The Great Hall looked more like it was set up for a play than a wedding. There would be so many wedding guests, that Harry and Melanie would have to take their vows on a platform so that everyone could see. Cameras were already being set up to capture the moment. The decorations were mostly white and cream, with small traces of pastel pinks, yellows, and purples dotted throughout. Professor Flitwick had enchanted cream-colored roses-without the stems- to float throughout the large hall.
The soft fragrance of roses and the gentle playing of an unseen enchanted orchestra added to the elegant ambience of the Hall. The tall windows had been covered so that the only light came from the thousands of white candles that covered the windowsills and floated among the roses that hovered over the wedding platform.
Even though the sun was still up and would be for a few more hours, the ceiling had been enchanted to look like a clear night sky with dozens of stars and a half-moon. Harry had requested a half-moon rather than a full moon, as Remus Lupin would be in attendance and he didn't want to worry about accidental effects it might have on the werewolf.
In thirty minutes the guests would begin filing into the almost one thousands seats to witness what was already being dubbed as the Wizarding Event of the Year.
After the ceremony, four hundred or so 'special' guests would be invited to attend a Grand Reception, which would take place in the Room of Requirement. After an incredible feast and the traditional cutting of the cake, fifty guests (friends and family only) would be invited to Quidditch Pitch for games and dancing. A firework show compliments of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes would end the spectacular evening.
Everything was ready and perfect. Except for one tiny detail… no one could find the bride.
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"Severus and I have been through the dungeons three times already. She is not there," Hermione insisted to a frantic Mrs. Walsh
"Well, it's dark down there, dear, maybe you overlooked her," the mother of the bride suggested, hopefully.
Hermione opened her mouth then shut it again and shook her head. There was no sense in arguing.
"I think you're wasting your time searching," Katie commented as she lightly stroked Melanie's gown.
The other women turned to look at her in shock.
"Oh come on! I know you are all thinking the same thing. She ran. And good for her. Maybe if more of us stand up to this stupid law, it will get repealed," she continued, bitterly.
Genelle launched herself at Katie.
"Melanie wouldn't do that!" she screamed, and began pulling at the other girl's hair.
"Stop it!" Hermione yelled, stunning Genelle.
She helped Katie back up to her feet.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Katie answered, warily backing away from Genelle's unconscious form.
When Katie was safely hiding behind Mrs. Walsh and Rachel, Hermione spelled Genelle awake again.
"You will keep your temper in check, young lady," Hermione said sternly.
"Yes, Professor," Genelle said, glaring at Katie.
Hermione sighed again and turned to Katie and Melanie's mother.
"I think Genelle is right," she said, earning a surprised look from everyone.
Katie opened her mouth to argue, but Hermione held up a hand to stop her.
"The law has brought quite a few matches that would inspire most girls to flee. But Harry and Melanie have been getting along. She is important to him and she knows this. Melanie would not run," she explained.
Everyone looked at Katie.
"Okay, fine. Say she didn't run. Where is she then?"
Genelle gasped.
"The Slytherin students that attacked her when they first found out about her engagement to Professor Potter! They probably kidnapped her," the young girl wailed.
"If they finished what they started last time, she'll end up barren and unable to marry Harry," Rachel, who'd been quietly watching the proceedings suddenly spoke up.
The color drained from Hermione's face and she quickly turned toward the door.
"Are you going to get Professor Snape?" Genelle asked, hopefully.
"No, Severus wasn't very helpful last time, I doubt he'll be much help this time either," Hermione said gravely.
"But he's scary. They'll listen to him," Genelle insisted with a pout.
"Oh, I can think of someone even scarier," Hermione called over her shoulder and left the room.
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Melanie slowly opened her heavy eyes and started in fear. Everything was pitch black, and for a moment she thought she had gone blind. Then, her eyes began to adjust to the darkness and she could make out a few shelves with cleaning supplies on them.
She couldn't move her arms or legs, and something had been stuffed in her mouth. She tried to spit it out, but couldn't. Breathing deeply through her nose, she attempted to push back the panic and take stock of her situation.
It didn't take long to deduce that she was tied to a chair in a broom closet. How long had she been out? Had they called off the wedding? Did they think she had run? Was anyone even looking for her?
She felt hot tears begin trailing down her cheeks and it became even harder to breathe.
The door was suddenly thrown open, and a shadowy figure stepped into the closet, shutting the door behind them.
The gag was ripped out of her mouth and she began coughing.
When she could breathe normally again, Melanie felt the edge of a goblet pressed to her lips.
"Drink!" a voice that had been distorted by magic commanded her.
Melanie sealed her lips tight and shook her head causing the liquid in the goblet to splash onto her bathrobe.
"Ew! Damn it, Walsh! Drink the potion," the voice said again.
Melanie now knew exactly who it was who had her and a little bit of her fear was replaced with anger.
"What's wrong Janet? Are upset that you didn't get an invitation?" she provoked, boldly.
Janet Odom pressed the goblet harder to Melanie's lips.
"So you know who I am, big deal. I'll be damned if I let Harry Potter marry a snotty little pureblood like you!" She growled in her own voice now.
Melanie furiously shook her head again, managing to spill even more of the potion onto Janet's robes.
"You think that some potion is going to keep Harry from marrying me?" she demanded, trying to stall the other girl in the hopes that someone would find her.
Janet snorted.
"He won't have a choice. This potion will make you barren, therefore you'll be ineligible to marry," the crazed girl explained, grinning cruelly.
Melanie did her best to push back the panic.
"So? He still can't marry you. You aren't a pureblood," she reminded her.
"All I have to do is make sure he stays single until this stupid law is repealed, then we'll be free to marry," Janet declared.
"It won't matter, Janet. He'll never marry you! He cares about me too much," Melanie said confidently.
Janet snorted.
"Is that what he told you? Poor naïve Melanie, you should know that a man would say anything to get in your pants. Although why he'd want a skinny little nobody like you is beyond me," Janet commented.
Melanie was about to reply when Janet suddenly pulled out her wand.
"If you won't drink the potion, then I'll just have to make you," she sneered.
"Imperio!"
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Harry sat studying the ring he'd got for Melanie. A silver, diamond encrusted Claddaugh. Melanie's mother had picked it out for him, but Harry didn't mind. He didn't know the first thing about picking rings and had actually been grateful for his soon to be mother-in-law's insistence.
A knock at the door startled him and he looked at the clock. He hadn't been expecting Ron to come for him for another twenty minutes. Even before he opened the door, he knew something was wrong.
His eyes widened when he saw Hermione standing on the other side.
"Hermione! Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
She blinked, confused at his question.
"Yes, why?" she asked, momentarily forgetting her reason for coming to him.
Harry frowned at her. Her face was much too pale and she had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes.
She raised a hand to her face and pushed past him to find a mirror.
"Damn it! This stupid glamour barely lasted an hour. It's like my spells are growing weaker," she mumbled.
"What is going on?" Harry demanded.
"Oh, don't worry about it Harry. It's just a pregnancy thing," she said shrugging and whipping out her wand to re-do the glamour.
She was instantly back to her pretty self and turned to him with a smile.
"Promise me you'll get some rest this week?" he asked.
The smile left her face and she nodded in agreement.
"I'm going home tomorrow for Easter dinner with my parents, but I promise to get lots of rest this week while the students are on break," she reassured him.
He nodded and sighed.
"Melanie will probably spend most of our honeymoon studying for NEWTs," Harry commented and Hermione gasped.
"Oh! Melanie! I forgot! That's why I came here. Harry, she's missing," she exclaimed.
This time Harry was the one blinking in confusion.
"Missing?"
"Yeah. A couple of hours ago she stepped out of the room to get some air and she never came back. We've searched the whole the castle. Harry, I think those students that attacked Melanie last time might be responsible," she said.
"Impossible. They all left yesterday for Easter break. I made sure that none of them would be around Hogwarts today," he informed her as he quickly strode to his desk and started rummaging through a drawer.
He gave her a triumphant grin as he held up an old-yellowed piece of parchment.
"Is that… the map!" Hermione cried in delight. "I'd completely forgotten about it," she admitted.
"I gave it to Dobby for safe keeping when we left school. He gave it back to me my first night here," Harry explained, opening the parchment.
"I solemnly swear, that I am up to no good," he declared touching his wand to the sheet.
The map slowly came to life, and he and Hermione began quickly scanning for Melanie's name.
"There she is. It looks like a broom closet on the sixth floor," Harry said, confused.
"And look, Janet Odom is with her. She's a seventh year Gryffindor, Harry. I'm sure Melanie is fine," Hermione pointed out.
"Let's go," Harry said taking off in a run.
Hermione calmly walked after him, not even bothering to hurry in her condition. Melanie was with Janet, surely she was safe?
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Melanie resisted Janet's Imperius curse with every fiber of her being. Luckily for her, Janet's spell casting ability had always left something to be desired. Even so, twenty minutes of resisting and she was beginning to grow very weary.
Just when Melanie thought she couldn't take it anymore, the door to the broom closet flew open. Harry's eyes took in Janet with her wand pointed at Melanie.
Later, Melanie would swear that those beautiful green eyes of his had almost turned red in fury as he disarmed Janet and sent her flying into the wall. A loud crack sounded when Janet hit the wall, telling Melanie that something had broken.
Harry didn't spare a glance at the unconscious girl as he walked to Melanie.
He held out his hands, eyes glowing eerily in the dark room. Without a word or wand, the ropes binding Melanie to the chair fell away. She let out a gasp as an unseen force picked her up and flew her into Harry's arms.
Harry sat down on the floor, holding her tightly in his arms. He buried his face in her neck, mumbling something that she couldn't make out.
"Harry, what-" she broke off with a gasp as Harry's hand suddenly slipped into her robe and took hold of a breast.
She held herself very still, resisting the urge to pull away. Harry was acting a little out of control and it scared her. For the first time, she had actually witnessed her soon to be husband's legendary power.
Pushing back her fear, she slowly lifted her arms to circle around his back. When he didn't move or say anything, she hugged him harder, pulling him closer, and arching her back so that her breast was pressed more firmly into his hand.
He lifted his head to look at her, eyes unfocused.
"Harry?" she whispered and he blinked.
She tilted her head and touched her lips to his. He followed when she pulled away, and deepened the kiss. His tongue slipped into her mouth, and she let out a moan as the hand on her breast began moving in a gentle caress.
"Harry, are you back?" Melanie asked, firmly pulling away from the kiss.
His eyes filled with tears as he looked at her.
"I'm sorry, Melanie. I failed you. I promised to protect you, but I didn't," he whispered hoarsely.
"Yes you did. You got to me in time, that is what matters," she reassured him.
Harry was quiet for a minute, allowing her words to sink in.
"But then I scared you. I'm still scaring you, I can sense your fear," he said sorrowfully.
Melanie took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
"You are a very powerful wizard, Harry. I knew that, but I'd never seen it first hand before. You seemed a bit out of control, and yes, that scared me."
"I'd never hurt you," he swore.
She smiled at him.
"I know."
Janet moaned, and they looked over at her, having forgotten that she was even there.
"The wedding is supposed to start in ten minutes," Harry said.
Melanie nodded.
"You take care of her, and I'll finish getting dressed."
He nodded, but neither of them moved.
"Harry?"
"Hmm?"
"You have to let go now," she said, feeling her cheeks heat.
It took Harry a minute to realize what she meant. He grinned into the darkness and gave her breast one last squeeze before pulling his hand away and helping her stand.
Melanie made a beeline for the door, but he stopped her and pulled her into another kiss.
"Tonight, I won't have to," he said when the kiss ended.
"Hmm?" Melanie had lost herself in his kiss and wasn't sure what they'd been talking about.
"I said, tonight, I won't have to let you go," he reminded her laughter in his voice.
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With everyone helping her, Melanie was only five minutes late. Katie followed the others into the Great Hall, and hesitated as she looked over the seats. There was an empty one by George, probably where she was expected to sit, but seeing him again only reminded her of the hurt she'd pushed aside to help Melanie. She really didn't want to face him just yet.
Hermione saw her hesitation, brown eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Come sit with me, Katie. There are always empty chairs near Severus," she whispered with a smile.
Katie gave her a relieved look and the two quickly made their way to Professor Snape.
She saw him look over at George then back at Hermione in question. His wife merely shook her head and gestured for him to scoot down a seat, much to the alarm of one of Melanie's cousins, so that she and Katie could sit beside each other.
They had barely sat down before the wedding march began.
Katie watched the wedding with detachment.
She knew that Harry and Melanie's joining was just another result of the law, but even she had to admit that they looked happy.
She is important to him.
Hermione's words from earlier rang through her mind as she watched Mr. Walsh hand his daughter over the Savior of the Wizarding World.
Katie heard Hermione sniffle and turned to see Snape roll his eyes.
There! There was a couple who was not benefiting from this stupid law! They were miserable together. They hated…
Snape pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Hermione, who clasped his hand in hers. She hid their joined hands in the folds of her robes so that you couldn't tell they were holding hands. Then both relaxed back into their chairs with slight smiles on the faces.
Okay, maybe she was wrong about them. But surely there was someone…
Her gaze fell on Rachel and Charlie, who were seated in front of her.
The now oldest Weasley brother had his arm resting against the back of his wife's chair. While Katie watched them, Rachel leaned over and whispered something in Charlie's ear. They looked at each other with a smile, and then Charlie brushed his lips against hers before they turned their attention back to the ceremony.
No, it looked like Katie was alone in her unhappiness.
As the ceremony progressed, the actions of the three couples made her long even more for someone who wanted her.
Her thoughts drifted back to her third year of school. After her first every Quidditch practice with the Gryffindor team, George had come up and asked her to go to Hogsmeade with him. She'd been thirteen at the time and really hadn't given boys much though yet. George seemed really nice, but the twins had already had a notorious reputation, and Katie was more than a little intimidated by them.
She'd shyly told him she wasn't quite ready to date yet and immediately regretted it.
George had moped around for weeks and had been very short with her whenever she attempted any conversation. Just when she'd finally worked up the nerve to apologize and tell him that she would go out with him, Fred had cornered her, and told her to stay away from George.
The next year, things were better. He joked and talked with her, just like he did with other students, but he'd never again shown her any more interest than that of a casual acquaintance.
Now, years later, he'd rushed into an engagement with her that he clearly regretted.
The cheering of the crowd around her brought Katie out of her thoughts. Melanie and Harry were lip-locked in an embrace that was much more enthusiastic than two people forced to marry should be in.
She held back a snort of disgust as the cameras began snapping pictures of the happy couple. It would be all over the newspapers tomorrow. Harry and Melanie Potter would be the poster children for the damn law.
Katie sighed in defeat as any hope that the law might be repealed before her time was up was snatched away with the camera flashes.
A warm hand slipped into her own, and she looked up into Hermione's concerned eyes.
"We will talk later," she said, her tone allowing no argument.
Katie nodded and then followed the Snapes to the Room of Requirement for the feast.
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"I'm too tired to Apparate," Melanie muttered to Harry as the two of them made their way past the gates of Hogwarts to the Apparation point.
Harry stopped walking and glanced at his watch. It was nearly two am.
"You're not Apparating, I am. You don't even know where we're going," he pointed out.
She sighed and sat down on a tree stump, glad for the chance to get off of her aching feet. Over four hours of dancing and it didn't matter that she'd worn her trainers instead of the heels her mum had bought her.
"If you'd tell me where we were going…" she grinned but stopped talking at his peeved look.
"C'mon, we're almost there," he said, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.
Melanie groaned as her weight settled back on her feet. After limping a few more yards, Harry gave an exasperated sigh, and then swung her up into his arms.
"Wow, Harry. This is almost romantic," Melanie teased.
Harry laughed, and continued on, panting slightly.
"Have you ever had anyone side-Apparate with you before?" She asked when he came to the spot.
He gave her a mischievous grin.
"Nope. Hope I don't splinch you," he said, then Apparated them before she could protest.
Now, Melanie had earned her Apparating license a few months ago, but as a pureblood witch, she had had a lot of experience side-Apparating with her parents. The trips always left her feeling cold and slightly nauseous. With Harry, however, she barely felt a thing.
Melanie blinked and took in the change of scenery. They were on a dark road in a wooded area. She could make out a house with some lights on a little ways up the street.
Harry adjusted his hold on her, and then started walking toward the house.
"Where are we?" she asked around a yawn.
He hesitated for a moment and then said, "My, er… our house."
"You have a house?"
"Yeah, well. It was my parents. It was destroyed the night that… you know. I had it rebuilt a couple of years ago. It's not huge or fancy, but I like it," he said almost shyly.
Melanie squinted in the dark trying to see more of it.
It looked like an ordinary two-story house that you might see in a muggle neighborhood, but as a witch, she knew that appearances could be, more often than not, very deceiving.
"I'm sure it will be fine," she said, and rested her heavy head on his shoulder.
"If it's not enough for you, we can always look into getting another. I just thought, for now…"
"Harry! I said I'm sure it will be fine. I don't need a huge mansion. In fact I think I'd like a bit more simplicity in my life," she admitted and then yawned again.
He didn't answer, just kept on carrying her closer to the house.
"Why did you Apparate us so far away from the house?" she asked, trying desperately to keep her eyes open.
"Anti-Apparation wards. I don't take chances," he said simply.
She nodded off, and then woke with a gasp.
He chuckled.
"Go to sleep, if you can. There'll be plenty of time to see that house tomorrow."
Melanie shook her head.
"We have to 'seal the contract' before I can sleep," she murmured.
He laughed again.
"We can 'seal it' in the morning. We have twenty-four hours from the time we're married," he explained.
Apparently that was all she needed to hear, for the next thing she knew he was gently lowering her onto a bed.
She glanced sleepily around the candle-lit room.
"I can't sleep in this," she said, tugging at her gown.
He helped unbutton, untie, and uncharm the dress pulling it over her head.
She cast a quick spell to undo her hair, then laid her wand on the bedside table and climbed under the blankets in her slip.
Melanie shut her eyes with a pleasurable sigh.
Harry puttered around for a few minutes, then extinguished the candles and crawled into bed.
He lay awake for a few minutes, studying his ring in the moonlight. This was it; he was married. He stared at his sleeping bride, watching the rise and fall of her chest.
Harry hadn't thought of Ginny once today. In fact, he hadn't thought about her in at least a week. He wondered if she'd be happy to know that he'd found someone who made him happy.
He smiled and pulled a sleeping, unresisting Melanie up against him, resting her head on his chest. She murmured something and snuggled against him.
In all honesty Melanie made him feel annoyed, frustrated, and confused, but happy. Definitely happy.
He glanced down at her sleeping form, feeling the warm curves of her body against him.
She made him happy and horney.
End Chapter 14