1Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything related to Harry Potter...duh.
Chapter 1: The Day Before The Wedding:
A ray of sunshine crept through the attic window as Harry awoke to Ron's snoring. He sat up and smiled to himself as he looked around the room. He could see the sun shining brightly over the Burrow through the window. Harry began to rise out of his bed as Ron started to stir.
"Morning, sunshine!" Harry said to Ron as he put his glasses on and surveyed the room more clearly. There were posters of the 'Chudley Canons' quidditch team plastered all over the walls of the attic. Ron even had bright orange Canon print bed sheets and curtains.
"Yeah, yeah.." Ron grumbled as he turned on his side, with his back to harry, and resumed his snoring.
Harry stood up and dressed himself in jeans and an oversized maroon jumper. He headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Half way down the stairs, he could smell the aroma of bacon sizzling and eggs frying. He sat down in front of an empty plate at the table, placing himself in between Fred and Bill. Mrs. Weasly turned and greeted him, placing the plates of food in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves to.
Ten minutes later, a sleepy looking Ron came down the stairs half yawning, but his tiredness seemed to fade as he inhaled the scent of bacon and eggs flowing from the kitchen. He took his seat at the empty plate next to Ginny, and across from Harry and began to pile the food onto his plate.
The kitchen began to clear out as everyone finished their breakfast. Ron and Harry worked their way over to the drawing room, while Ginny went back up to her room silently. Bill and Fleur's wedding was to be held at the Burrow tomorrow afternoon, and Mrs. Weasly and Fleur were running around frantically, trying to prepare. All of the Weasly men, with the exception of Ron, were outside helping set up chairs and tables for the ceremony tomorrow, and all of the females, save Ginny, were putting up the decorations.
Ron and Harry were playing a game of chess as they talked about the wedding tomorrow. "Hermoine should be arriving here sometime this afternoon for the wedding." Harry frowned as Ron took his knight.
"Yeah, you know what that means..." he paused to watch Harry make his move, and smiled to himself as he took, yet another piece of Harry's.
"Yeah, she'll force us to all our homework and study potions" he grumbled as he surveyed the chess board carefully, plotting his next move.
"Can't wait" Ron said sarcastically.
Harry moved finally moved his piece and Ron smirked. "Aha! Checkmate."
"How do you always do that?" Harry wondered, becoming a bit frustrated. Just as the words left his mouth there was a loud crack coming from the kitchen. They heard footsteps walking briskly toward the drawing room and Hermoine appeared in the doorway.
"Ah, there you are!" she said happily, greeting both Harry and Ron with a giant hug. "How have your summers been?"
"Can't complain any." Harry said, still flustered over his loss at chess.
"How was your summer, Hermoine?" Ron asked as they made their way into the kitchen to help Hermoine with her trunk.
"Oh, it wasn't too bad. Missed you guys, though." She levitaded her trunk up the stairs and set it down in front of Ginny's door, Ron and Harry following with Crookshanks' cage. Hermoine knocked on Ginny's door. It opened slowly and Ginny's head poked out, her fiery red hair hiding her puffy, red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Ginny opened the door a bit more to allow Hermoine inside, along with her trunk and Crookshanks and then she proceeded to slam the door in Ron's face.
Hermoine sat down on the spare bed in Ginny's bedroom, the one she always slept on whenever she stayed at the burrow. She looked sadly at Ginny, knowing that something was wrong. Ginny turned towards Hermoine, but avoided eye contact. She sat down on her own bed, and cleared her throat. Just as she was about to speak, Hermoine confronted her, "Gin, what's the matter? Why are you so sad?"
Ginny simply sighed and took a deep breath. She looked at Hermoine through her teary eyes, and spoke for the first time in weeks. "Well," she began, but she couldn't seem to finish. Hot tears streamed down her face, and Hermoine quickly sat down next to her and pulled her into a tight hug to comfort her. It seemed to work and Ginny settled down enough to speak again, her voice shaky and quiet, "I don't know how much longer I can stand it, Hermoine. He wont even look at me." she looked up at Hermoine sadly and sighed heavily. "I just wish it could go back to the way it was before. When we were just friends at least. Now he acts like I don't even exist. And I acted like it didn't bother me when we broke up, but, to tell you the truth, Hermoine, I'm just still not over him." More tears ran along her wet cheeks, and dripped off of her freckled nose.
Hermoine just hugged her again. "Well, we're going to get you two back together. The tension between you is just too unbearable." she placed her hands on Ginny's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Harry isn't over you, either. Trust me." Ginny only sighed and allowed herself to fall backwards upon her bed.
After having the door slammed in their faces, Harry and Ron decided to go down to the kitchen for a little snack. "So what's up with you and Ginny?" Ron asked, his mouth full of chocolate frog.
"I don't know, Ron. I miss her. Just talking to her and being friends with her. But this whole summer, she's done all she can to avoid me. Maybe she doesn't like me anymore." He took a swig of pumpkin juice and looked out the window, thinking.
"No way, she still likes you, I'm sure of it. You just have to talk to her."
"She doesn't want to talk to me" Harry said, sighing.
"Sure she does! She's crazy about you. I know it. She has been ever since she was a little girl, and I think she always will be." He said reassuringly.
"I hope your right. I don't want to end up never speaking to her again, I just don't want her to get hurt. We can't be together until I kill Voldemort. Then everything will be easier."
"Look, mate. Ginny is involved with Voldemort whether you want her to be or not. And you're not going to stop her from helping fight. No one can. You're just both too stubborn"
"I am not stubborn!" Harry said, offended as he stood from his seat.
"Yes you are!" Argued Ron, also standing now.
"I am not!"
"See."
Just then Hermoine walked into the kitchen. "See what?" she asked.
"Nothing." replied Harry.
"What?" she asked again, demandingly.
"Just that Harry's stubborn" Ron answered.
"Oh, well, I'm sorry Harry, but I do have to agree with Ron on that."
"Right, well...I suppose you're right." Harry admitted, defeated.
"Harry, I need to talk to you." Hermoine said glancing at Ron. When Ron didn't move she added, "Alone" She looked at Ron again and nodded towards the door.
"Oh, right, sorry." Ron finally left the kitchen and left Hermoine and Harry to talk...alone.
"What is it you needed to talk to me about, Hermoine?" Harry asked as he took a seat at the table and gestured for her to do the same.
"Well, its about Ginny." She began. When Harry was silent, she continued. "Look, Harry. I know she acted like she wasn't hurt when you broke up with her, but she was. She needs you!"
Harry was still silent and stared straight ahead, an irritated expression on his face. He was tired of talking about Ginny, and hearing that she was so hurt, but she hurt him by ignoring him. "Look, Hermoine." he said finally, turning to her, "I know I hurt her, and hurting Ginny is the last thing that I want to do, but I had to."
"But, why? Why do you have to?"
"Because I love her. And it seems as though everyone I love dies. I don't want her to die, Hermoine; I can't lose her." Hermoine saw the sad, pleading expression on his face and she became frustrated.
"Well, if you love her, then you should be with her!" She began to lose her temper.
"I can't!" Harry said, also losing his temper a bit. He stared at his hands in his lap.
"Look, She loves you, you love her...why can't you just accept it?"
Harry looked up at her as she said this. "She still loves me?" he asked hopefully.
"Oh, Harry! Of course she does!" Hermoine said reassuringly.
Harry couldn't help but smile a bit at this thought. But the smile was quickly swept from his face. "We can't." he said simply.
Hermoine became so frustrated with him, that she stormed out of the kitchen, and up the stairs, muttering under her breath. Ron poked his head through the door to the kitchen, a confused look crossed his face. Harry, just looked at him and chuckled he stood up and cleared the table, and he and Ron went back into the drawing room for another game of chess.