was Rose. She was holding Hermione's bouquet and a tissue. Hermione took both of them from her with a smile.

'Thanks, love,' she whispered as she dabbed at her eyes with the tissue, trying not to dislodge her makeup, then looked once again at the garden where the seats were now full. This was it — the wedding was about to start.

'You look really great, Mum,' Hugo announced with a smile. He and Scorpius had just joined the wedding party. Scorpius nodded his agreement before moving to stand with Rose, holding her hand as they waited.

'We're going first,' Hugo told her, indicating Scorpius, 'then Rose will follow and then you and Granddad will come last. We were going to include Clio, but she's been a bit whiney this morning, so Granny Weasley's holding her.'

Scorpius smiled at Hermione. 'My father is so excited about this. I've never seen him so animated about anything.'

'I'm excited, too . . . and a bit nervous,' Hermione admitted.

'It's going to be great,' Rose told her.

Hermione felt her father's hand in hers, squeezing gently, giving her reassurance. She took a deep breath.

'Okay, let's get this show on the road,' she said, eager now for the wedding to begin.

Scorpius released Rose's hand and made his way outside, Hugo following behind. A moment later Hermione heard music start up. Rose went into the garden, following the boys. Hermione looked at her father and gave a small, nervous smile.

'You look beautiful, pickle,' her father said, returning the smile before leaning forward to kiss her gently on the forehead. He squeezed her hand again. 'Draco's a lucky man . . . but I think he's well aware of that. Are you ready?'

Hermione nodded and the two of them exited the house through the French windows, following her children down the aisle between the chairs. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but for Hermione the guests were nothing but a sea of faces. The only person she could focus on now was Draco; the man who had given her life meaning again . . . had given her everything he had promised and more.

Scorpius and Hugo had reached the front now and they split to stand one each side of the trellis, like an honour guard. Rose, following after, stood next to Scorpius, watching as Hermione and her father walked slowly down the aisle. When Hermione drew level with the first row of chairs, Rose stepped forward to take her bouquet from her and then moved back, allowing her mother to continue to Draco's side. Hermione could feel herself blushing at the intensity of Draco's gaze, and as her father put her hand in Draco's and she looked into his eyes in return, seeing there the desire and love he had for her, she knew everything in her life was finally completely perfect.

'Beautiful!' Draco announced with a smile, his voice soft and melodic. Hermione gazed back at him, adoration shining in her eyes. 'And the necklace isn't bad, either.'

The tension broken, Hermione couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips as she squeezed Draco's hand. Then, as one, they turned to face the old wizard in the long blue robes who was waiting to conduct the service.