Is Love Blind?

Chapter 18- No Going Back Now.

Molly Weasley was adamant that no time was to be wasted, in regards to planning Charlie and Katie's wedding. In turn, no effort was spared to achieve perfection for their big day, exactly two weeks after their engagement. Molly and Fleur made an unstoppable pair when it came to wedding arrangements, so much so that Katie hardly had to lift a finger. 

Hermione wasn't sure whether her friend was relieved, to not have to go to all the stress of planning a wedding ceremony in only fourteen days, or slightly disappointed that it was all rather "make shift." Katie had confided in Hermione that, like most girls, she had dreams about what her wedding day would look like - it certainly wasn't a rushed ceremony in the orchard that lay behind The Burrow. The Ministry of Magic was ultimately responsible for ruining every young girl's chance of having a perfect wedding. The declaration of that thrice-damned marriage law practically ensured disappointment.

The ceremony and reception that Molly and Fleur had arranged was all rather generic. It was beautiful, Hermione thought, but lacked all of the tiny details that made a wedding day personal. Katie was inclined to agree. The girls had agreed beforehand that the day was to be what they made of it. 

Hermione had stayed at The Burrow the night before, arranging a small surprise hen party for the bride-to-be to keep her from getting distracted by wedding day jitters. She, Katie, Ginny, Lavender and Angelina had commandeered the living room for the evening. Hermione had bought them all matching pyjamas to wear as they painted each other's nails and played child-ish games. It had been far too short notice to arrange an actual hen-do, but they still had fun. Champagne (and sparkling grape-juice for Ginny) had run freely, as had the gossip. Hermione's new engagement with Severus had been a hot-topic of conversation. 

Announcing their engagement had taken an impressive amount of courage on Hermione's behalf. It had certainly been easier breaking the news to some rather than others. Katie, as always, had been kind and supportive of their relationship. She had urged Hermione to invite Severus to the wedding so that her friends could get to know him better. Harry and Ginny had both exclaimed their happiness, and had offered to help plan their wedding. Ron had not been so understanding. He had stormed off in a huff, muttering something completely nonsensical about Hermione choosing a snake over him. She simply brushed it off. Telling Molly and Arthur had been the hardest. They still wouldn't quite look her in the eye. 

Hermione supposed that it was hard for them to understand how, a man who once belonged to the same organisation that had killed their son, could be innocent. That being said George, whose ear had been severed by Severus, had cheered loudly and enveloped Hermione in a warm hug upon hearing the news. 

There was no going back now. She certainly wouldn't change her decision to marry, just because of a few nay-sayers. 

The sun was barely peaking out from under the curtains, when Molly and Fleur came bustling into the living room, on the morning of the wedding. The girls hardly lifted their aching heads, from where they were camped out, haphazardly on the couches. Hermione groaned loudly, feeling rather delicate. Just how much did they drink last night? 

"Wake up ladies, it's wedding day!" Molly called out excitedly, wrenching open the curtains and letting the early morning light shine through.

Someone, it sounded like Angelina, mumbled. "Whattimeisit?"

 "Too bloody early." Came a quiet reply. Ginny? Hermione didn't know. She was having a hard time opening her eyes. 

She didn't exactly recall falling back to sleep, but it was the only reasonable explanation. The next time Hermione awoke, a plate of sausage, eggs and toast was being thrust in front of her by Molly. The other girls were sat up, shovelling forkfuls of the greasy food into their mouths. Hermione looked back down at the plate unenthusiastically. If she ate, she wondered how quickly the food would resurface.