Fate, My Friend, You Say the Strangest Things

The night of November twenty-fourth, 2001, it snowed. Hermione stared out her bedroom window, smiling, and sighing to herself. Tomorrow, she was to be Mrs. Harry James Potter, but that wasn't all. She was running her hand over her stomach, knowing there was life growing in there. She was a month pregnant, with a girl.

"A little girl," she sighed to herself, her big smile not fading.

She turned around and saw the small form of a sleeping Jamie on her bed. His thumb was slightly in his mouth, and he looked so little. He would be excited to have a little sister. She picked him up and carried him to his bed. He didn't wake up, but he was a very heavy sleeper.

She walked back to her bedroom and thought about names for the girl. "Lily" was a definite choice, but she wasn't sure if she wanted that to be her first or middle name. Hermione fell back on her pillows and started to giggle, something she couldn't remember ever doing.

"I'm going to be Mrs. Harry Potter," she said to the empty room. "Mrs. Hermione Jane Granger Potter. Mrs. Hermione Potter. Mrs. Potter. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter." She felt like a giggly schoolgirl, and she knew she never had felt like that.

Damn you Harry, making me turn into a silly girl, she laughed to herself.

***

"Ron, I want us to stop fighting," Harry said, setting his firewhisky aside. Truthfully, he barely touched it. He and Ron were sitting in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Fuck you, mate," Ron said, with a slurred speech. He was drunk after two firewhiskeys, and now he was on his fifth.

"Ron, I'm serious. Can't you look past your superficial feelings for Hermione, and be my best man?"

Ron held up his two fingers, in a backwards peace symbol. "I said 'fuck you'. You get everything, P-P-Potter, why should you get...err..." Ron bent over on the floor and puked.

Harry, with one flick of his wand, cleaned it up. "You need to stop drinking, mate. Hermione does love you, but not in the way you're hoping for. You're important to her, and you're important to me. Would you please be my best man?"

Ron managed to keep his head up. "Fu...fu... F-f-f-fuuu..." He passed out.

Harry managed to lift Ron and support him with his arms and shoulder. He helped Ron walk (when he came to), and he got Ron to his flat above Diagon Alley. He put Ron in his bed, and he left.

How Ron would feel in the morning would be punishment enough.

***

The next day brought sun, but it was freezing with snow still on the ground. The wedding was to be held in the Hogwarts Great Hall, and it was going to not only be their wedding, but a welcome home celebration for Harry. The only ones to be attending were the Weasleys (excluding Percy), Neville, Lupin, Tonks, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Luna Lovegood, Professor McGonagall, and Hagrid. Dumbledore was to be performing the wedding. Jamie was sitting with Bill and his wife, Fleur, who found the boy to be adorable.

Hermione was getting ready in the Room of Requirement, Ginny and Molly helping her with her hair. She looked at her dress in the mirror. It was a Muggle dress, which is what she wanted. It was a white, satin bustier bridal gown. The midriff corset was rose embroidered and had a long, flared skirt. It wasn't exactly something she would have worn, but truthfully, she thought she looked good in it.

Ginny used some hair taming charms on Hermione's hair to straighten it out, and then she used a heat spell to give it soft, ringlets. Molly fixed Hermione's veil straight, and she gave her a big hug.

"Oh, I feel as if I'm marrying off my own children," she wept.

Ginny smiled. "Mum, don't call Hermione and Harry your children. That'll make them related!"

Mrs. Weasley shot Ginny a look. "Well, I'm sure Hermione knew what I meant."

"I did, Mrs. Weasley," she said. "I'm flattered."

They left the room, and Arthur met them in the hall. "Ready?" he asked Hermione.

She could only nod. Arthur was to walk her down the aisle, and she couldn't be more happy...and nervous. When she walked down the aisle to Harry, she wanted to faint, cry, and giggle all at the same time. Standing up there, looking in Harry's green eyes, Hermione was feeling relaxed now.

"We are gathered here today to join together this witch and wizard in matrimony. If there is anyone present that has just cause to object, speak now or forever hold your peace." No one spoke out. Dumbledore, smiling at Harry and Hermione with his eyes, continued. "Now, Harry James, do you take Hermione Jane as your wedded wife to honor, love, cherish, protect and respect her for as long as you both shall live?"

Harry stood there, looking so confident with his head held high and a small smile on his face, and said, "I do."

"And do you, Hermione Jane, take Harry James as your wedded husband to honor, love, cherish, protect and respect him for as long as you both shall live?"

Hermione smiled. "I do."

"Now for the rings." Ron (who fixed things enough with Harry to be his best man) and Ginny (Hermione's maid of honor) handed Dumbledore the rings. "Harry, repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed." He slid the ring (which was a simple gold band and small, square diamond) on Hermione's finger.

"Hermione, repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I-I thee wed."

Hermione slid the ring (which had a charm on it that made the inscription, which read "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite" from Romeo and Juliet, scroll slowly) on his finger.

"By the power vested in me as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Harry did not waste anytime lifting her veil and planting a kiss on her lips. They finally did it. They were now Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter. Harry finally had the loving family he always wanted, and he was going to make sure it would be perfect.

***

A/N: Thanks again to all of you who reviewed. You guys are great. If you'd like to see Hermione's dress, it's here. Just so you know, there's just one more chapter after this.