Chapter 6

Alex sat in the corner watching the women busy themselves around Ginny. She looked incredible in her wedding gown, her long red hair flowing over her shoulders.

"How have you been dear?" Molly asked as she twirled her wand in Ginny's hair, tightening a few curls that had gone astray.

Alex bobbed her head a little and tried to smile. "I've been surviving." She pressed the cold wash cloth she held in her hand a little harder onto her wound.

"She sings in a bar." Ginny said with a smile.

Molly glanced over at Alex and then quickly back to what she was doing, trying hard to suppress the questions.

"I'm glad you made it." Hermione said to her excitedly. "There's so much we have to catch up on."

"Oh I can't stay." Alex said with a frown. She wanted to leave right now if she could have gotten away with it. "Just for the service."

Molly gave her a sharp glance. "Of course you're staying." She said with a finality that made Alex's skin crawl.

"I just…I just didn't want it to be awkward or anything." Alex said softly.

Molly sighed. "It's only going to be as awkward as you make it dear."

Alex thought about that and realized it was completely true. She felt awkward being there, so that's why it was awkward. How could it be less awkward? Alex couldn't think of a reasonable answer to that.

Hermione fiddled with a string on her dress. "There's an elephant in the room and I'm going to point it out." She said bluntly. Everyone stopped to look at her strangely. Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath. "Alex, you were shagging Fred, and now you're not. Harry was mad at you for it, and now you won't speak to either of them. For that reason alone you spent the past year hiding from everyone. Now you're back. The end."

"You were doing WHAT with my son!" Molly shrieked.

Ginny hid her face in her hands, and groaned.

"Yes, that'll make everything less awkward Hermione, thank you." Alex said stiffly.

Harry stood in the center of the crowd getting heartily patted on the back, congratulations and an array of inappropriate comments about his wedding night from the younger crowd. Arthur came up to him smiling and shook his hand, pulling him into a hug and mumbling about being proud of him and how he wouldn't have chosen anyone else for his only daughter.

Harry's mouth went a little dry when Arthur kept reminding him that Ginny was in fact, his only daughter. After about the fifth time, Harry pulled away, red in the face and felt like he was suffocating.

He slipped outside to see the chairs starting to fill up, they all pointed to a flowered arch where he'd be saying his vows to Ginny, making her his for the rest of their lives. He smiled and knew in his heart that it was all he ever wanted.

Harry noticed Fred leaning against the house toward the back and he made his way over to him.

They acknowledged each other with a silent nod.

"She's here you know." Harry said casually.

Fred nodded. "Yea. I know."

"Are you going to talk to her?" Harry asked him.

Fred only shrugged.

Harry scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "So you're dad is ok with me right? He kept mentioning about Ginny being his only daughter and it made me wonder." He was rambling and he knew it.

Fred smiled. "He's ok with it. We all are." He gave Harry a sideways glance. "Funny how a man can give up his only daughter. I don't think I could do it."

Harry shrugged. "It makes her happy. At least I hope I make her happy."

Fred frowned. "You're not getting the double standard you're holding here are you?"

Harry paled. "Of course that's where this is going." He sighed. "I get it. I thought we resolved this?"

Fred shrugged again. "I thought we did too."

"Well she hugged me, and I was the one she was most furious with, so I have hope." Harry said carefully.

Fred smiled. "So we're good?"

"If you two are good, then we're good." Harry said with a smile.

"Alright then. Go marry my sister. The ONLY sister I have." Fred said with a mock narrowed stare.

Harry laughed and walked to his place at the altar as everyone made ready to begin.

As the procession started and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came out first he noticed how red and angry Molly looked. Then when Hermione came out with Ron, she looked grey and Ron was whispering rapidly to her. When he noticed Alex slip in the back looking like a scared rabbit, he sighed.

Something was definitely up here.

When Ginny came out the world seemed to stop around him. Beautiful couldn't even begin to compare to how she looked. Radiant barely touched the surface. She was smiling at him with her wide eyes, he noticed a quick glance to her mother and then she was back to beaming at him. Barely remembering to breathe, she met him at the altar and Harry couldn't remember anything they had rehearsed. All he knew was this was the happiest moment in his entire life.

Alex avoided Molly at all costs. After the death glares through the entire service, and the heated words she had remembered before she ran out of Ginny's room like she'd be devoured at any moment, Alex resolved to keep a wide distance away from her. She understood exactly why Molly was angry; apparently no one had informed her of why Alex had disappeared. After the vows and a very impressive wand related fire work display, Alex had snuck into the house and tried to make a beeline for the front door.

As she passed the living room, movement caught her eye and she turned so violently she fell over, landing right on her bandaged arm.

She stared up at the ceiling until the spots went away, her hair splayed across the floor.

"You're a disaster in living flesh, you know that?" The familiar voice teased as Fred loomed over her, offering her a hand up.

She couldn't remember how to breathe.

Alex stood up and flexed her arm to make sure she hadn't done any more damage to it.

"Were you leaving?" He asked casually.

Alex sighed. "Before your mother kills me? Why yes, yes I was."

"Why would she do that?" He asked glancing over his shoulder.

"Because Hermione informed her of all our misdeeds and why I've been missing for a year. Right before the wedding started." Alex's cheeks went hot as she remembered how angry she was with Hermione.

Fred's eyes widened. "Oh." He said simply.

Alex nodded. "I think I'll go now and save my remaining limbs. Good seeing you." She turned to leave but heard him laugh.

"Is it good seeing me?" He hadn't meant to sound disappointed, but he was.

Alex bit her bottom lip and grabbed the door handle behind her. "I can't stay Fred. No one wants me here, and I've already made a bigger mess than I should have. I ruin everything I touch and I just can't stay." She looked at him pleadingly.

"Can I see you again?" He asked hopefully.

"Why?" Alex crossed her arms and frowned.

"Why not? Can't we talk?"

"That would take away the purpose of me stating that I'd never talk to you again." Alex said snappishly.

"You're talking to me right now." Fred pointed out.

"Damn." Alex stamped her foot.

"You're being childish about the whole thing." He said angrily. "I just want to know what happened. I just want to know why you left."

Alex took a deep breath and looked around the room to make sure everyone was still outside.

"I don't want to talk about it here." She stuck her hand down the front of her dress and pulled out a thin card covered in inky decorations.

"You have a card?" He asked with a sideways grin.

"You have a beard." She pointed to his stubble and smiled back.

Alex turned and walked out the front door. Poking her head back in for a moment she whispered. "If anyone asks, I fell again and had to leave to recover my injuries."

"You did fall, and you are going to recover your injuries." Fred said with a laugh.

"Then I'm not lying." Alex smiled brightly and shut the door.

Fred shook his head. She may have pink hair now, but she was definitely the same clumsy, absurdly cute girl he'd chased after a year ago. Holding the card in his hand he sighed. He really wanted her to know how sorry he was. About everything.