Halloween Magic
Ginny hopped from one foot to the other, wrapping her scarf around her neck as she stood outside the office door.
"Harry come on!" she exclaimed. "We're going to be late!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming." His voice called from inside the messy room. Ginny peered around the doorway and grimaced. Papers were everywhere, a bulletin board on the wall was covered with the images of Death Eaters still at large, and there were a few pumpkin and bat stickers on the window. She grinned at the last bit.
"I see Hermione has been here."
Harry chuckled at the plastic decorations peeling from the glass. "Yeah. She insisted on putting these up, despite the other decoration everywhere."
"Are they a muggle thing?"
"Yeah." Harry said, grabbing his coat and pulling it on. "Muggles can't exactly decorate their houses with live bats and singing pumpkins and stuff." He pointed out.
Ginny grinned. "I can't wait until you see the Burrow. Mum went ballistic this year."
Harry had to groan. "As ballistic as she did last year?"
"Thankfully no." Ginny said quickly, shuddering at the memory of the mess. Mrs. Weasley had invited everyone they knew, which was a lot of people. She considered everyone who had fought at the Battle of Hogwarts a few years before a family friend. Needless to say, the house had been overflowing.
"Did your parents ever come up with an excuse for the town as to why their lampposts were gone?" Harry asked. Ginny had to laugh.
"They didn't have to. The muggles just assumed there was a very strange thief going about. It was harder to explain why their chimneys were suddenly frightened of birds and kept sliding away though."
Harry grinned. "That had to be fun."
"Hardly. And we still don't know who did it!"
"I'd guess George." Harry pointed out.
"I don't know, I suspect Ron may have had something to do with it."
"I suppose that's true. You know he's started to help out George at the joke shop on weekends?"
Ginny grinned. "Hermione is thrilled."
"I bet she is."
Ginny giggled. "Actually George says that he's not too bad when it comes to business. He's actually got the mind for it."
Harry blinked at her. "Really? I mean…I guess I never thought about it, but he probably could be."
Ginny smiled. "He is. Are you ready yet?"
Harry smiled and took her hand, pulling her down the hall. "We just need to change and we'll be ready, come on!"
Hermione tugged on her skirt, grimacing at herself in the mirror. "Ronald, I cannot believe I let you talk me into this."
Ron came out of the bathroom and grinned at her. "'Mione, you look amazing."
"I do not, shut up." Hermione snapped back, knowing that her glowing cheeks gave her away. No matter how many times he'd tell her things like that, she never seemed to be able to get used to it.
"What's wrong with it?"
"This skirt is too…poufy."
"Poufy?" Ron asked with a grin. "Hermione, you can fix that and you know it."
She made a face, whipped out her wand, and vanished a few layers of petticoats. "Alright, better." She admitted.
She glanced in the mirror and had to smile. She wore a brown skirt covered and red sash, as well as a fitted coat with gold embroidery. A tricorner hat sat on her hair, a big fluffy feather trailing down behind her. She slid her fake sword into place and had to smile. Her pirate costume was complete.
Behind her, Ron wore a black wrap around shirt and pants tucked into boots, a lose black scarf wrapped around his head. A katana sheath hung from his back, though Hermione hadn't let him get a real sword for it. He did make a rather dashing ninja, and Hermione loved the way his red hair stuck out from under the black headscarf.
"Ready to head down?" he asked her. She nodded and took a deep breath, making sure her cinch belt was straight.
"Yeah. We'll win the prize for sure!" she said with a smile. He took her hand and pulled her form his room, and they made their way down the winding crooked staircase of the Burrow.
Outside, the party was already in full swing. People in fancy costumes were all over the place, dancing or chatting with others.
"See Harry?"
"Not yet." She replied. "Oh look, there's Neville! Let's go say hello!" she said, tugging him over to the boy dressed as a king.
"Hermione!" Neville said with a grin as she came over. "I got the job!"
Hermione's jaw dropped. "The Herbology teacher position?" he nodded and she gave him a hug. "Congratulations!"
"Yeah man." Ron said, clapping him on the shoulder. "How's Sprout doing?"
"She says I'm perfect for the job." Neville said with a blush. "She's going to meet me next week and help me organize some good lessons. And She wants my help for the last two terms of this year. Says it'll help me get into the swing of things."
"I told him he'd get it, but he didn't believe me."
Ron and Hermione turned to see at Luna, who wore a frothy blue dress that swirled about her like cobwebs, and enormous sparkling wings. Ron grinned at the springy antennas sticking up from her blond hair.
"A butterfly?" he asked. She grinned and curtsied. Ron looked back at Neville. "And you're a king?"
"King Arthur. Gram's idea." Neville admitted. Hermione giggled.
"You both look wonderful."
"Harry!" Ron called a second later, and the other three turned to see. Harry wore a draping Greek tunic and laurels on his messy hair, while Ginny was dressed up as an Egyptian goddess, down to the chair-like symbol of Isis perched on her head.
"Greece against Egypt? I wonder which is better." Hermione teased. Harry looked between her and Ron.
"At least we're a tad more subtle than a pirate and a ninja." He teased.
"Subtle is for the faint of heart." Ron said dramatically. "And not for Halloween. I'm going to go get food." he added, slipping away as his friends laughed.
"Working at the shop is good for him." Hermione said with a smile. "He's really enjoying life more these days."
"Right…and that has nothing to do with the fact that you two moved in together last week." Ginny teased. Hermione felt her cheeks warm and made a face at the chuckling Harry.
"Oh you both can stuff it." She said primly. "At least we're not secretly-"
Harry and Ginny both hurried to shush her. She remembered that Luna and Neville were still there and switched directions.
"-still sneaking off to visit each other every night. Honestly, why aren't you two just living together yet?"
Ginny's grateful look made her giggle. "Because moving would take work." The redhead complained with a shrug. "I've got a lot of stuff."
"I'll say." Harry added with feeling. "And my place is teeny tiny right now."
Ron arrived with an armful of Halloween themed cupcakes and a sugar quill between his teeth. "Mum an' Dad wen' all ou' thif yeaw!" he said around the spun sugar feather. Hermione rolled her eyes, but didn't complain, instead stealing a cupcake from his stockpile.
"Storing up for winter, are we?" she asked and he shrugged, grinning down at her.
"Don't need to, not with you making such amazing food all the time." He pointed out, this time after removing the obstacle from his mouth. Hermione giggled in amusement at him, firmly ignoring the look Ginny was giving her.
"Hey Ron?" Harry said suddenly. "Can you show me where those cakes are? I must have missed them."
The boys wandered back over to the refreshment table Molly had set up along the fence. In the meantime, Neville asked Luna to dance and Hermione and Ginny stole a table when Bill and Fleur got up to dance as well.
"So how's life with Ronnikins?" Ginny asked her friend. The brunette blushed slightly, but smiled.
"Lovely." She admitted. "I have an excuse to cook, and I actually got some great recipes from your mother. But he gets up early and makes me breakfast." She said, smile going a bit dreamy.
Ginny giggled. "Harry does that sometimes. He makes a mess doing it, but it's the thought that counts."
"So you basically do live with him now?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Ginny said with a smile. "Have you to his place in London?"
"Not yet. Is it really that small?"
Ginny laughed. "It really is. It's an efficiency, so everything is in one room except the bathroom, which isn't even big enough for a real tub."
Hermione smiled. "And you don't mind a bit do you?"
"Are you kidding? I love it. It's just an excuse to be together almost all the time." She said with a grin. "You know what I mean."
Hermione giggled and Ginny shook her head in amusement. She looked up to smile at Harry who set down a glass of champagne and called for everyone to be quiet. Hermione felt Ron come up behind her and rest his hands on her shoulders and looked up to see that he looked both extremely miffed and very happy.
"Excuse me everyone, I'll let you all get back to what you were doing in a moment. But first…Ginny and I have a little announcement to make."
Hermione's eyes widened as Harry pulled Ginny to her feet, and grinned at just how much the redhead was blushing. Across the dance floor. Molly was staring and Arthur was pulling out his handkerchief, guessing she'd need it in a moment.
"Ginny and I are getting married."
Molly burst into happy tears, taking the handkerchief dangling before her face and hurried over, pulling both harry and Ginny into a hug. "I knew it! I just knew it! Oh this is wonderful!"
Everyone else in the ballroom was clapping and smiling and Hermione stood to offer her two best friends a hug herself.
"About time you two announced it. It's been years!"
Even Ron couldn't hide a smile at the look on his mother's face. "Years?"
"Mum, Harry and Ginny got engaged ages ago." He told her. Molly looked for a moment like she might get angry – how dare they not tell her something so wonderful! – but it disappeared with a hug from her only daughter.
George came over with a wide grin, clapping Harry on the back and pulling Ginny into a one-armed hug. "About time! If you guys put things off any longer, I was going to start to wonder about you two." He teased.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "George, you're horrible."
"He's not horrible." Luna said, drifting over to give her best friend Ginny a hug. "But he is right. I've been expecting this for months now."
"She has too." Neville said, rolling his eyes. "Every time I see her she'd ask if you two were engaged yet."
Hermione laughed and shook her head. "This is wonderful though, I'm so happy for you! Do you have anything planned yet?"
"Summer." Harry and Ginny said at the same time, before giving each other happy smiles.
"That way we can have an outdoor wedding somewhere." Ginny said happily. Molly beamed and looked harried all at once. Ginny hurried to assure her that they didn't want anything nearly as fancy as Bill and Fleur's wedding, though Hermione suspected her mother would still over-stress herself.
She moved to Harry's side as Ginny and Molly started to talk about what plans had already been made and smiled up at him.
"Happy?"
"Very." He said, looking down at her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her to his side. "Now we just need to get Ron to propose to you." He teased.
"Oh no don't." Hermione said quickly. He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. "Things between us are slow…but good. I like it this way, and I think he does to. I don't want to rush it."
Harry chuckled. "Hermione, I do believe you're secretly a romantic."
She couldn't help the smile. "Oh shut up, Harry. A secret engagement makes you qualify as well." She pointed out.
He grinned and shrugged. "So be it. I know Ginny doesn't complain."
Heroine giggled. "Neither does Ron." She wrapped her arms around her friend's waist in a hug. "Congratulations Harry."
"Thanks Hermione."
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Just a fun little something I did for a contest over at deviantArt. Figured I may as well post it here :) It's not as good as my other one-shot, but oh well, lol.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Your Humble Authoress,
Whisperwings