An- Anyone want another chapter? I sure do!
I'm back again for chapter 4 of O Mio Babbino Caro, where the boys go to Diagon Alley, and see Hermione and Ginny there too. A little humor, little surprises, and loads of sarcasm ahead!!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows…… Why didn't I think of that? Obviously JK Rowling thought of that first, meaning I am not her…. Or am I??
LE GASP!!!
O Mio Babbino Caro Chapter 4- Surprise?
It was two weeks until the wedding, and things were pulling together as the day everyone was waiting for came closer and closer. Hermione's father still did not reply, and Hermione was getting more and more upset as the days went by. Everyone was told to be sensitive, and let her go on, that she was a big girl and could handle herself. The boys kept their distance as the days went by as well, and they would soon need to make a stop at Diagon Alley for their dress robes and such for the wedding. Hermione and Ginny, with the help of Mrs. Weasley, had sent out invitations to all of their Hogwarts friends, and were getting replies by the bunch every day.
"Ron, I reckon we should go and get our robes today, Fred and George are back from their trip to Scotland to expand the shop, and the wedding is two weeks away. No point of waiting to the last minute on something like this." Harry stated, plopping down beside Ron, who was reading the latest issue of "The Big Pitch", a Quidditch magazine that Hermione had given him a subscription of for his birthday. Ron sighed, and closed the magazine.
"I suppose you're right, mate. We really should get them today, or Mione'll have my head. Lemme just floo Fred and George to see if they can back away from their potion sets and come out into the light." Ron said, chuckling after at the mental image of Fred and George in Potions Class with Snape, their former Potions Master, and the school's official "Slimy- Haired Git" as many of the students called him.
Ron left the room, leaving Harry to think about the box that was in his back pocket. He hadn't shown Ron the ring, and he wasn't planning on taking it out until he was ready to ask Ginny the "dreaded" question. Of course, he wasn't exactly dreading the question, he was more anxious to ask her, and hear her answer. But the wait was driving him insane, and before he knew it, he had taken the ring out of his back pocket, and was stroking the small blue velvet box it sat in.
"What's that you got there, Harry?"
Harry put the box out of view, but there wasn't a point. Fred had already seen the box, and he cursed himself for it. Fred smirked.
"What was that Harry? I didn't quite catch that." Fred stated, plopping down next to him on the couch. Harry grimaced at the sickening sweet tone Fred was using.
"You're a bloody nuisance, you know that?" Harry stated, get up to leave the room, but Fred stopped him.
"Tsk Tsk Harry, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want Ginny to know-"
"What does Harry not want Ginny to know about?" George asked, now walking into the room. Harry groaned.
"Can you two be somewhat mature for once and leave me be please? I have a lot on my mind, and would like some peace and quiet, two things you two don't provide." Harry stated, agitated. The twins exchanged glances before continuing to torment Harry.
"Oh but Harry, don't you need to ask us something? You know George, I was wondering when our little Harry here was going to ask our darling sister Ginerva to be his special companion, but I never thought it would be this soon!" Fred said, going behind Harry and holding him in place by the shoulders, much to Harry's discomfort. George came in front of Harry and looked him right in the eye.
"So, you're going to ask the most dreaded question for a wizard to ask a witch, eh? You're going to ask our only sister to be yours forever?" George asked him, with a look of seriousness. Harry looked right back at him, trying not to show fear, but failing miserably.
"I- I was planning on it, yes." Harry stated, thinking after, "If you let me live to ask her, that is."
Fred and George exchanged glances again before bursting out laughing. Harry looked at the two of them, confused as they both doubled over in laugher.
"Well Harry- I must- say that – you're practically- already family- so welcome to the – family officially!" Fred exclaimed in between gasps of air.
"Well, thanks guys! I really appreciate that! Wow, that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!" Harry said. Fred and George stopped laughing and turned back to Harry.
"Just wait until you tell Bill. Ginny and Bill are really close, so if you think we were rough on you, boy are you in for it bad." George stated, grave look on his face. Fred nodded his head in agreement, and Harry groaned as he flopped back onto the couch.
Later that day, Harry, Ron, Fred and George were walking around Diagon Alley. They had just left Quality Quidditch Supplies, and were headed toward The Leaky Cauldron when Ron stopped unexpectedly stopped walking, eyes wide with horror.
"Ron, Ron, mate what's wrong with you?" Harry asked, looking at Ron, who had turned incredibly pale in a short amount of time. He then pointed at a shop just across the street, which happened to be a shop called "Mother Witch Style". Harry looked back at Ron confused, when Fred and George started laughing.
"What is it?" Harry asked, still confused at what was going on.
"Look at who's inside the shop, Harry, just look" George stated, trying to look serious, but not succeeding. Harry looked back at them confused, but went over to the window to see what all the fuss was about. There, standing in the shop with two other very familiar girls, was none other than Hermione Granger, holding up a maternity shirt to herself, and then placing it back on the rack nearby. The girl next to her turned around to face Hermione, which Harry then realized was Ginny.
"Bloody-"Harry started, but then the girl to the other side of Hermione turned around, to be Katie Bell, Fred's long-time girlfriend. Harry then turned to Fred, who hadn't noticed just yet.
"Fred, you know your girlfriend is in there too, right?" Harry said grinning as Fred turned just as pale as Ron had. George looked at his brothers, back through the store window, and then finally back at Harry, who now realized that Ginny being in the store too didn't look good.
"Okay, I know what this looks like George, but I swear-"Harry started, but before he could continue he was pinned up against the outer wall of the store.
"I swear Potter, if you've done anything suspicious, anything at all, you won't live to ask Ginny-"
"Ask me what?" Ginny asked angrily, hands placed on her hips, making her look like a younger version of Mrs. Weasley. George let go of Harry and stepped back.
"Ask you-" George started, but Ron cut in.
"Ask all of you what you were doing in a maternity store!" Ron stated, looking at Hermione. Hermione then gave Ron a hug and a peck on the lips before smiling at him.
"Is that why you're so pale? You saw us and thought that-"
"Yes that's what we all thought! George was about to kill Harry!" Fred exclaimed, looking at Katie who had her arms around him, and was trying not to laugh.
"Ginny, please tell George we haven't, I mean, he was going to kill me, Gin!" Harry stated, inching away from George, who had a look of confusion on his face.
"Wait, if none of you are, er, expecting, then what in the name of Merlin were you doing in there?" George asked, looking at each of the couples. Then the store door swung open and Luna Longbottom stepped out of the store, bags in her hands.
"Hey, sorry I took so long…. What's going on?" Luna looked around at everyone. Ginny smiled at George and walked over to Luna.
"Well, there was a little mix-up out here, while we were in the store. The boys over here saw Katie, Hermione, and I in the store while you were in the changing rooms, and assumed that one of us were expecting, because Hermione held up a shirt to herself as a joke. Well, George practically killed Harry, and Ron and Fred almost died of heart attacks from the shock." Ginny said, chuckling at the end of her little speech. Hermione then continued the story.
"Really what we were doing was helping Luna pick out stuff so that she could surprise Neville tonight at their anniversary dinner. Now it can't really be a surprise, can it?" Hermione asked the men in front of her.
"Well Hermione, I don't know about them over there, but I won't mention it to Neville. I mean, he's a good friend of mine, but I'm not going to ruin a surprise as important as this one." Harry exclaimed, smiling at Luna. Luna smiled back.
"Well thanks, Harry, I really appreciate it. You know, I should really head back to our flat before Neville comes home. He said he had to stop by the school to check on his Mandrakes' progress. That was a half hour ago, so he should be home any minute. So, Hermione, Ginny, Katie, I'll floo you all later to tell you how it went?" Luna stated, looking at each of her friends.
"Of course, Luna, we'll talk to you later. We're all actually staying at the Burrow, so whenever you aren't busy, floo over." Katie said, giving her a hug.
"Okay, well I'll talk to you all later then" Luna said, and with a pop she was gone.
After they all came back from their trip to Diagon Alley, Hermione walked up the stairs, and walked into Ginny's room, where she had been staying for weeks now. She sat down at the desk in the corner and pulled out a blank piece of parchment and a quill.
She began to write another letter to her father, because she knew that one wasn't enough. She had been doing this secretly for weeks now, writing a new letter every couple of days, telling her father that she loved him very much, and that he shouldn't just shut her out like he was doing, that she was all he had left and he needed to support her decisions. Of course, he never replied, but she figured that eventually he would come around and accept Ron as her husband-to- be.
Hermione was then brought out of her daze when the door opened, and Mrs. Weasley came into the room. Hermione stood up, and watched as Mrs. Weasley came over to her and gave her a hug. Before she knew it, she was crying into Mrs.Weasley's shoulder.
She was crying for Ron, who had to put up with the stress of her father not accepting him as his Son-in-law-to-be; she was crying for her mother, who would've been the person who could change her father's mind whether her father liked it or not, and was always the voice of reason and understanding in their family; she was crying for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who had to deal with the fact that their youngest son was being rejected by his Father-in law, and he couldn't do anything about it; but most of all, she was crying for her father, who wouldn't support her because he thought it wasn't meant to be.
Right then and there, Hermione promised herself that she would prove him wrong.
And with that, Hermione pulled away from hugging Mrs.Weasley, went over to the desk, picked up the letter, and ripped it up. She then turned back at Mrs. Weasley and stated,
"No more. I'm not going to let him control my life. If he doesn't accept this, then so be it."
Mrs. Weasley then squeezed Hermione's hand, and left the room.
AN- At first, I was going to end the chapter at Luna leaving, but then I thought that it needing something else. I came up with this idea of her secretly writing more letters because I figured that one letter wouldn't be enough for Hermione, and that she would've been determined to get a reply. But then, I wanted her not to be dependant on her father, and I needed her to be able to just give up, but in a strong, powerful way - accepting that he won't accept.
So anyway, I'm sorry that this took months and months, and hopefully I'll be able to write quicker for next time. I also have ideas for a new songfic or two, and I'm going to start a new chapter of Harry's Last Hope. Just wait until you see it, I'll be up to 20 stories before you know it.
Sev- yeah sure, at the rate you're going, that'll take another two years….
LoonyKins- (flicks wand and Duct Tape covers Sev's mouth)
Sev (muffled screech)
LoonyKins- Okay, please review!!