Chapter One

At Shell Cottage

"How do I look?"

Mia Dursley walked into the kitchen of her house in a small Kentish town, and gave a little twirl to show off her new dress for her mother. Her best friend's cousin was getting married to her father's godson, and Mia had been invited to the wedding.

"You look lovely, darling," Mia's mother told her. "Are you all ready?"

Mia nodded, checking her watch. "James will be here soon."

"And you're sure it's safe, this apparition thing?" her mum asked nervously.

Mia wasn't an ordinary thirteen-year-old girl; she was a witch, and had spent the last two years learning magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Mia was what magical people called a muggle-born – both her parents were muggles and couldn't do magic.

"People do it all the time, Mum," she said now. "Lily's parents have taken me side-along several times."

"But James... you're not old enough to, uh... apperate, so is he?"

"It's like driving, Mum," Mia explained. "You need to be seventeen and heave a licence. James is almost eighteen, and he got his licence at Easter." There was a knock at the back door. "Oh, that'll be him now."

Mia walked across the kitchen and opened the door to reveal her best friend's oldest brother standing outside. James Potter was tall, with messy black hair and dark brown eyes. In September he'd be starting his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, as well as celebrating his eighteenth birthday.

"Hi, Mia, ready to go?" he asked. "Hi Mrs Dursley," he grinned at Mia's mother over her shoulder.

"I'll just go grab my bag from the hall," Mia said. She was staying overnight with the Potter's, it having been established that it would probably be too late to bring her home after the wedding.

When she got back into the kitchen, James was perched on the edge of the kitchen table, reassuring Mia's mum that apparition was perfectly safe. Mia was glad James had omitted mentioning splinching – a common and uncomfortable side-effect of untrained witches and wizards trying to apperate, which involved leaving several body parts behind – because she was fairly sure her mum wouldn't let her go if she as much as heard the word.

"I hope you don't mind me apperating directly into the garden, Mrs Dursley," James said as he rose to leave. "It's usually considered rude, but I thought it was probably better than arriving out font and having all the muggles see me."

Mia hugged her mum. "See you tomorrow."
"Be good," Mia's mum told her. "And if you get homesick-"

"I'll ask someone to bring me home straight away," Mia nodded – she knew the drill. How her mum though she could possibly be homesick just spending one night at Lily's when she was used to being away at school for three months at a time, Mia didn't know.

Mia followed James out into the garden, and he swung her backpack over his shoulder.

"Ready?" He offered Mia his arm, and she took it, holding tight. Then she had the uncomfortable sensation of being forced through a too narrow pipe, and then it was over almost before it had begun, and Mia and James were stood on a beach. "Welcome to Shell Cottage."

Mia turned around to see a cottage stood behind them at the edge of the beach. She knew that this was where the parents of the bride – Bill and Fleur – lived. Their youngest child, Louis, was in Mia's year at Hogwarts, and he was one of her best friends. It was Louis who came towards them now, strolling lazily down the beach.

"Hi, Mia," he grinned.

"Hey," Mia smiled, hugging him.

"I need your help," he sighed. "Maman says anyone who's not doing anything needs to make sure the chairs are straight or some rubbish like that, and it's only really you and me, because all the girls are getting ready, and all the guys have gone to Lily's."

"I'll help," Mia said. "James-" she turned around, but James had disappeared.

"He must've gone to Godric's Hollow – that's where all the guys are getting ready... where Teddy is... anyway – chairs."

He led the way around the cottage, to where several hundred pale turquoise chairs were set out in rows on the beach.

"Maman's been up since five, stressing," Louis sighed, as he and Mia walked up and down the rows of already straight chairs, straightening them. "The only person who's fussing more than her is Grandma Weasley. I swear, when I get married, no one older than forty will be allowed to come... you know, I think Maman just wanted to get me out of the house – these chairs are already straight. Let's go back inside."

Inside Shell Cottage was a lot more chaotic than the tranquil scene on the beach outside. The bride, Victoire, was rushing around, still in jogging bottoms and a t-shirt but with her makeup already done, trying to make sure all her bridesmaids – younger sister Dominique and cousins Molly, Lucy, Rose, Roxanne and Lily – were all ready.

"Mia!" Lily squealed when she saw her best friend, jumping up from her chair to hug her.

"Sit down," Vic said firmly. "You'll ruin your dress if you start running around."

Lily sat down, scowling. "I only wanted to hug Mia."

"You guys look great," Mia grinned.

"I look like a little china doll," Roxanne grimaced. Mia knew that she was tomboy, and hated anything even vaguely girly.

"Ahh, Roxanne, your couzine she onlee gets married once," Vic's mother, Fleur said, coming over to kiss Mia on both cheeks. "You can put up wiz eet for one day."

"Yeah, but I haven't only got one cousin, have I?" Roxanne muttered, quietly enough that Fleur and Vic couldn't hear her, but the rest of the cousins could. "I swear, if any of you make me bridesmaid when you get married, I'll kill you."

They all laughed.

"What about when you get married?" Lily asked.

"When I get married, I'm wearing dress robes," Roxanne said decisively. "And you guys can all wear jeans and t-shirts, for all I care."

It wasn't long before guests started arriving, and Mia and Louis were sent outside to help show people to their seats. Apart from the Weasley family, Mia didn't recognise many people as they were mainly Teddy and Vic's friends who were quite a bit older than her; Victoire had finished Hogwarts the year before Mia started, and Teddy was two years older than her.

Mia ended up sat with Hugo and his parents, in the fourth row back. Hermione was fussing over a speck of dirt on the end of Ron's nose which no one but she seemed able to see, and Hugo was carefully averting his eyes, as if they were kissing or something; from all the stories she'd heard about them, Mia could imagine this was their own version of a Public Display of Affection.

Teddy was stood at the front of all the rows of chairs, with Lily's father Harry, his godfather and best man by his side, waiting for his bride to appear. Mia guessed today had to be bittersweet for Teddy – he was marrying the love of his life, but his parents weren't there to see it, as they'd both been killed in the Battle of Hogwarts when he was only a few weeks old.

Music swelled up from an orchestra who were sat a little way off to the side, and every head turned to see Victoire walking down the aisle on her father's arm. Mia had always known Vic was beautiful, but today she was stunning. As she walked up the aisle, several jaws dropped, not only Teddy's. The six bridesmaids followed her, but they were completely eclipsed by Victoire.

A tall, balding wizard stepped forward to take the ceremony. Fleur, and Vic's grandmother, Molly, were already sobbing noisily. Mia saw Vic roll her eyes at them, as she turned to face her husband-to-be, and then it was like there was no one else there, except the two of them – Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley. The ceremony was short and simple, and when it was over, Teddy and Vic were Mr and Mrs Lupin. As they kissed, Teddy's hair turned bright turquoise, as everyone had known it would; it was known as his 'happy colour'.

After that, the festivities seemed to go on all day. Lily, Mia, Hugo and Louis found themselves a table out of the way to observe, and were soon joined by Roxanne; Hugo's sister, Rose; Lily's brother Albus; and Garrett and Ben Finch-Fletchley, who were Louis' cousins on his mother's side. The nine of them watched the dancing, not having much inclination to join in.

"Are there many of your mum's family here, Louis?" Lily asked, looking around for people she knew.

"Some," Louis shrugged. "Mainly the Veela cousins." He nodded over at a group of young witches with silvery-blonde hair, who were in the centre of the dance floor, and who had quite a large group of male admirers. James' girlfriend Chlo was trying to drag him away from the Veela, whilst Roxanne's older brother, Fred, was staring at them, open-mouthed.

"Seriously?" Lily sighed. "What is it that makes boys go all drooly over them? They're not even that good looking."

"They are..." Al said dreamily, and everyone saw that he too was staring at the Veela.

"Seriously, Al?" Lily scowled.

"Seriously," Al said.

"Hugo, you're drooling," Roxanne sighed at her cousin. Mia saw that he too was staring at the Veela, and it seemed that Ben, Garrett and Louis were only stopping themselves from following suit by reminding themselves that the Veela were relatives.

"Hey, now I know what makes Louis so popular with the ladies," Lily said. "It's the Veela hair!" Everyone laughed. Louis did have the same silvery-blonde hair as the Veela, just like his mother and oldest sister.

"It's not the hair, it's my natural charm," Louis insisted. "And anyway, whatever it is, it's not working very well at the moment. Zoe broke up with me last week."

"How come?" Hugo asked, tearing his eyes away from the Veela cousins with great difficulty. Louis had been dating Zoe Davies, a Hufflepuff girl in their year, since Easter.

"'It's not you, it's me', that kind of thing..." Louis shrugged. "It's okay – we're gonna stay friends."

"Unlike you and Dove," Lily grinned.

"Mmm..." Louis agreed. His first girlfriend, Dove Ackerley, had completely cut him out of her life when he'd broken up with her.

As the evening drew on, the guests began to leave. Mia stayed with Lily, as she was spending the night at the Potter's house in Godric's Hollow, until Harry and Ginny came over to say it was time to go. Mia took Ginny's arm, as Al took Harry's, and Lily James', and the six of them disapperated.