Love, Marriage, and Pranks

Love, Marriage, and Pranks



It was around eleven that same morning and their chosen spouses were due to arrive at the castle. Hermione felt ill with nerves. She had known Fred nearly eight years, but not on the kind of level she was about to get to know him. She just hoped he could be serious and mature about this, just until they got everything settled was all she asked.


She could not help but keep thinking about how she was lucky and got off quite lightly when you took into consideration that she knew Fred and respected how intelligent and creative he and his twin must truly be. Even though she did not agree with much of what they got up to, she was not blind to their genius.


She knew very well that she might have not been so lucky, that fate may have not been so inclined to be so kind to her. She could have well been on her way to becoming Mrs Draco Malfoy right there immediately. The thought sent a cold shudder down her spine. It did not bode well just thinking of such a hellish and nightmare thing ever occurring.


She looked to her left and noted Harry stood to one side not far from where she was. She supposed things would be much easier with Harry around. She knew she would be likely spending more time with Harry in the years to come then with Ron. When you took into consideration that they were going to marry brothers who did most things together, whom were practically inseparable from the other.


She also noted that Harry looked nervous, but not overly so. Harry had an advantage that none of the others had. He already knew his spouse to be on an intimate level. He had already slept with his chosen and loved him. He was not heading into the whole thing blind. He at least had more than an inkling of what was a head of him.


Ron stood out in the courtyard with Luna. The silence was awkward between the two. For once the dreamy eyed look was absent from her grey-blue eyes. Ron had never seen her looking so subdued.


She shocked him when she spoke in a tone he had never heard her use before until then. “I know you think me to be a crazy loon. I am more than aware of what you named me, Ronald Weasley.” She added coldly, “I have my beliefs just as you have your own. Neither of us has to agree with those beliefs.”


She concluded firmly, “All I require is a little respect from you and that my beliefs not made a mockery out of, no matter how strange and eccentric they may sound and appear. Can you do and respect that, Ronald?”


Ron replied in a sulky tone, “I suppose I am going to have to. We have to marry and produce an heir whether we like it or not. We need to be able to at least get along and remain civil to each other. Once we go through with this bloody farce of a law then there will be no turning back and we both know it to.”


Luna nodded stiffly before looking off into the distance, a far away and troubled expression on her face. Ron silently studied her. He silently admitted if only to himself, Luna was a beautiful picture to behold with her pale blonde hair and her stormy grey-blue eyes. He noted her skin looked soft unblemished as well as the creamiest pale colour he had seen on anyone besides Malfoy.


Ron realised if her hair and skin had been a couple of shades lighter then she would have looked the part of any Malfoy, especially with those eyes of hers. He knew one thing for sure, that life would never be dull whilst married to Luna Lovegood, that much he was certain.


Meanwhile, Ginny and Neville walked side by side along the grass close to the lake. They watched as one of the giant squid’s tentacles rose from the water with a light spraying of water before submerging under once more.


Neville cleared his throat nervously and asked, “How do you think your family and my gran are going to react to this match?” Ginny let out a sigh and replied, “My brothers will probably tease you briefly until I threaten to hex them and mum has a go at them.”


She smirked as she added, “You’ll most likely end up on the receiving end of a couple of Fred and George’s pranks. Charlie will probably mention something about dragons trying to scare you, along with the typical threats of harm if you hurt me in any way.”


She smirked even wider as she went on, clearly enjoying the look of terror on his face. “Bill I suppose will start acting like the typical older brother and tease you, whilst making threats of bodily harm if you ever hurt me.”


She sniggered as she continued, “Percy on the other hand, Merlin, he will probably bore you to tears or even death. He will most likely lecture you asking ridiculous questions about your intentions towards me, regardless of the fact we are not marrying by choice.”


She added laughingly, “As for Ron, well you already have his approval. He might be able to put in a word for you with the others, but do not expect a lot when it comes to the twins. Be on your guard with them, they will prank you. It will be their warped way of welcoming you to the family.”


She had a small smile curling the corners of her lips as she said, “As for my mom and dad. Dad will briefly give you the typical lecture and demand you take good care of me and treat me right, before he’ll welcome you to the family.”


She concluded, “Finally mom, she will have you in a bone crushing hug welcoming you to the family. Before probably start fussing and trying to feed you mountain sized amounts of food, whilst all the while talking about the wedding and grandbabies.”


Neville let out a deep and weary sigh before saying, “You’ll probably get a lecture, but I don’t think it will be as extensive as it would have been if I had been paired with some other witch who wasn’t the daughter of one of her good friends.”


He added chuckling, “You never know, if you are lucky and the fact she knows and is friends with your mom may be what helps you avoid the lecture altogether. Although she will end up inviting, you to stay over for say a weekend. Demanding she get to know you if you are going to be family.”


Ginny grimaced and muttered sarcastically, “Yeah, it sounds wonderful, Nev.” Neville snorted before he suddenly stopped, looking nervous. Ginny noticed he had stopped and turned to face him. She asked, “What is the matter, why did you stop, Nev?”


Neville blushed brightly and shuffled his feet as she replied in a timid tone, a tone not used since fourth year when he had asked her to the Yule ball. “Because there is something you need to know before we go any further.”

Ginny eyed Neville worriedly and asked, “Okay. So what do you need to tell me?” Neville looked more nervous than Ginny had ever seen him look since he asked her to the Yule ball back in her third year.


“Ginny what you need to know is the fact before this law come about I had been trying to pluck up the courage to ask you out to Hogsmeade on a date. I’ve fancied you since the Yule ball during the Triwizard tournament.”


Ginny looked surprised to say the least. She asked gently, “You’ve liked me for all of this time, yet you never said anything until now. Why?” She slowly walked up to him so she was standing only a few feet from him.


Neville replied, “Because up until fifth year when Harry came out as being gay, you were interested in him had a crush on him since well before your first year from what I heard the twins saying one time back in your second year.”


He blushed and added, “I thought I would never stand a chance. Here I was plump, shy and always forgetful with practically the talent of a squib. It was not until my sixth year when I finally got my own wand and not had to use my dad’s, that I started to show I had more going for me then a squib and was not as forgetful as before.”


He concluded, “Then there was Harry Potter, boy who lived, who survived and escaped from the darkest wizard of our time every year without fail. He is Popular, handsome, and put on the Quidditch team as the teams seeker in his first year. How could I have ever competed for your attention and affections with all of that hanging over my head and against me from the very start?”


Ginny felt guilt fill her stomach and heart, as she eyed her soon to be husband. She took note of all the changes that had happened to Neville since she met him back in her first year, but had not truly gotten to know him since her third year when he had asked her to be his date for the ball.


She took note of the fact that he now stood at the height of six foot and was sporting a toned swimmers build. All of his baby fat had vanished over the years. His face was no longer chubby and rounded, all of that had given away to mature and very handsome features of a young man instead of the sweet chubby roundedness a young boy.


She let out a sigh, as she told him, “Nev, I truly got over Harry in my fifth year and not just because I knew I never stood a chance, or the fact he is into guys, nor because of the fact he only saw me as a baby sister.”


She paused to choose her words carefully before continuing, “No, I got over Harry because I realised that I was not in love with Harry. I realised when I thought of my feelings towards Harry, thought of them as a fifteen year-old and not as a ten or eleven year-old little girl. I realised I could not see myself giving my first time to him.”

She added at his nod for her to continue, “I thought of the all times as a little girl, my mum would read bedtime stories to me. Harry Potter would be the focus of those stories. Of how he bravely faced the dark lord as a baby and defeated him.”


She paused once more, shook her head, smiling sheepishly and said, “As a little girl I saw this dazzling and dashing hero come charging up on a white horse, or in Harry’s case a broomstick. I imagined us getting married one day and having messy black or red haired and green-eyed babies with him.”


She shrugged and walked closer to him, taking his hands into her own and giving them a light squeeze, as she added, “They were the thoughts and fantasies of my eleven year-old self. My thoughts of Harry Potter at the age of fifteen and now at seventeen, they are not sexual in the least, which for a girl of my age if I was truly interested in him they would have been.”


She concluded, “When I close my eyes and imagine what my future husband and children would look like, there is never messy black hair or the greenest eyes imaginable. Those images remained blank until now.”


Ginny suddenly smirked mischievously as she commented slyly, “Oh, I don’t doubt I will be seeing some messy black or red haired babies with green eyes in my future. Those children just will not be the offspring of this redhead, nor will they have my brown eyes, but George’s dark blue ones instead.”


Neville looked at her understandingly and said, “I am glad to hear you say that. It will make being married to you easier, knowing I am not going to have to deal with my wife suffering and pining from unrequited love.”


Ginny chuckled knowingly and reached up on tiptoes to place a gentle kiss upon his cheek, before they both continued to walk along side by side, Neville blushing brightly the whole way.