Chapter 10.
The next morning the whole castle seemed to buzz with excitement for the upcoming wedding, though some of the residents there were feeling a little worse from wear thanks to the birthday party the day before.
Several of Harry's friends had been invited to Bill's wedding the following day, so a large group of them had spent an enjoyable evening in the Gryffindor common room, sharing summer stories and playing games. Harry and Neville had been treated to a joint present of a bottle of Ogden's finest fire whiskey to celebrate their coming of age and had shared the drink with all those present, leaving them all slightly groggy in the morning until Fred and George had bounced happily down the dormitory stairs with a dark bottle filled with a dubious liquid.
"It's one of our most useful concoctions." Fred insisted, pouring it out for all those who were holding their heads and squinting at the bright sunshine that poured in through the window.
"It's amazing what can happen when you start mixing pepper-up potion with energy drinks." George said. "Rest assured, it has been well tested by yours truly."
Fred offered a goblet of the potion to Harry. "C'mon, oh-Brave-one." he said, shaking the thick liquid slightly so that its fumes rose up into the air, and laughed a little as Harry's skin turned slightly green. "It'll help."
Harry took the goblet, and ignored the resulting cheer from the twins as he held his nose with one hand and raised the drink to his lips with the other. "This bedder workt" he said, his voice affected by his hangover and the firm grip on his nose, and with one movement tossed back the contents of the goblet, trying hard not to wince at the taste.
He let go of his nose, well aware of his friends' gazes resting upon him as he rolled his tongue around his mouth a little, unsure of whether or not the taste was one he liked or not.
The potion only took moments to take affect, however, and he found his muggy head clearing and his stomach quickly settling.
He looked at the empty goblet and nodded slightly, a smile breaking his lips. "Not bad." he said grudgingly and laughed as the twins were suddenly charged by the other occupants of the common room, each wanting some of the hang-over reliever.
The wedding was timed to start at three that afternoon, though Molly Weasley had insisted that her sons, Harry and Hermione get ready a lot earlier in order to help greet the guests and direct them to their seats. By one o'clock, Harry was standing with his two best friends near the main entrance the open walled marquee, ready to meet and great relatives and direct them to their seats.
Harry subconsciously rubbed the sleeve of his fine wedding robes. He had been handed them this morning by Molly with the rest of her sons, and had insisted that, as an honorary member of the Weasley family, he was to wear the same colours as the rest of them.
Harry half smiled at the reaction his protests had caused. The twins had immediately started going on about how his presence in Weasley robes would bring fame to their family, Bill and Charlie about how Harry was man enough to be one of his best men any day, and Ron about how he had spent so much time with the family he might as well look at one.
But it was Molly's reaction that had caused him to take the robes without further argument. She had grasped his upper arms, forcing him to look in her eyes, and said in a low voice that he was loved as much as any one of her sons and that he was to enjoy the day with the rest of his family.
It wasn't so much her words that convinced Harry, but the meaning in her eyes. She was well aware that this was likely to be the last time the family would be together before the war started in force and they were all to enjoy it as much as they could, to remind themselves what it is to be free and happy.
So now Harry stood in the sunlight, wearing dark coloured robes made out of a light-weight material so that they wouldn't get too hot in the sunlight. They were hemmed with red silk and were worn over a pair of dark trousers and a red shirt that complimented the Weasley hair very well.
"How does it feel to be Weasley for a day?" Hermione asked, nudging Harry with a shoulder.
She was wearing a light pink summer dress that fell just below her knees and brown hair flowed straight and shining from beneath a pretty straw hat, small pink flowers nestled in it's ribbon.
Harry shrugged. "Doesn't really feel any different." He said with a smile. "I am looking forward to the wedding though."
Hermione nodded. "I've never been to a wizarding wedding before." she said. "I went to my cousin's the summer before last though. It was very nice, if on a lot smaller scale than this."
"I've been to loads of weddings." Ron said. "Bill may be the first to get married in our family, but we have plenty of cousins that have already beaten him to the post." he plucked at one of his sleeves, but Harry had already noted that Ron had seemed pleased with the way he had looked when he had put his robes on first thing that morning.
"This would be my first, muggle or wizard." he admitted. "Probably why I'm actually quite excited about all this."
Ron and Hermione laughed as the twins walked up.
"What we miss?" Fred asked, pretending to look slightly put out that he and George weren't part of the joke.
When Ron explained the twins immediately flanked Harry, one hand on each of his shoulders.
"So Potter-Weasley is all excited, is he?"
"That will all be very well until he meets Aunt Muriel, isn't that right, Fred?"
"Indeed, George. And the rest of all our relatives."
"We'll give you a hint, Potter-Weasley." George said, leaning in closed over Harry's shoulder and pointing at one set of chairs. "All those who speak English will be sitting over there."
"And all those that don't will be sitting over there." Fred added, pointing at the other line of chairs.
Without missing a beat both twins reached up and ruffled Harry's hair.
Harry growled and darted away from them, frantically trying to get his hair to stay reasonably flat.
"Oh, and I'd get your hair done before Aunt Muriel gets here." Fred added with a grin. "She'll have you on her lap trying to tame it before you can say "I'm Harry Potter"!"
And they walked away laughing.
"Is she really that bad?" Hermione asked, trying to help Harry swat his hair down whilst trying to hold back a smile as the stubborn locks bounced back up.
Ron groaned. "Worse!" he said. "She always forgets people's names and is constantly asking questions and barking orders. And when she's had a few too many sherry's she might start going on about something that happened when she was a child. And you can't ignore her, cause she'll know. And you can't make excuses to run away, cause she's an old lady. And she won't let you escape for hours on end…"
"Or maybe you just aren't brave enough to stand up for yourself against a helpless old woman." Hermione noted, huffing a little and taking a step back from Harry, looking with dismay at his hair.
"It's hopeless isn't it." Harry said in defeat and groaned when Hermione nodded.
He glanced down at his wrist and noted the time from his watch. "I've still got time to run back in to fix it." he said, turning to the castle and breaking into a jog.
"Why bother?" Ron called. "You know it'll just stand up again in five minutes."
Harry just waved a hand over his shoulder and carried on jogging up to the front entrance to the castle, taking the steps two at a time and dashing into the entrance hall, making his way to the nearest set of toilets.
Ten minutes later, Harry swore at the mirror who had started laughing hysterically at his efforts to tame his unruly hair and, after casting a few threats to smash the enchanted glass, left the toilets grumpy and a little resentful to his father for passing on the genes that made him look so scruffy.
"Now, boy, what's the bother?"
Harry looked up and spotted an elderly lady standing on the other side of the entrance hall.
She was wearing the strangest outfit Harry had ever seen on a witch, and he had seen his fair share at the large gathering the Quidditch world cup had brought a couple of years before. It took a while to realise that it was a very dated dress she was wearing, an odd shade of burgundy mixed with green lace and it had a white collar and frills around the wrists. The outfit was topped off with a large necklace of yellow beads and small green-buckled shoes.
Harry almost forgot to breathe when he realised it looked very similar to the robe Ron had been forced to wear during the Yule Ball the year of the triwizard tournament, and the lady's next question confirmed her identity to Harry.
"Come, come help your Aunt Muriel, boy." she said, waving her free hand over. Her other hand was clasped around a pale wooden walking stick, not straight like those used by most muggles, but it bent several times up its length, making Harry wonder if the muggle perception of witches had come from actual visual sightings.
He shuffled his way over, aware of trying to seek an escape route without seeming to obvious.
"Don't make excuses, lad." Ron's aunt said, waving her hand again. "We are both going to the same place, are we not? So what excuse have you not to help someone six times your age?"
Harry shook his head slightly, pulling together his Gryffindor courage as he neared. Hermione's words rang in his ears from their conversation with Ron earlier, and swore that after facing dragons, Basilisks, Death Eaters and Voldemort, a little old lady was nothing to fear.
He smiled, hoping that he had inherited his father's charm as well as his misbehaving hair. "It would be an honour to escort you outside, ma'am." he said, offering the crook of his arm to her.
The old lady paused, contemplating Harry's offer through half-moon shaped glasses, not that dissimilar to Dumbledore's. Her suspicious eyes seemed to read his thoughts and Harry realised that she was probably not as insane as Ron made her out to be, probably deceiving her relatives for her own amusement.
In that moment, something passed between them and she smiled at Harry, taking his elbow with one bony hand and allowing him to lead them both to the door.
"It's nice to see that there are still some gentlemen left in the wizarding world." she said. "You aren't a Weasley though, but you are wearing Weasley robes. Who are you boy?"
"Harry." Harry said. "Harry Potter."
Ron's aunt sighed as they walked out the entrance hall and into the sunlight. She held her head up to soak up the warmth of the sun before allowing Harry to help her down the stone stairs that were not a little worn after centuries of use.
"Now that's a name that has been in the papers a lot over the past few years." she said. "Most of it complete rot, I'm sure. Never believe what that Skeeter woman says, her mother was the only woman I know that could exaggerate better than her, and look where it got them!
"But you can't blame a boy for turning out as he has with what has gone on in his life."
Harry frowned slightly, wondering if he had been wrong in the assumption that Aunt Muriel was completely sane. She was talking about him as if he wasn't there.
"Complete tosh! A boy expected to save the wizarding world! Who in their right mind would expect a boy that age to be able to cope with such a task?"
"More than you think." Harry replied quietly.
"Piffle! People only do what they're told. And what they're told normally comes from the media. And the media only tells one of two things. It either reports the truth, which is often too scary to listen to. Or it lies, pretending everything is okay. Most accept the latter knowing it to be untrue, but unable to find anything else to believe in. At least until they see something to prove otherwise. But a baby! Defeating one of the greatest wizards of all time!"
She snorted. "Complete and utter nonsense! I'm sure the boy doesn't even remember the day, let alone know what charms were in place to ensure his survival."
Harry caught her glance at him out of the corner of her eye and refrained from interrupting her tirade, wondering if there was direction to her seemingly pointless talk.
"It would take a man to let people know that things can and will be okay." she said. "One brave and true, very much Gryffindor to the bone. But maybe with a slight slyness. Someone who knows that the direct approach isn't always the best one. Slytherin tendencies I believe."
"What do you know about Slytherin tendencies?" Harry said, knowing that very few people knew what the hat had discussed with him the first time he had placed it on his head.
The old lady stopped and looked at Harry as if she was about to reveal a great secret.
"I was Slytherin." she replied.
Harry couldn't stop the grin that came to his face. Her words should have come as a shock, after all Ron had boasted many generations of Gryffindors to his family name. But the way she said it, in a dark whisper as if it were taboo to say, nearly had Harry in stitches.
"It wasn't all bad." she said, standing up straighter and continuing in a normal voice. "It taught me how to live to this age, didn't it? But I don't want my secret to be let out now, you hear?"
Harry shook his head, and quickly drew a cross over his chest, a promise that her secret was safe with him.
"Anyways," Aunt Muriel said, taking Harry's arm again as they resumed their walk. "As I said, it would take a man, brave but clever, to be able to defeat one such as Voldemort."
Silence fell for the first time since Harry had met the lady. For one moment Harry thought it was due to her shock at verbalising the Dark Lord's name, but then realised that it didn't seem to bother her, and instead she was waiting for a response from him.
"People think I'm that man." he said, not quite sure was she was looking for him to say.
"Pah!" the old lady threw up her hand, stick and all, and showed her disgust at Harry's answer as he ducked to defend himself. "you aren't a man. You're a scrawny teenager barely taller than me, a hundred-and-eight year old woman. I am more man than you!"
Harry, slightly put out at her response, had to refrain from commenting that she had more of a beard than he did which could be used to prove that point, but sucked in a breath instead and asked "So you think you can defeat him?"
"Gosh no. Don't you read the papers, boy? Harry Potter is the one to defeat him, not me! But I feel that he needs to discover his other side to succeed. Not all this rushing in and killing dragons with broomsticks nonsense, but real planning and thinking."
Harry shook his head and watched Ron try to hide behind Hermione as they approached where the chairs were lined up for the ceremony.
"I'm not trying to say Potter is the wrong man for the job." the lady said in a softer voice as they moved between the seats. "But he has a long way to go, and there are so many things to be learnt before he can be man enough to face the wizard who killed his parents."
She turned into the third row of chairs from the front and sat down on the aisle seat, shifting herself around until she was settled.
"That's the ticket." she said and looked up at Harry who was still standing there. "Thank you for assisting an old lady, boy." she said. "You are not a Weasley though, what's your name?"
"Harry." Harry repeated. "Harry Potter."
"Harry Potter." the old lady nodded. "Now that's a name that has been in the papers a lot over the past few years…"
Harry shook his head slightly, unable to believe that she was repeating herself and only just caught her wink as he was grabbed by two pairs of strong hands that lifted his feet clear from the ground and carried him, running, up the aisle.
"Hi Aunt Muriel…"
"…Nice seeing you again…"
"Bye Aunt Muriel!"
Once out of the marquee, Harry was allowed to put his feet back on the floor and looked to see Fred and George looking at him concernedly.
"Are you okay, Harry?" Fred asked as he brushed a hand through his hair, ruffling it up again.
"Survive your experience?" George continued, straightening out Harry's robes.
"Ron let us know what was happening, and we decided to save you."
Harry shook his head slightly. "She was okay." he said, and fought to argue his case when the twins looked at him sceptically. "No really, I honestly don't think she's as batty as you make her out to be."
The twins shook their heads at him. "It takes one to know one, Harry." Fred said, then nodded his head at his twin. "Let's go, George, there are Veela cousins to look after!"
Harry watched as the twins walked away to where some of the guests were arriving then went to join Hermione and Ron who were standing a little way off from the marquee greeting some Weasley relatives, easily identified by their red hair.
"Have fun?" Hermione asked with a smile.
Harry shrugged. "She's just an old lady." he said.
"She's not any normal old lady." Ron said. "She's the evil incarnate. Placed on the earth to inflict boredom and torture onto us poor, innocent young 'uns!"
"And I think you've been reading too many books, Ronald." Hermione said.
"Ha! "too many books" says she who carries a full library around with her!" Ron retorted.
"Calm it down, you two." Harry said, knowing the starting signs of a classic Ron versus Hermione fight after spending the summer with the two. "It's supposed to be a day of happiness, not really the time to fall out."
Hermione looked at Ron and nodded slightly. "Fair enough." she said.
Ron nodded. "Let's just enjoy the day."
Harry sighed mentally, thankful that he had managed to postpone another bickering session from the two.
They spent the next hour greeting guests and assisting them to their seats. Harry was particularly happy to see Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks - known as Tonks by pretty much everyone. It was nice to see his father's friend find someone who could make him happy in a time of much hurt and unrest.
"Still as short as ever, eh Harry!" Tonks said with a smile, letting go of Remus' arm to give him a hug.
"Leave him alone." Remus said, also giving the son of his old friend a welcome hug. "his father was one of the tallest in our year, it won't be long before he hits a growth spurt. How are you doing, Harry?"
"Not so bad, especially without the insults." he said with a smile. "How are you both?"
"Happy," Tonks said, taking hold of Remus' arm again. "I've managed to convince this old dog that he's got some inner puppy in him yet!"
Harry pulled a face. "That was more than I needed to know, Tonks." he said, and then noticed the robes she was wearing. "Why are you in your Auror robes?"
Tonks looked down. "Oh, there are several of us posted on duty today." she said. "Moody has been here most of the morning, scoping things out and making sure things are safe. Kingsley will be around later, though he has some meetings with the minister before he can get away."
"Things still going well under Scrimgeour then?" Harry asked.
Tonks stuck her tongue out and shook her head. "He has the right idea, but has a twisted way of getting things done. He may not pretend that things are all going to be okay and his intentions may be good, but he still has Politician in him."
"No doubt he'll be making a visit some point over the next couple of days." Remus added. "He seems determined to get you to support his point of view. Hopefully he won't get silly in his quest to have you has his poster boy and forget the reason why he needs a poster boy in the first place."
Harry shook his head. "I think I've made it clear what side I'm on." he said, casting his eyes down the slope to where Dumbledore's tomb stood proud against the glistening water of the lake. "He may try to get me to do what he wants, but realistically he knows he has no chance."
Tonks smiled. "Good for you, Harry." she said, and the three of them looked up at the marquee as Charlie shouted an announcement that the wedding would be starting soon. "We'd better get a move on." she said. "I want to get an aisle seat if possible."
Harry watched her walk off, pulling on Remus' hand as she went.
"What's her rush?" he muttered as he followed.
"I think she wants to catch the bouquet." Remus said quietly over the shoulder with a groan.
"Too right I do!" Tonks said with a grin, overhearing his words, and Harry laughed as Remus hung his head and followed her into the tent like a condemned stray.