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. ♥ ]

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[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.

[deluminate]

The truth was, Ron still wasn't completely sure it had actually happened. He scarcely wanted to let go of Hermione's hand, for fear that it'd somehow turn out that he'd dreamed today, after all. It was bloody amazing, it was. And maybe they were still stuck where they were, trapped in Darrow until someone figured out how to right everything, but this was about as good as it got for now.

In the back of his mind all day, though, had been how much he wishes more of their families could have been there. It was brilliant that Charlie had turned up, but he'd always thought that Harry would be be there whenever this happened, and that all four of his and Hermione's parents would be watching on, as well.

That was why Ron thought that he might have been losing it, when he caught sight of a familiar face in the crowd, one he and Hermione hadn't invited out to the Nook today, only because they hadn't thought she was in Darrow. Something pinched tight in his chest for a moment, and he let his wife's hand go to head over.

"Mum?" he said, questioning and hopeful, but remembering that not too long ago, people in Darrow saw friends and family from home only for it to be some ruddy trick. He didn't think he could manage it if this was that, again.

[teaandsympathy]

Reaching out to pull Ron into her motherly embrace was automatic, simple proximity enough to break through the weakness that had held Molly back till then. If she held on a smidge tighter than usual, well, she was his mother. After a long moment, she pulled back, hands still on his shoulders, as she looked up at him more carefully, but all too soon she was hugging him again.

"Married. My little Ronnie. You're too young, the both of you," she muttered, although a small voice in the back of her head said they didn't look all that young. "I'm happy, of course. Thrilled. I always knew you and Hermione could make a go of things, but..."

[cleverness]

When Ron was the first to pull away from Hermione's side, she assumed that he had spotted Charlie somewhere in the party, and wanted some time alone between his brother and himself. Hermione had every intention of making her way to some of her other friends while Ron was occupied, but she wanted to make sure she knew where he was going, so she glanced in his direction.

And felt her heart practically stop.

Molly Weasley was immediately recognizable in the distance, with her fiery auburn hair and emotions written on her features. But the shock of having Molly show up at the wedding had Hermione standing still, and she couldn't deny the moment of doubt which passed through her mind. The city had only just recovered from seeing imitations of their loved ones in the streets.

Maybe it was a trick.

But Ron quickly made it to his mother's side, and seeing Molly wrap her arms around her son was enough. Hermione rushed over, already feeling tears trail down her cheeks as her hands gathered her skirts a little higher to prevent herself from tripping. "Mrs. Weasley," she gasped once she made it to their side. "Is it really...?"

[deluminate]

Ron hadn't been sure right away. After what he'd heard from Hermione and Charlie about people in the city seeing people who weren't really there, he hadn't been sure. At least, not until his Mum pulled him into a hug, just like she always had back home. He'd been too shocked to really register it at first, but by the time she'd finally let him go, he couldn't manage to anything but grin widely.

"It's her, Hermione," Ron said, and even after the way Darrow had tricked people recently, he was absolutely sure.

[teaandsympathy]

"Of course it's me. I'm here now," Molly assured them both, wondering a bit why they weren't sure at first, when they were the ones who'd changed, the more she let herself see. As well as she could through the fresh shimmer of tears at least.

"And just in time too. You look lovely, Hermione."

[cleverness]

With a softly overwhelmed sob, Hermione quickly raised both of her hands to her face, face warm and tears already threatening to spill over. Having spent so many years over at the Weasleys' residence, seeing Molly arrive was akin to having her own mother at her wedding. Warm, welcoming, and above all, exactly what Darrow needed in order to feel like home.

"I can't believe you're here," Hermione admitted, sounding far too young as she reached her arms out to cling to Molly in a hug, trying to keep her breath even. "I feel like I'm dreaming right now. Everything about this day, I... I don't know what to say. I'm so happy that you made it."

Hermione turned to glance at Ron, trying to dry one of her cheeks with the back of a hand. "I suppose if I ever believed in signs, now would be the time," she joked with a broken laugh, holding her free hand out to pull Ron back into the embrace.

[deluminate]

Ron didn't think he'd be able to stop himself smiling before, but it felt nearly impossible now. Darrow had done a lot of bloody awful things to a lot of people, and for the most part, he and Hermione had gotten out of it unscathed so far. He still hadn't properly forgiven it for bringing Remus and then taking him away as though it was nothing, but compared to what he'd heard some others had gone through, they'd definitely come out okay.

This though... Ron couldn't help but think that Darrow wasn't all bad after this. It couldn't be. This was amazing.

"When'd you get here?" he asked, "How'd you even find us?"

[teaandsympathy]

"Just now," Molly answered, still more than a little in awe of it herself. "A lovely girl," she paused looking over the guests until she found the one she was looking for, "Agatha, asked if she could help. She was on her way here, you see, and when I introduced myself, she asked if I knew you. And that was that. I still can't believe the luck myself."

[dragonsandquidditch]

Charlie still finds himself tearing up, even after the ceremony. Considering, last time he'd been back in England, Ron and Hermione were but teenagers, he finds himself overwhelmed by the reality of their new ages and their new togetherness as a couple. His youngest brother, here in the city, now only a couple of years younger than himself, is married. It's a strange, yet wonderful, thought to preoccupy him as he mingles and introduces himself to some of his brother's friends in Darrow.

He's just going to grab another goblet of punch for himself when he finds himself facing a very familiar sight at the edge of the ceremony.

"Mum? Bloody hell, is that you?" He can't keep himself from talking excitedly, nor from hurrying over to see if it's really her.

[teaandsympathy]

There was a part of Molly almost instinctively wanted to chide Charlie on his language, grown or not, but just then she was so happy to see him here nothing else really mattered.

"Charlie!" She closed the remaining distance between them, arms thrown wide to wrap around him in welcome and relief.

[dragonsandquidditch]

Charlie hugs his mother tight, for once not even teasing about needing to breathe. He didn't realize how much he missed her until she showed up; considering how, from the point in time he's arrived from, the Battle of Hogwarts had only happened a month prior, he still feels keenly for his mother and the pain she must still endure at the loss of one of their family.

"It's so good to see you," he tells her. "Can you believe our Ron is all married and grown up?"

[teaandsympathy]

Molly did loosen her hold on Charlie after a moment, but didn't step away yet. She shook her head, though, at his question. "There isn't much about today I can believe," she admitted, perhaps more honestly than she should have. "I keep hoping it's all a dream, and I'll wake up with you all snug in your beds at the Burrow and in need of a good breakfast to come downstairs to."

[dragonsandquidditch]

"Blimey, did you just arrive in Darrow today?" Charlie pulls back, staring at her when she mentions that. "God, well. That's one way to spend your first day in an alternate dimension, I suppose."

"I'm always in need of a good breakfast to come downstairs too," he points out with a wicked grin. "If you're offering."

[teaandsympathy]

Molly nodded. "Just hours. If I hadn't run into a girl who was coming here today, or if she hadn't asked if I knew Ron, well... I would've missed the wedding entirely." Scanning the people milling around the garden, Molly found the girl and nodded toward her. "Agatha. She's a dear, and would be, even if I didn't owe her."

Pushing away thoughts of what she might have missed, Molly turned her thoughts to something much easier. Fussing over her children. "You are looking a bit undernourished. Haven't had a proper fry up lately, I suppose."

[dragonsandquidditch]

"And the entire city would have known your wrath," he tells her, unable to resist teasing his mum just a little bit. He would have felt awful, had she not been able to attend. His mother always did excel at functions like weddings; it's one of the many ways that make her such a great mother.

"Oh, yes, we've met!" He says when she points out the witch he'd run into at the festival. "She seems like a lovely young girl. She was very keen on dragons when we spoke." This might be something of an exaggeration purely to wind his mum up a bit.

"Nothing in Romania compares to your cooking, ma," he tells her.

[teaandsympathy]

"Oooh, you," she said, rapping the backs of her fingers against his arm.

"The city almost felt my wrath anyway, a bit," Molly admitted. Unlike Ron and Hermione, he didn't look considerably older than the last time she'd seen him, but that might not have meant much.

"A few seconds earlier, and I might have shown up here mid-curse, with who knows what right in the path of my wand." She hadn't thought about it like that until she started saying it, but there were worse things than missing Ron's wedding, although she would have been none too happy about that either.

[ghost_holder]

"You came on just the right day," Aggie says, smiling at Molly's side. It had been a properly serendipitous meeting and she hopes that the bride and groom will be happy to see her.

"Hermione helps me with some of my magic too."

[teaandsympathy]

"And I have you to thank for it," Molly said, a quick spell drying her handkerchief to better dry the tears of joy that hadn't quite stopped yet. "For getting me here to the wedding, that is. If I'd been in the city and still missed it... oh, I never would have forgiven myself."

Shaking aside the idea of having missed the occasion, or simply not knowing two of her children - and one by marriage now - were here, Molly smiled, fondly. "She has always been a gifted witch. I sometimes wonder if Ron would have done quite so well at Hogwarts without her help." Then leaning down to whisper conspiratorially, "But don't tell him I said that."

[ghost_holder]

"Never," Aggie says sweetly.

She's heard of Hogwarts, though only in vague mentions from Hermione. What she's heard makes her long to see it. She can only imagine what it must be like to go to a school where magic is taught and freely used rather than hidden in shame.

"I would have loved to go to a magic school, even if my grades weren't good."

[teaandsympathy]

"And why wouldn't your grades be good?" Molly asked, never happy at seeing a child talk down about themselves. It just set them up for heartache, to her mind. "Hogwarts has some of the finest teachers around." Well... "Or it did."

Then a thought occurred to her that hadn't in all the rush of information before. "Wait. Are you saying there isn't a school of magic here?" Of course it wouldn't have been the same as Hogwarts, no place could be, but no school of magic at all, that was hard to believe.

[ghost_holder]

"I don't know," Aggie says, smiling a little. "I only mean that I'd have been happy just to have a school of magic. The world I came from before here..." She frowns a little and then shakes her head. It's not that she doesn't want to tell Molly her story, but it's just too dark for such a happy day.

"No, not really. I've learned a lot of magic from the different people here, like Hermione. And my guardian, Barbara, doesn't have magic but she lets me take classes in dancing and martial arts and things."

[teaandsympathy]

"No school for magic," she murmured half to herself, shaking her head in disbelief or regret or both, even Molly couldn't have said. "That's a shame. Hogwarts was unlike anywhere else. But I suppose I'll have a lot to get used to here."

[ghost_holder]

"I go to regular school, for math and history and things," Aggie says. "It's a lot different from the things I learned in Blithe Hollow, but it was also three hundred years in the past."

[teaandsympathy]

Muggle school, then, but this was a Muggle city mostly from what Molly could see. But then... Molly's eyes widened. "Three hundred years? Really? Well, you did say time does strange things here."