The Murder In St. John

8. The Truck Still Drives

The second full day of camping was to be split, girls and boys. Appropriate seeing as it was the bridal party and groom's party. They had neglected all wedding celebrations until then, and it had been decided it was high time to start.

While the boys were going off to ride dirt bikes in some terrain park, Luna had opted for a much slower day. A resort of sorts on a lakeside, with complimentary drinks and a large lunch. It was going to be relaxing, and no doubt full of high society gossip and complaining about small-town problems.

Hermione was pleased Teddy was tagging along with the girls and used him as her diversion every time one of the girls got a little too nosy with their questions. Poking and prodding about George's lingering gazes and gentle touches.

The diversions, of course, only lasted so long and soon Hermione was cornered.

Or rather squashed between Fleur and Ginny at the circular lunch table on a patio they had been led to by Angelina and was now stuck into answering questions as Teddy was sat across from her munching happily on his chicken nuggets.

"I wasn't aware you two-"

"The lot of you have been teasing us for years." Hermione cut Ginny off straight away, stabbing her fork into her strawberry salad. "Aware my ass." She replied, shoving a forkful in her mouth.

"You two would be so utterly shy." Ginny finished with a huff. "Let me finish." She muttered under her breath, and a swift kick to the ankle.

"Are you two dating now?" Fleur asked, her wispy voice flowing over the table. Though it was quite direct and felt as if she had slapped the question right across Hermione's face.

"No," Hermione stated, a clear tone that had all the girl's eyebrows into their hairlines. "Not properly anyway." She mumbled this time, moving her strawberries around with a pitiful wave of her wrist.

"George has always been a bit slow with things." Ginny waved her hand in dismissal, then pointed to her ear. "Even before the accident." She stage whispered, causing Angelina to snort into her lemonade.

"Give it time, dearie," Luna said at once, tossing a small pile of croutons onto Teddy's plate where he chased after them with a fork. "He's probably trying to make it romantic." She sighed dreamily, and at once all the girls sighed.

"Oh give it a rest." Hermione scoffed, faking a gag on her fork just as a waiter floated by, a tray filled with five champagne glasses and one child's cup.

"Aye, I hope I'm not interrupting." The man gave them all a dashing smile, before extending an arm out to Fleur with a champagne glass at the end of it. "Non-Alcoholic cider for the ladies, sent over by a Mr. Ronald Weasley." He smiled, and Fleur accepted it graciously.

"Ah, so he does have half a brain." Ginny laughed joyously, gladly accepting the champagne glass and downing half of it in one go despite the fact it would do nothing but send her to the bathroom in the next thirty minutes.

"I sent them flasks of whiskey." Luna smiled, thanking the waiter with a smile as she took her own glass.

"Oh bother," Hermione grumbled, but accepted the last glass all the same.

A pre-wedding retreat with four pregnant ladies was turning out to be quite the change of pace from what Hermione had falsely anticipated.

"Are you Hermione then?" The waiter asked, laying a hand on her shoulder that had Ginny frowning right away. Lowering her champagne glass slowly, and following the hand up to the face of the young waiter.

"That'd be me." Hermione nodded, gently shrugging his hand off as Coach let out a small grumble, low in his throat from beneath the table, his chin propped on Hermione's shoe.