On One Fine Day

"I love pink roses."

Harry didn't need to turn around to know who it was. He heard her footsteps lighting towards him, arms going around his waist, and a head resting on his shoulder. He turned around to face her, mirroring her actions with his own. She looked lovely in her dark blue bridesmaid gown, and the sun shone lovingly on her hair, making the natural red turn almost gold.

"Pink roses have always been my favourite. They're her favourite as well." She let out a slight chuckle. "Who'd ever have thought that someone as non-girlie as her would be into pink flowers of all things?" But her mirth stopped quickly as a shadow fell across her face. "I could kill him for doing this to her. In fact, I think I will. That is, if he ever dares to show his face around here again."

Harry sighed and held her closer. "I know what you mean, Gin," he said quietly. "I know exactly what you mean." He pulled back a bit from her so he could see her face properly. "Do you think I should go back in there? Hermione acts strongly, but we both know her well enough to know how vulnerable she really is. Maybe I should -"

Ginny cut him off by shaking her head. "No, I don't think you should. Her mum and dad have been with her mostly, and besides -" she cleared her throat, "Ron's just gone in there. Hermione was asking where he was, so I went and got him."

Harry didn't even bother to hide his amazement. "Really?" He felt shocked and relieved all at once.

Ginny must have seen it register on his face as she nodded. "I think it's a good thing," she began cautiously. "It'd be good for both of them. And maybe he'll be able to get Hermione to open up, since she's not really saying much about what happened to anyone else, and he's always -"

"Been able to get through to her." Harry finished the sentence for her. "Or to her, full stop," he added wryly. Ginny smiled. Maybe Ron being there was a good thing, he thought. He recalled the way Ron had looked when Hermione had told them about her engagement. He had seen the same look on his best friend at the engagement party as well. And it had flashed across his face whenever they were with Hermione and her fiancé, he had worn it this morning in the church, and Harry knew, that in some form or another, that he had been watching it flash across Ron's features since their fourth year at Hogwarts. He knew his best friends had a lot of unresolved issues to work out, but was today really the day to do it? He sighed again, looking at Ginny. She was still smiling. Recognition ran through his mind. "Oh no," he said under his breath.

"Oh no what?" Ginny replied, the smile fading.

"Don't even think about it, Gin," Harry warned.

"Think about what?" she replied, looking deceptively innocent.

"What I know you're thinking about," he continued.

Ginny must have known she had been caught out. "Well it is a good thing that he's with her at the moment," she insisted. "And no matter how painful it is right now, it's actually a good thing that today happened." She looked at him imploringly. "I'm not trying to match-make them, Harry, honestly -"

"Funny how that sentence sounds so familiar," he injected dryly.

Ginny ignored him. "But this could be the wake up call that finally gets them going. They've been dancing like this for ten years practically, and it's high time that something happened to snap them out of it." She stamped her foot impatiently. "Oh, if only they both weren't so pig-headed and obstinate and -" she stopped, looking quite defeated.

"Don't I know it." Harry enveloped her in his arms once more. "I'm so lucky to have you," he murmured into her hair.

Ginny looked up at him and kissed him softly. "As am I." Her expression then turned stern. "But if you ever think about jilting me on our wedding day, even think about it for one minuscule second, Harry Potter, and I will not hesitate in killing you. Got that?"

Harry smiled at her. "Believe me, that's one thing you'll never have to worry about," he replied, holding her closer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ron opened the heavy wooden door that was the side entrance to the church. Blinking rapidly as his eyesight adjusted to the buildings dark interior, he looked around him, taking in the surroundings. This was a beautiful place, he thought. He definitely couldn't fault the taste of that absolute bloody - Ron thought of a lot more harsh words for Hermione's fiancé - ex-fiancé now, he reminded himself - as he entered the church. But he felt guilty even thinking of curse words in here, although he wanted to verbally hex the rat into the next century. He vaguely remembered Hermione mentioning that it was wrong to curse in a place like this, and that was enough to stop him from continuing. Hermione, he thought, sighing heavily. He looked around at the ornate furnishing, the stain glass windows, and the pink roses that adorned the church's interior. This was supposed to have been her day, and now it was - his thoughts trailed off as he spotted white material out of the corner of his eye.

Her mother had said she would most likely be in the far-left corner of the church, at the end of the pew - "like she was trying to burrow herself away," she had said. Ron saw that Diane Granger had been right. Hermione had holed herself up so much in that one corner, that she was close to being swallowed up by the surrounding darkness.

She looked breathtakingly beautiful. But then, she always did to him, and he had never expected anything less on her wedding day. Her gown was made of delicate looking material, and the full skirt billowed in folds around her body, making her look like she was wearing a big...meringue or something, though Ron was definitely not going to tell her that. Her veil trailed from the back of her head, over one arm, and rested on the floor. Her hair fell in soft, shiny curls over her shoulders. Everything about her was perfect.

Except for her face. Ron saw it look up at him as he arrived at her corner. It was puffy, red and tear-stained. It betrayed what the rest of her appearance did not. She opened her mouth to speak, floundering wordlessly for a few moments, before she made a strangled sound which quickly turned into a gigantic sob.

"Oh Hermione," Ron whispered. He sat down next to her and began to pull her towards him, but she had already moved first, flinging her arms around his neck, sobbing even harder. This was what she'd always had done, of course. He couldn't help but smile at the familiar gesture. He in turn, did what he always did as well, and just held her as she cried, while she tear-stained yet another of his shirts.

Ron was not surprised to see her like this. Her parents, as well as his mum, and Harry and Ginny, had all told him how frightened they were that she hadn't made any signs of emotions at all since this morning, and she how she hadn't even looked like she would shed a tear. But Ron knew, like they did, that she would eventually crack. She always did.

As she wept, Ron tried to sort through his own muddled feelings. He felt awful for Hermione - absolutely wretched for what she had experienced today, and when he got his hands on her runaway groom, Alex, (or Lexy as Ron preferred to witheringly refer to him in his head) and he would get his hands on him - there would be hell to pay, he was sure of that. But these feelings were mixed with ones of sheer relief and guilt. The sheer relief coming from the fact that she didn't get married. That she wasn't married. That she wasn't permanently out of reach from him. That he maybe still had hope - he forced himself to stop thinking that way and that was when the guilt started to kick in, in full force.

Her sobbing was slowing down. Ron moved a hand soothingly along her back, and murmured in her hair. "Do you want to talk?"

Hermione drew back from him slightly, taking her arms down from his neck so she could wipe her nose with her handkerchief. "What's wrong with me?" she said in a wobbly voice. "What's so wrong with me, that I can't even manage to get marr -" but she was cut off by a fresh wave of sobs that made her bury herself in Ron's arms again.

Ron's heart sunk for her. How many times had both of them asked each other that question over the last decade? "What's wrong with me?" "Why can't I hold onto a relationship?" "I really thought that this was the one." They had spent so many nights trying to cheer each other up when the answer always came back "I don't know", that it had become routine.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Hermione," he whispered fiercely to her. "Look at me." He titled her chin up so she was forced to do so. He cupped her face in his hands and repeated himself. "Nothings wrong with you, Hermione. You know that. Stop thinking like that." Ron was relieved when she nodded, but was dismayed to see another fresh batch of tears well up in her eyes. But he didn't have anytime to react, as she brought one of her hands up to his cheek, stroking it softly. His breath caught in his throat - half of him wanted to yank her hand away, and the other half of him never wanted her to stop.

"Thank you for being here," she said hoarsely. "I don't think I would've - no, I know I wouldn't have been able to get through this without you." She choked on the last words, but seemed determined not to cry anymore.

"As if I wouldn't have bloody been," Ron replied. He felt like a million dollars when she cracked a smile. He smiled back, and though he was terribly disappointed when she took her hand down from his face, and he did the same, he was just thankful that she was opening up.

"I knew. Yesterday I knew that he wasn't going to show up today," Hermione began after a long pause.

"What?" This wasn't what he had been expecting. He waited for her to continue.

"I think I've know for a lot longer time than that, actually," she continued softly. "But yesterday, we went to lunch at my parent's house. And Alex was so quiet, hardly speaking at all. But he was watching my parents all the time - In the same way I'd seen him watch your parents as well - and he would shoot me these funny looks which I just couldn't work out. And I hated myself for not being able to work out what they meant - we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, for heaven's sake - but I actually did know. I just didn't want to have to admit it. We both knew it. That we weren't going to be like that," she choked back a sob. "Like my parents, or yours -" Hermione started crying again. Ron started to interrupt, but she stopped him.

"No, I need to finish." She swallowed and continued. "And then last night, at his place, before I was going to Apparate back to my parents' to stay there for today, he just turned around and asked me straight out, 'Are we going to love each other like that?' And I of course automatically replied 'Of course we will, don't be silly,' and then he just gave me another of those looks and smiled and said he'd see me tomorrow - but it didn't even occur to me until I got to Mum and Dad's that neither of us had even thought to have said that we already love each other like that. Because we didn't. We don't." She let herself cry a bit more before she spoke again.

"That's why I wasn't surprised when I arrived here this morning, and found he hadn't shown up. And when the Reverend gave me the letter that he'd left, I actually felt relieved. And I felt so horrible for feeling that way, but I just couldn't help it. And I tried to act all shocked and upset when everyone realised that Alex had stood me up, but I really didn't feel anything until I was alone, and then it all just came out of me and I couldn't stop crying - and then when you came in, I cried more - and now I've started again, and I don't think I'll ever stop..."

Ron held her once more as she sobbed. He'd never known that she felt like this. She'd never expressed any worries or concerns about her impending marriage to him, nor to Harry either, as far as he knew. "Why didn't you ever say anything about this?" He rested his chin on top of her head.

Hermione gave a self-depreciating chuckle. "This is me we're talking about, Ron. I didn't want to admit that I'd been wrong - neither of us did - we let the relationship go on for much longer than we should've - we didn't pay attention to the signs." Hermione held onto him tightly. "And it was good for a while, it really was. We had so much in common! We both worked in the same field, both bibliophiles, both Muggleborn, so we could have this big Muggle wedding, while still being magical." She drew quiet for a moment. "I just wish it could have ended differently. I hope we can be friends again someday, when all of this is in the past."

Not for the first time since he'd known her, Ron was filled with admiration for Hermione, and for the way she handled herself. "Do you know where he's gone?" he asked quietly.

"In his letter he said that he was going to Swansea to stay with his cousin for a while," she replied softly. "And he said when he got back to London, he was going to put in for a transfer to another city." She sniffled. "I suppose it's for the best. He said I could have the honeymoon, though," she said, chuckling slightly.

"That actually sounds like a good idea," Ron offered. "The time away might do you some good."

Hermione shook her head. "No, I don't think I could. It's to the same part of Italy where we went on holiday last year. Too many memories." She sighed. "I think I'll give it to my parents. Or yours. Or Harry and Ginny - they don't often get the chance to get away -"

Ron couldn't hold back anymore. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" he said.

"What?" Hermione sat up straighter, but didn't stop holding him. "Why?"

Ron struggled to put into words what he was trying to say. "You...you're just...you were left at the altar only a few hours ago, and you've already thought everything through, and...I don't know... you're just amazing." He winced on the last word, hoping she didn't think anything of it, also hoping in vain that his ears weren't turning red already. Why did he have to say that to her right now? So his surprise was great when he felt her lips brush softly over his cheek. And his ears burned even brighter.

"Thank you, Ron. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now," she said softly against his face.

She did? He moved his head slightly to look down at her. It amazed him, that even after all these years he was still being surprised at the way their relationship functioned. Hermione looked back up at him, her warm brown eyes travelling over his face, as though she was searching for something.

Maybe they were searching for the same thing.

Ron didn't know how long they sat there for, looking intently at each other.

He didn't know the exact moment she brushed her fingers over his cheek, sending shivers through his body, or when he did the same to her own cheek, making her gasp slightly.

He did know, however, the exact moment the air between them changed. It happened so often that Ron was used to noting the change, and backing off. He knew this was the moment to back off. He was about to. He really was.

But then she titled her head closer to his.

He could feel her breath mingling with his own.

Hermione closed the gap between them, brushing her lips against his. Ron wanted more than anything in the world to be able to kiss her back. He'd wanted this for so long, it was all he could to stop himself from crushing her to him. He urged himself to give in to it. He needed to give into it. But in one of the greatest acts of strength he felt he'd ever have to call upon, he wrenched his face back from hers. "Hermione," he began, "don't... we can't..."

Hermione pulled back from him as well, looking as though she had just snapped out of a trance. "Oh god, Ron," she dropped her hand from his face quickly, and covered her mouth with it instead. "I'm so sorry. I have no idea what came over me...I just- oh, I'm so sorry." She moved quickly away from him, moving back into the corner of the pew, looking very much as though she was going to start weeping again.

Ron couldn't stand to see her like this again. He moved closer to her, taking one of her hands, pressing it until she looked back up at him. She did, and Ron could swear he saw disappointment and regret mixed in her features. No, he told himself, he was just imagining things. Projecting his own feelings onto her. There was no way that..."Hermione, don't start this again," he said quietly. "You did nothing wrong. You've just been through massive emotional upheaval. It's perfectly normal to want reassurance, and I'm here with you, so..." he trailed off, repeating this to himself. Warm body syndrome, he said inwardly. It's perfectly normal, and you just happened to be here.

Hermione nodded and smiled at him, squeezing his hand back. "Of course," she said, her lips curving slightly. Ron smiled back, trying hard to ignore the kick in the gut he felt at her words. Of course, she'd agree. It was the truth. No matter how much he didn't want it to be. She was looking at him again, with that searching expression on her face, but it went as quickly as it came. Ron resisted the urge to sigh out loud. Hermione held out her other hand to him.

"Can you help me up?"

Ron stood, pulling her up with him. She was wobbly on her feet, moving as though her legs were made of jelly. Ron couldn't help but laugh a bit at her, and Hermione laughed back. "I haven't stood for hours," she confessed. "My legs are so numb!" she stamped her legs on the ground, as though trying to bring the life back into them. "So where is everyone?" she asked. "Have they gone home? Are they still here?"

"I think most of Alex's side have left," Ron replied carefully. Hermione nodded, as though she'd expected this to be the case. "Harry and Gin, Mum and Dad are all out in the gardens with your parents," he continued. "Mum sent the rest on to your parent's house. Fred and George probably have a few surprises in store for you there, knowing them."

Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they do," she said.

Both of them fell silent for a moment. Hermione was still holding on tightly to one of Ron's hands, and he pressed it again to get her attention. "You ready to go back out there?"

Hermione looked up at him, and nodded. Her chin was wobbling slightly again, but she smiled bravely, holding his hand tightly. "Ready as I'll ever be," she replied. She tucked her veil under her arm, and used her free hand to hold up the skirt of her dress, struggling with its enormity. "Argh, I don't know whatever possessed me to wear a big meringue!" she chuckled. "Never again." She drew quiet once more. "Not that I'm ever expecting marriage to come my way again..."

"Hey," Ron tilted her chin with his fingers so she could see his face. "You'll find someone one day," he cupped her cheek gently. "You'll get your happy ending. Believe me." Ron inwardly cringed at how scratchy his voice sounded, but he needed to reassure her. Of course, she'd have all that. Even if it wasn't with... his stomach twisted. "Come on," he said cheerfully, trying to put himself in a happier frame of mind. "Enough sappiness for one day! Let's get out in the sun."

Hermione nodded again, and tucked her arm in his. "Let's," she agreed softly. They walked towards the side door that Ron had entered the building through, and when Ron pulled it open, sunlight flooded them, temporarily blinding them.

"I should have brought sunglasses," Hermione commented, adjusting her eyes. "It is a beautiful day, though," she continued wistfully as they entered the church gardens. "I feel like I've entered a brand new world."

"Well, in a way I guess you have," Ron agreed, scanning the church grounds for their friends and relatives.

Hermione stopped walking and turned to him. "I'm glad that I've entered it with you," she replied quietly, looking in his eyes for a moment, before hugging him tightly. "Thank you for everything." She kissed his cheek again, and rested her head on his shoulder briefly. Ron held her back tightly, his chin brushing against her hair. He didn't trust his voice enough to speak just yet. "Ron, do you think that maybe we've both been -"

"Oh, you're here! Harry, tell the others that they're here!"

Ron inwardly both cursed and thanked Ginny's interruption. Hermione pulled away from him, gathering herself. Ron sighed, and was sure he heard her do so as well.

Ginny reached them, and immediately embraced Hermione. "How are you? Do you feel any better? How is she?" she asked all at once, turning to Ron on the last question.

Hermione smiled at Ginny, breathing deeply before replying. "Well, I've obviously had better days, but -" she looked at Ron once more before continuing. "I think I'm going to be fine," she finished softly, smiling again. "Just fine."