Harry Potter and Changing Destinies

Chapter 15

The Wedding, Harry’s point of view…

I couldn’t believe that my calm, cool, have to analyze everything Hermione agreed to marry me with no warning. I caught the mischievous glance that she threw at Ali and Ali’s answering smirk telling me that my beloved fiancée and beloved sister were well on their way to having a relationship that rivaled mine and Ali’s. Draco grabbed my hand and motioned that it was time for us to get changed as Bri dragged Ali and Mione off to get ready. As Draco and I were walking to the room that the old priest had said we could use he commented on how happy the girls looked when we told them what was going to happen.

“Draco, my sister is an incurable romantic of course she was going to be thrilled. I’m surprised that Mione didn’t argue more with me though. Usually she does.”

“Unless Ali got to her when they were getting their dresses.”

Startled I looked at Draco, “What do you mean unless Ali got to her? What does that mean?”

“Oh come on Harry. Hermione has the biggest inferiority complex when it comes to you. Even though you have told her that you love her and asked her to marry you there is a part of her that doesn’t believe that you can truly love HER. If I’m not mistaken that smirk that Ali threw Hermione means that she shared something with Hermione that you had shared with Ali. Am I right?”

I realized then what Ali had shared with Mione, my private memories that over the years only Ali and I had known about. No wonder Ali knew long before I did that my heart belonged only to Hermione Granger.

“Yes, you are right. Ali wasn’t lying to you when she told you that she knows everything about me. Every night since we met right after third year we have talked for hours either on our mirrors or in person.”

“If you don’t mind my asking Harry why did you keep Ali, who is obviously such an important person to you, a secret? Nobody and I do mean nobody knew about her.”

“ I don’t mind Draco after all in a few short hours you will be my brother and I hope that we can become very good friends. If we don’t you know that Ali will kill both of us.” At Draco’s nod I continued “The reason I kept Ali a secret is simple. I had to. Nobody could know about her since Sirius hid there for a while and answer me honestly if you knew that I had a friend that knew ABSOLUTELY everything about me what would you have done?”

“Honestly? Before last year I would have told my father because she would have been the perfect way to get to you. Last year I don’t know what I would have done. After I was ordered to kill Dumbledore I wanted nothing to do with Voldemort. I can understand keeping her a secret from me but why Ron and Hermione? They are your best friends.”

“Hermione yes is my best friend simply because I love her and want her by my side just as Ali is to you. However before I admitted the truth to myself who I went to with everything was Ali. She and I had a connection from the very first moment that we met and I knew then that she would always be by my side. I just didn’t understand why we were so close. When I discovered that she was in fact my sister it made everything clear to me. In regards to Ron in truth he hasn’t been my best friend since 4th year when he turned his back on me during the Triwizard tournament.”

“Yeah, that was a real shitty thing for him to do. Even the Slytherins knew that you hadn’t put your own name in the goblet.”

“Really? Then why did you make up those buttons?”

  “I didn’t. Pansy Parkinson did. I just had to maintain the illusion that I hated you.”

 “What illusion? We have hated each other since 1st year.”

As soon as I said that Draco stopped what he was doing and looked me straight in the eye.

“Did we really hate each other Harry? Or did we both play parts that others decided were us? When I offered you my hand in friendship our 1st year I meant it. Unfortunately the minute that you snubbed me for Weasley I had no choice but to prove to the rest of the Slytherins that you were nothing but a bug to be crushed. However I heard what you were telling the sorting hat and I must say that was a real Slytherin thing to do getting the hat to place you where you wanted to go not where the hat wanted to put you.”

By this time my jaw was on the floor. I never thought that anybody other than Dumbledore knew where the hat had originally wanted to put me. Other then Ali I had never told another soul. Not even Hermione knew and here was Draco Malfoy who up until a few months ago was my enemy telling me that not only did he know but that he had also kept my secret for seven years. I looked at him in a new light finally understanding what Ali had meant when she told me that not everything was as it seems. Maybe Draco just like me felt that he had to act the way that everyone THOUGHT that he should act. I wondered how would things have been different had I not been told that Slytherins were evil? Would I have allowed the hat to put me into that house? Would Draco and I have been friends from the beginning? I knew right then and there that Draco would become the friend that Ron had started out to be. As we walked to the front of the church to wait for our fiancées I looked at him and held my own hand out to him in a gesture of friendship.

“I turned you down seven years ago for no reason other than you had insulted Ron. I’d like to remedy that now if you don’t mind.”

Draco shook my hand and smirked “Knowing what you do now about Weasley do you blame me?”

I had to laugh. “No I don’t now. You know you and Ali are perfect for each other.”

“Why is that Harry?”

“Other than the twins, Ali can’t stand the Weasleys either.”

 “Really?”

 “Nope she probably would have insulted Ron the first time we met to. Now I think she is just waiting for the chance to go off on them. She has no use for them at all.”

Draco grinned at Ali’s feelings towards the Weasleys then his face got very calm yet a hint of nervousness was present. I turned towards the door where Bri stood waiting. She started walking towards us. Then Draco grabbed my arm and gasped. Walking towards us arm in arm were Ali and Hermione. When I saw the wink that Ali threw at me then the look of absolute love she shared with Draco I knew what I had to do. With a wave of my hand, showing wandless magic that so far only Ali knew that I could do, I started playing Ali’s favorite song. As “You” by the muggle group Plus One played I watched as my sister and fiancée walked down the aisle. As soon as Ali heard the song her smile grew and if it was possible she looked even more beautiful. I looked over at Draco and knew that I had made the right choice.

I turned my attention back to the girls. Ali as usual looked absolutely gorgeous. I’m not biased when I say that my sister is the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen but today as I looked at Hermione even Ali’s beauty seemed dim. It must be my love for her but today Hermione had never looked better. She glowed with love for me and because of that she became the most beautiful woman in my life. I could not wait to make her my wife in every way.

Ali and Hermione stopped in front of Draco and I. Turning to each other they gave each other a hug then turned and together hugged Bri. Before she walked to Draco Ali hugged me and said “Thanks Ash. That song means a lot to Draco and I. Be happy brother. I love you.”

I whispered back “I love you to Ice.” Releasing her I turned to Hermione and held my hand out. “Are you ready to become my wife Mione?”

“Yes Harry I am.” She replied putting her hand in mine.

 We each turned and faced the priest. Unconsciously we had arranged ourselves so that Ali and I were standing next to each other with Hermione and Draco on each side of us.

The priest looked at us and asked politely “Would the girls rather stand next to each other?”

In unison we all replied “No.”

Ali explained “Father, Harry and I are brother and sister. We feel that this way we can truly show that we accept each other’s spouse and that we are a family together.”

We all nodded our agreement that this was the way that we should be standing. The priest agreed and started the ceremony. Finally he asked Draco to say his vows to Ali. What I heard would change my opinion of him forever.

“Alexis, the first minute I saw you I was dumbstruck at your physical perfection. Little did I know your physical beauty pales in comparison to the beauty that is within you. You took me in when I had no where safe to go and through that we both found a love that will last forever. I never believed that I would be lucky enough to find love let alone marry for love, but I did. Not only did I find the woman that I love but I found my soul mate. You are the reason that I can be the man that I want to be not what everyone else expects me to be. Your love gives me the courage to be myself and I promise that I will be the same for you. I will walk through this world with you by my side knowing that together we can do anything. I love you and I can’t wait to begin our life together.”

Ali laughed through her tears and turned to Bri “You owe me $5. I told you he would make me cry.”

Bri nodded as tears rolled down her own face. “You got it Ali.”

Turning back to Draco she smiled. “Damn it Drac, it’s a good thing that I wear waterproof make up. I knew that you were going to do that. However the fact that I knew tells me that we are a perfect match. When Harry asked me to give you a place to stay I never thought that his enemy would become my friend let alone the man that I would marry. It took me a lot to see past the façade of Draco Malfoy and get to know you, but when I did I didn’t stand a chance. I knew the first minute I kicked your butt in training that I would love you forever. I never knew what my destiny was but now I do. My destiny is to be your wife and the mother of your children. Our lives together will never be boring but it will always be exciting. I promise that not only will I fight with you but that I will fight beside you. I even promise to have your back. I can’t promise that I will be with you for the rest of your life but I can swear that I will love you for the rest of mine.”

I had to blink back my own tears as I heard Ali and Draco speak what was on their hearts. I looked at Hermione seeing that she was crying to. I reached towards her and wiped her tears away with my thumb then said what was on my own heart.

“Hermione for seven years you have been by my side. Before I even knew what I was feeling I had fallen for you. I swear that I fell in love the minute that you asked me if anyone had seen a toad. It took me seven years and a good talking to from Ali” I looked over my shoulder at Ali and grinned. She winked back at me then I continued. “When I finally did some soul searching I realized that I love you and that I want you by my side. What Ali just said to Draco is true. I can’t promise that I will be with you for the rest of your life because we don’t know what the outcome of this war will be but I can promise you with everything that is in me that I will love you for the rest of my life.”

Tears had started streaming from Hermione’s eyes at my words. She also looked over at Bri and said “Pay up.”

At my surprised look she continued. “Yes Harry even I thought that you would make me cry. I have waited for seven years for you to say those words to me. I fell in love with you when I fixed your glasses for the first time. Through the years we have faced so many dangers together and I know that we will face many more but again we will be together. I can’t wait to start our life together and have children with you and to be the family that you have always wanted to have. You are my life Harry and my heart has and always is yours.”

The old priest looked at Draco and me and said “Do you have rings to share as a sign of your love and commitment?”

Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out the rings that I had made for him and Ali. He took her hand and sliding the simple band on her left finger next to her engagement ring he spoke. “I give you this ring as an outward symbol of my commitment to you.” He lifted her hand and kissed it right below her ring. He handed her his own ring watching as her eyes got big seeing the marriage of the two houses prominently displayed on the front.

“Obviously you talked my wonderful brother into making this ring. It shows perfectly the marriage of not only us but of our two houses. Draco I give you this ring as an outward symbol of my commitment to you.”

Then it was my turn. I took my parents rings out of my pocket and slid my mother’s ring on the fourth finger on Hermione’s left hand. “Mione, I give you this ring as an outward symbol of my commitment to you.”  I lifted her hand and kissed it below her ring and as I did the two magical stones changed becoming a ruby for Hermione and a sapphire for me after I handed her my father’s ring and waited for her to place it on my hand.

“Harry, I give you this ring as an outward symbol of my commitment to you.”

The old priest smiled and said “I know pronounce you husbands and wives. Gentlemen you may kiss your brides.”
I grabbed Hermione around her waist and spun her around before covering her mouth with mine. Being mindful of the fact that we were not alone and that we were in a church I kept the kiss chaste. I heard Bri giggle and looked over at Ali and Draco.

Draco had Ali bent over backwards as they kissed passionately. I cleared my throat causing them to jump apart. Ali whirled around and glared at me while raising her hand threatingly. Remembering her earlier threat of freezing my bits off I held my hand in surrender.

“Chill Ice. Just because you and Draco are married now doesn’t mean that I want to see you make out. Besides we are in a church.”

Ali grinned at me “I told you Ash to quit interrupting us or I was going to freeze your bits off. Draco and I are married now so you can knock off the protective brother routine.”

I grabbed Ali and pulled her into a hug. “You may be married Lady Malfoy-VanLint but you will always be my sister so I will NEVER knock off the protective brother routine. Besides Draco needs to know that if he hurts you I will take great pleasure in hurting him.”

“Like Ali wouldn’t kick my own butt if I tried to hurt her Harry. I love her yes but honestly she scares me.”Draco said.

Ali laughed and turned from my embrace into her husband’s. “You got that right Lord Malfoy-VanLint.”

Hermione and Bri giggled at the look on Draco’s face at hearing his new name. Obviously he had forgotten the conversation that we had with Jensen months ago when we first were at Ali’s house.

“What’s the matter Draco?” I asked him. “Did you forget that whoever Ali married would become the new Lord VanLint?”

He nodded. “Actually I did. Man is my father going to flip when he finds out that I am now his peer.”

“Drac? You outrank your father now.” Ali said.

“I do? How? The wizarding world doesn’t have ranks. All the wizarding nobility are the same. You are either a Lord or not.”

“That’s true but the VanLint title is not just a wizarding title. In British nobility I am actually a Baroness which makes you the new Baron VanLint.”

“You are British nobility also Ali? How did that happen?” Hermione asked.

By this time we had all walked out of the church and were standing on the front steps. Ali looked at all of us and sighed.

“Can we go to my house first? I promise that I will tell you but I’m tired and I really don’t think that you guys planned a honeymoon am I right?”

I nodded. “Yeah you are right Ice. This was kind of a spur of the moment thing.”

“Well then why don’t we spend some time at my house before we go to Hogwarts to find the last you-know-what and fight the final battle?”

We all nodded our agreement except for Bri who asked “Do you need me for a while then?”

“No we don’t Bri. Why do you ask?”

Bri blushed and said that she wanted to stay and look around London and Diagon Alley before we all went to Hogwarts.  As the leader of the Order I gave her my permission but asked that she contact Fred and George to watch out for her so she wasn’t alone. Bri agreed and the girls all hugged goodbye. Bri hugged both Draco and I and apparated away. Draco and I grabbed our wives and apparated away to Safehaven Manor to spend a month hidden away.