Harry had always been considered the brave one - through his countless adventures he had risked his life several times, he had slayed dragons, and even killed Lord Voldemort. But at this moment, brave wasn't a word that could even begin to describe him. In short, he was a nervous wreck. He had been sitting in the back of an old muggle church for the past two hours, staring at the ceiling and trying to forget the situation he would soon be facing. Only one more hour and he would be a ... married man, and he wasn't yet twenty. The reality had finally hit him, and he was starting to wonder if he really was too young, too naive to go ahead with this. The Weasleys' had been wary about the situation, constantly preaching that it was too early and Ginny was barely out of Hogwarts. In their opinion, their little girl was way too young to be tied down. However, they had obliged eventually when Harry nor Ginny had listened. Honestly, Harry couldn't imagine life without the fiery spirit of the girl he adored, and Ginny insisted that sooner they get married, the better. But was it really all for the best? All he could currently think of doing was getting his Firebolt and flying somewhere, far away, where no one could reach him. For what felt like the hundreth time, he surveyed the room. The walls were covered in a gaudy beige wallpaper that was starting to curl towards the edges, while the floorboards were a dusty gray. A stack of Bibles and a rocking chair sat in the corner, which looked like it would break if anything dared touch it. In the center of the room was a ratty loveseat, which Harry had been sitting on for the duration of the last two any warning, a bang suddenly pierced the silence, and Harry whipped around quickly, seizing the phoenix wand in his pocket. With a sigh of relief, he sat back down on the couch, realizing it was only Ron.
"Sorry." the red-haired man apologized, the tips of his ears tinging a light pink. He was dressed in a fine best man's suit, with a red bow that matched the holiday decor perfectly. Despite his appearance, he still looked rather awkward as he needlessly fixed his collar in the doorway. "Can I come in, mate?"
"Yeah, sure." Harry mumbled, throwing his thoughts aside for a moment. "Did anything happen?" Ron entered the room, crouching low so he wouldn't hit his head on the low ceiling. Harry, luckily, did not have the height that Ron had, and was grateful for it for the first time in his life. Ron plunked down on the seat next to him, murmuring something about his hatred for occasions.
"No, everything's fine. Well, as fine as they're going to be. Mum's downstairs, creating a fuss as usual, y'know. Same as Bill's wedding." Ron replied, avoiding Harry's eye. It gave Harry an odd feeling, and he suddenly sensed that his best man was hiding something from him. His thoughts were confirmed when Ron opened his mouth to speak again.
"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" he blurted out suddenly, as if the words were poison. Harry sensed that he had been wanting to ask the question for a while. "You're not gonna, y'know, leave her there?"
"No." Harry lied quickly. "Wouldn't even think about it, mate. I do love her, you know."
"Good, as brother of the bride, I'd have permission to hex you if you had've said yes." joked Ron, although Harry could hear a tone of relief in his voice. "So I guess this is it, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Harry mumbled, "I just can't believe it, that's all."
"I know what you mean, seems like yesterday we were kids eating chocolate frogs on the Express. Remember, Fred and George spotted you and told Ginny?" his tone was light, but Harry could have sworn he had heard a slight crack in his voice as he spoke Fred's name. Although it had been over two years since his death, no one had completely accepted the loss of one of the twins. Along with all the other losses, Fred's memory was still there like a cloud of soot, looming over them.
"Of course I do." Harry gave a feeble laugh before continuing. "Remember the mountain troll in the bathroom? I think it was the first time I had ever seen Hermione lie." It seemed like so long ago, and so insignificant when compared with most recent events, although Harry knew it had been a major offence at the time.
"Blimey, Harry, you know, without the troll it would have never happened. Me and Hermione, I mean."
"I never really thought about it like that, but yeah. Without you two, I'd probably be dead by now, and Voldemort would still be in power." Harry couldn't help but shudder at the thought. "Thanks Ron."
The silence was odd but yet comfortable, as Ron's face turned into a tentative smile and his ears tinged pink for the second time. "You're my best mate. Even if I could rewind time, with everything that's happened, I'd still do it all over again."
Suddenly, a boom was heard from underneath the floorboards, followed by a gurgle and laughter. Harry assumed Bill and Fleur had finally arrived, accompanied by baby Victoire. Ron stood up, brushing the dust off his suit carefully. "I'm going to go talk to Bill, he might just be able to help us with the cottage hunt. With you two leaving, I don't think Hermione and I can handle Mum alone."
Harry knew exactly what Ron meant. For the past year, he and Hermione had taken up residence at the Burrow under Mrs. Weasley's watchful eye. Harry had moved into Bill's old room, as the attic could no longer hold both he and Ron, while Hermione slept in Percy's room. While Hermione happily abided by Mrs. Weasley's rules, Harry couldn't help but break them several times without her knowledge. As guilty as he felt about it, there were just some nights he wanted to hold his girlfriend, and unbeknownst to the Burrow's occupants, he had often apparated into Ginny's room for the night. Tonight, however would be different, there would be no sneaking around and no fear of getting caught by the people they both loved. They would be moving into a small cottage in Godric's Hollow, not too far from the church. A typical cottage with three bedrooms, it was close to the only place he had lived with his parents, and he couldn't imagine not raising a family there. Knowing this, Ginny had happily obliged and they had bought the small cottage in advance.
"Well, with Victoire running around, she might be a little distracted, but I don't blame you." He stood up slowly and walked Ron to the door, leaning against the frame slightly.
"You'll take care of her, won't you?" Ron suddenly blurted, catching Harry off-guard for the second time."Being my sister, and all."
"We'll be fine, I swear, Ron. She's everything to me, of course I will." Harry reassured him. A warm smile spread over Ron's face as he nodded and clapped Harry's back before leaving Harry alone with his thoughts once more. Despite his deep conversation with Ron, Harry wasn't feeling any better. In fact, the conversation had just solidified his worries. Not only would be lose his fiancé, he'd lose practically everyone he cared about.
Authors Note: I know this chapter isn't exactly action-packed or anything, but I thought that the story line would make for a good friendship/comfort story. This is my first piece of writing that I've ever posted or shared, so I'm hoping for some feedback. Up next, Harry is visited yet again. Who is it this time? And will their words make any impact on Harry's feelings, or will Harry have to get away?