A/N: A bit of daddy and daughter stuff because it's so cute and Ron's everyone's favourite ginger. :)
Ron was not proud of himself; He was, after all, the wrong side of forty to be sulking in his parents back garden. It was supposed to be a happy day, his daughter was getting married. Molly Weasley was delighted, running around in her kitchen with various daughters-in-law finishing off the wedding buffet; Arthur was happily putting the finishing touches on the tent, the very same one that every Weasley had married underneath for the last two generations.
Rose had been very insistent about that, Ron recalled. She'd had to fight tooth and nail with her husband-to-be's family about that, it'd taken them months to even agree to the wedding at all, but the very idea that the only heir to the Malfoy fortune should be married in a tent in someone's back garden… but of course, Rosie had won in the end.
So yes, the grandparents were enjoying the day immensely. Rosie had asked Lily, Roxanne and Lavinia Longbottom (Young James Potter was completely smitten with the girl in question) to be bridesmaids, the gang were currently secreted somewhere in the house 'getting ready' with Hermione supervising.
Hermione. Ron thought to himself as he wandered over to the table where wedding presents and the cake itself were displayed. His wife had been no help whatsoever over the last few months, she kept telling him that she wasn't going to help him either dissuade Rosie from the wedding or turn Scorpious into a pot plant.
Ron stopped at the wedding cake, staring at the two figures atop it. In keeping with Wizard tradition the topper was the bride and groom's patronus', animated so that they moved atop the cake. Ron stared mournfully at the Pearlescent figures, a Kestrel and a Scorpion, odd but somehow looking right together.
They always did, Ron thought mournfully. Even a Jack Russell puppy and an otter could be made to look like they belonged together, he could recall how his mum had crafted a tiny frosting stream atop his wedding cake and the two fondant figures had played happily together though the service.
He was so lost in watching the two that he almost didn't hear Scorpious say 'Are you all right, sir?'
Ron turned, glaring at the platinum blonde boy who was stealing away his precious Rose. 'I've had better days.' Ron didn't bother to hide his distaste for the Malfoy boy, he'd promised his wife and daughter that he'd be civil, but not nice.
Scorpious nodded, eyeing the topper himself. 'I know you hate this. If it's any consolation, it's making my father furious.' The boy managed a small smile, 'I believe he tried to have a curse put upon the rings. Don't worry, he didn't manage it.'
Ron shrugged. 'That doesn't make it any better.'
Scorpious sighed and rubbed the back of his head. '…Sir, I appreciate you don't really like me much but the thing is… I do love Rose. I fully intend to spend the rest of my life making Rose as happy as I possibly can. I know it can't be easy to watch her leaving, so to speak, but please trust me, she thinks more of you than anyone in the world, in marrying me she is most certainly not forgetting how much she loves you.'
A few moments silence followed as Ron tried first to understand the boy's statement, (he did have such a refined way of speaking) and second to recall the day when he married Hermione. More precisely, two days before the wedding.
He could remember with pinpoint accuracy the way he had found Wendall Granger standing outside the Burrow, staring at the sky in total silence. The way he'd somehow instinctively known what was wrong, didn't wear his heart on his sleeve as Ron did, but any idiot could see the man was mourning the loss of his little girl.
Ron could remember how, blushing furiously, he'd promised the man that no matter what happened he'd try to make Hermione happy. He hadn't put it as eloquently as Scorpious, but the words were the same.
Ron sighed. 'I know you will.' He replied to Scorpious. 'And I know there's no point in me arguing anymore, Rosie does whatever she wants no matter what anyone says. She always has.'
Scorpious laughed, 'That's true, I've never known anyone as stubborn as her, but that's part of why I love her. She's passionate about things she believes in… you should have seen some of the arguments she's had with my grandfather over blood status.' The blonde boy paused, and Ron saw, for a moment, the entirety of the boy's adoration for Rose in his eyes. 'She was magnificent.'
Ron nodded, then sighed and looked at his watch, '…Almost time. You better go find where you're supposed to stand… and I'd better go see if she still wants me to walk her down the aisle.'
The bridesmaids were shooed away easily by Hermione, who was in full wedding-planner mode and in no mood to be argued with. Sternly she ordered the three giggling girls (all in pale green) from the bride's dressing room (Ron's own old bedroom), then, in the hallway outside, turned to the father of the bride and managed to soften her voice and expression enough to say 'You've got ten minutes with her, make them count Ronald.' In a voice that still sounded far too much like a professor at Hogwarts.
Ron smiled weakly. 'Hermione, I'm losing the only woman who means as much to me as you do.'
Hermione blinked, and then the real softness came over her, the side of Hermione he usually only saw after he'd made some great romantic gesture, 'Oh, Ron…Go talk to her.' She whispered, pecking Ron's cheek and scurrying down the stairs. Ron had a strong suspicion it was so he didn't see her tears.
He sighed and opened the door of what had once been his bedroom. And instantly he felt his heart stop.
Rose was busily arranging her veil on top of her head before a mirror. All in white with pale pink roses hemming her dress and more in her hair, she was a vision to rival Hermione on their wedding day. Her gorgeous copper hair had been sleeked until it shone, although taming that mess of red would never be achieved, so she still had her mane of red hair flowing down her back. One of her numerous helpers had enchanted more of those pretty pink flowers into her locks and as the sun burst through the window and hit her, his daughter shone.
'Rosie…' he whispered. 'God, you look beautiful.'
Rose turned, and smiled sweetly at her father. 'Thanks, I should after all the bloody work that lot did on me.' She sighed and brushed a hand over her dress. '…Do you think I'll be ok, daddy?'
Ron's hear ached. He longed to tell her that if she wanted to back out now, he'd go and tell everyone for her, he'd fly her away on his broom and make everything ok, because nothing meant more to him than his little girl's happiness.
'…You're gonna wow them all Rosie, Scorpious is a lucky little bastard.' He saw the fire flash in her eyes and grinned, 'Don't snap at me for that baby, daddy has a right to hate the sight of that rotton little sod. I mean, he's the man taking my little girl away.'
Rose stopped her fussing over her dress and veil when he said that and turned slowly to face her father. A pale blush stole over her cheeks and she whispered softly, 'I love you daddy. No-one could ever take me away.'
She covered the distance between them in seconds, hugging her father tightly and burrowing her face into his shoulder. Ron clutched her like his world would end if he let go, because in some ways, it would. Rose had always been his princess; the one person he felt had always looked up to him, no matter how badly he let everyone else down, Rosie always thought the world of him.
The words exchanged between the two after those moments needn't be examined, any father who has given away his daughter will know them well. All too soon, Ron found himself walking his daughter down the aisle to Scorpious Malfoy.
'Who presents this woman in holy matrimony?'
Ron had to fight the urge to seize hold of Rose and shout that Scorpious couldn't have her, she was his, no-one else would ever appreciate how utterly amazing she was.
Instead he mumbled, 'I do.' To the minister, then took his place with Hermione to watch the wedding.
'The bride and groom have written their own vows, which they shall now recite.'
Scorpious smiled, taking Rose's hands in his own, 'Rose…to ask me to put into words how I feel for you is to ask the impossible, magic had achieved great deal, but it has yet to invent enough words to describe you, my wonderful Rose.' The boy's pale face flushed pink. 'There is however, a muggle rhyme which may begin to express my commitment to you, and so I borrow their words…' Scorpious cleared his throat. 'The sweetest flower that blows, I give you as we part, For you it is a rose…For me it is my heart. You have my heart to do with what you will Rose.'
Ron shut his eyes; he felt Hermione's hand tighten on his own. He forced his eyes open again. The first thing he settled his eyes on was the wedding cake topper again.
A Falcon and a Scorpion.
Ron found himself bizarrely wondering how many of the guests realized that the scorpion was Rose's patronus. It had changed from a cute little Labrador puppy sometime during her fifth year at school.
Standing before the priest and both their families; Rose swallowed anxiously. Ron felt a tinge of pride to see her show no fear or embarrassment beyond this faint flush of colour.
'Scorpy… I'm not much good at speeches; I guess I'm going to let our guests down here because I don't have your way with words. I'm no poet and my mum will vouch for me, I'm no writer either.' The guests gave a little laugh at this, apart from the corner that housed the Malfoys, who were scowling. 'All I can say is that I love you Scorpious Malfoy. It doesn't matter to me what your blood is, how much money you have, what house you were in. I don't care about any of that, and I certainly don't care if anyone else thinks any of that's important. So long as I'm with you, I have everything I care about.'
In rapt silence, Ron watched his daughter and Scorpious exchange rings, heard the priest name his daughter 'Lady Rose Weasley-Malfoy.'; Ron had told her that joining the names like that sounded daft, but of course no-one argued with his girl. He watched them kiss as husband and wife.
And though it broke his heart, he managed to clap for them as they walked back down the aisle together.
