Harry Potter and the Girl Who Lived by mrsgeorgeweasley
It was most probably a good job that there were enchantments that stopped the residents of Grimmauld Place from seeing or hearing anything that went on at number twelve. There was a racket of such magnitude it was nothing short of a miracle that the walls didn’t shake; if not for the very complex spells then people within a ten-mile radius would surely have been disturbed. Most of the responsibility for this noise lay with Mrs. Molly Weasley. Her reaction to the announcement that her second eldest son was engaged was entirely unpredictable; she started with astonishment, moved through delight and then on to uncontrollable sobbing. Everyone had waited so long for something to be truly happy about that now it was here their emotions could no longer be guarded and they wore their hearts on the sleeves of their robes.
Arthur Weasley’s reaction was similar to his wife’s, although he managed to hold back the tears. Bill and Tonks were whooping and clapping loudly in the background. Despite their protestations that they didn’t understand the obsession with romance, Fred and George were doing some kind of peculiar celebratory dance in front of the fire. Hermione was overcome with excitement; she had pulled Ron from his chair into a bone-crushing hug and was bouncing up and down on her balls of her feet. Ginny had turned to Harry wearing an expression that was riddled with exhilaration and had kissed him far more passionately than he would have liked, considering that her mother, father and five elder brothers were in the room. Remus was overjoyed; elation radiated from every tired line in his face, and his eyes sparkled in way that Harry had never seen before. Ellie alternated between grinning at the different members of their family with beaming at Charlie. She held her hand out in front of her to show that her ring finger now bore a modest sized, glistening diamond ring. There was a rush of movement and a tangled web of arms as everyone tried to hug everyone else at the same time.
The ecstasy that emanated from Ellie’s features was overwhelming; she had never looked so happy. Harry imagined that it had been a very long time since she last been anywhere near to being this content. Her smile was wider than any he had ever seen; it was though she was determined to show every single shining white tooth. Her cheeks were flushed red, not in shame but in sheer, engulfing delight. Tears of happiness threatened to escape her eyes; they clung desperately to her lower lids but eventually could no longer be restrained.
“So, Charlie, finally decided to make an honest woman of her, have you?” Bill slapped Charlie on the shoulder sportingly.
“I suppose I did,” Charlie grinned.
“Well done, son,” Arthur offered as he pulled his son into an embrace.
“This is such wonderful news. I’m so happy for you both. A wedding! I can’t believe it. My little boy is getting married. Oh, Elizabeth!” Molly cried, sobbing unreservedly into Ellie’s shoulder. When Molly finally released her it was Remus’s turn to give congratulations to the happy couple.
“If your mother was here then she would most probably tell you that the male is a domestic animal, which if treated with firmness, can be trained to do most things. In the same breath she would then say that she hopes that Charlie can be to you what your father was to her. If you father were here he would undoubtedly tell you that Charlie isn’t nearly good enough for you, but then again nobody would ever be good enough for his little girl.” Remus smiled at her as the tears trickled down her cheeks and pulled her into his strong and loving embrace. He moved swiftly to Charlie and shook his hand firmly. “You now have the one thing more precious to me than any other in your hands. Take good care of her.”
“I will do, Remus.” When Charlie let go of the older man’s hand he immediately grasped Elizabeth’s.
That night they held a party to celebrate; Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall joined them. “Mr. Weasley, I trust that you will treat my granddaughter with the respect and love that she deserves?” Dumbledore addressed Charlie.
“I’ll do my best, sir.”
“That is all that I can ask. Elizabeth, I shall ask you what I asked your mother all those years ago when she came to me with your father. Are you happy?” His penetrating blue eyes peered into hers intently.
“Yes, I am,” she answered, radiating with happiness.
“Very well. Good luck to you both.” He kissed Elizabeth’s cheek and shook Charlie’s hand.
They sat round the table eating the volumes of food that Dobby had laid out for them when Bill and Tonks sent out catcalls for Charlie to make a speech. “All right, all right,” he waved his hands in surrender. “So I finally got around to ‘making an honest woman’ of Ellie, as Bill put it, but in my defence I wasn’t sure that she would say yes. After all those years you spent away in Italy I thought you might have changed your mind,” he now addressed Ellie. “I never thought that when you came back you’d still be smitten with me. I must be better looking than I think.” Everyone laughed at that. “I don’t really know what else to say other than I can’t wait to start spending the rest of my life with you and I’d like to propose a toast to you. To my Elizabeth.” He held his glass high in the air and everyone else did the same.
“To Charlie’s Elizabeth,” they echoed.
It was a little while before Harry realised that Ginny, Hermione and Ellie had disappeared from the room. McGonagall, Tonks, Mrs. Granger and Molly were crowded in the corner near the sink talking in very excited, hushed tones. “Where did the girls go?” he asked Charlie.
“They’re having some kind of pow-wow on the stairs,” Remus answered.
“They’re most probably talking about how stupid men are or something along those lines,” Bill added.
“We’re not stupid though, it’s just that they talk in code and stuff!” Ron protested.
“You don’t have to tell us that Ron. You forget that we’ve spent more time with women that you have,” Bill reminded him.
“I’ve spent twice as much time with women as you lot and trust me, they don’t get any easier to understand.” Remus nodded his head ever so slightly in Tonks’ direction.
“The key is to let them lead you, put off answering until they’ve made it clear what answer they’re looking for,” Arthur advised.
“I don’t think I’ll get away with that one on Ginny,” Harry mused.
“Nah, Hermione wouldn’t buy that either. If you don’t answer her within two seconds she’s liable to bite your head off,” Ron complained.
“Hermione is very much like her mother, so all you have to do is look like you’re thinking things over and it buys you some extra time. You have to watch her facial expressions very closely.” Surprisingly this came from Colin Granger. Ron just stared at him in awe and nodded.
“That still doesn’t get me off the hook with Ginny,” Harry interjected.
“Your best bet is to look really upset and hope that she’s too worried about you to push for answers.” Bill polished off his glass of Firewhiskey.
“Does this mean all they’re going to talk about from now on is getting married and having babies?” Ron paled at his own suggestion.
“It does,” Arthur answered. “Molly’s probably already thinking about flowers and table arrangements. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s picked out baby names too.”
“Well at least this takes the heat off me and Fleur. I was beginning to think that Mum’d go potty if one of us didn’t get married soon,” Bill said cheerily.
“You’re too naïve, Bill. This won’t stop your mother harping on at you about marriage; in fact she’ll probably get worse…” Arthur told him sorrowfully.
“If your younger brother can settle down then you can too…At this rate you’ll be Professor Dumbledore’s age before you get around to getting married… Fleur’s a nice girl. Would it really be that bad to marry her…Bill, a good man needs a good woman to support him…Ron and Harry will be married before you…” George mocked his mother.
“Don’t,” Bill shivered.
“Why is it that girls are so obsessed with getting married?” Harry asked.
“Because a girl’s first role model is her mother; she will judge herself and all other women she meets by the measure of that woman. As they get older and begin to realise and appreciate just how successful their mother was in her various roles as wife and mother and they set out to emulate her. The first step is to find a suitable husband.” It was Remus who provided this insight.
“Absolutely, apparently for the first month of a relationship a woman weighs up whether or not you would make a good husband and father and if you wouldn’t they end the relationship with you,” Arthur reliably informed them all.
“But I’ve been with Hermione four months does that mean that…that…she’s thought about… marrying me?” What little colour was left in Ron’s face drained away.
“Almost definitely,” Charlie laughed at him. “Why are you so worried?”
“Does that mean she’ll expect me to propose soon?”
“Hermione is far too sensible for that,” Mr. Granger answered just a little too hastily, Ron visibly relaxed.
“But you must be sure to observe the proper procedure should you decide that you would like to marry Ms. Granger,” Professor Dumbledore entered the conversation for the first time. So far he had sat at the end of the table and watched the conversation unfolding before him with some amusement.
“What procedure?” Harry’s ignorance of the Wizarding world once again became obvious.
“When you wish to marry a witch you must seek the approval of her nearest male relative, for instance in Elizabeth’s case that was me and Charles wrote me a letter asking my permission to marry her,” Dumbledore enlightened him.
“So if I wanted to marry Ginny I would have to ask Mr Weasley?”
“Marry Ginny?” Arthur spat a mouthful of his Butterbeer out on to the table.
“I wasn’t going to propose for a long while,” Harry was quick to tell him, Arthur relaxed visibly, making the similarity between himself and his youngest son uncanny.
“Good, not that I wouldn’t want you to propose. I mean I suppose that I couldn’t really pick anyone I would rather have her marry but she’s still just a little girl; she’s not ready to be getting married.”
“She’s not a little girl anymore, Dad. She’s growing up; she’s a young woman now.” Charlie shook his head sadly; he couldn’t understand how his sister had managed to grow up so fast.
“He’s right you know, Arthur. You can see it in the way her shoulders have squared; she’s preparing to make her own way in the world.” Remus patted Mr. Weasley on the back comfortingly.
“I know, that’s the problem with girls, they seem to grow up so fast. Before you know it they’re all grown up, falling in love and getting married. It happens too quickly.”
“Remus and I understand that feeling particularly well, because it seems like only yesterday I was cradling Jane’s tiny form in my arms. It feels like I held a bouncing baby Elizabeth just this morning and yet here we are celebrating her engagement. It makes it more obvious than ever that time flies quicker than we realise.” Silence followed Dumbledore’s words.
Meanwhile on the stairs the girls were having a little discussion of their own.
“I can’t believe you’re actually marrying Charlie!” Ginny squealed. She and Hermione were huddled around Ellie at the bottom of the staircase to the first floor.
“You’re not the only one. I just can’t believe it. He’s such an old romantic,” Ellie swooned.
“Did he go down on one knee?” Hermione was intrigued by the events of the day.
“He did the whole shebang. He asked for my grandfather’s permission and got down on one knee, kissed my hand and everything!” Ellie clutched at the ring, which now adorned her finger.
“How long are you going to wait to get married?” Ginny asked.
“We were thinking about during the summer but we’re not sure yet.”
“A summer wedding will be lovely,” Hermione smiled.
“I think so too. The sun shining brightly, a gentle breeze blowing through the trees and some little birds singing…” she muttered wistfully.
“Is Charlie romantic?” Ginny asked with intrigue.
“Very. Sometimes late at night he sneaks down to my room and we lie on the bed talking away…”
“Elizabeth!” Ginny exclaimed with a mischievous grin spreading across her features.
“Ginevra Weasley! If only your mother knew that your mind worked that way! We sit and talk nothing else what so ever. I’m a traditional sort of girl. But it’s so nice to curl up against his chest and feel his arms wrap around me. He has very strong arms you know. I suppose it comes from working with the dragons, and his hands are the same, strong yet soft and when they touch me…”
“We don’t need to know anything about Charlie’s hands touching you!” Ginny grinned wickedly. “I’m his little sister for Merlin’s sake.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything like that; you’ve got a filthy mind there, Ms Weasley. What I was going to say is that when his hands touch me I feel safe, like nothing can hurt me as long as Charlie is there.”
“I get that feeling when Harry holds me,” Ginny said dreamily.
“I wish Ron was romantic,” Hermione said, her voice tainted with disappointment.
“He just needs to find his feet; it’s not easy being a sixteen year old boy. You need to balance showing your feelings with keeping your image intact. I mean, if Ron or Harry started prancing around Hogwarts rhyming off love poems to you, what do you think that the other boys in their year would say?” Ellie grasped her hand comfortingly.
“They’d be laughing-stocks,” Ginny answered.
“Charlie only started kissing me in front of other people after I came back from getting Harry. I think that me being so close to danger gave him a bit of a fright.”
“But they shouldn’t care what everyone else thinks. It should be what we think that matters!” Hermione protested.
“It’s not that easy and you know it. Besides, in a couple of years, he’ll realise that you’re what he wants and he’ll do the right thing.” Ellie smiled at her encouragingly.
“Do you think that maybe one day he’ll ask me to marry him?”
“He’s mad about you, Hermione; you would have to be a fool not to see that. They say that no man is worth your tears and the one who is won’t make you cry. Ron would never hurt you. You can always see him thinking about the best way to say things so that he doesn’t upset you. I would say that wedding bells may well ring for you and Ron.” Ellie had a twinkle in her eye.
“What about Harry? Do you think that he and I have a chance?” Ginny asked.
“Just between you and me, Ginny, countless generations of Potters have married red-heads. You’ve seen the pictures of my Mum and Aunt Lily. Can’t you see the similarities?” Ellie tugged gently at Ginny’s hair. “All the Potter women have looked alike: small frames, pale skin and flaming red hair. There hasn’t been a single docile woman in our family for about ten generations; they always pick the strong independent ones for some reason.”
“Men are incomprehensible,” Hermione declared.
“I would bet every galleon in Gringotts that they’re sitting down there right now saying the same thing about us.” Elizabeth pointed enthusiastically in the direction of the kitchen. “Granny Potter used to say that men are like a fine wine: they should be plucked when they’re young, stomped all over and kept in the dark until they mature into something you’d like to have dinner with.” All three of them chuckled heartily.
“Your grandmother always was a very astute woman,” came the voice of Minerva McGonagall. Molly, Tonks, Mrs. Granger and Professor McGonagall had just come up the stairs from the kitchen and were smiling at the girls. Hermione, Ginny and Ellie moved up a few steps so that the older women could join them and they nattered for a very long time about the complexity of men and their inability to say what they feel. It was Professor McGonagall who brought their conversation to an end. “Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes,” she said in a tone of finality. “There’s too much fraternizing with the enemy.”
A/N: The last line is a Henry Kissinger quote. As for the men are like a fine wine thing, my mother has been telling me that for years and she’s a woman who should know. She picked my daddy dearest when she was thirteen; they were married five years later and have been married for the grand total of twenty-one years now. They don’t show any signs of stopping yet, so she must have got something right somewhere!
My thanks as always go to Magical Maeve and Ashley who were responsible for betaing. I'd also like to make a mention of Ashley the SuperMod! The latest Harry Potter hero!
If you're looking for another great fic to read then i can highly recomend Harry Potter and the Battle For Ginny by Sorn, it's a cracker. ( i know i got the preview!)
Next chapter…The First Protection