Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
He can't remember when he fell in love with her. It wasn't a specific moment. He had sort of known ever since that first day. When he met her. Merlin she'd been adorable though he hadn't thought that at the time. He'd thought he hated her. How wrong he was.
Who knew that little girl would become the love of his life. They'd been through everything, together. He remembered always finding her smile infectious. Remembered the first time it had been directed at him. Remembered her correcting his spells and nagging him about responsibilities.
He remembered the sparks when she touched him, the awkwardness of adolescence and hiding his feelings. He remembered how her eyes lit up when she did something she loved. How she would crease her eyebrows when she was thinking really hard.
He remembered the first time he knew she was beautiful and how he had gone out of his mind with jealousy to see her with anyone else.
When she was young she had been innocent, they all had. She had shown her emotions more freely back then. Now she was strong. She always had been but her strength had grown. She was tougher than anyone knew and he had leaned on her hard after the war.
But she had leaned on him too. And that was when he had known she felt the same. Because she never let her guard down completely around other people. But she had for him.
He remembered all of the good times, but he remembered the bas as well and how his feelings had stayed the same through the tough times. Remembered not speaking for weeks because of a stupid argument. Remembered holding her after she'd been tortured and never hurting more.
Remembered her healing him and being half conscious but just knowing she was there had made everything better. She was his everything. Heart, mind, soul. All that nauseating tripe. But it was true. His beautiful, strong, passionate, smart girl. Woman. He reminded himself.
His family loved her. Every one of his siblings were friends with her and his parents adored her. Her parents had adored him too. He wished they could have seen them together. Her parents had died a couple of years ago, car crash. He had been the strong one that day.
One memory stood out among the rest. They had had great adventures and lots of dramatic moments. But the best memory he has of her, his patronus memory, was a simple one. She walked into the party in a pretty red dress. His eyes found her immediately and he couldn't stop staring. She was stunning. She was looking for someone. Her gaze rested on him and she smiled warmly. She had been looking for him. He had never felt more loved than in that moment. Although that might change today.
A knock sounded on the door. His dad was standing there, beaming at him. "It's almost time, you better get to the alter." He took a breath to compose himself, a little nervous despite himself. He had always wanted the spotlight and he had it today, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was her. He walked out of his old room to his parents backyard. The chairs were filled with their families and friends. His siblings all in the wedding party with some of their closest friends.
Their closest friend, his best man, was missing. He would be escorting the bride to him. The tent looked much like it had for his siblings' wedding but with a few subtle differences. For example, their colour scheme was blue and orange. Blue for her, orange for him. He found his mother in the front row and she smiled widely at him, eyes tearing up. He smiled back, so happy.
The wedding march stops and he sucks in a breath. He sees his best friend first who winks at him. And then his bride comes into view. He gasped out loud. She had never looked more gorgeous. She was a vision in white, hair tamed into an elaborate updo. Her eyes locked onto his and he smiled so wide he thought his face might split. She was crying and his eyes teared up a little bit.
How had he gotten so lucky? How on earth had he gotten her to fall in love with him? In what felt like hours they reached you. The best man kissed her cheek and moved to stand beside him. She put her hands in his and he squeezed them. "Hi." She whispered. "Hey." He replied. The minister of magic himself was officiating and started talking but he didn't hear a word he said. His eyes never left hers.
"Now for the vows." The minister gestured for her to start. She smiled at him. "I think I've always loved you. But our younger selves didn't want to believe it so we took it out on each other instead. We bickered for hours." The crowd laughed. "And eventually we realized how we felt. But we still took forever to do anything about it. And finally after years, I kissed you. Yes, I made the first move." Another laugh frim the crowd. "And from that moment on you've been mine. We still argue, but it comes from a good place now and were not nearly as mean. Except for when you leave your clothes all over the house."
She smirked and he rolled his eyes. "But even then, I still love you. All of you. You take care for me, always caring, always there. You mark my place in my books when I fall asleep reading them, tolerate my cat, tell me you like my hair no matter how much of a mess it is. I am so ready to live with you for the rest of my life. My prince charming."
His mother was sobbing next to his dad. Even their stern teacher (their favourite teacher) had a couple of tears in her eyes. He cleared his throat. "We have loved each other forever. I remember the first time I saw you with someone else and how insane I got. He's actually here tonight and we're all friends now, but man I hated him that night. Because I couldn't bear the thought of anyone else with you. In my defense, you got just as crazy with my first girlfriend." The crowd chuckled, the best man laughing hard as she glared at her future husband.
"I remember watching you fighting and being equal parts terrified for you and the people you were fighting. You've always been an exceptional fighter. I remember finally figuring out how to open up to you, letting myself be vulnerable. You appreciate all of me, even my snoring. You even sleep through it." The crowd laughed again. "You pretend you don't know that I really love your cat, put up with my stubbornness and my quick temper. I have never been so completely in love. It's sappy, I know. But I'm allowed to be sappy today. Because I'm marrying the girl of my dreams today."
They both turn to the minister and he smiles at the pair of them. He turns to the groom. Do you, Ronald Bilius Weasley, take Hermione Jean Granger to be your lawfully wedded wife?" He smiles crookedly at her. "I do." And do you, Hermione Jean Granger, take Ronald Bilius Weasley to be your lawfully wedded husband?" A tear slips down her face but she's beaming. "I do."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." And he's kissing her and nothing else matters except the feel of her lips on his. He swoops her into a dip and she smiles into his mouth amid the cheering of the crowd. They made it.