The European Cup had contributed to making Draco's late birthday celebration almost as good as Ginny's, despite Adrian Martin.
In the days that followed it, he couldn't help feeling a mixture of excitement and terror, as the Big Day was getting closer and closer.
The organisation of the ceremony was carried out by the Weasleys and it was meant to be a surprise, so no one among them -except for Ginny and Luna- knew what it was going to be like.
It had been George's idea, as he felt that the surprise effect would have been better for the future bride and grooms.
The Grangers had been informed, too.
It being a mixed wedding, meaning that muggles, too, would be attending, there couldn't be too many magic tricks and it had to be in a muggle location, in order for all the guests to reach the place.
Wizards and witches attending could travel there by Floo Powder or disapparation, as they would end up in a close by room. which was protected by a disillusionment charm.
Only the ones who knew the whereabouts of the venue could use those methods.
If anything weird had happened, the non magical attendants' memories would have been wiped out.
Also, the muggle location was the best choice to avoid unwanted press.
Narcissa Malfoy had complained about that decision, but accepted to go anyway, as it was her son's wedding.
Harry wasn't exactly convinced with her behaviour. Narcissa Malfoy going to a semi-muggle wedding? Making this effort for Draco?
Something felt fishy about it.
On August 28th, after weeks spent going to beaches and local pubs, it was time to take the train to Paris, where the wedding would have taken place on that same day.
Once in Paris, the couples were split in two groups, so that they could get ready.
Ginny took Hermione and Draco to a hotel room, where their outfits were waiting for them.
The redhead was supposed to be there as a supervisor, making sure that everything would have gone by smoothly.
The room was definitely luxurious, it had a king-sized bed with white sheets embroidered with "just married", next to it was a heart shaped jacuzzi with red candles placed on its borders.
It was a honeymoon suite, but Ginny didn't reveal which couple would have slept there on their first night as spouses.
The whole room smelled like a combination of jasmine and lavender fragrances, evoking a calming effect on the people who entered it.
Its rosy tones made Hermione wish that it would end up being her and Ron's suite.
Draco wasn't too in love with its looks, but it was still pretty beautiful.
The white dress, Ginny's maid of honour gown and Draco's suit were all carefully laid on the bed.
Hermione had chosen to wear her mother's wedding dress, however she wanted some changes made to it - all of which Molly took care of.
It still had its original vintage vibe, but Molly had applied lacy decorations over the old layers of tulle and organza. She'd modified the top, breaking the round neck part into a V-neckline, and added beads to the ball gown skirt for shimmer.
Draco would be wearing a dark green suit, which symbolised both him having been a Slytherin and his future husband's eye colour.
Ginny's dress was the same that she had worn for George and Angelina's wedding.
The two girls got changed in the bedroom, while Draco went into the even fancier bathroom.
Ginny decided to leave her hair straight, with a braid that encircled her head like a headband.
She didn't take too long to get into her dress, however, fitting Hermione into her gown wasn't as easy as she'd hoped, given the many layers and the zip in the back.
She also helped her with her hair situation. Luckily, Molly had brought her straightening potion, so it wasn't too much of a nightmare.
Once Hermione's bushy hair was straight, Ginny tied it into a bun and added a flower hairpin in the middle of it.
This was when the bride to be became panicky.
"Oh God, this feels so real, now. What if Ron leaves me after the baby is born?" She said, biting her nails nervously.
"What if Harry divorces me right away?" Said Draco, his head poking from the bathroom.
"Guys, please, don't worry! Everything will be fine, I know!" said Ginny. "Mione... Ron can't wait to marry you! And mum says you're perfect for him!" she looked at Hermione through the mirror, as she was standing behind her.
Suddenly, a smile was painted on the brunette's lips. "This calms me down a little." she said.
Ginny smiled back at her, then she turned to Draco. "And Draco, when Harry is with you... he's literally the happiest man in the world. The way he looks at you... He's so in love with you, I don't think it's even remotely possible for him to want to divorce you."
Those words were even more special to Draco because they were coming from her.
She was Harry's ex and she was telling his husband to be how much he loved him.
If even she saw it, it meant Harry was really in love with him.
"Oh I know." He simply said, grinning. "But what about my mum? What if she doesn't show up?"
"I know for a fact that she is at the venue already, she's the one giving you away to Harry." Ginny informed.
"She is? Oh dear Merlin, this just increases my anxiety!"
In the meantime, Luna had taken Ron and Harry to yet another sumptuous looking honeymoon suite, which similar to the other one, except that it had a green tone and it smelled like lime and ginger.
Harry's suit was maroon, just like Ron's, and they changed into the bedroom, while Luna got ready in the bathroom.
It didn't take Ron a long time to get ready; Harry, on the other hand, was having a hard time with fixing his hair.
"Even with this stupid potion my hair won't look decent!" Harry groaned in frustration.
"Mmm maybe it doesn't stick because it can't make your straight if you're not straight at all." His best friend joked after examining his mop of a head.
Harry glared at him. "You're too funny, Ronald. Ugh, my hair isn't even the worst part of this! I'm going to throw up, I know, I'll fuck up the whole thing and Draco will run away!" he said, sitting on the bed and then putting his head in his hands.
"You think I'm joking because I'm calm? I'm scared shitless, mate!" Ron whined, sitting next to Harry. His face was pale and he kept hyperventilating.
"Hey, guys, are you Ok?" Said Luna while coming out of the bathroom, ready to go.
Her hair was tied in ponytail with multiple bands, each of them 'embellished' with a Butterbeer cap. She was wearing the dress Hermione had worn at George's marriage ceremony, the colour had been changed to green, though.
"Not really! I think I'll be sick!" said Ron, trying to breathe evenly.
"Oh come on! Think of it this way, you're both marrying the love of your life! Aren't you happy for it? You can start a life together, a family... I mean, this should be the best day of your lives!" said Luna, sitting between her two friends.
"I know, Luna, but... what if Hermione is a runaway bride?" Ron said, paranoid.
"Oh, silly Ron." The blonde giggled. "She's in the room next door."
Ron seemed to light up.
"Ok, then... I think we're ready."
-
Harry and his best friend, Ron, were both waiting at the altar. They were one at its left, the other at its right side.
The secret wedding theme, they found out, wasn't too much of a surprise.
It was a Reception room belonging to the hotel, its walls were white and there were around four marble columns, each of them had a least four balloons tied to it; one was golden, one was red and the last two were green and silver.
It was obvious that they represented Gryffindor and Slytherin merging together.
There were two rows of chairs; the first one, which was on the left, was golden, while the one on the right was silver.
Harry noticed that, above their head, were beautiful colour-changing chandeliers that shifted from red to gold, to green, to silver.
In the crowd were all the Weasleys with their respective partners - except for George, Ron and Ginny - Gabrielle Delacour, Hagrid (who occupied three seats), Xenophilius Lovegood, Hannah Abbott, who was sitting next to Neville, Susan Bones,Laura Granger , the surviving components of The Order Of The Phoenix and many more people who must have been family friends of the Grangers and the Weasleys.
The Dursleys weren't there, Harry noticed, not that he minded too much.
Not much later, the bridesmaids and the groomsmen made their entrance. Ginny and Luna walked inside, happily greeting the guests with one hand, the other one holding a small bouquet.
The maid of honour was Rosemary Granger.
The groomsmen were Seamus and Dean, while the best man was George.
"Oh my, Ron, I'm going to faint." Harry whispered loudly, so that only Ron could hear.
"We're on the same page, if it can make you feel better, mate." Ron whispered back, chuckling nervously.
"I'm so excited! I saw 'em grow up right before me eyes!" Hagrid cried and then blew his nose into his sheet-looking handkerchief.
Molly Weasley, who was sitting next to him, was weeping lightly, although not as badly as when her first son got married. "I'm getting used to this wedding thing, three sons in less than two years!"
"Oh, here they are!" Harry exclaimed to Ron, who jerked his head towards the door.
The first to enter was Hermione, her arms linked with her father's.
She was shaking to an extent, although she tired to keep her smile.
"Hey, love, you're trembling! Don't worry, it will be fine." Donald Granger cooed. "Otherwise you'll harm the baby."
Hermione looked at her dad with widened eyes. " How do you know about it?"
"A father always knows."
Behind them were Draco and his mother, also linking arms.
Harry's breath caught in his throat at the sight of his fiancé. He could have sworn that he had never seen him more attractive than he was in that moment.
All of a sudden, his anxiety died down ad was replaced by overwhelming joy.
"Oh, mother, I feel so excited yet scared!" Draco said to Narcissa, all while trying to steady his shaky breathing.
"Come on, it will be alright, darling." Narcissa reassured.
"I just wish Father was here as well." Draco muttered.
"Oh, me too." his mother replied, looking away from him.
She was the only one in the room from Draco's side.
"Hey..." said Hermione, right after her dad left her at the altar.
"Hi, you're stunning." Ron managed to say, trying to contain a sob.
"Oh, she's so beautiful!" Hermione's mother chanted, holding her husband's hand as he sat next to her.
"Hi, you look breathtaking." said Harry when he saw Draco standing in front of him.
"You're crying already!" Draco whispered loudly, a smile on his face.
"That's your fault!" Harry talked back.
"You're such a pussy." said the blond boy, wiping a tear from Harry's eye.
"Be careful what you say or I will throw you on the ground!" Harry sassily responded.
His comeback brought the two of them back to their "hot discussion", as Hermione called it, from November.
So much had changed in their lives since then, who would have known that ten months later they would be standing in front of each other, ready to tie the knot.
Miss Sivan, who was officiating the unions, cleared her throat.
"We are gathered here for yet another wedding - wow, I must say, this is turning into a trend." the woman joked, earing a laugh from many guests. " On the left here we have Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, while on our right we can admire Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger."
As she said that, she pointed at the four of them. "Let's begin with the vows, shall we?"
"Hermione Granger," Ron began, while taking his bride's hands into his "When I met you, I thought you were an obnoxious little know-it-all. Like, I really couldn't stand you! But then, years later, I finally realised that I was in love with that know-it-all."
"Harry Potter, from the moment that I saw you, I felt a lot of hatred for you, but that only concealed an enormous crush." Draco commenced, his eyes locked to Harry's.
"... even though you'd find an unabated enjoyment in making me jealous, with Krum..." Ron continued, making Hermione look down.
"...but you'd never get the memo, you fool." Draco went on.
"But, somehow, we ended up together and I'm sure, now, that we are each other's soulmate. Mione, I promise you that I will love you for ever." Ron finished with a throaty sob.
"Harry I promise to love you and cherish you till the day I die. I'm positive that you will do the same. If you won't I might murder you." Draco finished.
Luna gave a hearty laugh. "So romantic!" she murmured to Ginny.
Harry laughed, too. "In your dreams. Um, Draco Malfoy... My life became a thousand times better since you slithered into it." he started with his vows.
"Oh, Ronald, you're so headstrong, sometimes you irritate my nerves!" Hermione dug into her promises. "But I love you, you're the love of my life and I will love until until I take my last breath."
"I promise to for ever beat you in Quidditch, but, mostly, to love you unconditionally for a thousand lives." Harry concluded, laughing with tears in his eyes.
"Oh, shed a tear there!" Miss Sivan commented, wiping a tear. Even that gesture was a graceful movement. "So, without further do, do you, Ronald Weasley, take Hermione Jean Granger as your lawfully wedded wife? While, do you, Draco Lucius Malfoy, take Harry James Potter as your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do!" Draco and Ron said in unison.
"Do you..." The alleged fairy moved on to ask the question to the remaining two.
Narcissa Malfoy looked to her right to catch Neville Longbottom's eye, then she nodded to him.
"It's time." she mouthed. The boy gave a nod of understanding, then he sat up and shouted, " I object!" Everyone in the room looked at him, feeling shocked.
What did Neville have against those couples that he had so dearly stated to love?
Right in that moment, the doors flung open and three people came running.
It was Lucius Malfoy, sided by Blaise Zabini.
"Me too!" Lucius yelled.
"Father?" said Draco, stunned. His eyes widened in terror and his whole body froze at the sight of that man.
"Surprise." Mr Malfoy said in a faux calm tone.
Blaise waved, smirking.
" Get him." Mrs Malfoy ordered sternly, sitting back in her chair and smiling wickedly.