Ron leaned on the railing and stared at the newly risen sun. His anger level was just starting to reach calm when he heard the door to the roof deck slowly open. He didn't bother to look, he knew who it was. And he was ready.

"Ron?" She whispered, as if afraid.

"G'morning." He muttered, trying to sound neutral.

She walked to stand next to him. "I…I'm still angry." She said to the sun.

"Yeah, me too." He said calmly.

"But I have something more to say." She said, "I still love you and I hate this."

Ron turned to look at her, really look at her. Her eyes were red and puffy and dark circles under her eyes had formed through the night. "I hate it too. I love you and I can't stand it."

"Can't stand what?" She looked in his eyes with concern.

"I want you permanently. I want the vows. I don't want to back off on this." His stubborn streak was in full gear.

Hermione only nodded. This argument had lasted nearly a whole day now and she didn't know how to end it.

Ron took several deep breaths, "Can you at least tell me why you don't want it"

"But I do want the vows. I do. I'm just…afraid, I guess." She wiped another tear from her cheek.

"Afraid? Of me?" He was confused.

"No Ron. Not you. Never you. Oh, maybe afraid is the wrong word. I don't know how to describe it." She leaned against Ron's shoulder and sniffed her last tears away.

"Try, okay? I can't understand if you can't tell me." The frustration was starting to build again.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, closed it again and sighed. She tried again, "I got a letter from my mum a few days ago. She hinted that she's having a hard time telling others in my family about us. She wants to tell my aunts and uncle that we eloped or something. Ron, we had a wedding and didn't invite my extended family. I didn't think she would be upset. I mean, she was already upset about us being together at all."

"But she's gotten used to it now, right?" He wrapped his arm around her and realized that she was shivering. Of course she was. They were standing on the roof deck in early Spring . She was wearing only her ratty old dressing gown while he was wearing his winter coat. Ron stepped away from his wife, unzipped the coat and wrapped her in it with him. "Maybe there's a way to compromise."

"What do you mean?" Hermione snuggled close, enjoying her husband's warmth.

"Look, they probably feel left out. Right?"

"I guess. But what does that have to do with us? We're already married." She could feel the tears trying to start again.

He was silent for a moment, trying to find the words to describe the amorphous thoughts forming in his mind. "Why, why not have her plan another wedding?"

"I'm not following you. When you say have her plan a wedding, as in a false ceremony?"

"No," He paused. "I'm thinking, maybe for our vows. You know, slipping the phrases into whatever the muggles say."

"It's pretty much like what Bill and Fleur did. Only without the magic ribbons, birds and such. There's a time in the ceremony to say something to each other. That might be where we slip in the words. If we have a senior ministry worker officiate, then it could…" She started to feel excitement building, "Ron! We can make it work!" She twisted around and pulled his head down for a kiss.

"Do you think your mum would be able to plan from halfway across the globe?" Ron asked, enjoying her enthusiasm.

"Knowing Mum, she would find a way to make it work. Oh, Ron. I gotta call her!"

"How? We don't have a telephone."

"I don't know, I'll, we'll figure it out." She sighed again, "You know, I don't feel angry anymore."

"Me too. But what were we really arguing about?