July – Harry and Ginny's Wedding

I found the time since I had last seen Charlie went rather quickly this time. As the maid of honor in Harry and Ginny's wedding, all my spare time was sucked up with wedding preparations. It was a nice distraction.

Of course what wasn't a complete distraction was the fact that Ron was the best man. To help avoid making things awkward, they opted to have the groomsmen stand with Harry at the alter and the bridesmaids were to walk the aisle solo. That made me feel better about the situation. I didn't want to marry Ron, but walking down the aisle with my ex in front of my new boyfriend isn't my idea of a good time.

When the day finally arrived, The Burrow was all aflutter. They boys were outside making sure the last of the décor was set up while us girls got ready. Honestly, it was a lot like Bill and Fleur's wedding. Harry and Ginny wanted to keep it low key. There were so many reporters and fans that were scrambling to get in any way they could. We all felt good about the protections in place over The Burrow and that it would be a lovely ceremony exactly the way the bride and groom want it to be.

Ginny has excellent taste in clothes. She's chosen Fleur, myself and Luna as her bridesmaids while Harry has Ron, Neville and Seamus Finnegan who he's reconnected with in the Auror office. The dress she picked out flatters us all and the color goes great on everyone. I looked in the mirror and loved what I saw. The gown had the thinnest of straps with a sweetheart neckline. For the bodice there was a bit of texture that made it look like there were some lines running up and down. The boning helped with our figure and added to the effect. At the waist there was a thin ribbon before the material became lose and flowed to the ground. It was quite hot out so I was thankful that she chose a dress with a slit going up to mid-thigh. The beautiful blue that bordered just barely on teal complimented my complexion and hair quite nicely.

Fleur had done everyone's hair and make-up so we all matched. The make-up was a little over done for what I prefer, but it still looked good. And the low, off centered bun with loose tendrils of curls looked magnificent.

I looked over at the bride. She was absolutely stunning. Her white dress nearly matched ours. The main difference was the bodice was covered in crystals. Aside from that, it was a simple elegance that fit her so well.

This was my first experience as a bridesmaid and I was a bit nervous of tripping. I tried to remind myself that I had been over here every day for the last week helping to prepare and there weren't any obstacles that were going to jump out at me.

Another benefit of being around the house for the wedding prep was being here for Charlie's arrival two days ago. There really wasn't much time for us to sneak off together, but it was nice that we had a little more than just today. Just being around him was a soothing balm for my soul.

I turned my attention away from thoughts of my boyfriend and back to the moment. Grabbing the bride's hands in mine I said, "Ginny, you look absolutely stunning."

She was already fighting back tears. I motioned for the others to leave so we could have a moment.

"Hermione, this is it. I've been dreaming of this moment since I was ten. I saw Harry at King's Cross and I just knew. It's been so hard to get here though. Sometimes I can't believe that it's real."

Tears were pricking my own eyes. I knew exactly what she meant. "Gin, you two were made for each other. I'm so happy for you. It's been a difficult road for you both, but I believe everything fell into place for the two of your just when it was meant to. You're getting your happily ever after."

Her arms came to wrap tightly around me as her shoulders shook. My own dam broke at the action. Thank goodness for magically applied make up that doesn't smudge!

After several minutes we calmed and she pulled back. "I'm really happy for you too, you know." I gave her a quizzical look. "I've seen you and Charlie together. Hermione, I have never seen you so happy. Him either for that fact. Talk about coming into each other's lives at the right moment. I think the two of you were in the right place at the right time for things to happen. I know how hard the distance has been, but Charlie is a determined individual. I wouldn't be surprised if he has been working on a way around that."

"Thanks, Gin. I hope you're right. He keeps telling me to trust him and to give him until the end of the year. That's what I'm doing and then we can figure out where to go from there. In the meantime, I'm going to take every moment with him I can get." She smiled at that. "But enough about me! It's time for you to get married!"

We exited the bedroom we had been using as a dressing room and ran into Arthur in the hallway.

"I was just coming up to get you. My goodness. My baby girl is all grown up and about to get married." He took a deep breath to steady himself but I could see the emotion swimming behind his eyes. "You both look beautiful. Are you ready? Everything is good to go."

Ginny gave me one last thankful smile before grasping her father's arm as he led her towards the back yard.

I lined up with the rest of the bridesmaids. As maid of honor, I'd be the last to go down the aisle and I watched the other two go before me.

Remember how I said there was nothing there that was going to reach out and trip me? I was so wrong. Charlie was seated in the first row in the seat closest to the aisle. Seeing him in his suit was breathtaking and I nearly stumbled before remembering the reason I was here and recovering myself.

Thankfully the bonding ceremony was relatively short. I tried to focus on the sweet moment before me, but I could feel Charlie's gaze on me the entire time and it made it difficult.

Finally the ceremony was over and we were walking back down the aisle. The yard was quickly transformed into the reception area where Harry and Ginny gave a short speech welcoming and thanking everyone.

They had chosen to forgo the traditional head table in favor of a sweetheart table just for the two of them at the head of the room. That meant I got to sit by my assigned date. Actually, all of the Weasley siblings and spouses were seated at our table. Molly and Arthur had opted to put themselves at another table with some of the family they don't get to see often.

As we were seated and waiting for the food to be served Bill caught Charlie's attention. "That was awfully nice of you to pair up with Hermione for the night. It would have been a shame for the two of you to be the only single people at the wedding."

I swear, Charlie shot daggers at Bill. Not everyone was paying attention, but the twins were and they gave us a curious look.

"Something we should know about, dear brother? Are you holding a secret crush on our little Hermione?" Fred said in that joking tone of his that told us he wasn't joking at all but was actually genuinely curious.

Thankfully we were saved by dinner arriving, but the looks we kept getting from the twins told me they might be on to us.

The food was amazing and so was the conversation. I know the Weasley's host plenty of events and dinners, but sitting around with all the siblings, minus Ginny of course, was always a treat. Growing up as an only child, they all had with each other the closeness I imagined should exist between siblings. It always left me feeling warm and fuzzy after being around them.

Don't get me wrong, they annoyed each other sometimes too, but after the war and as everyone grew up a bit there was a lot less of that. Now it was just a wonderful feeling of family that I was happy to be adopted into.

Having Charlie by my side did a lot to lift my spirits too. Everyone knew he was my date so it wasn't awkward when he asked me to dance. Of course we all took turns dancing with each other, but Charlie and I kept ending up together.

"I'm so glad you thought of a way for us to be together tonight." I said was we swayed to a slow song.

"Blimey, me too! You look absolutely gorgeous. I haven't been able to take my eyes off you. If I had had to spend the entire evening without being able to touch you, I think we would have found out if humans can actually combust from need."

I giggled, but knew exactly what he meant. Charlie had gone for a well-tailored muggle suit. While I loved him in anything, especially his jeans and tight-fitting t-shirts, he looked amazing in the suit.

"Well, we wouldn't want that, would we? Thankfully I have a brilliant boyfriend who knows how to prevent that from happening."

He grinned widely at me then took a second to look around. "Where were you planning on staying tonight?"

"I hadn't decided. Your mum said I'm welcome to stay here in Ginny's room. She and Harry are going back to Grimmauld Place tonight before they leave for their honeymoon tomorrow. I offered to help take things down after everyone leaves so I might take her up on it."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

I raised an eyebrow in question.

"Mum and dad are already well on their way to being sloshed. Only some of my brothers are staying the night and everyone is likely to sleep in late. I vote you share my room instead and we just set an alarm to sneak you back into Ginny's before everyone is awake."

"Were you this sneaky as a kid?"

He laughed at that. "I never snuck girls into my room if that's what you're asking, but I did get into my fair share of trouble."

"Of course you did. You're a Weasley after all." He let out a deep, throaty laugh. "You must be corrupting me because that sounds like an excellent plan."

"Says the girl that broke into Gringott's and rode out on a bloody dragon! Maybe it's me that has to worry about corruption."

I hit his arm playfully as the song came to a close. I saw Harry approaching for the next dance, but Charlie whispered into my ear before he arrived.

"Let's hope for both our sakes that everyone leaves very, very early."

The suggestive tone had me breathing heavier as Harry finally held out his hand for a dance. "Everything all right?"

"What?" I realized I must be flushed too. "Yes! Everything's fine. Just a bit warm from dancing is all."

Harry laughed loudly. He was happier than I had ever seen him and he wore it proudly this evening. "Keep telling yourself that. You know, it's a wonder no one else has caught on. He's been practically devouring you all night."

I groaned and buried my head in my best friend's shoulder. "Ugh, the struggle is real Harry." I felt his shoulders shake with laughter as we continued to spin around and around.

Finally, just after midnight, the crowd began to clear. Charlie offered to help me with the take down, as did the twins. Arthur had taken Molly to bed a half hour ago when she began having issues keeping upright. Bill and Fleur had left to relieve their baby sitter not long after dinner and the other brothers had also gone home hoping to avoid the labor.

Honestly, with our wands it didn't take too long even with just the four of us. Charlie was taking every opportunity to stand close or brush against me and I couldn't help but flush and I noticed the twins were watching us carefully.

Charlie looked at them innocently. "Looks like we're all done here. Don't you have wives waiting upstairs? What are you doing loitering out here staring at us for?"

The twins shared a look, but for once decided not to comment further. Instead, they turned and left us with the little bit of work that was left.

"I thought they'd never leave." Charlie said as he came up behind me, his hands running down my sides.

"You know, for someone who agreed to keep this a secret, you're not doing a very good job of hiding things." I gave him my best scolding look, but he only laughed.

"First off, I'm your date. Generally dates are allowed to touch one another. Second, I can't help it that I love you. Now, can we finish up here so I can take you back to my bed?"

Really, how could I argue with that? A few waves of my wand and the remaining decorations packed themselves up and neatly flew to their spot in the shed.

Charlie grabbed my hand and led me to his room. There was no sneaking around since everyone else was already in their respective rooms for the night. We did, however, remember to use a very strong silencing spell.

We laid in bed for hours just holding each other close and talking to each other. This weekend had been amazing. Aside from a few cross looks from Ron at the wedding, none of the family members seemed to have an issue with the two of us going as dates. I know Charlie had implied it was just as friends, but I knew the way he looked at me. It was anything but friendly. There was so much love in his gaze that I'm surprised more people hadn't commented on it already.

Truthfully, I was finding myself thankful that things were playing out as they are. Charlie was right. His mum would have interfered like crazy and it would have put even more stress on our relationship. Being long distance was hard enough, but adding in a meddling mother and I shudder to think if we would have survived this long.

I don't know what time we finally fell asleep, but it seemed like we had only been asleep minutes before there was a knock at the door. Charlie's reactions were lightning fast as he pulled the covers up over our naked bodies just a half second before the door opened.

My heart stopped until I registered that it was just George. He took in the two of us cuddled in the small bed and our clothes strewn about the floor.

"I knew it! Good thing mom is oblivious though. She was about to come up to wake you both but I stepped in." He puffed out his chest proudly. "Breakfast is ready and she's wondering what's kept you two in bed so late. Shall I just go and tell her you've been bumping your naughty bits?"

His eyebrows waggled comically and Charlie threw a pillow at him. George dodged it expertly. "I'd appreciate if you helped keep our little secret brother dear."

He gave a salute. "I believe they call it a "bro code" in the states. You've got my word. I mean, I'm totally telling Fred and we can't keep anything from our lovely wives, but other than that, your secret's safe with me. I'll go tell mum you guys are coming." He had barely held back his snicker at the innuendo. "Hermione, I suggest something more suitable before you make your way to the table. If you arrive in your dress, I suspect mum might just be on to you."

"Ugh, would you go already?" I groaned. The bastard laughed, but did as I asked. "I can't believe we slept through your wand alarm."

"I can." Charlie said as he stretched. The sight had me wishing we had just a few more minutes alone. "I think it was half four when we finally fell asleep."

No wonder I had slept so late. Grabbing my dress, I slipped it back on before looking around the room. "Have you seen my knickers?"

I looked over to see him twirling them casually on his finger. When I went to reach for them, he held them out of reach, but pulled me in for a quick kiss.

"Think I'll be keeping this pair in honor of our first date."

Knowing I didn't have time to argue and that a fresh pair were just down the hall, I rolled my eyes and peeked out the door to make sure the coast was clear. I could hear voices downstairs, but it was otherwise a clear path to my destination. I hurried to Ginny's old room and quickly got myself changed and presentable.

The meal was uneventful, if a little awkward from the looks we got from the twins, but we made it through. There was no one to run interference so unfortunately the kiss before I got dressed was all I had for a proper goodbye.

As soon as I entered my home, I missed Charlie fiercely. It was always most difficult right after leaving him. To help ease my aching heart, I headed to my office and began writing him a letter.