Crazy In Love

The morning was the most hectic Harry had ever seen the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was running up and down the stairs, checking on Fleur in her room, checking on the food cooking, checking on the witches the Delacours had hired to decorate for the wedding, checking on Ginny and Gabrielle's dresses. Mr. Weasley had to run to Diagon Alley to pick up his, Charlie, and Ron's dress robes from Madam Malkin's where they were being altered. In the chaos and confusion, Harry was relieved he didn't have to talk to Ginny, but he was frustrated because he wanted to talk to Hermione.

"Harry, dear, why don't you and Ron go to Diagon Alley to get your dress robes," Mrs. Weasley said. "These green ones are much too short for you now."

Harry nodded and got Ron. He wondered where Hermione was, but she was no where to be found in the pandemonium. The boys Apparated to Diagon Alley and walked in Madam Malkin's.

"Well, mate, you got the money, so I suppose you can get whatever ones you want," Ron said. Harry couldn't tell if he were being snide or not.

Harry picked some navy blue ones that were so dark, they were almost black. Madam Malkin quickly altered them for him, and they boys left. They walked down the alley to Fred and George's shop, and they walked in.

"Mum wants to know when the two of you will be coming," Ron said to Fred.

"The wedding's at two, so we'll be there at one," George said, coming out of the back room.

"Tell Mum not to worry," Fred said. "Oh, Ron, by the way..." Fred tossed a bottle to Ron. "Love Potion. Not a strong one, mind you, but strong enough for Hermione to dance with you." He winked at Harry. Ron's ears went pink, and Harry felt his stomach turn.

Ron took the bottle as Fred and George laughed, and he and Harry Apparated back to the Burrow. Ron threw the bottle onto his bed.

"Those assholes!" he yelled. "If I wanted to date Hermione, I would have asked her!"

"Ron--"

Harry had never seen Ron this angry. "All they do is try to fuck up my social life. Why do you think Lavender was my first girlfriend? Every girl I thought I fancied, somehow Fred and George knew, and they'd embarrass me somehow!"

"Ron, don't--"

"Feel lucky, Harry, that you don't have brothers!" Ron stopped, realizing what he said. "Harry, I-- Sorry, mate."

"Don't worry. You're just venting. It helps sometimes, doesn't it?"

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, standing in the doorway. "We could hear Ron shouting."

"Fred and George," Ron said.

Hermione sat down on the bed beside Harry. She picked the bottle of love potion up. "What's this?" She opened it and sniffed it. "Hmm, smells like..." She sniffed again. "Broomsticks, gold, and...pumpkins."

"It's a love potion," Harry said.

Hermione turned bright red at what she said, and she ran out of the room. Ron looked at Harry.

"What's with her?"

Harry shrugged, knowing, though, she described what attracted her. Ron hadn't paid attention. Harry picked the potion up and sniffed it himself. Old books, parchment, and toffee. It smelled like if Honeydukes and the Hogwarts library were one place. He liked the smell, and he smiled.

"What's it smell like?" Ron asked him.

"What?"

"What's it smell like?" Ron asked again. "To you, I mean."

"Er..." He knew he couldn't tell Ron. "It smells like--"

"'Arry! How wonderful eet eez to zee you!" Harry looked up to see Fleur in the doorway. He stood up, and she hugged him. "You and Ron weel look so handsome, I 'ope."

Ron smiled awkwardly. "Of course! Anything for you, Fleur!"

Fleur went over to Ron and pinched his cheek. "I steel remember when you asked me to ze ball at 'Ogwarts!" She laughed. "I will zee you two at ze wedding. I must go get ready."

Harry smiled at Ron. "I remember that, too."

Ron shook his head. "Had I known that three years later she'd be my sister-in-law..."

***

The wedding ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was just as nice. Harry sat alone at one of the tables, watching the guests dancing, eating, laughing, all around enjoying themselves. He smiled, knowing that this is what he will be fighting for. Peace and happiness. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Ginny's brown eyes looking at him.

"Fancy a walk?" she asked. "I need to talk to you."

"Er...okay." He got up, and he followed her to the front garden.

They walked down the dirt driveway towards the fields. "Harry, listen, about...well, Harry, I still like you. And not the thought of 'the Chosen One' or 'the Boy Who Lived', but you."

He sighed and walked a little ways ahead of her. "Ginny, listen, I ended it," he said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear. "You're my best friend's sister. If something happened to you, I couldn't live with myself."

Ginny trotted over to him and put her hands on his arms. "I don't care, Harry! I want to be with you!"

"You can't! And not for noble reasons."

Ginny looked him right in the eye. "What about Hermione?"

"What about her?"

"You'll risk her life by letting her go with you, but you won't risk mine with a relationship."

"I didn't want her or Ron to go with me. They're choosing to. And with Hermione, it's different. She's...she's my best friend."

"And what am I?"

Harry sighed and pulled back from her. "My other best friend's sister."

Ginny only nodded. She walked past him, back to the party. He waited a while, and he headed back. He went through the house towards the back yard, and he sat down at an empty table. He saw Ginny talking to one of Fleur's friends, but he didn't care. All he felt for Ginny now was brotherly protection. He loved her, but in a brotherly way, just as he loved Ron. He thought he loved Hermione in that way, but after the kiss, he wasn't so sure anymore.

"Harry?" Harry looked up to see Hermione offering her hand to him. "Care to dance?"

He took her hand. "I'd love to."

When he danced with Parvati at the Yule Ball (which was the last time he remembered dancing), he had felt awkward and somewhat clumsy. With Hermione, now, he felt graceful and light. But that's how she made him feel. Hermione never made him feel inept (except when it came to schoolwork), or wrong, or worthless.

"Harry, about this morning," she said in a hushed voice in his ear.

"Shh, we'll talk about it later. Just dance."

She nodded. Harry spun her and dipped her, surprised that he did that so smoothly, and they continued to dance until Ron tapped Harry's shoulder.

"May I?"

"Ron, you can have Harry when I'm done," Hermione said, smiling. She gave Harry a look that said "See? Told you I can joke."

"I meant you, Hermione," Ron said, slightly disgruntled.

Harry reluctantly gave Hermione's hand to Ron, and he went back to the table. He watched them dance, noting Ron was a little ungainly in his steps. Hermione had a slight frown on her face, and she caught Harry's eye. She winked and looked away. After they danced, Ron went to go talk to Bill (whose scars were getting smaller by the days), and Hermione came over to Harry's table.

"Can we talk now?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "But not here. There's too many people."

They walked in the house, up to Ron's room. The small bottle of potion the twins had given Ron was on the dresser now. Harry and Hermione sat down on Harry's cot (Harry was back in Ron's room, seeing as Bill and Charlie were in the twins' room and Fleur had Percy's room), and Hermione took Harry's hand in hers.

"You taste like caramel," she said.

"What?"

Hermione smiled. "Caramel. That's what you taste like."

"You're toffee," he said.

She looked down. "Harry, listen I don't know what came over me this morning."

Harry felt disappointed. "So that kiss..."

"I feel so stupid!" She sighed. "I feel like I ruined what we had."

Harry smiled. "Hermione, you are the last person to ever be stupid. What we had...what we had, no one could ruin."

Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder. "I love you, Harry, but...when you were so infatuated with Cho, and then the stuff with Ginny...I knew you could never love someone like me like that."

No one ever told Harry they loved him, and he wanted to hear her say it again. He held her closer. "Someone like you? What d'you mean?"

"Harry, I am no Cho Chang or Ginny Weasley. Look at me! I'm just your bushy haired, know-it-all friend."

Harry lifted her chin to look her in the eye. "Hermione, when I told you I didn't think you're ugly, I wasn't lying. You're..." He smiled. "You're more than beautiful. You're loving, trusting, smart, pretty, everything rolled in one."

She put her hand on his cheek, and he leaned in. Their lips met, Harry tasting toffee, Hermione tasting caramel. It was just a brush at first, but Hermione parted his lips with her tongue. Harry gently pushed her back onto the cot, and the kiss got deeper. Hermione's fingers ran through his hair, and his hands gripped her hips.

Unknown to them, Ron was standing in the doorway.