Chapter Twelve: Love Triumphant

"Harry?"

Harry looked around. He was standing in the Weasley's garden again. Bill and Fluer were standing together, laughing and smiling, dressed in their wedding apparel -- except Bill's face was perfectly normal again. Charlie Weasley was giving a toast, Mrs. Weasley crying happily into a Hagrid's large, spotted hankerchief at his elbow.

Harry's mouth fell open: Dumbledore stood in the crowd as well, holding up a glass to the toast and apparently perfectly alive and in good health. He caught Harry's eye and smiled.

Someone elbowed Harry and he looked over to find Ron at his side.

"What's the matter with you? You look like you've seen a ghost," Ron said, almost laughing.

Hermione was standing beside him in a lovely shade of blue, her hair pulled back for the occasion. She frowned, "You alright, Harry?"

"I -- yeah -- " Harry stammered, examining his own clothing. He was dressed in a nice set of dress robes, soft green to match his eyes, which were open at the front to reveal a muggle suit. Muggle clothing had been Mr. Weasley's idea -- how he knew, he wasn't sure.

"A little too much champagne if you ask me," Ron muttered to Hermione, watching Harry.

Hermione scowled, "Harry wouldn't drink! You have to be twenty in the wizarding world!"

"What's all this about drinking?"

Harry looked around and his heart nearly stopped. Sirius had his hand clamped on Harry's shoulder. He looked young and careless again, happy and grinning in his own set of dress robes, his hair nicely cut and his face shaved. He smiled at Harry's bewilderment.

"My name's been cleared since you guys were thirteen and he still finds seeing me in public a shock," Sirius said and gave his barklike laugh. "I was going to ask you two round to our new apartment," Sirius said to Ron and Hermione. "Moony's already been by twice with Tonks. They'll be getting hitched next, you know."

"Sirius!" hissed Lupin in warning as he passed.

The band had struck up again and he and Tonks were dancing.

"Don't give her any ideas!" Lupin jerked his head at Tonks, who had her head rested on his chest and her eyes closed dreamily. Her hair was long and black for the occasion, tipped with hot pink.

Sirius laughed and wandered off, hailing Arthur Weasley jovially.

"Shall we?" Ron said, offering Hermione his arm.

Hermione smiled and took it, and they stepped into the swirling crowd.

Harry was left standing alone in bewilderment. Something wasn't right. Something had changed. Everyone was so happy, the dark mood from before had lifted. Even the Weasley twins were back to full prankery. Harry watched them snap photos as black gunk dribbled down Fleur's chin and began to spell things there like "Snob" and "Kick me."

"Our new trick gum," George told Harry in a breathless rush as he and Fred fled Mrs. Weasley's wrath.

Harry laughed, feeling lighthearted for the first time in what felt like eons to him. He went to the banquet table and stood watching the fun with a glass in one hand. Then a familiar red head broke through the crowd toward him, looking anxious. It was Ginny. She spotted him and went right to him.

"Have you figured it out yet? Or do you even remember?" Ginny said without preamble.

"You mean you can feel it too?" said Harry in relief.

"Like something's changed? Yes! I'm so glad you remember. I thought I was alone."

"But, Ginny . . ." said Harry slowly. "How is it you still have the same memories as me? The memories of the other life, of Vol --" He lowered his voice, "Of You-Know-Who returning?"

Ginny lifted her chin defiantly, but her eyes were a little guilty just the same, "I went after you when you started the timeturner. I waited until you closed your eyes and grabbed the chain. Then I hid. When you changed the course of the future . . . I was swallowed in the light with you."

"Oh." Harry was silent as he digested Ginny's words. "So Bill was never attacked by Greyback. The Death Eaters never got into Hogwarts. And Dumbledore --" He swallowed. "Dumbledore never died. It was over the night Voldemort killed my parents."

Ginny nodded solemnly. "She was very beautiful," she said suddenly, "your mother. Very nice too. I heard her singing to you. And -- and Wormtail was there. They found his body in the ruins, they say. Sirius was arrested for his murder because he showed up right afterwards and they dueled on the property. But a piece of the house fell on Wormtail and that's what killed him. Hagrid testified as a witness."

"Good," Harry said grimly. "Then he never got his chance to bringVoldemort back."

"And Ron doesn't have a clue who Scabbers is. I call him that sometimes just to annoy him." Ginny's eyes fired with silent laughter.

"But you're still the youngest quidditch Seeker in a century," Ginny went on with admiring eyes. "You're still . . . just Harry." She smiled.

"And we're still dating," Harry said, touching Ginny's chin with his thumb. "Aren't we?"

Ginny's ears flamed scarlet, but she looked Harry straight in the eye and said, "Yes."

Harry bent to kiss her, but a chorus of hoots made them both look up and smile guitily as Fred and George snapped their picture.

"I take it back, Moony," laughed Sirius. "Harry and Ginny just might beat you and Tonks!"

"Wanna go some place private?" Harry suggested.

Ginny nodded, then tightened her grip on Harry's arm, stopping him. "Harry," she said, half-frowning, half-laughing, "Where's your scar?"

Curtain Fall.