Chapter 16: The Wedding

The Potters and the Blacks are helping the Weasleys to prepare the Burrow for the marriage of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour.

"Isn't this Fleur the Beuxbatons Champion for the last Triwizard Tournament?" Regulus asks.

"Exactly, brother." Sirius replies.

"Does she play Quidditch?" Regulus asks.

"Not that I know." Sirius answers.

"That'd explain why she's the one to score less points than each other champion." Regulus comments and Sirius silently agrees.

Meanwhile, the Golden Trio is celebrating the fact they're now allowed to perform magic outside school. "No more twins taunting me!" Ron exclaims.

"No more Ministry trying to control my moves." Harry says.

"Freedom to practice spells for seventh-year." Hermione adds.

"Only you would think like that, Hermione." Ron comments and then remembers something. "I let you borrow my copy of Advanced Potion Making. May I have it back?"

"Here it is." Hermione answers, giving him a new book. "Sorry but an 'accidental' spell of mine destroyed your book so I bought a new one."

Mrs. Weasley overhears the conversation. "Then there's no harm done. Right, Ron?"

Ron quickly remembers not to tell his Mum about Snape's notes. "Right."

"How did you convince him to lend you the book in the first place?" Harry whispers.

"Just the same charms I used back in fourth year and six years developing luck." Hermione answers.

Later, at the wedding, Harry and Hermione are introduced to Ron's Aunt Muriel. "See that tiara I let Ginny wear for this wedding?" She asks and Harry nods. She then gives harry a card. "You can get even better ones at this shop. Oh, and nice watch, by the way."

"Thanks." Harry says. "My Dad gave it to me for my coming-of-age."

Muriel then approaches Ginny. "Don't let Harry Potter escape. He's famous. He's a hero. And the best part: he's rich. Just another word of advice: if you and Harry have a squib, don't treat them like Albus Dumbledore treated his sister."

"What are you insinuating?" Harry, who overheard the question, can't help but ask.

"Don't pay attention to her." A wizard Harry knows as Elphias Doge, replies.

"He's right, Prongslet." James Potter intervenes. "Let's talk somewhere away from her."

As they leave Muriel, they meet Viktor Krum. "Hi, Viktor."

"Hi, Harry. Is zis vour Father?"

"Yes."

"Are you from Durmstrang?" James Potter angrily asks.

"Yes." Viktor answers. "Do you have any problem?"

"I don't want my son talking to people from Dark academies." James replies.

"Don't vorry, Mr. Potter." Viktor replies. "Durmstrang only teaches Dark Magic so we know how to defend ourselves from it."

Xenophilius Lovegood then approaches them. "Hi, James."

"Hi, Xeno." James replies.

"I thought you didn't like Dark people, Mr. Potter." Viktor angrily replies after watching a certain symbol Mr. Lovegood is carrying.

"Do you think Mr. Lovegood is a Dark Wizard?" Harry asks, surprised.

"Of course he is." Viktor angrily replies. "Why else vould he wear Grindevald's symbol?"

Harry understands what's happening and points at the symbol. "This symbol?"

"Ya."

"This is the symbol of the legendary Deathly Hallows." Harry explains. "Grindewald wore it as a symbol to his ambition of reuniting them and become the master of death."

This shocks both Viktor and Xenophilius. The first because he never heard of the legend and the later because he didn't know Gellert Grindewald searched for the Hallows.

"I've never heard about zis Hallows before." Viktor replies.

"The legend is so old only a few people ever heard of them." Harry explains. "And most don't believe."

"Harry, are you sure it's a good idea to tell a Durmstrang student about them?" James asks.

"It's okay, Dad." Harry replies. "Viktor is a friend." He then explains the fairy tale and the fact most believers credit the Hallows' creation to the Peverell Brothers. Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus. Harry then asks Viktor to keep it a secret.

Krum, however, is worried. "Harry, many people back at Durmstrang put the symbol at their books and my friends and I always thought them to be Grindevald supporters and attacked them because of that. Could it be that we made a mistake?"

"Of course you did." Xeno replies. "Granted, maybe some of them might have been indeed Grindewald supporters since that's how the non-British part of Europe sees the symbol but some of them might be people who want to find the Hallows."

"And why vould anyone try to find the Hallows if not to cause evil?" Viktor asks.

"To prove they're real." Xeno answers.

"Don't you think that, given the danger they represent, the Wizarding World is better off not knowing the Hallows?" Viktor asks. James and Harry decide to let the two argue alone.

"Wotcher, Harry." Harry and James hear someone say.

"Tonks." Harry replies.

"Hi, Moony." James says to Tonks' companion. "How are you?"

"Happier than ever." Remus Lupin answers as he shows the silver knife he's holding. "I'm able to touch silver without getting hurt, I can marry Dora without worrying that she and the children we'll have in the future will suffer any persecution and I can get a normal job."

"Will you become our Defense teacher again?" Harry eagerly asks. "Out of all ones I had, and I hate myself for saying it, nobody else was better than Snape."

"Don't say it, Prongslet!" A horrified James Potter replies. "I'm sure…" he then thinks about what he knows about each previous Defense teacher Harry had. Quirrell was working for Voldemort. Lockhart was a cowardly idiot just interested in promoting his books and tried to perform a Memory Charm on Harry to make him unable to denounce Lockhart as a fraud. Moody was replaced by a death eater. The real Moody's paranoia would probably make him scarier than both his impersonator and Snape together. And Umbridge forced Harry to use the Blood Quill just to keep Harry from telling the Wizarding World about Voldemort being back. "Okay, only Moony was better than Snivellus."

"Actually, tomorrow I'll start Auror training." Remus replies.

"I bet Umbridge is quite upset." Harry smiles.

"She is." Remus says. "She tried to convince Minister Scrimegour not to let a werewolf become an Auror but he said that by allowing a wizard cured from lycanthropy to take a Ministry job, it'd encourage other werewolves to trust us."

"Serves her right." Harry replies.

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