“Ronald Billius Weasley, I will not allow your foolish childhood rivalries to ruin my wedding. Understood?”
When Hermione got shrill and shrewish like this, Ron was glad their relationship had ended soon after it began. It was like talking to his mum, which was sort of disturbing if he gave it too much thought. She kept droning on in that ‘You’d better listen to me or else’ voice that he’s learned how to ignore during third year. He resisted the urge to point out that the wedding was already ruined because she insisted on marrying that bloody Slytherin creep, but he bit his tongue. Last time he’d said something similar, she’d hexed him and he’d had boils on his arse for a week.
“You’re my Man of Honor, which means it’s your responsibility to be nice to the wedding party and make sure everything goes smoothly…”
She just kept on talking and he nodded occasionally so she wouldn’t realize he wasn’t listening. Instead, he was busy thinking about how awful he’d have looked in peach and how relieved he’d been when she’d decided he could wear dark green robes instead of some sissy pale girly colors. He also wondered again why she’d chosen him for such a responsibility when she knew he wasn’t good at that sort of thing. Harry would have been much better and actually liked the bastard she’d chosen to marry.
Ron couldn’t stand him. Not just because he’d taken their Hermione, something that seemed to change everything, but because Blaise Zabini was a rude, pompous, smug, wealthy, handsome, charming Slytherin who didn’t deserve her. Ron didn’t want her, not like that, but she was his first love and his best friend. He wanted the best for her and Zabini just wasn’t it.
True, Zabini hadn’t called her names or treated her badly during school, but Ron had overheard him talking about Muggles before so he knew what the git really thought. Okay, so that was nearly ten years ago and they’d all changed over the years, but he wasn’t fond of change and resisted it until it was impossible. It was much easier to hate the man who had taken Hermione than accept that wouldn’t be there for him like she had before. He was losing his flatmate and his best friend regardless of all her ‘nothing is going to change, Ron’ speeches.
“And you’re twenty-seven years old, Ron, which makes you old enough to be past all that animosity. I know you’re more mature than you’re acting right now so please stop sulking like a spoiled child. You need to….”
Spoiled child? Him? Ron glared slightly before ignoring her again. He watched her lips moving and wondered how anyone could say so much without stopping to take a lot of breaths. She just rattled on his lecture mode and made him almost feel sorry for Zabini. The guy must be crazy if he wanted to have Hermione’s shrill scolding voice around all the time. Hermione was great, one of the best people in the entire world, but she definitely wasn’t perfect.
Maybe Zabini wasn’t too bad, after all, if he could know about all her quirks and annoying habits and still want to be with her in a ‘happily ever after’ way. He did seem to love her, too. Zabini wasn’t really friendly and didn’t talk a whole lot, which was probably good since Hermione tended to talk too much, but Ron had seen the way the prat would smile whenever Hermione entered the room and the way he looked at her when he didn’t think anyone was watching. Hermione loved him, too, in a sickening way that led to her blushing and being all weirdly girly. She was happy, though, and deserved that. Perhaps that was enough to make up for him being a slimy Slytherin git who was far too smarmy for his own good.
“So I expected you to be polite and try to help me out right now. He’s one of Blaise’s only friends, and I need you to just deal with your past issues for a few days and be civil. After the wedding, you can go back to hating and glaring and whatever else strikes your fancy….”
Ron was suddenly reminded of what started this latest lecture and any possible acceptance he’d started to feel for Zabini vanished. He looked away from Hermione to stare across the gardens at Zabini and his best man. He had to smirk when he saw that Zabini seemed to be talking far more than usual and that he didn’t seem to be pleased. A lecture from Zabini sounded scarier than any of Hermione’s shrill rants. Maybe he’d get lucky and Zabini would get irritated and hex the arrogant prat before firing him as best man.
Could a best man be fired? If so, Ron needed to find out how. Maybe he could talk to the twins and learn some subtle ways to get favorable results. He wasn’t above sabotage if it meant Hermione’s wedding was perfect. He might dislike Zabini, for the most part, but he supported her in everything so he wanted this to go smoothly for her. There was no way anything could go well if Draco fucking Malfoy was involved. So, as Man of Honor, it was his duty, as appointed by Hermione even, to ensure that the ceremony went perfectly, her own words. That meant she couldn’t hex him when he managed to get rid of the best man.
End
Man of Honor
Story Notes:
7/16/07