Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter, even my wild imagination admits that!
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Big Step
On Sunday morning Harry entered the kitchen to find Ron tucking in to a large plate of scrambled eggs, while Kreacher took the squealing teapot off the hob.
"Good morning, Master Harry," croaked Kreacher as he poured boiling water into a large silver teapot. "Would you like eggs and toast this morning or just a bit of porridge?"
"Eggs, I think, Kreacher," Harry replied, sitting down opposite Ron.
Ron looked up from his plate. "Are you sure hot food is a good idea, Harry? Maybe we should have Kreacher strap you to the seat back."
Two nights before, during Harry's first meal downstairs since the accident, he had suffered a sudden bout of narcolepsy and passed out in his salad.
Harry cringed. "That was an isolated incident," he replied. "I've finished the tonic now, so it won't be happening again. Can you let this go now, please?"
"I'll try," Ron said, seriously, "but it's going to be hard work getting the image of you with a bean sprout up your nose out of my head."
They both sniggered as Hermione and Ginny entered the kitchen. Ginny sat beside Harry and squeezed his knee with her hand.
"Those eggs smell delicious, Kreacher," said Hermione, as Kreacher placed Harry's plate in front of him.
Kreacher made a small bow to Hermione. "Thank you, Mistress. Would you like for Kreacher to prepare you some now?"
"Yes please, Kreacher," replied Hermione.
"And some for me too please, Kreacher," Ginny added.
Kreacher made another bow to Ginny and hurried across the kitchen to the stove.
Harry finished his second cup of tea for the morning before standing and joining the others by the fireplace. After Hermione and Ginny disappeared off to The Burrow Ron patted his trouser pocket once before reaching into the jar of Floo powder and scattering a pinch in the grate. He vanished and Harry followed him a moment later, reappearing in the Weasley's large kitchen fireplace feeling quite wobbly following his first Floo trip since the accident.
For a moment he thought he must have got out at the wrong grate because he was completely surrounded by bouquet after bouquet of flowers.
"Ah, there you are, Harry dear. Did you travel all right? Not feeling a touch ill from the Floo?" Mrs Weasley fussed and brushed some soot from his collar.
"Ah, no, I'm fine. What's going on here?" Harry replied as he spotted Ginny beside a vase of large orange gerberas.
"They're all for you," said a voice from the kitchen table. Mr Weasley stood so he could be seen over the blooms covering the surface. "The Auror office is positively snowed under with floral arrangements wishing you a speedy recovery."
"Me?"
"Oh yes, they started flooding in after news of your accident broke." Mr Weasley smiled faintly.
"That's so weird," said Ron, picking up the card on a bunch of jonquils. "All we got at the house were some Honking Daffodils from Hagrid and a basket of Dirigible Plums from Luna."
"There was also that box of pistachio macaroons Andromeda sent, remember? It came with that gorgeous card Teddy drew," said Hermione.
"Well of course that's all that arrived. No one knows your actual address – that's a closely guarded Ministry secret, so people have been sending them to Harry's workplace."
Ron walked from bunch to bunch, reading the cards and laughing to himself. "Listen to this one –" he shouted. " 'A cauldron full of love and affection to the Boy-Who-Lived again.' "
Harry rolled his eyes and ignored him as Hermione tutted loudly. He turned and watched as Ginny stroked the bloom of a delicate peony. He went to her side and gestured to the enormous bunch of scarlet, tangerine and gold peonies. "You should have these, Gin."
Ginny beamed at him and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, thank you, Harry, they're so gorgeous!"
"It's my pleasure," Harry replied. He glanced around at the others. "You have these ones, Mrs Weasley," Harry said, handing her a superb posy of peach roses. He picked up a stunning bouquet of golden daffodils and gave them to Hermione, who smiled widely and plunged her nose amongst the blooms.
Fleur walked into the kitchen with a rosy cheeked Victoire on her hip. Harry spotted a bunch of long-stemmed while lilies. "Here, Fleur, these are for you."
Fleur took the bunch with her free hand. " 'Ow beautiful!" she said, as Victoire attempted to grab the smooth white petals.
"This is a lovely gesture, Harry, but what are we going to do about all the others?" Mrs Weasley asked.
Harry stared at the roomful of flowers and thought of all the others back at the Auror office.
"Why don't you donate the rest to St. Mungo's?" Hermione said. "I always felt bad for the people without flowers when we came to see you."
"I think that's a lovely idea, Hermione," said Mrs Weasley, smiling as she arranged her roses in a green glass vase.
Harry, thinking of St Mungo's, could not help but imagine Frank and Alice Longbottom in the closed ward, unable to know their own son. And he thought of all the other people who had not been as lucky as him, stuck in bed with dragon pox, or spell damage, or injuries from the battle at Hogwarts.
Harry nodded. "I'll send St. Mungo's an owl when I get home."
As noon approached, Mrs Weasley put them to work setting up tables and chairs in the bright and breezy back garden. Ginny and Hermione laid out plates and Harry and Ron carried out huge bowls of salad and platters of chicken.
When they had all taken their seats, George jokingly offered to outfit Harry with Shield Vests from the Defence line. Ron tried to distract Hermione by flicking shelled snow peas at her as she discussed International Wizard Relations with Percy until Fleur asked him to stop, as he was setting a bad example for Victoire.
At the end of the meal Bill proposed a toast; "To Harry, may you stay well and healthy long enough to be injured in your next field assignment."
"Oh, Bill!" remonstrated Mrs Weasley, as the others laughed and said, "To Harry!" before taking deep swigs of the pale gold elf-made wine.
When they had all eaten their fill, everyone began to drift away from the table. Fleur took a dozing Victoire inside for a nap and Mrs Weasley waved her wand over the table. Harry watched as the plates flew up in the air and drifted off to the kitchen in front of Mrs Weasley.
Harry and Ginny drifted across the garden and sat under a shady tree, just catching a glimpse of Ron and Hermione disappearing hand in hand through the gap in the hedge.
Harry relaxed against the gnarled tree trunk. "Nice day," he remarked, stretching his legs out in front of him.
"Mmm," said Ginny, lying down on the grass and resting her head on Harry's legs. "I love these lazy summer days."
"I love every day I get to spend with you," Harry said, stroking the hair back off Ginny's forehead.
Ginny burst out laughing. "Harry, I told you not to use that stupid book Ron gave you."
Harry looked surprised. "I wasn't, I'm serious. Anyway … that book's a bit worse for wear after my Monster book took a chunk out of it."
Ginny laughed.
"Don't tell Ron, though. I never made it past the first chapter."
"Well, then, you're a natural," said Ginny, propping herself up to kiss Harry's lips. "Go on, say something else nice about me."
"Well," said Harry, as Ginny settled back down on the grass. "You have such pretty, little ears … and when I'm up close to you, I can see all the gold in your eyes."
Ginny smiled, closing her eyes. "You know what I really like about you?"
"What?"
"Your knobbly knees," said Ginny.
"Really?"
"Really." She opened her eyes and giggled at Harry's expression, before becoming serious again. "And I like the way your hair sticks up at the back. I could always spot you in the corridor at school because of it. And those eyes … "
"You like them because they reminded you of fresh pickled toads, wasn't it?"
Ginny smiled coyly up at Harry, and they both laughed. Harry leaned down to kiss Ginny.
After a few moments, Ginny sat up and Harry pulled her into his lap, kissing her neck and ears.
The afternoon wore on and Harry and Ginny were interrupted by the sound of Mrs Weasley calling through the house, asking who wanted a cup of tea.
Ginny raised her eyebrows at Harry and sighed. "Doesn't my family know how to ruin a moment?"
Harry stood and offered his hand to Ginny to help her up. "It's not so bad – we must've got a whole hour to ourselves."
They walked across the garden to the back door. Harry gave Ginny a quick kiss before pulling open the door for her. He stepped inside and made to close the door behind him, but he noticed Ron and Hermione coming back through the gap in the hedge, Ron grinning broadly and Hermione looked flushed and excited.
Mrs Weasley had just passed Harry his cup of tea when Ron and Hermione entered the kitchen.
"What's up with you two?" Harry asked.
Ron opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly there was a great clattering overhead and a moment later George burst into the kitchen, dragging Angelina behind him by the hand.
"Family! Gather around!" George cried as everyone turned to stare at him. "The delight of my eyes has just agreed to become my wedded wife!"
Mrs Weasley shrieked and almost bowled Mr Weasley over as she rushed to George's side.
Grinning, Harry glanced over his shoulder to look at Ron. His jaw had dropped open and his face had turned beet red.
Bill was clapping George on the shoulder as Fleur kissed Angelina's cheeks. "Eet weel be so nice to 'ave anuzzer Mrs Weasley!"
Ron stumbled forward to congratulate his brother, still unable to lose the shocked expression on his face.
As Ginny and Angelina jumped up and down in their excitement at becoming sisters, Mr Weasley emerged from the pantry holding an enormous bottle of champagne.
"It's a leftover from Bill and Fleur's wedding. We've been saving it for an occasion like this.
As glasses began to be passed around, Harry sidled over to Ron.
"Are you all right, mate? What's going on?"
Ron's face grew red once more. "We – we were … were just coming in to tell everyone." Ron stammered.
"Tell everyone what?" Harry asked.
"That me and Hermione are going to get married too." Ron replied, looking down into his glass of champagne.
"What!" Harry shouted.
Everyone turned now to stare at them.
"What's happened?" Mrs Weasley hurried towards Ron.
Ron turned to Hermione and took her hand in his. "I, er, we, I mean, Hermione and I – we're going to get married too."
Mrs Weasley looked as though she might faint. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness," she said. "Oh! You two!" She pulled Hermione into a hug and Harry saw the tears begin to stream down Mrs Weasley's cheeks. "I'm so happy for you both! He's made a good choice in you, Hermione dear."
Ginny shrieked and launched herself at Hermione, who looked happier than Harry had ever seen her. Ginny seized Hermione's hand to examine the sparkling ring on her finger.
Harry felt dazed as he congratulated his two best friends. He had always thought that it might turn out this way, but had never expected that it would happen so soon.
"You'll be my best man, won't you?" Ron asked, grabbing Harry's shoulder.
"Wild Hippogriffs couldn't stop me!"
They hugged and Harry turned to Hermione, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek.
They all turned as George cleared his throat.
George lifted his glass of champagne high. "To my beautiful bride-to-be. I am the luckiest man in the world to have you. And to my lovely sister-in-law-to-be – are you really, really sure you want to do this?"
They all roared with laughter as Ron flashed George a filthy look and Hermione happily shouted "Yes!" over the din.
Harry wrapped an arm around Ginny's waist as Mrs Weasley bustled by muttering, "Two weddings to organise, oh my!"
Harry smiled at Ginny and clinked his glass against hers.
The End
Sorry for the delay in getting the final chapter out. There has been a lot to deal with lately. Miss Olive has recovered quite well, despite the fact she eventually had to have a leg amputated. But the delay is good news, because it means that it will only be around six weeks before I can start the next instalment. Thanks for the patience. I'm looking forward to reading your reviews and I'm open to requests for what you want to see next. Until Part Deux...