Who's Wedding Is It Anyway?

F I V E

"Well didn't you two look all lovey dovey on the dance floor just now?" Ron asked with the slightest smirk, resting his head on his hand.

"What are you on about?" Draco asked, sipping his drink. He knew very well what the ginger was talking about, though. He didn't need an explanation.

"So. You and Hermione, huh?"

"You're barking, Weasley."

"Come on, mate. I'm not blind. I know what it looks like when a man fancies someone." Just then, Harry came over to their table, pulling up a chair and flopping into it. "Harry will tell ya. Come on Harry, you saw Hermione and Draco dancing earlier, right?"

"Oh yeah. You two turned quite a few heads, you know?"

"Doesn't Draco look like he fancies her?"

"Well come on, honestly. I think every guy who has been within a thirty foot radius of Hermione has had a crush on her. Even I did way back. And you two have been spending a lot of time together-"

"-Planning."

"My point is," Harry continued. "I think it's very likey."

"See? Admit it, Draco. Be completely honest with us, and yourself. Do you like her?"

Draco reached in his pocket yet again, clutching the metal that laid there. He looked up to their hopeful faces and smirked. He lied easily. "Sorry, but my feelings are reserved for someone else."

"That girl?" Ron wondered aloud.

"What girl?" Harry asked, leaning on the table with interest.

"Oh, it's just someone I used to like. No big deal."

"I'd say she was a big deal if you're passing up Hermione Granger for her."

"Well, you know. She was my best friend. I don't know, as cliche as this sounds, I always kind of thought she was my soulmate. But... I did something horrible to her. I wouldn't expect her to forgive me, but that doesn't mean I can't hope." Harry laughed shortly. "What?"

"I just... never would have thought that you of the three of us would be the one having girl problems."

"Well when you find the one you don't want to let her go."

"Amen."

"I'll drink to that," Ron grinned, raising his glass. Draco and Harry joined in, clicking their glasses to his before they all took a sip.

"I swear if we weren't on good terms I don't think I would have survived tonight," Draco sighed, leaning back.

"Sometimes I wonder why we weren't friend before. You're actually not such a bad guy. Like, before I thought you were a total prick, and you still are, but now I know the real you."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended, Potter."

"Take it however you want, mate, but I should go. I left Cho talking with Fleur and, well, you know how that is."

"Oh yeah, you never want to leave the women talking," Ron laughed. Harry rolled his eyes and grinned, standing up and leaving with a small wave. "I should probably go too, Draco. Don't want to leave Kriss alone for too long."

"Yeah, it's fine. I need some fresh air anyway."

Ron stood and clapped Draco on his back as he began to walk away. "Catch you later, mate." As soon as he was gone, Draco stood too, exiting out of the nearest opening in the tent.

He didn't know why the guys still put it up. The only reason they had it was for the chance of rain, but the day ended up pretty perfect. It was still nice either way. Hermione did an amazing job. Maybe he could have her plan his wedding, if he ever did get married.

I bright twinkle caught his eye and he looked up. The stars were extreamly beautiful tonight, or at least he thought so. He easily spotted his favorite constellation, Orion. When he was younger his father had gotten him a teacher for the summers who had him study the stars. That's really the last time he had ever looked at them.

Orion had a story that Draco had loved as a child. It was said that Orion was given away as an infant by Zeus and Poseidon, and he later turned into a great hunter. He fell in love with someone too. Artemis, the moon goddess. Her brother, Appolo, did not approve of that and complained to Gaia, who sent Orion and Scorpius to a battle were they both died. Draco loved the name Scorpius too. For a time he actually called himself that, but then his father told him that his actions were 'foolish and stupid', and made him stop. Some dad he was.

As horrible as it was, he was actually happy that his father was gone. He did love him and all, he was still his father, but he was also a very, very bad person who murdered innocent people. Even Lucius Malfoy couldn't undo that. At least now he couldn't hurt anyone else, or force Hermione away from him.

"I see you like Orion too." Hermione's voice was so sudden that Draco nearly jumped twenty feet in the air. He turned to see her walking towards him, a smile on her face. It was a fake smile though. Draco knew what those looked like all too well.

"Yeah," he responded. "It's probably my favorite." She reached his side and said nothing, just gazed up at the stars with him. He looked over to her a few times, then spoke up. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Actually? No. No I'm not. Draco, there's... something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay. Is this gonna be a good talk or..."

"I'm not sure." Hermione looked at her hands, losing the battle for words. Her head was spinning too fast for that.

"Do you want to sit down? I'm sure I could get us a table," he offered softly.

"No, no that's alright. I'll try to make this quick." She thought quickly. She knew what she wanted to say, but how to begin? "Okay, I don't know how to say this so I'm just gonna tell you straight out. That night you left me at the park, that still kills me. You made me believe that it was my fault for years! I hated myself and wondered every single day what I did wrong.

"During third year everything was pretty horrible for me as it was, and fourth year was even worse. You were my best friends, the only one I could turn to, and you left me on my own, completely alone. And I know that I wasn't there for you when you got that Mission but I didn't know about it. Sure I suspected, but how was I to know if it was true or not? Plus, I thought you hated me!"

Hermione took a deep breath and tried to call herself. "My point is, Draco, that you really hurt me, and you can't take that back with a snap of your fingers. It doesn't work that way."

Draco was stunned silent. He knew that what he did to her was wrong, but she always seemed fine. He never thought on it. He never realize how much his actions had affected her. What had he done?

"Hermione, I-" he started, but was cut off by a loud voice from inside the tent.

"And now we will hear from Draco Malfoy, Blaise's Best Man!"

Draco looked back to Hermione with pleading eyes, but she was already shaking her head with tears on her cheeks.

"You should probably go. They need you in there," she smiled weakly. "We'll talk later." She didn't sound that convincing, but she was already walking away.

For a moment, Draco wasn't sure what to do. Should he go after her? Should he go and say his speech, then go after her? Should he give her space and not go after her at all? When he felt something cold under his fingers he jumped. He realized that he had been messing with the metal in his pocket again.

Then he got an idea.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket, the metal wrapped in his fist. He quickly dashed inside, making changes to his speech to fit what he was about to do.

This was honestly the most stupid idea he had ever had and the chances of it working were close to zero. He had to try though.

Hermione and all the others were already seated at their table when he arrived. Everyone else in the room was seated too, leaving him as the only one standing. It was now or never.

He took a deep breath, then began his speech.