Harry chuckled as Ron fidgeted outside the church.
"I'll be sure to laugh as well when it's you I'm attending." Ron shot back at him.
"Oh, I'm sure I'll be in the same state, so I must get my turn to laugh now, as I'll not have it again." Harry clapped Ron's shoulder. "Don't worry my friend, I shan't let you make a fool of yourself on your wedding day."
"My thanks," Ron's eyes went heavenward, but he managed a smile.
Harry went to say more, but the sound of a carriage cut him off. He turned to see Miss Granger approaching with her parents and Ginny as her attendant.
Miss Granger looked lovely in her new blue dress and the necklace from the set Ron had given her. But Harry's eyes were unable to look away from Ginny for more than a moment. Her red hair had been styled with sweeps and curls that made his fingers itch to touch it. She wore the same green dress he'd seen her in at Ottery that had been so flattering. And she had donned a pair of earrings that resembled white roses. She was every bit more beautiful than any lady he'd had the occasion to meet.
It took a great deal of effort, but he managed to pull himself from her spell blinding appearance and focus, if only momentarily, on helping Ron move through the motions of greeting his soon to be wife along and her entourage.
"Shall we?" Ron's voice shook ever so slightly as he held out his arm to Miss Granger.
"We shall," she smiled brightly and took his arm.
Harry slid into step behind them offering his arm to Ginny. "May I walk with you, Miss Weasley?"
She smiled at him, but he noticed it didn't reach her eyes.
"Why yes, Mr. Potter." She took his arm, but didn't look back up at him.
Harry suddenly felt they were back to the evening they'd first met in Ottery.
What in the world happened?
He didn't have long to think on it before the vicar began the wedding. But he might as well had been out in the church yard for all that he heard. He was lucky to have been listening just enough to realize it was time to hand Ron the wedding ring.
Ron took the ring from Harry and turned back to Hermione. "With this ring, I thee wed, with my body, I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."
Harry looked over at Ginny, and the only word that came to mind for her demeanor was torn. But he didn't want to see her torn. He wanted to see her happy and laughing the way she had been in his sitting room the night before.
With the end of the ceremony came the beginning of the celebration, a celebration his parents, and subsequently him also, were hosting. Harry did not care to wait to pull Ginny away long enough to determine what was wrong, but he saw no other option as he entertained the guests in his home.
It was near the end of the wedding breakfast that the topic of conversation moved to himself and Ginny. And while normally that would not have bothered him, Harry would have paid a great deal of money to have cut them and their engagement off from the topics of the morning's dialogue.
"Will you be purchasing a special license for your wedding to Miss Weasley?" Mr. Granger asked.
Harry watched Ginny slouch further in her chair. "We've not yet discussed it." He answered for them. "We've been looking forward to the wedding of your daughter to Mr. Weasley."
"Perhaps it would be wise to do so," his father continued the conversation and Harry could have thrown his spoon at him. "We're coming up on winter and it's bound to be dreadful weather. Unless of course you rather wait until Spring."
Ginny gripped the table in front of her and Harry tried to fight off every thought he had about yelling at the table to pick up any other topic of conversation. His next ten words were his attempt to civilly move them away from the topic.
"I'm sure we'll have time to discuss it later on."
"Oh, I don't think they should wait until Spring." Mrs. Weasley joined in and Harry watched Ginny's grip turn her knuckles white. "After all, the sooner they're married, the sooner my mother-heart can rest easy that she's safe and established."
"I beg your pardon, I'm going for some air," Ginny stood, knocking her chair over, and nearly ran out the door.
Harry didn't even think. He ran after her.
"Gin!" He called out but she didn't turn back.
"Ginny!" He followed her out to the grounds and he suddenly perceived where she was going.
His best suit be damned. He knew a shorter route to the weeping willows.