The Wedding - COMPLETE

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Updated 6-30-07
I wanted to thank all of you for all the amazing reviews. They have been a constant source of pleasure and inspiration for me. You might like to know that extra chapters were actually added within this story due to your various comments and requests, so this tale has been made better because of your interaction. Again, thank you!

This is the last chapter of this story, but my next story will start immediately. Watch for "Prisoners of Love - a Mystery."

Hugs and kisses to all!

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Chapter Forty-Four


The Wedding


A week later, Lucius invited Hermione to bring Chloe and come out to his new Quidditch field to watch him practice. He was standing at the edge of the sand waiting for her and she was surprised and delighted to see him wearing one of the white tee-shirts and those trouble-making jeans. He hadn’t yet regained all his weight and the tee and jeans were now a little looser on him than they had been before, but he still looked so hot she wanted to pop open each metal rivet and bring Excaliber to another gushing release with her mouth.

Her husband knew how aroused those clothes made her and he shouldn’t have worn them just for Quidditch practice, not if he was going to invite her to watch. Her knickers were soaked within seconds and she felt like ripping off her pink and white sundress right there. Hermione giggled and Chloe looked up at her mother, puzzled at the sound. It would be several years before the nuances of her parents’ physical relationship became clear to her.



Lucius took baby Chloe in her little sun hat and pink dress from his wife and walked them both out onto the middle of the sand, saying Hermione would have the best view from there. Personally she thought the best view was from about three feet behind him – that man’s butt belonged in the Louvre - but as she looked at him puzzled, a movement caught her eye and she turned to see Severus and Ginny and Molly and Arthur Weasley – and her parents! - coming toward them with a stranger. Hermione looked at her husband, then back at the small procession all of whom were carrying white rose bouquets. They came up to her and Ginny handed the largest bouquet to Hermione with a big smile. Lucius kissed his daughter and gave Chloe over to her doting grandmother to hold.

The blond wizard drew his wand from a back pocket of the jeans and in seconds streams of magic arced and flowed through the air in a multitude of vivid colors as he used the Quidditch sand to transfigure several chairs, a large canopy, numerous little green bushes and a tall floral bower of white roses onto the field. He arranged the chairs under the canopy, dotted the bushes around the perimeter adding white bows to each, and placed the bower on one end, settling all of it around Hermione who now stood in front of the bower without having moved at all. The silent guests all sat in the chairs and looked at him expectantly, except for the stranger who went and stood at the bower.

Hermione was so impressed with her husband’s magnificent talents as a wizard, conjuring all those difficult items up and so quickly organizing and arranging them, she was stunned speechless. Even the roses in the floral bower had their own scent. She had always known he had powerful abilities as a wizard but she had seldom seen any of his enormous talent in action. Hermione hoped that Chloe would inherit her father’s innate magical flair. She knew what she had just seen was a rare commodity, even in the wizarding world. Had his freedom from his oppressive past enhanced his natural abilities?



Lucius pulled his iPod out of his other back pocket, which he efficiently connected to his speakers, removed from their bedroom and hidden behind two bushes near the bower. Lucius dialed up the song he wanted to play, making it ready, but not starting it just yet.



While everyone’s attention was on Lucius, Crookshanks crept from little bush to little bush until he could sneak quietly under Molly’s chair. He wanted to be sure he was included in whatever was going on, while being hidden by her skirt - just in case.

Lucius walked over to Hermione in front of the bower, and turned to the guests. “Thank you all for coming here today. I wanted all of you to help celebrate with us as we renew our wedding vows. He turned to an astounded Hermione gathering her hands in his and with his heart in his eyes said, “Hermione Jane Granger Malfoy, I love you. Will you marry me? I want us to be married again, this time just with family and friends who care.” He leaned forward and whispered for her ears alone, “And because we both want it more than anything else in this world. And because we each know the other wants it, too. No coercion, no fanfare, no shrieking throngs of strangers we don’t even know.”

Hermione saw the man she had chosen for her own, this powerful, magnificent wizard with his warm, foggy-color eyes, watching her anxiously, waiting for her answer. She stepped up to him, toe to toe, and put her arms around his too-thin waist, deftly balancing her bouquet and said softly, “Yes, I will marry you, because I want it more than anything in this world and I can see you want it, too. I love you with all my heart.”

The iPod was started and furnished the Martin-Aguilera rendition of “Nobody Wants to be Lonely” bringing identical solemn, tender smiles to Lucius and Hermione. While the song played everyone kept time one way or another, through toe-tapping or shoulder wiggling, enjoying the beat and watching as both Lucius and Hermione moved in time to the latin tempo, trying to keep their small gyrations circumspect, but intent only on each other as they shared their most personal song.


When the song ended, the Ministry temple official, who had been looking askance at the invisible music from the bushes opened his book with relief and began the wedding service that would again bind Hermione and Lucius Malfoy together, openly voluntary this time, for the rest of their lives. Lucius and Hermione said their vows, never taking their eyes from each other, private smiles creating a world of their own and showing all the guests that this witch and wizard were very much in love and committed to a lifetime together.

Ginny, Molly, and Hermione’s mother passed around tissues and mopped up tears of empathy, agreeing that these two were absolutely perfect for each other.

Arthur leaned over and whispered in Molly’s ear, “I’m relieved they worked out as a couple. Those two struck sparks off each other so fiery, it was embarrassing.” He chuckled, “The amazing thing was they didn’t see it in each other. They are a true match – both completely arrogant in differing ways, although I believe Hermione likes to call it ‘being assertive’. Anyway, I got to play Cupid and the Ministry will get unlimited millions. So who’s a disgrace to the name of wizard now?”

Molly patted his hand and said, “Certainly not you, dear. Would Lucius consider private financial consulting, do you think? Maybe we should ask. It never hurts to put by an extra nest egg or two. Ginny said he did wonders for Severus.” She smiled at Arthur who looked thoughtful.

Ginny and Severus held hands during the brief service, looking often at each other in happiness and contentment, remembering their own ceremony with stars in their eyes. Ginny and Severus were expecting their own baby in a few months. Both of them were thrilled and were busily working on a nursery for their new arrival. Severus wanted green walls and Ginny wanted red, so they compromised and had white walls with green and red streamers lazily floating intertwined on the white background in a random design around the room. The result looked remarkably nice and they were both happy.

Severus’ bookshelves had now become infested with several informative tomes on various aspects of pregnancy and child care, generously loaned to him by the Pedantic Proud Papa who had explained in excruciating (and sometimes gory) detail which chapters were the most important - the never-ending lecture thankfully had been leavened by the exquisite aged firewhiskey they were consuming at the time. My Gods, that man could talk – and talk and talk.

Severus knew Lucius was putting his heart and soul into his parenthood, just like he did everything else. It had been why he’d been so open to wounding in his youth. Snape shuddered, seeing a future with the both of them pushing prams in the park, the wives’ eagle eyes trained on them. That damned blond git would be showing him how to change nappies next.

In that Snape was maligning his friend. Lucius was still skillfully evading nappy duty at home, calling for an elf whenever he was left with the job. He wouldn’t do it if Hermione was in the room and he was paying the elves extra on the side to be available after ten at night for the task when it was his turn for a night change.

Severus guessed he would have to read up on the subject, but he was more trusting of Ginny to know how to care for herself and their unborn child. He easily gave control of that area of their lives over to his wife, who would tell him what he needed to do for her – except nappies.

Hermione’s parents were very happy for their daughter and ecstatic with their baby granddaughter whom they offered to babysit whenever Lucius and Hermione wanted a night out. Hermione already had her sights set on the Salsa Night tickets she had received for Christmas and had arranged for overnight babysitting as she had high hopes for a busy night of her own.

With the ceremony concluded, all were invited into the mansion for a full formal dinner where everyone enjoyed themselves immensely – except maybe for Ginny who now had to mournfully watch her husband sip one of Lucius’ renowned wines while she passed it up because of her pregnancy. The irony wasn’t lost on her that because she had sipped too much wine before, now she couldn’t sip any.

Lucius and his little witch-wife entertained everyone, and made certain all had a good time, but when the last couple left, they thankfully whisked up to their bedroom hallway, checked in on their daughter who had long since fallen asleep and been tucked in her crib, and entered their own bedroom yawning.

Idly watching him rummage in one of his bureau drawers, Hermione asked the question that had puzzled her all afternoon and evening. “Why, Lucius?”

“I hated the first ceremony,” he replied, “the noise, the crowd, the pretense of it all. I was starting to love you and that wedding crushed me. I wanted us to have a marriage based on a good ceremony in a place that meant a lot to us, something happy, something ‘precious’ if you will. Not crass and vulgarly spectacular.”

“You know why I made that spectacle, though, don’t you?” Hermione smiled, but another yawn broke it apart.

“So that everyone would believe the smokescreen of our fairytale and not see the dreary reality.” He straightened up, turning toward his wife with a surreptitious movement - and for a split second a scheming Slytherin peeked out of fervent, fog-colored eyes - but Hermione’s eyes were closed in her yawn.

“Oh, Lucius,” his wife reassured him in loving tones, “I wanted always to protect you. Our first marriage ceremony was designed to be a smokescreen, yes, but it was to keep you safe in every way I could manage against any untoward public opinion. I already knew I was unbearably infatuated with you and had been for years. But in that ceremony, beneath all the hype and glitter, I knew it was more. I fell in love with you when we said our vows. Of course,” she grinned, “no woman ever minds her husband actually wanting to marry her again. And you were right, this one was much better. I loved it. And I loved your choice of wedding songs,” she chuckled, “and wedding clothes. I had trouble trying not to drool all evening. So we are now completely married, and it feels wonderful!” She raised her arms above her head and stretched.

“Oh, I think I can make you feel even more wonderful,” Lucius smiled wickedly, his eyes boldly tracing her body from curly head to crotch, and Hermione suddenly wasn’t sleepy any more.

“Oh yeah? You and what army?” Hermione taunted saucily and ran for the bed.

“I don’t need an army, precious.” Lucius doused the lights and in the dark the Slytherin smile returned as he quietly lowered the hooks and pulled two plastic vibrators from his back pockets.

THE END

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This is the ceremony that gave the title to the entire story - "The Wedding", not the ceremony in the first chapter - if anyone was wondering.


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