Years From Now
Chapter 21
January 29, 2009
The building was the same but the room was different. The last time Harry had visited this building on a weekly basis, Ashlyn Hooper was located in a different room; her office now was on a different level- one floor above- and it was bigger. It had a nice, bay window as well and this is currently what had Harry's attention as he settled onto the powder blue sofa.
"It is so good to see you again, Harry," a voice stated. He tore his gaze away from the window and saw that the witch was directing a luminous smile in his direction from her spot on a plush armchair. He gave a nervous chuckle but the smile he showed in return was genuine.
"Four years, yeah?" Harry wondered.
"Yes, four years since we were last acquainted."
"Are you surprised to see me?"
"Quite a bit, yes! But also glad- more glad than surprised," she answered.
The woman had been surprised to receive a short letter from him days ago requesting an appointment but she had not been taken aback. She had realized during the incipient part of their relationship that Harry would be one of those people who would likely be a repeat offender when it came to treatment. Due to the sheer amount of trauma he had experienced, the indication that he would return at various points in his life to process new and old triggers that accompanied the natural changes of aging was obvious. During their two year, eight month stint together they had primarily processed the affect the war had on him but had not gotten too deep into the tragedy of his childhood, and that period of his life alone had been the foundation for some of his later trauma.
"You're glad I've started to unravel again?" the dark haired wizard quipped. His mental Healer grinned, amused to be reacquainted with his cheekiness.
"Is that what's brought you back? You think you're unraveling?" she asked.
"I see we're already starting the session! You waste no time, Ashlyn."
"I merely repeated the very word you used. I mean, have the papers tell it, your life is coming together perfectly! A fiancee, a big promotion at the Ministry, and I believe there was a picture or two of you looking for houses a few days ago! Completely legitimate, too, I'm sure. Not snapped from far away or because you had been followed."
"Not at all. Isn't it obvious from the angles that I invited the media along with me?" Harry questioned.
"I see the press has remained relentless in its pursuit of you during our four year hiatus." Ashlyn mentioned.
"It won't stop until I die, I reckon. Or move. But it's at least allowed you to stay updated about my life!"
"Surface details, yes. But what has been going on for you, Harry? Beneath what the press puts out. What's brought you back into my office?"
Their banter was over and the Auror sensed that. He exhaled and ran a hand over his mouth.
"I've... I've been having frequent nightmares again, since I returned from a mission last month," he shared, "And nightmares may not seem like enough for me to come back to you, but-"
"Don't minimize them. If they've returned, that's significant. For anyone, yes, but especially for you knowing they were a primary symptom for years." Ashlyn interjected. Harry nodded halfheartedly.
"They've happened more than I wanted, or expected. And they've disturbed me."
"Has your magic been affected?"
"No, thank Merlin…." he replied.
"What do you make of them?" the Healer pondered. Harry took a pause before answering.
"Hermione thinks they're the result of stress, from all that's happened to me in a short amount of time, even though it's all been good things. Well, except the mission, of course. That… that wasn't good."
"Tell me a bit about this mission. You've mentioned it twice."
"I was on a task force with a group of Aurors from around the world. We were meant to capture this dangerous wizard. The mission turned out to be three weeks instead of the one week we anticipated, and I killed someone. I was also front and center for a partner's murder," the dark haired wizard explained. Ashlyn's heart sank at the admission. Another traumatic event to add to his countless others, a trigger to usher in his notorious nightmares.
"Harry, that's terrible," she remarked with empathy.
"Yeah," He cleared his throat, "So, since then, there've been nightmares. They're not daily, or even weekly, but they're more than they've been in ages."
"When was your last?"
"Last week."
"What was it about?" the witch inquired. Harry's mouth tightened as he recalled it.
Hermione: dead. Her chopped up body had been sent to him in a beautifully wrapped box with copious amounts of blood on the box's inside walls. He had been at Grimmauld and Sirius was him, and his godfather had clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Tough luck, pup. I did like her but you'll find another!" The dream had shaken Harry so much that he called Hermione on her cell phone a couple minutes after waking; when she did not answer, he Apparated to her apartment in a panic and yelled for her. He was doused in relief when she came rushing out of her bedroom although she appeared worried, and he gathered her in an embrace to verify that she was alive while he told her about the nightmare. Accordingly, two days later, the Muggleborn insisted he contact his former mental Healer and make an appointment. Needless to say, Harry finally relented.
"Hermione was dead," he relayed in clipped tone, "All of my nightmares have been about death in some way, actually."
"That makes sense. You said that you witnessed a partner's murder and that you yourself had to take someone's life." Ashlyn mentioned.
"But it was only for the mission and the mission has been the only sore spot in my life these past few months. I don't understand why, if most things in my life have been good, I'm having such terrible dreams again."
"Well, one could say that this theme of death is not completely literal. It could represent termination- the ending of certain parts of your life. And you have many endings in sight. You will no longer be a captain in your department, you will no longer be single or live in your flat…. You're on the precipice of starting wonderful things but you're also ending others, constants that have been present for years. It can be scary."
Harry mulled over her words and then peered up at her.
"Now we're starting the session," Ashlyn noted with a smile, "Welcome back, Harry."
The appointment was over an hour later and there was an agreement that Harry would see the Healer every two weeks until the beginning of May, at which point they would assess if sessions should continue or cease. The Auror used Floo to leave the building because it helped maintain his privacy, something he had also done during his first time with Ashlyn, and it spit him out in Grimmauld. Kreacher was afoot hardly one minute after his master's arrival and proposed tea. Harry accepted and asked the elf to include a finger of brandy on the side, an addition he felt he very much needed.
January had been frenetic. Ever since the announcement of Harry's prospective role as Head Auror, the media had renewed its coverage of him and things were currently as crazy as they had been when his engagement to Hermione became public knowledge. Articles in periodicals analyzed his 10 year career history and postulated how his run as Chief would go, and there had been photographs taken of the house hunt the prior weekend from paparazzi that had somehow gotten word of the activity and where he and Hermione would be. Harry had also received a sarcastic note and what could only be taken as a small gift from Draco Malfoy days after the press conference, and it left him stunned. One passage of the short letter read:
"Because of your unsurprising appointment as Head Auror, I am, yet again, forced to have to endure seeing your image and hearing your name anytime I step foot outside my home, as Britain falls at your feet once more, Potter. Thank you for that. However, it is refreshing to see that although your presence is thrown over us like a suffocating blanket, you have the decency to not make it all about you. You are able to speak on the behalf of others and that is something worthwhile, at least."
Hermione observed that Draco's gesture was an expression of his gratitude for Harry's defense of the blond's family during the press conference and her fiance had to agree, but that did not mean he was going to send a reply (or even believe that the blond wizard would want one).
There had been a strike in Bern, Switzerland during the month as well, one connected to G and their purported revolution. A handful of wizards had made its way into the city's Federal Palace, or Parliament Building, and desecrated various rooms in the grand building, writing Magicals, rise! on prominent surfaces. It had been a nightmare for the country's magical and non-magical governments to take care of and hide from the non-magical population, and an article condemning the movement of G had been printed in Switzerland's top periodicals as well as surrounding nations (including Austria and Germany).
So, yes- Harry believed he needed the brandy quite a bit.
It was 5:20PM when he sent a text message to Hermione to inform her that he was at Grimmauld and likely would be for the rest of the evening. The brunette acknowledged and, when her shift ended at 6PM, made a quick trip to her apartment in order to change clothes and retrieve Bastet before she Apparated to the town home. She found Harry in his favorite sitting room and set the kitten down on the floor as she entered the room and approached the chair he occupied. (Bastet immediately scampered off to investigate any and everything).
"How'd it go? How was it seeing Ashlyn again?" Hermione asked, sounding a bit anxious. Harry attuned to the sound of her voice and held out a hand to her in greeting. She took it and was pulled into his lap.
"Hello," he said in a low voice after kissing the top of her head. The witch kissed the corner of his mouth in response, calming some.
"How was it?"
"It was good. I think it's going to be helpful to do it again."
"You're going to keep it up?" Hermione questioned.
"Yeah. Every other week, until May." Harry shared. She smiled.
"It will be helpful for you again. Thank you for listening to me."
"You can't keep waking up next to someone who's screaming bloody murder and thrashing about like an eel, so I can see why you were so keen that I did."
She chuckled and leaned into him, adjusting in his arms.
"One thing taken care of. Now, if we could just find a ruddy house!," Hermione mentioned, "I'm starting to think it won't happen before we're married."
"Hermione, we've still got three months before then. And we only began looking last month." Harry countered, peering at her with a raised eyebrow. She sighed.
"Logically, I realize that. But we've seen 10 places in that span and it feels like it's taking ages! We've gone twice this month and nothing. Then it's supposed to be twice for next month, and I suppose… I suppose I'm just tired of having my hopes dashed each time we look."
"I feel a bit disappointed after every try, too. But don't let your expectation of when we find something outweigh the knowledge that we will find something. Remember it took Ron and Luna half a year before they found their house! And they said it was worth waiting for rather than giving into the pressure of buying another that was just good enough."
"That's true…" the brunette admitted.
"Besides, we honestly don't have a time limit so there's no need to rush. By the wedding is the time frame we'd like to have, but we could easily live here in Grimmauld until we find what we love," he added. Hermione looked up at the Auror after a long pause and uttered:
"I'm supposed to be the rational one, you know."
Harry laughed.
"Gotta learn to share the spotlight sometimes," he offered.
"Odd. I thought you despised it," she observed.
"Not if I'm taking it from you."
Hermione made an offended noise and released him, sitting up straight in his lap and sticking her tongue out. He laughed more and she prodded him in the head, shaking her head with a diminutive smile. She peered around the room while she waited for her fiance's laughter to wane and she gazed at him when he was quiet once more.
"If we haven't found a home by the wedding, staying at Grimmauld until we do sounds like a good idea," the witch conceded, "I'll try to take the unnecessary urgency out of the house situation."
"Good, because it's still early," Harry responded, putting his arms around her waist, "I'm sure Kreacher would be happy to have us back here if that happens, anyway. Speaking of which- let's ask him to start supper, yeah? I'm starving."
On the first Friday of February, Harry joined a group that included the three youngest Weasley children, Angelina, Wyatt, and Lee Jordan and attended a Quidditch match while in the customary sky box. It was notable fun with good friends but, like usual, Hermione had zero desire to go to the game herself and spent those few hours with her cousin Rachel instead. The engaged pair went house hunting the following day and, through detection and revealing spells, discovered some paparazzi lurking near Melvin's office. They offenders all scattered upon discovery (and after taking a handful of quick pictures of the couple) but Harry and Hermione were not too upset because there was now a significantly less chance that they would be followed like last time. They saw three homes but were not enthralled by any of them, and Hermione reminded herself that they would look again next weekend and of her vow to discard the urgency she had placed upon finding a property.
Luna's 28th birthday was one week later on the 13th and she had a themed party like she had for her last five birthdays. The blonde rented a small hall to house the event the succeeding day, which was a first; the previous four times, her parties had taken place at her own home, her father's home, the Burrow, and Grimmauld Place. For the last half decade, the theme of Luna's birthday revolved around celebrating the culture of a chosen country and showcasing its food, music, and attire. It had been Morocco for her 27th year while this year was Mexico.
Harry had his second appointment with Ashlyn and Hermione had one of her three monthly meetings on Valentine's Day morning. The latter Flooed to the former's apartment a little past noon once she was done at the Ministry, where Teddy was with his godfather. Teddy was accompanying Harry and Hermione to the party and was dressed for the event just like Hermione, whom wore a long, traditional skirt. She had also taught the boy a few phrases in Spanish that he could say to Luna and Teddy seemed motivated to try them out. Harry was not dressed for the theme and he never did but plenty of others did not dress as well, and that did not detract from the good time he typically had. When they arrived to the hall that afternoon, Ron greeted them and wore a shirt that matched the traditional dress Luna had on, which was primarily white but had a plethora of other colors and flowers embroidered on it.
"Ron, I love the shirt." Hermione observed.
"Luna got it and her dress the last time she was in Mexico for work. That was four months before the twins were born, though, so she ordered miniature ones for them two months ago. Liam and Reagan are wearing them," he reported. The brunette gasped.
"How precious! I have to see them."
"Well they're floating round here in someone's arms," Ron responded before turning to his best friend, "Harry, you're the only one of us who's boring and not dressed appropriately."
"What are you talking about? I can see Percy from over here- he's not dressed! Neither is Bill, or your mum, or Hannah-" the dark haired wizard mentioned.
"I said the only one of us, as in the four of us."
"Well you should know better than to expect anything else by now. What's more, you only dress for her birthdays because she's your wife. Otherwise you'd be complaining your arse off!"
Ron made a strangling motion at Harry's neck and the Auror laughed and moved back but Hermione frowned at Harry's assertion. Before anything else could be said, however, the birthday girl was gliding over to them.
"Bienvenidos!" Luna said with her serene smile as she settled into Ron's side.
"Feliz cumpleanos, Luna!" Teddy exclaimed, hopping in front of her.
"Oh, muchas gracias, Eduardo." They exchanged cheek kisses.
"It looks great in here, Luna. It's very colorful." Harry noted, complimenting the decorations. The blonde nodded happily.
"There will be a Mariachi band later, too!," Luna shared, "My friend Sonia helped me to get everything. She lives in Leon and she's actually here today. I'll introduce you."
"She also made most of the food and it's delicious. I might hire her as our personal chef." quipped Ron.
A long table full of Mexican dishes, including a tres leches birthday cake, stood along one of the room's walls and a pinata for the children was also present. Most of the children in the hall were Weasleys, as everyone in the family and their spouses were present except for Charlie, but there were two little ones who were the offspring of Luna's Magizoologist friends. About six of her work friends were present, and, from Hogwarts, Seamus, Dean, Neville, Hannah, Padma, and Lee had attended. (Lee had a soft spot for Luna like a little sister and Parvati was not there because she was at a potions convention in Copenhagen).
"Food," grinned Teddy, looking at Hermione and Harry.
"A kid after my own heart," Ron remarked with pride, "Come on, Teddy- I'll show you where to start. Then you can go tease Victoire endlessly since I know you fancy her."
"Ergh! I do not!" the boy insisted, balling his fists and twisting his face as he was led away by the red head. Hermione smiled.
"Oh, Rolf's here! He wanted to say hello when you arrived, Harry. I believe he's talking to Neville about the best herbs to help with constipation." Luna relayed.
Harry clamped down on a snort of laughter but nodded his assent, taking Hermione's hand and letting Luna led the way to her ex-boyfriend. Rolf Scamander was Luna's first boyfriend out of Hogwarts and her last relationship before she and Ron got together. He was rather awkward and undeniably peculiar at times but this is why he and Luna had been two peas in a pod and why Harry liked him. The senior Auror knew all too well about being seen as strange in others' eyes.
The party turned out to be outstanding and ended not long after 10PM. There had been a tequila shot contest during the last two hours that Seamus claimed victory over but was deemed to have been won by Rolf, surprisingly, from everyone else's perspective. Teddy attested that he wanted a pinata for his 11th birthday in April as he left the hall and Hermione simply nodded in appeasement. As it was late, Harry decided to keep Teddy for the night and briefly fire called Andromeda to let her know. It did not take long for the the young wizard to fall asleep and once he was, the couple made to follow in his footsteps. Conversely, right before they fully settled into bed, Harry gave Hermione a pair of fuzzy, pink socks in honor of the fact that it was Valentine's Day. Neither really celebrated the holiday or cared much for it but they did strive to give small tokens that encompassed what the day stood for: to show that they loved one another in an indisputable way. Hemione had a strong liking of fuzzy socks and her fiance knew this, yes, but he also knew that Bastet had clawed apart a pair from the Muggleborn's collection two weeks ago while playing, and Hermione had been rather disgruntled over the loss. Accordingly, the witch was especially pleased to receive the socks and threw them on her feet before latching onto Harry under the bedding and kissing him in thanks.
"I'll make sure Bastet doesn't get her destructive little paws on these ones," she noted in an amused tone.
Harry looked over his shoulder as he and Hermione followed Melvin up the walkway. They had not spotted any press this go round and no one was in sight but it was habit for him. The dark haired wizard had his hands in the pockets of his pants while Hermione strode on his right side with her arms looped around his arm.
It was the day after Luna's party and they were on their second and final house hunting appointment of the month. Their next scheduled appointment was not for another six weeks due to their scarce availability in March, so if they came away empty handed at the end of the day they would have to wait until the last weekend of March before they could look again.
"I've got to reply to Viktor about a visit," Hermione quietly stated, "I feel so badly. He wanted to meet within two months when he wrote while you were away on your mission, and now it's been three months."
"Well we've hardly found time to breathe in all that time so don't feel too badly." Harry commented.
"And it doesn't seem like we'll find any time to breathe in the coming weeks, either. We've got cake tasting next weekend, then Paris after that for my dress, then New York after that for my dress again… what about the weekend between New York and shopping for the bridal party in Milan?"
He peered at her and then asked:
"You want to fit in something else despite everything you just listed?"
"It's just a visit." Hermione countered.
"He's coming to the wedding. Is it not enough to see him there?"
"The wedding is three months away! I'd like to see him before then, especially because he mentioned meeting up last year."
"Hmmm. You seem pretty adamant about seeing dear Viktor." Harry remarked with half a smirk.
"Oh stop it," she ordered, jostling his arm and rolling her eyes, "You'll be there. He wants to see you as well." He chuckled and then exhaled.
"Sure, then. The second weekend of March- that's when we'll schedule a visit."
"Okay! I'll let him know."
"All right, here we are!" Melvin announced a couple seconds later as they came to a stop at the front door.
"Ooh, I love the color of the wood!" Hermione observed.
"The exterior, too." Harry mentioned with a nod.
"Let's hope you love the house as well." Melvin offered with a smile before he removed a key.
The exterior of the house was brick of various shades yet it was mostly light brick, and it complimented the dark wood of the door well. The house was a tiny estate, in actuality, as it sat on a decent amount of land surrounded by trees, plants, and shrubs, although they were bare due to the winter weather. The house was also one story but it was expansive, as it had five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a study, and a room that could clearly be designated as a small library. The property was located in Reading, in Berkshire, which Harry loved because it was roughly an hour outside of London, a satisfactory distance away from the hubbub of the city in his opinion.
Melvin opened the door and all three walked into a quaint foyer that housed two, wall length windows on either side of the door. The massive living room was to the right of them and had no door but was lined by a wall composed of window panes.
"It allows for so much natural light!" Hermione said with a gasp, peering into the living room. Melvin nodded.
"In the kitchen as well! It's a rather bright home," he supplied in a jovial tone, "There's access to the yard out back through the kitchen and living room, and there are three fireplaces in the home: one in the living room, master bedroom, and study. Also, many of the home's walls and doors are glass but they're easily enchanted if you need them to be opaque. So, go have a look see through the house! I'll putter around the front here if you need me."
"Thanks, Melvin." Harry mentioned. The agent gave a smile and the couple moved to the right to inspect the living room.
Melvin was correct- it was an exceptionally bright home due to the plentiful wall length or large windows that showcased the foliage that encompassed the house. Glass French doors led to the sizable, beautiful kitchen that had a nook overlooking the garden. There was a small sitting alcove enough to fit a compact sofa or a few chairs between two of the bedrooms and it was directly across from the library, the room that Hermione wanted to explore right after the kitchen. Harry, however, was determined to see the size of the yard to judge its appropriateness for Quidditch so they split apart for 10 minutes or so and met together again in the master bedroom. This room was at the very back of the house and one step below the rest of the home's level, and it had French doors that were not transparent and an ensuite bathroom. Following the master, they checked out the four equally sized bedrooms, the office that was large enough for two people to work comfortably in, and the two (and a half) bathrooms.
Harry turned to Hermione after their final inspection and they stepped out of the half bath that was located near the living room.
"Well, what do you think?" he questioned, sounding a tad on edge.
"Harry, I love everything about this house. Everything," she breathed out, staring at him intently, "The floors, the kitchen, the size of the rooms, its overall style, the wonderful yard, the library, of course, how bright it is, the color palette throughout!... ugh! Harry, I want this house."
"You do?"
"Yes! I haven't loved any house we've seen as much as I love this one! I haven't even loved any of the others- I've only liked a few! But this one? This one is perfect! Just perfect."
"Oh thank Merlin!," the Auror answered as an infectious grin overtook his countenance, "I'm glad that you love it because I love it too!"
"You do?!" the brunette inquired, inhaling.
"Yes! It's fantastic! Everything you said. I was walking through it and picturing us living here- easily. Imagining how we should furnish it, thinking which room could be Teddy's… I didn't have this with any of the other houses."
"And we could have a guest room as well! That'd still leave two rooms for children's rooms… and the study is so big that we could share it! I can see Bastet having an absolute ball in the yard and I can visualize summer parties and Christmas here!"
"Hermione," started Harry, stepping to her and taking her hands, "Do you want to buy this house? Is this it?" A lustrous smile bloomed for her as she clutched his hands in return and bobbed up and down.
"Yes, yes I do! I don't want to see any other properties, today or another day! I want this to be our house! It just feels so right, Harry!"
"Well then, let's buy a house, love."
She squealed in excitement and he laughed before they meet for a sequence of zealous kisses. They had done it! They had found their home, the place where they would begin their future together. And after only two months of searching! After Hermione had resigned herself to the fact that it may take notable time to find the right home and that was okay if it was going to be a home they truly adored. But they had found it! And with plenty of time to spare for their wedding.
"We'll have a place to come after our honeymoon!," Hermione pointed out as she pulled away, eyes sparkling, "We can slowly start having it furnished as well- that'll be much easier to address then rushing to do it after we're back. I mean, we probably won't have much time but we can hire someone if we need, like we did for Grimmauld's renovation. Oh! I have to tell my parents that we found a place! I wonder what Mum will think about us being in Reading… it's west of London and they're north…. We'll likely have to buy a car as well since we're moving far enough outside of Lon-"
"Hermione, these are all excellent points. They are," Harry interjected, putting a stop to her rant, "But there's a more pressing matter we need to address first. We can't ignore it." Her brow furrowed some.
"What's that?"
A positively devious smile unfurled on the wizard's lips as he yanked her back to him before he replied:
"I do believe that when we first started searching, you promised to shag me in the house once we found the one we wanted."
A shocked expression passed over Hermione's face and she was left momentarily speechless.
"Remember that?," pondered Harry with a dark chuckle, "So, if this is the house we've chosen, which I would say it definitely is, then I want my shagging."
His smile became predatory when she still did not answer and he pulled her back toward the half bath.
"H-Harry. Harry- Melvin!" she tried to protest.
"Yes, he's here. So we'll be rather quick about it." He opened the door and went in first, dragging her after him and closing the door again. He left the light off.
"Silencing Charm!" Hermione uttered as Harry's hands found her ass.
"Nope," he negated. She gasped at the refusal and because his teeth raked down her neck at that moment.
"We need to be able to hear him if he calls for us," Harry whispered in her ear while he squeezed her bottom, "So unless you want him to know just what we're getting up to, you'll have to keep quiet, my randy witch."
Hermione really had nothing to say in retaliation and she could not deny the promise she made him in December about 'christening' whatever house they ended up choosing as theirs. So, as an alternative, she responded to her fiance's advances with a burst of nervous excitement and strove to remain as silent as she could.
The look on Ron's face held skepticism and a frown as he entered the bakery behind his sister and two best friends. The shop's colors were inviting and it smelled heavenly but there were no other patrons inside, a fact that, to him, could have been an omen.
"I just don't understand why you have to come to France for a wedding cake, Hermione," the pureblood commented as he looked critically at a display, "Does England not have bakeries?"
"Of course it does, Ronald, but this is France. France. It's known for its pastries and sweets! I'd be crazy to not look here." Hermione retorted, striding with purpose to the counter.
"There are plenty of cakes back home that are just as good as any French ones! Gabrielle could've easily scheduled a tasting there."
The brunette clenched her fists and stopped walking, whipping her head around to look at him.
"Well if you're so concerned about the cake's origins then you can schedule a tasting for us in England and then go to it by yourself!," she exclaimed, "I am not going to turn around and march out of this shop due to a misplaced sense of national loyalty, or any asinine misgivings you may have! And if a French wedding cake is going to be a problem for you, Ronald, then you don't have to eat it!"
Ron's frown turned into a miniature scowl as Hermione twirled back to face the counter and block him from her sight.
"Ron, shut up, will you? You sound like an absolute twat at the mo', one who just wants to hear himself speak." Ginny ordered, taking her place on Hermione's left side and causing her brother's scowl to became more pronounced.
"You all right?" wondered Harry, stepping up to the other man. He was alarmed by how quickly that had become hostile but both of his friends had been snippy with each other for the past 20 minutes.
"Me?!," spluttered Ron, peering at the dark haired wizard in disbelief, "I'm fine! Hermione's the one who turned into a bloody chimaera all because I made a simple comment about English cakes!"
"But was it necessary?"
"It was harmless! And the truth, I'd like to add! There are good cakes back home."
"Mate, just get ready to taste test, all right?," sighed Harry, "Let it go."
He braced Ron on the shoulder and then went to Hermione's right side. The red head made an aggrieved noise, eyes on the ceiling, then stiffly planted himself right behind the other three. Hermione was speaking French to a 40 something year old woman standing behind the counter who had a smiling young man by her side. The woman was the owner of the bakery and regularly contracted by Gabrielle for events; she had temporarily closed the shop in anticipation of receiving Harry and Hermione for their appointment and both she and her son looked happy to be serving them. When Ron tuned into the conversation, Hermione and the owner were speaking in English.
"We brought the maid of honor and best man with us today," the Muggleborn revealed, gesturing to Ginny and Ron.
"Bonjour," noted Ginny while Ron held up a hand in greeting.
"Wonderful," the owner remarked with a large smile, "Weasleys, bien sur!"
The siblings appeared surprised before grinning at one another in a diffident manner. Of course- they had fame just as the engaged couple did, something they forgot from time to time. (The recognition also helped the surliness Ron felt over the cake squabble to immediately vanish).
"I am Noelle and this is my son, Eugene," the woman introduced.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Hermione acknowledged.
"Yes, thank you for this tasting. It's our first." Harry relayed, glancing at the pastries behind the glass with interest.
"I will explain, then!," Noelle began in a warm voice, "I will give you a sheet, Monsieur Potter, and you and Mademoiselle Granger will chose flavors of gateau you want to try. We will bring them out, you all will try them, and you will pick your favorite. Then, you will choose different icings, we will pair them individually with the cake you chose, and you will pick your favorite combination. Et voila! The final decision will be made into a beautiful cake for your ceremony."
"And if you tell me a bit about the wedding, I can begin to sketch ideas for how the cake will look, how it will be decorated," Eugene shared, "It would just be an idea, of course. You could add to or change it, if you'd like." Neither he nor his mother had an accent that was overt and his was essentially nonexistent, begging the question of the young man's geographical history.
"That sounds great." Harry said, looking at his fiancee.
"Yes." Hermione agreed with a smile.
"Wonderful!" Noelle repeated as her son grinned at the pair. She moved to get the sheets with the cake options while Eugene went to grab paper and a pencil.
"This will be fun!" Ginny observed.
"Yes, I'm excited to try all this cake." Hermione remarked, doing a quick shimmy in anticipation. Harry grinned in amusement at her jig.
"Me too," said Ron.
"And you'll know just how to decorate our cake too, won't you, Ron?"
He looked confused at her statement and cocked his head but she offered an explanation before he could say anything.
"Why, Saint George's cross, of course!" Hermione declared with a smug smile.
Ginny and Harry promptly laughed at the barb but, before Ron could become offended or upset, the brunette winked at him to convey that there were no longer any hard feelings about where the cake was made.
A/N: If you haven't noticed yet, Harry is an ass man. Or at least he is in my headcanon and, therefore, my stories… and he just loves Hermione's.