His Bedroom
Ronald Weasley woke how he normally did; warm, in his bed, and with a mass of curls in his face. He groaned, rolling onto his back to free his mouth from the tangled clumps of hair. He glanced at the clock before sighing happily, there was still plenty of time before she would get up for work.
Normally, they’d have some cereal while he made her lunch before she went off to work. Today however he was feeling pancakes and bacon. He turned and wrapped an arm around his wife, sliding his hand up her stomach to cup her breast. Other wizards might look at her scars and just see the scars, but he saw her bravery. He saw a witch willing to fight in the final battle against a fierce and terrifying soldier, a witch willing to risk her life to fight for what is right. She was still beautiful to him, but she was also brave and clever. She was the epitome of what every Gryffindor dreamed of being.
Ron felt her start to stir under his hand and buried his face into her neck. “Good morning.”
“You’re incorrigible.” She laughed softly. She turned and smiled at him. Just like Bill, it was a little lopsided from the scars on her face.
“You gotta be when you’re trying for a baby.”
“I’m still taking my potion, Ronald.” She reminded with a highly amused smile.
“Doesn’t mean we can’t practice.” He countered with a grin as he leaned down to kiss her.
“ Ron! RON!” A man shouted from outside as someone began banging on the front door.
The red haired man in question groaned. “I really regret him moving into Rookery.”
“We moved into the Burrow after he moved in there.”
The banging on the front door only got louder. “Ron! Open up!” A woman shouted this time. “It’s important!”
“And that would be Ginny.”
“Alright… We should get up before they break down the door.” Ron groused as he reluctantly released his wife and got out of bed. Thankfully he managed to pull on a pair of pajama bottoms, a shirt, and make it down to the door before his menace of a sister broke it down. “What?”
“Finally!” Ginny glared, pushing her way inside.
“Have you seen the paper?” Harry demanded, his face tight with anxiety.
“What? No! We just woke up.”
“It’s bad.”
“What’s bad?”
Harry turned to the stairs, “Sorry for the early morning wake up, Lav.”
“They were already awake,” Luna smiled dreamily, “Lavender and Ron both have Ginderwillows in their hair.”
“What’s a Ginderwillow?” Ron frowned in confusion.
“Later, Ron.” Lavender frowned, tying her robe tighter as she finished coming down the stairs. “What’s happened, Harry?”
“They passed it. They passed that marriage law last night in a closed Wizengamot session.”
“ Fuck !” Ron cursed, rubbing his face with both hands. “I thought Kings said it wasn’t going to go up for a vote, let alone pass !”
“Yeah well he lied!” Ginny fumed, pacing in front of the fireplace. “And I have half a mind to go show him just how far my broom-”
“Ginny!” Harry frowned.
“You can’t threaten the minister in front of an Auror.” Luna frowned, walking over to Ginny.
“But if you do, can you at least wait until I have a quill?” Lavender asked with a slight grin. “I’d like to get some quotes for the paper.”
----
Ron placed a cup of tea in front of Lavender before sitting beside her. “Alright… they passed the marriage law. So what?” He stirred three spoonfuls of sugar into his mug of coffee and took a large drink, unaware of the horrified and infuriated looks of those around him.
“Mate… We may all be married, but Mione isn’t.” Harry pointed out.
“Not to mention all the others being affected by this crap!” Ginny hissed, picking up an apple from the bowl on the table and threw it at her brother.
Ron yelped as the apple hit his mug and his hot coffee splashed all over his lap. “Ginny!”
Harry waved his wand with a sigh. “Gin…”
“I’m not apologizing.” Ginny muttered with a scowl as she leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms.
Luna smiled as she reached out and took Ginny’s hand. “Everything will be okay, my thorny poppy” She soothed.
“Poppies…. Don’t have thorns?” Ron frowned in confusion. “Or is that just another Luna-ism.”
Lavender sighed heavily. “Did one of you bring the announcement over?” she interrupted before the conversation could get derailed again.
Harry nodded and slid that morning’s Prophet across the table to her and Ron.
Printed across the front page of the paper read:
WIZENGAMOT PASSES MARRIAGE DECREE AIMED AT BOOSTING MAGICAL POPULATION!
Late last night in a closed door session, the Wizengamot passed the highly controversial marriage decree. Also known as the SEMEN Act ( Secure the Existence of Magical England Now ), this decree apparently aims to increase the magical population after the damaging effects of Voldemort’s reign of terror. See a complete copy of the SEMEN Act on Page 5. All adult witches who have completed their education are required to be married before their twenty third birthday. All adult wizards are expected to be married to at least one witch of differing blood status from themselves, they are allowed a maximum of three wives, as long as each wife is of a different blood status and not related. This measure is meant to boost the wizarding population and move away from damaging practices like marrying cousins. The Department of Mysteries has apparently been researching muggle studies on inter-family marriages to see if they also apply to Wizarding couples. While the results of these studies, like all other Department of Mystery studies, have not been published one just has to look at old Wizarding families like the Malfoys, Blacks, Parkinsons, Dumbledors, and Longbottoms to see that the muggle scientists might be onto something.
If long and powerful lines that have participated in inter-family marriages like the above mentioned have struggled to produce magically powerful (and sane) children that survive to adulthood while families like the Weasleys who are less strict with restrictions for their children’s partners flourish, isn’t it worth a closer look? The Wizengamot certainly thinks so.
While reactions to the SEMEN Act have been varied thus far, but the Act seems heavily in favor of Wizards who are able to marry more than one witch in order to promote larger, healthier, families while Witches aren’t able to marry more than one Wizard. One DoM employee (who requests to remain anonymous) did mention to this reporter that there has been significant progress made in efforts to allow Wizards to carry magical children. What this significant progress is was not elaborated on, but this reporter is intrigued. Would success in such tests mean changes to the SEMEN Act? Would Wizards even be willing to carry their child and go through the pain of childbirth? This reporter is curious about where such children would even be birthed from! Apparently, such concerns are not shared by the DoM. Do they know something we don’t? See more on rumored DoM studies on page 3.
---
Ron sighed heavily, passing the paper to Lavender so she could continue flipping through the paper, and scrubbed his face. “So what do we do now?”
“Well someone is going to have to tell Hermione.” Luna pointed out in her airy voice.
“And we’ll have to convince her to marry someone.” Ginny grimaced.
“Did they say what the punishment is if you don’t get married?” Ron asked hesitantly.
“Azkaban, being labeled as an enemy of the wizarding world. Also- The SEMEN Act!?” Lavender asked incredulously. “Who came up with that?”
“Probably the same idiots who thought the law was a good idea in the first place.” Harry sighed.
“Wait, can’t you just marry her?” Ron asked with a frown as he turned to Harry.
“Luna and I are both purebloods, Git.” Ginny glared.
“Right…” Ron sighed heavily.
“The answer is obvious.” Lavender stated as she folded the paper back up and put it on the table.
“It is?” Ron frowned, turning to his wife.
“You’ll marry her. You need my permission since we’re already married, and you have it.”
“Marry… marry Hermione ?” Ron asked with a grimace.
“You just suggested Harry do it!”
“Yeah, but Lav … Mione and I have dated before. Won’t you be jealous? She never liked Harry like that.”
“You two broke up because you didn’t like each other like that.” Lavender pointed out. “Besides, there’s nothing in the SEMEN Ac- okay. I’m not calling it that. There’s nothing in the law that forced consummation, just marriage. We can go down to the ministry today and sign the papers.”
Ron made eye contact with Harry. “Alright… which one of us brings the idea to her?” He asked warily.
Harry grimaced. Hermione was not a witch you ordered around. She especially was not a witch you ordered around after interrupting her research time . “I’ll play you for it.” He said as he brought his fist up onto the table.
“Deal.” Ronald nodded, putting his fist on the table. “Rock, Paper, Scissors-”
Lavender shoved away from the table, causing the dishes to clatter and interrupt the intense concentration on the two Wizard’s faces. “Oh honestly ! It was my idea, so I’ll tell her.” She placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder with a soft smile. “Besides… she saved me. It’s only fair I return the favor.”
---
Six Years Ago, Three Years After the Fall of Voldemort
Hermione shuddered with a grimace as she flicked her wand, locking the door of the ladies room. She loathed these balls. Celebrating the Fall of Voldemort? Yeah. More like celebrating when a literal child saved the entire Wizarding World because none of the adults were competent enough to do it themselves. Arseholes. And to make things worse, now she, Ron, and Harry were expected to trot out like primped and preened show dogs every year and listen to people talk about how grateful they were. It made her furious. If even just one adult had given a damn then she and the boys wouldn’t have had to spend months in a tent hungry and on the run. She shook her head with a heavy sigh.
It was even worse now that Harry was engaged to Ginny and Luna. Yes, she was happy for Harry. He deserved happiness and to have a family. But they weren’t even twenty five yet! Now that Harry had put the thought of marriage into the mind of the public, Hermione was having to fight off “eligible” wizards wanting to boast about how they’d make the best husband.
She didn’t want a husband right now. Hermione didn’t know if she ever wanted a husband! She was still trying to figure out who she was now that the war was over and she had graduated from Hogwarts and taken her NEWTs. Why did she- Hermione straightened up with a frown as a soft sob interrupted her thoughts. “Hello? Who’s there?”
Whoever had been crying muffled themselves somehow, either using magic by covering their mouth.
Hermione drew her wand and glared at the only shut stall. She could feel her war instincts flare to life as she widened her stance. “Come out now before you get hurt.”
“Just… Just go away.” The woman pleaded with a sniffle.
Hermione blinked with a frown. “Lavender?” She asked.
Lavender Brown, her Hogwarts roommate, had disappeared after the battle of Hogwarts. She was one of many victims of Fenrir Greyback from the war. There had been rumors of her death, but they were quickly squashed in the months after the war when a scarred Lavender was spotted in St. Mungos. The witch, still recovering from her injuries, had hidden away from the world while she healed. Like Bill Weasley, she hadn’t been attacked during the full moon so she wasn’t a werewolf but she was badly scarred. Hermione assumed there were other lasting effects, but wasn’t able to confirm her suspicions. Lavender remained hidden away from wizarding society and if she was being honest, Hermione hadn’t thought about her ex-roommate since seeing Lavender’s scarred face printed on the front page of the prophet.
“Go away, Hermione.” Lavender replied miserably, her voice still thick with tears.
Hermione turned and took a step towards the door, but hesitated. Lavender had never been a suffer in silence type. Hermione remembered several nights when she and Parvati had curled up in bed with one or both of them sobbing over whatever miniscule thing had upset them that day. Hermione had been too wrapped up with whatever Harry’s life threatening situation of the week had been back then to really pay much attention to her roommates and their shallow problems, but she did know that Lavender Brown didn’t like to cry alone.
With a heavy sigh, Hermione turned and approached the closed stall. “Lavender… I know we haven’t always gotten along… but I’m here if you’d like to talk.” She offered.
Hermione didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Just a few moments after her offer, the bathroom stall door opened and Lavender had launched herself into Hermione’s arms with fresh sobs. She stumbled in surprise at the sudden weight, glad she had opted for flats, and slowly lowered both her and Lavender to the floor.
“It’s- I- I just-” Lavender tried explaining through her sobs as she clung to Hermione.
Hermione wrapped both her arms around Lavender, hugging the young woman close. She hadn’t ever been close with her roommates, but she wasn’t inhumane. This crying wasn’t the same as the crying Lavender and Parvati had done when they lost their favorite lipgloss or a boy they liked didn’t like them back. This crying was all encompassing and broken. So Hermione sat in the women’s bathroom, holding her ex-roommate and standing in for Lavender’s lost friend in this moment. Parvati had died during the final battle, meaning Lavender had lost her best friend. Hermione had almost lost hers when Harry walked into the Forbidden Forest, but while Harry Potter had risen from the dead to become the Boy Who Lived Twice, Parvati Patil had been buried by her family. Hermione was sure Lavender would have preferred Parvati, just like Hermione would have preferred having Sunday Dinner with her own parents rather than the Weasley family. But war took Hermione’s parents from her just like it took Parvati from Lavender.
After what felt like hours, since time didn’t exactly fly while sitting on a dirty bathroom floor and comforting a crying woman, Lavender’s sobs finally tapered off enough that she could speak. “I came here with Cormac… I-I wasn’t going to come at all originally but he’s been really nice to me. We’ve been exchanging letters for months now, talking about how hard it’s been after everything. So when he invited me, I thought I would give it a chance.” She explained in an ashamed whisper.
Hermione tightened her arms around Lavender with a glare, “What did McLaggen do, Lavender?”
Lavender sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “He went to get us drinks, and when he didn’t return I went to go find him. He- he was talking to his friends about how being my date should be considered charity. That I was lucky he asked me instead of Daphne Greengrass and that I should at least let him have some fun later tonight.” She covered her face with her hands, letting out another sob. “Merlin I’m such an idiot ! I should have just stayed home!”
Hermione listened to Lavender, fuming silently. She might have thought McLaggen a nuisance before tonight, but now he was on par with Rita Skeeter and Umbridge. That absolute fucking arsehole . “Come on, Lavender.” She murmured, pulling the other woman to her feet. “Let’s clean you up.”
“What? No. Hermione I’m not going back out there.”
“Oh you absolutely are. And you’re going to enjoy it.” Hermione snarled. She ignored Lavender’s flinch as she raised her wand. With a few spells, Lavender’s face was clean of tears and her make up was in pristine condition once more. Another wave and her hair was fixed back into an elegant updo Hermione assumed Lavender would like. A final spell and Lavender’s heels had a cushioning charm in them. If Hermione had her way, which she usually did, Lavender would need the cushioning later out on the dance floor.
“Hermione, I’m not going.” Lavender protested quietly, frowning at herself in the mirror. “He’s right. I mean… just look at me.”
Hermione turned Lavender to face her instead of the mirror and took a serious look at the other witch. Greyback had left the beautiful witch scarred in more places than Hermione could probably see. He had barely missed Lavender’s big brown eyes when his claws swiped across the bottom half of her face. Her frown was uneven from the scar dissecting her lips, the bottom of her nose was permanently tilted slightly to the left, and her chin was a mess of scar tissue. Hermione could see more scratches and scarring on her neck and chest that went past the boundaries of the dusky pink dress Lavender had chosen for the evening, despite it’s high neckline and long sleeves.
“Want to know what I see?” Hermione murmured. “I see a witch that Godric himself would have personally claimed for his house had he been able. I see a girl who helped me with my hair for the yule ball when Ginny and I couldn’t manage my curls. I see a woman that fought against one of the fiercest monsters in Voldemort’s army and lived . You survived Fenrir Greyback.” Hermione slid her hand into Lavender’s and squeezed. “You’re amazing and McLaggen isn’t worthy of spit shining your shoes. I know we haven’t always been the nicest to each other, but please trust that I hate McLaggen a whole lot more than I don’t like you. Cormac doesn’t get to ruin your night, so please… trust me?”
Lavender looked unsure, but nodded. “Okay…”
Hermione smiled and looped arms with Lavender. “Come on, you can join my group for the night.” She said, leading the way out of the bathroom and to where in the ballroom she had left her friends.
“Mione!” Ginny exclaimed. “There you are! We were getting ready to send out a search party!”
“I’m fine, Gin. I just needed a few moments to myself, and then I ran into Lavender.” Hermione smiled, pulling Lavender forward from where she had lagged behind.
Ginny turned to the blonde with a look of surprise. “Lavender!” She exclaimed, “I didn’t think you came to these things.”
“Cormac the prat invited her.” Hermione explained with a scowl. “Remind me I need a new jar.”
Ginny grinned in a way that made Lavender suddenly worried for Cormac. “What… why a jar?” She asked hesitantly.
“Oh don’t you worry.” Ginny smiled, stepping to Lavender’s other side. “Come on, the boys probably think we managed to escape.”
“We still could…” Lavender muttered, watching the crowd warily.
“Nonsense!” Hermione smiled, charging forward once more. “That would ruin my plan!”
“Plan?!” Lavender squeaked. “What plan?”
“Yeah, what plan?” Ginny asked, much more eagerly than Lavender.
Hermione ignored their questions as she marched over to the black and red haired men currently hiding behind a pillar. “Ron!”
Both men jumped in alarm and spun around.
“Jeez, Mione! Give a bloke a break!” Ron protested. “You can’t sneak up on us like that!”
“Ron, you remember Lavender.” Hermione smiled, ignoring his complaint. She, once more, dragged Lavender forward and practically shoved her at Ron. Thankfully this time, she had Ginny helping her.
Lavender stumbled, but was thankfully caught by the now even more surprised Ronald Weasley. “Hey Lav,” he smiled. It was that same easy smile he always had for her when they had been dating, before things went sour.
“H-Hello Ron.” Lavender greeted with a nod, straightening up and stepping away from him.
“What? No Won Won tonight?” Ron teased.
Hermione nodded to Ginny, who grabbed Harry and dragged him onto the dancefloor to give Ron and Lavender some privacy. Hermione stayed behind, though she did give them a bit more space. She wasn’t going to just abandon Lavender in case her hunch was wrong.
Lavender glared, her eyes stinging with fresh tears. “Don’t make fun of me, Ron.”
Ron paled with a confused frown. “What? No! No nono!” He shook his head as he grabbed both her hands to prevent her from leaving. “I wasn’t making fun of you, Lavender. I was just teasing, like I used to.”
She nodded, though wasn’t fully convinced. “I should go.”
“Go? They haven’t even served dinner yet!”
Lavender shrugged with a frown, looking away from him.
“Will you at least dance with me before you go?” Ron asked, tugging gently on her hands.
Lavender turned to silently frown at him.
Ron smiled, “Just once dance. I promise.”
Lavender looked unsure and turned to try and find Hermione.
Hermione smiled, “Go.” She murmured, making a shooing motion with her hands. “Trust me.”
Lavender sighed heavily, turning back to face Ron. “Just once dance.”
Ron smiled as he led her out to the dance floor. “You know, I always loved you in pink.” he murmured.
Despite his promise, it wasn’t just one dance. Once dance turned into three, which turned into Lavender joining their group for the dinner portion of the ball. Ron tried convincing her to stay longer, but Lavender had already been out in public more that night than the last several months put together. So, he escorted her to the floo and made sure she left safely, and the next morning an owl delivered a bouquet of pink and yellow dahlias.
Lavender may not have remembered how nice Ron thought she looked in pink, but Ron remembered her favorite flowers.