Note: please don't hurt me for 1. This chapter was bad – I had a major block. 2. The long wait I forced upon all of you for this chapter. 3. I skipped the actual planning portion of the wedding.
Disclaimer: Own nada!
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Chapter Twenty-Five: There's a Wedding?
"Anyhow, would you marry me?"
Ginny looked at Harry in surprise. She most definitely wasn't expecting that. Sure Aurora had asked for them to get married so the wedding wouldn't be a waste. But that was just a quirky comment from Aurora. It probably was a one of those spontaneous ideas the former auror always had. But why did Harry ask her that? Did she really have faith in them?
"Um . . ." was Ginny's reply to her own questions as well as Harry's. Did she have faith in their relationship? Sure they were only a couple for not even a few months, but Ginny did have a crush on Harry since she could read about the miraculous survival of Harry Potter. Of course the crush did dissipate as she began noticing other boys, but always deep down in her heart, she had a special place for Harry. Initially it was one of celebrity crush, but now, with the way the sunlight bounced off his uniquely green colored eyes, the sense of safety she felt would not be due to the fact that it was merely a celebrity crush.
Yes, Ginny Weasley was in love with Harry Potter. One answer would bind her heart completely to him. Their life would be connected until the very end.
"Am I planning this wedding?" Ginny asked finally with a smile. Saying yes seemed too typical of normal weddings. And under the circumstance of this proposal, the wedding would definitely be out of the ordinary.
"Was that a yes?" said the dumbfounded hero of the wizarding world. Ginny wanted to roll her eyes but the situation was supposed to be romantic.
"Well, do you feel pressured to marry me?"
"No!" Harry exclaimed hugging Ginny tightly, as though she was going to run away. "I know it seems fast, but I would like you to marry me. I can't say Aurora's comment did affect my decision because it did. Everything that's happened made me sure of your value to me and the place in my life."
"Harry," Ginny interrupted and putting some space between her and Harry so she could look up into his eyes. "One, you're still gushing, and two, you being romantic is not normal, at least you being a sappy romantic isn't." The poor auror looked as though he was rejected. Ginny then quickly placed a small kiss on his chin, since she was still trapped in Harry's embrace. "What about the chunk of my memory that's was lost? What if I killed someone or something?"
"Don't worry about that. Under the rules and regulations 3.907, a murder committed by someone under another's will magically would not be charged of murder. If your memory was lost, most like the person who put the memory charm would be charged of murder if something like that happened. Besides, there is already a crew in my division investigating what kind of memory charm was placed on you." Ginny looked at her fiancé in disbelief.
"I'm being investigated on and I don't even know it? What happened to my personal privacy and right and what not?" The frustrated rant gave Ginny enough power to push herself completed out of the confinement of Harry's arms so she could pace around.
"Not investigated. Malfoy believed your memory loss has something to do with the so-called betrayal of Aurora. Besides, don't you want your memory back?" Harry said, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.
"I supposed. But back on the happier subject, of course I'll marry you. As long as you can deal with me, I'll deal with you!"
"Finally!" a voice declared over a bush. With one swift stab at the plant with their wands, Ginny and Harry noticed Draco Malfoy had heard their entire conversation. "You know, plant walls are not very suitable for mushy talk. Your little walk lead you right back here."
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When the news of Harry and Ginny's engagement were told to the Ginny's parents, Molly Weasley had immediately send out the family owl to alert all the Weasley clan of the good news that the youngest Weasley of Arthur and Molly was engaged to Harry Potter. The excited Mrs. Weasley also called Sirius and Remus through the fireplace.
"Oh, please come to the Burrow now. I believe there is something Harry needed to tell you!" Ginny smiled at Harry's embarrassed impression when Remus's head got shoved out of sight and Sirius's head popped out with wide eyes and a quick goodbye. Within moments, the two older wizards had knocked on the door the Burrow.
"Hello Arthur, Molly, Harry and Ginny," the two men greeted as Mrs. Weasley ushered them into the house with glee. "Gee, Molly you seemed to be quite excited. So what's the news?" Everyone in the room looked at one then the other and then the other . . .
"Go on you two," Mr. Weasley encouraged. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about!"
"We're engaged," Ginny and Harry breathed out in unison. The looks on Remus and Sirius's faced turned pale, then ghostly, then the corners of the mouths turned and within seconds, Harry was picked up by his godfather and twirled around.
"Congratulations, my boy!" Sirius exclaimed giddily, with tears in his eyes. Without a moment's pause, he moved on the twirling Ginny as well. "And you too!"
The congratulations between the "parents" became tearing as each remember how similar the younger Potter couple resembled Lily and James. It almost seemed like some supernatural force was trying to correct what had gone wrong. It would be extremely uncanny is Harry and Ginny's first child was a boy and inherited Ginny's hazel eyes. The paralleling life would be even creepy in the wizarding world.
The news of Harry and Ginny's engagement didn't take long before everyone in the family and friend circle got notified. The last person to get the news, Charlie, ended up having four owls in one day telling him of his little sister's engagement. As the news traveled between friends to friend of a friend to friend of a friend of a friend and so on, the entire wizarding community in the British Isles received news that their favorite modern hero was going to get married. The scope of this engagement spread farther then what happened between Malfoy and Aurora, but Ginny had the suspicion that Draco Malfoy had something to do about wildfire speed at which the news traveled.
Perhaps it was Draco trying to help out the planning session by telling those businesses that were a part of his wedding to rearrange it to Ginny's liking as he lost his other half. When the businesses got a hold of that new information, Ginny's mail had doubled its size with more catering companies and decoration agencies offering their services and various deals.
Maybe it was a bad idea to plan my own wedding, Ginny thought one day when Mimi became indignant with all the foreign owls eating her limited amount of Aurora's pellets and water. With owls clattering Harry's house since she didn't move back to her flat, there were other issues that were bothering her. The ministry was also on her back trying to get her memories, which she wasn't even sure if she wanted to remember, back. Having so many family members working in the ministry meant the sick-one treatment was ever present. She and Hermione were deemed the pandas of the family for they were very fragile.
During the stressful part of planning a wedding, Ginny wanted her best friend to complain to. Since Aurora's whereabouts was as definite as the number of stars in the sky, Ginny was left to stress out by herself without a good person to complain to.
"I'm sick of this!" Ginny declared one afternoon while Harry was at work and a few owls had fluttered in. "There's too much to worry about. Not only do I have to change parts of the wedding design, I have a time limit was well. I barely have four months to plan my own wedding . . . I am not even sure if it is going to be my own wedding anymore since I am pretty much rushed into it." With a desperate sigh, Ginny collapsed onto her bed in Harry's house. During her rant, she never heard Harry open the door nor did she noticed Harry had heard the part of her rant about doubting the wedding."
"We don't have to get married, you know," Harry whispered after Ginny was done with her frustrated declaration. His tone seemed so deflated and hurt that Ginny's last will of not crying broken and tears broke out.
"No, please don't say that," Ginny whispered with a sob. "It's just a bit stressful, you know. With Aurora suddenly gone and now I need to plan a wedding in four months and I still need to write my column, I am just a bit overwhelmed. Even more so then when we had end of the term exams at Hogwarts." The bed had shifted and Harry's comforting arms came around her.
"I'm sorry. If I could take it all away, I would. We don't have to get married so soon. I am sure Aurora would understand."
"But all of what I had done so far would be a waste –" the couple discussion that would shake their relationship status was interrupted by another owl fluttering in with an elaborate envelope. Ginny begrudgingly opened it and gasped.
"What is it?"
"Someone decided to give us a public engagement party . . ."
"Well, this would explain why there are nutty people in the world," Harry mumbled while combing his hair with his fingers. "The American crew in memory charms got a diagnosis back about which spell was used on you. It was one where the spell strengthens traumatic stress disorder. The brain's automatic function of blurring a traumatic or stressful memory would be exaggerated so that you would never remember if you lived a happy, carefree life. But the awful long term effect was that if anything triggered the memory of what had happened, the cursed would have nightmares and possibly be driven insane."
"Is there a way of removing it?" Ginny asked timidly. The spell didn't seem like one the memory department of the accidental magic reversal squad could accomplish.
"Only crucio could undo what happened," Harry replied with his face stone set but his eyes were glimmering fear and discomfort. "The spell was created by a Latin American warlock during the civil wars in the region."
"So I would need to be under the crucio curse to break this?" Ginny asked in disbelief. She definitely wanted the memories back. If it were absolutely horrific, she would at least be able to acknowledge that was what had happened rather then having it appear in the dream form when she wouldn't even decipher if it was real or not.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. The only thing is the risk of you turning insane." Well, that would be negative points for this. But do I really want to have nightmares plague me at random because something triggered parts of the memory? "You father was adamant about finding another way, but unfortunately, there is no other way."
"It's my choice, isn't it?" Ginny asked. She needed to find out. The curiosity that was plaguing her instead of dreams made the danger of the crucio curse seem nonexistent. After all, wouldn't she have the risk of turning insane anyhow with the memory charm still on her? "I would like to get the spell off. You had said it might help explain where and why Aurora disappeared and that would aide the ministry in figuring out what happened in Latin America."
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Neither Harry nor her family was happy with Ginny's decision. In fact, no one was really thrilled about Ginny voluntarily going to get the crucio curse. Even Draco Malfoy had thought Ginny was insane in making that decision, but when Ginny shot back with the part concerning Aurora, the former Slytherin had backed down.
"You do realize that Potter would kill me if anything happened to you, right?" Ginny merely shook her head and told Harry to not hurt Malfoy no matter what happened. She wasn't getting her memory back for only Malfoy and Aurora. It would be a form of closure in a part of her life. The trek to the room for Ginny to receive the treatment, as the American experts had called, seemed like a funeral procession. Ginny was ghostly white while everyone else looked at the ground as they walked and remained silent.
"I would suggest for you all to not observed this," one of the memory charm experts declared when Ginny's large entourage consisting of her father, her brothers, Harry, Draco, Remus, and Sirius. Hermione had wanted to be there, but Ron and Mrs. Weasley firmly said the scene wouldn't be good for her pregnant body. The entourage elicited a group snort and each took their firm hold position that told the doctor to bugger off because they were staying.
The fact that they stayed didn't really matter. Ginny's screams would be blocked by a soundproof charm. But instead of hearing Ginny's the observers, or rather overseers of the memory charms experts' actions could only see the physical movement, i.e. a person squirming due to the excruciating pain.
To Ginny's surprise, the spell had been placed on her during her least defensible moment. She had no preparation for receiving the pain, but the lack of defense allowed for easy stimulation of pain receptors. She had screamed in the beginning, but the pain had filled her mind and she couldn't even hear herself. Not knowing how she would deal with the indescribable feeling of pain, she decided to hug her knees to her chest and tuck into a ball. The fetal position had worked wonders with the monthly curses; it might as well help her deal with crucio.
In not screaming for a release from the pain, Ginny felt her body grow as though it would explode. Wasn't it part of the purpose of the crucio curse to have people scream? Would screaming actually make things better though? But something in Ginny's mind told her to bite her tongue and not let loose any sound. As the pressure seemed to get greater, she felt torn. When all sense of control seemed to be lost, her world became dark, an abyss of nothing.
Then the nothingness changed to memories, dreams. She wasn't sure what happened, but she started remember a basement, stairs, sound of clicking heals, something upside down, a gorilla looking man. The images flashes in random order so fact that Ginny's couldn't make sense of them. The more she tried, the more she seemed lost. It was as though the thread of thought was slipping from her fingers as she slipped from consciousness.
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"Ginny?" an ethereal voice called. The sound had interrupted Ginny's mini movie of how her wedding would be like. The even was going to a small private affair with friends and family and the voice happened to call her right before the bride and the groom was supposed to kiss.
"Huh?" Ginny mumbled trying to reconnect herself with the realistic world and end her desire to sleep in. "Where am I?" The room she was in lacked decoration. Turning to her side, there were some flowers and books and a half-full cup of tea. As she turned the other way, her face came in contact with a pair of green eyes, glasses, and nose. "Eep?"
"You're awake!" Harry announced with a smile when he removed his head from the close proximity of Ginny's face. "Oh thank goodness!" Within moments of the exclamation, Ginny's healing room was filled with pretty much the entire Weasley clan, Harry and his "parents". Each was asking how she was feeling and what she wanted. According to Ron, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were about to bring the entire kitchen to the hospital because they wanted Ginny to have so much food.
"How long was I unconscious?" Ginny asked when she heard that. Her mother wouldn't have made such a big fuss if she were only out cold for one day.
"A week," came the reply from a medi-wizard, which Ginny remembered he was at her crucio treatment. "Now Miss Weasley, the rest was good for you so you may go home today. Just please do not do anything stressful and you should not have any fainting spells."
"A week?" Ginny shouted, ignoring the comment about not being stress. "That's one week short for the wedding and I missed a column. Oh dear! This is not good. Okay people, let's go home, right now, this very instant!" She scrambled out of the bed and went to get her clothing that was stored in the closet in the room. "Come on, time is wasting!"
"Ginny," Harry said calmly. "Lavender and Parvati have decided to help you out. Since your portfolio had everything in it, they have been taking care of things. Now remember, the doctor had asked for you to be carefree for a bit. Your brain just went through a lot. You pretty much babbled non-stop in your sleep." Harry's voice sounded like one placating a child, but it didn't annoy Ginny. It actually calmed her down, but she still insisted on going home – to Harry's house.
"Gin, are you ever going back to your flat?" Percy asked self-righteously. It wasn't like Ginny and Harry were going to do something shameful. Figures Percy would be the one to comment about them living together. Ginny's flat in London was too lonely and had many memories with Aurora. It didn't seem like home when her pseduo-roommate wouldn't be returning.
"Nope, staying in Harry's. I am very attached to the stray kneazles and Harry's maid." Not wanting to get Percy riled out on prenuptial actions, Ginny turned her attention on whatever she babbled. "So what did I say?"
"Well, you said some a few names and some random objects. The other reason for you to rest is allotting time for you to reorganize your memory," Harry replied. "The ministry has request an interview in a week and a half."
"So was it helpful?"
"Do you see Malfoy here?" Harry asked with a grin. Ginny shook her head confused, not sure how his presence would explain anything. He could not be here because Ginny used the imperios on Aurora or something. "He's busy interrogating the people you've named."
"Ginny!" two feminine squeals sounded. Ginny looked at the door to see Parvati and Lavender holding her portfolio. "You know, once we heard you were awake, we came right away. And guess what, apparently someone has decided to throw a public engagement party for you and Harry. I guess the people would like to celebrate for no apparent reason that really deals with them. Anyhow, I suppose the good news is that the it's for charity."
Ginny looked at Harry in surprise. She hadn't noticed their wedding would be that big of a deal. It was like a national News Years Day celebration or the party everyone had when the Dark Lord was finally gone.
"Did you?"
"No." Harry now had a frown on his face. "Didn't you say you would love to get home?"
"Ooh, we didn't mean to interrupt," Lavender mumbled slyly. Parvati gave the two a wink and dragged her friend out with the girl crying out, "Rest Ginny, we'll take care of everything!"
"You know, I thought the whole fame thing would fade away," Harry said turning to Ginny after the couple had stared at the place where Parvati and Lavender made their abrupt entrance.
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I'm getting a but frustrated with myself . . . the chapters aren't going very well. Especially this one. I am not very happy with it. *grumble*