Thanks for your review, my dear Black Pearl. Here it is the fourth chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 4.- Prelude to the wedding

The alarm clock announced 7:00. "Seven o'clock Weasleys! Time to get up!" yelled Mrs. Weasley. She was already up, knocking at every door, waking everybody. "Come on, lazy people!"

"If I haven't stayed with your family for the last summers, I would say your Mom is hysterical." Said yawning Hermione Granger. She was sleeping in Ginny's room, for it wasn't appropriate to sleep in Ron's bedroom, even though he was alone.

The Weasleys, Bill, Charlie, twins, and Ron, and Hermione, started going out from their bedrooms. Everybody went downstairs where Mrs. Weasley was waiting with breakfast.

When Ron finally went downstairs, there were all, except for Ginny who was depressed, so she almost never left her room. He sat next to the empty chair on his left. On his right was Hermione.

"Morning Mom, morning everyone" he said still sleepy.

"Morning" all replied in a moody way. It was suppose for them to be happy, now that Bill was going to get married. But none was it.

"Do you want some bread, Ron?" asked Molly, offering it to him.

"No, Mom, I'm not that hungry"

"Give some to the birds, will you?" said Fred. The birds were Hedwig, the owl, and Fawkes, the phoenix. Among with all Harry possessions, was Hedwig. The Minister gave them to take care of all his stuff. Fawkes came some days before. It didn't belong to Harry. The phoenix came by his own, apparently looking for him, for it didn't obey any of the Weasleys. The Order of the Phoenix came for it, but it didn't obey them, too.

"Bloody birds" said Molly "Why are them here anyway?"

"You know why dear" said Arthur "They are into our care"

"The owl, only! As if we don't have enough with Errol, Pig and when he had Hermes. But why the phoenix?"

"Nobody knows Mom," said George "it is a mystery".

Breakfast time passed slowly. All ate quietly. Then Mrs. Weasley said: "Everybody must dress and clean. Bill first, then girls, then Fred and George and finally Ron and Harry""

Having said this, all felt horrible. As if it wasn't enough for Ron to sat next where he should be, then Mrs. Weasley making the awful mistake of mentioning him, as if he was there. He felt uncomfortable.

"Sorry Ron, it just slipped."

"I know Mom, but try not to say it in front of Ginny" he said sadly. Hermione hold his hand, then said:

"Come Ron, let's wake Ginny"

They went upstairs. Their steps were heavy, as if it was too much to walk. Depression. Everyone felt it. They reached Ginny's bedroom door. Hermione knocked.

"Ginny? May we come in?"

"Who?" answered Ginny's voice on the other side.

"Ron and me"

"Yes"

Hermione open the door. Light dazzled them. Sunlight. When they get used to the light, they saw Ginny crying on her bed.

"Ginny, Mom says we must get dress." said Ron softly. Hermione glared at him. "What?" he whispered.

"Ron, sometimes you have to be more sensible"

"Don't worry Herm," said Ginny. She was looking at the ceiling, not at them, when she spoke. "I know my brother. How can you support him?"

"Sometimes I ask the same question to myself."

Ginny turned to see Hermione. This almost made her smile. Then just turned again to see the ceiling.

Ron laughed sarcastically "Very funny girls." But it wasn't. None of them felt cheerful. Not in the mood to make jokes.

"Well, Ginny, just for today try to smile. It is Bill's wedding." Said Hermione. With the hands, she showed Ron the door to leave. Ginny didn't pay attention to this.

"Yeah well, I'll try"

Ron left the room. He went to his. Hermione stayed with Ginny, to get ready for the wedding.

The morning passed quickly for some, slowly for others. Around afternoon, a knock was heard on the door. Who could it be? Mrs. Weasley opened it.

"Good afternoon mother" It was Percy. Yes, Percy Weasley who was angry with his family. Now he was there. Why?

"P-Percy!" was the only thing Mrs. Weasley could say. Percy entered the house, with his attitude of superiority.

"I know I haven't talk to you too much, but I've come on this special day of the family. After all, I'm still part of it, aren't I?" he said.

"Of-of course you are!" she was in a state of confusion mixed with happiness. All her sons were going to be together on that day. "Weasleys, come down, look who's here" she yelled.

The twins have seen who had arrived. They didn't go downstairs, for they didn't want to hear Percy's hypocrisy. Bill, Charlie, and Mr. Weasley went downstairs, not before being warned of who was it, by the twins. Ron and Hermione didn't hear Mrs. Weasley, and Ginny did hear it, but didn't go downstairs, too. 'It's not worth it' she thought.

"Father," said Percy when he saw Mr. Weasley coming "hello. And hello to you too, my older brother Bill." He hugged them, but didn't say hello to Charlie, nor at least wave him a hello. This didn't matter to Charlie.

"What are you doing here?" said Bill, getting away from Percy.

"I've come to your wedding of course! And where is you lovely wife?"

"She's with Tonks, but was does it matter to you?" The twins were right. Percy was very hypocrite.

So, this was happening when another knocked was heard. Now who was it? Charlie, who was the first who heard it, opened the door.

"Charlie, hi! Long time no seeing you." Said the voice that once had been so innocent without hatred. "Am I not welcome?"

Everybody froze, except Percy, when they heard it. Charlie just said:

"Yes Harry do come in" Charlie have always like Harry, but now he wasn't sure what to think about him.

"Thank you"

He entered, again followed by Voldemort. Now Percy froze too, when he saw Voldemort. When they heard Harry's voice, the owl and the phoenix started squeaking. Finally their master had come for them. But Harry didn't notice this straight away.

"My Master is not very please to be here, because you all are traitors to blood. You are pure bloods, but messing with people like Mudbloods and muggles, too bad." He said. Indeed Voldemort looked with a face of disgust.

"Harry Potter" said Mr Weasley, grabbing his wand.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you" he said "We could kill you within a minute." and Mr Weasley stopped and do nothing. "Nevertheless, he's here because I asked him so. I wanted to be here, and on this day! Congratulations Bill! Where's Fleur?"

"She's with Tonks." said Bill shortly

"Ah, Tonks, I wish to talk to her very soon. But anyway, here I am, unfortunately, I can't stay too long."

While he was saying this, Voldemort did notice the birds. He liked the beautiful white owl, but hated that phoenix.

"Potter, here's you owl"

Harry turned and saw Hedwig and Fawkes. He came closer to them.

"Mrs. Weasley, thank you for taking care of my owl"

Mrs. Weasley was suffering. Real suffer, because she has thought Harry as a son, and watching him self-destroying him and being under the control of Voldemort, hurt her so much. But this true words Harry meant of the owl, calm her for a moment.

"No problem dear," she said, and Bill, Charlie and Mr. Weasley looked at her, since hours ago she was complaining about them. "I think the phoenix is yours too."

"Mine?" Voldemort glared at him "Oh no, it was from Dumbledore. I can't keep it." Charlie noticed that he was struggling with himself, with his feelings. That house, that persons. This might be the most difficult task he had to pass. "I mean, why does it belong to me?"

"The Order of the Phoenix had agreed that you keep it. It has been wandering since Dumbledore's death, looking for you"

"You can't keep it, Potter! That's an order." said Voldemort with a cruel voice.

The struggle continued. To end that, he chanced the subject. He needed to appear strong again, not humiliated.

"So, where are my friends? Upstairs? Shall I call them?"

The three of them hear it. Ron and Hermione froze, just like the others, when they heard that voice.

"Shall we go downstairs?" asked Ron to Hermione. They were both in his room.

"We must. It's…him."

Ginny was still in her room. 'Could it be?' she thought, but didn't went downstairs, for she had dreamt so much of hearing it, that she thought it was another hallucination.

The twins also heard it, even if it wasn't for them. They hurried.

"Twins, Ron, Hermione," said Harry when he saw them "I'm so happy to see you"

"No you aren't." corrected him Voldemort

"Yes I am, for they can now explain to me how they realised I was no more their friend."

"First you tell us why." demanded Ron. He seemed confused about Harry, but also didn't know how to react. His friend for 6 years was in front of him. Ron was one of who sent him to Azkaban. Obviously, Harry will be angry with him.

But Harry didn't seem angry. On the contrary, he was enjoying being there. "Ron, do you think it is wise to talk to me like that?"

"Well said, Potter." said Voldemort

Ron blushed. "No, I guess not, Harry."

Hermione took the risk of speaking then. "But you could tell us. After all, maybe we were wrong about sending you there."

Harry said nothing. Everybody was expecting him to talk to her the same he talked to Ron. But he didn't.

"Well Hermione, I have said some small details to Lord Voldemort before. Shall I repeat them? Explain some more?"

"Actually," answered Voldemort "I didn't get very clear when you said about your first image of you as a Death Eater."

The Weasleys and Hermione paid very much attention to this. Some of the doubts were going to be explained.

Harry sight. "Is Ginny here?"

"She's in her room. She won't come down. She's depressed because of you." Said one twin. Fred or George. Can't tell.

"You don't know what I'm feeling. What if I'm depressed too?"

"You wouldn't be killing!" said Hermione. Mr. Weasley agreed with this.

"Yes, I guess that might be, but the whole story gets a lot more complicated. I said, when my Lord and I went to Cho's house, about my first image of me as a Death Eater."

"Cho?" interrupted Ron. "Cho Chang?" He looked at Hermione, she looked at the twins, and they looked at their mother. Have Ginny heard this? The hope for not heard it.

"Yes, Cho Chang, and yes, my ex-love. But anyway, Hermione put the idea on my head. Not intentionally, of course, but she did. Want to know how, Herm?"

Hermione shocked. Voldemort glared at her. "This filthy Mudblood put the idea on your head?"

"Funny, isn't it? Picture this: first class with Snape in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We're going out of class, and I'm complaining. 'How could Dumbledore do that? Snape love the Dark Arts' And Hermione says: 'Well, it kind of remind me of you.'"

"Indeed I said that, but I didn't mean that you love them. I said it in a way that you have to deal with them all your life." Replied Hermione.

"Doesn't matter in what way you meant it. Matters the way I interpret it. But that's when I thought: 'And you? What if you love them too?'

"Months later you said in a sarcastic way: 'But you (referring to Ron and me) you could be perfect to join them (the Death Eaters).'

" 'There's no way they'd let me be a Death Eater!' said Ron indignantly. And I said sarcastically:

" 'And they'd love to have me'

"The conversation ended there, but not for me. During the day the matter with Katie Bell distract me, but in the night again the idea appear. Ron said very indignantly that he would never join. That got me very clear. Hermione, well, even is she want it, she couldn't be. But me, well that's the point, isn't it?

"I could join? That was insane, but not impossible. To be a killer was either way me destiny. When I couldn't sleep, I spent nights imaging myself killing, but the curious thing was that not killing Lord Voldemort. Everybody who made me angry, I tried to see them on my head being torture by me.

"I liked it. Little details matter more than big facts. I remember the first time I use the Cruciatus Curse. Didn't work out on Bellatrix. I didn't have hatred when I use it. But a year later, I had a lot.

"After days and weeks was when I kind of decline to made the choice. Malfoy helped me, his love for evil. When I saw him, I thought about it. Seduction." He stopped. He felt that something was wrong.

"Do you feel it too?" asked Voldemort

"Yes, we better go." They both got up. The Weasleys looked confused. Hedwig flew to Harry's arm. So did Fawkes.

"I said no Potter." Again ordered Voldemort

"I don't care, my Lord" the last two words with an exaggerated emphasis "they both are mine now. Scared of it killing your snake?"

"How dare you, Potter! Avada Kedavra!" The curse didn't hit Harry, but did hit Percy Weasley. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione screamed. Percy's body felt to the ground.

"Wonderful, my Lord, you killed the wrong one." Said Harry laughing.

"Shut up, Potter. Again you escaped from death."

"I told you. You aren't meant to kill me. Many times I have escaped. Doesn't matter, one Weasley less."

The Weasleys and Hermione were devastated. It didn't matter to Harry? He was laughing! But stopped suddenly.

"Now what?"

Harry didn't answer. He paralyzed and was staring at the stairs. There was Ginny Weasley.

"Harry? Harry! It's you, but how?"

"They have free me." he said coldly

"Who?"

"My…master"

They didn't say anything more. Harry saw that Ginny's eyes had cried a lot, and she was thinner. Ginny saw that Harry's eyes were full of hate, and was thinner, too. And they both realized that they would never be together again.

"Came to rape me?" she asked

"Not today" and he disappeared. So did the birds and Voldemort.

Thank you. Review!

Zou-Chang