The Cost of Friendship
Chapter Five
Well Suited
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"Well dear, what do you think?" Mrs. Granger asked Hermione.
Hermione stood with her eyes bulging staring agape at her surroundings. True she had been here before but that was well over ten years ago and she was sure it didn't look this then. She could currently be found standing with her mother and father in the most over the top church she had ever seen. Large angelic statues lined all four walls, blood red curtains covered what little light was shining through six large stain glass windows. The church it's self was large but you couldn't tell it by the low ceilings and over sized pews. Large golden crosses had been painted along each pew and the red carpet that ran up between them. The whole room glistened with fake gold trim that was pealing and flaking leaving glitter like specs on the ground.
"This…this is where I'm getting married?" Hermione asked with disbelief, this was the exact opposite of everything she wanted.
Mr. Granger seemed to be beaming with pride as he wrapped his arms around her, "Yes, isn't the most beautiful thing you have ever seen." He clearly was misreading Hermione's shocked expression.
"Um…yeah its nice dad." Hermione replied. "Are you sure that everyone will fit in here?"
"Oh yes dear, remember Betsy Jerkins? She had a party of over two hundred and they all fit quite nicely." Mrs. Granger said.
"Oh, well it's an awfully long drive from the Burrow for the non-magic guests; shouldn't we have it closer to where we are having the reception?" Hermione asked, looking for a way to back out of this church.
"It's not that far dear and the family said they didn't mind driving." Mrs. Granger beamed.
Hermione was stuck, she couldn't see any way around this without hurting her parents. Even though this was their church she didn't feel like she belonged anymore, like this place was part of another life time. "Well, I guess it's all settled then." Hermione said defeated.
"I have got to go Mum, I told Ginny I would help her with the new office. And I can't apparate here I need to walk back to the house." Moments later the Grangers were heading back home.
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"No Harry, I said crimson. That's brown, we don't want brown walls." Ginny said as she took a bucket of paint out of Harry's hand and placed it onto a desk. She pulled her wand from her pocket, waved it over the brown paint and it instantly became a dark glittering red.
"Oh, that's crimson, why didn't you just say make me some red paint?" Harry asked as he rolled up his sleeves and pulled his wand from his back pocket.
"Because there is a big difference from red and crimson!" Ginny said stunned. "If we painted the walls red it would look like it was bleeding in here."
"Oh well, you will have to teach me in the ways of color names then." Harry smiled and grinned. He then placed the tip of his wand down into the paint and like a straw sucked up a large amount of paint into his wand. Then walked over to a far wall inside the new S.P.E.W. office, pointed his wand at a large bare section then waved his wand so that paint evenly lined the wall, creating a large area of wet crimson paint.
Ginny watched him for a moment and then copied his actions with her wand. The two of then continued to siphon up paint and gingerly place it onto the walls until each wall of the office was covered, hiding the ugly paint that once lined the walls. Once done they found themselves a seat on top of a cloth covered desk and admired their work. As they looked around the room Ginny would raise her wand and fix a patch of paint here and there and then return to the desk. At last they were satisfied with their handy work.
"Looks nice doesn't it?" Ginny asked.
"Looks perfect!" Harry said then looked down at his wand only to realize he was dripping paint, he quickly tried to clean it up so Ginny wouldn't see it.
"Now we just need to fix up this floor and bring in the rest of the desks and we will be ready to roll!" Ginny said happily. "I wonder how Hermione is doing with her parents." Ginny said absently as she continued to look for spots on the walls.
At the mention of Hermione Harry suddenly realized that he had something to ask Ginny. "Hey Ginny what are you going to do after Ron and Hermione get married?"
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.
"Well I was thinking that I'm sure Ron is going to move in with Hermione soon and I'll have an empty room. What would you think about maybe…"Harry's said, trailing off.
"Maybe what?" Ginny said with a smile.
"Ginny will you move in with me?" Harry asked bravely.
A large smile spread across Ginny's face as she looked Harry in the eyes. "Harry, I would love too!" She said brightly then wrapped her arms around him, kissing him tightly.
Harry jumped as he felt something slimy run down his back only to realize that Ginny's wand was leaking and she had it in her hand as she hugged him. Ginny realized it too and started to laugh. "Oh Harry I'm sorry I got paint all over you."
"That's okay; I already have some on my trainers from my own wand." Harry said pointing down to his shoes.
"Well then we will just have to get you out of those messy clothes then." Ginny said with a mischievous grin.
Before Harry knew what was happening Ginny was undoing his shirt then shoes and then she quickly pushed him down onto the desk and settled herself on top of him. Both of the dripping wands had been flung onto the floor leaving a large mess on the floor but neither of them seemed to care much at the moment.
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"Ow, careful mum!" Ron said as he stood in the living room of the Burrow.
"If you weren't so skinny dear I wouldn't have to alter this so much." Mrs. Weasley said.
Mr. Weasley was sitting on a chair reading a paper as Ron was being pinned into an old set of dress robes that once belonged to Mr. Weasley. The dress robes were quite dashing, black with a maroon trim and gold buttons. However the bright orange Cannon's t-shirt that Ron had underneath the outer robe clashed horribly as did his jeans and trainers.
"I still don't understand why I can't buy new dress robes for my wedding." Ron said huffily.
"Because it's tradition dear, I hope that all of you boys go down the isle in these." Mrs. Weasley said she continued to stick pins around Ron. "I only wish the slacks and dress shirt would fit you but I'm afraid you're just too tall. You will still have to go and purchase those."
"Well, at least something on me will be new." Ron grumbled.
"Now don't be like that Ron, you look very handsome." Mr. Weasley said still buried behind the paper.
"So what are you doing for the reception Mum, Hermione wants to know." Ron asked.
"Hermione and I chatted about it yesterday; it's going to be quite simple. We are setting a tent up outside where we will dine and then the table will be removed for the dance floor later on. Don't you worry about it my dear; Ginny and I are going to take care of it." Mrs. Weasley said as she measured Ron's left arm.
Ron said in a low voice, "Oh why should anything I have say matter anyways. Go on let the maid of honor do it all."
"Now Ronald what is wrong with you, you seem so frustrated and angry." Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Yeah, Ronnykins, what's eating you?" Came a rather happy sounding voice from the kitchen.
Ron turned to see Fred and George walking in closely followed by Neville. It was apparent that they had just come from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes as they smelled of dung bombs and candy. Ron scowled at them for no real reason then turned his attention back to the pinning.
"Oh, don't you just look dashing!" Fred said as he made a sweeping move through the living room as if dancing.
"Shut it." Ron replied.
"Oh, why Ron what's gotten into you? Or should I ask, what haven't you gotten into?" Gorge asked then turned to Fred and Neville and the three of them busted up laughing.
Ron looked stunned; did they know what Hermione was making him do? "What do you guys want anyway?" Ron asked.
"Nothing little bro, just wanted to wish you good luck waiting." Fred said snidely.
"Waiting for what?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "What are you waiting for my dear?"
Ron blushed, "Nothing Mum…just…I'm just waiting for the wedding."
"Oh, right." Mrs. Weasley said and bent down and pinned the bottom of the robes.
Ron turned and flipped Fred, George and Neville off while his mother wasn't looking; they each returned the gesture and walked back into the kitchen, laughing hysterically. Ron waited for his mother to finish pinning before he dashed off into the kitchen to find the three of them still sitting, eating a biscuit.
"Ok, who told you?" Ron asked angrily.
"Who told us what little bro?" Fred asked.
"About me and Hermione, who told you we were waiting?" Ron asked again.
"Oh that…well I suggest you have a talk with your little sister because she found it all highly amusing."
"Do you know where she is?" Ron asked as calm as he could.
"Yeah I think she is painting the new office." George replied.
Ron vanished with a loud crack.