Chapter 3 - Sleep
Bill took Ron's left hand and Hermione's right one in his own. He then instructed Ron and Hermione to join their free hands, forming a circle. Harry was to stand outside the circle as a witness.
As Ron took Hermione's hand, he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles once, but it was enough for her to shiver slightly. Everything she had been feeling before - fear, anxiety, nervousness - seemed to edge away now that she knew how he felt about her... and now that he knew how she felt about him. Anything she feared, she knew he'd be there to help her through. Anything he feared, well, she'd always be there for him...
"Ron, repeat after me," Bill said.
Ron nodded and waited for Bill to begin again.
"I, Ronald Bilius Weasley..."
"I, Ronald Bilius Weasley," Ron echoed.
"Now take Hermione Jean Granger as my own," Bill continued.
"Now take Hermione Jean Granger as my own," Ron repeated again, looking down at Hermione now, his ears bright red.
"With this seal, she belongs to me," Bill said with slight hesitation.
"With this seal... she... belongs to me," Ron echoed, shaking his head slightly.
"Always," Bill said quietly.
"Always," Ron whispered hoarsely.
"Ron," Bill said now, as he dropped Ron's hand. "Stamp this page with the seal..."
Ron reached forward with his now empty left hand and stamped a large rubber seal onto a very official looking document.
"Now, your magic, your lives, and your souls will be joined. Your blood becomes one blood, your magic becomes one magic, and her body is given to you-" Bill looked at Ron "-as your possession for all of eternity."
Ron didn't like this part. It sounded way to much like he really was taking Hermione as his slave. He made a disgusted face and shook his head.
"Do you, Ronald Bilius Weasley, agree to the terms specified in these documents, to bind yourself eternally to Hermione Jean Granger, to offer a bit of yourself in return for all of her?"
Ron considered Bill's words, wondering if there could be something foreboding amongst these documents that he didn't realize he was signing up for.
"Don't worry," Bill added when he saw Ron's concerned expression. "I've read through it all. Many times. There's nothing off about it."
Ron raised his eyebrows at Bill.
"Well," Bill amended. "Nothing you didn't already know about."
"Okay," Ron said, nodding. Then he turned towards Hermione. "I do," he said, and she smiled, her eyes getting wet again.
Bill paused to turn the page in the complicated document he was reading from, and Ron took the opportunity to speak.
"Do I get to say anything during all this? Is there a bit of a break where we can say what we want to say?"
Bill looked at Ron, a little bewildered.
"Well, go ahead now I suppose..." Bill said, shrugging.
"Okay," Ron faced Hermione completely and took her other hand, holding both of hers in his own. "I just want to say that what this is saying, it really makes it sound like I'm about to own you or something... but the truth is, I can't believe how lucky I am to be here."
Bill shot Ron a shocked glance.
"I know it's bad timing and it's a little dodgy, but... I'm marrying the girl I've fancied since... well, I can't even remember when I didn't."
Hermione blinked and a stray tear found its way out of the corner of her eye.
"I know this is really scary and sort of mental, but I honestly don't even care. I'm just so happy right now that I'm here with you. And I don't think anything else should matter. Not Malfoy, not this bloody stupid marriage document, not the fact that we're standing in the middle of the garden after dark doing this in secret... I've been wishing all day that we could just do this right, but maybe this is right. It's not the circumstances that matter... it's who I'm here with. And I... I just love you so much and I hope that I'll be able to make you happy... I think that I can, and I'll make bloody well sure that you are even if it turns out that it's not with me and... well, no matter what."
Ron blushed as he stared down at Hermione. She blinked back more tears at his words.
After a moment, Bill began to speak again, but Ron was hardly aware of what he was saying until he was asking Hermione to repeat after him. Hermione was made to say a lot of rubbish about supporting Ron and doing anything he desired, but he couldn't pay attention. It was as if the words meant nothing anymore. The only thing that he could see was Hermione standing right in front of him, holding his hands, saying 'yes', and 'I do', and 'always' after Bill instructed her to. And then her part was done and she was asking to say a few things to Ron while Bill sharpened his knife...
"Ron," she began. "I don't know how to tell you how I feel. I was so scared when I got that letter from the Ministry. I thought my life was over. But now that you're here... I know my life has just started. A lot of things have changed in the last few hours, and you're right, it's terrifying-" Ron grinned "-but we'll be okay. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I was when you said you'd marry me to save me. And then to know that you might actually feel... that you love me... I feel like I just went from being the most unlucky person alive to being the most lucky. I love you. I always will. And now you know..." Hermione grinned shyly.
Ron smiled down at her, his eyes beginning to prickle.
"Ron, your wand hand please, and don't touch the wound until you've mixed your blood with Hermione's," Bill said, cutting through Ron's hazy thoughts and forcing him to look away from Hermione for a moment.
The knife was very sharp, so the pain was not as great as it could have been, but that didn't stop Ron from yelling and wincing as the blade sliced his palm, his skin tearing, blood running down his wrist.
"Ron!" Hermione screamed as she watched him squeeze his eyes shut.
"I'm okay," he said through clenched teeth. "S'not so bad..."
But then Bill was cleaning the knife and reaching for Hermione's trembling hand. She closed her eyes, and just as the knife blade was about to penetrate her skin, Ron realized that Bill was about to hurt her as much as he had just hurt him and his eyes shot open.
"Wait! Bill!" Ron clutched his hand, trying hard not to cover the cut. "Can't you do something about the pain? Can you numb it or something?!" Ron asked pleadingly.
"No, I'm sorry," Bill answered apologetically, shooting Hermione a sympathetic frown. But she shook her head.
"It's fine," she said unsteadily. "Let's just get it over with," and she held her hand out further and closed her eyes. She felt Ron's free hand grasp at her free one and he squeezed her hand just as the knife sliced through her skin. She bit her lip so hard that it turned completely white. But she didn't scream. Tears poured from the corners of her tightly shut eyes. Ron watched her, his eyes locked on her anguished face as the blood began to drip from the fresh wound of her right hand.
"Now, mix," Bill instructed, nodding at them both.
Hermione opened her eyes, blinked furiously, and extended her bloody hand to Ron's. As their palms met, there was a brief moment of extreme discomfort, then the pain began to subside. They felt each other's heart beats through their throbbing hands as Bill spoke again.
"Your blood becomes one, your power moving from one to the next. You are one now, joined by your blood." Bill turned the page in the rune filled book he was reading from, reviewed the next bit, then set the book down. He reached for the rings. "Okay," he said, "you can let go now."
They moved their hands apart and Hermione instantly squeezed both her hands together, trying to stop the bleeding in her right palm while also easing the pain. Ron did the same.
Bill extended a small wood slab towards them and Ron saw that it contained both of their rings. Ron reached out to take one, but Bill stopped him.
"Repeat after me," Bill said, and Ron squeezed his hands together again. "This ring,"
"This ring," Ron repeated.
"Will remain a part of me for as long as I shall live."
"Will remain a part of me for as long as I shall live."
"And I give to you," Bill continued.
"And I give to you," Ron echoed.
"...gold forged for this purpose: to bind us as one."
"...gold forged for this purpose: to bind us as one."
Bill nodded towards the ring and Ron took it this time, then reached for Hermione's hand which she stretched out to Ron. He placed the ring on her finger, blood from her wand hand coating most of her left hand as well now.
"Bill," Ron said as the ring glowed, then returned to its normal gold. "Can I fix Hermione's hand now?"
Bill glanced at Hermione's blood soaked hands and nodded.
"Go ahead," he said. "We don't need the blood anymore."
"Do you trust me?" Ron asked her and she nodded. Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. He pointed it at the gash on her hand and carefully said a long spell, swishing his wand through the air with several flicks. Hermione's hand instantly began to seal up, the wound lessening and a scab forming over the remaining bit of open flesh.
"Thank you," Hermione breathed, the stinging she had been feeling subsiding now to almost nothing.
"Of course," Ron answered. But then Hermione was pulling out her own wand and taking his hand. She repeated the spell he had just performed, and he felt his hand healing instantly to match Hermione's. "Thanks," he whispered and Hermione nodded.
"Of course," she said, echoing Ron's words.
Bill pushed the wood slab back towards them and directed Hermione to put the remaining ring on Ron's finger after she repeated Bill's words... "This ring will remain a part of me for as long as I shall live. And I give to you, gold forged for this purpose: to bind us and to keep us as one." Hermione repeated the phrases as Bill spoke them. Then she slid the ring onto Ron's left hand, watched it glow, and waited as it return to it's natural color.
Bill turned the page and cleared his throat, then raised his wand high above them.
"Join hands," he instructed.
Ron took both of Hermione's hands in his own, careful not to squeeze her wand hand too tightly, not wanting to hurt her where the knife wound was still fresh.
"Raise your hands together," Bill said, and they obeyed. Bill touched the tip of his wand to Ron and Hermione's joined hands, then began to chant. As his voice got louder, a thin, sparkly spiral weaved its way out of his wand and around Ron and Hermione's joined hands. As it twisted, Ron felt his skin heat up and begin to tingle where the silky, coiled thread touched him. And then suddenly, it tightened almost painful around their hands. Ron wanted to move away from it, but it had a strong hold on their hands and he could do nothing but watch as the coil squeezed and flickered. And then it was gone, vanished in a small puff of smoke. Ron's hands felt strangely light in Hermione's as he slowly lowered their still joined hands, shivering slightly.
"Woah," Ron whispered, still staring at their joined hands.
"Now sign here," Bill instructed. Ron looked over at the rune covered document, trusting that Bill understood all of its contents. They slowly dropped each other's hands, signed, then separated slightly, waiting to see what came next.
"On this day," Bill began, "August the 3rd, 1996, you are one. Mr. Ronald Bilius Weasley and Mrs. Hermione Jean Weasley, go forth. You are no longer who you were. Ron, kiss your bride."
Ron's hands shook as he realized what he had to do. This was it. He leaned slowly forward, and after what seemed like an eternity, his lips finally met hers and he closed his eyes.
Warm. Soft. Perfect. Ron had no words to describe how he felt after that. His mind turned to mush, his hands somehow found their way to Hermione's cheeks. His lips moved over hers without even considering what he was doing. And then they were separating. He instantly wanted more, wanted to feel that way again... bliss, perfection, heaven...
Hermione opened her eyes slowly, her knees weak and hardly able to support her. Her lips tingled. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up into the eyes of her best friend... and now her husband. She let out a shaky breath and Bill began to pack up everything. Ron was vaguely aware of Bill handing him a piece of paper, the one they had both just signed.
And then they were moving, heading back towards the house. Harry was somewhere behind them, but Ron hardly noticed. Before he could comprehend it, they were climbing the stairs up to his room.
"Sleep..." he heard Hermione mutter as she gripped Ron's left hand tightly in her own, pulling him towards his room. They entered, and Hermione removed her shoes.
"I love you," Ron whispered as he pulled off his own shoes and sat on the edge of the bed.
"I love you too," Hermione said through a huge smile. "Sleep with me," she added, her eyes lighting up. Ron's face turned instantly red even though he knew exactly what she really meant.
"Okay," he choked out as Hermione sat down on the bed next to him. Ron laid their signed document on his bedside table. The navy blue ink in which they had signed still shone up at them. "When it turns pink, it's all over," he said as he scooted up to the head of the bed.
"We should set an alarm for an hour or so, that way we can check to be sure it's actually worked," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Good idea," and Ron set his alarm as Hermione crawled into the bed on his left.
Ron laid back against his pillow awkwardly. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Was he allowed to touch her? Did she want him to?
Hermione untucked Ron's Chudley Cannons' blanket and slid underneath it, resting on her side facing Ron. The bed was so small that he could hardly keep from touching her accidentally where she lay next to him. His left side tingled at the feel of her body heat radiating next to him.
"Are you cold?" Hermione asked in a small voice, and Ron wondered if she was really asking him that or if she was just giving him an excuse to come under the blanket with her. He blushed, but slid under the blanket beside her, then turned on his side to face her without answering her question.
He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to do next. They needed to sleep, but he felt like he wouldn't be able to just yet. His hands were trembling, his heart was pounding, and his head was spinning. He was married. He was married to Hermione. Hermione was his wife!
He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut, and Hermione wondered if he was upset about something.
"Are you okay, Ron?" she asked in her small voice again.
"Yeah," he said as he opened his eyes again and looked straight at her. "Sorry. This is all sort of unbelievable," he admitted.
"Yeah..." Hermione said, breaking eye contact with him now.
Ron saw a flicker of worry cross over her features. But he was insanely happy... confused and a bit overwhelmed... nervous and awkward, but so very happy. He hadn't meant to confuse her. So he reached out, as scared as he was, and took her hand under the blanket. Hermione's eyes darted up to his again at his touch and she smiled.
"It's okay, he can't hurt you," Ron said softly and Hermione nodded.
"We should sleep," she said, a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Yeah," Ron agreed, grinning back. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep, but she could still feel Ron watching her. She opened her eyes again after a long moment and grinned again.
"Yes?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. Ron's ears turned bright red and he forced his eyes away from her.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "I can't stop looking at you."
Hermione breathed in sharply and stared forward at Ron, a little taken aback.
"It's okay," she whispered, stunned.
Ron scooted a fraction closer to Hermione, his legs bumping into hers. He was just about to pull his legs away when Hermione moved closer to him. She slid her foot between Ron's shins and he felt his heart beat quicken.
"Try to sleep," Hermione laughed.
"Okay," Ron said, shooting her a lopsided grin. And they both closed their eyes.
Ron tried to concentrate on anything but Hermione right beside him. He was too excited, too nervous to sleep. Hermione was in his bed! Her legs were tangled with his, her hand was in his, and her face was mere inches away on his pillow. He could smell her everywhere, feel her everywhere. This was never going to work... He'd never be able to sleep like this.
But finally, after what seemed like hours, Ron heard and felt Hermione's breathing become much deeper and he knew she was asleep. He opened his eyes and studied her face... her closed eyes, her mouth slightly parted, her hair where it fell around her face and across his pillow. He sighed contentedly. Now that she was asleep, maybe he'd be able to join her. So he allowed his body to relax and he closed his eyes again. It wasn't long this time before he was asleep beside her.