So it turns out that the last chapter was longer than nineteen. I guess you guys get a bigger reward than I thought for the 100 reviews thing. Keep up the reviewing and I might do it for every twenty-five reviews. I wanted to thank everyone for their ideas and their constructive criticism. It really makes me a better writer.
Chapter Twenty-One
It was great to be back at the Burrow. Just standing there staring at the house made Harry, Ginny, and George feel better. They quickly mad their way to the back door. George got there first and led them into the house. A lovely site met them. Mrs. Weasley was bustling around the kitchen making lunch. Mr. Weasley was sitting at the kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet. Percy and Charlie were also there. Bill and Fleur walked in from the living room. Fleur's pregnancy was becoming more and more visible as she neared her eighth month.
"Hey everyone," George said walking in. "Is there enough for an extra three?"
Mrs. Weasley dropped a pot and everyone else nearly jumped. Charlie actually fell out of his chair.
"What are you three doing here?" Mrs. Weasley asked once she picked the pot up again.
"We came to spend the night mum," Ginny said stepping towards her.
"As seventh years, we're allowed to leave the grounds as long as we're not missing classes. We missed you all so we decided to come stay here for the night. Ron and Hermione would have come too but Ron has a lot of homework to catch up on Hermione always has studying to do," Harry said.
"Well, it's nice to see you all," Mr. Weasley said. "Go put your bags in your rooms and then come back down for lunch. It'll be ready in a minute." The three disappeared up the stairs with their bags. Harry and Ginny went into the first room they reached that she used to share with Hermione. They dropped their bags onto the large bed and then sat down. Harry lay back on the pillow.
"It's nice to be back here," Harry said. "I've missed staying in this house."
"Me too," Ginny said. "Then again I see it a lot more than you."
"Well, you used to see it more than me," Harry said. "Now, I'll see it the same amount of time you will. You do realize that the next time we'll be off school and staying here for longer than a night we'll be married?"
"Well, won't we be here the week before the wedding?" Ginny asked.
"Well, I figured we would just stay at the castle until the wedding. It's only an extra week," Harry said.
"Isn't the bride usually supposed to stay with her parents at least the night before the wedding?" Ginny asked.
"Well, won't they be staying at Hogwarts that night too?" Harry asked.
"I don't know," Ginny said. "We should find out."
"We could ask them tonight really," Harry said. "I'm sure Professor McGonagall wants to know how many rooms she has to scrounge up."
"Very true," Ginny said. She leaned in and kissed him.
"Hey let's eat lovebirds," George said from the doorway. Harry and Ginny stood up and walked out the door, following George to the kitchen.
"Perfect timing," Mrs. Weasley said. She had just sat down at the table. Everyone else was already helping themselves to the sandwiches. Harry and Ginny sat down in their usual spots. George sat down next to Percy. They had grown closer than ever before since the death of their brother. In half an hour lunch was over and everyone was full. They had only talked about their school year so far. Percy was, as always, very interested in the schooling and in Harry's duties as Head Boy especially.
"Well, Dad and I have to get back to work," Percy said standing up.
"So do I unfortunately," Charlie said. "Unfortunately, Romanian dragons can not be ignored." The three left and apparated to their jobs. Bill and Fleur stood up to leave as well.
"Hey, before you go we were wondering what you guys are going to do for the wedding," Harry said. "We're meeting with Professor McGonagall in the morning and she'll probably want to know who's going to be staying at the castle. Do you guys have any idea if you guys are staying at Hogwarts at all?"
"Well, we'll definitely be staying after the wedding with the baby too," Bill said. "We'll probably just stay at Shell Cottage the night before though. What time is the ceremony going to be?"
"I think it's three," Harry said. "It won't be earlier than that."
"Great, I thought it would be earlier but the later the better," Bill said.
"I would advise getting there earlier though so you can drop off your bags. You could even get ready there," Harry said.
"Yeah, we'll see," Bill said. "Thanks guys."
"Do you have any idea what Charlie and Percy will do?" Harry asked.
"They'll probably stay there the night of the rehearsal dinner and the wedding night. I don't know if they'll stay even before that," Bill said.
"Alright, thanks," Harry said. With that, Bill and Fleur left to head back to Shell Cottage.
Harry and Ginny turned to Mrs. Weasley.
"Hey Mum, what are your plans for staying at Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.
"Well, I suppose we'll have to stay here the night before. After all, the bride has to stay at her parents' house the night before the wedding. It's tradition," Molly said.
"Good, I was worried that I would have to stay at Hogwarts instead of at the good old Burrow," Ginny said.
"Well you don't have to worry," Molly said. "You have to stay here the night before the rehearsal dinner as well."
"Mum, that's way too much time away from Harry," Ginny said. Harry smiled.
"Ginny, do stop your whining," Molly said. "Your father and I didn't see each other for a week before our wedding except for at the rehearsal dinner. After all, there's always the wedding night." Mrs. Weasley left the kitchen leaving Harry and Ginny blushing and George pretending to throw up.
"I never knew your mum thought about that type of thing," Harry whispered into Ginny's ear. This earned him a slap on the shoulder from his bride to be.
"I can't wait til the wedding," Harry said.
"I can't wait til the wedding night," Ginny said. This caused George to run out of the room pretending to choke and Harry to kiss Ginny.
"You know it's only fourteen weeks away," Harry said.
"Oh I know," Ginny said.
Those fourteen weeks passed by very quickly. Classes went on, adding on homework to prepare the students for their exams. Quidditch season also began. October 5th led to Gryffindor's first win against Slytherin. October 19th's game against Hufflepuff led to their second win. November 2nd was their third win against Ravenclaw. November 23rd was the first off-week for Quidditch. It had been decided that the Finals wouldn't occur until after winter break. For Harry and Ginny, this meant they would already be married.
December 11th dawned bright and early. It was drawing nearer to their wedding. For Harry and Ginny, it was the last day they would spend together as fiancés. Harry and Ginny had both agreed that they would spend it completely alone. They figured they deserved that. Harry had planned a breakfast in bed followed by a little kissing. For lunch they had planned a picnic by the lake. After that it would be time for Ginny to leave. Her trunk had been packed the night before so it wouldn't take away from Harry and Ginny's day together. Arthur and Molly had allowed for Harry to take Ginny to the Burrow but then he would not be allowed to talk to her or see her until their rehearsal dinner.
That day passed by very quickly and by three o'clock Harry was back at the castle. He slowly made his way up to the castle. He figured he might go see what George and Ron were doing. Hermione had gone to stay at the Burrow as the Maid of Honor. The school was pretty empty. It seemed as though everyone had gone home. The only people left in the castle were the students that were invited to the wedding. Aunt Petunia and Dudley were supposed to be arriving the following morning. They were staying the night of the rehearsal dinner but they were not staying the night of the wedding. Uncle Vernon was having a fit that they were even going for the one night. He wanted nothing to do with Harry or his wedding.
On his way up to the dorm, Harry ran into Professor McGonagall.
"You know, this is your wedding and you're supposed to be enjoying the last of your time as a bachelor," Professor McGonagall said.
"Yeah, well, I'd be enjoying it a lot more if Ginny were with me," Harry said. "I just want to marry her."
"Well, that's a very good attitude," Professor McGonagall said.
"Can I help you with any of the setup?" Harry asked.
"You should go spend time with your friends and soon to be family," Professor McGonagall said.
"To be perfectly honest Professor, that's the last thing I want to do," Harry said. "I'm going to be spending plenty of time with them this weekend and I really just wanna do something to help with the wedding."
"Oh, very well," Professor McGonagall said. "I suppose you could set up the rooms. I have a list of everyone who's staying here and for what days. Do you think you can assign rooms for them and set them up?"
"Yeah sure," Harry said. "Is everyone staying in Gryffindor?"
"As long as everyone fits," Professor McGonagall said. "You know everyone that's being invited so you can find out. If there's any more then come find me and I'll scrounge up a room. I fell bad giving Arthur and Molly a room the same size as everyone else. They should have a better room."
"Well, they could stay in the room that you made off of my office. It's more private, it's bigger, and it's connected to Gryffindor," Harry said.
"That's a very good idea," Professor McGonagall said. "And that's already set up."
"Well, that's two names checked off my list," Harry said. "I'll go. Can boys be put in the girls' dorms?"
"In this case yes," Professor McGonagall said. "I have removed that charm so all boys can go up there, including you,"
"Okay, I'll go then," Harry said. He took the list from Professor McGonagall's hand and then left to go make up the rooms. An hour later he was done. Everyone fit into the rooms. Every room was used. Bill, Fleur, and their baby girl Victoire, were put in one room. Charlie and Percy were put in Ron and Hermione's room. Harry put Aunt Petunia and Dudley in his living room on cots. All other family members and friends were smashed into any room they could find. He asked Ron and George for advice on where to put some of their family members. Not very many of them were staying at Hogwarts.
That night, Harry slept along in his bed. It was the first time he had been alone in a bed since before the Battle. He felt lonely. Back at the Burrow, Ginny lay alone in her bed as well. She continually looked over to where Harry usually slept. She really missed him.
Eventually she fell asleep. Harry however, did not. The fact that he had not slept alone since the Battle kept creeping back into his mind. At midnight, he got out of bed and went out into the living room. He sat down in front of the fire and stared into the flames.
Harry never remembered falling asleep in front of the fire but, he did remember being woken up by Ron.
"Hey mate," Ron said. "It's eight o'clock and your aunt and cousin are supposed to be arriving soon. Professor McGonagall got an owl from them a few minutes ago saying they were five minutes away from Hogsmeade. You might wanna get dressed."
"Thanks Ron," Harry said. Harry got up and went into his bedroom to dress quickly. He threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and then ran down the stairs and all the way down to the Entrance Hall. Standing there were Professor McGonagall, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley. Dudley had really thinned out since the last time Harry had seen them.
"Aunt Petunia, Dudley!" Harry exclaimed giving his aunt a hug.
"Oh, hello Harry," Aunt Petunia said. "So where's your bride to be?"
"She is staying at her parents' house. She'll be here tonight for the rehearsal dinner though," Harry said. "Come on, I'll take you up to your room and then I can give you a tour."
"That would be lovely," Aunt Petunia said.
Harry led them through the castle and all the way up to Gryffindor Tower. He showed them his apartment which was pretty clean. Dudley was very impressed with the amount of room he got. Aunt Petunia was more impressed with how clean it was.
After dropping off their bags, Harry led them down to Ron and Hermione's room. Ron and George were in there with Seamus and Dean.
"Hey guys, this is my aunt Petunia and her son Dudley. Aunt Petunia, Dudley, these are my friends Seamus and Dean. This is Ron and George, Ginny's brothers. George is my groomsman and Ron is my best man," Harry said. "I'm gonna go show these guys Hogwarts. We'll see you guys later."
The three left to explore Hogwarts. For the next hour, Harry showed Aunt Petunia and Dudley every part of Hogwarts. He told them stories and showed them what life at Hogwarts was like. By lunchtime, Harry had worked up an appetite. They walked into the Great Hall but it was being set up for the rehearsal dinner.
"It looks like we'll have to go back and eat at the dorms," Harry said. "Maybe those guys will want something to eat." On their way back up to the dorm they ran into Neville and Luna.
"Hey guys, this is my aunt Petunia and my cousin Dudley," Harry said. "Aunt Petunia, Dudley, this is my good friend and groomsman Neville and his girlfriend Luna. She's standing up in the wedding as well."
"Nice to meet you," Neville said.
"Hey, are you guys hungry?" Harry asked. "We were gonna head up to my room and order some food. The Great Hall is closed so we have no other options."
"I'm a bit hungry Neville," Luna said.
The five made their way up to the dorm and invited everyone else up to eat. They were all hungry so they gladly accepted the offer.
Half an hour later they were full and tired. Aunt Petunia and Neville had been traveling since six in the morning so they decided to take a nap. Harry left them to it and agreed to wake them at four o'clock. It was one o'clock so Harry decided to get ready. The rehearsal wasn't until five but Ginny would be arriving at three o'clock and so would many other people. He picked out a pair of khaki pants from his closet. His tuxedo for the next day was hanging in its bag. Harry had wanted to incorporate what he thought of as regular so he wanted a tuxedo. Harry pulled on the pants and grabbed a belt. He found a light blue dress shirt and pulled that one over his under shirt. He tucked it in and then grabbed his tie. He tied it on and then found a pair of socks and his dress shoes.
The last step was his hair. He combed it back as best he could but that one part still stuck up, just like he knew his father's had. He was fully ready by one forty-five. He quietly left the bedroom and tip-toed through the living room to the door. He went down to Ron's room and found him getting ready.
"Hey how's it coming?" Harry asked.
"Good," Ron said. "Oh, by the way, my parents are running a little ahead of time so they're gonna be here with Ginny and Hermione in like fifteen minutes."
Harry hurried down the stairs to the common room. It was empty. Harry walked out the portrait hole and down all the stairs to the Entrance Hall. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny were all standing there. Bill and Fleur walked in a moment later, Bill carrying Victoire. Harry stood on the stairs watching while Professor McGonagall addressed them. He could see Ginny was not paying attention to anything that was being said. Her eyes were sweeping the room. When they found him she smiled and never lost eye contact.
They both ran to each other at the same time and kissed tenderly. For the rest of the time they stood holding each other.
"Oh, honestly you two," Mrs. Weasley finally said. "It's as if you've been apart for years." They finally broke apart after that comment but Harry stayed holding her hand.
"You look beautiful," Harry whispered into her ear.
"You look as handsome as ever," Ginny said back. Harry put his arm around Ginny and they left the Weasleys to go back to Gryffindor Tower. Ginny had not met Aunt Petunia before and she had only met Dudley once. It was time for Harry to wake them but he found that they were already awake and getting ready. Aunt Petunia was in Harry and Ginny's room and Dudley was out in the open. Ginny backed out of the bedroom when she saw that Dudley was changing.
"That lovely young woman was my bride to be in case you were wondering," Harry said sitting down on the couch. Dudley finished changing a moment later and invited Ginny back in.
"Nice to see you again Dudley," Ginny said shaking his hand. Then she went and sat down next to Harry. As soon as she sat down there was a knock at the door and Ron's voice could be heard.
"Hey Harry, there're two people out here that want to see you," Ron said. "One of them is your ring bearer." Harry jumped up and opened the door. There was Ron standing next to Andromeda Tonks. She was holding hands with little Teddy. Harry crouched down and spread his arms wide for Teddy to come to him. Teddy quickly let go of his grandmother's hand and walked into Harry's outstretched arms. Harry lifted him off the ground and brought him into the room motioning for the other two to follow.
"Who's this little guy?" Dudley asked walking over to him.
"This is my godson Teddy Lupin. His dad was one of my dad's best friends. He taught one of the classes here too during our third year," Harry said. Dudley jumped back when Teddy changed his hair to brown like Harry's.
"Oh, yeah he's a metamorphmagus too like his mum," Harry said.
"What does that mean?" Dudley asked.
"It means he can change his appearance at will," Ginny said walking up and taking Teddy from Harry's arms. "You look handsome don't you?"
She got a nod of the head from Teddy.
"Is he talking now?" Harry asked Andromeda.
"He says a few words," Andromeda said. "So when do we have to be downstairs?"
"Well, we're starting the rehearsal at five so you'll have to be there a little beforehand with Teddy. It's outside by the lake," Harry said.
"Oh, is the ceremony outside?" Andromeda asked.
"Yeah, but it's gonna be in a heated tent," Harry said. "That was all Professor Flitwick's doing."
"He's very bright that one," Andromeda said. "What time is it now?"
Harry glanced at his watch. "It's about three. That means that Ginny and I should probably start seeing everyone that's arrived."
"Well, I'll have to get ready," Andromeda said. "Do you think you could hold off on going anywhere until I change?"
"We could take him with us until the rehearsal if you want," Harry said. "I've missed this kid. I don't think I've seen him since the rebuilding process."
"Oh that would be lovely. I'll meet you down by the lake at about four-fifteen if that's alright," Andromeda said.
"That's perfect," Harry said. He took Teddy from Ginny, who looked like she was ready to fall after holding him for so long. The three of them left the room together and headed down to the common room.
All of the Weasleys were there sitting around the fire. Percy and Charlie had already dropped their bags off in the room.
"Harry, is this Teddy?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Yeah isn't he so big?" Harry said.
"He's huge," Mrs. Weasley said. "I wanted to ask you where Arthur and I were staying tomorrow night. We brought bags with us so we wouldn't have to bring it tomorrow. They're in Bill and Fleur's room right now. Ginny's are there as well. I don't know where she's supposed to be getting ready."
"Well, your room is off of my office. There's a nice room there that's already made up. Ginny is getting ready in our apartment. I'm getting ready in Ron's with George and Neville," Harry said.
"Aren't those apartments connecting?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"Yes, but I won't go up there and Hermione is gonna keep us posted so we don't run into each other. She shouldn't be leaving the apartment until after me anyways," Harry said.
"Well, I suppose that sounds fine. Are we gonna be in that room as well?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"You two can be wherever you want," Harry said. "If you'll excuse us, we have to go check on a few things." Harry and Ginny walked off with Teddy in Harry's arms.
"You're really one top of things," Ginny said.
"Well, you were gone so I had to take charge. It feels good though. I actually know what the situation is. I know where everyone is staying because I assigned the rooms. I missed you so I wanted to do something to get off missing you. It didn't really work but, it was better than nothing," Harry said.
"You've really stepped up. When we were first dating you let me plan everything. Now, I'm coming to you about our wedding. The wedding is supposed to be what the bride lives for," Ginny said.
"Are you saying you're not that pushed?" Harry asked.
"No, I'm saying that I'm more excited about being your wife for the rest of my life then the one day," Ginny said.
"I would expect nothing less from my bride," Harry said. He leaned over and gave her a kiss.
"Come on, we should go see who else has arrived," Ginny said.
"What time will you have to get ready?" Harry asked.
"In about an hour," Ginny said. "Do you think you can handle Teddy for a while without me?"
"I won't have to," Harry said. "I'll come with you. I'll probably need to help."
"Harry, not with Teddy around, and with our wedding tomorrow, you'll 'help me' plenty tomorrow night," Ginny said.
They walked down to the Great Hall and greeted people as they came in. Most stopped to say a quick hello to the bride and groom. Auntie Muriel kept them talking for the longest amount of time. She asked them for every detail of the wedding and kept asking about Teddy. Once they finally got free of her, it was time for Ginny to get ready. Harry was just about to follow her when Professor McGonagall came walking over.
"Can I steal one of you for a minute?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Harry looked to Ginny and then took his foot off the step.
"What do you need Professor?" Harry asked. Ginny continued up the stairs to get dressed. Teddy looked after her and waved.
"Well, I don't know if this is your cup of tea, but I completely forgot to ask you which table setting you want. Since it's the school, we only have a few options. I was going to go with the Hogwarts plates, but, we also have Gryffindor settings so I wasn't sure which one to use," Professor McGonagall said.
"Definitely the Gryffindor ones," Harry said. "I know that Ginny would like those."
"I'll make sure they're used," Professor McGonagall said. "Do you want them used for tonight too?"
"No, use the Hogwarts ones tonight," Harry said.
"Perfect, I never would have thought of that," Professor McGonagall said. "I'll see you in a few hours. Go find your bride."
"I will," Harry said. "Say bye Teddy." Teddy waved to Professor McGonagall as she walked away.
"Let's go find the bride," Harry said.
I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated. I started a few new stories and I wanted to get their first couple chapters up. You should check them out. Read and Review!