Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of JK Rowling. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Three

Harry looked around. He knew this room; it was a rectangular shaped room, some twenty feet deep. Stone benches lined the wall, and a raised dais was in the centre of the room. Upon this dais was a stone archway. A tattered veil moved slightly in a nonexistent breeze.

He was standing in the doorway at the top of the room. The ghostly shapes of Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius battled furiously in the middle of the room. The final spell was cast, and Sirius arched gracefully backward toward the veil. There was something different this time though. Instead of the shocked look of surprise that Harry knew should've been there, Sirius was staring directly into his eyes, imploring him to listen.

Whatever it was that Sirius was trying to say to him, Harry couldn't hear him. He quickly moved down the stairs, closing in on the archway and Sirius' falling body. He could see his godfather's mouth moving, and could vaguely hear his voice, but he couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Sirius! No," Harry screamed, but as slow as it was, the momentum couldn't be stopped, and Sirius went through the curtain. Harry charged down the rest of the stairs, heading straight for the veil that had taken his godfather from him. Just as he reached the dais, he went flying backward, as if he'd hit an invisible wall. The ragged black curtain started blowing around violently, and the voices coming from the archway had risen to an almost unbearable level. "Harry..." "...needs you..." "...losing..."

Harry woke with a start, his breath coming in pants. He groped for his glasses, and noted that the clock next to his bed said 4 AM. He sat up, slowly getting his breathing under control, and reflected on the dream that had interrupted his sleep. 'I haven't had a nightmare about Sirius in a while. Wonder what brought that on? It wasn't like my normal nightmares though. My scar isn't bothering me either.'

He grabbed some parchment and a quill and wrote down everything he could remember from the dream. When he'd finished, he slowly put the quill down and re-read all the details from his dream. His first instinct was to go to Dumbledore. With a jolt, he remembered that he couldn't do that. His second instinct was to tell Ginny about it, but that wasn't an option either. He ran a hand through his messy hair, and groaned in frustration. His eyes drifted over the room, not really focusing on anything. He glanced at his parent's wedding photo that was sitting on the small table next to his bed. Sirius, his mum and dad were all smiling and waving at the photographer. 'Wonder who took that picture?' Then, it came to him. 'Moony.'

His dad's other best friend- Remus Lupin, otherwise known as Moony. He'd been Harry's Defence Against the Dark Arts professor in Harry's third year, until it Snape had made it public knowledge that Lupin was a werewolf. He was also Sirius' best friend, and a member of the Marauders. 'Who better to talk to?'

Harry quickly wrote a letter to Professor Lupin, and added the parchment that had the details of his dream. Hedwig, who had just gotten in from hunting was settling herself down in her cage, with her dinner of a small mouse. She gave Harry a baleful look as he walked toward her with the letter for his old professor.

"It's okay girl, there's no rush. Eat your mouse first, then take this to Lupin for me," he said as he tied the letter to her leg. She gave him a hoot and nipped at his finger before eating her mouse.

OoOoOoOo

It was quiet and calm on the morning of the twelfth. The light reflected off of the dew in the garden, making everything sparkle with an almost ethereal light. The birds were singing, taking off from their nests in search of their breakfasts, and chattering with each other as if they didn't have a care in the world.

Inside however, pandemonium reigned. Mrs. Weasley had waken the whole house at 6 AM, insisting that everyone make their way to the kitchen to have breakfast. She was like a general in charge of a small army, issuing orders, dishing out breakfast rations, and organizing everyone's day for them. Harry and Ron stumbled down the stairs, bleary-eyed and cursing the person or persons who first developed the idea of weddings. Bill, Fleur, Hermione, Ginny and Mr. Weasley were already seated at the table, laughing and talking. Fred and George were due to show up at nine, and Charlie would be arriving at ten.

"Why did we have to get up so early? The wedding doesn't start until three," Ron grumbled, as he shovelled scrambled eggs onto his plate.

His mother turned on him, brandishing her spatula. "Because we have a million things to do before then Ronald. Now, you will eat your breakfast and then get dressed. I want you, Harry and the twins to get all the chairs that were delivered last night, and get them set up in the garden." She turned back to the stove to get the last of the bacon rashers and place them on the platter.

"Yes Mum."

Harry looked around the table, taking in the chaos that was breakfast at the Burrow. Bill's scars had healed as best they could from Greyback's attack a month ago. The scars were still twisted and quite red, but instead of disfiguring Bill's face, they gave him an air of mystery and danger. Fleur doted on him, making sure his plate was full before tending to her own. The two of them spent most of breakfast staring at each other, and blushing.

Hermione and Ginny sat next to each other, quietly discussing their itinerary for the day. Harry knew from the wall calendar that the girls had an appointment at noon to get their hair done for the wedding. Ron had declared them 'barking mad' for getting it done so early. Hermione had given him a withering glare before following Ginny and Fleur up the stairs.

Mr. Weasley was reading The Daily Prophet. Harry could see the headlines on the front. There had been more Death Eater attacks in Warminster and Trowbridge. He could see the photograph on the front page, with the Dark Mark moving luridly over the homes of the poor souls who'd been killed. He glanced over at Ginny, who was staring at him. She quickly looked back down at her breakfast, but Harry could see the faint blush that had spread across her cheeks.

A rustle of sound alerted him to Hedwig's arrival. She was perched in the window sill, above the kitchen sink. Harry quickly rose, and went over to her, taking the letter from her leg. She took the offered bits of bacon, nipped Harry's finger affectionately, and took off, heading for Ron's bedroom window.

Harry opened the letter, ignoring the looks that Hermione and Ron were giving him.

Harry,
We need to talk as soon as possible. Your dream has raised some very interesting questions.
I will see you at the wedding this afternoon.
Remus

Harry frowned at the parchment in his hand. What does he mean, interesting questions? He folded up the letter, putting it in his back pocket. He met the eyes of his best friends, and shook his head, indicating that it was nothing to worry about. Both Ron and Hermione visibly relaxed and continued with the conversations they were involved in. Harry cleared his plate, placed it next to the sink, and went upstairs to get his trainers on and get to work.

By the time Charlie arrived at ten, all the chairs had been set up, and the men were getting ready to set up the tents that had arrived the hour before. Fred and George had brought the tents with them when they had arrived. Work stopped as Charlie's family greeted him. The young dragon keeper had a few new burns to show off, and a new tattoo that he made the others promise not to tell their mother about.

"I'm home for good for right now," Charlie announced to the group surrounding him. "I reckon I'm needed more at here than I am at the reserve. I'm staying until the war is over."

Mr. Weasley clapped a hand on his son's shoulder, making him wince slightly. "Your mum will be happy to hear that Charlie. You know how she gets, worrying about you lot," he said, as his eyes rested on each of his sons. "You're included in that worrying too, Harry. You're as good as one of our own."

Harry looked at the ground and muttered "Thanks Mr. Weasley." He knew that the Weasleys considered him family, and he was touched by it. He watched the interaction between the brothers; Charlie was currently trying to wrestle Ron down to the ground and scrub his head with his knuckles. Ron was putting up a surprisingly good fight, considering the bulk Charlie had. Ron was a good foot taller than his older brother though, and was amused by this fact. Fred and George were trying to charm Charlie's shirt to be see through, ensuring that their mother would see their brother's tattoo, and Bill was desperately trying to distract the twins, hoping to ensure that his wedding day would be as peaceful as possible.

Harry grinned at the antics of the brothers, as Ron gestured for him to join them. "So Harry, Gin-Gin said that you'd gotten a tattoo too," Charlie said.

"Nah, it was just a rumour. But your sister told the other girls that it was a Hungarian Horntail, and I'd gotten it on my chest," Harry said with a grin

Bill and Charlie frowned at him, Fred and George laughed and Ron rolled his eyes. Harry realized belatedly that he had probably just gotten himself into trouble with a pack of over-protective brothers. He gave them a weak grin, and gulped, slowly backing away and looking for a place to run.

Bill and Charlie grabbed him by his arms, backing him into a tree. Fred and George brandished their wands, and walked toward him with maniacal grins on their faces. Ron and Mr. Weasley just stood back, shaking their heads. "It was nice knowing you mate."

They all stood their like that for what felt to Harry like an hour, though it was probably only a minute or so. Then Fred and George collapsed to the ground, laughing like a pair of hyenas. Bill and Charlie loosened their grip on his arms, and clapped him on the shoulders. "Harry," Bill began. "We know that you and Gin were dating, and we know that you broke up with her to keep her safe. We think you're a git for doing that, but we know your heart was in the right place. Do us all a favour and get things fixed with her. I can't take too much more of the pair of you moping around here. Just keep in mind, that if you ever do something stupid like this again, we'll all be looking for you, if Ginny doesn't tear you from limb to limb first."

Harry looked at all of them, the realization that they actually wanted him to be with Ginny sinking in slowly. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not exactly the safest- oof" Ron's elbow had connected with Harry's stomach, effectively cutting off the rest of his sentence.

"You git. I've told you, and now the rest of the family has told you. Get your skinny arse in there and beg my sister to take you back. You'll probably be running around here with some great slimy bats for awhile, but it will be worth it."

OoOoOoOo

The tents were set up, the food prepared and the Weasleys were ready. The guests started arriving at two-thirty. Harry, Percy, Fred and George acted as ushers, seating the guests as they arrived. So far, Harry hadn't noticed any real differences between Muggle weddings and Wizard weddings. The guests were still seated according to which family they belonged to. There was an aisle for the bride, groom and wedding party to walk down, ending at an altar, where the officiate would stand.

Harry nervously pulled his fringe down to cover his scar, but to no avail. Members of both the Weasley family and the Delacour families recognized him. He was forced to make small talk with every one he seated, much to his chagrin. Fred and George thought it was funny, and kept pretending to fawn over 'The Boy Who Lived'. Percy pursed his lips, but the corners of his mouth were twitching.

As the music started, the last of the guests were seated. Harry was about to take as seat toward the back of the tent, when George grabbed his sleeve, and frog marched him to where the rest of the immediate family and Hermione were seated.

Bill took his place at the altar, and the guests rose as one; a beautiful melody was wafting through the air. Ginny and Ron came down the aisle first, and Harry sucked in a quick breath. Ginny was wearing gold dress robes. Her shoulders were bare, with only a thin, gauzy shimmering gold shawl to cover them. The front of the dress was embroidered with hundreds of small, twinkling crystals that caught the light when ever she moved. Her hair was piled in loose ringlets on top of her head, and she had tiny golden butterfly hairpins that fluttered about. Ron looked dashing in his new black dress robes, and Harry was sure that he'd heard Hermione gasp at the sight of him.

Charlie and Gabrielle were next, wearing the same clothing that Ron and Ginny wore. Gabrielle smiled at Harry as she passed by. He gave her a grin, remembering the second task of the Triwizard tournament, and pulling her from the lake at Hogwarts.

Fleur came down the aisle, escorted by her father. She wore white dress robes cut in a similar fashion to Ginny and Gabrielle's. The crystals embroidered on her dress were clear and there were thousands of them, making it look as if the morning dew had kissed her gown. She carried a large bouquet of roses, daisies and lilies. She looked absolutely radiant, and Harry could see that more than one male in the crowd was affected by the beautiful Veela.

As Fleur reached the altar, the guests all sat down. The officiate was a small, balding man dressed in formal black robes. His glasses were perched precariously on his nose. He held a small book in one hand, and his wand in the other.

"Friends, family and loved ones, welcome to the Marriage Vow ceremony of William Arthur Weasley and Fleur Clémence Delacour."

Mrs. Weasley dabbed her handkerchief at her eyes as the officiate continued. "Marriage is a sacred vow between two people who have decided to share the rest of their lives together. The bonds that the Marriage Vow creates are nigh impossible to break. The couple Vow to each other their fidelity, love and trust. We're here today to see this young couple bind their lives together as one." The little man waved his wand, and his book floated in a stationary position.

"William and Fleur, please join hands." Fleur handed her bouquet to Gabrielle, and held both of Bill's large hands in hers. Another wave of the officiates wand cast a bright, white band wound its way around their joined hands. "Is it your wish Fleur to become one with this man?"

"Oui," Fleur replied in a clear strong voice.

A band of bright red wove its way around the white band.

"Is it your wish William to become one with this woman?"

"Yes," Bill said, watching a single tear make its way down his bride's face.

A golden band wove its way into the two bands around their hands. A white glow surrounded their hands, and the three bands braided themselves together, and tightened around the couple's hands.

The officiate continued, waving his wand in an intricate pattern above the joined hands of the couple in front of him. "Under the watchful eyes of the Gods and Merlin, your loved ones have witnessed this rite. May your lives be long and full of happiness. By the power given to me by the Ministry for Magic, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Bill leaned forward and kissed Fleur. As their lips touched, the band that was woven around their hands flashed once, and in its place were wedding bands on each of their ring fingers.

Harry nudged Hermione as the assembled crowd cheered for the new couple. "So what were the bands around their hands?"

"A Marriage Vow is similar in some respects to an Unbreakable Vow. The white of the band represents the trust between the couple. The red obviously represents their love, and the gold their fidelity."

"What did he mean when he said that 'it was nigh unbreakable'?"

"Just what he said. If a couple is married using the Marriage Vow, and for example, one spouse cheats on the other, the instant that the infidelity occurs, that person's wedding band is broken, symbolizing the breech of trust. From what I've read, in the original ceremony, there was actually a curse woven into the bands that caused immense pain for the party who broke the Vow. Modern ceremonies don't include the curse, but all a spouse has to do is show the broken ring, and the marriage is voided."

"So is it just cheating that causes the ring to break, or are there other things?"

"Well, anything that would break the trust between the spouses. If the wizard abuses the witch, thereby breaking her trust, the ring would break. Otherwise, the rings are impossible to destroy."

'Well, that would be a big difference between Muggle weddings and Wizard weddings,' Harry mused to himself. The bridal party had already left the tent, and with a wave of Mr. Weasley's wand, the chairs were folding themselves up, and moving out of the way, as the tables that Mrs. Weasley was directing with her wand could be set up.

Harry made his way outside the tent, and immediately ran into Remus Lupin. The werewolf smiled at Harry, who gave the older man a quick hug. "How are you doing, Professor?"

"Harry, I haven't been your professor in almost four years now. Please call me Remus, or even Moony if you prefer."

"Moony it is," Harry said with a grin. "You got my letter okay then?"

"Yes I did, and I do want to talk to you about it. Is it possible for us to meet in a day or two to discuss it?"

"Sure, just name the date and time and I'll be there."

As the two men turned to walk back into the tent, a pink blur caught Harry's eye. Before he could react, he was sprawled out on the ground, and the sound of boisterous female laughter rang in his ears.

"Wotcher Harry! I'm sorry, I was trying to grab old Moony here, and tripped."

"Hi Tonks. I see you're as graceful as ever," Harry said as he got up and dusted himself off.

Remus grinned at the Auror as she blushed. "Yep, I'm still dead clumsy. Some things will never change."

Music had started up inside the tent, as Harry, Remus and Tonks made their way inside. The tables had all been set up, and the chairs had taken their places around them. Golden table cloths covered each table, which had a centrepiece of white and red roses. The tent had been elongated to accommodate the food tables, which carried an variety of foods, both traditional English and French fare. At one end of the tent, a band had set up, and were playing quiet music. At the other end of the tent, a bar had been set up. Fred and George were already standing their with glasses of Firewhiskey in their hands, chatting with two girls, who judging by their blond hair were some relation to Fleur.

A dance floor separated the rest of the tables from the tables set up for the families. As Harry entered the tent, he was pulled to the side by Ron, who directed him to the two tables that had been set up to hold the immediate Weasley family. "I've got to sit at the other table with Bill, but you can sit here with everyone else," Ron said with a look that plainly said he'd rather be sitting with Harry than with the happy couple.

OoOoOoOo

After the guests had eaten their fill (or in Ron's case, enough to fill several guests), the band introduced each couple from the wedding party. Ron was making pained faces at having to dance with Ginny. She retaliated by stepping on his toes as much as possible. Charlie and Gabrielle made an interesting pair, as she was very petite, and nearly engulfed by Charlie's large arms. Bill and Fleur had eyes only for each other during their first dance as a married couple.

After that dance, Ron slowly walked toward the table where Harry and Hermione were sitting. The two didn't notice his approach, since Hermione was telling Harry everything she'd read over the last week on Wizarding wedding traditions. Ron cleared his throat to get their attention. "Hermione, would you like to dance?"

A smile crossed Hermione's face, as she accepted Ron's hand and let him lead her toward the dance floor. Harry's eyes scanned the tent and found Ginny dancing with her father. He got up from his chair and made his way around the tent, stopping to talk to the guests that he knew. In addition to Remus and Tonks, most of the members of the Order were there. Professor McGonagall and Mad-Eye Moody were sitting at a table with Hagrid and Madame Maxime. Kingsley Shaklebolt was talking with Hestia Jones at the bar. Charlie, Fred and George were there as well, talking amongst themselves. Harry found a glass of amber liquid pushed into his hand by Charlie. "Go on mate, drink up before Mum sees you."

Harry took a sip of the liquid, coughing as the liquid burned its way down his throat. He shook his head and drank the rest of it, to the cheers of the twins. "Slow down there Harry, I know Mum will make you pay for it if you get pissed tonight." Harry chuckled at the twins, thinking to himself that he should ask Hermione if there was a sobering charm for later.

"So, Harrykins, where is Gin-Gin," Fred asked with a mischievous look in his eye

"She was dancing with your dad the last time I saw her."

George raised an eyebrow. "You'd best look again mate, 'cause that's not dad she's dancing with now."

Harry looked out at the dance floor, and the monster in his chest roared in indignation. Ginny was currently wrapped in the arms of a young man whom he didn't know. The guy bared a passing resemblance to Malfoy, which irritated Harry all the more. He none too gently put his glass down on the bar and strode out onto the dance floor, with cries of "Get 'em Harry!" following him. He made his way through the dancing couples, until he reached Ginny and the interloper.

"Excuse me, may I cut in?"

The blond man glanced at him, and Harry saw the familiar eye sweep that meant his scar had been noticed. The young man backed away without comment, and placed Ginny's hand in Harry's. She stared at him, a troubled look on her face. The two hadn't done more than exchange polite pleasantries since their fight in the orchard.

"Gin, can we talk?"

She nodded and laced her fingers through his. Harry led her out of the tent, and down the hill toward the pond. The sun was setting and a slight breeze was blowing, causing the tendrils of hair surrounding Ginny's face to dance across her cheeks.

Harry stopped at the edge of the pond, and conjured up a blanket for the two of them to sit on. The two of them sat facing each other, neither sure where to start.

"Ginny, why have you been avoiding me? I know you're mad, but I thought that after the row we'd had, we might be able to talk."

"I'm sorry. I know I should've come to you sooner, but I have to admit that besides being mad at you, you scared me just a little bit the other day."

Harry opened his mouth as if to protest. Ginny raised a finger to his lips to silence him. "Give me just a minute to explain." He nodded his acceptance, and she took a deep breath and continued.

"I knew that you cared about me. I don't think we would've started dating had you not. But, and please don't take this the wrong way, because of how closed off you are emotionally, I was never really sure how much you cared. I had thought that at some point, you'd admit how you felt about me. Then, we broke up." Ginny played with the hem of her dress for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She glanced at Harry, who gave her a slight smile, and she continued.

"I understood your reasoning for breaking up. Not that I agreed with you mind, but I did understand. And like I told you, I was angry that you'd taken away my choice to be with you. The thing that frightened me the most that afternoon was you. I never expected to hear you say that you love me. Ginny's voice broke, and it was all Harry could do not to draw her into his arms and comfort her. Instead, he grabbed her hand, and silently begged her to continue.

"I had always hoped of course, that you would love me, but to hear it from you with that much emotion, sort of scared me a bit. I realized then what you were fighting against. To love someone so deeply that you would want to give up if they were gone is a terrifying and wonderful thing. And to know that you feel that way about me is more than a bit humbling. I needed some time to process all of that and to get over my anger at the way we'd broken up and the reasons for it. Then with all the wedding to-do, we never really got a chance to talk after that. I'm so sorry Harry."

At this, Ginny completely broke down and cried. Harry pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. He could feel the sobs wracking her body, and he did his best to comfort her. He thought that it was remarkable that this petite girl, who just barely came up to his chin, could cause these giant feelings in him. At that moment, nothing else mattered but her, and his desire to rid her of her pain. He gently rubbed her back, and whispered quite endearments in her ear. As her sobs quieted, he placed a kiss on her head.

"Gin, there's nothing to be sorry for. I'm a prat. I should never have broken it off with you. It's just hard for me to realize that no matter what, you'll be in danger. And what I said was the truth, I don't know if I'll be able to go on if you're not there. But I don't want to let Voldemort ruin what happiness I can have. I love you Gin, and if you'll take this git back as a boyfriend, you'll make me the happiest guy in the world."

Ginny raised her tear-stained face to his and smiled. Harry saw the love in her eyes, and the monster in his chest roared it approval. He slowly ducked his head down and captured her lips with his.

Author's Note: I borrowed several ideas from traditional handfastings to come up with Bill and Fleur's ceremony. I seriously doubt that their wedding would have many Muggle traditions, regardless of Mr. Weasley's fascination with them :D