A True Princess

Part 2

Every princess must one day become a queen. Every princess must one day marry her prince. Today was my day, and I was going to marry my prince.

Even as I sat before the mirror, watching Allie, the hairdresser, curling my hair neatly and pinning the curls to the back of my head, leaving some falling gently round my ears, I couldn't believe it. I was getting married. The words couldn't sink in. Even as she fastened my veil to my head; a thin layer of white voile, decorated with delicately stitched flowers along the bottom hem, my brain couldn't process the thought. The day had finally come, and I was getting married.

I checked myself in the mirror, ensuring that every detail of my coiffed hair and light make up was perfect. Then I stood up to admire myself in the full length mirror, smoothing down my dress from where I had been sitting.

Thanks to my parents' opening of their own dental practice in London, they had been able to afford for me to have my own dress designed. I had offered to pay, but they said they wouldn't hear of it. So I got the wedding dress of my dreams, the one that I had designed when I was just 13 years old.

It was a fairly simple gown, sleeveless and with criss-crossed ribbons laced down the front of the bodice, an idea that reminded me of all the fairytales I'd read when I was younger. Around my waist was a satin sash, in palest lilac, tied at the back in a neat bow, decorated with tiny purple roses at either side. It was a more beautiful dress than I could ever have imagined.

"Hermione?" a voice called at the door, along with a gentle knock. Allie opened the door for me to reveal Ginny standing outside, looking very pretty in her purple satin bridesmaid dress. She grinned at me as she took in my appearance.

"What do you think?" I asked, breathlessly. "Do you think it looks alright?"

"You look beautiful, Hermione," Ginny gushed, coming over to examine the dress closer, for she had only seen it in design before, never in all its reality. "You look like you've just stepped out of a fairytale. They're ready for you downstairs."

"Thanks," I muttered, feeling my heart fluttering. This was really happening. I smoothed my dress again nervously, even though it didn't really need it. Allie smiled at me as I followed Ginny out of the room, trying without much success to calm my nerves. Ginny opened the front door for me, and the bright June sun hit my face. I took a deep breath and stepped out of my parents' house. For the last time as Hermione Granger. The neighbours had come out to watch in interest, and as I proceeded down the path to where my father and Luna were waiting by the car, I heard them whispering, and some even applauding.

My dad didn't say a word to me as I climbed into the car; he was too busy beaming proudly at me, a tear in his eye. I was followed into the car by Ginny and Luna, as my dad climbed in the front to drive. The three of us sat quietly in the back; I was twisting my ring finger in my lap, staring at my engagement ring, all the while uncomfortably aware that Luna was staring, grinning, at me.

We soon arrived at the Church, and my heart did several somersaults. Ginny and Luna climbed out, and the door was held open for me. This was it. I took another deep breath, before climbing out of the car and, predictably, smoothing my dress once again.

"I can't believe my baby girl's getting married," my dad said to me, as we waited for my cue. "It seems only yesterday you were learning to talk, and now you're all grown up."

"Dad," I replied, grinning, "you promised you wouldn't do the 'all grown up' speech! You'll make my make up run!" I felt tears in my eyes, and threw myself on my father in quite possibly the most undignified fashion I could. He patted my back, obviously not daring to touch my head for fear of dismantling the delicate tumble of curls.

"You're on," he whispered, as the strains of 'Here Comes the Bride' were heard. Ginny and Luna set off on their walk down the long aisle, while I tried to stop myself from hyperventilating from nerves. My dad took my arm, and I began to walk. Slowly, just as I'd practised: left, right, one, two, steadily in time with the song.

It felt like the longest walk of my life. Everyone was whispering and gasping, and I beamed round, unable to take the smile from my face even if I'd wanted to. I still felt extremely nervous, but one glance up towards the altar solved that problem. Ron was standing there; faithful, reliable old Ron, grinning at me and looking stunned. I couldn't help but grin back, my smile stretching from ear to ear.

My nerves had vanished completely by the time my father gave my hand to Ron. The two men nodded at each other in manly fashion, as Ron's warm fingers intertwined with mine.

"You ready to do this?" he asked in a whisper.

"You bet," I replied, squeezing his fingers tightly. "Just don't start arguing with the priest," I warned him, but still grinning inanely.

"Well, maybe I could start a food fight with him and we'd fall in love and get married," Ron replied quietly, poking his tongue out.

We'd been so busy muttering at each other, we hadn't realised the ceremony had started for real. The priest was welcoming the guests, and pretty soon we'd proceeded to the vows.

"Do you, Ronald Bilius Weasley, take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and be faithful to you, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Ron said, eyes burning into mine.

"And do you, Hermione Jane Granger, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and be faithful to you, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I replied, feeling such a wave of emotion at those simple two words. I had waited my whole life to say those two words.

Now was the time for the poems we had chosen to say. Instead of having personalised vows, we had decided to use poetry to show our feelings for each other. Ron went first.

"You're kissable and cuddly,

You're loveable and sweet;

You thrill me every minute,

And sweep me off my feet.

You're charming and disarming,

Desirable and true.

You inspire me and impress me,

And that's why I love you!"

I couldn't help it. I laughed out loud. I chose that moment, that very serious moment in the middle of my wedding, to have a giggling fit. It was just so perfectly Ron. He looked worried at first, then realised that I was happy, and he joined in. We both just laughed aloud, for at least a minute. Only at a cough from the priest did I regain my composure, broad grin still on my face. I still had to do my poem.

"If there's one face I want to see,

So beautiful, so true,

One smile that makes a difference,

To everything I do.

If there's one touch I long to feel,

One voice I long to hear,

Whenever I am happy,

Or just needing someone near.

If there's one joy, one love,

From which I never want to part,

It's you, my very special love,

My world, my life, my heart."

Once more I demonstrated my complete lack of control over my emotions, as I let the tears roll down my cheeks. From behind me I could hear sniffles from the congregation, and the unmistakable sounds of handbags being opened to retrieve tissues. Ron reached up to my face, and wiped away my tears, and I let slip another giggle, for no reason whatsoever, other than that I had never been happier in my life. We exchanged rings, my heart feeling the same rush of excitement at the touch of his skin against mine, as it always did.

Several minutes later, the priest said those immortal words...

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Ron bent down, and I stood on tiptoe and we kissed, for the first time as Mr and Mrs Ronald Weasley. The tears fell freely once more, and as we broke away, I was both laughing and crying with happiness. We signed the register, and soon were outside in the blazing sunshine, hand in hand, the centre of attention in photograph after photograph. It was the happiest day of my life, as I became a queen for those few hours.

*

The meal was a boisterous affair, set outside in the grounds of a local hotel, where I had to dissuade Ron from starting a food fight.

"You ruined my Ball dress; you are not ruining my wedding dress as well!" I hissed at him, and he was just about to complain when Harry stood up to give his speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would first of all like to thank you for coming today, for this wedding which we have all long seen coming. In fact, my wife here claims to have seen it coming from the moment she met Hermione," he gestured to Ginny, who raised her arms in the air in mock celebration. The crowd laughed appreciatively.

"I assure you that those of you who took part in our little betting scheme will be rewarded accordingly," Harry continued, but Ron and I interrupted together.

"What betting scheme?!"

"Just to have a little flutter on how long it would take you, and I think it was actually Percy who was closest, although I must admit, we were getting quite close to Fred and George's prediction of 20 years." The crowd laughed again, and Ron opened his mouth to argue, but I poked him.

"Let him get on with it," I hissed quietly. Ron did not reply; he merely poked me back. Thus commenced a furious fight of poking each other in the ribs out of view of the audience, while attempting to look gracious and serene as Harry continued with his speech.

"Ron and Hermione were my first ever friends," Harry went on. "They were my family when I thought I had none. And they were always there with me no matter what. I'm not ashamed to say that I owe my life to them. They both deserve the kind of happiness that I know they've found with each other, just as long as I don't find myself bombarded in the small hours of the morning by one of them after one of their famous rows."

The audience laughed once more, but as I went to smile, something poked me very hard right in between my ribs, and I yelped loudly. Everyone turned to stare at me, including Harry, while I could see Ron smirking out of the corner of my eye. Flushing brilliantly, I tried to laugh it off and jerked my head at Harry to make him carry on. As he began to talk again, I heard a slight snigger coming from the direction of my new husband. Alright, Ronald Weasley, you asked for it. This called for more than a mere poke. Carefully I slowly moved my foot around under the table, my foot still encased in its white, high-heeled shoe. I found Ron's foot under the table, and gently nudged it. I felt him nudging back and then without warning, I stamped.

"OUCH!" Ron leapt about five feet from his seat with a roar of pain. Smugly, I crossed my legs and settled back in my chair. Ron proceeded to try and excuse himself to the mystified crowd, while I contentedly sat back. Hermione, one; Ron, zero. He wouldn't be trying that again.

"So, er," Harry continued as Ron's face reddened deeply, "I ask you all to raise your glasses to two of the greatest people who ever lived, and the best friends anyone could ever ask for: Ron and Hermione!" The glasses were raised, and our names echoed around the room; I beamed happily, and Ron's eyes continued to water from pain. My dad stood up to make his own speech.

"My daughter has always been, well, a pretty smart girl, I think you'll all agree," he began, and the audience nodded smilingly in assent. "And I know that it's always been very important to her to attain the highest grades. And I could stand here and waffle on about the top grades she achieved in her exams, or the many accolades bestowed on her for her bravery and courage during the war, or the awards and honours she has received during her career. But, as much as she might like to claim otherwise, I know that these things are not as important to her as they may seem. I look at my daughter, and I see the little girl who valued friendship above all, who fought for justice, and who always, without fail, tries her very best. She has a great capacity for love, and has an enormous amount of respect, trust and faith in people. The greatest test she has had to face is that of life, and I know that everybody here, present, today; everybody who has ever spoken to my daughter, would agree that she has passed the test of life with flying colours. I have never been more proud of the little girl, now a beautiful young woman, who stands before me today. Ron, you are the luckiest man alive, and I hope, well, I know, that you realise it. To Hermione," he finished, swiping at a tear and raising his glass on high.

Tears were falling down my face again, and I turned just in time to see Ron nodding fervently at the last part of my dad's speech. He turned his head slightly, and caught sight of my tears; threw me a napkin and offered me his shoulder. Feeling just slightly overwhelmed, I rested my head gently on it, smiling at my dad as he sat down again. I felt Ron place a gentle kiss on top of my head, and I slipped my hand into his, feeling unmistakeably warm.

The audience were applauding, many were wiping their eyes with tissues (I distinctly saw Ginny wipe her eyes with the tablecloth under the pretext of adjusting her shoe strap), and all of them were beaming. I was so happy, resting my head on Ron's shoulder, seeing all these happy faces before me, and I felt like I could have lived my whole life just for that moment. Suddenly, however, I was being dislodged, as Ron gently lifted my head, so that he could stand up and make his speech. He turned to me as he spoke, talking to me, not the crowd, although they could still hear every word.

"You already know that you mean more to me than life itself, Hermione," he said, staring into my eyes, "and I knew that nothing I say now could express quite how much I love you, so instead I wanted to thank you. Sometimes we've been mad with each other. Sometimes we've had arguments, and sometimes we haven't spoken to each other for months. But there have always been good times. Times when a smile from you has cheered me up and made my day. Times when we've laughed together, and shared moments of friendship. These are the moments I'll always carry with me, and I want to thank you for being my friend along the way." I gasped: that was the same speech I'd mistakenly read out at the Seventh Year Ball!

"Friendship is what holds people together, and what stops the world from falling apart at the seams. And you, and Harry of course, are supreme examples of friendship. So instead of saying I love you, which you know I do, I want to take this moment just to say thank you." More glass-raising, and then Ron sat back down again, looking rather pleased with himself. I was gobsmacked.

"Since when did you become so suave and romantic?" I asked dimly, as the audience applauded and (in Fred and George's case) wolf-whistled once more.

"Oh, well, I, er, had a bit of help from Ginny," Ron muttered, grinning and reddening slightly. "You don't mind?"

"Of course not," I told him, unable to stop myself beaming once more. "Your poem earlier was pure you, and that's enough for me." Ron didn't say anything, he just grinned some more.

Music was starting up, and there were cries from around the room of, "Dance! Dance!" Indeed, I'm fairly sure I heard, "Waltz with ye fair maiden, O brother!" echoing from the direction of the twins. Note to self: Have Words.

But for now, all I was concerned with was my first dance with my new husband. The song was beginning and we made our way to the very centre of the open area for dancing, feeling the grass tickling me feet through the gaps in my sandals. We took up our position, exactly as we had that time we'd had our first ever dance, as Head Boy and Girl, and began to spin around, eyes locked together, smiles wide on our faces.

Every time our eyes meet,

This feeling inside me,

Is almost more than I can take.

Baby, when you touch me,

I can feel how much you love me,

And it just blows me away.

Everything else disappeared, I was with Ron, and he was with me. We were alone in the world, but we were together, joined somehow by invisible bonds. The new golden band on my finger shone as the moon began to emerge.

I've never been this close to anyone, or anything.

I can hear your thoughts,

I can see your dreams.

I felt as if I were dancing on clouds, not on grass. My dress spun round my ankles as Ron whirled me around, and he dipped me towards the ground. I was resting on his arm, but knew he'd never let me fall, and I laughed as the curls of hair that had come loose skimmed the ground.

"You're an incredible woman, Hermione Granger," Ron told me, and I was so deliriously happy I laughed some more.

"Hermione Weasley," I corrected him.

I don't know how you do what you do,

I'm so in love with you.

It just keeps getting better.

I want to spend the rest of my life

With you by my side,

Forever and ever.

Every little thing that you do,

Baby, I'm amazed by you.

"You're not too bad yourself," I told him, kissing him on the nose. He grinned sheepishly, and picked me up again, so we could resume our spinning.

"Have you ever had a dream?" I asked, suddenly. Ron looked thoughtful, his eyebrows knitting together in the distinctive way I'd learnt to know and love.

"I thought I did when I looked into that mirror in first year," he said slowly. "I thought I had this big dream of being Head Boy and Quidditch Captain, but that all kind of dissolved when the whole war thing happened. So I guess I did have a dream, but it wasn't like the kind of 'lifelong dream'. Have you?"

"Well, besides the whole let's-get-rid-of-Voldemort era, when all I dreamed of was a safe life, I think I can happily say this is me just about living my dream," I said, slowly. It was true. I was in my dream wedding dress, after the perfect day, and I knew I'd found my prince for life.

The smell of your skin,

The taste of your kiss,

The way you whisper in the night.

Your hair all around me,

Baby, you surround me,

Touch every place in my heart.

Oh, it feels like the first time, every time.

I want to spend my whole life in your eyes.

"Looking forward to life?" Ron asked me now. I stared at him. I hadn't thought about it like that. I suppose it almost felt like we'd had so much happen in our 24 years of life, there couldn't possibly be any room for more. Perhaps this was what they call the beginning of the rest of my life. At least I knew it was with Ron that I was starting this big adventure with, along with Harry and Ginny by our sides, and all our other friends, and that at least during this part, there wouldn't be some evil tyrant trying to take over the world and kill us in the process. Always a bonus.

"With you guys, I'd look forward to anything," I replied, grinning still wider, if that was possible.

I don't know how you do what you do,

I'm so in love with you.

It just keeps getting better.

I want to spend the rest of my life

With you by my side,

Forever and ever.

Every little thing that you do,

Baby, I'm amazed by you.

"So, when's the first one scheduled?" Ron asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"The first what?" I was suspicious.

"The first little red bushy-haired bundle of joy, the first of many to come," Ron said, evil grin cracking his face. I was so stunned I actually stopped dancing; froze solid mid-twirl.

"What?!"

"Joking, joking!" I smacked him on the arm.

"Not for a while yet, Mr Weasley," I assured him, laughing and resuming my twirl.

Every little thing that you do,

I'm so in love with you.

It just keeps getting better.

I want to spend the rest of my life,

With you by my side,

Forever and ever.

Every little thing that you do,

Oh, every little thing that you do:

Baby, I'm amazed by you...

The song drew to a close, and I buried my head in Ron's warm shoulder. I was living my dream. There was so much ahead of us, and so much to look forward to. We'd probably argue; with us it was inevitable, but he was my prince and, above all, I was his princess. But above all, I was happy. And, as far as I'm concerned, that's all any girl could wish to be.

The End