MR: I understand that all Harry Potter characters are owned by JK Rowling except for my own that I made up.

MR: Enough about rules, Enjoy my story!

Harry Potter and the Bewitched Princess

Chapter 2

Preparations

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Harry opened his eyes once he felt the solid but muddy ground underneath his feet. He found himself staring at his friend's house also known as the burrow. It was exactly as he remembered it, but he wasn't there to observe while getting soaked from the continuing rainfall. To save time, he decided to apparate to their back door. When he reached the door, he gave it a slight knock. Once he heard the charming voice of Mrs. Weasley asking who it was, he opened the door to find her standing at the sink, waving her wand to conduct the scrub brush as to clean the dishes.

"It's me," Harry said responding to her question.

The petite red haired stout woman looked over to the doorway, ignoring her dishes to see her "second son".

"Harry dear!" she said running over to him and giving him a great big welcome hug. "I'm guessing you got here with no problems?" Harry nodded. "Are you hungry? You look positively famished!"

"No Mrs. Weasley, I'm fine. Where's . . ."

But before he could finish, his question was visually answered. An extremely tall seventeen year old boy with shaggy red hair and freckles came strolling down the stairs. It was his best friend Ronald Weasley.

"It's great to see you Harry," he said shaking his hand.

"Likewise."

"Ronald," Mrs. Weasley interrupted, "why don't you show Harry to your room?"

"Mum!"

Mrs. Weasley glared at her son," But Harry, remember that you will stay here tonight and then we shall leave for the Delacours' in the morning."

"Alright Mrs. Weasley."

Harry bent down and grabbed one of the end handles on his trunk. "Help me?" he asked Ron.

The two of them followed the winding staircase up to his room.

"So," Harry began, "where's everybody else?"

"Well let's see," Ron started, "Fred, George, and Bill are trying on their suits. Dad insists that we do a Muggle chic theme. Then, dad's at work for today but when he's done, he'll go directly to the Delacours' to help Hagrid and Charlie set up the decorations. And then, the girls," he paused, "they're trying on their bridesmaids dress in Ginny's room."

Harry thought about Ginny. What would he say when he saw her? But it was to late now to for any thinking as they heard her voice from the next landing.

"Mum! The hem is too long!"

Harry looked up from the creaky wooden stairs once he heard the angry but charming voice. He was awestruck when he saw her, 10 steps in front of them. She was dressed in a long, silky white strapless gown which had randomly placed light blue, clear. And silver tiny beads all over the straight but flowy, dress. He also couldn't get over how beautifully her straight red hair paired with the gown.

Oblivious to the two friends on the stairs, Ginny looked down at them and blushed a deep red before running back to her room.

"Typical," Ron snorted.

Harry didn't bring up the topic as they continued their climb. Once they reached Ron's room, he found it to be the same as the last several times he saw it, plastered with anything about and of his favorite quidditch team, the Chuddly Cannons.

He sat down on the bunk bed as Ron sat down at his desk's chair.

"Oh," Ron stated, "before I forget," and with that, he stood up from the chair and went over to open his window. For a minute, Harry didn't know what he was doing but then, in flew his purely white owl, Hedwig. She flew over to him and perched herself on his outstretched arm.

"So," Ron started, "anything new?"

Harry sighed as he carefully placed Hedwig back in her cage. "I have all the same resources that you have. And of course, they're all our old textbooks so we know practically everything in them."

"I know," Ron said disappointed. "At least we have Hermione."

"Has she told you anything new?"

"Not yet at least. She's been too busy hanging out with Ginny preparing for the wedding, Besides, she just got here yesterday."

Almost as if on cue, Hermione stood there in the doorway. She too was in her bridesmaid's dress. This of course was a stunning sight for both Harry and Ron, considering that the last time they saw her dressed up was three years ago at the Yule Ball.

"Harry!" she exclaimed as she came over to hug him. "It's so wonderful to see you!"

"You too," he said returning the gesticulation.

"So," she said taking a step back, "what do you guys think?"

"Very nice," Harry replied.

Ron however just stared at her. Harry cleared his throat and Ron suddenly popped back to reality.

"You, you," he stuttered, "you look, really beautiful."

"Well thank you Ronald," she said sheepishly and with a bit of a grin.

To break the awkwardness, Harry spoke once again. "So Hermione, anything new?"

Hermione sighed, "Not much, but that's probably because I've mostly been focusing only on RAB."

"So," Ron asked, "anything?"

"I've had some hunches," she continued, "but nothing to persist with."

Harry was about to say something until they heard a voice calling from downstairs.

"Harry! Ron!" it was Fred, or was it George? "You're turn!"

Hermione left first to go and meet back up with Ginny, then, the two of them ventured down the rickety stairs. On a few landings below, they saw Fred standing in Bill's doorway.

"Have fun," he said sarcastically.

Harry and Ron walked into the room to find George, struggling to take off his two sizes too small suit. Bill voluntarily was helping in the fight. Once they finally managed to remove it and George was standing in his boxers and undershirt, Bill acknowledged the other two people currently in his room.

"Hello boys."

"That's men now," Ron snapped back.

"Whatever," he said sarcastically.

George pulled his baggy jeans on with a dark green polo, happy to win the war. "Good luck," he said just like his twin as he left the bedroom.

The three of them were left. The "boys" stared at the employee to Gringotts. He had his family's red hair pulled back into the normal ponytail and the same dragon fang earring in his ear. The difference though was that he was wearing a dressy suit. A white suit at that. It was a silky white jacket and pants paired with a light blue shirt, a silky white tie, and white dress shoes.

"Did mum dress you this morning?" Ron asked with a chuckle.

"Shut up."

There was something different about Bill, but Harry couldn't lay his finger on it. Then he remembered. Greyback, the werewolf who tore at his chest that night at Hogwarts. The same night when Dumbledore was murdered. Thinking about that night brought back so many horrible memories. Not just from then, but for what he had been through his whole life. At least he remembered though. No wonder Bill looked so haggard.

"I wouldn't be laughing," he continued, "you're wearing the same thing."

That did shut Ron up.

"But seriously," Ron questioned skeptically, "I know dad wants us to dress like Muggles, but who chose this ensemble?"

"Can you guess?"

"No."

"The Delacours?" Harry butt in.

"Fleur, to be more precise," Bill responded.

"So," Harry said, "did Fleur choose everything for the wedding?"

"Basically . . ." but he was cut off by Ron.

"That's just like Phlegm."

Bill glared at his brother. He then continued, "As I was saying, Fleur, picked out all the attire but she told everyone wanted the theme to be."

"So, what is it?" Ron questioned.

"She wants it to be a 'frost winter' theme with white, silver, and blues."

"What do you think of it?"

Bill just ignored Ron, "Why don't you try this one on Harry?" he asked holding up the suit that George had just removed.

Harry replaced his comfortable jeans and t-shirt with the stiff dressy Muggle outfit. Though he had to say, once he saw himself, he didn't look half bad. Heck, the suit even fit!

"Dude!" Ron stated, "You look like a snowflake!"

"Well Ron, here's your's," Bill said as he held up another suit.

He rejected, refused and even asked for a refund as Harry and Bill changed Ron into his outfit. Once they finished, the two of them stepped back to admire their work.

"Not bad."

"Not bad at all."

The two of them burst out laughing. In the struggle to change him, his pants were halfway down his backside, the shirt was only halfway buttoned and untucked, his tie wasn't even attempted to be tied, and one of the sleeves on the jacket was up while the other was down.

"Shut up."

In all the commotion, the three of them hadn't noticed Ginny standing in the doorway. She cleared her throat before she decided to speak.

"Hey Rusty," she said referring to Ron, "mum wants you downstairs."

"What for?"

She shrugged.

Ron pulled up and zipped his pants before he stomped out of the room.

Ginny and Harry stared at each other for what seemed like years, however, she finally decided to speak to him.

"Hey."

"Hey. How are you doing?"

"Fine." But Harry could tell that she was uncomfortable. He knew that this was going to happen, just because he broke up with her to keep her safe. For her sake, she decided to leave to settle the uneasiness.

"What was that all about?" Bill asked once she left.

Harry debated whether or not to tell Bill, but he thought it would only be fair since he's her brother. So, he ventured over to his bed and sat down before telling him. He told him all about how he was doing this to keep her safe from the clutches of Voldemort.

"So, do you like her?"

He thought that he had to say no to this because it is the older brother of the girl he loves. But, then he thought, that's not like Bill.

"Yeah, I really do. The thing is, I don't want the same thing to happen to her again like that time in the Chamber. That was horrible enough on itself even though she survived."

"Well," Bill said," you're doing the right thing. Just make sure you don't lose her along the way so she'll come back to you in the end. You're a Goodman Harry, I couldn't see my little sis with someone any better."

"Thanks."

Don't mention it."

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Several hours later, Harry found himself helping Ron and Hermione with the dinner dishes after enjoying a wonderful meal produced by Mrs. Weasley. The whole thing was fabulous except for the fact that he didn't get to say anything to Ginny. She hadn't even attempted to make eye contact with him which must have been difficult because she was sitting directly across from him. He was able to get his mind off her however by joking along with Fred and George about how their joke shop is going and some of the stupid questions that customers would ask them.

Once they were finished, they all ventured upstairs to go to bed. Harry could tell that Ron and Hermione were not exactly keen of seeing Fleur the next day. They were also not looking forward to a whole family of Fleurs. He didn't blame them.

"Good night Ron," Harry said as his eyelids started to droop once they were in their separate bunks.

"We're going to need it."

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