Title: Harry Potter and the Wand of Ariel (5/?)
Author: Atlantis Potter
E-mail: atlantispotter@yahoo.com
Category: Romance, Action/Adventure
Keywords: Year 6, Harry, Hermione, IMS, Magus
Rating: R
Spoilers: All Four Books.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Thank you all so much for your patience! I appreciate it so much. Thank you to Elliott and Neil for the beta work and thank you, my readers, for sticking with me even though I've taken forever to update. Please, review and let me know what you think. Also, if you're interested in faster updates, please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/powerthree. Again, thank you so much. –Atlantis
Harry Potter and the Wand of Ariel
Atlantis
Chapter Five: Fear
It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. - Marcus Aurelius
Admittedly, he hated weddings. He'd also never been to one. However, judging by the ridiculous formal robes he was wearing, Harry was very much beginning to believe that weddings were designed to be as uncomfortable as possible for any and all men involved. Everything the men took part in was designed to be terrible; he was completely convinced of it. The shoes pinched his feet. The robes were slightly heavy for summer, even in Scotland, and they were made of very itchy material. And worst of all was his terrible hangover.
Two days prior to the wedding, Harry had received a rather rude awakening from a post owl. He'd been hit in the face with a thick parchment envelope. Upon opening it, he had found a letter from Percy explaining that one of his groomsmen for the wedding had been involved in some sort of Quidditch accident and that he needed someone to fill his spot. Hermione had pushed him to help Percy and Harry had written to him, agreeing to stand up with Percy. Not a few hours after the post owl had set off with his response did Harry receive a call on the fireplace. The head of Penelope Clearwater was floating in the flames, her face looking quite harried.
"Harry?"
"Err, hello, Penelope. How are you?"
"Fine, thanks. I'm in a bit of a rush this morning. Only two days left," she smiled at him, a tense, worried smile. "Percy has told me that you'll be filling in for Carl. Bloody Quidditch accident. I'm not sure who told him it would be alright to ride on a broom backwards. Honestly." She was shaking her head and her black curls were bobbing back and forth. "Anyhow, I'll need you to be in Hogsmeade at Gladrags at two o'clock for your robe fittings. Percy will meet you there and he'll fill you on the ins and outs of the wedding. I believe Ginny has a fitting there as well, also at two. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this Harry."
"Oh, really, it's not problem. I'm glad I could be of help."
"Thanks again. I really must run, Mother is running ragged trying to get our few relatives settled in. They'll be travelling to Hogsmeade tomorrow. Goodbye Harry."
She blinked out before he had a chance to respond.
The following two days were very much a whirlwind. Beginning with the fittings at Gladrags, Harry had also had to help Percy and the other Weasleys set up various protective wards. There would be a handful of muggles at the wedding, all family of Penelope and all completely aware of the wizarding world. There would also be some 400 witches and wizards. Through Percy's work at the Ministry and Penelope's work for Gringotts, they had hundreds of close, personal friends who were invited to the wedding. Harry snorted as Percy explained this to them. His two days' experience with the wedding had convinced him that he never wanted one. The Weasleys, aside from Percy obviously, seemed to have the same idea.
At the rehearsal, Molly Weasley was promptly directed to her seat by a wedding coordinator that Penelope's father, Neil, had hired. There were people bustling to and fro and Mrs Weasley seemed annoyed that she didn't have a hand in anything. Harry was promptly pushed towards the back of the room.
"Are you Harry?" A young woman with curly black hair and blue eyes said to him.
"Yes. Um, where am I supposed to be?" he asked.
"I'm Allena, Penelope's younger sister. You'll be escorting Ginny, so if you could just move over there…" she directed him towards where Ginny was sitting on a bench.
"Hullo Harry."
"Hey, Gin. Having fun?"
She just stared at him. "Oh yes. You know, I never much liked Penelope before. I could stand her, but I found her somewhat annoying. The past two days have taught me that I would never like to have a wedding. Do you think my mum would be upset if I elope?"
Harry remembered the look on Mrs Weasley's face as the wedding planner had explained to her all about various charms placed on the wedding cake. Mrs Weasley had looked somewhat harassed by the young woman and Harry couldn't tell if it was about the cake or the fact that Neil Clearwater had hired a wedding planner.
"I'm really not sure Gin. Besides, that's a long way off," he teased.
She smiled at him. Almost as quickly as the smile had appeared, it disappeared and was replaced with what could only be a look of fear.
"Harry," said a gruff voice behind him. Ron was standing about ten feet away looking furious. "Oy, are you hitting on my sister now as well? Hermione isn't enough for you?"
Ginny's eyes grew wider. "Harry? You're with Hermione now?"
"Err…yeah," he answered quietly, avoiding her eyes.
"Why, that's wonderful!" she said as she hugged him. "I'm very happy for you two!"
Harry was astounded, but not as much as Ron. The boy's ears were quickly going red and his lips were drawn so tightly, they nearly disappeared. With one final glare, Ron turned on his heel and stomped off towards the girl who had introduced herself as Allena.
As Ginny opened her mouth to speak, the high-strung wedding planner swooped into the hall where the wedding party was milling about. "We will begin the procession now. I want you lined up as follows. Bill and Lucy, Charlie and Viridian, Fred and Gaynor, George and Calynn, Ron and Allena, and Harry and Ginny. Penelope, dear, you stand behind them." At that, she turned away from the group and spoke into a small headpiece.
They lined up according to instruction and Harry peaked down the line of curly black heads in front of him. The only two that stood out were Lucy and Penelope's older sister, Gaynor. Lucy's light brown hair stood out amongst the row of dark haired women, but not nearly as much as Penelope's sister. The thirty-year old woman had platinum blonde hair that was very obviously dyed, as the dark roots near her part suggested.
"That blonde one is Gaynor. She's sort of the odd one out. A Muggle, not very good in school, not very intelligent. The other two are Calynn and Allena, twins. They're 17," Ginny whispered conspiratorially in Harry's ear.
"Are they witches?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, though they didn't attend Hogwarts. Both went to Beauxbatons."
"What is it about that school?"
"What?"
"Nevermind." Harry wondered why they had chosen to go to Beauxbatons, just as his aunt had.
Some music began playing and the planner began directing them down the aisle.
The rest of the rehearsal was rather boring. It was a run through of everything that would happen the next evening. The muggle minister performed wedding vows, followed by a Ministry officiant doing the same thing. Harry was very bored and the ceremony carried on for longer than half an hour.
When it was over, they were all rushed off to dinner at a restaurant in Hogsmeade that Harry had never been to. The wedding party, along with Mrs Weasley, Penelope's parents and Percy's friend, Carl, were seated in a private dining room. Fred and George somehow managed to get all the groomsmen seated at one end of the long table.
"We have something very important to discuss gentlemen. The stag party. Where shall we have it?" George asked, the picture of perfect seriousness.
"How about we all apparate to Las Vegan?" Carl jumped in, sounding rather excited and pleased with himself.
"Erm, do you mean Las Vegas Carl? In the US?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, that's what I said! Los Vegos."
They all looked at him for a moment before George shook his head. "I was thinking somewhere along the lines of London. A short apparating distance, really."
"Ron here can't apparate," Charlie pointed out.
"Aye, you're right. Well, we could just floo to the Leaky Cauldron and go from there. I'm sure Tom won't mind."
They all nodded in agreement, except for Harry and Ron. Ron looked rather annoyed at being the reason they were using floo and Harry felt odd having any input in the plans.
Dinner was just as boring as the rehearsal. Penelope's family ended up being horribly boring, with the exception of Allena, who had a rather good sense of humour and kept trying to include Harry in the conversation. Ginny had been seated next to Gaynor, who was sharing the enthralling tale of her date with a vampire.
"He was really rather charming, but I was a little nervous about letting him kiss me goodnight." The rotund woman erupted in high-pitched, trilling laughter that echoed in the large room. Ginny stared at her incredulously before giving a polite laugh and turning towards Penelope's father to ask him some question about the restaurant.
The meal was winding down and Fred and George were both looking around anxiously. As Mr Clearwater stood, they both straightened up, looking ready to fly out of their chairs at any moment.
"Well, team. This is it. Last night before the big day. I expect you all to get a good night's rest and we'll see you all at the town hall tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock. Have a good evening."
George and Fred nearly knocked their chairs over in their scramble to get up. They looked expectantly at the rest of the groomsmen. Harry stood slowly, keeping an eye on Percy, who looked none too pleased with the idea of a stag party. He caught sight of Ginny, who was being dragged out by the increasingly scarier Gaynor.
"Come on lass, we're going to have a fun time tonight!"
Ginny caught his eye and gave him a look of horror before allowing herself to be pulled from the room.
Fred and George were pulling everyone towards the door.
"We're going to leave from the fireplace inside the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta won't mind. Harry, Ron, are you sure Dumbledore won't mind you staying out later?"
"Not at all. He said we were allowed to do what we like tonight as long as we were with an adult," Harry answered, feeling weird calling Fred and George adults. After all, they were only two years older than he was. And he was sixteen now.
They walked quickly to the Three Broomsticks and flooed without incident to the Leaky Cauldron. George quickly decided that the night would be better spent in muggle London rather than in Diagon Alley and he led the way down Charring Cross Road
They walked some blocks to a tube station. George led the group to an area known for its night clubs.
"Hey guys! This place looks pretty cool!" Carl was motioning towards a club lit up with purple and green lights. Dozens of men were streaming in and out of the club.
"Err…" Charlie stepped in, but was too late. The group was already heading in to the club.
Harry and Ron had no trouble getting in the door and within minutes, they were standing inside a posh decorated room. There were lights bouncing off the huge dance floor and disco balls hanging from the ceiling. Smoke filled the room and large mirrors reflected the mass in the centre of the room, moving to the heavily mixed music.
It was Bill who noticed first. "I don't think we're going to find any women here, guys. At least not any that are interested."
Carl, George and Fred were oblivious. "Oh, come on Bill. I'm better looking than half the guys here," George said indignantly.
"Fine, suit yourself." Bill looked towards the edge of the room for a table big enough to suit the group. Charlie was talking to Carl.
"No, I'm telling you. That blonde is really checking you out. You should go talk to her."
Harry watched on, bemused. He had discovered the nature of the club within two minutes of entering the room. Ron, however, seemed just as oblivious as Carl, Fred and George. He was sitting across the table from Harry, staring towards a group of women a few tables over. They were laughing and carrying on together and Ron had an unreadable look on his face.
They were all sitting for a few minutes, unbothered by the other clubbers. Carl seemed to be working up the gall to hit on the blonde, while Ron's eyes had not left the group of women. Fred and George had quickly made their way to the bar to get drinks and Percy was sitting in the corner with his arms folded across his chest, determined to not have a good time. Only Bill was watching the other people in the club as Harry was.
Fred and George returned with a wide array of drinks. Fred handed Harry a glass with something in it and Harry readily took a gulp of it. It was a harsh drink, but for once, he didn't seem to mind and took another drink. Fred was watching him and grinning.
"Harry, take another!" This time George was handing him something that was dark brown. He immediately recognised it as Coca Cola and rum and took another sip. The others were drinking as well. Ron had a bottle of lager and Charlie and Bill both had tall glasses in front of them. Percy, being typically like himself, was drinking orange juice, straight. Carl grabbed a shot of some clear liquid and took it quickly before shaking his head and taking a deep breath.
"Alright boys, here I go. Wish me luck." He straightened the collar of his shirt and walked slowly and deliberately towards the blonde, attempting to hide the limp from his accident.
"Bill, he doesn't seem to be limping that badly, why didn't Penelope want him in the wedding?" Harry asked quietly.
"Well, I think she was just looking for an excuse to not have him in the wedding. She doesn't favour Carl."
Harry just nodded. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that a young, tall male was walking towards the table. He could barely hide the smile spreading across his face as the man walked right up to Ron. Without a word, the stranger slid his arm around Ron's shoulders.
"Hello, handsome."
The look on Ron's face was one Harry wished he could preserve forever. His blue eyes were large as dinner plates and his jaw could easily have been tucked into the waist of his denim jeans.
Harry felt Bill move and the next thing he knew, Bill was advancing on the man standing with Ron.
"You'll do well to leave him alone," Bill said menacingly as he gripped Ron's upper arm.
"Oh, and who are you to say?" the suitor asked, his hand instantly moving to his hip.
"I'm his boyfriend."
"You look like brothers."
"We are."
Harry had never seen anyone retreat so quickly and as soon as he was out of earshot, Harry and Bill both dissolved into gales of laughter. Ron, however, looked dismayed.
"Was that a bloke?"
This only increased Harry and Bill's laughter. Ron looked at them.
"That wasn't funny! That was a bloke! A man! Hitting on me! ME! Why?!"
"Well, I'd guess because this is a gay club," Bill answered between laughs.
"A gay club? What do you mean?"
Bill stopped laughing and gave Ron an odd look. "What do you mean, what do I mean?"
"Well, why are we here?"
"Because Carl is secretly gay," Bill answered, in dead seriousness.
Ron looked even more dismayed. "Does Percy know?"
"Oh yes. He knows," Bill nodded.
"But… surely, you don't mean—" Ron looked horrified.
Bill looked grave. "We've tried to hide it from you, because we knew you'd be upset. What with Percy being your idol and all."
"But he's getting married tomorrow!" Ron said loudly, drawing Percy's attention to them, as well as a few others in the immediate vicinity. A young woman in the group that Ron has previously been watching came over to the table.
"Did I hear you say someone's gettin' hitched?" she asked, an American southern drawl very apparent in her voice.
Ron gawped at her. "Err…yes. He is," Ron pointed towards Percy, who was quickly going very red.
"Aww, congratulations sweetie!" The woman flounced over to Percy and hugged him tight. "Who's the lucky man? Is he here?"
It was Percy's turn to gawp. "Err--, um…no. No," he stammered.
"So this is your bachelor party?"
"Uh, yeah."
The girl squealed excitedly. Her friends moved towards the table and were quickly ordering drinks. Others began surrounding their table and soon, a large group had assembled, wishing Percy and his life partner best wishes.
As people talked and Percy turned more and more red, Harry began looking around for Carl. He spotted the bright shirt the ex-groomsman was wearing several metres away. The man was still talking to the blonde, who looked as if she was getting angrier and angrier as he spoke. Harry watched for another minute when very suddenly the young woman reeled back and landed a smack across Carl's face.
A large, official looking man was heading towards where Carl was and in a flash, had him by the arm and was pulling him out of the building. Charlie and Bill noticed this and grabbed Fred and George while Harry grabbed Ron and Percy. They all quickly moved from the club. When they were only a few metres away, a large man (the same that had carted Carl out) was running towards them, shouting.
"Oy! Mate, you 'ave to pay!"
George stopped and looked slightly panicked. He pulled a wad of notes from his pocket and stuffed them in Harry's hands.
"How much, sir?" Harry asked quietly.
"Thirty-six quid."
Harry looked amazed, but handed over two twenty pound notes.
"And you'll want to watch out for your friend there. He needs to hold his tongue."
Harry just nodded and took the coins the man gave him.
The group started walking along. Ron looked dismayed (Harry wondered if this was going to be his permanent face.) while Percy was as red as a tomato. Fred and George were laughing with Bill and Charlie and Carl was rubbing his swelling jaw.
"What did you say to her Carl?" Harry asked.
"She told me she wasn't interested in guys, so I started explaining how I don't buy that whole lesbian bit."
"You twat," Charlie said, having overheard Carl.
"I know. But she was giving me mixed signals!"
"What is it with women and mixed signals?" Ron said suddenly.
"Tell me about it. Always acting like they want one thing but really wanting a completely different thing," Carl said indignantly. "Are we supposed to bloody read their minds?"
"But of course we are! We should just know what they're thinking, and if we don't, we're arseholes!"
Carl nodded at Ron. "Right you are, mate. Right you are."
Harry was trying very hard not to shout at Ron, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Ron continued on the same tangent.
"You know what the worst thing about women is?"
"That they take ages performing simple charms to get ready to go out?" Carl replied.
"No, the worst thing about women is that they can go after your best friend without batting an eye."
Carl was silent, as he noticed that Harry had set his jaw and quickened his pace.
"They just expect that you'll forgive them for that. And it's even worse when your mate goes along with it and doesn't care about how you feel."
"Bloody hell, Ron! You broke up last year! YOU BROKE UP WITH HER! To go out with someone else!" Harry shouted, losing his patience.
They all stopped walking and stared at Harry and Ron, who were now standing and facing each other.
"Oh, so that just gives you the right to be with her?"
"The right? I didn't realise anyone had the right to be with Hermione. I'm pretty sure it's a privilege and if you think it's a right, then you don't deserve her."
"Oh and I suppose you think you do deserve her? After all, you are the great Harry Potter, hero of all that is wizard. We'd never want to begrudge you anything Harry. Never."
It may have been the alcohol. It may have been his annoyance with the wedding. Or it may have been pent-up anger at Ron for the past few weeks. Whatever it was… it was enough to fuel Harry's punch.
Ron reeled back, clutching his jaw. He bent his head down for a few moments, before standing up and looking at Harry. With one hand, he wiped at the corner of his jaw. He stared Harry in the eyes for a full minute, the look indiscernible. He turned his gaze away and looked at George.
"Well, then, where are we off to?"
The rest of the night was largely uneventful. They went from pub to pub, drinking and carrying on. Eventually, they even got Percy to join in on the fun. Ron kept a distance between himself and Harry but there were no more confrontations between then.
The Leaky Cauldron closed at 2am, so they started to head back around 1:30. George was leading the pack, singing an old drinking song that was definitely not of muggle heritage. Fred was leaning on Carl, who was surprisingly the most sober of the group. Charlie and Bill were talking in hushed towns about the state of the government, Ron was staring at the pavement and Percy had taken a keen interest in the starry sky. Harry trudged along next to him, occasionally pulling him out of the way of an oncoming street lamp. The world was tilted slightly to the left as they stumbled into the old wizarding pub, where Tom met them at the door.
"Fun night, lads?"
***
The sun blinked brightly into the room as Harry felt something shaking. It took him a few moments to realise it was himself and the cause was Hermione, attempting to wake him.
"Harry, it's nearly noon, you've got to wake up."
"Hermione? What time is it?"
"Oh, come on," she pulled him by the arm into a sitting position and he rubbed at his eyes, attempting to clear the fogginess in his brain.
"Ugh. I have the worst headache."
"Well, I'm not surprised. You came in here absolutely pissed."
He blinked, having never heard Hermione say 'pissed'. "Pissed, Hermione?"
"Well, that's the only word to describe it. Stumbling around, loud enough to wake the dead and mumbling something completely incomprehensible. And what happened to Ron last night? I saw him this morning when I was going to get my breakfast and he's got this terrible bruise over his eye. Did he hit on someone's girlfriend or something?"
"Hermione… too many words. Give me fifteen minutes ok? I'll be out then."
She shook her head and handed him a vial with a slimy looking orange liquid in it. "Drink that, it'll take away your hangover."
"Thank you," he said, his voice dry. When she had left the room, he looked down at the vial and winced before unscrewing the cap and taking a sniff. "Oh, disgusting." It smelled like something particularly filthy, though he couldn't quite name it. He took a deep breath before putting the vial to his lips and taking the potion in all at once. It tasted surprisingly good, a lot like strawberries.
He took a sip from the glass of water that Hermione had also left for him before climbing out of bed. He moved to his wardrobe and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. After tying his trainers, he walked out to the sitting room to find Hermione sitting next to Ron on the couch, holding a large bag of ice to his face.
"And so this gentleman just hit you because you bumped into him?"
"Pretty much."
Ron caught Harry's eye then and nodded to him. Harry nodded back.
Hermione looked between them before standing up and walking to Harry. "I'm going to walk with Harry down to the kitchens to get something for lunch. Do you need anything?"
"No. Thank you Hermione."
They walked out into the entrance hall and when they were no more than a few metres from the door to the IMS common room, when Hermione turned to face Harry.
"Why'd you hit him?"
"Wha—I—how did you know?"
"Because you two actually acknowledged each other this morning, so obviously, something happened. Why did you hit him?"
"He said some things about you that made me angry, so I hit him."
"Ah. What did he say?"
"I'd rather not repeat it."
"Fine. Are you on speaking terms now?"
"I don't think so. I'd really rather not be."
"Alright, if that's what you want."
"It is."
She just nodded and took his hand as they started towards the kitchens.
After eating, time crawled slowly towards two o'clock. At one thirty, Hermione pushed Harry towards his room, telling him to clean up before heading down to town. He did so, even attempting to tame his hair. After he was clean and his hair was somewhat reasonable, he grabbed his dress shoes from the bottom of his wardrobe and headed towards the gates of the grounds. Ron was walking slightly ahead of him, carrying a broomstick over his shoulder. When Harry reached the gates, he apparated to the appointed location in Hogsmeade where in just a few hours, wedding guests would be arriving.
He walked to the hall where the wedding and reception were being held. There was what seemed like hundreds of people bustling around (though it was probably only a few dozen), putting flowers on all the benches and adding drooping clothes around the walls. It all made very little sense to him and seemed overdone, but he merely headed to the dressing areas where Mr Clearwater had instructed him to the previous evening. He knocked on the door and heard the muffled voice of Fred calling him in.
The sight that met his eyes was something out of a movie. Percy was standing in the middle of the room wearing tights and something that looked like an oversized, long-sleeved shirt that came to just above his knees.
"Percy, is that a dress?"
"Of course not, Harry. It's a Renaissance dress robe."
"I think it looks like a dress too," said Carl from his seat across the room. He looked perfectly comfortable in a set of normal, dark blue wizarding dress robes.
Harry examined the dress robes that Percy was wearing a little more. The sleeves were contrasting colours and very puffy. There was a wide belt that went around his waist and a split cape that draped over his shoulders and went down longer than the dress portion of the ensemble.
"It's a tunic! Not a dress!" Percy said, louder than his normal tone. His face suggested murder at the next person to comment.
"Hullo everyone. How's it hangin'? Oy, Perce, is that a dress?" Bill had walked in the room then.
"Yes, Bill. It's a dress. And you know what the best part is? You all get to wear them!"
"But what about the robes we tried on at Gladrags?" asked Ron, who had entered the room just after Bill without Harry noticing.
"Penelope and the wedding planner decided at the last minute that we should match the overall theme of the wedding, so we have to wear these stupid…frocks."
"But all those fittings?" Harry said.
"They're being emergency tailored. Fred and George are in there right now."
The other groomsmen sat down in various chairs spread throughout the room as Percy paced back and forth. There was a rustling in the back and what sounded like a small scuffle before a door slammed and Fred and George strolled into the room. Their outfits differed from Percy's in that there was no cape and they were wearing odd, baggy caps.
"Good day, Harry! Good day, Ronald!" said George, bowing deeply. "I believe you two are next in Ye Merry Olde fitting room."
"George, it's Renaissance, not the Middle Ages," said Fred.
"Right you are. Well, then, the fitting room is open. I'm not sure how to say that in Renaissance."
Percy rolled his eyes at the twins and motioned Ron and Harry to the fitting room. They walked through a door to find a short wizard briskly moving around, folding bundles of cloth.
"Well, then, both of you, up on the stools. There's no time to waste."
They did as directed and presently, the wizard was flicking his wand about, directing coils of measuring tape about and sending bits of cloth around. He handed them each a bundle of clothing and directed them to two doors in the back of the room.
Harry sat on the bench inside the small, closet-like space, holding the clothes in his lap and wondering what exactly he'd gotten himself into. He sighed and stood up, dumping the garments on the bench. They were identical to what Fred and George had on and Harry was slightly terrified. He put on the tunic first, scratching at the itchy material. Next were the tights. He stared at them for what felt like an eternity, wondering how they worked. With a shrug, he bent down and tried to pull them on. His left foot went in ok, but as soon as he moved to pull on the right foot, he lost his balance and fell against the wall. He grunted and stood up, struggling to keep his balance as he hiked up the tights. He fell again, this time to his knees. It took two more falls before sitting on the bench and pulling on the tights that way. As he stood up, the tights in place, he heard grunting and crashing coming from the adjacent space and smirked at the thought of Ron going through what he just had. After enjoying the moment of amusement, he tied on the cloth shoes and adjusted the strange cap on his head. After checking himself in the mirror, he walked back to where the tiny wizard was dashing about.
"Back on the stool," the wizard commanded and Harry did as he was told. With a few flicks of a wand, the tunic was a little snugger across the chest and the tights were much higher than when Harry had first pulled them on. He stepped off the stool with a feeling of great discomfort as Ron came out of his changing room, looking harassed and beaten.
"You're a mess. And you tore the tights! Honestly, how hard is it to put on a pair of tights?" The wizard was still scolding Ron as Harry exited the room.
Bill and Charlie went in last and when everyone was tailored and extraordinarily uncomfortable, Carl went to tell the planner that they were ready.
***
Penelope's bridesmaids were dressed in the female versions of the outfits worn by the groomsmen. They looked somewhat more comfortable in their attire though, as Harry assumed that tights were much more designed with the female anatomy in mind. He stood in line with Ginny, her arm perched on his as the music from the previous night started. He took a deep breath as the planner directed him forward.
The hall looked immensely different than it had when he first entered it three hours prior. It looked complete and was to represent some sort of renaissance thing. He didn't know what and he didn't particularly care. He was growing to dislike weddings more and more.
He recognised a handful of familiar faces in the crowd. Professor Dumbledore was seated with Professor McGonagall, who was sitting next to an annoyed looking Snape. He saw Hermione sitting towards the front, wearing her dress from last year's Yule Ball. He spotted others: Mrs Weasley, Ludo Bagman, and many other ministry members. He sighed, already bored and only thirty seconds into the ceremony.
They reached the front of the room and the minister addressed the room, followed by the Ministry officiant speaking. The ceremony continued in much the same manner as it had at the rehearsal. Harry found himself zoning out as his legs grew tired and he found his thoughts wandering to a million different areas. As he thought over everything that had happened in the past few weeks, the ceremony wound down and soon, the minister and the officiant were announcing "Mr and Mrs Percy Weasley". Harry watched them kiss and walk down the aisle.
As was directed by the wedding planner, he followed with Ginny once more on his arm and they moved down the aisle, greeting guests and friends.
***
After the ceremony, they had been whisked away to some scenic spot in Hogsmeade for pictures, though it made very little sense to Harry, as it was dark outside anyhow. Then, they headed towards the hall again, where the decorations and set-up had been changed to allow for the dinner reception. The guests were waiting inside as they all entered the room, with the exception of Percy and Penelope.
When the wedding party was seated, a voice came over the air and announced the arrival of Penelope and Percy. Indoor fireworks, magical floating balloons that propelled around the room and Ridley's Unpoppable Bubbles floated in the air as the newlyweds entered the room to great applause from the assembled guests. Dinner began and Harry spoke with Ginny and Penelope's sisters at great lengths about absolutely nothing at all. He spotted Hermione several times during the meal, seated with the Hogwarts professors. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Probably better conversation. Then again, anything is better than Gaynor's tales of creepy stalkers she likes to call boyfriends.
When dancing began, Harry gladly stood up and headed down to meet Hermione. She grinned at him.
"Are you having fun?"
"Not particularly."
"But Harry, you look amazing!"
"Hermione, have I ever told you how much I adore you? Really? Because it's a lot. Especially at this very moment."
"I adore your sar—I mean, wit, Harry," she grinned at him, her eyes twinkling as she wrapped her arms round his neck.
He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Hermione, should you ever decide you want to get married, can we not have a big wedding like this?"
She pulled away from him slightly and looked at him fully. "Whatever you like. But tell me; were you planning on getting married anytime soon? I don't think sixteen would fly with my parents."
He turned a deep shade of crimson and stuttered, "I...uh—that's not—I mean…err…"
She laughed, her head tilting back. "Harry, I adore you."
He pulled her back into a tight hug. "I adore you too, Mione."
She kissed him again before they heard a scuffle behind them. Harry turned and was not surprised to see Gaynor standing not too far away. She was looking at Ron and seemed to have a firm grip on his arm.
"You must know how to dance!"
"No, really, I assure you. I can't dance."
"Oh bother! If you can't dance, I shall teach you."
"No, no. I'm fine. I like sitting and just sort of rocking to the music. It's very nice."
"Nonsense. This is a wedding. You dance at weddings. And I'll hear no more argument from you, Young Weasley." She smiled a toothy grin and pulled Ron out onto the dance floor. Ron looked towards Hermione for help, but she merely laughed at him.
"Well, Harry? Shall we?" she held her hand out to him and together they moved to the dance floor. Harry pulled her into his arms and they danced in time to the music, talking and laughing as Gaynor pulled Ron around the dance floor.
"I really think they make a good couple."
"Harry! She's twice his age!" Hermione cried, laughing.
"Yeah and? Ron needs a woman like that."
"You're horrible you know."
"You love me anyhow," he said smiling, not realising his own words. He stopped and the smile vanished. He looked at her, knowing that she had realised what he just said.
"Harry. I—I've wanted to talk to you."
"You have?"
"Yes. Do you think we could go somewhere else?"
Harry looked around. "I don't see any place we can really sneak off to without someone noticing. Maybe we could go over to those settees over there?" He motioned towards a collection of settees in the corner.
"That'll be fine."
She took his hand and led him towards the corner of the room. They sat, a good distance apart and both folded their hands in their laps.
"Harry—"
"Hermione—"
"Heh. You can start."
"No, go ahead Hermione."
"Ok," she paused, taking a deep breath, "Harry. There's something I've wanted to tell you for sometime. Since before we even got together. It's just that… Well, I was afraid to be with you, Harry, because of it. Because I worry about all that it means and I worry that we're young and, well, you know me. I just worry."
Harry nodded.
"See, the thing is, Harry, I—"
If she finished her sentence, Harry didn't hear it, because just as her lips moved, a deafening explosion went off. Harry instantly shot off the lounge and looked about. The guests had all frozen and were looking about with their eyes wide.
Another explosion, this time accompanied by a great flash of light. Harry winced as the brightness hit his head and he squinted, trying to puzzle out what was going on. His hand sought out Hermione's, which readily grasped his.
There were shouts as the smoke from the explosion cleared and the light dimmed. Harry's stomach plummeted as he heard someone shout.
"Cruciatus!"
Hermione squeezed his hand quickly before releasing it, obviously going for her wand. He did the same and in a matter of seconds, they were advancing quickly to the commotion in the centre of the room.
He saw Gaynor ducking down behind a table and Ron was not far away. A large group of burly figures was standing in the centre, wands out stretched and pointing at wedding guests.
He heard a shout from someone in the group, obviously a spell and sounding a great deal like the Killing Curse, but different. The words ended and about ten people in the room instantly fell. The closest of these was Gaynor and Harry rushed to the fallen woman, placing two fingers to her throat. The action was unnecessary, he knew, because he recognised that look.
The others that had fallen included Penelope's dad and as Harry surveyed the room, he realised that every person that had died was a muggle and a family member of Penelope. He looked towards the bride, who was kneeling by her mother, gripping the woman's limp figure to her chest and sobbing. Percy was kneeling by Neil Clearwater and kept looking towards his wife.
The silence in the room was unbearable. The group in the centre was standing stalk-still and no witch or wizard in the room was able to move for fear of what had just happened to the muggles.
Penelope stood after a few moments and whirled towards the group. "Who are you?!" she shouted through her tears.
"Penelope!" Percy cried out, just as one of the cloaked figures shot a spell towards the young woman. She fell instantly, but Harry could tell from where he stood that she was still breathing. Percy turned to the person who had shot the spell and fired something back at him.
It was if someone had let a flood loose, for at that moment, every witch or wizard in the room that had a wand began firing at the group, which Harry knew were Death Eaters. He too began firing spells at the figures, which were doing the same. He saw many people he knew getting hit by some spell or another and he saw Hermione ducking out of the way as a Death Eater cornered her, his wand outstretched. He watched as the man followed her quick movements, his wand trained on her.
"Hermio-"
And the world went completely black for what was not the first time in his life.
Author: Atlantis Potter
E-mail: atlantispotter@yahoo.com
Category: Romance, Action/Adventure
Keywords: Year 6, Harry, Hermione, IMS, Magus
Rating: R
Spoilers: All Four Books.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Thank you all so much for your patience! I appreciate it so much. Thank you to Elliott and Neil for the beta work and thank you, my readers, for sticking with me even though I've taken forever to update. Please, review and let me know what you think. Also, if you're interested in faster updates, please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/powerthree. Again, thank you so much. –Atlantis
Harry Potter and the Wand of Ariel
Atlantis
It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. - Marcus Aurelius
Two days prior to the wedding, Harry had received a rather rude awakening from a post owl. He'd been hit in the face with a thick parchment envelope. Upon opening it, he had found a letter from Percy explaining that one of his groomsmen for the wedding had been involved in some sort of Quidditch accident and that he needed someone to fill his spot. Hermione had pushed him to help Percy and Harry had written to him, agreeing to stand up with Percy. Not a few hours after the post owl had set off with his response did Harry receive a call on the fireplace. The head of Penelope Clearwater was floating in the flames, her face looking quite harried.
"Harry?"
"Err, hello, Penelope. How are you?"
"Fine, thanks. I'm in a bit of a rush this morning. Only two days left," she smiled at him, a tense, worried smile. "Percy has told me that you'll be filling in for Carl. Bloody Quidditch accident. I'm not sure who told him it would be alright to ride on a broom backwards. Honestly." She was shaking her head and her black curls were bobbing back and forth. "Anyhow, I'll need you to be in Hogsmeade at Gladrags at two o'clock for your robe fittings. Percy will meet you there and he'll fill you on the ins and outs of the wedding. I believe Ginny has a fitting there as well, also at two. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this Harry."
"Oh, really, it's not problem. I'm glad I could be of help."
"Thanks again. I really must run, Mother is running ragged trying to get our few relatives settled in. They'll be travelling to Hogsmeade tomorrow. Goodbye Harry."
She blinked out before he had a chance to respond.
The following two days were very much a whirlwind. Beginning with the fittings at Gladrags, Harry had also had to help Percy and the other Weasleys set up various protective wards. There would be a handful of muggles at the wedding, all family of Penelope and all completely aware of the wizarding world. There would also be some 400 witches and wizards. Through Percy's work at the Ministry and Penelope's work for Gringotts, they had hundreds of close, personal friends who were invited to the wedding. Harry snorted as Percy explained this to them. His two days' experience with the wedding had convinced him that he never wanted one. The Weasleys, aside from Percy obviously, seemed to have the same idea.
At the rehearsal, Molly Weasley was promptly directed to her seat by a wedding coordinator that Penelope's father, Neil, had hired. There were people bustling to and fro and Mrs Weasley seemed annoyed that she didn't have a hand in anything. Harry was promptly pushed towards the back of the room.
"Are you Harry?" A young woman with curly black hair and blue eyes said to him.
"Yes. Um, where am I supposed to be?" he asked.
"I'm Allena, Penelope's younger sister. You'll be escorting Ginny, so if you could just move over there…" she directed him towards where Ginny was sitting on a bench.
"Hullo Harry."
"Hey, Gin. Having fun?"
She just stared at him. "Oh yes. You know, I never much liked Penelope before. I could stand her, but I found her somewhat annoying. The past two days have taught me that I would never like to have a wedding. Do you think my mum would be upset if I elope?"
Harry remembered the look on Mrs Weasley's face as the wedding planner had explained to her all about various charms placed on the wedding cake. Mrs Weasley had looked somewhat harassed by the young woman and Harry couldn't tell if it was about the cake or the fact that Neil Clearwater had hired a wedding planner.
"I'm really not sure Gin. Besides, that's a long way off," he teased.
She smiled at him. Almost as quickly as the smile had appeared, it disappeared and was replaced with what could only be a look of fear.
"Harry," said a gruff voice behind him. Ron was standing about ten feet away looking furious. "Oy, are you hitting on my sister now as well? Hermione isn't enough for you?"
Ginny's eyes grew wider. "Harry? You're with Hermione now?"
"Err…yeah," he answered quietly, avoiding her eyes.
"Why, that's wonderful!" she said as she hugged him. "I'm very happy for you two!"
Harry was astounded, but not as much as Ron. The boy's ears were quickly going red and his lips were drawn so tightly, they nearly disappeared. With one final glare, Ron turned on his heel and stomped off towards the girl who had introduced herself as Allena.
As Ginny opened her mouth to speak, the high-strung wedding planner swooped into the hall where the wedding party was milling about. "We will begin the procession now. I want you lined up as follows. Bill and Lucy, Charlie and Viridian, Fred and Gaynor, George and Calynn, Ron and Allena, and Harry and Ginny. Penelope, dear, you stand behind them." At that, she turned away from the group and spoke into a small headpiece.
They lined up according to instruction and Harry peaked down the line of curly black heads in front of him. The only two that stood out were Lucy and Penelope's older sister, Gaynor. Lucy's light brown hair stood out amongst the row of dark haired women, but not nearly as much as Penelope's sister. The thirty-year old woman had platinum blonde hair that was very obviously dyed, as the dark roots near her part suggested.
"That blonde one is Gaynor. She's sort of the odd one out. A Muggle, not very good in school, not very intelligent. The other two are Calynn and Allena, twins. They're 17," Ginny whispered conspiratorially in Harry's ear.
"Are they witches?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, though they didn't attend Hogwarts. Both went to Beauxbatons."
"What is it about that school?"
"What?"
"Nevermind." Harry wondered why they had chosen to go to Beauxbatons, just as his aunt had.
Some music began playing and the planner began directing them down the aisle.
The rest of the rehearsal was rather boring. It was a run through of everything that would happen the next evening. The muggle minister performed wedding vows, followed by a Ministry officiant doing the same thing. Harry was very bored and the ceremony carried on for longer than half an hour.
When it was over, they were all rushed off to dinner at a restaurant in Hogsmeade that Harry had never been to. The wedding party, along with Mrs Weasley, Penelope's parents and Percy's friend, Carl, were seated in a private dining room. Fred and George somehow managed to get all the groomsmen seated at one end of the long table.
"We have something very important to discuss gentlemen. The stag party. Where shall we have it?" George asked, the picture of perfect seriousness.
"How about we all apparate to Las Vegan?" Carl jumped in, sounding rather excited and pleased with himself.
"Erm, do you mean Las Vegas Carl? In the US?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, that's what I said! Los Vegos."
They all looked at him for a moment before George shook his head. "I was thinking somewhere along the lines of London. A short apparating distance, really."
"Ron here can't apparate," Charlie pointed out.
"Aye, you're right. Well, we could just floo to the Leaky Cauldron and go from there. I'm sure Tom won't mind."
They all nodded in agreement, except for Harry and Ron. Ron looked rather annoyed at being the reason they were using floo and Harry felt odd having any input in the plans.
Dinner was just as boring as the rehearsal. Penelope's family ended up being horribly boring, with the exception of Allena, who had a rather good sense of humour and kept trying to include Harry in the conversation. Ginny had been seated next to Gaynor, who was sharing the enthralling tale of her date with a vampire.
"He was really rather charming, but I was a little nervous about letting him kiss me goodnight." The rotund woman erupted in high-pitched, trilling laughter that echoed in the large room. Ginny stared at her incredulously before giving a polite laugh and turning towards Penelope's father to ask him some question about the restaurant.
The meal was winding down and Fred and George were both looking around anxiously. As Mr Clearwater stood, they both straightened up, looking ready to fly out of their chairs at any moment.
"Well, team. This is it. Last night before the big day. I expect you all to get a good night's rest and we'll see you all at the town hall tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock. Have a good evening."
George and Fred nearly knocked their chairs over in their scramble to get up. They looked expectantly at the rest of the groomsmen. Harry stood slowly, keeping an eye on Percy, who looked none too pleased with the idea of a stag party. He caught sight of Ginny, who was being dragged out by the increasingly scarier Gaynor.
"Come on lass, we're going to have a fun time tonight!"
Ginny caught his eye and gave him a look of horror before allowing herself to be pulled from the room.
Fred and George were pulling everyone towards the door.
"We're going to leave from the fireplace inside the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta won't mind. Harry, Ron, are you sure Dumbledore won't mind you staying out later?"
"Not at all. He said we were allowed to do what we like tonight as long as we were with an adult," Harry answered, feeling weird calling Fred and George adults. After all, they were only two years older than he was. And he was sixteen now.
They walked quickly to the Three Broomsticks and flooed without incident to the Leaky Cauldron. George quickly decided that the night would be better spent in muggle London rather than in Diagon Alley and he led the way down Charring Cross Road
They walked some blocks to a tube station. George led the group to an area known for its night clubs.
"Hey guys! This place looks pretty cool!" Carl was motioning towards a club lit up with purple and green lights. Dozens of men were streaming in and out of the club.
"Err…" Charlie stepped in, but was too late. The group was already heading in to the club.
Harry and Ron had no trouble getting in the door and within minutes, they were standing inside a posh decorated room. There were lights bouncing off the huge dance floor and disco balls hanging from the ceiling. Smoke filled the room and large mirrors reflected the mass in the centre of the room, moving to the heavily mixed music.
It was Bill who noticed first. "I don't think we're going to find any women here, guys. At least not any that are interested."
Carl, George and Fred were oblivious. "Oh, come on Bill. I'm better looking than half the guys here," George said indignantly.
"Fine, suit yourself." Bill looked towards the edge of the room for a table big enough to suit the group. Charlie was talking to Carl.
"No, I'm telling you. That blonde is really checking you out. You should go talk to her."
Harry watched on, bemused. He had discovered the nature of the club within two minutes of entering the room. Ron, however, seemed just as oblivious as Carl, Fred and George. He was sitting across the table from Harry, staring towards a group of women a few tables over. They were laughing and carrying on together and Ron had an unreadable look on his face.
They were all sitting for a few minutes, unbothered by the other clubbers. Carl seemed to be working up the gall to hit on the blonde, while Ron's eyes had not left the group of women. Fred and George had quickly made their way to the bar to get drinks and Percy was sitting in the corner with his arms folded across his chest, determined to not have a good time. Only Bill was watching the other people in the club as Harry was.
Fred and George returned with a wide array of drinks. Fred handed Harry a glass with something in it and Harry readily took a gulp of it. It was a harsh drink, but for once, he didn't seem to mind and took another drink. Fred was watching him and grinning.
"Harry, take another!" This time George was handing him something that was dark brown. He immediately recognised it as Coca Cola and rum and took another sip. The others were drinking as well. Ron had a bottle of lager and Charlie and Bill both had tall glasses in front of them. Percy, being typically like himself, was drinking orange juice, straight. Carl grabbed a shot of some clear liquid and took it quickly before shaking his head and taking a deep breath.
"Alright boys, here I go. Wish me luck." He straightened the collar of his shirt and walked slowly and deliberately towards the blonde, attempting to hide the limp from his accident.
"Bill, he doesn't seem to be limping that badly, why didn't Penelope want him in the wedding?" Harry asked quietly.
"Well, I think she was just looking for an excuse to not have him in the wedding. She doesn't favour Carl."
Harry just nodded. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that a young, tall male was walking towards the table. He could barely hide the smile spreading across his face as the man walked right up to Ron. Without a word, the stranger slid his arm around Ron's shoulders.
"Hello, handsome."
The look on Ron's face was one Harry wished he could preserve forever. His blue eyes were large as dinner plates and his jaw could easily have been tucked into the waist of his denim jeans.
Harry felt Bill move and the next thing he knew, Bill was advancing on the man standing with Ron.
"You'll do well to leave him alone," Bill said menacingly as he gripped Ron's upper arm.
"Oh, and who are you to say?" the suitor asked, his hand instantly moving to his hip.
"I'm his boyfriend."
"You look like brothers."
"We are."
Harry had never seen anyone retreat so quickly and as soon as he was out of earshot, Harry and Bill both dissolved into gales of laughter. Ron, however, looked dismayed.
"Was that a bloke?"
This only increased Harry and Bill's laughter. Ron looked at them.
"That wasn't funny! That was a bloke! A man! Hitting on me! ME! Why?!"
"Well, I'd guess because this is a gay club," Bill answered between laughs.
"A gay club? What do you mean?"
Bill stopped laughing and gave Ron an odd look. "What do you mean, what do I mean?"
"Well, why are we here?"
"Because Carl is secretly gay," Bill answered, in dead seriousness.
Ron looked even more dismayed. "Does Percy know?"
"Oh yes. He knows," Bill nodded.
"But… surely, you don't mean—" Ron looked horrified.
Bill looked grave. "We've tried to hide it from you, because we knew you'd be upset. What with Percy being your idol and all."
"But he's getting married tomorrow!" Ron said loudly, drawing Percy's attention to them, as well as a few others in the immediate vicinity. A young woman in the group that Ron has previously been watching came over to the table.
"Did I hear you say someone's gettin' hitched?" she asked, an American southern drawl very apparent in her voice.
Ron gawped at her. "Err…yes. He is," Ron pointed towards Percy, who was quickly going very red.
"Aww, congratulations sweetie!" The woman flounced over to Percy and hugged him tight. "Who's the lucky man? Is he here?"
It was Percy's turn to gawp. "Err--, um…no. No," he stammered.
"So this is your bachelor party?"
"Uh, yeah."
The girl squealed excitedly. Her friends moved towards the table and were quickly ordering drinks. Others began surrounding their table and soon, a large group had assembled, wishing Percy and his life partner best wishes.
As people talked and Percy turned more and more red, Harry began looking around for Carl. He spotted the bright shirt the ex-groomsman was wearing several metres away. The man was still talking to the blonde, who looked as if she was getting angrier and angrier as he spoke. Harry watched for another minute when very suddenly the young woman reeled back and landed a smack across Carl's face.
A large, official looking man was heading towards where Carl was and in a flash, had him by the arm and was pulling him out of the building. Charlie and Bill noticed this and grabbed Fred and George while Harry grabbed Ron and Percy. They all quickly moved from the club. When they were only a few metres away, a large man (the same that had carted Carl out) was running towards them, shouting.
"Oy! Mate, you 'ave to pay!"
George stopped and looked slightly panicked. He pulled a wad of notes from his pocket and stuffed them in Harry's hands.
"How much, sir?" Harry asked quietly.
"Thirty-six quid."
Harry looked amazed, but handed over two twenty pound notes.
"And you'll want to watch out for your friend there. He needs to hold his tongue."
Harry just nodded and took the coins the man gave him.
The group started walking along. Ron looked dismayed (Harry wondered if this was going to be his permanent face.) while Percy was as red as a tomato. Fred and George were laughing with Bill and Charlie and Carl was rubbing his swelling jaw.
"What did you say to her Carl?" Harry asked.
"She told me she wasn't interested in guys, so I started explaining how I don't buy that whole lesbian bit."
"You twat," Charlie said, having overheard Carl.
"I know. But she was giving me mixed signals!"
"What is it with women and mixed signals?" Ron said suddenly.
"Tell me about it. Always acting like they want one thing but really wanting a completely different thing," Carl said indignantly. "Are we supposed to bloody read their minds?"
"But of course we are! We should just know what they're thinking, and if we don't, we're arseholes!"
Carl nodded at Ron. "Right you are, mate. Right you are."
Harry was trying very hard not to shout at Ron, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Ron continued on the same tangent.
"You know what the worst thing about women is?"
"That they take ages performing simple charms to get ready to go out?" Carl replied.
"No, the worst thing about women is that they can go after your best friend without batting an eye."
Carl was silent, as he noticed that Harry had set his jaw and quickened his pace.
"They just expect that you'll forgive them for that. And it's even worse when your mate goes along with it and doesn't care about how you feel."
"Bloody hell, Ron! You broke up last year! YOU BROKE UP WITH HER! To go out with someone else!" Harry shouted, losing his patience.
They all stopped walking and stared at Harry and Ron, who were now standing and facing each other.
"Oh, so that just gives you the right to be with her?"
"The right? I didn't realise anyone had the right to be with Hermione. I'm pretty sure it's a privilege and if you think it's a right, then you don't deserve her."
"Oh and I suppose you think you do deserve her? After all, you are the great Harry Potter, hero of all that is wizard. We'd never want to begrudge you anything Harry. Never."
It may have been the alcohol. It may have been his annoyance with the wedding. Or it may have been pent-up anger at Ron for the past few weeks. Whatever it was… it was enough to fuel Harry's punch.
Ron reeled back, clutching his jaw. He bent his head down for a few moments, before standing up and looking at Harry. With one hand, he wiped at the corner of his jaw. He stared Harry in the eyes for a full minute, the look indiscernible. He turned his gaze away and looked at George.
"Well, then, where are we off to?"
The rest of the night was largely uneventful. They went from pub to pub, drinking and carrying on. Eventually, they even got Percy to join in on the fun. Ron kept a distance between himself and Harry but there were no more confrontations between then.
The Leaky Cauldron closed at 2am, so they started to head back around 1:30. George was leading the pack, singing an old drinking song that was definitely not of muggle heritage. Fred was leaning on Carl, who was surprisingly the most sober of the group. Charlie and Bill were talking in hushed towns about the state of the government, Ron was staring at the pavement and Percy had taken a keen interest in the starry sky. Harry trudged along next to him, occasionally pulling him out of the way of an oncoming street lamp. The world was tilted slightly to the left as they stumbled into the old wizarding pub, where Tom met them at the door.
"Fun night, lads?"
The sun blinked brightly into the room as Harry felt something shaking. It took him a few moments to realise it was himself and the cause was Hermione, attempting to wake him.
"Harry, it's nearly noon, you've got to wake up."
"Hermione? What time is it?"
"Oh, come on," she pulled him by the arm into a sitting position and he rubbed at his eyes, attempting to clear the fogginess in his brain.
"Ugh. I have the worst headache."
"Well, I'm not surprised. You came in here absolutely pissed."
He blinked, having never heard Hermione say 'pissed'. "Pissed, Hermione?"
"Well, that's the only word to describe it. Stumbling around, loud enough to wake the dead and mumbling something completely incomprehensible. And what happened to Ron last night? I saw him this morning when I was going to get my breakfast and he's got this terrible bruise over his eye. Did he hit on someone's girlfriend or something?"
"Hermione… too many words. Give me fifteen minutes ok? I'll be out then."
She shook her head and handed him a vial with a slimy looking orange liquid in it. "Drink that, it'll take away your hangover."
"Thank you," he said, his voice dry. When she had left the room, he looked down at the vial and winced before unscrewing the cap and taking a sniff. "Oh, disgusting." It smelled like something particularly filthy, though he couldn't quite name it. He took a deep breath before putting the vial to his lips and taking the potion in all at once. It tasted surprisingly good, a lot like strawberries.
He took a sip from the glass of water that Hermione had also left for him before climbing out of bed. He moved to his wardrobe and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. After tying his trainers, he walked out to the sitting room to find Hermione sitting next to Ron on the couch, holding a large bag of ice to his face.
"And so this gentleman just hit you because you bumped into him?"
"Pretty much."
Ron caught Harry's eye then and nodded to him. Harry nodded back.
Hermione looked between them before standing up and walking to Harry. "I'm going to walk with Harry down to the kitchens to get something for lunch. Do you need anything?"
"No. Thank you Hermione."
They walked out into the entrance hall and when they were no more than a few metres from the door to the IMS common room, when Hermione turned to face Harry.
"Why'd you hit him?"
"Wha—I—how did you know?"
"Because you two actually acknowledged each other this morning, so obviously, something happened. Why did you hit him?"
"He said some things about you that made me angry, so I hit him."
"Ah. What did he say?"
"I'd rather not repeat it."
"Fine. Are you on speaking terms now?"
"I don't think so. I'd really rather not be."
"Alright, if that's what you want."
"It is."
She just nodded and took his hand as they started towards the kitchens.
After eating, time crawled slowly towards two o'clock. At one thirty, Hermione pushed Harry towards his room, telling him to clean up before heading down to town. He did so, even attempting to tame his hair. After he was clean and his hair was somewhat reasonable, he grabbed his dress shoes from the bottom of his wardrobe and headed towards the gates of the grounds. Ron was walking slightly ahead of him, carrying a broomstick over his shoulder. When Harry reached the gates, he apparated to the appointed location in Hogsmeade where in just a few hours, wedding guests would be arriving.
He walked to the hall where the wedding and reception were being held. There was what seemed like hundreds of people bustling around (though it was probably only a few dozen), putting flowers on all the benches and adding drooping clothes around the walls. It all made very little sense to him and seemed overdone, but he merely headed to the dressing areas where Mr Clearwater had instructed him to the previous evening. He knocked on the door and heard the muffled voice of Fred calling him in.
The sight that met his eyes was something out of a movie. Percy was standing in the middle of the room wearing tights and something that looked like an oversized, long-sleeved shirt that came to just above his knees.
"Percy, is that a dress?"
"Of course not, Harry. It's a Renaissance dress robe."
"I think it looks like a dress too," said Carl from his seat across the room. He looked perfectly comfortable in a set of normal, dark blue wizarding dress robes.
Harry examined the dress robes that Percy was wearing a little more. The sleeves were contrasting colours and very puffy. There was a wide belt that went around his waist and a split cape that draped over his shoulders and went down longer than the dress portion of the ensemble.
"It's a tunic! Not a dress!" Percy said, louder than his normal tone. His face suggested murder at the next person to comment.
"Hullo everyone. How's it hangin'? Oy, Perce, is that a dress?" Bill had walked in the room then.
"Yes, Bill. It's a dress. And you know what the best part is? You all get to wear them!"
"But what about the robes we tried on at Gladrags?" asked Ron, who had entered the room just after Bill without Harry noticing.
"Penelope and the wedding planner decided at the last minute that we should match the overall theme of the wedding, so we have to wear these stupid…frocks."
"But all those fittings?" Harry said.
"They're being emergency tailored. Fred and George are in there right now."
The other groomsmen sat down in various chairs spread throughout the room as Percy paced back and forth. There was a rustling in the back and what sounded like a small scuffle before a door slammed and Fred and George strolled into the room. Their outfits differed from Percy's in that there was no cape and they were wearing odd, baggy caps.
"Good day, Harry! Good day, Ronald!" said George, bowing deeply. "I believe you two are next in Ye Merry Olde fitting room."
"George, it's Renaissance, not the Middle Ages," said Fred.
"Right you are. Well, then, the fitting room is open. I'm not sure how to say that in Renaissance."
Percy rolled his eyes at the twins and motioned Ron and Harry to the fitting room. They walked through a door to find a short wizard briskly moving around, folding bundles of cloth.
"Well, then, both of you, up on the stools. There's no time to waste."
They did as directed and presently, the wizard was flicking his wand about, directing coils of measuring tape about and sending bits of cloth around. He handed them each a bundle of clothing and directed them to two doors in the back of the room.
Harry sat on the bench inside the small, closet-like space, holding the clothes in his lap and wondering what exactly he'd gotten himself into. He sighed and stood up, dumping the garments on the bench. They were identical to what Fred and George had on and Harry was slightly terrified. He put on the tunic first, scratching at the itchy material. Next were the tights. He stared at them for what felt like an eternity, wondering how they worked. With a shrug, he bent down and tried to pull them on. His left foot went in ok, but as soon as he moved to pull on the right foot, he lost his balance and fell against the wall. He grunted and stood up, struggling to keep his balance as he hiked up the tights. He fell again, this time to his knees. It took two more falls before sitting on the bench and pulling on the tights that way. As he stood up, the tights in place, he heard grunting and crashing coming from the adjacent space and smirked at the thought of Ron going through what he just had. After enjoying the moment of amusement, he tied on the cloth shoes and adjusted the strange cap on his head. After checking himself in the mirror, he walked back to where the tiny wizard was dashing about.
"Back on the stool," the wizard commanded and Harry did as he was told. With a few flicks of a wand, the tunic was a little snugger across the chest and the tights were much higher than when Harry had first pulled them on. He stepped off the stool with a feeling of great discomfort as Ron came out of his changing room, looking harassed and beaten.
"You're a mess. And you tore the tights! Honestly, how hard is it to put on a pair of tights?" The wizard was still scolding Ron as Harry exited the room.
Bill and Charlie went in last and when everyone was tailored and extraordinarily uncomfortable, Carl went to tell the planner that they were ready.
Penelope's bridesmaids were dressed in the female versions of the outfits worn by the groomsmen. They looked somewhat more comfortable in their attire though, as Harry assumed that tights were much more designed with the female anatomy in mind. He stood in line with Ginny, her arm perched on his as the music from the previous night started. He took a deep breath as the planner directed him forward.
The hall looked immensely different than it had when he first entered it three hours prior. It looked complete and was to represent some sort of renaissance thing. He didn't know what and he didn't particularly care. He was growing to dislike weddings more and more.
He recognised a handful of familiar faces in the crowd. Professor Dumbledore was seated with Professor McGonagall, who was sitting next to an annoyed looking Snape. He saw Hermione sitting towards the front, wearing her dress from last year's Yule Ball. He spotted others: Mrs Weasley, Ludo Bagman, and many other ministry members. He sighed, already bored and only thirty seconds into the ceremony.
They reached the front of the room and the minister addressed the room, followed by the Ministry officiant speaking. The ceremony continued in much the same manner as it had at the rehearsal. Harry found himself zoning out as his legs grew tired and he found his thoughts wandering to a million different areas. As he thought over everything that had happened in the past few weeks, the ceremony wound down and soon, the minister and the officiant were announcing "Mr and Mrs Percy Weasley". Harry watched them kiss and walk down the aisle.
As was directed by the wedding planner, he followed with Ginny once more on his arm and they moved down the aisle, greeting guests and friends.
After the ceremony, they had been whisked away to some scenic spot in Hogsmeade for pictures, though it made very little sense to Harry, as it was dark outside anyhow. Then, they headed towards the hall again, where the decorations and set-up had been changed to allow for the dinner reception. The guests were waiting inside as they all entered the room, with the exception of Percy and Penelope.
When the wedding party was seated, a voice came over the air and announced the arrival of Penelope and Percy. Indoor fireworks, magical floating balloons that propelled around the room and Ridley's Unpoppable Bubbles floated in the air as the newlyweds entered the room to great applause from the assembled guests. Dinner began and Harry spoke with Ginny and Penelope's sisters at great lengths about absolutely nothing at all. He spotted Hermione several times during the meal, seated with the Hogwarts professors. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Probably better conversation. Then again, anything is better than Gaynor's tales of creepy stalkers she likes to call boyfriends.
When dancing began, Harry gladly stood up and headed down to meet Hermione. She grinned at him.
"Are you having fun?"
"Not particularly."
"But Harry, you look amazing!"
"Hermione, have I ever told you how much I adore you? Really? Because it's a lot. Especially at this very moment."
"I adore your sar—I mean, wit, Harry," she grinned at him, her eyes twinkling as she wrapped her arms round his neck.
He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Hermione, should you ever decide you want to get married, can we not have a big wedding like this?"
She pulled away from him slightly and looked at him fully. "Whatever you like. But tell me; were you planning on getting married anytime soon? I don't think sixteen would fly with my parents."
He turned a deep shade of crimson and stuttered, "I...uh—that's not—I mean…err…"
She laughed, her head tilting back. "Harry, I adore you."
He pulled her back into a tight hug. "I adore you too, Mione."
She kissed him again before they heard a scuffle behind them. Harry turned and was not surprised to see Gaynor standing not too far away. She was looking at Ron and seemed to have a firm grip on his arm.
"You must know how to dance!"
"No, really, I assure you. I can't dance."
"Oh bother! If you can't dance, I shall teach you."
"No, no. I'm fine. I like sitting and just sort of rocking to the music. It's very nice."
"Nonsense. This is a wedding. You dance at weddings. And I'll hear no more argument from you, Young Weasley." She smiled a toothy grin and pulled Ron out onto the dance floor. Ron looked towards Hermione for help, but she merely laughed at him.
"Well, Harry? Shall we?" she held her hand out to him and together they moved to the dance floor. Harry pulled her into his arms and they danced in time to the music, talking and laughing as Gaynor pulled Ron around the dance floor.
"I really think they make a good couple."
"Harry! She's twice his age!" Hermione cried, laughing.
"Yeah and? Ron needs a woman like that."
"You're horrible you know."
"You love me anyhow," he said smiling, not realising his own words. He stopped and the smile vanished. He looked at her, knowing that she had realised what he just said.
"Harry. I—I've wanted to talk to you."
"You have?"
"Yes. Do you think we could go somewhere else?"
Harry looked around. "I don't see any place we can really sneak off to without someone noticing. Maybe we could go over to those settees over there?" He motioned towards a collection of settees in the corner.
"That'll be fine."
She took his hand and led him towards the corner of the room. They sat, a good distance apart and both folded their hands in their laps.
"Harry—"
"Hermione—"
"Heh. You can start."
"No, go ahead Hermione."
"Ok," she paused, taking a deep breath, "Harry. There's something I've wanted to tell you for sometime. Since before we even got together. It's just that… Well, I was afraid to be with you, Harry, because of it. Because I worry about all that it means and I worry that we're young and, well, you know me. I just worry."
Harry nodded.
"See, the thing is, Harry, I—"
If she finished her sentence, Harry didn't hear it, because just as her lips moved, a deafening explosion went off. Harry instantly shot off the lounge and looked about. The guests had all frozen and were looking about with their eyes wide.
Another explosion, this time accompanied by a great flash of light. Harry winced as the brightness hit his head and he squinted, trying to puzzle out what was going on. His hand sought out Hermione's, which readily grasped his.
There were shouts as the smoke from the explosion cleared and the light dimmed. Harry's stomach plummeted as he heard someone shout.
"Cruciatus!"
Hermione squeezed his hand quickly before releasing it, obviously going for her wand. He did the same and in a matter of seconds, they were advancing quickly to the commotion in the centre of the room.
He saw Gaynor ducking down behind a table and Ron was not far away. A large group of burly figures was standing in the centre, wands out stretched and pointing at wedding guests.
He heard a shout from someone in the group, obviously a spell and sounding a great deal like the Killing Curse, but different. The words ended and about ten people in the room instantly fell. The closest of these was Gaynor and Harry rushed to the fallen woman, placing two fingers to her throat. The action was unnecessary, he knew, because he recognised that look.
The others that had fallen included Penelope's dad and as Harry surveyed the room, he realised that every person that had died was a muggle and a family member of Penelope. He looked towards the bride, who was kneeling by her mother, gripping the woman's limp figure to her chest and sobbing. Percy was kneeling by Neil Clearwater and kept looking towards his wife.
The silence in the room was unbearable. The group in the centre was standing stalk-still and no witch or wizard in the room was able to move for fear of what had just happened to the muggles.
Penelope stood after a few moments and whirled towards the group. "Who are you?!" she shouted through her tears.
"Penelope!" Percy cried out, just as one of the cloaked figures shot a spell towards the young woman. She fell instantly, but Harry could tell from where he stood that she was still breathing. Percy turned to the person who had shot the spell and fired something back at him.
It was if someone had let a flood loose, for at that moment, every witch or wizard in the room that had a wand began firing at the group, which Harry knew were Death Eaters. He too began firing spells at the figures, which were doing the same. He saw many people he knew getting hit by some spell or another and he saw Hermione ducking out of the way as a Death Eater cornered her, his wand outstretched. He watched as the man followed her quick movements, his wand trained on her.
"Hermio-"
And the world went completely black for what was not the first time in his life.