Chapter 14 - The Engagement

August 1st, 1997 - Later that night

Mrs. Weasley didn't know if she would lose her mind or had already lost it. Her only daughter had flooed her, asking her to come over to Grimmauld Place. When she got there, she was greeted by Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the Grangers. Nothing looked out of place at first. Ginny was sitting next to Ron and Harry was next to Hermione. They all looked perfectly happy and normal. Wait! That was it. Harry normally sat next to Ginny and Ron next to Hermione. Ginny then said that she would be able to have a small practice wedding before the main one with Bill and Fleur. She had to think for a second. Her first thought was Harry and Ginny since they got along the best. Then she realized that Ginny was not yet of age and would have needed her parents permission to get married. Not that she would have hesitated for an instant. She looked at Ron and Hermione next. They were both old enough but why weren't they sitting next to each other? Well, it wasn't Ron and Ginny so that left...

"Who is getting married?" she asked, looking at Harry and Hermione. She didn't want to hear the answer but, somehow, she didn't need to.

"That would be us," replied Harry, indicating himself and Hermione. They put their arms around each other and smiled at her.

Molly looked at them and then at Ginny and Ron. They didn't put their arms around each other but smiled, nevertheless. She then looked at the Grangers. They smiled back as well but also seemed just as confused as she was.

"We just got here, too," said Emma. They had been surprised when Dobby showed up asking them to hurry back to Grimmauld place. Fearing more trouble, they dropped everything and Winky and Dobby took them to the kitchen with the kids. Hermione told her that she was getting married the following Saturday so they would need to arrange the wedding. Emma, too, had done the analysis to determine the groom and had come to the same conclusion. She, however, was pleased. She knew that Hermione and Ron had not been getting along and Harry had seemed so nice. She knew that they loved each other. Being "in love", however, was something new.

Molly asked the question that all of the parents had on their minds. "When, exactly, did this happen? I believe that just yesterday, Harry was with Ginny and Hermione was with Ron. What happened?", she asked, totally at a loss for even a guess.

"That would be my fault," said Ginny. She stood up, as if giving a lecture. "Harry, being the inexperienced fool that he is, answered some direct questions about Hermione that I, and later, Ron, had asked him. I interrogated Hermione tonight and got the other end of the deal from her. It seems that they have loved each other for years. They just didn't know it was mutual until we pointed it out." She looked at both Harry and Hermione and added, "I have no idea why they decided to skip the "dating" thing and go right into marriage but I don't disagree." She sat down.

There was an opportunity for Dan Granger to get a word in and he took it. "I would like to hear that explanation myself," he said. "Hermione?"

Hermione now stood. Harry stood with her and put his arms around her. "Well," she said, "I suppose that we knew that Ginny and Ron were right. We discussed the possibility of dating but decided we had already eaten enough meals together, spent enough evenings talking and gone on enough adventures to know each other as well as we ever will. I don't think Harry specifically asked me to marry him but we both started talking about the wedding so it was implied."

"Well," said Harry, "if it will make it official." He dropped to one knee and said, "Hermione, will you marry me?"

"Sure," she replied. She then added, "Where's my ring?" Everyone laughed at this.

"I know a jeweler who tried to sell me one a while ago," replied Harry. "We'll go see him tomorrow."

Molly, who had been planning Harry and Ginny's wedding for years, was not giving up quite so easily. Facing her daughter, she asked, "What do you mean, you and Ron "pointed out" that Harry and Hermione were in love?" The unspoken question was "How did you manage to screw things up so bad in just one day?"

"I have eyes and ears, Mom," Ginny said. "I have been talking to Harry quite a bit this summer and he is so naive with girlfriends that he was truthful with me when things came up. For instance, we were discussing a way to improve his spell casting. I came up with a good idea and when it worked and I kissed him, he started to call me Hermione. He caught himself and corrected it. I asked about it and he then screwed up again and said that he was confused by having two pretty girls with good ideas around. Then, when Hermione was captured, well, you were there. He brushed us off as fast as he could and went into that trap to get her. That's love, Mom. Hermione was a little harder to crack but she pretty much feels the same way about Harry. If Ron and I hadn't explained it to them, they probably would have married the wrong people. At least Harry might have. I think that Ron and Hermione were starting to figure out how wrong they were for each other, already." Ron and Hermione both nodded and blushed.

Molly didn't know what to do or say. She didn't want to give up on having Harry as a son-in-law but didn't want to alienate both Harry and Hermione by saying something stupid. Ron seemed to have an insightful moment.

"We had to explain it to them, Mom," said Ron. "We didn't tell them how to think; we just laid out the facts. We then explained to the two of them about how this was our payment on the "life debt" that our family owes Harry. Ginny and I said that they could choose to keep things the same as they were or to try to see if they wanted to be together. We promised there would be no guilt or jealousy." He looked at Ginny. "Ginny, of course, had the most to lose because Hermione and I were already on thin ice."

"Harry and I took their advice," said Hermione. "I never allowed myself to even think about Harry since he was "Harry Potter" and could have any girl he wanted. He had already dated Cho and Ginny. They are both so beautiful. And he went to the Yule Ball with Pavarti and Slughorn's party with Luna. Two more stunners even though Luna is, well, "Luna". What kind of a chance did I have?"

Harry looked at her with confusion written all over his face. "I don't get it," he said. "You're as beautiful as any of them. Ron and I were even talking about it earlier tonight."

Ron said, "Harry, I was saying..."

"That's right!" butted in Ginny. "Hermione is as beautiful as any of us. That was what was holding Harry back. He was afraid that someone as beautiful and brilliant and everything as Hermione would obviously be finding someone better than him. All we did was knock their heads together to get them to wise up."

Molly and Emma were convinced. They knew that Harry saw Hermione through the filter of love. It was as Ginny had said earlier; they saw each other with their hearts. Harry and Dan didn't know what was going on. Of course Hermione was beautiful. What was the big deal? Ron finally realized why Ginny had stopped him and remained silent.

Dan asked, "What was the debt you said you were paying, again? I didn't get that part."

Ginny said, "When a witch or wizard saves another witch or wizard, that creates a "life debt". It means that you owe them your life or something of equal value. Harry has quite a collection from my family. He saved me, Dad and Ron. He also financed two of my brothers in their business and caught the werewolf that almost killed my other brother. Technically, Hermione also owes him one but as she will have to scratch his back for the next hundred years, we'll call that good."

Nobody had any more comments for a minute so Hermione changed the subject. "Well," she began, "now that we have that sorted out, we need to plan the wedding. Where should we have it?"

"Did I miss the part where you explained why you are having it in one week?", asked Dan.

"You must have," replied Emma. Molly had nothing on her when it came to grabbing the net when the fish was near the boat. "I suppose you will want a magical wedding, since most of your friends are wizards?" she asked.

"Most of my friends are witches and wizards but we can still be married in a muggle church," replied Hermione. "We just need to take Ron's wand away for the day so he doesn't forget and freak everyone out."

"How big are we talking, Harry?" asked Molly. Her turf was being challenged and she was up to making her own claims.

"I would say about the size of my birthday party?" he half answered, half asked, looking at Hermione.

Hermione considered and said, "I suppose that would be the core guest list. Maybe a few others. I don't think we want to draw too much attention to this."

"An excellent idea," said Dan, who just remembered that it was the bride's family that paid for the wedding.

"I know I only get to go in the summer now," said Hermione, "but do you think we could have the wedding in our church?" Hermione's family attended a small, but friendly, church just outside of the small town in which they lived.

"I'll call Reverend Paul first thing in the morning," said Emma. "I doubt that we can get it on such short notice but we can try." She made herself a note on a slip of paper from her purse. "We'll have to get the dress off the rack, I'm afraid."

"We can look at Madam Malkin's when we get the rings," said Harry. "She can make anything we want in a day or so."

Hermione looked up with a worried expression. "Is a muggle marriage legal in the wizard world?" she asked. She was surrounded by muggles and purebloods. "Who would know?" she asked, to no one in particular. They would have to check on that, too.

Molly pulled Emma to the side. "As the two mothers involved, we should divide up the details. You are already checking on the church and I expect will want to work with your daughter on the wedding dress so I'll handle the reception."

Emma started to object. "You already have your son's wedding in two weeks. Perhaps I should do this one so you won't be overworked," she suggested.

Molly fired right up. "My son will be getting married in one week and then my other son will be getting married the week after that," she stated. "I am perfectly capable of dealing with both weddings." Let there be no confusion; Harry was her son!

Emma Granger was no stranger handling trouble, even if it was, literally, like pulling teeth. But she had heard of Molly Weasley. Perhaps she could help her daughter with the fun stuff like the church and wedding dress and leave the heavy lifting to someone who, by all accounts, liked it.

"That sounds lovely," she said. "I'll call about the church and pastor and then go with Hermione and Harry and help with the wedding dress while you can start planning the reception."

Molly was shocked that Emma had acquiesced so easily and decided to toss her a bone. "Would you have time to do the invitations, Mrs. Granger?" she asked.

Emma said, "I think we could do that. And it's Emma, Molly. We are going to be related, after all." She then added, "I'm not sure how but who cares?"

Everyone laughed, most of them in relief that Mount Molly had been mollified.