Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that commented I truly appreciate it. The more reviews the better! And also, special thanks to my friend Sofi, for being my crazy idea tester.

Disclaimer: I meant to have one of these at the beginning… but um forgot? Well here it is now. Harry Potter is owned by the brilliant J.K. Rowling. I only own Trista's twisted personality and the made up Delacour family.

Chapter Two

A Fasting of Hands

It was a late-July morning at a quarter past eight, and at number four Privet Drive, Harry Potter was wide-awake in his room. In fact, Harry had not slept at all the previous night. He was waiting to hear his uncle leave for work and his aunt to start sobbing over her favorite soap opera. Harry suppressed a yawn and listened closely to hear the Durselys. His cousin, Dudley, was still snoring in his room, not waking until noon during summer. His aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon however, would be downstairs performing their normal morning routines. Aunt Petunia would be cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and Uncle Vernon drinking the standard cup of coffee while reading the newspaper. Harry could hear the paper being shuffled as the pages were turned roughly, his uncle making disgruntled comments of the news.

"I've said it before, Petunia, 'This country has gone to the dogs!" said Uncle Vernon angrily. "All these hurricanes we've been having in the West Country, this blasted fog everywhere, and top-meteorologists can explain nothing. Not to mention that fire over in Kent, killed a dozen people!"

Harry took this all in calmly. He had read about these disasters in the Daily Prophet, and what had really caused them. There had been a Giant sighting in the West Country again, teamed with a band of Death Eaters. And two Giant sightings in northern France, they seemed to be reeking havoc on muggles everywhere. Oblivators were running mad, trying to modify memories. The fog, Harry had learned from a letter Hermione wrote, was caused by Dementors. And the fire in Kent had continued to burn for two whole days throughout a muggle residential area. It had taken nearly 20 Aurors to get the fire under control and stop it from spreading. Eleven muggles died in the fire and one wizard, Dedalus Diggle, Harry knew he had been a member of The Order of the Phoenix and the fire set by Death Eaters.

None of this news mattered to Harry at the moment. He felt a growing impatience, and strong annoyance. Pacing his tiny room, Harry glanced to his desk, it was bare for the exception of two letters written to him recently and Hedwig, asleep in her cage. The first letter was from Professor Lupin, he had written to say members of The Order would be coming to collect him at nine in the morning of July the twenty-third. Today.

The second letter lying next to it had arrived on the same day. To Harry's surprise it had not been the regular owl, but a white dove carrying a fine parchment letter addressed to him in stylish calligraphy. On the inside of the letter was an ornate design of two wands crossing each other at the tips. Twin cords of gold sprouted from the wands to wrap around one another, forming a Celtic knot below. The letter read in the same stylish calligraphy as his name on the outside:

You are cordially invited to

attend the wedding ceremony of

Bill Weasley

and

Fleur Delacour

On July the twenty-sixth,

at five o'clock in the afternoon.

The front door slammed shut, announcing his uncle's departure for work. Harry snatched the two letters off his desk and shoved them into his jean pockets with his wand. He took one last look around the room, but only his trunk was left; packed the night before in desperation to leave the Dursleys. Taking care to be quiet, Harry pulled his trunk into the hallway and carried Hedwig's cage. He peered over the stair railing and saw his aunt's horsey face glued to her soap opera. His wristwatch read ten 'til nine.

Well it's now or never, Harry thought to himself. He brought his trunk downstairs putting it down next to the front door and set Hedwig's cage on top. He walked to the living room where his aunt sat on the sofa, staring fixedly at the television. She didn't even glance at Harry when he came in.

"Aunt Petunia," he said to get her attention.

"What is it boy, you're interrupting my show," his aunt replied waspishly.

"Its just that, er- I thought you should know… I'm leaving today. And there are some people coming to pick me up very soon," Harry said trying to find the right words to explain things to his aunt.

Aunt Petunia's expression became very alarmed. She jerked her head towards the window as though expecting someone to be staring in at her.

"I'll be coming back one last time. It'll be on my birthday. Dumbledore, you met him last year…" A stab of pain went through Harry's insides at mentioning his old headmaster's name.

"Yes, I do," said Aunt Petunia still giving the window an occasional glance.

"Well, he said I would have to come back to renew the magical protection here. And after that, that'll be that last you see of me."

"Fine, alright," his aunt said. "When are these people going to be----"

--CRACK—

Aunt Petunia never finished the sentence, as she emitted a surprised scream at the appearance of three very familiar people to Harry, now standing in the living room. Remus Lupin looked tired and ill as he always did, and was wincing at the scream from Harry's aunt. Next to him, was the young Auror, Nymphadora Tonks, or 'Tonks', as she preferred to be called. Tonks's hair was just as bright pink as Harry remembered and her eyes sparkled with amusement. The third person Harry had not seen for a number of years, although he recognized the red hair immediately on Charlie Weasley, apparently home from Romania.

"Hello, Harry," Charlie said, putting his hand out for Harry to shake.

"Maybe we should have Apparated outside, like I suggested?" said Lupin.

"And risk the muggles outside, or anyone else watching see us?" retorted Tonks with a satisfied grin towards Harry and Aunt Petunia.

It was obvious to him that Tonks had hoped to shock one or more of the Durselys, and of course she had succeeded. Aunt Petunia eyed Lupin's frayed, old robes with apprehension. But this was nothing compared to the appalled look she gave Tonks's bubble-gum pink hair. Aunt Petunia regarded the hair as though it had insulted her personally.

"Hey, Charlie," Harry said, shaking his callused hand and returning Tonks a grin.

"Ah, you must be Harry's aunt," Lupin said to Aunt Petunia. "I'm sure he told you he was leaving today."

Aunt Petunia could only nod slightly, for she was still subdued by the sight of these people that came out of no where. Lupin continued to talk to Aunt Petunia but Harry wasn't paying attention, behind his aunt, he saw Tonks using her Metamorphmagus powers as she screwed up her eyes. Her ears began to grow long and upward, as her hair grew dark and trailed down her back like a mane. Tonks had the sudden appearance of a horse behind Aunt Petunia. The resemblance between the two was so great, that Charlie and Harry burst out laughing. Lupin was barely able to keep a straight face as he finished talking to Aunt Petunia. Quickly, Tonks changed back to her normal heart-shaped face with pink hair, for it was time to leave.

They left Harry's aunt sitting stunned in the living room and went to the front door. Lupin flicked his wand at Harry's school trunk and owl, causing them to disappear.

"Where did you send them? Grimmauld Place? Because I don't have my broom," said Harry.

"No, no to the Burrow, and that's where we will be going. None of us are the new secret-keeper to headquarters, anyway. You'll be side-along Apparating, as I know you haven't yet taken the Apparation Test," Lupin replied.

"Grab hold of my arm Harry," said Charlie.

Harry did so, and prepared for the odd sensation of Apparation. Everything went dark, instantly he felt the expected pressure all around, and the sense that he was being pulled in opposite directions. Just as soon as it had started it was over. Harry and the three Order members stood in the yard of the several stories that made up the Weasley's home. The lopsided sign next to him read: 'THE BURROW.'

Although the house looked exactly the same as Harry had last seen it, the outside did not. Witches and wizards bustled all over the yard, carrying random objects dressed in pale gold and silver ribbons or florally decorated

"Harry!" exclaimed two voices at once coming out of the Burrow.

He saw his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger rushing over to greet him. They dropped what they were carrying and tried to avoid the tons of people in the yard as they hurried over.

"Oh, Harry, we're so glad you're here," said an excited Hermione.

"Yeah, we need an excuse to get away from mum and her entourage of wedding minions," said Ron. "C'mon, lets go inside."

Harry followed them inside the Weasley's house and up to Ron's room. He saw his trunk and his owl awaiting him, Hedwig hooted happily at Harry.

"So any luck, mate on figuring out who R.A.B. is?" Ron asked Harry as soon as the door was shut.

He was referring to the note Harry had found in the fake locket Horcrux of Lord Voldemort. Harry had tried to remember or discover anyone with the same initials. He had searched in the index of his school books and in the Daily Prophet for some sort of clue, but found nothing.

"None, what about you Hermione? Find anyone?" Harry asked hopefully.

"All the R.A.B.'s I've been able to locate have long been dead or have no connection to You-know-who," Hermione said, clearly annoyed at not solving the mystery.

Harry was at a loss. He felt it was his mission to keep going and continue to track down the remaining Horcruxes and destroy them. Dumbledore had said it was the only way Voldemort could finally be killed and not come back. He felt like he owed it to Dumbledore, he had gone to so much trouble to show and teach Harry, the least he could do was complete his late headmaster's request.

There had been six Horcruxes made by Lord Voldemort to encase his soul, the final piece resting inside his own body. Harry mentally thought of the remaining Horcruxes: the Slytherin locket, Hufflepuff's cup, the snake, Nagini, and lastly something either belonging to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Dumbledore had hinted the last Horcrux was more likely to be something of Ravenclaw's. Harry thought it was twisted how Voldemort chose objects belonging to the four founders of Hogwarts.

"So, what's going on outside?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"There's a wedding rehearsal today and they're setting things up for it," Ron said with a cringe. "I swear, the two of them, Mum and Fleur, it's been horrible. Everything has to be perfect."

"You thinks its bad for us, Ron? Poor Ginny is in the wedding and has to take part in those mad rehearsals," said Hermione a look of pity on her face.

"Plus there's the brat I have to deal with," said a voice walking into the room.

It was Ginny Weasley standing in the doorway and Harry couldn't help but stare in amazement at what she was wearing. She was in the most beautiful dress robes of pale gold satin with a delicate silver trim on it.

"Who's the brat?" Harry asked, trying to ignore the feeling he got seeing Ginny dressed beautifully for the rehearsal.

Before anyone could reply, the answer came as a young silvery-blond haired girl bounded in after Ginny. She stared at Harry, and he got the feeling she looked oddly like Fleur. She was dressed in the same material and style of dress robes as Ginny, except hers were of silver with pale gold trim.

" 'Arry Potter! Eet ees good to see you again," said Gabrielle.

"Er-Good to see you, and not underwater," Harry said, realizing who she was.

She flashed him a bright smile, pleased that he had remembered her from the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth year at Hogwarts. It had been during the Second Task that Harry was suppose to go into the lake and rescue Ron, but had acted the hero, trying to save the other 'hostages' including Fleur's sister, Gabrielle.

"Ginny, Fleur, 'as been looking for you. Eet ees time for our re-ehearsal," Gabrielle reminded her.

"Yeah, I'm coming," she said casting a look of misery back at the Harry, Ron and Hermione. But she turned to follow the bossy eleven year-old girl, closing Ron's door on her way out.

"Wow," Harry said incredulously. "She's like a miniature Fleur-in-training, isn't she?"

"She sort of reminds me of Hermione at that age, you remember, don't you Harry? The bossy-know-it-all phase," said Ron, smiling impishly over at her.

"Oh, be quiet Ron," Hermione retorted, but was smiling as well.

So this explained what had happened between his two best friends over the summer. Harry had begun to wonder if the two would ever decide to go out, or end up killing eachother…as they had come pretty close to last year. But Harry guessed this was expected from how Ron had consoled Hermione at Dumbledore's funeral.

Harry cleared his throat to draw their attention back to reality. They both looked at him and blushed.

"I was wondering if you've heard anything about The Order," Harry said.

"Yeah, get this, Harry," Ron said suspensefully. "Fred and George have been inducted into The Order!"

"I'll bet your mum's not pleased," Harry said.

"Yeah, had a huge row with them, saying they 'didn't know what they were risking'. Then she yelled at Dad for letting them join."

"And what did he say?" Harry asked.

"He said The Order had lost too any members not to recruit them, and that the twins were good assets, with lots of connections."

"Well, I'm surprised they let them join," Hermione said with disapproval. "They aren't exactly the most reliable. I mean, they hung around with Mundungus Fletcher, and he just got out of Azkaban."

"I don't know, I think they take The Order seriously. Whenever Ginny or I ask the twins questions, they just shake their heads and say they 'don't want to sullen our delicate ears on such mischief.' The gits," Ron said.

"We also know there's a new Secret Keeper for headquarters ever since…well, you know. But we haven't figured out who the Secret Keeper might be," said Hermione.

"And, what about Charlie?" Harry asked. "Is he here just for the wedding or did he come in for The Order?"

"I think it's a bit of both, really," Ron said. "He was recruiting over in Romania, remember? I think we've got a lot of foreign wizards helping The Order 'cuz of him. But he keeps pestering Mum about someone… saying that someone's trustable and wants to join."

Ron shrugged, silently saying that's all he knew of the subject.

The next two days spent at the Burrow passed by in a blur, through games of Quidditch, wedding rehearsal outbursts from the bride and her bridesmaids, and two almost disastrous collisions from the wizards setting up and decorating for the wedding.

On the morning of the twenty-sixth, there was a heavy weight of anticipation in the air. By three o'clock guests started to arrive, either by broom, floo powder, or Apparition. Harry never imagined that the Prewett and Weasley clans were so large. He met the famous cheek-pinching Great Aunt Muriel, who was lending Fleur her goblin made tiara for the wedding. His first impression of 'Auntie' Muriel, however, was of when she grabbed Ron and gave a big fat kiss on the check, leaving an imprint of red lipstick behind, to his embarrassment.

Harry also made the acquaintance of Ron's grandfather, an avid chess player that could go for hours. On Mr. Weasley's side of the family were two brothers and their families, a cousin of Ron's named Mafalda, who followed Harry around, much to his annoyance. Charlie was already at the Burrow, helping Bill through this ordeal as his Best Man. The twins, Fred and George, arrived in their finest dragon skin jackets, and soon after Lupin arrived with Tonks, her hair now a golden shade for the occasion. Sirius's cousin, Andromeda and her husband Ted Tonks, who were Nymphadora Tonks's parents arrived shortly after.

More and more people from The Order of the Phoenix Harry recognized began to show up. The bald black wizard, Kingsley Shacklebot, the black-haired witch Hestia Jones, and the wheezy-voiced wizard Elphias Doge, along with Sturgis Podmore. Mad-Eye Moody greeted Harry by staring at him for a very long period of time with his magical eye, then asking him what form his Patronus took before deciding it was actually Harry. Madame Maxime and Hagrid arrived in style in the, large, flying-horse drawn carriage. From Fleur, and Bill's job at Gringotts they had invited guests that were both goblins and wizards alike.

The Delacour family was an entirely different story; Fleur's parents had arrived early and were muttering in French under their breath, both traded looks when they saw the Weasley house. Her grandmother Nadia was an actual Veela, and although she was at least 60, she didn't look any older than 30. There were other Veela relations attending; an Aunt Celeste as well as a half-veela cousin named Ambrose, who had a haughty smile and ignored most whom approached him. What surprised everyone was Fleur's older half-sister Hyacinthia, who had married a muggle-born wizard and wasn't as stuck up as the rest of the family.

It was just before five, and the chairs aligned outside were filled to capacity. The audience sat facing a white wedding colonnade wrapped in silver and gold ribbons with white and yellow jasmine. Bill, the scars still pink on his face from where the werewolf Greyback had attacked him, wore dress robes of gold. Charlie stood next to Bill in the same shade of robes. Harry saw a small orchestra of witches to the left that began to play not the traditional wedding march, but something sweeter and livelier with a harp and flute.

Fleur proceeded down the middle of the aisle, her father holding her arm. Behind them Ginny and Gabrielle followed in their silver and pale gold dress robes. The bridesmaid's outfits were nothing compared to Fleur's dress. She wore a gown of flowing silk the trim embroidered with Celtic knots in the same pale gold and silver. On top her silver-blond head lay a fine goblin-made silver tiara with flowers woven out of crystal.

Mr. Delacour handed his daughter off to Bill, with a frown, but after looking at the happy groom and bride together, his frown became a genuine smile. A short priest, reminding Harry of Professor Flitwick, presided over the wedding ceremony:

"Dearly, beloved we are gathered here today to unite this loving couple, Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley in matrimony," the priest began in a squeaky voice.

"Do you, Bill Weasley promise to love and care for Fleur, no matter what, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?" continued the priest.

"I do," said Bill firmly.

"And do you, Fleur Delacour promise to love and care for Bill, not matter what, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," said Fleur.

"Ah, the rings, the rings!" squeaked the priest.

Charlie handed the couple the rings he had been holding. They both put the rings on, and Harry expected the wedding to be over, but the priest said something taking him back:

"Now, present your wands and cross them," ordered the priest.

Bill and Fleur both turned to face the audience, and raised their wands to let them cross at the tip. Sparks flew out of both wand tips, Fleur's sparks becoming a white glowing cord, while Bill's a gold. The white cord flew to wrap around Bill's wrist, and the gold wrapped around Fleur's. They met and began twisting and tying around one another into some strange design, until ending in a knot.

"Well, very nice," said the priest "You may now kiss the bride."

Bill and Fleur, their wrists tied to eachother by gold and white cords leaned in and kissed passionately, the audience applauding, or in Mrs. Weasley's case crying with happiness.

The ceremony over, it was time for the feast afterward; all of the immediate family sat together at one big table while three other tables seated guests and other relations. Mrs. Weasley did not cater but had hired witches and wizards to do so. With a flash of her wand at the tables, delicate food appeared in front of them.

"I didn't know that was how witches and wizards got married, with wands and all…" Harry said to Ron and Hermione next to him.

"Where do you think the phrase, 'Tying the knot" came from?" asked Ron, stuffing his mouth.

Harry looked at Hermione, to see if she had known of this wedding tradition.

"I read about wizarding marriages before, they've been doing hand-fasting for a long time," Hermione said. "There is still a tradition of the couple jumping over a broom."

Harry imagined Fleur and Bill still knotted together and attempting to jump over his hovering Firebolt. The idea made him smile. Behind them, Mrs. Weasley was closely pursued by Charlie, and having a heated argument on their way into the Weasley kitchen.

"Really Mum, I know some of The Order doesn't like her family…" Charlie was saying.

"It's not just her family, it's her, that some of The Order doesn't trust," hissed Mrs. Weasley. She noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione staring at them. "Come, we can't talk about it here."

Harry, curiosity overriding him, quietly stood up and followed them to the house. He waited outside the kitchen door and listened in.

"I can't see why you don't want to trust Florence, she really --" Charlie's voice was cut off.

"Hmpf!" Mrs. Weasley interjected. "That woman was always stirring up trouble in my day. And then there's that family of hers, always think it's there job to oversee those blasted dragons and tell everyone to mind there own business. Never has any of them wanted to help us with You-know-who before."

"Oh, Molly really," Harry recognized Lupin's voice. "Florence was just as much an adventurous trouble-maker as James, Sirius and I. And of course, she was Lily's best friend. She might have made some rather ill-choices…-Er, in the love department during her youth, but that's no reason to—"

"The man's a killer!" Mrs. Weasley screeched.

"And how was she supposed to know a man she dated in her teens would grow up to be like that?" Charlie asked logically.

"No one knew he would murder Dumbledore," Lupin said quietly. "We all trusted him, even you did Molly."

"And that's my point exactly, " she replied sharply. "How can we trust her? Besides, if you ask me that whole family of hers is mad."

"McGonagall trusts her, " Charlie said firmly. "And that is what counts. I say we take another vote with The Order during our next meeting."

"Fine, fine," said a defeated Mrs. Weasley. "We better go back to the feast before we're missed."

Harry ran back to the table Ron and Hermione were sitting at and told them about the conversation he had overheard. Hermione had a disapproving look on her face when he told them what he heard, but Harry spoke before she could.

"The odd thing, they said this woman was friends with my mum," he said.

"Yeah, but from what you've told us, she pretty much dated Snape at Hogwarts, what's with that?" Ron asked, horrified. "How could anyone date that slimey git?"

"No idea," Harry said. "I wonder why McGonagall trusts her though if she knows Snape."

"Harry, that was wrong of you, listening to them talk about business dealing with The Order," scowled Hermione. "What if they caught you listening? And if McGonagall trusts this woman, then that should be enough."

"Oh, yeah?" Harry's expression darkened. "Look what happened to Dumbledore after he went and trusted Snape!"

Harry's two best friends looked away from him, having no suitable reply.