Chapter 48

The day had turned out beautiful. The sun was shining, there were very few clouds in the sky, and there was not a single drop of rain forecasted for the whole day. It was as if it had known and turned off its usual pattern of rain just for the special occasion.

Ron had woken that morning feeling positively sick to his stomach. He'd not been able to eat any of the breakfast that Harry had made, instead choosing to spend his time pacing the kitchen nervously or making sure everything they needed was ready to go.

They didn't need much — everything was already at the place — but Ron still had the overwhelming feeling that he was going to forget something important.

"You definitely have the rings?" Ron asked as Harry spooned cereal into his mouth.

Harry grinned. "Didn't I ask you the same thing only a few months ago?"

Ron glared at Harry — a warning not to be funny.

Harry sighed. "I have the rings, yeah. Hermione left them in my safe keeping a week ago. I haven't let them out of my sight since."

Ron nodded.

"You should really eat," Harry said.

"And didn't I say that to you?" Ron bit back. "And you still said no."

Harry had given up after that, perhaps reminiscing his own feelings and realising it was no use in trying to get Ron to do anything on the morning of his wedding. It was just accepted, maybe, that nobody ate breakfast on the morning they were supposed to be getting married.

Molly dropped in early to check on them, then gave Ron a big hug and said he'd be just fine. Then George had come by, followed by Bill, and even Percy.

Around midday, Ginny popped in, which sent a fresh wave of panic through Ron. The wedding was at three, but she didn't even have her hair done, her makeup done… he thought women were supposed to start all of that early.

"You can't talk," she said, nodding to his own outfit now hanging in the kitchen. "And nothing's wrong, don't stress. Hermione is getting her hair done and I just thought I could come to my house for a moment and see how things were going."

"We're doing great," Harry said brightly, and he kissed the top of Ginny's head.

"How's Hermione?" Ron asked. "Is she…"

"Well, she's a little nervous," Ginny said. "But she's not your level of stress. You need to relax."

"Says you who yelled at me to get out of my own house," Ron muttered.

"Well, take it from my personal experience — stressing is not worth it. It's going to be fine."

Ron thought back to the night before, and how he'd been feeling nervous while walking around the venue, but then he'd seen Hermione and the bad feelings had stopped and had changed to being really, really good ones. He wondered if that would be the case again.

"Maybe I should just go and see her. Make sure she's —"

"She'll murder you," Ginny said. "And then there actually will be no wedding."

"She calms me," Ron argued.

"You're not supposed to see each other before the wedding," Ginny said. "It's tradition, and it makes the moment you do see each other a lot more special."

Ron sat down at the table. He wanted to tell her that he didn't care about tradition. Nothing was traditional about them anyway. But one of the most pleasant thoughts he'd had all morning was seeing Hermione in the moment their ceremony was about to begin, and going home now would ruin the fantasy he'd built inside his head.

"Harry, for the love of Merlin, get some Firewhisky into him or something," Ginny said.

"I tried," Harry retorted. "He's refused it all."

Ginny looked between her husband and her brother and rolled her eyes. "Was this you on our wedding day?" she asked after a moment.

"I was worse," Harry said. "Ron's got it quite under control in comparison. He has only asked me if I have the rings twice."

Ginny shook her head. "Well, I'm going back to a calmer environment. See you both at the wedding."

She smiled at them and then left via the fireplace.

Ron let out a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding.

"Come on," Harry said after a moment. "Let's get dressed, and we'll head to the place. Maybe seeing everything set up will help with the nerves. I know it did for me."

…

By two o'clock — an hour before the wedding — Harry found Ron sitting on the ground outside the pub. He'd escaped the suffocating reception room half an hour before and had come out here for some fresh air… and contemplation.

But to Harry, it probably looked as if he'd run away.

"You okay?" Harry sat beside him, both of their backs against the brick wall. The only things around them were some overgrown shrubs and ants scuttling along the ground in front of them. Ron had been watching them with interest, jealous of the simplicity of their lives.

Ron nodded but said nothing. He wasn't really sure what to say, because he had no idea what was going through his head. Until that morning, he'd thought that marrying Hermione would be the easiest thing he'd ever do. He'd been so happy, so excited about it. He'd asked her to marry him without an ounce of fear; he was comfortable around her, confident in himself. So, he had no idea why all of a sudden he felt so… afraid.

He loved her more than anything, and even now, as he sat on the ground at the side of their wedding venue, he still got a burst in his chest of love for her everytime the thought of her entered his mind. But with that love came a fear… a fear that he wasn't good enough for her.

That's what it was.

He suddenly felt very inadequate to be her husband, to be the person she spent the rest of her life with. Why him? Out of all the people in the world — including an international Quidditch star who had fancied her — why was it Ron who got to marry her?

It just seemed… odd.

He closed his eyes, then turned to Harry. When he opened them again, he saw a whole lot of understanding in his best friend's expression. Like he knew what Ron was thinking.

"She loves you," he said. "She really, really loves you. And you love her."

Ron felt like his sixteen year old self again, the feeling of worthlessness washing over him with such power that his chest ached. Learning that she had kissed Krum, an international Quidditch star, and then comparing himself to Krum and realising that there was absolutely no way she would ever consider him if she had Krum vying for her he felt like his eighteen year old self, and the locket, and seeing his fears come to life. How she didn't want him or even think him worthy of her love. How Harry had seen him at his most vulnerable, seen his inner fears, and realised in that moment just how intense Ron's feelings for her had become.

Ron looked at his friend, briefly wondering if he should express these concerns verbally. They'd come a long way in their ability to talk to one another about these, but… did he really want to reopen these memories when they had worked so hard to move on from that part of their lives?

He looked back down. He didn't know where it had come from; why, after so many years of feeling comfortable in his own skin, he suddenly felt all of this again. Hermione had made him feel so many things, but all had been good. She'd made him feel worthy, loved, and most importantly, happy.

None of those feelings had changed overnight.

Just his old insecurities rearing their ugly heads.

"I know I keep saying this," Harry said, "but I promise you, the moment you see her, all of these negative thoughts will disappear. Instantly. It's like a switch."

"I don't understand why I'm feeling this all of a sudden," Ron said. "Yesterday, I was so excited to marry her. But now…"

"It's a massive commitment to make to one person," Harry said. "And it doesn't fully hit you until it's a reality. It's one thing being in a relationship with one another, owning a house together, behaving like you've been married for years…" He smirked at that. "But to make it legal, to sign a contract that says 'I'm going to love this person forever' is really daunting. No matter how in love you are, no matter how long you've been together for…"

Ron looked down at his hands. They were shaking slightly — they had been since he'd been sitting there.

He knew Harry's words were true, but it didn't make it any easier. Deep down he knew that he would be happy to spend the rest of his life with Hermione. It would make him the happiest person on Earth to do it. But at the same time, the idea terrified him.

"Look at it this way," Harry continued. "You signed a house contract together. You have a bank account together. You've talked about having children together. All things a lot of people do after they're married. This is just the final step in this part of your lives. I know you don't see yourself with anyone else. I know how you feel about her. I know how she feels about you."

"I love her so much," Ron said. "And that's why it's so hard right now. I almost feel that no one is good enough for her, including me. Like I'm going to mess it up somehow." He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

"She doesn't see it like that."

"You've spoken to her?" Ron asked.

"Not today, but a lot," Harry said. "On those days where you and I have different shifts. Sometimes we have our lunch break together. You forget that she's my best friend, too. You're perfectly good enough for her. And she's good enough for you. You're perfect together."

Ron opened his eyes again and looked at Harry once more. He and Harry had not had a conversation like this before. Years of friendship, Harry was married to Ron's sister, and their discussions about romance had only ever touched a superficial surface. It was almost an unspoken agreement that neither of them were to go into anything deeper at risk of turning their friendship uncomfortable.

But… it didn't feel uncomfortable. It was just… the truth.

"You are both going to be so happy together," Harry continued. "I know you are. You love each other so much, and today is just a celebration of that love. Nothing more, nothing less."

They sat together in silence for a long time. At least fifteen minutes must have passed, which meant that there was now less than an hour until he saw Hermione.

Eventually, Ron said, "Thanks."

"What are best men for?"

"I think I got the very best."

"You feeling a little better now?"

Ron nodded, and slowly, he got to his feet. He'd been sitting in the dirt, which meant his trousers were filthy. But that was nothing a simple cleaning spell couldn't fix. He took out his wand, and immediately all of the dirt fell off, leaving his suit looking as clean and as smooth as it had before he'd put it on.

Harry glanced down at his wristwatch. "We have about forty minutes to go. Some people might be starting to arrive."

The last thing Ron wanted to do was to speak to people, but the alternative was spending that time clock-watching, which was worse. "Let's go," he said, and they walked back round to the garden side of the pub where there were seats, a beautifully decorated archway, and a few people already starting to mingle.

Ron spotted his parents first, Molly already hurrying over to them.

"Oh, look at you two!" she gushed, smoothing down Ron's suit that really didn't need it. "So handsome. How are you feeling, Ron?"

"I'm good," Ron said, nodding and letting out another breath.

"You look terrified," Molly said, though she smiled. "Perfectly normal."

"Thanks, Mum," Ron scowled, and he stepped away from her.

Luna was also there, sitting on one of the seats and staring dreamily at something no one else could see.

To Ron's surprise, he smiled, watching her. Many things had changed over the years, but Luna had not. She was just as dreamy, just as vague, as she always had been. And somehow that brought comfort to Ron.

"Hi, Luna," he said, approaching her.

"Oh, hi, Ron," she replied, smiling up at him. "Hi, Harry."

"Hey, Luna."

"It's a beautiful place," Luna continued. "I really like the flowers over there. Who picked them?"

"Hermione."

"They're so lovely."

Ron was half expecting her to give him some weird theory about what they meant at a wedding, but she said nothing more, returning to stare at them.

Harry clapped Ron on the back and guided him towards the arch.

"Not so bad, is it?"

"It's alright," Ron said. He was feeling a little calmer now. Harry's words and seeing Luna definitely helped.

His palms were sweating, though, but he didn't want to wipe them on his suit. He'd ruin it.

Over the next little bit, people began to arrive in thin streams. They hadn't invited a huge number of people, but as the time drew closer to three o'clock, Ron spotted his friends, Seamus and Dean, Neville, along with some unfamiliar faces, too. Hermione hadn't introduced him to the few family members she'd invited to the wedding apart from her parents. Apparently an uncle of hers — her mother's brother — was coming with two of his three adult children and one grandchild, and her grandmother (her father's mother). They were the only ones who knew about magic, so she thought it safe to invite them.

Ron almost felt the need to go over and introduce himself to them when he saw a little old lady with a walking stick hobble over to the front near Hermione's dad.

But what would he say? 'Hi, I'm the person your granddaughter is marrying. Nice to meet you… right before I marry her.'

He'd let Hermione do the introductions at the reception.

Though, he couldn't help but catch the eye of her grandmother; but the woman didn't seem to know which one Hermione was to be marrying, for her eyes flicked between Ron and Harry, before turning to Robert.

A moment later, Robert pointed to Ron, gave a small smile, and her grandmother seemed satisfied by the response. She flashed Ron a smile, to which he returned, albeit a little uncomfortably.

A moment later, George, who'd been acting as usher along with Bill, came up to them. "Just had word that the girls are here."

"What?" Ron said. "But… it's not time!" He felt as if he needed a few more minutes to gather himself. The distraction of watching the guests had worked, but perhaps a little too well. Time had slipped away from him.

"Five minutes," Harry said. "You okay?"

"No," Ron said, and he peered nervously down the aisle. It had been laid with rose petals, one of the few things that Ron had been able to contribute to for the setup. He knew nothing about anything else — Ron was good at the romantic gestures, Hermione was good at the decorations. They were a perfect team.

Harry patted Ron's back, and although he didn't say anything, the fact that Harry left his hand there really meant a lot to Ron. It was nice to know that Harry had his back — literally — during the most terrifying and exciting moment of his life.

George had returned to the back with Bill, the pair hurrying in the last guests. There was no seating room left, so everyone else was standing.

Ron threw a quick glance over to his parents, who'd done their best to dress the part for a wedding in a Muggle place. He wasn't sure they'd quite managed it, his father wearing mismatched pieces of a suit, and his mother in… jeans and a really fancy top, but they didn't stick out too much.

Molly offered him a tearful smile, grinning proudly. He returned it with a nervous smile of his own.

A moment later, music began to play, and Ron felt Harry move his hand to Ron's shoulder, squeezing it tightly. Did Harry feel how tense Ron was? Could he feel Ron trembling slightly?

Perhaps he could, for his hold tightened even more and he leaned forward and said, "You've got this."

Ron nodded, swallowing a hard lump that had formed in his throat. His palms were dripping with sweat now, so he clasped them together in an attempt to hide it.

The music had been playing for a few moments when Ron caught sight of a long, pale purple dress appearing from around the corner.

Ginny.

His sister, Ron thought, looked stunning. Her hair was pulled back in a tight updo, and she had a layer of makeup on that even from a distance, really accentuated her features. Ron cast a sideways glance to Harry, who was grinning like an idiot at his wife as she began to make her way down the aisle, a bunch of flowers clasped in her hands.

It was essentially deja vu from their wedding last year, with role reversals.

Ron couldn't help but smile despite his nerves.

Ginny was halfway towards them when Ron's breath caught in his throat.

All eyes were off Ginny now, turned to Hermione who'd appeared from the exact same place Ginny had a moment ago.

Ron only had to take one look at her, and he had no idea why, because he'd not anticipated this at all, but his vision suddenly became cloudy.

Tears had filled his eyes upon seeing her, and he couldn't explain it. It had just happened.

She was beautiful. Not just because she was done up in the most elegant white gown he'd ever seen anyone wear, lace finishing off the ends, or that she'd tamed her hair and it was pulled back in a half-do, curls falling around her face, but because she was Hermione, and she was there, and she was going to marry him.

Harry had been right — his nerves had gone entirely the moment he laid eyes on her — but those eyes were now filled with tears, and his body was trembling from it. Harry turned to him, noticing the tears, and he embraced him.

Ron could no longer see Hermione as Harry held onto him, a comforting embrace. He felt so ridiculous, but he couldn't control them from rolling down his cheeks and dripping onto Harry's clothes.

She was here.

A moment later, he felt a hand slip into his, and he pulled away, thinking it was Hermione.

It was Ginny. She was smiling at him. "She looks amazing, doesn't she?" she said, and she gave his hand a squeeze. "Cry baby," she added, muttering it under her breath.

He must have looked a sight to everyone watching them. Tears rolling down Ron's face, Harry and Ginny both holding on to him tightly.

But they were all watching Hermione now. She was so close, he could just about reach her. And he did, the moment he had the chance. He shook off Harry, and let go of Ginny's hand, and reached out his own to take Hermione's.

She, too, had tears in her eyes as he pulled her the rest of the way towards the altar.

"This blubbering mess is about to be your problem for life," Ginny said, stepping forward to take Hermione's bouquet. "Are you sure you want to continue?"

But Hermione only smiled at Ron. "Why are you crying?" she all but laughed.

"I don't know," Ron said, wiping away the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. "I saw you… you look amazing." He was holding both of her hands now and she squeezed them. He did the same.

His heart was pounding in his chest so hard he thought it might jump out. The tears had stopped now, and all he felt was pure, unconditional love for the person standing in front of him.

He smiled at her, the sound of the music, the whispers, everything else, drowned out. It was just the two of them. He didn't care about anyone else in that moment.

Then, a voice interrupted the peaceful moment, and Ron startled, turning to the man they'd picked to marry them. He was a wizard, but he was apt in the Muggle marriage ceremonies too, and that would be what he would perform. It was accepted well enough in the wizarding world.

Ron didn't care. He just wanted to be married to her — wizard or Muggle. It made no difference to him.

"Beloved guests," the man began, "may I welcome you to the wedding of Ronald Bilius Weasley and Hermione Jean Granger on this fine, sunny day."

Ron beamed at Hermione, and she returned it. She looked so happy. And so beautiful. She was so, so beautiful.

The wizard went through all the legal rambling of a marriage ceremony, stuff that he had to say to make it law, but stuff that no one was ever interested in.

It went for a while, and the whole time he spoke, Ron just looked at Hermione. She'd been very secretive about any of her plans for this part of the wedding. She'd given nothing away about her dress, or her hair, or her shoes even. Ron had asked, but apparently it was bad luck or something.

Ron wasn't sure he believed that, but he was now glad she had refused him, because the shock at seeing her had quite literally brought him to tears (something he was sure he'd feel horribly embarrassed about in the future).

She was so pretty. He just wanted to kiss her.

"Ron, are you ready to read the vows you've written?"

Ron turned to the wizard, then looked at Hermione, feeling a slight wave of panic wash over him. No, he wasn't. He still couldn't remember any of what he was supposed to say. Harry had been wrong about that. He'd seen her and his mind had gone more blank than ever, the only words coming to him being you're so beautiful and I love you so much. He wasn't sure they'd cut it.

But she was smiling up at him, and he did just love her so much.

He laughed. "I have absolutely no idea what to say." He could almost sense Ginny rolling her eyes from somewhere behind him.

A few of the guests chuckled.

He stared into her eyes, which had glistened over with tears again. His own were kept at bay… for the moment. Then, "Just that I love you, and I'll always love you, no matter what." As he spoke the words, he felt something in his coat pocket. He'd almost forgotten about it, having slipped it in there a few days earlier, thinking he might need it on the day. He didn't know why — it had just felt right to put it there.

Now, at the time where he was almost rendered speechless, he was alerted to its pressure against his chest. He dug into the pocket and extracted the Deluminator he'd been given by Dumbledore — something that had proven itself incredibly useful to him when he'd needed it most, but also something he'd not really thought too much about over the last few years since.

Hermione looked at it curiously, as did — Ron assumed — everyone else. To them, it would have looked like a plain old cigarette lighter.

"And just that every day since this moment," he placed the Deluminator in her hands, "you have continuously been that light to touch my heart. Every single day." He closed her hands around the Deluminator and smiled into her tearful face. "I don't need it anymore. I have you."

For a moment, Hermione looked at the object in her hands. She seemed to grasp the meaning of it, because a moment after that, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she looked over Ron's shoulder to Ginny. Ginny came forward to take it, looking extremely confused by the whole thing. But she said nothing, returning to her place beside Harry.

Then it was Hermione's turn to speak, but the tears seemed to be preventing her. She kept wiping them away, but more kept coming.

"I should have gone first," she sniffed, wiping her eyes for the third time.

"No," Ron told her, grinning. "You saw me before. I'd be a mess."

She laughed at that, turning her back to the guests in an attempt to regather herself. Ron rubbed her back, which he realised now was bare.

Eventually, she turned back to face Ron, smiling again. Though more tears still threatened to fall, she seemed to have them under control.

"Now I've completely forgotten what I was supposed to say."

Ron's grin widened.

She sniffed again. "Oh God, I don't even know. You sometimes have this effect on me — lost for words. Just seeing you today, now, and the sheer happiness I feel being here, doing this with you, makes all the other things — the harder things — worth it. All the long days at work, the days where we hardly see each other, makes the times we do have together so, so special." She paused, and Ron rubbed her arm comfortingly.

"I've loved you for such a long time, and this is what I want, what I've always wanted. You. Us. All of it. I just… love you. I love you so much."

When she said nothing more, Ron presumed she was done. He stared at her for a moment, his hand still on her arm.

It was the wizard who broke them away again, claiming they needed to do the rings — Ron had almost forgotten about that.

Ron couldn't quite explain the feeling of everything in that moment. For so long, he'd anticipated this, imagined it in his head, gone over it a thousand times. He'd even dreamt of it at times, especially as the actual day had drawn nearer, wondering if he'd forgotten something.

Things had not gone as he'd imagined. For one, he'd not expected to cry when he saw her, or that he'd forget everything he was supposed to say to her — that he wanted to say.

But he had hoped that he'd feel as happy as he did in that moment, as overwhelmed with love for her, as he felt. She was his world — everything he wanted and loved. And now she was also his wife.

"Can I kiss you now?" he asked.

"Yes," Hermione replied, her voice weak and laced with emotion. "Kiss me."

Ron didn't hold back. He gathered her against him, wrapping his arms around her whole body, and kissed her. It was once again just the two of them. No one else mattered — no one else in the world mattered in that moment.

"We did it," Hermione said, breaking away.

"I'm so happy," Ron said.

"Me too." She smiled up at him, running her hand along the side of his face.

He kissed her again, this time more gently. "You're stuck with me forever now," he told her.

"Gladly."

Ron took her hand in his and turned back to face the front. He could see his mother sobbing into a handkerchief, which was nothing unusual — she'd cried at all of her children's weddings — and Seamus and Dean and Neville all grinning. Luna was watching them with a smile on her face, and even Hermione's parents were beaming at their daughter.

He squeezed her hand tightly and smiled at her. They really had done it. They were married. And he'd not felt this happy since… ever.

Okay, super worried I disappointed with this chapter after a lot of anticipation, but I hope you all enjoyed it! The Ron crying part is credit to a head canon I saw ages ago about it and I just HAD to use it haha.

Thanks for sticking with it for so long and... for many more chapters to come too (if you want)!