August 2nd dawned bright and sunny. The perfect day to have an outdoor wedding, in Hermione's opinion. The marquee used for Bill and Fleur's wedding was back in place at the Burrow, and everything looked as pristine as it had all those years ago. Hermione had been helping all week to get the place up to scratch for its many visitors and was satisfied with how it looked as she apparated in. The place would be full to bursting but both Harry and Ginny had desperately wanted to be married at the Burrow, despite how their guestlist had snowballed when they realised how many people they wanted there with them.

Charlie had arrived the day before but had been roped in so quickly with setting up the marquee and tidying the grounds that Hermione had not seen him except from afar as she cleaned the house. She'd left the Burrow early once everything was sorted to get a good night's sleep, knowing she'd need to be back bright and early to begin her maid-of-honour duties.

Making her way to Ginny's room, she crept up the stairs, hesitating only slightly outside the door she knew hid Charlie.

Knocking softly on her friend's door, it whipped open quickly despite the early hour and she was dragged inside into a tight, somewhat desperate, hug.

"It's alright, Ginny, just breathe." She said calmly, practiced by now at soothing the girl down from her wedding jitters. She hugged her friend quickly then put her at arm's length to show her some deep breaths.

"I'm getting married today! To Harry!" Ginny squealed happily with a face-splitting grin once she was under control. Then the grin fell, "but look at my hair!" She gestured to her long red hair, which looked like something had nested in it overnight.

"It's alright, I brought my shampoo. It'll be back to its usual gorgeous state by the time we're done." She rummaged around in her trusty beaded bag and started to unpack the things they would need that day onto Ginny's dresser. "Where are your shoes? I'll charm them now while I remember."

They spent the morning trimming and painting nails, plucking eyebrows, bathing, shaving legs, washing and styling hair, and discussing at length how perfect Harry and Ginny were for each other. They were joined at various intervals by the other Weasley women. Hermione was often asked politely (and not so politely in Ange's case) to swap out to charm their shoes for that night while they did whatever task she had been doing. She was happy to help, and quite often even happier to put her freshly painted feet up and let her wand do the work after all the running around she'd been doing that week.

--

By the time it was time to get dressed and head down to the marquee, Ginny's nerves had evaporated and she was buzzing with excitement. Due to her quidditch career, the sizable crowd gathering outside didn't phase her, and if anything, Hermione was the one more nervous about the number of people who would be there. She was so glad she'd charmed her shoes, it was now much less likely she'd fall in the shiny silver high heels Ginny had chosen for her.

Her bridesmaid dress was gorgeous, she was so thankful to Ginny for choosing something that suited her so well. It was a stormy grey-blue floor-length, A-line dress that accentuated her small waist and complimented her skin tone. Her hair was tamed as usual, but her curls had been left down, with just a couple of tendrils from the sides pulled up to keep it from falling into her face too much. She felt beautiful. Which was saying something when she was standing next to Ginny in her wedding dress. The pristine white sheath dress was strapless and backless and looked as if Ginny had been poured into it. With her red hair half-braided in an intricate bun embellished by wildflowers, she looked effortlessly beautiful on her wedding day.

As the minutes ticked down, Ginny had a steady stream of visitors wishing her well. As Ginny's parents and brothers (bar Ron who was waiting with Harry) squeezed inside the room, Hermione quickly jumped up and excused herself to stand outside to allow them all some privacy. She felt Charlie's eyes on her as she left the room but didn't allow herself to look at him, knowing it would be difficult to look away.

As she stepped outside, she breathed deeply and stood to look out the window opposite Ginny's room. There were so many people here, but this view only showed a few stragglers rushing to the marquee on the other side of the house, and it helped relax her.

The door opened, and looking over her shoulder, she saw the four brothers step out in their matching dark blue trim-cut robes to give Ginny time alone with her parents. George stepped over to her and spun her around with a twirl which made her dress flare out prettily. Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and a gentle hug, careful not to undo any of their hard work, he pulled back to look at her. "You look gorgeous, 'Mi." He said softly, looking genuinely proud of her and slightly misty-eyed. He pulled her close again and whispered to her, "I'm so glad we're friends."

The unexpected comment had her welling up and, unable to force words out of her suddenly tight throat, she nodded at him fiercely. He grinned at having made her teary and reached out to boop her nose. She swatted him away, rolling her eyes.

Looking past him she saw his brothers watching them with amused looks on their faces.

Percy came over to give her a perfunctory kiss on the cheek, but appeared to really mean it when he said she looked lovely before stepping away.

Bill gave her a roguish grin and a quick kiss and told her to save him a dance later, to which she blushed. Which was lucky, because if she hadn't already been blushing she would've when she finally let herself focus on Charlie.

He looked glorious in the dress robes, the colour made his eyes look an even darker blue than usual. His smile was soft and once she was hidden from the others by the bulk of his body, he drew her in close and surreptitiously breathed in deeply as he hugged her. "You look stunning," he said as he stepped back. "That man of yours is very lucky."

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to correct him, just as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stepped out of Ginny's room looking teary-eyed and gestured to them all to start down the stairs. She turned her shocked look to George, whose eyebrows were also at his hairline.

"I didn't realise he hadn't been told," he whispered to her quickly as the others started down the stairs. "I'll tell him on our way down. It won't look suspicious because he's the one who brought it up." She breathed out quickly, nodded her thanks as he disappeared down the steps after the others, and made her way back into Ginny's room.

After a quick check that tears hadn't ruined any make-up, and another check out her window to make sure everyone was in place, they grabbed their bouquets and were ready to go down.

It would only be herself and Ron standing at the front with Harry and Ginny, the couple unable to choose further people without expanding the raised area to fit the entire Weasley family. As maid-of-honour, Hermione would walk down the aisle first, then Ginny would follow in all her glory, escorted by Mr. Weasley. Ron would be standing up the front with Harry waiting for them both.

Their nerves rocketed the closer they got to the tent. They could hear the buzz of many voices and she squeezed Ginny's hand in reassurance as they stopped just outside where Arthur was waiting. Hermione turned to Ginny quickly. "I'm so proud of you, Ginny, you look gorgeous. Harry's going to be so speechless he won't be able to say his vows properly." Ginny laughed at this and relaxed slightly. "I love you, let's go get you married!"

As Hermione hugged her friend fiercely, their cue music started. Having practiced the timing of this repeatedly, she knew she better get going. Hermione took a deep breath, winked at Ginny who was standing out of sight holding her father's arm, and slipped round the corner into the marquee.

The aisle looked even longer now that the place was packed with people. She gripped her bouquet nervously as the entire assembly turned to look at her, and she tried to calm her beating heart. She looked to the front of the room and felt her smile widen. There were Harry and Ron, smiling widely back at her. Her boys. The boys she'd been through so much with were all grown up and looking so smart in their dress robes. The rest of the aisle went by quickly as the pride in her chest kept her nerves at bay.

Once at the front, she quickly kissed the boys on the cheek, squeezed Harry's hand, and took her place opposite them. Turning to face the crowd, she saw George in the front row give her a quick thumbs up and Angelina next to him already wiping tears from her eyes. Next to them, her breath caught at the look Charlie was giving her. He looked proud of her, his smile crinkling his eyes as he watched her. She was unused to seeing such a carefree expression on his face, more used to his intense stares and smirks lately. He looked jubilant, and she gave him a broad smile in return as there was an upsurge in the music and Ginny stepped in with her father. Charlie winked at her quickly before turning to join everyone else in watching his sister make her way down the aisle.

The ceremony was beautiful. Harry, as expected, couldn't take his eyes off Ginny, and she stared back devotedly. The celebrant's calming voice washed over them all as they spoke of love, promise, and binding. Hermione's eyes welled up during their vows to each other and she willed the tears not to fall at the look of adoration on her friends' faces. She looked at Ron a couple of times and each time his eyes were lovingly focused on Lottie sitting in the front row. Hermione smiled to herself as she thought there would probably be some more nuptials soon.

As Harry kissed his new bride, Hermione whooped and hollered along with the rest, handed Ginny's bouquet back to her, and tucked her arm into Ron's waiting elbow. Ron looked down at her as they followed the newlyweds back down the aisle. "I can't believe we've come this far," he said. "The troll seems a long time ago now, doesn't it?"

She snorted, then covered her face with her bouquet as they laughed together. As they made their way out of the marquee, Harry and Ginny turned to them, beaming, and she grabbed her friends in a triumphant hug. This is what they had fought for, moments like this. Ron put his arms around all of them and the four of them stood there basking in the joy of the moment until the swell of people wanting to see the new couple pulled them apart.

Hermione edged away from the throng of people and found a quiet spot under the trees to watch the excitement without feeling the press of bodies around her or the stares on her back. She reached quickly to her hidden pocket at her waist and pulled her wand to cast a cooling charm on the area around her. The weather was scorching. She watched as everyone congratulated the couple, as Ron found Lottie and whispered to her tenderly, as Molly was pulled gently away from Harry and Ginny by Arthur, dabbing at her streaming eyes and smiling widely. She saw Charlie spy her from across the large open area, and she followed his progress steadily through the crowd in her direction. His large form had no trouble nudging people out of his way and as he reached her spot under the trees, he sighed loudly. "Fuck, that cooling charm is nice."

She smiled up at him warmly. "You're welcome to share it with me." She gestured to a tree beside hers and he leant his shoulder against it, facing her.

"Hermione," he began, looking into her face intently. "You look amaz-"

"Hermione! We need to do photos!" Hermione could've groaned as Ginny's shrill voice hit them from over the crowd, but it was her wedding after all, and she had duties to uphold. Charlie had closed his eyes, his face pointing to the sky, frustrated at the interruption.

"I'll find you later, baby." She smirked as she repeated his words from Christmas and she squeezed his forearm as she moved away.

"What did Charlie want?" Ginny asked as Hermione caught up to her in the crowd.

"Just to make use of my cooling charm in the shade, I think." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Ooh! Can you cast one over where we're shooting the photos?" Ginny asked excitedly, "I never got the hang of large area ones like yours, and I don't want to look sweaty." She pulled them away from the mass of chatting people much to Hermione's relief.

--

A long, long period of photographs followed, by the end of which Hermione's cheeks hurt from smiling and she was gasping for a drink. She moved quickly over to a floating tray and downed a glass of champagne before reaching for another to sip at a more sedate pace.

A sonorous of George's voice echoed around them, telling everyone to find their places for dinner. Stepping inside the marquee once more, it had been transformed. Many, many round tables filled the space with a long table at the far end for the bridal party and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. The other Weasleys were at a table close by and Hermione also recognised a table of Harry's workmates, Ginny's quidditch team (who were attracting a lot of starstruck attention), some old Hogwarts teachers and school friends, and a lot of extended Weasley family and various people she recognised but could not place.

Dinner was delicious, made even more tasty by the fact she'd forgotten to eat that day in all the excitement. She almost gave Ron a run for his money on how fast she inhaled the entrée, then remembered where she was, and how many people could see her and forcibly made herself slow down and eat politely. Ron made a short, funny but surprisingly eloquent speech between courses and as the room chorused, "To the bride and groom!" she squeezed his hand as he sagged in relief and Harry on her other side stood up with a deep breath to begin his own speech.

He spoke confidently and smoothly, thanking everyone for coming, his eternal love for Ginny, and the journey they'd had to get there, and Hermione was once more filled with pride for the couple. She was bursting with happiness for them and if she was honest, envious of the love in their eyes. Almost involuntarily, her eyes roamed the sea of faces and quickly found where Charlie was sitting with his family. He wore a soft smile as he listened, looking calm and supremely happy for his sister and her new husband.

She loved seeing this side of him. She didn't dislike his sexy, smirking, intense looks either, even the memory of them would bring a blush to her cheeks, but the gentle side of him, his 'best behaviour' that she'd seen at Christmas, she wanted that too. She wanted him to smile at her the way Harry was now smiling at Ginny. As if he heard her thoughts, his eyes shifted to hers. His expression didn't change, and suddenly she was on the receiving end of that soft smile. His attention made her blush, and she saw his eyes darken slightly before she tore her eyes away to refocus on Harry.

"And you, Hermione, Ron," Harry continued, as he looked down at them, eyes shining. "Thank you for standing up there with us today. Everyone here knows at least some of what we've been through together, if not all the gory details. I wouldn't be the person I am, or probably even standing here, if you hadn't been by my side every step of the way, guiding me, supporting me, and loving me, and I know Ginny feels the same. Ron, Hermione, you're the best friends, the best brother and sister we could ask for, and my love for you both is only surpassed by my love for my gorgeous new wife."

Hermione's eyes were swimming as Harry turned to hug her gently. "I love you so much, Harry. I'm so proud of you," she whispered in his ear before he moved away and embraced Ron hard, the two slapping each other's backs loudly. As Harry turned with some final words for the room, she dabbed her eyes delicately with her cloth napkin, ever impressed with magic when she saw no make-up smeared there. She looked back out at the crowd as Harry finished his speech and raised his glass in his bride's honour.

"To Ginny!" Everyone chorused as Ginny waved happily at the attention and kissed Harry as he sat down.

Conversation rose again as the main course of salmon and roasted vegetables arrived. Reminding herself where she was, she ate gracefully despite her hunger, and she and Ron pointed out different people they recognised in the crowd to each other as they ate.

Arthur's speech took them on a rollercoaster of emotions, from cute stories of Ginny keeping up with her brothers as a young girl, to knowing Harry would fit into their chaotic family after he flew their car to Hogwarts at 12 years old, to fearing for them both during the war, and watching their love blossom and grow over the last decade. "Ginny has always been my little girl, but I entrust her to you, Harry, as I would no one else. Molly and I are so proud to be able to officially call you our son."

"To Harry!"

The rest of the formalities flew by. Dessert was a small portion of tiramisu (which made Hermione moan quietly with the first bite) followed by the couple moving to cut the cake, which was then quickly distributed.

As everyone stood to exit the marquee briefly (to allow the tables to make way for the dancefloor), Hermione sighed quietly and made her way unobtrusively to the edge of things once more. She hated being in the spotlight, or even sitting immediately next to it as she had been tonight. She put a quick notice-me-not charm on herself and stepped into the shadows of the orchard trees, grateful for the diminishing sound, light, and attention. She stepped a little further into the darkness and leant her back and head against a rough tree trunk and shut her eyes, trying to tune out the noise of the party. She guessed she had a little bit of time to calm down before everything was cleared away and everyone was called back in.

A cool hand touched her shoulder gently. Gasping, her eyes snapped open and she was reaching for her wand before registering it was Charlie standing there in front of her, hands in a surrendered position in front of him. "It's just me," he said as if speaking to a spooked animal.

Hermione dropped her hands and breathed out slowly. "Sorry, I'm a bit on edge. How did you find me? I put a charm on."

"It's much easier to break if you're already following a person before they put the charm on." He smiled sheepishly at her and offered her one of the two drinks that were levitating at his side. "You look like you could use a drink?"

She grabbed the wine glass gratefully (and slightly desperately), and sipped. "Thanks."

"Not big on parties?" He asked, with understanding in his eyes.

"Not big on crowds," she nodded. "Or lots of attention."

"So, walking down the aisle and sitting at the top table..." He blew out a breath in sympathy.

"I'm happy to do it, and honoured they want me there, I just need a little time-out before getting on the dancefloor. And maybe more alcohol," She added, raising her drink to him. He chinked his glass against hers and they drank, smiling.

"The quiet out here suits me much better, too." He raised his eyes to the sky, and she mirrored him. The sun was starting to set behind the trees, stars would be out soon.

"Why were you following me?" She asked and was gratified to see his cheeks turn pink. He appeared to brace himself as he focused on her.

"I- I wanted to talk to you. I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you all day. You really do look incredible, baby." Hermione sucked in a breath at the endearment, and Charlie took a step closer to her, and another. "But it's not just today, baby. Seeing you in April and knowing you were with someone else, knowing I couldn't touch you, knowing someone else was putting their hands on you..." He grit his teeth and shook his head. "I know we said no-strings at Christmas, baby, but I want you, again. And again, and again."

He was so close now their bodies were almost touching. He dropped his empty glass and put a hand on her cheek. Leaning into it slightly, she stared into his earnest eyes as he continued, "I've wanted you this whole time. I can't stop thinking about that night with you, I've never wanted someone the way I want you."

Hermione closed her eyes. She felt torn. Charlie hadn't acknowledged any feelings, but what he described couldn't be a solely sexual need, nor was it just a passing fancy. She took a shaky breath in through her nose.

His other hand came up to hold her waist tightly against him as he leaned in to breathe into her ear, his other hand still holding her jaw, a rough thumb stroking her cheek. "I know you want me, baby. I know you can feel it. Please, Hermione, my body is craving yours."

Hermione shook her head, trying to clear it. She couldn't think. What was the question? Her body was burning for him, the delicious ache pulsing between her legs testament to that.

"I-" She started.

As soon as she went to speak, Charlie pulled back, his attention on what she would say. The slight distance helped to clear her head a little. She smiled. He wanted her, more than he'd wanted anyone else, he'd said. He recognised that she was different from his usual flings, that had to be progress. She could be patient and let him work the rest out on his own. And in the meantime, she would enjoy herself, and his body.

"Yes." Charlie's eyes lit up at her whisper and he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Yes?" He repeated, his hand tightening around her waist. "Yes, you want me, we get a repeat?"

Was there ever any question?

"Yes," she breathed again. "But not right now. The first dance is soon." He groaned and pressed his body to hers again.

"I don't know what's worse, watching you in this dress, and not knowing if I'll be able to have you again, or watching you in this dress, waiting to have you again." Hermione laughed.

"I guess you're about to find out," she smirked at him as George's sonorous called everyone back into the tent to join the happy couple in their first dance.