Just Another Victim of Love

Chapter 10: Or Forever Hold Your Peace…

Disclaimer: No, I do not own HP or anything of the sort, except for my ideas.

A/N: It's been three weeks since the last chapter. I just hope I can end this story on a good note. Here goes nothing…

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"If anyone objects to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace…" spoke the Minister. No sound was heard as everyone held his or her breaths. Of course no one was going to object; no one dared to…

"NO!" Suddenly, the doors of the church burst open, flooding the church with a blinding light. A man burst down the aisle and headed towards the shocked bride and groom.

"I do! I object! They are not in love!" accused the intruder, who had strangely familiar messy jet-black hair and sparking green eyes. The church was completely silent and still.

It was the bride who spoke first. Her curly brown locks were styled and tiara was neatly tucked in it, which also held her veil. With one clean sweep she took her veil off. "What… what do you mean? We're… we're not in love?" sputtered the bride weakly.

In two quick strides, the intruder grabbed the hands of the bride and pulled her in a tight hug. Then, he kissed her. Passionately. And the bride responded with the same passion.

One look at the groom and one could tell that he was heartbroken. The look in his blue eyes showed that he just had his heart savagely ripped apart, leaving him with nothing. The groom dejectedly looked down at the floor, his hands running through his face and his flaming red hair. Finally, he looked up at his should-have-been bride and his best man, clenched his hands in a fist and raised them, only to drop them again and apparate with a 'POP!'

Silence in the church followed, not to mention a few gasps as the bride and the best man held hands, preparing for worst. Surely, they just made a horrible scene. No one was going to be happy…

All of a sudden, cheering could be heard and the whole church burst into applause. Then again, it seemed that everyone agreed that the two people who belong together are finally together….

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"Harry James Potter!" cried a voice from behind him. It was Ginny.

Harry turned around, with a goofy sort of grin on his face, which was stuck since he woke up from a blissful dream.

"I was looking for you all over Diagon Alley! I was at the Leaky Cauldron and asked Tom if he saw you but he said that you just…" said Ginny, then she realised that Harry wasn't paying attention at all

"Wipe that smile off your face Potter. I'm speaking to you right now and I ask for your undivided attention!"

At those words, Harry managed to snap out of his daydream temporarily and looked at Ginny. He could not, however, wipe the goofy smile off his face. Then he was off again.

Ginny just shook her head and took Harry's arm to drag him into the Three Broomsticks. She had a sneaking suspicion that Harry didn't know which planet they were on anyway.

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"What do you mean that you don't have a wedding gift for Hermione and Ron?" cried Ginny, as the whole pub turned their heads in their direction. Ginny managed to give everyone an annoyed sort of glare and then continued.

"Harry, the wedding is on SUNDAY! Today is FRIDAY! The rehearsal's tomorrow! You are the best man! Goodness, I'm glad you're not the ring bearer! You would probably swallow them during the ceremony, thinking they were some sparkly candy or something. Seriously, what have you been doing with your head lately? The wedding is TWO DAYS away for goodness sakes!" bellowed Ginny, who managed to say all that in one big breath, while shaking her hand that showed two fingers.

Harry, who seemed to be the only one who was unaffected by Ginny's words in the pub, who by the way had inherited Mrs. Weasley's bellowing voice, simply gave Ginny his goofy smile. Then out of the blue, he said, "Maybe I won't need to!" in a cheerful sort of voice.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T NEED TO? YOU BETTER GET YOUR BUTT OUT THERE THIS INSTANT AND GET THEM A GIFT, OR I PERSONALLY WITH STICK THAT THUNDERBOLT OF YOURS UP YOUR DENIÈRE! COMPRENEZ-VOUS?" cried Ginny. She was worse than a howler.

Poor Harry, who was still replaying his dream, snapped out of his trance right away, and fortunately for him, permanently this time. 'Whoa. French was involved. I really must have really pissed her off. How can Ryan stand her temper?'

"EXCUSE ME?" asked Ginny. Harry did not realize that he had muttered his last thought out loud.

"Ah… he… he…I mean, I think I'll get them an owl… ummm, they sure are useful and Pig is old now… they would appreciate one they could share together right?" said Harry slowly. Hoping with all his might, he prayed that what he had said would please Ginny and calm her down. For good measure, he gave her his puppy dog eyes.

"Alright then. That sounds good. Now go, go get that ruddy owl and I want you back in 10 minutes. I expect that I'll have to go over many details with you. Goodness, you are the best man and… back in 10 minutes boy!" said Ginny as Harry got up from his seat and headed towards the doors.

As soon as Harry left the Three Broomsticks, he left out a sigh a relief. He was disappointed that he was snapped out of his dream, but he was also glad at the same time. Goodness, he could not believe that the wedding was in two days and he still didn't have a gift yet. Granted, he was quite busy with Quidditch practice and the playoffs are coming. Also, as much as he would love for the events in the dream to come true, a dream is a dream and the rational part of him knew that his chances were slim to none. Besides, if he were to steal Hermione away from Ron, he wouldn't embarrass everyone by waiting until the day of the wedding, would he? Harry shook his head at the thought and proceeded to Eeylops Owl Emporium. He definitely needed something to keep his mind off things. Little did he know that he was going to get exactly that when he left the Emporium ten minutes later…

"Harry Potter! Omigosh, girls, look! It's Harry Potter! Harry! Harry, remember me? I'm Stacy!" cried the ex-"girlfriend" of Ron, who was closely followed by the rest of Harry's fan club. Harry's eyes widened as he stood there for a second in shock. Then, panicking, Harry dashed into the Leaky Cauldron, with Ron and Hermione's owl safely in its cage, and ran into Muggle London. He had no idea that girls could run so fast, especially with those damn high heels.

It was when he finally successfully caught a taxi that Harry was able to let out a sigh of relief. It was the second time he did that in ten minutes. After he told the driver to drop him off a King's Cross (it was the first destination on his mind as he apparated often so a taxi was unnecessary) he was able to reflect on what had happened. It was a close call, and one of girls almost ripped his shirt off as she ambushed him during a turn around the corner of the alley. He didn't want to know what would have happened if the girls did manage to trap him – he was in such a state of panic and shock that he had totally forgot he could apparate. Cursing his stupidity and women, Harry paid the driver and got out of the cab. He was at King's Cross already. So many memories came flooding back in his head, but he didn't stop to reminisce. Those girls were hot on his trial and he knew it.

In the life of the famous Harry Potter, there were only three women that played important roles. Those three women were of course, Mrs. Weasley who was the mother figure; Ginny who course was the sister he never had; and Hermione, one of his best friends and the girl that he (secretly) loved. All his life, Harry had only been close to these three women and he didn't understand why the girls came chasing after him, a few at a time too. Maybe it was that stupid scar on his forehead, or his talent on the Quidditch pitch but there were very few women that Harry ever deeply trusted in. He first discovered this when he began to date Gwen, a few weeks after he made it on the National Team, who was a beautiful, brilliant young witch. At the time, Ginny was just in a horrible "accident" (during a Quidditch match, she was "accidentally" knocked off from her seat and fell forty feet before someone was able to cast a spell and in return caused a cushion effect on her fall). That person turned out to be Ryan, who she is now happily married to, but Harry later discovered that it was Gwen who knocked Ginny off from the top box while she was leaning on the rail, cheering heartily for Harry. Apparently, she thought that Harry and Ginny had something going on behind her back, and she was jealous. She didn't want anyone in the way, and she wanted everyone to know that Harry was hers only. That was what Harry hated the most: the girls all wanted him as something they could show off, to prove that they were able to get such a fine catch as Harry Potter, as if he were some thing that they possessed. After Gwen, he was never able to find someone he felt he could completely trust and love and inevitably, none of his relationships lasted. When he discovered that he loved Hermione, he was ecstatic because he knew that Hermione wasn't like all the other girls, and he knew that he could trust and love her, for the rest of his life.

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"Harry! You are late!" said Ginny, who was the first to spot Harry as he arrived for the rehearsal dinner.

"Sorry Ginny. I'm just finished Quidditch practice, and came as soon as I could. Wood wouldn't let us off the hook," explained Harry, as he took off his cloak.

"Alright then, hurry and sit over there. The rehearsal is over and we were going to start the dinner without you if you didn't show in five minutes. Mom was worried and Ron looked a bit peeved," warned Ginny, as they both walked over to the table.

"I'm here now, hopefully that's all that matters. And about yesterday, I'm sorry that I didn't go back to the Three Broomsticks. The fan club attacked again and I ran home."

"Yea, I heard them talking when a few of them came in when I left. I knew you were home anyway. You do have that owl now right?" asked Ginny.

"Oh yea, the owl is in my flat. I was so tempted to name it Hedwig the second, but I wasn't sure if Hermione would like that." Harry grinned at Ginny and sat down. Only to see a very mad looking Ron beside him.

"It's about time you showed up Potter. You missed the rehearsal. You're lucky the best man doesn't really have to do anything but look pretty, standing there."

Harry gulped. "Well, you know Wood, he wouldn't let me go. I was about to fight him off to let me go, I swear. You know I wouldn't miss this for anything Ron!" He smiled before he continued by saying, "I never knew you thought I look pretty!" as he batted his eyes at Ron.

To Harry's relief, Ron broke into a smile. "Ugh. You? Pretty?" as he made a face. "Just joking mate. You actually have a lot to do. You have to give a speech, serve as the "host"… well, Hermione will fill you in with the details. This is a traditional muggle wedding, upon her request, which of course my dad agreed whole-heartily. Anyway, of course I knew you didn't mean it! I've known you for 14 years now; I know what kind of bloke you are. The loyal, dependable, trustworthy sort. I choose you as my best man didn't I?" asked Ron.

"Yea. You did," said Harry, with a smile. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione chatting away with Mrs. Weasley. She seemed to be blushing at something she said. Ron noticed this as well and winked at Harry (lately, it seems like that's all he does), then went over to the part of the table where Hermione and his mother was chatting away at. Harry took this time to look around, and realized that there must be many Weasleys' in this world. The room was filled with redheads of all sorts, shapes and sizes. In the corner to his right, he noticed some brunettes, which he noted to be Hermione's relatives. They all seemed very overwhelmed at Ron's relatives, who were not only acting strangely (as wizards and witches often are according to muggles who didn't know that they were wizards), but outnumbered them 5:1, at the very least.

Harry turned his attention back to Ron and Hermione again. Mrs. Weasley had left the table and left Ron and Hermione alone, who at the moment were leaning against one another. Ron was playing with Hermione's hair and whispering something in her ear, while she smiled and closed her eyes. It was then that Harry's dream left him, and he knew. He knew there was no way his dream was going to come true, or did he want it to happen anymore. He knew his best friends were truly happy, and that was all that mattered. Even if it meant that he might never find a girl who could truly appreciate who he was. With a sigh, Harry looked away.

"Those two make you sick don't they?" asked a young woman with mock disgust, probably a year or two younger than the trio. She handed Harry a glass of wine.

Harry smiled at her as a 'thank you' for the drink. "Yea. They are like that all the time! I," said Harry while pointing at himself, "has to witness those two snuggle almost everyday!" as he made a face as well.

The young woman laughed and sat down beside Harry. Harry decided that he liked her laugh and noticed her light wavy brown locks catching the light, just like Hermione's.

"I'm Chloe," she said, when she stopped laughing. She reached out her hand and waited for Harry to shake it.

Shaking her hand, Harry replied. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter." Chloe smiled. 'Oh no… she's not another one of the fan club girls is she…?' thought Harry, as he began to sweat again.

"Ah, that explains why you don't have red hair and that you're not one of my relatives. You must be the best man. I'm heard quite a few good things about you from Hermione. She says you're very successful, but I have no idea what you do…"

Harry relaxed. She must be a muggle. "Well, I play sports. Soccer. Yea, soccer, but just for a small club. It's nothing really."

"Oh, so you're a soccer player! I see. You have no idea how grateful I am to finally meet someone who seems slightly normal." At this she smiled. "I mean, no offence to Ron's family but they all seem so strange and all the terms they use, it's like they have a secret society. One bloke came up to me and asked me if I would like to turn into a chicken. I mean, why would anyone want to turn into a chicken? How could anyone turn into a chicken!" exclaimed Chloe.

Harry smiled and gave her a knowing kind of nod. "Well, they may seem a tad strange, but they are all wonderful and good people. They are so friendly and the atmosphere is so cheerful when the Weasleys' get together. They are truly one big family, and when I say that, that includes more than two hundred people!"

"Well, I guess I wouldn't know. I never had any siblings. And by the number of us you see here, there aren't many Grangers in this world."

Harry nodded again. "I'm the only child too. I never knew my parents either. I wouldn't say that there aren't any Potters in this world, but I could safely assume that none of them are related to me."

"Well Harry, it's a pleasure to meet you but I must get back to my seat. The dinner is finally starting, even though they said that ten minutes ago, and apparently, this seat is reserved for… Mr. Percy W. E. Weasley," said Chloe, as she read the back of the seat.

Harry got up and shook her hand again. "It's a pleasure meeting you too." With a smile she walked back to her seat, which were a few tables away.

"I see that you've met my cousin Chloe, Harry," said a voice behind him.

He turned and smiled. "Well, we were both disgusted by the way you and Ron cling to each other. We talked a bit and I think we hit it off quite well. You have no idea how wonderful it is to not have someone gape at your scar all the time."

Hermione nodded. "Well, I'm not extremely close to Chloe, but I know that she is a great person. She's a daredevil, she is. She loves doing extreme sports. And oh, she also just broke up with her boyfriend, whom she dated for three years, so you be gentle with her if you want to *ahem* do anything."

"Who said anything about doing anything Hermione?" said Harry "innocently".

"Oh you know what I mean, Harry," said Hermione, returning his smile. The two friends looked away from each other at this time and looked around the room. Chloe spotted Harry looking in her direction and waved. Harry waved back.

"Harry?" said Hermione, almost timidly as she looked back at her best friend.

"Hmm?"

"You know that I'll always love you right?"

Harry looked at his best friend for 14 years. The wonderful woman who has been with him through thick and thin. He nodded. Hermione continued.

"I mean, I'll always be here for you. Ron as well. This marriage changes nothing between us. I'll always be your best friend, I'll always be here for you, to take care of you, love you and trust you."

Hermione had no idea what those words meant to Harry, but this time, he interpreted them exactly as she had said. They were best friends, and they loved each other deeply like so. He nodded again, and then he put his arm around her waist to give her a quick squeeze.

"And I'll always love you too, Hermione Weasley."

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A/N: And so this story ends with seven stars. *tear* It has been fun writing this and although I know it's not the best story, I hope you all enjoyed it. It's funny how the focus was originally on Hermione's feelings towards her break-up with Ron but end up with Harry's feeling towards Hermione and Ron's marriage. This story truly does have a mind of its own. =) By the way, I really have no idea what the Minister or Father is suppose to say… forgive me! Also, for the record, Harry and Chloe are not together… they just seem to click and have become fast friends. Whether Harry and Chloe get together is up to your imagination. I just hope that Harry will find someone who truly loves him for being Harry and someone he could trust, like his best friends. =P I'm surprised at the little input Ron really had in this story, but "oh well!" It's COMPLETE! YAY! Thanks again for reading Just Another Victim of Love. Please read and review, and I'll try to love you forever for that! ^^