Chapter 88

Ginny POV

Ginny could not believe how quickly the next few days flew by. One moment, she and Hermione were drifting off to sleep cuddled up in her bed after a delicious outdoor meal made to celebrate Hermione's arrival for the summer. The next, she was queued up with Fleur's dad waiting for the bathroom, and she'd already exhausted all of her topics of conversation.

Ginny couldn't remember a time that the Burrow had been so jam packed with people. All of her brothers were home for the wedding, as well as Fleur and her family, which thankfully only included Fleur, her parents, and her younger sister, because fourteen people under one roof felt like it was pushing the Burrow a bit too far beyond its capacity. For the most part, the sleeping arrangements had turned out just fine. Hermione and Ginny continued to share her room alone. Fleur's parents slept in her parents' room, while her parents slept in the sitting room downstairs. Fleur and her sister Gabrielle slept in Percy's room, while Bill and Charlie shared Bill's room. The twins slept in their room, and Ron begrudgingly allowed Percy to bunk with him in his room. Ginny found it odd that Fleur and Bill wouldn't have wanted to share a room, but apparently it was tradition – certainly not one she'd want to continue if she were ever to get married to Hermione, as she loved sleeping next to the girl each night and was already dreading when they'd be apart again once they were back in their dormitories at Hogwarts.

Overall, Ginny found Fleur's family to be pleasant enough. They were kind and gracious guests, and were always more than willing to help with whatever they could. After the events of Christmas, Ginny had been a bit nervous to see Fleur again, especially with Hermione staying at the Burrow, but she found that the woman was in full wedding mode from the moment she stepped into the Burrow, and didn't appear to want to gossip about Juliette like she did during Christmas. Her younger sister, on the other hand, was a bit of a different story right from their introduction to her.

"Gabrielle, zis is Ginny, Bill's little sister, and 'Ermione, 'er girlfriend."

Gabrielle, who was a year younger than Ginny and was physically Fleur in miniature, looked from Ginny to Hermione then back to Fleur, before she lifted an eyebrow and began speaking in rapid French. Fleur spoke back in what sounded to be a reprimanding tone, although, French often seemed to be a bit intense to Ginny whenever it was spoken, so she couldn't be sure. Gabrielle then turned back to Hermione and Ginny and smiled sweetly as Fleur walked out to the garden, leaving the three of them alone in the kitchen.

"It is nice to meet you. I 'ave 'eard so much about you. Well, about you," she said, looking at Hermione.

Hermione blushed and frowned slightly, "Yes, I've heard I have quite the reputation at Beauxbatons…"

Gabrielle nodded, "Yes, ze girl 'oo broke ze 'eart of ze notorious 'eartbreaker. Zat is all in ze past now, 'owever, as zis past year Juliette 'as been very much back to 'er old ways."

Ginny looked at Hermione, whose face had not moved as she stared at the stunning blonde girl before her.

"Not with me, of course, as I am far too young… Apparently…" Gabrielle mumbled irritably. "Anyway, it is nice to meet you both. Ginny, I am glad I will not be ze only bridesmaid. My sister can be a bit demanding, and I was not looking forward to being ze only one at 'er beck and call."

Ginny paled a bit at this, but nodded, "Yeah, glad we won't be alone in that."

Gabrielle nodded at both of them then walked out the back door to join her sister.

"Hermione, are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Hermione turned and looked at Ginny. She seemed as if she was somewhere else completely.

"Are you alright, hearing that Juliette – "

"I'm fine. It just took me by surprise, that's all…"

Ginny nodded, "Yeah, I'd imagine it'd be hard hearing that she's back to her old ways."

Hermione nodded, then shrugged and gave Ginny a small smile, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes, "It's been years, I'm glad she's apparently found someone new. Or multiple new people. Doesn't matter."

"You know Hermione, you don't have to be okay with this…"

"Don't be ridiculous Ginny, it's been years…"

"So? You know that I never really had real feelings for Demelza, it was more of a first girlfriend infatuation thing we had going on. But you definitely had very real feelings for Juliette…"

"While I had very real feelings for you…" Hermione reminded Ginny, taking her hand.

"Alright, just… Know that it's alright for you to feel however you feel about this. And if you want to talk about it, I'm here for you. I'm secure enough in our relationship for that," Ginny said with a small smile of her own as she squeezed Hermione's hand.

Hermione smile grew, and this time it did reach her dark brown eyes, "Is that right?"

Ginny nodded and gave her a warm version of her crooked smile, "That's right. I know you and I know us. I'm good."

"She's just so mature and wise, isn't she?" Hermione teased lightly as she leaned forward and captured Ginny's lips for a soft kiss. Now that the Burrow was packed full of people, they hadn't had any time at all for kissing or snogging or anything else, and Ginny was glad that Hermione was taking advantage of the fact that somehow they'd found themselves alone in the kitchen for more than a few seconds.

"Girls, come on, we need help outside picking flowers for the arrangements!" Mrs. Weasley said as she strode hurriedly through the kitchen out to the garden.

Ginny sighed and grabbed Hermione's hand, following her mum outside.

The morning of the wedding felt to Ginny like it flew by even faster than the days leading up to the event. The marquee had been set up in the orchard bright and early, and the interior had been decorated beautifully. She'd made the near-fatal mistake of trying to slip out to get in a quick run before the festivities, but was caught by her mum, who angrily informed her that she was completely out of her mind for thinking she should be anywhere but by Fleur's side the morning of her wedding. Hermione smiled when Ginny reported this back to her in her room, and agreed with Mrs. Weasley, to Ginny's minor annoyance.

"It's a wedding, Ginny, it's all about the bride and groom. Especially the bride. It's just one day. You can tolerate Fleur and Gabrielle for one day, can't you? For Bill?"

Ginny groaned at this and flopped down dramatically on her bed, where Hermione was still resting comfortably under the covers.

"Ginny!" Hermione laughed lightly and tried to shove her off. "Go on and shower, then I'll help you into your dress, how about that?"

Ginny exaggeratedly jumped up and sprinted out of the room, and she smiled when she could still hear Hermione laughing as she climbed the stairs to the bathroom. She showered and dried her hair quickly, throwing on a simple t-shirt and shorts before returning to her room to find Hermione looking at her bridesmaid dress. The simple gold dress was hanging by the window overlooking the orchard, and from the door Ginny could see how much it glittered in the sunlight. Not too much, but just enough to catch your eye.

"It's beautiful…" Hermione said in slight awe as she examined the gold fabric.

"I was a bit worried it'd be over the top and extravagant, seeing as it's Fleur, but I have to admit, she's got good taste," Ginny agreed as she closed her door behind her. "Now, I believe someone saying something about helping me into my dress… Do you recall who that was?"

Hermione turned to face Ginny, rolling her eyes in amusement, "I believe that was me… But Ginny – "

"Oh no, no buts, Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed, "I showered and I'm here, ready to get dressed."

"Ginny, you should really wait to put your dress on right before the ceremony. I should've thought of that before I suggested I help," Hermione said in an apologetic tone.

Ginny sighed, "You're probably right, aren't you…" she said begrudgingly before flopping down on her bed again. Hermione chuckled lightly at the dramatics as she sat down beside her.

"I'm afraid I am. It'll probably be better this way, though. Now I'll get to be surprised when I see you for the first time in the dress as you're walking down the aisle," Hermione pointed out.

"But you've already seen the dress, Hermione."

"Yes, but I haven't seen you in it. I've a feeling you may just be the most beautiful girl at the wedding this afternoon," Hermione said with a smile.

Ginny laughed as she sat up, "Oh yeah? Are you forgetting about the bride? And her equally stunning younger sister? Both of which I'll be standing right next to during the ceremony?"

Hermione shrugged, "I've never fancied blondes."

Ginny grinned lightly, "Neither have I," she said as she leaned forward, capturing Hermione's lips in hers.

"I'll be sure to let Demelza know…" Hermione said against her lips.

"I'm sure she wouldn't be bothered… She's far too obsessed with Katie to care about if I fancied her hair or not…" Ginny mumbled back against Hermione's lips between kisses as she carefully pulled her onto her lap.

"Mmmm… Like I am with you…?" Hermione whispered.

Ginny smiled against Hermione's lips before deepening the kiss gradually. Once again, they'd found themselves alone, a luxury that had been so rare over the past few days that Ginny was surely going to make the most of it. She knew she should be off somewhere offering her help to her mum or Fleur or whoever, but in this moment, she didn't care. She couldn't, not when she finally had Hermione all to herself.

Ginny laced her fingers through Hermione's loose curls that had been tangled by a night of sleep, careful not to snag any knots, as she pulled Hermione to her closer, deepening the kiss further. The feeling of Hermione's tongue against her's was so electric, she swore she could feel actual sparks in her mouth, and it left her craving more. As she made to turn so she could lay Hermione down on the bed, Hermione's hand on her upper chest stopped her, as instead, Hermione was gently pushing her down onto the bed. Again, Ginny smiled into the kiss, and she eagerly let Hermione guide her onto the bed as she pulled the older girl down with her. The snogging intensified, and Hermione began to slowly kiss down Ginny's neck and through the center of her chest, all the way down to the bottom of her t-shirt, just below her belly button. She grabbed hold of the shirt, and looked up at Ginny, who nodded, before gently pushing the shirt up Ginny's body, gradually kissing her soft skin as she moved back up. Hermione seemed to linger at her abs, spending a considerable amount of time there, before gasping and looking up when Ginny flexed them against her lips. Ginny could see in her gaze just how dark Hermione's eyes had gotten, and that sent her body into overdrive. She arched her back, moving her bare skin to meet Hermione's lips, and Hermione dove back down, kissing her skin fervently and quickly moving up her body. Ginny's breath hitched in her throat as she felt Hermione's lips get closer and closer to her chest, but she knew she was more than ready to take this next step with Hermione, so she reached down to guide Hermione's mouth up and

"Ginny, Fleur 'as been wondering where – Oh!"

Ginny hastily pulled her shirt down and rolled Hermione towards the wall, trying to somehow hide her from view. She looked over to the door to find that Gabrielle was still standing there, looking incredibly amused.

"Can you give us a minute?" Ginny asked, a bit exasperated.

"Take your time…" Gabrielle smiled knowingly as she backed out of the room and closed the door.

"No – Gabrielle!" Ginny called before covering her face with her hands.

She could feel how hot her face was and could only imagine how dark her blush must be. She glanced at Hermione, who was also blushing deeply.

Ginny sighed and kissed Hermione quickly before jumping up and smoothing her hair and clothes.

"See you at the wedding, then?" Ginny asked as she shook her head in disbelief at what had just happened.

Hermione nodded and offered her a small, embarrassed smile, "I'll be there."

Ginny returned the smile, then headed off after Gabrielle. She thundered down the flight of stairs and into the kitchen, where her mum was frantically sending items every which way through the air.

"Have you seen Gabrielle?" Ginny asked, ducking her head to avoid getting hit with a centerpiece.

"Last I saw she was headed upstairs to get you, dear," Mrs. Weasley said distractedly.

"Maybe try Percy's room?" her dad suggested, walking in and just barely avoiding the same centerpiece.

"Right… Thanks Dad," Ginny said before running up the steps, taking them two at a time. In no time, she was knocking on Percy's immaculately clean and tidy door. The cleanliness was made much more evident in comparison to the only other door on the floor, the bedroom door of Fred and George, which looked like it'd been through some sort of firework display of some sort with its burn marks and splatters of substances coating it.

"Yes?" Gabrielle greeted her with a knowing smile and an arched eyebrow. It was shockingly similar to the smugness that Juliette used to use against Ginny, but she couldn't think about that now. She pulled the girl into the hall, closing Percy's door so Fleur hopefully wouldn't overhear.

"I see now 'ow 'Ermione was able to win over Juliette…" Gabrielle said, maintaining the smirk. Ginny's expression was much less amused.

"Look, let's not talk about that. It's your sister and my brother's big day, we should really focus on that. What was Fleur wondering? What did you come to my room to tell me?" Ginny asked, hoping desperately that the younger girl would drop what she'd just walked in on.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and sighed, "She was wondering where you were. We need to get our 'air and makeup done soon, zen we will put on our dresses. She is particular, my sister, and did not like not knowing where one of 'er bridesmaids were."

"Oh…"

"Where is your dress? Did you forget it in all of your 'aste?" Gabrielle asked, her light eyes glittering with the hint of a smirk, although she kept her face normal.

"I did… I'll go – "

"Here you go, Ginny. Can't imagine you'd be able to do your bridesmaid duty without this."

Hermione was standing before them, holding out the gold dress.

Ginny smiled appreciatively as she took the dress from her, "Thanks."

Hermione nodded, "No problem, see you at the ceremony," she smiled and left.

"She is quite fit… I understand what Juliette saw in 'er… " Gabrielle said thoughtfully as the two of them entered Percy's room. Ginny was silent, already exhausted by the events of the morning.

Hermione POV

"Is that everything?" Hermione asked Mrs. Weasley as she set the very last center piece down on a table, ready to be moved into the marquee after the ceremony.

"I believe it is," Mrs. Weasley said, looking around to make sure they hadn't missed anything.

"It looks fantastic, Molly," Hermione said, giving a big reassuring smile to the harried woman before her.

Mrs. Weasley nodded, still looking as if she was unsure everything had been completed.

"How about this? I'll walk around and speak with the vendors to make sure that everything is as it should be while you go get ready?" Hermione offered kindly.

Mrs. Weasley gave her a hesitant look, before she relaxed a bit, "I know I can trust you with this, dear. I think I will do that. Let me know if you need me for anything at all, yes?"

Hermione nodded, "I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll get this wrapped up, then get ready as well."

Mrs. Weasley gave her one last look, before hurrying off inside. Hermione looked around and made her way over to the vendors, who were chatting in the center of the beautifully decorated marquee. After checking in with each vendor, she was sure that everything was ready and where it needed to be, so she too set off inside to get ready.

Hermione showered quickly and dried her hair, letting her usual loose curls flow down over her shoulders. She pulled a few top pieces back, so it was pulled half up, before heading to Ginny's room to get dressed. She hadn't shown Ginny the dress she was going to wear, wanting to keep it a surprise, then laughed a little as she realized that her red dress next to Ginny's gold dress would have them looking like the quintessential Gryffindor couple. Surely, Professor McGonagall would be proud.

She pulled her red dress on and finished the ensemble with the gold bracelet the Ginny had gifted her for her 17th birthday, smiling as she thought of the matching gold necklace that would be around Ginny's neck. Then she blushed, remembering the state they'd been discovered in earlier that day. It was getting to the point of ridiculousness, honestly, and Hermione wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to hold off from jumping Ginny's bones. Thankfully, she had some capacity of self-control, but she could tell that it was wearing quite thin. If only Fleur's younger sister hadn't interrupted…

As she walked into the hallway, she ran into Ron, who looked quite dapper all cleaned up in his dress robes. Fortunately, he'd gotten new dress robes since the Yule Ball. He gave her a nervous smile as he adjusted his tie.

"Lavender'll be here any minute. You know, I'm not sure that Harry even has a date…" Ron said, "Does my tie look alright?"

Hermione stepped forward and straightened his tie for him, "What makes you say that?"

Ron shrugged, "Well, he hasn't said anything about it all summer. I think he was planning on asking Parvati, seeing as they get on so well and she's best friends with Lav, but I'm pretty sure she's dating Dean…"

"I see. Well, he doesn't have to have a date, does he?" Hermione asked.

"No, but that'd be a bit brutal, don't you think?"

"Oh Ron, I'm sure he won't be the only person without a date. It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, I guess. You look really nice, by the way," Ron said with a grin.

Hermione returned the smile up at the tall boy, "Thank you, so do you."

The two walked downstairs together and headed out into the back garden, into the fray of arriving guests.

"Won-won!"

Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes as Lavender came hurdling towards Ron, smothering him in a passionate kiss. Hermione hoped that wasn't what she and Ginny looked like when they kissed – surely they had much more tact than that…

Hermione stepped into the marquee and looked around. Now, with all of the guests beginning to file in, it somehow looked even better. Love and excitement filled the large tent, and anticipation for the upcoming ceremony grew considerably. As Hermione scanned the crowd, looking for someone to talk to as she wasn't too keen on breaking up Ron and Lavender, her eyes landed on a comforting and surprising figure.

"Viktor!"

Viktor Krum turned at the call of his voice, and a small, nearly indiscernible smile spread across his chiseled face. Hermione ran to him and hugged him. He returned the hug reluctantly, a reminder to Hermione that they'd never really interacted like that before. She stepped back and blushed, but still looked up at the man with a smile.

"I didn't know you were coming to this," she said, taking him in. He'd grown a beard, and he'd gained some muscle since she'd last seen him. He looked good – strong and healthy.

"Fleur invited me. It is looking to me like she invited all of the champions from the Trivizard Tournament," he said, nodding over to the corner of the marquee. There, Cedric Diggory was talking animatedly with his parents.

"I see, well, how are you? How's Karasjok?" Hermione asked.

"It is good. I haff been enjoying playing for Karasjok. I am thinking ve vill be playing in the European Cup in the spring, if ve continue to play vell. Ve von the European League Final at the end of last season, I forgot to tell you."

"Wow, that's fantastic Viktor! I'm so happy for you! And I'm sorry, I haven't been very good at keeping up with your correspondences. You've been so thoughtful, sending me letters on my birthday…"

Krum shrugged, "It is okay, I am glad to be seeing you now. How haff you been, Herm-own-ninny? How is Hogvarts? This vill be your last year of school, yes?"

Hermione nodded, "I'm doing great! Yes, this'll be my last year at Hogwarts, which seems crazy, how fast everything's gone by…"

"How is the younger Marat?"

Hermione froze, not expecting the question at all. She really had done a poor job of keeping Viktor up to speed on anything.

"Oh, um, we broke up a while ago…"

Krum's face didn't change, "I see. Vere you okay?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, I was. I was sad, of course, but it needed to happen. Long distance was hard and… Well…" she blushed and looked away.

"I am guessing you finally figured out your feelings vith you and Ginny?"

Hermione snapped her eyes up to Krum's, "Wha – How did you – "

Krum simply shrugged, "It appeared to me during our time in the library that the two of you vere having strong feelings of something for each other. I thought it vas friendship at first, but it vas seeming to be more the more time I spent vith you both. Also, I am thinking that you are not invited here today as a date for one of her brothers? Not that one, he is the one that is your age?" he asked, nodding towards another corner of the marquee. He was referring to Ron, who was deeply entangled with Lavender.

Hermione just stared up at him in shock. He smiled, again, very minimally, but Hermione could still see it was there.

"I like Ginny more than I liked the younger Marat. She is good for you, I think. She cares very much about you, that vas always very clear to me. That is good."

Hermione was still stunned, but managed a smile. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to process the fact that she and Ginny had been so obviously transparent that even Viktor had caught on. Had everyone known they liked each other, even before they'd realized it themselves?

"She's really good for me and you're right, she does care a lot about me."

Krum's smile grew just a bit, "Good, I am happy for you Herm-own-ninny. I am going to go and talk to Cedric, I am guessing you will be sitting vith family for the ceremony?"

She nodded, "I'll see you during the reception, okay?"

Krum nodded and headed towards Cedric and his parents. Hermione moved towards Ron and Lavender to begin to corral them towards their seats near the front of the marquee, but was cut off by an extremely old woman dressed in all pink.

"Dodged a bullet there…" Fred muttered, appearing beside Hermione.

"What do you mean?"

"Just give her a second…" George added, appearing on Hermione's other side.

"Ronald! What are you doing? Trying to suffocate the girl? Get your tongue out of her mouth and introduce me!" The old woman demanded, causing Ron and Lavender to scramble apart.

Hermione looked from Fred to George, speechless at the words that'd come out of the old woman's mouth. They were both grinning.

"Auntie Muriel," George said, answering Hermione's unasked question.

"Lovely, isn't she?" Fred added.

"Is this the Muggle-born? I heard that one of you were dating a Muggle-born, Ronald," Muriel said, again far too loudly.

"Erm, no… Lavender's not Muggle-born," Ron said nervously. He made the mistake of looking over at Hermione.

Muriel turned on the spot, and narrowed her red-rimmed eyes at Hermione before shuffling over.

"You're the Muggle-born?" she asked aggressively.

Hermione nodded quickly, "Y – Yes, I'm – "

"I don't care about the name. Which of these two are you dating? You'd be far too young for Percy or Charles," she said, looking Hermione up and down.

Hermione looked at Fred and George, neither of whom gave her any help, before she continued.

"I'm not dating either of them. I'm actually – I'm dating Ginny."

Muriel stopped her physical evaluation of Hermione and snapped her judgmental eyes up to Hermione's, "You're dating Ginevra?"

Hermione nodded, trying to appear as self-assured as possible, although she knew she was faltering under the old woman's gaze. Muriel narrowed her eyes at her, and Hermione braced for what surely would be something nasty.

"Hmmm. I'm going to have to think on that."

Hermione exhaled, thankful that Muriel hadn't said anything on par with what she'd said to Ron, or worse.

"Bad posture and skinny ankles, though," Muriel declared. She tottered off, no doubt in search of someone else to critique.

"Wow… That wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be," George said, giving Hermione a surprised, yet supportive nod.

"Not at all! Just a quip about your posture and ankles, which look fine, by the way…" Fred added, "She told us we'd never find wives with our ridiculous shop and the way we dress…" he grinned.

"We've always been her least favorite though, so she tends to save her best for us. Although, she certainly laid you out, didn't she?" George said, giving Ron an unimpressed look.

"What?" Ron asked defensively.

"It's a family wedding, alright? We don't need to see anyone's tonsils but the bride and groom's!" Fred said, pulling Ron's tie askew.

Lavender glared at Fred as she fixed Ron's tie, causing both twins to roll their eyes.

"Come on, let's find seats. It looks like the ceremony's about to start," George pointed out as the majority of the guests started to fill in the chairs lining the aisle. They quickly moved to the front and sat down, Hermione sitting in the row behind them and leaving two seats beside her in case Harry did arrive with a date. She was a bit worried that he wasn't here yet, it wasn't like Harry to be too late.

Once everyone was in their seats, the music began, and Charlie and Bill walked down the aisle together. They were both beaming. Then followed Ginny, who immediately took Hermione's breath away. She was absolutely stunning in her light gold dress that fit her perfect in all of the right places. Her long red hair was flowing down her back in loose waves, and her smile was radiant as she grinned at her as she passed, her bright brown eyes lighting up her entire freckled face.

"Ginevra's dress is far too low cut, not at all appropriate for the occasion," Muriel declared loudly.

Hermione was just thinking to herself that she couldn't possibly get enough of Ginny in her dress, when someone whispered into her ear.

"Mmmm, I dunno. I'm sure someone here would consider Ginny's dress to be just low-cut enough, wouldn't you agree, Hermione?"

Hermione turned quickly in her chair to find Katie Bell sitting beside her with a pleased look on her face.

"Katie!" Hermione exclaimed quietly as she threw her arms around her. "What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, Harry sat down on the other side of Katie, looking flustered.

"This one here invited me to be his date on the train back to King's Cross. We would've been on time too, had someone not been so bloody concerned about their hair…"

"I know Mrs. Weasley doesn't like when my hair is a mess! I'm not going to show up to a family wedding and upset her!" he exclaimed, nervously trying to flatten his dark hair that had clearly been through more than one attempt to be tamed.

"You look great, Harry. As do you, Katie. Oh, Ginny's going to be so happy to see you!" Hermione whispered as she grinned at Katie.

"Yeah, we figured she'd appreciate a visit from her big sister," Katie whispered back. "Wow, I forgot how beautiful Fleur is… And is that her little sister beside Ginny?"

"Shhh! The ceremony is starting!" Harry shushed them, and Hermione and Katie shared a look and giggled quietly before focusing their attention on Bill and Fleur up front.

The ceremony was short and sweet. Even though she doesn't know them particularly well, Hermione couldn't help but tear up when Bill and Fleur exchanged their vows, as their love and happiness was radiating off of them, and as a result, was filling the entire marquee with a feeling of positivity and bliss. Ginny kept looking out at her from her spot behind Gabrielle, and Hermione's heart jumped in her chest every time they locked eyes. She also laughed a bit as Ginny wasn't able to contain her shocked and excited reaction to seeing Katie sitting beside her, and Hermione figured that would be quite a joyous reunion for the two of them. Once the ceremony was over, the old wizard presiding over the ceremony waved his wand over Bill and Fleur's heads as they shared their first married kiss, casting a shower of stars to fall upon them. Golden balloons lining the aisle popped, releasing tiny bells and birds that filed the marquee with melodic sounds as the wedding party made their exit. As Ginny passed her, she reached out and touched Hermione's cheek gently, and Hermione wasn't sure the giddy smile on her face was ever going to fade.

"You two are something else," Katie said as she nudged Hermione lightly and smiled, having watched the exchange.

As everyone around them began to rise from their chairs, Hermione, Katie, and Harry rose too, and the marquee began to change. The walls of the tent vanished, leaving a large canopy overhead and giving way to a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside that was now bathed in the golden light of the impending sunset. The chairs they'd sat in during the ceremony moved and joined tables that had floated in, surrounding a dance floor that had suddenly appeared in the center of the space. Waiters entered with trays of food and beverages, and the majority of the crowd migrated over to where the bridal party would re-enter for the reception, waiting to wish the newlyweds luck and happiness in their marriage.

"Katie!"

Fred and George came over with big grins on their faces, hugging Katie tight.

"What are you doing here?" George asked.

"Sneak in, did you?" Fred added.

Katie laughed and shook her head, "Of course not. Harry here invited me."

"Oh dear, no date for you either, mate?" George asked Harry, who shrugged as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"We figured we'd be better off not bringing anyone. See, it didn't take us very long to suss out that our new sister-in-law is part-Veela," Fred added, looking over at the group of beautiful girls surrounding Fleur and Bill as they congratulated them.

"Better shot at scoring with a Veela cousin if you're not hauling around a non-Veela date," George pointed out with a wink.

Harry smiled a bit, and looked at Katie, "You wouldn't mind if I joined them in, well, at least talking to Fleur's cousins, would you?"

"Of course not! If you need, I can be your wing-woman as well. Anything for my favorite Quidditch captain," Katie grinned, elbowing Harry lightly in the ribs.

"Wow! We'll be sure to let Oliver know!" George said in mock-seriousness.

"And Angelina! She'll be heartbroken!" Fred said screwing up his face to look distraught and putting his hand over his heart. "C'mon Harry, let's get you a girl!"

Hermione huffed, "They're not objects, Fred!" she said in an affronted tone.

Fred raised his eyebrows, "Didn't stop you from staring at Ginny like she was a shiny new toy throughout the entire ceremony, now did it?"

Hermione's jaw dropped and Fred, George, Harry, and Katie all laughed.

"Don't worry about it, Hermione. It's sweet that you couldn't take your eyes off her," Katie said supportively.

"Oh yes, positively adorable," George added.

"Could possibly be the cutest thing I've ever seen, actually," Fred supplied.

"What's the cutest thing you've ever seen?" Ron asked as he walked up with Lavender in tow, drinks already in hand.

"Certainly not you, Ronnie. Alright Harry, ready for the big leagues?" George asked as he put an arm around Harry and walked him over to where the Veela cousins were now congregating on the dance floor.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"Nowhere you can go, I'm afraid," Fred said, glancing at Lavender and winking before he turned and followed George and Harry.

Ron made the mistake of looking momentarily crestfallen, and Lavender quickly whisked him away to the table furthest from the Veela cousins.

"We should probably follow them, shouldn't we?" Katie asked, reluctance in her voice.

"Yes… We probably should. Let's just give them a minute though. I'm sure they'll be done fighting in no time."

As Katie began to laugh, she stopped as Ginny appeared as if from nowhere, wrapping her in a fierce hug from behind.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked as she laughed in excitement.

"I'm here to see you, of course!" Katie beamed as she turned and hugged Ginny tight.

"You never responded to my owl! How's everything going? How have tryouts been? You've got to tell me everything!" Ginny rattled off as she let go of Katie, "Wait!" she said, putting up a finger.

Ginny turned to Hermione and pulled her in for a searing kiss, "Hi…"

Hermione felt her cheeks burn as heat rushed to them, "H – Hi…"

Ginny beamed at her, "You look incredible. I know I was supposed to keep my eyes on Bill and Fleur during the ceremony, but blimey Hermione, you made it difficult…"

Hermione didn't know how it was possible, but she could feel herself falling more in love with Ginny by the second. She truly wasn't quite sure how she'd gotten so lucky as to be with someone like Ginny. Sometimes it simply didn't feel real, but it was times like these that made her feel truly thankful that Ginny was hers and hers alone.

"Ginny, you're stunning," Hermione said as she pulled Ginny in for another kiss.

"Ginevra, enough snogging the Muggle-born!" Muriel interrupted rudely, "Find me a place to sit!"

Ginny stepped away from Hermione and took a deep breath before turning to her Aunt Muriel with a pleasant smile and tone, "I believe there's a seat for you over at Ron's table. Have you met his girlfriend, Lavender, yet?"

Ginny winked at Hermione as she led her Aunt Muriel over to a horrified looking Ron.

"Unfortunately, she has already met Lavender…" Hermione muttered to Katie under her breath.

Katie laughed, "Not someone I'd want to meet, I take it?"

"Certainly not. Actually… There is someone here that I do think you'd be interested in meeting."

"Oh yeah? And who might that?"

"Viktor Krum."

"What?" Katie looked around until she spotted Viktor, speaking now with Cedric's dad, "What is he doing here?"

"Fleur invited him. Would you like to meet him?"

Katie nodded wordlessly, and Hermione laughed, pulling her over to where Viktor was standing.

"Viktor, this is mine and Ginny's friend, Katie Bell. She was on the Quidditch team with Ginny, and now is trying out for multiple teams in the British and Irish Quidditch League," Hermione said.

Katie held out a somewhat shaky hand to Krum, and he took it and bowed, kissing it. Katie blushed.

"It is lovely to be meeting you, Katie. A friend of Herm-own-ninny and Ginny's is a friend of mine."

"It's n - nice to meet you too. You're a fantastic Quidditch player, one of my favorites," Katie managed. Krum smiled the biggest he'd smiled all night, and maybe the biggest Hermione had ever seen from him. Hermione tipped her head.

"Vould you like to dance?" he asked Katie, still having not released her hand.

"Really? Sure!" Katie responded, following Krum out onto the dance floor where the twins and Harry were already dancing with the gaggle of Veela cousins. Well, the twins were dancing. Harry was more just there.

"Hey! Is that Viktor out there with Katie?" Ginny asked, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Yes…" Hermione said slowly.

"That's great! Isn't it? Aren't you glad to see him?" Ginny asked, taking in Hermione's slightly puzzled expression.

"I think he fancies Katie…"

"What?" Ginny laughed.

"It's not funny, Ginny!" Hermione stressed.

"Oh, it's fine. She'll tell him she's taken eventually," Ginny said, trying but failing to contain the wide grin on her face.

"When? When he tries to kiss her?" Hermione asked.

Ginny gave her a look, "Viktor moves that fast, does he? Did you try to kiss you at the Yule Ball?"

"Wha – No! Of course not! We went to the Yule Ball as friends, Ginny!"

Ginny was laughing again, "Hermione, I'm just kidding…" she said as she pulled her in tighter and kissed her cheek. Hermione relaxed into Ginny, but was still a bit anxious as she watched Viktor and Katie dance beside Fred, George, Harry and Fleur's cousins.

"Hey…" Hermione started.

"Yeah?" Ginny said as she placed another kiss on her cheek.

"Did you know Fleur was part-Veela?"

She felt Ginny tense up, and she turned to look up at Ginny's face, which was now unreadable.

"That's what Fred and George just said…" Hermione said softly.

"Yeah, I knew…" Ginny said, looking a bit unsure.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"It's just a bit of a touchy subject for me, that's all…"

"Of course, the Quidditch World Cup. I'm an idiot, Ginny, I'm sorry..." Hermione said, taking in the emotion in Ginny's eyes. It wasn't quite sad, however, but there was some sort of emotion there.

Ginny shrugged, "It's fine. But yeah, I knew she was part-Veela. I overheard her talking to Bill the first time she came to the Burrow for Christmas. Why?"

"I was just wondering if you knew, that's all…"

Hermione looked up at Ginny, still unsure of what she was seeing on Ginny's face. It almost looked like hesitation.

Suddenly, Katie had joined them.

"Viktor Krum is so nice! I wouldn't have thought so based on that grouchy look he seems to always have on his face, but he's actually a great time!" she said excitedly.

"Hermione thinks he fancies you," Ginny said plainly.

"What? Why would he fancy me?" Katie asked incredulously.

Ginny rolled her eyes playfully, "Don't be thick, Katie, you're well fit!"

"You should probably tell him though that you're taken…" Hermione suggested lightly.

Katie stared at both of them, clearly not believing them at all, when Krum walked up with two drinks and a big smile, "Vould you like a drink, Katie? Hello, Ginny," he said, nodding at Ginny.

"Hi Viktor. Has Katie told you about her girlfriend, Demelza?" Ginny asked pointedly. Hermione and Katie both looked at her, and Krum blinked.

"Vas that not your girlfriend? From the Yule Ball? The small blonde?" Krum asked, his brow slightly furrowing.

"It was, yes, but now she's Katie's girlfriend," Ginny nodded, giving Krum a sympathetic look.

Krum blinked again, then sighed, "Vot is the point of being an International Quidditch star if all of the good-looking girls at taken…"

Hermione, Ginny, and Katie all laughed lightly.

"I mean… We can still be friends? And I'll promise to keep a look out for any fit girls that aren't taken?" Katie suggested hesitantly. Krum shrugged, then handed her a drink.

"Like I said, a friend of Herm-own-ninny and Ginny's is a friend of mine," he said, clinking his glass against Katie's.

"I hear there are some Veela related to Fleur over there? Interested? I'll be your wing-woman, not that you'd need one…" Katie offered.

Krum shrugged again, "Lead the vay…"

Hermione and Ginny exchanged a look as Katie and Krum walked over to the group of Veela dancing with the boys. Ron and Lavender had joined, along with Percy and Charlie, neither of whom had dates.

"See, I told you it'd all be alright," Ginny said, watching as Krum took the attention away from Fred and George just by looking at the girls.

"Yes, it does appear that you were right," Hermione agreed.

"What was that?" Ginny asked, looking at her seriously.

"What?"

"I couldn't quite hear you over the music… You said I was… What…?"

Hermione rolled her eyes as Ginny shot her that signature crooked smile that she simply couldn't get enough of. She leaned in close to Ginny, and whispered against her lips.

"I said, you were right, Ginny."

Ginny smiled triumphantly, before kissing her softly.

"And what have I won, for being right?" she asked against Hermione's lips.

Hermione raised an eyebrow ever so subtly as she responded, "You'll find out later… Soon…"

She heard Ginny's breath catch in her throat at this as she planted one more light kiss on the redhead's lips, "Come on… Let's go dance," she said as she dragged Ginny out onto the dancefloor.

The rest of the night was pure joy and fun, there was no other way to put it. Everyone was in a great mood, dancing and eating and drinking well into the night. Eventually, guests gradually left, leaving a smaller group at the end that was mainly just the core Weasley family, Harry, Katie, and Hermione. Fleur's family had an early morning ahead of them, so they'd gone to sleep, and Bill and Fleur had left already for their honeymoon at Shell Cottage, a small home belonging to the Weasley family on the outskirts of Tinworth. As the party began to come to an organic end, Ginny gave Katie a terribly sad look.

"We haven't gotten near enough time together! You haven't told me anything about Quidditch and how that's going!" Ginny whined.

Harry and Katie shared a grin.

"Well then it's a good thing I'm staying through your birthday, isn't it?" Katie replied, her grin growing wider.

"What?" Ginny shouted, nearly tackling Katie to the ground with another tight hug. Everyone nearby laughed.

"Come on now, you can't really think I'd miss out on my little sister's birthday?" Katie asked as she laughed.

"We organized it with your mum ages ago. I got the idea on the train back from Hogwarts. Figured it'd kill two birds with one Bludger – you'd get a nice surprise for your birthday, and I wouldn't have to show up to a wedding alone," Harry grinned.

"Well, where is she going to sleep? All the beds are taken tonight!" Ginny exclaimed, suddenly a bit worried.

"Oh, come now, let's not pretend as if you and Hermione haven't been sharing a bed these past few days…" Mrs. Weasley said with a look. "She'll take the cot that you're supposed to be sleeping on, Ginny Weasley," she said with a lightly scolding tone.

Again, everyone laughed, as both Ginny and Hermione blushed. Then, everyone began to migrate towards the Burrow, intent on a good night's sleep. Hermione smiled at Ginny as the redhead positively beamed, her arms around both she and Katie as they walked through the back garden. Surely, Ginny's 16th birthday would be all that she was dreaming it'd be and more, and Hermione loved that.

AN: As always, thank you so much to everyone reading this story! I am still enjoying writing it so much, and every review, follow, and favorite it gets just makes my day every time :)

I may slow down a bit in updating, as I've gotten a bit more busy with work lately, but I'm still hoping to post a new chapter every other week or so. Still fully intent on finishing this, and we're no where near the end :)