OK. I know that you all hate me now. I know it took me forever to get this chappie up, and I got the reviews that I asked for right away! I feel soooo bad. And this isn't even a chappie that is worth waiting that long for! I am soooo sorry that it has taken so long to get this posted, but massive amounts on L.A. hw, swim practice four days a week and Thanksgiving, coupled together with major writers block amount up to a not so hot chappie that takes forev to get out. Once again, I am so sorry that it took this long!! :(
Hermione
Hermione sighed blissfully and put her hand up to her cheek, pushing her skin up in the process, covering her right eye. She stopped, as it was harder to see her ring that way; her sparkly, diamond engagement ring. She got a huge trill of excitement every time she saw it. 'It's so nice to be engaged. Engaged, engaged, engaged!' she just loved the sound of that. Then Mrs. Weasley came down the stairs, interrupting her thoughts.
"Good morning Hermione!" she sang brightly.
"Good morning Mrs. Weasley." Hermione said and forced a smile. She loved Mrs. Weasley, she really did, but ever since she and Ron had gotten engaged, she had been a little too happy, annoyingly so.
"So, Hermione, I've been wondering."
Hermione looked up.
"Have you and Ron set a date for the wedding?"
Hermione stifled a sigh of exasperation. "No, Mrs. Weasley, we-"
"Oh, please don't call me Mrs. Weasley, Hermione; we're going to be related soon. You are going to be my daughter-in-law. You must call me Molly now!"
"Oh," this was going to take some getting used to, "Anyway Mrs. Wes- Molly, Ron and I have only been engaged for two days; we haven't gotten to that yet."
"Well there is no point in beating around the bush! Arthur and I… " 'Arthur??' thought Hermione, 'Arthur??' "And it was very easy. Hermione, did you hear what I just said?"
"Er, no Mrs. - Molly, sorry."
"Oh, that's fine! I remember the days following getting engaged. I was very single minded. I only thought about one thing all of the time. I thing you know what I mean." She winked.
Hermione blushed.
"Anyway, as I was saying, it only took Arthur and me one day to set the day for the wedding. And you and Ronnie have been engaged for two already!" She smiled.
'Well,' Hermione thought, 'I suppose it is quite easy to pick a date when you elope, you only have to compare two schedules.'
"Ronnie!" The screech, issued by Mrs. Weasley, jerked Hermione out of her thoughts. "Oh, there you are! Hermione and I were just talking about the wedding!"
"Morning Mum." Ron mumbled as he walked down the stairs. His hair was all over the place and his shirt was wrinkled. He squinted, "Could I have some Orange Juice?"
"Of course Ronnie! Have a seat!"
Ron sat down and Mrs. Weasley waved her wand. A glass soared out of the cupboard and Tropicana shot out of the fridge. After the glass was filled, it soared to the counter and settled right in front of Ron. After he had a few sips and his eyes opened up a little Mrs. Weasley immediately began to talk at full speed. "So Ronnie, Hermione and I were just talking about the date for the wedding and, really, Ronald, you must both get a move on. I talked to Aunt Muriel, and she said the third of August works for her and so I said - Ronnie, are you alright?" For Ron had just choked on his O.J. He started to splutter all over the counter; as soon as he stopped he said, "Did you say, the third of August, Mum?"
"Well, yes! Why? Do you have something planned for that date? I know that it is a long time to wait, so we could push it forward a week if you want. What do you think?" She stared at them expectantly.
Hermione recovered her power of speech first. "But, Molly, the third of August is in less than a month. It is July sixth right now. Isn't the third...rather soon?"
"Of course not! Arthur and I only waited a week and I was nearly driven mad with waiting!"
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. How were they supposed to tell her that most weddings took at least four months to pull together?
Ron coughed. They both looked at him. "Well…." He shifted in his seat. "I had an…an idea…. for the wedding… The date I mean." They waited in silence. Finally, when he named the date, Hermione gave a gasp of delight and threw her arms around him.
"Oh, that's just perfect!" she yelled. Ron looked pleased with himself.
Mrs. Weasley look confused. "That is a nice date, but why is it so perfect?" When it was explained to her, she gave a gasp of delight. "Oh Ronnie! That is perfect!" He flushed.
Just as Mrs. Weasley started to gush about invitations Hermione voiced the question that had hit her when Ron had walked downstairs. "Ron. When are you going to meat my parents?"
Ron/ Hermione , July 8th
Ron reached up and loosened his, what was it called again? He thought it was called a tay. It was a stupid muggle invention that you tied around your neck when you wanted to look fancy. He thought it was a pretty good way to kill yourself by suffocation.
Hermione reached over and tightened it, again. "Ron," she admonished, "Stop loosening your tie!"
"Can you really blame me Mione? The only thing this thing does is cut off breathing."
"And it makes you look nice."
"I still don't see why you made me wear it."
"I want you to look nice for my parents!"
"Why does it matter so much!"
Hermione paused. How was she supposed to explain this to Ron? They were heading over to her parents house so they could Ron and her parents could meet. She had not wanted to Apparate and suddenly appear in her parents front garden, and so she was driving them there in Mr. Weasley's new car; and old 1960's slug bug.
"Because, Ron, it is a Muggle tradition. When people get engaged in the Muggle world, the fiancé has to meet the parents, vice versa and then both sets of parents meet. Our parents have met already, and I have met your parents, obviously, and so you still need to meet my parents."
Ron sighed in exasperation as Hermione pulled into a small subdivision and parked in front of a medium sized white house. The yard was surrounded by a white picket fence and there was two rose bushes under the two large windows. There were three windows that each had red shutters on the upstairs floor. Under each was a flower holder that had red poppies spilling out of it. There was an apple tree with a rope swing hanging from it in the corner of the yard; it was full of bright red apples. The porch had a white rocking chair and a hanging basket that also was over spilling with poppies. Next to the rocking chair was a newspaper on a plain wood table that had a glass top. It looked like something that had been painted and then pulled out of the canvas. It didn't seem real.
Ron cast a glance at Hermione. Was it him, or did she suddenly look nervous?
"Mione, are you OK?" he asked.
"Actually Ron, I am really quite nervous."
"Why? They are your parents."
"Yes. I know. But, Ron. They are very old fashioned."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that the house is filled with old pictures of relatives, my mother is always baking and my dad really rules the house. I really didn't like it that way growing up, but that's how it was."
"What's the problem with that?"
"The problem is that in old fashioned times in the muggle world, the man asked the parents permission to marry their daughter. The problem is you didn't do that. Not that I would expect you to!" she said quickly, "The other problem is that when a boy takes a girl out on the first date, the father drills him with a series of questions and makes him uncomfortable. We were not here when we started to go out, and went on our first date, so I am worried that he will drill you now. I have always been 'Daddy's-little-girl' to him, and so he is over protective. I am really worried about how is going to act. And Ron, one more thing. I haven't quite gotten around to telling my parents that we are engaged."
Ron stared at her. "Blimey Hermione. I-" But before he could answer a shrill voice called across the lawn, "Hermione! Oh, you're here! Graham, come out here now, she is here!" Hermione's mother was running across the lawn, her hair flying behind her. Her hair was just like Hermione's, long brown and bushy. She was wearing a tweed pale green summer dress. As she reached the pair of them, she flung her arm around Hermione and hugged her as if she would never let go.
"Oh, it is so good to see you! I have missed you so much!"
"I've missed you to Mum!"
Just as they were breaking apart a man with straight dark brown hair was walking smoothly across the perfectly cut lawn, square rimmed glasses flashing in the light. He looked nothing like Hermione. He walked up to them and said in a low voice, "Hermione! It is great to see you!"
"It's great to see you too Daddy!" They hugged and when they broke apart Hermione's eyes were sparkling.
"You look very nice Hermione. Who is your friend?" Her mother asked, pointing to Ron.
"I've told you about him before. This is Ron, Ron Weasley from Hogwarts. Ron these are my parents, Jane and Graham."
"Oh! So this is the elusive Ron!" Mrs. Granger said. "We have heard so much about you, and it is so nice to finally meet you!"
They all shook hands and walked into the house. Mrs. Granger led them into a bright and cheery living room. There was a fire burning in the fire place and the smell of cookies was wafting out of the kitchen. They all sat down in the armchairs and couch, Mr. Granger eyeing Ron the entire time. They made small talk for a few minutes and when there was a pause in the conservation Hermione decided that it was the perfect time to make the announcement.
"Mum, Daddy. Ron and I have an announcement to make." Both of her parents looked up at her, "The thing is… its that… well, mum, daddy, Ron and I have known each other for eight years now and we…. we are.. we're engaged!" a smile burst out on her face as she finished the sentence, despite her nerves.
"REALLY! OH HERMIONE! THAT'S GREAT NEWS!!" her mom flew out of her chair and across the room and hugged Hermione again. "ISN'T THIS GREAT GRAHAM!?"
Her father didn't answer.
"Graham. Did you hear what she said? She's engaged! Isn't it wonderful!?"
"They're too young."
"What?" Hermione asked. The smile slipping off of her face faster the time she had her hands covered in Bububatuber puss. "What do you mean daddy?"
"You are too young to be getting engaged. That is exactly what I mean. You are both 19, and that is much too young to be getting engaged. You don't even know what job you want; none the less know who you want to marry."
Hermione stared at her father, eyes sparkling. And for once since Ron had known her, she was lost for words.
Ron stared at him, willing his temper not to get the best of him. "My parents were engaged and married at eighteen." He said, "And they are still happily married with seven kids. I think that nineteen is old enough to decide who you want to marry for life."
"Do you have a job?" Mr. Granger challenged.
Ron, caught off guard, said, "Well…no…But I am looking….."
"Neither of us have a job yet daddy! As you know, we have been traveling for the past two years, and we just got back. We haven't gotten a chance to….to get one…" She faltered under the stare her father was giving her.
"And how are you going to pay for the wedding? Your honey-moon? Your house? Where are you going to get the money for that?"
"Well…we're living at Ron's…Ron's parents house at…..at the mom….moment…"
Graham Granger stared at his daughter. "I simply won't allow my daughter to throw away her life at nineteen for a teenage fling!"
For a moment Hermione looked as if she was going to cry, but then her eyes flashed. She grabbed Ron's hand and stood up. "This is not a teenage fling dad! We love each other and we are going to get married! Our age really doesn't matter!" her face was turning red, and a couple of books fell off of the shelves,
"As for money, we will figure it out when we reach that problem! I wish that you approved," she said more quietly. She started to stomp towards the door, dragging Ron behind her, and then she stopped and spun around. She yelled the date of the wedding at her parents. "You are welcome to come!" She yelled angrily, and then they walked out of the house as the timer rang, telling them the cookies were ready.
Later that evening Ron walked up to Hermione's room. He knocked on the door. There was no answer. He opened the door and walked into the unlit room. He saw the form of Hermione shaking on the bed. He walked up the bed and laid his hand on her shoulder. After a few minutes she sat up and hugged him around the neck. Then she buried her face in his shoulder and cried for a long time.
How sad! I feel so bad for Hermione! Well, I hope you enjoyed reading the chappie. I am hope that you don't mind that it was about Ron and Hermione. I feel that they need some attention. I will write them through the wedding, and then return to full on HPGW! Don't worry though, I will have some Ginny or Harry POV's in those chapters! And because I am so bad at getting new installments out, I am not going to even ask for any reviews. (I do enjoy getting reviews though) You get the next chapter free of charge. Except for the fact that you have to wait till I can get it typed and out!
