AN: So, turns out I can't resist a surprise epilogue. So surprise! I hope you enjoy this, extra bonus. I've also put together a Spotify playlist, which is mostly the No Strings Attached official soundtrack, but with the extra tracks they use in the film but don't include on the soundtrack. Some are missing though as they're not on Spotify :( They're in the order I've used them on the show, though. Don't forget to remove the gaps so the URL works: : / / open .spotify playlist / 3oygCffsdDU49srR5O4eUQ ? si = 3b9007c1f46743b1

All my love goes to my amazing betas: Adenei9, be11atrixthestrange, cheesyficwriter and sj_ml for being the best cheer readers and pals ever. And for everyone who has left me a review on this story. I've really enjoyed writing it. xxx

Fifteen months later - the day of Harry & Ginny's wedding comes around, and Ron and Hermione have a surprise of their own.

It was you all along and I never really saw
What was right there in front of my face
You're the one I miss
That I wanna be with whenever you're away.

It was you
It was you
'Cause you're my one true love
It was you
It was you
It was you all along

It Was You All Along, Robbie Nevil (2011)

Hermione

The frantic beat of the Weird Sisters' Do The Hippogriff thrummed out over the packed dancefloor, the lights flashing in time to the music.

Oh! Can you dance like a hippogriff? Na na na ma ma ny na na ny na.

Charlie grabbed hold of my hands and spun me around and around, forcing the room to merge into a blur of people and noise.

I was having the best time ever.

Ginny and Harry's wedding could not have been more perfect. The sun was shining, and the flowers at the Burrow were in full bloom, filling the marquee with their gorgeous scents. The ceremony had been short—neither of them wanted that much fuss, especially as a big do would have attracted far more press than anybody wanted. The focus of most of the organising had been on the wedding party.

And what a party it was.

Charlie spun me one more time, then let go in a fit of laughter. A wave of nausea rose in my belly, and I gripped hold of the second-eldest Weasley brother to right myself, swallowing down the feeling that I might puke. I didn't want to be that Maid of Honour who vomited all over the sparkling dance floor.

"Are you okay?" He chuckled, placing his hand on my hip to help keep me steady.

"Ugh, we spun too fast, Charlie. I'm going to go and sit down."

Charlie smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"S'okay."

I gave my boyfriend's brother a massive hug before making my way back to the dining area, weaving through the crowds of wedding guests. Every so often, I was grabbed by another Weasley and pulled into a huge embrace. That family was ginormous, but they'd accepted me as one of their own almost instantly, and I was forever grateful for it.

My goal remained to get to the redheaded man sitting at the top table. His eyes were burning into me, and I didn't need to read his mind to know he was preparing to get up and help me. I focused on keeping my feet on a straight path. The last thing I wanted was for him to fuss over me.

The room stopped spinning around me, and I finally focused my blurry eyes on him, my heart fluttering its now familiar pattern in my chest. He'd unbuttoned the top buttons on his dress robes, accentuating how sexy he was in the deep midnight blue material. Finally reaching my destination, I flopped down in the chair next to him, my hand sliding to its usual spot on his thigh.

Since our shared breakfast fifteen months ago, our relationship seemed to get better and stronger every day. Slowly but surely, Ron persuaded me to open up about my dad leaving when I was only eight. The redhead was patient and kind, rewarding me for every nugget of information I gave him, usually with mind-blowing sex, but sometimes with more love and a deeper understanding.

Despite my protests that Ron didn't have to, he apologised for trying it on with Lavender. He wasn't mine then, but it was important for him to clear the air between us so that we could start afresh. And I graciously accepted his apology. But I kept seeing them heading into the house together to myself; I didn't think it was worth venturing down that path.

"Hey, beautiful." Ron pressed a kiss against my temple, sending a thrill right down to my centre. Each kiss and touch always felt like the first with him, and I didn't think I'd get tired of any of them. "Are you tired of dancing?"

"For now." I yawned. "Charlie spun me a little too fast."

Chuckling, he moved his lips to mine, leaving a hard kiss against them. "I did see. You almost fell flat on your backside."

"I would never." I gasped. "I'm steady on my feet. I was more worried about puking."

"Well, it would be your fault if you did. Are you having a good time?"

"The best. It's been such a fun night."

"I can't believe it's almost over as well." Ron let out a happy sigh. "Everyone is getting on so well."

"It might be us next?" I teased. Every time someone has mentioned the wedding in front of Ron over the past year, I've taken the opportunity to wind him up that he has yet to pop the question. Of course, we've agreed that it'll happen at some point, but he's a traditionalist and wants to ask me the right way.

"Still not gonna work, 'Mione." He chuckled. "Nice try, though."

My head dropped onto his shoulder as I peered out over the marquee. Our lives were already well intertwined before we started seeing each other, but the tangles of friendship had only grown since. We merged our friendship groups with ease, throwing out some brilliant surprises as they did.

On the closest table to our left sat Padma and Seamus. Between them, Dean had his arms flung over the back of both of their chairs. The handsome healer caught my eye and winked before pressing a kiss against Seamus' lips. Not to be outdone, my other flatmate grabbed Dean by the tie and pulled him into a heated snog whilst Seamus looked on, an excited smile on his face. I'd never put him down as a man willing to share his lover, but the evidence was right there in front of me that he could. When they first announced that the three of them were together, I'd experienced an inexplicable urge to ask how the mechanics of their relationship worked but then decided I never wanted to know the gory details. It worked well, and that's all that mattered.

Sharing their table was Lavender and her new date. Blaise. Although she took pleasure in giving me the cold shoulder for a while, the blonde eventually came around to the idea of Ron and me as a couple. Through our regular Friday nights out at The Greenhouse, we'd even grown to be quite good friends. Our blossoming bond was helped when Pansy introduced Lavender to the magical aristocrat, who was sitting at the table next to Pansy and her date, Daphne. The pair somehow joined our circle, but they complemented our misfit group pretty well.

Harry and Ginny crossed my vision; their hands tangled together as they made their way to the bar. Ginny looked stunning in a white fishtail dress, decorated with magical jewels that shifted and sparkled, even without light. The beautiful couple made it to Harry's Dads, who were chatting animatedly with Molly and Arthur. Sirius had slicked back his shoulder-length brown waves, and his handsome, wild face complemented his partner Remus' more serious, quieter look. Both of them were wearing robes that looked to be the height of fashion and very expensive. The men seemed more than happy to interrupt their conversation to embrace their son and his new wife. The Weasley family had accepted Harry and his dads into their brood, further widening their family ties. They were like the mafia. A couple more people and they may even be able to take over the world.

Maybe I could help them with that?

Ron pressed another kiss against the top of my head, bringing me out of my stupor and my attention back to him. His hand slid across my tummy, and I rolled my eyes with a tut.

"Will you stop it?" I lifted my head to give him a warning look. "I told you that I don't want anyone knowing yet. Not until twelve weeks have passed, and especially not today. There's no way we're stealing Harry and Ginny's glory. That would be highly unfair."

Ron and I bought our own house once Harry and Ginny announced they were moving in together. We'd only finished renovating it last month, so it had been a massive surprise when I discovered only five days ago that I was pregnant. A happy surprise, though. I don't think either of us stopped crying that day, and we'd had to fight off many questions about our strange behaviour as we helped the couple-to-be set up yesterday. Of course, we'd discussed having children, but our plans were supposed to happen well into the future.

Ron had been bounding around the place ever since the discovery. He was an excitable, overgrown puppy. I had to stop him from rushing out and buying all the baby supplies he could get his hands on. I wasn't suspicious, but there was no way he was allowed to start purchasing stuff until after the first scan and when we knew the baby was okay.

Not that I didn't already have a plan and a very long list of things we needed.

"I know, I'm sorry." His face told me he was not as his thumb rubbed circles against my flat belly over my dress. "How are you feeling, anyway?"

"You know, I'm still a bit queasy. Maybe the morning sickness is making a comeback."

For the first couple of days, I'd escaped any sort of symptom that I was expecting, right up until last night. Just as we were getting ready to go to sleep in Ron's childhood bedroom right at the top of the Burrow, a wave of nausea struck me, and I threw up in his old wicker basket. Luckily, being magical, we could eliminate any incriminating evidence without raising suspicion, but it wasn't an ideal situation. His mother was very nosy, and I'd been paranoid all day that she had me figured out.

"Alright. I think everything is winding down now anyway." He nodded across the dance floor, where the Weird Sisters were finally playing Don't Let The Magic End. Pushing himself out of his chair, Ron extended a hand to me. "Why don't we go and say our goodbyes. Then, I will get you home and snuggle you so hard."

I can't believe that there used to be a time where I refused to cuddle this man. As Ron led me away from the head table and towards his family, a happy sigh escaped my lips. Snuggling him was now one of the best parts of our relationship, only recently superseded by the growing life inside me.

"Mmm, I can't wait."

And truthfully, I couldn't.