The Burrow was bustling with people running in and out constantly. The wedding was planned to start that evening around dusk which should have given them plenty of time to set up everything from the chairs to the cake. Towards the end of an exhausting day, Harry found himself tying bows on each chair that sat along the inside aisle. Even though he was a wizard, he was still not yet 17 and had the natural ability of a young man in tying bows. He mumbled a few choice words as he finished his third bow in a half hour span. He looked up and down the rows and sighed. It would take him forever to finish the bows. The thought of him ushering guests to their seats and sticking a bow on the aisle at the same time was a bit amusing. He looked around desperately for help. Almost all of the Weasleys were getting dressed for the wedding. Hermione had promised him that once he finished all of the bows he would be done. That was if he ever finished. The idea of him ushering people in nothing but his T-shirt and jeans also passed his mind.

"We are in the middle of a war and here I am tying blue bows," Harry muttered. "If Voldemort could only see me now-"

"He would probably be too amused with it."

Harry looked up and found Remus sitting two rows back from him. He was already dressed for the wedding in a fine set of black dress robes. There was nothing tattered about him today.

"What's with the bright, green lining?" Harry asked.

Remus folded his robes over to hide the lining. "Tonks picked them out for me. You know her taste in clothing."

"Could you give me a hand with this?" Harry asked. "I can't tie a bow if my life depended on it and this will take me all day unless I get a bit of help."

"Sure," Remus replied. He waved his wand and in a few short seconds there was a perfect bow on every chair. "Please don't tell anyone about that particular talent. It would not look very masculine to hear about a werewolf who can tie bows."

"Your secret is safe with me."

Remus offered a weak smile. He tapped his foot lightly on the chair in front of him. Harry watched him closely. He looked like he was looking around for someone or something. There was a distant look behind his eyes.

"Are you ok?" Harry asked.

Remus looked back at him. "It's a wedding Harry. Of course I'm alright."

"Are you worried about Bill?"

"Bill has already been through his first full moon. Nothing happened to him. He'll be fine."

They had a moment of uneasy silence. This was becoming more frequent. With Sirius and Dumbledore gone, it seemed no one knew how to talk to Harry any more. Harry tried to not distance people. He trusted in Dumbledore's judgment still and kept his advice close to heart. He wanted to keep his friends close. He feared distancing them since they were everything to him. Harry had finally accepted that he cannot control their fates. Dumbledore tried to explain this to him a long time ago. No one can choose your fate and he knew that they had chosen theirs. He needed them with him while he finished his task. It was the only way that he could finish it.

"Thank you," Harry said quietly. "I guess I better get ready before the guests arrive."

"Yes you better. I do not know who is more prone to hurt you if you are not, the bride or Hermione."

Hermione had become a handful. Everyone remarked about how calm Fleur had been during the final stages of planning the wedding, especially with the attack on her future husband. The truth was that Hermione was frantic enough to cover the stress level reached by the bride and the two mothers. Harry had found himself hiding in the Quiddich pitch with Ron and his brothers when Hermione was on her planning rampage. Fleur had the only advantage. She seemed more calm and put together now after the night on the tower. In the one moment when she thought she would lose Bill, she, in Harry's opinion, became a true woman. She grieved for her beloved.

Harry walked back into the Burrow to find the dress robes that Mrs. Weasley had picked up for him to wear. There were three ushers in this whirlwind wedding. Harry was one of them and two of Fleur's cousins, Pierre and Rudolph de Villapine. They seemed nice enough but it was very evident that they did not come from the Veela side of the familiy. Both of them with had dark complexions and black hair. Actually, Harry was not quite sure how they were related. Her mother was half-Veela while her father had the lighter, Parisian look to him. Harry decided not to dwell on it too long.

"Psst...Harry," Pierre almost whispered at him from behind a bush next to the house. "Over here quick before your friend shows up."

It was also strange that they both spoke impeccable English. Harry sidled over looking for Hermione. "What?" he hissed.

The Villapine brothers were almost as bad as the twins. They spent most of their time hiding from Hermione and the rest of their relatives with Harry and Ron. Pierre was one year older than them and Rudolph was one year younger. The Villapine brothers appeared to be rather close to their female Delacour cousins. Whenever they were not hiding, Pierre and Rudolph were usually seen making jokes with the sisters and causing the usual ruckus that two teenage boys could cause.

"Will Bill's, what do they call him?" Pierre mumbled.

"Prat?" Rudolph finished.

"Percy?" Harry asked confused.

"Yes, will Percy be here at the wedding?" Pierre asked.

"Mr. Weasley and Bill decided it would be easier on Mrs. Weasley if he doesn't come to the wedding. They want to avoid anything too disruptive."

"Come here," Rudolph motioned. "We got something for the bride and groom. We hope that there won't be too many Ministry officials here besides Mr. Weasley."

Harry rounded the corner and saw something quite large leaning against the side of the house. It was covered with a large, blue tarp. "What is that?"

Rudolph pulled the tarp off. Beneath it was a rolled up carpet tied tightly with three pieces of white ribbon. Harry almost laughted with he saw the card. It read "De les Lutins" with two gargoyles dressed in tuxedoes holding plates of cake and toasting each other. "That is definately illegal."

"We went to the Middle East on holiday right before we came here," he explained. "We thought it would be nice for them to fly away on a carpet rather than trying to fit both of them on a broom."

Harry could not help from grinning ear to ear. He was not really keen on discluding Percy from the wedding but he was exceptionally glad that he was. The rug was beautiful. "You do realize they can only use it once."

"It's a loaner," Pierre teased.

"They can just put it in the house under a heavy table and pull it out on special occasions if they want to," Rudolph said.

"Harry! Pierre! Rudolph!" someone screamed from inside.

"Which one was that?" Pierre asked.

"That would be Hermione," Harry groaned. "I believe she has figured out we are not ready yet and the photographer is due here in half an hour."

"C'est merde," Pierre grumbled.

"Where are you?" she yelled. She was coming from the broom shed. They quickly slipped into the house and up to Ron's room. Ron was laying on his back aready dressed in his robes looking quite distressed.

"I heard her calling for you. She's been here looking for you guys," he almost squeaked. "I don't know if I can take this much longer. Bill and Fleur had best have a wonderful marriage or I'm taking their first born in revenge for this madness. You three better hurry up before she returns."

"Where is everyone else?" Harry asked him

"Hiding from her. Fleur and all of the bridesmaids locked themselves in Mum and Dad's room. Ginny even threatened her if she barged in again. I do have to say, she is usually bad but this is a whole new level. We thought she was bad during the O.W.L.s."

The ushers quickly pulled on their robes. It was not as quickly as they had hoped. Pierre ended up with Harry's shirt and Rudolph could not find his pants. Ron had to slip out and found them hanging from Fred and George's window. They had thought they belonged to Harry. Like clockwork, as soon as everyone was dressed, Hermione burst through the door. She was already dressed in a light green dress. Her hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck most assuredly to tame it.

"You could at least knock," Ron scoffed.

"Stop being a prat," she said curtly. "The photographer is ready for the guys. He's just finished with Fleur and the bridesmaids."

Off they went to take pictures. Harry did nto remember much about that day until it came to the reception. He smiled for what seemed to be hours. By the time pictures were finished his face was fixed in a permanent smile. To make things worst, he had to seat every other woman who attended and he had to endure the usual "Chosen One" greeting from all of the guests. Before Harry knew it, he was elbow to elbow with the the de Villapines watching the bridesmaids lightly prance down the aisle in teal dresses. It was almost one, two, three and "Now you may kiss the bride" . It was a beautiful kiss. That was about all he remembered. Harry felt bad he did not remember much about it. The only thing he really knew that it was touching and Rudolph said he saw a tear run down Harry's cheek which he doubted was true. Harry wondered if all weddings were like this. It seemed like a lot of trouble for something that you won't remember. That was what the photographer was for.

Amongst the confusion and mayhem, Harry eventually found himself sitting at a table with Ron. They were both exhausted. There food sat almost untouched on their plates.

"How are you doing Harry?" Ron groaned.

"My face hurts from smiling. Your Aunt Muriel took skin with her when she pinched my cheeks."

"Yeah, welcome to the family."

Harry tried to relax and watch all of the guests mingle. Remus was not mingling. Remus was sitting alone tapping his fingers on the table. He looked deep in thought. He didn't even seem to notice Tonks was talking lividly with one of the bridesmaids. Harry kept looking around to keep from going asleep due to exhaustion. He found the twins and de Villapine brothers plotting near the blue tarp. Bill, Charlie, and Mr. Weasley were finishing up a few last pictures with the photographers. They all looked ruffled from the frenzy of the day. Fleur was still very elegant in her white dress. Her long neck was extintuated by the deep, plunging back and simple embroidery. The goblin made tiarra was beautifully perched on her head. Harry thought of Beauty and the Beast when he saw them stand next to each other. He began to slowly remember the events of the wedding. He remembered their vows and exchange of rings and the kiss. He wished he could remain lost in the wedding but war could not be kept at bay forever. The white dresses and flowers could not keep the world out. He knew that he had to eventually keep the promise he made to Dumbledore before his death.

"Are you ready to go tomorrow?" Harry asked casually to Ron.

"We have to wait until the day after," Ron almost yawned. "Dad's got us appointments to take our Apparition exams tomorrow morning at the Ministry."

"I won't be 17 yet."

"He pulled some-well, let me make that several strings. Several people owed him favors and you have quite a following in the lower departments." Ron started to rub his arms. Harry wondered if the scars on his arms were bothering him in some way. He wanted to know if there was any irritation or lasting effects that he would have to carry from the brain that attacked him. Harry did not remember Ron complaining about them or even looking like the brain left any irritation. Ron looked up and saw Harry watching him. He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. My scars don't do anything like yours."

"That's comforting," Harry snorted. "What's wrong with them?"

"It's nothing so stop worrying." He rubbed at them for another moment. "Now I know how you feel when Hermione nags you."

"And I will nag you until you give me an answer of some sort. You're not playing by the rules that Hermione has made Ron."

"I already told you. My scars do not bother me anywhere near like yours. In fact, you can barely see them. They just hurt sometimes like a bad sore that doesn't want to heal."

"How long?"

"I don't know," Ron answered sounding irritated. "It's one of those things that you just learn to live with like an insistent rash on your rump."

"So you are saying that they have never stopped bothering you."

"Will you lay off? They don't bother me all the time, alright."

"What if something is seriously wrong with them?"

Hermione fell into a chair next to Ron. "I see the wedding planner is out of steam," Ron remarked dryly dropping the conversation with Harry.

"Shut up Ronald," she retorted. "It's not easy planning a wedding."

"You only coordinated the last few days."

"It is still stressful. You have to make sure everything is ordered and ready along with the decorations, food, setup, and anything else that was forgotten during planning," she said. She took a few sips out of her cup. "You two haven't even walked around and mingled."

"My reputation does that enough for me," Harry muttered. "Everyone already knows who I am without an introduction."

"I'm here to keep him company while his reputation is out and about."

"You two are hopeless. Fleur's bridesmaids are very nice, especially her friend from her school, Giselle."

Harry looked over at Remus again trying to ignore Hermione. Remus seemed agitated now.

"Everybody!" Bill yelled. He was standing up in a chair. "Before everyone gets too comfortable and too dissheveled, my wife and I would like everyone to get together for a group picture."

"Not another picture," Ron moaned.

"Oh come on," Hermione said grabbing his hand and pulling him to where everyone was gathering.

Harry pretended to wipe his mouth and sidled over to Remus. Remus was still sitting beside himself tapping his fingers on the white table cloth.

"Now Harry you can't escape..."

"If we all have to be in this picture..."

"You have to be in it too..."

Fred and George caught him on each side and drug him backwards towards the photographer.

"I wasn't trying to get away."

"You can't fool us..."

"We know how you are."

"Will you two let go and go drag Remus over here then?"

"Remus, what's wrong with Remus?" Fred asked.

"I don't know," Harry replied.

"No matter," George said. "It appears Tonks' got him. She's dragging him along."

Harry looked up again and saw Tonks trying to drag Remus along. He did not look upset or disturbed about it. Harry could tell that he was trying to play off the fact he was too comfortable to get up. There was a tinge of irritation and disappointment in his expression. It was very evident that he did not want to go. Tonks finally succeeded in pulling him off his rump and shoved him in the middle of the crowd right behind Harry.

"Nice of you to join us," Harry said.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

The rest of the reception was nothing but forced socialization. Aunt Muriel forced every Weasley boy to have a turn with her on the dance floor. Harry tried to escape it but Hermione drug him out. It was alright until he caught Ron and George imitating them, or maybe it was Fred and Aunt Muriel they were imitating. It did not matter. Harry tried to keep his distance from Ginny while he danced. The funeral ran through his mind as he danced with Hermione. He wanted to dance with Ginny but he knew it would be cruel. It was not until he was sitting with Ron that he felt the first twinge of jealousy since they broke up. He caught Ginny and Rudolph dancing together. Perhaps he deserved it for breaking up with her, but it was for her protection. This was something no one could deny.

His spirits lifted a bit when Ron stepped on the dance floor with Ginny. They were siblings but it was fun to watch them bump into everyone else who were dancing. It was fun to watch until Ron stepped aside to allow Rudolph to dance with her again. Harry twisted a napkin furiously under the table. She was smiling and laughing with him. He twirled her and dipped her. Harry watched in envy as she danced happily with another person that wasn't him. It was enough for him to endure watching her dance with him the first time but now she was dancing with him again. She chose to dance with him twice. He did not want to admit it but it appeared that she had moved on. He still pined over her in his own private mind but she appeared that she never dated Harry and that Harry had never graced her heart. It was his worst nightmare that he never considered.

"Why did you let him dance with her?" Harry asked trying not to sound irritated when Ron sat back down at their table.

"You weren't going to dance with her," Ron replied. "It's rude to make a girl dance with her own brother."

"She's already danced with him once tonight."

"Are you keeping count on my sister's dance partners? Look around Harry. Everyone is dancing and having fun. He asked if he could dance with her again and she wanted to so I stepped aside. What else was I going to do? Did you want me to defend your honor? If you want to dance with her ask her yourself."

Harry tapped his foot impatiently. He wanted to barge in and claim her for the rest of the night. So, he sat at the table for the rest of the night feeling left behind. He watched everyone else dance and the small antics that are prone to happen at a wedding. Hagrid and Madame Maxime knocked a couple of tables over while they were dancing. Thank goodnessly he left Grawp at Hogwarts under the care of Firenze. There would not be anything left of the Burrow if Grawp was to become out of control. There was also a small argument between Charlie and one of the bridesmaids which culminated into Pierre literally picking her up and carrying her away. Bill had to drag Charlie away as well and sat him down with their aunt. He couldn't hear what it was about but by all categories of argumetns, it was on its way to eruption. Ron and Hermione did manage to dance at least once that night. It did appear that they were enjoying themselves besides Fred and George bumping into them the entire time.

Besides Harry sitting alone and ignoring Ron and Ginny, the night went rather well. It was a beautiful reception by comparison of no other wedding that Harry had attended. The night had to end and it ended spectacularly with the bride and groom riding away on their magic carpet. Fleur threw her bouquet over her right shoulder as they flew away and was caught by Charlie by accident. It was such a beautiful sight that Harry did not believe anyone would report the carpet to the Ministry.

Then it was all over. It was back to the real world. They returned to fear, war, and party cleanup. Hermione took all of her remaining energy to help organize the clean up. Ron and Harry were set to work clearing the tables with Remus. It was getting late and almost all of the guests were gone. The twins had already slipped away back to their London flat without a word.

"Hedwig and Pig are probably getting restless," Ron said.

"I just let them out," Ginny said. She had gone up to the house to quickly change out of her dress. "They were both quite irritated and I didn't think it would hurt anything if I went ahead and let them out."

"Thanks Ginny," Ron groaned when he saw a plate with cake, butterbeer, and something that looked like syrup all mixed together. "Who would eat this?"

"Don't complain," Remus muttered from the table next to them. "I'm sure I don't want to know what this is." Remus held up a plate with black goo plastered all over it. "I don't think there is any magic in the world to save this poor thing," he laughed. Remus then sunk into a chair. He looked exhausted. Harry watched fiddle with his thumbs and watch the stars.

"Hey!" Hermione yelled. "I need one of you to come over here."

"Good luck," Ginny and Ron muttered. They were too busy trying to avoid eye contact with Hermione that they did not bother to look up when she yelled at their general direction. They were quite content working at their own pace.

"I'll go," Harry muttered back. He started walking over to where Hermione stood looking quite irritated. He looked up and caught a glimpse of Pig flying over head. Hedwig must have gotten tired of the overactive smaller owl and flew on without him. Harry began to wish that he could fly away from the war. He wanted to fly away where he could be safe from losing everyone he loved. The fact that he could lose everyone in one failed swoop weighed even heavier on him because of Dumbledore's death. Everyone believed that Dumbledore was untouchable and now he was buried on Hogwarts' grounds. "What do you need?" Harry yelled at Hermione when he was a bit closer.

"I need-"

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

Everyone stopped. Harry's heart was sprinting. Remus was throwing plates and screaming. Hedwig was sitting on a tree dodging the projectiles thrown at her. Harry ran over to them. Remus was throwing random curses everywhere. He set a table on fire that McGonagall quickly mended. Mr. Weasley, Charlie, and Ron all grabbed Remus and pulled him down to the ground. He was still screaming and slowly succumbing to a mental melt down. Harry called for Hedwig and directed her back into the Burrow.

"Remus, what is wrong?" Mr. Weasley asked when they finally forced him flat to the ground with his elbow in Remus' back. Remus did not answer coherently. He was in tears now. "Remus, please tell us what is wrong. We cannot help you unless you tell us."

There was spit at the corners of his mouth. Remus tried to push them off his back. He sent a couple of Stunners his shoulder that missed. They all tried to hold onto their wands while still trying to grab his but he was too much for them. Every time one of them moved for a wand he would take advantage of it and almost slip from them. Harry came up behind them and took hold of his legs to try to at least help control him.

"Someone grab his wand!" Charlie yelled.

It was useless. Everytime someone got near enough to try to grab it Remus would shoot some kind of spell at them. No one could stun him out of fear of hitting someone trying to restrain him. Harry kept his position holding onto his legs. He was being kicked in the chest and arms but he refused to let go.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Remus cried out. It was more of a wail than anything.

Harry noticed that he was moving less now. He was beginning to wear. Remus began to breathe easier. McGonagall ran up and yanked his wand from behind before he relapsed into his manic state.

Tonks came over and knelt beside him. "Remus, please calm down," she pleaded.

He did not answer. He stopped struggling, he stopped crying, he stopped everything. He stared blankly through everyone and everything. His eyes slowly closed and he fell asleep.

Note: If you want to know why I made the wedding so short is to illustrate that you really do forget what happened at your own wedding so quickly. You tend to remember the before and after but not the ceremony. I will always remember the events leading up to it as well as who caught my bouquet. I just thought it would be funny to show it through a guest's eyes.