A/N: I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. I realize it's been a month, and that sucks. I had laptop problems and then I had this weird thing called a life outside of the internet. But now it's here, the last 2648 words of fluff to close out my second chaptered story! This story, sans author's notes, is a total of 61,705 words - the size of a small book! Thank you all so much for coming along on the ride. My first attempt at a plot, and naturally, it ends with mindless happy fluff times. And no one runs away with a floozy.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is better than me and she is better than you, and these facts make life better for all parties involved.

Hermione Weasley took a deep breath as she changed out of her work robes and into something more comfortable for the evening. Ron wouldn't be home for another hour or so, but that suited her just fine. She needed to do this alone.

She smiled slightly as she caught a glimpse of the framed photograph on their bedside table. It had been taken on their wedding day, more than five years previously. Neither of them was looking at the camera; instead, they were beaming at each other, and every so often, they leaned in to share a sweet kiss. Of course, there were times their figures left the frame, undoubtedly en route to Ron's bedroom in the Burrow… Hermione blushed a little at that particular memory.

Their wedding ceremony had truly been beautiful. Both of their mums had cried much harder than they themselves had, which was to be expected. Even Dad had got a bit emotional, Hermione recalled, as he walked her down the aisle toward Ron. In Hermione's memory, that day symbolically marked the beginning of a new era in Ron's and her relationship with her parents - the trauma of that summer had at last drawn to a close, and together, they were looking forward to the next phase in their lives.

But of course, the focus of it all had been her relationship with Ron. Even more than her father's teary eyes or her mother's beaming smile, Hermione was certain she would always remember the look on her soon-to-be husband's face as he caught sight of her. But it wasn't simply the elation that had been displayed clearly his face; no, it had been as though his entire being was smiling. In retrospect, Hermione didn't recall much of what happened immediately after - she had been a bit preoccupied by smiling almost stupidly at Ron, as he had at her. In fact, so distracted were they that they'd each been prompted twice to repeat their vows at the right moment.

Once they had managed to complete the ceremony itself, chaos broke loose as they were shuffled about from guest to guest and smothered with congratulations. In fact, the next clear moment in Hermione's mind was their first dance as husband and wife. As her thoughts wandered, Hermione made her way across the bedroom to gaze at the group of photographs on the opposite wall; the largest displayed the very moment in question.

"Everybody's watching us," Ron muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"It's not like that's a surprise," Hermione sighed as she leaned her head lightly against his shoulder, careful not to ruin the up-do Ginny and Fleur had taken such care to perfect. "We knew this part would be sort of strange."

"We should have practiced," Ron remarked as he shifted his hands higher on her waist, steering her gently in a circle as they swayed.

"It's not like I didn't offer," Hermione pointed out. "We could have practiced any time we wanted."

"George is laughing at us," Ron glared toward one of the tables that were surrounding them. Hermione rolled her eyes and awkwardly leaned up on her tiptoes as she swayed to press a quick but loving kiss to her husband's lips, earning them an assortment of catcalls and hollers.

"He's probably laughing harder now," Ron insisted, but he was clearly pleased.

"So is Harry," Hermione observed, nodding over Ron's shoulder.

"Well, he can piss off – oh, sorry," Ron replied, inadvertently stepping on Hermione's toes in his frustration. "Some best man, I tell you."

"It was a nice toast, though," Hermione remarked thoughtfully. "Very sweet of him."

"Better than Ginny's," Ron frowned. "I swear, it's like she's been collecting embarrassing stories all these years."

"Well, you'll be able to get back at her when it's their turn," Hermione said dismissively. It was a sign of just how far they'd all come that Ron had not even the smallest visible reaction to his sister's relationship with his best friend; as he had once admitted privately to Hermione, "I'd deck anybody who tried to make them unhappy, and that includes myself."

(He always had been sweet in his own way, hadn't he?)

"So how much longer 'til I get to dance with my wife in peace?" Ron asked conversationally, eyeing the small crowd that was still watching them attentively.

"I imagine it'll be around the time we finally get a moment alone together," Hermione replied.

Ron chuckled. " Once I actually get you to myself, love, there's no way in hell we're going to waste any time dancing," he retorted.

Hermione blushed as she made eye contact with her parents, both of whom still looked a little dumbstruck by the sheer amount of magic surrounding them. But they appeared happy and whole, and there was nothing Hermione wanted more. They had made so much progress together in the days since Rodolphus Lestrange had been shut away in Azkaban for life, and Hermione couldn't be happier that they would truly be a part of her new life with Ron.

"Oh, good, my mum and dad are joining us now," Ron remarked, breathing a visible sigh of relief. "Maybe we can actually enjoy ourselves now."

"Enjoy ourselves at our own wedding? Unheard of," Hermione replied dryly.

Ron's face softened a little. "You've been fantastic today. Really pretty and really wife-y. It's great."

"How does a person achieve wifey-ness?" Hermione asked carefully, torn between amusement and vexation.

"Well, generally, she ought to be a wife," Ron replied with a smirk, "which you are, now. And you're my beautiful, amazing, fuck-tastic wife, so that's all the better. And you're brilliant enough for two, that's important."

"I see," Hermione replied. "Thank you, I think."

"What about me?" Ron asked, steering her out of the way of Bill and Fleur, who had just taken the floor in a far more practiced and dramatic fashion than they had.

"What about you?" Hermione teased. Ron simply pouted in response. "I mean, I suppose you've been a pretty good husband these first two hours," she answered with a sly grin.

"What, I'm not the best yet?" Ron asked with an overly dramatic sigh.

"Oh, you know you are," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't give me the puppy face."

"You know you like it," Ron teased. "You said it was cute, didn't you? And I seem to recall this face getting me some nice perks in the past…"

"If I kiss you, will you stop talking?" Hermione asked briskly.

"Well, I would have to, wouldn't I? It's kind of hard to get a proper snog in while you're-"

Ignoring his snarky comments entirely, Hermione pressed her lips firmly to his, and they stopped swaying altogether. She felt Ron smile into the kiss, and she couldn't help but reciprocate. They were on the precipice of a lifetime of good-natured bickering and blissful kisses, and she couldn't wait to do it all together.

Hermione sighed contentedly as she recalled the first beautiful moments of their marriage. She had been right, of course; they had never gotten through a day without bickering. But it lacked the heated tension of their earlier years, and now, they could truly work together as a team. She was a bit proud, actually, that they had been able to build something so strong that it only became more beautiful as time went on - perhaps it was a bit less new and shiny, but it was incredible all the same.

Guilt seeped into her thoughts just then as she reached for her briefcase to retrieve her beaded bag. On their wedding day, they had promised that they would undertake everything life had to offer them together. But as Hermione pulled out the small stick of plastic she had preserved in a small plastic bag, she knew that she had made the right decision to keep it from Ron for the time being. She didn't think she could take the disappointment on his face if it turned out to be a false positive.

They had been trying for nearly six months now, and Hermione knew Ron well enough to tell that beneath his upbeat attitude, he was becoming frustrated. She herself was a bit worried; Ginny had told her that James had been the result of Harry's and her first go at it, yet Hermione and Ron had been charting her ovulation cycle for months without even a missed period to show for it. Until now, that is.

It would only take one spell. One spell, and she'd know. She'd spent her lunch hour in the Ministry's library, confirming that she'd chosen the most accurate charm and reviewing the proper technique for its use. In less than a minute's time, she could know. She gazed absentmindedly at the small display of wedding photographs for a moment longer in an attempt to calm the butterflies fluttering in the pit of her stomach. It didn't quite work, but the sight of their own beaming faces staring back at her strengthened her resolve. They would get through it together, regardless of what the charm told her.

Taking one last breath to steady herself, Hermione picked up her wand from the bedside table. Slowly but confidently, she raised up her shirt and pointed the wand just above her belly button. Carefully maneuvering her wrist in a sort of figure-eight, she murmured, "ostende infantem."

She sat in bated breath for only a moment before both the tip of her wand and her belly button began to glow a soft, golden color. A few second later, the glow became a burnt orange. Hermione stared at it in shock long after it had faded away.

"Hermione?" Ron's voice called from downstairs after some indeterminable amount of time.

"Up here!" she managed to respond in a small, strained voice.

"Hermione?" Ron repeated, his voice much closer now. A minute later, he joined her in the bedroom, shedding his Auror robes as he crossed to the wardrobe. "Oh, there you are. How was your day, then? Mine was bloody awful."

"Ron," Hermione interrupted breathlessly, her wand still pointed toward her belly.

"Yeah, I know, I'll watch my language," Ron dismissed. "Still, I hate being on-duty. Three raids in one day, can you believe that? And one of them involved chasing down a couple of bloody idiots whose bright idea for 'making a statement' included planting dungbombs all over central London. Harmless, of course, but when anything looks like it's exploding they've got to bring us in. Took nearly the entire afternoon."

"Ron," Hermione repeated more insistently, dropping her wand onto the bed beside her.

"Okay, I know it's a stupid thing to complain about, but honestly, Hermione, I'm meant to be an Auror, not a stand-in parent for a couple of bored teenagers on holiday," Ron continued, stripping down to just his boxers and a simple white t-shirt. "I mean, really, even Fred and George wouldn't have had a laugh over that; the least these kids could do is try to be creative. And of course, once we've got that under control - Hermione?" Ron must have seen something in her expression; he broke off as he turned to face her and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I have some news," Hermione said quietly, rising to her feet as steadily as she could.

"What is it?" Ron asked concernedly, taking a tentative step toward her.

Hermione rung her hands anxiously. "I've just…I-I was late, and I…oh, I do wish I'd waited for you to do the tests, but I wanted to be completely sure before I told-"

"Hermione?" Ron repeated, reaching out to touch her arm lightly. She looked up properly and saw the glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"I…I'm pregnant," Hermione said in a whisper, almost as though she couldn't quite believe it.

"You're…"

"I'm pregnant," she repeated, elation rising as she watched a look of utter amazement and wonder spread across Ron's face.

"I…you're…we're having a baby?" Ron asked. It seemed he couldn't quite believe it himself; he wore the same look he had the first time she'd kissed him, and Hermione let out some mixture between a laugh and a sob as she managed to nod.

"We're having a baby!" she repeated in a breathy voice. Before she quite knew what was happening, Ron had gathered her in his arms and lifted her off her feet, swinging her around as he laughed joyfully. She clung to his torso tightly, still torn between giggles and tears.

"I'm going to be a dad," he murmured into her hair once he set her down. "I mean, wow, I already am a dad, aren't I?" he added incredulously, drawing back and sliding his hands from her back to her stomach.

"You're such a great dad already," Hermione said tenderly as she hugged him back to her.

"Yeah, and what about you? You're the most amazing mum on the planet! Merlin, I can't believe…a baby!"

Hermione nearly hiccupped as she let out a giggle. "I took two tests," she informed him as she pulled back again. "I was more than a week late, so I figured I ought to see…of course, we'll have to go see a Healer to make sure everything's alright; things can be so touch and go for the first few months, you know. I was going to wait awhile longer, but…well, how could I? So I took the muggle one at lunch today, and I've just done the spell. I had to be sure before I told you."

Ron seemed unable to wipe the grin from his face. "I love you," he declared triumphantly, leaning in and kissing her full on the mouth. "I love you so much," he repeated when they broke apart.

"And I love you," Hermione replied happily, leaning in to kiss him again. "Thank you, Ron. I just…you're the best husband I could ever ask for."

"Really?" Ron asked with a chuckle. "You're the one that's carrying our kid; I ought to be thanking you. Or worshipping you on bended knee, more like."

"I hope you know I'll be reminding you of that for the next eight months," Hermione retorted teasingly.

"I hope you don't have to," Ron said sincerely. "Really, Hermione, I know you're the one that's going to have to waddle around like an elephant for months and actually push the thing out when you're done, so I'm going to be the one that keeps you happy the whole time."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You're lucky I know you so well. That'd probably sound insensitive to a normal person."

"I really am," Ron said, almost dreamily. "Lucky, I mean."

Hermione smiled and drew him as close as she could. "You might not be saying that when you're changing nappies this time next year."

"Nappies. Our baby's nappies," Ron replied, his eyes shining. Then he kissed her again, and this time, they didn't stop.

Afterward, Hermione would tease Ron mercilessly ("honestly, nappies put you in the mood?"), and he would shove her arm playfully. Then, she would tickle his sides until he howled, and he would pin her arms to her sides in a tight embrace. She would grumble that there was no way he'd have beaten her if they'd had their wands, and he would hum contentedly instead of making a comment to the contrary. Later, she would settle her head atop his chest, and he would drop a kiss to her crown as they drifted off to sleep. And ultimately, they always would be their own particular brand of perfection. Despite all the battles they fought and the obstacles they overcame (or, perhaps, because of them), Ron and Hermione Weasley got married at the age of nineteen, and they never once came to regret it. And the best part? It was all just the beginning of their happily ever after.

A/N: Aaaand we're out! Again, thank you all so much. I have had the pleasure of talking to so many lovely reviewers as a result of writing this story, and that's amazingly fantastic and beautiful and so many things I can't even explain. There are several people that have reviewed every chapter of this and that's crazy cool. I'm still in awe that anyone pays attention to anything I've written (especially since so much of it is just Ron and Hermione smiling at and snogging each other), so thank you. I looove you a lot.

Next on my agenda is finishing my mini-series, "Pieces of Extraordinary," before November, at which point I'll be going on fic hiatus for a month to participate in NaNoWriMo. I'm going to write an original novel! HURRAY! The lovely diva-gonzo and CoyoteLaughingSoftly, both of whom I met through fanfiction, are wonderful people who have helped me with the outlines for my original work, and they are awesome writers themselves. You should check out their work. Do it. It'll make you happy.

Again, I can't even explain how awesome you all are. Everybody that's read, reviewed, followed, or favorited this story has put a smile on my face and I couldn't ask for more from you internet strangers/friends. Keep being extraordinary. :)