The Wedding

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Ron Weasley was nervous. More nervous than he'd probably ever been in his life. More nervous than in all the adventures he had had over the years with Harry. At least then he knew what to expect. But this, this was way over Ron's head.

He was marrying Pansy Parkinson: today.

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If no one were around Pansy would probably be bawling her eyes out by now. But as it was, there was no way she'd give any of these people the pleasure of seeing her cry. She could just imagine the satisfied smirk that Ron's sister would send her way. And as for her cousins, well, they were more heartless than Pansy could ever be. Family ties would mean nothing to them; they would have no qualms about sending a few well worded taunts her way.

Oh, wait. They'd been doing that all day.

For not the first time that day Pansy mentally kicked herself for allowing Maude and Gretchen to be bridesmaids. Of course, there hadn't been anyone else since none of her so-called friends would even come to the wedding, much less lower themselves to the point of participating. But still, even Weasley had been a kinder bridesmaid than they had. Which was not to say that she had been very kind. Of course, she hadn't been very mean either. In fact, Ginny's indifference was starting to rub her the wrong way. At least if she would treat her like the enemy she had always been she'd know how to behave around the youngest Weasley. Pansy's instincts were screaming at her to send a few snide remarks Ginny's way but Pansy knew that that would be a bad idea.

As her mother had pointed out to her numerous times over the past few weeks she was going to be living with these people. It wouldn't be a good idea to just start making herself enemies in the family. But still, if Ginny started anything, well, that wouldn't be her fault, would it?

Too bad Ginny didn't look like she'd be starting anything any time soon.

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"Ron!"

Ron turned to find his best mate flanked by Charlie and Bill running down the hall towards where Ron had been pacing outside his dressing room.

"Harry, it's about bloody time. The wedding's in less than an hour. I didn't think you were going to make it."

"You can thank my guard here for that." Harry inclined his head towards the two Weasleys behind him as they reached Ron, "They were two hours late picking me up."

"It's not our fault," Charlie exclaimed indignantly, "Dumbledore gave strict instructions that you were not to leave your aunt's house unless we had five guards. You'll have to talk to Fred and George about why they never showed up at the rendezvous point to help pick you up."

"Really," Bill chimed in, "You should be thanking us. WE were the ones who found two other people to come with us while Moody was ready to call the whole thing off."

"Yeah," Harry exclaimed wickedly as they all entered the room, "Your girlfriends."

Ron's eyebrows shot up. "Girlfriends?"

"Yes, and you know who they are?"

"Who?" Ron could barely hold the same glee from his voice that he could hear in Harry's.

"Fleur Delacour and Tonks!"

"No way! What could Fleur possibly see in Bill? And Tonks is way too cool for Charlie."

"Actually," Bill said as redness began to creep up his neck, "It's the other way around."

Even weirder, Ron thought.

"They're actually just our dates." Charlie practically mumbled at his feet.

Ron didn't know why Charlie had any reason to be embarrassed about a date with the part veela. She was probably the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. Really, Bill had no reason to be embarrassed either. Tonks was pretty brilliant in her own right. She always had lots of crazy stories to tell and she could transform into anyone. They were actually pretty damn lucky, much more so than himself as Charlie accidentally reminded him.

"Like you've any room to make fun of us. Aren't you the one getting marriedtoday?"

Sadly, Ron really didn't have any time to feel sorry for himself. Apparently, whether this was a forced marriage or not, everyone was under the impression that it was still going to be the best day of his life. And so Ron had a part to play. And if he was going to play it, he was damn well going to own it.

"Ah, yes, marriage. A foreign concept to both of you I'm sure. I'm surprised that it's even in your vocabulary. But, yes, I am getting married today. To the most beautiful…"

"Ron, seriously, you don't have to act all happy about it in front of us." Harry butted in.

Apparently he didn't own the part.

"But Harry, I've been practicing that speech for days. I hadn't even gotten to the part about how much I adored her cunning, slytherin ways."

"Ron, nobodies going to believe that coming from you. You couldn't even call her beautiful without grimacing."

Was he really that bad? Maybe he wouldn't give that speech at the reception after all.

"I don't know why baby brother. We got a good look at the bird earlier and to be truthful she could probably do better than you."

Great. Gred and Forge. Just what he needed.

"Too true, Fred." George said as he sat a big box down on the table in the center of the room, "Really, this contract is turning out to be a good thing for you."

"And how's that?" He asked warily.

"Why," the twins glanced at each other as they replied, "You couldn't get a girl any other way."

It was too bad that Charlie and Harry had been standing so close to him. Beating the pulp out of one of the twins would have calmed his nerves considerably.

"You know you two really should be keeping a low profile right now. Both Moody and Mum are just aching to find you after you didn't show up this morning." Even the twins couldn't help but look a little intimidated as Bill stepped closer to them, "Now that I think about, a few people in this room may be a little upset with you too."

Ron was satisfied to see the twins lose a little of their swagger under the force of the room's other four occupant's glares. Sadly, it didn't last long.

"About that," George began.

"We really are sorry," Fred tried to look mollified, but failed.

"But," George continued, "We have a very good reason for our absence earlier."

"Ron's wedding present!" Fred yelled as he threw the box that George had deposited on the table earlier at him.

Ron didn't think he wanted to open it.

"I don't think I want to open this."

"Oh, come on Ron, we promise there's no spiders in there."

"In fact, you'll probably be thanking us for it later tonight, if you know what I mean."

"I don't think I want you to open it either, Ron." Harry croaked out.

"Now this I definitely want to see."

Apparently Bill was no longer mad at the twins.

"I can't believe we didn't think to do this!" Charlie yelled at Bill as all of his brothers crowded around Ron.

"Our Ickle Ronnikins is almost a man!"

"Uh, I think I'll go check on, um, on the altar! Yeah, got to make sure it's sturdy and all. Wouldn't want it to collapse or anything horrible like that!"

And Harry was gone.

"Oh come on Ronnikins, there's no reason to be embarrassed in front of us, we're your big brothers!"

"Yeah, we're here to help."

"And he'll probably need a lot of help figuring this one out."

And suddenly he couldn't wait for the ceremony. Anything to get away from his brothers and this moment.

"What are you boys doing?"

Saved. Boy did he love his dad.

"Well, Dad, Fred and George here were just giving Ron a little wedding present."

Ron didn't know how Charlie's face could contain a grin that big. Did none of his brothers have any shame?

"Well you know you should have waited until the reception…"

"No, Dad, this isn't the kind of gift you would open at a reception." Bill gladly explained to his father.

Thank Merlin. He would be spared. Anytime now…

"Ohhh," Arthur exclaimed, "Well in that case maybe you should open it now."

"Just remember boys, your mother hears nothing about this."

Everyone but Ron nodded in agreement and the next thing he knew his father had joined the group huddled around him waiting to see him open the 'present'.

It wasn't right. It just wasn't right.

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Pansy didn't know who she wanted to strangle more. Her mother or Ron's. Ron's, she decided, the woman did give birth to him after all.

"Oh Pansy, do sit still. You know the make up utensils won't be able to work if you keep bobbing your head around."

"I'm just so glad that Dumbledore let us have the wedding here at Hogwarts…"

"Oh, I know, the great hall is absolutely beautiful."

"Do you think this hairdo will work?"

"Oh, no, it makes her look sixteen."

"Mum, I'm fifteen."

"And getting married."

"Your right. Maybe a French twist with…"

And Pansy went back to ignoring them. After all, they had no interest in listening to her ideas, so why should she listen to theirs? For two women who were supposed to hate each other so much they were sure acting pretty chummy. Blabbering on and on about their weddings and other boring stuff like that. Pansy couldn't decide if her Mum actually liked the other woman or if she was just a really good actress. Mrs. Weasley was a poor muggle lover after all. She couldn't see her Mother actually liking someone like that. Then again, she couldn't see her mother as a very good actress either. One thing that she had always liked about her mother was that unlike her father or Pansy herself her mother wasn't very good at lying and even seemed to have a dislike of it, odd as that was for a slytherin.

"Mum, I think there's a crease in Pansy's robes."

"Oh, no!" Both women exclaimed and in a second they were across the room and inspecting every inch of Pansy's robes.

And then Ginny was standing in front of her inspecting all of the beauty aids surrounding Pansy.

"These, I think, are rather useless."

And Pansy's mother's very expensive set of enchanted makeup equipment found its way to the trash can.

"How to get Fabulous Hairdos with Three Easy Spells? Trash."

And the hated book joined the makeup.

"Really, all of this, trash."

And now the table was clear.

"So, what do you think we should do for your hair and makeup?"

To answer politely or to sneer, that was the question. The answer? Pansy couldn't take anymore of the two older women.

"Minimal makeup with emphasis on the eyes. Hair: half up half down."

"Exactly what I was thinking on the makeup. But for the hair I know a spell for an up do that would look absolutely amazing on you."

Was this a trick? If she let Weasley near her hair with a wand she might not have any left afterwards. Then again, it wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone anymore.

"Okay."

Two minutes and several spells later she had to admit that she looked perfect. Just what she needed: to be in debt to one of the Weasleys.

"We couldn't find any creases, Ginny, are you sure you saw one?"

"Oh, I must have got our robes confused," Ginny looked properly mortified, "It was my robes with the crease!"

"But your robes are an entirely different color. How could you get them confused?"

Ginny just shrugged at Mrs. Parkinson's question.

"Never mind, now what were we going to do with her hair?"

"Oh, don't worry Mum. Me and Pansy finished everything while you two were looking at her robes."

Pansy had to admire Ginny's ability to maintain her innocent look under the suspicious glare of both of their mothers.

She still didn't like her of course. Pansy Parkinson like a gryffindor? Yeah, right.

"Plus, the wedding's scheduled to start in twenty minutes. Now we'll have time to get dressed! You know you'll probably have to fix Pansy's robes a hundred times anyway. "

Ginny exclaimed a little too vibrantly, almost mockingly.

Like? Never. But she gave respect where respect was due, and the youngest Weasley had just earned her respect.

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"Come on Ron, its time to go stand at the altar."

"Well, I'd rather not." Ron responded trying not to sound too frantic.

"That's okay, Ronnikins. We could always show Harry that gift we got you."

"Altar. Right. That's to the left, right? You know what, don't worry, I'll find it on my own."

"Oh no you don't. You're coming with us."

Ron thought he might puke as Bill and Charlie practically dragged him down the hall.

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Pansy thought she might puke as she stood outside of the doors of the Great Hall.

She couldn't tell if the hand Ginny had placed on her arm was comforting or only causing the sick feeling to increase.

"Look, I know that this is hard for you," Ginny quickly whispered to her, "and I've given this a lot of thought. For all our differences we're still about to become sisters and I promise that I will treat you as if it were by blood. If you have any problems you can always come to me. And Ron really is a great big git, but he's a lovable one and if you just give him a chance you might find that out for yourself."

And then Ginny was walking through the doors. The last person before her father would be walking her through those very same doors.

Ginny Weasley, who was not only her maid of honor but now promising to treat her like a sister? She could believe the marriage contract, the fact that she was fifteen, even the fact that she was marrying Ron Weasley. But that? This whole situation was becoming altogether too fantastic for her to believe.

"Well, Pansy, looks like it's time to sacrifice any dignity this family may have had to the weasels. Just don't bring any of them along when you come to visit, all right?"

Pansy sure was glad she had her father there to offer such comforting words as they walked through the doors of the Great Hall.