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This story is rated M for some sexual content, language, and violence. Read at your own risk, basically.

ISCLAIMER: I own nothing except the plot. I owe it all to JKR!

"Ginny, you look so beautiful."

Ginny Weasley turned around, her happiness blossoming from her.

"And all because of you," Ginny assured her friend.

Hermione Granger smiled a little.

"I only used my best persuasive skills, Ginny. Your dad wanted you to marry Harry as much as Harry wants you to marry him."

Ginny beamed while Hermione fixed a white rose into her cascading red curls. Her robes were simply white, a choice perfect for the warmer September day.

The two friends stood in Ginny's room at the Burrow.

It had been two years since that night on the Astronomy Tower. If you did not know Harry, he seemed to be happy and fine. Nevertheless, Ginny and Hermione knew better. Dumbledore's death had caused in him a reaction that the two girls had never seen. He suddenly sought revenge for both Dumbledore and his own parents, not to mention Sirius Black.

He and Ron had left for months. They had purposely tied up Hermione to make sure she did not follow them. To this day, Hermione still did not know what had occurred on their little adventure, as both Ron and Harry kept their lips tightly sealed.

Harry had changed when they had returned.

All Ron would tell her before he left for some far off place, as a spy, was that he and Harry had visited Godric's Hollow. Harry had finally seen the place where his parents were killed, and he had visited their graves.

For her own part, Hermione had no clue what this meant. Nevertheless, it seemed, from a distance, that Harry had accepted a few things about his life and about his family.

Ron had left when the two young men had returned, as he was assigned to some far off place as a spy o keep track of Voldemort.

Harry had returned with more courage and optimism than Hermione had seen in him since they were younger.

Several more battles had been fought, and more people had lost their lives. However, in the end, Voldemort had vanished. There were rumors that he was hiding on the other side, somewhere in France or Spain, drawing his forces to him.

Harry did not seem concerned, however. He had once told her that when Voldemort returned, he would be ready to fight him, with love once more by his side. She had not understood what he had meant then.

He had promptly asked Ginny to marry him, and she had accepted.

When Ginny had come home one afternoon, glowing, with a beautiful ring on her finger, exclaiming that Harry had asked her finally to marry him, it had all clicked for Hermione.

Whatever he and Ron had done in their little trip had taught him a valuable lesson. It had seemed to teach him that he could not wait for things, that they were too precious to give up.

So what if Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were a little harder to persuade? If Harry had been able to swallow his own pride, they would have married anyways, and that was what mattered.

The ceremony was small. It was outside, in the warm autumn air. Harry and Ginny stood under a beautiful arch of flowers. A ministry official married them, and while the binding occurred, Hermione had this fleeting hope that maybe someday she would have a wedding like this.