Kiss Me Freely (Book 2)

Chapter 27 : Epilogue

Epilogue

"Line by line, moment by moment, special times are etched into our memories, in the permanent ink of everlasting love in our relationships." – Gloria Gaither

One year later…

"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, oh gods."

She paced back and forth, wringing her fingers uncomfortably, staring at the empty space in front of her feet as she tried to catch her breath.

"Oh gods, oh gods, oh sweet Merlin, oh…"

"Can you bloody well stop that?"

Her head swung up, facing the annoyed face of Ginny Weasley. The redhead was standing nearby, one hip cocked, face contorted into an expression of frustration. In the background, Luna hummed and swirled on the spot, enjoying the way her light purple chiffon dressed flowed as she moved.

"Sorry Ginny," Hermione mumbled, looking down at her feet. "I'm just so nervous."

"Well, of course," the redhead scoffed, moving forward to fix a curl framing Hermione's face. "It's not every day that you marry a Malfoy."

"What if I fall? I'm not used to these heels. What if I mess up our vows? Or if my veil gets stuck? What if…?"

"Hey!" Ginny squeezed Hermione's face between her hands, forcing her friend to look at her. "Look, it's fine if you trip, it's fine if you mess up your vows, and if your veil gets stuck, he'll probably just toss it to the ground anyway. I'm willing to bet that Malfoy has seen you much more worse for wear. He is marrying you because he loves you, not because you'll walk perfectly straight down that aisle."

"But I'm…I'm so…"

"Scared?"

Both girls looked over to Luna, who continued to play with the chiffon. "It's normal to be scared, Hermione, you're doing something huge, something important. You're marrying the man you love. Of course you'll be scared, it's a big change, but it's a beautiful change, isn't it?" She looked up, the dress and her curled hair making her look like a woodland fairy. "You love him, right?"

Hermione nodded, feeling tears welling up.

"And, of course, he loves you."

"Y...yeah…"

"Then," Luna twirled with a smile, "it's no problem. You're marrying the man you love, yes, it's scary, yes it's a big change, but it's a wonderful change and you won't regret it. He will do anything to be with you and protect you, remember that. He loves you with all of his heart and soul, and I know you love him just as much." Her smile broadened and Hermione felt tears slide down her cheeks. "Today is just proof of your love; you're telling the whole world how much he means to you, and you won't take no for an answer."

Hermione choked and nodded, unable to stop the tears from flowing. Oh Merlin, how she loved Draco. He was her everything, meant the whole world to her, and today, she was going to marry him. She couldn't wait, she wanted to run down the aisle and jump right to the kiss, but at the same time she was scared that she would do something to mess it up.

But Ginny was right, he wouldn't care if she tripped or fumbled, all that mattered was that she said yes.

Breathing deeply, she wiped at her cheeks and Ginny called to Molly to help fix Hermione's smudged make up.