Now and Forever

Chapter 11

A couple of hours later, Ginny and Hermione came out of the shop and looked around, jumping in surprise when they saw two strange men, both of medium height, one with dark blond hair, the other with reddish-brown hair, lounging by the door.

"Oh, sorry," Hermione said, glancing at the strangers before looking up and down the street for her husband.

"Where could they be? They said they'd be here." Ginny said, lifting her hand to shade her eyes.

"We've been here for a while, miss," the dark-haired man said. "Who ya looking for? Maybe we saw them."

His voice was deep and a bit rough-sounding. Ginny looked at him uncertainly, then glanced at Hermione and slipped her hand into the pocket where she kept her wand.

"We're looking for my husband and her fiancé," Hermione said in a businesslike tone, but she, too, had her hand on the wand in her pocket. She looked from one man to the other, both of whom were watching her with interest. "You would recognize them if you saw them. Ron Weasley? Harry Potter? Have you seen either of them?"

"Nah," the blond man said in a deep voice. He had brown eyes and a short, turned up nose. "I hear those poor sods have girls chasing them all over London. Are you really attached to them, or are you just fans hoping to get lucky?"

The other man snorted but said nothing. Hermione looked up at him, then stood on tiptoe to see him better.

"Something I can do for you, miss?" the man said in a gruff voice. He had a thin, pointy nose, a weak chin, and hazel eyes behind ancient-looking square silver glasses. His posture straightened and he scowled, which changed his demeanour from relaxed to somewhat frightening in an instant.

Hermione backed down, looking uncertain. "Erm, no, I suppose not. Have . . . have either of you seen a tall, redheaded man around?"

"Walks with a limp, right? Poor lame bastard," the blond man said, shaking his head.

Hermione took a step closer to him and glared at him as she shook her finger under his nose. "He doesn't need pity, nor does he appreciate it!" She jumped when she heard Ginny laugh. "What?" she asked her friend.

"It's them. They're having us on!" Ginny said, walking closer to the dark-haired man. "It is you, isn't it, Harry?"

Hermione turned to stare at the blond man again. "Ron?"

Both young men laughed in their normal voices. "What gave us away?" Harry said.

"Your eyes softened when you looked at me. A stranger wouldn't look at me with love in his eyes," Ginny said. "What great disguises!"

"And now that you've announced who we are out here in the street, we can't use them again," Ron said, sighing dramatically. He wiggled his eyebrows so Hermione knew he was teasing.

"So did you decide on something?" Harry said, smiling at Ginny.

"If you'd smiled, I would've known you right away. Nobody else has that smile," she said. "And yes, we both found what we wanted. Mum and Dad even found something for themselves. You'll need to send Remus and Tonks in to get their 'parents of the groom' outfits."

"Great! Now what? Are we finished here?" Harry said. He tilted his head and looked at Ginny again. "Wait a minute. Turn around."

"Why?"

"Just turn around." As she spun, he smiled. "Parvati did a great job on your hair, Ginny. It looks beautiful!"

She looked at him uncertainly. "Do you like it better than the other way?"

"I said I thought you'd be beautiful if you were bald, but this is gorgeous. And I like the other way just as well."

She smiled then, and spun around again. "Thanks! It feels so light compared to my hair when it's longer. And it does look nice, doesn't it?" Her hair now hung about halfway down her back, but was cut in layers so it looked fuller, fluffier somehow, and had curls in unexpected places. It was a very pretty effect.

Harry caught her in his arms as she finished her spin. "You look beautiful. Now, are we finished here? Can we go home, or do you have more shopping to do?"

"I think we're finished for today, aren't we, Mum?" she said, turning to her parents who were just leaving the shop.

"Yes," Molly said before she noticed the two strange men with the girls. She and Arthur looked from one man to the other, obviously startled to see the girls being so friendly with them. "Erm, who . . .?" Molly began uncertainly.

"It's us, Mum," Ron said in his normal voice. "We're in disguise."

"Ron?" She turned to the other stranger. "Harry?"

He grinned. "Yes."

"Wonderful disguises, lads!" Arthur enthused.

"And good practice for class," Ron agreed.

"If we're finished, we'll head home," Ginny said.

"Wait, I need to pay for the damaged robes," Harry said.

"And change your appearance so people don't think I'm out with some strange man," Ginny added.

He laughed. "Yeah, that too." They went back into the shop, Ron and Hermione following them. After Ron and Harry reverted to their normal appearance, Harry went to the counter, his money bag in hand.

"What do I owe you for those robes that were burned?" he asked Madam Malkin.

Harry knew wedding robes were expensive, but the figure Madam Malkin named made him swallow hard before he shook the money out of his bag and paid her. "Did the Weasleys pay Parvati for fixing Ginny's hair?"

"They offered, but she turned them down," Madam Malkin said.

"Then give her this from me, will you?" Harry said, pressing several Galleons into her hand. "Thanks."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter!"