There are many, many crazy things
That will keep me loving you
And with your permission
May I list a few

The way you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No they can't take that away from me

The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No they can't take that away from me

We may never, never meet again
On that bumpy road to love
But I'll always, always keep the memory of

The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No they can't take that away from me

-- from �They Can�t Take That Away From Me�� by Frank Sinatra

She had promised herself she wouldn�t cry today.

It was to be the happiest day of Elinor�s life, the one she would look back on again and again in the years to come, and Hermione had decided a long time ago (from the day her daughter was born, as a matter of fact) that when this day came, she was not going to be one of those mothers. She was going to be different. She was not going to fuss and muss over Elinor, or burst into tears like a raging maniac at the sight of her in her wedding gown, or worst of all, be reduced to a babbling, incoherent fool whenever anyone would try to get a word out of her.

No, she was going to keep her wits about her, and be strong and brave in the face of her youngest child doing what she�d been dreading for twenty-two years: get married and leave her and Ron for good.

This was the plan, anyway. The first test (and a bear it was, too) came early, when Elinor emerged at the top of the staircase, dressed in her gown, her wild nutmeg curls pinned in an elegant knot at the nape of her neck-and actually behaving themselves, thanks to an entire bottle of Sleekeazy Hair Potion that Hermione had made sure to order far in advance. Even Ron had lost the power of speech as she slowly made her way down the stairs (and to see Ron without words was a rare occurrence indeed). Hermione thought for sure she�d never be able to last a moment longer without her eyes watering, but somehow, she did.

The ceremony was infinitely harder. She�d lost count of the number of times she squeezed Ron�s hand with all her might, not unlike the way she did during each one of the four times she suffered through labor. She was sure she�d given Ron about a hundred tiny fractures in his hand, but sweet as he was, he never complained, not even once (though she knew he must have been dying to).

It was by pure miracle that she made it through the entire reception, but she did. Through the best man announcing �Mr. and Mrs. Colby�; through the first dance; through the kiss they shared after everyone had seen them off when they were dashing to their honeymoon, Hermione had managed to hold herself together. It wasn�t until the last of the guests had said their goodbyes-Harry and Ginny, of course-and the band had packed up their instruments and shuffled off themselves that Hermione finally gave up the fight and let the tears come.

She had wanted so badly to be strong today, to remember this was a happy occasion, one to celebrate and not to shed tears over, but when it was all over and she and Ron were left in the empty reception hall, with rice and flower petals strewn across the floor and empty champagne bottles resting in pails of melting ice, Hermione couldn�t help but let the emotion of it all overwhelm her.

She wasn�t surprised at all when, within seconds, she felt a warm, strong pair of hands knead her shoulders, then felt her husband�s broad chest press up against her shoulder blades as he pulled her into him.

�I�m proud of you,� he said.

She laughed, tears streaming down at a ridiculously alarming (and quite embarrassing) rate.

�Why?� she said, half sniffling, half laughing.

�Because you held it in this long.�

She turned around to face him, that roguish grin on his face making her smile even as the tears continued to fall. He fanned her cheekbone, wiping away a stray one.

�Oh Ron,� she sighed, �I�m being ridiculous, aren�t I?�

He shook his head. �You�re being a mother.�

�Fathers don�t get emotional when their children get married?�

�Of course they do,� he said. �But men never cry, remember?�

She couldn�t believe it. He was doing it again: he was making her laugh. Even after forty-five years of knowing him, she never stopped being amazed at this simple but amazing ability of his.

�What are you thinking?� she said, suddenly noticing that he was watching her.

�Oh, you�ll think it�s silly,� he said.

�Tell me��

He tugged gently on her hand, leading her to one of the tables, then he sat and pulled her onto his lap.

�I was thinking about the day we first met,� he said.

Of all the things Hermione expected him to say, that was not one of them.

�You were?�

�Mm hmm��

She smiled, sliding her arms around him. �So tell me,� she said, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer, but deciding to go ahead and ask it anyway, �what did you think of me?�

�Honestly?�

She narrowed her eyes at him, hoping he�d take the gesture as a warning.

�I thought you were the most obnoxious, insufferable little know-it-all I�d ever met in my life-�

�I don�t think I want to hear this-�

She started to get up, but he laughed, and pulled her back down.

�Do you want to know what my first impression of you was, Ron Weasley?�

�Are you going to let me finish or not?�

She knew she was pouting, but at the moment, she didn�t quite care.

�All right. So long as you know you�re proceeding at your own caution.�

His eyes crinkled into a smile. That smile was going to be the end of her someday, she just knew it.

�So when I first met you, I thought you were the most exasperating creature on earth-�

�And you were the most undisciplined, unfocused, immature-�

�But I think I loved you from the first moment I ever laid eyes on you.�

�-insensitive-� The words fell out of her tongue and came to a stop right there. �What�?�

He laughed softly, watching her face as the comprehension slowly began to dawn on her.

�God knows you�ve challenged me and frustrated me more than any other human being before or since,� he said.

Hermione didn�t know whether to hit him or laugh at him, and as if sensing this, he hurried to explain further.

�The truth is, though, I needed that. I needed someone to teach me to be more disciplined or to look at the larger world that was around me. Before you, life was all about Quidditch and hand-me-down robes and maroon jumpers that I got every Christmas. And then before I knew it, there was S.P.E.W.�-(Hermione laughed; he actually got it right this time)-�and your studying schedules, and your� world. You showed me your world and your way of looking at things. It was so different from the way I saw everything. It�s as if you showed me new colors I never knew existed, and I could finally see rainbows properly��

He reached up a hand to brush her cheek, then captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting it up towards his face.

�I can�t ever thank you enough for that, Hermione,� he said. �I know I don�t say it often enough. I don�t say it as much as you deserve to hear it, but it�s true. I wouldn�t be who I am today if it weren�t for you. I couldn�t be the husband I am, the father I am, if you hadn�t taught me what it was like to see the world through your eyes.�

What tears had been streaming down before were gushing now. Hermione didn�t think it would be possible to be more emotional than she had been all day, but she was wrong. Hermione Weasley was wrong.

After a while, Ron broke the silence.

�Come on,� he said, pulling her up. He began to lead her to the dance floor.

�What are you doing?� she laughed.

�Asking my wife to dance,� he said. �Do you accept?�

�There�s no music, Ron.�

�Blimey, how long have you been a witch, love?�

�Oh��

He laughed. She�d come to love it when he teased her.

�Honestly,� he said, then with a wink, he said, �Cantus Ludero��

In the next second, she heard the first few notes of a song-a Muggle song.

As if by way of explanation, he said, �Dad has one of those Gronophraph machines��

�Phonograph?�

�Right, one of those� He had a few old records, too. He�d play them for us when we were little. I liked this one the best.�

Hermione smiled, as he swayed her in time with the melody.

�What is it?�

�It�s by a famous Muggle singer called Frank Sinatra,� he told her. �Listen to the words� it reminds me of you��

He twirled her a few times, then pulled her into him and settled his hand at the small of her back.

�So, then,� she said, �I guess you�re stuck with me, eh, Ron Weasley?�

He smiled.

�Yeah, I guess so,� he said. �This is for keeps.�

�For keeps.�