Ninja Wizard 51

By David

Author's Notes: First off, Happy New Year to all of the readers out there! I sincerely hope that 2008 will be a good year for everybody. The usual disclaimers apply.

Ninja wizard 51

"A Weasley Wedding"

The dark figure slipped through the shadows down in the dungeons. It paused by a doorway and listened carefully to the sounds of the castle. The lack of threatening noises satisfied him and he moved on. He entered what was the potions classroom and paused once more by the first desk he encountered. Ever since Snape fled the castle the Aurors had been over every inch of the potions classrooms, his office, and personal quarters. The figure silently entered the personal quarters and paused once more to observe the mess the Aurors had left behind in their search of Snape's quarters. He reached out with his senses searching for any kind of wards or wards and didn't find any except for one that seemed to linger by the fireplace. He smiled and wondered how in hell the Aurors missed that one. He would have liked to know. He went to the fireplace and carefully searched each brick until he found the one he was looking for. He pulled on it carefully and the brick came out of the wall. He reached in and felt around with his fingertips. He felt something and pressed on it. The liquor cabinet next to him slid aside. He grinned to himself. He'd found a Snape secret. He reached into the space and located the iron box and withdrew it. He carefully picked the lock and opened it. He used a knife to cheek the contents and then nodded to himself. He closed the box and slipped it into his backpack and then melted back into the shadows as torches came into the room, a group of Aurors holding them. They stood there completely slack jawed at what they found. He nearly laughed out loud at their expressions. He didn't hang around to see what was said. He moved through the shadows back down the hallway and then stepped out of a shadow by a particular room. Harry Potter stepped into the room to find Hermione and Ron waiting for him.

"Did you get it?" Ron asked anxiously.

Harry withdrew the box from inside his pack and smiled. "Yup. Even busted a Snape secret in the process. I'll show you the memory of the Auror's reactions."

They looked inside the box at the locket that lay inside. Harry shook his head.

"How something that beautiful could contain something so evil I'll never know," Harry sighed. "It will be safe in here for now. Hermione, have you made any progress in finding a spell to destroy it?"

"Not yet honey. I've got a few books to go through yet. I suspect that the spell is probably locked away someplace restricted," she said.

"That's a big help," Ron grumbled. "Somehow I don't think the ministry would be helpful there."

Harry nodded. "Then it's up to us then."

"As usual," Ron grumbled. "Anyways there's nothing we can do about it now. The wedding's a few weeks away and Mum's going spare. Too much to do and so little time. Merlin helps us all."

"Well we need to get back there then. The excuse of me getting something from my house can only last so long," Harry said.

They turned to the floo and hopped back to the Dursley house in Hogsmeade. The house was quiet for the moment. Harry raced upstairs and got out of his ninja suit and put it in his special concealed spot. He dressed in jeans, t-shirt, and Doc Marten boots. He grabbed the stack of CD's he came for and went back down the stairs to find Ron grazing in the fruit bowl and Hermione flipping through a book. Typical of his friends. He smiled and shook his head. He tucked the lawn tractor he'd shrunk on his way into the house into his jeans pocket, certain Arthur Weasley would love it.

"What!" Ron exclaimed, looking up from the apple he was eating. "I got hungry!"

Harry chuckled to himself and turned to Hermione. She looked at Harry over the book.

"Wizard wedding customs," she said.

Harry laughed outright. "Come on, we need to get back."

All three of them flooed back to the burrow and found an anxious Molly Weasley in the living room.

"Hi Mum," Ron said. "Need anything done?"

She turned to Ron. "Yes. I need you to move a few beds into the spare room upstairs."

Harry knew which room she was referring to and he reached out and took her hand into hers and gently squeezed it and smiled at her. She blinked back the tears that threatened to form in her eyes.

"Thank you Harry," she said softly.

Harry stepped forward and hugged her. She let go a moment later and Harry went looking for Dudley. He found him upstairs going through his crate of CD's. He looked up when Harry walked in.

"Did you find what I needed, cuz?" he asked.

Harry grinned. "Right where you left them, cuz."

They both laughed as Harry handed them over. Dudley hunched over his crate once more as Harry went back downstairs and to the backyard where the wedding was to be held. He found Arthur standing in the middle of the yard.

"Hi Arthur," Harry said.

The red headed man turned to see Harry standing there. "Ah there you are, Harry. Did you bring the riding thingy?"

Harry grinned. This was going to be so much fun. "That I did sir."

He reached into his pocket and spoke a word. The riding mower grew to full size and Arthur's eyes grew big at the sight of it. Harry nearly laughed out loud at the man's reaction. He then told Arthur just how it worked, even tilting it on it's right side to show him the blades on the bottom of it and told him they were extremely dangerous when they were spinning. Harry then got on it and started it up. Arthur watched in amazement as Harry started off and mowed down the grass as he went. Harry did a few rows before turning it over to Arthur. He jogged next to Arthur and guided him for a bit and then let him go. The man was having the absolute time of his life. Harry grinned as he retreated to the house to find Hermione with a glass of lemonade.

"Are you sure he's okay with that?" Hermione said as they watched him ride around the yard with it.

"Oh sure," Harry said. "What kind of damage could he do?"

Molly came out a few minutes later and spotted Arthur on the riding mower. The twins, Ron, and Charlie came out as well. Arthur noticed them standing there and his face lit up as he started waving his hands and whooping. Harry noticed he was heading for the garden and he started yelling.

"Arthur! Watch out for the garden!" he yelled.

Arthur must have thought Harry was yelling something else. He waved his hands once more and looked very pleased with himself until he hit the fence. The mower stopped and he looked at it puzzled. Then he looked behind him and noticed the shambles of what was once the garden. The flowers were strewn all over the place. He looked up.

"I think I missed a turn," he announced.

Harry closed his eyes and groaned.

Molly had no trouble voicing her displeasure. Harry felt sorry for Arthur. He went to work cleaning up the mess and hoped that Molly would eventually forgive the man. Arthur's obsession with Muggle things could and often did cause a bit of strife between him and Molly. Harry looked at the now cleaned up mess and decided to pull off a last minute bit of configuration by creating a garden worthy of a wedding at the last minute. There were other things that needed to be done first. Harry got on the riding mower and finished off the job. He parked it in the Weasley shed and used a bit of wandless magic to disable the started in case Arthur got to it. Best to keep from starting trouble once more. Harry went back to the now very quiet house. He looked in the kitchen to find Hermione consoling Molly. Harry passed them and went into the living room. Ron saw Harry as he came into the living room.

"Dad went to his office at the Ministry. Mu really lit him up," Ron said.

Harry sighed. "I hope things will get better before the wedding. Don't worry about the garden. I got something in mind for it and the other areas he got too."

"I hope you can pull it off, Harry. Mum wanted the garden to be perfect for the wedding and Fleur loved it too," Ron said.

Harry sighed. "She will. What do we need to do next?"

Ron held up a long list and consulted it. "The house needs to be painted."

"Okay, first thing in the morning we get to it and work in the shady areas of the house," Harry said. "Let's go survey it."

Both of them found Charlie outside with the twins. All three of them looked somber.

"We just promised Charlie no pranks until after the wedding," Fred said

"Don't need Mum eating us for breakfast," added George.

Charlie nodded. "A wise choice."

Harry had the feeling Charlie had something to do with that. "Ron says the list of things to do states the house needs painting. We can get started first thing in the morning and work in the shady areas. Let's take a look to see how bad it is."

All of the men walked around the house and pointed to various things as they surveyed the house. Harry realized there was a fair amount of work needing to be done. Dudley came out of the house and found them on one side of the house.

"What's the verdict?" he asked.

Harry sighed. "At least two days to fix a few things, a day to scrape, and then two more days to paint. I'd say a week tops."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Hermione said, having come out and finding the men gathered by the house. She turned to the twins and pointed her finger at them.

"Relax Hermione. They gave me their word. No tricks until after the wedding," Charlie told her. "They answer to me."

Hermione nodded. "Good."

As the Weasley men moved to the back of the house Harry leaned forward and whispered into Hermione's ear. "I disabled the mower so it can't be started unless I gave the special word. Don't need another accident. As for the garden, leave that to me."

Hermione turned to look at Harry and then nodded. "Okay, Harry."

She headed back into the house and Harry caught up with the group now in the shed. There was a discussion as to how much paint they would need. Ron had opened a few cans and found them dried up. Harry looked the color.

"This color wouldn't be right," he said. "We could do another color and the house would look so much better."

"What would you suggest?" Charlie asked as he looked at Harry.

Harry nodded. "Glad you asked. Let me go get my bag from the home improvement."

Harry jogged in and noted Molly now back to working in the house. He jogged up the stairs and retrieved his bag and went back outside.

"I went and go what is called color chips," Harry said spreading them out on the picnic tables. "They range from the light to the dark."

The discussion got started as to which color would look best until they reached an agreement over one for the house and another for the trim. Harry checked his watch. It was now coming up on three in the afternoon. Plenty of time to go to the home improvement. He made up a list of what they would need and got Charlie's attention.

"Do you have access to the car?" Harry asked.

"Sure. Do you need to go somewhere?" Charlie asked.

Harry nodded. "Thought we could make a run to the home improvement and get what we need. It would be just you and me. The others can stay and help Molly."

"Okay. I'll go tell Mum," Charlie said.

Harry turned to the others. "Okay. If you can clear some space in here we can stash everything from the shop in here."

"You got it boss," Dudley saluted Harry.

Charlie returned to the shed and Harry joined him outside. "Got the keys, Harry. Let's go. I wanna get back just in case the twins start cutting up."

Harry nodded and they walked out to the car and got in. Charlie started it and drove out to the highway and turned left to go into Ottery St. Catchpole.

"Always thought I would be the first, Harry. Bill beat me to it," Charlie said with a grin. "I can't wait to plant a few pranks in their honeymoon suite."

Harry laughed. "I hope he's good humored."

Charlie looked over at Harry. "He is, thank God. Has to be, the twins have zapped him many times. He's not as tight as Percy is."

"Do you think Percy will show?" Harry asked.

Charlie sighed. "I don't know. That's anybody's guess. Dad did mention he sent Percy an invitation to the wedding."

"That's good," Harry said. "I hope he does come around."

"What about you, Harry?" Charlie asked. "You going to tie the knot with the lady Hermione? The both of you make a great couple."

Harry smiled. "I know we will," he said. "I've given her a promise ring. I want to wait until all of this is over."

Charlie nodded as he saw Harry tap the curse scar. "Gotcha Harry."

They pulled into the parking lot of the home improvement and parked. Charlie looked around at the displays of tools and other things.

"Glad it's just us, Harry. Dad would go spare in here," Charlie whispered to Harry. "You lead on, I know nothing about this stuff."

Harry took a breath and then considered his list until a perky lady stepped up.

"What can I do for you chappies?" she asked brightly.

Harry grinned at her. "We are painting a house and need a few things. Got a list right here. Can you help?"

Harry handed her the list and her eyes bugged out. She was certain the commission from this sale would make her day.

"Sure. Grab a basket and let's get hopping," she said.

Harry looked over at Charlie and noticed his eyes had glassed over. He knew he'd just fallen for the girl.

"We go shopping and you fall for the girl," Harry complained as they drove back.

"Best bargain I ever got," Charlie smiled as he patted his pocket where he had stashed her number. "Shelly's drop dead gorgeous."

"Woah there Romeo," Harry laughed. "You ain't taken her out yet."

"Oh I will, me boyo. Count on that," Charlie grinned.

Harry sighed and turned back to the road in front of him. They day was nearly done and they had yet to unload the car and get the shed organized for the next few days.

"Survive this and I can guarantee we can survive anything," Harry sighed as he stacked the last can in the shed. "Never realized a wedding required so much work."

Ron stood up as he dropped the can in his hand on the floor. "I hope we don't have to paint the house again after this."

Harry stretched his back and nodded. "You won't have to. This stuff is guaranteed for at least ten years. The next time will be after you get married."

"Yeah right," Ron said. "I'll stay single, thank you very much."

They headed into the house to see Hermione and Ginny putting dinner on the table. There was a noise from the living room and Molly perked up. She went into the living room to see who it was and didn't return for a few minutes. Charlie peeked into the living room and turned to the gang with a smile. Arthur was home.

Harry settled into bed that night and relaxed. Everything had worked out for the better and Harry had managed to convince Molly that he would fix the garden in time for the wedding. All she needed to do was trust Harry. That had worked out. He turned over and went to sleep. He dreamed of a grand white wedding for Hermione and him. He dreamed of her looking radiant as she walked down the aisle towards him. He could see nearly all of their friends there and he hoped that was a good omen. He had learned that sometimes dream do predict things for the future and he hoped this was the case.

Harry was in a very good mood the next morning as he finished his workout. Hermione noticed him staring at her and she wondered what was up.

"What's got you grinning like that?" she asked him as they sat in the shade of the tree from the morning sun.

Harry took her hand in his and related the dream to her. She smiled at him sweetly.

"I do hope it will come true, Harry. It would be wonderful," she said.

"I do hope so and something within me says it will. I believe it," Harry said.

Hermione turned to him. "I do love you."

Harry leaned forward and kissed her. She moved into his arms and sighed happily. Harry held her close and smiled once more.

"I love you," he said. "I love you for who you are and you are the most wonderful woman I've ever known."

Hermione teared up and kissed him once more. Ron and his brothers were crossing the yard towards them. Fred, George, Charlie, Ron, and Dudley stopped in front of them and pretended to play violins. Harry grinned as Hermione smiled.

"See you later dear," she said and kissed him once more and then went into the house with a bounce in her step.

Harry watched her go and sighed. He looked up at the guys in front of him.

"Right. Let's get to it," Harry said.

Arthur joined them and they got to work. By the time breakfast was called they had the repairs done to the front of the house. Using magic did have it's advantages, Harry quickly learned. He was a few weeks away from his majority and once he reached it he would be able to legally use it even though he was emancipated and a lord in the Wizarding World. Harry shook his head and brushed sawdust off his shoulders and looked up at the window he had been working on. It was done and he checked it over once more. He climbed down and joined the men at the pump to clean up for breakfast. The talk was light until Fleur and Bill walked out of the house. They blinked at the flowerless garden.

"Don't ask," Arthur said. "Let's just say I made a very bad mistake and leave it."

Bill nodded seeing the look on his mother's face. They sat down at the table and Harry filled him in on the progress so far.

"Well I'm on vacation as of now so I can help out," he said. "So what do you want me doing, Dad?"

Bill was handed over to Harry and he explained what was going on.

"Sounds like fun," he said.

The men all groaned at that.

A week later Harry stepped back and looked at the end results. The house looked damn good once more and Harry smiled. The efforts had been worth it. Hermione and the other women stood there and admired the paint efforts. The new color did look very good and Harry was glad he had convinced the Weasley to go with the new paint scheme. At some point Charlie was dispatched into town to get more supplies and came back two hours later with a silly smile on his face. Harry knew where he'd been.

"Shelly?" he asked.

Charlie grinned and he knew he was right. Bill was snickering.

"Charlie just might beat you out for the next married Harry," Bill said.

Harry nodded. "That's fine with me."

The twins took the opportunity to start up a betting pool among friends and relatives as to who would be the next to get married. Harry bet on Charlie and got back to work around the Burrow. The wedding was now two weeks away. Harry went around the house to the backyard and found Bill and Arthur planning out the seating and where the tents would go. Harry wondered just how many Aurors would be here for this event. He knew it would be a prime opportunity for Death Eaters to attack. If he was one, he'd definitely attack here. There would be a few priority targets including himself. Harry decided to put a few special items around the yard just in case. He looked up to see Moody arriving. He walked over to the old Auror just as Ron reached him. The three of them discussed the security arrangements. Ron wanted a few of the DA people to be there to help. Harry thought that sounded like a good idea. Ron carefully suggested the idea to Molly and she agreed. Ron immediately started sending owls to the inner circle. They in turn would contact the others. Ron immediately set them up as guests and servers at the reception. Harry nodded at the plan. He'd left it all to Ron and Ron had proved himself that he could do from the Diagon Alley attacks. The ministry was another story. Harry wondered just what Ron would decide to do after the wedding. He knew Hermione had decided to go with him on the Horcrux hunt. She convinced him he needed her expertise in matters. Harry was sure the argument had not gone well with the Grangers even though Hermione had not said anything. He turned his attention back to his current job. He was checking the folding chairs to be used in the wedding for any damage. He'd found a few in need of paint and set them aside. Dudley walked over and watched Harry for a moment.

"How many of them need to be repainted?" he asked.

Harry looked up. "Quite a few, Dudley."

"Okay. Let me go grab a bucket of white and a brush," Dudley said.

He did that and the twins soon joined him. Everything was going according to plan.

The day of the wedding dawned bright and clear. Harry took a turn around the yard to see if everything was ready. He sat down in a folding chair and sighed. The fun part was about to happen and that was to create a garden with magic. He cracked his neck and relaxed. He closed his eyes and slowly sank down into Getsumi no Michi. Once he was firmly in meditation, he let his senses go. He became aware of the Earth beneath his feet. He became aware of the plants in the yard. He began to imagine in his mind a Japanese garden he once worked in back in Anjiro. He pictured all of the various flowers and plants green and blooming in all kinds of colors. He let his magic go. He felt something happening and relaxed knowing it was all good. He heard people gasp in shock and surprise and he shut that out and went back to concentrating on his mission. He sensed that the job was finished moments later and he brought himself back up from Getsumi no Michi and opened his eyes. He smiled at what he was seeing. There were flowers and plants all over the yard. People were looking at Harry in amazement.

"Thank you Harry," Molly whispered to him as she cried. "It's so beautiful."

People shook his hand and Harry felt good about having created all of this. He sat on a Hermione conjured recliner up in Ron's room to rest from his efforts. He dozed for a bit until Hermione came for him.

"Are you okay, honey?" she asked with concern in her eyes.

Harry smiled as he took her into his arms. "Never felt better. Darling, I gotta get you to the church on time."

Hermione laughed out loud at the joke. "We are there, sweetheart."

"That was quick," Harry cracked.

Hermione laughed once more and led Harry out of Ron's room. They nearly got run over by a herd of wild kids on their way out the door. Ron was in the reception area talking to the DA members who showed up. Harry had no doubts he was handing out last minute instructions. He turned to see Charlie introducing shelly to some people. She had taken to Charlie's being a Wizard fairly well. In fact she was fascinated by it all. That had worked out well and she had sworn to never reveal to anyone what she knew of the Wizarding World. Harry was glad to see Charlie had found his happiness. He briefly wondered who the twins would go after. The girls they snagged would have to be willing to put up with the pranksters. He snickered at the image in his head. He turned in another direction and focused on the groom's tent. He recalled the bachelor party they went to the other night.

The men had gone to the pubs in Hogsmeade and had whooped it up until late. It was funny to see the guys get loose for a chance. Lupin had been the one declared the most sober at the end of the night. Ron got the most drunk award. Arthur had to carry Ron home and to bed and then had the most unpleasant job of explaining things to Molly. Ron had stayed in bed for most of the day the next day. Fred had gotten the most phone numbers collected award from pretty girls at the pubs. George got the best prank award for a gag gift he'd gotten Bill. Vernon had joined the celebrating and took Harry off to a corner during the party at the Three Broomsticks and they had a long serious conversation about things concerning him and Hermione. Thomas had joined the conversation at some point and agreed with Vernon on a lot of things, like finishing school and getting a good career going first before getting married. Harry assured them he had every intention of looking out for Hermione and making sure she got what she deserved. Thomas has been reassured and Vernon felt he'd done a good job of talking to Harry. Harry felt good knowing that Uncle Vernon had his best interests at heart.

He looked up to see a few friends coming towards him and he nodded to them.

"Damn boy, you look hot!" Katie Bell said as she approached Harry. "Those Muggle tuxedos look sharp!"

Harry blushed. "Thank you Katie. It's good to see you. How are you feeling?"

"Much better," she replied as Harry stood up and gave her a hug. "Thank you for being there when I needed help."

Hermione appeared and did the girl greet thing with Katie and the other girls in the group. They moved off in another direction as Jordan, Ron, and Neville watched.

"I'll never understand girls," Ron said, shaking his head.

"They are a mystery," Jordan admitted.

Harry shook his head in agreement and turned to watch Hermione talking with them. "Sometimes, you know?"

Harry turned his head when he heard music. Dudley was working his soundboard as guests came walking in. He recognized the theme from the Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me". He'd never in his life ever imagined that James Bond really existed until Dumbledore's funeral. He met the man briefly at the wake following the interment. He nearly laughed when the theme from "Hogan's Heroes" began playing. He shook his head and turned to see an older man standing there. He recognized him right off.

"Remus! You made it!" Harry called out.

Lupin walked over to where Harry stood. "Of course. Couldn't miss this for anything. Not every day one goes to a wedding."

They sat down on a pair of chairs. Harry looked Remus over and was surprised to see the older man looking good for once.

"You look good, Remus. New clothes and everything," Harry commented.

Lupin smiled. "Thank you Harry. Married life can and does change you."

It took a moment for that to get through Harry's mind.

"You got married?" Harry sputtered.

Lupin held up his hand and showed off the plain gold band on his finger.

"Who's the poor girl?" Harry asked.

"Me," Tonks informed him as she came up behind them.

Harry grinned. "Congratulations to the both of you."

"We did it in France where the Wizarding World is less restrictive than here," Tonks said.

"We can thank Fudge and his cronies for that," Harry said darkly. "Umbitch is the worst offender in that department. You should have seen her trying to dress down the Centaurs that night she went spare."

"You have to show us that memory later," Remus said.

Piano music drifted across the lawn, filling in the silence. Tonks wrapped herself around Remus and kissed him on the forehead and then drifted off in Hermione's direction. Lupin turned back to Harry. He reached into the pocket of his suit coat and produced a picture. He smiled for a moment and Harry saw the far away look in the older man's eyes and the smile on his face.

"You know, I recall a day very much like this one. A find day for an outdoor wedding if there was ever one. Two people I knew were getting married," he said.

He handed Harry the picture and then smiled as he saw Harry recognize the people in it.

"Yes, your parents. A Marauder wedding. All of us were there. Sirius was pulling pranks left and right. Your Mum went spare at him a few times. I considered a prank or two and decided after seeing you Mum go at Sirius for changing the banner at the reception was enough. It was one of the best days of my life. Your Mum looked so beautiful, an angel if there was ever one. God I miss them," Remus said, getting choked up. "I miss them. I wish they were still here."

"They are," Harry said, recalling something Dumbledore had said to him once. "Just because they are gone doesn't mean they have left us. They are still with us, especially in the times when we need them the most."

Lupin reached out and gently squeezed Harry's shoulder. "That sounds like something Dumbledore would say."

Harry chuckled. "He did."

"I think they are starting," Remus said. "You better get."

Harry left Remus and went to the house. Hermione nodded and he knew it was time.

Harry watched Charlie and Gabrielle start out. Gabrielle was the Bridesmaid and Charlie was best man. Harry and Hermione were next. Harry walked her down the center aisle feeling happy. He saw Aunt Petunia wipe a tear from her eyes and looked to see who else he knew. Tonks smiled at him as they passed by. Harry still couldn't believe they were married. They really did make a wonderful couple. They separated at the front, each going to their assigned positions. The next couple came up and took their places. Then the Wedding March started. All eyes went to the back and Fleur emerged from the tent. She looked stunning in white. Harry glanced up at Bill and he was focused on her. Fleur took her father's arm and the very proud father escorted her all the way down the aisle. He stopped and kissed her before taking his place. The old wizard stepped up and the wedding began. The ceremony was beautiful and Harry was sure Hermione was taking notes in her head. Harry paid more attention to her than the ceremony. Ron had to nudge Harry to snap to and escort Hermione out behind Charlie and Gabrielle. The guests were escorted into the reception tent as the photographers went into action. One of them was Skeeter's man and he promised to do an excellent job and to make sure Skeeter didn't show up. He was true to his word. Harry posed for the required pictures and them moved around the area to check on things. Colin Creevey caught his eye and the young Gryffindor nodded. Harry had to admire the kid. He had a lot of courage to stand tall against the darkness that was coming. Harry completed his patrol around the grounds and found Hermione talking to a few friends.

"Hello darling," he said as he came up to her. "Wasn't that a great wedding?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes dear. I saw Tonks. Did you know she married Professor Lupin? What a surprise!"

Harry nodded. "Yes I know. I was talking to Remus a bit before the wedding and he told me. He even told me about Mum and Dad's wedding and showed me a picture of them."

Harry pulled the picture out of his tuxedo pocket and showed it. Hermione took it and looked at it. She passed it to Padma and turned back to Harry.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Harry smiled. "Yeah I am. I just hope that we will be just as happy as they were on our day, Hermione."

"I predict that you will," Luna said with a smile. "I know both of you will."

The picture came back to Harry and he slipped it back into his pocket. He looked up when people began to get excited. Bill and Fleur had just walked into the reception area. Dudley began to work his own magic with the music. Harry had to laugh at the way Dudley was rapping. He shook his head and took Hermione by the hand and they both went to join the reception line. They had people to greet.

The afternoon went by pleasantly. Harry had danced quite a few times with some of the ladies. Hermione danced with him quite a bit and he danced once with Aunt Petunia and Molly. The high point was his catching the garter. Cries of 'he's next' had gone up from his friends. Then Hermione had caught the flowers and the girls there sighed as Harry and Hermione kissed in the middle of the dance floor. The caterers had outdone themselves. The food was exceptionally good. The cake was presented to the crowd to a great round of applause. It would be an evening long remembered. Harry hoped it would be. He had been feeling things deep in his soul and spirit for the last few days. He had the feeling that things would be happening very soon. He had no idea how right he was.

Harry hung up his tuxedo to be returned to the shop the next day. He stood in his room for a moment and then pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He sat down in his rocking chair and let his thoughts wander. He could hear Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther" coming through his walls as Dudley was playing show tunes on his stereo. He was glad that Dudley had done well at the reception. He was surprised by the song that Dudley had dedicated "Bad Boys" to the Death Eaters at the reception. Once the guests understood the words the laughter had started. Even Harry had to laugh at it and it had been a great morale booster. So much had gone wrong lately, loosing Dumbledore and a majority of the Order. Harry was glad that Moody had been one of the survivors. He still had much to learn from the old man. Harry reached for a glass of water and drank it down and then poured himself another from the pitcher on his table nearby. He sat there holding the glass for a time as he considered his next actions. Should he try for Dumbledore's diary? He knew the old man had one. If he did it would make things so much easier. He decided to go visit McGonagall the next day. Time he got started on the hunt. Having made the decision he finished off the glass of water and headed to bed. Tomorrow would be a long day.

Harry approached the castle. He stopped for a moment to gaze on the towers. He sighed and remembered coming here as a first year. He chuckled to himself. He continued on inside the castle. He met Filch on the stairs. The old man had been there as far as he had been. Harry wondered if the castle had conjured him.

"Mr. Filch," Harry nodded.

"Potter," Filch nodded back.

Harry moved on the headmaster's office. The gargoyle stepped aside for Harry.

"Thanks Henry," Harry said.

The gargoyle threw Harry a salute and moved back to his position after Harry had passed him. The stairs started up as soon as Harry started up them. He stood still and enjoyed the ride. He arrived at the top and he found the door open. He palmed a throwing knife and slowly eased in. A figure has his back turned towards Harry. Then it turned around and it jumped.

"Goodness Harry, you gave me a fright!" McGonagall exclaimed.

Harry tucked the knife back into it's holster. "My apologies, Madame."

McGonagall sat down. "What can I do for you Harry?"

Harry chose his words carefully. "I wondered if Dumbledore had left anything for me. A letter, a book, or something."

McGonagall nodded. "As a matter of fact he did leave something for you. A book with a letter attached. I was going to send it to you but you are here so I shall give it to you now. I hope it has the answers you are seeking."

"I hope so too. I thought Professor Dumbledore would have left some kind of last words of wisdom behind," Harry said. "I still can't believe he's gone."

McGonagall sighed. "Neither can I Harry. I always thought he would always be here forever. I guess I was wrong."

She turned to the closest bookshelf and searched it for a moment and then found it and pulled it down off the shelf. She handed it to Harry.

"Thank you," he said. "Have a good rest of the summer."

Harry turned and left the office and headed back to the Dursley house. He crossed through the wards Dumbledore and Bill Weasley had set up months ago. Harry paused before the picture of his parents sitting on the table of his desk in his room. He sat down and contemplated the letter he was about to open. He sighed and laid them aside. He stared out of the window and watched a flock of birds fly overhead. The looming war suddenly seemed so far away. Harry had no idea just how close it really was. He turned his head to the book and the letter and regarded them for a moment. Then he picked up the letter and went to sit in his rocking chair in the corner of his room by the window. He held it for a moment and then opened it. He began to read.

Scrimgeour leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes and sighed. Ever since Harry Potter had taken out Greyback he had expected the official ministry emissary to make contact with the Werewolves. They had ignored the emissary, apparently distrusting him. Scrimgeour had to engage the services of one Remus John Lupin and hope he would have much better luck. Umbridge had been dead set against it from the beginning but Scrimgeour had over ridden her. She had gotten very angry and shouted at him. He had risen from his seat and stared her down. She had left his office in a fit of rage. Scrimgeour had hoped she would come around. He looked down at his papers and then suddenly he felt compelled to write a letter naming Umbridge to be his successor should anything happen to him and date it a few weeks back and drop it into an open box behind him labeled important. He blinked a moment later and wondered what had just happened. He didn't see the wand come out of the darkness or hear the person holding it whisper the death curse. He did see the green light racing towards him but by then it was far too late. The Avada Kedavra struck him dead center of his chest and threw him into the wall. He slid down the wall until his body came to rest in the corner of the table by the wall. The figure emerged from the shadows and bent over to inspect the body. The person stood up once more and caught a reflection of them self in the glass of the nearby window. Dolores Jane Umbridge seemed very pleased with herself with the job she had done. Her master would be very pleased. She would then start carrying out his grand plan and help him take over the Wizarding world. She carefully wiped her fingerprints off the stolen wand and dropped it in the middle of the floor. The useless oaf Dawlish would never miss it. Wasn't he taught to always keep track of it? She went to the door and found the file on the secretary's desk she had put there to support her story for coming to see Scrimgeour. She opened the door wide and then picked up the file. She carefully scattered the papers in the file, the trail leading to the door. She dropped the file cover on the floor by the secretary's desk and then took a deep breath and started screaming as loud as he could. Moments later people came running from everywhere. She pointed into the room in a panic. Kingsley Shacklebolt tried to calm her down as Tonks entered the room.

"Terrible!" she panted, allowing the black man to gently propel her into a chair. "I saw Scrimgeour dead!"

"Did you see anyone run out of here?" Shacklebolt asked.

"No I did not," she replied.

Tonks appeared at the door as the lockdown alarm went off. "I found a wand."

Shacklebolt went in with Tonks and saw the scene. There was no question. Rufus Scrimgeour was dead.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Next Episode: The news breaks of Scrimgeour's death. Harry reveals the letter's contents to Hermione. She studies the book. Clues abound in the book.