Rehearsal Dinner

"Ron! Come on, let's go!" Hermione stood at the bottom of the stairs, checking her watch and yelling at her husband, "We're going to be late!"

"Coming, 'Mione, coming," Ron appeared, hurriedly pulling on his left shoe.

"Harry and Ginny are going to kill us if we don't hurry up! Everybody will be all lined up and then we'll come crashing through the church doors and they'll shake their heads and say 'about time!' and I will tell them that it's all your fault."

"Settle down, 'Mione. We're not late yet. Besides, it's just rehearsal dinner. They're not getting married until tomorrow," Ron said, now pulling on his right shoe and hopping down the stairs.

Ron and Hermione had been married for almost a year now, and Harry and Ginny had just decided to tie the knot four months before.

"Okay, let's go," Ron said when he had reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Great, I just want to grab an apple. I'm not going to get to eat for another hour! I'm starved," Hermione said, dashing to the kitchen.

"Blimey, are you going to always be this hungry? And crabby," Ron added under his breath.

"I heard that!" Hermione called, "Don't worry, just for the next eight months."

"Oh goody," Ron said, giving her a sarcastic smile when she reappeared. "But it'll be worth it right?"

Hermione had found out that she was pregnant just two weeks before. "Well," she had said to Harry and Ginny, "lucky that you're getting married soon, or I might not fit into my dress!"

"Right," she smiled, "shall we go?"

"Let's," Ron said, offering her his arm.

She took it, and they Disapparated.

They arrived in front of the familiar church in Godric's Hollow.

"It's so sweet that they're getting married here," Hermione said as they walked up the steps and through the doors.

They were greeted by Ginny, who was positively shaking with excitement. "Hi!" she squealed. "Oh, my gosh, you guys! I'm getting married tomorrow, can you believe it?"

Harry came up silently behind her, pointed at her so only Ron and Hermione could see, and raised his eyebrows. They smiled and shrugged. Ginny whipped around. "Oh it's you!" she smiled, "We were just talking about you!"

"Gin, settle down. You're going to scare Harry out of marrying you," Ron said, fighting the impulse to laugh.

"Well Mione didn't scare you out of marrying her, and she was quite a sight," Ginny replied, smiling at Hermione, who turned pink.

"Mione wasn't quite as caffeinated as you are. What did you give her?" he asked Harry.

"Diet Coke," Harry said, putting his arms around her waist and nibbling her ear. "And I will never do it again."

"You are so naughty!" Ginny cried, giggling.

"Hey, you four! Time to roll!" Fred called from the sanctuary. "How's it going Ron?" he asked, shaking his brother's hand. "Hermione," he kissed her cheek.

"Good to see you, Fred," she said.

"Did you bring the kids?" Ron asked.

"Hell, no! That would be an all holy mess! Actually, yeah. Benji is the ring bearer, and Nicky's playing flower girl. They're with Bill I think." Fred's two children, Benjamin, who was four, and Nicole, who was six, were just like him: always getting into mischief.

His wife, Angelina Johnson Weasley, came up beside him. "Hey you guys," she said. "It's good to see you all again."

"You too," said Ron. "How you been?"

"Oh, pretty good. But I can tell you; I'm never having any more of his children. They're just like him!" she said, rubbing Fred's shoulder.

"I don't blame you," Ginny said.

"Come on, you guys!" called George. "I thought you went to get them, Fred!"

"I did," Fred said as they walked over, "but I made the mistake of making conversation."

"Well, they're waiting for you, Harry and Ginny. Time to line up."

"Okay, we're coming," said Harry, taking Ginny's arm. "Let's go."

"We'll be there in a minute," Hermione called after them.

"Oh, do we have to go?" Ron complained, putting his arms around Hermione, and kissing her cheek from behind.

"Yes," Hermione said pushing him away. "He's your best friend and she's your sister. Besides, I want to."

"Fine," he said.

"Good boy," Hermione said, taking his arm.

When they had all lined up and were ready to go, Mr. Weasley nodded to the organist, who started to play. Harry walked up the aisle, followed by the bridesmaids and their escorts. Hermione and Ron walked up last as the best man and maid of honor. After they had reached the altar, they separated to either side. Then the music changed, and Ginny and Mr. Weasley appeared, Ginny holding her father's arm and Mr. Weasley looking like he might cry. Hermione smiled at Ginny, and she smiled back. Harry met them and the end of the aisle and escorted Ginny up the steps, where Ron was waiting at the altar, as the minister wasn't able to come that night.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today...blah blah blah, you all know the drill,"

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley scolded from the front pew. "Do it right."

"But I don't know it right!" Ron protested. He cleared his throat. "So we skip some stuff. Do you, Harry Potter, take Virginia Weasley to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Harry said, fighting back a laugh. Ginny was already shaking with silent laughter.

"And do you, Virginia Weasley, take Harry Potter to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," Ginny said as calmly as she could.

"Great, you may-"

"Rings, Ron, rings," Hermione whispered to him.

"Oh, right, rings. Okay, send in Benji."

Little Benjamin came baby stepping proudly up the aisle, both rings on a little white satin pillow. He held them out to Ron, who gave them to Harry and Ginny. Harry slipped Ginny's on her finger, and she slipped Harry's on his.

"Okay," said Ron. "Now you may kiss the bride."

Harry kissed her softly, and Hermione thought she was going to cry; it was such a touching moment. Everyone clapped, and they all filed off the stage and back to the line up area. They ran through it twice more. Ron took Hermione's hand and kissed her when they were finished.

"You make a wonderful minister," she told him.

"Oh, thank you. I was planning to be a monk before I met you."

"You wanted to be a monk when you were eleven? I'll have to ask Fred about that one," she giggled.

They all sat down in the dining hall, and served themselves from the buffet of chickens, veggies and homemade Weasley dishes. Hermione and Ron sat down next to Ginny and Harry. Ginny was admiring the silver band of diamonds and sapphires on her finger. "I don't want to take it off," she said.

"Sorry, love," Harry said, pulling a stray red hair out of Ginny's face. "You can have it back tomorrow."

"I notice that you haven't taken yours off either, Harry," Ron commented. "Benji's grown rather attached to those."

"Uncle Ronnie! Uncle Ronnie!" Benjamin had apparently heard his name. "Guess what Uncle Ronnie?"

"What?" Ron asked, allowing Benji climb into his lap.

"I get to wear a 'tukedo' tomorrow! Daddy said so."

"Really? That's a life accomplishment, that is," he said, as though he was fascinated by the four-year-old's news.

"You are going to make a great father, Ron," Harry said. "Have you guys thought of any names yet?"

"Lord, no! It's a little early don't you think?" Ron said.

"Speak for yourself," Hermione said. "I personally like Luke for a boy, and Jamiey for a girl."

"Ooh, Jamiey is such a pretty name," Ginny said. "How would you spell it?"

"I'm thinking J-A-M-I-E-Y. It's girlier. I had a friend named Jamie spelled

J-A-M-I-E once and everyone thought she was a boy before they met her."

"Jamiey is a cool name," Harry agreed.

"I'm not hearing any support for Luke here!" Ron said.

"Oh we like Luke too, don't we Harry dear," Ginny said smiling.

"Oh yeah," Harry said. "Good solid name. Actually I do like it. Don't you have a second cousin or something named Luke?"

Yep," Ginny and Ron said at the same time. "He's the accountant," Ginny added.

After they had all eaten, Ron and Hermione said good-bye to Harry, Ginny and the rest of the Weasley family.

"I've just noticed," Ron said to Harry before they left. "Sirius isn't here."

"No, he had to go to Malaysia on business, but he'll be here tomorrow," Harry explained. Ever since Sirius's name had been cleared, he had been working for the Ministry and took a lot of business trips. He liked to travel, so it suited him.

"Well, we'd better get going, Ron. I'm tired."

"Yep, gotta go home and put the wife to bed." Ron smiled. "See you tomorrow everybody."

Hermione took his arm again, and they Disapparated home.

They both changed into pajamas and climbed into bed.

"Do you really want to name the baby Jamiey?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Hermione said as she shut off the light.