The one with Illusion

"How exactly did your watches get stuck?" George asked, leaning forward with the look of abated anticipation.

"Yeah." Ron echoed, wondering why he had not thought about that earlier. He had felt keenly suspicious about the whole thing.

Harry looked extremely guilty while the Weasley blush was not doing Ginny any favour either.

"Oh-" Harry began.

"Actually.." Ginny trailed off, not knowing exactly how to save her face. She gnawed her bottom lip in trepidation.

Harry glanced at Ginny and vowed never to look at her again, for she looked so pitifully nervy and so beautifully seductive at the same time that he was sure he was mad as it was impossible for someone to incite sympathy and lust at the same moment. But there he was caught in a romantic reverie by just looking at her, just as he had all those years ago.

This time, there were no excuses, no dreams to blame on, not even a lack of sobriety.

He had fallen in love for the second time in his life, on the same person for reasons he could not even begin to comprehend.

That was why when he glanced back to see the eager beaver looks on the twins' and Ron's faces, he knew he had to say something, anything to get himself out of this peculiarly unpleasant experience of falling in love.

Forcing himself not to meet Ginny's eye,

"She… was trying - trying to hit me and I-eh-grabbed her hand so she wouldn't hit me." Harry explained, feebly.

Ginny did not explode as he had expected her to. It was then he realized one of the reasons why he was so inexplicably attracted to her-it was her quirky, animated intelligence. She was clever enough to know that only such a blatant lie could salvage them.

The twins had burst out laughing at Harry's explanation.  Ron began to smile, the look of doubt fading from his eyes - a bit too slowly for Harry's liking though.

"Our Ginny, the Queen of Sass!" Fred crowed, laughing. Ginny's lips were pressed together in a thin, humourless smile.

"Ginny's always been a tough cookie." Remus shot her a fatherly smile as he entered the room, Sirius behind him.

"Where's the toolbox?" Harry asked, noticing their empty hands.

"We couldn't find it." Sirius replied smoothly.

Remus sat down beside the Ginny, a look of practiced nonchalance on his face.

"Then, what are we going to do?" Ginny asked, her voice laced with unvarnished despair.

Remus almost regretted his decision. He always had a soft spot for Ginny, ever since teaching her at Hogwarts and working with her in the DA. Though Harry had been part of it because of his destiny, Ron and Hermione because they were his friends, Ginny only did it for the sole minded purpose for taking Voldermort down, once and for all. She had incredibly talent and skill as well, winning the respect of Remus, her fellow DA members and some Aurors of the Order who offered her the Auror position after the war.

Sirius knew that look on Remus' face all too well. The hazel eyes softening with pity pooled in them only meant one thing - giving in to the other party, forgoing a well-planned prank.

Before Remus could spoil their little scam,

"We'll think of something."  Sirius shot the young woman a reassuring smile.

Fred who had returned from scrounging the kitchen, with a bottle and a spoon, settled in an armchair and began scooping out the contents of the bottle and eating it.

He paused for a moment.

"There's something wrong with this yoghurt."

Remus glanced across the room at him. "Ah, that's not yoghurt, that's mayonnaise... "

 "Ah, right-o then." Fred nodded, continuing to eat it.

"I need to go to the washroom." Ginny spoke up.

Harry went as red as her hair while Sirius concealed his laughter in a violent coughing fit. Ron looked momentarily dismayed while the twins smirked.

"I could stand outside while you go in." Harry offered, surprised that was capable of such a sensible train of thought. He was very proud of himself.

Ginny shot him a grateful smile before standing up. They walked out of the room, heading down the hallway to the bathroom, in awkward silence.

"How do you want to do this?" Ginny asked, avoiding his eyes.

"You go in, leave the door ajar. I will face the other way and stand outside…"

Ginny nodded, feeling as shy and as embarrassed as the first time she saw Harry at The Burrow, all those years ago. She slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar for their hands.

Harry stood as near to the door as possible, back facing it. He waited patiently, attempting to make his mind as devoid of lewd images as possible. Was it his fault Ginny was just too beautiful for her own good? Was it his fault that she made him feel as hot and confused as a teenager?

"Thanks." Her voice interrupted his mental ramification.

Harry turned around and moved aside so that she could step out of the bathroom.

"Not like I had a choice." He nodded towards their conjoined hands.

Ginny sighed wearily, looking down at their hands. She felt a tad to embarrassed to look Harry in the eye. This was probably the first time that they were alone together and not ignoring each other.

"Pity Siamese twins."

Just then she received an mmail.

"Luna. She wanted to know where I put her necklace." Ginny explained to Harry, while replying to the mmail.

She had an inane urge to keep the conversation going; as the silence between them would be highly awkward. Keeping it casual was the way to go.

Harry nodded, cracking his head to say something, anything to keep this 'once-in-a-blue-moon' moment going.

"You're pretty close to her eh?" Harry asked, not moving, wanting to prolong this private moment with Ginny a bit longer.

Sure it was no lovers' intimacy but it reminded him of the friendship they once had. Almost as if nothing had happened and they were still close friends.

 "We were instant best friends. Two people who understood each other without having to say a word." Ginny smiled wistfully, wondering what Luna would say about her present situation with Harry. Nothing like some skewered feminine perspective from Miss. Lovegood.

"Can't say the same for Ron and myself." Harry joked.

Ginny burst out laughing, startling Harry. He felt a surge of pleasure that he could still make her laugh.

She used to think he was the funniest thing that ever happened, with his wry sense of humor, so unlike her brothers' slapstick goofy sense of humor that she had been brought up with. It seemed that she still thought so.

It was in that moment of precious laughter, he joining her in her contagious fit, that all past awkwardness mysteriously dissipated so that as they walked back to the living room, Ginny began to blackmail him about making fun of her brother's thick headedness. It was almost like the good old days.

*          *          *          *          *          *

Sirius was about to get up and go into the kitchen to grab some food, after Harry and Ginny had left when a ear-splitting 'crack' startled him as a tall, voluptuous, brown haired witch appeared right in the middle of his path.

She barely even noticed him, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Remus. Sirius stood there frozen in disbelief that a woman had not noticed him and checked him out. She had to be gay then.

"Remus! Hey, where's Zedka?" She flashed him a brilliantly exuberant smile, a smile that lit up the whole room so that for a moment all Sirius could see was her face. He blinked, wondering if the twins had already got to work spiking the food in the house.

"She's up in the west wing. She'll be glad to see you." Remus stood up to embrace the woman.

"I'm sure she will. She mmailed me that Ginny was tied up, literally." She dissolved into laughter at her own joke, her dimples giving her face a girlish look as she laughed. Her steel blue eyes held an attractive glow.

The twins exchanged amused glances.

"Reminds me of Luna." Ron commented softly, receiving dark looks from Fred.

Sirius was apalled by this gorgeous creature. Remus was behaving just as indespicably by not introducing him.

Remus smiled benignly, unaware of this, or pretending to be unaware.

"Go on then."

"You okay?" She asked concernedly.

"I'm fine, Christine. It's Zedka who needs you." With another brilliant smile and a curt nod, she was gone.

Remus turned to sit back in the couch, oblivious to Sirius' dirty looks.

After expelling a long breath and deciding to forgo his pride,

"Who was she?" Sirius asked.

Remus looked up at his friend surprised. Understanding dawned on him as he realized three things.

No.1 That a woman had just ignored Sirius

No.2 A pretty beautiful woman at that

No.3 He had failed to introduce him to her

He struggled to hold back a smirk.

"Zedka's cousin and good friend, Christine Madriani. She's the other bridesmaid."

Sirius did not say anything else for Harry and Ginny had returned, looking in much better spirits.

"Did you go to the toilet as well, Harry?" George asked, grinning.

"Shut it, George." Ginny spoke up for him.

Ron bit back a smile. Even Harry looked mildly surprised that Ginny was speaking up for him.

"Who came by?" Ginny asked Remus, upon sitting down beside him. She had heard the familiar crack of someone apparating.

"Chris."

"She's supposed to do my hair!" Ginny moaned, realizing how impossible that was now that she was stuck to Harry.

"You know what, let's cut the watches." Harry decided instantly, seeing the disappointed anguished look on Ginny's face.

Remus looked at him surprised, before glancing at Sirius who looked extremely preoccupied, a look of intense concentration in his eyes. He would have to make this decision himself.

"You sure, Harry?" Even Ginny was looking at Harry as if he had grown another head.

"I can always buy another watch.." He trailed off, his eyes fixed on Ginny's for a moment. She nodded her head almost imperceptibly and Harry, having sought her approval, looked towards Remus.

"You know what?" Remus started, "I think the toolbox was up in the attic all this while. Accio Toolbox." With a swish of his wand, the toolbox whizzed into the room, right into his lap.

After ten minutes of struggling with the tough leather, the watches finally came apart. Ron flexed his fingers, grimacing from clenching them too tightly around muggle equipment.

"Thank you soo much!" Ginny looked ebullient as she kissed Remus and Ron both on the cheek and turned around to face Harry.

So caught up in the joy of being free was Ginny that she threw her arms around him impulsively enveloping him in a hug. Even Ron could not miss the look of pleasant surprise on Harry's face as he hugged her back, a little bit longer than necessary.

"Hey grabby hands, step away from the sister. " Bill's voice filled the air, clear authority in it as he stepped out of the fireplace.

His eyes were dancing with bemusement as Harry backed away from Ginny embarrassedly. The handsome young man made a face as he dusted the soot off his stylish navy Gringott robes. Bill had been promoted from curse breaker to venture capitalist recently. Ginny spun around to face her favourite brother.

'Bill!" She crowed hugging him as he leaned down to embrace her. A look of pure delight was on her face. Harry felt an unexpected stab of jealousy – would she ever smile at him like that?

"Hey Gin-Gin." Bill murmured in her ear, before kissing her on the top of her head.

"I have to go get dressed for the Wedding later. So I'll see you okay?" She beamed up at him. He nodded.

With a peck on his cheek, she departed for the West Wing humming tunelessly under her breath.

Bill turned to face the rest of them, smiling amiably in greeting before speaking to Sirius.

"I'm sorry I am so late. Bollocksed up at work again, I fear. Millions down the drain." He explained with a grimace.

"Late for what?" Remus asked, puzzled.

"The wedding starts in five hours time." Ron pointed out, smirking at his eldest brother. Bill pretended to ignore him, planning to deal with Ron later on.

"You thought it started at 12 didn't you?" Sirius asked, looking pointedly at Bill who quickly nodded his head agreeing.

Remus however, could not be hoodwinked by his oldest best friend. Something was up. He would be on his guard. Even Harry looked downright dodgy.

"Where's Van?" Harry asked, referring to Bill's fiancé, changing the topic as casually a possible.

"I'll have to go back and fetch her later."

"Why don't you sit down, Bill." Sirius motioned to the armchair by the fireplace.

Bill frowned at him, tilting his head ever so slightly to the field outside. Sirius shook his head, gesturing for him to sit. Bill sat, not before glancing at his watch.

"When's your wedding?" Remus asked, choosing to ignore all the apparently suspicious behaviour.

"Soon." Bill smiled, like a boy on Christmas morning.

Sirius snorted cynically.

"It's true love, my friend." Bill defended.

Sirius shook his head.

"Love, love, you know what love is? Love is an illusion created by lawyer types like yourself to perpetuate another illusion called marriage to create the reality of divorce and then the illusionary need for divorce lawyers."

"I agree. Marriage is a concept invented by people who were lucky to make it to 20 without being eaten by dinosaurs. Marriage is extinct." George added his two knuts worth.

"Dinosaurs are extinct. Marriage is still around." Ron retorted.

"You are just pissed off and bitter because you have not had sex in... how long? What is it... a year... maybe two? Refresh my memory please, Sirius. Haven't you heard of the sexual revolution?" Remus asked, hitting Sirius in his weak spot, knowingly getting him all worked up.

"Who won, huh? Nobody. Used to be sex was the only free thing, No longer. Alimony... palimony... it's all financial. Love is an illusion." Sirius emphasized his point, by slamming his fist in his hand as he spoke.

"It's the only illusion that counts, my friend." Remus cleverly pointed out.

"Says who?"

"Anyone who's been in love."

"Love sucks."

"So does your attitude." Harry spoke up, perturbed by his godfather's pessimism.

"Whatever. It maybe for you idealistic souls and I am definitely not stopping you'll from going and doing your thing. I encourage it in fact but it is definitely not for me. I'm an island!"

"Mr. Island, could I have a word?" Harry stood up and beckoned both Sirius and Bill to follow him. Together they left the living room.

Remus acted uninterested. It was no use attempting to wheedle it out of any of them. He would find out sooner or later.

A/n: Sorry for this sucky chapter..it's just a transition chappie so bear this..I promise the next chapter will be a blast – an hour before the wedding, bride getting the nerves, Sirius and Cris finally meet and argue, the Italian family arrives, Harry and Blaise tension, Harry and Ginny bumping into each other, Harry coming clean with his feelings but is Ginny listening???

Forgive my grammatical errors cos I dun have a beta readers and dun want one cos its pretty annoying to have to rely on someone who has their own schedule etc..

ANYTHING that you recognise is NOT MINE..so dun sue me..puh lease!!!!!!!!!!

Sirius Christine action is just a side plot – the main one's HG..there will be quite a number of side plots but dun worry..it will all link back to HG..any special requests for any ships let me know and I can try to fit them in..trying to make this to be a little like Love Actually – all the interconnecting love stories..