A/N: Finally, a new chapter for you all! Sorry for the delay, been quite busy the last couple of weeks.
So this is the wedding reception and just to warn you, there is a lot of fluff again! Also, the Weasley family bet in this chapter is actually based on something that happened at my own wedding reception.
You may recognise a certain poem in this chapter, which was taken from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, iBooks edition.
We are nearing the end of this story now. Just four more chapters to go!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
"Ok boys," George said calling the attention of the table to him. "And ladies of course, it is time for a Weasley Family Bet."
Looking up at the table where the wedding party was sat, George caught Ron's attention and waved him over.
"So what are we betting on, George?" Ron asked when he arrived at the table.
"How did you know?" Percy asked with a suspicious tone.
"George warned me," Ron simply said as he conjured up a chair so he could join the table.
"A bet over who will make our darling sister cry first," George gleefully announced.
"But Harry already managed to make her cry during his vows," Percy stated pointing out the flaw in George's plan.
"Doesn't count," George replied waving off Percy's concerns.
Percy was about to question why but was cut off from an unexpected source.
"Tears are expected during the ceremony, but not necessarily during the speeches," Fleur stated to the shock of the table.
"Exactly," George cheerfully agreed. "Now as my beautiful sister in law stated the speeches do not always cause tears, but I feel between Dad, Harry and Ron, one of them is bound to say something to make our baby sister cry."
George pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from his pocket and looked around the table.
"A 5 galleon bet per person, winner takes all or winnings are split between those who are correct," he explained. "So place your bets!"
Bets were quickly placed before Ron returned to his table shaking his head at the choices his brothers had made in regards to whom they thought would make Ginny cry during the speeches. He knew it took a lot to make her cry and there was only one person he knew that could make her cry actual happy tears. He retook his seat just as his father stood to begin his toast to the newlyweds.
"May I have your attention please?" Arthur called to the crowd of family and friends gathered within the large marquee that had been erected on the makeshift quidditch pitch for the reception to be held in. "I believe as we have come to the end of our amazing dinner, it is now time for us to listen to the speeches, which I shall begin."
Raising a glass of champagne to the newlyweds, Arthur began, "I would like to begin with a toast to my daughter and my new son in law, Ginny and Harry."
"Ginny and Harry!" the crowd toasted.
"Thank you to everyone for joining myself and my family to help us celebrate the marriage of my daughter to the love of her life this evening. Unfortunately, not everyone we love could be here to join us on this special day. While I did not have the pleasure of knowing them, I do know that James and Lily's absence is keenly felt today, but even so, I do believe that wherever they are, they will be watching as the events unfold and they will be incredibly happy and proud that their son, Harry has now found the happiness he deserves. So please join me in raising a glass in remembrance of James and Lily Potter."
"James and Lily!" the crowd cheered as a single tear slipped down Harry's cheek.
"Now usually it would be my job as the father of the bride to welcome the groom into the family. However, that would be pointless seeing as Harry has been a part of this family from the moment he first stepped into our home as a very shy and nervous twelve year old. It has been mine and Molly's honour to be able to include Harry as part of our family and we have long thought of him as our seventh son."
Ginny gave Harry's hand a squeeze knowing how much hearing those words from her father meant to him.
"I have to confess though that Molly and I did hope that one day you would fall for our little girl. So we were pleased when we discovered the two of you curled up together and asleep in the Gryffindor common room barely hours after the final battle had ended."
The newlyweds smiled at each other as they remembered that morning when they had confessed their love for each other for the first time.
"I know it took a long time for you to find each other due to embarrassing crushes, heartache and losses. You fought a war just so you could be together, but I can see from the happiness that shines in both of your eyes that for you it was completely worth it. So on behalf Molly and I, we wish you a lifetime of love and happiness."
All those in attendance applauded Arthur's speech as he walked over to the couple and hugged them.
"Well, it's my turn now," Harry said as he remained standing after hugging Arthur. "I want to start by thanking Molly and Arthur for welcoming me into their home all those years ago. You came into my life at a time I needed a family and I will never ever be more grateful than I am for the love and support you have shown me all these years."
Molly began crying at Harry's words which caused Charlie to lean into George and say, "Perhaps it should have been a bet on who Harry could make cry!"
"Next, I would like to thank Neville and Luna. Your support and help as we planned this wedding was amazing. Neville, the flowers are truly incredible. Luna, your help on how to honour our lost loved ones was much appreciated. But it is your friendship with and your support of Ginny during our year apart which I want to thank you for the most. I know that year was not easy for any of you, but you banded together and fought back, protecting each other when you were able to. I appreciate your friendship and support so much I doubt that I will ever be able to repay you for it."
Harry raised a glass in thanks as Ginny beamed at him for his sweet words for two of their closest friends.
"Ron, Hermione, you two have been my friends, my best friends, since I was eleven. We went through more together in seven years than most friends do in a lifetime and I will be forever grateful to the both of you for supporting me through all of that. I know I have not been the easiest person to be around, but you stuck by me anyway. You believed in me and even when you had your own doubts, you still remained by my side. For that reason, I can genuinely say that I probably would not be stood here today had you not."
Hermione flew out of her chair and hugged Harry as tears ran down her face.
"I'm starting to think you are right, Charlie," George whispered as Harry's words made yet another person cry.
"Finally, I want to thank my wife," Harry continued as he looked down at Ginny and took her hand in his. "I know everyone thinks I didn't truly notice you until my sixth year and in a way they were right, but that doesn't mean I never saw you. I still remember the little ten year old who ran after the train in my first year. I still remember you blushing, squeaking and running out of the room when I first came to The Burrow. I still remember the singing valentine you sent me and…"
Harry was interrupted by four of Ginny's brothers as they all stood up as though they had been waiting for this specific moment.
"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad," Bill began to the amusement of those guests in the know and to the absolute horror of Ginny.
"His hair is as dark as a blackboard," Charlie continued as Ginny began blushing and the guests began to cotton on to what was happening.
"I wish he was mine, he's really divine," Percy said with a straight face and looking anywhere but at Harry.
"The hero that conquered the Dark Lord," George finished to much laughter and a round of applause.
Ginny glared at her brothers causing them to sit down quickly before she turned on Harry, who quickly put his hands up in surrender.
"I swear I had no idea they were going to do this," Harry protested. "I would never embarrass you like this in front of everyone!"
Ginny's face softened as she believed his words and allowed Harry to lean down and softly kiss her.
"I can tell you, unlike her brothers," Harry continued. "I remember just how nasty her Bat Bogey Hex is and I definitely do not want to be on the receiving end of it!"
Ginny's brothers shrunk down in their seats, praying they would not be on the receiving end of that hex later as the guests laughed at their predicament. Harry, on the other hand, looked down at his wife and winked causing her to mouth a thank you to him.
"As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted," Harry pushed on. "There are so many things I remember about you from singing Valentines to sharing chocolate eggs in the library. It might have taken me time to see what was right in front of me all along, but I can honestly say that you are the most beautiful person, inside and out, I have ever met and I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to fall in love and marry my best friend."
Ginny stood up as the tears began to slip from her eyes and embraced her new husband. Harry wrapped one arm round her and with his spare hand raised his glass.
"To my beautiful wife, Ginny," Harry called out.
As the guests cheered and applauded the groom, Harry pulled his wife into a tantalizing kiss.
"I might be the best man, but I still do not want to see that," Ron called out to the amusement of everyone causing the newlyweds to pull apart and join in the laughter. As the couple took their seats, Ron glanced over at the table where his brothers were sat and decided he would reveal the bet as part of his speech. If Ginny hexed him, he knew it would be worth it.
"As the best man, it is supposed to be my job to tell embarrassing stories about the groom. However, I see no point in doing so considering most of your guests here today probably already know most of those stories," Ron began to the amusement of everyone present. "Instead, I would like to apologise."
The guests gasped in shock as the newlyweds looked up at him in confusion.
"I will admit that when we were younger, I did try to keep my sister away from my best friend. However, I know now that I was wrong to do that and perhaps if I hadn't, the two of you would have found each other much sooner."
Ron paused to look down at his girlfriend, who he hoped to marry one day, and she looked back at him proudly.
"I may not have always been the best brother or the best friend I could have been, but I was never as blind to what was happening around me as people tend to think. I didn't fail to notice that Ginny was the only one who was ever able to get through to Harry when he was in one of his moods and I didn't fail to notice how Harry would always go out of his way to protect my sister. I knew by the end of our fifth year that the two of you would be perfect for each other and I was right to think that because I have never seen either one of you smile or your eyes light up the way they do when you are together. After everything you have both been through to even get to this point, if anyone truly deserves a lifetime of happiness with the person they love the most, then it would be you two."
Hermione grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze in appreciation for his words.
"So I would like to propose a toast to the happy couple," Ron continued as he raised his glass. "To Harry and Ginny, may you always be happy!"
The guests toasted the couple before applauding Ron's speech. However, they quickly settled down as they noticed the best man was still standing.
"I can freely admit that no one knows you two as well as each other, but I think I can safely say that I know you two well enough and today you have proven that to me," Ron cryptically said before looking towards his brothers, who seem to recognise what he was about to do. "So my wonderful brothers, be ashamed of yourselves and pay up! I won!"
HP&GW
"I can't believe they put a bet on who would make me cry during the speeches," Ginny huffed as the newlyweds moved away from the table following the speeches. "And even then, they all bet against you, except for Ron!"
"Are you really surprised?" Harry asked with a hint of laughter. "Especially considering we have all made a bet on when Ron will propose to Hermione!"
"Point taken," she replied as they reached the table which displayed their wedding cake. "Oh Harry, it's beautiful!"
Neither of the couple had seen the cake up until that point as they had chosen to trust Molly to make it without too much input from themselves. The only thing they had requested was that it had to be a sponge cake with nothing too fancy in terms of the flavouring.
The cake itself was a simple seven tiered sponge cake, with alternating layers of cake covered in either red or gold coloured icing as a nod to their Gryffindor roots. It had been topped off with a stag and doe nestled together. For as simple as it was, it was still an elegant cake.
Harry laughed when he spotted the treacle tart that lay to the side of the cake. "I'm guessing we are cutting the tart as well!"
And they did, amongst much laughter of the guests who knew of Harry's love for treacle tart. And instead of feeding each other a piece of wedding cake as was traditional, Ginny decided to feed Harry a slice of the tart to the amusement of everyone present. As she did, she purposefully smeared some of it over his face and then proceeded to kiss it off him.
"Mmm, tasty," she whispered as she licked the final crumb for the side of his mouth and then captured his lips with hers prompting many whistles and catcalls from their friends and family.
HP&GW
George looked on as he watched Harry lead Ginny to the dancefloor for their first dance as husband and wife. He had promised the newlyweds that he would not pull any pranks throughout the day and he had kept that promise to a certain extent. Admittedly the idea for reciting the poem if the chance presented itself had been his idea, but it was never intended as a prank as his mother had suggested it was when she had berated him and his brothers for embarrassing their sister the way they had. To him, it was more a remembrance of where the relationship had begun. Either way, his next plan he felt more than made up for what had happened during the speeches.
As the muggle song the couple had chosen began to play, George discreetly aimed his wand upwards and above the couple and whispered a spell. A few seconds later, lily and rose petals slowly began to fall around the couple as they danced together and as they hit the floor, the petals would fade away.
The couple stopped and looked up as they noticed the falling petals. He could see the confusion in their faces before they looked directly at him and smiled before dancing together again.
"That was a sweet thing you did, George," Angelina whispered into his ear. George just smiled and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend as they quietly watched the newlyweds as they shared a sweet kiss.
HP&GW
The newlyweds danced the night away as they were seemingly passed from person to person while gravitating back towards one another every so often.
It was as the sun began to set and the fairy lights began to twinkle that they found their way back to each other once again. Harry was carrying a sleepy and messy Teddy who had refused to settle down for or be held by anyone but his godfather.
"Let's have one last spin round the dance floor, little buddy," Harry softly crooned as Ginny approached.
Ginny couldn't help but smile at the sight before her as she imagined the day that Harry could do that with their own child. As she continued watching as Harry slowly swayed to the music with Teddy resting his head in the crook of his godfather's neck, she realised that she and Harry were already parents in a way, even if Teddy was not theirs biologically.
"There are my two favourite boys," she said as she wrapped her arms around the both of them and began swaying along with Harry to the music.
Harry grinned at her. "Has he fallen asleep yet?"
Ginny glanced up and saw the peaceful looking face of a sleeping Teddy. "Yeah, he has."
"One more dance and then we'll get ready to go," Harry happily suggested.
The newlyweds pressed their foreheads together and gazed into one another's eyes as they enjoyed one final dance, oblivious to the smiles they were receiving.
"Are you going to tell me where we are going on our honeymoon?" Ginny asked as she moved her head so she could rest it on the shoulder opposite to where Teddy lay.
"Well, that depends," Harry teased.
Ginny gave him a pout as she looked back up at him.
"The sooner you throw your bouquet, the sooner we can get out of here and go on our honeymoon!"
Ginny smiled in understanding and softly kissed her husband being careful not to jostle their Godson.
Just minutes later, Ginny had collected her bouquet and Harry had passed Teddy back to Andromeda. The couple now stood in front of their guests.
"If we could have all the single ladies come to the front please, then Ginny will throw her bouquet and we can find out who is getting married next," Harry announced with a cheeky grin.
The couple watched as many of their female guests came into the centre of the dancefloor. Harry watched for both Ron and George's reactions as their girlfriends joined the small crowd and was impressed by the lack of fear in their eyes. Ginny, however, seemed shocked when a fair few of her Harpies team mates decided to participate, including her captain, Gwenog Jones.
"Aim for Angelina or Hermione," Harry whispered in his wife's ear as she turned her back on the women having decided exactly where and to whom she wanted to throw her bouquet.
"I fully intend to," Ginny replied with a wink.
On the count of three, the bride threw her bouquet up and over her shoulder with absolute precision as she used her skills as a professional chaser to throw in the direction of the two women she had planned to aim for. A delighted scream came just seconds later, which told her that her aim had been spot on.
Harry could only laugh as he watched the women scramble for the bouquet. He couldn't help but give a small cheer as Angelina leapt up above the others and snatched it out of the air easily and without any real fight from anyone else.
"Great throw, Mrs Potter," Harry chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her waist as she turned back to face the crowd.
Before Ginny could make any sort of reply, the newlyweds' attention was drawn to the centre of the dancefloor by a collective gasp. They saw George unexpectedly get down on one knee in front of a tearful and shocked Angelina.
"If you don't mind, I just want to steal your thunder for a couple of minutes," George called out to Harry and Ginny, before taking his girlfriend's left hand in both of his own. "I'm just going to get straight to the point even though I don't have a ring. Will you marry me?"
"YES!" Angelina screamed out in excitement as she threw herself at George.
Harry and Ginny quickly moved forward to congratulate them, making sure to inform them that they had no problem with them getting engaged at their wedding reception as it just made the night just that bit more special for them.
"Though, you can't deny that it gives you an excuse to keep on celebrating once we leave," Ginny said hugging her older brother tightly.
"Oh I would have done that any way," George replied as his sister released him from her embrace.
Ginny felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind and a pair of lips come next to her ear.
"Let's get out of here while everyone is distracted," Harry whispered into his bride's ear.
Ginny gave him a subtle nod as the pair began to creep out of the crowd gathered around the newly engaged couple. Amazingly, no one noticed as the newlyweds snuck back to the house, hand in hand, to grab any personal belongings that had been left there before apparating back to their cottage in Godric's Hollow.
In fact, no one noticed until a bright, silver stag galloped into the wedding reception and Harry's voice began to speak from it.
"Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate our special day with us. Congratulations to George and Angelina on their engagement. Ginny and I have already left. We were just a little eager to go on our honeymoon. Enjoy the rest of the evening and see you all in a couple of weeks!"