Each tick of the clock was a cavernous echo in Harry Potter's ears. He wanted the workday to be over.

He was attempting to pay attention to the meeting, he really was. But as he had personally collected most of the information being presented to the department, he found his mind wandering to a certain redheaded witch. Currently, he was reminiscing in the memory of what had happened that morning.

Instead of the jarring sound of his alarm clock charm, he was gently pulled from his slumber by the sweet, and warm kisses of his fiancée. Waking up to find her next to him was one of the many reasons he was so keen to marry the youngest Weasley. In two days time, they would be husband and wife, and Harry couldn't think of anything else he had ever wanted more.

He'd felt a tickle on his neck, and opened his eyes to find Ginny leaving a trail of kisses along it, as she slowly worked her way up to his lips.

Without stopping her work, her eyes looked up at him, and a mischievous grin appeared. She moved to kiss his right cheek.

"It's about time Mr. Sleepyhead, I was beginning to think you would never wake." She moved to kiss his left cheek. Then she kissed his right ear, followed by his left, biting the lobe ever so slightly as she pulled away. She was well aware that this little action drove him absolutely mad. Which, he gathered by look she had on, was precisely what she intended to do. Harry loved that look, it always meant that great fun was about to be had.

"Well I'm most certainly awake now," he'd said, wrapping his arms around her. Not wanting to be teased any longer he took the initiative to catch her lips in a long, hard kiss. He pulled away, and was thoroughly satisfied with the way Ginny's cheeks were flushed.

"Goood morning Mr. Potter!"

"Goooood morning future Mrs. Potter!" he returned with a smile.

"Mmmm, I like the sound of that, I think I'll like it even more when I get to wear it on the back of my Harpies jersey in a fortnight," she said nuzzling into his chest.

They laid in bed holding each other in comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Ginny spoke again.

"Do you really have to go to work today?" she whined.

"As much as I wish I could say no I don't have to, Robards is insistent upon my presence," Harry answered begrudgingly.

"It's just that this is our last day together before we're old and married," she pouted. "Not to mention that we have to spend tonight apart. With all the traveling we both do, it seems a tragedy to spend a night away from each other when we're going to be in the same part of the country and all because of a silly wedding."

"Yes, but it's our silly wedding. I'm not looking forward to being away from you either, but it's tradition, and if we don't your mum will throw a wobbly."

"Just one of the many," Ginny interjected, "Honestly, I'm the ruddy bride and she's the one having kittens about the flower arrangements and the colour of the bloody napkins!"

"She just wants it to nice for us, you especially," he reasoned, affectionately kissing the top of her head.

"I know she does, and I know I only make it worse because I could really care less about wedding things. I'm just not one of those girls."

"Ginny, are you sure you still want to go through with this madness?" he asked tentatively.

Ginny gave him a look that told him he was being ridiculous. Even after four long years together, he still wondered why she'd chosen him apart from all the other blokes out there. Of course he was pleased that she had, and as always, she swiftly silenced all of his self doubts.

"Of course I am Harry. Because despite all of the chaos that will most assuredly ensue tomorrow, at the end of it I get you, forever. That alone is worth all the madness in the world," She said determinedly, with an assuring smile.

Immediately he was filled with warmth.

"Merlin, I love you," Harry told Ginny.

"I know you do, but since you're abandoning me today for paperwork and stupid meetings, I'm going to need you to prove to me just how much. You've got just under two hours before you have to leave for the ministry, I suggest you get started," she said cheekily.

And prove to her, he had. Four times over. He'd been late to work and had received a slight lecture from Robards about the importance of being prompt. But it had been well worth that extra twenty minutes he'd spent with Ginny.

"Potter? Potter!"

Ron, who was seated next to him, elbowed Harry in ribs.

"Oh, er sorry. Yes, because of the lack of security at that time of night, 2 AM will be the most effective time for the raid. It will lend us the element of surprise," he stammered.

"Very good. Now, Weasley," Robards turned to address Ron, "while Potter is on holiday, you'll be taking over the surveillance. I want a detailed report on each night, if any of the guards so much as scratch their arses, I want to know which cheek and for how long. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Ron said, sounding less than enthusiastic.

Harry leaned over, and whispered to him.

"Sorry you have to take over for me mate."

"It's fine, it's a part of the job. I just wish you weren't going to be gone for a whole week. You sure you can't convince Ginny to take a three day honeymoon?" Ron said hopefully. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Would you like to try and convince your sister, who has been planning our honeymoon since the moment I proposed, that my time would be better spent watching some buffoon pick his nose all night?"

Ron shook his head.

"I guess I'll just have to enjoy watching the idiot guards scratching their arses and digging for bogies all on my own. What fun!" he conceded sarcastically. Harry chuckled.

Robards was finishing up the meeting. Harry was fidgeting anxiously, all that stood between him and the end of the day was a small stack of paperwork on his desk. He wanted to get it over and done with so he could go home a bit early. That way he'd be able to spend a little more time alone with Ginny before their pre-wedding dinner at the Burrow.

"Now one final order of business, as you all know our own Mr. Potter is getting married tomorrow evening. So, we thought it might be nice to have a little congratulatory celebration!" Robards said cheerily, and with a flick of his wand a banner that read 'Congratulations Harry and Ginny!' appeared over the meeting desk. The other Aurors cheered.

"Sir, thank you. As much as I appreciate this, you didn't have to go to the trouble," Harry protested, partly because he didn't want the attention, and partly because he knew that this little party meant he wouldn't be getting home early.

"Nonsense Potter, it's not everyday the Boy-Who-Lived gets hitched. I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of inviting your betrothed to celebrate with us. She should be arriving at any moment. Why don't you and Weasley go and fetch her from the atrium?"

"I'd be more more than happy to," Harry said, taking some comfort in knowing that even though he wouldn't get be alone with Ginny, he'd still get to spend more time with her.

Five minutes later he and Ron were waiting in the corridor in front of the lift.

"So mate, you sure you're ready for tomorrow?" Ron asked.

"Dunno, I don't really fancy weddings, and with everyone who's been invited, it's certainly going to be interesting to see how it all turns out," he answered.

"Yeah mum did go a bit overboard with invitations didn't she?" Ron observed.

"A bit. But honestly, I don't care what happens. As long as by the end the day I'm married to Ginny, I'll be happy. I know I'm more than ready for that," Harry answered.

"Well I'm happy for you, but remember that just because you're going to be married now, it doesn't mean you're allowed to snog...or anything else...in front of me. I can't handle another incident like last Christmas," Ron warned. Harry laughed.

"Hermione warned you! You saw the sock on the door, and yet you still came in, that was entirely your own fault! I have no sympathy for you."

"I was distraught! I thought my sister was in trouble because of the racket she was making! You should have had the decency to cast a silencing charm!" he protested.

Just then a feminine voice said "Department of Magical Law Enforcement", announcing the arrival of the lift.

The door slid open and standing inside was someone Harry had no desire whatsoever to ride in a lift with. Romilda Vane.

In fact, if he never had to speak to or see her again for the rest of his days he would not be sorry. As soon as she spotted him, her face lit up. With the reflexes of a cat, she managed to pull him into the lift and push Ron, who was just beginning to step in, out.

"You can get the next one Weasley!" she said to Ron. He began to protest, but with a flick of her wand the doors shut in his face. Harry was now trapped with her. He wondered how it was that she always managed to trap him.

Romilda always had some sort of mad idea that somehow, someday he would leave Ginny for her. Romilda had fancied him since they were at Hogwarts, and unfortunately she had never outgrown her crush. It had actually gotten worse as they'd aged.

The further Harry and Ginny got in their relationship, Romilda became increasingly more mental about her feelings for him. She was, in every sense of the word, totally and completely nutters.

When Harry and Ginny had moved in together, it became Romilda's life ambition to become Ginny's best friend. Which Harry found very bizarre and unsettling, considering that he knew Romilda loathed Ginny.

For a while, Romilda followed Ginny everywhere. To and from all of her matches and practices, she'd wait for hours outside the changing rooms , and would often bring her lunch out of the blue. (Which Harry had warned Ginny never to eat, in case it was poisoned.)

At first Ginny thought it was amusing, especially because it worried Harry so much. He didn't trust Romilda in the slightest. For Merlin's sake Ron had nearly died in one of her lovesick attempts to ensnare him!

Once, Ginny had even invited Romilda to dinner at their flat. Harry and Ginny had been having a row, and when Ginny was angry she was not a woman to be trifled with. Harry knew she'd invited Romilda out of spite. She wanted to watch him squirm with discomfort, and squirm he did.

But then a week after, Harry had come home on his lunch hour to have a kip, since he'd been up all night chasing a Death Eater all over Sheffield. When he awoke there was someone in the bed with him, an arm wrapped around his middle. Thinking it was Ginny, he turned over to give her a kiss, but found Romilda staring at him expectantly instead. In a panic, he fell off the bed and managed to break his foot in the process.

Ginny came home right at that moment, to find Harry on the floor, ghost-white, howling in pain, and Romilda in their bed, still underneath the duvet.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" Ginny had demanded.

"I came home for a kip, and when I woke up she was in bed with me! I freaked out, fell off the bed, and now I think I've broken my foot! I don't even know how she got in!" Harry explained. Harry saw Ginny's face harden, she was no longer amused, she was now thoroughly pissed off, again not a woman to be trifled with.

"Get your sodding arse out of my bed," there was venom in Ginny's voice.

Romilda did as she was told, and as soon as she was standing Ginny hit her square in the face with one of the most powerful bat-bogey hexes Harry had ever seen. She then proceeded to chase Romilda out of their flat, slamming the door behind her, but not before casting a jelly legs jinx in her. Which made it next to impossible for Romilda to escape her slimy winged assailants.

Ginny had apologised profusely to Harry, mended his foot, and demanded that first thing in the morning he put up new wards at their flat and then go straight to the ministry to get a magical restraining order on placed on Romilda. Which he'd gladly done.

Aside from a bogus story Romilda had given to Rita Skeeter after they'd announced their engagement, about being pregnant with Harry's love child , they hadn't heard from or seen her since.

Which was why Harry was so shocked to find himself alone in a lift with her now. The restraining charm should have prevented this from being even being possible.

"Hello darling," Romilda said moving closer to him.

"Romilda please don't come any closer," Harry said sternly, as he silently willed the lift to move faster. Although a moment later he was wishing the opposite, because it had taken a very hard jerk to the left and Romilda had taken full advantage of it, 'accidentally' falling into him. Her arms were now around his neck. He tried to pry her off, but she had a death grip on him.

"So Harry, have you missed me?" she said to him.

"Erm- no actually I haven't. Please stop that," Harry plead as she began running her hands through his hair.

"Oh I know you're only saying that because of the redheaded slag. But you don't really mean it, do you my little puppy-face?" she whispered eerily into his ear.

"Firstly, don't call Ginny a slag. Secondly, I am not your little puppy face! And thirdly, how many times do I have to tell you!? I am, always have been, and always will be madly in love with Ginny Weasley," Harry said as he finally wriggled out of Romilda's grasp.

Her lips twisted into an evil grin.

"Well that may be how you feel now, but I know that will change very soon," said Romilda.

"No! That will never change no matter what you do," Harry shouted angrily.

"We'll see Harry, we'll see," she said as she pulled a bottle of perfume out of her handbag.

"No, we won't see-" Harry began, but he never finished because Romilda had sprayed him right in the face with her perfume. He coughed in surprise, but then he couldn't stop coughing. He coughed and coughed, until his eyes watered. He couldn't breathe, and he began to get very dizzy. He staggered and fell to the floor of the lift. His vision was blurred, but just before it all went black he saw Romilda, lips pursed for a kiss, leaning toward him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry awoke with a pounding headache. It took a moment, but he recognised his surroundings. He was at St. Mungo's.

"Mr. Potter, it's good to see you awake. That was quite a bump on the head you had," a woman with grey hair, standing in the corner of the room said to him.

"Sorry," he croaked groggily, "but who are you?"

"My name is Healer Blackthorn, I'm treating your concussion. Stay put, I'll go get your fiancée. She'll want to know you're awake. She's been sick with worry," the woman said.

Harry nodded, he didn't really know why she had asked him to stay put. It wasn't as if he was going to run away given the way his head felt. A few moments Healer Blackthorn returned with a woman. She had long dark hair, with eyes to match, and he couldn't help but notice that she was quite busty.

"Romilda?" said Harry.

"Oh poopsie! You've had me so worried! Don't you ever scare me like that ever again, or I might decide not to marry you!" she said dramatically as she threw her arms around him, and began kissing his face.

Though it was a bit foggy, he suddenly remembered, he was engaged to Romilda Vane.