Harry Potter and all characters, settings and situations in this story is © J. K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, and all others involved.
Deal Fairly With Muggles
Percy found Lucius Malfoy after Arthur did. The slight red-head was confronting the imposing blond.
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" he asked.
"I have been looking for someone for some time. I heard he might be here," Mr Malfoy answered.
A flash-bulb lit the two men's faces.
"You haven't been invited. Please leave," demanded Mr Weasley.
"Obviously this is not a place I would choose to be in other circumstances," Malfoy sneered.
A crowd of guests and journalists had gathered to watch. Wands were surreptitiously drawn, anticipating escalation.
"You can buy the magazine tomorrow, the same as the rest of the hoi poloi," George called out. "Best run along now."
Lucius bristled and turned on the younger man. "I will leave when I have done what I came here to do," he spat at him.
"Killed our brother?" Percy asked, pushing through the crowd.
More photographs were taken as Malfoy spun round to face him, thundering, "He has violated my son! He has abducted him for his foul purposes!"
George stormed through to the centre of the action, to stand between the two fathers. He pointed his wand into Lucius' face, yelling, "Your son is an evil, manipulating, disgusting little monster who's seduced a good man away from his family …"
"That's enough!" Percy shouted authoritatively, "They're just in love with each other!"
There was an uncomfortable shifting amongst the onlookers. The Quick Quotes Quills scratched across the reporters' notebooks.
A group of wizards were ranged behind Arthur, their wands displayed now, offering silent support: Bill, Dean Thomas, Amos Diggory, Lee Jordan, Neville and Professor Flitwick among them. Percy stood beside his father, and asked Mr Malfoy: "Have you come here in order to find and kill Charles Weasley?"
"What if I have?" Lucius hissed.
"Just answer the question, Mr Malfoy," Percy insisted.
"I have come to get my son back by whatever means necessary," was the answer.
"Including murder?" Percy insisted, "Did you come here with the intention of committing a murder?"
"Yes! I will cleanse the world of the deviant filth that is your brother! And you can't stop me, you pompous little runt!" Lucius ranted.
"He doesn't need to," came a rich, commanding voice from behind Malfoy, "because I will."
Lucius twisted round and saw that the speaker was the Minister himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt, flanked by Rubeus Hagrid, Minerva McGonagall and Harry Potter.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry used his signature move to disarm Mr Malfoy.
Shacklebolt continued, "Lucius Malfoy, you are under arrest for attempted murder."
The wedding guests closed in.
"What happened here?" Bill asked. He had volunteered to collect 'Romeo and Juliet' - as Ron was sarcastically calling them - mostly out of curiosity and he was having a good look round. Luckily his question did not refer to his hosts' blissfully dishevelled appearances. "It's all tidy!" he added. "Last time I was here there was a smell," he told Draco, who was hastily brushing his hair.
"You're sure it's safe?" Draco checked, "My father's gone?"
"Not yet," Bill replied, wandering into the bedroom. Charlie hastily cleaned up a couple of damp patches on the sofa with his wand. Bill called through the wall, "He is tied up in the chicken shed waiting for the Dementors to take him to Azkaban. This is quite cosy, now. Oh," he put his head round the door to look at Draco, "did you want to talk to him before he goes?"
Draco gave a bitter laugh. Bill came back into the room, asking, "Didn't you have two manky armchairs?"
"Draco fixed them up and extended one," Charlie replied. He said to Draco, "Are sure you don't want to see your Dad? It could be a long time before you get another chance."
"I improved the design too," Draco said, smoothing his robes, then, "Why would I want a conversation with a psychopathic bigot?"
"'Cos he's family?" suggested Bill.
A snarling Lucius Malfoy thrashed about amongst the droppings. When the shed door opened, he tried to sit up, but his bindings were too tight. He lay with as much dignity as his position allowed and said, "How nice to see you after all this time, Draco. You'd better go home to your mother now."
Bill took a step back from the doorway, but when Draco turned to him in panic, he stayed.
"You're not well placed for giving orders," Draco said softly, trying to bite down the fear.
"Don't be so stupid, boy!" his father snapped. "She's worried sick you selfish little …"
"I'm not a little boy. I'm nearly twenty-one. And my home isn't with you any more," Draco forced out.
"I am well aware of that. You've broken your mother's heart. You don't even visit," Lucius criticised coldly.
"Well, no. The last thing I heard you were planning on locking me in the cellar when you got the chance," Draco replied, his anger giving him courage.
"Silly child! Not if you leave him voluntarily."
"I'm not going to leave Charlie." Draco said firmly.
Mr Malfoy turned his head away, saying "My son had self-respect. You're no son of mine, cleaving to depravity, to your abuser …"
"Abuse?" Draco exploded with fury. "Charlie protects me! You're the one who handed me over to the most evil wizard in history! You are my father! You were supposed to look after me!"
Lucius was calm as he responded, "He was going to be great. His power was enormous. You could have learnt from him. We would have been great. Together."
His son chose not to argue with him; he stood up, brushing chicken poop from his knees instead and simply said, "I probably won't see you again. A reconciliation would have been nice, your blessing even. But I can live without." He walked away.
He was closing the door when his father called after him, "You'll never be happy!"
But I already am, thought Draco, I really am. And he didn't even care enough for his father to tell him so.
With Bill, he made his way round the house. They passed the bridal group fussing by the front door. Luna gave him a big wave and he waved back. Seeing this, Hermione raised her hand shyly. He returned her wave with a bigger one. The look he got from Mr Weasley was, however, anything but welcoming.
Most of the guests were seated on the pews (white and gold, of course) laid out on the lawn. The ceremony had been delayed while Shacklebolt communicated with Azkaban, but they were ready to go ahead now.
Charlie was waiting with the ushers. As Draco reached them, tension visibly rippled through the group.
"We'd better sit down," Charlie told him.
George stepped forward, "Family at the front," he said. Then he looked at Draco and added, "You'd better go over …"
"With me," Charlie said firmly.
George glowered resentfully, but he shrugged. Charlie walked Draco down the aisle to sit just behind Harry and Ron.
"Too many ushers, not enough bridesmaids," the magazine photographer grumbled.
He placed Luna between Dean and George. She was on George's earless side and she stared openly at the gap on the side of his head.
"Do you miss your ear?" she asked.
Nobody ever mentioned his lack of an ear, most people avoided looking at that side of his face. They thought they were being kind. Fred had been the last person who'd stared so openly at his deformity, the last person who'd asked him about it.
"A bit," he answered honestly.
"Is that what makes you so sad?" she asked bluntly.
"Not really. No," he muttered, embarrassed. How long was this photo going to take? When could he get away from her?
"Your face looks like it's got used to looking sad. Are you sad about Fred?" she persisted.
George turned his head away, towards Fleur. He just wanted to go home and be on his own again.
But Luna kept talking, kept saying the things that nobody else ever said to him: "I remember you two used to laugh all the time. You must miss him."
And then he found he was turning back to her, answering her, "I do miss him; I miss him laughing; I miss not caring; I miss Fred." It was the first time he'd said that aloud. It felt good. And terrible.
"I miss my mother," Luna said, "but I'm used to it now. Not used to her being gone, just used to missing her."
George looked down, contemplatively, but looked straight back up and into Luna's face. "Have you got bare feet?" he asked.
"I took the shoes off to paddle in the fountain. I must have forgotten to put them back on." She sounded unconcerned.
Ginny's precious wedding photos! George grinned for the first time in a long time.
"Lift your skirt up a bit," he whispered, "make sure your feet show."
She did. He chuckled. The camera flashed.
"I'm glad you've only got one ear," Luna stated.
"Really? Why?"
"Because I've only got one mouth."
Unlike Luna, Molly Weasley was not one of the few people who look good in gold and she knew it. But she was willing to do anything to please her only daughter today.
She rushed over to Charlie and threw her arms around him. "It's so good to see you!" she said. "And Draco! May I hug you, too?"
Awkwardly, he accepted.
"You both look so smart!" She gazed proudly at them, but then raised a hand to Charlie's hair saying, "I just wish you'd cut your hair."
"No Mum," Charlie said, and the coldness in his voice surprised Draco as well as his mother, "you don't ignore me for a year and a half and then dictate the length of my hair."
"I haven't ignored you!" she spluttered.
"Oh the recipe thing is very sweet, but there was nothing to stop you visiting," Charlie insisted.
"Charlie!" said Draco in a hurt tone.
"Your father didn't want …" Molly began, feebly.
"It's not good enough," Charlie insisted. "You're pandering to his bigotry."
"He's just old-fashioned!"
"You let him get away with it. You knew we couldn't come to Britain. Percy's the only one who's been out to see us. It's not difficult, it's as easy as Apparating to anywhere else. You know where we live." Charlie started to walk off.
"Well I loved getting your letters!" Draco said, emotionally. "Thank you."
She hugged him again.
"Thank you for looking after my boy," she said with a sniff.
Charlie dragged Draco away.
"There are some people I want you to meet," he said.
"Who?" Draco asked, still bewildered by Charlie's anger.
"Hermione's parents."
"I thought they were Muggles," Draco replied.
"They are."
"But I've never met a Muggle before!" Draco protested, trying to pull his hand out of Charlie's grip.
"Then you definitely have to meet them!" Charlie tightened his hold, increased his pace.
Draco tried to hide his free hand up his sleeve. With exasperation, Charlie said, "They don't give you warts. It's an old wives' tale!"