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Virtuous Anglo's One & Two Shots [SFW Version]
- Thread starter Virtuous Anglo
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Statistics (5 threadmarks, 8.8k words)
User Total Virtuous Anglo 5
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Virtuous Anglo
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THIS IS MY THREAD, THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT BUT THIS ONE IS MINE!
I'll be posting my SFW one & two shots here, if you like them, be sure to let me know.
I'll be posting my SFW one & two shots here, if you like them, be sure to let me know.
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Naruto: Wedding Jitters [Chapter 1 of 2]
Virtuous Anglo
Know what you're doing yet?
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- 766
Naruto: Wedding Jitters
Commission Piece!
Summary: It's Naruto's big day, the biggest in his young life, and he is sweating bullets. Luckily, Sakura is here to talk some confidence into him.
Chapter 1: Naruto's Big Day
Naruto Uzumaki had faced many complex and nerve-racking situations in his life. He became a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato at age twelve, took the Chunin exams for the first time mere months after becoming a shinobi, fought an s-class criminal to the point of near death more than once, saved the village from invasion, tried to prevent his friend from leaving for the sake of power, trained hard to bring his friend back and also defend himself against a shadow organization seeking out Jinchuriki like himself for their respective Bijuu. He fought that organisation, saw his village destroyed, gained the cooperation of enemy villages, and fought a war for the sake of the world, culminating in sealing away a god-like alien woman with the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
Anyone with a resume like Naruto's would be expected to either be a nervous wreck or have nerves of steel, and ironically, Naruto pretty much fits into both categories. For the most part, he was a powerful veteran shinobi and war hero, cool under pressure, and an asset to any mission he was on. However, the situation he currently found himself in was not a mission, not even anything connected vaguely to the traditional shinobi lifestyle. This was much more personal, and with the minutes counting down before he had to present himself before the entire village for a ceremony of paramount personal importance, Naruto was unsure he was ready to face them.
Today was his wedding day, he was set to get married to three of the most beautiful women on the entire shinobi continent. Originally, he had only intended to marry one of these girls, but circumstances had put him in a position where he needed to marry more than one girl, and as it happened, more than one girl wanted to marry him. Hinata Hyuga, overlooked former heiress to the Hyuga clan and fellow war hero, was his original wife-to-be, a shy but determined and powerful young woman with whom he had been through a lot. Over time, they had come together and dated for a couple of years, leading them to where they are now. Before all the drama started, they were Konoha's power couple.
Then, the Clan Restoration Act came into play. The Konoha council, or what was left of it after the war, was impressed with the hereditary abilities displayed by his distant cousin Karin in the closing stages of the war and with their forces thinned by quite a margin by the war's end wanted to see if those abilities couldn't be replicated by any daughters of his and even if they couldn't his children could inherit his powerful Uzumaki chakra. More to the point, they had even found some candidates to help speed the process along. Hoping he would accept the deal, the candidates picked were not from Konoha and were those he had met him the past.
The first was Shizuka, the leader of the tiny Nadeshiko kunoichi village had once believed herself "destined" to marry a student of Jiraiya who could best her in combat. Naruto had convinced her years back to stop believing in destiny and seek out a partner she would love, not one she was bound to by honour or duty. According to the beautiful black-haired, green-eyed kunoichi, though, he was the only one she wanted. The council was happy to have her, especially if it meant an alliance with a foreign independent Kunoichi village.
On the other hand, his final wife-to-be was not a Kunoichi at all but rather a priestess. Shion had met Naruto during the latter's trip to Oni no Kuni, where he helped her defeat the otherworldly demon-like entity called Moryo. She had been cold and distant at first, but Naruto had broken through that façade to find the kind and vulnerable young woman underneath. Shion had been smitten with Naruto ever since, even offering him marriage and children at the end of his time in Oni no Kuni. The young blonde had turned her down at the time, being only fifteen back then, but even all these years later, she was ecstatic to be marrying the man who helped her in her darkest hour.
Both of these women had been given time to get to know each other and Hinata before the big day, and much to Naruto's relief, all three had, over time, gotten used to the idea of sharing a husband and began to get along swimmingly. As the big day had approached, they had gone off on their own so that he didn't see them before the wedding, it being bad luck and all. All that time on his own and left to his thoughts, as it turned out, was not the best thing for Naruto, as every doubt and insecurity he had regarding love and being loved began to play havoc with his nerves.
Did they love him? He knew he truly loved them. Could you romantically love more than one person at the same time? It wasn't exactly a common practice in the shinobi world anymore. Hell, some civilians had even called for it to be made illegal. He was happy to be getting hitched, so why did he have this sudden urge to turn on his heel and run as far and as fast as he could? It was all just so confusing, and he didn't know how to feel about it all. The spiky-haired shinobi was so nervous he was even biting his fingernails, something he didn't normally do. Sweat poured down his face as he desperately tried to get his head straight. He felt like he was going to explode.
This was the site that Sakura Haruno, Naruto's close friend, teammate, and former childhood crush, was greeted with as she entered the room. The pink-haired kunoichi was dressed in a beautiful green kimono with a pink flower print all over it. She took one look at her longtime friend and sighed, her suspicions about her presence being needed being all but proven correct.
"Are you okay, Naruto? You look a mess," Sakura greeted, casually pulling out a white handkerchief and running it across Naruto's sweaty forehead to clean him up.
"H-Hey Sakura-Chan," Naruto said back, his voice cracking and wobbling. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, w-why wouldn't I be?"
"Naruto," Sakura replied in a no-nonsense tone, rolling her eyes. "It's plain as day that you're about as fine as Sasuke-Kun after a bottle of sake, that is to say, on the verge of a breakdown. Tell me what's wrong."
"R-Really, Sakura-Chan, I-It's nothing," Naruto insisted, turning away from his friend in a foolish attempt to stop himself from cracking completely.
"Naruto if you don't tell me what's wrong right now I'm marching right over to the bridal suite and telling your wives-to-be you're having a breakdown, stop bottling it up and get whatever is bothering you off your chest!" Sakura shouted, a familiar angry expression flashing across her face. Even in his anxious state, Naruto was more afraid of an angry Sakura than marriage. Taking a breath, he turned around and sat down with a loud sigh.
"I-I don't know if I can do this, Sakura-Chan," Naruto admitted, tears threatening to fall down his face.
"Are you having second thoughts?" Sakura asked, having privately been worried about the whole polygamy thing herself since the beginning.
"No! I love them all, I do, it's just…do they love me as much?" Naruto answered, his question thickening the atmosphere as it dawned on Sakura what was going on in her friend's head.
"Of course they do, Naruto, why would you ever doubt that?" Sakura countered, shaking at head as she pulled her friend into a hug. "Hinata and Shion have been pining for you since the day you met. Then, Shizuka has declared her love for you in dramatic fashion in public several times. Honestly, it's a little embarrassing. It's pretty safe to say you've got three fairly smitten young women waiting for you."
"Y-Yeah but, nobody gave a shit for so long," Naruto continued, talking quietly into Sakura's shoulder. "It's just…hard to believe three wonderful women like that would care enough to get married to me. I don't know, it just feels like at any moment this whole thing is going to be revealed to be some elaborate prank by the village to get to me."
"This is no prank, Naruto, this is your life now, and I want you to enjoy it," Sakura replied earnestly, patting her friend on the back. "I know it's hard to let go of all those feelings the village instilled in you when we were kids, but know that even in the ni-impossible scenario that this was all some elaborate game to hurt you most intimately, I would lay this entire village low before I let them get away with it. Sasuke-Kun would too, as would all our friends. You're not alone anymore, Naruto, you shouldn't have to feel like you are."
"I…Thanks, Sakura-Chan, I think…I think I needed to hear that," Naruto admitted, pulling out of the hug and smiling at his longtime friend.
"You're welcome, now come on let's get tidied up and get you to the alter before everyone wonders where you are," Sakura replied, pulling out her handkerchief once again and beginning to clean her friend's face, Naruto's face scrunched up in indignation.
"Sakura-Chan, stop!"
After the two managed to get cleaned up, they made their way out of the groom's suite and down to the temple where the ceremony would take place. Naruto stood at the altar, waiting patiently with a mind now more clear and less anxious, but admittedly not entirely devoid of tension. He was slightly startled when the music started. Turning, Naruto was instantly mesmerised when he was greeted with a wonderful sight.
The sight of three beautiful brides smiling lovingly back at him as they walked down the aisle towards him.
Commission Piece!
Summary: It's Naruto's big day, the biggest in his young life, and he is sweating bullets. Luckily, Sakura is here to talk some confidence into him.
Chapter 1: Naruto's Big Day
Naruto Uzumaki had faced many complex and nerve-racking situations in his life. He became a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato at age twelve, took the Chunin exams for the first time mere months after becoming a shinobi, fought an s-class criminal to the point of near death more than once, saved the village from invasion, tried to prevent his friend from leaving for the sake of power, trained hard to bring his friend back and also defend himself against a shadow organization seeking out Jinchuriki like himself for their respective Bijuu. He fought that organisation, saw his village destroyed, gained the cooperation of enemy villages, and fought a war for the sake of the world, culminating in sealing away a god-like alien woman with the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
Anyone with a resume like Naruto's would be expected to either be a nervous wreck or have nerves of steel, and ironically, Naruto pretty much fits into both categories. For the most part, he was a powerful veteran shinobi and war hero, cool under pressure, and an asset to any mission he was on. However, the situation he currently found himself in was not a mission, not even anything connected vaguely to the traditional shinobi lifestyle. This was much more personal, and with the minutes counting down before he had to present himself before the entire village for a ceremony of paramount personal importance, Naruto was unsure he was ready to face them.
Today was his wedding day, he was set to get married to three of the most beautiful women on the entire shinobi continent. Originally, he had only intended to marry one of these girls, but circumstances had put him in a position where he needed to marry more than one girl, and as it happened, more than one girl wanted to marry him. Hinata Hyuga, overlooked former heiress to the Hyuga clan and fellow war hero, was his original wife-to-be, a shy but determined and powerful young woman with whom he had been through a lot. Over time, they had come together and dated for a couple of years, leading them to where they are now. Before all the drama started, they were Konoha's power couple.
Then, the Clan Restoration Act came into play. The Konoha council, or what was left of it after the war, was impressed with the hereditary abilities displayed by his distant cousin Karin in the closing stages of the war and with their forces thinned by quite a margin by the war's end wanted to see if those abilities couldn't be replicated by any daughters of his and even if they couldn't his children could inherit his powerful Uzumaki chakra. More to the point, they had even found some candidates to help speed the process along. Hoping he would accept the deal, the candidates picked were not from Konoha and were those he had met him the past.
The first was Shizuka, the leader of the tiny Nadeshiko kunoichi village had once believed herself "destined" to marry a student of Jiraiya who could best her in combat. Naruto had convinced her years back to stop believing in destiny and seek out a partner she would love, not one she was bound to by honour or duty. According to the beautiful black-haired, green-eyed kunoichi, though, he was the only one she wanted. The council was happy to have her, especially if it meant an alliance with a foreign independent Kunoichi village.
On the other hand, his final wife-to-be was not a Kunoichi at all but rather a priestess. Shion had met Naruto during the latter's trip to Oni no Kuni, where he helped her defeat the otherworldly demon-like entity called Moryo. She had been cold and distant at first, but Naruto had broken through that façade to find the kind and vulnerable young woman underneath. Shion had been smitten with Naruto ever since, even offering him marriage and children at the end of his time in Oni no Kuni. The young blonde had turned her down at the time, being only fifteen back then, but even all these years later, she was ecstatic to be marrying the man who helped her in her darkest hour.
Both of these women had been given time to get to know each other and Hinata before the big day, and much to Naruto's relief, all three had, over time, gotten used to the idea of sharing a husband and began to get along swimmingly. As the big day had approached, they had gone off on their own so that he didn't see them before the wedding, it being bad luck and all. All that time on his own and left to his thoughts, as it turned out, was not the best thing for Naruto, as every doubt and insecurity he had regarding love and being loved began to play havoc with his nerves.
Did they love him? He knew he truly loved them. Could you romantically love more than one person at the same time? It wasn't exactly a common practice in the shinobi world anymore. Hell, some civilians had even called for it to be made illegal. He was happy to be getting hitched, so why did he have this sudden urge to turn on his heel and run as far and as fast as he could? It was all just so confusing, and he didn't know how to feel about it all. The spiky-haired shinobi was so nervous he was even biting his fingernails, something he didn't normally do. Sweat poured down his face as he desperately tried to get his head straight. He felt like he was going to explode.
This was the site that Sakura Haruno, Naruto's close friend, teammate, and former childhood crush, was greeted with as she entered the room. The pink-haired kunoichi was dressed in a beautiful green kimono with a pink flower print all over it. She took one look at her longtime friend and sighed, her suspicions about her presence being needed being all but proven correct.
"Are you okay, Naruto? You look a mess," Sakura greeted, casually pulling out a white handkerchief and running it across Naruto's sweaty forehead to clean him up.
"H-Hey Sakura-Chan," Naruto said back, his voice cracking and wobbling. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, w-why wouldn't I be?"
"Naruto," Sakura replied in a no-nonsense tone, rolling her eyes. "It's plain as day that you're about as fine as Sasuke-Kun after a bottle of sake, that is to say, on the verge of a breakdown. Tell me what's wrong."
"R-Really, Sakura-Chan, I-It's nothing," Naruto insisted, turning away from his friend in a foolish attempt to stop himself from cracking completely.
"Naruto if you don't tell me what's wrong right now I'm marching right over to the bridal suite and telling your wives-to-be you're having a breakdown, stop bottling it up and get whatever is bothering you off your chest!" Sakura shouted, a familiar angry expression flashing across her face. Even in his anxious state, Naruto was more afraid of an angry Sakura than marriage. Taking a breath, he turned around and sat down with a loud sigh.
"I-I don't know if I can do this, Sakura-Chan," Naruto admitted, tears threatening to fall down his face.
"Are you having second thoughts?" Sakura asked, having privately been worried about the whole polygamy thing herself since the beginning.
"No! I love them all, I do, it's just…do they love me as much?" Naruto answered, his question thickening the atmosphere as it dawned on Sakura what was going on in her friend's head.
"Of course they do, Naruto, why would you ever doubt that?" Sakura countered, shaking at head as she pulled her friend into a hug. "Hinata and Shion have been pining for you since the day you met. Then, Shizuka has declared her love for you in dramatic fashion in public several times. Honestly, it's a little embarrassing. It's pretty safe to say you've got three fairly smitten young women waiting for you."
"Y-Yeah but, nobody gave a shit for so long," Naruto continued, talking quietly into Sakura's shoulder. "It's just…hard to believe three wonderful women like that would care enough to get married to me. I don't know, it just feels like at any moment this whole thing is going to be revealed to be some elaborate prank by the village to get to me."
"This is no prank, Naruto, this is your life now, and I want you to enjoy it," Sakura replied earnestly, patting her friend on the back. "I know it's hard to let go of all those feelings the village instilled in you when we were kids, but know that even in the ni-impossible scenario that this was all some elaborate game to hurt you most intimately, I would lay this entire village low before I let them get away with it. Sasuke-Kun would too, as would all our friends. You're not alone anymore, Naruto, you shouldn't have to feel like you are."
"I…Thanks, Sakura-Chan, I think…I think I needed to hear that," Naruto admitted, pulling out of the hug and smiling at his longtime friend.
"You're welcome, now come on let's get tidied up and get you to the alter before everyone wonders where you are," Sakura replied, pulling out her handkerchief once again and beginning to clean her friend's face, Naruto's face scrunched up in indignation.
"Sakura-Chan, stop!"
After the two managed to get cleaned up, they made their way out of the groom's suite and down to the temple where the ceremony would take place. Naruto stood at the altar, waiting patiently with a mind now more clear and less anxious, but admittedly not entirely devoid of tension. He was slightly startled when the music started. Turning, Naruto was instantly mesmerised when he was greeted with a wonderful sight.
The sight of three beautiful brides smiling lovingly back at him as they walked down the aisle towards him.
Naruto: Wedding Jitters Chapter 2 of 2
Virtuous Anglo
Know what you're doing yet?
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Naruto: Wedding Jitters
Commission Piece!
Summary: It's Naruto's big day, the biggest in his young life, and he is sweating bullets. Luckily, Sakura is here to talk some confidence into him.
Chapter 2: A Conversation Between Brides
Meanwhile, not too far away, three women prepared themselves for their special day. Hinata Hyuga, Shizuka of Nadeshiko village, and Shion, a priestess from Oni no Kuni. All three were set to marry Naruto, the hero of Konohagakure no Sato, and all of them couldn't be happier with the way things had gone for them. All three had seen the light that the hero of the shinobi world brought into their lives, and now simply couldn't live without him. To their delight, Naruto didn't want to live without them either, and so here they were, about to walk down the aisle and swear marital vows to each other.
Privately, however, things weren't as wonderful as people might assume. Just like their husband-to-be, all three of the beautiful brides had their private worries and doubts about their future with Naruto. It's not that any of them didn't want to marry Naruto anymore; rather, they doubted their ability to be good wives. Naruto certainly had a particular type when it came to women, and it was seemingly powerful kunoichi who were highly neurotic in their personal lives. In the years to come, this would be the source of many headaches for Naruto, but none of which he would regret.
In the present, however, none of the brides noticed, but all of them had stopped halfway through getting ready for the wedding and were simply staring into the mirrors of their vanity tables. All three wonderful women had begun to allow their self-doubts to get the better of them. Each was having a private battle in their heads to get out of their way and just do what they all knew deep down they wanted to do, which was to marry Naruto. Rationally, they knew he loved them, and he wanted to be with them, but while the heart is pure, the mind is often an evil and unforgiving mistress.
Doubt and more than a little self-pity plagued all three of them, all for their reasons. All three women had not had the easiest lives, even among their peers, and so it was natural that they would feel some type of way about finally achieving the level of happiness they had dreamed of pretty much their entire lives. Admittedly, none of them expected to be part of some four-way relationship, but then life was never quite what one imagined it to be. But being here, now, on the cusp of finally starting this wonderful chapter in their lives, did women like that get to have their happy ending?
What started as annoying, intrusive thoughts began to spiral into darker, more horrible self-loathing. All three of them had their reasons for this, but it affected them all. Shion and Shizuka, to their credit, were strong enough on their own to be able to put the thoughts aside, no matter how bad they got. They knew their neuroticism was irrational, and so the best thing they could do was ignore it and move forward.
Hinata, however, wasn't quite so cool under pressure. The Hyuga princess had always struggled with her feelings of self-doubt and worthlessness, feelings that were beaten into her pretty hard during the early years of her life. Even now, having accomplished great things and made a real impact on the world and her family, Hinata often felt like an impostor in her own story. And now, on what was the happiest day of her life, Hinata was being crippled by these same feelings of worthlessness.
Who was she? Weak, timid little Hinata Hyuga, marrying perhaps the most important and loved man in the shinobi world. A man she had looked up to since they were both children, back when he was hated and looked down upon, but never seemed to let it stop him, like it stopped her. It was wrong, someone much better than she deserved to be sitting here, to walk down that aisle and swear those vows. Not her, not worthless Hinata.
"I can't do this," Hinata whispered, her breathing becoming heavy as she began to panic. "This is all wrong, I shouldn't be here, why would anyone want to marry me? This'll be a disaster!"
Shion and Shizuka were broken from their neurotic thoughts by Hinata's words and turned around with confused expressions. Their eyes widened when what they found turned out to be Hinata Hyuga, one of the most important figures in the fourth great shinobi war, alongside her late cousin Neji…having a panic attack? The Hyuga princess was breathing heavily and clutching her chest in pain. Without a thought, both women got up and moved to Hinata's sides, rubbing her back and forcing her attention on them.
"Hinata-Chan, looking at me," Shion said in a comforting tone, clicking her fingers in front of her sister-wife's eyes to draw her attention. "You're okay, nothing's wrong, I need you to breathe for me, okay? Breathe."
"You don't need to feel this way, Hyuga-San," Shizuka continued, whispering as she rubbed circles on Hinata's back. "Naruto-San is waiting for us at the aisle, he would be so scared if he found out you'd ditched the wedding. Not to mention sad that you had decided not to get married to him."
Hinata took deep breaths, giving herself a moment to calm down with the help of her sister-wives. Finally, after a minute or two and a tall glass of water, the sudden pain in the young Hyuga's chest subsided and her breathing evened out. Believing she had finally evened out, Shizuka and Shion sat silently with Hinata while she took a moment to come back to herself. When she did, she spoke up softly, a blush of embarrassment on her face.
"Why would Naruto-Kun but sad about not marrying me?" Hinata asked softly, her voice low and sad. "I'm nothing special, especially when he has two wonderful wives in you two already."
Shion and Shizuka sat there in shock for several moments, completely blindsided by what Hinata had said. It began to dawn on the two of them that they weren't alone in their feelings of inadequacy, and perhaps for the first time since meeting Hinata, it dawned on them that she and indeed each other, may not feel as good as they truly were either. Shion was the first to break the silence, a little giggle escaping her lips. Shizuka didn't laugh but broke out into a soft smile and took Hinata's hand in hers.
"Hinata, I'm going to tell you a secret that I haven't told anyone, not even Naruto-San," Shizuka began, speaking in a sincere tone. "When I first came to the village at the invitation of Naruto-San, I was deeply jealous of you."
"Same here," Shion confessed. Hinata was left shocked by their statement.
"Jealous of me…? Why?" Hinata asked, very confused.
"Because we only got to know Naruto-San for a short time, and in that time, he left a deep impact on us. I knew I was smitten with him from the day he rejected me on the grounds of carving my path and not following some village tradition. But you, Hinata-San, you've known Naruto-San your whole life, gotten to grow with him and be with him in a way Shion and I never will. We are jealous because you have an insight into his soul that we can only dream of, no matter how much we love him. How could I be a good wife if I didn't truly know my husband like you do?" Shizuka explained, laying her soul bare for Hinata to see.
"I can't speak for Shizuka-San," Shion began, deciding she too would say her piece. "But when I was called to Konoha to take part in this polygamous relationship, I wasn't happy about it. Not because I didn't want to be with Naruto, but because I didn't want to share him. He's kind and strong and wonderful, and I just felt that he should be all mine. But then I met you and Shizuka, and over time, I realised you two loved him just as much as I do, and were both wonderful people in your own right. It made me feel guilty. How could I be a good wife to Naruto if I were so selfish?" Shion explained, airing her negative thoughts for her sister-wives to hear.
"So you see, you aren't alone in your doubts about being a good partner," Shizuka concluded.
"And just as you have looked at us through rose-tinted glasses, I think we may have done the same for you, too," Shion concurred, adding her final addendum.
Hinata was stunned; never in her life had she been so vulnerable with people other than Naruto and her own family before. Not even her teammates or Kurenai-Sensei had seen her quite this torn up about something, and yet she felt completely comfortable sharing her deeply felt insecurities with these two women, whose truth she didn't know very well. It was like she felt a connection with them, born out of their mutual love for the blonde-haired knucklehead ninja waiting for them at the end of a wedding aisle. She could see they truly loved him, and that made her trust them more than anything else could, even years of knowing them wouldn't compare. Smiling softly, Hinata wiped away the tears that he been forming in her eyes and let out a breathy laugh.
"Good thing I hadn't done my mascara yet, isn't it?" Hinata joked, getting a heartfelt laugh from both her sister-wives.
"Don't worry, by the time we're done, nobody will know we've been having tearful heart-to-hearts when we should be getting ready," Shizuka added, causing the laughter to continue further. Hinata giggled for a moment before finally settling into a soft smile, taking both Shizuka and Shion by the hand gently.
"Thank you for sharing your insecurities with me, I couldn't have imagined you guys were feeling this way," Hinata said honestly, squeezing their hands in reassurance. "But just know I think you're both going to be great wives to Naruto-Kun, and I'm happy that of all the women in the shinobi world, it's you two whom I will share my husband with. Like you, when I first met you, I was a little jealous and not just having to share Naruto but having to do so with such a confident, put-together kunoichi. But now I see that it is a blessing and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Thank you Hinata-San, that means a lot," Shizuka replied sincerely, giving her sister-wife a small chaste kiss on the back of the hand.
"You sure know how to make a sister-wife feel special," Shion added, smiling brightly as if to light up the whole room with happiness.
The contentment that passed over the three women as they sat there, comfortable in each other's authentic presence made all three women relax more than they had in days, perhaps even weeks. Hinata in particular was feeling confident, the type of confidence she normally only feels when Naruto is around. The fact these two could also inspire that confidence in her was, in Hinata's opinion, a very good sign.
"I think this will serve as a good lesson for all of us," Hinata said, now much more optimistic. "We have had issues we've been hiding for fear of being judged or just thinking that talking about it wouldn't help. We were wrong, and we should acknowledge that."
"Agreed, there is no shame in having negative feelings. But we must move past them if we are to be good to one another and Naruto-San," Shizuka agreed, nodding along with Hinata.
"Let's just enjoy our wedding day, shall we?" Shion suggested, smiling as she moved back towards her vanity table.
"I'd like that," Hinata concurred. "And let's agree to support each other from now on. If any of us has an issue that's making us feel like we're not good enough, we should talk about it. Not just amongst ourselves, but with Naruto-Kun too."
"He understands what it's like to internalise negative feelings and move beyond them, better than most," Shion pointed out, getting nods from the other two women.
"Honestly, given how insecure we've been, I don't think we could have picked a better role model for self-growth for a husband than Naruto-San," Shizuka added, chuckling. Her sister-wives laughed alongside her.
"Too true," Hinata giggled. "So it's agreed then, we support one another, we support Naruto-Kun, and we do our best to be great wives to him and just as good sister-wives to each other. We'll all be Uzumakis soon, and we Uzumakis will stick together."
"Agreed!" Shion and Shizuka said in unison.
Before anything more could be said, the three of them were interrupted by a knock on the door. The familiar visage of Hiashi Hyuga, Hinata's father and Head of the Hyuga Clan, poked his head in the door and gave a small smile.
"Ceremony starts in 10 minutes, if you aren't finished getting ready now would be the time to finish up and put your game faces on," Hiashi suggested.
"Thank you, Otou-Sama, we'll be out soon. We're just finishing up in here," Hinata said softly, her face portraying the vulnerable conversation she had just had.
"Hinata, are you okay, sweetheart?" Hiashi asked, concern passing over his face.
"I'm fine, Otou-Sama, I promise. Just wedding day jitters," Hinata answered, reassuring her father with a soft smile.
"If you're sure, I'll be waiting at the aisle when you're ready," Hiashi concluded, his head disappearing behind the door before it closed.
With that said, the three women, now feeling much better about their situation, went back to getting ready for the wedding. It didn't take them long, as they had been deep into getting ready before their conversation arose. They finished off by putting on their chosen traditional kimonos, makeup, and hairpieces before turning to each other and giving each other one last satisfied nod.
"Ready for this?" Shizuka asked her sister-wives.
"Ready!" Shion and Hinata answered.
The three women stood up from their vanity tables and made their way out of the bridal suite and down toward the temple where the wedding was taking place. Luckily, it was within walking distance, and their kimonos didn't touch the floor, so there was no need for transportation. Each bride smiled at the other as they approached the temple, a growing sense of excitement radiating between them. They were there in less than two minutes; the hotel they had been staying at was chosen specifically for its wedding day suites and its location.
Stepping into the temple, they were confronted with large white walls with mini tile roofs on top, and in front of them, a large wooden gate. The gate opened, revealing a huge garden within the temple, a wide stone pathway leading into the inner workings of the temple parted two towering columns of trees. They entered the temple walking down the winding pathway until finally, the pathway parted into an idyllic grassy area with a koi pond running down the middle, and a wooden bridge connecting the two halves.
There was an aisle of red carpet with several rows of chairs lining each side, leading up to the bridge. At the end of the red carpet stood Hiashi, alongside an elder from Nadeshiko village and Tsunade Senju, who, much to Shion's delight, had agreed to walk her down the aisle in place of her late mother.
Taking their respective elders in arms, the music began to play, and with a giddy atmosphere, the three women began to walk down the aisle towards their future. All three women felt their hearts skip a beat and their nerves melt away as their husband-to-be looked back, and a mesmerised look appeared on his face.
Everything was going to be fine.
Commission Piece!
Summary: It's Naruto's big day, the biggest in his young life, and he is sweating bullets. Luckily, Sakura is here to talk some confidence into him.
Chapter 2: A Conversation Between Brides
Meanwhile, not too far away, three women prepared themselves for their special day. Hinata Hyuga, Shizuka of Nadeshiko village, and Shion, a priestess from Oni no Kuni. All three were set to marry Naruto, the hero of Konohagakure no Sato, and all of them couldn't be happier with the way things had gone for them. All three had seen the light that the hero of the shinobi world brought into their lives, and now simply couldn't live without him. To their delight, Naruto didn't want to live without them either, and so here they were, about to walk down the aisle and swear marital vows to each other.
Privately, however, things weren't as wonderful as people might assume. Just like their husband-to-be, all three of the beautiful brides had their private worries and doubts about their future with Naruto. It's not that any of them didn't want to marry Naruto anymore; rather, they doubted their ability to be good wives. Naruto certainly had a particular type when it came to women, and it was seemingly powerful kunoichi who were highly neurotic in their personal lives. In the years to come, this would be the source of many headaches for Naruto, but none of which he would regret.
In the present, however, none of the brides noticed, but all of them had stopped halfway through getting ready for the wedding and were simply staring into the mirrors of their vanity tables. All three wonderful women had begun to allow their self-doubts to get the better of them. Each was having a private battle in their heads to get out of their way and just do what they all knew deep down they wanted to do, which was to marry Naruto. Rationally, they knew he loved them, and he wanted to be with them, but while the heart is pure, the mind is often an evil and unforgiving mistress.
Doubt and more than a little self-pity plagued all three of them, all for their reasons. All three women had not had the easiest lives, even among their peers, and so it was natural that they would feel some type of way about finally achieving the level of happiness they had dreamed of pretty much their entire lives. Admittedly, none of them expected to be part of some four-way relationship, but then life was never quite what one imagined it to be. But being here, now, on the cusp of finally starting this wonderful chapter in their lives, did women like that get to have their happy ending?
What started as annoying, intrusive thoughts began to spiral into darker, more horrible self-loathing. All three of them had their reasons for this, but it affected them all. Shion and Shizuka, to their credit, were strong enough on their own to be able to put the thoughts aside, no matter how bad they got. They knew their neuroticism was irrational, and so the best thing they could do was ignore it and move forward.
Hinata, however, wasn't quite so cool under pressure. The Hyuga princess had always struggled with her feelings of self-doubt and worthlessness, feelings that were beaten into her pretty hard during the early years of her life. Even now, having accomplished great things and made a real impact on the world and her family, Hinata often felt like an impostor in her own story. And now, on what was the happiest day of her life, Hinata was being crippled by these same feelings of worthlessness.
Who was she? Weak, timid little Hinata Hyuga, marrying perhaps the most important and loved man in the shinobi world. A man she had looked up to since they were both children, back when he was hated and looked down upon, but never seemed to let it stop him, like it stopped her. It was wrong, someone much better than she deserved to be sitting here, to walk down that aisle and swear those vows. Not her, not worthless Hinata.
"I can't do this," Hinata whispered, her breathing becoming heavy as she began to panic. "This is all wrong, I shouldn't be here, why would anyone want to marry me? This'll be a disaster!"
Shion and Shizuka were broken from their neurotic thoughts by Hinata's words and turned around with confused expressions. Their eyes widened when what they found turned out to be Hinata Hyuga, one of the most important figures in the fourth great shinobi war, alongside her late cousin Neji…having a panic attack? The Hyuga princess was breathing heavily and clutching her chest in pain. Without a thought, both women got up and moved to Hinata's sides, rubbing her back and forcing her attention on them.
"Hinata-Chan, looking at me," Shion said in a comforting tone, clicking her fingers in front of her sister-wife's eyes to draw her attention. "You're okay, nothing's wrong, I need you to breathe for me, okay? Breathe."
"You don't need to feel this way, Hyuga-San," Shizuka continued, whispering as she rubbed circles on Hinata's back. "Naruto-San is waiting for us at the aisle, he would be so scared if he found out you'd ditched the wedding. Not to mention sad that you had decided not to get married to him."
Hinata took deep breaths, giving herself a moment to calm down with the help of her sister-wives. Finally, after a minute or two and a tall glass of water, the sudden pain in the young Hyuga's chest subsided and her breathing evened out. Believing she had finally evened out, Shizuka and Shion sat silently with Hinata while she took a moment to come back to herself. When she did, she spoke up softly, a blush of embarrassment on her face.
"Why would Naruto-Kun but sad about not marrying me?" Hinata asked softly, her voice low and sad. "I'm nothing special, especially when he has two wonderful wives in you two already."
Shion and Shizuka sat there in shock for several moments, completely blindsided by what Hinata had said. It began to dawn on the two of them that they weren't alone in their feelings of inadequacy, and perhaps for the first time since meeting Hinata, it dawned on them that she and indeed each other, may not feel as good as they truly were either. Shion was the first to break the silence, a little giggle escaping her lips. Shizuka didn't laugh but broke out into a soft smile and took Hinata's hand in hers.
"Hinata, I'm going to tell you a secret that I haven't told anyone, not even Naruto-San," Shizuka began, speaking in a sincere tone. "When I first came to the village at the invitation of Naruto-San, I was deeply jealous of you."
"Same here," Shion confessed. Hinata was left shocked by their statement.
"Jealous of me…? Why?" Hinata asked, very confused.
"Because we only got to know Naruto-San for a short time, and in that time, he left a deep impact on us. I knew I was smitten with him from the day he rejected me on the grounds of carving my path and not following some village tradition. But you, Hinata-San, you've known Naruto-San your whole life, gotten to grow with him and be with him in a way Shion and I never will. We are jealous because you have an insight into his soul that we can only dream of, no matter how much we love him. How could I be a good wife if I didn't truly know my husband like you do?" Shizuka explained, laying her soul bare for Hinata to see.
"I can't speak for Shizuka-San," Shion began, deciding she too would say her piece. "But when I was called to Konoha to take part in this polygamous relationship, I wasn't happy about it. Not because I didn't want to be with Naruto, but because I didn't want to share him. He's kind and strong and wonderful, and I just felt that he should be all mine. But then I met you and Shizuka, and over time, I realised you two loved him just as much as I do, and were both wonderful people in your own right. It made me feel guilty. How could I be a good wife to Naruto if I were so selfish?" Shion explained, airing her negative thoughts for her sister-wives to hear.
"So you see, you aren't alone in your doubts about being a good partner," Shizuka concluded.
"And just as you have looked at us through rose-tinted glasses, I think we may have done the same for you, too," Shion concurred, adding her final addendum.
Hinata was stunned; never in her life had she been so vulnerable with people other than Naruto and her own family before. Not even her teammates or Kurenai-Sensei had seen her quite this torn up about something, and yet she felt completely comfortable sharing her deeply felt insecurities with these two women, whose truth she didn't know very well. It was like she felt a connection with them, born out of their mutual love for the blonde-haired knucklehead ninja waiting for them at the end of a wedding aisle. She could see they truly loved him, and that made her trust them more than anything else could, even years of knowing them wouldn't compare. Smiling softly, Hinata wiped away the tears that he been forming in her eyes and let out a breathy laugh.
"Good thing I hadn't done my mascara yet, isn't it?" Hinata joked, getting a heartfelt laugh from both her sister-wives.
"Don't worry, by the time we're done, nobody will know we've been having tearful heart-to-hearts when we should be getting ready," Shizuka added, causing the laughter to continue further. Hinata giggled for a moment before finally settling into a soft smile, taking both Shizuka and Shion by the hand gently.
"Thank you for sharing your insecurities with me, I couldn't have imagined you guys were feeling this way," Hinata said honestly, squeezing their hands in reassurance. "But just know I think you're both going to be great wives to Naruto-Kun, and I'm happy that of all the women in the shinobi world, it's you two whom I will share my husband with. Like you, when I first met you, I was a little jealous and not just having to share Naruto but having to do so with such a confident, put-together kunoichi. But now I see that it is a blessing and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Thank you Hinata-San, that means a lot," Shizuka replied sincerely, giving her sister-wife a small chaste kiss on the back of the hand.
"You sure know how to make a sister-wife feel special," Shion added, smiling brightly as if to light up the whole room with happiness.
The contentment that passed over the three women as they sat there, comfortable in each other's authentic presence made all three women relax more than they had in days, perhaps even weeks. Hinata in particular was feeling confident, the type of confidence she normally only feels when Naruto is around. The fact these two could also inspire that confidence in her was, in Hinata's opinion, a very good sign.
"I think this will serve as a good lesson for all of us," Hinata said, now much more optimistic. "We have had issues we've been hiding for fear of being judged or just thinking that talking about it wouldn't help. We were wrong, and we should acknowledge that."
"Agreed, there is no shame in having negative feelings. But we must move past them if we are to be good to one another and Naruto-San," Shizuka agreed, nodding along with Hinata.
"Let's just enjoy our wedding day, shall we?" Shion suggested, smiling as she moved back towards her vanity table.
"I'd like that," Hinata concurred. "And let's agree to support each other from now on. If any of us has an issue that's making us feel like we're not good enough, we should talk about it. Not just amongst ourselves, but with Naruto-Kun too."
"He understands what it's like to internalise negative feelings and move beyond them, better than most," Shion pointed out, getting nods from the other two women.
"Honestly, given how insecure we've been, I don't think we could have picked a better role model for self-growth for a husband than Naruto-San," Shizuka added, chuckling. Her sister-wives laughed alongside her.
"Too true," Hinata giggled. "So it's agreed then, we support one another, we support Naruto-Kun, and we do our best to be great wives to him and just as good sister-wives to each other. We'll all be Uzumakis soon, and we Uzumakis will stick together."
"Agreed!" Shion and Shizuka said in unison.
Before anything more could be said, the three of them were interrupted by a knock on the door. The familiar visage of Hiashi Hyuga, Hinata's father and Head of the Hyuga Clan, poked his head in the door and gave a small smile.
"Ceremony starts in 10 minutes, if you aren't finished getting ready now would be the time to finish up and put your game faces on," Hiashi suggested.
"Thank you, Otou-Sama, we'll be out soon. We're just finishing up in here," Hinata said softly, her face portraying the vulnerable conversation she had just had.
"Hinata, are you okay, sweetheart?" Hiashi asked, concern passing over his face.
"I'm fine, Otou-Sama, I promise. Just wedding day jitters," Hinata answered, reassuring her father with a soft smile.
"If you're sure, I'll be waiting at the aisle when you're ready," Hiashi concluded, his head disappearing behind the door before it closed.
With that said, the three women, now feeling much better about their situation, went back to getting ready for the wedding. It didn't take them long, as they had been deep into getting ready before their conversation arose. They finished off by putting on their chosen traditional kimonos, makeup, and hairpieces before turning to each other and giving each other one last satisfied nod.
"Ready for this?" Shizuka asked her sister-wives.
"Ready!" Shion and Hinata answered.
The three women stood up from their vanity tables and made their way out of the bridal suite and down toward the temple where the wedding was taking place. Luckily, it was within walking distance, and their kimonos didn't touch the floor, so there was no need for transportation. Each bride smiled at the other as they approached the temple, a growing sense of excitement radiating between them. They were there in less than two minutes; the hotel they had been staying at was chosen specifically for its wedding day suites and its location.
Stepping into the temple, they were confronted with large white walls with mini tile roofs on top, and in front of them, a large wooden gate. The gate opened, revealing a huge garden within the temple, a wide stone pathway leading into the inner workings of the temple parted two towering columns of trees. They entered the temple walking down the winding pathway until finally, the pathway parted into an idyllic grassy area with a koi pond running down the middle, and a wooden bridge connecting the two halves.
There was an aisle of red carpet with several rows of chairs lining each side, leading up to the bridge. At the end of the red carpet stood Hiashi, alongside an elder from Nadeshiko village and Tsunade Senju, who, much to Shion's delight, had agreed to walk her down the aisle in place of her late mother.
Taking their respective elders in arms, the music began to play, and with a giddy atmosphere, the three women began to walk down the aisle towards their future. All three women felt their hearts skip a beat and their nerves melt away as their husband-to-be looked back, and a mesmerised look appeared on his face.
Everything was going to be fine.
Ron and the Medallion Chapter 1 of 2
Virtuous Anglo
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Ron and the Medallion
Commission Piece!
Summary: Ron watches as the love of his life, his sister, and a mutual friend all get married to his best friend on what was secretly a very sad day for him. Leaving for some privacy, Ron comes across an object that will turn things around for him big time.
Chapter 1: A Letter From Long Ago
Ron Weasley had spent much of his childhood as quite a jealous young man. First, he was jealous of his older siblings for being so accomplished in such a diverse range of fields, leaving no first great accomplishments for him to achieve. Next, he was jealous of other pure-blood families and their vast wealth, while the Weasley family struggled to survive with so little money and so many mouths to feed. Lastly, he was jealous of his best friend Harry Potter. Harry was very famous, and that fame and attention were something that was never afforded to Ron. At most, he was "Harry Potter's ginger mate," which always served to rub him the wrong way. He was his own man damn it, not some lackey!
As years went by and he had matured, Ron had grown out of such feelings and had come to appreciate the things he had in his life. The loss of his older brother made him realise just how important his family was to him, and his part in helping end the war with Voldemort had shown him that fame was not all it was cracked up to be; it was a little annoying if he was being honest. Getting an Order of Merlin First Class and the constant vying for his attention had only served to grate on his nerves after the novelty subsided. None of that was to mention that he'd gotten the girl. He and his long-time love interest Hermione Granger had gotten together after the end of the war, which for him was the greatest victory of all.
But now, years after all of that excitement that came with being a teenage war hero, Ron Weasley couldn't help but be a little jealous. Sitting there in the church in his nicest dress robes, Ron had to sit and watch as the former love of his life, his sister, and her best female friend all got married to his best friend. Yes, he and Hermione hadn't worked out as a couple, and what stung the most was that in the aftermath, she had fallen right into his best friend's arms. He didn't want to be angry at them; who was he to tell them who to date? But a tiny fire still burned inside of him as he watched all four of them kiss at the altar, a tiny hint of resentment that he tried his absolute best to squash.
Turning to him, Harry smiled a genuine smile that held not a hint of malice whatsoever. Harry would never deliberately try to hurt him, but that only served to make it worse in Ron's mind. Hermione hadn't gotten with Harry because she thought it would make him jealous, and Harry hadn't accepted her feelings because he wanted to rub them in Ron's face. They loved each other, and as his best friend, Harry Potter wanted Ron to share in his happiness. Hell, he was even the best man. But all Ron could do was offer a smile back that didn't reach his eyes. Luckily, Harry was too distracted by his happiness that he didn't notice.
Soon enough, they were back at the Burrow, and all the party guests were happily speaking to each other, chatting while lightly eating and drinking the night away. Ron had noticed that the four married people in question had snuck off a little while ago and had just come back looking every so slightly dishevelled. The girls pulled the busts of their wedding dresses up and flattened them out while Harry tried his best to straighten out his suit and belt. Ron cringed internally, knowing full well what they had gone off to do. Thinking of Harry and Hermione going at it only served to make him feel sick, not to mention with his sister and another mutual female friend present and almost certainly participating.
Going outside for some air, Ron stood outside the burrow and breathed in a big gasp of air before letting out a sad sigh. Rummaging around in his pocket, he pulled out his smoking pipe and put it to his lips. With his wand in his other hand, he produced a tiny flame on the end and used it to light the tobacco inside the pipe. Ron began to smoke away at his pipe, allowing the smoke to fill his lungs and begin to take his stress away. It helped, it did. He never thought he would be one to smoke, he hated the thought of it growing up, and his mother would have killed him if he had been caught doing it as a teenager. Now, though, it helped him cope with the stresses of being an Auror and the mounting internal pain he was feeling in his personal life.
"Fuck this, I'm going for a walk," Ron said to himself, turning and beginning to walk down the path towards the front gate of the Burrow.
Taking another drag, Ron began to wander around the property. It had been a few years since he had done so, having long since moved out of his parents' house and seldom finding time to spend on his own when he was here. The winding pathways through the grassland surrounding the Burrow led off for miles, and not thinking much about the wedding reception going on behind him, he was happy to follow them. Before long, he was on top of a hill overlooking his childhood home, the sounds of celebration now nought but whispers as Ron took in the sight. Smiling weakly, a wave of nostalgia washed over him as he surveyed his surroundings. One thing that stood out to him was a small rock formation some ten feet to his left that he remembered using as a climbing frame as a toddler.
Walking over to the rock formation, he walked between the rocks, which towered over his head by a good two or three feet. It was odd, as he walked through the rock formation, Ron couldn't help but feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It was almost as if this rock formation was saturated in a dense layer of magic, but that couldn't be possible, could it? It was just a bunch of old rocks. Looking around with a more critical eye, Ron's Auror instincts kicked in, and before long, he began to notice that all the paths through the rock formation seemed to lead to the same central area with rock walls surrounding it. The central area was overgrown with tall grass going up to Ron's knees, but it didn't take him long to notice a hole in the seemingly all-encompassing plant life near the centre.
"What the bloody hell is that?" Ron thought out loud, beginning to make his way towards the gap in the grass.
Trudging through the grass, he quickly made his way to the gap and was surprised to find that the gap was caused by a wooden trap door with a rusted metal lock on it. Curiosity getting the better of him, the youngest Weasley male grabbed the lock and tried to pull it open. However, an unknowable amount of time of exposure to the elements had left the metal lock rusted shut and immovable. Huffing in frustration, Ron pulled out his wand and muttered "repairo" as he pointed it at the lock. In an instant, the lock seemed to become far more malleable as the orange rust flaked away to reveal a black, shiny metal underneath.
"Alohamora," Ron said, the tip of his wand lighting momentarily as the newly repaired lock seamlessly unbolted and the trap door slowly opened to reveal an old, moss-covered set of stone steps going down into the ground.
Shrugging, Ron kept his wand raised as he slowly descended the stone steps. They went down for about twenty feet in a straight line until the narrow corridor of steps opened up into a dark room with wooden floors, walls, supports, and beams, all seemingly surrounded by the soil of the hill. Whispering "Lumos," Ron held up his wand as a powerful light shone from the tip of his wand, illuminating the room so he could see his surroundings. Looking around, there were a few items of curiosity that caught his eye. First was a shelf with a bunch of scrolls and books that looked ancient, covered in dust but still in good condition. Next was a chest, simple and wooden, with a metal locking mechanism on it, but no lock. Finally was a simple wooden desk at the far end of the room, with little more than a piece of parchment, a quill, and ink that seemingly hadn't been used in an age, and what seemed to be a dull, golden coin.
Walking over to the desk, Ron picked up the parchment and put his wand to it. There were words written on it in what looked like something resembling English, but not quite. Within seconds, however, the words transformed on the page to read in perfect modern English. Raising his eyebrow, Ron decided to read it to get a better idea of what this place was.
"To whoever reads this letter," Ron began. "If you have found this letter, then you have found this secret chamber that I constructed in my youth. My name is Godfrey Anthony Weasley, and you are one of my descendants…"
Ron's eyes widened at the revelation. One of his ancestors had created this place, hidden under the nose of his family for god knows how long. Eager to find out what this was all about, he continued reading.
"...I made this place after I made the most important discovery of my career, one that I consider my greatest blessing and my greatest curse. If all is as it should be, next to you on the desk should be a golden medallion not much bigger than a Gringotts galleon. This medallion is my greatest work, one that will haunt me for the rest of my days…"
Looking down at the medallion sitting on the desk next to him, he picked it up and the moment it touched his fingers a blue glow was emitted from the sapphire embedded in the middle of it. Ron stared down at it in awe, moving it between his fingers for a moment before turning to read further.
"...In my youth, I had no luck with the fairer sex. I never understood why. I was not ugly, cruel, or uninteresting, but no matter what I tried, I was unable to find the one I would hope to spend my days with. While all my companions got married and started their families, I was left alone. I was the last Weasley of my day, and if I did not improve my situation, my family name would die with me. In early adulthood, I began to get desperate, my parents' increasing illness only furthering my panic. In my desperation, I turned to magic, and after half a decade's research, I finally managed to invent this medallion for a single purpose. This medallion single-handedly disproves one of magic's oldest and most fundamental laws, that magic cannot instil true love…"
Looking back down at the medallion, Ron's awe only increased. Not only was his ancestor a brilliant wizard to make such a thing, but the plight of his ancestor also seemed so very similar to his own. Ron felt himself begin to sweat; this moment now feeling very private and personal, and a slight fear of discovery crept into his mind. The younger ginger man began to read faster as if wanting to get out of this place before anyone else found him.
"...Yes, as you may have already guessed, this medallion can make almost anyone of the opposite sex fall in love with you. I used it in my younger years to great effect and raised our family back from the grave, and shared many long years of companionship with my wives. However, as the years went on, I began to fear the power the medallion had. I chose never to share this secret with my peers, for I feared what this medallion could do in the wrong hands. While I assure you this medallion was not made using any dark magic or rituals, that does not mean its effects could not corrupt the hearts of even the noblest witch or wizard.
It is, for this reason, I decided to hide it away in this place, in the hopes that the only person who would find it would be a Weasley of similar temperament and circumstances. If you are reading this, then the medallion is yours now to do with as you wish. But be warned. The medallion does have limits. While the medallion can induce true love in any woman who is not currently in love, it can break the effects of the most powerful love potions, it cannot make a person who is already in love love you instead. Furthermore, do not allow this medallion to corrupt your intentions. Loneliness is a terrible thing, but your happiness should not come at the expense of someone else. Using the medallion to settle rivalries and indulge resentments will only stain your soul, just as it did mine. Use it with wisdom, and it will bring you happiness…"
Ron's heart lurched as he read the warning. He realised that as he read the medallion, his thoughts turned to a certain woman now married. At that very moment, he had allowed his resentments to get the better of him, and he had considered using the medallion for his selfish desires. He realised Godfrey was warning him not to be the person Ron was ever so tempted to be, even if the medallion did work on her. Feeling somewhat ashamed of himself, Ron considered leaving the medallion and forgetting this place, but as he looked down at the object, he couldn't quite bring himself to put it down. Instead, he read on.
"...Everything else in this place is yours too, the contents of my studies and the trunk. I hope you find them useful, or if not, find someone who will. Good luck with your new fortunes, fellow Weasley. I hope that one day we may meet in the next great adventure, and you can tell me that you were a better man than I was.
Your ancestor,
Godfrey Anthony Weasley
September 11th, 1554."
Standing there in contemplative silence for several moments, Ron didn't know what to do. A part of him was telling him to drop the medallion and lock this place up tight, never looking back. This object was dangerous if the wrong person used it, and even if the right person did, it had a smack of the unethical to it. Another much louder part was telling him to take the medallion back to the reception and test it out. If it worked, he would use it responsibly. If it didn't, he'd put it back where he found it and never come here again. In the end, the louder voice won, and Ron used the string necklace tied to the medallion to put it around his neck.
With one last look around, Ron made his way out of the underground hideout and locked it up behind him. He made his way out of the rock formation, cleaned himself up with a quick cleaning charm, and looked out over the landscape. It was getting dark now, and the distant lights of the Burrow beckoned him home. Making his way back down the hill, Ron didn't notice the faint glow of the medallion begin to grow as he drew closer to his home.
Commission Piece!
Summary: Ron watches as the love of his life, his sister, and a mutual friend all get married to his best friend on what was secretly a very sad day for him. Leaving for some privacy, Ron comes across an object that will turn things around for him big time.
Chapter 1: A Letter From Long Ago
Ron Weasley had spent much of his childhood as quite a jealous young man. First, he was jealous of his older siblings for being so accomplished in such a diverse range of fields, leaving no first great accomplishments for him to achieve. Next, he was jealous of other pure-blood families and their vast wealth, while the Weasley family struggled to survive with so little money and so many mouths to feed. Lastly, he was jealous of his best friend Harry Potter. Harry was very famous, and that fame and attention were something that was never afforded to Ron. At most, he was "Harry Potter's ginger mate," which always served to rub him the wrong way. He was his own man damn it, not some lackey!
As years went by and he had matured, Ron had grown out of such feelings and had come to appreciate the things he had in his life. The loss of his older brother made him realise just how important his family was to him, and his part in helping end the war with Voldemort had shown him that fame was not all it was cracked up to be; it was a little annoying if he was being honest. Getting an Order of Merlin First Class and the constant vying for his attention had only served to grate on his nerves after the novelty subsided. None of that was to mention that he'd gotten the girl. He and his long-time love interest Hermione Granger had gotten together after the end of the war, which for him was the greatest victory of all.
But now, years after all of that excitement that came with being a teenage war hero, Ron Weasley couldn't help but be a little jealous. Sitting there in the church in his nicest dress robes, Ron had to sit and watch as the former love of his life, his sister, and her best female friend all got married to his best friend. Yes, he and Hermione hadn't worked out as a couple, and what stung the most was that in the aftermath, she had fallen right into his best friend's arms. He didn't want to be angry at them; who was he to tell them who to date? But a tiny fire still burned inside of him as he watched all four of them kiss at the altar, a tiny hint of resentment that he tried his absolute best to squash.
Turning to him, Harry smiled a genuine smile that held not a hint of malice whatsoever. Harry would never deliberately try to hurt him, but that only served to make it worse in Ron's mind. Hermione hadn't gotten with Harry because she thought it would make him jealous, and Harry hadn't accepted her feelings because he wanted to rub them in Ron's face. They loved each other, and as his best friend, Harry Potter wanted Ron to share in his happiness. Hell, he was even the best man. But all Ron could do was offer a smile back that didn't reach his eyes. Luckily, Harry was too distracted by his happiness that he didn't notice.
Soon enough, they were back at the Burrow, and all the party guests were happily speaking to each other, chatting while lightly eating and drinking the night away. Ron had noticed that the four married people in question had snuck off a little while ago and had just come back looking every so slightly dishevelled. The girls pulled the busts of their wedding dresses up and flattened them out while Harry tried his best to straighten out his suit and belt. Ron cringed internally, knowing full well what they had gone off to do. Thinking of Harry and Hermione going at it only served to make him feel sick, not to mention with his sister and another mutual female friend present and almost certainly participating.
Going outside for some air, Ron stood outside the burrow and breathed in a big gasp of air before letting out a sad sigh. Rummaging around in his pocket, he pulled out his smoking pipe and put it to his lips. With his wand in his other hand, he produced a tiny flame on the end and used it to light the tobacco inside the pipe. Ron began to smoke away at his pipe, allowing the smoke to fill his lungs and begin to take his stress away. It helped, it did. He never thought he would be one to smoke, he hated the thought of it growing up, and his mother would have killed him if he had been caught doing it as a teenager. Now, though, it helped him cope with the stresses of being an Auror and the mounting internal pain he was feeling in his personal life.
"Fuck this, I'm going for a walk," Ron said to himself, turning and beginning to walk down the path towards the front gate of the Burrow.
Taking another drag, Ron began to wander around the property. It had been a few years since he had done so, having long since moved out of his parents' house and seldom finding time to spend on his own when he was here. The winding pathways through the grassland surrounding the Burrow led off for miles, and not thinking much about the wedding reception going on behind him, he was happy to follow them. Before long, he was on top of a hill overlooking his childhood home, the sounds of celebration now nought but whispers as Ron took in the sight. Smiling weakly, a wave of nostalgia washed over him as he surveyed his surroundings. One thing that stood out to him was a small rock formation some ten feet to his left that he remembered using as a climbing frame as a toddler.
Walking over to the rock formation, he walked between the rocks, which towered over his head by a good two or three feet. It was odd, as he walked through the rock formation, Ron couldn't help but feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It was almost as if this rock formation was saturated in a dense layer of magic, but that couldn't be possible, could it? It was just a bunch of old rocks. Looking around with a more critical eye, Ron's Auror instincts kicked in, and before long, he began to notice that all the paths through the rock formation seemed to lead to the same central area with rock walls surrounding it. The central area was overgrown with tall grass going up to Ron's knees, but it didn't take him long to notice a hole in the seemingly all-encompassing plant life near the centre.
"What the bloody hell is that?" Ron thought out loud, beginning to make his way towards the gap in the grass.
Trudging through the grass, he quickly made his way to the gap and was surprised to find that the gap was caused by a wooden trap door with a rusted metal lock on it. Curiosity getting the better of him, the youngest Weasley male grabbed the lock and tried to pull it open. However, an unknowable amount of time of exposure to the elements had left the metal lock rusted shut and immovable. Huffing in frustration, Ron pulled out his wand and muttered "repairo" as he pointed it at the lock. In an instant, the lock seemed to become far more malleable as the orange rust flaked away to reveal a black, shiny metal underneath.
"Alohamora," Ron said, the tip of his wand lighting momentarily as the newly repaired lock seamlessly unbolted and the trap door slowly opened to reveal an old, moss-covered set of stone steps going down into the ground.
Shrugging, Ron kept his wand raised as he slowly descended the stone steps. They went down for about twenty feet in a straight line until the narrow corridor of steps opened up into a dark room with wooden floors, walls, supports, and beams, all seemingly surrounded by the soil of the hill. Whispering "Lumos," Ron held up his wand as a powerful light shone from the tip of his wand, illuminating the room so he could see his surroundings. Looking around, there were a few items of curiosity that caught his eye. First was a shelf with a bunch of scrolls and books that looked ancient, covered in dust but still in good condition. Next was a chest, simple and wooden, with a metal locking mechanism on it, but no lock. Finally was a simple wooden desk at the far end of the room, with little more than a piece of parchment, a quill, and ink that seemingly hadn't been used in an age, and what seemed to be a dull, golden coin.
Walking over to the desk, Ron picked up the parchment and put his wand to it. There were words written on it in what looked like something resembling English, but not quite. Within seconds, however, the words transformed on the page to read in perfect modern English. Raising his eyebrow, Ron decided to read it to get a better idea of what this place was.
"To whoever reads this letter," Ron began. "If you have found this letter, then you have found this secret chamber that I constructed in my youth. My name is Godfrey Anthony Weasley, and you are one of my descendants…"
Ron's eyes widened at the revelation. One of his ancestors had created this place, hidden under the nose of his family for god knows how long. Eager to find out what this was all about, he continued reading.
"...I made this place after I made the most important discovery of my career, one that I consider my greatest blessing and my greatest curse. If all is as it should be, next to you on the desk should be a golden medallion not much bigger than a Gringotts galleon. This medallion is my greatest work, one that will haunt me for the rest of my days…"
Looking down at the medallion sitting on the desk next to him, he picked it up and the moment it touched his fingers a blue glow was emitted from the sapphire embedded in the middle of it. Ron stared down at it in awe, moving it between his fingers for a moment before turning to read further.
"...In my youth, I had no luck with the fairer sex. I never understood why. I was not ugly, cruel, or uninteresting, but no matter what I tried, I was unable to find the one I would hope to spend my days with. While all my companions got married and started their families, I was left alone. I was the last Weasley of my day, and if I did not improve my situation, my family name would die with me. In early adulthood, I began to get desperate, my parents' increasing illness only furthering my panic. In my desperation, I turned to magic, and after half a decade's research, I finally managed to invent this medallion for a single purpose. This medallion single-handedly disproves one of magic's oldest and most fundamental laws, that magic cannot instil true love…"
Looking back down at the medallion, Ron's awe only increased. Not only was his ancestor a brilliant wizard to make such a thing, but the plight of his ancestor also seemed so very similar to his own. Ron felt himself begin to sweat; this moment now feeling very private and personal, and a slight fear of discovery crept into his mind. The younger ginger man began to read faster as if wanting to get out of this place before anyone else found him.
"...Yes, as you may have already guessed, this medallion can make almost anyone of the opposite sex fall in love with you. I used it in my younger years to great effect and raised our family back from the grave, and shared many long years of companionship with my wives. However, as the years went on, I began to fear the power the medallion had. I chose never to share this secret with my peers, for I feared what this medallion could do in the wrong hands. While I assure you this medallion was not made using any dark magic or rituals, that does not mean its effects could not corrupt the hearts of even the noblest witch or wizard.
It is, for this reason, I decided to hide it away in this place, in the hopes that the only person who would find it would be a Weasley of similar temperament and circumstances. If you are reading this, then the medallion is yours now to do with as you wish. But be warned. The medallion does have limits. While the medallion can induce true love in any woman who is not currently in love, it can break the effects of the most powerful love potions, it cannot make a person who is already in love love you instead. Furthermore, do not allow this medallion to corrupt your intentions. Loneliness is a terrible thing, but your happiness should not come at the expense of someone else. Using the medallion to settle rivalries and indulge resentments will only stain your soul, just as it did mine. Use it with wisdom, and it will bring you happiness…"
Ron's heart lurched as he read the warning. He realised that as he read the medallion, his thoughts turned to a certain woman now married. At that very moment, he had allowed his resentments to get the better of him, and he had considered using the medallion for his selfish desires. He realised Godfrey was warning him not to be the person Ron was ever so tempted to be, even if the medallion did work on her. Feeling somewhat ashamed of himself, Ron considered leaving the medallion and forgetting this place, but as he looked down at the object, he couldn't quite bring himself to put it down. Instead, he read on.
"...Everything else in this place is yours too, the contents of my studies and the trunk. I hope you find them useful, or if not, find someone who will. Good luck with your new fortunes, fellow Weasley. I hope that one day we may meet in the next great adventure, and you can tell me that you were a better man than I was.
Your ancestor,
Godfrey Anthony Weasley
September 11th, 1554."
Standing there in contemplative silence for several moments, Ron didn't know what to do. A part of him was telling him to drop the medallion and lock this place up tight, never looking back. This object was dangerous if the wrong person used it, and even if the right person did, it had a smack of the unethical to it. Another much louder part was telling him to take the medallion back to the reception and test it out. If it worked, he would use it responsibly. If it didn't, he'd put it back where he found it and never come here again. In the end, the louder voice won, and Ron used the string necklace tied to the medallion to put it around his neck.
With one last look around, Ron made his way out of the underground hideout and locked it up behind him. He made his way out of the rock formation, cleaned himself up with a quick cleaning charm, and looked out over the landscape. It was getting dark now, and the distant lights of the Burrow beckoned him home. Making his way back down the hill, Ron didn't notice the faint glow of the medallion begin to grow as he drew closer to his home.
Ron and the Medallion Chapter 2 of 2
Virtuous Anglo
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Ron and the Medallion
Commission Piece!
Summary: Ron watches as the love of his life, his sister, and a mutual friend all get married to his best friend on what was secretly a very sad day for him. Leaving for some privacy, Ron comes across an object that will turn things around for him big time.
Chapter 2: Daydreams of Future Past
Parvati Patil had been in a somewhat sombre mood as of late. She felt listless, unable to handle her usual daily routine as her mind was elsewhere. Even as the young British-Indian witch sat at her desk in Flourish and Blotts, watching with boredom as the few customers who were in that day roamed the store looking for their book of choice. Normally, she quite liked her job, even if it wasn't some huge business venture or high-profile ministry job like her sister Padma had. But today, she just wasn't feeling it.
She was distracted, you see, her mind kept in the clouds by the memories of recent events and more distant happenings. Parvati had recently attended the wedding of her classmate Harry Potter and his three wives, all of whom were friends of hers. Hell, she had even attended the Yule Ball with Harry once upon a time, not that it had been a very good experience, but they had both moved past all that and were on very good terms nowadays. When she attended the wedding, she had seen just how happy the Polygamous group was, and while she was very happy for them all, a small part of her couldn't help but feel just a little jealous.
It felt like all of her friends were building lives with partners these days, and she was being left behind. She had been on dates, sure, but none of them fit what she was looking for. Though she supposed what she was looking for was a tad specific. But how could it not be, when a Seer had told her the type of man she would marry one day?
She remembered it like it was yesterday. Parvati had been leaving her favourite class at Hogwarts during her seventh-year repeat, Divination. She had long since concluded that she didn't have the gift of sight by that point, but she and her best friend Lavender Brown still found the subject endlessly fascinating. The young woman was just about to leave the classroom, being one of the last to leave, when she turned around, realising she had left her textbook on her desk. Heading back inside, she walked back to her desk and grabbed her book. As she turned back to the door, she shrieked as the pale, odd, spectacle-clad face of Professor Trelawney was mere centimetres from her own.
"Your aura, dear, it's pulsing, you're in the beyond," Trelawney said dramatically. Parvati giggled at her professor's antics.
"I don't feel in the beyond, professor, but if I divine something about the future, I'll let you know," Parvati promised, more sincerely than you might assume. Stepping around the professor, Parvati moved to leave when suddenly she heard her professor's voice from behind her.
"14," the professor said, but her voice was different. It sounded louder and slightly distorted.
"E-Excuse me, professor?" Parvati inquired as she turned, the change in her professor's voice setting the teenage girl on edge.
"14 children shall be sired, the English boy, forgotten but great, the Indian girl, looking for love, the medallion shall bring them together," Trelawney muttered in her distorted voice, before reaching out and running her fingers gently over Parvati's face, sending a shiver down the young woman's spine.
Just as quickly as it started, the strange occurrence came to an end. Trelawney's eyes seemed to regain some colour as the older woman looked at Parvati, confused, as if she didn't quite know what was going on. Parvati didn't wait around to explain anything to her; she just nervously walked out the door and left the classroom, heading to her next period as quickly as possible. But the words Trelawney had spoken, Parvati never did forget them, and now, many years later, she found herself allowing those words to define her love life.
But what English boy could she imagine siring 14 children with, much less one that was both great and forgotten? She hadn't the slightest idea who such a person could be, but she would keep looking until that man presented himself and Professor Trelawney's prophecy came true. After all, she was bound to meet this great but forgotten hunk of a man at some point, right? She just needed to be patient.
Whether it was divine intervention or just plain coincidence, nobody knows. But it was at the very moment that Parvati concluded to herself privately, sitting at her desk in Flourish and Blotts, that the door opened with the tickle of the bell hanging above the door. Looking up, Parvati was surprised to see the face of a man she hadn't seen in a few years, one who had changed quite a bit since she had last seen him. Standing in the doorway, clad in investigative clothing and magic combat armour, was none other than Ronald Weasley.
He was different from when she had seen him last, his hair was slightly longer than when they were at school together and much better kept. His once lanky form had filled out to be both tall and muscular, his freckled face had taken on a handsome quality with a strong jaw and blue eyes that were surprisingly striking. Seeing her, the redheaded Auror shot her a charming smile, which to her surprise, actually made Parvati feel a little bit flush. Had Ronald Weasley always been this hot? Surely not, this was a more recent development.
Looking him over, it was then that Parvati noticed the small golden medallion hanging around his neck, and the words of Professor Trelawney echoed in the young woman's mind.
"...the medallion shall bring them together."
'Is Ron Weasley, my sister's disastrous Yule Ball date and my best friend's ex-boyfriend, my future baby daddy, fourteen times over?' Parvati asked herself internally, still not quite believing it. Her internal debate was broken up when Ron decided to speak up.
"Hey Parvati, long time no see, how are things on your end?" Ron asked politely.
"F-Fin,e Ron, nice to see you again. I'd hoped to catch you at Harry's wedding, but I didn't see you," Parvati answered, smiling back with a little blush rushing up her cheeks.
"Oh, I was kind of off to the side during the ceremony, and I decided to call it early during the reception. I just wasn't feeling the loud noise and crowded house that night," Ron explained, telling a selectively true version of events.
"Taking it slow after the war, I can understand that. Lavender is much the same, she's never been quite the same since the Battle of Hogwarts," Parvati continued, getting an understanding nod from Ron.
"It hit everyone pretty hard, but the injuries and cruciatus exposure she sustained were particularly bad, even for that day," Ron agreed, giving an understanding nod.
"So what brings you to Flourish and Blotts today?" Parvati asked, wanting to get off the depressing subject.
"Oh, I needed a book on counter curses used against people, children in particular. Some sicko has been breaking into family homes and cursing kids to get violent with their parents. Not homicidal, luckily, but I want this guy caught before that becomes an option," Ron answered, getting a shocked look from Parvati in response.
"That's horrible, I'm sure we have a book on using counter curses on humans around here, allow me to consult our product log book." Parvati reached underneath her desk and, with both hands, lifted a massive book onto her desk. Flipping it open, she scanned a few pages until eventually, she put her finger down on an entry.
"Here we are," she said confidently, pleased with her discovery. "Curing Curses by Balan the Brave, 13th edition, you should find what you're looking for in there. It's on the third shelf on the left-hand side of the second bookshelf just over there." Parvati pointed across the store to the bookcase in question. Ron nodded and smiled widely at her.
"Thanks, Parvati, you've been a massive help!" Ron marched over to the bookcase and, within seconds, found the book he was looking for. Coming back over, he put the book down on her desk. "How much do I owe you?"
"It's a 13th edition and globally quite common, so only three galleons," Parvati answered politely. Ron took the money from his pocket and handed the three golden coins to her, which she took and put in her register.
Not having a reason to stay, Ron stood there awkwardly for just a moment before making a move to leave. Parvati privately found herself a little disappointed. This new Ron was intriguing to her, and she was hoping that he would stay so she could get to know him better. However, before she could mourn the loss of opportunity too much, Rom stopped just short of walking out of the store and turned around. Parvati could have sworn the sapphire in the middle of the medallion Ron was wearing lit up slightly as the man spoke.
"Would you like to have lunch with me?" Ron asked. Parvati blushed as she felt her heart begin to race.
"I'll get my coat," she answered.
Commission Piece!
Summary: Ron watches as the love of his life, his sister, and a mutual friend all get married to his best friend on what was secretly a very sad day for him. Leaving for some privacy, Ron comes across an object that will turn things around for him big time.
Chapter 2: Daydreams of Future Past
Parvati Patil had been in a somewhat sombre mood as of late. She felt listless, unable to handle her usual daily routine as her mind was elsewhere. Even as the young British-Indian witch sat at her desk in Flourish and Blotts, watching with boredom as the few customers who were in that day roamed the store looking for their book of choice. Normally, she quite liked her job, even if it wasn't some huge business venture or high-profile ministry job like her sister Padma had. But today, she just wasn't feeling it.
She was distracted, you see, her mind kept in the clouds by the memories of recent events and more distant happenings. Parvati had recently attended the wedding of her classmate Harry Potter and his three wives, all of whom were friends of hers. Hell, she had even attended the Yule Ball with Harry once upon a time, not that it had been a very good experience, but they had both moved past all that and were on very good terms nowadays. When she attended the wedding, she had seen just how happy the Polygamous group was, and while she was very happy for them all, a small part of her couldn't help but feel just a little jealous.
It felt like all of her friends were building lives with partners these days, and she was being left behind. She had been on dates, sure, but none of them fit what she was looking for. Though she supposed what she was looking for was a tad specific. But how could it not be, when a Seer had told her the type of man she would marry one day?
She remembered it like it was yesterday. Parvati had been leaving her favourite class at Hogwarts during her seventh-year repeat, Divination. She had long since concluded that she didn't have the gift of sight by that point, but she and her best friend Lavender Brown still found the subject endlessly fascinating. The young woman was just about to leave the classroom, being one of the last to leave, when she turned around, realising she had left her textbook on her desk. Heading back inside, she walked back to her desk and grabbed her book. As she turned back to the door, she shrieked as the pale, odd, spectacle-clad face of Professor Trelawney was mere centimetres from her own.
"Your aura, dear, it's pulsing, you're in the beyond," Trelawney said dramatically. Parvati giggled at her professor's antics.
"I don't feel in the beyond, professor, but if I divine something about the future, I'll let you know," Parvati promised, more sincerely than you might assume. Stepping around the professor, Parvati moved to leave when suddenly she heard her professor's voice from behind her.
"14," the professor said, but her voice was different. It sounded louder and slightly distorted.
"E-Excuse me, professor?" Parvati inquired as she turned, the change in her professor's voice setting the teenage girl on edge.
"14 children shall be sired, the English boy, forgotten but great, the Indian girl, looking for love, the medallion shall bring them together," Trelawney muttered in her distorted voice, before reaching out and running her fingers gently over Parvati's face, sending a shiver down the young woman's spine.
Just as quickly as it started, the strange occurrence came to an end. Trelawney's eyes seemed to regain some colour as the older woman looked at Parvati, confused, as if she didn't quite know what was going on. Parvati didn't wait around to explain anything to her; she just nervously walked out the door and left the classroom, heading to her next period as quickly as possible. But the words Trelawney had spoken, Parvati never did forget them, and now, many years later, she found herself allowing those words to define her love life.
But what English boy could she imagine siring 14 children with, much less one that was both great and forgotten? She hadn't the slightest idea who such a person could be, but she would keep looking until that man presented himself and Professor Trelawney's prophecy came true. After all, she was bound to meet this great but forgotten hunk of a man at some point, right? She just needed to be patient.
Whether it was divine intervention or just plain coincidence, nobody knows. But it was at the very moment that Parvati concluded to herself privately, sitting at her desk in Flourish and Blotts, that the door opened with the tickle of the bell hanging above the door. Looking up, Parvati was surprised to see the face of a man she hadn't seen in a few years, one who had changed quite a bit since she had last seen him. Standing in the doorway, clad in investigative clothing and magic combat armour, was none other than Ronald Weasley.
He was different from when she had seen him last, his hair was slightly longer than when they were at school together and much better kept. His once lanky form had filled out to be both tall and muscular, his freckled face had taken on a handsome quality with a strong jaw and blue eyes that were surprisingly striking. Seeing her, the redheaded Auror shot her a charming smile, which to her surprise, actually made Parvati feel a little bit flush. Had Ronald Weasley always been this hot? Surely not, this was a more recent development.
Looking him over, it was then that Parvati noticed the small golden medallion hanging around his neck, and the words of Professor Trelawney echoed in the young woman's mind.
"...the medallion shall bring them together."
'Is Ron Weasley, my sister's disastrous Yule Ball date and my best friend's ex-boyfriend, my future baby daddy, fourteen times over?' Parvati asked herself internally, still not quite believing it. Her internal debate was broken up when Ron decided to speak up.
"Hey Parvati, long time no see, how are things on your end?" Ron asked politely.
"F-Fin,e Ron, nice to see you again. I'd hoped to catch you at Harry's wedding, but I didn't see you," Parvati answered, smiling back with a little blush rushing up her cheeks.
"Oh, I was kind of off to the side during the ceremony, and I decided to call it early during the reception. I just wasn't feeling the loud noise and crowded house that night," Ron explained, telling a selectively true version of events.
"Taking it slow after the war, I can understand that. Lavender is much the same, she's never been quite the same since the Battle of Hogwarts," Parvati continued, getting an understanding nod from Ron.
"It hit everyone pretty hard, but the injuries and cruciatus exposure she sustained were particularly bad, even for that day," Ron agreed, giving an understanding nod.
"So what brings you to Flourish and Blotts today?" Parvati asked, wanting to get off the depressing subject.
"Oh, I needed a book on counter curses used against people, children in particular. Some sicko has been breaking into family homes and cursing kids to get violent with their parents. Not homicidal, luckily, but I want this guy caught before that becomes an option," Ron answered, getting a shocked look from Parvati in response.
"That's horrible, I'm sure we have a book on using counter curses on humans around here, allow me to consult our product log book." Parvati reached underneath her desk and, with both hands, lifted a massive book onto her desk. Flipping it open, she scanned a few pages until eventually, she put her finger down on an entry.
"Here we are," she said confidently, pleased with her discovery. "Curing Curses by Balan the Brave, 13th edition, you should find what you're looking for in there. It's on the third shelf on the left-hand side of the second bookshelf just over there." Parvati pointed across the store to the bookcase in question. Ron nodded and smiled widely at her.
"Thanks, Parvati, you've been a massive help!" Ron marched over to the bookcase and, within seconds, found the book he was looking for. Coming back over, he put the book down on her desk. "How much do I owe you?"
"It's a 13th edition and globally quite common, so only three galleons," Parvati answered politely. Ron took the money from his pocket and handed the three golden coins to her, which she took and put in her register.
Not having a reason to stay, Ron stood there awkwardly for just a moment before making a move to leave. Parvati privately found herself a little disappointed. This new Ron was intriguing to her, and she was hoping that he would stay so she could get to know him better. However, before she could mourn the loss of opportunity too much, Rom stopped just short of walking out of the store and turned around. Parvati could have sworn the sapphire in the middle of the medallion Ron was wearing lit up slightly as the man spoke.
"Would you like to have lunch with me?" Ron asked. Parvati blushed as she felt her heart begin to race.
"I'll get my coat," she answered.