Harry Potter and the Secret Horcrux

Chapter Five: A Weasley Wedding

Ron's foul mood placed an unpleasant fog over everything that came within five feet of him during the days leading up to the wedding. It was obvious what was responsible for Ron's ill mood, but the problem had no simple solution. Like a good mate, Harry suggested that Ron ask Hermione to be his date for the wedding instead of moping.
Ron replied that she already had her own invitation, and if she wanted go with him, then she should ask.

Harry pointed out that Hermione had asked Ron to be her date to Slughorn's, and that he had responded by snogging the daylights out of Lavender, which started the entire 'Won-Won' fiasco. As expected, Ron didn't remember it happening that way.

"She didn't ask me out," Ron argued, as he collapsed into his bed. "She merely asked me to tag along since you already had your own invite. Nevertheless--she didn't take me; she took that McLaggen prat."

"I was there, Ron. She did ask you out, and you accepted. That is until you decided to 'refine your technique' with Lavender." Harry grinned slightly, remembering Ginny's obvious description of the event.

Ron frowned and tossed a pair of his socks across the room. "Well, she snogged Krum."

"What does that have to do with it?" Harry inquired.

Ron looked completely stunned by Harry's lack of understanding. "What? It has everything to do with it! How would you feel if Michael Corner or Dean Thomas showed up at the wedding? You'd be put off, too."

"Ginny and I dated," Harry pointed out. "You and Hermione have never technically gone out."

"I don't see your point," Ron groaned.

Harry sighed in exasperation before asking the one question he had sworn he would never ask his best mate. "Do you fancy Hermione?"

The air grew heavy as Ron shifted uncomfortably on his bed with his mouth pursed and his ears flushed red. After an anxious minute passed, Ron shrugged.

"Oh come on," Harry cried. "I'm your best mate."

Ron lowered his head slightly and mumbled, "I haven't really figured that part out yet."

"It's not that difficult. Do you fancy her or not?"

"This is coming from the bloke who let me know he fancied my sister by gnawing her face off in front of the entire Gryffindor House in the common room." Ron retaliated.

Harry raised his eyebrows in amusement. "You're one to talk about snogging in front of people, Ron. If I had told you I fancied Ginny, you would have probably killed me."

"So you thought it would be safer to snog her in front of me?"

It was then Harry's turn to shrug.

"It isn't that simple," Ron exhaled. "Say I do fancy her. What happens if we don't work out? What if we have a falling out and it gets all awkward. There is too much at stake for me to take that kind of risk."

"I'm sure if the two of you broke up, you'd still be friends," Harry tried to assure Ron, though he didn't look convinced himself.

Ron gave Harry a questioning look. "Like you and Ginny?"

"We're still friends," Harry defended.

"Yeah, because I see the two of you chatting so often," Ron retorted.

Harry felt his face glow slightly at Ron's observation and felt the desperate need to take the attention off his relationship with Ginny. Quidditch was always a safe topic and Ron seemed thankful for the change in subject.

While avoiding talking about the subject was simple, avoiding the situation itself proved much more difficult. Hermione made no attempt to hide that she knew why Ron had gone from chatting her ear off to barely speaking a word in her presence.

"I didn't know Viktor was coming," Hermione declared one day while they had been mulling over some books she had bought for Muggle Studies a few years back over Muggle Communities in Britain.

Ron had raised his eyebrows but didn't respond. Harry had hoped it would have prompted Ron to actually do something rather than mope, but he was let down. The days passed quickly, and they found less and less time to work on the Wales dilemma. It seemed that any searching for Horcruxes would have to wait until after the wedding.

As the wedding approached, the daily activities became much more eventful. Fleur became more insufferable with each passing hour as she complained about each and every wedding plan.

"Madeye, 'e eez insane. I must have more room for all ze guest," Fleur ranted, and that was just the beginning of the whinging.

Fleur was upset about the dress robes, the food, the seating and most of all Ginny's lack of cooperation.

"Ginny, will you pleeze try to act like a lady?" Fleur spat loudly the night before the wedding, as Ginny stormed into the kitchen and threw herself into a chair.

"Act like a lady yourself," Ginny said, as Harry glanced at her nervously.

Harry had tried his best to avoid situations that placed him alone with Ginny. He didn't trust what his heart might lead him to do. On more than one occasion over the past week, he had resisted the impulse to approach Ginny and kiss her.

After a couple moments of silence, Ginny finally looked at Harry and groaned.

"You know you can acknowledge me. I promise I'm not going to throw myself at you."

"I'm not ignoring you," Harry said defensively, as his eyes scanned the room for the quickest way to escape. It was unnerving how Ginny sometimes seemed able to read his mind.

"If you're so bothered by my company I can leave."

Her face glowed with anger and frustration, but her eyes revealed sadness that Harry was certain was his fault.

"No," Harry said a bit too quickly. "I mean... you don't have to leave if you don't want to."

Ginny frowned in an attempt to recover from her temper as she pushed herself up from her seat. "Harry, I still want to be your friend. We broke up; things happen. I'm a big girl; I promise I'll get over this. What I won't get over is if you can't be my friend anymore."

"Of course we're still friends, Gin," Harry sighed. "It's just different now, that's all."

Ginny forced a grin. "You're the one who dropped me. Remember, you fancied your need to destroy the Dark Lord more than you fancied me and somehow the two are connected."

"Ginny," Harry tried to interrupt.

Her grin had faded into a grimace and she flashed him a 'let me finish' look. "After all, if anybody should be avoiding anybody it should be me avoiding you. You're the one who didn't even allow me the option to express my personal feelings over our break-up. Apparently, you decided parting ways only affected you."

Harry stared at her in disbelief, and the words escaped him before he even realized he had said them. "That isn't true. I broke up with you to protect you."

"Protect me?" Ginny scoffed. "Honestly, Harry, don't you think I have enough brothers?"

"He'll use you to get to me," Harry argued.

Ginny voice shook with anger. "So we're back to you."

"No!"

"Maybe you're on to something. It's much more pleasant when we aren't talking," Ginny hissed. The seconds grew tenser as Ginny stood glowering at Harry, determined to hear his response.

Harry frowned in defeat. "Ginny, I- it's not like that. I have to go after-"

"Voldemort. I know," Ginny sighed heavily, as she turned to leave. They'd had this discussion before, and she knew no matter what she said his mind was not going to change. "I just wish you'd let me..." she trailed off.

"Ginny, wait," Harry said, reaching out to grab her hand. His hand caught air since Ginny had already moved, sliding by Hermione as she exited the kitchen.

Harry turned back around in his seat, casting a downcast gaze at the empty spot next to him.

"It doesn't have to be that way, you know," commented Hermione, taking the seat next to him.

"Yes, it does," Harry said, not bothering to lift his eyes.

Hermione started to lecture when a loud wail pierced the air, causing both of them to jump off their chairs. As Harry glanced at Hermione, a loud crack sounded beside them, causing Harry's heart to jump again.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked in a voice that resembled Molly's so closely it caused Harry to cringe.

Fred grinned at his twin brother. "You can't prove anything. There is no evidence connecting us to the crime."

"Although it is a brilliant crime," George added.

Harry was about to ask what they were talking about when Fleur came blazing into the kitchen.

"YOU!" she wailed pointing to her hair. "Eet's ruined! 'Ow can I get married with zis"

Harry fought back the urge to laugh as he started at Fleur's new bright blue hair. George kept a straight face as Fred winked.

"I think that is a fantastic color on you," Fred said lightly.

"Fix eet! You 'ave to fix ett!" Fleur screeched.

George feigned innocence. "You think we did this to our favorite new sister-in-law?"

Fleur's hands flew to her face as she began to fan herself. "I cannot cry. If I cry I will be a poof face in ze morning."

Hermione looked angrily at the twins, but Harry saw the corners of her lips twinge. "Fix her before she has a breakdown."

"Only for you, Hermione," Fred said mischievously, as he pulled a vial of purple potion out of his pocket.

Harry thought about warning Fleur, but she snatched the vial out of Fred's hand and passed Hermione an appreciative look before he could get any words out.

"Two large gulps and call us in the morning," George said with a gleeful smile.

Fleur tossed her blue hair and left the kitchen mumbling something in French under her breath. Hermione glared suspiciously at the twins as they watched Fleur leave with a little too much enjoyment.

"Well?" Hermione asked.

Fred smiled, "Well, thanks for all your help."

"My help?" Hermione asked.

"If you hadn't put on such a splendid act, then Fleur would have never taken the potion," George explained.

Hermione's mouth fell open as she looked helplessly over towards Harry.

"What does the potion do?" Harry asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

George looked at Fred, and they both smiled. "Although you'll probably be family someday, Harry."

"We can't divulge our secret," George finished.

"Hermione's here," Fred pointed out. "And we might want to pull the same prank on her one of these days."

"Oy, Fred," George said looking shocked. "You know we have something much more important in store for Hermione when she marries ickle Ronnie."

"You really shouldn't have done that to Fleur," Hermione snapped, as she fought the blush creeping into her face. "Bill is going to kill the two of you."

"He can't prove a thing," George insisted.

Fred grinned. "Besides, we won't be around when the moment comes."

Harry expected to wake the next morning to a loud screech. However, whatever prank the twins had in store for Fleur didn't reveal itself with the morning sun. He toddled down the stairs and into the kitchen hoping to enjoy a nice spot of breakfast before the wedding. Most of the guests were arriving that afternoon, and it appeared the rest of the Weasley clan hadn't greeted the morning or they were getting ready in their rooms. Moody had insisted on arriving before breakfast to discuss further security measures.
Harry almost choked on his toast when Moody slammed his wooden leg on the floor.

"This is no laughing matter, Arthur. I seriously think a few biting dust bins would add to the security," Moody insisted. "We can place them on the perimeter in case any Death Eater tries to stash a wand."

"Alastor, we aren't charming any biting dust bins," Arthur sighed. "I would never hear the end of it if a guest lost a finger."

"The marriage of your son is a target! Constant vigilance! We can't afford to let our guard down. An event like this is just the opportunity the Dark Lord needs."

Arthur shook his head and pinched the skin between his eyes. "We've already narrowed the guest list down to fifty. There are going to be several Order members present, not to mention seven Aurors and a handful of Ministry officials. What more do we need?"

"We need a few biting dustbins at the very least. Maybe we could install a Foe Glass somewhere near the door... and I have a potion, to lace the punch with, which would cause anybody with the Dark Mark to fall over dead."

Arthur moaned loudly. "I really don't think all that is necessary."

"I know the way Dark Wizards think," Moody barked. "Don't tell me what is necessary and what isn't."

"Fine, we might talk Molly into a Foe Glass, but no biting dust bins," Arthur sighed.

Harry glanced over at Ron, and he knew that he was thinking the exact same thing. Moody was insane. Hermione entered a moment later, followed by Ginny who looked angry enough to perform a devastating Bat- Boogey Hex to the next fool to step in her path.

"I'm not wearing it," Ginny said bitterly, as she flung a strange-looking tiara onto the kitchen table.

Hermione placed an understanding hand on her arm. "It really isn't that bad."

Ginny gave Hermione an annoyed look before snatching a piece of toast from the plate on the center of the table.

"Ginny? Are you 'ere?"

Ginny dropped her head onto the table. "Oh no."

"Ginny?" cried Gabrielle, as she pushed her way into the kitchen. " 'Ere you are."

"What now?" Ginny moaned.

Gabrielle smiled sweetly as she caught sight of Harry. " 'Arry, bonjour."

"Hello," Harry returned before lowering his head back to his breakfast.

"We 'ave to get ready. What are you doing? We cannot eat, eet eez too late to eat."

"It's breakfast," Ginny stated. "I promise I'll still fit into my robe if I eat a piece of toast."

Harry chuckled slightly as Gabrielle huffed under her breath and reached for Ginny's hand.

"We 'ave to go."

Ginny swatted at Gabrielle's hand. "I'll be there in a minute."

"You are ruining everything," Gabrielle snarled.

"Fine," Ginny conceded angrily before following Gabrielle out of the kitchen.

Hermione watched them leave then shook her head. "I do hope Ginny doesn't lose her patience and hex somebody."

"I kind of hope she does. It will make the wedding much more interesting," Ron snickered.

Harry wasn't sure how the day passed so quickly, but it seemed like before he could blink his eyes the wedding was upon him. After breakfast, he and Ron went back up to Ron's room and changed into dress robes for the day. The robes that Fred and George had purchased for Ron a couple years back fell short at Ron's ankles and Harry suggested Ron use an extending charm. If might have worked, but Ron had been a bit careless and the robe extended a bit too long and caused him to trip frequently.

When they finally made it downstairs to welcome the guests, they caught sight of Hermione smiling at a tall dark haired wizard across the room.

"Mionee."

Harry looked up as Viktor Krum approached and noticed Ron had already dashed across the room to Hermione's side.

"You look amazing," Krum said happily, as he spread his arms to give her a hug.

Harry had to admit that Hermione did look nice. She would not be in the wedding so she hadn't been forced to wear the ice blue dress robes Fleur had chosen. Instead, Hermione had worn slightly less formal gray robes, but it suited her well. As Krum released Hermione from an embrace, Ron took a step forward, not bothering to hide his disgusted look. Krum didn't even seem to notice him.

"Harry Potter," Krum greeted with a warm handshake. "I vas hoping I vould get a chance to see you again."

Harry smiled nervously as he watched Ron's hand clench into fists. Hermione also seemed to notice Ron's tension and she quickly grabbed Viktor's arm.

"Viktor, why don't you grab a seat and I'll chat with you in a bit," Hermione said hastily, as she ushered Krum towards the back garden.

Ron glared after them while mumbling under his breath.

"Mionee?" Ron mocked when Hermione came back into view.

Hermione raised her right eye. "He has trouble pronouncing my entire name so I told him it was alright to shorten it."

"Giving each other pet names now?" Ron asked sharply.

Harry took in a deep breath and turned his head. He was in no mood to listen to another row between his two best mates. When he did, he caught sight of Ginny coming around the corner, and his breath caught in his throat.

He doubted she even realized how beautiful she was. Her robes danced across the ground and her hair was tied on top of her head in an elegant knot with a few loose curls around her face. He doubted dress robes had ever looked so wonderful on anyone. Just when Harry felt he might break down, her date appeared by her side and brought him back down to reality.

"Honestly, I'm not here with Krum," Hermione said heavily. "We're just friends."

"Friends don't give each other pet names," Ron argued.

Hermione's brow creased. "He knows I'm interested in someone else."

"Someone else?" Ron asked.

"Yes, someone else, and if you were as good of friend as you claim you are, then you would have figured that out by now," Hermione ranted before storming away.

"Well, what was that all about?" Ron asked. "Like she expects me to read her bloody mind."

Harry couldn't ever recall The Burrow ever looking so pleasing to the eye. The back garden was free of gnomes, and pearly white chairs were lined in rows in front of a gigantic wedding altar that was made from ice that seemed impervious to melting.

He sat near the front with Ron, Fred and George. Fleur had insisted that the number of groomsmen and bridesmaids be equal, meaning not all the Weasleys could be in the wedding.

Ginny and Gabrielle stood on one side in their robes of icy blue. Charlie and Paul, Bill's best mate from Hogwarts, stood on the opposite side next to Bill. His scars were healing much faster than anyone would have first thought possible and anybody who saw Bill on a routine basis claimed they could barely see them.

Harry studied his surroundings and tried to take it all in. It was the first wedding he had ever attended, and it was exactly how he had always pictured it to be.

Mrs. Weasley sat in the row in front of him, sobbing lightly as Mr. Weasley placed an arm around her shoulder. Sitting on the opposite side was Percy and a few other Ministry officials. Harry tried hard not to let his eyes linger on Percy and his entourage.

Ginny's date sat on the same side as Percy surrounded by several of Fleur's relatives, including her mother who looked just as breathtaking as her daughter. It was apparent the Veela came from her mother's side. Harry continued to scan the crowd and noticed a few Order members sitting towards the back.

Tonks was in attendance wearing flattering black robes that she didn't seem quite comfortable in. She had toned her hair down a bit for the ceremony and it glowed brown, but not mousy. Remus Lupin sat next to her, but neither looked very cozy. Harry could tell that Lupin had his wand gripped beneath his dress robes ready for any attack that might come.

Moody wouldn't even take a seat, and he seemed positively content patrolling the back of the crowd in case there was someone uninvited hiding in their midst. Kingsley Shacklebolt was in a seat sitting opposite of Remus and Tonks. Next to him was a wintry- looking witch with dark skin. Although Harry had never seen her before, it was apparent that she too was an Auror. Her eyes darted through the crowd, pausing suspiciously on certain guests before moving on to the next. When her eyes locked onto Harry, she narrowed them and passed him a frigid glare.

"Who's that back there with Kingsley?" Harry asked as her turned his head.

Ron glanced backwards then shrugged. "His date?"

Harry shook his head and glanced back towards Remus. Hagrid was now sitting next to him with Madame Maxime at his side. He saw Madame Maxime pass Hagrid a tissue, which he took to hide his face.

"Good crowd," Ron whistled, as he refrained from looking over his shoulder. "Didn't realize Bill was so popular."

Harry rolled his eyes. He knew that Ron didn't want to look over his shoulder because Hermione was two rows back sitting next to Viktor Krum. He couldn't blame Ron; he did have a valid argument for not wanting to pursue things with Hermione. Still, he couldn't help but feel his friends would be much happier if the circumstances were different.
Harry glanced back towards Ginny and tried his best to ignore the parallels in the two situations. He missed talking to her and he only felt half-whole without her in his life. He forced his eyes off Ginny, and instead watched Fleur's great-grandmother. She sat just to the left of the ice altar in front of a golden harp that looked unlike any instrument Harry had ever seen.

No sooner did he notice the aging witch than she reached across the strings and let her fingers dance. It was a magical sound unlike any he had ever heard before. Each note jumped into the air and exploded blissfully in his ear.

"Veela Harp," Fred commented with a dazed expression.

"Lovely," George added.

Harry felt his lip curl into a dopey grin as the crowd shifted in their seats to watch the bride travel down the aisle. Her wedding robes were two shades lighter than Ginny's and Gabrielle's. It was nearly white. The tiara, which Ron's aunt had loaned , glimmered in the bright sun like slivers of ice. Ron's mouth fell open as Fleur passed, and Harry had to fight having the same reaction.

"Bill is one lucky bloke," Ron said in disbelief.

Fleur arrived at Bill's side and turned to face him as they both smiled at each other.

Charlie and Gabrielle both moved from their positions next to the bride and groom to in front of them. Reaching out, they took the couple by the hand and bound them together with a soft velvet ribbon.

Harry felt his chest become heavy as Bill took a small ring from Charlie and slid it on Fleur's bound hand. Fleur repeated his motion, taking a ring from Gabrielle and sliding it on Bill's hand.

"I take you as my wife in my heart for all my life," Bill said in a soft tone, as he gazed down at his young bride.

Fleur returned his smile. "I take you as my 'usband in my 'eart for all my life."

As Fleur's words reached Harry's ears, he found Ginny's eyes. Harry tried to turn away from her gaze, but he was captured.

"Bound together forever, by love. May life bless this union and may each of you take care of each other until this Earth you do part," Charlie recited, as he slowly removed the satin ribbon from their hands.

"Ladies and Gentlemen Mr. and Mizzes Bill Weasley," Gabrielle said gleefully, as Bill reached over and pulled Fleur in for a kiss.

As the crowd began to mingle and congratulate the young couple, Harry had a sudden flashback of the Yule Ball. Fleur's great-grandmother began a light ballad on her harp, and Bill took Fleur by the waist and began to dance with her. A few guests cleared chairs to create a makeshift dance floor as the newlyweds waltzed.

Charlie tapped Bill on the shoulder and gave a brief bow before taking Bill's place as Fleur's dance partner. Both Weasley brothers were graceful dancers, and Harry wondered where they had learned it.

"Oh no," Ron mumbled, as Charlie lead Fleur in their direction.
Before Harry could move out of the way, Charlie had stopped right in front of Harry and Ron and Fleur looked anxiously to see who would be her new partner. Harry could tell by the color of Ron's face that if he attempted to dance with his new sister-in-law, he would make a complete fool of himself. He did the only thing he could think to do. He bowed slightly as he had seen Charlie do and took Charlie's place.

"Congratulations," Harry offered, as he nervously tried to remember how to dance.

"Ah 'Arry, you are too sweet," Fleur gushed. "You must dance with Gabrielle; it is all she 'as talked about."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a soft tap on his shoulder and Mr. Weasley took his place. It hadn't been too awful and he had saved Ron from a potential humiliating moment.

" 'Arry, would you like to dance?"

His sanctuary off the dance floor was in sight, but he knew there was no escape. If he lied and made an excuse not to dance with Fleur's little sister, she would be devastated. Even though he truly didn't want to dance, he couldn't be that cruel. He took a great deal of care in placing a good distance between the two of them as they began to dance.

"I love this song," Gabrielle conversed. "Very beautiful, no?"

"Yes," Harry said quickly, "it's a lovely song."

"Oui, I used to 'um it 'en I was a little girl," Gabrielle continued, as she moved closer to Harry.

Gabrielle was a good half-foot shorter than Harry, but he could still feel her eyes staring into his chin as she made contented sounds. Harry shifted backwards a bit further as she tried to nuzzle closer to him and lay her head on his chest.

"Iz something zee matter?" Gabrielle said with a confused expression.

"I think it's my turn," said a familiar voice to the back of Harry, and he saw Gabrielle's face fall.

She smiled weakly and stepped away from Harry to allow his new dance partner access to his arms. Ginny Weasley looked curiously up at Harry as he clumsily placed his hands on her waist. It was impossible to tell which situation was more uncomfortable for Harry.

"I don't recall you being this shy about touching my waist in the past," Ginny joked.

Harry let a chuckle leave him. It was amazing how naturally his hands fit against Ginny's sides. He fought the urge to look into her eyes, because he knew if he did, he would fall and there would be no escape. He barely clung to a rational reason why he couldn't do what his heart told him was right.

"What are the three of you planning?" Ginny asked suddenly, causing Harry's focus to shift.

Harry feigned innocence. "Planning?"

Ginny frowned. "I'm not stupid. The three of you have had your heads in books since you got here, and I just heard Ron asking Hagrid about Wales. What's in Wales?"

Harry stopped. "Ron was asking Hagrid about Wales?"

"Yes," Ginny affirmed. "What's in Wales?"

Harry didn't answer. Reality fell heavily back on his shoulders and he realized that the wedding was the perfect opportunity to find out valued information about his parents' connection to Wales.

"Fine, don't tell me," Ginny snapped. "You can't shut me out of this, Harry. It's my fight, too."

"I don't want to fight," Harry said quickly, as he felt Ginny recoil out of his touch.

She narrowed her eyes. "If you won't tell me what you three are up to I'll figure it out myself."

She stormed off looking disgusted and angry, and Harry felt his heart ache for a reason he didn't understand. The sanctuary off the dance floor seemed like a place that didn't seem too wonderful now that he had held Ginny. He saw Phillip approach her and accompany her back onto the floor, and Harry felt the beast in his chest roar in anger as Phillip made Ginny smile.

He plopped down miserably down in a chair and scanned the crowd in search of Ron. He doubted he'd find Hermione. She was probably on the dance floor with Viktor Krum.

"Wotcher, Harry," greeted Tonks, as she took a seat next to him.

"Yeah," Harry grumbled. "Why aren't you and Lupin dancing?"

Tonks laughed. "I'm not much of a dancer--two left feet."

Harry grinned slightly as he scanned the dancing crowd. "Is that?"

Tonks nodded. "Yep, Ron and Hermione dancing..."

Harry's heart pounded painfully. Perhaps Hermione was right. Things didn't have to be this way; though he still had his doubts.