you will see your beauty every moment that you rise

[cleverness]

Hermione feels her chest tighten from the moment she steps into the dress shop. There are soft colors surrounding her on all sides, a mixture of white and faint pastels, in such quantities that Hermione can't even imagine how she'll ever be able to find the right dress in time. For years, she's dreamed about what her wedding day might look like, and even if Hermione doesn't have the extensive notes that others her age might, there's an excitement that thrums just under her skin as she hurries into the shop.

She's invited some of her friends to join her — anyone who has a couple hours and the patience to spare. Even though Hermione knows that the wedding will be perfect simply because of the man who will be standing at the end of the aisle, she wants all of the other details to fall in place. Having more eyes and opinions will only make her feel more secure in her skin.

"Do you know what style of dress you're looking for, dear?" the shopkeeper asks her, a sweet woman with a heart-shaped face and delicate brunette curls.

Hermione parts her lips, on the cusp of deferring to her judgment entirely, but a moment later, she nods. "I think I'd like a long dress," she admits, feeling her cheeks flush. "White, perhaps with a hint of lace."

Half an hour later, Hermione stands back up on the stool in front of the tri-panel mirror, turning around slowly and feeling the weight of the skirt.

"What about this dress?" she asks, brushing errant curls of hair out of the way as she spreads the skirt, feeling the fabric against her palm.


[ help hermione pick between dress one, two, three, four. ]

Comments

[cleverness]

"I felt a little self-conscious, inviting people out here to help me pick a dress," Hermione admits, ducking her head sheepishly. She doesn't regret the choice to send more invitations, not now that she's seen how many people were willing and even eager to come out and help. "I was musing over it back in my apartment, wondering if it was too self-absorbed, but... I really am grateful that you came out. It's nice to have more pairs of eyes to make sure I'm not picking something terrible. It's certainly not what I would have picked as a child. I was always the sort of girl who wanted the most ostentatious dress. Like Princess Diana's, I suppose."

[survivesitall]

"When I was a little girl I used to think about white dresses. Big ones." But then she'd thought she would never have the chance for a wedding. Not after she'd changed into what she was now. "Layers of beading and lace. Probably heavy enough to weigh down three women. This is nicer than all of that."

[cleverness]

"Yes, exactly. I'm sure we must have been looking at the same wedding catalogs," Hermione says with a laugh, trying to imagine what she would look like in such a dress. Dated, for one. But more importantly, something about a dress with too many layers feels like it's too much for her marriage to Ron. She wants something sweet, light, and intimate. "But I wanted something that would suit the countryside ceremony we're having. Something that would flow nicely with the wind."

Her smile softens. "I guess after a while, all I wanted was a wedding with all the people I love most. Nothing big, nothing ostentatious. More of a quiet celebration."

[survivesitall]

"I think we were all looking in the same ones," Elena laughs, stretching out on the bench that's reserved for family, her chin in her hands. The shopkeeper gives her a look, but she's used to those and practised at ignoring them.

"I wanted that too. But then... I guess we'd been through so much the wedding part didn't seem important." Maybe some day it would again, for her and Clay at least. "It'll be wonderful."

[cleverness]

Hermione gives the shopkeeper a pointed look as well, making it clear that Elena is here at Hermione's invitation, and should be treated just as well as family. The shopkeeper seems to get the hint and turns away, busying herself in another part of the shop, with another customer.

"A part of me thinks I should feel the same way. I've been friends with Ron since we were children, since our first year of school, and... we've been through so much. So many battles, and war, and even if we weren't getting married, I know I would want to stay by his side for the rest of our lives. There's still a thrill, though," she admits, picking another dress off the rack and holding it up to her chest. "Maybe it's the romantic in me, wanting to make it official."

[survivesitall]

"Maybe. But there's nothing wrong with being a bit romantic." Honestly, it's Clay who's the romantic one between the both of them. He's the one who will bring flowers or gifts, waiting excited like a puppy until he can see her reaction. "It's good to have that."

[cleverness]

"It is nice," Hermione admits, letting herself turn around slowly in the mirror one more time, before deciding to make her way to one of the other dresses. She doesn't think she'll end up trying every dress in the shop, and the one she's wearing now is beautiful enough that Hermione could easily picture herself wearing it at her wedding. But there are a few more that look too beautiful on the rack for Hermione not to try. "Something about romance feels like... it forces one to slow down and enjoy the moment. Life passes by too quickly as it is."

[survivesitall]

Life doesn't actually pass so quickly for Elena. She's past thirty now, but still looks like she's in her early twenties, and she knows that being a wolf will only extend her life and slow her aging in the years to come. But it's the human part of her, the part she was for the first twenty one years that gets caught up in those moments, forgets the rest. "We're the lucky ones. Having someone we love here."