A hooded man walked hurriedly through a thick forest. His feet made sucking noises on the damp ground. When the man reached a cave, he stopped. As he lowered his hood to look around for any followers, a glimpse of shiny blonde hair became visible from under the hood. When he was sure no-one was spying on him he stepped into the cave, only it wasn't a cave, he had stepped into a dimly lit room. The room had neither windows nor doors, only a large arm-chair stood at the back of the room surrounded by floating candles. In the armchair sat Lord Voldemort. The hooded man stepped forward and knelt down.

'Young Malfoy', said a cold voice to the man kneeling down, 'you failed. You had a mission this year at Hogwarts, but you failed. Luckily Severus Snape was there to complete this mission for you, so I will spare you this time.' Voldemort's lips twisted into a wicked smile as he looked at his young Death Eater. Malfoy stood quietly and expressionless under the hood. Voldemort continued, 'I will give you another chance to prove that you are truly loyal to me. As I have said before, the person who betrays or does not obey the Dark Lord will not be alive for long. Now, Young Malfoy, are you prepared for you mission?"

Malfoy didn't move but merely said in a steady voice, "Yes, my Lord. Whatever you ask me, it will be done."


Harry travelled back to Privet Drive for one last time. When he stood on the door step, about to leave forever he felt a feeling of relief. He felt free for the first time. He was leaving the home that had kept him in chains for most of his life.

"Are you coming?" Ron called, who was standing on the pavement with Hermione next to Harry's trunk where all his possessions lay, ready to leave but Harry felt like he wasn't ready to leave yet. He had to do one thing before leaving this life behind him. He hadn't said goodbye to the Dursleys yet and was thinking whether he should do it or not.

"Yeah," Harry called back, "I'm just going to do one thing. It'll take a second." He stepped inside the Dursley house again. Harry thought the Dursleys would probably just hate him for coming back inside to say goodbye, as it would make Harry stay there a little longer. The sooner Harry was out of sight at Privet Drive the faster the Dursleys would start their party. Harry went to the living room and there were his aunt and uncle, sitting on the couch watching the evening news. Harry coughed, to get their attention, but neither of them recognised his presence.

"Well," he began, "Goodbye, then." He waited for a some kind of response but when he didn't get any he started to leave. He was almost at the door when Uncle Vernon grunted, which to Harry meant that he had at least heard what he had said. Harry turned around to look at them for one last time and saw that Aunt Petunia for the first time didn't look disapprovingly at him, but like she cared. That was enough for Harry. He grabbed the handle on his last trunk and left.


"Should we call for the Knight Bus?" Ron asked. Harry had still one month until his 17th birthday and his apparation test. Ron had taken the test for the second time a week ago and passed. "Mum thought with everything that's going on, it would be safer if I got the Apparation test as soon as possible." Ron explained as the Knight Bus stopped in front of them. Harry expected Stan to step out of the bus, asking for the regular eleven sickles, but no one came.

"Just come on board," said a voice from inside the bus that Harry recognised. It was Ernie Prangs, the driver of the knight bus. Harry, Ron and Hermione did as they were told and helped Harry drag his trunk onboard the bus, which was empty and dirtier than Harry remembered. The armchairs were covered with thin dust, like the bus had not had passengers in a long time, and Harry thought he saw spider webs in the ceiling. He hoped Ron hadn't noticed them. Harry saw a sign above a box, that Harry wasn't able to read, the letters were too small.

Hermione was closer and read the sign out loud, "Welcome to the Knight Bus. Due to the recent disappearance of our conductor Stan Shunpike, the knight bus is now a self-service busThe fare is eleven sickles. For two extra sickles you get a extra hot chocolate. For four extra sickles you get a hot water bottle and a tooth brush. Please put your gold in the box, take a seat and enjoy the ride," Hermione finished, looking slightly disturbed. "When is it going to end?"

Harry expected this to continue. Many people had been killed and disappeared since the war had begun. He tried not to think where Stan's body had been dumped. Harry, Ron and Hermione took a bed each and held on to it as hard as they could when the bus drove off with a bang. In the jolty ride Ron managed to hit his head on a pole.

" I think I will have a bump on my head," Ron said massaging his head.

"Did you get the letter from Hogwarts?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Yeah," Harry said sadly. He was going to say more but couldn't bare himself to utter the words. Talking about Hogwarts and Dumbledore still felt painful. Three days after leaving Hogwarts Harry had received a letter from McGonagall, now headmaster at Hogwarts, that the school would not be opening next year. In a way, Harry felt relived. He did not want to go to Hogwarts so soon without Dumbledore being there.

"How are we getting to France?" Harry asked, wanting to talk about something cheerful. He had received a wedding invitation to Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding in what Harry imagined a fancy mansion in France. He had never been abroad and the thought of something joyous in the middle of the horrible war made Harry feel a bit better.

"Didn't you hear?" Ron asked, but Harry only looked at him questionably. "The place in France where they had decided to get married in burned down. They found out about it a few days ago. It was a muggle place, so it will take months or years for it to be build up again. Bill and Fleur didn't want to postpone the wedding, so mum offered to have it at the Burrow. It's mad at the Burrow. The wedding is in one and a half week."

The bus didn't slow down and it was impossible to lay in a bed without holding on to something, or they'd be thrown around the bus. Harry tried to find a comfortable position in the bed, but kept tossing around.

"And you have to see Fleur's wedding dress," Ron said winking at Harry. "She looks pretty fit in it."

"Did you have to bring that up?" came Hermione's annoyed voice from the bed next to Ron.

"I was just saying…" Ron began but was interrupted by Hermione.

"You were just saying?"

Ron and Hermione continued to bicker but Harry merely placed his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. As long as he had Ron and Hermione, he would be fine.


Harry thought first that they had got off at the wrong place, the Burrow was barely recognisable. The house was glowing white and hearts in different shades of red were hanging from the roof. Instead of smoke that usually fumed out of the five chimneys, there were flowers popping up.

"Everything isn't done yet," Ron said as he, Harry and Hermione walked towards the Burrow.

"It looks beautiful," Hermione said amazed. "I hope my wedding looks as beautiful as this." Harry caught Ron's eye where slight panic could be detected.

Ron lead Harry to Ron's room where an empty bed was waiting for him. Hermione disappeared with Ginny on the way. Harry said only a quiet "Hello" to Ginny and she replied in the same manner. He wasn't sure how to act around her after the break up.

"Just put your things in the empty corner," Ron told Harry. "I'm gonna go and check on Bill." Harry nodded and started to staple his trunks neatly in the corner. The door to Ron's room was open and it was constantly passed by people running around the house. Most of Fleur's relatives where staying at the Burrow. Ron and Harry were sharing a room with Fleur's two uncles.

"You are 'Arry Potter!" said a female voice behind Harry. He turned around there was a young looking at him who, no doubt, was Fleur's relative.

"I'm Azure Delacour, Fleur's cousin." said the girl and kissed him on both cheeks. Azure jumped onto a dresser opposite Harry and crossed her legs. She tilted her head to the left and studied Harry as though he was a museum object.

"You made You-Know-'o go away," she said matter-of-factly. Harry didn't know what to answer so he continued to put his things in the corner. "Tell me 'ow," she said rather sternly.

"No, thanks," Harry replied without looking up at the girl.

"Fine," she said raising her head high. "I'm going to tell everyone that, 'Arry Potter is very rude." She left the room and Harry had no idea what to think.


Bill was alone in his old room. He was standing in front of a big oval mirror. He was wearing a black dress robe, but something was wrong. He knew exactly what it was, his face, his skin. Even though the Healers had done as much as they could to hide the scars, his face would never be the same.

"Bill?" came a voice from the door. It was Ron. Bill waved him in.

"Handsome," Ron said jerking his head at Bill. "Good thing you picked them out yourself. If mum had gone with you, you might have ended up with something like I wore to the Yule Ball."

Bill smiled, but his smile faded fast. "I can't do it," he said with a serious look.

"Do what?"

"I can't marry Fleur."

Ron gave short laugh. "Of course you can," he said.

"Look at me," Bill demanded and Ron did. Bill thought he saw Ron twitch, like many people they saw his face. "You twitched!"

"Don't be a daft," Ron said sighing. "Fleur loves you. She wants to marry you.

"Yeah," Bill said and looked at himself in the mirror.


The wedding day finally dawned and Mrs. Weasley was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Fleur's parents had requested a traditional English afternoon tea but she couldn't find anything in the kitchen. Hermione came walking through the kitchen. She was carrying a heavy book and was trying to find a good place to read at. Everywhere she went she was disturbed by wedding guests staying at the Burrow.

"Hermione, dear," Mrs. Weasley said trying to sound as calm as possible. "I've lost my blue teakettle. Could you go look for it? The children were romping around in the garden with it earlier, so I think it's there somewhere."

"Of course," said Hermione and put the book down on the table. She would read some other time.

"Ron you can help too," Mrs Weasley said to Ron who was trying to sneak past the kitchen to avoid tasks from her mother like this. Ron turned around and walked towards the garden. "Come on, Hermione," he said.

The sun burned instantly on Hermione's skin as she stepped out with Ron. It was going to be a beautiful and sunny day for a wedding.

"I go that way, you can look here," Ron said bossily, feeling a little annoyed that he had been assigned to do tasks when he planned to take a quiet nap in the back yard.

Hermione didn't have to look long. The teakettle had been buried in the ground next to a tree nearby, only the handle was sticking out.

"Accio Kettle," Hermione simply said, pointing her wand at the ground and a dirt-covered teakettle flew into her hand. Hermione waved her wand again and said, "Scourgify," but this time nothing happened. Hermione tried the spell again. The kettle remained dirty. Panic rising in her stomach she tried the spell again but again, nothing happened. She then tried the levitation charm, which was the most basic spell she could think of.

"Wingardium Leviosa, Wingardium Leviosa," she repeated swishing and flicking her wand but the kettle remained still. If Ron could see me now, Hermione thought. Not even being able to do a simple levitation charm.

Hermione closed her eyes and s single tear fell down her cheek. Am I losing my magical ability? Hermione tried not to think about, it but she couldn't help it. "You don't deserve this you filthy mudblood" they said. It made her doubt herself.

Hermione opened her eyes. I am a witch, she said to herself. I can do this. It's a simple charm. One last try. Hermione breathed in and out. She swished and flicked her wand and said loudly, "Wingardium Leviosa!" This time the kettle left the ground and floated a few feet up before landing steadly to the grass.

"You found the kettle." Hermione turned around and saw Ron standing behind her. She only nodded as reply but didn't look at Ron.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he saw Hermione's troubled face.

"Nothing," she said and tried to smile but failed.

"Scourgify," Ron said and pointed his wand at the kettle on the ground. The dirt disappeared off the kettle and it shone bright blue again.

They smiled gently at each other but were interrupted by a running figure with flaming red hair that looked a lot like…

They smiled gently at each other but were interrupted by a figure who came running past them in a hurry. He had flaming red hair and looked a lot like…

"Isn't that Bill?" Hermione said and they both looked trough the trees and at the field, they could see a person, looking very much like Bill, running away. "Why is he running away from the Burrow?" Hermione didn't get an answer. Ron had gone after him. Hermione had no choice but to follow.

"Bill! Bill!" Ron yelled but Bill only ran faster. "Bill!" he yelled again. Hermione wasn't good at running and had a hard time keeping up.

"Ron, let's just stop," Hermione managed to say between pants. After a minute of running Bill stopped and disapparated. Ron stopped running. Hermione caught up with him. They both were panting hard. Ron fell to the ground. He lay where Bill had been a minute ago, before he had apparated. "Are you sure it was Bill?" Hermione asked. "I mean, why would he run away from his own wedding? He seemed so happy about it."

Ron didn't answer. He only ran his fingers trough his hair and sighed.