The Other Tower

Bill is supportive.

Charlie is confused.

George is appalled.

Fred is appalled but also somewhat pleased.

Percy is ashamed.

Ron is angry.

Ginny is glowing.

Ron and Draco never got on; it makes sense that he would be angry. The twins never learned to forgive a grudge- I'm not sure if they forgave Cedric for that game even after he died- so they will never be able to fully forgive Draco for his behavior, but Fred understands love more than he probably wants to admit so he is at least not hateful. Actually, I think he's pleased that Ginny has found someone to love, even if it is a Malfoy.

Charlie is one of the smartest people I have ever met, and I am including Hermione in that group. He understands ideas and concepts fabulously (I can understand how he would have made an excellent Quidditch captain), but he doesn't understand what his little sister is doing. Unless Charlie sees good, clear reasoning for something, he does not accept it. He cannot see the good clear reasoning behind a marriage between a Malfoy and a Weasley and so he is confused.

I never knew Bill very well but he has always been the most accepting of this marriage. When Ginny told them all, he was the only one who didn't ask her if she was under the Impirious. He spoke in private with her that night, asking for details, something none of the others thought to do. He gave her his blessing and Hermione said that was perfect the best thing he could have ever done. I think she was right.

Percy, who is sitting furthest from the alter and closest to the door, is shaking his left leg up and down rapidly, like he wants to be anywhere else but here. I think he sees himself in this ceremony, a reflection of a time when he too had found himself on the side of a Malfoy. I think he's more ashamed of himself than her.

I am watching these six brothers as they watch the ceremony. The Weasley's emotions have always been painted clearly on the faces, and today is no exception. Even if I did not know them half as well as I do, I could have guessed what they were feeling. It is especially evident on Ginny's face; she radiates happiness.

Ginny looks good in white. I have never seen her in it before today, but I have to admit that she looks stunning in the color. Her hair is done up in an elaborate thing that I could never name or describe. The only piece of jewelry she is wearing is the engagment ring and a small necklace from her father (Mr. Weasley gave it to her yesterday): a silver necklace with a small emerald hanging from it. A mixture of Malfoy's house colors. It seems appropriate.

His side of the church does not look half as happy or half as full as hers. If his parents were alive I think they would be sitting in the front row, scowling as their son was joined forever to a Weasley. Even her pureblood roots would have done nothing to mollify their anger. This marriage makes him a bloodtraitor, I don't know if they would have come.

Ginny and he are saying 'I do' now and a movement to my right makes me look over. Ron is holding Hermione's hand with such force that I can see her knuckles turning white. It must be really painful, but she is not making a sound. She does not even look pained as her eyes remain firmly focused on the couple of the hour.

I have known Hermione since I was eleven. Together we have battled trolls, dark lords, and N.E.W.T.s. She is the one who told me what to wear today. She is also the one who finally managed to convince Ron to come today, though he did not want to, because she said he would regret it for the rest of his life if he missed it. Glancing over at him, I am not so sure. Ron sees me looking and gives me a look that plainly indicates the amount of pain this ceremony is causing him. I think he expects me to be feeling the same way, but I feel no pain. Ginny is getting happily married today. There is nothing painful about that.

Ginny is walking down the isle now, hand in hand with a man I once called my greatest enemy.

She is still glowing.

I wonder if, as she walks so quickly through the church, she sees Percy sitting in the corner of audience. I wish I had not seen him, but years of fighting forced me to notice odd details, notice the person that does not fit, and right now that is Percy.

Everyone is supposed to go to the reception now, but those same years of training keep me in my seat, knowing I must always be the last to leave. Right now, I am watching as everyone else apparates out of here and to the banquet hall- everyone but Ginny. After a moment the only people remaining are Percy, Ginny, and myself, though I don't think either of them notice me sitting so far away. I stay in my seat, making no attempt to hide myself, and watch it all unfold.

"I'm so glad you came," Ginny begins, picking up the front of her dress in her two small hands and walking over to where her brother is seated. She leans in to give him a hug.

"Ginny, you didn't have to do this for me." She pulls out of the embrace immediately, taking a quick step backwards.

"I didn't do this for you," she answers, sounding as shocked as I feel in reaction to his words.

"I don't need to be related to a Malfoy to be promoted. I can do it on my own. It's only been a minute. You can still annul the marriage."

Percy stares down at her and I can tell he's serious. It makes me sad for him. He really doesn't know anything about her. I am not even really her brother and I know how much devotion she feels for Malfoy.

Ginny stares at Percy for a very long time. Then she begins to back slowly away, shaking her head, her glow diminishing a little.

"No. You will not do this to me. Not today."

Ginny pulls out her wand and in a moment she is gone with a crack. He slumps back into his seat in the very last pew and puts his hands in his head, shaking it ever so slightly. I think he might be crying.

I want to walk over to Percy and tell him that it is okay. Ginny will forgive him like she forgave Ron for being thick back in our seventh year, but I don't want to lie to him. I don't want to give him false hope. I don't really believe she will be able to forgive Percy almost ruining this day.

Ginny loves Malfoy. Even Ron now understands that. I guess Percy has been away too long to understand that his baby sister has grown up and fallen in love. Percy left his family before Ginny and Malfoy found each other and came back just one moment too late, one moment too late to understand, accept, or even stop the engagement. To be perfectly honest, I don't really think he has come back at all. Yes, he comes home for Christmas, but he is silent throughout the day. He stares at Ginny and her ring a lot. He stares at me a lot. I think he tries to find a way to say he's sorry to us both, but he enver finds the words. Ginny never needed an apology- she was ready to welcome him back with open arms and he pushed her away. For my part, I never blamed him.

I apparate to the reception.

I see Ginny and Malfoy already dancing, already centering this room around themselves, already perfectly content in each other's arms.

"Doesn't that make you angry, Harry?" I turn to see Ron glaring at the happy couple.

I wish I could tell him about the many times people asked me that same question when they saw he and Hermione together. They were your best friends, doesn't that make you angry? It's the same answer to both questions.

"No."

Hermione comes over a moment later to stand between us, handing Ron a drink before taking his free hand in hers and giving him her extra strength. Then the three of us, standing together as we did at the end of the war, turn and watch as these two people finally and completely forget how wrong a relationship between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin is.

I said that Ron and Malfoy never got on. The same could be said for Malfoy and myself. I still remember days when I would feel such pride in hurting his ego, making his shoulders slump, causing his eyes to flash in hatred and having my eyes flash right back. It was such a childish feud, started in a robe shop and ending the day he found redemption in my mind through the love of a girl whose judgment I have never questioned. I see he and Ginny together now and I am happy because she is happy. People, like Ron, still ask me if it gets me angry. It doesn't. It never will.

Dumbledore and I have this in common, seeing other people happy is all that we need in life. I never needed a true love, I just needed true friends, and I found them. I am proud and happy and thrilled and amazed and awed by what Ginny found in Malfoy. If you had asked me a little while ago how I felt about them I might not have been able to answer you. But now I have lived through Voldemort's rise and fall, I have lived a few years after that, and I have seen all that I will ever need to see to convince me that Malfoy is good enough for one of my best friends.

It was a mild curse, it would have broken a couple of her bones but she would have lived. I forget who aimed it at Ginny but I remember that Malfoy turned around at the sound of the curse and shot four different, highly illegal, highly dangerous curses at the person who had tried to hurt her. Ron tells me this is not enough to convince him that Malfoy loves Ginny. I tried to explain Slytherins to him but he was too busy hating Malfoy to really listen

Gryffindors would die for those they love. Sirius once told Peter that he should have died for my father as Sirius, Remus, and my father would have done for him. They were true Gryffindors. I would have died for Ginny in the Chamber of Secrets. I would have died for Ron in the Shrieking Shack. I would have died to save Sirius.

Slytherins, on the other hand, kill for those they love. Snape killed Lucius for Greenwell. Pansy killed the Creeveys for Voldemort. Draco would have killed that anonymous curse-caster for Ginny.

So now I trust him to love her, if nothing else, and I smile as I watch them dance. I try to forget everything else that runs through my head. I want to just be happy. I want to just be grateful for Ginny.

And I am.