Chapter 6
Everyone turned to head for the door, but they were stopped by Harry, "Wait! While everyone is together, I have something I need to say." he looked at Ron, "do you want to do this now, too?"
Ron's face turned almost the same shade as his hair, "uh, well," he took a deep breath and seemed to make a decision. Squaring his shoulders, he looked back at Harry, "yeah, let's do this."
Harry walked over to Ginny and took her hand. At the same time, Ron reached Pansy and pulled her over to him. They both walked the girls into the living room, followed by the entire Weasley clan. Hermione suddenly knew what was about to happen.
Harry and Ron stood the two young women next to each other, and both young men went down on one knee in front of their respective witches.
Molly gasped, Ginny and Pansy both clamped their hands over their mouths. Pansy instantly began to cry quietly.
Harry and Ron proposed to their girls, and of course they were each answered with an enthusiastic "Yes!"
There were shouts and laughter, and soon the whole evening turned into a big engagement party. Floo calls were made, and soon the house was filled with Order members, Hogwarts school friends, and work mates.
Since there were so many more people there now. They started a Quidditch match outside. Aquila was fascinated with all the people flying around on brooms, and Teddy kept yelling "Hi, Uncle Harry!" over and over until Harry would smile and wave to him.
Ron and Pansy went to fetch Mr. Ollivander. When they told him the good news, he offered to let Ron and Pansy live with him at his home. It was "plenty large enough for an old man not to get in their way," he said. They were thrilled to take him up on his offer. With Ron being a relatively new auror, and Pansy being an apprentice wandmaker, they would not be able to afford such a nice home for quite a while. Pansy loved the old gentleman so much, and his house was already home to her.
Molly gave Percy the important job of getting some pictures so that she could go the Prophet and the Quibbler tomorrow to put in the engagement announcements.
"Hey Harry," yelled Neville Longbottom, "Why don't you guys just have a double wedding? You will have all the same people there anyway!"
Molly, Ginny, Pansy and Fleur all looked at each other, "What a great idea!" yelled Ginny, "what do you think, Pansy?"
"Well, I don't mind, except how you propose we share the Maid of Honor?" they both looked at Hermione.
"You both want me to be your maid of honor?" Hermione looked at them both and smiled, "I'd love to, and if you do it at the same time, I just have to buy one dress! But you had better agree on one color, because I'm not going to wear a dress that is a different color on each side!"
They laughed and the three girls hugged. After checking on Aquila, Hermione and the two brides to be went to the kitchen and sat down with Molly to start making to do lists for the upcoming nuptials.
A while later, Ron walked up to his best mate and clapped him on the back, "Well, Harry, I think this is going to happen very soon, judging by the furious pace that is already happening with the girls planning in there."
"Can't be soon enough for me, mate," Harry grinned at his best friend, " Ron, I can honestly tell you that I love your sister so much, and I can't wait to have her as my wife. I look around at your family, Ron, and this is what I want. My own family, Ginny at my side and a whole bunch of kids! I think it would be great to have a double wedding. Just think, we will be brothers for real!"
"Harry, you're getting all sappy on me," laughed Ron as he looked over at the love of his life, who was happily showing off her engagement ring to a group of women across the room. "but I understand exactly how you feel."
"Harry?" Ginny walked over to her fiancé and her brother, "we need to get Teddy back to Andromeda's place. It is getting late."
"Right," Harry looked around the room, "where is he? Teddy!" He called, but didn't hear an answer. He started to search around the living room. "He was just here, Ginny. Hey, has anyone seen Teddy? We need to get him home to Andromeda."
Everyone started looking around, when suddenly Hermione said, "I don't see Aquila either!" she started to get a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. How could she have not noticed where the children were, what kind of parent was she?
"Now, don't panic, Harry, Hermione," said Arthur, "everyone spread out and search the house. There are a lot of nooks and crannies where they could be hiding."
Immediately, everyone started looking around the house. Charlie, Bill and Percy took the attic and upper floors. Harry, Ron and George decided to go check the yard where they had been playing Quidditch, since the boys had both seemed fascinated with the game. They all went out the door, wands held high with a good Lumos spell to give them plenty of light in the darkness outside.
After about fifteen minutes, no one had seen any sign of them. Hermione was in full out panic mode by then. "Where could they be? I swear when we find them, I'm going to put some kind of tracking charm on the both of them." she gasped, " What if they went into the woods! I think I'm going to be sick!" she put one hand on her stomach and the other over her mouth.
All of a sudden, strong arms wrapped around her, and a voice whispered in her ear, "you've got to breathe, Hermione. Working yourself into a frenzy is not going to help. They have to be in the house or the yard, it is all fenced in out there." Hermione turned to see Charlie looking down at her.
"Oh Charlie, I can't believe that I was so irresponsible! I should be watching him every minute. I'm his mum! I'm supposed to know where he is!" she put her face in Charlie's chest and started to cry. He rubbed her back and murmured into her ear, trying to get her to calm herself.
Arthur and Molly watched the exchange between their son and one of their favorite girls with great interest. Maybe there was still some chance to make Hermione an official part of their family?
"We found them!" came the cry from outside, "Hermione instantly bounded to the door. Charlie stood there, his shirt wet with her tears, feeling like he was missing something. Her warm body had felt so good against his. What? When did he start feeling like Hermione was something other than a little sister? Oh boy, he was going to have to do some serious thinking about this, and soon!
Hermione threw open the door and caught sight of her son in George's arms, while Harry was carrying Teddy. "Where did you find them?" she cried as she ran to snatch her son from his savior's arms.
"Apparently they were playing under the table in the back yard, and they fell asleep," Ron explained, "we found them curled up together, out cold. Lucky we saw them, really. They are so small and it is quite dark back in that corner of the yard."
"Thank you so much for finding them. I have never been so frightened in my life, and that includes everything we did in the war! If I had lost him..." Hermione shuddered and looked at her sleeping angel.
Molly came out the door with some warm blankets and handed them to Hermione and Harry, "Here, wrap the little dears up and get them inside where we can check them over. It won't do for them to catch a chill!" She bustled them inside, instructing them both to go have a seat.
Hermione sat down with her precious bundle, who burrowed down a little more into the blanket and curled in towards his mum with a sigh. Molly came over with her wand and ran a quick diagnostic charm, which she promised to teach to Hermione and Harry. "It isn't as thorough as going to a healer, but you can get enough information about your child's general health to decide if you can treat something at home or if you need to see a healer."
She checked Teddy over next and declared that they were both fine. Hermione slumped back in relief. Charlie walked over and sat down next to her. "See, everything is alright, Hermione."
"Charlie, I'm so sorry for panicking all over you. Thank you for holding me together." She looked up at him, her flushed cheeks revealing her embarrassment.
"It's alright, Hermione. This is all pretty new to you, besides, there is nothing wrong with worrying about your child," Charlie reassured her. He leaned over to speak quietly into her ear, "You've got nothing on my mum in the worrying department, Hermione. When compared to how she gets sometimes, you were downright serene!"
Hermione snickered, "Charlie! You're having me on. That was me in full panic mode. I can't imagine someone being worse than that!"
He quietly laughed, and they continued to sit together and talk, oblivious to the conversations and activity around them. This did not go unnoticed by others in the room.
Gradually, people started saying their congratulations and good byes. The crowds thinned out, until only the original family members were left. Harry and Ginny walked over to Hermione. They had taken Teddy home after the boys were found and came back to visit more with their guests.
"We hate to interrupt your private moment here, but Harry is leaving and wanted to say goodbye," Ginny snickered.
Hermione finally noticed how quiet it had gotten. She was shocked that everyone had left without her noticing. "Oh, well, we were just…"
"It's alright Hermione, Ginny was just teasing." Harry bent down to kiss Aquila on the forehead. He then gave Hermione a hug and reached over to shake Charlie's hand.
Charlie grasped his future brother-in-law's hand and asked, "How many of my brothers have given you the, 'you hurt my sister and I hurt you' talk yet?"
Harry laughed, "All of them in one way or another. Even Percy, I think, it was hard to tell, since he talked about so many other boring ministry goings on, too. But honestly, Charlie, you all know that I would never purposely do anything to hurt Ginny. I will spend the rest of my life making sure she is happy."
"I know you will, Harry."
Everyone else said their goodbyes, and with another kiss to his lovely bride-to-be, Harry flooed home, followed by Pansy, who was being escorted home by Ron.
"Er, Hermione," Charlie stood awkwardly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck, "I'm going to be here for a couple of more days, and I was wondering.. well.. would it be ok for me to take you and Aquila out to eat tomorrow evening?"
"Oh," the brunette girl, looking every bit as awkward as Charlie, "um..sure. Your mum is watching Aquila while I work the next couple of days, so I can meet you here after work when I come to pick him up?"
"Yeah, sounds good, uh, thanks. See you then." Charlie turned tail and exited the room.
"Well alright," Hermione's cheeks were a bright rosy red, and she looked down at her slumbering child, "I guess it's time to get you home to bed, little man."
Without actually looking up at anyone, she bid goodnight to all and told Molly what time to expect her in the morning. Then she quickly gathered her things and flooed back to her little home.
"Well," deadpanned George, "that wasn't awkward at all!" He turned to exit the room. "Excuse me, but I cannot let this opportunity to harass Charles pass by."
He left, followed shortly by Bill, and surprisingly Percy, both of them shouting, "Wait for us!"
Up next, Draco makes his entrance into this tale!