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Chapter Three~ Happiness In the Darkest Times

Draco's heart constricted painfully in his chest at the sight of her. He couldn't breathe. She was beautiful. He didn't know how it was possible, but she was his. She had chosen him to spend the rest of her life with. Him. What had he ever done to deserve her? He was evil and cold, born and bred to be a Death Eater, a murder, a Muggle-hating fanatic. He had hurt her over and over again. He would laugh at the sight of her tears, and gloat at the sound of her sobs. He had been one twisted, sick bastard. He could love her and cherish her for the rest of his life but he knew that that would never make up for all the pain and hurt he had caused her. And God, did he love her.

He wished he could blame someone... His father, perhaps. But in his heart he knew he had no one to blame but himself. And every time she stood in front of the mirror for a moment too long, biting her lip, he knew exactly what she was thinking, and he blamed himself. It was his fault that this confident woman doubted herself, that this beautiful witch thought she wasn't pretty enough, that this perfect creature thought she wasn't good enough. She deserved someone so much better...

When he had voiced this opinion aloud she had become visibly upset, saying that he had no right to dictate who deserved her and who didn't. She had said her heart was hers to give away and she had entrusted it to him to keep safe. He had insisted that she was drunk on Firewhiskey, that she didn't know what she was doing or even who she talking too and that she should find the weasel. It had killed him to say it, but it had to be said, and it had been for her own good. And then she had blatantly told him she wouldn't take it back. Which was ridiculous because you couldn't give your heart away in the first place. Never the less, he had accepted, giving his word that he would protect her heart with everything he had.

And so here they were, gathered inside St. George's Cathedral about to become husband and wife. Wow. He had to remind himself to keep breathing. In. Out. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Draco had begun to sweat slightly. His insides had become like jelly. Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste. Malfoys did not get nervous. The only time he had been this nervous had been in the moments leading up to the moment where he had gotten down on one knee and asked her to marry him...

The Great Hall

It had been in the weeks following the Great War... Potter had triumphed over the Dark Lord (about damn time too), who had ironically died at the hand of his own wand. While Draco had wanted her to return to Malfoy Manor with him immediately, Hermione had stubbornly refused, insisting that they remain at Hogwarts to help with the rebuilding process. Kingsley Shaklebolt had been appointed as Minister of Magic and no further questions had been asked. Minerva McGonogall presided over Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as its rightful headmistress. Harry, Draco, and Ron had been tasked with tracking down the remaining Death Eaters, who had attempted to flee after their master's demise, and throwing their sorry arses in Azkaban. Hermione had wanted to join them but after several arguments, tears, and tantrums, it had been decided that Hogwarts was the safest place for her in the time being.

Draco had found her sitting on the stone steps of the Great Hall, gazing at the rubble and ruin. Her eyes shone, not with happiness, he realized, but with unshed tears. He sat down next to her, and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, holding her. "So much has changed," she whispered. "So many people have been lost... Professor Snape, one of the bravest men I have ever known, Lavender, who for all her foolishness and faults was a dear friend of mine, for Remus and Tonks, who died trying to make the world a better place for their son, a son who will never remember their faces or the sound of their voices... And Fred." Her voice broke. "I miss them, Draco. I miss them terribly, perhaps Fred most of all." She chocked on her words. "He could make anyone smile. He would have liked you, Draco. You two would have gotten along..." She had begun to shake, trying to repress her sobs.

"It's okay to cry, my love. You need to grieve. You don't have to be strong all the time, you know. You don't have to be afraid of breaking every once in a while... You don't have to be afraid of not being in control..." Hermione's heart wrenching wails echoed throughout the cavernous halls. Draco held her tightly, rocking back and forth, while gently shushing her. "I'm right here, Princess," he whispered. "You don't have to do this on your own." Draco didn't know how long they sat on those stone steps, whether it be two minutes or two hours, but eventually, Hermione's sobs turned into sniffles.

"Do not dwell on the sad things that occurred in this hall, remember the happy times that you shared with the people who died in this hall. Remember when you were first sorted into your house, that feeling of unsuppressed joy and belonging. Remember all the laughs shared at breakfast time and all the jokes told at dinner time. Do you remember having to sleep in here because Potter's crazy godfather, my cousin, was running amuck? Do you remember dancing the night away at the Yule Ball or when Fred and George choreographed that amazing firework display, totally pissing Umbridge off? Do you remember the moment when our eyes met across this hall for the first time? Or when we would send letters to each other every morning?" He paused. "If you remember none of that, then remember this. Remember me getting down on one knee and doing this."

Hermione's eyes widened as Draco took ahold of both her hands and pulled her to her feet, dropping down onto one knee in front of her.

"This is the place I first realized I was in love with you. And God, Hermione, God am I in love with you. I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you." He paused and looked up at her, into her warm, brown eyes. She was smiling. "You were my only light in a sea of darkness during a time in which I thought I would crumble and fall. And when I did fall, you were there to catch me. It is because of you that I am the man I am now. Not a perfect man, but a good man. You made me good, my love. And I shall never be able to repay you for that." Her eyes sparkled with tears once more. Draco took a deep breathe, trying to compose himself.

"Hermione, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to be the mother of our beautiful children and I want to grow old you, watch our children grow old and I want to die with you. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, protecting you, and cherishing you. And Hermione, I will never let you go. I will fight for what we have because it's something special, magical, and wanted. I will never stop loving you because I know that if I do, someone else will. And if I lose you, I will have lost my best friend, my laugh, my smile, my soulmate, my everything. If I lose you I will lose myself... So what do you say to eternity, darling? Will you marry me?"

Hermione gasped when he pulled a tiny black box out from his pocket. Nestled inside was the most gorgeous diamond ring she had ever laid eyes on. It was classically elegant, showcasing a pair of tapered brilliant baguette diamonds set in enduring platinum. "Oh, Draco..." Her hands went to cover her lips as her eyes filled with tears. They were happy tears.

"Does this mean yes?" She let out a watery laugh at his question.

"Yes, Draco. Yes, yes, yes!"

Of course she had said yes. How could she not? She smiled radiantly as she walked down the aisle on her best friend's arm, her dancing chocolate eyes never leaving his. And suddenly she was beside him. "You look beautiful," he whispered, brushing his lips over her hand. A light blush spread across her cheeks.

"And you don't look too bad yourself, Mr. Malfoy." She winked at him, coaxing a slight chuckle from him, which quickly turned into a cough when he realized the minister had begun to speak.

"One of my favorite authors once wrote, "If love is not all, then it is nothing: this principle, and its opposite, collide down all the years of my breathless tale." Hermione and Draco, your breathless tale is about to begin. If love is not all, then it is nothing. It's opposite – If love is all, then it is everything – is going to be the basis for every aspect of your relationship. All you have to do is simply love one another and that love shows through in everything you do for one another, how you treat each other, in good times and bad.

Love isn't just a word; it's an isn't something you say, it's something you do. Love is genuine, honest, and open, compassionate and kind, passionate and blind, love doesn't know space or time, nor look through jealous eyes, and in the modified words of Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never dies."

There are many different kinds of love, almost if not all of which are represented here today. There is romantic love, the love of parents and children, of brothers and sisters and family, and love among friends. Not only do Hermione and Draco love one another romantically – and they do, you can see it in every look, every touch, every moment they're together – they also love one another as friends. In fact, they're best friends, constantly giggling and taunting and teasing and very plainly and obviously having fun together.

That love and enjoyment of each other as best friends will sustain them through this marriage. In addition, the love collectively in this room, from friends and family, will help sustain and support the promises they make today. All of us here will help solidify this bond, as these two individuals are joined as husband and wife.

This new journey will be at times richly rewarding and extremely difficult, but, most importantly, it will be a journey you take together. You see, marriage is much more than your signatures on a legal contract. You are promising, in front of all these people you love, that you want to be with each other and only each other for the rest of your lives, and that you will do everything in your power to honor the promises you are making here today. For their part, the people who love you will also do everything in their power to try to help you hold up your end of the bargain.

I now ask the congregation before me... Is there anyone here who objects to this marriage taking place? Speak now or forever hold your peace!" Draco and Hermione held their breath. Of course there was going to be an objection. There was always an objection...

Malfoy Manor, The Granger-Malfoy Engagement Party

"A word, Hermione?" The brunette nodded, placing a peck on her fiancé's cheek as she stood to follow Ron into the kitchen. Ron took a deep breath. "Are you sure about this, Hermione?"

"Yes," Hermione replied immediately. "More sure then I've ever been about anything else in my entire life."

"But-" Ron struggled to form a coherent sentence. "It's Malfoy... He's evil, Mione! He must have put you under some kind of spell, the Imperious perhaps-"

"That's ridiculous, Ronald, and you know it." Hermione snapped. "Draco would do no such thing-"

"He's using you, Hermione! He just wants to get into your knickers-"

"Stop it, Ron. Please."

"He tortured and killed innocent people for the fun it! He called you a Mudblood for years, made your life, our lives, a living hell-"

"He's changed, Ron! He's a good man... He's not the same boy we knew at Hogwarts..."

"Malfoy will never be a good person!" Ron roared.

"If you would just try to get to know him-"

"Why would I want to get to know him?" Ron snarled.

"Because you're my friend and I'm getting married to him in six months!"

"I don't understand you, Hermione! You hated Malfoy!"

"No, Ron. You hated Draco. Draco was there for me every time you turned your back on me! Why is it so hard for you to accept that I'm happy, truly happy, with him?" Hermione cried. Ron was silent. "It's because he's not you, isn't it?" She asked sadly. "You were my best friend, Ron. I would've hoped you would have supported me... It hurts that after all this time, after everything he's done, not only for me, but for our side, that you still don't trust him... And what really hurts is that you don't trust my judgement."

"How can I trust your judgement when your supposed love for a murder clouds it! He is a Death Eater, Hermione! And that will never change!"

"You think he's the prejudiced one, but it's you! You cannot get over the fact that I am in love with him despite all his flaws and past mistakes! Is that really so hard to accept? He's a good man, Ron! He loves me and would never hurt-"

"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness!"

"Though it seems enough to condemn him." Hermione shot back.

"No matter how hard he tries, Malfoy will always be a Death Eater and he will always bear the Dark Mark to prove it. He was raised as a Death Eater, by a Death Eater and neither of you can change that." Ron snarled.

"You're wrong." Hermione whispered, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"You love me." His voice broke. Hermione shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry, Ron. I did once... A long time ago."

"Don't lie to me!" He shouted, his face turning red in anger. "We had something special!" Hermione took a hasty step backwards in alarm. "I love you, Mione." He whispered, reaching out to stroke her cheek.

"Ron." Her voice was higher than normal. "Things have changed, Ron."

"But they don't have to..." He murmured, pulling her closer. "We could be together again. We could make it work..."

"Ron, I-"

"Run away with me." He whispered, brushing his lips over hers. Hermione froze.

"Ron-" And then he was kissing her.

Hermione struggled against his hold, trying to push him away. Spurred on by her futile attempts to escape, Ron pulled her closer, bruising her lips with his. He propelled her backwards, pushing her up against the wall as he continued his assault. Hermione groaned in pain as her back slammed into the wall. Mistaking her groans as moans of pleasure, Ron trailed his lips down the column of her lovely neck, biting at the juncture of her shoulder. As soon as his lips left her mouth, Hermione began to scream, crying out for Draco. Ron roughly covered her mouth with his hand, stifling her pleas for help. Hermione struggled harder when she felt his hand trailing up her body, groping at her chest.

When Draco entered the kitchen his vision blurred and he saw red. Weasley had Hermione pinned against the kitchen wall as he ravished her resisting body with his filthy mouth and hands. Draco grabbed Ron by the collar of his shirt and threw him off Hermione who drew in deep, shuddering breaths as Ron was ripped away from her. She looked up into the swirling, terrifying eyes of her fiancé. "Draco." Her resolve broke and she collapsed into his arms as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Hermione, are you okay, baby?" Draco asked her urgently. Hermione sobbed as she shook her head. Something in Draco snapped.

"Oh, Merlin. What have I done?" Ron whispered horrified, reaching out to touch Hermione.

"Don't touch me!" She screeched, pressing herself closer to Draco, who tightened his hold around her waist. Harry Potter entered the kitchen and started at the scene laid out before him. Hermione was sniffling into Draco's chest, who looked murderous. Ron cowered in fear.

"Take her to your house, Potter." Draco growled through clenched teeth. "You are not leave her side until I arrive. Weasley and I are going to have a nice little chat..."

After Hermione had left the kitchen with her friend, Draco grabbed Ron by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Listen here, you little weasel," he snarled. "I'm going to count to five... If I get to three and you're still here I will crush your skull. If I get to four, I will tear you apart limb by limb for what you have done to Hermione. If I get to five, I am going to throw your torso through this wall and down five stories. And then, then I'll jump down myself to see if you're still alive. And if you are... I will finish the job, slowly and painfully. Do you understand me?" Draco growled. Ron audibly gulped. "Get. Out." Draco released Ron and shoved him, hard.

Needless to say, Draco was quite pleased that Weasley hadn't shown up at the wedding. Hermione gave his hand a gentle squeeze, effectively breaking Draco from his reverie and raised an eyebrow at him. Draco leaned down to whisper in his bride's ear. "I was lost in a memory."

"That's a good place to be." Hermione whispered back.

"I much prefer this enchanting reality in which I am marrying you..." He nipped lightly at her ear. Lost in each other, Draco and Hermione started when they realized that the priest had addressed them.

"I'm sorry can you repeat the question?" Draco asked. Their family and friends laughed as the priest rolled his eyes.

"Draco and Hermione, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?" Draco beamed down at Hermione.

"We have."

"Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your life?"

"We will." Hermione answered, smiling brilliantly.

"And will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

Draco deep a breath. The thought of children terrified him. What if he was a dreadful father? What if his son turned out to be just like him? What if his child hated him? What if-" His eyes met Hermione's and every fear vanished for the time being.

"Yes." He responded resolutely. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Of course we will." He murmured, stroking Hermione's hand with the pad of his thumb.

"The rings, if you please." The priest requested. Blaise Zabini hurried forward, presenting the platinum rings to the minister. Draco picked up the simple diamond ring, gently placing it on his bride's finger.

"I, Draco, take you, Hermione Granger, as my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I promise to love you and honor you all the days of my life."

"And I, Hermione, take you, Draco Malfoy, to be my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, or for worse, for richer, or for poorer, though knowing you most likely richer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part." Hermione began to tear up.

"By the power invested to me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Draco, you may now kiss the bride." The priest declared.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this." Draco whispered, as he pulled his wife closer. The crowd cheered when the couple's lips met and fireworks exploded in Hermione's stomach. Draco dipped her, their lips never parting. When the need for air become absolutely necessary, Draco pulled away, panting heavily.

"God, I love you." Hermione whispered, her forehead resting against Draco's.

"I love you too, Mrs. Malfoy. Merlin, that's got a good ring to it, doesn't it?" Hermione laughed and wrapped her arms around her husband.

"Thank you, Draco." She whispered, closing her eyes.

"Whatever for?"

"For making me happy, truly happy."

Final Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading our first ever Dramione fanfiction! We really hope you have liked it as much as we have come to like it. We would also like to thank all our followers, favorites and reviewers for motivating us to finally get this done! Be on the look-out around Christmastime for one more chapter with "extra scenes" that we had to exclude from this fanfiction, sadly. If any of our readers have an Instagram or Twitter account, follow us 2owlsatweeting for updates, sneak-peaks, and more! If any of you are interested in Percy Jackson, be sure to check out our newest story, Jumpers!

We thank you all so much for your continued support!

Love, Katherine & Kathleen