cleverness | you will see your beauty every moment that you rise

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you will see your beauty every moment that you rise

Hermione feels her chest tighten from the moment she steps into the dress shop. There are soft colors surrounding her on all sides, a mixture of white and faint pastels, in such quantities that Hermione can't even imagine how she'll ever be able to find the right dress in time. For years, she's dreamed about what her wedding day might look like, and even if Hermione doesn't have the extensive notes that others her age might, there's an excitement that thrums just under her skin as she hurries into the shop.

She's invited some of her friends to join her — anyone who has a couple hours and the patience to spare. Even though Hermione knows that the wedding will be perfect simply because of the man who will be standing at the end of the aisle, she wants all of the other details to fall in place. Having more eyes and opinions will only make her feel more secure in her skin.

"Do you know what style of dress you're looking for, dear?" the shopkeeper asks her, a sweet woman with a heart-shaped face and delicate brunette curls.

Hermione parts her lips, on the cusp of deferring to her judgment entirely, but a moment later, she nods. "I think I'd like a long dress," she admits, feeling her cheeks flush. "White, perhaps with a hint of lace."

Half an hour later, Hermione stands back up on the stool in front of the tri-panel mirror, turning around slowly and feeling the weight of the skirt.

"What about this dress?" she asks, brushing errant curls of hair out of the way as she spreads the skirt, feeling the fabric against her palm.

[ help hermione pick between dress one, two, three, four. ]

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Charlie's reaction is exactly what Hermione is hoping for, and she can't help but laugh as she offers another gratuitous twirl on the step stool. She's worn heels for the occasion, wanting to know how the full ensemble might start to feel after a few hours — the weight of the dress is significant, but Hermione's confident that she'll be able to figure out a proper charm to lighten the load if need be.

"Well, I'm not sure I want him fainting before he says 'I do,'" Hermione jokes, cheeks faintly flushed as she sways from side to side, the fabric of the dress making a pleasant sound as it moves. "You really think he'll like it, then? I'm counting on you to have a good sense of your brother's tastes, having grown up with him."

She looks radiant, like one of Ginny's dolls but with a vibrancy that emphasizes her beauty as being grounded in life itself. He looks on at her in admiration, truly happy for her in that moment, especially, knowing his brother, how stunned Ron will be to see her in such a state.

"I make no promises for my brother," he tells her with a wink. "But have no fear! If he does faint, I'll tell him that he's surrounded by spiders and that should rouse him again."

"Hermione, he'll love whatever dress you choose," he tells her with a knowing look. "Because you're in the dress."

Hermione laughs at the joke, reaching forward to smack Charlie lightly on the shoulder. As much as she appreciates the thought, the last thing that she wants to do is send Ron into a state of panic on his wedding day — especially considering the fact that he may already be headed for it. Hermione knows how he usually responds to pressure.

"If you cause Ron to have a heart attack in addition to the fainting, I'll never forgive you," she warns, stepping back up to the stool to glance at all angles of the dress again. She still wants to try more in the store, wanting to make sure the dress that she chooses is absolutely perfect. The best dress she can find for the occasion. "But, I know the dress doesn't really matter. He'll love me no matter what I choose, even if it's a garish pink. You know me, though. Ever the perfectionist."

Charlie would never actually do that to Ron, knowing how prone his brother is to panics in general, especially around spiders. Charlie can't say he's overly fond of those creatures, himself. Still, it's a delight to be able to tease Hermione like this.

"Duly noted," he says with a mock-solemn tone, pretending to take notes on parchment as though they were still at Hogwarts. "And being the perfectionist that you are, whichever dress you choose will, in fact, be so by virtue of having been chosen by yourself."

Dissolving into soft laughter, Hermione steps forward to swat Charlie lightly on the arm. There's a certain sense of humor that's shared between all of the Weasley siblings, and she's learned to love the slight ribbing she gets from every one of them. It lends a certain lightness and perspective that Hermione never quite finds on her own.

"Well, I appreciate the vote of good faith," she says, offering a cheeky smile. "Meanwhile, I must ask — what have you been up to in the city? Discovered any new species of dragons yet?"

He grins when she swats him on the arm, and he's reminded that he's officially gaining a sister very soon. He enjoys teasing Hermione; he enjoys that she seems to enjoy it, herself, now.

"That's what I'm here for," he assures her with a wink. He runs a hand through his hair at her next question. "Ah, unfortunately not. I need to find a job, but I admit, I have no bloody clue what I'm doing."

For some, discussing jobs while in the middle of searching for a wedding dress might seem less than ideal, but for Hermione, it's a welcome reprieve. Picking the right dress creates an intangible sort of pressure, Hermione having no objective way of knowing which dress will be the best for the day. Having no way of knowing which Ron might like the most.

She'll pick a dress and wear it confidently, but having a distraction is welcome for the moment.

"You know, Ron had the same problem when he arrived. He was helping me run the Lamplight for a while — which you are also very welcome to do, by the way, if you have idle hands — before he decided to join the police department. It was the closest option to his Auror work. There might be similar work with animals in the city? Or perhaps out in the countryside."

It definitely feels odd, to Charlie, to be talking of work while Hermione shops for her wedding dress. They seem like two topics of polar opposites, both important, but for entirely different reasons. But Hermione seems keen to discuss the topic, so Charlie doesn't feel guilty at disrupting her routine.

"What is the Lamplight?" Charlie asks, intrigued by the name and the fact that Hermione herself runs it. It sounds like it has to do with magic, which appeals to Charlie greatly. "And I suppose you're right, about the animals bit. I'll have to look into that, perhaps."

"It's a little shop I've started, mostly a place where people can purchase magical items and ingredients for potions," Hermione says with a smile. It's not the sort of thing that Hermione would have expected to get involved in, years ago, but the shop is a point of pride for her nowadays. The fact that she manages to run it mostly on her own, and that she has a regular clientele, gives her a feeling of fulfillment. "When I first arrived, none of the magical shops in the area seemed really reliable. Some were scams, in fact. So I decided to open The Lamplight, as much for myself as the other citizens in the city. Remus and Ron both helped for a time, before Remus vanished from the city and Ron decided to take up a position in law enforcement, instead."

She grins. "It's admittedly not as exciting of a job as studying dragons probably was."

"That is very good to know," Charlie says with a grin, feeling more at ease knowing there is a place within Darrow in which he can obtain magical items when he needs them; the thought of Hermione's shop proves as comforting as one of his mother's soups. "Bloody brilliant of you to do so; it's like you knew I was coming." He can't resist a bit of teasing.

"No," Charlie agrees, his grin turning wry for a moment. "But it's a job, and it involves magic in some way, so, if you don't mind I think I'd like to take you up on that offer?"

"I do like to be prepared for all possibilities," Hermione replies, playfully arching a brow. While she hadn't gotten her hopes up for more people arriving from home, Hermione knows that there's always value in making sure that magical people have the supplies they need to protect and defend themselves. If the shop itself can be a safe haven for everyone, then all the better.

"But I would love nothing more than to have you around at the Lamplight. All of the patrons are practitioners of magic, too, so it could be a great place to meet new people whom we can be open about magic around."

"That you do," he replies with a laugh, shaking his head. Hermione is capable of anything she puts her mind to, but she also has something of a sense of humor. It's one of the many reasons Charlie likes her so much, especially considering how good she is for Ron in other ways as well. "And I am especially grateful for it." His words are still teasing, but he means them.

"Really? Excellent! I can begin as soon as you need me to," he tells her with a grin. "Which reminds me; since we can't actually leave the city, what are you and Ron doing for your honeymoon?"

"You're welcome to start whenever you have the time. Actually, in these days leading up to the wedding, it would be fantastic to have more help around the store. I've been closing the store down whenever I have an important appointment, but I'm sure that creates quite a bit of inconvenience for the customers," says Hermione sheepishly. She knows that she's in the store often enough that everyone's needs can be met, but she doesn't fool herself for a moment into believing that people are sticking around for the moment out of anything other than that need.

"As for the honeymoon... I don't know, really. The both of us certainly want to take some time off of work, but like you mentioned, we can't actually leave the city. And we've already picked one of the most picturesque places to live," she murmurs. "I had thought about asking Ron on a hot air balloon ride, but that's no more than a day's excursion. Perhaps we'll just enjoy the time off quietly together."

"I can begin right away," Charlie tells her with something of a sheepish look. "Otherwise I'm just going to be mucking about the countryside endlessly." He likes the idea of working in a quaint little shop; while it lacks the excitement of dragons, that he's still working with magic makes Charlie feel more at ease.

"That you did," Charlie nods. "I must say, I much prefer the countryside to the city itself. Too much noise and not enough fresh air." He snorts at the image of Ron in a hot air balloon. "Please, if that does happen, take pictures. I want to see Ron in a balloon."

"Just know that the hours are flexible," Hermione tells Charlie. The last thing that she wants to do is hold him back from enjoying the aspects of Darrow life that he loves most, and she knows that there's good reason for either of them to continue exploring the city. As much as Hermione's begun to make a good life for herself in Darrow, there's absolutely no question of where she'd pick to be if she had the choice.

Darrow can be a home, but it's not the one Hermione has the most love for.

"All that the Lamplight really needs is for someone to be supervising during its open hours. So if you ever find a dragon and need to call out, just let me know. I'll trust that Ron will make sure you don't abuse the privilege," she smiles.

"I will keep that in mind," he says, excited by the idea. He doesn't mind working full-day shifts, however; he's used to the long hours dragon care requires of a person, and The Lamplight is a pleasant place to while away some hours. Not that he wouldn't take advantage of an occasional short shift or two. "That sounds great."

"I absolutely will," he tells her with a mock salute. "You can trust me; I'm one of the responsible Weasleys."

"The Weasley who prefers to spend his time chasing after dragons, trying to convince me that he's one of the responsible ones?" Hermione asks with a laugh, though her tone makes it clear that she's only joking, and that she doesn't truly believe that Charlie will skirt out on work often.

"But I look forward to it. It'll be nice to have more people around the store. I've always wanted it to be a quieter, family affair, one where we can provide materials to the people who need them, but also enjoy the greater amount of time we have with one another," she concludes, before making her way back to the dress rack. "But for now, the biggest challenge I have is finding the right dress."

"And don't forget the time Bill and I dueled with tables and chairs," Charlie chimes in with a broad grin. "One of my greatest accomplishments to date, thank you very much." In fact, though many see Charlie's job as a risk, working with dragons requires much patience and responsibility, both with oneself and the creatures in the dragonkeeper's care. He's never missed a day of work for anything other than sickness or vacation days.

"Sounds like a fine shop to me," Charlie agrees. "And you know, working with dragons and all, I've gotten quite decent at repairing charms, if there's need of that at The Lamplight."

"But you're right, of course," he grins. "You've got to find the best possible dress so that Ron forgets how to even breathe."

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you will see your beauty every moment that you rise

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