Chapter 17: Preparations

Thursday evening found Harry and Ginny sitting comfortably on the sofa in the Weasley's sitting room, enjoying watching Ron attempt to teach Hermione what he called the "finer points of chess". Ginny patted her lap, and Harry grinned: He knew this was an open invitation for him to rest his head there, and that Ginny would massage his scalp. Lazing on the sofa in comfortable bliss, Harry thought that he couldn't be happier.

"So, Gin," began Hermione, after Ron had finally given up and gone back to playing himself on the board. "Are we all set for Saturday?"

Harry looked up and saw Ginny nod, turning slightly red.

"And what would be happening on Saturday?" asked Ron, his gaze never wavering from the black and white checkered board in front of him.

"Nothing," stated Hermione and Ginny, simultaneously.

Harry knew then that it was a good thing that Ron was so focused on the chessboard, or the subject never would have been dropped. Harry wasn't going to bother himself about it- if it was important, Ginny would tell him. But Harry, like other teenage boys, was naturally curious, so, when Ron and Hermione left to 'get ready for bed', he rounded on Ginny, intent on knowing what she and Hermione had been talking about.

"So… Gin—"

"Harry I want to get married," Ginny said nervously, in a rush of breath.

Harry grinned and sat up to face her. "I know, love, I want to get married eventually, too. Good thing, don't you think, seeing as I already went and asked you and all."

Ginny shook her head, "No, Harry. That's not what I meant."

"It's not?"

"No."

Harry ran a perplexed hand through his hair, fluffing it more than Ginny's expert fingers already had. "Ok… well, what did you mean then?"

Ginny bit her bottom lip, as if debating the best way to make her next statement. A tense minute passed, and apparently Ginny had decided that blunt honesty was the best way to go.

"Harry, I love you. I know everything that has been chasing you down, haunting you… everything that wants you dead. I love you, and I want to marry you. I want to spend as much of my life with you as possible, and we both know the possibility that it may not be a very long time."

"Gin, I—"

"I know, Harry. It's horrible that I would say that to you, but it's true. Ignoring Voldemort won't make him go away. Trying to ignore my feelings for you won't make them go away either.

"I want to be with you, Harry. I want to be with you in every way possible—everything from helping you to learn how to beat Voldemort and being at your side when the final battle arrives, to studying with you for our exams and breakfasting with you in bed… being with you in bed."

Harry smiled, and lightly grabbed her hand. "I know, Gin, I want all that, too. …Especially the bed part."

Ginny laughed, "I know you do, Harry. And so do I. So why should we wait any longer?"

Harry raised his eyebrows; he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"But, Gin, I mean—don't you want a nice big wedding with all your family and friends there to ooh and ahh at how lovely you look, and a pretty white dress and all that lot?"

Ginny laughed. "Harry! I don't want all that! I just want you! And besides, most wizard weddings aren't "big" and the bride doesn't wear a "fluffy white dress". They're really private, with only the closest people to the bride and groom present."

"They are?" asked Harry, perplexed.

"Yes, darling, they are."

"And they're PRIVATE? So you mean I didn't really have to Floo over here with Dumbledore to ask your parents' permission to marry you?"

"You did what?"

"I flooed over here with Albus to ask your dad for your hand in marriage!" cried Harry, outraged. "You mean Wizards don't do that?"

Ginny laughed, tossing her head back. "Oh, Harry, no they don't. But I'm sure dad thought it was wonderful. He loves anything Muggle."

Harry grumbled, "Certainly would have saved me a lot of embarrassment if I'd have known that first. I'm going to KILL Dumbledore for leaving that bit out."

Ginny giggled once more, then continued, "Any way, that's why Hermione and I went to the library before we came home for Holiday: we wanted to research a Binding Ceremony."

"Binding Ceremony?"

"It's like a Muggle wedding, but wizard style."

"Oh…"

"And we found one—and I want to do it."

Harry paused for a moment, perplexed, thinking back on everything that had happened since he had proposed, "You want to get married this Saturday? That's what you and Hermione were talking about?"

Ginny nodded, "I want to marry you, Harry James Potter, this Saturday at midnight in Godric's Hollow."

Harry's jaw dropped, but he quickly retracted it into the biggest grin he could imagine. Jumping from the couch, he grabbed both of Ginny's hand and lifted her into his embrace, spinning her in a large circle around the room.

"Really, Gin? You mean it?"

"Really, Harry."

"We can get married that fast?"

"That fast, Harry. And then we can be with each other forever—wizard and witch, man and wife."

He set Ginny lightly on the floor, and leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"And it's legal and everything?"

"Of course, Harry! Why wouldn't it be?"

"And you get to be Mrs. Potter?"

Ginny giggled, "Yes, Harry, we get to be Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

The reality of it all was hitting Harry with the force of the Hogwarts express, and he couldn't imagine the actual train could have ever felt this blissful.

"And I can sleep with you any night I want?"

"Harry!" cried Ginny, blushing furiously.

"Well? Do I?"

Ginny grinned, "Yes, Mr. Potter, any night you want."

Harry's eyes glowed mischievously, "Oh, Mrs. Potter, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into, do you?"

Ginny's eyes lit with the same fire as she replied, "Oh, Mr. Potter, one might say the same of you."

Saturday evening on December 21st came quickly for Harry, yet at the same time it wasn't quickly enough. He had nipped up to Ginny and Hermione's room before dinner and left part of Ginny's Christmas present on her bed with a small note.

Hermione had done her best to keep Ginny and Harry from seeing each other for the twenty-four hours before the wedding, but as she and Harry were the only ones familiar with this custom (and Harry had no desire to cooperate) she was having quite the time. Her efforts were not completely unsuccessful, though, as once dinner was finished Ginny pulled her bodily from the kitchen table up to their room and locked the door.

"Hermione! You have to help me get ready! I'm way too nervous to do anything right, and you're 17 so you can do all the magic stuff."

Hermione grinned, always ready to practice new charms and incantations (even if they were only beauty spells) and grabbed her wand from her bedside table.

"Gin, what's that?" she asked, pointing at the lumpy silver packaging that had been laying curiously on Ginny's comforter.

"No idea," Ginny shrugged as she picked up the card.

My Dearest Gin,

I may not know much about wizard customs, but I do know some about Muggle. I know it's cheating because I've already seen it (ask Hermione), but I think that every girl should have a beautiful white dress (or robes, in your case) for her wedding. They were supposed to be part of your Christmas present, but I can think of no better time to give them to you.

I love you, Ginny, and I can't wait to be

Yours Eternally,

Harry James Potter

Ginny softly passed the card into her best friend's outstretched hand as she carefully untied the dainty string that held the wrapping to the package. It dropped to the floor without a sound as the wrapping fell away in a breath of lilies and a silver shimmer sparkled from the inside. Carefully, Ginny wiped her hands down the side of her jeans and picked up the soft material that had been carefully folded inside Harry's gift. She held it up and turned to face Hermione, who let out a soft 'wow' as she waved her wand and the dress levitated between them, inflated to Ginny's exact proportions.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life," Ginny breathed as she and Hermione watched the dress turn on the spot of its own accord.

"Me either," Hermione readily agreed. "Harry sure does have good taste."

Ginny snorted, "Well obviously! Look at the women he hangs around!"

Hermione giggled and with a soft flick of her wrist the dress moved itself to stand in the corner of the room.

"Now, Gin," prompted Hermione, "go get in the shower—and use the nice soap Lavendar and Parvati got me for my birthday, not that bar stuff the boys use."

Ginny nodded obediently and grabbed her towel and dressing gown from the rack over the door and practically danced to the toilette. Hermione smiled, and moved toward the corner to examine Ginny's wedding dress more closely.

"Wow, Harry Potter, you certainly know what looks good on a woman!"

Picking up the sleeve between her index finger and thumb, she gasped at the softness of the material—it had to be silk, there was no doubt in her mind. Ginny would look just like a snowflake. Despite the fabric being silk, Hermione admired the thickness of it—Ginny wouldn't be too hot or too cold in this pair of dress robes, no matter what time of year she wore them. Another casual flick of her wand, and the dress floated once again to the middle of the room, where it slowly rotated so Hermione could admire it from every angle.

It was the softest white she had ever seen, and Hermione knew it would flatter the creamy color of Ginny's skin like no other color could. The sleeves were capped at the shoulder, with the tiniest embroidered flowers in silver and pearl stitching around all of the hems. The neckline draped ever so slightly in the middle, and the waist followed to match. Scattered about the bodice and rest of the dress were more of the embroidered flowers which seemed to gather in pools at the bottom hem of the skirt. There was no train on the actual dress, but there was a gathering of more material at the back to make it look fuller. Attached at the shoulders was a cape, and flowers crafted from Goblin Silver (in the same style as those embroidered on the dress and cape) fastened it delicately on, and it draped down the length of the back, almost like a veil. Hermione gaped in awe, and was so enchanted that she didn't even hear Ginny return from the shower.

"I can't believe I get to wear that," she breathed and she pulled the towel from her hair.

Hermione shook herself from what she thought was a very lovely daydream to find she was still standing in it. Grinning, she conjured a chair for Ginny to sit in as she slowly used her wand to dry the red head's tumbling locks. She and Ginny flipped through a number of Muggle magazines to find a suitable hairstyle, and Mrs. Weasley brought her old "Beauty Bewitchments" spellbook for Hermione to get charms from. Molly fawned over the dress robes Harry had purchased her daughter, and whipped out her wand to help Hermione dry Ginny's hair.

"Goodness, Ginny, I never knew you had so much hair! You put it up all the time, so I never get to see it. You really should wear it down more often, dear."

Ginny smiled, apparently too happy to be bothered by her mother's statements about "witchly pride" and how beauty was only "spell deep." Several quarters of an hour later, Ginny's hair was finally dry and brushed, and Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were arguing with her about wearing it down as opposed to an up-do.

"Your mum's right, Gin," pleaded Hermione, "if you wore it down in nice soft curls it would just look perfect!"

"But it always gets in the way!" Ginny pouted, not wanting to give in. "There's no spells that really make it stay, believe me, I've looked."

Mrs. Weasley sighed, exasperated. "She's right, Hermione. There are no spells in that book that make it stay in one place. It's really just drying, smoothing, straightening and curling spells."

Hermione grinned, and reached into her trunk. "That's where "Muggle Magic" comes in."

"Muggle magic?" asked Molly.

Hermione laughed, "Well, not really magic, but it might as well be. Trust me, this is nothing a little mousse, hair spray and texturizer can't handle. There's no way I could get my hair to calm down without this stuff—I'm only sorry I didn't discover it sooner."

Ginny shrugged. "All right, you can try this curl thing you're so set on. But if it doesn't stay still when I get my dress robes on can we put it up?"

Hermione and Mrs. Weasley gave each other a wink. "Sure!" they said, and set to work.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were reviewing the Bonding Ceremony that the girls had selected.

"Geez," commented Ron, letting out a low whistle. "I never knew these things were so complicated."

Harry nodded soberly. "It could be worse though. Have you ever been to a Muggle wedding?"

Ron shook his head, and Harry shivered. "Let's just say that it's worth being a wizard and having Voldemort after me just to NOT have to go through that."

"That bad, huh?"

"They take forever! I had to go to one with the Dursley's one summer because Mrs. Figg was on holiday and couldn't watch me. I'd never been so bored in my life, and it was even worse because Dudley was something called the "ring-bearer" and everyone just adored him. I had to sit for HOURS while everyone took pictures."

Ron shuddered, "That sounds awful."

"You don't even know the half of it. This is going to be a cinch compared to a Muggle wedding. I'm so glad you and 'Mione get to be a part of it."

"Me, too, mate. Now lets go over this last bit again- I still don't get the part about the ring of light and the Equinox."