Ron paced angrily, he had no idea why he was angry, but he was. Anger pooled off of him in waves. Back in the Library, again. Ron felt as if he'd been in the library more in the past three months than he ever had in his life. Though it wasn't to study, no the Library was quiet and a wonderful place to see his lady-love. Daphne. Who never bugged him about studying. In fact, she never nagged him at all. If he wanted to do something, she'd simply smirk, and ask him if that was what he really wanted.
"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong or are you going to continue to pace as if you're trying to burn a hole in the floor?" Daphne asked lazily thumbing through the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. The newspaper, slowly, had begun to regain its stature. No longer posting outlandish lies. Harry had even agreed to do an interview for it. Though the newest coverage was over the newest laws Arthur had implanted, to make sure that nothing like what had happened before, could happen again. To make sure the ministry couldn't be infiltrated again.
"It's just. Harry asked me my permission to marry my sister today." Daphne looked up from the newspaper, her blue eyes wide with surprise. Folding it up, she set it down carefully on the table beside her.
"That sounds like good news. After all Potter is famous, he'll take care of your sister. So what's the problem?" The Daphne it seemed simple. Harry was famous. He had money. He loved Ginny, any idiot with eyes could see that regardless if the eyes worked. He would take care of the girl, there was no doubt about that. "Do you not approve of your best friend becoming your brother-in-law?" Daphne asked looking at Ron evenly.
"No, it's none of that." Ron's brow drew. "I know that Harry will take care of her, he is my best friend after all." Ron wasn't so sure if they were still best friends, it wasn't something that the two of them talked about. "Just, my sister getting married before me." Ron growled a little throwing himself down in the chair closest to him, his long legs sprawled out in front of him. Daphne's soft giggles drew his attention and Ron looked at her darkly, though her mood had begun to rub off on him, a sly smile tug on his lips.
"Is that what your worried about?" Daphne leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "Your baby sister getting married before you do? Don't worry about that, everyone has their time. Potter just decided this was his, and Ginny happened to be the girl he decided to marry." Ron grinned running a hand through Daphne's hair. Something he had never been able to do with Hermione. Too often Ron found himself comparing the two.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll know when it's my time. So long as the girl says yes." The smile that Daphne gave him let him know, when the time came, the girl would indeed say yes.
Hermione stared at bowl of porridge in front of her. How long had it been? Almost three weeks. Yeah, almost three weeks since the Halloween Masque. Yet every morning she still woke up with a yearning, yearning to know who the mystery man had been. Hermione couldn't ask anyone though, then she would have to admit that she'd slept with a perfect stranger. Hermione Granger was not about to admit that to anyone. She didn't even want to tell Ginny about it. She didn't have to tell Ginny about it.
"Hermione!" The girl jumped from stirring her porridge, one of the apple chunks almost falling out of the bowl. Hermione, normally more awake in the morning, looking at Ginny with big, hazy, brown eyes. Ginny's smile was bright though, infectious. Hermione returned it without a second thought as Ginny sat down excitedly beside her with Harry taking a seat across from the two of them, though his eyes were all for the red-head in front of him.
"Yes dear? Is there something that you wanted to tell me? Or rather shout at me?" Hermione asked with a bite of laughter, pushing her porridge away from her. Despite that she ate it every Wednesday, Hermione wasn't feeling porridge on this particular morning.
"I have something very important to tell you indeed." The way Ginny enunciated the word very Hermione had to arch a brow. If Ginny thought it was important, Hermione probably would too. Ginny practically bounced in her seat, her hand-held out toward's Hermione. "Notice anything different?" Ginny asked excitedly. Hermione looked the girl over quickly, not seeing anything Hermione looked to Harry for the answer. The boy smiled kindly, nodding toward's Ginny's hand.
"Oh my god Ginny!" Hermione's eyes lit up as she saw the ring on the girl's finger. She looked at Harry again who nodded. "You guys! That's wonderful. When did this happen?" Hermione took Ginny's hand, bringing it in for closer inspection. Hermione had a sneaking feeling about the ring, something about it. Hermione didn't think that Harry had bought it.
"Harry asked me a little while ago, I couldn't wait to share the news with everyone, especially not my best friend." The two girls laughed hugging each other.
"Oh this is just wonderful! Do the two of you have a date set?" Hermione began pulling out a sheet of parchment. Ever the planner. "I'm sure Molly will have her own ideas about how the wedding should be planned but oh Ginny!" Hermione hugged her again. "I want to make sure that you enjoy your wedding, it is the only one you're going to get after all." Hermione looked at Harry darkly, threateningly.
"We do. We're going to get married June 17th. It'll be an outside ceremony though we'll do it during the day, it'll be different than Fleur's wedding though. I'm definitely thinking green, to go with Harry's family colors." Hermione immediately nodded, her eyes narrowing as she began to write the thing's Ginny was saying. "As for the flowers, well, I think white lilies would be perfect." Hermione looked up, Harry had already left the two of them alone.
"Lilies would be perfect Ginny." Hermione agreed. "Have you told your Mom yet? Lord know that I doubt Harry did. If your Dad did, ha. I bet you'd be boggled down in plans by now." The two girl's laughed Ginny nodded her head.
"Of course no one told her. Her only daughter getting married? Being given away to someone? I'm sure that she's just going to hate that." Hermione laughed as she wrote down a few more details. Of course it seemed as if they had made headway on the plans but, there was still a lot to do. For once, Hermione found herself glad that Harry didn't have any family except his Aunt, Uncle and cousin.
"Ginny." Hermione almost spit up the gulp of pumpkin juice she'd swallowed. The girl looked up from her own piece of paper, where she had written out possible cake combinations. "Narcissa is technically your family." Ginny looked at Hermione for a long moment. The Black's were a part of their family.
"We don't have to invite everyone in the family Hermione." Ginny's face was even, the two of them nodded a little morbidly. Looking down at the bowl of porridge in front of Hermione, Ginny looked up at her, arching a brow. "What's wrong Hermione?" She asked softly, much to Hermione's confusion. Ginny pushed the bowl toward her. "Are you getting sick?"
"Oh no, you misunderstand." Hermione quickly shook her head, pushing the bowl of porridge away from herself again. "I'm not getting sick, I just didn't feel like eating porridge today is all. Every time I look at it, it makes my stomach churn." Indeed looking at it did make Hermione queasy. Hermione felt her mouth began to pool with warm saliva. She quickly looked away from the porridge, afraid if she looked too long it would make her throw up.
"Alright, but if you feel like you're getting sick you better go to Madam Pomfrey. I'll drag you there myself. Don't think I won't. I'll have Harry help me." Hermione laughed at her friend, touched that she cared as much as she did.
"Don't worry Ginny if I feel sick." Hermione pressed a hand to mouth swallowing down a lump of nausea. "I will definitely go to see Madam Pomfrey. Actually. I am going to go ahead and go see her, maybe get something to soothe my stomach." Hermione stood up, holding a hand to her stomach. Ginny stood up following Hermione, tucking away the parchment they'd been writing on. Her eyes worried as she marched Hermione's strides. Hermione never got sick, the girl drank orange juice almost ever day, ate porridge, even cabbage when she had to, just to keep herself healthy. With her parents gone, Hermione didn't have anyone to worry about her.
"This better be good, you're not to use me to be getting out of class." Madam Pomfrey's words stopped as Hermione entered the classroom. "What's the matter dear?" Hermione still had the back of her hand firmly pressed to her mouth.
"She isn't feeling well. I think that she's." Ginny didn't get to finish her sentence. Hermione threw up what little she had eaten in the past few hours. From the looks of it, Ginny would say that it didn't seem like much. "Nauseous." Ginny finished her sentence immediately pulling out her wand to clean up the puke from the floor as Madam Pomfrey moved, wiping the vomit from her face with a cold cloth. "Do you think it's food poisoning?" Ginny asked as they helped Hermione into a bed.
"No, I can't stay here." Hermione began to protest the moment they put her in the bed. "I need to get to class. I've got an important quiz coming up in Arithmancy soon." Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue, pushing Hermione back down on the bed.
"If it were food poisoning, her face would be green. She's probably just caught a stomach bug." Madam Pomfrey held her hand on Hermione's shoulder looking at her this time instead of Ginny. "And she will be able to leave just as soon as I get her the anti nausea potion. That way you won't be throwing up in the middle of class, just in case this isn't a one time thing." Madam Pomfrey handed her a small bucket, just as Hermione threw up again, violently. Ginny wasn't sure how she had anything left in it. Ginny wiped Hermione's face again, as she gave a pathetic moan.
"It'll be okay 'Mione, Madam Pomfrey is going to get something. She'll be here in a little bit." Ginny assured her handing Hermione the wet cloth.
"Thank you Ginny. You go on to class. I'll be fine, you'll see." Hermione gave her a small smile, which Ginny scoffed at. "I thought you might say something like that." Hermione laughed though it quickly turned into another wave of vomiting. The noise was wretched, made Ginny ache for Hermione.
"Is she going to be okay?" Luna's soft voice caught both of them off guard. The girl held a cloth to her forehead. "I walked into a statue, I'll be fine." Luna assured them at the curious looks they both gave her. "What's wrong with her?" Luna asked politely sitting down on the bed next to Hermione's. "It's not anything terrible is it?"
"She's got an upset stomach is all. Madam Pomfrey is getting her an anti-nausea potion."
"I haven't seen someone throw up this much since my cousin Mania got pregnant. She never stopped throwing up. The girl was like a fountain. Even when she never ate anything." Luna mused though Ginny laughed, wiping Hermione's mouth for her when she pulled her head from the bucket once more.
"There's no way 'Mione's pregnant though."