Miracle

I prayed for a miracle. I prayed only for happiness. I never dreamed that the happiness I yearned for would come in the form it did. Honestly, who would have expected that I, the epitome of the perfect Gryffindor (well, except for maybe Harry), would end up with him, the Slytherin prince? Er...Don't answer that.

I guess you could say that this all started after Harry and I broke up. I never really knew what happened; he just owled me one day over the summer and told me it was over. Who knows what was going on with him- I certainly never found out. However, for the sake of Ron and the whole "Dream Team" image we had to keep, we figured it would be best to remain friends. Things were pretty much always strained after that.

After our break-up, Harry became quite the ladies man. He flirted around a while, constantly sending me mixed signals, and then he started dating around. I basically moped around a little, and eventually tried for the attention of boys, but no one wanted bushy-haired, bookworm me. I grew closer and closer to Ginny, and pretty soon you could even say that we were almost best friends. I never really got over Harry; I just sorta learned to suck it up and, well, you know, "move on."

Moving on isn't exactly what I'd call it. I was stuck in a rut. When I finally found out (after everyone else, too) that Harry had broken up with Lavender (his most recent conquest) and was now with Ginny, I was crushed. She was supposed to be my friend, and she broke two of the three friend rules (you remember them, don't you? Don't date relatives, don't date exes, and don't date the one you know they like). It hurt. But there was nothing I could do, so I wished them happiness and retreated back into my hole.

When I found out about the two of them, I began my nightly routine of praying to the gods. "Please, just give me happiness. Let me move on and forget this whole episode," I would pray. That was all I really wanted- to be happy again. It got to the point that Parvati and Lavender even noticed my odd behavior.

I guess this all this brings me to Malfoy. Everyone knows how he taunted Harry, Ron, and me endlessly. He still likes to tease them, although nowadays it's all friendly banter. For the most part, at least. Even still, it was a long road before either one of us would even admit that the other was what we wanted.

So we were sitting in potions one day when Snape decided he'd be particularly nasty to us and partner myself up with Draco, Harry with Millicent, and Ron with Blaise. Merlin, that was an awful day; Draco had decided to be meaner-than-usual to me. After class, we got into another one of our rows; I ended up slapping him. As I turned to walk away, he grabbed my wrist only to spin me around, back me into a wall, effectively trapping my body with his, and kissed me. He then smirked and walked off, turning his head to wink. I was left there dazed and slightly dizzy.

He infuriated the hell out of me, he really did. Merlin knows I only returned the favor. I don't know exactly when things changed; we've always been able to get underneath the other's skin- it really wasn't anything sudden. We soon found ourselves walking that thin line where hate and love meet. We hated each other, really we did, but somewhere beneath it all was this insatiable attraction that caused us to lash out the way we did.

When we finally "came out" and told everyone that we were a couple, they were shocked, to say the very least. We had crossed into that hazy area between love and hate, between black and white, and between good and bad. His father probably would have caused trouble were it not for Voldemort's defeat at the end of sixth year. With the fall of Voldemort, all of the Death Eaters were caught and eventually given the death sentence. But I'm back-tracking. It took some time for it to sink in to our houses- especially Harry, Ron, and Pansy- that it was real. Things weren't all sugar-coated and perfect from then on, but there wasn't any more sneaking around and we didn't care about what anybody else thought.

I remember the day he proposed. It was just before the final battle. We were sitting out near the lake and he turned to me and pulled out this gorgeous ring- a silver band with a diamond set between two sparkling emeralds. He proceeded to tell me how his life was empty and cold before he had realized how much he loved me. That he had prayed (can you believe it? Draco Malfoy, praying?) every night to find the one thing that would make him happy- really and truly happy. Of course, I said yes.

Now I'm standing in the vestibule of the Malfoy family chapel. Awaiting me at the end of the aisle, Draco stands, grinning. The music starts, and as I begin my walk, my father at my side, Draco winks. I'm strongly reminded of that day he first kissed me. I reach him, and he takes his hands in mine. We recite our vows. I am no longer only Hermione Anne Granger. I am Mrs. Hermione Malfoy. I love the sound of that. Hermione Malfoy. The love of Draco Aidan Malfoy's life.

He and I are living proof that prayers are answered. They said we were too young, that we'd need a miracle to stay together without killing each other. Little did they know that miracles do happen. The only miracle we needed was each other.