Bathwater

The Visitor

"No matter, no matter," Mrs. Weasley said, her wrist flicking like she was waving off her frustration. "We can put together something quite lovely, don't you think, Andy? Even if it is so last minute."

"I can marry in my nightgown," said Ginny when the last bit of her mother's sentence was directed at her. "Oh! Harry, you still have your Quidditch uniform? We can just get married in that. We'll have the old team serve as groomsmen and bridesmaids. You can give Oliver Wood a Floo Call and he could officiate the ceremony." 

Harry did not dare comment on that—especially not when Mrs. Weasley was narrowing brown eyes at them. Instead, he cleared his throat and approached Andromeda. At the sight of his grandmother, Teddy climbed off Harry for her lap. 

"Thanks for agreeing to come along," he told her.

"Of course, Harry," Andromeda said with a smile she shared with Ginny, too. "I'm rather touched you even asked for my help getting the ring."

"You're our family. Your opinion matters to us," Ginny said, finding the words Harry was struggling with. He blinked at her, eyes glittering with gratitude. "Besides, we need someone else to help us reason with Mum. If it'd be up to her, we would be doing something so grand, the Daily Prophet will be able to see it from over the hill. Next thing we know, they'll be owling with a bigger offer for exclusive pictures of the wedding than Witch Weekly." 

"You should consider it," came a yawning voice behind Ginny. She rolled her eyes as she looked behind her shoulder; Ron had climbed down the stairs, his long, red hair sticking up in ways that rivaled Harry's tamed hair days. He wiped the dried drool at the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of his Chudley Cannons shirt. "Pansy said Witch Weekly owled her, too. Apparently, they're offering fifteen thousand galleons just for a picture of us at the altar."

Ginny started to frown at her brother, but turned to the others, too. "I don't understand how they found about who we got sorted with. The Ministry didn't leak out the couples, did they?"

"Kingsley wouldn't do that to us," Harry said, opening his arms up again as Teddy now thought it would be fun again to climb over him. "And only the Wizengamot knew who was sorted together before the law was publically announced."

"My money's on Rita Skeeter," said Ron. "I bet fifteen thousand galleons on it."

"You're not considering actually selling pictures of your wedding, right?" asked Ginny.

Ron shrugged, yawning again as he made his way further into the living room. He stole a biscuit from the tray Mrs. Weasley had laid out before sitting next to her. "Not for fifteen thousand, no," he said with a laugh. "Pans reckons we could get fifty thousand by agreeing to an interview, too."

"Yes, well, you and Miss Parkinson have enough time to think on it," said Mrs. Weasley as she fussed over her son's hair. When she pulled on a strand, Harry could see her already making a note to give him a proper haircut. "You will also be wise to get started on your own wedding plans, Ronald. Every shop across Britain will be flooded with wedding activity now that the law is out."

Reaching for another biscuit, Ron said with a smirk of his own, "Yes, Mum. Pans and me wouldn't stress you out like Ginny and Harry have."

Harry did not bother to stifle a laugh when Ginny made Ron bite his tongue when her nonverbal made his biscuit crumble to dust over his chin. 

"Are we taking Teddy back to your place, Andromeda?" asked Harry as his godson bit down on his tongue too, copying the grimace Ron had made when he'd done it. 

"Actually, that's why I'm here early. The babysitter canceled on me last minute. I was hoping Ron would watch over Teddy while we browse through Diagon Alley."