Chapter 13
"… What the bloody hell is this?" Ron stared at the parchment in front of him and slowly read it over. "You have got to be kidding me!"
"Hmmm? What is it?" Hermione spoke up as she glanced up curiously from her writing.
"We've been invited to bloody Malfoy's wedding!" Without another word, he lifted up the parchment and handed it over to his wife, his eyes still visibly stunned.
"Really?" Hermione blinked slightly before glancing over time and date. "Well, we don't have any plans for then just yet…"
"… You cannot be serious." Ron stared back at Hermione, his eyes growing wider. "This is Malfoy we're talking about!"
"And yet, he invited us to his wedding." Hermione countered in a firmly reasonable tone. "Rather politely in fact. I know he was planning on inviting Harry."
"You aren't seriously considering…"
"It would be rude not to accept." Hermione cut in as she hummed softly before pulling out a small datebook and beginning to scribble away on the appropriate date. "You still have your dress robes and I can dust off one of my dresses."
"But, but, but… It's Draco!" Ron almost whined as he looked pleadingly at his wife. "Draco Malfoy! You remember, the berk that tried to get us expelled whenever he could?"
"Yes, and? Really, Ronald, this is hardly Hogwarts. You're both grown wizards." Huffing slightly, the woman glared lightly back at her husband her arms crossing about her chest. "There's no need to act like you're a firstie again."
"It's Malfoy." Ron shot back with a grimace as he crossed his own arms about his chest.
"And you're going to just let Harry show up there on his own?" Hermione countered back as she arched a brow upwards.
"… You don't even know if Harry's going to be there." Ron countered back as he glared at the woman.
"True, I suppose I could… well, no I can't… hmm… I'll send him an owl and see what he says." Hermione finally decided with a firm nod of her head before pulling out a blank sheet of parchment and beginning to write.
"If he's not going, there's no bloody way you're getting me there." Ron shot back as he lightly glared back at his wife.
"Fine." Hermione agreed, albeit grudgingly as she lightly nodded her head. "If Harry says he isn't going, then there's no reason for us to go either."
"Thank you." Ron nodded his head with a slight smirk, already confidant that he knew what the answer would be.
-o-o-o-
"I got a reply from Harry today." Hermione spoke up as she watched Ron walking into the room.
"About?" Ron blinked slightly as he looked at his wife.
"Malfoy's wedding?" The slight irritation in her voice made the man wince as he quickly nodded his head.
"Ah, right, well you know how I am with anything related to the Ferret." There was a slightly apologetic tone in his words as he shrugged his shoulders just a bit. "So, he told you he's not going, right?"
"On the contrary." Hermione shook her head as she lifted up the parchment and smirked smugly back at him. "Apparently Narcissa and Andromeda have somewhat reconciled and therefore, Teddy is going, thereby, so is Harry."
"… You're joking." There was a simple, flat, disbelief in Ron's voice as he stared back at his wife and slowly took the parchment from her as he read over Harry's familiar, gangly scrawl. "You're not joking."
"No, I'm not." Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the man as she sighed slightly and settled back. "Now, I suppose I'm going to have to remind you that you agreed to go if Harry was going?"
"No." Ron responded with a quick shake of his head. "What kind of friend would I be if I left him to face this alone?"
"Honestly, it's just a wedding." Hermione rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "Not a battle."
"… Hermione, love, do you REMEMBER our wedding?" Ron shot back with a faint smile of remembrance on his lips.
Hermione winced slightly and shook her head. "Well, I'm sure that Harry and Ginny aren't going to…"
"I doubt Ginny would even show up." Ron answered back as he shook his head and rolled his eyes slightly. "Why would she even show up at the wedding, anyway?"
"Because Harry's there?" Hermione countered with a slight arch of her brow as she watched her husband wince visibly.
"Ugh, can we please, please not go there?" Ron shook his head with a sigh as he slumped back in his chair. "I love em both, really, I do… I love the idea of them being together too, so we could all be one big happy family… But, the reality of those two together?"
"Really, Ron, it's not THAT bad." Hermione huffed slightly as she shook her head. "Besides, they've both had time to grow up some more, and plenty of time apart…"
"Oh, dear lord, Hermione, please don't tell me you're… Just, no." Ron pinched the bridge of his nose before shaking his head. "It was bad enough the last time!"
"It wasn't that bad." Her protest was met with a flat look from Ron as she remained adamant. "It wasn't!"
"Hermione, I love you, I really do, but seriously?" He just stared back at her before slowly shaking his head in disbelief.
"What?"
"Don't go down that path. They didn't work out for reason."
"Yes," she agreed with a nod of her head. "They were both young, immature and couldn't handle being in a relationship. Now though…"
"… Oh, sweet Merlin, you're actually serious." Ron stared back at her with a look of sheer disbelief in his eyes. "This is Harry we're talking about here, Hermione, Harry."
"Exactly." Hermione agreed with a nod of her head. "Since when has Harry known what's best for him? If it hadn't been for us, he never would have even made it through Hogwarts."
"Didn't you just say they've both grown up since then?" Ron shot back as he lightly pinched at his nose. "Besides, we've barely talked to him in the last three years. What makes you think you have any idea what's best for him?"
She looked back at him as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's Harry."
"… Oh, this is just going to be bloody wonderful." Ron muttered softly under his breath.
-o-o-o-
"Ronald." There was a steady coolness in George Weasley's voice as he lightly arched a brow towards his brother as he saw the man walk into the shop.
Wincing slightly, Ron glanced around before settling his eyes on his brother. "George… what's with the cold shoulder?"
"Why, I have no idea what you could be referring to, my dear brother." George shot back as he glanced back to his notebook and went back to work scribbling away at it.
"You're not going to just ignore me, are you?"
"Angelina, love… I do believe I was just asked a question." George called out towards the back.
"Then answer it you, bloody fool." Angelina's voice called back from the back with a clear irritation.
"By Ronald." Came the swift clarification.
"Well, it could've always been by George." Came the half amused response as Angelina strolled out with a bemused smirk on her lips.
The flat looks she got instantly brought her up short as she began to pout softly. "What?"
"Love, let's leave the comedy to me, shall we?" George put forth almost delicately as he glanced over the woman. "I mean, you're gorgeous, brilliant and wonderful, don't get me wrong… but your jokes…"
"What about my jokes?" There was a tone of challenge in that voice as she raised a brow imperiously back at him.
"They're not good?" Ron offered up.
"What do you want?"
"Why's George giving me the cold shoulder?" Ron asked simply as he glance at his sister-in-law questioningly.
"If you don't know what you did, you expect me to?" That brow arched up still as she crossed her arms more firmly about her chest and stared defiantly back at the man.
"Well, you are his wife." Ron agreed with a quick nod of his head.
"And after you just insulted me, you expect me to tell you?" Angelina shook her head before turning her head and glaring at her husband. "George, you need to tell that git of a brother of yours to learn to keep his mouth shut."
"I would, but I was trying to get you to talk to him because I'm giving him the cold shoulder, remember?" George countered pointedly as he crossed his arms about his chest and looked back at his wife.
"Yes, well I'm over ruling that. Now tell him."
"Fraid I can't, love, I'm already firmly in my giving him the cold shoulder and ignoring him routine." George answered back with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders.
"To the point where you won't even defend your wife's honor?" Angelina's eyes narrowed into dark slits as she glared back at George.
"I played quidditch with you, remember? You can damned well defend your own honor better than I can." George answered back with a knowing nod as he crossed his arms about his chest.
"You also insulted me yourself." She pointed out with a frown and another narrowing of her eyes.
"I simply pointed out the truth. That as wonderful as you are, your joking skills fall far short of the rest of your magnificence."
"… That's not going to get you out of trouble you know." Angelina growled, though more in annoyance than anger as she huffed just a bit.
"I am still here you know." Ron spoke up as he lightly waved his hand.
"We know." Was answered back in unison.
"Just making sure, because I thought you might wanna know that Hermione's going to try and get Harry and Ginny back together." Ron agreed with a nod of his head.
"WHAT?"And again, perfect unison as the pair turned their attentions fully onto him.
"Ah, talking to me now?" There was a slight bit of smugness in Ron's voice as he crossed his arms about his chest and grinned back at the pair.
"… My sister-in-law is an idiot." George muttered softly as he reached up and placed his hand over his face.
"I always thought Fleur was rather intelligent myself." Angelina countered absentmindedly.
"That wasn't the sister-in-law I was referring to."
"I know."
"Again, I am still here, and that IS my wife you're talking about." Ron spoke up once more as he glared at the pair now.
"One of us is going to have to talk to him you know." Angelina noted.
"Glad you feel that way, have fun." George agreed with a sage nod of his head.
"By one of us, I meant you."
"And yet, you're the one who volunteered." George countered back with a serene smile on his lips.
"And when did I do that?" Angelina's eyes narrowed into slits as she glared slightly back at her husband.
"When you admitted that one has to talk to him first."
"... Bollucks." Angelina swore softly before she turned her head and glared at Ron. "All right, out with it already."
"Are you going to tell me why he's giving me the cold shoulder?" Ron asked curiously as he jerked his thumb towards George.
"No, I'm not." Angelina crossed her arms about her chest as she arched a brow. "Now, what's this about Hermione and trying to get Ginny back together with Harry?"
"They've both grown up and are ready to try again now." Ron summarized with a slight wince as he could feel the pair's glares burning onto him. "Oi! I didn't do it! I told her it's a bad idea! She's just... you know how she gets."
"We acknowledge your wife is nutters and needs to get her head out of her arse." Angelina agreed with a nod of her head as she lightly tapped her lower lip lightly in consideration. "How the hell did this even come up?"
"We got an invitation to Malfoy's wedding... Hermione convinced me to go as she owled Harry and found out he's taking Teddy there." Ron offered up and shrugged his shoulders just a bit. "She, um... I don't think she realizes that we've barely spent an hour's worth of time with Harry in over three years. She's still seeing him as the lost little kid we met on the Hogwarts train back then."
"And whose fault is that?" Angelina asked acidicly as she glared back at her brother-in-law.
"Which, that she still sees him like that or that we haven't spent much time with him?" Ron winced again before slowly sighing. "Look, at first with everything with Ginny... yeah. After that... He never plans ahead, he always just seems to call us up whenever he feels like it and he doesn't realize that not everyone has a trust fund they can live on! Some of us have to work for a living! We can't just drop everything when we feel like it!"
George simply stared at his little brother for a long, long moment, before turning his head towards his wife as he gave her a long, meaningful look. When she caught it, she simply nodded before turning back towards Ron. "I think you'd better go now, Ron."
"Wha... huh? What're you talking about? What about Hermione and her..." Ron immediately began to protest, before he could see his brother starting to stand up, wand in hand and a dark look on his face. "Um, right... I'll just be, um... Bye!"
And with that, Ron turned and practically ran out of the shop as George took a long, long moment to stare at the door, before taking a slow, deep breath. "Angelina, love... I swear, my younger siblings want the rest of us to kill them. I swear they do."
"Don't have to tell me, love, you don't have to tell me." Angelina agreed with a nod and a scowl of her own.
-o-o-o-
Ron scowled as he stormed back into his home, fingers clenched back into his hand as he fought back letting out a low growl of frustration. That hadn't exactly gone how he'd planned, especially not the way George had pulled out the cold shoulder straight off the bat. Then he'd almost drawn his wand on him.
A slow, deep breath was drawn in, before he stood, still, closing his eyes as he let the breath flow back out past his lips. Maybe he'd been overly harsh on Harry. He winced slightly and shook his head as he reviewed what he'd said. Ok, so that wasn't a maybe that he'd all of a sudden acted like he had in some of his worst moments with Harry, it was just the man never seemed to understand that not everyone could drop everything to have lunch out of the blue.
He'd meant to owl him back to try and schedule sometime when they could have lunch, or meet up, or dinner, anything. Only, every time work just seemed swallow him up. Then there was Hermione and her schedule. Shaking his head once more he resumed his walk as he entered into the kitchen only to freeze at what he saw in front of him.
His sister and his wife. Together. Talking.
Instantly he could feel the pit in his stomach dropping into his feet, before another breath was taken and he spoke up. "Hermione, Ginny. What's up?"
"Ron." Hermione smiled brightly at her husband as she looked up from the table. "You'll never believe what Ginny received."
Studying the look on her face, he couldn't help but fight back the urge to groan loudly as he answered back. "An invitation to Malfoy's wedding?"
"Isn't it just perfect?" Hermione shot back as she stared meaningfully at Ron.
Turning his head, the man didn't answer his wife as he took a seat and glanced over at his little sister. "Ginny, haven't seen you in while, heard you've been doing pretty well for yourself on the quidditch field."
"Please don't tell me you're sore about the beating we gave the Cannons." The slight smirk on Ginny's lips as she lightly draped back across the chair made him roll his eyes just a bit before wincing slightly as her words finally filtered in.
"Didn't hear about it honestly, don't have time to follow them much anymore." The admission and realization made Ron wince before shaking his head. "What brings the globetrotting quidditch star to our humble home?"
"Stop ignoring me, Ronald." Hermione growled as she lightly glared back across the table at her husband.
"I'm trying to keep from getting into a fight with you right now, love. So, let's save it until my little sister's headed out for the night, shall we?" Ron turned his head and glanced tiredly at his wife before shaking his head. "Please tell me you're not actually going to go along with this scheme of hers."
"It is not a scheme!" Hermione immediately protested as her eyes narrowed back at him.
"I don't know, sounds awfully like a scheme to me." Ginny offered up with a slight little drawl as she glanced over at her sister-in-law. "Not that I'm complaining exactly, it's not enough of a scheme for me to feel like a Slytherin. And I am curious to see how Harry's doing these days."
"Ok, has she already mentioned that I think this is a bad idea?" Ron asked his sister as he again ignored his wife. "As in, a very, very bad idea? Please do recall how you and Harry were at the LAST wedding you both attended."
"I remember." A scowl broke the amused smile the woman had been wearing up until then. "Quite well actually, thank you."
"Then, would you be so kind as to tell me WHY you want to go through this?" Ron asked with a touch of exasperation in his voice.
"Well, Hermione does make a strong case." Ginny pointed out as she slowly broke past her scowl. "We were a lot younger then, and..."
"For one, we don't know whether or not Harry is seeing anyone now. Did she tell you that?" Ron cut in as he then finally turned and leveled a look at his wife. "Nor do we even know what he's up to these days."
"It's Harry." Was the simple, glaring response, though, there was a flicker of doubt in her eyes now.
"Yes, it's Harry, the same Harry that along with Ginny here, almost ruined our wedding because of their fight." Ron agreed with a nod of his head.
"He started it." Ginny muttered quietly under her breath even as she glared back at her brother.
"And do you want them to get into it at another wedding?" Ron continued, ignoring his sister's voice as he fixed his eyes on his wife again.
"... Wow." Hermione blinked slightly and stared back at her husband. "You're actually trying to make sure Malfoy's wedding ISN'T ruined?"
Ron froze at that, his eyes suddenly wide as the full implications of what she meant hit him. "Wha... wait... ah... Bloody hell."
"I think you broke him." Ginny noted, with a sly little smirk as she slowly shook her head and glanced back at Hermione.
"I tend to do it once a month or so." Hermione noted with a slight little smile of triumph on her lips. "You'd think he'd be used to it by now."
"You're going to keep using that argument on him every time he tries to protest, aren't you." Ginny noted with a rueful chuckle before frowning slightly. "But, he did make some good points."
"He's Ron." Hermione countered back as she merely arched a brow.
"... Well, point." Ginny reluctantly agreed with a slow nod of her head, though the doubt still flashed across her eyes. "Shouldn't you be more... I don't know, considerate of his input though? He is your husband."
"... He's Ron." Hermione repeated flatly as she gave the woman a look. "I love him, but, really."
"I am still right here you know." Ron growled back with a soft glare as he shook his head and pinched at his nose. "You know what? I tried. This is on your heads."
"Really, Ron. You say it like we're going to go off and do something foolish." Hermione huffed softly and glared at her husband.
"Imagine that." He answered back with a shake of his head before he settled back and crossed his arms about his chest.
-o-o-o-
There was a hint of silence in the air as Ginny strode through the streets of Diagon Alley, smiling casually here and there at the quickly gathering crowd that followed in her wake. When the sudden flash of a picture here and there caught in the edge of her vision, she turned her head, hair lightly tossed over one shoulder and sent a flirty little smile back to the crowd. And in response, another flash of pictures were taken, catching the teasing wink she threw at them, before she blew them a kiss and stepped up to the door of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
Casting one last little smile back at the rest, she casually gave them a happy little wave before pulling the door open and stepping inside. The self satisfied grin on her lips stayed in place as she took a moment, wandering around the store as she studied her sibling's new wares. A grin that faded into a look of confusion when she beheld the stormy face of her brother, the store's proprietor.
"Love, we've got another one of em." George called out to his wife as he pointedly pulled out a copy of the Quibbler and pulled it up in front of his face, blocking off his view of Ginny.
"You know, you're being rather childish about this." Angelina muttered softly as she walked up behind the counter, before she glanced over and saw who was standing there. "Oh no, this one you can deal with. She's YOUR sister."
"Hence why I'm asking you to deal with her." George shot back as he focused on a particularly bizarre article on some abnormal creature or another that Luna had supposedly discovered. "You're more likely to show her restraint."
"Weren't you always afraid of her Bat Bogey hex?" Angelina countered back as she crossed her arms about her chest and glared back at George.
"And another reason why you should deal with her instead of me."
"Um, how about NO?" Angelina shot back as she shook her head and walked around the counter. "I already dealt with your brother. You deal with your sister."
"Bah, I say." George huffed back as he snapped the paper in emphasis, while continuing to ignore his sister.
"Exactly why are you being a ruddy arse to me and Ron, George?" Ginny spoke up as her eyes narrowed into slits as she studied her brother.
"Oh, it's not just you two, Hermione just doesn't show up for me to ignore her." George continued to read as he glanced to another article. "Rather decent of her all things considered. She's generally a might bit harder to ignore than you are."
"That doesn't tell me why though."
"For me to know, and you to use that so often ignored brain of yours to figure out."
"You did NOT just say that." Ginny hissed as her eyes narrowed into flashing slits as she glared back at the man.
"Really? I didn't?" George paused a moment, as if in consideration as he turned another page. "Huh, imagine that. Must be your imagination then."
"... Oooh, I am so going to..." Her face flushed slightly as she glared even more sharply at the man with a growl.
"Do recall, that it wouldn't look very good for a star quidditch chaser to be assaulting a shop keeper in his store." George noted was he continued to read through his paper.
"How about I show you that my Bat Bogey is just as good as it ever was?" Ginny countered back as she started to pull out her wand.
"How about you try, and I boot you out into the street on your ass for all your 'adoring' public to see?" Was sent back from behind the paper.
She actually snorted at that as she leveled her wand at her older brother. "Let's just see about that, shall we?"
A few moments later, the cameras were flashing again, though for an entirely different reason as they were treated to the sight of one Ginny Weasley being carried through the door way of the shop by a gigantic floating hand. A moment later, laughter erupted across the alley at the sight of a gigantic boot, rather reminiscent of a fluffy muggle bunny slipper, booted the girl soundly on her arse with a loud squeak. The laughter exploded even further as the moment she hit the street, an eruption rather rude sounds seemed to rise into the air from her location.
"Well, you can't say I didn't warn you." George was casually leaning against the door frame, looking impassively down at his sister as he lightly twirled his wand between his fingers. "Next time, I advise you not to try and threaten a man in his business. Good day, Ginerva."
And with that, the door was shut rather firmly, catching the retaliatory spell from the girl just moments before it could catch him in his back.
Cursing rather audibly, she shifted around before putting a foot down to start to stand up, before a sudden audible honking sound could be heard, the instant she put weight down on her foot. She froze in place for a moment, staring down at her shoe, before experimentally standing up, then putting weight on the second shoe. Again there was a rather loud sound, this time, like a cowbell being rung.
Her face turning the same color as her hair, she whirled around and stalked back up to the door, right steps honking, left clanging. "George Weasley, get your arse back out here and undo this!"
A sign suddenly twisted into existence in front of the woman, before expanding outwards to fill well beyond the door way for everyone to see stating: Unfortunately, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes is temporarily closed due to act of annoying little sister. Business will resume as soon as she squeaks her way out of the Alley. And yes, Ginerva, I am referring to YOU. NYA!
The last word, had a smilie face next to it, with its tongue blowing an animated raspberry at the girl.
"Ooooh, when I get my hands on you!" The hissing anger flashed across her eyes before she slammed her hand firmly against the door of the shop.
"Really, Weasley, are you intent on making yourself look THAT much worse?" A bemused voice spoke up and cut through the veil of anger had fallen across the woman's mind, as she was forcibly reminded of just where she was.
Slowly turning around, she winced visibly as she saw the cameras still flashing at her and her brother's store. Taking a slow deep breath, she turned her head, to locate the bemused looking blonde woman watching her with a smirk curled over her lips. She was familiar, that much Ginny knew, but she couldn't place her.
"I mean, really, if you really want to keep making a fool of yourself, please do. As much of it's bad publicity for you, I'm sure it'll be great for your brother's business." A slow throaty left the woman's lips before she shook her head and let out another amused chuckled.
"Shut up." Ginny hissed again, her anger and humiliation flashing across her eyes as she glared back at the woman.
"Oh, struck a nerve did I?" Reaching up, the woman casually pressed a finger to her lips looking up at nothing as if in thought. "Really, I do apologize, I thought you'd be happy about the way you're helping him out."
Fingers gripped tightly onto her wand, Ginny could feel the temptation to suddenly unleash a barrage of spellfire at the woman bubbling up through her clenched teeth as she worked desperately to keep slow, steady breaths flowing through her mouth. "That... is... enough."
"What, is something bothering you?" The woman seemed almost surprised, her mouth opening up into a small pursed "O". "Did I say something wrong?"
"You know bloody well that you did." Fingers clenched even tighter as she could feel the urge to spit out a spell trembling there on the tip of her tongue.
"Really? What?" The woman blinked a bit before looking around slightly as she seemed almost confused. "I thought I was just noting how you were being such a good sister. Kind of like you're such a good friend and such a good girl friend."
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all." The woman waved her hand negligently before glancing around. "My, we're certainly drawing so much attention... Everyone's just staring at us, oh my. I do hope I'm not doing something unbecoming."
"Daphne, I think that's enough." There was a tilting amusement as a younger woman, looking remarkably like the first strode up and hooked her arm around the other woman's. "We do have a number of other shops to visit."
"But, my dear sister, how often is it that one gets to meet such a celebrity?" The sarcasm dripped off Daphne's words, even as she allowed her sister to pull her back down the street.
"Sorry, but I don't think she's your type, her hair's not dark enough and her eyes aren't green enough."
"Hush." Daphne smirked a bit before casting one last look at Ginny. "Well then, toodles, Weasley."
For a moment, Ginny stared at the retreating woman, before she caught sight of the rest of the crowd still staring at her, studying her. Blushing again, she scowled before storming back towards the Leaky Cauldron and its floo. Honking and clanging the whole way.