...

Chapter 3- Celebrations

Harry had known that they were going to throw a party, but it still didn't stop him from reeling back from shock. There were so many people and colors that Harry couldn't believe that something of this extravagance had been set up for him while he was sleeping less than a few meters away!

"Bloody hell," he muttered, knowing he looked like he had just seen a Basilisk. Actually, he had, and that hadn't shocked him as much as all the people there.

Mrs. Weasley bustled over to him through the crowd, wrapping him up in a big hug,

"This was the thing we had planned," she said unnecessarily, "are you happy?"

Harry nodded immediately and was then being pushed by the Weasley twins towards a round table, where a large birthday cake was sitting. It was in the shape of a Snitch, and Harry could hardly believe the effort that had been put into it.

"I-I—"

"Oh shut it, Harry!" said Fred, who was grinning madly in his purple and blue striped suit.

"Yeah, let's just get this party started!" George roared, his red and orange striped suit grabbing a lot of attention.

"One! Two! Three!"

A chorus of 'Happy Birthday' began, and the young wizard flushed because of all the attention he was receiving. When the song was finished, there was a round of applause, and Harry finally was able to look around at who was attending his party.

Of course, almost all the Weasleys were there, Fleur, Luna, and all of his dorm mates. The Quidditch Chasers, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, and Alicia Spinnet had come, George Weasley talking it up with Alicia and Fred with Angelina. Remus Lupin and Tonks had managed to take a break from their time at the Order, and what really surprised him was,

"Hermione?"

She smiled brightly and rushed over to Harry, enveloping him in a tight hug. He hadn't expected to see her so early in the summer, seeing as how she had made it a point to spend as much time with her family as possible (or so she said in her letters).

"Harry! I'm so glad that they did this for you! Isn't it wonderful? Ron told me about it a week ago; I think it was awfully nice of the Weasleys, don't you?"

"Y-yes, and if you stopped choking me, I could tell them," Harry hinted. Hermione flushed and let go of him, backing up and into Ron.

"It didn't take a lot not to spoil it," Ron said with a laugh, "I totally forgot about it actually, until Mum dragged me out here to set up tables and chairs."

"It's beautiful, Ron, you all did an amazing job; I wish I could've helped!" Hermione was unusually happy, but Harry didn't want to ruin her mood by asking what had her so excited.

"Yeah, when Mum's mad, she usually pays extra attention to things…" Ron's ears burnt and Harry knew that his mother must've found out about Percy.

Hermione frowned, crossing her arms,

"I still don't see why he had to come to the house; couldn't he have just used the fire network?"

Harry was about to agree when Neville and Seamus attacked Ron, spraying Fred and George's new 'Freckles-Be-Gone' on his face. Harry and Hermione doubled over in laughter as the freckles on Ron's face literally wiggled and jumped off, disappearing into the blades of grass. Ron roared in anger and chased the two all the way down to the pond, where the three ended up with very soggy pants.

As the chaos ensued, Ginny Weasley made her way over with Dean Thomas' arm draped over her shoulder. Harry found this somewhat unnerving as he said his hellos, but Hermione was sending Ginny secret 'girl' looks every time Dean looked away.

"We should start up a game of football," Dead commented, noticing the vastness of the Weasleys' yard.

"With these testosterone driven fools?" Ginny exclaimed, looking shocked, "Someone will end up with a black eye!"

"That's where the fun is, love," Dean retorted, kissing her forehead.

Harry decided to go and find Ron, then, and Hermione tagged along ("They're going to get mushy, and I really don't need to see it."). The two found Ron making a ruckus with Neville and Seamus, throwing seaweed and lily pads at each other.

"Honestly," Hermione huffed, but Harry could see she was having a hard time hiding her smile. They caught Ron's eye, and with all the strength he could muster, he threw a lily pad that smacked Harry on his bare arm. Neville and Seamus cheered and Hermione squeaked, backing away. "Ronald Weasley, do not even think it!"

It appeared that he had already thought it, though, because Ron was now trudging through the water with his hands clasped around some of the soggiest seaweed Harry had ever seen. Harry was used to Ron's antics to know to run away, but Hermione seemed to think that her scolding would stop Ron from attacking her.

"Hermione," Harry said in a warning tone, tugging at her arm. She shrugged him off though, standing her ground as Ron closed in. Soon, Ron towered over Hermione, looking down at her with a very wicked grin as he held the seaweed over her head. She stared right back at him though, and it was an intense few moments, the only sounds made were that of Neville's soggy socks.

"Not worth it," Ron finally said, and he flung the seaweed over his head, hitting Seamus right in the face. Hermione grinned triumphantly, but Ron would not let her win completely. Swiftly, he caught her cheeks in his hands—his very wet, sticky hands.

Of course, she shrieked and hit him, and Harry and Ron had a mighty long laugh as she attempted to pull the strands of hair off of her face (they had stuck to her cheeks).

"You!" she had repeatedly screamed, pointing a finger at Ron but only smacking him on the arm. "Why—I—YOU!"

"Let's get back to the party," Ron said after he had finally stopped laughing.

Hermione was still red in the face, but she didn't start a fight (even if it was only because there were so many people present). It actually seemed like she had forgotten about the entire incident, the rest of the night went off with a hitch…except for that wad of seaweed Ron found in his cake.

...

"That was great," Ron said as he collapsed on his bed.

The night had been long, but after Neville fell asleep face first in the cake, everyone decided to leave. Hermione was staying for the rest of the summer, so the trio and Ginny stayed up and played a bit of chess until Mrs. Weasley sent them all up to bed.

Harry nodded in agreement, ogling the tower of gifts.

"I've never received so many presents," he said, feeling a bit nervous about opening them. Ron grinned and clambered over,

"Well, I'll help you through them then!"

It took them a while, and the pile was now full of a wide variety of gifts (though he hadn't dared open the one from Fred and George, he'd wait until he was allowed to use magic with that one), but they finally reached the last gift, which happened to be the Portkey that brought Harry to The Burrow.

"From the Order?" Ron asked, clearly intrigued. Harry nodded and carefully tore the sky blue paper. After it was all gone, there was a little yellow note attached:

Dear Harry,

This is a keepsake box for all the things you hold dear--we've started your collection.

From,

Your Friends

He smiled gently at how they had signed, and pulled off the note, "Oh, wow…" he whispered. The top of the box had been engraved with a simple, but distinguished 'HP.'

"Well? Open it," Ron pushed eagerly, also impressed with the craftsmanship of the box. Harry nodded and lifted the lid, making the box creak slightly.

The inside lining was a Gryffindor scarlet velvet. Sitting in the middle was a simple picture that Harry had forgotten he had taken. It had been only seven months ago, but now that he saw it the moment became fresh in his mind.

It was Sirius and Harry at Christmas, in front of the Christmas tree he had helped decorate. Sirius had managed to dangle a bunch of silver garland around Harry's neck, and the picture versions of the two were playing as if they were trying to choke one another, a jubilant grin on each of their faces.

Harry didn't notice that his hands were shaking until Ron put a hand on his arm, sending him a sad smile,

"It's a really nice picture, mate."

The young wizard nodded, hoping that his glasses were hiding the stinging in his eyes. As he tried to avoid his friend's gaze, his eyes landed on a small package in the box. He un-wrapped the loosely tied paper and sucked in a breath as he saw a replica of the mirror he had smashed at the end of fifth year. Another note lay beneath,

Harry,

Though Prongs and Padfoot were the masters, I managed to steal a few tricks myself. Padfoot told me that he had given you Prongs' mirror. There are three mirrors here, one for you, Ron, and Hermione. I don't know why I get the feeling you need another one…though I think it's because you are so much like Prongs that it scares me. Everyone you know that works with me has one, so all you have to do is say whatever name you wish, and the mirror will make them respond. Be careful with these.

--Moony

"What's this for?" Ron asked as Harry handed him a mirror. Harry didn't look at his friend he just took his own mirror and said,

"Ron Weasley."

In an instant, Ron gasped and dropped the mirror onto the bed. He looked up at Harry in complete bewilderment.

"That is wicked."

"Yeah," Harry responded, though not with the zest Ron had. It seemed obvious that it was time for bed, so the boys bid their goodnights, and Harry tucked the box, picture, and mirror, deep in his trunk. He fell asleep, his last thought being that this had been his best birthday ever.

...

It was three weeks after his birthday when their Hogwarts letters arrived,

"Do the O.W.L.s results come in the letters?" Hermione asked Bill, who had shuffled into the kitchen, looking very tired. The planning for the wedding had been much more stressful that he had originally thought, even if it was a very small ceremony. His hair was definitely taking a beating for it, and Mrs. Weasley was itching to tame it a bit.

Harry and Ron groaned at Hermione's question, having forgotten about the tests.

"Hermione, I was having a perfectly good morning," Ron muttered, dropping his letter to the table, "and there you go ruining it. I can't open it—I'm going to die, Mum's going to kill me."

"Oh stop it," she nudged him with her elbow, but seemed a bit more concentrated on the letter she was opening. Hermione reached in and squealed; she had pulled out her Prefect Badge.

"Like that was a surprise?" Ginny whispered to Harry. He noticed that she had laid her letter on the table next to Ron's, looking as if she had no intention of opening it.

"Why aren't you opening your letter?" he asked, and Ginny flushed a bit. She reached for hers, shrugging unnaturally,

"No reason," she said, her flush gone as she ripped open the envelope. A bright smile expanded on her face as she too pulled out a Prefect badge.

"Hey!" Bill exclaimed, ruffling Ginny's hair, "MUM! GIN'S A PREFECT!"

Mrs. Weasley's shriek could be heard miles away, and soon the woman appeared, her eyes wide and glittery. Ginny had her back to her mother, and she cringed slightly as her mother wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"How wonderful! Oh, Ginny! My little Ginerva is all grown up!"

"MUM!" Ginny shrieked, looking quite horrified. Bill and Ron's eyes widened to the size of Quaffles and slowly made their way out of the kitchen, while Harry and Hermione stood, looking rather confused. Mrs. Weasley noticed her mistake, and patted Ginny on the head,

"Dear, there's no need to embarrassed of your name."

"There is when it's Ginerva," Ron's voice cackled from the living room, Bill's muffled guffaws could be heard too. Hermione covered her mouth and Harry wanted to let out a laugh, not because of Ginny's name, but because Ron had dared to tease his sister when he knew Ginny wasn't the most laid-back person in the world.

She didn't even stand, she just screamed at the top of her lungs,

"SHUT UP RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY!"

"HEY!"

"Oh will you be quiet!" Mrs. Weasley sighed, it seemed like she had gone through this argument numerous times. "They're your friends, not like they're going to make fun of you for it, and I happen to think they're beautiful names!" Ron stormed into the kitchen, glaring curses at Ginny,

"Oh yes Mum," he said through clenched teeth, "they're downright gorgeous, I'm absolutely naming my children after me."

Hermione giggled slightly behind her hands, her eyes twinkling with mirth. Ron glared at her too. Harry just chuckled and sat down, opening up his letter. No Prefect badge fell out, but a short note did, and Harry briefly thought that his collection of notes was going to be the size of a textbook this year,

Mr. Potter,

Congratulations on being named Quidditch Captain. I would have normally disclosed this information on the first day of classes, but seeing as you haven't played Quidditch on a team in a year, I believed that this would help you catch up to the other teams. Congratulations again, and let's have a repeat of last year!

Sincerely,

Professor McGonagall.

He stared at the letter for a few seconds before he made a sound, and it was a sound of utter disbelief and happiness. It wasn't exactly a chuckle, more of a surprised gasp, and it made everyone in the kitchen turn,

"What is it Harry? Did you do well on the O.W.L.s?" Hermione asked. Her papers were still folded up, her face looking slightly sick. He shook his head, and handed the paper to Ron. He read it quickly and then let out a 'whoop' of joy,

"He's Quidditch Captain!" The table erupted in cheer, and Harry snatched back the letter, knowing a perfect place for it.

"O.W.L.s!" Mrs. Weasley said loudly after the congratulations had finished, "Ron, let me see your report." She swooped the letter into her hands before Ron could grab it, and began opening the letter.

Harry figured that if Ron did bad, he wouldn't want everyone staring at him, so he began to unfold his results as well, feeling a bit nauseous. He knew what he needed to get into the classes to become an Auror, and the thought of not getting the grades was making Harry's stomach clench and twist. He unfolded the paper that was stamped with W.E.A. and sucked in breath,

Dear Mr. Potter,

We wish to congratulate you on completing your Ordinary Wizarding Levels (O.W.L.s). The attached form is from your Head of House, indicating which classes you are going to take this upcoming year.

Listed below are your grades (O-Outstanding / E-Exceeds Expectation / A-Acceptable / P-Poor / D-Dreadful / T-Troll) for all the O.W.L.s you took. To receive an O.W.L. you must have passed the test with an A or higher.

Astronomy- D

Care of Magical Creatures- O

Charms- A

Defense Against the Dark Arts- O

Divination- P

Herbology- A

History of Magic-D

Potions- O

Transfiguration- O

Congratulations on your six O.W.L.s, and good luck with the rest of your school career.

Sincerely,

Professor Griselda Marchbanks

Head of Wizarding Examinations Authority

Harry smiled slightly, knowing that he had passed the criteria of becoming an Auror. He was absolutely amazed at some of his grades, especially the 'O' in Potions; maybe Snape should step out of the classroom more often.

"Oh Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley cooed, and Harry looked up to see the results of Ron's O.W.L.s. Ron was a bright red, holding his badge, looking ready to choke, "A, O, O, O, D," she sounded a bit angry with the 'D' in Divination, "E, P," she turned around to look at him; Ron just grinned meekly, "A, and E! Seven O.W.L.s!" Mrs. Weasley turned around and hugged her son around the stomach, and Ron looked immensely embarrassed but proud at the same time.

"That's great, Ron!" Hermione applauded, looking rather pink. "How about you, Harry?"

"Six, but I got an O in Potions, so that makes up for everything." He laughed when Ron gasped at the grade. Hermione looked ready to burst, "Hermione, how about you?"

"O in everything!" she squeaked, "Well, E in Astronomy and Defense, but really, how could they have expected any of us to do well with the events of that night? And I couldn't have gotten the E in Defense without you Harry, didn't I tell you that you were an excellent teacher?"

"Whatever the reason, it's absolutely extraordinary, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley interrupted, "Ten, seven, and six O.W.L.s, plus a Prefect! And a wedding at the end of the week," she paused, her eyes welling up. Mrs. Weasley swiped a napkin off the table and dabbed her eyes, "Oh dear, how wonderful it all is, I-I have to tell Arthur!"

She rushed off, and Ron picked up his paper, shaking his head,

"Damn."

"What?" Hermione asked, "Shocked to see that you actually know something?" Her smirk was triumphant and proud at the same time. Ron raised an eyebrow at her, grinning. With two steps he caught her and squeezed her in a big hug, Hermione squealing and turning a bright pink,

"Because of you! Damn! I got seven O.W.L.s!" Harry laughed full-heartedly and rushed around the table to hug Hermione as well, who seemed rather flustered at the attention,

"W-well, don't expect it next year for the N.E.W.T.s," Hermione said, squirming out of their grasp, "you two will actually have to work!"

Ron and Harry shared a knowing look, and then burst out laughing, causing Herimone to fume for a little bit, but then laugh along with them.

"Let's go to the pond," Ginny suggested, folding up her letter neatly, her Prefect badge tucked in safely, "before Mum pulls out the photo album."

At this, Ron yelped quietly and nodded quickly, pulling Hermione towards the door,

"Last one out is a garden gnome!" he shouted, making Ginny shriek with indignation as she chased the two out the door. Harry got up to follow, but stared down at his letters before he pushed in his chair. Getting an idea, he folded up the papers and hurried up the stairs to Ron's room.

Harry flipped open his trunk and moved all of his belongings away until he found the keepsake box from the Order. He sat on his cot and opened it, putting his letters inside and pulling out his mirror. The boy didn't know why he had felt the urgency to do this, to contact Professor Lupin, but he had already spoken his name before he could think about it.

The mirror fogged up and suddenly cleared, Remus Lupin's face appearing where Harry's reflection used to be. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked sickly, maybe the full moon was approaching.

"Harry? What's the matter?" he asked frantically.

"N-nothing." Harry shrugged, feeling a bit bad for automatically being an image of trouble. "We just got our O.W.L.s, I thought…I dunno, I thought maybe you'd like to know."

A smile slid onto Remus' face, and he released a sigh of relief,

"Of course," he said, sounding genuinely interested, "how many did you get?"

"Six. I got an O in Defense." Harry felt a smile of his own growing as Lupin's eyes took on a gaze of pride.

"Harry, that's amazing—did you show them the Patronus?"

Harry nodded and began to detail how the person administrating him had been very impressed; that they had overheard that he had actually produced one in his third year. This began a discussion on how long it had taken to get it right, then the two began chatting over various tangents brought up, and soon Ron came in, his hair soaked against his forehead; it was lunch time.

"I've got to go Professor, Mrs. Weasley has lunch ready," Harry said, feeling guilty about leaving, even after the long conversation. Lupin didn't seem hurt, though and he congratulated Harry once again on his achievement, and told him to call him up on his mirror more often,

"I'll always find time to listen, Harry, have a good day," Lupin said with one last smile before he disappeared. Harry put his mirror away in his trunk, and followed Ron down the stairs to have lunch, feeling a bit good about his decision to share his happiness.

...

The morning of the wedding, and the day before school began, was only slightly more chaotic than having a house full of Weasleys and two guests. This time, it was almost a full house of Weasleys (Charlie had Apparated in the morning before), Harry, Hermione, and about twenty French people rushing around like maniacs.

"I'm not going to move from this spot, I'll be run over," Ron hissed to Harry. The two were stationed in the living room, in a corner that was as far away from the action as possible in fear that they were going to break something or have to do some work.

"At least we look dashing in our robes," Harry said.

Harry and the four other Weasley men were ushers in the wedding; though when Fleur had chose him he had been in a complete shock. Bill then confided in him that she was still immensely grateful for his deeds during the Second Task, saving Gabrielle; she had demanded that Harry be a part of her wedding.

So, the two stood with their matching set of black robes with the matching gold trim and flower. Harry was walking down with Ginny (who hadn't made an appearance all morning) and he was slightly nervous about it, since Dean was going to be in the audience, and because…well, he never enjoyed being formal and in the spotlight.

Ron was walking with one of Fleur's many cousins, a girl by the name of Fauve, whom he hadn't met yet.

"Fauve? What kind of name is Fauve?" Ron had muttered when he saw the arrangements. "Let's hope she's not a bumbling idiot…"

A cry was heard from upstairs, and then there was a frantic race down the steps. Ron and Harry shared a terrified glance.

Ginny appeared, looking nervous. She was wearing the gold dress the bridesmaids had to wear, her hair tied into a low bun with a matching gold flower tucked in. Harry reckoned she looked rather nice. She finally spotted the boys, her eyes flashing with excitement,

"Where's your cloak, Harry?" Ron whispered as she rushed over.

"Ron! We just got an owl: Fauve can't make it! She splinched herself trying to get through customs!"

"Oh rats, guess that means I can take this thing off, too bad--"

"Don't touch those robes!" Ginny's voice turned from upset to furious in a matter of milliseconds. Ron looked rather frightened. "I just wanted to tell you that you're not walking down with her, you're walking with Hermione."

If Ron's pale face could pale even more, he would have been as white as Sir. Nicholas. Harry laughed because Ron's expression was the funniest he'd ever seen: he was absolutely terrified.

"G-Gin, but she d-doesn't have a dress!" he argued, following Ginny as she turned around and started back up the stairs.

"Of course she has a dress! She's going to wear Fauve's, Mum is fitting her right now!" She turned around, placing her hands on her hips, "You can't come up anymore."

"Oh hell, that's the groom!" Ron argued. Ginny flipped her wand out, pointing it right between Ron's eyes. He stepped down quickly. "Fine."

With a pretty smile Ginny skipped up the stairs and disappeared, leaving Harry and Ron alone in the living room again. Harry was still smiling because of his friend's new predicament, and Ron was still as see through as a ghost.

"Well, at least her name isn't Fauve," Harry said, clapping his hand on Ron's shoulder. Ron called him something very rude and Harry doubled over with laughter.

...

The wedding surprisingly took off without much of a hitch, and that was saying something since George had secretly locked his date in the broom closet, and the boys had frantically tried to get her out without anyone else noticing (though Ginny came close, she had wondered aloud about the muffled cries she heard "The ghoul was attached to Bill, he's so happy for him!" Fred lied quickly, ushering her out of the kitchen.).

Mrs. Weasley was blubbering before she and Bill even started down the aisle, and he was laughing quietly and trying to soothe her at the same time. Though he had refused to cut his hair (but he had taken out his dragon tooth earring, his mother had threatened to pull it out manually), the eldest Weasley son still looked incredibly handsome in his golden robes.

Charlie and the twins made it down easily enough, though Fred had set off a small explosion of confetti at the end, scaring the first few rows of guests, including Fleur's father, who cursed quietly at him in French for the rest of the night.

Ron and Hermione were next, and having gotten over his fear of her, they looked remarkably calm. Hermione looked very pretty, her curls being tamed and pulled into the same flowered bun as Ginny's, and she smiled up at Ron every so often, indicating that he must be doing things right.

Harry and Ginny were the last pair, though he wasn't sure why--maybe it had to do with Ginny being the youngest Weasley--and she was all smiles; he hadn't noticed how comfortable she seemed in big crowds.

Then came Gabrielle, Fleur's sister and the flower girl. She was just as pretty as her sister, and with a small wand she spurted bubbles and little petals, making the garden look more enchanted than it already had. She made the way for Fleur, who literally took everyone's breath away in her slim wedding gown, straight from the Muggle fashion world of Paris ("Zee witch wedding robes are just not me.").

The bride was glowing and even more amazing was the look on Bill Weasley's face as he watched her come down the aisle. He seemed to be falling in love with her all over again, and Harry wondered if he would ever be able to look at a girl that way. All the girls were tearing up except for Hermione, who kept trying to hold in a smile as Ron crossed his eyes at her (Harry nudged him, noticing Mrs. Weasley sending a glare).

As soon as Fleur had made it to the stage that had been set up under the beautiful archway Mr. Weasley had constructed, the vows were said and less than twenty minutes later, Fleur Delacour was officially a Weasley.