a/n: Thanks to Accio_broom and Be11atrixthestrange for their beta work! I'm soooo excited for this chapter and I hope you are too! Things are going to start to stray a teensy bit from the movie from this part out. Thanks for reading :) Reviews are fab.
Ron
"So...what made you so desperate to call me?" I asked as the bartender handed us our drinks. Hermione knocked back her gin and tonic so hard that I wondered if I should be concerned.
"I don't want to talk about it. That's why I called you," she responded as she glared at me out of the corner of her eye.
"Ah, so wedding related. Another wedding to plan for? I thought you liked them," I teased.
"And I thought you'd make good on your promise not to talk about them, but clearly not. Maybe I should get going—"
"No! I'm sorry. I was only kidding. I'll stop," I said quickly as she pretended to get up. At least I hoped she was pretending.
"Alright, but you've already had two strikes. One more and I'm gone," she warned.
There was something about her. I don't know if it was her feisty personality, or the sole fact that she wanted nothing to do with me, but it was driving me she called, I was already starting to think about what 'plan B to get Hermione to talk to me' might entail. I was already a week in and no closer on the story I'd promised. Luckily, it didn't come to that, and I had to thank whoever it was that rubbed her the wrong way on this fine evening.
I watched as she slammed another drink. "Maybe you should slow down a bit," I suggested as she signaled for another.
"I'll pay for it if you don't want to. You did say 'a drink,' after all," she retorted.
My ears grew hot when she brought up money. "It's not that. I just don't think you should be drinking away your feelings."
"Oh? And what do you reckon I should do instead?" she scoffed.
"Well, talking about the issue is out so, I don't know. Tell me about yourself instead? Isn't that what people do on dates?"
I knew that got her attention as she turned to look at me. "Do you not date often?" she asked suspiciously.
"The field I'm in isn't exactly one that gives me time to date."
"But you said you're a writer. Doesn't your type just write when the inspiration hits?" she questioned.
I snorted at her words. "I'm not a freelance writer. I do have a job with normal working hours, and those hours tend to keep me wrapped up on weekends."
"Well, forgive me. In my defense, you do give off the freelance vibe," she said haughtily.
"Okay seriously, what's got your knickers in a twist? You're even worse than you were when I helped you get home after that wedding,"
Something was bothering her, and I wanted to know what it was. She couldn't be this condescending all the time. I knew she didn't want to talk about weddings, but there was no way around it if this evening was going to be enjoyable at all.
She sighed as she stirred the ice in her glass with the straw. "My boss just got engaged to one of my good friends."
I eyed her suspiciously. Something didn't add up. "Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?"
"Y-yes, it is! Of course it is! I just have this feeling she's going to ask me to be the maid of honor, and I'm not sure I have it in me to take on that role."
I was watching her carefully. There was a sadness underneath the layer of indifference she was trying to give off. I probably should be more sympathetic toward her feelings, but I couldn't resist what came out of my mouth next.
"Says the woman who was just in two weddings the other weekend. What makes this one different?"
"The pressure that I'll have to make it perfect. My boss already depends on me for everything at work. Which I don't mind at all! I love my job! I'll probably have to end up planning every detail. His fiancée isn't exactly the type who's planned out anything for her own wedding."
"You could always say no…" I reminded her. She looked up and stared blankly at me. "You do know how to say 'no,' right?"
I meant it as a joke, but the split second of anguish on her face said it all. "Of course I know how to say no!" she said defensively, but it lacked conviction.
"Nice try, but something tells me that's not true," I prodded.
"Well, that's your opinion. There's nothing wrong with wanting to help people in need." She was sounding less and less convincing as our conversation went on.
"Do you want to help them?" I asked.
"Yes, of course! I mean, maybe—" Hermione bit her bottom lip, not wanting to admit that maybe she didn't want to help them after all.
"Alright, why don't we play a little game. I'll help you practice saying no," I suggested as I flashed a smirk her way.
She laughed. "Like I'll have any problems saying no to you."
"Game on, then. Would you like to go out again sometime?" I asked casually.
She snorted. "No! This is bad enough as it is."
"Come on, you can't honestly tell me you're having a horrible time. I'm not that bad, am I?" I pressed. I wasn't going to give up that easily.
"Well no, but you're still not my type," she said.
"So, you're having a good time then," I countered.
"You're a good distraction to my current situation and that's all," Hermione said with a smile grazing her lips. She clearly thought she'd won, but I wasn't done.
I lowered my voice and gave her my best sincere, yet pleading look. "Give me a chance, Hermione. Just one more date. We'll enjoy a walk in Regent's Park and then I'll take you to dinner. When I take you home, I'll be the perfect gentleman, only giving you a kiss goodnight if it's what you want. It will be a fairy tale of a first date."
At some point in the middle of my invitation, I'd placed my hand over hers. I could see in her eyes that she was starting to break. She looked as if no one had ever proposed such a nice evening to her before. I started to smile as I sensed a victory, but I must have started celebrating too soon.
Hermione pulled her hand away and pointed to me as she said, "You almost got me. Nice try!" A playful smirk crossed her face.
"Damn. Where'd I go wrong?" I asked.
"The kiss goodnight. I'd rather walk into oncoming traffic," she said, her face completely serious.
I burst out laughing. "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me you'd rather die than kiss me?"
"Maybe." She was a horrible liar. The straight face she managed quickly gave way to her own grin as she laughed along with me.
"Alright, alright, I guess you won that round. Hey, you don't mind if I try your drink, do you?" I reached my hand out and picked up her drink.
"Yeah, I—wait, no!" She was still laughing about the earlier conversation that she didn't fully register what I was doing until I'd already taken a healthy swig. 'That wasn't fair!" she said as she swatted my shoulder with her clutch.
"I didn't make the rules," I joked. "That drink is bloody horrid, by the way."
~o~
The next morning I woke up to my phone ringing obnoxiously. I looked at the screen. "Seriously? You couldn't have waited ten more minutes?" I groaned as I sat up and flipped open the phone.
"If it isn't my long lost sister who's been back in town a week and a half, yet still hasn't graced me with her presence. To what do I owe this wake up call?"
"Oh, shut it, you git. You were the one who bailed on me when my train was due," my sister said.
"Sorry, I had plans. Not my fault you waited until the last second to ask me to pick you up."
"Well, luckily I can count on my friend to pick me up when my own flesh and blood can't," she snipped.
"Friend? You mean your neighbor?" I clarified.
"One can be both a neighbor and a friend, you know. I think you'd like her very much if you ever met her," she slipped in the conversation.
I rolled my eyes, not that she could see. "I don't need your help with dating. I'm perfectly capable of finding women on my own."
"Mmhmm. Is that why you've never brought anyone home for Christmas?"
"Oi! You know how serious Mum is about when someone comes for Christmas dinner. You only bring a date if you intend to marry them. Last I checked you've never dared to cross that bridge, either."
"Well, that's why I'm calling you actually. I got engaged last night!"
I wasn't sure I heard her properly. "You what? Ginny, that's not funny. You only just arrived back in London!"
"Yes, well, I met Harry at a party the night I came home, thanks to my neighbor! She invited me along, I bumped into him when I arrived, and we've been inseparable ever since. He's perfect, Ron. Mum was right! When you know, you know," Ginny gushed.
"Gin, it's been what? Ten days? I know how Mum believes in true love, but even this is pushing it," I argued.
"I know it's crazy, but I was thinking of stepping down from the league and switching to Reserves anyway. This could be the perfect transition into normalcy for me, and I really think you'll like Harry. Give him a chance, will you?" Her voice sounded sincere, but I was still hesitant.
"I don't know, Ginny…" I rubbed my temples as I tried to wrap my head around everything.
"What if you covered the wedding? Then you could get to know him a bit better, and we could spend more time together!"
"And if I say no because I don't approve?" I asked her skeptically.
"First off, you don't get to decide who's suitable for me. I'm perfectly capable of deciding for myself."
"Do you even have a second thing to say or are you just trying to sound sophisticated?"
"You won't be disappointed," she said with an air of confidence that only my sister, Ginevra Weasley, could pull off.
"And if Mum and Dad ask, I knew nothing about any of this," I said seriously.
"Great! I'll text you the details of where to meet us for our first interview!"
I heard her hang up the phone before I shut it and tossed it aside. I flung my head back on the pillow. Something wasn't sitting right with me, but if there was one thing I knew about my sister, it was that I wasn't going to change her mind.
Hermione
I woke up the next morning with a slight hangover. Maybe it was all a dream. That was the mantra I kept trying to follow as the day wore on. It was working until lunchtime rolled around and Jenny strode into the office. The first thing I noticed was her ring sparkling in the sunlight from the windows.
I assumed she was going to head over to Harry's office. They probably had a celebratory lunch date or something planned out, but instead she marched right into mine. I looked up, trying my best to seem excited and happy for her.
"Hermione!" she said eagerly. "Can you believe it? I'm still reeling. It's like my very own fairy tale come true," Jenny said.
"It's wonderful! I'm really so, so happy for you both!" I said with a forced smile.
Jenny frowned a bit. "Don't worry, your time will come soon. I just know it. Better to wait for your perfect guy than settle for the first one you see, right?"
I was thankful she took my lack of excitement for self pity as opposed to jealousy. "Yes, I suppose that's true," I told her, even though on the inside I was screaming that I'd already waited long enough.
"Do you want to go get lunch?" she asked me, much to my surprise.
"Oh! I thought you were here to get lunch with Harry," I said as my eyes diverted to his office.
"Well, yes, but we wanted you to come with us! I have something important I want to ask you," Jenny said hopefully. I knew exactly where this was headed.
"I have a lot of work to do, today, Jenny. I'm really sorry. Rain check?"
It wasn't an outright no, but I figured maybe Ron would still be proud that I hadn't said yes right away. Wait, why did I even care what he thought?
"Are you ready to go?" Harry said as he joined our conversation. I looked away as he leaned in to kiss Jenny.
"Hermione says she's too busy to join us," Jenny told him.
I looked sheepishly at Harry. "I do have a lot of work to get done."
"Really, Hermione? I hear your boss is a prat. Tell him to bugger off and come get lunch with us!"
I couldn't help but laugh at Harry's insults toward himself. "Well, if you insist, I guess I can slip away for an hour." I grabbed my belongings and followed them out.
We walked a couple of blocks to one of my favorite cafes near the office. After we ordered our food, Jenny pulled a small gift out of her bag and handed it to me.
"What's this?" I asked in confusion.
"Open it and find out," she said, grinning.
Even Harry looked excited as I began to gingerly unwrap the gift. It was a small jewelry box. Inside was a thin rose gold bangle, whose metal was tied in a knot on the opposite side of the opening. There was a card behind it that said 'Will you be my maid of honor?' in loopy calligraphy.
Everything Ron had tried to prepare me for went out the window as I looked up at Jenny with tears in my eyes. I'd gotten so used to being hired out that I missed out on all of these nuances that happened when friends were meaningfully asked to be part of someone's big day.
"I hope you like it. I'm not one on jewelry or fancy things like that myself, but you've been such a great friend and neighbor to me over the past few years that I couldn't imagine asking anyone else to stand beside me," Jenny explained sincerely.
"Of course I will, Jenny! It would be my honor!" I said, slipping the bangle over my wrist before getting up to hug her. "Thank you so much."
"No, thank you!" she said, squeezing me tightly. "I promise it's not because you're a wedding connoisseur," Jenny added.
As I pulled away and settled back into my seat, I laughed lightly. "Well, I wasn't thinking that, but now I'm not so sure," I teased.
Thankfully, lunch became more enjoyable after that, even though it was still a little awkward being around them together. My heart still ached, and I knew how hard this was going to be to help Jenny plan her wedding to the man of my dreams, but she'd been such a good friend to me that I had to.
Once we finished eating, I checked my phone. "I'd better be heading back. Wouldn't want the boss to think I'm abusing my title as assistant to take a longer break than I'm allotted," I said as I gave Harry a knowing look.
"Actually, I was hoping you'd ditch work this afternoon to help me start planning," Jenny said hopefully.
"Oh, I don't know—" I started to say before Harry cut me off.
"It's okay, Hermione. Take the afternoon. I'm sure I can handle things on my own. You rarely take any time for yourself," Harry told me.
"But—"
"Think of it as a task I'm asking you to complete, if that helps," he said, his eyes shining mischievously.
"Well, fine, if you insist. But don't be surprised if I put in for overtime depending on how long it takes this task to complete," I joked.
"Now that's taking it too far," he said, keeping up the banter.
"Alright, alright, that's settled. Now let's go!" Jenny said as grabbed me arm and began pulling me towards the exit. "I want to see all those newspaper clippings and ideas you've got from the other weddings you've been in!"
Jenny and I returned to my apartment where she broke open a bottle of champagne as we sat on the couch and I showed her Billy Weston's articles. After I was convinced she was growing bored of them, I moved on and showed her some of the pages in the two scrapbooks I'd made from the weddings I was in. We talked about countless venues, and everything from food to flowers to dresses.
"Well, I promise I won't make you wear a hideous dress like some of these women have done. How have you been in so many weddings, anyways?" Jenny asked me.
"Oh, I—I just enjoy helping people," I said, feeling my cheeks flush.
"You know that many people, though?"
"Something like that."
It wasn't a full on lie, but it also wasn't the full truth either. I still wasn't entirely comfortable with anyone other than Lavender knowing about Wilkins Weddings, and I also didn't want Jenny to feel like she should pay me, either.
"What's this scrapbook?" Jenny asked as her eye caught the final book in the drawer that was still open.
"That's my parent's wedding album," I said as Jenny carefully picked it up.
I looked over her shoulder as she flipped gingerly through the pages. "It's absolutely gorgeous. Did they get married in London?"
I nodded. "Yes, at the Winchester House," I said. I'd never told anyone, but there were so many elements from their wedding that I hoped to use or recreate for my own, including booking the Winchester.
"I've heard of that place!" Jenny said. "Your Mum's dress is stunning as well. Not many dresses are timeless like that, you know?"
"I do."
It was a vintage style dress; the ball gown was made of tulle and an overlay of lace applique. The bodice was modest with intricate beadwork and laced long sleeves. I'd actually found a more updated style of the dress not too long ago in a bridal magazine, and I cut out the picture to stash in my dream wedding shoebox. Instead of the beadwork on the bodice, the dress contained the delicate lace applique throughout and it had an iridescent shimmer with a spaghetti strap sleeve. It was my dream dress.
Hours passed and it was only when Jenny's phone rang that we realized what time it was. I had to be honest, I really did have a wonderful afternoon full of wedding talk. I found it was easier if I pretended that Harry wasn't her fiancée.
"Hi! I'm so sorry, I know I'm late. I'll be there in fifteen!" I watched as Jenny hung up her phone. "I'm so sorry, I've gotta run. Thank you so much for sharing all of this with me, I've got so many good ideas and I can't wait to tell Harry and start calling vendors tomorrow. I'll keep you updated alright?"
"Of course. Enjoy your evening!" I said as I watched her rush out the door.
~o~
Friday surprisingly flew by in a flash. For once, I left the office right on time. I was looking forward to a whole weekend of me time! The first one since the wedding season had begun.
"Yoga at ten tomorrow!" Lavender reminded me as we went our separate ways.
When I got home, I did a little cleaning that I'd been neglecting, and then ordered takeaway for dinner. It'd been a long week, and I honestly just wanted to watch reality shows on the telly and eat pizza. That distraction worked for a while, until one of the shows had its fair share of wedding drama.
After crashing back into my own reality again, I decided to try and take a bath. I'd only just settled into the water when my phone rang. "You've got to be kidding me," I said to myself as I reached around to see who it was. Of course it was Jenny.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey, Hermione! I hope I didn't interrupt anything?" Jenny asked.
"Nope, nothing at all," I said, hiding a sigh that desperately wanted to escape my lips. Just what was supposed to be a relaxing bath.
"Okay, great! So, I wanted to fill you in on some good news! I made lots of progress today on wedding plans."
I chuckled. "I thought you and Harry had decided on a longer engagement. Why the rush?"
"Well, all last night I couldn't get the images of the Putney Winchester House out of my mind! So I called them today, about five times actually. Normally they're booked out for at least fifteen months, but they had a cancellation this morning!"
I felt like I'd just been punched in the stomach. She didn't know that's where I wanted my wedding to be. It was my fault that I never told her, but— "That's great. I'm assuming you booked it?"
"Yes! It took a bit to get Harry on board, but the wedding's in three weeks!" Jenny said excitedly.
"I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly? Are you sure you don't mean months?"
"No, Hermione, it's weeks. I know it's mental, but with you by my side helping me plan I know we'll be able to pull it off! I booked an appointment with a few bridal salons on Sunday, and my mum is going to come to town to shop with me. Plus we're going to visit a few florists as well."
I was honestly surprised she was taking the lead on a lot of the planning, and it actually put my mind at ease a bit. "You have been busy!"
"Yes. Now, I could only get an appointment with the cake shop for tomorrow afternoon. Would you mind tagging along? Harry insists he doesn't care what flavor we choose, and I need someone who's going to be a bit more decisive. Plus, there's someone I want you to meet, as well."
"Oh, I don't know…" I said hesitantly.
"Please, Hermione?" she begged.
"Alright, what time and which bakery?" I caved.
"Fourteen thirty at the Chelsea Cake shop! Oh, and one more thing: I don't want to offend you or anything, so I wanted to see if you'd be okay with this. You see, I need another bridesmaid. I don't want to ask any of my sisters in law, and I don't really have a lot of friends because I travel so much."
"Your brother's married?" I couldn't help asking before she finished.
"Not the one in London, no, but I have four others who are. Oh, and another who's still stag."
"Wait. Jenny, you have six brothers?"
"Guilty," she admitted.
"Wow, and none of your sisters in law are suitable?" I tried to keep pushing forward so I wouldn't stay stuck on the sibling thing.
"I mean, I could, but how am I supposed to pick which one? Anyways, when I was doing some research on other things, I happened to find an add for Wilkins Weddings. Have you heard of it? It's basically a bridesmaid for hire service. I was thinking I could call them to help me out."
Shit. I needed to do something, and fast. "No! I mean, yes, I have, but I have another idea!" I said quickly.
"You do?"
"Yes! Do you remember my friend Lavender? The one who works in accounting at the company?"
"Hmm, yeah the sassy one who's always hanging out in your office?"
"Yes! I think you'd like her if you got to know her. I'm sure she'd be willing to help out. You know, for Harry."
Jenny was silent for a moment. "Well, I wouldn't want it to be an imposition or anything…"
"It won't be! I'll talk to her tomorrow and have an answer for you. How does that sound?"
"Only if you're sure. Thanks, Hermione! You're the best. I've got to get going though. I"ll see you tomorrow!"
"Bye," I said as I shut my phone and set it on the floor.
I sunk down into the now lukewarm water. This was going to be a nightmare. Three weeks to plan a wedding? And Jenny unknowingly swiped my venue out from underneath me. Not to mention I'd just volunteered Lavender to be a bridesmaid. She was going to kill me.
~o~
"Three weeks?" Lavender hissed as we were beginning our sun salutations.
"Yes," I groaned under my breath.
"How is that even possible? And didn't you have your heart set on the Winchester House?"
"Yes, but that's not her fault. I never told her," I said in defense of Jenny.
"Well, I still don't think any of this is right. Your pining or her rushing."
The instructor cleared her throat, and I gave an apologetic look. Lavender just looked annoyed.
"There's one other thing," I said through gritted teeth.
"Ugh, what? Is it something that will allow me to slap her now?" Lav asked.
"What? No! She's not a bad person, Lav. She needs another bridesma—"
"NO. Hell no, I am not helping out some bitch I barely even know!"
I winced as the instructor shot Lavender a death glare. We were going to get kicked out, I just knew it. "She found an ad for Wilkins! I had to do something! She doesn't know.."
"So what? You volunteered me?"
"Well, considering I'm already in the wedding…" I muttered. "I'll pay you," I added quickly.
I wanted the conversation to be done and over with so I could actually enjoy the relaxing qualities of the class. I was going to need it for the afternoon I had ahead of me.
"Fine! But it's only because I care about you. And I swear if she even thinks about fu—"
The bang of the gong sounded, cutting Lavender off. I mouthed 'sorry,' as Lavender shot the instructor a contemptuous look.
"Last time I checked I didn't see a 'no talking' sign," she said as the instructor cued us into the next flow.
I didn't respond as I shifted my focus into the class. It was still a rough conversation, but at least Lavender agreed. Somehow I had a feeling that this was only the beginning of a very hectic few weeks to come.
