Chapter Twenty Five: A Weasley Wedding

Harry stumbled through the floo with Ginny in his arms.

"I'm going to start flooing alone," she said as she steadied herself and began to brush off the soot.

"What?" he ask as Ron and Hermione arrived after them, stepping out as though through a door.

"You're awful in there!" Ginny laughed. "You'd think it was your first time, every time!"

"Excuse me?" Ron asked, his attention drawn to them by Ginny's comment.

"The floo, Ron!" Ginny hissed.

"Look, just because I have a little trouble staying upright..."

"A little trouble, Harry?" Hermione laughed. "Have you ever not stumbled out?"

"Yes," he said, turning on the bushy -haired brunette. "I didn't have a problem when I flooed with my aunt, did I?"

"Slam, Ginny..." Ron grinned. "In case you didn't recognize that for what it was."

"I can take it, Ron," Ginny said dryly. "I wonder where everyone is?"

"The Clearwaters won't have arrived yet... and Mum said she wouldn't be here until this afternoon," Ron said as he lifted Hermione's bag and headed towards the main hall and the stairwell. "Let's get settled in and find some lunch."

"Ron, are you ever not hungry?" Hermione asked, following.

"Not often."

Harry and Ginny followed, Ginny taking Harry's hand as they went.

"Sorry."

"For?" she glanced up at him.

"Stumbling over you."

"Harry," she wrapped an arm around his waist and smiled up at him. "You can stumble over me anytime."

Remus arrived within half an hour of the teens, looking rather worse for wear. Harry realized that the night before last had been the full moon, and he shook his head at the older man.

"What are you doing here?"

"What, am I not welcome?" Remus laughed, despite the exhaustion apparent in his eyes.

"You're always welcome, Remus... but I'm very aware of what day it is. You should be resting."

"I'm fine."

"No... you'll be fine. Go to bed."

"No... I figured the four of you would want to pay a visit to Diagon Alley...?"

"Really?" Ginny grinned. "Can we?"

Harry and Ron groaned.

"I'd like to buy a wedding present..." Hermione glanced at the boys. "If you're up for it, Remus?"

"Of course... come on, then. Harry?"

"Can we stop at Gringotts?"

"You're out of money already?" Remus looked surprised, remembering how much Harry had taken out at Christmas.

"No... but I want to stop at my Mum's family vault... there are some things in there I ought to look through."

"Oh," Remus frowned. "Sure, then."

"Something wrong, Remus?"

"No, Harry, nothing... I'm just... was it things that belonged to your parents?"

"No... stuff from my grandparents house, actually... Aunt Petunia told me my Mum put it there after... well, after her parents died."

Remus' eyes clouded for a moment, before he nodded and smiled. "Well, let's be off then... Kingsley is going to meet us in the Leaky Cauldron..."

The girls took an hour to find something appropriate for the newlyweds... Ginny stroked the soft white table linen and smiled. "It's lovely, Hermione... I don't have enough to go halves with you, though... I'm sorry..."

"How about thirds?" Ron said, pulling out his money bag and counting out sickles.

"Are they going away?" Hermione asked as they made their way back towards Gringotts after purchasing the linen.

"No... Percy's position at the Ministry is still pretty junior, and they want to start a family, so they've decided to save their money and to not go away. Penelope is a bit disappointed, I think, but..."

"Well, not everyone needs a honeymoon," Hermione said diplomatically. "They've certainly known each other for long enough... and a honeymoon is really just to get to know each other better..."

"But still, it would be nice, wouldn't it?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Hermione sighed. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, who smirked.


After retreiving the boxes and paintings from the vault, Harry rejoined the others, who had opted to wait for him in the lobby of the bank, and glanced over at Remus.

"Ready, then?" Remus asked. Harry realized how tired he looked and he nodded.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Fine, fine, Harry... just need a nap."

"Have you been taking your..."

"Yes, Harry... of course."

"Snape still brewing it for you?"

"Yes."

"You know, if you want to get it somewhere else..."

"It's fine, really, Harry."

"But Snape..."

"Snape might be a bit of a git," Remus said in an undertone. "But he's an excellent Potions Master, and would never risk his reputation in that forum by brewing a sub-standard potion."

"You know, muggles take vitamins..."

"Lycanthropy is not a vitamin deficiency, Harry. Really, I'll be fine."

Harry nodded, and stayed silent. Remus could be as stubborn as Molly Weasley when he wanted to be.

Upon their return to the Manor, they found Molly fussing about in the kitchen, making tea.

"Oh! Ron, Ginny! It's lovely to have you home..." she hugged her two youngest, then turned and pulled Hermione into her arms for a quick squeeze as well. "Oh, you're all looking so well... Harry!"

"Hello, Mrs Weasley," he moved forward and into her arms, knowing full well he'd be nearly crushed to death, but looking forward to how it made him feel to be hugged by her all the same.

"Harry," Molly looked at him sadly. "I... I need to talk to you."

"Mrs Weasley?" he looked at her worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"No... no... nothing wrong, love... I..." she glanced at the others. "I'm sorry, Harry... before you went back to school... I... I'm sorry."

"Mrs Weasley..."

"No, I have to say this, love. Arthur and I have talked and... and I know that you... and the others... well..."

"Mrs Weasley," Harry interrupted, drawing her eyes to his. "It's okay."

Molly Weasley looked at him sadly, her regret in her eyes. "I am sorry, Harry."

"Don't be," he smiled. "Now, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine, love... just fine... thank you so very much for allowing us to..."

"I told you, none of you need an invitation. Did you forget that?"

"No, love, no... but it was rather... well, presumptious... wasn't it?"

"Of course not," Harry denied. "I'm happy to play host... and I'm happy to be able to be here."

"Have Penelope's family arrived, Mum?" Ginny asked.

"No... no... they should be here for dinner, of course... which... I need to speak to the four of you," Molly looked at them oddly, and sat down at the table. Harry and Ron exchanged looks and followed her lead, sitting down next to the girls. Remus collected the tea things and brought them to the table.

"What is it, Mum?" Ron asked.

"Well... the Clearwaters are all arriving... and I've tried to organize things as best I can..."

"And?"

"Well... with everyone staying at the house... and Penny and her family at their own home... well... it's rather worked out that you, Ron, and the girls, have lost your rooms at the Burrow. I hope you don't mind staying here with Penny's family from America at Harry's house?"

"Sorry, Mum..." Ron looked oddly at her. "You gave our rooms away?"

"Well, there were people coming in from out of town, and I..."

"No problem... I rather thought we were staying here anyhow," Ron shrugged.

"It's just... well..."

"What is it, Mrs Weasley?"

"Arthur and I will be at the house... and Bill and Charlie have Order duties... so they'll be staying at Grimmauld Place... and the twins can hardly be considered appropriate chaperones..."

"Chaperones?" Harry laughed.

Molly turned brown eyes on him, eyebrows raised.

"Mrs Weasley... who from Penelope's family is staying here?" Harry said, trying to keep a straight face. Chaperones? Did she know that they'd just come from a school where the Houses and about fifty broom cupboards were totally unchaperoned at any given time?

"Well, Penelope's aunt and uncle... three cousins and her grandfather..."

"Mum..." Ginny said, trying to hide the small smile that played about her lips. "Don't you trust us?"

"Ginny..."

"Mrs Weasley..."

"It's just the look of the thing, really... Ginny, at least, should be at home, but..."

"Why me?" Ginny looked affronted.

"Because you're a young witch... still underage... and staying in Harry's home without..."

"Look, Mrs Weasley, will it make you feel better if Remus stays here?"

"Of course it would, Harry, but..."

"Remus will stay, I'm sure?"

"Oh, of course..." Remus spoke up, not attempting to hide his smile of mirth at all.

"Remus Lupin...!" Molly began, suspecting she was being mocked.

"Molly, I'm sure everything will be fine. Nothing... untoward is going to happen around here. Don't worry."

Molly sighed, taking a sip from the tea cup that Remus sat in front of her. "Thank you, Remus... it's not that I don't trust you four... but people do enjoy talking..."

"Relax, Mrs Weasley," Hermione cast a pointed look at Harry. "We'll be fine here."


Later that day, Harry closed the door to the den behind him and removed the shrunken boxes and paintings from his pocket. With a flick of his wand, they regained their original size, and Harry looked at what he had.

Three paintings... one of three little girls, two redhaired, one with blonde curls, another of an elderly couple, and a third, a wedding portrait. The bride was slight and blond, the groom redhaired, with green eyes.

Aunt Petunia had said that his eyes... his mother's eyes... had been inherited from their father.

It was his grandparent's wedding portrait.

"Mum?" Harry looked up at the painting of his parents.

"So, you found them," she smiled down at him.

"Aunt Petunia gave me the key... at the end of the summer..."

"You know who that is?"

"It's your parents, right? My grandparents?"

"Yes."

Harry was silent for a moment, staring at the portrait before turning to the other... the one of the little girls.

"This is you, isn't it? And Aunt Petunia, and Aunt Daisy?"

"Yes."

"She looks like you."

"Yes."

"I thought twins were..."

"Your aunts were fraternal twins, Harry... not identical."

"So Aunt Daisy..."

"Daisy and I took after our father. Petunia resembled our mother's side of the family."

"Your parents were squibs..."

"Yes."

"But all three of you..."

"Magic is the dominant gene, Harry."

"So your parents were both from wizarding families?"

"Yes. My father was a pureblood... the Evans family was. My mother was a half-blood."

"Her father...?" Harry turned to the third portrait.

"Yes. My grandfather was a wizard... her mother was a muggle. I was very close to them until they died..."

"If he was a wizard..."

"Yes?"

"What was his name?"

"David Lupin," she smiled, looking down on Harry as recognition dawned.

"Remus...?"

"Remus' grandfather and mine were brothers."

"You're related?"

"Distantly, yes."

"So Remus is... family?"

"Wasn't he always, Harry?"


Their company arrived... many members of the American branch of the Clearwater family, and their progeny. Penelope's family appeared to be as prolific as the Weasleys and there were relatives of every size, shape and age in attendance.

Harry had hoped to get a minute or two alone with Remus that evening, but it wasn't to be, and he retired early, shortly after Remus had announced to the group that he needed to rest, and would see them all in the morning. Harry, knowing how tired the older wizard was after his transformation two nights ago, let him go without protest, hoping to find some time with him in the morning.

He was in his shower when he heard the door to his bedroom open and close. He rinsed quickly and turned off the water, grabbing a towel and glancing through the open door to see into the seemingly empty room beyond.

"Ginny?"

Nothing.

"Ginny?" Harry wrapped a towel around his waist and took up his wand from where he'd left it laying on the vanity next to the sink.

"So, it is true, then?"

Harry, startled, looked over at the bed to see Bill Weasley sitting there in the shadows, looking at him closely.

"Bill, what are you doing here?"

"Well, when my mother told me that my sister was staying with her boyfriend with only a worn out, exhausted Remus to supervise..."

"Bill..."

"Harry," Bill stood. "I was concerned, that's all. The fact that you seemed to think my sister would be paying a visit to your room tonight... and you weren't dressed to greet her, rather answers any questions I might have had, don't you think?"

"Bill, Ginny and I..."

"I know, Harry," Bill sighed. "I'm rather stuck between a rock and a hard place here, you know."

Harry was silent.

"One one hand... I ought to be ripping your lungs out through your nostrils... with a fork. On the other... she's happy, and that is supposed to be what I want for her, right?"

Harry took a breath, about to respond, but Bill cut him off.

"Be good to her, Harry."

"Bill?"

The eldest Weasley sibling turned, looking at him as Harry met his eyes.

"What?"

"I love her. I'm not leaving her... she gives me the strength I need to fight, and a reason to continue. She makes me want to be better... I intend to keep her close to me for the rest of my life... however long that may prove to be, and so long as she'll have me."

Bill swallowed, nodded, and left.


The wedding was beautiful. Even Harry admitted the Penelope was a beautiful bride, and Percy looked positively green with nerves, which did wonderful things for Harry and Ron's unresolved issues with him.

Ginny wore the dress robes that she'd worn to the Yule Ball, but wore her hair down around her shoulders this time. Harry buried his face in the weight of it against her neck as she met him in the hall before flooing to the church.

"Your hair is gorgeous," he whispered. "You're gorgeous."

"I wish I could put it up..."

"Why didn't you?" Harry stepped back from her, looking down into her cinnamon brown eyes.

"It's traditional... Mum would lose what little cool she has if I showed up with my hair up."

"Why?"

"Girls who wear their hair up at a wedding are... well... it's a tradition that those who are considered, well, innocent wear their hair down. Only older women and married ones wear their hair up at a wizarding wedding."

And for the first time since she'd grown up and gotten over her nervousness around him, Harry witnessed Ginny Weasley blushing furiously. Because of him.

"You mean..."

"Yes, Harry!" she looked up at him, strained. "Now, can we drop that?"

Harry watched as she turned away, only to take her arm and pull her to him. "What has happened... between us... doesn't change you in my eyes, Ginny. If anything... if anything it shows me how very giving and generous you are," his voice lowered to a faint whisper as he leaned down to her ear. "Making love with you is like... nothing else... it makes me feel like rainbows are lighting up my soul."

Ginny turned her glowing eyes back to him, and smiled. "Thank you, Harry."

At the slight sound of a footstep on a marble stair, they both turned to see Hermione, her hair down around her shoulders, but tamed into long ringlets that fell nearly to her waist, dressed in her gossamer fine blue dress robes, and Ron at her side.

"Wow... you look amazing, Hermione," Harry said.

"Thank you, Harry," she smiled.

"Your hair really came out nicely, Hermione... Parvati really knows her stuff, doesn't she? That charm really worked."

"Yes, it did," Hermione fingered a ringlet. "Thanks, too, Ginny... for telling me about wearing my hair down. I would have been trying to explain several things to your mother if you hadn't warned me."

"Not you... me," Ron snorted. "Not a conversation I really care to have with my Mum."

Harry snorted.

"I think it's positively archaic," Hermione grumbled. "Imagine... women having to declare their status by the way they wear their hair!"

"It's just a tradition, Hermione," Ginny said softly. "Not everyone follows it any more, of course... but Mum and Dad are very traditional, and..."

"Oh, I know... I just think it's silly."

"Rather enlightening, actually," Ron smirked.

"Shut it, you," Ginny swatted his arm. "Are we ready, then?"

"Remus is coming..." Harry looked up to where the older man was just appearing at the top of the stairs. "Remus?"

All four looked up, stunned to silence.

"Remus?" Hermione's jaw dropped.

"I suppose that that means I clean up pretty good, Miss Granger?" Remus laughed at the expression on Hermione's face.

Remus did, indeed, 'clean up good'. His hair, normally dull and grey, had been trimmed, and looked quite good. Shaven and bright-eyed, he looked as different from the person who had gone up to bed the night before as it was possible to look. And the new dress robes in a deep, midnight blue certainly added to the picture.

He was positively handsome.

"You look good, mate!" Ron clapped him on the back. "Nice robes!"

"Yes... well..."

"Remus, you look great. Are we ready, then?"

"You go on ahead..." Remus smiled nervously. "I have to make a stop."

"A stop?" Harry asked, looking oddly at him.

"I have... I have to pick up my date..." Remus smiled before heading through the doorway into the public lounge and through the floo before anyone could move.

It was unfortunate that they were all shocked motionless, because by the time they reached the lounge, he was gone... and no one had caught where he had flooed to.


Harry stood, watching as the bride and groom danced around the dancefloor at the private wizard club that the Clearwater's had rented for the wedding reception. Ginny, next to him, clutched his hand.

"Come on..." Harry said, pulling her toward the dancefloor. Several other couples danced about and Harry was determined to do her proud.

"But Harry..."

"What?" he paused at the edge.

"Nothing... nothing at all," she sighed happily as he pulled her into his arms. Mr and Mrs Weasley danced past, and then they passed Percy and Penelope... neither of them noticed as they only had eyes for each other.

And then they saw Remus, doing his best to guide a very toned-down Tonks about the floor.

"That was a surprise," Ginny said, mirroring Harry's thoughts.

"Tell me about it," Harry laughed. "Not only the fact of it, but the fact that Tonks actually toned it down and dressed normally for a change..."

"It must be love," Ginny smirked.

"Do you think...?" Harry glanced over at the other couple, dancing past again.

"What?"

"Do you think it's just... a date thing... or...?"

"Oh, it's definitely more than just a date," Ginny said in an undertone.

"How can you tell?"

"Look at her hair," Ginny giggled.

Harry did, noting that the short purple locks that Tonks had taken to wearing lately were long, blonde, and arranged in an intricate upsweep.

Sudden understanding hit him. "Oh..."

"'Oh', is right," Ginny smiled.

"Well... Tonks has never hit me as a particularly... traditional type..."

"No?" Ginny laughed. "You'd be surprised, Harry."

"Oh?"

Ginny wiggled her eyebrows at him, and smiled again, this time keeping her mouth firmly shut.

Moments later, they found themselves standing next to the punch bowl, which Mrs Weasley had charmed to keep Fred and George well away from, when they were approached by a grinning Tonks and a happy, if more subdued Remus.

"Wotcher, Harry! Ginny!" Tonks laughed as Harry looked from her to her hair, and back again. The slim purple robes she wore sparkled as she walked, and Harry smiled. Tonks couldn't be too staid.

"You look lovely tonight, Nymph," Harry said.

"Oooh... charmer, he is. You'd best watch him, Ginny... or someone will be snapping him up when you're not looking."

"He knows his way back to me," Ginny said softly, squeezing Harry's hand.

"Well, I have to... powder my nose. Coming, Gin?"

Ginny nodded and followed the older witch, leaving Remus and Harry watching silently after them as they disappeared in the crowd.

"So..." Harry turned on the older man.

"Harry..."

"Tonks, huh?" Harry grinned.

"She's... she insisted."

"She insisted?"

"She... well..." Remus blushed.

"Are you... you are! You're blushing!" Harry whispered.

"I am not," Remus collected himself, then snorted with laughter at the effort. "Okay, so I am. Tonks... well... Harry, what the hell am I doing?"

"Having fun, I hope."

"I'm old enough to be her father."

"Hardly!" Harry said dismissively. "Well, Sirius said he and my dad were pretty randy early on, but I understood that you were the more... studious... one."

"You know what I mean," Remus sighed.

"You're older than her, sure... but Tonks is..."

"Tonks is?"

"She's... I think she's be good for you. And you for her."

"How so?"

"She'll teach you to loosen up... and you'll teach her to calm down a bit."

"And that's a good thing?"

"It's something that I think you both need... she's great, Remus."

"Oh, I know that..." Remus sighed again. "Just sometimes... well, I've made mistakes in my life, Harry... I don't want to make them with her."

Harry was silent for a moment, sensing that Remus was thinking, but after a time, he couldn't stop himself, and uttered what was on his mind.

"Remus... what was with you and Aunt Petunia?"

Remus turned to him, startled.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that it was pretty obvious that you two had some sort of relationship... before. Was it important?"

"I thought it was," Remus said softly. "I can't speak for her."

"You loved her?"

"I thought I did. Harry, Petunia was a bit older... a bit tragic... and she didn't seem to mind about my... debilitations."

Harry swallowed. "Then why...?"

"I'm not sure, Harry... I left one summer, thinking we had something... by Christmas, she was seeing Vernon Dursley. They were married the following June. I never... well, I didn't go to the wedding, of course."

"So you never... really... broke up? She just married someone else?"

"I... After all these years, Harry, I can hardly remember just exactly how we left off that summer... I know how I felt... but I was seventeen. I may well have read things into our relationship that..."

"You were related."

"Not closely enough for it to matter," Remus said. "Third cousins."

"You loved her," Harry stated. "I could tell... when I saw you together."

"I think I loved what I thought she was, Harry... and I think that she knew that. She... she was always much wiser than I. I just hope... I hope that she didn't marry Vernon because... well, I know she didn't. She loves him... I do know that."

Harry thought about telling Remus then, what Petunia Dursley's life really was like... how Vernon treated her... but then he realized that it would do no good. It would only serve to make Remus unhappy, and Remus had more than enough unhappiness over the years.

"I'm very pleased to see you with someone with as much life and joy in her as Tonks," Harry said softly. "I'm happy for you, Remus."

"Well... we'll see where it goes, shall we?" Remus blushed again.

Amazing.