Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and Co. J.K. Rowling does.
Summary: After one very eventful night ten years ago, Voldemort was destroyed and Harry disappeared. Where did he go? What happened that night? Only one man knows the answer: a teacher named James, aka Harry. This big question is, now, what are his former friends plotting?
Author's note: This is a logical explanation for this. I was not focusing on my work so I told myself that I could not use the computer except for important e-mail until the New Year. It was supposed to remove distraction, which it did, but I cheated slightly and wrote more of this story down on paper. So all I had to do was type it up, and now it is posted (and good news, I am more focused and on top of my work). Not like most people care this much about my personal life, but I'm just giving you all a heads up. (And no, I did not die or move to Antarctica, although I was worried some of you might think so).
Chapter 20: Wedding Dresses and Second Chances
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The day was bright and filled with anticipation. The wedding had been planned meticulously, and every detail was in order.
It was around noon, and white tents were set up on the lawn that was behind the Burrow. Tables were being set up underneath the tents, for the reception later that night.
The wedding itself was going to be on the lawn, as well. A separate tent had been set up for that, and chairs were currently being placed there for the guests to sit in accordingly.
The bride herself was in Diagon Alley with the bridesmaids getting her nails and hair done. Ginny, Angelina, Hermione, and Daniel's sisters Melissa and Rachel, were sitting together in the Pink Bludger ("Want to be a knock out? Let us make you beautiful!") talking amiably.
A hairdresser was hovering over Ginny, mixing spells and flicking her wand as Ginny's hair was whisked into different styles.
"I can't believe you're getting married!" said Hermione, who was getting her nails painted with the bottom coat of nail-strengthening potion.
"You can't believe it?" asked Ginny. "How do you think I feel? I never thought I'd be going up to the alter again."
There was a short silence, broken by Rachel, who was choosing a color for her toes.
"Stop there, I think I like that color," she said to the witch giving her a pedicure. The witch stopped saying color spells and started applying the topcoat of color-retaining potion.
Angelina spoke up suddenly to the witch doing Ginny's hair. "Can you go back to that last style you had?"
With a flick of her wand, the witch formed Ginny's red hair back into a half bun with the other half of the hair still down and wavy, with a single stand curling in the front.
"Yes, that one," said Angelina, "It looks gorgeous on you, Ginny. What do you guys think?"
The other women looked up and nodded in agreement.
"It would go well with your dress," said Hermione.
"And there will be room for your veil with that style," said Rachel.
"It shows off that wonderful red hair of yours, too," added Melissa.
Ginny smiled. "Okay, you guys have convinced me. I'll go with this, please," said Ginny addressing the witch in charge of her hair.
Ginny's hair fell out of the style and the witch started creating the style with her hands. Magic was only good for trying out different styles to see how they would look. But to keep a certain hairdo, it had to be done by hand, using the normal rubber bands and hairpins to hold it up.
The women continued to talk cheerfully until it was time to go. They each apparated back to where they were staying, Melissa and Rachel to their hotel, Angelina and Hermione to their houses, and Ginny to the Burrow, and wished Ginny good luck and that they would see her at the ceremony.
As soon as Ginny reached the Burrow, her mother ushered Ginny upstairs.
"Don't you look lovely!" commented Mrs. Weasley, once she had closed the door to Ginny's room tightly.
"Mum, was pushing me up the stairs that fast necessary?" Ginny was rubbing her foot where she had tripped on the staircase.
"Wouldn't want the groom to see you, dear," Mrs. Weasley answered.
"But mum, Daniel's not here. He's probably at the hotel getting ready."
"You never know," said Mrs. Weasley, looking suspiciously around her, "Grooms are sneaky people."
Ginny raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, attributing the odd comment to her mother's odd personality.
Mrs. Weasley was already dressed and prepared. She was going to give Ginny away in the wedding since Mr. Weasley was gone.
"Now, there's only an hour and a half until the wedding ceremony, and an hour until the guests start coming. You must start getting dressed and putting on you makeup."
Ginny saluted her mom with a quiet "Yes ma'm", but Mrs. Weasley took no notice.
There was a sharp knock on the door. Mrs. Weasley jumped slightly, and then went cautiously over to the door and opened it slowly.
"May we come in?" asked someone in an excited whisper.
"Do you have any men with you?" asked Mrs. Weasley, much in the way a guard might ask for a password.
There were giggles.
"Of course not," answered another voice.
Mrs. Weasley gave a loud sigh. "I guess so."
Penelope, Brook (friend from work), and Kate (Bill's wife) burst into the room.
The three women were dressed and had come over early to help Ginny get ready.
"Wow, so you're getting married," commented Penelope.
Brook held Ginny's hand and examined her nails. "Your hair and nails look great; the Pink Bludger did a good job."
Kate ran over to the closet, searched for a few seconds, and pulled out a wedding dress from the back of the closet. "Is this the dress? It's gorgeous!" Kate held it in front of her and twirled around.
Brook came up and looked at the dress. "This is a beautiful dress, Ginny," she said gently touching the sleeves.
Ginny stood stock still as Penelope came up slowly to examine the dress. "This dress looks familiar, doesn't it?"
"It does," agreed Mrs. Weasley. "Ginny, that's not your new dress. Where's your new dress?"
Kate stopped twirling.
Brook pulled her hand away as if the dress was made of hot coals.
Penelope adopted an extremely apologetic and guilty expression in a surprisingly short amount of time.
"I know that's not my new dress, mother," said Ginny quietly. "My new dress is hanging on the corner of my bed." She gestured towards the back of the bed, where a white wedding dress hung near the wall.
The dress in Kate's hands was back in the closet faster than Ginny could blink and the girls were on the other side of the room in a flash, exclaiming over the new dress in oddly loud voices and forced laughs.
Ginny sat on her bed and stared at the closet doors.
The girls' voices quieted down as they noticed Ginny was quiet.
"Come on, Gin," said Penelope quietly, sitting down next to her. "We didn't mean anything. It was a mistake, that's all."
"Yes, a mistake," agreed Brook.
"And I'm terribly sorry, Ginny," said Kate.
"No, it's okay," said Ginny slowly. She took a shaky breath. "I'm fine. Just nervous about getting married, I suppose." Ginny forced a smile. "Here mum, help me get into this thing."
Mrs. Weasley took the new wedding dress down from the hanger and all the women helped pull the elaborate dress over the slip Ginny was wearing and helped button the buttons.
The rest of that hour was spent well, with the girls and Mrs. Weasley helping Ginny do her make up and other touch ups. The only thing unusual was the nervous glances the girls gave Ginny and Ginny's forced smiles.
Soon the guests were arriving. Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, and the three girls were staring out the window, watching the people filter in for the wedding. There were charms up around the outside to prevent anyone who did not have an invitation from getting into the yard. It was pretty big news that the wife of Draco Malfoy was getting remarried, so naturally lots of people had come by hoping to gain entry.
Suddenly Mrs. Weasley shrieked and covered Ginny's eyes.
"Here comes the groom!" she cried.
"Mum," groaned Ginny, "This isn't necessary!"
"It's bad luck to see the groom before the ceremony, and I want your wedding to be perfect."
Brook, Penelope, and Kate laughed and the annoyed look Ginny shot at her mother when Mrs. Weasley forced Ginny into a corner and made her face the wall.
Penelope, Brook, and Kate soon went down first to get their seats.
And then, after a very long time, Mrs. Weasley decreed that it was safe enough for Ginny to go down and wait in the procession line. They arrived downstairs just as the groom made it to the altar.
Ginny looked around. Guests were sitting in the chairs on the lawn, watching the bridesmaids come out with the best men. The chairs the left of the aisle were for the Bollis family and friends, and to the right sat the Weasley family and friends. There was a semi-transparent white tent over the chairs and altar that let in the last dying sun of twilight. Small candles were set up in different locations to provide flickering light for the ceremony. The altar had flowers everywhere and of every color, pink and orange and yellow and purple. And up ahead, standing the right, was Ginny's future husband. She could see him with his black tuxedo on and his head of blond hair.
Ginny heard the familiar music pipe up for the bride to come down the aisle. Mrs. Weasley hooked arms with her daughter and started to lead Ginny down the aisle. Ginny followed as if in a trance.
She looked at the people staring at her. Everything felt just as it did at her first wedding. Ginny's eyes started to water and she got a stinging pain in the back of her throat.
She snapped her eyes up to the man she was about to marry. He looked so handsome. The black suit he wore and the golden head of hair he bore made him seem the almost perfect person she could marry. This scene in front of her brought her back years and years, and she could only think of one person, now gone.
Then she was at the altar and her mother had unhooked arms and sat down in the first row on the Weasley side, sniffing and wiping her eyes.
Ginny heard nothing of what was said at the altar, until Daniel took her hand and was prompted to promise love for Ginny until death.
"I, Daniel Bollis, take you, Ginny Weasley, for my lawful wife..."
Ginny closed her eyes, listening to the man next to her speak those words, which caused the lump in the back of her throat to grow.
"To have and to hold, from this day forward..."
His hand was thin and his fingers long. The hand that held hers was almost the same as the one that had comforted her when her father had been missing.
"For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer..."
His voice sounded so familiar and just like the one she heard and loved back in her sixth year.
"In sickness and in health, until death do us part."
Ginny opened her eyes.
The priest prompted her to say her part.
Ginny looked deep in the pale eyes of the man she was about to marry.
"I, Ginny Weasley, take you, Draco Malfoy, for my lawful husb--"
She stopped as she heard the crowd give a gasp and as Daniel dropped her hand.
She looked around, confused, until she realized. Daniel. I'm marrying Daniel.
The tears that Ginny had quietly been fighting throughout the day burst forth. She ran from the altar, down the aisle, and into the house.
She could see a wave of concerned people coming after her, with Daniel in the lead, but all she could think about was Draco.
She was gone from the Burrow before she realized it. And before she looked to see where she had apparated to, she knew.
Ginny was in the cemetery devoted to the war heroes. Crying, she made her way to the corner of the area, a path she knew well.
She came to a humble grave, a clean grave, with small orange flowers blooming at the base of the tombstone.
It was a grave visited by many people, but by no one more than Ginny. After his death, most everyone had wanted a lavish, large monument to Draco's greatness. But Ginny had insisted on this. She knew that Draco would not want giant monuments to him, but only something simple. As he had once said, he never wanted to be good, he just didn't support the Dark Lord and didn't want to get stuck in the middle. She had chosen the inscription for the grave, which read, "To the man who didn't want to get stuck in the middle: I love you more than anything, past, present, and future."
Ginny dropped to the ground in front of Draco's grave. And she just sat there, one arm thrown on top of the stone, the other arm bent and her head resting on it, sobbing.
"Please forgive me," she whispered. "I try to forget, but I can't. Please forgive me."
Night was coming on, and it was relatively warm outside. Ginny fell asleep, exhausted from the day and from crying.
She did not sleep soundly at first, though.
Flashbacks played over and over in her mind. The happiness the couple had shared together. Their wedding. News of Draco's death.
And then, Draco was sitting in front of her, on his own gravestone.
"Come on, Gin," he said. "Don't be so melancholy. It makes me upset to see you upset. And you don't want that, do you?"
Ginny looked up, surprised, and tearfully shook her head no.
"Come here, beautiful," said Draco sympathetically. He wrapped Ginny in a warm embrace.
"I know you miss me," he whispered in her ear. "And we'll be together again. You know that. But you must try to be happy."
"It's so hard," Ginny said, a tear falling down her cheek and on to Draco's shoulder. "I want you back so badly." She hugged Draco tighter.
Draco gently lifted Ginny off his shoulder so he could look into her eyes. "My life was a life well spent. I would rather have died a thousand more painful times than lived a life different from the one I had." He wiped a tear from Ginny's cheek. "Not only did I gain a best friend, but I fell in love and married you. You and Harry made my life worth everything, Ginny."
Ginny sighed sadly.
"Gin, darling, do you love this man Daniel?"
Ginny faltered. She could not lie to Draco. "I-- I don't know. I don't even think I really know him. All I could ever do was compare him to you, and see only the reasons why you were better."
"I've seen his soul, and he is a good man. He loves you, but he also knows he comes in second on your list. Ginny, I want you to know that it is possible to love two people, and I want you to marry someone if they will make you happy."
"So you forgive me?"
"Forgive you? For what, Gin?"
"Forgive me for ever loving someone else."
"Of course. All I want is your happiness. How would it look if my wife were miserable over my death for her entire life? I'd get laughed at for the rest of my afterlife for marrying such a foolish lady, and you don't want your dear husband to be laughed at for eternity, do you?"
Ginny wiped her eyes and gave a small laugh. "I don't think your ego would allow it, darling."
Draco hugged Ginny again.
"I love you so much, Gin."
"I love you too, Draco."
"And remember, all I want is your happiness. I give you every blessing I have to marry whom you want. I forgive you."
Ginny felt happy and slept peacefully for the rest of the night. She woke in the morning and sat contentedly with her back against the gravestone.
"He forgives me," she whispered aloud.
A breeze blew through the cemetery, confirming her thoughts.
Ginny stood up and faced the gravestone. "I love you with all my heart, Draco. Don't forget that. And thank you for everything."
Ginny gave one last serene glance at the stone, and the apparated back home.
The Burrow was in complete disarray. People had torn the house apart looking for Ginny, comforting Mrs. Weasley, and causing mayhem in general.
"Mum? Percy? Anyone awake?" asked Ginny tentatively.
"Ginny?" came a voice.
Ginny jumped as Daniel seemingly popped up out of the couch.
"You're home," observed Daniel, who was still in his tuxedo. "Are you okay?"
"The better question is, how can you can you look at me after what I've done?"
"Oh, Ginny, it's understandable. I know you loved him very much, and that is why I want to tell you that if you do not want me in your life, I'm okay with it."
"No, Daniel, I--"
"Ginny, I stayed here only to tell you this: I'm sorry if I forced this marriage upon you. Good bye, Ginny."
Daniel grabbed his wand and was about to apparate.
Ginny spoke. "Daniel, I like you a lot."
Daniel stopped what he was doing. "Do you mean that?"
"Yes, I do. And, though I don't want to marry you at this moment, I would love to get to know you more and then possibly consider marriage."
"Get to know me?"
"Yes, because I've realized that all I've ever done is compared you to Draco. I don't want to marry a person just because he reminds me of someone. I want to marry a person because I love him."
Ginny waited for Daniel to be upset, or disappointed, or even indifferent. But what happened surprised her.
"Ginny," said Daniel happily, "I think that is a brilliant idea. I've felt like I could never talk to you about anything that took place more than five years ago, for fear of offending you. And I've noticed that you often look at me as if I were someone else, and not Daniel. To hear you say that you want to get to know me is the best idea I've heard in a very long time."
Ginny stood quietly thinking. This proved that she really didn't know Daniel very well. She had never thought that he would react like this, that he would not be mad at her. This unexpected reaction was the first step towards learning more about Daniel, because she was finally treating him like a person and not a memory.
"Ginny?" asked Daniel, "Something wrong?"
"No," said Ginny, smiling warmly, "I was just thinking that we could use our honeymoon vacation as a normal vacation to spend together, just you and me."
"You are a brilliant person," said Daniel, hugging Ginny softly. "And I think I am beginning to love you."
"And I, you." Ginny sent a silent prayer to Draco, telling him not to worry about ridicule; she was happy.
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