Author's Note: Hello and welcome to my first Harry Potter-related multi-chapter fanfic! I am very excited to share with you guys a DraMione fanfic that has been going through my head because that pairing is very dearly close to my heart. I hope you guys like this new story of mine as I had fun writing it. Enjoy! (I do NOT own Harry Potter or anything related to them. All credits go to the lovely J. K. Rowling)

Run Away, Far Away

Chapter One: The Bride

It has been five years since Voldemort was defeated by none other than Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. It didn't come as a shock to anyone, really. I mean, if Harry in his infant form defeated the Dark Lord, what more when he has a sense of reason and could hone his magical abilities? Though I want to believe that peace has been restored to the Wizarding World, there is still a handful of dark forces that want chaos to arise once more. I pity them for they have chosen the wrong side and continuing to live in defeat. With the fresh graduates from Hogwarts, the number of Aurors doubled especially when the word was out that Harry accepted the Ministry's offer despite lacking one year of the required academic achievement. With Ron and some other of our classmates that seek justice for their loved ones backing him up, they began their training at once. And I, Hermione Jean Granger, returned to Hogwarts for my last year along with some others who rejected the Ministry's offer.

Right after graduation, I took upon a job at the Ministry immediately as an Unspeakable. Researching and finding out new things has been my passion and I think the people who know me would agree with that. I have spent seven years in Hogwarts staying up all night to read hundreds and hundreds of books. For some, they consider it as my hobby or habit. But for me, it's a passion. I had to read and know what the Wizarding World was like, or is like, because if I didn't, then I would seem to be an ignorant Muggle-Born. I have to admit that I didn't have much knowledge about Hogwarts or anything magic-related when I first received my acceptance letter. Being raised in the Muggle world, of course, my interests were of those that didn't have anything to do with magic. I am grateful, though, that I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, even though the insults I got back when I was studying was horrendous and did make me cry sometimes. If I weren't so eager to learn, I don't think I will be deserving the job that I have now.

"Your parents are here," Ginny said as she entered my dressing room. A couple of women were helping in making me as beautiful as possible for this very special day. I had to hire makeup artists and hairdressers just to keep my appearance at bay because Merlin knows how much I hate doing that. Yes, I may be dubbed as the brightest witch of my age as I seem to know anything about everything but I never paid much attention to my appearance. I have other priorities; those of greater importance. But I guess for this occasion, it can't be helped.

I turned slightly towards Ginny and gave her a smile. "Please send them in." Her eyes were wide at the sight of me. I must look like a proper human being, given the expression she showed. I rolled my eyes at her teasingly. "Oh, Ginevra, don't go crying on me now. The wedding haven't even started yet!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, 'Mione," she said, still with a smile on her face. "I shall send them in now, then."

I looked back at my own reflection in the mirror and contemplated on my appearance as I waited for mum and dad. The war changed me, it changed everyone, in truth. Though I'm only twenty-two, the differences between my seventeen-year-old self and my present self is clearly and undeniably visible. My doe brown eyes lost their twinkle that my friends were so fond of. My smile isn't as bright as it used to be. And my forehead and the sides of my eyes bear faded fine lines. The war broke me and made me older. But there were still some traces of the younger Hermione that stubbornly peeks through the old one. For instance, my bushy brown hair is still as unmanageable as ever. If it calmed down over the years, I don't think I'll hire a hairdresser today. With a bit of magic, I could fix it myself, but like I said, it's still as wild. The splatter of freckles on my nose still shows. Ronald said that was his favorite feature of mine as we share the same dots around our faces. And my head is still intact. My brain still holds billions of information, from people's names, curses, jinxes, to every last ingredient that a dreamless sleep potion has.

"Where's the beautiful bride?" I heard dad speak, snapping me out of my trance. My eyes shifted on his reflection on my mirror. I stood up in an instant. Luckily, the ladies in charge of me were nearly done. I approached him with my arms wide open, welcoming him and mum in a tight embrace. Mother had to fish out her handkerchief from her purse to wipe the single tear that rolled down from her eyes. Dad kissed the top of my head and whispered how fast time flew by.

Convincing mum and dad to give me their blessings for the wedding was harder than I thought. I wouldn't blame them as I am their only child and they took great care in raising me into a bright witch that I am today. Not to mention the fact that Ron and I are still a bit too young for marriage. To be honest, marrying Ron wasn't part of my original plan to start my life again after the war. But I know that we both love each other dearly even if our years in Hogwarts only regarded us as friends. I couldn't lose Ron again. I've lost him once to Lavender back on our sixth year, twice during our hunt for horcruxes, and I don't want to allow a third time to happen. After graduating Hogwarts, we rekindled our love and decided to date for a while. The thought of marriage have invaded my mind quite a few times but I gave Ron and myself time to focus on our careers first. But three years was more than enough for me. I grew more and more anxious each day knowing that I have Ron just a kiss away. A wedding ring is the only thing missing. For Ron's twenty-first birthday, the whole Weasley clan reunited in the Burrow along with some friends and other relatives. I took that night as an opportunity to finally let myself go and be truthful to the man I have loved since forever.

Kneeling down on my knees, I put out a ring, and asked for Ronald Bilius Weasley's hand for marriage. He looked pale and dumbfounded, so were the others in the room. He was in a daze, just staring down at me. I almost lost hope when it took him a minute or two to answer. But the joy that I felt was beyond anything else in the world when he said yes. Everyone cheered and congratulated us for our engagement. And six months after, here I am standing under the flower arch with my dad, waiting for the wedding march to start.

Ginny was the one who suggested for our wedding to be a garden-type occasion. So, with the help of our other female friends, we pinpointed the perfect place where we want my wedding to be. It was in a secluded park in muggle Brighton, just a few miles away from her parents' home. I thought it was the simplest but most elegant place I have ever been. There was a blanket of green green grass, dotted with daisies and daffodils. The trees reminded me of those in the Forbidden Forest, but these ones were a lot more welcoming and a much brighter than the former. I got to give it to Ginny for being such a detailed wedding planner. If the weather is perfect.

I looked forward as the organ started to play. Our guest list wasn't as long as we supposed since we want it to be a private event. So, only our closest friends and families were invited. The Weasleys were invited, of course. Molly was the one who took charge of the food as she is the best cook I've known. George, though Fred was absent, spearheaded the entertainment. We were a bit reluctant at first but in the end, we knew George wouldn't let us down. So, from the music to the dances, he was the one who organized it. Mum and Dad worried for our muggle relatives but I assured them that everything will be fine. Our friends from Hogwarts promised that they will help in keeping everything in place so that my relatives wouldn't suspect about anything unusual happening. I turned to my side and saw Luna Lovegood with her own fiancé, Neville Longbottom, waving at me and giving me the widest grins. Cho Chang was there, too, along with her muggle husband who just so happens to be one of my parent's patients. Dean and Seamus were there, too. I haven't heard from them much but I do know that they are playing for the Cannons. The Patil twins were also present. I don't really know why they were here since we didn't get along much during Hogwarts but I figured maybe Ginny added them to the list.

With a step after another, the sight of my best friends grew nearer and nearer. Harry was appointed best man. I wasn't surprised, he is perfect for the role since Ron and he have been best mates ever since first year. He smiled at me sincerely, his green eyes looking as beautiful as they are. Harry looked the most affected after the war. He is barely one year younger than me, yet, he looked more mature than I do. All his life, he did anything he could to stop Voldemort and now it paid well. The darkness that loomed over the Wizarding World now replaced with brightness. His heroic deeds still prevail, though, being the best Auror that he is. It won't be long for him to propose to Ginny as well. The only ones who know are me, him, and George. He didn't actually explicitly told George. The prankster knew about it when he had Harry under veritaserum by the time he suspected that another engagement will take place among the Weasley kids.

My eyes shifted at Ron who was smiling at me even brighter than before. Though I can't help but notice something in his eyes. Is it worry? Is it nervousness? Is it doubt? Maybe a mixture of all three. I have to be honest that I feel the same. We've spent months planning for this occasion and now that it's taking place right this very moment, it feels like we would do something silly to ruin it. I hope nothing like that happens. We can't put our efforts to waste.

Dad handed me to Ron cautiously. He tapped him in the shoulder and whispered for him to take care of his little girl. Ron nodded nervously, which made me smile. And before I knew it, we were both facing the old preacher to begin the ceremony.

The old man went on and on about what we should expect our wedding to be. I would love to listen to his lecture but I think it only wastes time. I took several attempts to stop the preacher mid-sentence but Ron was fast enough to prevent me from doing that. He gave me a smile and whispered that everything will be alright and we should not rush the ceremony. I nodded at him and took his hand in mine. He was shaking the entire time. I looked up to him and saw droplets of sweat forming on his forehead. His face grew paler by the minute. It was my turn to assure him that everything will be fine.

Finally, after the painstaking minutes, we have come to the part where we say our 'I do's'. The preacher motioned for us to stand up and face each other as we take the wedding rings in our hands. "Do you, Hermione Jean Granger," the old man started as he turned to me and Ronald. "Take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do," I chimed in almost instantly as I slipped the ring onto Ron's finger. I beamed at him in the process and tears threatened to prickle at my eyes. I held them in for it will only make Ron even more nervous.

The preacher turned to Ron, this time, and repeated the question to him. When it was time for the redhead to answer, he didn't. Instead, he looked around the crowd with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. I felt a sudden déjà vu. This was how he reacted to my proposal as well. My heart was beating fast in my chest, anticipating the 'I do' that I was waiting for. With a worried glare, I turned towards our guest as well whose faces were all growing pale just like Ron's. Our parents looked at us expectantly. I couldn't bear to see their agitation as I grew even more anxious. Instead, I looked back at Ron and gripped his hands a little harder to force him to find his senses. He looked at me, his eyes filled with sorry as he said, "I… I'm sorry, Hermione. I can't… I can't do this."

Like a statue, I stood there stiff and unmoving as I watched my first love run far, far away from me. My world spun and I was left dizzy in the moment. I heard the clamor going in the background. There was someone shouting for Ron to come back, there were whispers from the ladies, there were screams of disappointment. But I didn't budge, I remained rooted to the spot. I didn't know what to do, I felt like crying or screaming or both. I wanted to run after Ron and maybe change his mind but I didn't. I just stood there and saw all the chaos happening before me, yet it feels like I can't comprehend a thing.

Just as I was readying myself to faint or fade, two strong arms enveloped me and walked me back to where I initially came from. "Don't faint, Hermione. Stay strong, everything will be fine." Harry held me firmly as we approached the car. Dean was on the driver's seat while Harry sat me down at the back. There was still no reaction from me. I even saw my face in the rearview mirror. I needed to blink twice to realize that the pale ghost in a white dress was my reflection staring back at me with pity. "Bring her to our flat. Ginny will be waiting there." Dean nodded at Harry's instruction then he drove off without saying another word.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" I heard him ask from the driver's seat. We exchanged glances through the mirror, my eyes now stinging painfully as tears started to roll down to my cheeks. I didn't need to answer him verbally to let him know what I was feeling. "No, don't talk. I'm sorry. We'll be in Harry's flat soon." I did just as what he said. No matter how pathetic I looked, I didn't care. I just proceeded to roll into a ball and let my tears wash off the mascara in my eyelashes.

Author's Note: Yeah, I'm sorry if this is kinda crap. I really do struggle in describing the environment where my characters are. The next chapter will be up soon, I think. It really depends on my schedule. Hahaha. Anyway, let me know what you think of this first chapter. Reviews and suggestions are always allowed as I know your opinions will be of help. Thank you!