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A Tale to Tell | ||||
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Category: Post-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Ron Weasley Genres: Fluff Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: G Reviews: 15 Summary: Written for the LJ Jan05 HPGW-Fic-a-Fest -- Who else but Ron could give the Best Man speech at Harry and Ginny's wedding? Hitcount: Story Total: 5704 |
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A/N I can only wish that the characters and all that money were mine ;o) A/N A special thanks to my dear friend, Sarah, for the zippiest two beta reads in history. ~*~ “I’ve been friends with Harry for a long time, and I’ve known my sister for longer than I’d like to admit.” He winked down at her to take the sting out of his words. “When Harry asked me to his Best Man, it would be an understatement to say I was shocked.” Ron looked around the puzzled faces of the guests scattered around the hall. He recognised every single one of them and he knew they were now wondering why he would be shocked that his best friend had given him such an honour. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were a rather famous Auror duo and their history had become legendary. “What some of you may not know-“ he heard his sister gasp beside him and knew she’d guessed she was about to be teased, “-is that Ginny and Harry took an eternity to get it together.” “Oh that’s rich!” one of his brothers called out. “Coming from you!” “Yes well,” Ron said smoothly — knowing full well that his ears were glow-in-the-dark-red. “I always thought Harry was the smarter of us two. Anyway, the point of my story is how I came to be here, making a speech at this very special occasion.” Harry knocked nervously on Ron and Hermione’s door, a solid something sitting in his stomach. He had huge news. The biggest news, and now he was all but bursting with it — with it and nerves. He had no idea how Ron was going to react. “Harry!” The source of his dread opened the door. “It’s good to see you mate. Come in.” “H-Hi Ron.” Fantastic, Harry thought, I’m turning into 11-year-old Neville Longbottom. He stepped into the coolness of the house, and could have sworn the door slammed loudly behind him, making him jolt. “Yes, so, Harry was nervous. Not that I could blame him — I’d be scared marrying into this family, too!” “Ron!” Hermione said indignantly, shaking her head in disbelief as she stared at her husband. There was scattered laughter around the hall at the two of them and Ron grinned. He continued to tell his story. Ron watched Harry as they walked together into the kitchen. “Hermione’s not here,” he said as casually as possible. It was obvious that something was dreadfully wrong with his best friend. It took a lot to unruffle Harry Potter — and on this day he was definitely and obviously ruffled. “Oh, that’s ok. I actually don’t mind talking to you on your own, actually.” Now Ron knew that something was going on and he hoped it had nothing to do with Ginny. Harry had needed five years to gather up the courage to ask Ginny out to dinner. It had been the cause of more than a few rows between Ron and Hermione as Ron had been all but sensitive as soon as he found out Harry fancied Ginny. What Hermione didn’t know was that Ron was just getting his revenge for years of smirks, muffled laughter and sly looks that Harry had given him. “So what’s going on, Harry?” Ron had tried to put on his serious face, and when Harry choked on his butterbeer, he knew that something was really wrong. “Is it Ginny?” “Well,” Harry said chokingly, “in a way, it is.” Ron waited patiently, watching his best friend squirm in his seat. “I’ve asked her to marry me.” “So yes, I was shocked. They’d only been together for three months, and she was already causing him to choke on his drink!” Ron was pleased by the laughter that met this comment. When he had been writing his speech, he hadn’t trusted anyone else to read it as he was afraid that certain people in his life would make him take out the really good bits. “My reaction isn’t something I regret, but it wasn’t the best, either. I wanted them to be happy, of course, but it was so sudden that I’m afraid my reaction was somewhat subdued. Hermione hasn’t let me live it down — if you must know, our kitchen walls still have random scorch marks on them. I’m going to have to embarrass Harry now and get my brotherly revenge.” “Ronald Weasley!” his mother exclaimed. It seemed Hermione had given up and rested her chin on her hand, watching him with a sparkle in her eye. It gave him comfort, this wicked side of his wife that only those really close to her ever got to see. “I’m going to tell you the story of the end of our sixth year, when poor, unsuspecting Harry thought it would be a great idea to tell me he fancied my sister.” Ron, boosted by the laughter around the room, ignored the red faces of the bride and groom and told his story with gusto. “Harry, do you think- do you think that Hermione has something going on with Krum?” “I think they’re friends, Ron.” Harry didn’t look up from his book as the Hogwarts Express rattled on through to London and his easy dismissal of Ron’s question was aggravating. “I think they’re more than that.” Something about his statement got Harry’s attention because the boy looked up quickly, obviously startled. “Not jealous, are you?” Ron hated it when Harry forgot to be the broody Boy-Who-Lived and became all teasing and mischievous. Broody Harry was easier than being teased about Hermione — and Harry was normally a lot more subtle about it. “What-“ Ron had to make a pause and catch his breath. “What if I am?” “Then,” Harry snapped the book shut and put it to the side, “you should do something about it, Ron.” “Are you insane?!” “Probably. That’s not what we’re discussing here. If you think she has something going on with Viktor Krum, and you have a problem with it, then you need to do something about it.” “But I’ve tried!” “Something more than petty insults.” Harry’s badly hidden smirk made Ron feel rather defensive. “When did you get so wise, anyway? You’ve only ever liked Cho!” Ron watched with a dazed kind of wonder as Harry’s cheeks reddened. Obviously, Ron’s comment had been off the mark. “Harry, there something you want to tell me, mate?” “No,” Harry said, all too quickly. “No, there’s nothing.” Ron rolled his eyes. There was a difference between waiting for Harry to be ready to talk about the serious stuff, and having the opportunity to tease him about girls. “Who do you fancy?” “What?” Ron watched Harry’s cheeks brighten considerably. “No one!” “Harry, mate-“ “Ginny.” “Wrong Weasley. I’m Ron, remember?” It seemed to sink in slowly. “Who do you fancy?” “Ginny.” Ron sat back into his seat, completely dumbfounded. “You fancy my sister?” “It was the start of something… frustrating.” Ron grinned widely as the wedding guests laughed. He had them eating out of his hand. He had watched Charlie make a speech at Bill’s wedding, and George at Fred’s but he had wanted to something special — something different — for Harry and Ginny. He thought he was doing well so far. Ron moved on to the story of how Harry had tried to fight Voldemort on his own. Ron, Hermione and Ginny however, all had other ideas. It had been Ginny who had finally gotten through to him. “I have to do it on my own!” Harry exclaimed angrily, looking between the three of them as they stood gathered in the Great Hall. “Harry, please-“ Hermione was reduced to pleading with him. The determined, dead look on his face was scaring them both. Ron could see her body trembling as he wished that he had had the guts to tell her how important she was. “No! None of you can possibly understand-“ “Harry,” Ginny’s strong voice from beside him made Ron jump, “stop being such a self righteous prat.” Ron could almost feel his chin hitting the floor, and was almost pleased to see Harry’s chin drop too. “What did you say?” Harry’s voice was full with awe. “There comes a time,” Ginny said patiently, “where you have to realise that you can’t protect everyone. At the same time, you have to realise that we want to protect you as much as you us. And we’ll go to any lengths to prove it.” Her voice was laced with steel. “Now is as good a time as any, don’t you think?” As if that was the end of the discussion, Ginny pulled out her wand and looked at them expectantly. “Apart from that,” she said chirpily, “I have a debt to pay and you, Harry with a saving-people-thing aren’t going to stop me.” Ron gasped and felt Hermione grab his hand and grip it tightly. They both waited with bated breath for Harry to explode. He, however, continued to stare at Ginny. To Ron’s amazement — and disgust — Harry didn’t explode. Instead, he stalked to Ginny, wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her full on the lips. “Let’s go,” he said, never taking his eyes off Ginny. Ron paused for a minute. Even now, some five years later, it was hard to remember that day. So much of it was still a blur and he knew it was the same for almost everyone in the room over the age of five. Ginny was sniffling softly beside him and Ron felt guilty for causing her to. It was time to lighten the mood. “Little did we know at the time,” Ron tried to swallow the small lump in his throat, “That it would be a long five years before they kissed again! Once they had, however, they didn’t waste any time. I told you you were the smarter of us two, mate.” As the guests laughed once more, Ron was blown away when Harry’s gaze met his own. He had never seen his friend so open and easy to read. There were unshed tears in his eyes and his emotions were written all over his face. Gratefulness, mirth and love being the most prominent. Ron felt no awkwardness and gave Harry a slight nod, receiving a wide grin in return. “So, after the long-winded story of how Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley came to be Harry and Ginny Potter, I’d like you to raise your glasses to the bride and groom. May Professor Trelawney’s prediction of a dozen little ones come true. May you both be blessed with all the happiness our world has to offer. I can’t imagine any two people who deserve it more.” Ron was surprised to find the lump in his throat had grown. “To Harry and Ginny.” As the wedding guests rose to toast his sister and best friend — his brother — Ron saw his mother sobbing quietly as she leaned into his father. He saw Hermione discreetly wipe a tear from her eye, careful not to smudge her make up. He saw Harry and Ginny gaze at each other in open adoration and he knew that there was nothing better than one, big, happy family. |
| Reviews 15 |
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