I do not own Harry Potter, all rights reserved to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.
Hi, little loves, this is my first ever fan-fiction, I've had several ideas over the years but never been able to write them out. So please let me know your opinions, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Also, I am from a southern U.S. state so if you see any slang, such as y'all or anything unusual for Harry Potter or if the characters seem to OOC please let me know and how I can improve. Hope you enjoy and with much love, Casper.
It was just a little over a year after the war and the golden trio finally seemed like they were all getting there happy ending. They were all engaged, although it was only common knowledge that the boys were, Hermione had yet to share her news with the boys or the Weasleys, no matter that she had gotten engaged weeks before the boys, she just hadn't seen everyone together to tell them. The night Hermione and her fiancé were planning on telling everyone they were even in a relationship to begin with let alone engaged, Harry and Ron had come in incredibly happy after proposing to Ginny and Lavender, their respective girlfriends, just earlier that day. When the news of their engagements had dropped Hermione and her fiancé shared a quick look over the table that said they both agreed to wait, and wait they had, but they were running out of time. They had already set a date, that was the first thing they had done, and unfortunately it fell in between Harry and Ginny's and Ron and Lavender's. This was only a problem because Charlie knew that his mom was likely to cast the same altered enchantment she had previously at Bill and Percy's weddings, that would make the bouquet find the next of her children, or their future spouses, to be married. If everyone was expecting it to be Ron or Lavender but it instead found himself or Hermione, he knew there would be trouble and many questions to be answered.
The wedding was soon upon them as Harry and Ginny hadn't wanted to wait any longer, they were tired of waiting after everything they had been through and were set to marry just a few short weeks later. Because of this everything had been a whirlwind of preparations and there had been no time to tell the others of their own upcoming nuptials. Charlie knew that, although Lavender and Ron's wedding was set for later in the year that, even if the bouquet found him rather than Hermione his family knew he wouldn't find a girl worthy enough in a few months to be married before them and all signs would point to him already being in a relationship. Hermione had similar worries about the bouquet, but hers were more along the line of everyone would think it was the twins playing a prank because next simply had to be Ron and Lavender, or everyone would be mad, specifically Molly at her.
Knowing the inventible was coming, but that her and Charlie would get through it together, they always did, Hermione tried to relax as to not give anything away as she stood to the side of Ginny looking at herself in the mirror. Lavender stood opposite her as another bridesmaid and was gushing over how gorgeous Ginny looked, but Hermione must not have been keeping the look of fear and worry off her face as well as she thought or hoped as Ginny soon turned to her with a questioning look.
"What's wrong Hermione? And don't try to tell me nothing I can see it in your eyes, it better not have anything to do with you being single, or the fact were getting married" Ginny started, pointing her thumb over her shoulder towards Lavender, "you wouldn't let either of us set you up with a nice bloke."
"She has a point, we both tried to get you to go out with several guys, but you shot us down before even hearing anything about any of them, you could've had someone to go home with tonight" continued Lavender, and although they had gotten closer Hermione still found the girl a bit of an airhead, and appreciated this from her even less than she did from Ginny.
Hermione took a deep breath before responding. "Ginny as you're my closet girl friend and today is your day, I won't argue with you but please trust me when I say I do not need to be setup with anybody. Lets just concentrate on getting you down that aisle to my best friend and brother, or he will have a fit."
"Very well, but this conversation is not over young lady, we will be talking about this later."
"Gin I'm older than you are, but whatever you say."
After getting the girls off the topic of Hermione's love life, there was but a few minutes before it was time to walk down the aisle and walk it she did. Ginny and Harry's smile had both been alight with happiness and love few ever truly saw, as they were bonded together for life in sickness and in health and for richer or for poorer, everyone could tell they would always weather the things life throws at them together. The reception was winding down and Hermione's nerves were finally starting to catch back up to her, a quick glance across the room told her Charlie's were too as they still didn't know how this was going to play out.
It was time for the bouquet toss, and Molly still made all the non-married girls in the room gather around like tradition dictated, since most didn't know she had altered the spell for only her children. She knew it would go to Lavender, since Ginny was now married, she wanted it to find her children's intended spouses. Well that was unless one of her other three boys were hiding something from her, she wouldn't put it past one of the twins, but she sincerely hoped not. As Ginny threw the bouquet in the air though Molly knew something was amiss, the bouquet was not headed towards the front where Lavender was standing but towards the back corner where it looked like someone was trying to disappear into the crowd.
Hermione was standing in the crowd of females waiting for the bouquet to be tossed, she didn't want to be there, but Molly had pushed her in and knew her presence would be noted elsewhere. As the flowers started to head her way, she held her breath hoping that maybe one of the other girls would pluck the flowers out of the air, but of course she had no such luck as the bouquet swiftly moved from any other hands trying to touch it. So, reluctantly Hermione pulled the flowers out of the air but tried to stay hidden within the gaggle of girls surrounding her. Unfortunately, she had no such luck with that either for as soon as her hand clasped around the stems everyone else backed away from her leaving her standing by herself clutching the flowers, she currently wanted nothing to do with.
As the crowd cleared Molly could finally see who was holding the bouquet but was incredibly puzzled, she had once thought Hermione was going to end up with her Ron, but had quickly quashed that notion when Lavender first came into the picture, it was clear Ron and Hermione were far to different to be compatible. Knowing her spell was accurate Molly was more curious than anything, and she wondered which of her three boys had managed to catch the heart of the gorgeous brunette she had always wished was one of her own. And so, with that she rushed forward to embrace the young Gryffindor.
Hermione although surprised, was confused when Molly scooped her up into a hug squeezing the life out of her and squealing "oh who is it, which one of my boys finally managed to nab you up?"
Molly as if feeling her confusion released her hold slightly only to take Hermione's face between her hands, "What's wrong dear? You look troubled. Tell me none of my boys have done anything wrong?"
"You aren't mad?"
"Why would I be mad my dear child?" Molly's words were finally laced with confusion as she tried to figure out why Hermione would think she would be mad.
"Because we didn't tell you sooner?"
"Oh, sweet girl, I have always thought you as one of my own, and now you finally will be. Plus, I assume you have your reasons, you always do." Molly paused before continuing "Now I just need which one of my boys it was so I can give them a good smacking for thinking they could keep such a wonderful secret from me."
Before answering Hermione looked up, over Molly's shoulder to catch the eyes of her fiancé only to see him giving a slashing motion across his neck and mouthing "you better not", but Molly focusing solely on Hermione noticed her attention drift else where and got the end of her second oldest gestures. Squealing once more Molly ran towards Charlie to embrace him in his own bone crushing, breath taking hug before releasing him, to smack him demanding to know why he'd kept such a secret and when he planned on telling her. As Molly continued to attack Charlie with both hugs and smacks Hermione's friends made their way over to her and to be honest, she was just as nervous to face them as she was Mrs. Weasley.
"So that's why you didn't want to be set up with anyone."
"Of course, that's why Gin, I know he's your brother, but he one fine piece of man" Lavender simple statement brought an indignant "Oi!" out her own fiancé but she payed him mind.
"So Mione" started Harry as he wrapped an arm around his sister's waist "why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"Well, the main reason is just that the first time we were actually all together to tell everyone was the same day you guys came in with your engagements and as much as we didn't want to ruin you moment we also didn't want to share, and the past few weeks have been crazy getting your wedding set up."
"Why didn't you tell us when you first started dating?" was the next question which surprisingly came from Ron, truth be told, Hermione was the most worried about him, that he would blow up and lash out at her, but it was obvious not the case "Oi, Mione stop looking at me like that, just because I have the 'emotional range of a teaspoon' doesn't not mean I'm a complete git.
"Oh, of course not Ronald, you're a perfect gentleman" at this point Molly had stopped her abuse of Charlie as she had heard the past two questions and wanted to know the answers as well. Hermione tried to continue with her answer to Ron but did not want to sound rude while doing so, but found she was struggling, and looked to Charlie for help. Charlie completely free from his mother's grasp strolled over to Hermione and Plucked her out of Harry's arm and into his own embrace and planted a kiss atop her head.
"What my little lion is trying to say is, one we were worried about some of the reactions, and two everyone seemed happy to believe we were both single, and we were happy to let you do so, so we could stay in our own little bubble of joy for just a bit longer. Right, love?" Charlie finished with a question for his fiancé and the smile he looked down at her with was not too different from the one Hermione gave him or the ones Harry and Ginny had given each other just hours earlier when they stood at the altar.
The soft whispered words of "I love you" that left Hermione's lips and the kiss his graced hers with, told everyone everything they needed to know. Although no one had expected Charlie and Hermione to end up together, they could not be more perfect for one another.
