December 23

"Bye, Gin," Harry said, kissing her on the mouth. "We'll be following in about an hour- so make sure you move on from the Three Broomsticks, ok?"

She nodded. "Bye Harry," she said, reaching for her purse and walking out the door. She met Hermione down in the entrance hall with Luna and Angelina, Hermione looking nervous.

"Hello Ginny!" Luna said, hugging her friend.

Ginny greeted everyone before asking Hermione why she looked so upset.

"It's your final night as a single woman, after all! Why are you nervous?" she giggled.

Hermione's cheeks turned pink. "As I recall, Ginny, you were threatening to hex us if we tried to make you do anything you didn't want. And I'm just a bit... uncomfortable thinking of some of the things you might make me do," Hermione said.

Ginny gave a cold laugh. "Are you really that nervous about yourself? Or are you nervous at what the boy's are doing?"

Hermione blushed deeper, and Ginny leaned into her so that only Hermione could hear.

"I heard from Harry- Ron's made him, George and Neville promise not to take him anywhere too trashy. He says he doesn't want to regret anything he does tonight in the morning."

Hermione nodded, a little comforted. "It's not like Harry's going to tell you that they're going to be with some stripping witches though, Gin..." Hermione said, as though knowing it was a lost cause.

Ginny smiled at her friend. "Forget it Hermione- we both trust them. And can you imagine Neville with strippers? Come on- enjoy it. It's your one last night of freedom- let me enjoy it vicariously through you!"

Hermione finally smiled, her shoulders loosening up a bit. "So... what have you got me doing tonight?"

A scheming smile broke out on Ginny's face as she pulled a list from her pocket. "Well..."

At one thirty in the morning, the door to Ginny and Harry's room opened, and she stepped inside. The lights were on, and she saw Harry across the room, massaging his temples and removing his shoes.

"Hey! How was the girl's night?" he asked, and, though Ginny had tried to seem non-caring before and not wanted to admit it, she had worried a bit. However, she felt comforted: Harry seemed quite sober and quite non guilty.

A smile came onto her face as she thought about all the things that had happened in the past few hours. "It was great! Hermione was a bit nervous at first, but she loosened up after awhile. We had planned this scavenger hunt throughout Hogsmeade, with all these things she had to get from wizards that were out that night: a free drink, an autograph, a photo with her on his lap... It was real fun. She flat out refused to ask for this old geezer's drawers though, when we asked."

Harry shook his head. "Did you do all that?"

Ginny nodded. "Hermione thought it was all fun when it was me, but when we turned on her she didn't like it so much! But we had fun. What did you boys do? You're back early."

"Ron had a bit too much firewhiskey, but he'll be fine in the morning. He started talking, and revealing things about, uh, he and Hermione that none of us really wanted to know. He caught on a little too late, and then was too embarrassed to do anything else. We had to go home."

Ginny let out a burst of laughter, clutching her stomach, and leaning down onto the bed. "And Hermione was worried that Ron would be up to something tonight! I should have known he couldn't function a night without her..."

Harry just shook his head. "It was pretty hilarious actually. When we put him in the room across the hall from where Hermione's sleeping tonight, he kept asking where she was... George just told him, 'I think you two need some time apart, after all I've heard tonight. Or else your balls just need a bit of rest.'"

Ginny rolled her eyes, and then she and Harry changed into their pajamas and climbed into bed. She yawned hugely and cast her wand about the room, snuffing out the lights.

"I wonder if I'll cry at the wedding tomorrow," she thought aloud.

"You never cry. I'm more likely to cry that you will!"

"Maybe- but you remember Hermione at our wedding? She practically dissolved into a puddle."

They two were thoughtful about the following day, an important one for their friends. They had been working hard for the past few days in order to prepare for this wedding, and Ron and Hermione seemed eager to get it over with.

"I haven't got a doubt that they're making the right decision," Harry said. "I sort of knew it since fifth or sixth year. Though at first I was terrified they'd break up and I'd end up stuck in the middle. Or worse, they would end up like Bill and Fleur."

Ginny shuddered. Just then, the door cracked open, and a lit wand penetrated the darkness. Ginny and Harry sat up, squinting at the sudden brightness when Hermione's face came into view.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, holding up a hand to block the wand light. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Sorry!" she said, sounding flustered. "I- I don't really know what I'm thinking... I'm just so... so..."

"So what?" Ginny asked.

Hermione took that as an invitation to join them in bed, plopping down on top of the covers and crossing her legs. Harry turned a light on, and saw a telltale worried look on Hermione's face.

He looked at Ginny, but she was looking at Hermione. He knew it would be a long night now.

"I'm sorry. I've bothered you- you were probably sleeping, and I just barged in here. But I'm just so damn nervous!" she buried her face in her hands, and crumpled against the bed. "I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. Getting married? I'm only twenty-one! There's so many things I want to do, and now I'm just settling down and I'll never do the things I want to..." she dissolved into sobs.

Harry nervously patted Hermione on the shoulder, and looked at Ginny for help.

"Um, Hermione?" she asked. "You don't have to, you know, completely stop everything in your life just because you're married. I mean, I didn't, and I don't intend to. And Hermione, I really don't think you'll ever let anything stand in the way of your career. And think about it: who are you marrying?"

"Ron," she said, resigned.

"And why are you marrying him?"

"Because I love him."

"Would you marry him in ten years, after you've worked longer?"

"Yes."

"What about two years ago- would you have married him then?"

Hermione nodded. "Probably."

"Does marrying him really have anything to do with your age or your career?"

"No, not really."

"So, will you marrying him tomorrow?"

Hermione wiped her tears. "Ginny, you're right. I'm marrying Ron because I love him, and I won't be giving anything up." She got up from the bed, and walked back towards the doorway. "Thanks Ginny, and thanks Harry for your help. Um... goodnight." Then she turned and left.

Once the door had closed, Harry turned to Ginny. "I've been friends with her for nine years, and she's still mental sometimes."

Ginny shook her head. "No, she's not. She's nervous, and she should be. I was nervous before I married you, even though I was utterly positive I was doing the right thing. The night before, I couldn't sleep at all. I went down into the kitchen and made myself hot chocolate. I sat down there for two and a half hours, thinking about all the things I did as a child in the kitchen at the Burrow, until I was in tears. But I still wanted to marry you, and Hermione wants to marry Ron. She just needed someone to talk to. Weren't you nervous at all?"

Harry thought. "Yeah, I was. I didn't sleep well either, and Ron kept bugging me, telling me things like, 'Don't forget that she hates it when you carry stuff for her,' or 'She gets really angry when she doesn't sleep.' Finally I just told him to shut up."

Ginny shook her head. It just wasn't the same thing. "But weren't you ever worried that you were making the wrong decision? I knew, positively, that I wanted to marry you. And I knew that I would someday, no matter what. But the night before our wedding, I was still wondering if maybe I was marrying you too young, or... I don't even know. My brain just conjured these worries that were completely useless, and weren't even founded in fact. But I still worried. And Hermione worries about four times as much as me on a regular day, and I understand how she's feeling."

"I knew I wanted to marry you, and I knew I wanted a family. You were what I wanted, and I didn't want to be away from you ever again," Harry volunteered. "If I ever had second thoughts, I would just think about the year we spent apart and how horrible it felt."

Ginny nodded in the dark. "I guess we just thought it all over differently. But we both know Hermione and Ron will be fine."

"I agree. Especially considering all of the details I got tonight. I'm sure they'll last awhile with all of that... variety in their relationship."

"Ugh," Ginny grimaced. "Please do not tell me anything that Ron said. Just knowing they've slept together makes my stomach churn... Ron, naked. Just- ugh."

"I quite agree. I think you are the only Weasley I would ever want to see naked."

"Let's keep it that way, Potter."