Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch

Chapter Two, The Surprise

"Thanks a bunch Miss Figg for letting me stay here!" Harry said, getting on the Night Bus.

"No problem, anytime you need a place to crash, you remember that my door is always open to you." She smiled as the Night Bus sped away.

It was a long and agonizing ride to Hermione's. "Thanks for the ride Ern!" Harry said, waving goodbye.

"No, no, thank you!" he replied, tipping his hat at Harry. Harry waved goodbye as the Night Bus took off, he looked at the map again and noticed that he was only a little away from Hermione's.

Her house was 2503 Pinecircle and he was at 2500 Pinecircle, he peered across the street at a big yellow house. "Twenty-five O three, Pinecircle," he said firmly, walking up to this house.

Harry rang the doorbell, and then he heard a voice, "I'll get it mum!" The door swung open revealing a bushy haired Hermione. "HARRY!" she screamed, wrapping her arms around Harry's neck. "Oh I have so much to tell you!"

Harry hugged her back and said, "Hi Hermione! Had a good summer, did you?"

She smiled brightly and began talking rapidly, "Oh Harry! Ron arrived yesterday and the first thing he asked was to speak with my father. I wondered what was going on! He came out of my dad's office smiling widely and asked me to dinner. After we left the restaurant, he asked me to MARRY him! SEE!" she thrust the ring in Harry's face. It was beautiful with a huge diamond.

Harry's eyes widened. "WOW! I didn't know the two of you were even going out!"

"We weren't!" she exclaimed. "Not to mention that we're getting married a week before the term starts! He serious about marrying me! I have to plan a wedding in two weeks Harry! I NEED HELP!"

Harry stood there shocked. "W-what, how am I supposed to help?"

"Ron refuses to help me with anything! He believes that it's not the grooms' responsibility it's the BRIDES! At least that's what he said."

"Well if you're mad at him, then why don't you just break up?" Harry said very matter-of-factly.

"Because, because I love him, sure we've never dated but we might as well have been!" Hermione said, crying on Harry's shoulder. "I'm under too much pressure!"

"Maybe it's too soon, I mean Ron's sixteen and you're fifteen," Harry said, trying to calm her down.

She looked up at him and said, "I have to, and it's what my parents always wanted. They always wanted me to get married young. The younger I marry the sooner I have kids and the younger I am when they're out of the house. I mean it goes on and on about the reasons."

"Ikes, I'm sorry. I'll do anything, anything that I can do to help you. I promise!"

"Thank you Harry, thank you!" Hermione said, squeezing Harry tightly.

"Hey now, don't get too cozy, you are my wife to be," Ron said, walking down the stairs and kissing Hermione lightly on the lips. "Hey Harry, didn't know that you were here!"

Harry shook Ron's hand and half hugged him. "I need to talk to you Ron, about something that you gave me."

"Umm, all right, just a minute love," Ron said. He followed Harry into the library, and shut the door.

"You gave me a mirror, and well it's just that, that was a way that my dad and Sirius communicated at Hogwarts; Sirius had given me it to talk to him, but I broke it after he died. I just think its a little creep don't you?"

"Sure, if you say so Harry, but I mean it's just a coincidence don't you think?"

Harry laughed. "One thing I've learned about my life is that nothing is a coincidence everything that happens, happens for a reason. This mirror thing just makes me think."

"You know Harry I've been thinking too. I think that we should become Animagi, what do you say to that, unregistered Animagi? Wouldn't that be awesome?" Ron asked, getting very excited. "I've talked to Hermione about it, and even she said that it could benefit us, even if it will take years."

"I suppose so, I mean if Hermione into it then, sure why not!" Harry exclaimed, walking out of the previously locked room.

Hermione eyed Ron and Harry. "What was that all about?"

"Hermione, we're becoming Animagi!" Her eyes widened and she hugged Ron and Harry. She let them both go and Ron and Harry straightened themselves up. "But Ron, if you'll excuse us we have planning to do."

"WHAT?"

"For the wedding, you prat! How about you can send invitations and Hermione and I will work on the decorations etc, etc." Ron looked a bit disappointed but nodded reluctantly going upstairs to his room. "You guys aren't like, well you know. Are you?"

"NO! For the love of Merlin Harry, get your head out of the gutter!"

Harry jumped at her reaction. "Okay, well you know, you could be." Hermione rolled her eyes and walked into the dining room where it was covered in magazines.

"First, we have to go dress shopping, and you, Harry Potter, are so coming with me!" Harry nodded his head fully aware that if he didn't agree then he'd get it for sure. "Well then come on! I called a taxi and they'll be over in no time flat!" They went outside and waited for around ten minutes until the taxi came and Harry escorted Hermione inside it. "Take us to 'Gowns Tycoon'," Hermione said to the driver. After the ride was over she handed the driver some Muggle money and got out. "This is it!" She took Harry's arm. "Let's go!"

Together they stepped inside the building; Harry looked around, astonished at all the dress. Wow! He thought to himself.

Hermione dragged Harry to the very back and stepped through a wall, and they were in a wizarding part of the store. "Look at that one!" she said, pointing to a long strapless white dress. She took it down; it was light but looked heavy. "I'll be right back; I've got to try it on!" She ran into a dressing room and after several minutes Harry started getting worried.

"Er, Hermione, do you need help?"

"If you don't mind zipping up the back for me," she said, walking backwards out of the dressing room with the zipper half way finished.

Harry finished zipping it up and she turned around; she looked beautiful and Harry smiled. "It's perfect for you! Does it for alright?"

"Actually I think that these dresses are enchanted so that they fit the person trying them on perfectly," she said while twirling around and looking in the mirror to make sure that it was what she wanted. "Yes, yes this is the perfect dress for me!"

"So we but it and we're done here!"

She blushed. "No, not quite, I have to get a veil and shoes."

"Oh right, well then we better get you a veil and shoes," Harry said. Hermione spotted a veil that matched perfectly with the dress and tried on nearly twenty pairs of shoes before finally deciding on a pair.

She went and looked at other dresses and said, "Ginny's going to be the maid of honor, so she needs a dress as well. We need to get you and Ron tuxedos, even though that's the groom's job, but I have to do everything myself. I could have sweet revenge on him and get him a banana yellow tux that would be funny! But this is my wedding and I do want everything to be perfect for the wedding and we also decided to cut out the bride's maids and grooms men; so this is, as you can tell, going to be a very small wedding."

"Ahh! Too many things to remember! Why don't you keep to the more complicated parts and I'll take care of the rest," Harry said, running his hand through his hair trying not to forget anything that Hermione had just told him.

After everything was said and done they had gotten a white wedding dress, two black tuxedos, and a light blue dress for Ginny; all together they spent twenty Galleons, four Knuts, and five Sickles. "Don't worry Harry my father will reimburse you for everything; now onto the next destination, 'Flowers and Beyond'." Harry sighed deeply rolling his eyes and felt like lunch couldn't come soon enough.

They picked out lots of white and light blue roses and Hermione's bouquet had very dark blue roses with a few white ones. They picked out a nice spot at a lake called, Bumble Bee Lake, and then had lunch at a little café. While Hermione was having the time of her life, Harry was completely bored stiff. "Are we done yet?" Harry asked whining a little.

"Harry," Hermione said. "This is my wedding and I want everything to be perfect!"

He didn't say anything for the rest of the day, which was spent looking for someone to marry Ron and Hermione and a wizard photographer. They still hadn't found anyone by dinnertime and Harry was starving so Hermione finally gave up until the next day. "I might be a little help after I get a decent night sleep," Harry yawned.

Hermione glared at him. "Let's go home and see what my mum's cooked for us," Hermione said also yawning. ldquo;Planning a wedding really is a long and painful ordeal." Harry nodded his head in agreement and rested it on Hermione's shoulder; he was exhausted from the day's event and felt as though he could sleep for days. "Harry, we're here, Harry, wake up," Hermione said, gently shaking Harry awake.

"We're here already?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. Hermione nodded and paid the driver. "You know I really do like your house Herm."

"Don't call me Herm, makes me sound like an amphibian, but thank you!" Hermione said, unlocking the front door.

"Hello Hermione!" Mrs. Granger said.

"Hey mum, do you have dinner ready? Harry and I are starving," Hermione said, patting her stomach as it growled.

Mrs. Granger sighed. "I wasn't sure on what to make. Tell me what you want and it'll be ready in half an hour or so."

"Hmm, I think I want; well I'm having a hankering for some of your spaghetti, could you make you spaghetti?" Hermione asked, smiling, Mrs. Granger nodded and went off to the kitchen. "Harry, take the girls' outfits upstairs and have Ron try on his tux, I'm going to go take a shower; and Ron, NO PEAKING at the dresses its bad luck to see the bride's dress before the wedding!" Harry nodded, grabbing the bags and carrying them upstairs; Ron kissed Hermione lightly on the cheek and followed Harry upstairs. Hermione went upstairs as well into her bathroom that she had all to herself; she filled up the tub putting bubble in it and got in.

* * * *

"Do you really love Hermione enough that you're willing to spend the rest of your life with her?" Harry asked, going into Hermione's room to put her and Ginny's stuff on Hermione's bed. "I mean I couldn't do it!"

"I just don't want to lose her, that's all," Ron said.

"Lose her?"

"Did I stutter? Yes, lose her; see what if someone takes a fancy in her? And I'm too late, that would be bad! I really like her and have for like ever."

"What ever you say, I'm just glad that I get to be your best man!" Harry said, patting Ron on the back.

"Yeah who else would I pick?"

Harry laughed. "One of your brothers?"

"No," Ron said. "I'm not really close to any of them; maybe Charlie, but other than that, no one." Ron pulled off his shirt to get dressed. "You're my very first best friend and I've known you for what seems like a life time, and we tell each other everything so...."

"Everything?" Harry said, getting an odd smile on his face. "You mean like the honey moon too?"

"HARRY!"

"What?" Harry asked, shrugging his shoulders. "You did say 'everything' did you not?"

Ron glared at Harry and put on his pants. "That's just a little too much information about Hermione that you don't need to know. If I tell you any of our more 'intimate' parts at all! That's kind of my own little secret, and I hope that Hermione won't go off and blurt out any embarrassing things about me to the girls either. I'm going to make an agreement with her tonight, that I'll keep stuff to myself and so will she."

"You mean I don't get to hear the better, juicier, parts of the story?" Harry asked not believing what Ron was telling him.

"Yes," Ron said simply and finishing tying his tie.

Harry pouted for a second and then changed the conversation, "So what about a bachelor party?" Harry got a wide grin on his face.

"You know I haven't really thought about the bachelor party at all, but you're right we need to and SOON! How about this coming Friday?"

"Sounds good, but where?"

"I've heard of this great place called, 'No Addiction' they say it's the best for those kinds of Bachelor parties. Did I tell you that this place his its own stripper?"

Harry's eyes widened as did his grin. "Let's get Malfoy drunk!"

Ron mouth went into an "O" shape and he said, "That's too perfect, although how do you know that he'll come?"

Harry smiled again. "Think about it: booze and women."

"Ooo," Ron exclaimed as it clicked in his head. "I like your thinking, they've got these really good Mai Tai's there, oh my goodness, and they're so bloody good!"

"And you would know?"

Ron looked around the room. "Three words, Fred and George." Harry and Ron laughed as Ron got out of the tux and into some Muggle clothes.

* * * *

Hermione walked out of the bathroom with her hair up in a towel and she heard talking coming from Ron's room, she smiled to herself. I'm so lucky to have a fiancé and best friend who are so nice.

"Hey mum, is dinner ready?" Hermione yelled from the landing upstairs.

"It'll be ready in about five minutes, why don't you get the boys and wash up. Although I see that you've already done your washing," Mrs. Granger said to Hermione.

Hermione nodded and went to her room to finish drying her hair. She knocked on the boys' door to their room. "Are all boys presentable?"

"Yes," they said in unison.

"Good." She poked her head inside. "Dinner will be done in about two minutes so wash up." They nodded and put away the tuxedos; Hermione went downstairs.

"You ready Ron?"

"Yeah, but er after dinner could you, maybe, like give me and Hermione time to talk; you know," Ron asked, walking down the stairs with Harry.

"Sure Ron."

* * * *

"Go Malfoy, go Malfoy!" cheered a bunch of girls around a table with Draco Malfoy stripping.