Chapter 3

A Magical Wedding

It didn't take long for Harry to see why everyone was so persistent concerning his return to Hogwarts. Inside his Hogwarts letter was a silver badge that Harry had seen worn by Percy Weasley years ago. The letters 'HB' engraved on the badge were unmistakable. Professor McGonagall had chosen him to be this year's Head Boy. To say that Harry was shocked was an understatement. How was he supposed to handle all of the responsibilities that came with being Head Boy in addition with everything he was already supposed to be doing?

Of course that was before Sirius, Remus and Professor McGonagall explained everything.

Professor McGonagall had appointed Harry as Head Boy because, in her opinion, he was a natural leader. The students would listen to him and the staff trusted him not to abuse his position. He would be given private quarters in the Gryffindor Tower which would have a door leading to Sirius and Remus' quarters to use as needed. Hermione had been given the Head Girl badge and had already agreed to help out when Harry needed it.

As far as Harry's classes were concerned, everyone was in agreement that Care of Magical Creatures was one subject Harry could do without to free up some time. He would continue with the rest of his courses and the teachers would provide him with an assignment list each month to help Harry stay up-to-date. The teaching staff was also in agreement that it would probably be beneficial for Harry to begin lessons early, just in case.

Harry had tried to protest since beginning lessons early would take more time away from research but no one would listen. They all believed it would be more of a help than an obstacle and began devising up a schedule that would make everyone happy. From eight in the morning until noon, Harry, Ron and Hermione would be in lessons with Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout. After a quick lunch, they would spend three hours in the library with Sirius, Remus and Tonks then would have lessons with Professor Slughorn and Kingsley Shacklebolt (who had been given the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching post for the year). After dinner, they would retreat to the Marauder Quarters for updates and additional research.

It was a hectic schedule but it certainly kept Harry's mind off everything other than schoolwork and Hogwarts history. He was so exhausted that sleep was accepted with open arms around midnight every night only to be awoken by Remus and have the cycle begin again. It was during those nights that the strange dreams began. They were always the same. Harry would find himself walking through the halls at Hogwarts with the feeling that something was pulling him forward. He got closer and closer to his destination…and then he woke up. His first thought was that Voldemort was messing with his mind again but the lack of pain derailed that possibility. He hadn't felt anything from Voldemort for a year and rather liked the absence of pain.

Of course that didn't keep him from telling Sirius and Remus just to be safe.

As expected, Sirius and Remus suspected the worst and picked up a journal for Harry to write his dreams down. Unfortunately there wasn't much to go on. Harry couldn't even make out which hallway he had been walking in so he could have been walking towards a large number of locations. Nothing Harry tried stopped the dreams, including Dreamless Sleeping potion. Regardless of everyone's worries, Harry was forced to let them play out in hope that he would reach his destination sooner or later.

As the days passed, Bill and Fleur's wedding drew closer and closer. Ron had to return home to help with final preparations, Harry was fitted for dress robes, extra precautions were taken for Harry's safety, and Harry's protective guards were fitted with charmed earpieces so they all would be in constant communication with each other. Harry still wore his legacy pendants that were charmed to serve as a port key to Black Manor and his phoenix ring he had received from Dumbledore had been charmed once again to take him to Hogwarts if the need arose. Add the protective clothing he would be wearing underneath his dress robes, Harry had enough protection to fend off anything other than the Unforgivable Curses.

The morning of the wedding arrived quickly and before Harry knew it, he was dressed, armed and waiting in the Common Room of the Marauder Quarters with Sirius, Remus and Kingsley for Tonks and Hermione. They were traveling by port key to avoid the press and fans who had allegedly camped out beyond the wards for the past few days in hope to get a glimpse of the-boy-who-lived. Harry could only cringe at the thought of being mobbed by hormonal teenagers. That was why he preferred to live in seclusion.

The door to the 'chatter room' (at least that was what Sirius called it) finally opened with only minutes to spare before the port key was scheduled to activate. Hermione was wearing light pink dress robes and had her hair pulled up in a twist with pink flowers tucked into it. Tonks was dressed in simple light blue dress robes that were clearly designed for someone who needed to be ready to act at a moment's notice. Tonks' hair was long, blond and pulled back in a clip that had blue flowers on it. It was certainly a new look for her but Harry understood the reason for it. No one would recognize her and therefore wouldn't suspect that she was an Auror assigned to protect Harry Potter.

The clock chimed ten and everyone immediately felt the familiar sensation of a hook pulling them behind their navels. Harry quickly closed his eyes and waited, preparing himself for the inevitable impact. The moment he felt his feet slamming into the hard floor, Harry purposefully kept his knees unlocked and accepted the shocks that ran up his legs as he held onto Hermione to prevent her from losing her balance which probably wasn't the smartest move because he was instantly bombarded by emotions from everyone in the room. Hands grabbed his arms and held him in place as Harry quickly pushed everything away.

When the oncoming sensations dimmed to a manageable level, Harry opened his eyes and was immediately pulled into a fierce embrace by Mrs. Weasley along with Hermione. "Thank Merlin you're here!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed happily then pulled away and gave them a glance over. "You look so handsome, Harry, and you look beautiful, Hermione. Now I just have to worry about my own children. Hermione, Ginny's up in her room waiting for you. She's being incredibly self conscious today. Could you please do whatever you can to calm her down?"

"Of course, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said with a smile. "I have a feeling I know what the actual problem is."

As Hermione walked up the stairs, Mrs. Weasley turned her attention to Harry. "All of the boys are finishing up in Bill and Charlie's room," she said. "I know Ron's been anxious to see you so why don't you head up?"

Harry nodded politely, ignoring the strong waves of nervousness and frustration pouring off of Mrs. Weasley as he walked up the stairs. She's just worried about the wedding. If it was anything more than that she would have said something. At least Harry hoped Mrs. Weasley would have said something. Out of all of the adults Harry knew, Mrs. Weasley was the most persistent in treating Harry like a child. Sirius had improved slightly over the past few weeks but he still had his moments where he wanted to shield Harry from the horrors of the world. Fortunately Remus was always there to remind him that Harry wasn't a little boy anymore.

Bill and Charlie's room was the first stop on the right. Voices and laughter could be heard even with the door closed. Harry cautiously knocked on the door and waited as silence filled the hallway. The knob turned and the door opened to reveal a familiar redhead wearing horn-rimmed spectacles and black dress robes staring at him with an impassive look on his face.

"Harry," Percy Weasley said with a polite nod.

"Percy," Harry said cautiously. What do you say to someone you haven't spoken to in years and have never been on the best of terms with? Percy had always put too much faith in rules where Harry had always followed his heart. That was why it had been so easy for Percy to 'split' from his family who supported Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. Percy had only been able to 'reconcile' with his family recently and had made a point of avoiding Harry. It made Harry wonder what Percy actually felt towards him.

"I'm glad to see that you made it," Percy continued in his normal 'professional' tone as he stepped aside to allow Harry to enter the room. "Mum was rather worried that something might happen while you were in transit."

"But we took a port key," Harry protested as he entered the room and glanced around. Bill and Charlie were standing by the window on the far side of the room, Fred and George were relaxing on the beds and Ron apparently had just stopped from pacing back and forth. With all of them in the same room it was easy to notice the similarities. Charlie resembled the twins in looks and body type. Bill, Percy and Ron resembled each other in body type but there were differences that set each of them apart as far as looks were concerned.

"Well, nothing's completely fool-proof, Harry," Bill said while adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves. "It is possible to interfere with anything when magic is involved. Apparition and port keys are more difficult to mess with because to the complexity of the—"

"—not today, Bill," Charlie interrupted with a grin. "I don't think Fleur or Mum would appreciate you being late to your own wedding because you felt the need to give Harry a two hour lecture on something that could be explained in five minutes." Charlie turned to Harry with an amused smile on his face. "It can be done but it's extremely hard to do. Only extremely powerful witches or wizards can attempt it. Since everyone in the entire wizarding world knows you'll be here today, Mum was worried that You-Know-Who would try something. He obviously didn't so we can relax now."

"Oh," Harry said uncomfortably. Sometimes he really hated being kept in the dark. He had been traveling by port key for years and no one had even mentioned the possibility of danger. "I'm sorry. I—I didn't mean to—"

"—you have nothing to apologize for, Harry," Fred said as he glared at Charlie. "Nothing of that sort has happened in a long time. Mum is just being Mum. She worries about everything."

Charlie bit back a laugh as he approached Harry and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't mean to worry you, Harry," he said sincerely. "I tend to forget that you didn't grow up listening to the same stories we did. I think it's only happened twice in wizarding history but that's enough for Mum to believe that it can happen to any of us."

"Mum worries, Harry," Bill added with a grin. "We've learned to accept that she'll never change, no matter how old we are."

"I feel bad for Ginny," George said bluntly. "Mum's determined to protect her from everything but Ginny wants to help with the war just as much as we do."

"I don't think it's actually the war Ginny wants to help with," Percy offered as he cast Harry a knowing glance which was soon followed by the rest of the Weasley brothers.

"What?" Harry asked defensively. "She joined the D.A. on her own accord and learned exactly what everyone else did. If you want to blame someone then blame Ron and Hermione. It was their idea to start the group in the first place."

For a split second, no one said a word. They just stared at Harry as if he had grown another head then began to laugh. Okay, that obviously wasn't what they meant. Harry racked his brain for other possibilities and could only think of one other option. Ginny didn't want to help with the war. She wanted to help him because of their friendship. Harry suddenly felt extremely guilty. He had never thought of including her because she didn't know about his abilities or what they were searching for.

"Figured it out, have you?" Charlie asked as he gave Harry's shoulder a playful punch.

Harry nodded. "I've been such a horrible friend," he said softly.

The laughter instantly died. "Friend?" asked Fred.

Harry glanced at Fred with a raised eyebrow. Waves of trepidation filled the room making Harry slightly queasy. Once again he felt like they were on two completely different wavelengths. "Yes, friend," he said dryly. "That's what you call someone you know well and don't mind spending time with; unless you would rather I called her my sister."

"No!" Ron objected. "Friend is fine. We can work with 'friend', right?"

The Wealsey boys nodded and the conversation immediately turned to more pleasant topics until Mr. Weasley entered the room with the announcement that it was nearly time for the ceremony to start. Harry followed the Weasleys down the stairs only to find Sirius, Remus, Kingsley and Tonks waiting for him. As one large group, they walked out of the house, down a designated pathway and over a small hill. The sun was shining brightly and the gentle breeze was enough to bring the warm summer day to a comfortable temperature, a perfect day for a wedding.

Just beyond the hill, rows of white chairs were set up facing a simple yet elegant alter. Flowers were hanging from white pillars placed at each corner of the setting along with strands of flowery garland that were draped along the outsides of the chair groupings. Soft, soothing music could be heard over the chatter of those already seated. Charlie followed Bill up to the alter while the rest of the Weasley brothers followed Mr. Weasley to the first row of chairs on the left side of the two groups.

Harry immediately felt Kingsley's hand rest on his shoulder and followed his guardians to the second row. Whispers filled the air as he passed the occupied seats making Harry feel incredibly self conscious. "Mum! That's Harry Potter!" "I can't believe he actually came!" "Wilfred, where's your camera?" "Did you see the scar? It's still there!" "He looks just like his father, except for those eyes."

"You would think they would have something other to do than stare and whisper," Sirius grumbled as he and Remus sat down behind Fred and George.

"I thought that was what people were supposed to do at a wedding," George said innocently as Harry sat down behind Percy. "We all comment on how ugly the bridesmaids dresses are, how bored we are and place wagers on how long we think the wedding will last."

"You forgot placing wagers on how many kids they'll have, my dear brother," Fred added seriously while Kingsley and Tonks cast one final glance around before sitting down behind Mr. Weasley and the empty chair that would soon be occupied by Mrs. Weasley.

George slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Oh how silly of me," he said in mock horror. "That is the most important category of all since we are talking about our future nieces and nephews that we must tutor in the ways of mischief and mayhem."

"Remind me that if I ever get married and have children to keep them away from you two," Percy said dryly.

"Here, here," Ron added.

"That's enough, boys," Mr. Weasley warned. "Your mother is frazzled enough as it is. We don't need to add to it…right?"

"Sorry dad," Fred and George chorused although it was anyone's guess of whether they actually meant the apology.

Harry remained silent as his mind started to wander to the mountain of books waiting for him at Hogwarts. Discussions had begun on searching locations that held some sort of importance to Voldemort. The main debate was concerning who should travel to the locations. Harry felt it was important to go but he would only be able to do so with at least four people accompanying him. Black Manor had been protected from Voldemort finding it. They wouldn't be so lucky for the rest of the Horcruxes…just like they hadn't been lucky at the cave.

The music changed slightly as Harry noticed his guardians standing and moving over one chair to allow Hermione to sit down beside him. Hermione shot Harry a reassuring smile while nodding her head towards Mr. Weasley as a sign for Harry to look up and see a worried Mrs. Weasley sitting down beside her husband. Everyone turned in their chairs to see Ginny walking between the chairs towards the alter. Her red hair was pulled back twist leaving loose strands to be caught in the wind. Her pale golden dress seemed to sparkle in the sunlight along with the colorful bouquet of flowers she carried in her hands.

A young girl with long silvery blond hair pulled back in some sort of fancy style followed Ginny towards the alter, wearing the same pale gold dress. She could be no older than eleven yet there was a maturity in her eyes that was rarely seen in anyone so young. Gabrielle Delacour looked remarkably like her sister, except for her eyes. Even with what had happened recently, Fleur was still able to hold onto a hint of naiveté, especially when she talked about her future with Bill. Perhaps it was simply the 'losing a sister' fear for Gabrielle that normally accompanied weddings. All Harry knew was that Gabrielle wasn't as overjoyed as Fleur believed her to be.

As Gabrielle reached the alter, the music changed once again to a familiar tune that everyone knew whether you had attended a wedding or not. As one, everyone rose to their feet and turned to catch a glance at the approaching bride. Beautiful was the only way to describe her. Her elegant white dress seemed to dance around her, playing with the gentle breeze. Her silvery blonde hair was pulled back, in some sort of style Harry had never seen before. She wore a simple yet elegant tiara that seemed to catch the sun no matter how Fleur moved. A wide smile remained on her face as her eyes focused solely on Bill. The moment their eyes met, it was clear that they had fallen into their own little world.

And Harry unfortunately followed suit. As Fleur walked past, Harry was suddenly bombarded by waves of eagerness, happiness and desire. He swayed on his feet and immediately felt someone grab onto him as his eyes slowly closed. The emotions were so inviting, so intoxicating that Harry wanted to hold onto them with all of his strength. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. The emotions slowly faded as Fleur reached the alter and everyone was instructed to sit.

"Back to normal, Harry?" Hermione whispered curiously while taking a hold of his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Harry nodded as he let out a shaky breath. "As normal as I'll ever be," he said softly. "I certainly wasn't ready for that."

Hermione grinned. "At least you can honestly tell Fleur you understand what she's feeling," she mused.

Harry shuddered slightly. Feeling Fleur's desire for Bill hadn't been on the list of things Harry wanted to do…ever. Bill was like an older brother which meant Harry had just learned more about his soon-to-be 'sister-in-law' than any brother should. It was like sensing what some woman felt for Sirius or Remus. Now that's just gross. Harry shuddered again and forced himself to concentrate on the ceremony.

The representative from the Ministry began to speak, his deep voice that carried clearly to the final row of seats. Mrs. Weasley was already dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and was leaning towards Mr. Weasley who had an arm around her. Harry's gaze shifted to Ginny and was surprised to find her staring at him. He raised an eyebrow at her and received a shy smile in return. As she shifted her attention to Bill and Fleur, Harry suddenly felt rather queasy. How could he have missed it? The way the Weasley boys were acting, the things they said, Hermione's discretion, and Ginny's nervousness.

Ginny Weasley fancied him. Another one of his friends bloody fancied him. This is really the last thing I need at the moment. Harry knew he should have suspected something of the sort sooner but he had just been so busy. All of the signs had been there from the moment Ginny and Dean started having problems. He had just refused to see it because he didn't want to deal with the complication. Not anymore. I'll have to break her heart…just not today.

Harry kept his attention on Bill and Fleur for the rest of the ceremony even though his mind was furiously working on a way to tell Ginny that he didn't feel the same way without causing a scene. What was surprising was how the Weasley brothers had basically encouraged Ginny's feelings rather than being the protective older brothers Harry was familiar with. The entire situation made Harry wonder if the Weasley boys were trying to push Ginny in this direction because they knew him so well.

The ceremony came to an end with a kiss from Bill and Fleur. Applause broke out along with cheers from Fred and George. Bill and Fleur smiled in embarrassment as they turned to face the crowd. Waves of excitement and relief poured off of them but nothing in the intensity like Harry had felt before, even when they walked past. Apparently it has simply been a fluke which was a relief. He really didn't think he would be able to handle everyone's emotions at that level, especially at the reception.

A hand gripped his shoulder causing Harry to quickly turn and look at Tonks protectively glancing around for any sign of danger. Kingsley was nowhere in sight. "What is it?" Harry asked quietly.

"Our Auror badges are calling us to return to the Ministry," Tonks said as she glanced over at Sirius and Remus. "Kingsley's checking it out because if we're needed then you need to return to Hogwarts." The front rows had emptied so the second row could follow suit. Tonks immediately took Harry by the arm and ushered him past the rows of chairs, towards Kingsley who was talking to another Auror.

Kingsley nodded stiffly to the Auror and turned to look at Tonks. "The Ministry was attacked," he said. "Death Eaters were trying to get into the Department of Mysteries but failed. All available Aurors are being called back to aid in the clean up and interrogation."

"Anyone we know?" asked Sirius.

Kingsley shook his head. "No one of importance," he said then motioned for Harry to begin walking towards the Burrow. "We should get moving. So far no one's been able to confirm or deny your attendance, Harry. Let's not give them a reason to change that. "

The journey to the Burrow was a quite one. Hermione remained by Harry's side, periodically casting concerned glances his way. Waves of uneasiness rolled off her that most likely had nothing to do with what hey had just learned. This is not going to be a comfortable reception. I know it.

Tables and chairs were set up under a canopy beside the house. Each table was decorated with flowers and had food for all of the guests to snack on. Harry wasn't surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder ushering him towards the Burrow. He bit back his annoyance as he shrugged the hand off and walked into the Burrow at a faster pace. He understood the need for protection but this was getting ridiculous. He was seventeen years old. He didn't need someone holding his hand.

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed in relief as soon as Harry stepped into the kitchen and found himself nearly surrounded by redheads. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Harry said as he walked through the kitchen, into the living room and collapsed into a chair by the fireplace. He buried his face in his hands and mentally started counting to ten. If you want to be treated like an adult you need to act like one. That was easier said than done. There was so much happening that he didn't need to deal with at the moment. The Ginny situation was going to end in tears and trying to stand up to Kingsley was just going to end in a shouting match.

"Harry?" Hermione asked as she knelt down in front of him. "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry slowly raised his head and stared at her. She was biting her lower lip nervously. Waves of worry and fear rolled off her. Some days Harry hated being empathic. It just made it so hard to stay angry at people. "You should have told me," he said through his teeth.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh," she said quietly. "You figured it out." Harry's eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said instantly. "I knew what you went through with Cho and sort of thought it would be best to avoid that, until you were ready…if you wanted to pursue that sort of relationship with her that is. I'm on your side, Harry. I promise. Ron and I just play along with it all so no one suspects anything."

Harry's anger vanished and was replaced by guilt. It had never crossed his mind that anyone would suspect something was amiss simply because he chose to remain single. He thought people (especially the Weasleys) would understand that there were some things more important than snogging. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

Hermione smiled. "It's all right, Harry," she said as she took hold of his hands and held them. "We understand you're going through a lot at the moment. So what else is bothering you?"

Harry let out a frustrated sigh. "It's just the way Kingsley and Tonks are treating me," he said as he glanced over at his bodyguards who were speaking to Sirius, Remus and Mr. Weasley. "They don't seem to understand that I can take care of myself."

"They do understand, Harry," Hermione said sympathetically. "They're just doing their job. As much as you hate it, you are a celebrity with a lot of enemies. Do you know how many people are waiting outside the wards just for a glimpse of you? It only takes one moment for a spell to be cast or a gun to be fired. In that one moment, we could lose you. Shacklebolt and Tonks are doing what they can to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Maybe it would be best if I went back to Hogwarts," Harry said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just going to ruin everything—"

"—no you're not, Harry," Hermione insisted. "Things are the way they are. No matter how much you try to deny it, you are an attractive, caring and honorable person who just so happens to have a habit of fighting a dark lord and his minions."

Harry scowled. That was probably something he would never understand. He had always been the scrawny kid with bad eye sight. To hear everyone calling him 'attractive' and 'cute' just seemed wrong. "You make it sound like all of my encounters with Voldemort are accidental, Hermione," he said tiredly.

Hermione rose to her feet with an understanding smile on her face. "Someday you're going to wake up and see what we all see everyday, Harry," she said. "It doesn't matter what you do. It's the fact that you are willing to do it regardless of the risks because it is the right thing. It's your heart that everyone loves, Harry. Everything else is just an added bonus."

Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance. Some days Hermione seriously needed to have her head examined.

A/N: Sorry for such a long wait. I really am trying to write this story. It's just so weird not having a book of facts to rely on.