Molly Weasley paced nervously around her room at the hotel. Ginny had left the Burrow that morning in a hurry without saying exactly where she was going. Molly had been expecting her daughter an hour earlier so they could spend a day relaxing and preparing for the wedding. She had sent an owl to her flat, but had received no response. She was trying to locate Ginny without raising anyone's suspicions; she didn't want to ruin the surprise wedding at the last minute. She was afraid that Ginny had gotten a case of cold feet, but she knew it was unlikely.
"Mum!" Ginny exclaimed as she bounced happily into the room. "So sorry I'm late!"
"I'm just glad you're here! I didn't want Harry to start worrying that you'd backed out on him!" Molly said as she wrapped her daughter in a hug. "I didn't want you to miss your own wedding."
Ginny pulled back from her mother and her eyes grew wide. "Oh, I didn't mean to worry you! I just had a few last minute things to take care of and I was running late, and then of course you can't apparate or anything within a mile of the hotel. I thought about using floo, but it's only open between rooms."
"Its fine, no worries. What's wrong, sweetheart? You look a little flushed."
"I just," Ginny stuttered, "I just can't believe I'm finally marrying Harry Potter."
"In just a few hours," Molly said with a smile.
"It's the best feeling in the world, but I feel like I'm losing my mind, Mum. I can't seem to remember where I've placed anything. That's part of the reason why I'm so late."
"Well, that's what I'm here for; to make sure you make it out there in one piece. What was the other reason you were late?" Molly asked.
"Oh, just reminiscing about old times. I just lost track of time," Ginny answered happily.
"There's something different about you," Molly said, looking her daughter over.
"I suspect it's just the typical glow of a woman who's got everything she ever wanted," Ginny replied instantly.
"It couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. You and Harry have been through a lot to get here. Why don't you take a nice long bath and then put on something comfortable? You can relax; maybe even take a short nap. Whatever you want, sweetheart, the day is yours."
"Yes it is, Mum. This day is definitely mine."
Harry sat in a chair in his hotel suite. He was flipping through an old copy of Witch Weekly, not really looking at anything on the page. He could hear Ron using the fireplace in the other room. He was terribly bored, and he wanted nothing more than to go find Ginny and marry her right then. But, he knew he had to wait just a few more hours. He had been planning on helping out with the last minute preparations for the banquet, but Arthur had insisted that he spend the day relaxing. Harry let out a deep sigh of frustration and flipped to the next page of the magazine.
"What's wrong, Harry? Getting cold feet?" Ron teased as he walked back into the room.
"Nope. I'd marry Ginny right this second if you would let me," Harry answered.
"No can do. Besides, after Gin finally showed up Mum sent her to take a nice long bath."
Harry glared at Ron. "What do you mean 'after she finally showed up'?"
"Um, well," Ron stammered.
"Spit it out!"
"Well, she was sort of missing for a bit there. She had a last minute errand to run or something and was late meeting Mum. But no worries, she's here now and is just as ready to get the show on the road as you are," Ron said.
"I wish I could talk to her," Harry said with a sigh.
"No can do. Hermione would kill me. She already doesn't understand why I'm spending my day off here with you instead of at home with her and Jamie. She seems to think that I work too much and don't spend enough time with my daughter. She'll understand everything though once she finds out about the wedding," Ron replied with a grin.
"Did we ever tell you about when Ginny and I were in each other's minds?" Harry asked and Ron shook his head. "Well, right after Christmas sixth year, Ginny and I went for a walk. I was trying to tell her something and she was being difficult, so I got frustrated. I just subconsciously wished she could feel what I was feeling."
"And she could?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Yeah, and then I accidentally did it again and I could tell everything she was feeling. It was really weird. It took some getting used to, but for awhile we could pretty much read each other's minds. It faded from her end, but it never did from mine. At least not before my disappearance," Harry said wistfully. "I miss it actually."
"Sounds freaky to me. Did you ever tell anyone about it?"
"No, we were waiting to see if it lasted, and well, other things started happening and it wasn't so important anymore."
Ron looked at Harry, unsure of what to say. "Well, I'm hungry. I think I'm going to go order some food from the house elves. I miss their cooking; just don't tell Hermione we're using them here, okay? I mean, I know that they're being paid, but still. I don't want to hear another SPEW lecture all night."
Harry laughed. "Okay. Order me something, too. I don't care what." Ron nodded and walked back into the other room. Harry looked back down at the magazine that was still open in his lap. He hadn't noticed before that he had it open to an article about him. There was a picture of him and Ginny, smiling and laughing at a restaurant. "I wonder what Ginny's feeling right now. I wonder if she's as excited as I am," Harry thought. "I wish I knew exactly what she was feeling." Harry was suddenly overcome with a feeling of pain and worry. "What?" Harry spoke aloud. "Is this what Ginny's feeling? This isn't what she should be feeling right now. She should be deliriously happy like I am. Something's wrong."
"Food should be here in just a minute," Ron said happily as he walked back into the room. He looked at Harry's sullen expression. "What's wrong?"
"I need to see Ginny. Something's not right."
Ron shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you can't see her, mate. It's tradition."
"Well, then, will you at least go floo your mum and make sure she's okay. I just have a feeling; something's wrong," Harry pleaded.
Ron could tell how worried Harry genuinely was so he nodded and walked back into the next room where the fireplace was. "Molly Weasley's room! Mum, are you there?" Ron called.
"Yes, dear, I'm right here. Is something wrong?" Molly asked as her head appeared in the fireplace.
"You tell me. Harry's freaking out; he says something's not right with Ginny. He really wants to see here, and he looks terrible."
"Let me go check on her," Molly said quickly. She got up and walked into the large bathroom where Ginny was laying in a bubble bath with her eyes closed. "Ginny, are you alright?"
Ginny sat up, startled. "Yes, Mum, I'm fine. Why?"
"Well, it seems that Harry has gotten a terrible feeling. He thinks that something's wrong with you."
"Well, I'm obviously fine," Ginny replied, her voice uneven.
"It's probably just pre-wedding jitters," Molly said with a smile. "I'm going to go assure Ron that everything's okay."
Ginny stood up the tub. "I need to leave. I'm not going to be able to fool him." She slipped on the robe hanging on the wall and tied it tightly around her waist. She ran a hand through her newly red hair and smiled. She walked over to the bag she had brought with her and pulled out a canister. She opened the lid and took a sip.
"What are you drinking dear?" Molly asked as she walked back into the bathroom.
Ginny flushed. "It's nothing Mum." Molly looked at her questioningly. "It's just a birth control potion. I thought I'd try this, since Harry and I will, well you know, tonight."
"Nothing to be ashamed of, dear. Those new potions are much more reliable than the spells. I got pregnant with the twins when I thought I had used a contraceptive spell. I guess in the heat of the moment I didn't perform the spell properly. I've always wondered if I somehow managed a duplication spell instead," Molly said. "Why, I think that's the first time I've ever mentioned my romantic life with your father without you blushing!"
Ginny looked panicked for a moment before regaining her composure. "I guess I'm just more grown up now. I'm about to have my own husband to talk about."
Molly looked at her daughter and sighed. "I guess you are pretty grown up."
"You know, I think a walk will do me some good. I'm going to get dressed and go out for a bit," Ginny said.
"No, I don't think so. I think you should just stay here and rest. I'll go get anything you need," Molly answered, ushering her daughter to the bedroom.
Ginny sat down on the bed and looked at her mother. "Actually, I would kill for some ice cream right now. You know, the good stuff from that place down the street."
"Well, I'll just run right out and pick some up." Ginny watched as her mother gathered her things and briskly left the suite. "Well this was fun while it lasted. But if I want to get Colin out of jail I have to go now. I can't risk running into Harry. She was right, he'll know." Ginny got dressed and ran a brush through her hair. She grabbed her bag and walked out of the room.
Harry waited impatiently while Ron talked to his mum. He assumed that the lack of panicked yelling meant that everything was okay, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. When Ron walked back into the room Harry bombarded him with questions. "Is she okay? Is she in pain? Did she change her mind about marrying me tonight?"
Ron laughed. "Calm down mate, breathe. She's fine. Just finished up a bath. I think Mum was going to suggest that she take a nap. Mum told me to assure you that Ginny was fine, just a little wound up in excitement."
Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "That's a relief. I trust your mum, but I still have a bad feeling."
"Why don't you go do something?" Ron suggested.
"Well, I guess I could go check in on Anna and Helen. I know they were nervous about staying in a magical hotel. Well, Anna was nervous; her mother seemed to be really excited."
"That sounds like a good idea. I'll keep your food warm for you, but don't stay gone long. I don't want to have to tell Ginny that her groom went missing."
Harry forced a smile. "I won't." Harry left the suite and went down the stairs to the ground level. He liked the room he had stayed in the night before, but he couldn't wait to stay in the honeymoon suite with Ginny. He couldn't wait to be able to make love to her as much as he wanted without worrying about her parents or her brothers. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down his spine. He was so lost in his thoughts that he walked right into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Wait, Ginny?" Harry exclaimed. His eyes met hers and she flushed. "I'm sorry, I know we're not supposed to see each other, but I'm so glad I ran into you."
"I, um, I wanted to see you too," Ginny stuttered.
Harry reached up and stroked Ginny's cheek. "What's wrong Gin?" But before she could answer she was grabbed from behind.
"You two should be ashamed of yourselves!" Molly exclaimed as she began to drag Ginny back into her room. She opened the door and practically threw Ginny back inside. "Harry James Potter, you know you weren't supposed to see each other! Sneaking down here to my room to try and talk to Ginny! I told Ron she was fine!" She stopped and noticed that Harry had a strange expression on his face. "Harry, what's wrong?"
"That's not Ginny," Harry said quietly.
"What are you talking about, of course that's Ginny!"
Harry slowly shook his head. "It's not. I was in her mind, that's not Ginny."
"Harry you're scaring me. What do you mean you were in her mind?" Molly asked nervously.
"I can read people's minds, and earlier I was trying to read Ginny's emotions. I've done both before," Harry said quickly.
"You can read minds?" Molly asked.
"Yes, but that's not the point. The point is that's not Ginny, and the real Ginny is somewhere in pain. I don't have time to try and figure this out. Just keep that Ginny here, don't let her know we're on to her. Get Arthur and Ron in your room so she can be arrested later. But if she thinks that we're on to her, she could do something and we don't know what kind of control she's got over Ginny right now."
"Right, of course," Molly said, obviously flustered.
"Do you know where Ginny went this morning?"
"No, she, she only said she had to run some errands," Molly said, her eyes filling with tears. "Not my baby, not again!"
Harry pulled Molly into a tight embrace. "I'll find her, don't worry. I love her, and I'm not going to lose her when I'm this close to having everything I've ever wanted," Harry assured her. "But I've got to go. I've got to find her."
Molly nodded and watched Harry run out of the hotel. "Please find her," she whispered urgently. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and tried to regain her composure. She didn't know how she was supposed to walk back into the room that contained the person pretending to be her daughter and not lose it. But she had to; for all she knew, her daughter's life depended on it.
Harry looked around Ginny's room at the Burrow. He had to force his mind from going back to the time he had spent there with Ginny only the night before. It was imperative that he focus on finding anything that could tell him where she was. He walked over to her dresser and looked at the few items that were scattered on the top. He saw a note and immediately recognized Hermione's hand writing.
"She went to her flat, maybe there's something there," Harry thought. "If I don't find anything there, I'll floo Hermione and ask her where Ginny went after she left her."
Harry apparated to Ginny's flat. His attention was quickly drawn to a figure on the floor.
"Harry!" Ginny cried, struggling against her bindings. "Thank Merlin you're here! Get these things off of me!"
Harry ran over to her and quickly began working on unfastening the bindings. "I'm sorry I don't know how to take these off magically; I'll have to do it the muggle way," Harry said apologetically. As soon as her limbs were free Ginny began sobbing and wrapped her arms around Harry. "Shh, it'll be okay," Harry said as he rocked her back and forth."
"Oh Harry, it was awful. She's going to try and get Colin out of jail! She took a polyjuice potion and now she's me!" Ginny sobbed.
"She could never be you. I knew you were suffering, and I took one look at her and I knew she wasn't you," Harry comforted her.
"You knew it wasn't me?" Ginny asked, looking Harry in the eyes.
"Of course; I love you. I knew right away that something wasn't right. Who is it, by the way?"
"It's Bella."
"That makes sense," Harry mused. "I guess I should go tell your mum, and let Ron and your dad arrest her."
"You didn't let them arrest her before you left?" Ginny asked, drying her tears.
"I didn't know what kind of control she had over you, I couldn't risk having her hurt you," Harry explained. "I guess we should start canceling tonight, too."
"We'll do nothing of the sort!" Ginny exclaimed. "If we cancel our wedding, then she wins. We won't even tell anybody who doesn't already know about this until tomorrow. Tonight is about you and me, and our love. Bella can go to hell."
"It's no wonder why I love you," Harry said as he gave Ginny a gentle kiss. "Now let's go let everyone know that you're safe, and send that bitch to jail."
"Ginny, dear, now where were you going?" Molly asked her fake daughter when she walked back into their hotel suite.
"I just had a strong urge to get some fresh air. I guess I'm getting a little nervous. I mean, I know I love him, but getting married is a big deal," Ginny answered automatically.
"Well, you need to stay here. I don't want the press hounding you or Harry today," Molly answered, trying to make sure she sounded loving.
"I know, I'm sorry Mum," Ginny said with a sigh.
"Why don't you take that nap, I'm going to go floo your brother and let him know what happened." Ginny nodded and disappeared into the bedroom. Molly went over to the fireplace and called Ron's room.
"Mum, what's wrong?" Ron asked.
"I can't say right now," Molly whispered urgently. "But you need to get your father and come here now."
"Okay," Ron said, obviously confused. "Just let me find Harry and tell him where I'm going."
"There's no need to do that, he's fully aware of what's going on. Just get your father and hurry."
"Okay. We'll be there in a minute," Ron answered before ending the connection. Molly went back into the room where Ginny was laying down. She sat down in an arm chair, never taking her eyes off of the person she knew was pretending to be her daughter. She couldn't risk having her get away. She thought she had been sitting there for an eternity when there was a small knocking on the door. She hurried over and opened it to find a very nervous Ron and Arthur. She slipped out into the hall and closed the door behind her.
"What's wrong, Molly?" Arthur asked.
"I don't know all of the details, and I don't have enough time to really explain what I do know. The important thing is that apparently Ginny's been abducted. The person in that room isn't the real Ginny. Harry's looking for her right now." She paused and let what she had said sink in.
"Well we can't just sit here! We need to go find her!" Ron exclaimed angrily.
"No, we need to sit here and make sure the fake Ginny doesn't get away. I have faith in Harry; he'll find her. I need you two here so that when he brings the real Ginny back we can arrest this one. We just don't want to make a mistake that could cost Ginny her life," Molly explained. "Now, we need to go back inside. I don't want to risk losing her." She opened the door and led them back inside. "Ginny, sweetheart, your father and Ron have come to spend some time with you."
Ginny sat up in the bed. "Oh, um, hi guys."
"Hello pumpkin. I just wanted to make sure my baby was okay on her big day," Arthur said convincingly.
"Me too," Ron added, nowhere near as convincingly.
Ginny shot Ron an odd look. "Thanks. I'm fine, I really am. I'm just excited and nervous and ready for the moment to get here!"
"I can't believe my little girl is getting married."
"Oh, dad," Ginny said sweetly.
Molly looked at Arthur curiously. "He's too good at this," she thought. "Ginny, where are your dress robes? I want to make sure they look alright."
"I don't know," Ginny replied furrowing her brow. "I thought you brought them."
"Oh, silly me," Molly replied. She heard the door to the suite open. "I think they're in the other room, I'll be right back."
"Okay, Mum," Ginny said. Molly ran into the other room and upon seeing Ginny she grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.
"Oh my baby! I was so worried!" she whispered.
"Its okay, Mum. Harry's found me, and he's going to take good care of me for the rest of my life," Ginny answered. "Now let's go take care of her. Harry, have your wand out, I think she has mine." Ginny clasped her hand in Harry's empty one and walked into the other room. "Hello, Bella," she said coolly.
The fake Ginny's jaw dropped. "You're here..." She quickly looked around the room for an escape.
Ron immediately pulled out his wand. "Stu-!" he started but Ginny cut him off.
"Not yet Ron. She needs to hear some things." Ginny turned her attention back to Bella and shook her head. "Don't think about it, you're outnumbered by far more powerful wizards. I told you Harry would know it wasn't me. I take it by the look on your face that Colin is still in jail," Ginny replied, her voice still calm. By now Ron had pulled Bella up from the bed and was holding her by her shoulders.
"Can I take her down to the ministry now?" Ron asked.
"Patience Ron," Ginny said calmly. She walked over towards Bella and grabbed her hand. "This is mine." Ginny pulled her ring off of Bella's finger. "This is mine too," she continued as she pulled the golden locket off of Bella's neck. She put on the two items of jewelry and walked back over to Harry. She put her arm around his waist and he responded accordingly. "Most importantly, this is mine. If you ever lay one finger on him, I'll kill you myself."
"That's enough, Ginny," Arthur said. He pulled out his wand and aimed it at Bella. "Stupefy!" Bella's body collapsed in Ron's arms. "Let's take her down to the Ministry, Ron."
After they left, Molly pulled Ginny into another hug. "I was so scared. It was like that day all over again."
"I know, Mum. But everything's okay now," Ginny said.
"What do you want to do about the wedding?" Molly asked.
"It's still going to happen, and nobody is going to know about this until after the wedding. We're not going to let her ruin our day," Ginny said firmly.
"Well, in that case, Harry I must insist you get out of here. You've seen Ginny too much today as it is," Molly said with a smile.
"I think Hermione has had too much of an influence on us," Ginny said with a smile.
Harry walked over to Ginny and gave her a small kiss. "I'll see you in a few hours?"
Ginny looked at Harry lovingly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
A/N While I couldn't let the wedding go off without a hitch, I also couldn't keep Harry and Ginny from being happy. This story is coming to a close, it seems like so long ago when I first started planning it. I'm going to write about the wedding/banquet, and then an epilogue. I'm getting really excited about my third story, which will not be a continuation of my first two. I'm feeling more confident about my fanfic writing abilities now, I really like the plot for the next story. I'll try to have a title for you guys by the time I finish this one. Again, thanks for all of your reviews! They keep my writing instead of doing homework!