and to this day, when everything breaks, you are the anchor that holds me

[cleverness]

As the sun began to deep from its early afternoon high, birds chirped as they flew through the woods, lingering around the Nook and watching curiously as people gathered from around the city. Flowers bloomed from the branches, uncharacteristically bright and large for the season, aided by a touch of magic. Not far from the house, a small babbling brook snaked through the fields, giving pets and wildlife alike the chance to run around and splash in a bit of water. The wedding decor had been designed to blend into the countryside, tables held up by tree trunks, and shade overhead provided by the stretch of vines and blossoms. The scent in the air was subtle and sweet, light floral mingling with the smell of baked goods wafting from the buffet table. At the end of the table stood a large cake, with white frosting and decorated with orange blossoms and clementines. If one looked closely enough, they would notice that one of the fruits was different than the rest, painted a subtle gold, and occasionally flying around the cake with a rapid beating of delicate wings.

The wedding was a small and intimate affair, meant to be more of a celebration than a formal occasion, and guests mingled with wine and cheer before the time came for the ceremony to begin.


Ron had felt as if he was going to lose his breakfast for most of the day. The truth was, he'd barely eaten at all that morning, anxious about the late afternoon ceremony. In some ways, it reminded him of ages ago, of his first Quidditch match as Keeper back at Hogwarts, his stomach was in knots, he felt peaky, and without realizing it that morning, he'd been so distracted by his own thoughts that he'd idly managed to cast a spell that left a small raincloud lingering over his head for nearly an hour before he managed to rid himself of it.

He knew that he was mental for it, for being worried about any of this. He and Hermione had been together ages now. They loved each other, and this was the next thing. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with that bloody amazing woman, but there was still the slightest bit of worry that she'd think better of it— of him— and tell him to sod off. He hadn't had thoughts like that, when it came to Hermione, in ages, but somehow it'd all come flooding back in the hours before the wedding.

Even standing there, waiting for her to walk down the aisle, he tried to push those thoughts away, tried not to look too nervous, like his stomach didn't feel like a crumpled bit of parchment. At least, if it all went sour, he only really knew a handful of people who'd turned up today. And Charlie wasn't George or Ginny, so he wouldn't give him too hard a time about it.

But the thing Ron didn't expect, standing there feeling like he might pass out, what he hadn't prepared himself for, was how she looked when he finally saw her. Because once he finally saw Hermione in her dress, walking toward him, this bloody amazing woman who'd chosen him when she could have had anyone, all the worry melted away. The parchment uncrumpled itself, and he was left grinning so hard he couldn't imagine ever being this happy again in his life.


All throughout the morning, Hermione's heart fluttered in her chest. Even as she listened to the guests mingling in the distance, there was something about the day that didn't feel quite real, even as she worked on zipping her dress and arranging her hair just so. While she had asked a guest or two for help on occasion, Hermione spent most of the morning preparing on her own, letting the enormity of everything that had led her and Ron to this point sink in. She had known, practically since their first year at Hogwarts, that Ron was a person whom Hermione would spend the rest of her years standing alongside. But the depth of what they felt for one another, the deepening of those emotions as they bloomed into something deeper and intangible, was something she never could have anticipated all of those years ago.

Now, she couldn't imagine wanting a single day away from him. As Hermione gazed in the mirror, she noticed how it softened her appearance. Her cheeks, dusted pink even without the help of blush. Quietly, she stole a moment to peek through the window, where Ron and Charlie were speaking in the distance. Everything about the day felt right. Everything was coming together, the final missing pieces of the puzzle.

By the time she made her way to the aisle, Hermione was already beaming, fingers trembling as they held onto her bouquet. Petals of light pink and orange lined the path she took, guests turned their heads to rest upon the bride, and sweet woodwind music played in the distance — but in the moment, Hermione only had eyes for Ron. As she came to a stop across from him, she reached a hand out to lace with his own, and silently murmured, I love you.


Ron had spent hours the day before trying to put the right words together, even though he knew that he was rubbish at that sort of thing. Reports, papers… mostly he just tried to get out of doing them, but this wasn't something Ron wanted to skive off. It was more important than almost anything.

In the end, he'd come up with something, and he'd written it out on a bit of parchment that he'd folded up and put in the pocket of his jacket, but he'd begun to think he wouldn't need it after all.

"Hermione, you've been my best friend, my teacher, my soul mate. You've managed to put up with me for over a decade now, and if you were going to think better of it, I s'pose you would've done it by now. Sometimes— right now, especially— I can't believe I've gotten this lucky. I love you, Hermione. You've been making me a better person since we first met, all those years ago as kids. And I promise that— that I'll keep working at it for as long as we're together, which is the rest of our lives, I hope. I promise we'll keep learning from each other, and that I'll always be there.

"A long time ago, I got lost, and it took a little ball of light to bring me back to you, to bring me home again. But I promise to never leave again. You're my home now, and you always will be."


As Hermione listened to Ron speak, she felt her chest grow tight and her eyes mist over, but she did her best to take the whole moment in, committing every detail to memory. The bright blue of Ron's eyes, as clear as the sky above. The way his hair caught the sunlight. The gentle brush of the wind as he spoke, grass waving merrily in the distance. She ducked her head for only a moment, smiling to herself, knowing that she could never forget the way that her heart felt right then, full to burst.

"As a child, I had always been somewhat of a precocious little thing. I knew how to consume books as though I was breathing air, and I kept my nose buried in them, day after day, like they were my entire world. But from the moment that you entered my life, Ron, you showed me that there was so much more to the world than what I could learn in the shelves of a library. You taught me the value of friendship, you showed me what true bravery meant. And what you taught me, above all else, is about love. What it's like to grow together, and what it's like to feel as though there's another person in the world who completes you. Who makes your world whole. Who shows you, every day, how life can be lived to its fullest.

"You say that you feel like you're lucky, but I feel like I've been the fortunate one to have found my soulmate so early in life. And I can't wait to spend the rest of that life with you."

Trembling hands relaxed as Hermione watched Ron slide the ring onto her finger, and she glanced up with a soft laugh. His warm arms wrapped around her, and Hermione pushed herself onto her toes, hand curling against his chest as she pressed her lips to his.


[ gathering for ronmione wedding! let us know if you're requesting ron, hermione, or both! tag in and be merry. ♥ ]

Comments

[survivesitall]

Elena has Clayton on her arm, looking grumpy but still there. In part she'd lured him out with the dress she had on, knowing that he would sit at home and grumble even more with her out there dressed like that than he would at the wedding. She's promised him a conversation too, about their future and children.

The ceremony was beautiful, and she's happy for them. They're surrounded by people, so she hangs back, sipping at a drink and waiting for a time to say hello.

[dragonsandquidditch]

Charlie's favorite part about the decor is the way it blends into the outdoors; it's clever and lovely both, enhancing the intimacy of the ceremony while also illuminating the grandness of the day itself. Also, the Snitch on the cake is quite possibly the best thing Charlie's ever seen on any dessert. He spends his time before the ceremony itself chatting with guests, his gaze always falling back on the Snitch with a large smile.

When the ceremony itself starts, Charlie can't stop smiling. Ron is clearly nervous, but the look on his face when he first glances Hermione coming down the aisle, well.

It's enough to make Charlie pull out his handkerchief and blow into it. His youngest brother, the baby of the boys in the family, is grown up and marrying the woman who already feels like an extension of the Weasleys. He can hardly believe it as they exchange their vows.

Bloody hell, he's actually blubbering. George would mock him endlessly, if he could see him now. But it's Ron, and it's Hermione, and they so obviously poured themselves into their vows.

It's a magic beyond wands and potions, and while Charlie isn't looking for it himself, he finds himself amazed by it in those he cares deeply for.

"I can't even believe it," he says when the ceremony finishes, walking up to Ron and throwing an arm around his shoulder. "The runt of the litter is all grown and and married. So when can I expect my next niece or nephew?" Yet, though he kids, he pulls first Ron, then Hermione, into a deep embrace.

"No, but seriously, congratulations to you both," he sniffs again. "Blimey, you both gave me a good cry! I hope your happy with yourselves."

OOC: Ron and Hermione please. :3

[teaandsympathy]

The young witch Molly met had tried to explain things to her, but it was a lot to take in all at once and after the night Molly had just had, she was caught somewhere between suspecting it was some strange spell she'd never heard of and simply not thinking of it for a time.

Most surprising, though, was where Aggie had been going when she found Molly. Even now, as she watched through a sheen of tears as Ron and Hermione exchanged their vows, it was hard to believe. She'd arrived only just in time to linger at the edge of the gathering during the ceremony, nothing more than a quick flick of her wand to set her robes to rights, and another to freshen her curls and be as presentable as she could be.

Molly hadn't been able to stop the silent flow of tears, or the one sob she muffled with a handkerchief still damp with her earlier tears of grief. But she gathered herself as best she could when the ceremony was over, the only thing keeping her from rushing to sweep Ron and Hermione - and Charlie - into crushing hugs, was the way she still felt a bit shaky after it all. Grief, joy, and befuddlement all jumbled together.

[everyonetakes]

It's really cool, watching someone else get married, especially two someones she knew pretty well on the island, even if they don't remember it, and Kate finds herself smiling all through the ceremony. She's definitely not crying, because weddings are generally disasters, except this one is really sort of nice and maybe she's taking mental notes, because she has her own wedding to think about.

Plus, any excuse to get dressed up is a good one, as far as Kate is concerned. And she's been looking for a reason to buy the awesome star dress that she'd been checking out at work for ages. This is the perfect excuse.

[spirit_of_vitriol]

Back home, Flavia would've had everything at her disposal to make Miss Granger--Mrs. Weasley, now, she corrected herself--the most wonderful of wedding presents. She'd been reading up on the science of pyrotechnics before her untimely departure from Buckshaw, thanks to Tar's extensive scientific archive.

As it was, she had an envelope in the pocket of her dress, enclosing a certificate written in Flavia's best handwriting and promising the bearer a Rocket of Honour in the colors of their choosing (within chemical reason). It might take a while to get the supplies here in Darrow, but she hoped Hermione would understand.

She laid the envelope on the gift table--trying to ignore how measly and meager it looked among the other beautifully-wrapped presents--before turning to rejoin the festivities. There was going to be cake, after all.

[ghost_holder]

In Blithe Hollow, Aggie had attended a few weddings but they had been rather somber affairs compared to the joyful one she's watched today. She can see now why modern weddings are such celebrated occasions, even without the trappings. The way that Hermione looks at her new husband makes Aggie truly wonder what it might be like to fall in love. If it's anything like those two, she thinks she'd be lucky.

It's rather lucky too, Aggie thinks, that she seems to have brought a nice wedding gift in escorting the mother of the groom.

Sitting primly in her dress for a moment, Aggie just smiles bashfully.

[beyondtheblonde]

Elle's wiping away tears before the vows are even finished, and she's not the least bit ashamed of it. There's little as beautiful as a wedding and nothing more important than love, and the air around the Nook is suffused with that today. It's easily the most intimate wedding she's ever attended. Back home in Malibu, she went to a lot of very grand affairs, and they were lovely, of course, and she had a great time, but it was nothing like this. She very nearly feels as if she's intruding here, spying on such heartfelt vows, her own heart full as she reaches for Emmett's hand, trying to hide her sniffling.

It's only after the fact that she feels a little sheepish, fingers curling in the lacy skirt of the dusty pink dress she chose for the occasion (she's hardly about to disregard her signature color, but she doesn't want to be loud about it. Something more muted seemed appropriate, the better for Hermione to shine in her gorgeous white gown). Sweeping a finger under her eye, she smiles, bashful, and shrugs at the person standing near her at the refreshment table. "I just love weddings."

[Both please! She's eager to meet the groom. And any others, of course.]

[beyoncepadthai]

Mindy's really just here to look. She waits until after the ceremony, too, and she is totally too good of a person to steal their food and booze when she's not invited. But there was no way she was missing out on Ron and Hermione's wedding just because she had the misfortune of not knowing they were in the city, or engaged, until way too late.

It's practically her right as a Harry Potter fan, anyway, she's pretty sure.

Of course it's gorgeous. It's kind of annoying, these kids getting married before she's even met The One, but given the amount of knocked up twenty-somethings she sees on a daily basis it seems like a growing trend. Spotting a glimpse of white she figures must be Hermione, it's all she can do not to rush over and say hello. She resists.

God, she deserves a medal for this. Or at least one of those pastries on the table right over there.

[pointzerothree]

Once, what at least feels like a long time ago, Eduardo is pretty sure he would just about have gone crazy at the prospect of being invited to the wedding of two Harry Potter characters. He wasn't as into the book series as some other people he knew were, but he enjoyed them a lot, and even accounting for the fact that he would have had to see it as a possibility in the first place, something like this would have seemed like an unbelievably big deal.

It's still that, but now, it's just because it's someone he cares about walking down the aisle. He'd never realized it before, but he's pretty sure that Hermione is the first friend of his to get married, which seems quietly significant in its own right. It makes it hard not to wonder, just a little, about what the future might hold for him, especially seeing the way Hermione and Ron look at each other. The feeling he sees reflected there is one he's incredibly familiar with.

For the time being, though, all of that takes a back burner. It would be difficult to focus on anything other than the events of the afternoon, anyway, with such a nice gathering that he's just glad he's gotten to be a part of, everything about as beautiful as he would have expected it to be. Waiting for an opportunity to greet the bride, he heads over to get a drink, barely able to stop smiling, the mood fairly infectious.

[driven_as_hell]

Emmett is pretty sure it's the sort of thing that's supposed to carry a lot of weight, going as someone's date to a wedding. After all, it's primarily for Elle that he's here, being passingly acquainted with the bride and not having met the groom yet. Instead, it's as natural as everything else has been with her, holding her hand as the ceremony comes to an end, smiling down at her. Whatever it means, he's glad to be here.

When he can, he keeps mostly to her side, not knowing most of the other people here, either. She's far better at mingling, anyway. Still, he offers up a smile and a nod of greeting for someone passing by. He doesn't have to be close to either the bride or groom to be thoroughly enjoying the occasion.

[sayshazam]

Billy was not comfortable being here at all. Weddings were weird and he'd never had to go to one before. He knew that he didn't have to go to this one but Hermione had been nice to him and considered her a friend and you had to go to a friend's wedding. It was a rule, he was pretty sure of that.

He'd even picked out a suit, just a black one with a black tie but it seemed to match what most everyone else had on. After the actual wedding part, which was so, so long, he and Steph were seated at the reception.

The fact that Stephanie was here made him super, super nervous. He liked her, maybe more than he had ever liked someone before, and that was scary. Super scary. Scary enough that he had asked her to come with him and be his 'plus one' just to prove that he wasn't that scared of liking her. Which... was weird counter-logic but whatever.

Hermione, please!

[thefourthone]

Going to a wedding as a friendly plus one is one thing, but, damn, Billy needs to warn a girl when the marrying couple are Harry freaking Potter characters. She had managed to restrain herself to a surprised squeak when she realized just before the ceremony and has hopefully not acted like too much of an excited weirdo looking for hints of magic.

The whole wedding is beautiful, and Steph is glad she splurged on a dress. The purple gives her a bit of extra confidence, enough that she can laugh and enjoy herself for a day without overthinking anything. Billy's a friend, he invited her, and there's a freaking snitch on the cake. That has to be enough for a good day.