Tying the bowline.

Author's notes: Since I appearantly didn't make this clear enough in the first chapter of this fic, which my first review showed, I want to make it abundantly clear now:

I DO know that Ron/Luna will not happen in the HP-books. I have in fact read the interview in which it said "We do know now that it's Ron and Hermione", and guess what? I don't care. Because the Ron/Luna-dynamic in the books still remains one of my favorites. And this is a ship that no one can turn me off writing. EVER.

If JK Rowling came to my town, walked up to me and beated me senseless with a herring if I didn't convert over to R/Hr, I would still ship Ron/Luna. The ship simply is that great in my opinion. (I might ask her not to use a anchovy-flavoured herring, because I find fish-flavoured fish to be redundant.) (Yes, anchovy-flavoured herring does exist, not even I could make something like that up.)

Warnings: This fic will center quite a lot arround some of Molly Weasley's more negative traits. This chapter will begin, however slightly, in this trend. If you can't stand anything negatively being said about Molly Weasley at all, you may want to turn around.

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling. (Thus I may avoid beating myself senseless with a herring.) If I were JK Rowling, do you think I'd write Ron and Luna getting together? I'm not making money off this. I'm not getting fame from this. It's just for my own pleasure and in practice for my original work.

Chapter 2, The Reactions.

Mrs. Weasley let out a shreek of excitement. She could hardly believe it. Her little boy was going to get married. Mr. Lovegood and Mr. Weasley, who both happened to sit next to one another and had in fact been deep in a conversation about ministry dealings, proceeded to shake hands with each other while patting each others' backs. Most of the others seated by the table started to cheer for the engaged pair, except for Harry and Hermione who hugged their friends while congratulating them. Ginny broke off from further down the table to congratulate and hug her best female friend. Soon things quited down, and people returned to dinner, although there were now some changes in the topics of conversation.

"So," started Harry. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"More importantly," said Ginny. "Why didn't you tell me? Sister of the groom-to-be and best friend of the bride-to-be?"

"Because," answered Ron, as he took a sip of his drink. " We didn't want all of England to hear it from you first."

Ginny ignored him and turned to her best friend, bride-to-be.

"So, Luna. Who will be your maid of honor?" asked Ginny with a bright and cheery smile on her face.

"Actually, we haven't made any such decisions yet," answered Luna. "So far the only thing done is telling family and friends. We haven't really given the wedding itself any considering."

"Are you kidding me?" Ginny blurted out. "I mean, I know that if Neville ever popped the question to me, well I'd know how I would want things. You want to fullfill your dream wedding, don't you?"

Sipping his drink, Neville suddenly spit a mouthful out with his face all flushed.

"It's really a matter of whether you want to keep it simple or not," said Hermione. "Me and Harry kept it all rather simple, saved us a lot of hassle."

"I still can't believe you kept it so simple," said Ginny. "How can the wedding between the Boy-who-lived and the Girl-who-kept-him-alive, be civil and have only twelve guests and a cake? Me? I would have gone for some pomp and circumstance."

Pouring himself another drink, Neville missed the glass and had to frantically look for napkins.

"I know you would have, which is why we waited till the last minute to tell you," said Hermione calmly. "But back to you Luna. You have to know that most men are incapable of planning anything resembling a wedding. You'll have to be prepaired to know what it is you want for yourself."

"Well," said Luna smiling and blushing slightly. "I do have some ideas of what I want. For instance I've always figured as a little girl that I'd want a outside ceremony. That's what my parents had. Other than that, ohhh, I don't know really."

"Well, you and Ron will figure it out together," said Hermione with a knowing look. "Anyone can see how much you two love each other."

"I have to admit that I'm not too surprised," said Fred. "That Luna has you wrapped around her little finger, like a nice little ribbon."

Ron held in his laughter at his brother's so very appearant hypocrisy.

"Of course it is all good with that," continued George. "She is probably the best thing that ever happened to you. It's just saddening that she's done too much of a good job at turning you into a decent man."

"But my own biggest problem here is the possible pickle you may have gotten me and George into," Fred said in a more hushed up voice.

"What are you talking about?"

Fred sighed with an exasperated look on his face.

"It seems that whatever good effect your girl has had on you, it hasn't made you any less of a blockhead."

"The thing that Fred is trying to convey here," George filled in instead, "is that with you, our younger brother, ready to walk down the aisle already, it will put a bit of pressure on your two older and still single brothers."

"Mostly from mum," interjected Fred.

"As well as from our two birds," said George.

"But still mostly from mum," insisted Fred.

"Alright," said Ron holding his hands up as a gesture of no further explanation needed. "I get the picture. But you would have gotten to deal with that sooner or later anyway, you two have been going steady with your girls for quite a while now. What is it now, three years?"

"Four years and two months for me and Alicia," said George.

"Five years and seven months for me and Angelica," said Fred. "But who's counting?"

"Well, women do expect something to come out of that kind of commitment," said Harry before turning to face Ron. "You know, I think you might have gotten yourself in a tight spot now."

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"Well, when Hermione and I got engaged we decided to keep it all quiet for a reason. We didn't want all the media of the wizarding world to find out and make a fuss about out wedding."

Ron's face reddened as he waved his hand at the absurd notion.

"Harry, that was you and Hermione. I don't think they'll throw a fuss about me and Luna."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Harry said with a serious look on his face. "Think about it, both you and Luna did play a big part in the war after all. Not to mention that you are a star quidditch player after all, and that her writings in The Quibbler have gotten the eyes of the public on her quite a lot lately."

Though it pained him to admit it, Ron knew that Harry was right. Luna had indeed gotten some unwanted attention from writing so outspokenly about certain other reporters and their writing. Even though he had said it was just to try playing for a different team this year, the real reason for taking up the offer from The Prides was so that he and Luna could move to Portree which got them away from public eyes. This last month things had quieted down quite a bit, so he had figured they could go on and have their wedding close to their family and friends. Hopefully there would be no problems, as long as they managed to keep it fairly simple.

Around midnight people started to disperse. As Mr. Weasley talked with Mr. Lovegood on getting together to get to know one another better, father-in-law to father-in-law, Mrs. Weasley turned to Luna and asked if they could have a chat out in the kitchen. The two women walked into the kitchen, where Mrs. Wealsey with a flick of her wand got the dishes started.

"Now, my dear," Mrs. Weasley said as the dishbrush made itself busy with the many plates, "if you have any need for advice or help in planning this wedding, I want you to know that you can count on me at any time."

"Well," confessed Luna. "So far we haven't really begun planning the ceremony itself."

"Oh, my dear," Mrs. Weasley blurted out. "We better get started soon on that then, don't we? How about you and Ron pop by tomorrow? I do after all have some experience in planning these kind of things, you would do well in taking advantage of that."

"Well, maybe," said Luna hesitantly. "If it's not too much trouble-"

"No trouble at all," Mrs. Weasley hurriedly assured. "Shall we say around noon-ish?"

"That sounds about right for me," said Luna. "I will ask Ron. It sounded on him though like he had things to do tomorrow. Possibly Quidditch practice or so. But if he can, we will both pop by then."

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley with a confident look on her face. "Even if he can't make it, perhaps you could stop by at any rate? These sort of things are better left to us women anyway, wouldn't you agree?"

Luna didn't know quite what to say. It felt wrong to possibly leave Ron out of the planning of a ceremony which involved the two of them so greatly. But, she reminded herself, there would be plenty of time for him to get involved later. Also, she wasn't dead certain that Ron was going to be busy tomorrow.

"Right," said Luna. "Well, me and Ron better make sure to get father home alright now."

She walked out of the kitchen to find her fiancé taking leave of his two best friends, as they were going off with the table.

"There you are, honey," Ron said as she arrived. "I was wondering where mum had gone with you."

"Oh, she wanted to talk in the kitchen for some reason. Probably worried about wracklespurts. Which reminds me, are you busy tomorrow? Around noon?"

"Noo," said Ron carefully, considering his practice schedule. "Not that I can recall."

"Good," said Luna slightly relieved. "Because your mother offered to help us get started on the wedding-plans."

"Oh," he said as he faked a groan. "I think I have a dentist appointment."

"Really," asked Luna, crossing her arms. "A dentist appointment, that you didn't bother to tell your fiancé whom you also happen to share an appartment with?"

"Ehh, yeah," he said, less secure in his fib. "Annual check-ups, you know."

"Really," asked Luna yet again. "I didn't know they did annual check-ups every two months."

Harry and Hermione couldn't help it, they let out a hearty laugh.

"Ron, my mate," said Harry shaking his head with mirth. "Do you really dread planning this thing?"

As Ron felt the looks of both his best friend and his fiancé, his cheeks started to redden.

"It's just that I moved out of the house all those years ago, in part to get away from my dear mother."

"Really?" said Harry with a confused look on his face. "But your mother seems like such a nice person."

"You haven't lived with her for the first eighteen years of your life," Ron reminded him.

"Oh come off it, Ron," said Hermione. "You're just afraid they'll make you choose flower arrangements."

"Well, that too," he admitted. "But I still stand by what I said. Mum isn't always easy to deal with."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Hermione said and turned to Luna. "Mrs. Weasley was quite friendly towards me when we were dating. I'm certain that she will be very helpful to you two with this wedding."