Six Years Later (2004) \\ The Beginning of Forever and Always \\ WICELA
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series nor everything that comes with it. The rights go to J.K. Rowling. The only thing I own is the holes in her stories that I filled with my fantasies.
Harry Potter looked really nervous at the black box he was holding. After Ginny told him that George Weasley - of all people - was going to propose, he couldn't hold himself anymore. The look Ginny gave him was the answer he knew for along time. Yes, she wanted to marry him and yes, she would give up her career for him. What was holding him back? Why didn't he do it already? It wasn't like he had the ring for more than a year now….
"Still doubting yourself, Harry?" His best friend said. Ron Weasley had walked into his office.
"Welcome to your first day of work, Ron!" Harry said enthusiastically. Ron just laughed and waved it away.
"I saw Hermione a minute ago."
"Oh…and?"
"Still the same of course. I think that she would try to cheer up a chair if it was possible." Harry laughed shortly.
"You know she still wants the best for you?"
"Of course, but she doesn't know what I really want."
"And what's that?" Ron sat on the chair and sighted.
"I miss her, Harry. I miss her everyday and it kills me to see her talking to me…like this. Like I'm my brother or something. She used to talk to me like I was someone else, like I was special to her."
"Yeah, of course you was special to her, you were her boyfriend."
"Well-I-er…I just meant that I'm…I want her back, okay? That's it."
"Rumor has it George Weasley is marrying soon and weddings are the best time to make-up…?"
"Why do you even know that kind of thing before me?" Ron stood up and nodded his head. Harry just laughed at him.
"Because I'm Harry Potter."
"Yeah, well, Harry Potter, you have the balls to fight against every creature, but you're nervous to ask your girlfriend - who really wants to marry you, by the way - to marry you? Get over yourself." He was right and that was exactly why Harry loved his best mate. Ron would say this kind of things to him and it would help him to really get over himself. What was he supposed to do otherwise?
Hermione Granger was sitting by herself in Tom's pub. Did she really say that to Ron? Did she really interfere Ron again? He was right, she was his ex-girlfriend. She wasn't supposed to do this stuff. Why did she care anyways? Because you're still in love with him, a voice in her head said. But that was ridiculous. It was her who pushed to two of them to break-up. It wasn't easy, - hell no, it was - but she was sure it had to be done. The Ron-Hermione-love-story wasn't supposed to be. But you want it. No. She didn't. She had peace with the fact they broke up. Ron was a mess anyways. And he smelled. And he had this weird…excuses, excuses, you miss him. It really was him seeing him today that bothered her. She had spoken with Ginny about it three days ago - the voice in her head really sounded like her - and Ginny had said to her not to give Ron up immediately.
"You look lost, Granger." A familiar voice said.
"You're still alive, Malfoy." Hermione answered. It was strange to see him. Of course he came and went, especially in Diagon Alley, but still. He talked to her.
"Is this sit taken?"
"You really want to sit with me - the mudblood - in this pub?" When she said mudblood, she rolled up her sleeve to give him a look at the word on her arm.
"It's different now."
"Yeah, well, we grew up and realized we had to get over ourself and deny the fact war infiltrated our youth?"
"Something like that." He muttered, rolling his sleeve up too. Hermione saw the place where a mark should have been. It was a scar now.
"So what brings you here?" She decided to ask.
"Some judging people. Angry because my family wasn't sent to Azkaban."
"Yeah, sorry, but I do wonder why they did that." He raised a brow.
"My mother lied to Voldemort about Potter not being dead. She saved his live, practically."
"Harry never told us…"
"Yeah well, the war isn't a subject to talk about with friends, is it? It's kinda depressing."
"That's true. I understand why people judge you. I judge you too, but I have my own reasons. People shouldn't judge you just because of your name." Malfoy smiled, while he looked at the beer Hermione had ordered.
"Are you going to drink that?" She shook her head and he took a sip.
"You're the third woman to say that to me."
"Who are number one and two?" Hermione asked, curiously.
"Astoria and Daphne Greengrass. I'm engaged to the first one." He said.
"Congratulations. I should've known that - I saw the announcement in the Daily Prophet."
"Thanks. And you? Why are you here?" Hermione rolled her eyes, but decided to be honest.
"Sobbing about my ex-boyfriend." Malfoy raised his brow again.
"I thought you were already happily married."
"Well, you should've known that too - the papers are full of it. Full of the break-up, full of the lies why, full of the lies why we're back together and everything, but Ron doesn't want to see it. He just sees Harry and all the attention he gets, but he doesn't see everything what others think of him." Malfoy looked in his pocket and gave her something.
"What's this?" Hermione asked.
"Lumos." Malfoy said, so Hermione could see it was a chocolate card.
"But…?"
"Turn it around." She saw Ron in the chocolate card.
"The three of you need to eat chocolate more often. You all have a card. Good luck with it." He was standing up, drinking the glass of beer empty at once.
"Thanks…" Hermione said, when he walked away. That was strange…
When Angelina Johnson walked into the shop of Lee and George, she interrupted the two of them when they wanted to tell her where she was.
"IT'S JUST ANGELINA." She shouted instead. George came down and laughed. It was strange to see him like this. This…happy. He had been this happy since she took him to his brothers grave. Did she really had this effect on him?
"You know, Ang, I just said the other day to Lee that I like you really, really much." George said.
"How flattering." She answered, rolling her eyes.
"And he said that you really, really like me back." Angelina had no idea why he said that, but he was right.
"Did he?"
"I said to Lee that if that was true, we are meant to be." Angelina rolled her eyes again.
"Yeah, George, we're so meant to be."
"We are if you're marrying me." She hold her breath for a second. Did he really said that? Did he really said something about…marriage?
"GEORGE WEASLEY IF YOU CALL THAT A PROPOSAL, YOU CAN MARRY YOURSELF!" She cried. In her head it would've been a lot more romantic. Something with candles and romantic words. Immediately she laughed at herself. George wasn't like that. He would never do that.
"TOLD YOU SHE WOULD SAY YES!" George shouted to Lee who was laughing really hard.
"Catch!" He said to her and in a reflex she'd turn around and caught the little black box. She opened it and she saw a ring. It was the most beautiful thing she ever got from a boy.
"You got to be kidding me." She muttered to herself, but when she turned around, George was standing in front of her. On one knee. With a rose.
"Dear Angelina Johnson, would you do me the honor of marrying me?" She nodded her head, laughing at him.
"Yes, of course." She answered. When his lips met hers, she knew all the reasons why he'd asked her and why she'd said yes. Not only, because they missed the same man, but also because of the little things. George could be sweet and caring. She'd never seen him more protective when it included his sister Ginny and when the time came, he could be it for her too. George Weasley wasn't the kind of person who would grab her hand in the middle of the street and would kiss her. George Weasley was the kind of person who would tease her that much, that she would be angry with him. At that moment, he would lift her up and kiss her. That was George Weasley and Angelina knew she loved that person.
Neville Longbottem walked into the office of one of his best mates.
"Hi Harry!" He said enthusiastically.
"This are the reports of last week." He lay the heavy paperwork down on Harry's bureau.
"Thanks Neville." Harry said, without looking up. Neville was about to walk out of the office, when he stopped his action. This wasn't what he really wanted to do.
"Something wrong, Neville?" Harry said, looking up now. Neville nodded and Harry pointed out the chair across his desk. With a quick spell, the door closed and Neville sat down on the chair.
"You know, Harry, I want to make my parents proud of me, but I also think they want me to do whatever I want to do. I'm an auror now, but…it doesn't satisfy me as much as it satisfy you and Ron. I'm really happy to have you as my boss, but I-I want to quit." Harry gave him a little smile and when Neville raised his brow, Harry explained himself.
"It isn't like I didn't saw this coming. It's a pity, because you're really good at what you do, but I think you're right. You have to do what you want to do. And Neville, I think you're parents are already really proud of you if you only look at what you've done." Neville thought about that and smiled a bit.
"Thanks, Harry." When he looked at Harry - and the little black box, he was nervously playing with - he knew he had to help his friend out.
"Planning to ask Ginny to marry her?"
"Yeah, well, I'm planning it for about half a year or something." Neville nodded at that.
"It's hard, I understand."
"It's hard, because I want to be sure of everything and seeing Ron and Hermione apart when they obviously don't want that is one of the things why I didn't ask it already. Marrying Ginny doesn't say anything. We can lose each other even when we're married. How was it for you and Luna to break up?" Neville thought about that for a second and smiled.
"We were never meant to be, you know. She's very different and very the similar to me at the same time. We're more like friends instead of lovers." Harry looked at him and nodded.
"You and Ginny, on the other hand, are meant to be. You two have been through so much and eventually love takes over. You can trust on your instincts, Harry." Harry smiled and stopped with the nervous box-playing thing.
"I'm doing it tonight." He said and Neville gave him a handshake.
"Good luck!"
Luna Lovegood was standing for a house. The nameplate told her she was at the right place. Newton Scamander. When she ring the bell a boy of her age opened the door.
"Hello! My name is Luna Lovegood. I've an appointment with Newton Scamander? I'm a journalist from the Quibbler."
"You're Luna Lovegood? Wow…it's an honor to finally meet you! I'm Ralf Scamander, his grandson." That explained the age of the boy, Luna thought. He was quite handsome and when he let her in, they were immediately talking about Mother Nature and the articles Luna wrote.
"So you wrote the article about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack?"
"Yes, it doesn't exist. My father and I have searched around the whole world for it, but it doesn't exist. It's a pity though."
"It was heart-breaking news to me and my grandfather." Rolf said. Luna laughed when he said that.
"What?" He asked.
"It's just…when I told my friends the news, they all looked at me as if they knew it for ages and here I am, with you and you're actually surprised."
"Not everybody is meant to be for the nature."
"That's true. I have a friend - his name is Ron - and when I talk to him, he things I'm mad."
"Oh, but you're mad."
"Excuse me?" All over the sudden, Luna didn't like him that much anymore. That was really rude of the guy and it wasn't like she wasn't used to such behavior, but this guy seemed different.
"I didn't mean to be rude, but you're mad. So am I, so is my grandfather. We, nature-lovers, are mad in our own way." It was an interesting guy, Luna thought, but before she could think more about it, Newton Scamander was with them.
"So, Luna Lovegood is it? Would you like a cup of tea?"
Seamus Finnigan was with his friend Dean Thomas sitting in the pub. It was how they were since the war was over. They were in the pub, drinking, looking at girls and make out.
"Can you remember that chick of yesterday?" Dean asked him.
"Are you serious? Not really."
"Yeah, well, she said her name was Patil." Seamus was immediately sober.
"As in Parvati or as in Padma?"
"Parvati."
"That's not good, bro, not good."
"What do you think I'm thinking right now? She saved my life in the battle."
"What are you going to do next?"
"I don't know. I feel guilty, but she was really drunk too so I hope she kinda don't remember it…"
"Was her sister with her?" Dean rolled his eyes.
"What?" Seamus said.
"Dude, you made out with her sister yesterday!"
"Speaking about them, they're walking to us."
"WHAT?!" Dean tried to hide and Seamus just laughed.
"Hi there." The twin said.
"Hi!" Seamus said.
"Hi." Dean said sheepishly.
"We thought, let's talk in a sober basis, instead of being drunk." Parvati said.
"I prefer being drunk." Seamus answered. Padma laughed when she picked the glass of beer of the table.
"We can see that." She answered.
"So, how have you two been?" Parvati asked. Dean and Seamus looked at each other and quickly looked away.
"You're not going to say that you two have been drunk for six years?" Padma said.
"Well, there isn't much else to do, is there?" Dean answered and the two girls rolled their eyes.
"Really, you two need to do something like an education and work. You two can have a future instead of sobbing. It's gone. The war is gone." The war was hard to process. Dean, for example, had been hiding the whole war and both of them were full of scars and war memories.
"But the girls here love our heroism!" Seamus protested.
"Heroism. Yeah right. Two boys sobbing, drinking and making out. That's precisely my definition of heroism." Padma told him.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Dean said.
"Helping, duh. We're healers. It's our job. It's what we do." Parvati answered.
"Stop protesting, we're doing this. End of discussion." Padma told them. Parvati winked to her sister and both of them walked away.