Chapter 38: Yours

The house was quiet as Ron trudged down the rickety old steps - his footsteps muffled not just by years worth of habit but also by the new carpet. It was still almost dark although the very edge of the eastern sky was beginning to colour. He paused at the familiar door of Ginny's old bedroom, longing to knock softly and call Hermione but he resisted; Merlin knew if she had managed any sleep the previous night. He forced away the ever-present anxiety as he trudged along, reminding himself that the world was better and they had taken as many precautions as possible to ensure their safety. And despite all the speculations in the news, only their very close friends and family knew about the actual date of the wedding.

However, planning for the whole thing in two short weeks was rather exhausting. The days were too short to wrap up all that he had to get done but ironically it felt like an eternity as their schedules left them precious little time alone.

He came to a halt again in the kitchen, pondering if it was worth getting some tea - it would do nothing to soothe his nerves. And moreover, the entire dining table was already laden with a wide spread - sorted and packed in boxes. The family had gone all out preparing for their big day.

He was getting married today - getting married to Hermione.

"Blimey…" he exhaled rubbing his palms together to stop the funny tingling. He glanced at the living room and was only pondering whether to sit down or go out for a very early morning walk when a small movement grabbed his attention. Instantly alert, he pulled out his wand and tiptoed quietly inside - the house was protected, he reminded himself, but expecting danger was perhaps a second nature now.

He barely made any sound as he manoeuvred his way around the couch and pointed at the moving person only to be caught absolutely off-guard by the pair of pretty big eyes that looked up at him and beamed.

"Uncle Lon!" Torrie beamed as she left the parchment she was scribbling on to stand up on the couch and flung her arms around his arms, He pocketed the wand quickly and picked the little one up in his arms.

He brushed aside her blonde locks from her eyes and pecked her on the cheek as she giggled playfully.

"Beard!" she pointed at his face.

"Yes, does it tickle?" he asked laughing as he rubbed his nose on her chin on which she giggled louder.

"Hungry?" he asked and she shook her head. "Okay, so what is Torrie doing up so early?" he asked as he walked out of the living room.

Torrie gave out a tiny squeal, clapped her tiny palms on his cheeks and said in as quiet a tone as she could muster. "I'm dwawing!" she exclaimed, "Gift for Uncle Lon and Aunt Hermy! You must not see!"

"Oh!" he chuckled, "Is that a secret gift?" he added in a whisper.

"Yes! Mamman told me I could dwaw but I left the one I made at 'ome," she added sadly.

Ron pulled open the door and stepped out into the garden ensuring Torrie's jacket was zipped up properly. The weather was rather pleasant but had a mild chill in the air. "Is that so? Well, how about Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermy visit you sometime and collect that card as well?"

"Mmm-hmm!" she giggled happily and gave him a tiny thumbs-up chattering among themselves they walked ahead as Ron slowly realised his anxiety melting away.

Unbestknowned to both of them, Hermione stood at the window of Ginny's old bedroom watching Ron carry the little one in his arms and a strange longing began to take shape in her heart.

It almost felt surreal that the sun was slowly rising on the day she would marry Ron. The feelings were indescribable and quite jumbled in fact. Her much younger self had often imagined this day but neither she nor Ron could have even dreamed how tumultuous the journey would have been. And yet, here they were. She looked at the ring gleaming on her finger, it yet again reminded her of his eyes. Hermione had grown to love this ring although her heart still yearned for the gold band she had returned to Ron that fateful morning. She turned slightly to glance at the cupboard where a small velvet box sat, and there was that curious feeling all over again - a mix of fear and awkwardness, what would Ron think when he saw the ring she had picked for him?

Their wedding preparations and the days leading to today were strange, although quite pleasant in their own way. It felt like life had suddenly returned to the entire Weasley family. As busy as everyone was in wrapping up work and making sure they were free for at least three days leading up to the wedding, there were also a lot of hands helping out with all the preparations.

And then there was the matter of their security - her security.

Despite finding out that the threat was nothing more than a hoax, Ron seemed to be constantly on an edge. Hermione knew there were casually dressed Aurors around her at all times and as unnecessary as she felt it was, she knew it helped Ron's anxiousness. She often wondered if she ought to have heard him out before their big day - but the fear lurked under the surface. She worried about how bad the past was, worried that Ron would misinterpret reactions of shock or horror and walk away again. She saw him rarely during the two weeks, busy as he was with his work and clearing out his schedule, but she had begun to realise that his rough hard persona was hiding a very fragile heart - one she had treated rather ruthlessly. And so she had decided to keep aside her pride and all the hurt - Ron desperately needed to be healed, to recover from whatever he had been through. The biggest challenge was to make sure Ron would not walk away from her again, and for that, she needed to tie their life together with marriage vows. It hurt to think that her love for him wasn't a strong enough reason to keep them together, but she parked that thought aside. The past was done and gone, the future was what she needed to focus on.

But apart from that stress, life was suddenly so different, so happy - it was hard to wrap her head around it at times. There were frequent dinners together, and Ron's - their- flat suddenly had a stocked pantry and more furniture and began to look like a home. The wedding shopping went much smoother than she anticipated. Her parents were delighted - although her mum still had to visit the doctor once a week, it was evident that Jane was fighting her illness with sheer willpower. And she was happy. Although her Dad did look concerned at times, as the days went by, she also felt him relax. Perhaps everyone could see the changed equation between them.

However, between all the beautiful moments the two weeks brought to her life, she sorely missed having Ron all to herself. His schedule was exceptionally messed up. Despite living in the same house, they kept missing each other for their free hours never seemed to coincide. One day she reached home to find the second bedroom set up as he had promised, and in the lack of a chance to talk about it, Hermione moved into it. Ginny and Angie who dropped in did not ask her any questions, it seemed everyone accepted the absurdity of the situation and hoped time would mend the broken parts. Hermione hoped so too - fervently.

On the day she had asked Draco to marry her, she had spent a lot of time pondering how Ron would react to the news. As much she had hated her pettiness - she had wondered whether he'd be hurt - and found a rather unhealthy satisfaction in imagining him miserable about it. She had purposely ignored the anxiousness she felt about tying her life to Draco. Draco… She had sent him an invitation after a lot of thought. The envelope also included a letter of apology and a note of thanks. He had been the first person to suggest she reach out to Ron and she had done exactly that. However, a totally honest apology should have included a lot of other things which she found herself incapable of penning down. Some things were better left unsaid.

The house was still quiet but it would not be so for long. Making up her mind she picked up a spare piece of parchment and wrote a note down mentioning that Ron, Torrie and herself were just out in the orchard; uninformed disappearance was still a sore point for the family and for good reason. Placing the note right on the kitchen counter where she knew Molly would find it, she made her way out into the yard.

Torrie was playing in the grass, picking the stray flowers that grew around them. Ron, sitting on the broken log, watched her play and a strange longing began to brew in his heart. "Need to get my head straight," he mumbled. It was hard to wrap his head around the reality, the fact that his life was normal now - as normal as an Auror's could be. His senses were always alert, always on the lookout for danger and it was exhausting - both mentally and physically. Perhaps his heart had forgotten to beat normally; it would not be a surprise. He had been accustomed to this life of extreme stress for years now, from their year on the run, followed by his solo mission and now his stint as an Auror where he had literally taken it upon himself to work himself to his grave. It was no wonder that a serene calm day was extremely out of ordinary for him. He had been trying to breathe, accept that life had indeed returned to normal for everyone - and he was allowed to relax, but he had no clue how to do that anymore. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't draw in air to fill his lungs, as if an invisible weight was tied to his chest at all times. How on earth would he give Hermione a normal, happy life when he was so damaged himself?

Ron knew it was high time he got his head straight- it was their wedding day, for fuck sake, and he had tried his best, hadn't he, he admonished himself.

The weather was perfect, the cool breeze made the leaves flutter reminding him of the day many years ago when he had sat exactly at the same spot and slipped the ring on her finger. As if on cue, he heard soft footsteps and looked up to find Hermione walking toward him. She gave him a smile that lit up her features and Ron did not bother hiding behind a mask anymore. She had to know how much he had longed for her all these years, how much he had craved to return back to her, how desperately he wanted to belong to her.

She gave Torrie a small wave and hunched down to talk to the little one who was now jumping excitedly. He couldn't hear their muffled discussion but watched with longing as Hermione adjusted Torrie's fringe and the little one gave her a peck on the cheek before going back to picking flowers.

Finally, she approached him and sat down next to him. He wondered if she was reminiscing about that day too but he couldn't bring himself to ask. He was quite pleasantly surprised when she placed her head on his shoulder. For the next few minutes, they remained that way, him soaking in the bliss of his surroundings and her proximity. And then she looked up to meet his eyes and smiled and he barely held himself back from placing his lips on hers. She traced the blue stone on her ring with a finger and he swallowed thickly, it was hard to believe this was real - he had come inches away from losing her forever and yet destiny had been immensely kind to him for some reason.

"It seems like yesterday, doesn't it?" she asked, letting out a soft sigh before taking his hand in hers.

"Yeah," he replied thickly, entwining their fingers, intuitively knowing she was talking about the same day, surprised that she finally acknowledged the past.

"Who knew it would take us so long to get here?" she mused. "Or that it would involve so much heartache," she added quietly.

He swallowed thickly. "Hermione?"

She turned and met his eyes, "You'll ask me if I actually want this, won't you?"

Ron chuckled and looked away; she could still read him so well. "I only ever wanted you to be happy." He looked back at her and saw the questions brimming on the surface - they were getting married but there was so much she didn't know about him, so much she was unwilling to hear out. Ron had no desire to push her but he wondered if Hermione understood how anxious it made him feel- as if he was lying to her again.

"I know, Ron, " she replied and seemed to hold back at the last minute from adding something more as she pressed her lips together. "Let's give ourselves another chance, please?" she sighed, "The last time we had no choice but to prioritize the 'greater good' over our relationship and then …" she halted, and he sucked in a breath. She didn't know how accurately she had described his predicament. He had prioritised the greater good. "Anyway, this time, I want to give us the chance we never had," she continued and he gave a small nod of acknowledgement, rendered speechless. He did not fail to notice that she did not refer to their breakup, pretending as if it did not happen. He pushed aside the anxiety, soaking in her presence and relished how his breathing seemed to return to normal, how his heart did not ache as he took in deep gulps of air, and for a while, his chest did not hurt as he breathed.

Trust the miracle, he decided quietly as he felt a rare instance of calm engulf him.

"I'm glad you spoke to your Mum," she added after a while. "Are you upset she thought more about me when she got to know the truth?"

He thought about that fateful, rainy night when he had landed at the Burrow and told them the 'truth'. "I always knew she loves you more than me," he half-joked.

"I could say the same about my mum," she chuckled.

"I …" he fumbled, overwhelmed at the amount of love he had received from the Grangers. He absolutely hated lying to Jane. "I feel I have lost my chance to confess, she needed to know."

….

The morning flew by in a haze and Ron was again feeling rather anxious as he sat under the pearl-white canopy with his brothers. He had managed to gulp down three goblets of pumpkin juice to soothe his dry throat - but he still felt like he had lost his voice. Harry was enjoying himself and not wasting a single chance at making jokes about it; Ron knew Harry was relieved, he wouldn't be surprised if the dork confessed that he was happier today than on the day he married Ginny. The Burrow was a flurry of activities - laughter and joy were in the air. The guests had begun filling in and he went through the customary greetings and handshakes feeling more panicky than he had in years.

As time passed, the canopy began filling up slowly. However, it was barmy how it felt as if time was moving rather slowly as he waited to see Hermione again and yet fast at the same time as the group got steadily larger.

They had barely called their closest friends and family, how on earth did they have so many people around? Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress of Hogwarts, sat alongside Professor Flitwick, Madame Pomfrey and their old Herbology teacher, Professor Sprout. Hagrid, large as ever, sat next to them, already sniffing into a dirty old rag and chatting with Charlie, indicating towards the alter with his large palms. Ron had no doubt he was recollecting their old antics to Charlie.

His Auror colleagues and Hermione's sat next to each other, and it was not hard to make out the awe in the faces of the younger lot. It made him feel utterly conscious.

And then, of course, there were the remaining Order members, including Kingsley, the Minister of Magic himself, who beamed as Ron had never seen him before. Ron felt, on some level, Kingsley blamed himself for Ron's predicament despite the fact that all he had done was for the best interest of his people.

He glanced at Jane and his parents. Jane was positively glowing and despite how thoroughly guilty he felt, his heart felt lighter at how happy she was. 'Greater good,' he thought again to himself and looked upwards imagining Professor Dumbledore smiling down at them.

Does he even know when it's suddenly time and the flutter of activities dies down as everyone takes their places and the lights magically dim except for a spotlight that lights up the entrance of the canopy? He turns towards his best mate standing strong next to him, brimming from ear to ear. He looks up at Neville and George who stand next to Harry and then the band starts to play.

Hermione holds her father's arms a little tighter as she makes her entrance and the crowd cheers but she only is able to look ahead and there is Ron, waiting at the alter with Harry beside him. She feels like her heart is ready to burst any moment and doesn't know whether she wants to cry or laugh at that moment, she sniffs and smiles and looks around and holds her dad's arm a little tighter still.

The lights are dim and a spotlight falls on her. Does he remember to breathe? Ron doesn't know she walks with her father. Hermione smiles at her dad and looks in the direction of her mother and his parents before meeting his eyes. Blimey… he exhales softly, unable to take his eyes off, worried that if he blinks she'd disappear and she doesn't break eye contact and he gulps thickly.

Suddenly he is aware of nothing else but her, his Hermione walking towards him…

Hermione bites her lips as she walks, reminding herself to breathe. It feels nothing short of a dream, a miracle. It's her Ron, she tells herself quietly. It really is him waiting for her at the altar. Taller than all other men, his hair falling carelessly over his eyes, that beard making him look so much older than the boy she had met on the train, dressed in his finest dress robes, he looks impeccable and strong and dependable, but more than anything - she sees those eyes she had lost her heart to. She sees the person she fell in love with, the man who felt like half of her whole, she sees the hundreds and thousands of memories of unspoken words and fumbled actions.

They reach the alter and they go up the steps and takes her place next to him amidst another round of cheers, Hermione rests her head a little on her father's hand and he pats her hand as he gives a little chuckle, and then he mutters in a small voice only she can hear - "You made the right choice…" says her Dad with utter conviction. "Trust him - there is no other man your mum and I would have trusted for this, little one." She is rendered speechless at the profound trust the words convey.

As the minister continues, Tom hands Hermione's hand in his. Ron can't look away as the slightly age-withered arm lets Hermione go. He looks at Tom and can see the utmost trust in the old man's eyes and he is rather overwhelmed. Tom lets out what can only be described as a relieved sigh as he pats his arms before wrapping Hermione in a one-armed hug before walking down and Ron finally looks at Hermione. The spotlight shines on them and he can barely hear what the minister is saying.

He doesn't need to hear the man, he knows his vows.

Never, he promises quietly, never again would he leave her side - he'd fight the world if he has to but he'd stay beside her. Even death would have to put up a fight to take him away from her if it came to that.

Hermione wonders if she'd be able to talk, her heart seems too full, Dumbledore once said that there was no force more potent than love and she finally realises what he means. She can literally feel it in the air. Surrounded by their family and friends, she feels encased as if in the warmth of a hundred Patronus, the strongest and brightest being the man who continues to hold her hand.

When she meets his eyes she realises that any and all traces of the mask he ever wore was ripped away. The raw vulnerability in his eyes makes her want to crash into his arms. She bites her lip trying to hold her tears in check - and somehow manages to blink them away promising to do all in her power to hold on to him. Never again would she allow anyone to take him away from her. She'd fight death and destiny if it ever comes to that, she promises herself.

She is briefly aware of Harry and Ginny approach to give them the rings, and despite everything, she shudders a little as she picks the ring Ginny offers. For one fleeting moment, she is worried and meets his gaze before looking back at the piece of jewellery held in her fingers. Ron looks at the ring and then at her and he gulps before he chuckles and meets her eyes and every single ounce of doubt she has ever had dissolves into nothing. At that moment she finds everything she has ever been longing to see in those blue orbs. Her eyes slowly take in the ring he is holding for her and she gasps softly - no longer able to hide her tears as she sees the familiar gold band she had longed for so ardently. When she had gotten Ron's custom-made, a simple gold band with the inscription, it was her way of making a promise of a lifetime, that she would always be his, a mirror of the ring she craved to own, words inscribed in gold that eventually tied them together, words that hung in the conscious silence between them, words they had not managed to say aloud.

He still meets her eyes for her consent and she places her palms on his lapels, tugging him discreetly, his arms wrapping around her waist instinctively. He had planned on barely touching his lips to hers, but the sigh that leaves him at the first contact of his lips on hers is involuntary, and he is forced to pull away and take a deep breath, swallow the flood of emotions choking him as her eyes meet his, searching. He should have done this alone, not with so many eyes watching them, he thinks and rests his forehead against hers, brushing the tip of his nose against hers gently and he knows on instinct that she remembers this familiar gesture, tears gleam in her eyes but she is smiling at him. He returns for the kiss, his eyes fluttering shut as her soft lips melts against his, his lips flow as if never out of practice but slow and savouring every breath as they move over her lower lip and there is the tiny hint of moisture caught in her lashes and he chokes a little himself. He feels her pull him closer and Ron is so overwhelmed he worries he'll collapse, hugging her, burying himself in her smaller frame that emits a strength of purpose he so desperately needs and clings on to. It's Hermione who initiates it; her tongue tracing his lips and he deepens the kiss, holding her flush against her now and he doesn't ever want to let go, he had not expected her to return in kind, or pull at his lapels to hold him in place. He can feel his wedding ring on his finger and repeats his promise quietly in his heart.

"Always yours", he manages in the softest of whispers when they finally break apart for the sheer need for air. Hermione is heaving a little, her cheeks fairly pink and he knows that's not makeup and that stupid idiot best mate of theirs breaks the moment as always as he chimes loudly from the side, "Oye, we are having a wedding here!" and both he and Hermione and he break into a chuckle, their fingers still entwined.

…..

a/n: What can I say apart from, thank you for your patience? This story is not over, I am immensely thankful that you have waited and for all the love. Hope you all have a blessed year ahead. 2022 was a year of hard work and relapsing back into the dark hole of depression- somehow deeper this time than ever before and restarting the fight back to recovery. It is going to be a long journey but I am working on my mental well-being, I hope you are doing so too. Sending love - Azalea.