Summer Happenings

A Weasley Wedding

Desperately rolling and thrashing to avoid her hexes, he heard her shout, "Petrificus Totalus!" Her bright brown eyes were glaring at Harry while he lay unable to move. Now that he was trapped, Ginny tapped her wand in her hand while wondering aloud what horrible thing to do next to him such that he might finally understand just how she felt. Harry lay there, scared and helpless, as the tapping continued.

Waking with a start, Harry realized the sound that had infiltrated his dream was the beak of Ron's tiny brown owl tapping against the window to get his attention. A flushed feeling spread quickly over his whole skin, as he was relieved that Ginny was not actually about to hex him into oblivion.

His heart still racing from his dream, Harry opened the window to let the owl into his room. Hedwig gave a hoot of disapproval at what she saw as the undignified and overly excited nature of the diminutive Pigwidgeon.

"Thanks, Pig," said Harry, removing the parchment from her leg. The owl flew away as Harry began to read the note.

Happy Birthday, Harry! We are all looking forward to seeing you.

The wedding is on Saturday. Mom seems to have warmed up considerably to Fleur, but the way Ginny mopes around ... I think she still doesn't think much of the idea of Fleur marrying Bill.

Lupin and Tonks have agreed to fetch you. Even though you are of age now, the Order feels it is best if you don't travel alone. You can expect them at 9:00 this morning. You'll be taking the Knight Bus. Best of luck with that, mate! Makes me glad I can Apparate now.

Hermione arrived last night. She's simply steaming at Fred and George since they won't give us a moment of peace. Gits!

See you soon mate,

Ron

Harry was glad that he had packed the previous night. He certainly had a lot to discuss with Hermione and Ron. Not only did he have the saga of Susan and Dudley to share, he was eager to talk with Hermione in particular. He wanted to learn as much information as possible about the night his parents were killed and Hermione was just the person who could find it. Knowing that it would be difficult for him to maintain objectivity, he was glad to have the help on the research. The memories of the sound of his mother screaming and the cold, high laugh which Harry relived every time Dementors came near still rang in his ears. That would be enough to make it very difficult to pour through old copies of the Daily Prophet.

As the time for his escort party's arrival approached, Harry brought his trunk downstairs and went back to retrieve his Firebolt racing broom, as well as Hedwig's cage. He was very careful to keep the broom and owl hidden from the windows, as he knew how Aunt Petunia would react to neighbors having even the chance of noticing a sign that she was harboring a wizard in her house.

Entering the living room, Harry noticed that Uncle Vernon was seated in his favorite chair staring unfocusedly on the far wall. With his walrus moustache twitching, he was sporting a silly grin while nervously twiddling his thumbs.

"I guess you'll be going now that you are of age, boy. We can finally be rid of you!" said Uncle Vernon, without moving his vacant gaze from the wall

"Yeah ... I can't say I'll miss the place," replied Harry rather flippantly.

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you," grumbled his uncle, the grin on his face rapidly fading.

Dudley seemed to have an odd expression though, and simply said, "Thanks," as his cousin looked out the window as though waiting for a taxicab.

"Why are you thanking him?" asked Aunt Petunia with a comical look on her drawn face, exposing her hors-like teeth.

"Oh shut up, Mum - you wouldn't understand," grunted Dudley as he stomped from the room, muttering something about Susan's cascading plait of hair.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia bolted after Dudley expressing concern over his well being. Harry wondered if they weren't really concerned about Dudley finding comfot in the refrigerator contents.

Harry heard a "crack" in the yard. Fortunately, his Aunt and Uncle did not hear it as they were distracted with Dudley. The cracking noise was Harry's signal that his escorts from the Order had arrived.

Harry quickly invited the pair into the house. Tonks was sporting a bright turquoise coif today and a smile that could light an entire village. Lupin, who normally looked shabby and tattered, seemed to be dressed better than Harry could ever remember.

Lupin, being a werewolf, was shunned by the majority of the wizarding community. It was near impossible for him to find work. But ever since Dumbledore's funeral, Lupin was letting Tonks take better care of him according to letters Harry had received from Ron over the summer. Harry figured that this was the reason for both the improved appearance of Lupin and bright mood of Tonks.

"Wotcher, Harry!" said Tonks vibrantly as she entered the Dursley living room.

"You two are looking well," said Harry. "Um, I'm ready to go if you are."

"Since your Aunt and Uncle don't seem to be here ..." began Lupin while placing a small yellow envelope with the name "Petunia Dursley" written across the top on the table next to Uncle Vernon's chair. "I wanted to share a few words of thanks with your Aunt, Harry. I know it has been a difficult seventeen years, but you understand why Dumbledore wanted you to stay here."

"I almost forgot! Happy Birthday, Harry!" interjected Tonks as she charmed Harry's trunk to hover towards the door, causing it to bang noisily into the foot of the stair. "Whoops!" she exclaimed. Harry knew that she had always been a bit on the clumsy side.

Upon hearing the noise, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon rushed from the kitchen to assess the damage. The both gasped upon seeing Harry's escorts. Lupin too, surprised at their sudden appearance, collected himself and took the opportunity to hand his letter to Aunt Petunia personally. At this, Harry had to stifle a chuckle, as he was half wishing that Lupin would bite his Aunt. "Maybe she will at least get a paper cut opening the letter," he was secretly thinking.

When Lupin offered to fix the scratch on the bottom stair, the vein in Uncle Vernon's forehead began to bulge and he began to go purple in the face.

"Just take the boy and go! We are finally through with your lot and I'll have no more ... no funny business in my house!" bellowed Uncle Vernon.

Harry merely smiled and said, "We're going. No need to have a conniption."

And with that, Harry left the Dursley house for good.

Tonks went to hail the Knight Bus while Lupin Vanished Harry's luggage with a wave of the wand.

"We'll just send that on ahead so Molly won't worry. When she sees your trunk and owl, she'll know we've collected you without great incident," explained Lupin.

When the massive purple triple-decked bus arrived out of nowhere, Harry insisted on paying the fare for all three. Handing the conductor three Galleons, , Harry said cheerfully, "Here you go. We'd like to go to The Burrow!"

"Very well - here's your change. Sit anywhere you like," came the reply. Although Harry had never seen this man before, he bore a slightly similar appearance to the regular conductor of the Knight Bus, Stan Shunpike.

Harry knew that Stan was currently incarcerated in Azkaban on the absurdly false charge of being a supporter of Lord Voldemort. This infuriated Harry, but he managed to keep his composure since he knew it was not this conductor's fault.

"Stan Shunpike still in prison?" Harry asked with care.

"Yeah - they still got m' brother locked up. We hope 'e'll be home any day though. Thanks for asking. I'm Dan - Dan Shunpike," said the conductor as he extended his hand to Harry. There was an air of grumbling in his voice.

"Thank you, Dan." came the voice of Lupin over Harry's shoulder. "That will be all." Lupin lead Harry to s set of overstuffed chairs near the back of the bottom level of the bus where they joined Tonks.

Harry passed the time by looking out the window and saw a larch tree jump out of the way of the bus. Clearly Ernie Prang's driving had not improved since Harry's last trip on this conveyance.

Most of the trip passed with polite conversation, despite the wildness of the ride. While it was reassuring to be near good friends, especially Remus Lupin who had been a classmate of Harry's parents, it was a little uncomfortable since the last time they had all seen one another was at Dumbledore's funeral. With a certain delicateness following a lull in the conversation, Lupin brought up the subject of Hogwarts.

"It was touch and go for a while, but the Governors have decided to open the school for the year. It will be different without Dumbledore as the Headmaster though, but I'm sure that Professor - er - Headmistress McGonagall will keep things in order. It's all just been such a shock for all of us."

"I don't think I'll be returning," Harry said in a diminished voice.

"What are you talking about?" Tonks erupted. "What about your N.E.W.T.s?"

Harry didn't want to go into too much detail with these two. As much as he liked and trusted both, he had so many things that Dumbledore had asked him to keep secret. He simply added, "Well, I'm still considering my options," which of course was true given the promise he had made to Susan.

Tonks shot daggers at Harry with her eyes and the bright smile she had been sporting all morning was gone. Harry knew that she would be terribly disappointed if Harry of all people didn't pursue his only career interest - being an Auror. Although he lacked her gift of being a Metamorphagus, she had always said that Harry was a gifted young wizard and would be a strong ally to the Ministry of Magic as a Dark wizard catcher. What Tonks underestimated was the low esteem in which Harry held the Ministry these days. "I'll still be hunting Dark Wizards," Harry thought to himself. "And I don't want the Ministry interfering!"

"Harry! You ... We ... They ... Don't you ..." stammered Tonks. She stopped and just held her arms folded and scowled. She reminded Harry of Professor McGonagall in that moment - with the exception of being at a loss for words when it came to reprimanding someone.

Lupin interjected plainly, "We think it would be best if you finished your schooling, Harry."

Harry didn't want to discuss the matter and thought it best to just remain quiet until they got to the Burrow.

Ron and Hermione were the first to greet Harry when he disembarked, feeling a little worn and downtrodden. The ride on the Knight Bus was always a bit dodgy and the conversation with Tonks and Lupin had also taken a toll. But seeing his friends was enough to lift his spirits considerably.

"Happy Birthday!" sang Harry's friends in unison.

"Thanks," said Harry, beaming back at the pair.

"Your trunk got here a while ago and we've moved it up to my room, mate. I hope a camp bed is okay for you ... it's a bit crowded here for the wedding," said Ron. "Hermione is staying with Ginny."

"Look Harry ... about Ginny ... " began Hermione before being cut off by Harry.

"Don't start, Hermione. You know I have my reasons for not seeing her anymore. I couldn't drag her into what I have to do. And you know better than anyone how easily Voldemort could use her as bait. You were the one who warned me about going after Sirius."

This of course was true. Sirius would be alive had Harry not been fooled into running to the Ministry on a rescue mission - only to see his Godfather die rescuing Harry from the trap set by Voldemort. Harry had not forgiven himself. He certainly wasn't going to expose Ginny to that kind of stupidity on his part. Not if he could help it.

There was a silence while they all shifted uncomfortably. The quiet was broken when Fred and George arrived.

"So - fine way to treat our sister, Harry," said George with an air of animosity that he was not trying to hide.

"We may owe you for helping us start our shop, but don't think we are above throttling you for treating our sister poorly!" added Fred.

At this, Ginny ran around the corner from where she appeared to have been hiding. She extracted her wand from her robes and, pointing it at Fred, let loose with a Bat-Bogey Hex, adding, "Leave him alone!" The hex hit Fred squarely in the nose but it was so weak that it caused him simply to sneeze.

"Look sis - we'll drop it for now. You can take care of yourself, I'm sure ... " said Fred tailing off as Ginny ran inside with her face in her hands.

"But quit being such a girl's blouse, Harry. Really! Ginny is a lot more impressive than she looks," added George while glaring at Harry.

Harry's heart sank. Ginny was famous for the ferocity of her Bat-Bogey hex. He also remembered how Tonks had lost so much of her power because she was pining over Lupin the previous year. Seeing how Ginny was affected was worse for Harry than anything Fred and George would ever do to him. In fact, he felt like he rather deserved to be throttled.

"You know I had to stop seeing her," Harry began explaining with an air of apology in his voice, but Hermione cut him off.

"Harry - you need to quit being so stupid about this. Ginny won't tell you this, but I will. And Ron - quit with the faces! I'm going to say this to Harry."

Ron was clearly not very keen on discussing Harry's and Ginny's relationship.

Harry tried to take the interruption as an opportunity to interject, but was quickly stopped as Hermione began again.

"Dumbledore always said that love is the one chance we have in this fight. If you toss Ginny by the wayside, you not only leave her weaker, but you aren't going to protect her. Half the school saw you two snogging by the end of last year. Do you think Voldemort won't know by now how you feel about her?" Hermione paused as though she was straining to explain something to someone who was extremely slow. "The damage is already done, Harry. It's too late to be noble."

These words stung Harry. He wanted to yell at Hermione, but he knew deep down that she was right. He didn't exactly keep his relationship with Ginny a secret at Hogwarts. Certainly Voldemort would know.

Ron, who didn't want to get involved, simply watched a gnome having a tug-of-war with a finch over a worm under one of the many bushes in the Weasley garden. But Harry could tell that Ron mostly sided with Hermione on this one.

Harry found the interruption of Mrs. Weasley calling the three to lunch very welcome.

"Okay, Hermione ... " started Harry as they walked into the house for lunch. "We can talk about this later. I suppose you have point." Harry hated to admit that Hermione was right, but he felt he owed it to her as a friend to let her know he wasn't ignoring her input - even if she did have an annoying tendency to be a little bossy at times like these.

The family ate in the garden since there were too many people to fit in the Weasleys' kitchen. Ron was only too happy to help Charlie set the table as he was finally of age and could do so using magic. Mrs. Weasley was a fantastic cook, and lunch was no exception. They all enjoyed an excellent lunch of watercress sandwiches with Butterbeer to wash them down.

Harry noted how quiet Ginny was while she ate. She didn't even move when Charlie, while showing his model of a Chinese Fireball dragon to George, accidentally set off a Wildfire Whiz-Bang that Fred had left lying beside the house. As the enchanted firework exploded into a blue and silver heart next to the kitchen window, Harry caught sight of Mrs. Weasley's clock with hands that indicated the condition of each member of the Weasley family. Ever since Voldemort had returned, each hand was almost permanently pointed directly to "Mortal Peril".

After lunch, Harry and Ginny continued avoiding eye contact. Harry knew he would have to talk to her sooner or later, but was still not sure what he would say. "Life would be so much easier if you hated me," he thought.

Ron and Harry excused themselves politely and Hermione soon joined them in Ron's top-floor room to catch up on recent news. Ron told the story of Fred and George serenading him and Hermione from the garden the previous night. This lightened the mood a bit although Hermione continued scowling at the thought of the twins. Harry could tell, though, that she was not entirely unpleased.

Harry talked about the lunch meeting with Susan Bones in which she had suggested restarting the DA, including his promise to Susan to consider returning to Hogwarts for his seventh year. He then shared the story of Dudley asking Susan to dinner. He also told about Dudley trying so hard to impress Susan with his manners at dinner.

Ron sniggered remembering the ton-tongue toffee his brother had slipped Dudley a few years earlier and imagined what the conversation with Susan would be like had this been part of the picture. "Bwmph, glurgh," gagged Ron while miming Dudley talking with an engorged tongue. They all laughed at this. Then Ron's eyes got suddenly huge.

"Are you okay?" asked Hermione in a near panic.

"I'm fine. But I just got a brainstorm!" answered Ron. "What if we make it look like Harry has dumped Ginny for Susan Bones?"

"Are you mad?" asked Harry jumping from his seat with a start.

"No - hear me out. You only pretend to be dating Susan while you are really dating Ginny. But we keep it secret and use a Fidelius Charm to seal it. You can be the Secret Keeper, Hermione. The whole school would be fooled except for the few we would ... well, Hermione would let know."

Harry was skeptical. Why would Ginny agree to this? And why on Earth would Susan go for it? Then he remembered how desperate she was for him to come back to school. "I already owe Susan for seeing Dudley. Why would she agree to this?" Harry asked.

"That's it, Harry," said Hermione excitedly. "Of course Susan will do it if it means restarting the DA. And she's right too, Harry - you'll need all the help you can get to defeat Voldemort. (Honestly Ron - will you ever stop jumping every time you hear his name?)"

"I don't know," said Harry tentatively. "I'll have to think about it. I'm not going to even consider it without Susan's consent. She was a brick with my stupid cousin. And then, of course there is Ginny...."

They decided it was best to send an owl to Susan to see if she would go for their plan. Harry wrote the letter and Hermione checked it over for that feminine touch of approval. Knowing the stakes, it was important to cover all contingencies. Hedwig was happy for the job and hooted politely as Harry tied the parchment to her leg. She nipped him gently on the finger for luck and was off to Little Whinging. That was the last they discussed the issue until after the wedding.

Hermione and Mrs. Weasley sniffed quietly as everyone took their places beneath the giant canopy that Fred and George had conjured for the occasion. Fleur looked gorgeous in her goblin-made tiara and despite his scars, Bill looked almost regal in his formal dress robes.

Harry was convinced that there was something familiar about the tiara that adorned Fleur's head. But it quickly left his mind as he was also noticing that there was something about seeing Ginny dressed beautifully as a bridesmaid ... something that made Harry's thoughts turn to wishing for the swift return of Hedwig with an answer from Susan.

Suddenly, as if part of a bad dream, a loud crack was heard and two Death Eaters Apparated just to the right of the Wedding party.

"The Tiara!" one screeched. "Give it to us!"

Reacting before even hearing a voice, almost as though guided by a pronounced sense of smell, Bill wheeled around with lightning quickness while extricating his wand from beneath his robes to Stun the silent Death Eater, shouting, "How dare you interrupt my wedding?" The Death Eater fell with a thud.

Hermione froze as Mrs. Weasley began to scream with both rage and fear.

Meanwhile, a purple jet issued from the wand of the determined attacker who was still standing. The spell hit Fleur squarely in the chest, causing her to crumple into a heap on the spot.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted Harry, standing and aiming his wand at the assailant as she was diving toward the dais, causing her wand to fly several feet from her hand.

Mr. Weasley immediately jumped forward, pointed his wand purposefully at the disarmed Death Eater and forcefully said, "Incarcerous!" causing thick ropes to shoot from his wand to bind her.

Harry recognized the attackers in an instant, remembering them from the fight at the top of the Astronomy tower the previous term. The pair had been among the Death Eaters who had entered the Hogwarts castle through the Vanishing Cabinet with the help of Draco Malfoy. Stunned and bound were Amycus and Alecto respectively. Shuddering, Harry recalled how the two captives had taunted the ever-polite Professor Dumbledore before his death.

Foaming at the mouth as though mad, Alecto hissed, "The tiara - it must come with me! The blood traitors are not fit to be seen with such an important relic!" At this, Charlie issued a Silencing Charm and although Alecto continued to foam, no more sounds escaped her mouth.

Bill went immediately to the side of his fallen fiancé with a horrified expression on his badly scarred face. Harry remembered Fleur commenting that Bill's scars, the result of a vicious attack by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, were the mark of his bravery. Bill had escaped the fate of becoming a werewolf himself since Greyback was not transformed at the time of the attack. Nonetheless, Harry could have sworn he heard Bill growl in anger.

The wedding was in shambles. Tears were now filling Mrs. Weasley's eyes as she ran to Fleur's side and proceeded to attempt to revive her. Ron held a startled and weeping Hermione. Meanwhile, Tonks offered to remove the Stunned and bound attackers and take them into Ministry custody.

Mrs. Weasley was very concerned about the tiara. She felt it needed to be returned to the safety of Great Auntie Muriel's custody as soon as possible. Ginny agreed to help her mother return the heirloom to its owner.

The wedding debacle was very unsettling, however. Harry remembered the purple jet that had struck Hermione in the Department of Mysteries just over a year earlier. At the time, the Death Eaters were attempting to retrieve the record of a prophecy that Voldemort hoped would show him how to finally kill Harry. It made Harry almost sick to again be reminded of the battle in the Department of Mysteries.

Harry's mind, however, quickly turned to Ginny. She was only feet away from Fleur and could have easily been hit by the curse. Harry had seen Ginny fend for herself on a number of occasions, but thinking of her inability to muster a Bat-Bogey Hex against her brother left Harry mortified.

Thinking of her in a weakened state left him feeling guiltier than ever. He couldn't let this happen. What if the Death Eaters had attacked her and she was unable to defend herself?

Harry knew he would be better equipped to face Voldemort if he didn't have to continually worry about Ginny. Of course, there was still the matter of making up with her. Harry wondered if she would forgive him. And worse - what would he do if she didn't? But he was finally beginning to see the power in the magic of love that Dumbledore had talked so much about in their private lessons the year before.

The following morning, much to Harry's relief, Hedwig returned with a note from Susan. Harry detected a bit of knowing sarcasm in what Susan had written.

Dear Harry,

You are crazy! But, of course I will help you with this ridiculous plan. Keep in mind I am taking a great risk here. But I'll do what I have to to contribute to this fight. So you have to promise to restart the D.A. or the deal is off. And you had better have read that booklet you gave Dudley. I won't hesitate to put a Langlock jinx on you if you step out of line. I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September the first.

Susan

P.S. Dudley was quite the gentleman once I jinxed his hands to stick in his pockets.

So there it was. All Harry had to do now was share the plan with Ginny. He convinced Hermione and Ron that it was best if he faced her alone as he wasn't sure how she might react.

That afternoon, Hermione invited Ginny to excuse herself to the garden where Harry was waiting. When Ginny saw him, her eyes began to glisten again as she looked away nervously.

"Ginny ... I want to talk," began Harry, wondering if she would let him finish.

"So talk. I'm listening," said Ginny examining the lace on her left trainer.

Harry handed her a golden locket he had transfigured from a bit of gnarled wood he had found in the Weasleys' garden. "You can decide later what goes inside - or if you even want to keep it." After a pause in which Ginny looked a bit confused, Harry continued, "Ginny, I know I was hard on you after Dumbledore's funeral. I think you understand why. But I can't stand seeing you like this. I can't stand myself for making you feel these things. I can't stand.... "

"There are times I can't stand you either, Harry," Ginny interrupted. "But you know - those times always pass. There isn't a lot I wouldn't do for you. Even if it feels like I am ripping out my insides to do it," said Ginny, her eyes misting further. "That includes letting go - if I must."

"I guess you can be pretty damned noble too," said Harry rather dejectedly.

"Yeah - I learned it from you, you prat!" retorted Ginny none too gently. After flashing an angry look into Harry's eyes, her gaze returned quickly to her shoes.

"I want you back, Ginny," said Harry. "The Death Eaters ... at the wedding ..."

"You were brilliant," said Ginny without looking up. "I was so scared that I felt like I couldn't move."

"That's just it - I've seen you react much better to danger. I'm afraid that breaking it off has left you weaker." He paused and then suddenly blurted, "I really want you back." He paused and then blurted quickly, "for more reasons than that, though. I think I can be stronger too with you by my side."

"So much for being noble," snorted Ginny.

Tentatively, Harry said, "Your brother thought up a way it could work ... A way in which you would be protected ... "

As Harry explained Ron's plan, Ginny's ears got slightly pink. Harry couldn't quite read in her eyes what she was thinking. Then suddenly, she removed any doubt.

"Harry - of course I want you back. And I understand how important it is that you protect me from being used as bait. I said I would do most anything for you..." said Ginny as she calmly plucked her wand from her back pocket. "But Harry - you need to learn to trust in those who love you a little more."

A giant weight seemed to lift from Ginny's shoulder. As she realized that she and Harry would not be separated, a new light seemed to form in her eye. Harry could see the change right away. And then it happened.

As though letting go of a great deal of pain she had been harboring for the last two months by shouting, "You're stuck with me now!" a grinning Ginny unleashed a massive Bat-Bogey Hex on Harry, forcing him to run madly across the garden. Finally, he had to jump into the pond to escape the giant bogey that was attacking him with incredible wildness. He began to wish he had some Gillyweed as he was finding it necessary to stay submerged for some time. But Harry now knew that he was going back to Hogwarts ... and that he was indeed "stuck" with Ginny. He had never suffered through the effects of such a pleasurable hex in his life.

After what seemed to be hours, she removed the spell and attempted to help Harry from the water. She shrieked as he pulled her into the pond while mocking an evil laugh. Soaking wet, both began to laugh in earnest while sitting in the pond. Throwing his arms around her and holding her as tightly as he could, Harry whispered, "Don't ever let me be so stupid again ...." And with a thrill of happiness that warmed him down to his soggy socks, he realized that she wasn't letting go.