Ch 63: Spilling The Beans
The next few weeks flew by in a blur for both Hermione and Ron. Between Hermione's work, Ron's three jobs, Hugo's school, the wedding planning and the annual formal event for Hermione's job, they were all getting worn out. The closest thing they had to a date was when they went to a small pub for dinner, but since they were joined by Hugo, it was not exactly a romantic night. But by the last full weekend before Easter, they had managed to get the dresses for Hermione and Rose, outfits for Ron and Hugo, a magical tent reserved for the day and each had gone to visit Mr. Walsingham and ensure that the other's ring was appropriately engraved. Rose had come home on the 24th, as they had the whole week before Easter off from school. Hugo was off as well, but Ron and Hermione both had to work the first part of their week. So, through Wednesday, the children spent the days with the Grangers, all completely unaware of what was coming in just a few days. The Grangers had kept the children at their house that Wednesday and had invited Hermione and Ron to come for dinner. The two met at the house first.
"Hey you," Ron said as he saw her come through the front door. He had only just come through the floo himself, having helped George at the store all day.
"Hi," Hermione grinned as she went over to give him a quick kiss.
He slid his arms around her waist. "Are you ready to share our little secret with the family?"
She bit her lip. "Sort of," she admitted. "Honestly, I have thoroughly enjoyed having it be our little secret. But, I am excited to see their reactions."
"Did you tell Nicola today?"
"Another sort of. Well, she plopped into my office chair and said something like 'come off it Granger – the secretary told me you're scheduled to be off the next two weeks. And since your kids are off this week and not then, I know something is up.'"
Ron laughed. "She is smart, that one."
"Well, yes. She is. Anyway, I said that I wasn't at liberty to say, but that odds were strong I would come back in 2 ½ weeks a married woman. She thinks we're eloping, of course. But she's thrilled. And then she said she would be sending some thoroughly inappropriate present for us."
"If memory serves, I have loved every present she has suggested so far," Ron said, eyebrows wagging.
Hermione gave his arm a playful smack, but felt the blush creep across her neck.
"Right. Well, anyway – I don't have to go back to work for more than two weeks! Feels great. How about you?"
"I need to help George tomorrow morning – it's just busy when the kids are off school. But, he has promised I can be out of there by 2 tomorrow so I can help with whatever needs doing. And then I'm off as well. Obviously the teaching jobs are both off this week, and I've made arrangements to be off for the next two as well."
Hermione grinned, excitement spreading through her to the point where she stood on her tiptoes. "We're going to be married in three days!"
"I know," he grinned. "And then I am taking you on an amazing trip."
"You're really not going to give me any clues on that, are you?"
"Nah. It's been way too fun watching you worry over it. Just trust me. You aren't going to need many clothes, so I am sure I can handle the packing."
"Oh great," she scoffed. "I am not sure we share the same ideas on what might be appropriate where."
"It'll be fine. I promise. Really – would you marry someone you couldn't trust?" he grinned, flashing a cheesy smile at her.
"Oh no, Ron Weasley, that Mr. Most Eligible Bachelor Wizard smile of yours does not work on me like that. I know you far too well. You'll probably pack a bikini, something crazy from Nicola and maybe your old quidditch jersey."
"Oh! You're right! I forgot the jersey!" he teased as he pretended to run back upstairs to fetch it.
Hermione laughed and followed him upstairs so they could get changed and head to her parents' home for dinner. An hour later they were sitting with her parents, Ron and Hugo at her parents' kitchen table tucking into the dinner her mum had made.
"So, now that you are all on holiday, what do you have planned for tomorrow and Friday?" asked Jean.
Ron smiled, but looked at Hermione. "Well," she said putting down her fork and looking at her family. "Actually, I think we have some interesting activities planned for the next few days."
"Like what, Mum?" asked Rose, taking a bite of her chicken.
"Well, I thought tomorrow we could maybe go to some flower shops."
"Ugh. Please tell me we aren't going to go around all day and looked at different kinds of flowers and have to listen to you all compare things to bridal magazine and such. You haven't even set a date yet! Seems like you couldn't possibly know what kind of flowers will be in bloom when you finally get married," complained Hugo.
Hermione bit her lip. "Well, Hugo. I think I actually do have a pretty good idea of what will be blooming then."
"Does that mean you've set a date?!" exclaimed Jean, clasping her hands together.
"Yes, we have," Hermione said. "It's actually going to be on a Sunday."
"Well, that's a bit unusual," observed Michael with a laugh. "But, to be fair I stopped expecting usual out of you more than thirty years ago."
"Well, good," Hermione said reaching for Ron's hand. "Because we are actually getting married this Sunday. We're having a surprise Easter wedding!" Hermione said.
Forks dropped to the table, Jean choked on her drink, Michael stared at his daughter gobsmacked, Rose clasped her hands over her mouth in disbelief, and Hugo started laughing uncontrollably.
When the ruckus had calmed down, Jean finally said, "You're serious?"
"Oh, very," assured Hermione. "But, it is actually a surprise wedding. It will be at The Burrow on Sunday. Everyone will arrive for Easter dinner as usual, but then we will surprise everyone and have the wedding."
"Who will marry you?" Michael asked. "Is there like a magical vicar or something?"
"Actually, there is usually a stodgy old wizard who does these things, but Hermione and I have asked Professor McGonagall to do it, and she has agreed. She and my brother George are the only people who know it is happening."
"George?" asked Hugo. "I would have thought you'd say something to Harry first."
"Well, yeah. I guess any other day I would have. But, you see, Sunday is April 1st. And George and his twin brother were born on April 1st."
"Oh," said Hugo in understanding. "So it's a hard day sometimes?"
"Well, I was worried it would be. So, we'd decided Easter would be great, but then realized it was on April 1st. So – we wanted to ask George for permission I guess."
"And he approved?" Michael asked.
"With rapt enthusiasm actually," Hermione said. "He thinks this surprise on his Mum on his birthday would make Fred as pleased as punch."
"Yeah – George's version included more laughing and more swearing, but that was definitely the general idea," added Ron with a smirk.
"You're really planning to not tell anyone ahead of time? Not even your poor mother?"
"Uh, actually, we thought we'd tell Harry and Ginny tomorrow so they could help with the flowers and tent and such. But, no – I am definitely not telling Mum until that morning. I've seen her do loads of these weddings, and she goes a bit insane for the month before. She makes us all clean random rooms no one uses anymore and all kinds of crazy things. This way she can just cook a regular Easter dinner for her family and a few extra guests – which isn't unusual for Easter. And as it falls on the twins' birthday this year, hopefully this will be a welcome distraction."
"They're serious," Jean said flatly, this time looking at her husband.
Michael simply nodded. "Apparently."
"But what about your dress? The rings? Our dresses? The tuxedos? Flowers? How can you possibly do this in three days?"
"Well," Hermione said, shifting to her firm solicitor voice. "We have been planning this a lot longer than that. The dresses are done, yours included, and we will pick them up from the seamstress tomorrow. We'd already ordered the flowers, and are set to pick them up early Saturday, but I am counting on you lot to help with the arrangements that afternoon. George, Harry and Ron will handle the tent which George has already. The rings are already done. Ron and Hugo have smart sport coats to wear, and Dad – I ordered you one as well. We'll fix the boutonnieres this weekend. I thought we could make two cakes-"
"Two cakes?" asked Ron.
"A wedding cake and a birthday cake."
"Perfect," Ron grinned, squeezing her hand.
Rose got up to go hug her mum and Ron, with Hugo quickly joining them. "So, we have a wedding to throw, don't we?" Rose squealed.
"That we do," said Hermione. "Now, we will tell the Potters early Saturday, but no one else. So – please, don't say a word! This will be our surprise on Sunday."
"Who is going to tell Molly on Sunday?" asked Jean.
"George made me promise that he gets to be there when I tell her that morning. Sort of the bargain for getting to use his birthday. We'll go over that morning and set up the tent and just see how it goes I suppose."
"And how about Saturday night? You're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding, you now," Jean said.
"Mum, I don't think you're supposed to be living together and raising two kids together before the wedding either. I think we'll just let that tradition slide a bit."
"Oh come on," Jean encouraged. "Just stay here Saturday night or we can be at your other house. Either way is ok. It's just Ron should be surprised when he gets to see you come down the aisle. Or the hallway or whatever it is you'll be coming down. And you should get to see his face when he sees you. Trust your mum on this one, alright? Please?"
"Ok," conceded Hermione. "If you think it is that important, then fine. But I was planning to go to The Burrow to get ready. I thought you'd come early with me so I don't have to floo in my dress."
"Makes sense to me," Rose agreed. "Let's stay at our old house Saturday night and have a girls-only slumber party. Then we'll go to The Burrow once Ron lets us know his mum knows what's going on. It will be fun."
"What will we do?" Hugo asked Ron.
"Apparently we'll be having a guys' night," Ron laughed.
They all spent the rest of the night talking about the wedding, planning the next few days and enjoying the excitement. When they were cleaning up the kitchen later, Hermione pulled her dad aside.
"I have to tell you something, Dad."
"Ok, pumpkin. What's going on? Are you really ok with how quick this is?"
"Yeah. I am. Better than ok actually. It was my idea to begin with. But I wanted to let you know something. I had initially said we shouldn't tell anyone about the wedding and have you all be surprised on Sunday. Ron was adamant his mum not know ahead of time, and I didn't think it was fair to tell you two and not them. But Ron was equally adamant that you had to have a few days' notice. He said he didn't want to force any father to walk their daughter down the aisle on short notice, and especially not his future father in law. He wouldn't want it to happen to him, and he didn't want to do that to you."
Hermione saw her dad cough, but she thought he was just trying to cover the dampness in his eyes.
"I just wanted you to know that."
Her dad coughed again, wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. "He is a good, good man, Hermione. I could not have a picked anyone better for you. I love you sweetheart," he said and then kissed her forehead before heading off to wipe his eyes in private. Hermione watched him go, thankful for the amazing men in her life.
Thursday and Friday were a blur of wedding preparations, and by Friday night everything except the flowers and cakes were ready for the big day. Hugo had embraced the idea of adding to the decorations by treating it like a set to decorate. And once he understood the color theme of white with shades of greens, he got really excited and insisted he be allowed to add some of his own touches to the day. He dragged Hermione's dad off to get the required art supplies, and the two men created a program of events for the day with a gorgeous green and white watercolor cover. They decided to create a larger green and white water color on thick board that they would turn into a matte for everyone to sign which they would use to frame a picture of the wedding as a surprise wedding gift.
When Hermione woke up Saturday morning, she had a strange confluence of emotions coursing through her mind and heart. The logistical planner side of her brain was running through the litany of tasks that needed to be accomplished over the next few hours. She needed to pack everything for the night at her house with Rose and her mum, everything for the wedding and figuring out how to pack for an unknown destination for the honeymoon. But the other part of her was so happy she could hardly stand it. She could hear Ron still lightly snoring next to her, his one arm still holding her protectively even in his sleep. She breathed in, smelling the unique smell that she knew was Ron and smiled as she snuggled into him deeper, relishing in how safe and loved she felt with him. And the next time she would wake up in his arms, she would be his wife. Her movement must have stirred him from his sleep, as she felt his arm pull her closer to him as he woke. He always did that. His instinct was always to protect her first even when he wasn't fully conscious. But once he was awake, the feel of his tightening arm shifted from feeling protective to feeling sexual as his fingers began to lightly dance across her stomach causing her to smile before she rolled over to see his face.
"Good morning, beautiful," Ron said.
"Good morning. You're awake early," she said, brushing his fringe away from his eyes.
"Last time I get to wake up with my fiancé. Thought I should be awake to enjoy it," he mumbled sleepily.
"Hmm," she sighed, giving him a soft smile as she nuzzled her nose against his cheek. "I love this. But I am really looking forward to waking up with my husband, too."
He smiled, gently sliding his hand up under her shirt and trailing his fingers against her skin. "I'm rather looking forward to sleeping with my wife if we're being honest."
"Yeah?" she said, kissing him softly on his neck and moving down towards his collarbone. "I think we should have sex outside of marriage maybe just one more time, don't you?"
"Can't argue with that," he growled as her hands slipped down beneath his waistband.
"But we have to be quick," she said between kisses.
"I can do that," he grinned as he rolled her over onto her back while shedding her of her top. He paused briefly to cast a silencing and locking charm on the room, and then quickly turned his attention to her breasts. Only a few minutes later he reached down between her folds and realized she was already more than ready for him. He entered her quickly, but then took his time pulsing into her as she wrapped her heels around his waist tightly.
"I love you so much," she gasped, gripping his bare shoulders.
"Fuck, I love you Hermione," he said intensely through gritted teeth as she tightened around him.
He knew what she needed to bring her to the grips of ecstasy, and he moved his hands and lips and hips at the same time to do just that. Soon she was screaming out, throbbing in pleasure and bringing him with her over the edge into the panting, sweaty haziness that engulfed them following an intense orgasm. As their heartbeats returned to normal, Ron held her tightly, stroking her hair and her cheek gently while she intertwined her fingers with his on his other hand.
"I can't wait to marry you," he finally said.
"Me either. But I think I just might be able to make it until tomorrow after that."
He grinned, and then sighed as she moved to get up, eventually turning to a small groan of protest as she left the bed.
"Oh come on," she scoffed. "We both have a lot to get done today," she said as she gathered her things before heading to the shower. "And you know darn well you are going to have a great time telling Harry and Ginny about everything this morning."
He laughed, playing that over in his mind. "Gonna be bloody brilliant," he grinned, and then quickly followed Hermione into the shower.
"Ron!" she protested.
"Oh come off it, Hermione," he teased. "We just had sex, and it takes me 5 minutes to shower while it takes you much longer. I'll be out before you even have time to wash your hair."
"Stupid hair," she muttered.
"Hey now," he said sharply. "Don't disrespect my soon to be wife's hair. I happen to love those curls."
She rolled her eyes at him, but by them he was already under the shower spray rinsing his own copper locks.
"I hate it when you beat me in an argument of logic," she said, laughing at his grin from under the falling water.
Soon he had dried and dressed and headed down to make breakfast. They had decided to make a nice pancake breakfast, as it would be the last meal they would be able to have as just the four of them before the wedding chaos, honeymoon departure and Rose leaving to travel back to Hogwarts. The breakfast was slow and leisurely, but as the morning ticked by, everyone was starting to get more excited. Finally, Hermione declared that it was time to get ready to fill the Potters in on the surprise. Ron had planned with Harry that the Potter family would come by mid-morning and would be spending the day together, so they knew the Potters had the day free. And, after much back and forth, they had concluded that they would have to tell the whole Potter family instead of just Harry and Ginny, but that all would be sworn to 24 hours of secrecy. Just as Hermione finished the last of the breakfast dishes, she heard the floo come alive in the living room.
"Hello! We're here!" called Ginny. Hermione laughed at the superfluous warning, knowing that with the cacophony of sound those five always had when they were together they could never be accused of sneaking up on anyone.
"In the kitchen," Hermione called.
Soon the nine were all in the kitchen, and Hermione was pouring tea.
"Did you lot have anything specific in mind for today?" asked Ginny, taking a sip of her tea.
Hermione grinned and looked at Ron, knowing he would enjoy this. "Yeah, we had a few ideas," he said nonchalantly.
"Maybe the zoo?" Harry offered.
"Ooh I love the zoo, can we do that?" asked Al.
"I'm not really in the mood for the zoo," said Rose smoothly.
"Me either," chimed in Hugo, unable to hide the smile in his eyes.
"Alright, what did you have in mind?" asked Ginny.
"Maybe some flower arranging?" offered Ron.
The kids complained, but Ginny and Harry looked at him as if he had two heads. "What on earth? Who are you and what have you done with by idiot brother?" asked Ginny.
"Yeah," shrugged Ron calmly. "I dunno. It just seemed like something we could do with such a large group. Could be fun."
Ginny was still gawking at him, but Harry's face began to flash a look of comprehension.
"Ron, any particular reason we ought to know about that could be spurring on your sudden interest in the delicate and yet apparently unappreciated art of what is basically sticking flowers in a vase?"
Ron grinned, knowing his best friend had almost figured it out. "Yeah, well, since you mention it - you see, we're getting married tomorrow and thought we should have some flowers at the wedding."
The Potter kids shrieked, with Hugo and Rose laughing. Harry grinned and went to slap Ron on the back, leaving a still stunned and mute Ginny standing with her mouth open.
Hermione went over to the shocked witch and patter her on the back. "It's gonna be ok, Ginny."
"You. Cannot. Be. Serious." She finally gasped.
"Oh very serious," Hermione laughed. "But, it is meant to be a surprise tomorrow. So, your parents and everyone – you can't tell them tonight."
Ron saw her sister shift into calculation mode and cut her off before she could get too upset. "Don't worry. George knows. I asked him for permission when we first came up with this idea. We would not have sprung that on him without asking."
"And he was ok with it?" said Ginny, still unsure.
"Actually I would say 'enthusiastic participant' would be a better description. And he made me promise to let him be there when I tell Mum tomorrow and he had to be able to let off fireworks." Ron shrugged. "Seemed a fair deal to me."
Finally Ginny started laughing. "Oh Merlin, Mum will absolutely go crackers. A surprise wedding! On April Fools! That George is involved in plotting! Well, Fuck!"
"Ginny!" said Hermione, glancing at the kids.
"Oh please, Hermione," scoffed Ginny. "It's not like they haven't heard it before. And this is just an example of an actually appropriate use for once."
"So George obviously knows," cut in Harry trying to shift the moment. "Who else is in on it?"
"We found out Wednesday night," stated Hugo proudly. "They told the Grangers and us at dinner."
"Good move, mate," Harry muttered to Ron quietly, to which Ron just nodded.
"And the only other person who knows is Professor McGonagall, as she will be conducting the ceremony," added Hermione. This caused Ginny and Harry to erupt into peals of laughter.
"Oh come on," reasoned Hermione. "She was the only logical choice. It had to be someone who knew us both and knew our whole story, and it had to be someone who would make sense to join the family for Easter dinner. Having some stodgy old wizard would have been awful."
"I get it, Hermione," said Ginny trying to control her giggles. "It's just, well, karma's a bitch, huh Ron?"
He gave a small laugh. "I'll admit it. I had never actually pictured McGonagall when I tried to imagine my wedding. But, in the end, Hermione's right. She cares for us both. She understands and has been a part of the complicated stories of our whole family," he said gesturing to Rose and Hugo. "And in the end, she was actually thrilled to be asked. I think it will be great."
"Oh it will be," said Harry trying to shift back to serious mode. "Just taking a moment to enjoy the irony of the woman who taught you to waltz all those years ago pronouncing you a bachelor no more."
"She taught you to waltz?!" yelped Hermione.
"Oh it was bloody brilliant," said Harry, launching into the story of how the elderly witch had chosen Ron as her dance partner back in their third year before the Yule Ball. Soon, the entire room was laughing, including Ron.
"Yeah, well, she did a good job, didn't she?" he asked as he swooped Hermione into his arms and started to dance with her around the kitchen.
"Yes," giggled Hermione holding tightly to Ron as he twirled her between the counter and the table. "She is a professional teacher after all."
"Oh goodness," laughed Ginny. "Who else is coming?"
"Well, no one else knows it's a wedding," said Ron, ending his dancing. "But, we did invite a few extra people to come for Easter dinner – Neville and Hannah, Sally Sparrow and Hagrid will be there. I asked Luna and her family, but they were off chasing something or other. And I'd asked Kingsley too, but he said he couldn't come. And I think Teddy was already bringing Andy. So, yeah – the whole regular slew of folks plus the Grangers, the Longbottoms, Sally, Hagrid and McGonagall. I've already told Mum to expect them for dinner, which of course made her as pleased as punch, so there won't be any surprise about the number of people eating."
"Um, Dad?" Al said quietly.
"Yeah?" said Harry.
"Um, I probably should have said something, but, well, I didn't know about this so I didn't know…" Al stammered.
"What's wrong, Al?" asked Hermione.
"Scorp had said he was going back to Hogwarts early because his parents had to leave tonight to go to Paris for some conference or something. And, well, I had owled Grandmum yesterday and asked if I could bring Scorp tomorrow. She said that would be no problem, so I was going to ask you today if Scorp could spend the night tonight and come with us tomorrow since she said it was fine. But, now I don't know what to do."
Ron glanced at Rose when he saw her concerned face he instantly spoke up. "That's perfectly fine, Al. Not a problem at all. Really. Scorp's a great kid. But you cannot tell him about the wedding until he's at your house tonight, alright? Promise?"
"Promise," Al said quickly. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."
"It's fine," Hermione assured. "We like him. He's practically family to you and Rose, and tomorrow will be fun. Let's face it – when you throw a surprise wedding, you should expect some surprises, right?"
"Right," grinned Rose, giving her mum a hug.
The group quickly shifted into logistical mode and split up into teams to attack the cakes, flowers and last minute errands that needed to be handled. Hermione's parents arrived just before noon with a car full of buckets of gorgeous white and green flowers they'd picked up from the florist that morning.
"Never thought I'd have to get stern with the church ladies this morning," said Jean. "One of the churches nearby hadn't firmed up their Easter flower order and tried to take our white flowers. Can you imagine! Stealing flowers from a bride for a church service! The nerve! Anyway, needless to say, she walked away with no flowers and a red face. Mean cow. Tried to make me feel guilty about it too. Not my fault she's disorganized."
Ginny laughed, realizing how much she enjoyed Hermione's mum. They made arrangements for the table, bouquets for Rose and Hermione, boutonnieres for the boys and several larger arrangements to have near where they would conduct the ceremony. Hermione worried about the flowers looking past their prime by the next day, but Ginny calmed those fears by casting cooling and fixing charms on them as they tied the groups in the delicate mint green silk ribbon Hermione had bought. Jean worked in the kitchen, baking the cakes and making the icing, but insisted she wait 'til they were at The Burrow to actually ice them. As the items on the to-do list were increasingly crossed off, Hermione felt herself getting less nervous and more excited about the whole event. Finally, Hugo declared that he had crossed off the last item as the flowers were all in water buckets next to the fireplace, ready to be transported in the morning.
"Ok! Great, we are just in time!" declared Jean.
"In time for what?" asked Hermione, the nervousness apparent in her voice.
"For our nail salon appointments," smiled Jean.
"I went ahead and reserved the whole place for the last few hours they were open. So, Hermione, Rose, Ginny, Lily – all the ladies, we are headed off for some pampering."
Hermione looked shocked while everyone else looked excited. "But I'm not packed or anything," protested Hermione.
"Oh but you are," smiled Ron. "You'll double check it all, of course, but it's all there. You'd made a list for yourself anyway, I just followed the instructions."
She laughed and kissed his cheek. "Ok. Ok. I get it. I am being ganged up on. I still need a few minutes to get my head on straight, ok? Rose, do you have what you need?"
"Well, yeah, I do," she said. "But I can come back here later. It's not bad luck for me to see Ron tonight. Just you. So, get what you need to get by yourself. Then I can come back later and get anything else we've forgotten."
Hermione sighed and smiled, realizing she had no argument left other than the butterflies in her stomach. So, she headed up the stairs to double check Ron had everything. He followed her.
"You really packed for me already? Had Mum told you she was doing this?" she asked.
"She didn't say it outright, but I had my suspicions," he admitted.
"Um, you didn't peek at the ring did you?"
"No," he said, his hands up in the air emphasizing his innocence. "I promised I wouldn't. But I did put the black box in here," he said, pointing to where it was in her bag so she wouldn't accidentally miss it. "This is the bag for tonight. Here's what you need to take tomorrow, and that one is the bag for the honeymoon. I promise. We're all set."
"Ok, and you have all the…."
"Hermione," he said, interrupting her. "It's all good. It will all be amazing. Like you said, we should expect some surprises at a surprise wedding. But by tomorrow evening, we'll be married and all the rest of this won't matter one bit. Now, I want you to go and have an amazing time being fussed over. And then have fun with Rose and your mum tonight. Because tomorrow night, you are all mine," he said, his voice dropping to an almost growl at his final words.
She embraced him tightly, pressing her cheek into his chest, calmed by the rhythm of his heartbeat. She took several deep breaths, feeling her stress leave her as she clung to him.
"This is silly," she finally said. "I feel weepy just leaving you right now. How absurd is that?"
"I don't think it's silly at all," he said tenderly. "I feel kinda the same, actually. Guess we're the only ones who really can understand what we're feeling right now, huh?"
"Yeah. Well, and you are the one person who can calm me down. I don't care what the tradition is. If I can't sleep tonight, I'm calling you, so make sure you have your mobile, ok?"
"I always have it when you're not with me," he said.
She looked up at him, gazing at his bright blue eyes. They weren't dark with desire, but warm with love and concern for her.
"Ok, Ron Weasley. I'll go and get fussed over. But I will meet you tomorrow in your parents' backyard. I'll be the one in the white dress. And I plan on marrying you and kissing you in front of your professor and your family and my family in a way that will have Hugo complaining for months."
Ron threw his head back in laughter as he held her tighter to him. "I love you, Hermione. I'll be the ginger bloke in the jacket you picked out looking like a love-struck fool watching you. And I think making Hugo blush is an excellent goal for our wedding."
At that, they kissed. At first, it was slow and sweet, but soon Ron deepened it, causing a small whimper of pleasure to come from Hermione as she instinctively lifted her leg around his to pull him even closer. But as she felt him start to harden against her, she pulled back.
"Sorry," she said gently swiping her thumb over his mouth. "I didn't mean to start what we don't have time to finish."
He smiled, shaking his head and trying to get his body to calm down as well. "Nah, S'alright. I have definite plans for a raincheck. Have fun tonight. Tomorrow will be amazing. All of it."
"What are you and Hugo going to do this evening?"
Ron chuckled, thinking of the various stag parties he'd attended over the years. "Not exactly the crowd for scantily clad birds popping out of a cake or anything. And Hugo's a bit young for the drinking George would encourage the night before a wedding. So, probably more along the line of pizza and a muggle movie, and if we get really crazy we'll work on an art project. But I may have intentionally hid all of the glitter as a safety precaution. Don't want to out-sparkle the bride tomorrow."
Hermione laughed, remembering their early days together when Ron couldn't get the glitter out of his hair. "Well, McGonagall probably knows a good charm to get all of that nonsense out of your hair just in case there is a glitter mishap tonight."
"Yeah. That wouldn't be awkward at all," Ron deadpanned.
They shared chaste kiss, and then he carried her bag down to where the other ladies were waiting for her. Hugo hugged her and said he'd see her later, and then the ladies were off to get their nails done.
Before long, the boys decided they wanted to go for a fly before having some greasy takeaway. Harry offered to take Michael while Hugo went with Ron, and soon all six of them had flooed out to Shell Cottage to fly up the coast for a bit. Being his first time on a broom, Michael was both terrified and delighted, but Harry went smoothly and steadily, helping the older muggle feel confident enough to enjoy the entire experience. Following their fly, they headed back home to find George, with Harry and Al heading out to fetch Scorp before they all regrouped for the evening.
By dinner time, George had arrived with bags of greasy fish and chips, a treacle tart and more than a little butterbeer and firewhisky to wash it all down with. The eight of them all had fun playing exploding snap, and then Michael tried to teach them the muggle card game poker, which Ron thoroughly enjoyed. Eventually, George headed home and promised to take the Scorp and the Potter boys home so Harry could stay the night. Michael headed home as well, as Jean told him she would be home instead of staying at Hermione's. By eleven, Ron had a happily exhausted Hugo tucked in and came back out to find Harry cleaning up the kitchen from the night's festivities.
"You sure you don't mind the sofa? You could just floo home and meet me in the morning," Ron said.
"Nah. I want to stay. And as you know, I've slept on much worse."
Ron laughed, knowing how true it was. Harry poured them each one more glass of firewhisky. Sensing Harry was trying to find his words, Ron simply took the glass from his best friend.
Finally, Harry said, "You deserve every ounce of happiness in the entire world, Ron. I know we don't usually do the emotional stuff, so I won't belabor it. But, well, you are my best mate in the entire world. Without you I'd never have known what a family was, let alone get to have one of my own. You've seen me through more shite than hopefully anyone will ever know. And you've been through hell and back because of me-"
"Harry, come on. Don't go back on the guilt trip again-"
"No. No. Let me finish. I know the war wasn't my fault. But I'm just trying to say that you have been the most amazing and loyal friend anyone could imagine. If you hadn't come into my life I would have been utterly fucked – well, actually just dead. But, anyway, you've worked so hard not just to protect your family and friends but the whole damn world. And even though no one will ever understand how close it all was to having a different outcome or how much you were willing to sacrifice to keep others safe, you kept at it. It always seemed unfair to me that you had never met the right witch. So when Hermione showed up – well- it was about damn time the universe let you have the happiness and family and love that you have fucking deserved for years. And I am thrilled for you. I am so grateful to call you my best mate. So, here's to you and the happiness ahead. Couldn't happen to a better soul."
Ron simply smiled at him, nodded tightly and lifted his glass. Trying to control the emotion he felt in his throat, he said quietly, "To finally leaving the hard shite behind and celebrating the good years ahead. And to getting to do that with my best mate and my incredible witch. Cheers, Harry."
"Cheers, Ron," Harry said, lifting his glass as well.
(A/N: I promise - I'll post the wedding chapter wedding by Thanksgiving...carrytheotter)
