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The Inner Peace	By : Katay Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 16042 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
A/N:
Here you go! The epilogue will be posted in a bit!

Chapter
24:

The quiet murmur of voices fluttered up the
stairs and flowed through the large house. A young woman stood in the shadows
on the balcony overlooking the crowd.

She had her eyes closed, but seemed to be
concentrating on the group below. Her hair was in a sleek chignon with small
white orange blossoms scattered through it and a thin gold band set like a
coronet around the crown. Her face was highlighted with golden toned light make
up, her green eyes shining brightly from her deep gold eye make-up. She had a
thin silken robe wrapped around her and bare feet. A corset could be seen
beneath the robe, but everything else was hidden by the voluminous silk. The
cane in her hand was white with gold accents, and featured four animals playing
along its stem. The handle of the cane was a golden rose; in fact the same rose
that had been presented to the lady during her fianc�e�s proposal.

After a few more moments of patient
listening, she turned and walked back down the hallway towards an open doorway
with both light and voices spilling out. She could hear the murmured
conversation between two frenzied ladies and another gentleman.

�What do you mean you can�t find her?!�

�We�ve looked everywhere for the darling,
but she simply doesn�t want to be found. You know how she is, love�

A third voice chimed in, �She�ll come back
when she�s ready, and she always does. You two should stop worrying and go meet
your guests. Let me deal with her.�

�Molly, you�re a saint, but I couldn�t pass
up helping my daughter this day.� I never
thought I would be able to, and oh dear, I�m going to cry again.�

The young woman grinned outside the door and
stepped through, saying quietly, �I suppose I ought to be getting ready?�

The three converged on her, all talking at
once. She merely ignored them and walked over to where she knew her vanity was
and turned to face them. �Are you simply going to talk at me or help me get
this dress on?�

The voices stopped and she heard her father
drawl, �Always the commanding one aren�t you? I
suppose I shall go reassure your groom that you will be attending tonight.� He
bent and gave a light kiss on her cheek, saying quietly, �You look lovely my
dear.�

Once the man had gone, the other two women
rushed up and spun her out of her robe and began tossing things about the room.
Had she been able to see it, she would have seen the two women tossing garments
across the room at each other. A garter flew across the room, passing the robe
the young woman had just been wearing. A hoop skirt followed the garter and the
young woman ducked reflexively when it came a bit too close to her head. �What
the deuce are you two doing?! I don�t think concussing the bride is part of the
ritual!� She was rather impatient about all the hovering the two matrons were
doing and simply wanted to put her dress on.

�Hush you,� said her mother. �Let us do our
jobs and stop fussing like a two year old.�

The bride-to-be huffed and crossed her arms.
The other woman laughed and said, �None of that frowning dearie,
you�ll get wrinkles! Now uncross those arms and step into this please. Oneee foot.
Good. And now the other. Yes. Lovely.
Oh that is such a nice silhouette. I do love a nice corset and hoop skirt. It�s
just so feminine, don�t you agree Bella?�

The other woman stopped her ministrations
across the room and glanced at the younger woman. �You know, I always hated
them on myself. I was much more an empire type myself. But I think it suits her
perfectly. I do like the old styles. Silly muggles with their pants and revealing clothes.�

The young woman smirked, �You two should
just be glad I�m going along with your old-fashioned ideas.�

The red-haried woman tutted, �Hardly
old-fashioned dear. Its
tradition! The wizarding world has been wearing these
styles since before even the muggles were.�

The other one piped in, �I could simply
throttle that woman�s parents for letting you gain that horrible liking for muggle clothing. It simply doesn�t suit you.�

�Mother,� the young woman said warningly as
she raised her arms, �they aren�t that bad, and you�ve seen me more often than
not in traditional wizarding robes when I go out. I
simply use the others for when I need more mobility. Now put this darned dress
on me and don�t you dare get my makeup on it!�

The other two women laughed and began to
pull the underskirt over her head and down to her waist. They were pulling and
tugging, constantly adjusting it until the young girl burst out in laughter. �You two! Just put the rest of the dress on for Merlin�s
sake. Then you can adjust the whole thing.�

The two huffed at her and began to pull the
dress on, placing her arms in the sleeves for her, so she could navigate the
dress down. Once she managed to get her arms through the sleeves, she turned so
the women could start doing up the buttons on her back. She grinned once they
were done and moved to stand in front of the mirror. She waved her hand at the
mirror and the image was transferred to her own thoughts. It was a deliciously
complicated spell and concept that she had come up with a few weeks ago when
frustrated with not knowing what she was wearing.

She saw a young woman in a satin bridal
dress standing before her. The dress was akin to a Renaissance style with tight
sleeves around the upper arm, but belled at the lower. They sported gold
designs and dropped off the shoulder, in a line with her bodice. The gold
detailing went in a circle around the bust and her back, and trailed down just
the front of her bodice. The front of the skirt was simply a sleek white satin
that fell in soft folds over her hoop skirt and when swished, showed a hint of
the reverse gold side. The back, however, sported a line of buttons from the
top of the dress, just down to the swell of her backside. Just below the
buttons, the skirt was gathered with a gold bow and golden flowers, the
overskirt from the front splitting in the back revealing an underskirt of the
same design as the bodice. It flowed out into a long and wide train of white
satin and gold stitching, framed by the split skirt with an underside of gold
turned out. She had on white mules with gold stitching as well, matching the
overall theme of the dress. (Dress: http://www.bridalchalet.com/Gallery/bridalgown/ballroom/viewlargeimage.html?image=large_BG001076.jpg)

She turned away from the mirror and walked
back to her vanity. She grasped the golden garter that sat upon the surface and
slid it up her bare legs. She had fought to not wear stockings, and in the end
she had won. The gold garter was something her mother had worn on her wedding
day, like her mother before her.

She had decided not to wear any jewelry
aside from the golden engagement ring on her finger that glinted with an ever-changing
diamond.

After touching her hair lightly and ensuring
that the blossoms and hair were in their places, she murmured to the sniffling
women, �Could I have my veil please?�

The two walked up behind her and slid off
the gold band. They then placed a thin sheet of fine lace over her head. The
veil was trimmed with gold and stopped at her chest in the front and the floor
at her back. She had decided against a poofy, tulle
concoction and went for a smoother style instead. The two women straightened it
out and then replaced the golden band around her head, effectively keeping the
veil in place.

They both stood back to take in the full
effect and began sobbing.� The young
woman merely grinned and thought on the irony of the situation.

She was standing in front of Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange, formerly sworn enemies who
were now sobbing like babies over her. It was odd their relationship. Molly had
taken pity on the extremely weakened Bella and had mothered her for so long
that the two had formed some sort of bond. V knew that they avoided certain
subjects, but was glad they were able to put aside their differences if only to
be close to her. She knew Molly thought of her as another daughter and was
deeply touched by it.

She thought of her absent foster parents, or
really grandparents. They had left Britain about a week after she had
divorced Harry and never looked back. She was slightly bothered that they were
so easily rid of her, but also understood that they looked at her and her
family as the reason her birth-mother had died.

She shrugged off the rather morbid thoughts
and turned back to the scene at hand.

Luckily her father, Harry, Luna and Susan
entered the room just as the two women were about to rush her and hug her. She
had warily been backing away, not wanting them to wet her dress. The two men
effectively stopped the women in their tracks and shooed them away to go fix
their own make up.

V had gotten much closer to Luna and Susan
over the months since the battle and had invited them to be her bridesmaids. It
helped that their significant others would also be standing up for Draco, so
the bridal party fit nicely.� She heard
the girls� soft �oohs� and �aahs�
over her dress and grinned.

�Do I look alright?� She asked.

Harry came up to her and took her hands,
�You look gorgeous love. And I think this time,
perhaps things will work out alright. The setting sure is different.�

V grinned, �Yeah, but there really is
nothing like going to the magistrate�s office and dragging two people off the
street.� She acknowledged that most would think it odd her first husband being
her second husband�s groomsman, but really what isn�t odd about my life?

Susan and Luna giggled, Luna saying
dreamily, �You know, Harry, you could have borrowed one of our Snorcacks that Daddy found. They are wonderful helpers.�

V stifled a laugh at what she knew would be
Harry rolling his eyes slightly but looking at his girlfriend with a fond
expression.

Susan couldn�t stop her laugh, and had to go
and sit down in order to calm herself. She said, �Well, I think you look right
lovely in that dress. This is a proper wedding. That first one was a foolish
idea between two friends that were certainly not meant for more.�

Both Harry and V said at the same time, �So
we found out. You could have said something sooner though.� They all laughed a
little and V marveled at how her life had changed over the course of a few
years.

As Harry led Luna and Susan back out to the
landing to wait for the ceremony to start, V began to reminisce about her past.
She thought of her chance meeting of Draco at her parent�s home and the
miserable marriage to Harry. She remembered her time with the twins fondly and
the time with Harry and Ron before that with tears. She hadn�t thought about
Ron in a long while, feeling more comfortable with pushing him to the back of
her mind. She wondered what he would think of her now, marrying Draco Malfoy of
all people and daughter to the Lestranges. She could
almost hear him say, that git?! Well if he even tries to hurt you or doing some funny
business, he�ll be answering to me! She smiled sadly and blinked back a tear.

A low voice from a far corner of the room
spoke out, �And why might the bride be crying on this supposedly happy day?
Don�t think on what you can�t change, dear one, but accept what you have been
given.�

She nodded at her father and said simply, �I
was only saying �so long� to an old friend.�

He patted her hand and placed her cane into
her other, saying softly, �Its time.�

She took a deep breath and stood, grasping
her cane tightly. She took her father�s arm and they walked out of her rooms.
Rooms that I will no longer truly use, she thought. She had wished that a
little more time could be taken to say goodbye to her parent�s house and the
place that had been a true home for such a little time. Once Draco had found
out about her pregnancy, he had pushed up their wedding and had given her only
2 weeks to prepare for it. He had claimed that, �no child of his would be
questioned on their family.�

She had sighed at the time at his
old-fashioned ideas, but was now rather glad that she could still wear her
dress and not be showing. She was only about three months along, and knew that
the proverbial baby bump would appear sooner than she would like.

She felt her father stop and sensed that
they had reached the top of the stairs. She wished that she could see the area
below, but knew that focusing on her lack of sight would only frustrate her on
a day that she was supposed to be ecstatic. She held her head high as they
began to descend the rounded staircase that led out to the lawn, where the
ceremony was being held.

As they walked out onto the lawn she heard
the murmurs of people�s approval and the whispered conversations. She caught a whisp of Draco�s gasp at the end of the long aisle and knew
that all eyes were on her.

Draco had to force himself to remember to
breath. He had thought himself quite dashing in his deep green dress robes,
which reflected the Renaissance as his mother had requested; but he was no
match for the image of loveliness that was his bride walking up the isle. Her
gown and veil were stunning, but he was fixated on her calm, serene face that
was trained on his own. He held her unseeing eyes until she was just before him
and her father was handed her off to himself. He
grasped her hand tightly and thought, You are gorgeous.
Right now, I feel like I could fly.

They turned to the officiating wizard and
she thought back, Only if you take me with you.

They listened as the wizard spoke of love
and life, of fidelity and loyalty, of new life and ultimately death. They
didn�t release touch of each other until the wizard forced them to turn and
take the binding ropes from Susan and Blaise to
present to each other. V had chosen ropes that represented passion, eternity
and fidelity while Draco had chosen those that represented companionship,
loyalty, and life. The wizard wrapped them around the twined hands of the pair
and murmuring an ancient Greek spell, tapped them with his wand three times.

After the third tap, the ropes began to glow
and meld together, a light emanating from them, encasing the pair. V and Draco
felt the light wash over their skin, their hearts and their souls as it pulsed.
When the official finished his chant the light pulsed once more and then
disappeared into the now melded rope that bound their hands. The wizard tapped
the rope once more and it separated into two, forming two small circlets in the
air which flashed, became gold, and then fit themselves onto the ring fingers
of the pair. �Do you, Veronique Hermione Lestrange, take this wizard to be your
life and soul mate?�

�I do.� The ring burst with light and then
faded back into gold, but now with faint etching on it.

�Do you, Draco Abraxas
Malfoy, take this witch to be your life and soul mate?�

�I do.� His ring burst also with light and
faded with new lettering just as V�s had.

V and Draco looked at each other, Draco
relaying images to V through their thoughts. They then spoke their vows of
devotion and love to one another. After each had finished, the official raised
his hands into the air and said loudly, �I ask for the gods� blessing on this
happy union.� A chirping was heard and a small dove flew over the pair. The
wizard nodded and said happily, waving his wand in the final bonding spells, �I
now pronounce you wizard and witch! You may kiss the bride!�

Draco hauled V to him and leaned her back
into a debonair, but long kiss. They broke to catcalls and cheers. Both
slightly jogged down the aisle, into the house, where a banquet was set up.

After three hours of dancing and toasts,
Draco and V were anxious to leave. V managed to escape the well wishing members
of the Order and fled to a dimly lit corner, where she ran into another figure
with a light thump. �Draco?! You
coward!�

He chuckled and pulled her close to him,
nibbling her ear, �Just waiting for the right moment love. Let us go, they will
all understand.�

She was having trouble thinking, his
ministrations on her sensitive ear driving her insane. �Mhmmm.�

He smirked and apparated them away.

They landed in a softly lit room that V
couldn�t recognize through her senses. She thought, Where are we??

Draco sent back a thought, or picture, of a
cave mouth � the very cave mouth they had parted at so many years ago in Asia. She gasped and he thought back, I had a small house built on the mountain
near the cave, so that we could get away if we need to and come back to where
we started.

She looked up at him, eyes brimming, wishing
with all her heart that she could only see his face. She asked, �is there a mirror?�

He answered in the affirmative and showed
her to a floor length one in the adjoining dressing room. She waved her hand at
it and pulled him in front of the mirror. She saw him looking at her with
heated eyes. She studied his clothing and the room beyond. Waving her hand once
more, she flung herself at him and peppered his face with kisses. Thank you.

He held her close for a few moments,
surmising what she had done with the mirror. Then their embrace seemed to
change slightly and they began to be more aware of each other�s body. V could
feel his body thrumming and she knew her own heart was about to thud out of her
chest.

He
began to kiss her hair, trailing kisses down her forehead, over her nose, and
finally to her mouth � soft and pliant after the loving kisses shared. She
responded by taking his mouth with her own, desperate to show him her love. She
waved her hand at her complicated dress and heard it thump onto a chair on the
other side of the room. She arched against the cold air striking her skin and
pulled closer to her husband. Husband, she
moaned in her thoughts.

He
shivered himself at the feel of her satiny skin beneath his caloused
fingers. Wife, he thought back
huskily. He ran his hands down her side and over her breasts. She shuddered and
pushed him back slightly.

She
thought to him, Let me see you. She
ran her hands over his face, mapping the contours. She brought them down his
neck, one sliding through his hair to his shoulders. She slipped his robe off
and unbuttoned the waist coat. Then unbuttoning the shirt with her mouth, her
hands moved down to his pants, slipping the buttons out of their holes and
freeing him from constraints. She brought her hands back up to his chest,
running her fingers over the rippling muscles and feeling him thoroughly. She
slid the silky shirt off of him and ran her hands over his back as she arched
against his front. When she pushed his pants and boxers down impatiently, he
grinned and then grunted in pleasure as she took him into her soft hands. She analyzed
the feel of him in her hand and used her fingers to study every vein and inch
of hardness.

He
finally growled in frustration and quickly picked her up, stalked to a King
Louis bed, laid her down and swiftly joined her. Crawling between her parted
legs, he kissed the inside of her thigh, the curve of her hip, the tip of her
breast, the hollow of her jaw and the shadow of her lip � light fleeting
touches, arousing her as well as himself, while her hand continued its
ministrations.

He
thought to her, I love you more than life
itself. Slowly positioning himself at her already ready entrance, he pistoned his hips, firmly seating himself in her warmth,
just as her took her mouth in a passionate, soul-searing kiss.

V
felt the magic washing over her in waves, cresting as they came together and
ebbing as he pulled out a little. They participated in the oldest life-ritual,
the dance of life � him thrusting, her rising to meet him; lips crashing;
bodies thrashing. She knew that this was their mysterious bond completing
itself. She had no idea how or why it had happened, but thanked Merlin for it. She
thought to him, amidst wild moans and whimpers, I love you, my husband!

At
the last words he gave a final shuddering thrust and she felt him pulse within
her, the sensations sending her over the edge as he whispered, my wife, finally, my
wife!

They
fell against the pillows, sated and relaxed. Draco pulled her to his shoulder
and smirkingly said, �How�s that for a commencement
Lady Malfoy?�

She
yawned and said sleepily, cuddling into his warmth, �A commencement of the rest
of our lives.�

They
both fell asleep with contented smiles on their faces, secure in the fact that
for the first time, they could admit their love and rejoice in it freely.

A/N: Now one more chapter to go! Let me
know what you thought.
- 23
- 24
- 25
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The Inner Peace