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Hermione gave Harry a watery smile. "I love and cherish thee, beloved," she said in the formal<br />
phrase of the promised.<br />
"I love and cherish thee, beloved," Harry agreed. They kissed again and then went to their bedroom<br />
to kiss in more intimate ways.<br />
Ginny watched Ron tossing gnomes out of the Burrow's garden. After one hit a tree, Ginny asked,<br />
"Upset, are we?" Ginny asked.<br />
"Yes," Ron snarled. "Aren't you?"<br />
"Yes," Ginny agreed, "I am. Still, even if Harry and Hermione are together like Dumbledore claims,<br />
that hardly matters. How many Fifth years do you know who got married? Not many who weren't in<br />
pre-arranged marriages, right? So, I can still end up with Harry."<br />
"Doesn't it bother you that she and Harry might be . . . doing things?" Ron demanded.<br />
"A little," Ginny agreed, "but I'm not all that jealous. I won't like to see them snogging and would<br />
loath seeing them in the sucking corner" -- Ron went dark red -- "but if I get all snarky, I'll just ruin<br />
my close friendship with Hermione and lessen any chances I might have with Harry in the long run.<br />
What is it you want, Ron? Hermione for the long-term, or did you just want to grab her before<br />
Harry did? I mean, it was almost a given that she would at least casually date one of you."<br />
"But she should be mine!" Ron whined.<br />
"Why?" Ginny asked. "Because you got all jealous once you saw her at the Yule Ball? You didn't<br />
care before that."<br />
"What makes you say that?" Ron demanded.<br />
"You didn't think enough to ask her out first, and the way you finally did ask her, it looked like if<br />
Fleur had agreed to date you, you wouldn't have cared if Harry had asked her then."<br />
"But then I would have had Fleur," Ron protested.<br />
Ginny shook her head. "I swear, you make me look mature. If you act like this around Harry and<br />
Hermione, you'll lose Harry as a friend and any chance with Hermione."<br />
"And you won't let your temper loose, even worse than I will, if they do go to the sucking corner?"<br />
Ron demanded.<br />
"I won't," Ginny said. Of course, she could say that because she knew that even then Harry could<br />
likely have at least two consorts. Even if Hermione somehow had staked one claim, Ginny was<br />
determined to get the other.<br />
Ron pouted, and went back to tossing gnomes.<br />
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