A Flower in the Rain

2

On Saturday morning Ginny came into my room very early, jumping around like a bunny on drugs. "I'm getting married today! I am getting married today! Hermione wake up, we have to get ready. I am getting married today!" She shouted excitedly into my ear and then pulled me out of bed. "Ginny! Calm down. Honestly." I yawned, rubbing my hurting hip. "But I am getting married today. We neeeeeed to get ready!" She pleaded and helped me get up from the floor. "So first of all, we're going to go to the wedding site and have one last look at everything. Then we're going to change and do our hair and make-up and..." "Ginny! Does this mouth of yours ever stop speaking?" I unterrupted her. "Oh no! I have my bridesmaid dress still at Ron's apartment! I can't go there now. What am I going to do?" Ginny grinned, opened the closet and pulled a dress out. "I went back to your place yesterday, I packed for you, therefore I knew you didn't have the dress here. That would have been stupid too, really. It would have gotten all wrinkly in your bag on the way. So I went to Ron's place and got it for you. So nothing that keeps us from having a great day. Come on!" She urged me. We apparated to the wedding site and went to wedding tent, where Luna Lovegood was already waiting for us. "Oh hello. I came here early, checking for Nargles. I was afraid maybe they'd steal something on your important day. That would be very bad." I snorted but bit back my comment. "Well, let's start then, your mother should be here in a bit. So I guess we'll just have a last check-up on everything and then we will get you ready for your big day." We checked all the decorations and recounted the chairs for the what must be thousandth time. The same tent that had been erected for Bill's and Fleur's wedding had been put up and decorated to Ginny's liking in front of the burrow again. Molly came out floating some plates and glasses onto the tables, and when she saw us, she came running to us. Teddy Lupin, who had moved in with the Weasley's after Andromeda Tonks died, followed right behind her, grinning widely. "Ginny dear. How are you? Are you excited? Oh my baby is growing up!" she squeaked and accompanied us inside to the living room, where Ginny's dress hung in the corner and Molly had prepared a great amount of things to make Ginny look outstanding.

I changed into my bridesmaid dress barely half an hour before the wedding was supposed to start, and Ginny sent me outside together with Luna to find her dad. We found him in the wedding tent talking to Harry and somebody I had never expected to see here, least of all talking to Harry and Arthur Weasley in a civil manner. Luna seemed to have noticed too, because she poked my side and pointed at him "Isn't that Draco Malfoy talking to Harry and Mr. Weasley?"

It was very weird, standing here at Ginny's and Harry's wedding, with Draco Malfoy as the best man. But Ginny had been right. Ron's face was worth a million galleons at least, when he saw who he had been replaced with. To say he was furious was an understatement, and I noticed quite happily, that Ron was the first to leave, directly after the ceremony. But that happy feeling didn't last very long, and soon was replaced by a hint of guilt, not for Ron, but for Harry, who had just made his long-time best friend leave his own wedding, and who had made his enemy from his school days be his best man, just so that I didn't have to put up with Ron.

"Hermione! I need to talk to you, please." A soft, sad voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned around to see Malfoy standing behind me. "Can we go somewhere quiet, please." He asked as I gave a weak nod. We went outside the tent a little ways away from the burrow so that the music could only be heard very quiet. "I would like to apologize to you, for what I have done during our time at school. I have misbehaved a lot and didn't see what was right and wrong when I was young. And when I got older I was too scared to change my ways. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I just need you to know." he said. "Well... thank you Draco. I guess I will expect your apology, but this is not something I can just forget, you know? But I guess you're lucky, I am willing to be civil with you, under one condition. Tell me, how on earth did you end up as Harry's best man?" I blurted out and gave a deep laugh. "Well if that's the only condition. I met Harry on Thursday morning at the ministry. I apologized to him as well and just as I wanted to leave he asked me to be his best man, he also explained about what happened. I'm really sorry." He said. "Don't pretend." My mood got very bad suddenly. "No, actually I really am, but that was not even what I meant. I actually apologized for bringing this up now. It was quite tactless. Do you want me to bring you back to the tent? I think maybe I'll leave soon, since I wasn't actually invited." He started to walk me back to the wedding. "No stay. You're Harry's best man. You can't just leave now. I'm sure Harry won't mind. I think he has forgiven you already; otherwise he wouldn't have made you best man. He's not that self-destructive. You should really come." I said, showing him, that it was not only Harry, who had forgiven him, but also me. "Are you saying this because you have forgiven me, or because you are grateful for me getting rid of Ron?" "Well, I guess I have forgiven you because you got rid of Ron." I laughed.