A Bridesmaid's Dress

By: Hermione L. Granger

Disclaimer: I wish I owned these characters.

A/N: Alright, everything's moving slowly, but I DO hope to finish this...someday. This is a prequel to Shattered Glass / Thankful Rain. Same story. You don't have to read those to get this, but it will help. Oh, and REVIEW!!

Ron awoke to a soft chirping noise. Irritated by it, he rolled over and knocked the muggle alarm clock onto the floor, it silencing with a bang. He opened his eyes, and looked around, his eyes falling on a calendar. Damn, it was Saturday. Who had set the alarm?

For another twenty minutes Ron tried to go back to sleep, but with no success. Finally, he rolled over to look at the sleeping form next to him. He scooted over next to Hermione and began to kiss her neck. Running his hands down her thighs, he moved his lips towards her mouth as she began to wake.

"What?" she mumbled smiling, rolling over to face him.

"The alarm clock," he mummered between kisses, "went off early, I thought, we could have, a little fun."

"Um, sounds nice," she whispered, as she began to act on him. She had just begun taking off his shirt when she suddenly sprang out of bed, pushing Ron off of her.

"The alarm clock went off for a reason!" she exclaimed rather horsily, "Ginny's thing remember? It's in ten minutes!!"

"Oh shit," Ron muttered, getting out of bed, "Couldn't we just..."

"No!" Hermione snapped, pulling on a dress, "I think she and Harry are going to announce their engagement at this thing,"

"Couldn't they just send out a letter?" Ron asked, buttoning up a shirt.

"Yea, your mother would love that," Hermione replied running a comb through her still bushy hair.

"She probably would," Ron answered, following suit, "She worships those two."

"Well, they aren't living together," Hermione replied snapping on a bracelet.

"They just sleep in the same bed," Ron smirked, "they're special friends."

"You know your mother doesn't know that," Hermione said, "and don't you be the one to tell her."

"I'm not that dumb," Ron argued, "not like Percy who decided to blab to the whole world when we moved in together."

"Don't blame him," Hermione whispered as she kissed him, "he's an idiot."

"Tell me about it," Ron answered, handing out his tie to be done. Hermione quickly did it, and the two apparated to the Flinch and Fletchey Associates Club.

****

"Where are they?" Molly Weasley whispered to her husband as breakfast began. Her youngest son and his, ahem, girlfriend as she liked to call herself, were late. As usual.

"I'm sure they'll be here in a minute, dear," Arthur replied, and the words were no sooner out of his mouth, than Ron and Hermione snuck in and took a seat Fred and George's table. Their wives, Alicia and Angelina, both smiled a quick hello, while the twins jerked their heads towards their mother. Hermione cringed. Molly was just getting ready to go speak to them when Harry tapped his glass, calling for a toast.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why we've asked you here today," Harry spoke out to the crowd, of not only Weasley's but also old school mates and teachers, and other friends Harry and Ginny had managed to pick up along the way.

"Well," Harry continued, "in the past nine years, I have witnessed five girls become Weasleys, and two other female Weasley's be born. Now I'm taking one away. Ginny and I plan to be married this May."

Done with his speech, Harry kinda gave a half smile before the entire room broke into laughter, congratulations, and I told you so's from Hermione. It was a half an hour before the two lovers got to Harry and Ginny.

"Oh, Ginny!" Hermione squealed, enveloping her best friend in a tight hug.

"You know I'll have to kill you now," Ron said to Harry, "'Specially if you treat her wrong,"

"I won't,"Harry replied, not even threatening to kid about something like that.

"You'll be my maid of honor, won't you Hermoine?" Ginny asked, holding onto Hermione's hand as they examined the ring.

"Oh, of course," Hermione answered, sending the two women off into another set of squeals.

"I've got the best idea for a dress," Ginny began as the two began to whisper.

"Best man?" Harry asked, not taking his eyes off of the girls.

"Oh, do you mean it?" Ron asked, imitating a valley girl, "Oh how, like, oh my gosh, cool."

"Like, I know, and I've like, already got, like, the peeerrrfect idea for a suit," Harry answered, picking up on the act immediately.

"Oh, stop it you two," Hermione replied, whacking Ron with her purse, "I get enough of that from Lav and Parvti."

"Speaking of which," Ginny said, taking a deep breath.

"Hi-i!" Parvati squealed as the two girls came practically bouncing up to the closely knit friends, "Oh, Harry, I think that's, like, so sweet you two are, like, getting married."

"Like, I know," Lavender continued, "it's just like, so, perfect!"

"Like, really?" Ron muttered as he turned away from the two, "Honestly how do you put up with those two?" he muttered to Dean and Seamus as the girls all began to talk, Hermione and Ginny rather forcefully.

"How what?" Dean asked, "Sorry, you'll have to speak up, can't hear too well anymore."

"Yes, too many squeals," Seamus added.

"If it wasn't for the great sex," Dean muttered.

"But we didn't say that," Seamus finished.

"Of course not," Ron answered, remembering to tell Hermione all of this later. She loved gossip about her two hated valley girl companions, and the fact their guys were only with them for the sex...excellent.

****

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Hermione exclaimed as Ginny stepped out the in the wedding dress she had chosen, "It's all puffy and stuff."

"I would've thought someone with your IQ would use more interesting words," Ginny kidded as she twirled in her dress.

"Shut up," Hermione replied with a grin.

"Just wait until I show you yours!" Ginny squealed, pulling Hermione towards the other side of the room.

"Careful not to trip," Hermione worried as Ginny practically ran in her wedding dress, "you aren't planning on running out on Harry now are you?"

"Don't even joke about that," Ginny answered smiling, "you know, you've really been hanging around my brother too much, that sounds like something he'd say."

"Don't joke about that," Hermione retorted as Ginny began to shuffle through the dresses.

"Aw, you know you love him," Ginny said, her voice muffled by the dresses.

"I never said I didn't love him," Hermione replied.

"Why aren't you two married?" Ginny asked, still searching through the dresses, "Damnit, where'd they put it?"

"I don't know," Hermione answered, "it just doesn't seem right to be married, to have little kids running all around, like Percy and Pennelope."

"Speaking of which, did you hear she's pregnant, again?" Ginny said, "Jeez, this is her fifth, think she's trying to out do Mom? Oh, here it is!" Ginny pulled out a beautiful spaghetti strap deep maroon dress.

"Rather slinky, isn't it?" Hermione asked grinning, "I love it."

Ginny stopped smiling for a moment, and stared at her best friend.

"What?" Hermione asked, noticing Ginny's face.

"You've changed so much," Ginny replied, before breaking into another grin,"But not that that's a bad thing. I just don't think the Hermione of third year would love a slinky dress."

"Yea, well, eight years of dating your brother will do that to a girl," Hermione said.

"Oh, go try on the dress," Ginny said, shoving it towards Hermione. Taking it into a dressing room, Hermione slipped into the dress. She had been right, it was slinky, but it made her look stunningly beautiful at the same time, not trashy like she had expected.

"It's perfect!" Ginny squealed as Hermione came out.

"I know," Hermione whispered, spinning around in front of the mirror. The two friends stood in front of the mirror, one in a wedding dress, the other in her maid of honor outfit.

"Oh Herm," Ginny sighed, "I can't wait."

****

"Ron!" Hermione called running through the house, "RON!"

"What?" he called from upstairs.

"We're running late again! Your mother's going to have our necks if we don't hurry!" Hermione yelled up the stairs.

"Shit," Ron cursed. Hermione winced as she heard a loud bang come from upstairs. A moment later, Ron appeared, still tucking her shirt in.

"Aren't you going to change?" he asked Hermione as she took her hair down.

"Don't have time," she snapped, "let's go." With a faint pop the two of them apparated to the Burrow.

"Really mother, I would've thought they would have learned the concept of time by now," Percy Weasley said to his mother in a superior tone, "I mean, if we can make here with four children."

"Percy," Bill muttered into his ear, "I like Hermione, she's a nice kid, and if you get Mom pissed at her, you'll have a few problems with your brothers. So I suggest you shadda up."

"Going for a gangster imitation there?" Charlie asked his brother.

"They aren't late yet," Ginny argued with her mother, "I mean, Fred, and George aren't here yet, are they?"

"I was talking about Fred and George," Percy replied scathingly.

"Oh," Ginny, Charlie and Billy replied in unison.

"Sorry!" Hermione exclaimed as the two skidded into the home, ready for Mrs. Weasley's weekly homecooked meal she had started once the twins had left.

"Wait, a sec, Fred, and George aren't here, we aren't the last ones!" Ron said in surprise.

"Good grief, it's a miracle," George said from right behind Hermione. The group laughed in response as Fred joined his brother. The group moved outside to begin eating.

"That was a little close," Bill muttered to Fred.

"Well, next time's your turn," Fred replied, "and it's not easy trying to figure out when those two are planning on showing up to anything."