This is the way I imagine Harry's speech would have gone at Ron and Hermione's wedding. I'm assuming that Harry and Ginny are already married for this one. I don't own any characters or plot; that's all J.K. Rowling
As Harry stood up, clinking his spoon gently against the edge of his glass, all eyes fell on him. Ginny sat at his side, her fingers wrapped around his wrist, and he smiled at her as the crowd quieted. He cleared his throat and began.
"I suppose it's good manners to start off this speech by saying that I was so surprised and honored to be named the best man, especially for such a lovely couple as these two here. But the truth is, I wasn't surprised at all."
The crowd laughed a little at this, and Harry continued.
"Now, as a person who has had a great deal more public attention than he needs or even wants," – more titters – "I was going to try to make this speech short and sweet, like a good best man. But when I started thinking of what to say, I found that wasn't possible. For people as wonderful as Ron and Hermione, you can't say only a few words to sum up how amazing they are."
A soft "aww," from the crowd.
"I guess you could say, in a way, I'm not only Ron's best man, but Hermione's as well." He gestured at his two best friends, both of whom were beaming and tearing up a little. "I mean, ever since we met on the Hogwarts Express, our lives have been irreversibly connected. I mean, not only am I the best friend and brother-in-law" – he gestured to Ginny, still holding his hand – "of these two, but I've also been with them for most of our collective lives. Ron and I were inseparable since the first day we met. I'll never forget the funny-looking redhead with the dirt on his nose and the crying younger sister," here Ginny smacked him lightly on the arm and he paused to smile at her, "or that bossy little girl with the big teeth who came into our compartment and informed him of that fact."
"Hey, Harry," said Ron loudly from a few seats away, "I thought as best man you were supposed to compliment us?"
"I'm getting there, Ron, be patient," Harry said, grinning. Hermione was blushing, and she fingered her wand threateningly as he caught her gaze, and he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, almost pulling Ginny out of her seat. The other Weasleys were laughing almost uncontrollably at this point.
"I never knew how much of an effect these two would have on my life. Nor, at times, did I ever suspect this outcome." He gestured to the wedding tent, and the smiling people. "Especially during third year, when somebody's rat," he grinned at Ron, "turned out to be an escaped convict, while he was wrongly accusing somebody else's cat," an equally wicked grin at Hermione, "of eating him."
George was now howling, and Hermione and Ron were looking at each other sheepishly. "Sorry about that," Ron muttered.
"Forgiven." Hermione kissed his cheek quickly, prompting shouts of "Get a room!" mostly, once again, from the table where the other Weasley brothers were sitting.
"Or maybe, in sixth year," continued Harry, "when somebody" another gesture at Ron, "was dating another girl to make someone else" back to Hermione, "jealous."
Ginny was now in silent convulsions as well, and Lavender, sitting in the back with Seamus Finnigan, waved and smiled apologetically at Hermione, who nodded graciously and smiled back.
"We all knew it, you two, long before you did," said Harry, "but we were all doubting you'd get over yourselves and realize it. And I feel like I'm going to have to dodge several well-aimed curses from the memorizer of every single edition of The Standard Book of Spells ever written as soon as this speech is finished." Hermione's cheeks were brilliant red once more.
"But I'm getting to the serious part now," said Harry, and the crowd calmed down. "Even when you two were fighting, or when I've been fighting with one or both of you, I will never forget all the school rules we've broken – all in the name of saving the world, of course" – he inclined his head graciously, and more snickering was heard – "the mountain trolls we've fought, the spells we've learned, the essays Hermione agreed to "look over" for us, the Divination prophecies we've made up, the battles we've fought, the promises we've made.
"I will never forget that you both agreed to go with me, on a long, dangerous journey to defeat Voldemort, staying in tents with no proper food and bored out of our minds, trying not to die, all in the name of friendship. I'll never forget how you said, 'We'll be with you.' I'll never forget how, when I tried to defeat the dementors Umbridge sent after me, I thought of you two for my Patronus. I'll never forget how, after my detention with her, you were waiting up for me, with a solution of Murtlap essence for my bleeding hand. And, even apart from all of these memories, Ron, I'll never regret meeting you, because if I hadn't, I wouldn't be married to the most beautiful woman in the world." He smiled at Ginny, again prompting an "aww" from the audience.
"I beg to differ," said Ron loudly, gesturing at Hermione, who flushed again, causing the crowd to let out an even louder, "Aww."
"I'll never forget the trip on the Hogwarts Express where I met the most wonderful family I've ever known." He inclined his head at the Weasleys. "And the youngest brother, who came to sit with me and attempted to turn aforementioned escaped-convict-turned-rat yellow based on a dud spell his twin brothers gave him. I'll never forget the girl who came barging into our compartment and started talking so fast I could barely understand what she said."
Hermione glared at him again.
"I'll never forget that Halloween night when a couple of scared eleven-year-olds burst into a girl's bathroom to save a girl because they'd locked a troll in with her. And I'll never forget how that same girl lied to get them out of trouble. And who's kept them out of trouble," inclining his head to Hermione, "ever since."
Her glare softened.
"People say I'm the savior of the Wizarding world. I don't think that's true. I think you two are, because you saved me. You gave me the first friends I'd ever had. You gave me hope. You gave me love. You gave me a family." He gestured to the Weasleys. "Even in my darkest hours, I knew you were there, and that thought gave me the strength to keep going on."
Hermione's eyes were full of tears, and Hagrid was blowing his nose with a loud trumpeting noise. Mrs. Weasley was dabbing at her eyes.
"And I can think of nothing more appropriate than having the two people who saved me, be the ones who will save each other. Hermione and Ron, I wish you a future that is as happy as your past has already been. Though hopefully with fewer Dark Lords."
There was some slightly choked laughter at this.
"So here's to friendship, and here's to love. Here's to the couple of the day, Hermione and Ron Weasley!" Harry concluded, raising his goblet high in the air. Clinks echoed through the tent, and voices called, "To Hermione and Ron."
"And here's to a lovely speech," added Hermione, standing up, "so lovely, in fact, that I will refrain from hexing you for all the insults!"
There was more laughter at that, and Harry pretended to wipe his forehead in relief.
"Probably," added Hermione, in a menacing voice, and Harry groaned. Ron and Hermione kissed, and everyone cheered.
As Harry sat down, he squeezed Ginny's hand. She raised it to her lips and kissed his fingers, and then beamed at him. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," he said. "Always and forever."
