Warning: A lot happens real fast, so hold on tight!

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Chapter six:
Wedding Plans

Madam Malkin's shop was stuffy, and just a bit dusty. Hermione shifted uncomfortably on her pedestal. Mrs. Weasley diligently worked on the hem of her gown, while Madam Malkin herself worked on Ginny's bride's maid dress.

"You look lovely," Mrs. Weasley crooned, when she pulled away. "Just lovely." The smile she wore on her face was warm, while the look in her eyes held a hint of awe.

Hermione slowly turned around. The mirror floating behind her fanned out, so that she could look at herself at all angles. "Mrs. Weasley," she breathed, her eyes misting.

The work the older woman had done was beautiful. A pure white gown made of silk and veil. It was held long so that it covered her bare feet, but held high enough so that she couldn't step on it. Tight around her waist, it pressed against her chest flatteringly, while the skirt flared from her hips down. Beads decorated the bodice, with no certain design in mind. The dress was also sleeveless, leaving her shoulders and neckline bare.

But on her wedding day, she would wear a white pearl necklace to match the studs in her ears, and the beads on her dress. The veil would also carry the same kind of beads, but very few. The see through material would fall down over her head hiding her face just enough.

I still have no idea what to do with my hair though, she thought sadly. Her dark eyes took in her image, and she let out the breath of air she had been holding since she first caught a glimpse of the dress. "I love it," she said. Hermione turned to the older woman with a smile on her face.

"I do to," a smug voice added.

All four women turned to look at the new voice. "Blimey Draco!" Mrs. Weasley scolded. "You're not supposed to see the bride until your wedding day." She shook a threatening finger at the tall handsome man standing in the doorway of the shop. He was a tall young man at the age of twenty-one. Tailored in black slacks, and a dark blue shirt, he looked sharp and clean cut.

Hermione smiled at the sight of him. Their relationship had been a rocky one. Growing up as enemies had made it hard to get over their differences. But after Harry had disappeared, things had changed. "Anything," she asked, her smile hopeful.

Draco's eyes dropped to the side for a brief moment, but locked with hers quickly after. "He might not have gotten it," he said carefully.

He's lying, she noted silently. He was cunning, sharp, and very sexy. But he was a very bad liar. Stepping down from the stool, she moved towards him. She didn't call him on it. Four years ago, she would have and then would have rubbed his stuck up nose in it. But he was only tying to protect her.

Stopping in front of him, she duly noted his flinch as if he expected a tongue-lashing. Or worse, a punch. It brought a smile to her face. She brought her hands up, and cupped his face in her palms. "I love you," she whispered.

A stray blonde lock fell over his piercing eyes. He always kept his hair slicked back, just like he had through their years at Hogwarts. He didn't answer her, but instead dipped down to kiss her.

It was a sweat kiss, innocent and gentle. Tilting her head beneath his, she lifted her gloved hands up and around his neck. The kiss changed then.

"Eww gross, get a room will yeh," a disgusted voice demanded from behind them.

Draco pulled back just enough so that he could glare at the Weasley twins and Ron. Hermione caught her bottom lip between her teeth. She felt light headed and just a bit warm. Sometime during their heated kiss, Draco had pulled her closer to him and at the moment, his hands rested comfortably at the small of her back.

Turning her eyes away from the man she loved, she looked over at the three Weasley brothers. But instead of commenting on Ron's messy hair, or the twin's strange robes, her eyes were drawn to something outside.

For just a moment, just over Ron's shoulder, she could have sworn she'd saw a ghost.

And not just the see-through, walks through walls kind of ghost either. Pulling herself free from Draco's hold, she quickly pushed passed the group in the doorway of Madam Malkin's shop. Running outside, Hermione looked to the right and then to the left. The crowd wasn't so thick that she couldn't make out a person's face, but there was enough that people could easily hide within.

Hermione took three steps in the direction she could have sworn she'd seen Harry go down. It couldn't have been, she told herself. Harry wasn't in England, let alone in Diagon Alley.

----

Usagi fell back against her bed with a sigh. It had been a magical day. And not one of those, the hero saves the damsel in distress and they fall in love and live happily ever after, kind of days. But a day filled with witches and wizards.

Real Witches and Wizards, she thought with a smile. She got to see them transport through fireplaces. Fly on brooms. She got to meet goblins and fairies, and all sorts of creatures. They'd also gone shopping.

Turning her head to the side, she looked over at Jam- Harry. He must have fallen asleep while she had been bathing.

Usagi shifted on the bed till she was seated upright. He'd worn a glamour spell during their visit. It was a spell that disguised him from other people. Harry had wanted to show her what this world was like, before he introduced her to his friends. Just so that she would know what she was in for.

Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she jumped to her feet. Harry rolled to his side, and as if not comfortable with the position, rolled back over again. A low moan escaped him, just before he began to trash around.

Worried, Usagi rushed to his side. "Harry," she whispered. She tried shaking him, hoping to wake him from his nightmare.

It didn't work.

"Harry!" she shouted. She caught his head with her hands, stopping him from throwing himself from the bed. A pained moan escaped him, just before he began to shake all over. Running her finger across his brow, she gasped to find him burning with a fever. "Oh Kami Sama, Harry." Please wake up, she added silently. Leaning down, she touched his brow with her lips, brushing them across the scar he seemed so attached to. His eyes flew open at the contact, the green in his eyes were vibrant.

Usagi pulled away with a blush staining her cheeks. "You were having a nightmare," she said in a low voice. Realizing she was still holding his face, she quickly pulled away.

Shifting around on the edge of the bed, she moved to lie down next to him. "Do you have nightmares often," she asked.

Harry rolled over onto his side, so that he was facing her. "Yes," he whispered in return. "Every night."

Her smile was small as she lifted a hand to touch the dark lock of hair that refused to lay flat on his head. "I like your hair like this." Harry was gratefully for the sudden change in subject. He didn't feel like discussing that night, at least not yet.

"I don't know if I'm ready," he admitted suddenly.

"Harry, you'll never feel like your ready. All you can do, is just do it," she explained.

He nodded, knowing just what she meant. Closing his eyes, Harry muffled a yawn. "Thanks for coming with me, Usagi," he whispered, and soon drifted back off to sleep.

"You're welcome Harry." Usagi moved closer, snuggling close to his warmth. She closed her eyes and willed herself to fall asleep.

----

Harry never felt more nervous than he did at that moment. The two of them had gotten up relatively early, ate breakfast, and gotten dressed. After cleaning up after themselves, they'd paid for their rooms and left the leaky cauldron.

A quick trip on the Knight Bus led them to where they were at that moment. Standing before the Burrow. And it was exactly how he remembered it too. Small but homey. This was his home away from home.

Looking over at Usagi, he gauged her expression. He wanted to know what she thought of it. Thought of the one place that made him feel loved.

It wasn't much, but it suited him just fine. A small stone house, pieced together by a bunch of room from over the years till it stood so tall, that only magic could have been holding it together.

Chickens scurried about their feet, searching for something to eat.

"Its-," Usagi began, her smile crooked but true. "Its wonderful." She looked at him then. "You lived here?"

Harry shook his head at her question. "No. But I was allowed to stay here with Ron and his family whenever I wanted. At least until Voldemort came back."

Harry then took that moment to lift his hand and knock. No answer came. And it was the same after he knocked twice more.

Curious, and just a bit worried, Harry opened the door, and peered inside. The two of them entered a rather small kitchen. Harry let out a relieved sigh. Everything was the same. Books left on the mantelpiece, the table and chair set in the middle of it all. Everything indicated that the Weasleys still lived here, but unlike all the other times he visited, the place was empty.

"They must be out," he said absently. He took a seat in the very chair he had sat in for the first time when he was twelve. Usagi sat down next to him. "Okay," she asked, meaning how he was fairing with returning.

He nodded, not nearly as nervous now that he was here. There was no going back now.

To pass the time by and to fill the empty silence of this once lively home, Harry began to tell Usagi about his adventures with the Weasleys. He told her how they had become the family he never had, and before he knew it, time had slipped passed him.

The sound of a care pulling up to the house alerted the two of company. Harry lifted his head to look out towards the window.

"I don't remember leaving the lights on dear," a familiar voice said.

Harry stiffened when the door handle jiggled and the door was pushed open. "Hermione looked lovely in her dress, you did a splendid job," Arthur Weasley commented.

Molly Weasley flushed at the comment, her cheeks turning the same color as her bright hair. "She did, didn't she-" The older woman turned away from her husband to face the room. The stout woman pulled up short, her back bumping against her husband.

"What's the matter Molly," he asked, looking as well.

Harry drew to his feet in the couple's presence. "Hello," he said carefully. He watched for their reactions.

"H-Harry," Molly Weasley whispered. She rubbed at her eyes as if to clear her vision. Harry dropped his eyes, feeling ashamed suddenly. "I'm sorry," he whispered back.

Before he could say more, Molly crossed the room and in one swift movement pulled Harry into her arms. "Arthur, call the boys!" she shouted. Tears had filled her eyes as she hugged him close. "You're back, tell 'em 'arry's back!"

----

The next few hours seemed to fly by. Before he could even protest the idea, Arthur Weasley tossed a bit of floo powder into the hearth. Green flames burst from the logs. Harry struggled against Molly's hug, in order to stop the older man from doing what he knew was coming.

Leaning forward, Arthur stuck his head into the flames. "Ron," he called cheerfully. "Ah Luna lovely to see you. Would you be a dear and fetch Ron. Oh, and could you floo the others and tell them Molly is making dinner and it would be wonderful for everyone to fly on over," he offered.

The older man pulled back then, and turned to the room at hand. "That's settled," he said with a grin. "Luna says she'll fetch Ron and the others."

Molly Weasley, who had finally let him go, moved to start dinner. And by the looks of things, was going to make a feast.

Falling back into his chair, Harry looked over at the blonde haired woman seated next to him. "I'm really sorry, Usagi," he said apologetically.

"Harry dear," Molly called from the stove. With a suffered sigh, Harry got to his feet and joined the older woman in the kitchen. "Tell me, who's your friend?" she asked.

He glanced back at Usagi. She had gotten up from the table, and was now asking Arthur questions about floo powder. "Usagi," he said in return. "I met her back in Tokyo, that's where I've been staying for the past two years."

Molly nodded and with a wave of her wand sent her kitchen knives to work on chopping up vegetables. "Is she a muggle?" she asked, meaning to all the girl's questions.

It wasn't his place to tell Usagi's story, he knew. So instead of saying it, he elaborated. "Sort of, she had friends who are witches. The law in Japan isn't so strict as it is here."

Harry looked about the kitchen, trying to find a way to change the subject. "I heard about Ginny," he said at last.

Molly nodded, her smile warm. "Yes, that was a lovely surprise," she said. By the time Ron and Luna arrived, Harry had pitched in to help Molly. As he helped cook, he told her how he was doing, and all that had been happening in his life.

"Mum, dad," Ron called as he threw open the door. "What was the bloody emergency, I thought we were having dinner tomorrow night?"

Harry pulled away from the sink, where he had been peeling the spuds with his wand. Looking towards the doorway, he first could only see Ron's backside. He had gotten taller, nearly as tall as Bill was. His hair, bright red, was rather long, much longer than he knew Mrs. Weasley preferred.

Holding his breath, Harry waited as Ron turned around, and then froze. "Hey Ron," Harry said, dropping his hands to wipe the sweat that had accumulated there onto his jeans.

"Harry," Ron whispered, his voice thick. Harry had always dreaded coming back, feared it really. He was afraid of what his friends would say, and that they wouldn't be able to forgive him. But seeing Ron changed all that. His best friend stood there before him, and instead of feeling like they should have a four years old chasm between them, he instead felt like it had only been yesterday when he had seen him last.

"Sorry I took so long coming back," he said. He knew he would be saying that for the rest of the night, till he went hoarse.

"Harry!" Ron shouted and ran forward. Harry met him halfway, and the two young men hugged, grinning all the while, as they talked a mile a minute.

"You're not going to believe-!"

"Guess what happened!"

"Where have you been?"

Harry pulled the taller boy in for another hug. "I've missed you Ron," he said, his chest feeling rather tight.

"Me too 'arry, me too."

They settled down again, and soon Harry followed Ron into the living room, so that the two of them could talk. Arthur went out back to get something, while Usagi and Luna went back into the kitchen to help Molly.

"So you and Luna, huh," Harry asked with a knowing grin.

Ron flushed, his cheeks turning the same color as his hair. "Yea," he said. "She's not so bad once you get past the Looney Luna bit."

The front door opened again, and Arthur shuffled in. "Look who I found," he said, indicating to George and Fred, Ginny and Neville. The four shuffled in, pulling off their coats, and setting them aside.

"I thought dinner was tomorrow night," Ginny said, kissing her mother on the cheek. "Why the change- oh hello," Ginny said, noticing Usagi.

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Ginny had grown into a rather attractive young woman. Her bright red hair was long and straight, falling to the middle of her back. Her skin looked smooth, with a dash of freckles.

She looked good.

But then, so did Neville. Since Harry had seen him last, Neville had knocked off a few pounds, and was now slimmer. His hair was curly like usual, but slightly on the long side.

"Bloody hell," the Weasley twins echoed, while standing in the entrance of the living room. Then suddenly, either George or Fred cursed beneath their breath, and dug into their back pocket. Which twin it was, Harry couldn't tell, but they coughed up a hand full of money, and passed it to the other.

"What was that all about," Ron asked, sounding annoyed.

"Well George and I, well we betted on whether when we thought Harry would finally show up. George said ten years, while I said five," Fred explained with a grin.

"Harry?"

Ginny pushed passed the twin duo, and at seeing Harry tackled him to the floor. "You're back!"

Over the next hour, Charlie, Bill and Fluer, Percy, and Remus Lupin arrived at the Weasley home. Over that period of time, Harry only had to answer the same questions five different times.

It wasn't until they had settled down for dinner, when the last two guests arrived. "Sorry we're late," Hermione called as she slipped out of her coat. Draco hung it up on the hook, with the rest of the coats, before doing the same with his own.

"We were just finishing a few last things for the wedding when we got the news-" Hermione paused, her eyes taking in the lengthened table. The room had gone awfully quiet. "Saved the rolls," Harry called, as he entered the living room. He stopped abruptly when he saw the couple at the front door.

She looks so happy, he thought. Draco stood at her side, his arm around her waist. His cool gray eyes stared at him casually, but Harry had seen the brief emotion that had slipped passed his barriers.

Hermione, who stood a head shorter than Draco, looked stunned. Beautiful, but stunned nonetheless. "H-Harry," she whispered. Tears collected in her eyes, before she whirled around and left the house.

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Hope you liked it!

Harry has finally come home.

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