Snapshots of a Wedding

SNAPSHOTS OF A WEDDING

"To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness."

-- Robert Muller

[...Something Blue...]

Hermione and Luna walked slowly up the stairs, being careful not to make any sudden noises. They had waited in the kitchen for close to half-an-hour after Ginny had left. No words were spoken during those thirty minutes, just utter shock and disbelief at the fact that Ginny would call off the wedding so abruptly. Now, upon the biding of everyone left down in the kitchen - Arthur, James, Sirius, Remus, Neville, Fred, George and Ron - Hermione and Luna were on their way to check on Ginny and hopefully get her to change her mind and at least talk to Harry.

They reached the landing and walked to the end of the hall where Ginny's room was located. Luna was about to open the door but Hermione immediately grabbed her wrist and pushed it down.

"What?" Luna asked, shaking her hand free. "We're going inside, aren't we?" She rubbed her wrist and looked at Hermione.

"Yes we are. But we should try to figure out what to say to her," Hermione whispered, pulling Luna away from the door.

"We'll just tell her that we think she should talk to Harry first," Luna replied matter-of-factly. "She can't call off the wedding without telling him first."

Hermione nodded. "But we should also try to encourage her not to call off the wedding. I don't know about you but I don't believe that Harry slept with Cho."

"Neither do I."

"Exactly," Hermione said. "So we're also going to try and rebuild her confidence about marrying Harry."

Luna nodded and when Hermione didn't grab her hand again, she walked towards the door and knocked on it twice. There was no response, just the sound of muffled sobs. Hermione touched the knob and turned it a bit. She opened the door wide enough to peer inside and saw Ginny lying in her bed, her face turned away from them and her body shaking slightly from crying.

"Ginny," Hermione whispered as she opened the door wider and walked inside. "Ginny, it's Hermione and Luna." She shut the door as Luna walked inside. "We came to talk to you."

Ginny replied with a sob. Luna looked at Hermione and then walked over to the bed. She lightly touched Ginny's shoulder and sat on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

This time, Ginny turned around. "How do you think I'm feeling?" Ginny sat up and wiped her eyes. "Like complete and utter crap!"

Hermione walked towards the bed and folded her arms. "I figured you would be after..." She broke off and bit her bottom lip, not entirely sure what to say.

"After calling off my wedding," Ginny finished without looking at either of them.

The three remained quiet for a while. Ginny peered out the window, looking at nothing in particular. Luna remained seated, watching Ginny and Hermione continued to bite her lip nervously, lost for words.

"Are you sure that's what you should have done?" Luna finally asked. "Marrying Harry has always been something you dreamed abo-"

Ginny stood up so unexpectedly that it caused Luna to go quiet.

"Dreams are just that - mere dreams," she said. "They can't all come true."

"But Ginny, this isn't just a dream," Hermione finally spoke up. "You and Harry are meant to be together. Everyone knows that."

"Everyone except him." Ginny began to pace. "If Harry and I are destined to be together why is he off shagging other women? Huh? Why Hermione?"

It was Luna who answered, "Harry loves you. He would never do that."

"He didn't deny it, Luna," Ginny shot at her. "And there are so many things going against this wedding anyway. Just look at these dresses for example." She pointed a shaking finger at the two pink dresses that lay across the bed. "Even they're against this wedding. It's just not supposed to happen."

"You don't believe that?" Luna asked, walking over to where the dresses were.

"What else am I supposed to believe?" Ginny asked, looking at Luna as she examined the dresses.

"That Harry would never do anything to hurt you," Hermione answered. "That's what you are supposed to believe. No one downstairs thinks that Harry did it on purpose; some of us even think that he didn't do it at all. Well, except for Ron. He's being such a big git, a total idiot and a complete arse about all of this. Why he had to punch Harry I do not know. Always over-reacting and causing some big scene-"

Luna and Ginny looked at each other as Hermione continued to rant. Luna was looking lost so she just continued to examine the dresses, putting herself out of the conversation. Ginny, however, knew exactly what was going on. Hermione was on edge about her pregnancy and the fact that the baby was for Ron, one of her best friends for more than ten years. It was no wonder, now, why she was being so hostile towards Ron. She was scared out of her mind and being mad at him was her defense mechanism for dealing with the situation.

"- I swear I don't know what he was thinking. He's just so-"

"When are you going to stop being mad at Ron?" interrupted Ginny.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, coming out of her rant.

Ginny folded her arms and arched an eyebrow at her. "Ron's done nothing wrong. He's only been trying to help you and being a protective brother towards me. He doesn't deserve to be treated like this."

"Ron's insufferable."

"And you're downright hostile," Ginny said, unfolding her arms. "Talk to him Hermione. This isn't something that's just going to go away."

Hermione stood staring at Ginny. She was getting angry. Her chest was heaving as she breathed and her fists were closed tightly. She looked just about ready to attack Ginny. She was just about to say something when a knock drew her attention to the door.

"Who is it?"

The door opened and Ron walked inside. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at Ginny, Luna and then turned his gaze to Hermione where it stayed.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked.

Hermione unclenched her fists and looked away. "We have nothing to discuss."

"Hermione..." Ginny said warningly.

Hermione looked at her and then sighed, saying, "Fine."

She walked towards the door, taking care to avoid brushing against Ron as she walked outside. Ron nodded towards Ginny and followed Hermione outside, closing the door behind them.

Ginny shook her head. "Those two are just so...I don't even know."

"I did it!"

Ginny spun around at the words, confused about what Luna could possibly mean. She turned to see Luna standing by the bed, her wand in her hand and a smile on her face. Luna pointed towards the dresses and Ginny suddenly realized that they were no longer pink, but the baby blue she had intended. Even more so, they now contained a dark blue, silk sash that tied around the waist.

"How did you-"

"A mixture of a few spells did it," Luna said, stowing her wand behind her ear. "It was fairly simple too."

Ginny walked over to her. "They look great."

Luna nodded. "So if the dresses can be fixed, the wedding can be as well." Ginny looked at her and she continued, "Harry deserves at least a chance to explain. Give it to him."

Ginny didn't respond; she kept her focus on the dresses instead. She had to admit that she was delighted to see that they were now fixed, and it did give her an inkling of hope that her and Harry's relationship could be fixed as well.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"So," Hermione started, "what do you want to talk about?"

Ron looked around. They were standing in Ron's room which was the second closest one to the landing. It was far up enough to not be overheard by those downstairs and far away enough that neither Ginny nor Luna could hear. For better concealment and privacy, Ron pointed his wand at the door and said, "Muffliato!" Whoever came near the door would only hear buzzing instead of actual words.

Hermione folded her arms impatiently and cleared her throat. After casting the spell, Ron had resolved to turning his wand over in his hands and looked behind Hermione rather than at her. But at the sound of her clearing her throat, he looked straight at her.

"Why have you been so angry towards me, Hermione?" Ron asked with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "I haven't done anything to deserve it."

"So impregnating me is nothing then?" Hermione asked bitterly.

"Not to be shouted at, no." Hermione gave a sarcastic laugh and Ron continued, "It's a great thing, Hermione." He extended his hands and held her gently by her arms. "We're going to have a baby. We should celebrate this. Not be at each other's throats and keeping the truth away from everyone."

"It's not that easy, Ron," Hermione yelled, yanking her person away from Ron and walking closer to the door. "Having a baby is not as simple as you think!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Ron said, keeping his voice as calm as possible. "I've been with Fleur and Bill trying to take care of Victoire. I've helped Harry with Teddy whenever he was looking after him. I know what raising a baby entails, which is exactly why I think we should be together so we can raise this baby together." Hermione remained quiet although Ron could tell she was bursting to say something. He continued, "All this fighting isn't healthy. And keeping this a secret isn't a good idea either. A pregnancy is not something you can hide."

"I know that, Ron," Hermione blurted. "I know that I won't be able to hide this pregnancy forever. I know the time will come when everyone will find out about it."

"So then what's the issue?" Ron yelled, losing his calm voice.

"I'm scared!" she yelled back, her voice breaking as she started to cry. "I'm just so scared."

Ron finally put his wand back in his pocket and walked closer to her. He wanted to reach out and hug her. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to wipe her tears away. But the fact that she stepped back slightly when he moved towards her stopped him from reaching out. Instead he just stood a few feet away from her.

"What are you afraid of?"

Hermione sniffled a bit and wiped her eyes before answering, "I'm scared because I'm not sure I know if I'm ready to have a baby. I don't know if I'm ready to take on such a heavy responsibility."

"The thing about that is," Ron started, "you won't have to do it alone. I have a role in this too. That's why we should be in this-" He paused and looked directly into her eyes before adding, "together."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't want to ruin our friendship, Ron. Us being together would do just that."

"News flash, Hermione, we're not just friends." He took a chance and stepped closer to her; this time she did not retreat. "We crossed that boundary the minute we kissed." He moved even closer, this time touching her cheek. "We became more than friends that night we made love."

Hermione closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh before opening them again. "Ron, I don't know-"

He silenced her by placing a finger to her lips. He didn't want her to talk. He wanted to show her just what he meant. He leaned in and placed his lips to hers, kissing her softly and so passionately that it was easy to realize what he meant when he said they were no longer just friends.

The kiss grew intense and Hermione found herself melting into it. Ron was indeed no longer just a friend. He was a lover. He was a companion. He was hers. But the thought didn't comfort her; it only scared her more. She was always one so afraid of losing people, of losing friends and this was a sure way to compromise their friendship that was already on shaky ground. Hermione pulled away from the kiss and backed away, right into the door. She felt her face and found that she had shed a few more tears.

"We can't, Ron," she said so softly that if Ron wasn't right in front of her he would not have heard. "We just can't."

She didn't wait for him to say anything. She just turned and opened the door, sliding out of it before Ron could stop her. She wiped her eyes frantically as she walked back towards Ginny's bedroom. She paused outside the door and heard another one close. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ron stop on the landing by the stairs and look at her for a few quiet moments before walking down the steps. She exhaled and pushed open the door to see Ginny and Luna sitting on the bed. Ginny was smiling and Luna was humming.

"What did Ron want?" Luna asked, noticing Hermione first.

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing important." She sat down on the bed.

"Good news. I convinced Ginny to talk to Harry," Luna said happily.

Hermione looked up. "How?"

Ginny pointed to the dresses and Hermione saw that they were now the right colour. She smiled and realized that it was the possibility that things could be fixed which really made Ginny change her mind.

"Well, at least you have everything now," Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"Well, the cliché Remus was talking about," Hermione replied, standing up. "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue."

Luna nodded. "That's right. You have all your old friends here to share this moment with you and your dress in which you are to be married is new."

"And the rings Remus brought are something borrowed."

Ginny stood up. "And these dresses are something blue."

Hermione nodded and Ginny hugged her. She had something else new as well - the possibility that things would indeed be alright.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arthur, James, Sirius, Remus, Neville Fred and George sat in the kitchen. Neville, Fred and George were passing the time by keeping a piece of parchment afloat and the two fathers, Remus and Sirius were simply watching them, admiring their desire to be playful kids even in the midst of a crisis. The sound of footsteps drew their attention and they saw Ron descending the stairs. He took a seat next to George and leaned his chair back on two legs.

"Everything alright?" Sirius asked him.

Ron shrugged. He had hoped it would be but now he wasn't so sure. He was about to answer them when a sound drew all their attention to the kitchen doorway. The sound caused Ron to slam the chair on all four legs and drew Neville, Fred and George's attention as well, causing the piece of parchment to glide gracefully to the floor. Harry, Molly, Lily and Cho had just Apparated into the kitchen.

"Molly," Arthur said, standing up and walking over to his wife. "Where have you been?"

"Arthur darling," she said, immediately resolving to tears, "can you ever forgive me?"

"Forgive you for betraying your own daughter?" Arthur asked. He had turned bitter and looked at Molly disapprovingly.

James stood up as well and walked next to Arthur. His gaze however, was fixed on Lily who was standing staring at him with sad eyes. She too looked as though she would break down into tears again but stopped only when Ron's sudden outburst brought them back to reality.

"YOU GOING TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF?" he shouted, eying Harry with the same look he had gotten right before he had attacked Harry.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked, ignoring Ron's shouts.

"She's upstairs," Neville replied, the calmest of the lot.

"Whoa! Hold it!" Fred said, stepping in front of Harry who had made a move towards the stairs.

"You can't see her just yet," George said. "First, you have to explain to us what's going on."

"George," Arthur interjected, "Harry has a right to see Ginny."

"Not anymore," George replied. "Not now that Ginny's called off the wedding."

"She did what?" Harry asked. He was in such disbelief that it had come out lower than a whisper.

"She called off the wedding. Not too long ago actually. After she saw you didn't come back." Harry looked at Sirius who continued, "She thinks you left to be with Cho so she just called it off."

Harry felt his head spin. She had done what he feared she would do. He was no longer engaged. He had lost her. He had lost Ginny.

"HA!" a cackle sounded from by the door. "Don't you see Harry?" Cho asked, walking towards him. "You're free. You can be with me now, just like you've always wanted."

"I never wanted you, Cho," Harry said with a tone of finality. He looked up at Arthur and asked, "Can I please talk to Ginny?"

"She doesn't want you, Harry," Cho persisted. "She called off the wedding."

"SHUT UP, CHO!"

The outburst was so loud that Cho jumped back and knocked down a few pots and pans that were hanging above the stove. They flew to the ground with such loud clanks and pings that everyone covered their ears against the sound. Molly swished her wand and the pots and pans stopped making noise and floated back onto their hooks. Everyone unclogged their ears and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is all the noise really necessary?"

Everyone spun towards the voice to see Ginny, Hermione and Luna standing on the stairs, watching everyone with curiosity. Ginny stepped from off the last step and spotted Cho standing near the stove, Molly and Lily a few feet away from her and Harry next to them, near to where Fred and George were.

"Ginny," Harry said thankfully. He walked close to her and looked at her pleadingly. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Come to tell me that you've chosen Cho?" Ginny asked bitterly. She didn't mean it but she felt that she wanted to hurt Harry, just as he bad as he had hurt her.

"No," he replied. "No, I haven't."

"You should choose-"

"Weren't you told to shut up?" Ron said, stepping so close to Cho that she backed up a few inches.

Harry looked at Ron with a grateful look and then turned back to Ginny. She was staring at him with her arms folded and with such a strong glare that he felt ready to retreat. But he stood firm and spoke with as strong a voice as he could muster.

"Look, I know that you think I betrayed you but the truth is-" He paused and sighed, then continued, "I never slept with Cho."

Ginny unfolded her arms and said, "Harry I rea-"

"No, just let me explain," Harry said, causing Ginny to go quiet. "It was fake. All of it. It never really happened."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked. "You didn't deny it when I asked you. You tried to apologize and everything, Harry."

"I know I did but I just didn't-" He broke off, unsure of how to explain it. "I didn't-"

"Harry, let me explain," Lily said, interrupting Harry's attempts.

"Explain what?" Ginny asked, getting impatient. "Can someone just tell me what's going on?'

Lily looked at Molly and, taking turns, they explained everything. Lily told them how they concocted the plan to make Harry think he slept with Cho and how she planted the fake memory. Molly explained how they wanted to break up Ginny and Harry for selfish reasons and how they had promised Cho that she could have Harry when they were done. They also explained how they had done it for fear of losing their children long before they were really ready to. At the end of the explanation, everyone looked at him with disapproving eyes.

"Molly, "Arthur said, shaking his head, "how could you do something like that?"

"And you too, Lily," James added. "I figure you two would be the last set of people to stand in the way of your children's dreams."

"I know," they said simultaneously.

"It was a grave mistake," Molly said, looking at Ginny. "I'm really sorry."

"As am I," Lily said, blinking her eyes to stop the tears.

"See, Ginny," Harry said, looking at her. "It was never true. I thought it was because of the fake memory. I would never, ever do something like that to you." He took her hand. "Ever."

"This isn't fair!" Cho blurted. "I'm supposed to be with Harry! I DESERVE HIM!"

"Stupefy!"

Cho's body fell to the ground with a loud, audible thump and everyone blinked in bewilderment. But when they turned to look at Harry and Ginny, they saw Ginny lowering her wand and staring intently at the spot where Cho had been standing.

"Ginny!" Molly reprimanded.

"She was getting on my nerves," Ginny said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ears.

Harry laughed and Ginny looked at him and smiled. She turned her entire body towards him and then linked her fingers with his.

"I'm so sorry for all of this confusion and mess, Ginny."

"I forgive you."

Harry smiled and Ginny leaned in to kiss him. Everyone let out an 'awww' as they watched the two fall into a long, passionate kiss that lasted for a few, quiet moments. After a few more seconds, they pulled away.

"I love you," Harry said and Ginny replied, "I love you, too."

Ginny smiled and pecked his lips before walking over to where Cho's body was. She aimed her wand and said, "Rennervate!" Cho stirred and then stood up quickly, keeping an eye on Ginny's wand.

"You have two minutes to leave," Ginny said without hesitation. "You're to leave here without turning back and you're to stay away from me, Harry and anyone else we know. Or else you'll have some serious trouble on your hands."

Cho looked at Ginny then averted her eyes to look at everyone else. They were staring at her with such a piercing look that it was only by strong will she did not recoil. She looked back at Ginny and, without a word, left the kitchen, disappearing the second she stepped over the threshold.

Ginny turned around and looked at everyone. They looked as though they were waiting for something in particular. Harry had emerged from the crowd and was standing in front them, an anxious look on his face. Knowing what they were waiting for, Ginny smiled and nodded her head.

"The wedding is back on."

Everyone erupted into cheers. Arthur took hold of Molly and whispered, 'all is forgiven' before planting a kiss on her cheek. James did the same to Lily and then pulled her into a tight hug. Sirius and Remus stood laughing as they watched Fred and George conduct a dance that entailed them hoping on alternate legs and singing irregular sounds rather than actual words. Neville stood smiling but his eyes were focused on Luna who was beaming at Harry and Ginny. Ron stared at Hermione who held his gaze for a few seconds and then turned to look at Harry and Ginny, a small smile forming.

Ginny looked around at everyone. She couldn't believe that after all the bad things that had happened today, everything was back to the way it should be. She glanced at the clock that read 8:25 P.M. and calculated the time left until the wedding. She had three hours and thirty-five minutes left till she would say, 'I do' to Harry and every single moment counted. Every single one.

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Coming up... [...After All Is Said And Done...]