Chapter 8

"First things first, what theme do you want?" asked a happy Mrs Weasley

"Well, we thought we'd have a very classical white wedding ceremony and a fun themed reception afterwards." Hermione said, looking at Fred for confirmation and he smiled in glee.

"That's sorted then. What decorations do you want for the actual ceremony?"

"What about some simple white benches and some bouquet on the end of them? Then have an arch at the end of the procession path where I'll be and then Hermione will walk down the procession path and join me under the arch." Suggested Fred

The thought was already blooming in Hermione's mind, but white didn't seem like a Fred kind of colour.

"What about some purple benches, to make it a bit more colourful? White, seems a bit dull for a Weasley twin wedding. And I've seen some beautiful purple bridesmaid dresses which could match them." Added Hermione

Fred's eyes lit up at the idea and Mrs Weasley noted everything down, practically jumping out of her seat in excitement.

"That's settled then. The procession party will be…?"

"George and Luna, Harry and Ginny and Ron and Patricia will do the procession. George is my best man."

"And Ginny will be my maid of honour."

"What about for the reception? What food do you want? The house elves from Hogwarts will help me with the cooking, so order anything my dears."

This was the only wedding Hermione was going to have, so she might as well make it the best she can.

"Could we have some canapés for the toasts, some with goat's cheese, and others with smoked salmon?

"That's a very muggle idea, what about some fizzy crackers with some bubbling cheese along with some exploding bites, maybe some bird-eggs as well." Said Fred eagerly

Those canapés did sound very interesting to Hermione. They let Mrs Weasley decide on the food, as they wanted it to be a surprise and then it was time to choose the cake.

Again, the couple decided on keeping the colour purple for the cake. There would be two different stands. There would be one big layered cake, with each layer having a different flavour and a cake stand with cupcakes of different flavours as well. It was a surprise as to what flavour you had, which fit well with the fun theme of the evening.

The reception and dinner would be under an enchanted marquee. The ceiling would be a night sky, and there would be fireworks at the end. The table would be round tables with one big official table with the bride, groom, parents and procession party.

After taking a quick break to eat some sandwiches made by Mrs Weasley, they started on the guest list and they made a virtual plan of the tables and decorations.

It was going to be a great wedding and Hermione didn't want it to be any other way so when they finished the preparations she was beaming and smiling. Time had flown by and it was already five in the afternoon.

Hermione took a book and went to read under the apple tree whilst Fred went back to the shop to help out George and Verity. She finished her book and decided to go on a walk before dinner. By just wandering around the big Weasley garden, she found a little path in the greenery and decided to follow it. After five minutes of walking, the narrow path opened out to reveal a vast open space with a big oak tree in the middle. We could just see the sky above the tree's branches. It was the most wonderful sight Hermione had seen and she sat down on the bench, which was by the tree.

During the wedding preparations, when they were talking about the guest list, Hermione had avoided the question about her parents and family. The truth was that the memory charm she had placed on her parents and sister was stronger than she thought. When she had gone to Australia to find them, the charm had been irreversible and so her family didn't know her anymore. It was hard to accept the fact that her father wouldn't give her away at her wedding and her mother and sister wouldn't be able to witness her wedding. The thought was enough to reduce Hermione to tears. She hadn't told anyone about this, and wasn't ready to, but she knew she would have to tell Fred one day. Hermione had made up her mind that after telling Fred, she would ask Mr Weasley to give her away. He was like a second father to her and had always been so kind to her.

Fred found Hermione lying down on the bench, her eyes red, her pink cheeks were tear streaked and her lips were wobbling as a fresh wave of tears spilled from her eyes. She was asleep and Fred didn't want to wake her up, but he had to, so he took Hermione's hand and kissed it gently. The young witch stood up abruptly and practically kicked Fred in the knee when doing so. Fred kept her hand in his and together they walked to dinner.

Fred knew that Hermione would talk to him when she wanted to and he wouldn't force to say anything she wasn't ready to talk about. Dinner was as always in the Burrow, loud and fun, but Fred kept glancing at Hermione, who seemed to be very far away from the Burrow. On her face was plastered a fake smile and her eyes seemed so distant. The cheerfulness he had seen before was completely gone now and it made Fred sad.

The food at dinner was amazing, as always, but Fred couldn't say that he'd loved dinner itself. Dinner wasn't all about food, it was also about the company you had. Tonight, his company had been upset, which had gotten him worried and upset. He had tried his best to cover up his emotions by cracking jokes and joining in to conversations, but he knew he hadn't done a great job. So at the end of dinner he took Hermione's hand once again and led her back to the oak tree. They sat in silent on the bench until he felt Hermione's shoulders shake. He looked over to see pearls rolling down her cheeks and her body was raked my sobs once again. Without a word, he took her in his arms and hugged her eyes.

"They won't come Fred."

"Who won't come, Hermione?"

"My parents, they won't come to my wedding."

"We can send them invitations and get them here, it'll work out."

"No it won't. They're in Australia, and have no idea that they have another daughter. My sister will never grow up to have a bigger sister. My father won't give me away; you'll never have parents in law. They don't know I exist Fred!" she whimpered

"Oh Merlin! I'm so sorry Hermione, I never knew. We can go find them together, see if we can do anything."

"It's no use, Fred. I've already tried." Said Hermione defeated "I'm sorry Fred, for putting on you this entire burden. The preparations for the wedding are fabulous! It'll be great. Thank you for everything."

"Anything for you Hermione, Dad can give you away."

The young witch nodded and fell asleep in his arms. When he was sure she was sleeping, he whispered

"I'll find your parents, Hermione. You'll have your fairytale wedding."

Then he took her back to the Burrow and laid her on her bed before kissing her temple and going back to the shop.