Author's note: Here I give all of you a nice fluffy chapter to enjoy! :)
Hermione stirred and rubbed her eyes, trying to force herself to stay awake. She then attempted to sit up the bed, but found Harry's arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She smiled slightly as she carefully lifted his arm and removed it from her waist, laughing behind her hand when he grunted and rolled over to his other side.
She got out of the bed and put her slippers on before quietly stepping into the bathroom. A few moments later she walked out of the bedroom and walked down to the living room, picking up the book she had started last night.
'Might as well enjoy some leisure time before Harry wakes,' she thought, opening the book to where she had left off.
An owl pecked at the window, and she dropped her book to open it. The owl flew inside and dropped a package on the couch. She handed the owl a treat and watched as it flew back out the window. She then picked the box up and smiled, knowing exactly what it was.
'Finally here.'
She could barely contain her enthusiasm as she waited for Harry to wake. She put the box back onto the table and picked her book back up, opening to where she left off. Twenty minutes later he walked into the living room and collapsed next to her, looking as though he were still trying to wake up.
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"You looked peaceful."
"Is it here?" he asked, noticing the package. She nodded.
"I didn't want to open it without you."
He tore off the wrapping and ran his hand over the black velvet box. He then handed it to her and she opened it, smiling at the two silver rings resting inside of it.
"Beautiful."
She took the rings out of the box and held them in her hand. He took the ring that belonged to her and held it in his hand, thinking something over in his mind.
"I think I want a wedding."
"Really?" she asked, looking up in shock. He nodded. "I've been thinking about it, too. I know I said that I didn't want one because we're already married, but I think we should."
"Give me your engagement ring."
"I like this ring."
"Give it here," he said with a laugh. She took her ring off and handed it to him. He got down on one knee and displayed the ring out to her. "I guess I can use this as an engagement ring now. Hermione Potter, will you marry me?"
"Yes," she said with a laugh, pulling him back up. She pressed their lips together.
"I guess third time's a charm," he said with a grin.
"You only asked me twice, sir," she laughed again. He bent down and picked up the velvet box.
"I believe this is yours."
He pulled the smaller silver band out of the box and put slid both of her rings onto her finger. She then pulled his out and slid his onto his ring finger.
"I am officially a married man," he said, kissing her head.
"It only took us six months."
"Better late than never," he said with a grin. "I can't wait to see you walking down the aisle."
"Do you think we could do it on Christmas Eve? I know what day it is, but I think it would be odd to not have our wedding the same day as we got married."
"That would give us plenty of time to prepare, too. Something small; maybe we have it at The Burrow?"
"A winter wedding," she said. "That would be beautiful."
"We have a date then."
"Thank you, Harry," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him. "My father will be so happy. He was so upset when he found out I was married. I should have said yes in the first place."
"I think I caught you a little too off guard."
"You definitely surprised me," she said into his chest.
"We need to get to Hogwarts soon," he said, looking at his watch. "McGonagall said that she wants to talk to everyone who helped with the cleanup."
"I suppose we need to get then ready then," she remarked, looking down at her pajamas. She then looked up at Harry, and her heart melted as she realized that he was only wearing bottoms. She pressed her hands to his chest, loving how muscular he was. Her hands then stopped at the scar near the middle of his chest.
"Like what you see?" he asked with a grin.
"What?" she asked, pulling away. His grin grew wider. "What can I say? My husband is incredibly sexy, especially when he goes to bed without a shirt on."
"I have known you for seven years, and I never once thought I would hear you talk like that."
"You must bring it out in me," she said, and her eyes sparkled. The corners of his lips curled.
"We need to get going," he said, and she nodded in agreement.
They had a quick breakfast, showered and changed before they took off towards Hogwarts. They met the rest of their friends in the Great Hall shortly before McGonagall took the podium.
"I want to thank all of you for the tremendous help," she started to the large crowd that has gathered in front of her. "Without all of you, there is no way the school would have been ready before the next term. Not only did we rebuild the school, we also built onto it by adding the Great Hall, and turning the former hall into the Memorial Chamber.
"For those of you planning to return, you will need to meet with your Heads of Houses, which have changed for Gryffindor and Slythern. For Slythern, Professor Slughorn will take over. For Gryffindor, Professor Sinistra will be in charge of you. This needs to be done before July 15th. For those of you wishing to take Muggle Studies, I am currently in the process of finding a new professor to teach the course, and it may not be offered this term. I will keep you all updated.
"Once you have met with the one of the professors, you will receive the usual letter in the mail no later than July 31st, as always stating what you will need for the courses. If you believe there is an error, please contact us right away. We are in a tight crunch to do this as quickly as possible.
"You all are now free to enjoy the rest of your break. Thank you all for the help, and please remember to get scheduled by the 15th. I look forward to seeing all of you again September 1st."
"Too bad you're not old enough to teach Muggle Studies," Harry said, wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulder. She let out a laugh.
"I can't see myself as a professor," she replied, as they walked out of the hall.
"What is this?" Luna asked, seeing the silver band sparkle off of Harry's left ring finger. He and Hermione smiled.
"We got our wedding bands this morning."
"No wedding then?" Ginny asked in shock. Harry and Hermione turned to look at each other.
"We are going to have a wedding, and all of you are invited."
"Congratulations," Luna said, giving both of them a hug.
"First, we need to get ready for Hogwarts," Hermione said, turning to Harry.
"Granger," McGonagall said, walking out of the hall. She then shook her head. "Potter, my apologies. That's going to take some time."
"What do you need, professor?"
"Kingsley has informed me that you're interested in joining Wizengamot. If you are, I will need to speak with you."
"I think that's what I want to do," she said, and Harry turned to her.
"You never told me that."
"I must have forgotten."
"Why don't you and I talk in my office," she replied, pressing her hand to the small of Hermione's back. "Potter, Weasley, I'm assuming the two of you still wish to become Aurors."
They nodded. She continued on. "Then you will need to make an appointment with Professor Sinistra. She will inform you of the classes that you will need for your next term."
"Better go talk to her," Harry replied, watching as Hermione and McGonagall turned and walked away.
"I have to go talk to Professor Flitwick," Luna said.
"I'll go with you," Ron said, and Harry gave him a look.
"That will be quite fun," she replied, and they took off towards the Grand Staircase. Harry, Neville and Ginny stared at them in confusion.
"So everyone leaves me then," Harry said, looking around.
"What are we? Chopped liver?" Ginny asked.
"Let's get to Sinistra's office," he replied, turning towards the staircase.
"So, Harry," Ginny started, walking up beside him. He turned his head and gave her a look, "you have decided to have a wedding."
"We have," he replied.
"And you got Hermione an engagement ring and the both of you wedding bands."
"Where are you going with this?"
"You really love her."
"Of course I do," he replied without skipping a beat.
"She loves you, too," she said, smiling at him. "I've never seen her act like this before even when she was going after Ron. The both of you just seem to bring out a different side to one another."
He didn't say anything until they reached Sinistra's office. He was about to knock on the door when he noticed a piece of parchment beside her office door.
"Appointment times," Neville said, picking up the quill. He dabbed it into the ink and signed his name onto one of the lines before handing it to Ginny.
"Hermione's name is on here," she said, looking at the small name. Harry moved in to look.
"McGongall must have put it up there. Thankfully, there's a spot right underneath," he replied, taking the quill from her. He signed his own name underneath hers.
"I can't believe the school is finished," Neville remarked, looking around the building. "I thought we'd never get this place cleaned up."
"It took a lot of time," Ginny said, grabbing for her boyfriend's hand, "but we did it."
"How are you and Hermione going to handle not being together every night?" Neville asked quietly, as though hesitant to ask the question. Harry shrugged.
"We've talked about it, and we'll try to make it work."
"So broom closets then?" Ginny said with a grin. Harry stared at her.
"It's going to be harder than you think, mate," Neville said. She nodded in agreement.
"It's for one year. I think we'll be ok."
"Best of luck to you," she said, giving him a look.
"I'm going to wait on Hermione," Harry said, looking down at his watch. "She shouldn't be much longer now."
"Ginny and I are going to Hogsmeade," Neville said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Should we be concerned about anything?"
"They only want me," he replied. "You'll be fine."
"I was just kidding," he said, placing his hand on Harry's arm. "They'll find him."
"I should be going," Harry said, and turned on his heel to go back down to McGonagall's office. He sat on the bench and stared out into the courtyard, thinking of what he and Hermione were going to do after they went to Hogwarts.
He could deny it all he wanted to, but he needed her. He couldn't sleep without her. He had grown so accustomed to having her by his side that he couldn't even imagine not being able to lay next to her.
And since he started sleeping with her, he slept the entire night.
He had never been able to before. He would wake up quite a few times in the night-especially in their Hogwarts years-and only sleep for a few hours. Since they had gotten together he slept the entire night without waking up.
He couldn't figure it out, but he was not complaining.
"What are we doing?" Hermione asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"I'm waiting on you."
"Aren't you sweet," she said with a smile, grabbing his hand to help pull him up. "What's on your mind this time?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I have known you for seven years, Potter. I know when you're deep in thought."
"Since when do you call me Potter, Potter?" he asked with a grin. She laughed.
"What's going on?"
"When we get here, we won't be able to sleep next to each other, and I have to be honest, this is the best sleep I have ever had. I'm just trying to figure out how it's going to work."
"Harry," she sighed, wrapping her arms around him, "I don't know what we're going to do."
He was about to speak when someone caught his eye. Grinning, he gestured his head towards Hermione, whose eyes went wide as she noticed.
"Is that Ron and Luna?"
"Sure is," he remarked, still grinning.
"He needs to snog her for Merlin's sake. It's getting hard to watch."
"It took him seven years to snog you. I'm not anticipating this anytime soon."
Right as he said that, Luna reached up and pressed her lips to Ron's, and Harry and Hermione's mouths fell open.
"I have no comment," he replied, still in shock.
"We shouldn't watch this," she said, pulling on his hand.
"He's growing up so quickly," Harry remarked, shaking his head. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"At least someone is."
"Hey now," he said, stopping her, "I am a happily married man."
"And you're a good husband," she replied back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"What'd you and McGonagall talk about?"
"The classes that I need to join Magical Law. I have to speak with Sinistra to schedule for them, but I'm on good course for it."
"What are you taking?"
"Normal classes. Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes."
"Since when have you decided to do Magical Law and work in Wizengamot?"
"Kingsley made the suggestion the last time we saw him and I thought it was a great idea. I want to make changes."
"We both do," he replied, grabbing for her hand. "Especially in the way Muggle-borns are treated."
"Do you think I can do it?"
"We can do it," he emphasized, staring directly into her eyes. "My mother was a Muggle-born and so is my wife. They will be treated so much better than they have been."
"I have a feeling that certain people aren't going to like us in the Ministry," she replied with a smile. He smiled back.
"We'll be unstoppable."
"Ready to go home?"
"I need to stop by Sinistra's office."
"McGonagall already signed your name, and I signed right underneath yours. It's for Friday at one and one-thirty."
"Perfect. I guess we can go home then."
"Dinner was delicious, mum," Bill said, helping his parents clean up the table. Harry and Hermione stood up in their seats and began to help as well.
"Relax, we have this," Bill said, as he and Fleur cleaned the table. Beside him, George nodded in agreement. "I believe Ron is outside."
They nodded, and took off towards the backyard. Hermione went to talk to Luna, while Harry went to pour himself a glass of firewhiskey.
"What are you grinning about?" Ginny asked Harry as she walked up to him.
"Luna snogged Ron."
"Are you serious?"
"Completely. Hermione and I caught them earlier," he said, taking a drink of his firewhiskey afterwards.
"Oh, this is brilliant," she replied with a grin on his face. "Time to go talk to Luna. Excuse me."
"What did you tell her?" Hermione asked as she walked up to her husband.
"Nothing."
"You're horrible," she said, shaking her head. She closed her eyes as Fleur walked up to them.
"I hear zou decided to have za wedding," she said, and they nodded.
"We're having it on Christmas Eve."
"Congratulations," Bill said, walking up next to his wife. "I know this has been a difficult situation for the two of you."
"We're happy," Harry said, kissing Hermione's head.
"And that's all that matters," Bill said, clinking Harry's glass with his own. "We wish the both of you the best."
"Let ze know if zou need help," Fleur said, and Hermione nodded.
"I probably will closer to the date. With Harry and I going to Hogwarts, it'll be hard to plan for it."
"Let us know if you need any help. If you would like to, you could have the wedding out at our house."
"Really?"
"If you would like. We're offering it to you."
"We really appreciate that."
"Just let us know what you would like to do."
They nodded again, and watched as Bill and Fleur walked away. Hermione turned back to Harry.
"A wedding by the sea in the middle of winter?"
"I'm happy as long as you're happy. If that's what you want to do then we'll do it."
"It's a lot to think about," she replied, wrapping her arms around herself.
"We still have plenty of time."
She nodded, laying her head on his shoulder. She took his glass and drank a sip of it, grimacing as it burned her throat.
"That stuff is so strong."
"It's not my favorite, but it's nice to have every once in a while."
"I'm going to get some butterbeer," she replied, but he stopped her.
"I'll get some," he said, giving her his glass. He walked over to the table and poured two glasses before Arthur walked up to him.
"Couldn't help but to notice," he said, referring to Harry's ring. "Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"How are you and Hermione doing with all of this?"
"We're doing great," Harry replied, smiling. "We've changed our minds about having a wedding and we're going to try to get through Hogwarts like this."
"Glad to hear that," he said, grabbing a glass of his own. "I'm very proud of you, Harry."
"For what?"
"Everything. Especially the way you treat Hermione. You have become quite the young man, and I know you father and Sirius would be proud."
Harry nodded, unsure of what to say. Arthur clapped his shoulder.
"Do you have any advice?"
"Tons," he said, nodding his head. "The best thing I can tell you as of right now is this: you and Hermione are in the "honeymoon stage". Everything is perfect. You'll fall out of that soon, and I'll tell you, it's more magical than the honeymoon stage is. I believe you really get to know the other. You'll have fights, but that's marriage."
"Thank you."
"Marriage is all about being happy with the one you love. You and Hermione unfortunately got thrown straight into the marriage without getting to date first, but I must say you are handling it well. You're balancing your dating life and the marriage life. That's impressive."
"We're doing whatever it takes to make it work."
"And that right there proves that you want to be with one another."
Harry smiled. "Thanks for everything, Arthur."
"Anytime."
He bid his head goodbye and walked back over to Hermione, who gave him a look.
"That took you a while."
"I was talking to Arthur."
"I see," she replied, taking a sip of her drink. "This was a nice dinner. It's so beautiful outside tonight."
Harry lips curled into a small smile, and he tugged on Hermione's hand. "Come with me."
"Where are we going?" she asked, laughing slightly. He led her to a part of the yard that was very secluded and pulled something out of his pocket. "What are you up to?"
"I wanted to take you flying."
"No," she said, backing away.
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do," she said shyly, "but I am not getting on that thing."
"We won't go high."
"Harry-"
"-Hermione," he said, pressing his hands against her face, "nothing is going to happen to you."
He enlarged his broom and sat on it, waiting for her to join him. She gave him another look before she let out a disgruntled sigh and sat behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. He started to take off, and her grip around him tightened.
"Relax," he whispered, turning his head back towards her. She let out another breath and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling more and more relaxed as he flew higher. She took a look around and smiled at the view, now understanding why Harry loved it up here so much.
He paused in the sky and turned back to face her. "What do you think?"
"You were right," she said, looking around at the view. "It's amazing."
"Sometimes you just need to let go of your fears," he said, and she nodded in agreement.
"Thanks for making me do this."
"Maybe you can play Quidditch with me this year," he said with a grin, and she shook her head.
"No, but nice try."
They hovered in the air for a few more minutes before he took them back down to the ground. She got off the broom and attempted to gain her balance, and Harry chuckled as he reshrunk his broom and wrapped his arms around her waist, balancing her in his arms.
"The first ride is always the best."
She laughed, pressing her head into his chest. She then lifted her head back up and pressed their lips together, loving her husband more and more as the days went on.