A Rake, A Spinster, And An Arrangement

Chapter 22 : A Wedding Is A Happy Affair (Ep 5)

Watching Hermione enter the chapel was the most agonizingly breathtaking moment of his entire life. He never would have thought that he would reach such a point, that he was allowed to have a wife, to have a future, to have happiness... Nothing about the past few months had gone to plan, but his father was dead, he was free of unrealistic expectations, and he had a woman that loved him so much she would forsake a fortune to be with him.

Hermione had chosen him, had placed her trust in him, her heart, her future... she had given it all to him, even when he had pushed her away... He was wholly undeserving of her love and affection, and yet, he still had it.

She loved him. She loved him even though he had shoved her away, and he...

He could do nothing but stare at her, his jaw dropped, as she approached on Harry's arm.

It was still processing in his mind, the truth of her birth, of her parentage, of her childhood, but... it changed nothing for him. Whether she was Miss Potter, Lady Black, or a bastard Granger, he didn't care. He didn't care about any of it. She was still his Hermione with the giant curls and large smile and brown eyes and he... He was besotted with her.

And now, she was approaching him, ready and eager to take his hand, ready to become his wife.

His heart was racing in his chest, and he had to remind himself to breathe, lest he pass out.

"No way this goes forward," he overheard Theo, who was sitting in the front row with Blaise. "He's going to pass out, hit his head, and we'll have to ring for a doctor."

He wanted to hiss at them both for speaking while Hermione was arriving, but the comment made him want to prove Theodore wrong, so he took another deep breath.

And smiled. He smiled back at her as she approached, her eyes wide and glistening, and he...

He might cry. Damn it all, he might actually cry.

Hermione reached his side, and Harry gave him a nod before going to join his wife, who was sitting opposite Theodore and Blaise. Most of the Weasley clan were also in attendance, along with Pansy curiously sitting on Hermione's side.

Behind Theo and Blaise was his Aunt. No one else.

With Hermione at his side, and the Archbishop beginning to speak, Draco knew he should pay attention, but...

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her, watched the way she looked towards him out of the corner of her eye. She was smiling, tiny, as though she was fighting to keep it down, and he smiled back, unable to help himself.

They could not even greet one another, nor was he properly allowed to touch her, but oh, how he wanted to. Oh, how he wanted to kiss the back of her gloved hand, how he wanted to breathe in the scent of her hair, how he wanted to draw her body closer to his...

The Archbishop cleared his throat, and Draco realized that the prayer had been said, the announcement made, and now, it was time for them to exchange rings. He knew that the ceremony would be short, could remember Pansy's from the year before, but so fast? How had it gone so...

He turned to look at her, at his Hermione, and was suddenly struck by the realization of how beautiful she was. Before, he had only been able to see her smile, her happiness, her joy, but now that he looked at her, truly looked at her, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her hair was down, the curls tamed, and he wondered what she had done to have each curl in a certain pattern, no longer a mess over her shoulders. Her cheeks were colored a slight red, her lips as well, and she smelled lovely, divine.