Rose Among the Thorns

Chapter 12 Of Wedding Gowns and Familiar Faces

Two days after Charlie gave Hermione the ring, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Fleur, Penny, who had left newborn baby Persephone with Percy, and Hermione went to Madam Malkin's to choose Hermione's dress. The shop was full of young witches sifting excitedly through the endless racks of wedding gowns and dresses. As the Weasley women set to work choosing dresses for Hermione to try on, she stood stock still in the center of the room, staring at the dress covered wall.

"What in Merlin's name have I gotten myself into?" she thought to herself.

"Come ON Hermione!" Ginny said exasperatedly. "It's YOUR wedding!"

"Right," Hermione answered. "My wedding." She gulped nervously and slowly edged toward the wedding gowns.

They sifted through the dresses, handing the ones they wanted Hermione to try on to one of Madam Malkin's assistants, who had miraculously found Hermione an empty fitting room. Mrs. Weasley thrust Hermione into the room, almost cracking her head on the mirror.

Hermione looked at the mountain of gowns and sighed. "Maybe I'll ask Charlie if he wants to elope," she mumbled to herself.

"Not on your life!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed from the other side of the door. "Now put one of those on and come out so we can see you!"

Hermione sighed again. This was going to be a very long day...

~~~~~~~

Three hours later Hermione shrugged into her seventeenth dress and stepped out into the common area. The Weasleys let out a chorus of "ooohhs."

"It's lovely," Penny said.

"I agree," Mrs. Weasley said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, as she had done with the previous sixteen gowns.

Fleur tilted her head to the side. "Eet is very beautiful, but eet isn't quite you, Hermione."

After a moment's pause, Ginny spoke. "I agree."

Hermione returned to the fitting room.

Ten dresses and an hour later Hermione was getting frustrated. "If they didn't like the dresses then why had they picked them out of the bloody pile in the first place?" she thought irritably. She had to admit she hadn't really liked any of the gowns she had tried on either. She was finally reaching the bottom of the heap.

"Hermione?" Fleur's voice called.

Hermione waved her hand over the door of her dressing room.

"Try zees one," Fleur recommended, handing her a large bundle of rhinestones and satin. "I theenk it will be ze one."

"Thanks," Hermione replied.

Still occupied with her frustration at the mountain of gowns, she hastily pulled her twenty-seventh gown on and stumped out to model it for her almost in-laws.

The entire room was silent. Ginny gaped openly, Mrs. Weasley broke out into renewed sobs. Penny put her hands to her mouth and Fleur sat looking smugly at her choice.

Hermione looked in the mirror and gasped. The gown was rather slim-fitting, with an empire waist, cap sleeves, and a short train. Rhinestones dotted the bodice and hem. It was the most stunning gown she had ever seen and knew immediately it was hers.

"My dear, that is the most exquisite gown!" Madam Malkin said as she paused to admire Hermione. "You look positively stunning."

Hermione smiled shyly.

"Where ARE those gowns!" a voice shrieked from one of the fitting rooms. Suddenly, the doors burst open and Pansy Parkinson barreled out, red faced and fuming.

"I haven't got all day, Madam Malkin! I need a dress by this Saturday!" she screeched at the still admiring witch. Pansy followed Madam Malkin's gaze to Hermione.

"Well if it isn't the beaver toothed Granger," Pansy purred. "Finally find someone stupid enough to marry you, other than Goyle, of course."

Mrs. Weasley stood. "We'll take this one," she told Madam Malkin.

Madam Malkin nodded and motioned to one of her assistants.

Pansy put two and two together. "A Weasley!" she cackled. "Weasel gets his brains addled so you go after one of his brothers? Classy, Granger, very classy."

Several things happened in rapid sequence. First, Hermione, still in her gown, threw a left hook that nearly knocked Pansy off her feet. Still barely on her feet and bleeding profusely from her mouth, Pansy spit a tooth out into her outstretched palm.

"You..." she growled, reaching for her wand.

Suddenly she slammed backward into the wall and fell to the floor in a heap.

"If I EVER hear you insult my daughter-in-law again I will make you wish you'd never been born," Mrs. Weasley snarled, brandishing her wand. "Bitch," she added as an afterthought.

Pansy remained curled on the floor until the Weasleys were at the door. As the last one out, Ginny drew her wand and sent a magnificent Bat Bogey Hex at Pansy, whose howls and shrieked followed them out into the sunlit street.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley said admonishingly, but with a twinkle in her eye.

"Thank you," Hermione said, gesturing at Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.

"Nonsense, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley said. "That horrible girl had it coming to her."

"Who's she marrying, anyways?" Ginny asked.

Hermione smirked. "Zacharias Smith."

"Well there's a match made in heaven," Ginny replied tonelessly.

Hermione snickered. "Too right. Ah, think of their poor children, pug nosed, snobby little creatures."

Ginny hooted with laughter. "Oh, Hermione," she said, wiping a tear from her eyes. "It's taken you over twenty years but you've finally started to lighten up."

Hermione smiled. "So I have, Ginny, so I have."

She Apparated back to her flat and carefully hung her wedding dress in her closet. She returned to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich, then carefully progressed to the living room, carrying the sandwich and a glass of juice in her hands and a bag of crisps in her teeth, plopping onto the sofa to watch the television. As she reached for her glass of juice Charlie's ring glinted in the light. She held her hand out, admiring the beautiful stones.

She was going to be Mrs. Charlie Weasley in one week. She was going to be a wife in one week. Hermione sighed and leaned back against the sofa. Ready or not, she was marrying her former lover's elder brother. Talk about keeping it in the family...

*******

notes:

* I had to have Mrs. Weasley call Pansy a bitch because that is one of my favorite lines in DH! Who knew Mrs. Weasley had a gutter mouth! I suppose I do too, as I've already used it in this fic. And I wanted Hermione to slug her because, well, I don't know I just wanted her to because Pansy's a horrible person.