*Ginny*

Everyone was quiet at breakfast the next day. Dobby and Kreacher had finally started cooperating after several interventions by Harry over the last few months and Kreacher was actually quite good at cooking when Mum let him. Dobby was upstairs unpacking our school trunks.

Dad had his work robe on and called for our attention. "Sirius, your mother, and I talked yesterday and we don't think you should leave the house without significant protection and planning. The enemy is becoming bolder and none of us are ready yet."

I was going to say something about not being a part of the "we" making that decision, but I saw Dad's eyes and knew he wasn't happy about having to say that. I nodded. Ron started to get up but then he slumped, disappointed. Harry didn't have any reaction and was withdrawn for most of the morning.

Hermione came over around lunch, which Harry skipped. That was enough of that, so the three of us invaded the master bedroom. I said, "Luv, please talk to us." We all got on the bed and I held onto his arms and waited.

After a minute, Harry brokenly said, "I feel bad. Like I should be more sad than I am. He… I felt like he gave me everything good in my life. But I've been so mad at him. All the mistakes he made. Sirius. Hagrid. Me…"

Hermione said, "Harry, he did what he thought best for all of us. He cared about you, but he wasn't perfect. Everyone was relying on him."

And who were they going to look to now? Harry nodded. "I don't want that sort of power. If I make it… I'm never going to be left alone."

I squeezed him. "Luv, he was a great wizard. So are you. It's why I crushed on the Boy Who Lived," I admitted. "But more than that, you are a good man. That's why I love you. We will be ok."

After a few more minutes, I finally got a smile out of him. I saw Hermione give Ron a sideways glance which he didn't catch. My brother did say, "Harry, we haven't had a chess match for awhile, being busy with training and OWLs."

He shrugged. "Sure, mate. I'm sure getting thrashed will cheer me up," he said a little sarcastically. But he stood up to dig out the board and pieces anyway.

Harry played a more defensive game than usual. He was out of practice and when he had gone on the attack in the past, it was usually premature and the game was quickly over. Playing this way he would at least prolong his agony.

It actually was fairly even for several minutes. Then Harry sacrificed his Queen without any apparent reason. Ron went on the offensive with a knight but then two moves later, his Queen was blocked. Not captured, but useless. He stayed committed to the attack anyway, moving up a rook.

Harry had the slightest grin on his face. I was the only one staring at him enough to notice it. Two moves later, he was down a bishop but he had a pawn in the second to the front rank. Ron's defenses were in the wrong spot and his king was backed into a corner.

The pawn moved to the last rank and was promoted to a queen. Ron's king had no retreat and no help. "Checkmate."

To his credit, Ron smiled. "I can't believe I left that open. I'll get you next time."

"Probably."

At supper the following day, Dad had some news. It wasn't happy news, but it was at least able to take our mind off the problem from earlier on the day. Harry was still stubbornly working on the wall we had all spent the last three years taking down.

Dad said, "Dumbledore's funeral is going to be in a week. He's going to be buried on the school grounds."

Harry looked up. "I'll need to get some appropriate robes. Unless the school ones will do."

Dad headed him off. "Harry, I don't want you to go. None of you kids."

"Mr. Weasley, I ought to be there. Everyone will be expecting me…"

"Harry, that's my point. We don't know if the protections will hold that far away from the castle. And all the school governors had to be invited. Including Lucius Malfoy."

"So we might as well be locked up while the bastard acts like nothing happened?"

"You don't need to go looking for trouble. It's not…"

Dad never finished his sentence as Harry stormed off. "Ginny, what's going on?"

I sighed and nodded at Hermione, who ran off to our room to retrieve the stack of burnt letters. "You set it so all of the mail is prescreened by the mailroom. Mum put Percy on the list of approved senders?"

"Yes… she's hoping he comes to his senses."

"Hasn't happened yet," Ron muttered.

Hermione came back with several letters that Harry had lit before she extinguished the fire, hoping to save as evidence. "Percy made sure Harry received these, Mr. Weasley."

Dad took the letters and tried reading through the char. I said, "They blame Harry for not ending the war. One even suggested that if he gave himself up, Tom would leave the rest of us alone. He tries to not let it get to him, but it does."

Dad nodded. "Sirius is out doing surveillance all night. I'll go talk to him."

I hugged him tightly. "Please help him, Daddy."

*Arthur*

I paused in the hallway, thinking about my estranged son. I had hoped… I wasn't sure what I hoped for anymore. That he would at least stop trying to make us choose between him and Harry. Even if I hadn't taken legal steps years ago, it wasn't right how he has been treated. By any adult in his life. Doing what was right was more important than blood. If not, then I was on the wrong side of the war.

I knocked on Harry's door and he said I could come in. I entered the spacious master bedroom and found him sitting on the bed, staring out into the air.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley. I shouldn't have been so rude."

"Thank you, Harry." I sat next to him and shared the silence. After a few moments, I said, "You know none of this is your fault."

"I try to believe that. I just… I feel like I'm always surrounded by death."

I sighed and patted his shoulder. He had finally stopped flinching when he unexpectedly was touched. "I don't know what you believe personally, if this was destined by someone or this is all just really bad luck, but we were all blessed that this all fell to a young man like you… and if it's luck, maybe it will all balance out in the end."

I got a small head nod from him. "You are never going to have to be alone. If I had a time-turner… just keep your focus on what matters and pay those others no mind. It's wrong for them to think of you as their saviour. It's too much for anyone to handle. Find one thing to fight for, just make sure it's the right thing."

Dumbledore's funeral was depressing, the bright sunny weather notwithstanding. Not just in the way that one would expect a funeral. The minister sent Kingsley and I as her representatives.

But it was filled with speeches from rich, important purebloods going on and on about his power and greatness when they had opposed everything he had tried to do when alive. Sirius had argued with Minister Bones, trying to get her to start mandatory checks for the Dark Mark at any official function, but there were too many Wizengamot members who were trying to remain neutral.

The Prophet had definitely decided to profit from Dumbledore's passing. The next day's issue was filled with pictures and accounts of the funeral. Then two weeks later, a special edition was printed that claimed to have an exclusive about a past no one knew about.

Hermione was practically living with us and she tore through the accounts one evening in the kitchen. Finally, she folded it up neatly but with frustration, and placed it on the table.

"What do you think?" I asked. I had skimmed through it earlier in the day. She had read it multiple times, looking for any subtle clues.

"I don't want… I hope it's not true, Mr. Weasley. He was the leader of the light. To think he actually was friends or more with Grindelwald."

Ginny said, "But you don't think it's total bollocks."

"No, I don't. It fits together too well. It explains why he took so long to confront him. And why he's never tried to fix the Ministry from the inside. And the whole greater good bit… it was at Hogwarts if you looked close enough."

She nodded. "It feels true. Not sure it changes anything, except discouraging us. I guess we press on."

The next week brought bad and worse news. The Prophet's headline was still speculating on Dumbledore's death but it started to sound a lot like finding excuses for giving in. Once the reporter started minimizing the contributions that Muggleborns made to our society, I could tell where it was going and flipped the page.

"It says Ollivander is missing," I announced.

Ron dropped his spoon. "What happened?"

"Just says his shop has been closed for a week. Someone decided to look into it and he hasn't been seen for ten days. This isn't a busy time for selling wands, so maybe he went on holiday without notice But not for this long."

Molly overheard us and started reading over my shoulders. "The poor old man… I remember getting my wand from him before my first year…"

Harry asked, "What will incoming students do?"

"There's other wandmakers, just not as good as him. And whatever they wanted with him... I'm sure not good. But don't you worry about it." I knew he was going to anyway.

I came home right before supper the next day, but wouldn't be staying. Ron asked, "Going on another raid?"

I was going to deny it at first but nodded. "Yes, Sirius and I. Kingsley and Johnson will be watching the perimeter. No you still can't go."

Ginny said, "You could use the help. Just an extra set of eyes." Harry agreed. I knew that it was grating not being able to help.

I insisted, "You'll have your chance. But even if your mother wouldn't skin me alive if I brought you, you're all underaged. There won't be wards to protect you and the self-defense excuse won't pass when you're attacking Death Eaters. Lucius would get you expelled and probably arrested for good measure."

Hermione only had a couple months to seventeen, but I doubted she'd be allowed to help until she was done with school. And though she definitely could fight but didn't seem as eager.

I had another sort of fight when I got back with a crushed arm. I was in for a painful night of healing.

"Arthur, no more! Johnson isn't coming home tonight. I don't want you to be next."

"It was a lucky hit."

"And your luck's not lasting forever either. At least be more careful. Sirius charging in there, going off half-cocked…"

"It's worked so far. I don't think I'm going to talk him out of it."

"You can try."

Sirius had seemed understanding but disappointed when I made an excuse for not helping during the next raid. He was going to go on without me, which I had fully expected.

Meanwhile, Molly was in full panic mode regarding the wedding, which we would be hosting in a fortnight at a rented muggle hall. She had Fleur, Hermione, and Ginny working details for the reception until after eleven. My daughter probably would sooner elope before signing up for all the drama.

I tried soothing her as she slid next to me. "Dear, it will all work out."

She tried nodding. "Fleur is just so… and we're… I want everything to go right."

I was about to answer when the portkey ward sounded. It wasn't anyone trying to get on that wasn't allowed, but way past the time when we expected activity.

Before I was fully woken up, I was in the living room in my dressing gown a moment after Harry. Sirius was lying on the floor, collapsed and bloody.

I knelt beside him as I heard a moan from the old dog. Harry said shakily, "Sirius…"

He turned to the side and coughed, grimacing. I waved my wand over him. "A couple broken ribs. Some internal bleeding."

By now, the rest of the household was in the room. Molly said, "I'll get the potions."

I debated on levitating him to a couch, but Sirius somehow forced his way into a sitting position. "Thanks, Molly," he said as he downed the elixirs. His eyes fluttered for a minute but then he opened them and seemed more lucid.

"All right, back to bed all." Harry helped him to his feet. "Show's over." No one moved, hardly believing him. "I'll be fine after a night's rest. I can't say the same about Rabastan though."

I had to leave for work before Sirius was up the next day and so I didn't get to speak with him privately until after dinner. But I did manage to get him alone.

"Sirius, I know it was probably worth it, but…"

"Damn right it was, Arthur. You know what type of person he was. How many lives he's taken and ruined."

I took a breath. "You're starting to scare me. First Peter, then all the rest."

"This way, I know they aren't going to escape again. You know what the Auror Corps are down to… I was camped outside a known hangout and saw him going out by himself. I wasn't going to let go of the chance just because I didn't have backup."

"A quarter inch and it'd have gone the other way."

"I know. I don't care. I want to end this for Harry and Ginny."

I sighed. "They want you to see the end of this too. Please just… be more careful. Moody got jumped this morning. Didn't make it. None of us are invincible."

"I'm sorry about Moody, good man and a great fighter, but I'm not going to stop, Arthur. Every last one that I kill is one less after the kids. I'll try to watch my back more but I can't say anything else."

"Well, I guess that'll have to do then. At least take the night off." He agreed. But he was gone the next morning and I didn't see him again until the wedding two weeks later.

It was a good thing the wedding was set for mid-afternoon, I mused while having a cuppa before lunch. Bill, Charlie, and the twins hadn't returned from their stag night, hopefully having spent the night at the twins' or Bill's flat. Ron and Harry were both underaged so we used that as the excuse for them not going. If we had mentioned security, Molly and I would have had a mutiny to deal with.

Charlie's lanky dragon patronus popped up, swirled around for a bit, and then, "We're heading over to the hall, see you soon."

Right.

I started to head up the stairs to check on the boys, but they met me halfway down. Harry was wearing a dark dress robe with emerald overtones. Thankfully I had been able to save up enough to get Ron something a bit more respectable. Being the groom's side was a lot less costly, which was a bonus in having six boys. And I knew my daughter would never have to want for anything ever again. Not that I suspected she'd want something anywhere near as extravagant as the Delacours had planned.

It had been a headache, balancing the wedding everyone wanted with keeping everyone safe. The Delacours had paid for everything with an alias that Sirius had set up. Him, Bill, and I had set up wards the previous evening before things got too hectic and Fleur and her mother had put in some of their own charms before retiring to the hotel. With any luck, only the portkeys that Bill made would get one into the ceremony.

"Did Hermione make it in?" I asked. Molly was supervising Dobby and a few other house elves with the luncheon and evening meal preparation. A compromise since most everything else was store-bought and it let her feel needed and kept busy.

Harry said, "Yes, she flooed this morning and is up in Gin's room getting ready."

"Good. Hopefully they'll be ready soon and we can head over, I'm sure the women will have plenty of work for us to do when we get there." I paused and then said, "I'm not going to tell you not to bring your wands, but remember you are both not supposed to be using them. Even if there's an emergency, please let us sort it out."

They both agreed half-heartedly.

"We might as well go down and wait for them to finish up."

We sat at the table in somewhat awkward silence. Ron was tapping his fingers and then said, "I don't remember things taking this long last wedding we were at."

I said, "Well, that was just a second cousin of your mother, so we didn't show until the ceremony started. My job for the day was usually to keep you, Ginny, and the twins from getting dirty, making messes, or into mischief. So if you don't remember being bored, I must have done something right."

Harry added, "I don't think I've been to a wedding before, magical or otherwise."

Ron looked surprised. "I lost count growing up."

Harry shyly said, "Well, you know… not something I would have been brought along to."

I interrupted. "Well, you've probably realized by now, they are just as important to us as muggles, if not more. Especially in the pure-blood circles, they are very formal affairs and just as much about the two families being merged as the two individuals. I had heard that Lucius and Narcissa's wedding had cost thousands of galleons just in solicitors to go over the contract."

"Contract?" Harry asked.

"Well, at the time, it was assumed Sirius and Andromeda would be written out of the will and Narcissa would become the sole heir for the Black estate. There was real estate and many other legal issues, even provisos for tests before and after the ceremony as needed to ensure the legitimacy of any future children."

Both boys made a face with that picture in their head of the Malfoys. "And if that sounds more like a business arrangement, you'd be at least partially right. With power and no real love, that's what it is. All a wedding really is, at its core, is a promise. Everything else is just window dressing." I heard footsteps coming down the staircase. "But if you value your life, never repeat that to your mother or a girl."

Harry smirked and then turned around. Hermione was first, wearing a pretty gown and her hair in an updo that was rather differently than normal. My youngest son looked entranced so I quietly poked him in the back to knock him back to reality. He got up and took her hand. "You look really nice, Hermione."

"Thanks Ron." She smiled and came down the last step.

Then time could have stood still. My daughter was wearing a cream dress that forced me to admit she hadn't been my little girl for a long time. Harry took her hand and he softly kissed her. She looked back at me with a hint of blush.

"Well then, let's go." I held out the empty beef tin that serves as our portkey and tapped it.

The ride was a bit bumpy than usual, probably due to the wards on both sides. But we all arrived in one piece.

There was plenty to do, even with the number of invited guests in the dozens. We also didn't want to be constantly using magic and attract attention. By the time I had a moment to breathe, it was half an hour before the ceremony and the guests had started to arrive.

My stomach dropped as I saw Percy. He neatly stowed his hat and approached me. Molly had insisted on inviting him and Bill hadn't said anything, probably figuring he wouldn't actually come with so much unresolved. But here he was.

"Father," he said.

"Hello." I wasn't sure what to say.

Fred and George always did though. "Are you a friend of the bride?"

"You sure as hell don't deserve to sit on the groom's side."

I looked at them in exasperation.

Percy said stiffly, "I was hoping to not be insulted while attending my brother's wedding."

"Boys, let's not do this here." The twins shuffled off, at least knowing when to stop. "I'm glad you came," I said. He nodded stiffly and found a seat by himself.

It was only ten minutes past the scheduled starting time when the ceremony was underway. Molly was the second-to-last guest to be seated as the bridegroom's mother, escorted by Ron. Harry walked down the aisle with Apolline, Fleur's mother. He was the least affected of the boys by the half-Veela. Madame Delacour took her seat and then soon afterwards, Bill and Charlie, who stood as his best man, appeared at the front. With the shrunken guest list, we didn't have a flower girl or ring-bearer. Gabrielle walked down the aisle as the maid of honor and then Madame Delacor stood up and the rest of us followed.

Fleur's dress was white yet shimmering. She looked almost fairly-like. I had never been one for the mechanics of women's clothing, so I couldn't begin to describe what I saw, but I knew it was intricate and one of a kind.

Charlie actually had to elbow Bill quite hard for him to get his head back on. He took Fleur's hand from her father, shook his hand, and then they settled into their positions.

I looked over at the rest of my family. Molly was in tears for most of the ceremony. The twins were immediately next to her, smiling but not smiling too much, which was good. Ron was a bit awkward while I imagined Hermione was paying rapt attention at the differences between the standard wizarding ceremony and a muggle's. I couldn't see Harry and Ginny too well. Percy was as far away as he could sit on the bench without making anything obvious.

Fred and George had volunteered to provide the music, since we had decided early on to do without a live band. After the couple's first dance, they had the traditional father-daughter and mother-son dance. Molly was so happy. I didn't know how Monsieur Delacour kept it together while dancing with his oldest daughter.

We had a corner with serve-yourself drinks. After a few dances with my wife, I found a quiet corner and sipped some firewhiskey and watched the crowd. Fred and George eventually put the music on automatic and found some French cousins to introduce themselves to.

Most of the younger ones were still out there a long time after my feet had given out. I looked out and saw my daughter cackling with a girlish grin as Harry twirled her in the air. It was nice they could have a few moments of fun.

Sirius and Remus were absent. Bellatrix had made known her plans for her cousin after it slipped she was pregnant by a werewolf and so the Lupins were trying to minimize risk. Dora especially wanted to be out fighting, but after the scare… Meanwhile, Sirius was nearby, prowling around in a less conspicuous form outside, looking for threats.

Percy finally found me again. "Father - I've heard enough talk. You-Know-Who is pushing hard… not acting with patience. You think you're safe at that boy's house but you're not. Maybe Ginvera's reputation isn't my business but I don't want to be attending the funeral of her or anyone else. They just want Harry, who has gone out of his way to be a target. Please stop trying to upset them. It's not worth it."

I had drank enough that my self-control would have failed me if he hadn't left before I could respond. He slipped out the door and out of sight.