Chapter 9

I woke up the next morning, took a deep breath, exhaled, and stretched. Today, Bill and Fleur would be getting married. Just as the other women in the house had been told, our only task for the day was to make ourselves look pretty. All the men had kindly offered to set up for the big event, and we graciously thanked them.

I started the day with a bath in the bathroom across the hall from Ginny's room. Once that was done, I'd clothed myself in my robe, just as Ginny and Hermione had. Mrs. Weasley had told us to help each other get ready, seeing as she and Mrs. Delacour would be perfecting Fleur.

We started with our make-up. I drew a thin line on my bottom eyelashes with a black eyeliner pen, then started applying a blend of three different shades of eye shadow: black, silver, and white. After finishing, I put on some mascara, and applied my rosy pink lipstick. I added some blush as well. I sat back and examined myself in the mirror. My eyes popped. My cheeks were rosy. My lips looked full.

As I started on my hair, Ginny struck up conversation. "I can't believe one of my brothers is getting married today!" She exclaimed. "I'll finally have a sister." She turned to Hermione and I, adding, "But of course you two were already my sisters. This one's just official." Ginny giggled with joy. Hermione and I just smiled at each other.

"Speaking of marrying off my brothers, how are you and George, Brooke?" Ginny inquired. I stopped what I was doing, and just stared at my lap, now blushing beyond belief. She had asked the question just to make me squirm. I decide to return the favor.

"We're fine, thank you. It's just that, well, we have a bit of a problem. You see, I'm pregnant, and we're not sure how to tell your family. So we've decided that we won't, with the exception of you, of course. Instead, our plan is to run away together after tonight's wedding, and... elope! After all, it's not like I really need to complete my last year at Hogwarts, right?" I was quite proud of myself. I'd given the whole story with a straight face.

Ginny's face however, was the complete opposite of straight. Her mouthed opened into an "O." Her eyes popped open. Her shoulders tensed up. She leaned back, beginning to hyperventilate. Then, she jumped on me, making me promise to write to her, and let her know where she could go to visit on holidays once George and I had settled down. She also started discussing the possibilities of all the dooms her mother could sentence us to. And she finished her 10-minute rant with, "Oh, and if it's a girl, I'll be expecting it to be named after me!" She was panting.

I turned to look at Hermione, who was now biting her lower lip. She actually looked like she was in pain, what with the way she was gripping the edge of the dresser she was doing her make-up at, and how she was shaking her head side to side, trying to look away. I gave a small nod, and she fell to the ground, releasing the hysterical laughter she'd been holding in. I soon joined her, but not before casting a quick smear-resistant charm on Hermione's make-up. She looked so pretty, and I'd hate for my prank to ruin that.

"Oh my god! Brooke! What are you doing, using magic? You're not of age!" Hermione gasped out. I corrected her.

"As of today, I am indeed allowed to use magic outside of school. It's my birthday today, remember?" I gave a look of triumph. She took in my words, remembering I was 17 today, jumped up and hugged me, all the while squealing, "Happy Birthday!"

We both turned to Ginny, who was now fuming. Her face had turned tomato red, her nostrils were flaring, and she had her index finger pointed at me. "I don't care if it's your bloody birthday! That was just cruel! I swear, you only reunited with my brother not 24 hours ago, and you're already as much of a prankster as he and Fred are. I'll leave you two to yourselves. I'm going to get ready with Mum!" She gathered he beauty supplies, grabbed the hanger her dress was on, and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

"Oh, c'mon! Don't get your knickers in a twist!" I yelled after her. The only response I received was a superior "humph."

"Oh, well," I said to Hermione, who had thankfully regained her composure. I walked over to help her untangle and then flat iron her hair. Sure, we were both exceptional young witches who probably could have gotten ready in a tenth of the time we did had we used magic. Our views on the situation however, were that we were dealing with our hair. As bright as we both may have been, hair was hair. Should anything have gone wrong, our lives may as well have been over. So, just to be on the safe side, we stuck with our muggle traditions.

After she'd finished helping my with my hair, which was now curled, with some raven-dark pieces pulled away from my face and tied into the back, she put on her dress, and left to make sure the boys were preparing as they'd promised.

I stayed behind. I got up from the bureau slowly, not wanting to disrupt my hair before the spray dried, and strolled across the room. I slipped out of my robe, and then gently pulled my dress off of its hanger, and slid into it. It was an elegant ivory color, with a glittery and intricate design coating it. I glanced at myself in the mirror. I honestly looked pretty. Not that I was trying to be full of myself, just that I never really went overboard trying to look nice.

I sat down on the bed, reached for my heeled sandals, and slid my feet into them, and reached for my purse. I walked out the bedroom door, and started down the stairs. When I reached the Burrow's kitchen, I noticed a certain redhead. He was dressed in black formal pants, a wine red button-up shirt, and a black and ivory trimmed vest. He was trying to pull a… toothbrush…. out of his head. I loved George, but sometimes he honestly worried me.

I tiptoed up behind him, and said nonchalantly, "Well, I'm sure glad you're getting some good use out of that whole in your head."

He whipped around. "Oh, uh, I thought I was alone." His cheeks were turning red with embarrassment.

"Just come here," I said and he leaned over a little. I wiggled the toothbrush around in the opening where his ear used to be until it finally slid out. "I really hope you're not planning on brushing your teeth with that again," I said smiling, handing it back to him.

He grinned. "Oh, what's the matter, you don't want to kiss a bloke with ear wax in his mouth?" He started towards me with his arms open for a hug, puckering up his lips mockingly.

I giggled and moved into his hug. He kissed the top of my head and I looked up at him. He stared back into my eyes. "You look absolutely beautiful." He whispered this as he swooped down and kissed me for what felt like an eternity. In this kiss, was everything. I thought about the wedding, about when George had been my date to the Yule Ball, about when he held me while I cried after all the deaths I'd seen. About when we started dating, and Ron had immediately read George the riot act. It was like I got to watch our entire relationship play out over the course of this kiss. Sadly, though, it was interrupted by Fred, clearing his throat. He shot us a smirk, and informed us that I had a visitor, and that I should go speak with him if we "love doves" weren't too busy getting "hot and heavy," as Fred put it.

Wondering who would be visiting me, I pulled away from George, and promised that I'd see him a little while later. Fred pointed me towards the living room, and I was greeted by the sight of Minister Scrimgeour.

*Author's Note*

1. Brooke's dress looks like this: .com/Product_Strapless-Sweetheart-Short-Glitter-Tulle-Dress-231M23800_Special-Occasions-Shop-By-Occasion-Cocktail-Party-Dresses

2. Brooke's hair is styled like this:

.com/imgres?q=cute+hairstyles+for+weddings&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1653&bih=903&tbm=isch&tbnid=TnKU6yLUG4biyM:&imgrefurl=/category/hair-trends/women-hairstyles/&docid=532qzvCRFC-oDM&imgurl=/images/wedding%&w=336&h=448&ei=LKeIT6-RJ6yP0QH-ua3iCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=189&vpy=134&dur=845&hovh=259&hovw=194&tx=92&ty=121&sig=103399525170003008971&page=1&tbnh=168&tbnw=131&start=0&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:67

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