Chapter 8: Meet the Grangers
Engagement Week
Day 2
Hermione got up and stretched grinning into the warm sun. Last night had been oddly fun, in that playing dress up kind of way. Harry had been relaxed after a while and they seemed to have forgotten any disagreements between them as they made a show of being a couple in love. The twins were an absolute riot, pranking those not watching their drinks carefully enough. Ginny nearly threw her brothers out she was so furious. Chuckling to herself at the memory, Hermione slipped out of bed and headed for the shower.
She made the trip quick before pulling on her favorite pair of trainers, jeans, and a camouflage tank top. She didn't bother with make up before traipsing out the door to Lily's room. She froze in the doorway, a bewildered look etched on her face as she found Lily dressed and Mrs. Weasley brushing her hair.
"Err, morning?" Hermione said, entering the room.
"You'd be better off with afternoon, dear." Mrs. Weasley grinned, waving a hand at the clock on Lily's nightstand. Turning instantly, Hermione's eyes went wide as saucers. How had she not looked at the time? She had realized it was bright when she woke up but not that bright. It was almost noon.
"Oh my God. I don't believe I've ever slept that late in my life. I am so sorry, Molly. I'll …" Hermione was cut off by Mrs. Weasley's tutting.
"You'll be doing nothing but scurrying off to breakfast. Lily will join you just as soon as I'm done with her hair. Harry ought to be down there already, you just let me know if he's gone off and disappeared. I'll give that young man a tongue lashing he'll never forget." Mrs. Weasley said, waving Hermione out of the door. "Off you go now dear, don't eat too much though, I expect your mother will be wanting to cook for you."
Hermione nodded dumbly, waved to Lily, and turned to leave. Once the door shut behind her, she stopped to assess what had just occurred. `Mental, I'm going absolutely mental.' With no other choice, she made her way down the stairs to the breakfast nook. Harry, fortunately for his sake, was already there, buried behind the Daily Prophet, plate empty. Ginny was there as well, tapping away at a laptop, cell phone firmly attached to her ear. Hermione almost laughed. It was her first time, since the first day, really seeing either of them in what a normal person would consider casual clothes. Harry wore and emerald polo shirt, dark blue jeans, and trainers, while Ginny was wearing a black lace up tank, low rise jeans, and strappy black sandals.
"Alas sleeping beauty has awakened." Harry grinned, lowering his newspaper, grinning.
"Er, sorry about that." Hermione blushed sliding into the seat across from Ginny.
"Don't worry about it, you've been needing the rest." Harry said before flipping the paper back up and obscuring himself from view again.
"Eat up, I asked the house elves to make a light breakfast since your mother will probably be cooking lots." Ginny instructed, never looking up.
Hermione nodded silently and reached for the tray of fruits, cheeses, and breads before her. She marveled at the arrangement and found herself thinking she was on some exotic TV show. The marble floor, the stone walls, the windows flooding the breakfast nook with natural light, it seemed so unreal at times. With a sigh she fixed herself a plate and leisurely ate a small breakfast.
* * *
Harry's eyes skimmed the page before him but never picked up a single word. His eyes kept drifting back to Hermione. His mind hadn't wandered far from her since the night before. He went to sleep thinking about her, woke up thinking about her, he even dreamt about her in between. To be perfectly honest he was starting to think he needed help, he'd never been an obsessive person but she was more captivating with each day. Yesterday had only made him more concession of how much he wanted to be with her and take care of her. He found himself coming to terms with the idea of possibly falling in love with her. Not that he was, he reassured himself, it was just a possibility that wouldn't be so horrible as one might think. Being in love might not be that bad with a woman like Hermione. She was kind, beautiful, honest, and . . . oh there were so many more ands there were dozens of words he could have chosen for this woman and seemingly not enough to describe how he felt about her. All his pondering always led back to the word love but . . .
`Gah, make it stop!' He shouted at himself. `Can't I have five seconds peace without thinking about her and this love business. Give me a break!'
"I'll be outside." Harry muttered, throwing down his newspaper. Perhaps if he got away from her . . . no, dumb plan, he'd been away from her all morning until breakfast and that hadn't stopped his conscience giving him the third degree about what was going on in his life right now. Sweeping out of the room he decided to battle his conscience for a new topic elsewhere.
* * *
Hermione watched him go before turning to Ginny with a confused look. "Did I do something?"
"Why would you think that?"
"He just sounded kind of . . . I don't know, exasperated or something and it wasn't until after I showed up."
"Nope, he's just been kind of moody lately. He'll come `round before we get to your house though. Are you ready?"
"Yea, I guess so. What about Lily?"
"I've had a plate prepared so she can eat during the drive."
"Alright then, let's go."
* * *
Hermione took the hand, Harry offered her as she stepped out of the limo onto the dirt path of her parents home. Since Hermione had left they'd bought a cottage out in the country to get away from the hubbub of city life. Hermione grinned looking over her step-mother's prized garden, the soft twittering of birds playing in the bird bath, brought a smile to her face. She could hear laughter and see the smoke of the grill coming from around the back and figured her some of her aunts and uncles had decided to make an appearance too.
Lily followed Ginny out of the limo and quickly bypassed the adults, heading straight for the door. She didn't make it to the door before it was thrown open and she was met by her grandmother, who swept her up into a large hug.
"Oh my goodness, Lily dear, you're getting so big. And look just how pretty you are." Mrs. Granger cooed setting her back down.
"Is that my Hermione?" Mr. Granger's voice sounded from inside the house. "I thought I heard something."
Hermione grinned, dropping Harry's hand and dashing forward into her father's arms.
"Daddy!" She squealed giving him a tight hug.
"Ah, that is my little girl." He grinned affectionately dropping a kiss on her cheek. "And I remember Ginny, so this must be Harry."
Ginny shook his hand and enthusiastically before pushing Harry forward to greet the man. Mr. Granger took a second to remove his glasses and clean the lenses before resettling them on his nose. Looking up and down he took in the man his daughter was about to marry with an aloof hand shake.
Harry wasn't easily intimidated but he found himself a bit wary of the way the elder man was looking at him. Judging by their enthusiastic greeting Harry was sure Mr. Granger was in no way ready to give up his daughter into the care of another man.
"It's a pleasure to be meeting you see." He forced out with a small smile.
"Um hm." Mr. Granger continued to eye him for a second more before looping his arm through his daughter and inviting her inside along with Ginny and Lily.
Mrs. Granger chuckled, smiling up at Harry. "Don't mind him. He has no sons and is taking full hazing upon himself and his nephews to complete but I'm sure he'll come around."
"Thanks, somehow I have a feeling I'm going to need your confidence." Harry laughed as Mrs. Granger tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and led him out back.
"I'll just go see where Lily disappeared off to and don't you worry about a thing." Mrs. Granger grinned, leaving him at the back door of the house.
With a deep breath, he stepped through to the backyard where there were a number of people covering an array of ages. An elderly couple, he assumed to be her grandparents, sat at a picnic table holding little children. There were a few people around that seemed to be his and Hermione's age that must be her cousins. Judging by the way the men were giving him a once over, he was certain they were her cousins, the other couples that were older than them seemed rather indifferent and happy to be with the family, `must be the aunts and uncles.'
He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face seeing a few small dogs running around the yard. They weren't nearly as big a Sirius but at least he could claim she wasn't a 100% bona fide cat person. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when Ginny popped up at his side from seemingly no where. "What are you doing just standing around there? Mingle! This is about to be your family!"
"You know funny as it sounds, I don't know a single person here and the majority of the male party here is still deciding whether I live or die so excuse me if I take a moment to assess the best strategy for meeting the family." Harry quipped.
Ginny stared at him blankly for a minute before a huge grin split her face. "Oh my God, Harry I completely and totally forgot, you've never had to do this before."
"Do what?"
"Meet the parents."
"Aw, this is absolutely priceless, your first serious relationship, though I wouldn't tell them that. Not good for your first impression."
"I figured that much out on my own thanks."
"What are you two over here whispering about?" Hermione asked, coming up on Harry's other side.
"Gee, what is it with you two and popping up today?" Harry snapped.
"Um, sorry?"
"Don't worry about him, he's just jumpy because he's not sure how to go about making a good first impression." Ginny informed her.
"What? I never said that. Stop putting words in my mouth Ginny." Harry cried.
"You see, he's completely on edge." Ginny grinned.
"Oh Harry, there's nothing to worry about." Hermione smiled at him.
"I'm not worried, where'd you get that idea from?"
"He's in denial too, that's absolutely adorable." Ginny laughed.
"I'm not in denial, I'm . . ."
"ARE YOU THREE GOING TO STAND OVER THERE ALL DAY OR DO WE GET TO MEET YOUR FIANCE SOME TIME TODAY HERMIONE?" One of her cousins shouted across the yard.
"WILL YOU HANG ON A SEC?" Hermione shouted back, with a glare. "Eh heh, so sorry, Jonathan's the outspoken one in the family."
"He's also the funny one, reminds me of Ron actually." Ginny grinned.
"Peachy, they're not all like her brothers are they? I have to admit, I pity the guy who tries to marry you Gin." Harry said.
"Nope besides John they're not similar at all. My family's quite reserved actually. My parents are dentists, and most of my cousins either own book shops or small businesses of their own. My aunt and uncle by the lemonade own a small café and the two by the kiddy pool with their grand children own a day care center. My aunt sitting with my grand parents is a nurse and her husband is a lawyer, they're John's parents, he's a lawyer too, by the way, so don't let him try to talk circles around you." Hermione informed him.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
"Good then, come on." Hermione tugged gently on his arm, leading him towards her family. Harry followed sullenly trying to remember why he agreed to this.
"Harry, this is my father's only sister Amelia and her husband Cameron. They're John and William's parents. And these are my grandparents on my father's side Alice and Rupert."
Harry smiled and shook hands with both elder couples, linking each to the description she'd given him. He really hoped he wasn't going to be expected to know anything about muggle nursing, though he was sure he could keep up with muggle law. Thankfully they merely made small talk about what he did for a living which he decided to just say law enforcement and be very vague with descriptions. He was having mild difficulty keeping a straight face whenever Hermione turned her head to muffle her laughter as he tried to keep all his answers vague. Her grand parents were much simpler to please they just made inquiries about the wedding which Hermione could easily answer and some Ginny had tested him on at breakfast. He was almost reluctant to leave knowing they'd be the easiest people he'd talk to all day.
Next he was introduced to the couple who owned the day care. He mentally named himself the king of BS as he was grilled about his philosophy on children. They asked about his family and were animatedly sympathetic as he gave his simple they died when he was young answer. Hermione excused them before he had to go into any detail. She knew her aunt could be just a bit too curious sometimes.
The last of the indifferent elder couples was the couple who owned the café. They were surprisingly easy to get along with. They invited the Harry to stop by for tea any time and briefly discussed the latest flavors they'd come up with. He found it peaceful how in sync the couple was, finishing each others' statements and explaining how they bounced ideas off of each other. He grinned thinking maybe he and Hermione might be that in sync one day once they sorted out all their differences. He stole a glance at Hermione wondering if she was thinking the same thing he was. She was just smiling, her arms wrapped around his as she leaned her head against his shoulder. He couldn't help but grin. He liked that idea maybe they could balance each other out with his more extreme nature and he reserved. It could work.
Harry was extremely reluctant to leave the harmonized aura the café couple had created. The part he was dreading the most was coming up. Having to deal with Hermione's male cousins wasn't something he was looking forward to. Somehow the thought of having to prove himself worthy of her just didn't thrill him. What if he didn't pass? Would they convince her to call off the wedding? Would she actually agree to calling off the wedding? Would Rupert battle his lawyers for joint custody or full custody on her part? She'd definitely have more knowledge about him to build a strong case now. He paused to study her for a moment. Would she really do that?
Hermione frowned, she didn't understand the look Harry was giving her suddenly but she knew she didn't like it. She questioned him with her eyes but he simply shook his head and pointedly looked elsewhere. With a sigh, Hermione shrugged off his mood and turned to begin the trek towards her cousins. She honestly didn't know how they'd respond. She was sure her father probably told the men to act tough but there certainly wasn't anything threatening about a shop owner with glasses and a permanent cold, which is how she'd describe all of them but John. He was definitely the black sheep of the family but by far the most fun when growing up. She'd been tempted on more than one occasion to tell him about her magic just because he'd be the only one to find it cool rather than call her insane. It was impossible to stop the grin that spread across her face as she approached her favorite cousin.
"Well, it's about time. I was beginning to think maybe you'd forgotten about your favorite cousin." Jonathan grinned, pulling Hermione into a hug.
"I don't think it's at all possible to forget you, that'd be too much a miracle." Hermione joked.
"You're funny." He grinned rolling his eyes. "And you must be Harry, whom I've heard nothing about."
Harry took the hand offered to him, not quite sure how he was supposed to respond. "That'd be me indeed."
"You'd have heard of him if I thought you were important enough to tell. Just be content that now you are." Hermione quipped, taking Harry's hand and steering him towards her other cousins. "Harry this is…"
"Thomas and his wife Felicity, Tom, Fee this is Harry. So what do you do for a living?" John jumped in.
"Very nice to meet you, Thomas, Felicity." Harry grinned, shaking their hands. "And as for what I do, I do a lot of things, sports and law enforcement being my main fields."
Harry flickered a glance to Hermione who was grinning at the loose description of his jobs.
"I'm a lawyer myself but what kind of sports are you into?" John jumped in again as Tom was about to return Harry's greeting.
"Anything really, rugby, football (soccer), tennis, etc." Harry shrugged.
"I'm not really a sports person myself." Thomas jumped in giving Jonathan a sharp glare. "I own a bookstore with Felicity. Do you like books Harry?"
"I'm rather fond of reading when I have the time but work keeps me busy most of the time."
"I suppose I ought to introduce myself because if I don't I doubt I'll ever get the chance. I'm William and this is my wife Victoria. And since we seem to be spinning this interview off with jobs I'm a banker." William interjected.
Harry found it difficult to contain the laugh that threatened to escape him at William's introduction. Despite what Ginny said William instantly reminded him of Percy.
"It's very nice to meet you both."
"Well I suppose before they start throwing fits as well this is Simon, Calvin, and Daniel." John stated gesturing to the three single men left. They exchanged brief waves but there was no time left for conversation as Mrs. Granger called everyone together for a light lunch.
* * *
Hermione grinned watching Harry's face. When they were at the villa it was everywhere that he'd never had a real family experience but when they were out together, sometimes it was easy to forget. But she could see it now, as he looked half in awe half in wonder at the easy flow of the people around him. How the children played and laughed at their table and the dogs periodically begging someone into sharing something from the table, the husbands and wives finishing each others statements, brushing hands, and laughing together. He seemed most fond of watching her grandparents, so old by still so in love. Sometimes he'd watch her for a bit when he thought she wouldn't notice but she'd always bask in the glow of his attention for a bit before grinning at him, letting him know he'd been caught again. She'd blushed when he'd subtly slipped his fingers between hers. She blushed even now as she looked down at their intertwined hands. Her step mother had grinned and poked her father, less than subtly, pointing to their hands when she noticed. He gave Harry a warning look then stabbed into his potato salad but Hermione had seen the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth afterward.
"So Harry, my brother tells me you live in Italy?" Amelia asked.
"That's correct." Harry agreed.
"Well, dear tell us about your home." Amelia prompts, laughing a bit.
"Ah well it's a villa, Romanesque style, very old, mostly stone."
"It's beautiful." Ginny jumped in. "I have pictures."
`Pictures?' Harry mouthed at Hermione, who simply shrugged. Ginny flashed him a grin after digging the picture out of her purse and passing them around.
"Well it certainly is beautiful." Amelia commented.
"And big." Cameron added.
"Yes, that too dear." Amelia laughed.
"You're moving there Hermione?" Felicity asked.
"Yes, actually most of my things are already there."
"Already?" John cocked his head.
"Not what I meant." Hermione blushed as her grandparents exchanged words among themselves about impatient couples these days.
"Well it's a fine place dear but awfully far away to be raising my grandchildren." Marpessa, Hermione's stepmother commented.
"Mum! Ten pages ahead, we haven't even talked about that yet!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Really Mara, don't encourage them. They aren't even married yet." Her father added.
"They're already living together Uncle, I don't know what you're trying to protect her from." John threw in.
"Must you always be so...?" Hermione started.
"So what?" John challenged.
"Don't even get me started with you." Hermione snapped.
Harry glanced at Ginny who was covering her mouth trying keep in the laughter. He had to admit it was awfully amusing how suddenly animated everyone was. Giving their opinion on them living together, whether or not they should move back to England, and what baby names they liked. He listened for a moment as Hermione's parents argued over whether she should be living at home till the wedding at which point Ginny jumped in assuring everyone she was there constantly and her mother was staying at the villa to keep an eye on things. Slowly things dulled back down and talk returned to the wedding. He opted to zone out as he really didn't have much to say unless asked a direct question. He was pulled out of his sudden interest in the clouds but none other than John.
"You ever play paintball, Harry?" He asked.
"No, I've heard of it though. Why?"
"Well this afternoon, before the engagement party of course, some friends of mine invited me for a round. Naturally I told them I couldn't make it but if you're interested in trying it out we can take the guys and go do something because talk about flowers and dresses. We'll do some male bonding, what do you say?"
"I suppose I've got nothing better to do." Harry shrugged.
"I'd be careful, those things shoot rather fast and John's leaving out that he and his friends are nerdy enough to compete in their ridiculous paintball game thing." Hermione whispered, having heard the offer.
"I'm a seasonal aura, love. Whatever this paintball is, I think I can handle it." Harry grinned, kissing her on the cheek. "I'll see you later."
"Be careful anyway."
"I'm always careful." Harry grinned as he followed John, who'd persuaded the others to join them.
Hermione gave a half wave as she watched them go as Ginny slipped into the seat beside her.
"So we should talk about venues and menus. Anyone know a good priest to perform the service?" Ginny grinned pulling out a pen and notebook.
"You were just waiting for them to leave weren't you?" Hermione whispered.
"Of course." Ginny grinned. "Now we have our fun."
"Mmm, more wedding planning, how fun." Hermione returned sarcastically.
* * *
"Must we really play this, John. It's such a barbaric pointless game." Thomas complained.
"Come on Tom, don't be a nancy boy. Just put on the gear and pretend you're having fun. It's Harry's first time, don't ruin it." John told him. "Now, I've promised me mates we'll get in some practice for the big tournament coming up so I'll have to play on their team but I trust you lot can hold it together. The rules are rather simple as I told you so best of luck, have fun, and try not to get too shot up, that'd just be too embarrassing."
"We'll keep that in mind especially as I'm shooting you, don't embarrass John." Calvin grinned.
"You barbarians have fun." William waved sarcastically, as he found a bench to read on.
"How did he get out of playing?" Thomas griped.
"Because he is a nancy boy. Now come on." John gestured them into the field to meet his team. "It'll be fun."
* * *
"Hermione? Sorry, I never did get the chance to ask you, how did you and Harry meet? I mean, this all seems to have just come out of no where." Victoria asked. There was a general murmur of agreement throughout her aunts and a few heads popped up from down in the garden where the remaining men were playing cards.
"Oh well ah, it, it isn't much of a story is why and I guess it just slipped my mind to tell you. I ah, I met him because of Lily, of course. As he is her father…"
"Oh, so you've been dating quite a few years now. I mean, I never got the full story on how Lily came into your life but I know Aunt Marpessa has mentioned her visiting with you a few times." Victoria grinned.
"Um, yea, yea, we'll go with that." Hermione grinned. She suddenly found herself grateful for not bringing Lily around the entire family more. Glancing up she noticed the expectant looks around her, minus her mother's slightly confused face. They were expecting something more.
"Oh, let me tell the story. I've heard it so many times." Ginny grinned.
"Er, by all means." Hermione forced a smile hoping Ginny could come up with something.
"It's my fault really. We were in England on business for a few weeks and Lily was in day care. Hermione was restoring a mural in the building across the street. Well I was completely lost and couldn't think of the name of the day care Lily was staying out and Harry's meeting was going late so I couldn't call to find out where she was so while I was running all over England trying to find his daughter it was time for the daycare to close. Lucky, Hermione was finishing up for the day and noticed the lone child at the daycare that was well past closing time. Being the kind heart she was she said she was Lily's nanny and signed her out. Lucky again, there was a café across the street so she and Lily were able to get an early dinner and watch the daycare. Harry arrives, furious at me but more worried about Lily. They meet and the rest is history. Hermione picked up Lily from daycare fore the week Harry met them at the café. Coincidentally Harry had more business trips to England than usual and here we are, planning a wedding." Ginny smiled, spinning the tale, eyes shining at her little romance, face poised as if she believed every word.
If it wouldn't give them away Hermione was certain her jaw would have hit the floor presently she couldn't allow for that so she just put her all into faking a smile. Everyone oohed and awwed over the story and she found herself once again showing off her ring while giving Ginny a pointed look and trying to avoid her stepmother's questioning gaze. She finally gave in a mouth a brief `we'll talk later' before shifting the conversation back to favorable wedding venues.
* * *
A horn sounded somewhere in the general direction of the main building, signaling the beginning of the match. Following instinct Harry slipped behind a blow up obstacle to assess the situation. Holding his gun ready, Harry made a quick careful check of everyone's positions. Paint splattered on the obstacle just left of his shoulder. `Missed one.' Pivoting to the left he made two shots one hitting his opponent in the chest and the other in the center of his forehead. `One down.'
* * *
"The priest from my old church can probably do the service. He'll be at the party tonight, right mum?" Hermione suggested. Since getting back on track they'd hashed out all the food allergies in the family that would need to be avoided at the wedding and come up with a few possible venues at which to hold the wedding.
"Yes, he'll be there. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to do the service." Marpessa nodded.
"And he'll be okay with coming to Italy if the venue we choose ends up being there?" Ginny asked.
"Possibly, we can ask him tonight." Marpessa shrugged.
"Oh, I've brought along dresses for everyone to try on; I need to get sizes just right. I'll just be a moment to call the car back with the dresses." Ginny grinned, hopping up from the table.
* * *
`I should probably treat this a little more seriously.' Harry decided taking a brief look off to the side and doing a mental check, noting only Daniel and Simon remained with him, while John's team still had five, having only lost one player. Closing his eyes for a moment, he listened, opting to use aurar skills rather than continue to pretend he had little to no skill at this, making a bold move he ran to another obstacle and pushed it over so it was low enough to shoot over but high enough to block most incoming shots. From there he easily took out two guys with a single shot to the back each.
By then he'd been spotted and had to move quickly to avoid being taken out himself. In an attempt to help, Simon squirmed around the obstacle he was hiding behind and shot at the guy advancing on Harry. Unfortunately he left his back uncovered and was shot several times in the chest.
"Thanks for that." Harry couldn't resist calling. He highly doubted Simon could hear him through the muffling of the mask but it couldn't hurt to try to be friendly. Simon grinned holding up two thumbs before hustling out of harms way. `Two more!'
* * *
"Mum, you're gorgeous!" Hermione exclaimed, twirling her mother around, admiring her elegant suit.
"It is very fetching isn't it, dear. Ginny, I don't know where to begin. I love it." Marpessa smiled.
"Oh it's not done yet. There has to be a lighter lining and some glitter added. We really must look for a nice wedding broach to put on that'll be lovely." Ginny tittered.
"So Hermione have you started collecting?" Felicity asked.
"Collecting?"
"You know, something old, something new, something borrowed…" Felicity listed.
"And something blue." Victoria jumped in.
"Er, no, am I supposed?" Hermione asked. `It's possible, I've said the wrong thing.' Hermione winced at the shocked faces she received for that comment.
* * *
`Where the bloody hell is he?' Harry crept around a circular obstacle careful to make as little noise as possible. It was just him and John now. All he had to do was find him. `Find him or lure him out!' Making a quick decision Harry strolled out in the open, looking around as if trying to find a team mate. He heard him before he saw him. Dropping to the ground and rolling out of the way, Harry narrowly avoided getting hit but John was quick and didn't give in easy. Gaining his feet, Harry ran for the nearest obstacle as John ran along side the obstacle he was hiding behind, shooting quickly as possible. `Not the best plan but effective.' Harry thought as he glanced at the fresh paint spot on his leg. `Do I fake a limp?' Shrugging off the dumb thought, he looked for the best angle to get John from now that he knew where he was. `Be creative.'
* * *
Hermione had managed to escape the women for a brief bit to spend time with her father. With Lily holding her hand, the trio walked slowly around the backyard.
"Daddy, do you like Harry?"
"How could I know, I've only just met the boy."
"But you've formed an opinion."
"As a father it is my job to give the impression I don't like him at all so my true opinion is a complete and total secret."
"Then you like him."
"Who says I said I like him?" He grinned. "Course he does just appear out of nowhere whisking my daughter off to Italy, planning a lavish wedding, and still we know so little about him."
"I like him." Lily grinned from Hermione's side.
"I bet you do poppet." He grinned picking her up.
"Daddy don't hurt you're back."
"I'm fine my dear. Fit as a fiddle in fact, fully ready to march you up that aisle. Darling, you what this all comes down to, don't you?"
"What, what comes down to?"
"If he makes you happy love, that's all I need to know. He's fine with me if he meets that single requirement."
"He does Daddy, I really think he does."
"Think?"
"Know. You know what I mean."
"Course I do, I just like giving you a hard time."
Hermione grinned as her father pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "I love you too, Daddy."
* * *
Running as fast as he could, Harry bent his knees and sprung into the air, landing on a blow up obstacle he bounced into the air. He grinned as John's shocked face as he flipped himself in the air, aimed, and shot. After landing, he turned back to see John still standing stunned, touching his face guard between the eyes and coming down with paint on his fingers.
"You shot me?" He murmured still staring at his fingers. "No, you flew through the air and shot me. . . You're, you're bloody amazing. Now that, that display right there, definitely deserves a drink!" John exclaimed laughing jovially. "Let's change it up and have a round, yea? Not to get all lashed up or anything but definitely to celebrate. OY, YOU LOT OVER THERE! STOP GAWKING AND LET'S GO!"
* * *
Harry found the house fully decorated for the second engagement party, upon his return with the others. As promised they hadn't had much but they'd definitely spent the better part of three hours hanging out at the pub getting to know each other better. Now, back at the house he was directed upstairs to find Hermione. She was sitting on her bed from when she lived with her parents. He figured not much had changed as the room still looked as though it belonged to a teenage girl. The girl was definitely a bookworm but she was well liked, judging but the wall completely covered in a collage of shaped photos. The wall her bed leaned against, he figured she'd painted herself. It was the beginning of a mural that looked like it would have eventually been the entire neighborhood, had she finished it.
"Hey." He murmured, knocking lightly to announce his presence before entering.
"Hey yourself." Hermione grinned.
"Watcha looking at?"
"Some old pictures. Mostly my dad and me." Hermione offered, holding them up. A brief shudder slid down her spine as he sat next to her, taking the pictures. She was silent, staring at his profile as a small smile graced his features while he admired the pictures. "This must be some sort of record."
"What?"
"We've gone almost all day without fighting."
"Really."
"Yea."
"I didn't think we fought at all today."
"No, we haven't, have we?"
Even knowing she'd never hear the end of it if one of grandparents decided to pass by the door, Hermione couldn't resist the look he was giving her now. Slowly, looking into his eyes as if asking for permission, she kissed him, a slow sweet kiss, like a lazy Sunday morning. Another shudder coursed her spine as his hand trailed up her back to wrap lightly around the back of her head. She let her head fall back into his hold, as he tilted her face up more to meet his loving kisses.
"FOUND `EM!" John shouted down the stairs from the doorway. Jumping at the sudden noise, Hermione snapped up and knocked foreheads with Harry and they both drew back clutching their head, glaring at John. "I wouldn't be interrupting anything would I?"
"I hope you have a good reason for being here." Harry grumbled.
"Now remember celibacy is key, children." John joked, snickering to himself.
Harry smirked as Hermione caught him full in the face with a well thrown pillow. "Now that was uncalled for. Haven't you heard the phrase, don't shoot the messenger. Geez, you're guests are arriving." John grinned, dancing out the room.
"This early?" Harry asked.
"I should have known. You're meeting "the neighborhood" after all, where early is on time and on time is far too late." Hermione grinned.
"Oh fun!"
"Fun fun fun. Oh did I mention Ginny invented a how we met story."
"No, be quick, I'll need to learn it before we get downstairs."
"It's a long one; we'll just let her tell it. She does love it so."
"I'm sure."
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