Harry took a long time to get ready for the wedding, though he didn't have to do much. He knew Ron wasn't worried that he'd run off again, but the thought of a party when he was constantly worried about another attack wasn't his idea of a good time. It had been a couple weeks, so he hoped that meant they were in the clear for now, but maybe the Death Eaters were waiting to catch them in an unsuspecting moment. But of course he was going to be there, if for no other reason but to be in solidarity with those that were trying to have a day of sunshine in all the darkness. When he finally made his way downstairs, he could see the commotion of the Weaselys trying to get the tent ready: Arthur was yelling at Fred and George, who kept dropping their corners on top of each other. It almost brought a smile to his face. He was glad George was okay. Nothing a couple of healing potions and rest couldn't fix, though he'd never get his ear back, but he was glad everyone's spirits were up.

Must be nice, he mused to himself as he picked a newspaper up off the kitchen table. Rita Skeeter. God, he hated that woman. Nothing she wrote was ever reliable information, and he really had no idea how she'd gotten her job back with The Daily Prophet with the amount of complaints she was bound to have against her. Now she was spreading lies about Dumbledore. It made his blood boil.

"Zip me up, will you?"

Harry turned at the sound of Ginny's voice. She moved her hair to the side, revealing a large amount of her back under an open dress. Harry swallowed, but made slow deliberate steps toward her and with shaky fingers, grabbed hold of the zipper.

"It seems silly, doesn't it? A wedding," she muttered when the silence became too much for either of them to bear. "Given everything that's going on."

His hands moved over her shoulders as he finished and fastened the clasp. A celebration of love. That's what they were focusing on today. "Maybe that's the best reason to have it. Because of everything that's going on.

She nodded as she turned around, glancing down at his lips as if something might happen, but made no further attempt to move closer. "Thanks, Harry. Maybe you're right. I'm going to go see if they need help outside, okay? Hermione might need you to help her once she gets dressed, too." Ginny looked out the window at the set-up, and Harry's eyes followed. Hermione was laughing with the rest of the Weasleys as she helped put lights up. Ginny looked back to Harry, whose brow furrowed. "Or do you think I haven't noticed?"

"I-I… what?"

"It's okay," she half-smiled, waving to George as he came into the kitchen for some coffee. "I always thought you two made a good couple."

Harry's heart sank. She didn't care. At all. "Hermione and I aren't… we're not a couple, so…"

"Could've fooled me. You've been looking at her like that for years." Harry was suddenly very aware of a strange grin on his face, and he immediately dropped it. "A word of advice, though…" she glanced out again, the calm before the storm, "I'd tell her sooner rather than later if you want to enjoy it."

Harry was flabbergasted as she left. Years. Harry had been looking at Hermione like that for years? Like what? How could Ginny suggest something Harry wasn't even aware of himself? It didn't make sense. Ginny had been infatuated with Harry since second year, and he specifically remembered how her eyes had widened in embarrassment and shock when he first went to the Burrow after Ron had rescued him from the Dursleys', and her concern for him in the Chamber of Secrets when she noticed he was hurt, and how she seemed to gravitate towards him at Quidditch practice or at meals. When they were at Hogwarts together, he noticed her eyes on him quite frequently, but he'd only noticed because he was looking too. Combined with his conversation with Ron…

"Do you fancy her?"

"What?"

"That wasn't a no."

Ginny was attractive, brilliant, and his interactions with her had been enjoyable, but now that he thought about it, there wasn't much they had in common besides Quidditch. But maybe that's because they hadn't tried to spend much time together. There's no way he couldn't actually like her... right? Ron hadn't seemed to notice anything, though, (not that that was anything new) so he'd never offered an approval or otherwise.

Just as he started the process of trying to unravel his own feelings, the Minister of Magic was there, and Harry had to call Hermione from the yard, trying not to embarrass himself at the weird crack in his voice. He couldn't get over Ginny's comment, but that was yet another thing to put on the backburner.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Minister?"

"I think we both know the answer to that question, Mr. Potter," he replied, gesturing for them to sit down on the couch. Harry made a point of letting Ron sit in the middle.

When it was all over and Molly was letting everyone know the festivities would be starting soon, Hermione volunteered to bring everything back upstairs with the rest of their stuff as she got ready. Through all of his efforts to help with setup, Molly continued to usher him back into the house, telling him to rest. He was on his second cup of tea when Hermione came downstairs.

"Hey, Harry? I tried to find Ginny to help zip me up, but I guess she's already outside… Do you think you could…?" She blushed a little as she turned around, and Harry internally cursed Ginny. She probably did it on purpose.

"Of course," Harry promised, easily repeating the action. "You look beautiful, Hermione." He'd been avoiding her for most of the day while he dwelled on some hidden feelings he could have been harboring for the past years, apparently, but there was no avoiding her now. In this ceremony of love. Great.

A strange look came over Hemione's face. "Thanks."

Harry had never been to a wedding before, so he wasn't sure what to expect, but he quickly found himself wishing it would be a little quicker. Fleur looked amazing, and Bill looked great, but everyone seemed to be crying before anything had even started, Mrs. Weasley and Madame Delacour the most. It didn't help that Hermione's hand had found itself resting on Harry's knee, which was becoming increasingly distracting. Finally, he caught the part he knew meant it was coming to a close.

"Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle…"

Hermione's hand tightened on his knee, and he put his over it, silently trying to move it before she hurt him. But she thought it was an invitation and turned her hand over instead, lacing their fingers together and squeezing his hand just as hard.

"And do you, Fleur Isabelle, take William Arthur…"

Hermione's head fell onto his shoulder, and her free hand moved to wrap around his arm. His heart was pounding at Hermione's closeness - somehow Ginny's words gave it so much more meaning than he normally would think about. Had it been like this the whole time? He pulled away a little to look at her, and teary eyes quickly met his.

"... then I declare you bonded for life."

Once the ceremony was over and everybody was up and moving, Hermione wiped her eyes and tried to rub a tear off the shoulder of his shirt with a giggled apology. They parted ways for the reception, and Harry felt like he could breathe again without being nervous, but every once in a while, he caught her eyes and she'd smile, a soft blush on her cheeks. With all the music and laughter, Harry almost had convinced himself that he was allowed to have a good time. He debated asking her to dance, but then he noticed a familiar face across the tent, one he saw in the newspaper, and all thoughts of a party were out the window.

"Excuse me, sir. May I sit down?"

As soon as Kingsley's Patronus vanished after the announcement, the crowd became a frenzy of running, Disapparating, hiding. They had to leave. Hermione had prepared for this, which she was glad. She took one last look at the people around her, some which she may never see again, and ran towards Ron, pushing a couple people out of the way. He was the closest. Then, they searched the panicking crowd for Harry.

"Harry!" she called. It wasn't until she saw Lupin pushing him towards them that she reached for his hand, immediately Disapparating them out of the reception.

Nearly being hit by a bus seemed like a low risk.

"Where are we?" Ron asked, looking around once they were safely on the sidewalk. He'd probably never seen so much Muggle technology in his life.

"Shaftesbury Avenue," Hermione answered. "I used to come to the theater here with Mum and Dad. I don't know why I thought of it; it just popped into my head." Her brain was on high alert. The street was packed, and any one of these people could be a Death Eater in disguise.

Harry looked in wonder at all the lights, a little overwhelmed by the sirens and honking and people, but he'd never seen anything like this, and the look on Ron's face told him he never had, either.

"This way," she continued, leading them down the street and out of the crowds. Once she found an empty alley, she pulled them close to the wall and opened her bag. "We need to change."

Ron's eyes widened as she reached almost her entire arm into her bag. "How the ruddy…"

"Undetectable Extension charm," she quickly explained, handing them each an entire set of clothes.

"You're amazing, you are," Ron huffed.

"Always the tone of surprise," she teased back. A loud thumping, clattering noise came from within the bag and Hermione sighed. "That would be the books. Get dressed."

"What about you?" Ron asked hesitantly, already sliding his jacket and vest over his shoulders.

Hermione looked down at herself. That was one thing she hadn't thought about. There was no privacy here. She could turn around for the boys to change - not that it mattered, but she knew she wouldn't be able to stop the blush from just thinking about Ron (or Harry, for that matter) in his underwear standing in front of her, no matter the context. But for her, she didn't want to expose herself in a back alley in London without some kind of cover, and when she was changing, she wouldn't have her wand on her. "You two change. Then hold your jackets in front of me."

Harry's eyes widened. "What?"

"Cover me with your jacket and don't you dare think about peeking."

He swallowed, and once Hermione had turned around while they changed, true to her word, he held his jacket up the best he could in front of her and turned his head away as much as possible, Ron next to him doing the same. "This alright?"

"It'll do."

She tried not to look at the back of either of their heads as she stripped down not even a foot away from her two best friends. At least the tent she borrowed from Arthur had a private bathroom. A bit disheveled, she pulled on pants, a shirt, and a jacket, ensuring everything was zipped and she was covered before telling them they could turn around. Harry still hesitated for a second.

"That was horrifying," Hermione groaned as she slid on a new pair of shoes, tossed her dress into the bag, and started walking again.

There weren't a lot of quiet places open this time of night, but Hermione managed to find an empty café with the neon "OPEN" sign lighting up the side street they'd ventured onto. It was one she remembered passing a couple times on the way to other places, but they never stopped in. This whole area constantly reminded her of her parents and the memories they'd lost, but she pushed it aside. Those memories were what could save their lives.

"What about all the people at the wedding? Do you think we should go back?" Harry asked, keeping a careful eye on the waitress as she moved from behind the counter up to their table.

"They were after you, mate. We'd put everyone in danger by going back."

"Ron's right," Hermione sighed.

"Coffee?" asked the waitress, who seemed irritated that they'd showed up so late in the evening.

"Uh..." Hermione's eyes glanced towards the front window. "Cappuccino, please."

"You?"

"What she said."

"Same," Harry answered.

The woman left without another word.

"So where do we go from here?" Ron continued. "The Leaky Cauldron?"

Hermione could feel their eyes on her as she shook her head. "It's too dangerous. If Voldemort really has taken over the Ministry, then none of the old places are safe. Everyone at the wedding will have gone into hiding."

Harry's heart sank. "God, my rucksack with all my things. I've left it at the Burrow!" Hermione shook her head with a small smirk, subtly patting her bag. "...You're joking."

"I packed all our essentials when I was getting ready for the wedding. Just in case."

"Hermione, you're-" He paused as the men who just walked in stopped at the counter and drew their wands. "Get down!"

The small café began to explode around them. Hermione ducked across the aisle behind a table while Ron and Harry slid behind another. Choruses of "Stupefy!" rang out as attack after attack on each side launched across the room. Hermione was thankful she'd taught the boys as many non-verbal spells as she could; it provided the element of surprise. Ron took one of the men down, and the other turned to Harry.

"Petrificus Totalus!" The pastry case shattered, but the man was down. The three of them popped their heads up out of their hiding places, panting as the waitress came out from the back and gasped. "Go! Leave!" Hermione ordered, and the woman didn't hesitate. Hermione's eyes looked around - the Muggles were going to have to deal with Death Eaters, too, and for a moment, she briefly wondered how many of them would get hurt because of this. Because of them.

"Lock the door. Get the lights," Harry ordered. This was just a precursor of what was to come, an easy fight compared to what might be in the very near future. Ron used his Deluminator to collect the main lights while Hermione locked the door and pulled the blinds down, turning off that bloody "OPEN" sign as well.

Something had changed in Ron. Maybe it was the fact that it was a war now or the fact that he was face-to-face with the people they were fighting, but Hermione's heart broke for him at the fact that he even thought about killing these men. Sure, he was right; if it was the other way around, they wouldn't have a second thought about killing them, but they were teenagers, and Hermione hadn't figured out yet if she was actually willing to kill somebody for the sake of this fight. If her life was in danger, if Harry's or Ron's lives were in danger, maybe, but she tried not to think about it too hard. She'd cross that bridge if she got there.

She did find it much easier, though, to wipe the memories of these random men, even as they were staring into her eyes. It wasn't something she was proud of, but she knew in her heart that it wouldn't be the only time she'd have to do something she wouldn't be proud of. For a fleeting moment, she worried about how easy it had been. But she took a look at Harry, the one all this was for, and knew when this war was over, he'd be safe. In the end, that thought was what made it easy. Once it was done and they'd cleaned up what they could of the glass and debris, Hermione wiped the blood off her cheek with her sleeve. "Let's go."