Witch? Wizard?

Witch? Wizard?
Epilogue I

Hermione
Granger sat in her dressing room. Ginny Weasley, her oldest friend and
only attendant stood on the other side of the room animatedly
discussing something, as she enlarged the purse that was still holding
last minute incidentals for the bride. Hermione checked her reflection
in the mirror, turning from side to side, observing her body from every
angle possible to assure that her gown was situated correctly.


\"Hermione, are you listening to a word that I\'m saying?\" Ginny questioned as she tossed a lacy band in Hermione\'s face.


Hermione
startled as the garter broke her internal conversation. \"What?\" she
asked, clearly unaware of what she had done to warrant the attack.


Ginny
just laughed. \"I have never seen you so out of sorts before. Wait until
I tell Harry and Ron; they won\'t believe me. Hermione Granger, the
witch that could stay awake during Professor Binn\'s History of magic
class, spacing out.\"


Hermione huffed as she lifted her foot
to slide the garter up over her shoe. \"Forgive me Ginny if I happen to
be a bit pre-occupied. It is only my wedding day after all. Whatever was I thinking?\"


Ginny
shot a playful glare at her long-time friend before standing to walk
behind Hermione. \"I was only remarking how unbelievable it is that I\'m
attending a wedding along with half of the Slytherins from your year. I
would have called you nutters and had you assigned to the bed next to
Lockhart\'s had you predicted this ten years ago.\"


\"I

would have volunteered for the Dementor\'s kiss, had I known this was
coming back then,\" Hermione replied swiftly causing both she and Ginny
to laugh. Certainly neither one of them would have dreamed that
Hermione\'s groom would have been snatched from the dungeons of
Slytherin House.


\"You know,\" Ginny stated thoughtfully. \"I
think that Trelawny is the only one that would have been able to see
this one coming. What with her tea leaves and that foggy crystal ball.
Perhaps she would have seen snakes in your future had you given her the
chance.


\"Then again, even if she could make out the snakes,
she\'d misread the signs and predict a fatal snake bite, or death by
basilisk,\" Ginny finished shrugging as if she\'d given careful
consideration to her former Professor\'s ability to divine the future.


Hermione
smiled and shook her head at Ginny\'s diatribe. It reminded her of their
days spent at Hogwarts, when a conversation about the Goblin wars could
easily be turned to a reenactment of the last family Quidditch match.
Only a Weasley could manage to move from discussing the, blessedly
Trelawny free, guest list at a wedding, to the batty old Divination
Professor. As she thought about the friends that she would pass on her
way down the aisle to face her future husband, Hermione inwardly
chortled. So many things that had changed over the years; they had all
grown so much, maturing in many ways, but still remaining themselves in
everyway that counted.


\'Ron!\'


\"Ginny,
your brother-\" Hermione started, her voice panicked as she considered
all that could go wrong with Ron playing usher alongside of Harry with
a church full of Slytherins, not to mention Muggles. Of course, Ron had
protested the need of an usher when she had first broached the subject;
the Muggle tradition escaping him, when everyone in attendance would be
more than capable of securing a seat on their own. In fact, Hermione
had justified every detail of her wedding to all, except for Harry, the
only other Muggle born. While the wizarding weddings she had attended
had been magical in a special way, she refused to alienate her extended
family, whom had already been excluded from so much of her life, from
such an important day.


\"Relax Hermione. Harry has assured me
that he will keep him in check. Your groom\'s guests are safe,\" Ginny
chuckled as she watched her friends face startle with worry. Hermione
simply was not herself, if she didn\'t have a problem to consume herself
with.


\"Ginny, Harry? As well meaning as he might be, I don\'t trust him much more than I do Ron.\"


\"Oh,
trust me. Harry will be on his best behavior today. I\'ve already
informed him of the consequences should he embarrass me,\" Ginny assured
Hermione, a dangerous sparkle lighting her blue eyes. \"Besides, Luna
has her eye on the both of them for us. She can handle the boys should
they forget themselves.\"


At that, Hermione relaxed. As brave
and heroic as her best friends might be, they were still essentially
and predictably male. She had little doubt that either wanted to risk
falling out of their girlfriends\' favor to satisfy a childhood rivalry.
No, the ceremony would proceed without incident.


\"Sit back
Hermione,\" Ginny instructed, retrieving her wand and examining the coif
atop the bride\'s head. \"Today will be beautiful, you are beautiful,\"
she said smiling into the mirror so that Hermione could see the
friendship and sincerity in her gaze.


Hermione sat back and relaxed as Ginny cast the charms to make the necessary adjustments to the falling curls. \'In just thirty minutes, you will become-\'


\"Hermione, Hermione,\" two voices shouted from outside of the door. \"Come on, we need to talk to you.\"


Ginny
cursed beneath her breath before setting down the wand. \"Don\'t worry
\'Mione, I\'ll handle this,\" she insisted before heading out of the door.


Hermione
raised her hands to her temples. \'The bride cannot see the groom before
the ceremony on the wedding day.\' That had been the only directive
she\'d given her future husband. But here he was, with his best friend
in tow, not thirty minutes before they were to wed.


\'Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini,\'

Hermione thought with a smirk. Now, while Ginny was surprised to be
attending a wedding where Slytherins were invited, Hermione could
barely comprehend that it was her wedding and that two of the
participants were none other than Malfoy and Zabini. Considering the
circumstances under which their tentative friendships began, it was
truly a wonder, or act of God, that they\'d made it to this point. After
all, it wasn\'t every day that a woman married the man that had at one
point in time wished her dead.