A/n- Okay, so I had this idea a million years ago about doing a short multi-chap series showing preparations for a Harry Potter wedding, wrote some details down in a diary and promptly forgot about it. Yesterday, when I was in a serious case of writer's block about another story I'm working on, I decided to open that diary and saw the whole idea and it all lead to this.
Next up would be "The Planning," followed by "The Dress and The Tux," and four more chapters all leading up to the wedding.
Hope you like it.
Disclaimer-Nope, I don't own it. Damn it.
The Proposal.
Walking to his death was nothing compared to this.
Harry Potter was sweating so much he was pretty sure that after a few more minutes there would be no more fluid left in his body. He should've really thought this through, but unluckily for him, planning was Hermione's forte, not his.
And since telling Hermione about this would make the whole point moot, he couldn't ask her for help.
It should be easy, right? Asking the woman you love to marry you in front of your whole family?
Yeah, not really.
He looked around the table and saw everyone either laughing or talking. The whole Weasley clan was here with the addition of Fleur and Angelina, who, thank god, had George laughing like his own self again. Luna was here with Ron, those two had been inseparable since their first date last summer. He wished Hermione's parents could be here, too, but they had already given him their blessing and couldn't really leave Australia easily.
He really should've done this when they were alone, like the heroes in those muggle movies that Hermione loved so much did. But Ron and Ginny had thought that the best way to propose to Hermione would be in front of the whole family, since she'd once said that was the way she wanted it to happen.
He understood why, though.
Hermione had always been the kind of person who loved her family more than herself. She always needed to share her happiness with others and take their pain away. And if someone was going to ask her to marry them, they should do it in front of the people she cared about the most.
He heard her laugh and looked beside him to see her tickle Teddy, who sitting next to her, she loved him like her own; they all did. He smiled, and his nervousness eased a little because Hermione was the most beautiful and amazing girl in the entire world, and he was so blessed that she loved him.
"Now, now Harry," said George, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "You can stare at Hermione later, since she's your girlfriend and all, and it's not like you haven't been looking at her for the last ten year, but right now you should eat your food. Or I might steal it."
Everyone at the table laughed and Harry smiled at the blush that rose up Hermione's cheeks and she looked anywhere but at him.
He looked back at his food, trying his best to pretend to eat, because nervousness did not make it easy for him to keep it all down.
God, there were a million things that could go wrong tonight, just thnking about it made him queasy. What things? You ask, well let's see.
She could say no
He could stumble and fall as he tried to get down on one knee.
He could forget all he wanted to say.
She could say no
She may not like the ring.
He might throw up. Or faint. Or throw up and then faint.
She could say no
She could say no
He could screw up everything and say something wrong.
She could say no.
Merlin, just the thought of her saying no made him sweat even more than he already was, he wished no one noticed the amount of perspiration on his forehead, but since when had Harry Potter's wishes ever came true?
"Harry, dear, are you okay?" Mrs Weasley asked, frowning, "You are sweating a lot,"
Everyone turned around to check that he was, in fact, sweating a lot.
Hermione looked at him, her brow furrowed out of concern as she put her hand on his forehead, checking to see if he had a fever.
"You don't have a fever," she said, as if his symptoms made no sense to her.
He guessed, pre-proposing nervousness syndrome, wasn't a diagnosed disease yet. He wished it was, maybe he could get a pill for it or something.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he said, trying to wave of the concern, "I just feel a little hot today, nothing more,"
Mostly everyone went back to their own conversations, but both women sitting on his sides eyed him curiously, though both for different reasons.
"Just do it," Ginny whispered from his left, she, beside Ron, was the only one who knew about his plan.
"I'll do it in my own time, Ginny," he whispered back, and saw her roll her eyes.
"Yeah, then we'll have to wait until next year," she said.
"What if she says no?" He voiced out his deepest fear, and frowned when she started to laugh.
"Are you actually afraid she'll say no?" she asked, trying to tone down her laughter as people shot curious looks at them, "Harry, Hermione hasn't stuck with you for the last ten years because she had to, she did it because she loves you, she's always loved you. Trust me, I see the way she looks at you, talks about you, she's not going to say no,"
Ginny's words did calm him a little, but even as his anxiety decreased the thought of actually doing it made him want to forward to time when he'd done it already.
"What are you two whispering about?" A voice called from his right, and they both turned to find Hermione frowning at them and neither of them answered for a moment.
"Nothing," said Ginny, when it was obvious Harry wasn't able to speak words, "Just the food, and how delicious these potatoes are, Hermione,"
"Thank you," said Hermione, as she had cooked the afore mentioned potatoes, but she still looked suspicious.
The ring was burning wholes in his pocket; Ron and Ginny were staring at him as if they were waiting for him to start talking already. His heart beat was faster than his firebolt. He looked at her, then at everyone else, and decided that if he wasn't going to do it now, he would never do it.
"Hermione," He said, and stood up on shaky legs, ready to ask his best friend to become his wife.
He was acting weird. Well, weirder.
Hermione Granger didn't know what was up with her boyfriend, but something definitely was, because he'd been acting strange all evening. He'd barely touched his food, he'd been sweating as if he'd just run a marathon and he'd been casting nervous looks her way all night.
Also, he'd been whispering with Ginny, and she was pretty sure that it had not been about food.
All of these things could only mean one thing- he was going to break up with her.
The idea of breaking up with him hit her like a curse, she felt so much pain it was unbearable. But the thing was, if that was what he wanted, she wouldn't be able to do anything.
You know, Hermione, said a voice in her head, you over think things too much, Harry is not going to break up with you.
She wished she could trust that voice, but since it was the same voice that had told her to punch Malfoy, she couldn't really trust it.
But punching Malfoy had felt pretty good, hadn't it? The voice prompted.
"Hermione," Harry said, rather abruptly, and rather loudly.
She looked up to find everyone staring at them, and looked at Harry with her heart in her throat, wondering if he was going to break up with her in front of everyone.
"Yes, Harry?" she asked in a small voice.
He stood up and moved the chair he was sitting slowly out of the way. Why he did that, she didn't know.
He took a deep breath started talking, "I don't think I could've gotten through all that I did without all of you, you all are my family, and I'm grateful to all of you for being that to me in a time I desperately need it,"
Mrs Weasley looked closed to tears, but most of the people in the room were confused as to why Harry was saying all this, as was Hermione.
"But," he continued, "There is one person who has stayed with through it all, she has saved my life about a million times. Without her, I don't think I could've done anything. She's seen me at my worst and at my best, without her, I'm nothing. She's my best friend, and I've loved her since the first day I saw her in that train compartment,"
He turned to her, and Hermione could barely stop herself from crying, "You're everything to me, Hermione, and I don't even want to think about spending another day without you, which is why…" he stopped mid-sentence and bent down on one knee, gasps came from everyone on that table but Hermione couldn't look anywhere but at Harry.
"Hermione Jean Granger, " he said, and then pulled out a small box from his pocket and opened it. Inside it was the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen, it was shaped like a snitch with the wings as bands, and huge red ruby for the ball. "I've spend all my life chasing after the snitch, it's what a seeker does, and turns out it lead me to you. You are my snitch, and I love you, so would you please, make me the happiest guy on earth and marry me?"
Tears streamed down Hermione's face and she didn't even have to think before saying, "Yes, of course,". A cheer went through the room as Harry slipped the ring in her finger and stood up, taking her with him and kissed her.
He let her go in the next moment, and she didn't know how many people she hugged, and how many congratulations she heard.
"Congratulations you two," Mrs Weasley said and decided to hug them together, wrapping one hand around her and one around her.
"We are going to have so much fun planning their wedding," Ginny said, "Flowers, dresses, venues, there is so much to do,"
"Oh, eet iz going to be wonderful," said Fleur, clapping her hands.
She saw panic in Harry's eyes and he looked like a scared kid waiting for the rollercoaster to start, Hermione knew how he felt, because she was pretty sure that theirs would be a wedding to remember.
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