Harry decided to confront Lupin about Sirius. They were all sitting outside, enjoying the final Dinner before the wedding. Harry happened to be seated right next to Lupin.
"Er…Lupin? Can I ask you something?" he asked tentatively.
"Sure Harry. What is it?" Lupin asked cheerily.
"Er…Lulu mentioned something about Sirius…being her Guardian."
Lupin grew serious. "Yes, it's true. Didn't anyone ever tell you? Sirius was Lulu's guardian for many years, since she was five. She became something of a daughter to him, since her mother died."
"She said her father died when she was five," Harry said, thinking it hard to lose both parents at the same time like that. Harry had lost both his parents when he was one, and he missed them terribly, but he didn't really know them. He only knew them from pictures. Other than that there were no memories or anything of the sort. Lulu still carried memories of her mother and father.
"Lulu's….father….was attacked by Dementors, yes. Harry…that was her stepfather. Don't ever mention her real father, especially not in front of her," Lupin warned.
Harry was startled.
"But why?"
"I'm not going to tell you, it's not my place. If she wants you to know, she'll let you know," Lupin replied.
Harry dropped the subject. Instead he looked over beside Fred, where Lulu was sitting and listening to Mr Weasley talk to Charlie about the latest dragon reports and how Charlie was managing in Romania. Then she was distracted by Fred and they proceeded to have a hushed conversation. They seemed totally immersed in one another. Their heads were bent close together and there was frequent eye contact.
"What are you looking at?" Hermione asked from Harry's right, making him jump.
"The Arch Mage. The more I find out how little we know about her, the more dangerous she seems to me," Harry confessed uneasily.
"I told you, they are among the most dangerous people, Arch Mages. Don't let her stunning looks and pretty gowns fool you, Harry, nor her compassionate nature. She's not a person to be messed with, not by a long shot. Arch Mage Lucinda, that very pretty twenty year old sitting beside Fred is still a killer, an assassin and a very powerful Dark Mage. We are still easy around her because we haven't seen the evil side to her yet. When we do, I've no doubt you'll come to fear her, though it will only be a small fraction of the fear her enemies must feel," Hermione said gravely.
Hermione's dark words made Harry reverently wish he would never have to experience or see Lulu's Dark side.
The next day, the day of the wedding, all the girls were enclosed together from sunrise, preparing for the wedding. The men of the house were kicked out (or at least the top four floors!). They removed themselves into the gardens and prepared the area for the upcoming wedding, conjuring tables and setting the decorations. Occasionally they heard giggling from one of the upstairs rooms and saw a flash of color from a dress or saw a girl walk past the window with curlers in her hair. At around 5:30 the men were permitted back into the house (the girls all locked themselves in one of the guest rooms and giggled loudly whenever they heard a guy's voice), and they got changed for the wedding. The wedding Party, consisting of Lupin with Arthur as his Best Man and Tonks with her maid of honor, a young witch called Evie, were wearing blue and yellow. Ginny had agreed to be the flower girl again and was to be dressed in yellow as well.
Harry changed into a completely black suit and drew on his best bottle green dress robes over the top. Ron was wearing a conventional suit and brand new mahogany dress robes. Bill was in dark blue, Charlie in Gryffindor red, Fred and George in pale blue, Neville in black with yellow stars and Mad-eye Moody in orange. Viktor Krum by far looked the best of them all (barring Lupin who looked very handsome indeed). Krum was wearing a silver and red suit (complete with vest and gloves) and a matching set of robes and long thick cloak. He looked very becoming indeed.
They spent about twenty minutes actually getting ready for the wedding and then went outside at around six o'clock to greet the many other guests that were still arriving. There were Ministry personnel, Aurors, friends from school and some of Tonks family. All in all about 200 people gathered to witness the union of Lupin and Tonks. Mrs Weasley had previously gone out of her mind when she heard the figures. She'd been cooking non-stop for many hours.
When there was only around fifteen minutes to spare the girls came out of the house. Harry thought he had never seen any of the girls' look prettier. Hermione was wearing periwinkle blue robes and her hair was straight on the top and then fell about in controlled ringlets around her shoulders. There were cockleshells and aqua and sea green ribbons and glitter in her hair. She looked stunning and fell into Viktor's embrace happily. Parvarti was wearing robes of sunrise hues, pale pinks, yellows and reds. She was wearing sun earrings and her dark hair was set in a bun with a halo around it, the ends of her hair jagged and very straight. The effect was astonishing and Ron looked immensely delighted. Katie was in startlingly green robes that matched her eyes and there were two butterflies in her hair which was up in an intricate knot at the base of her neck. The butterflies flapped their multicolored wings slowly. There were stars on her brow as well and she looked simply gorgeous. Fleur looked beautiful as always, in pale pink. Even Lulu looked different. She was possibly the most eye-catching girl there. She was clad all in crimson and gold, with a hint of jade. She had braided silk rosebuds into her locks. Tiny red roses had been appliqued in lace all over the watered silk of the houppelande. The bodice was scalloped, edged with the rose leaves and her waist was clasped with a scarlet-purple girdle harnessed with gold beads and lattice. The sleeves fell to the floor. At her neck there was a gold choker with tiny gold chains dangling down it. Her hair was braided on both sides and pulled back into a messy bird's nest knot that allowed midnight silky tresses of her hair to fall about in an artistically wayward manner. It was astonishing to see her dressed up so fine and so immaculately gorgeous. Harry thought Luna wasn't too far off when she said Lulu was the Empress of Mages, she certainly looked regal now. Luna herself was in a bright purple dress and her hair was wavy and glossy. There was a bright purple and blue hibiscus in her hair and she looked very comely.
Finally the guests were ready and the orchestra struck up a lively wedding march. Ginny emerged from around the garden hedge. She was dressed in soft yellow and her fiery red hair was tamed and plaited into itself, plait upon plait, garlanded with small stars. The dress was strapless and belled out to the floor. Harry caught his breath. She looked divine. Then came Evie, Tonks' best friend, dressed magnificently in royal blue. Then Tonks herself appeared.
Harry stared. Of the entire gathering Tonks looked the most beautiful and radiant. She was wearing a magnificent off-the-shoulder piece that was made out of silk. The sleeves were long and tapered to her wrists. The top was beautifully embroidered with small white stars. The bell of the skirt was very flowy and it swept along the grass in a small train. She was wearing small white slippers and a silver circlet in her hair, which was now beach-blonde and curled in soft tendrils. The circlet had an ornate flower motif throughout it, the centre of which sat beautiful glittering diamonds.
They walked down the aisle and Tonks met Lupin at the end of the aisle, in front of the altar. A ministry official conducted the ceremony.
There was only one disturbance throughout the whole thing and that was the mysterious appearance of a stranger robed in off-white. The hood was low over the stranger's head but Harry judged by the masculine clasped hands that the stranger was male. Lulu inclined her head to the side without taking her eyes off the wedding party. Ginny glanced that way, as if catching the communication between the two and the stranger took a seat without a word.
Harry, along with everyone else, stood up and applauded wildly as the Ministry official announced Lupin and Tonks Mr. and Mrs Lupin. They kissed joyfully and then walked back down the aisle and into the house. The guests then stood to the side as Arthur, Bill, Charlie and two other men rearranged the area into a reception. The chairs flew around to sit at round tables draped in white with flowers in the centre. A stage was raised and the wedding band seated themselves on this stage. There was a wooden dance floor in the middle and the guests seated themselves. Harry keenly searched out Lulu and the stranger. He found them standing a little way off near a tree. Lulu wasn't hard to spot in her elegant gown. Harry thought again how different she looked wearing bright colors and with her hair set different. She had her arms folded and was listening intently, nodding every so often. Finbarr was at her feet, listening too. The white stranger still had his hands clasped and inclined or shook his head every so often.
"I wish I knew what they were saying, Ginny said from his side.
"Can't you?" he asked.
Ginny laughed. "I can't use Occumelency against her now that's she aware of it. She's too powerful for me, Harry."
The stranger bowed and Lulu executed her intricate bow and the stranger turned and walked away. He seemed to fade into nothingness, which was unusual. Apparation usually involved disappearing with a loud crack, not just fading away.
As Lulu turned back towards the wedding Harry thought back to Hermione's words about her being a killer. It was hard to imagine Lulu a killer now. But then he remembered what she looked like when she returned. This was a very complicated woman.
Harry also wanted to know the truth about her real father.
Lupin distracted any idea of approaching Lulu about her parentage when he opened the dancing with Tonks. They slowly turned under the lights that Arthur had conjured. When the dance was done Lupin grabbed the first female hands he could find and started whirling Molly around. Tonks pounced on Bill. Fleur was roped in by George and Katie was kicking up a storm with Ron. Neville and Luna were doing a lively jig and Harry was surprised at Luna's very capable dancing skills. Neville had always been able to dance, since the Yule Ball.
The song ended and the dancers applauded the band. Harry sat down with Ginny in his lap as he watched Krum approach the band and whisper something to the conductor. He nodded and Krum turned to Lupin.
"If it vould please you I vould like to demonstrate traditional Bulgarian waltz," he offered.
"Oh that'd be lovely, I love the Bulgarian ballroom dances," Tonks clapped her hands delightedly.
Harry wondered who Viktor intended on dancing with. Hermione leant over to Harry nervously.
"I sure hope he isn't expecting me to dance, I don't know a step of any waltzes let alone traditional Bulgarian ones," she whispered.
But to everyone's surprise Viktor bowed to Lulu.
"If you vould do me the honours?" he asked, holding out his arm.
Lulu raised an eyebrow but rose nonetheless. "I shall have to enquire as to your knowledge of my dancing skills," she asked as they approached the dance floor.
"You vere at my brother's graduation ball, Lu. I haff seen you dance before," Viktor smiled. Lulu gave a smile.
"Bulgarian waltz?" she asked. Viktor nodded as the music started. The pair stood apart and bowed to one another. Then they started circling each other, never taking their eyes from each other. They stepped purposefully and then Viktor took Lulu's hand and twirled her until she was facing him in the traditional waltz pose. They completed six full revolutions and then jumped from side to side, dipping and bowing. They parted and then pressed the palms of their left hands together, circling around one another. Lulu began swaying underneath their hands, bringing her right palm up to met Viktor's, then turning again to meet his left hand and so on. They did this about eight times before entering the revolutions again. The music quite suddenly picked up pace and intensity and Lulu and Viktor, still never taking their eyes off one another, began to stamp their feet with the music and clapping between complicated turns and foot movements. They finished with a series of revolution-break-stamp-claps and at the end Lulu ended in a dip, her arm extended out to the ground, looking away from Viktor. He had her other hand and was watching her intently.
The onlookers applauded as Viktor pulled Lulu back upright and they bowed to each other and then the crowd, then the band and then each other again.
"Bloody hell," Ron said, looking at Harry with surprised eyes. "Where the hell did she learn that?"
"At Viktor's brother's graduation," Hermione answered. "Weren't you listening?"
At some stage during the night Lupin had a look around. He wanted everyone to dance with everyone else and he was gauging who hadn't taken the floor at some point in the night to do dancing exhibits. Neville's two-step with Luna had been most delightful. Lulu and Viktor's waltz was excellent and Katie obliged with George to perform a racy tango as a part of Katie's dance classes. Lupin's eyes fell on Fred and Lulu, tucked away at a corner table, talking to each other. Their heads were bent very close together and they seemed totally engrossed in their conversation.
"Lulu and Fred!" Lupin called mischievously. "I don't think we've had a performance from the pair of you."
Lulu snapped her head up and Fred raised his eyebrow. "I think you're correct," Lulu nodded. "Fred, if you'll oblige?"
"Oblige? I'd be honoured," Fred nodded.
"The pleasure is all mine," Lulu said, rising with him.
They moved to the dance floor. "Anything in particular?" the conductor asked.
"Anything at all," Fred shook his head.
The music started and Fred and Lulu bowed to each other, joined and started dancing. The music was upbeat and had a kind of celebratory Scottish air to it. Fred and Lulu fell right in with the melody and soon were bouncing all over the floor, spinning and crossing hands. Most remarkably the pair were laughing hysterically the entire way through the dance, making up moves as they went and yet still looking like they'd rehearsed the dance for weeks and weeks. Harry was astonished. Lulu's bright amber eyes were burning with an intense delight and her cheeks were slightly flushed, giving her the appearance of a fun-loving young adult - a glimpse into a life she could have had. Fred was energetically spinning her around and around, her skirts fanning out and her hair creating a dark halo in contrast. Lulu never once missed a beat and came out of the spinning and straight into a complicated series of footwork that Fred matched perfectly. At last they finished with an exuberant bow to each other and then fell about laughing.
Harry glanced at Hermione and was shocked to see the beginnings of tears in her eyes.
"Hermione? What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.
Hermione shrugged, struggling to stop the tears. "Look at her. She looks so happy and content. She looks like anyone of us," she said, her voice wavering.
"Why is that making you upset?" Harry asked confused.
Hermione sighed, frustrated. "Because it's a life she could have had. It's a life she should have had. She shouldn't be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders like this. I mean, it's a bit like you really. Why do you two have to be the only two young magicians in all of the world to have such a heavy burden on your shoulders?"
Harry was completely perplexed now. He knew why he had a heavy burden on his shoulders - he was destined to kill Voldemort, the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time. But why was Hermione so upset about Lulu?
"I don't get it," Harry frowned. "Why is Lulu's burden so great to bear?"
Dashing away her tears quickly and taking deep breaths Hermione shook her head. "I can't tell you Harry, but believe me….in some ways I think Lulu has it far worse than you."