The Union of HP and GW
Harry awoke to sunlight streaming in his window at number twelve, Grimmauld place. There was peacefulness about the place that he had not felt before; one that he had not felt while there with the Order or in the past few years while he had lived there. He lay there in bed watching the sunlight catch particles in the air and dance across the floor, and felt a deep excitement and anxiousness about the following hours. He was finally going to marry Ginny, the girl of his dreams, the girl he had spent the last few years of his life searching for. As the thought crossed his mind, Harry couldn't help but feel happy, a relatively regular feeling he had since the defeat of Voldemort three and a half years ago. Suddenly realizing that Ron and George were nowhere to be seen after a night of celebration, he crawled out of bed and felt much less peaceful after falling to the floor, slightly unable to collect himself.
"Kreacher?" Harry called out into the quiet old house.
"What is it that Master Potter wants now?" Inquired Kreacher, sounding slightly more senile than usual.
"Do you know where Ron and George went to?"
"Kreacher has no idea where the Young Weasley is, but the Elder Weasley is in the sitting room passed out, lying in the rubbish you have all left!" Cried Kreacher.
As Harry slipped out of his room and made his way through the halls and down the stairs, he couldn't help but notice all the random items strewn about the house. A large majority of the items seemed to be from George's shop, as well as empty butterbeer and fire whiskey bottles. Among the chaos that enveloped the living room, George was sprawled face down in the middle of it all.
"Is that you Harry?" Muttered George, sounding slightly unsure and clueless.
"Yes it's me. Do you know where Ron is? Kreacher said he knew you were down here, but he doesn't know where Ron went to."
"I have no idea where Ronikins went to, actually. Do you think we should be worried?" George inquired, with a slight grin. "In the meantime though, I would like to talk to you about Ginny, on the bequest of mum and dad." George's raised eyebrows and his semiserious expression gave Harry the feeling that George was slightly concerned about something, and that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were somehow involved.
"I can only guess that Arthur and Molly helped put you up to this?" Replied Harry, sounding slightly amused yet taken aback by George's seriousness. He couldn't help but thinking back to the last time he had seen George this serious after his brother's death and shuddered.
"Look at you! Guess you've got to have something up there if you're an Auror." Joked George. "Yeah, mum and dad did put me up to it to some extent. But I also have a hand in it. I mean, Ginny is my little sister and always will be. Sure, she may be a famous Quidditch player and has battled death eaters, but we want her to be happy. Just please realize that married life isn't going to be as exciting as saving the world or defeating the forces of evil or nearly choking to death on snitches," he continued, still looking rather serious but lightening the mood with his familiar smile.
"Of course I realize that," Harry retorted, "if anything, the past few years have been a nice change of pace from all of that. And I really do like Ginny's company after coming home from work and getting to hear about her day. I mean, Quidditch, George. How much better could it possibly get than that?"
"You do make a good point there my friend. I can't imagine how Ronikins manages to put up with Hermione though. She's got a good brain, but my lord, she doesn't stop! Speaking of Ronikins, I think we should find him before mum kills us." Said George as he started to head towards the front door.
"George, can I ask you something? Harry asked, slightly anxious.
"Of course you can," replied George, pausing to look back Harry from near the door.
"You do think this will all work out, right?" Harry had managed to push out the question despite his tongue and mouth protesting.
"Mate, I think it will be perfect. I mean, you saved her life and she adores you. I think the biggest issues you'll have are your new brothers." Said George with a small laugh, slapping Harry's back.
Harry stood there feeling a mix of emotions and thoughts flying around his head; Ginny, the first person to tell Harry that they loved him, the first person he had said that to in return, and the first person he had felt truly close to was going to be his wife in a few hours. Ron, one of Harry's closest friends and the closest thing Harry had ever had to a brother besides Dudley, (Who he currently saw only on Christmas,) was going to be his brother. Caught up in his thoughts, Harry started to make his way toward George, only to have his feet collide. The next thing Harry knew, the ground was rushing up towards him, and he felt a surge of pain. Immediately, black closed around his field of vision and he felt sleepy. Harry felt as though he was disconnected from his body, but could vaguely tell he was in Ginny's room at the Burrow, as if he were a fly on the wall.
Tears rolled down Ginny's cheek as her head lay on her pillow. One by one the small drops slipped off of her cheek and onto the fabric, each one causing a small insignificant noise. Worry seemed to fill Ginny's head, and as she gazed out the window her expression only seemed to become gloomier and less clear. Behind her, there was a slight rustling of bed sheets and blankets, and a hand rested itself upon her shoulder.
"Ginny? Is everything okay?" Inquired Hermione, the concern in her voice heavy as rearranged herself to bring herself closer to the crying bride-to-be.
"I just don't know," sobbed Ginny as she tried to wipe away a tear, "I don't know if I am ready for this or if Harry is ready for a family."
"What do you mean?" Asked Hermione, looking slightly confused.
"I just feel like maybe I'm still that naïve little girl that Harry rescued from the Chamber of Secrets, that I am constantly causing myself problems in life. And Harry is so accustomed to always having to keep up his guard and fighting his way out of tight spots. It doesn't help that he became an Auror either." Answered Ginny, her face a slight pink color and her eyes occasionally dropping a tear down her face.
"You have to be one of the least naïve people I know!" Said Hermione with a slight grin. "I mean, I'm pretty sure if you were naïve you wouldn't be playing for the Hollyhead Harpies right now. And if Harry wants anything after everything that has happened, it's a family and the chance to just relax and settle down. You have to remember that Harry has never had a real family and it's something he would be excited about."
"Thank you so much Hermione," Said Ginny, finally managing to control her tears. "You have been like a sister to me for so long."
Hermione pulled Ginny into a hug, and then positioned her in front of her as if to look examine her.
"We should probably start getting ready for your big day!" Said Hermione, the look of excitement in her eyes undeniable as she pulled Ginny up from the bed. Mrs. Weasley had appeared in the doorway.
"Girls, you should come down and eat breakfast before everyone starts to get here." Mrs. Weasley's smile was as wide as it could possibly be as she came over to Ginny and Hermione and placed her arms around the two of them. "I can't believe you're all grown up."
Harry couldn't help but feel slightly confused about what he had just seen and as he tried to contemplate the matter more, it felt as though he was being slapped in the face. Eventually the scene faded to blackness, and Harry awoke to George slapping his face and shaking him vigorously.
"Finally you're up!" George Cried, his grin a reassuring sight after the imagined scene in Harry's head. "I thought I had lost you for a second there mate. We still need to find Ron!" George pulled Harry to his feet and opened the door and the two of them apparated with a slight pop,
Harry and George materialized on the yards of the burrow and were greeted by a large group of workers busy with levitating a large tent and rolling out carpet with flicks of their wands. The Burrow seemed more alive than either Harry or George could remember. As Harry and George made their way around the house, they saw Ron sitting alone at a table, staring intently at a tiny object glimmering in the sun.
"There you are Ron! We were starting to worry we had trapped you somewhere and forgot about you or something!" Joked George, whose smile had vanished and froze. "Ron, what is that on the table?"
"A ring." said Ron, not taking his eyes off of the small golden band, his head resting on his hands.
"Wonder how you got that idea," said Harry, nudging Ron as he slid next to him on the seat. "When are you going to ask Hermione?"
"Definitely not here, cause her and mum would kill me for being disruptive. Speaking of ladies killing us, we should probably get ready before we make any of them cross." Ron replied, getting up from the table as the three of them made their way inside the house and up the stairs. As Harry jogged slowly up the stairs, he saw Ginny sitting at the table, and a smile quickly spread itself across her face. Harry smiled back, realizing that what he had imagined earlier was only in his head, and that everything would be alright.
A short time later and after much confusion about seating and guests, Harry stood at the end of the aisle next to a tall, thin man with silvery hair and deep blue eyes. He could feel his heart pounding against the inside of his chest and felt slightly nervous. After defeating Voldemort, escaping death, and becoming one of the best Aurors currently at the Ministry, Harry was at odds with the fact that he could be nervous at this moment. He tried to calm himself down and control his breathing, but lost what little breath he did have when Ginny emerged from the entrance of the tent being escorted by Mr. Weasley. Everyone had turned in their seats to look at the two walking slowly down the aisle. Ginny was wearing a long white dress, nearly the color of her skin which looked soft and smooth. Her scarlet red hair fell in long bunches over her shoulders and gave the dress a reddish hue. Her teeth gleamed as she beamed up at Harry, their eyes met and Harry could not help but smile even wider. As Ginny made her way to stand opposite from Harry, the man next to Harry started to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. These two young friends have chosen to promise their love for each other, to pledge their faith to one another, and to care for the other whenever the need arises. They have chosen to take part in a ritual almost as old as magic itself, one bound by magic and bolstered by the love two people have for each other." With this, he turned to Harry and looked into his eyes. "Do you, Harry James Potter, take this woman to be your wife, your partner for life, to take care of her always, to love her with all your heart, and to remain faithful to her for as long as you live?"
Harry felt his heart throbbing in his chest. It felt like he was back at Hogwarts for the first time, that sense of excitement and nervousness falling over him. "I do." said Harry, smiling at Ginny.
"And do you, Ginerva Weasley, take this man to be your husband, your partner for life, to take care of him always, to love him with all your heart, and to remain faithful to him for as long as you live?
"I do." Said Ginny, her eyes looking as though they were brimming with tears, her smile saying otherwise.
"Then I now declare you bonded for life." Said the man, and with a wave of his wand causing golden tongues of light to descend and wrap themselves around the couple's fingers.
