Disclaimer: I don't own nobody of the characters, they are property of JK Rowling
A/N: Thank you, my faithful readers, for your reviews. They really mean a lot to me. I've at the end decided to write the wedding so it will be here soon.
Creepy Susie: Well, after all they had killed Voldemort, it's obvious everyone in the Wizarding World would want them as employees…and for the marriage, it is an obvious step for their love, and after two years together, I thought it would be ok…
Coolone007: Well, I think a Death Eater robe with the name engraved on it would be enough evidence to believe that…however I like you idea, so I used it. Thank you.
HnH4EvA19: I don't plan to have a sequel, I'll have a chapter dedicated to their lives after Hogwarts, though. Something about the family, too, I think.
KypDurron: Yeah, I liked to show that even the twins can be serious on certain matters and take responsibility of their choices. Telling that to his parents could have put Fred in the same situation of Percy, but he did it the same because he knew it was the right thing to do.
Fire Gazer: I like wedding chapters/fics too! So, I'll write it soon and you'll be pleased, I hope.
Beppo: The fact is that they are soul mates, so when the Soul Blazes connect, they are at their maximum power.
Chapter Eighteen
"Pensieves and Invitations"
That night they slept on the couches of the common room, snuggled one near the other. In the morning, Harry woke up first and smiled, looking at her angelic face, remembering the events of the previous night.
He stroked softly her hair, lost in thought. He was still a little sore for the Weasleys reaction to their apology. Well, the adult Weasleys, at least, as Ginny and Fred had taken their friends' defence, in the end making their parents look at the truth.
But Harry knew that the Weasley were not too much convinced, so he remained a lot thinking how to give them other proofs than the Death Eater robe Fred found in Ron's room.
"Good Morning, love…" Hermione whispered in his hear at least half an hour later, then she kissed him softly. Harry immediately kissed her back, pulling her even closer to him.
"Good Morning, my sleeping beauty" he replied, then.
She giggled a little, then went to her dorm to get ready for the travel back to home.
They headed to the Great Hall to have breakfast, and seated on their usual spots in the Gryffindor table.
"You know, while I was awake this morning I was thinking. Maybe it could be a good idea to give the Weasleys more evidence about Ron. But I don't know how do that…" Harry said, while filling his plate with bacon and muffins.
"Yeah, that would be great. However, I think it's easy. You have only to use a Pensieve."
A Pensieve…
"Hermione, you're great! I wonder why I didn't think this first!" Harry replied, kicking himself mentally to have been so dumb. He stood up and went to McGonagall, saying Hermione he would see her later, going to Hogsmeade to the train.
Harry went to the Headmistress's office.
"Canary Creams!" he said and the gargoyle moved, revealing the entrance.
"Harry, what can I do for you?" the Professor asked.
"Headmistress, can I borrow the Dumbledore's Pensieve? I need to put in it my own memories of the battle to show them to the Weasleys."
"I'm sorry, but I can't give it to you. I already sent it to Gringott's to be put in the Hogwarts vault. Plus, you need your personal Pensieve to put memories into, while you can see other's memories in their Pensieve. So you need to get your own one."
Harry's face fell, but he thanked the Professor and exited.
***
Few hours later, Harry and Hermione were in the Head Boy and Girl compartment, and he had said her about the chat with McGonagall.
"Well, you can stop to Diagon Alley and get one there. I'll go with you if you want." she said.
Harry's eyes lit up and he nodded.
The cart lady arrived and they purchased a lot of sweets, then resumed their chat.
***
At King's Cross they met the Weasleys, there to pick up Ginny, and there was an awkward silence, till George broke the ice.
"Well, hello then, Harry, Hermione…and congratulations for the upcoming wedding…"
Harry smiled.
"Thanks, George. Hello to all of you." Hermione replied then dragged Harry away to break the tense situation.
The Grangers offered to take Harry to Diagon Alley, then accompanying him to the Dursleys. Even though he had not to go there anymore, he wanted to really enjoy the sake of using magic on them so he wanted to go there for a week to make their life an Hell, as they made his.
In the Wizarding location, Harry wandered a lot of shops asking for a Pensieve, then he finally found a small shop. It was named "Memory's House" and it was the only Pensieve-making shop in all the United Kingdom.
The shopkeeper, a small man with blue eyes and brown hair, measured Harry in a way similar to what Ollivanders had done seven years ago, then he said them to pass and retire the object in an hour.
"Can we go to Flourish and Blotts, in the meanwhile?" Hermione asked, giving him her best pleading look.
He melted in her cinnamon eyes and nodded.
"How can I say no to you, love?" he whispered softly, while taking her arm and leading her out to the library. The found there a book on how to prepare the perfect wedding for each couple and Hermione got excited. Harry chuckled and bought it.
She beamed at him, then they went to retire the Pensieve.
"It is 90 Galleons" the shopkeeper said then added "but for you, Mr. Potter, it is 60."
Harry protested, wanting to pay the real price, but the shopkeeper was stubborn.
"With all what you did for us, this is only fair we do something for you when we can."
Harry sighed and paid the sixty Galleons, giving him a Wizarding cheque from Gringott's.
***
That night, at the Dursleys, Harry remained awake, reliving the night of the battle in his head. Every now and then he passed his wand on his head, retrieving the silver substance of the memories, and putting it in the bowl.
Next morning, Harry was called by his Aunt Petunia to cook breakfast. He smirked and took his wand, then went downstairs to the kitchen. He entered and waved his wand some times, moving the pan to fry the eggs and the bacon, the coffeepot and the teapot on the fires. Then he lit them and after few minutes he brought the breakfast to the terrified Dursleys.
"What are you doing? You can't do that here. You're going to be in troubles, Potter." Vernon shouted, his face purple.
"You're wrong. I can, now. So, be nice and I'll be nice to all of you. Insult me, my parents or my friends once, and you'll beg to not be born."
Dudley laughed and said: "You can't do anything with that stick of yours, Potter. You're a freak as your parents." One moment later, Dudley was transfigured in a very fat pig.
Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon shouted, insulting him again.
"I'd alerted you. Furnunculus! Eat Slug!" he cried quickly and Petunia started scratching her face furiously, while Vernon was vomiting slugs on the floor.
One week later, Harry woke up late, as nobody of the Dursleys dared speak to him again, and took his trunk downstairs. He entered the kitchen and ate all he wanted.
"I'm leaving and this final. You won't see me again, and I suppose you'll be very happy of this. Of course not so much as me not seeing you. I had not to come here this week, but I wanted to give you a glance of what living in a Hell is, as I did for all my life but the months I was at Hogwarts. Adieu."
He left the room, grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage, then he Disapparated.
Moments later a soft knock was heard on the Granger's door, and Hermione ran to open it. She found herself before Harry and enveloped him in a bear hug.
"Harry! I missed you so much this week! How are you?"
"Never been better. I scared the life out of them there, this time." He replied smiling.
Hermione scowled, but when he said her what he did to them, she couldn't help to laugh with him. Then she led him to his room, which was communicating with hers, then she helped him settling his things there. She saw the Pensieve.
"Have you not already sent it?"
"No, I wanted to let you see it before" she nodded and took her wand, swirling the silver liquid thing and immediately feeling pulled in it.
After she experienced that, Harry packed it and wrote a short note to the Weasleys.
"Dear Ginny,
this is a Pensieve I made with
the memories of that night. I
want to show it to your parents,
but maybe it is better if you are
the one giving it to them.
See you soon,
Harry"
He tied it to Hedwig's leg with the package and the owl flew away toward the Burrow.
Harry and Hermione enjoyed the day, waiting for the Grangers' arrival for dinner. They started planning the wedding, writing the guest list and starting choosing the groomsmen and the bridesmaids. Then it was the time for the best man and the maid of honour.
"I think Ginny would be happy to be your maid of honour, Hermione. However we need to wait to see how the Weasleys react to the Pensieve." Harry said.
"Yeah, you're right. So, who have you chosen to be the best man?"
"I really don't know. I'm undecided between Remus, Hagrid and Mr. Weasley."
"Well, Remus is the last Marauder, so maybe he would be ok, he still represents a link to your father and Sirius."
"I know, but Hagrid had been my first friend and without him I would not be here now. And Mr. Weasley is like a father to me…"
"Well, in the meanwhile let's write the invitations, then we will decide before sending them."
Harry nodded and kissed her softly on her forehead.
***
Ginny found Hedwig on her bed with the letter and the package when she returned from outside, before lunch. She opened it eagerly and then unwrapped the Pensieve. She entered it, and was overwhelmed by all what she witnessed.
When she came out of it, she cried again on her brother. She was still sore for the loss, but especially after what she saw, she knew Harry had no choice.
"I'll show this to them this night, after dinner" she thought and put the bowl in a secret drawer in her bedroom.
When the time came, she brought the bowl downstairs.
"Mum, Dad. This was sent by Harry today. He ask you to look at it."
"Can't he leave us in peace? Throw it away, Ginny."
"No, Dad. You have to see it. I did and I assure you it will explain many things."
Mrs.Weasley took the bowl, placed it on the table and started swirling it. She was pulled in it.
Molly found herself in the Gryffindor common room.
When he went in he saw Ron and Hermione kissing on a couch - his heart sank. She seemed to be enjoying it…
But, a moment later, he heard her screaming: "What are you doing, Ron? You know I don't like you! Leave me alone! Leave me!"
Molly was disgusted with her son forcing a kiss to a girl, especially Hermione. Then she found herself in the Hospital Wing, with Harry.
As Harry lay sleepless, aching from the potion Madam Pomfrey gave him, the Gryffindors were cheering the victors in the Common Room.
Ron had decided to try again with Hermione. After all the others had gone to bed, he sidled up to Hermione, who was reading on a couch, and kissed her again on the lips.
In the hospital wing, Harry sat up suddenly, his scar throbbing weakly. He had a clear vision of what was happening to Hermione and immediately knew what to do to stop it. He concentrated fiercely…
All of a sudden, in the common room, Ron flew against the wall and was stunned.
Molly shook her head at her son's behaviour, and then the memory faded and she was now in the manor, in the hall before the door of the main room. She then saw Harry opening it, and then Ron near Lord Voldemort, with Draco Malfoy.
"Ron! What are you doing there?" Harry exclaimed
"Is it not obvious, Potter? He is one of my servants…one of the two apprentices I have trained this year and a half…" answered Voldemort.
"Surely you didn't think I would have watched you taking Hermione from me without doing something? She belongs to ME, Harry…and you'll die for having taken her…" Ron commented, smirking.
"You're crazy, Ron! I'm not a trophy, I'm a person, and I decide who I love! I don't love you…I love Harry…I have always loved him…" Hermione cried out.
Molly was shocked. Ron was really allied with Voldemort. The robe was not something to trick them.
She witnessed the battle, until…
Ron had somehow managed to bind her to a wall, and was by now forcing a kiss on her, while his hands were roaming over her body. Just as he was about to cup her breasts, Harry yelled out:
"You are no better than scum! And I let you to be my best friend…die, filthy evil traitor!!" Harry's sword sliced Ron's body, from head to toe. His former best friend fell on the floor, cut in two.
Molly started crying again for the loss of Ron, but she understood why Harry had to do that. He was allied with Voldemort, and was trying to rape Hermione.
Then the room faded, and the Gryffindor common room appeared. Harry and Hermione were there.
"Can you imagine if all this would be happened out of school? He could have been another Wormtail. I had complete faith in him…and he betrayed me, us, in this way! But maybe we could have done something more to understand him, to help him…" he was discussing with Hermione one evening, in the common room. She nodded sadly, and snuggled near him, tears slowly running down her cheeks.
Mrs.Weasley exited the Pensieve still crying. Mr. Weasley went to comfort her.
"I'll kill that boy as soon as I see him. Can't he leave our family alone? Why he has to cause us pain?" he muttered, but Mrs. Weasley stopped him.
"No, dear. Don't speak about Harry this way before you see his memories."
"I won't give him the satisfaction to ruin our family anymore. I'll throw this Pensieve away now." he said.
"No, you won't. You'll use it and you'll see all of that as I did." Mrs.Weasley commanded, and her husband finally gave up, and entered the Pensieve.
He saw the same things she had seen and exited as shocked as his wife. The twins and Percy were looking at them not knowing what to expect.
"We really need to apologize to Harry" Arthur finally whispered after moments which seemed hours.
The twins grinned and went to the Pensieve to see what it contained. Finally, the Weasleys were all convinced that Ron was guilty and Harry had no choice.
***
Mrs. Granger prepared a wonderful dinner for them, roasted potatoes, chicken salad and steaks and finally an Apple pie.
Harry was very hungry so he ate a lot, then he helped to wash the dishes even if Mrs. Granger said him to rest. After dinner all of the chatted happily, then Harry and Hermione went to review their invitations for the wedding.
In them it was written:
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Granger
Request the honour of your presence
At the wedding of their daughter
Hermione Jane Granger
With
Harry James Potter
The ceremony will take place on
Saturday, August the 10th, at 4 p.m.
At Potter's Manor,
Godric's Hollow, Wales.
Plus, the chosen groomsmen, the best man and the bridesmaids were to receive the request to participate the ceremony.
We would like to have you to participate to our wedding, as groomsmen/bridesmaids; please, reply as soon as possible; here there is a list of the planned couplings for the ceremony:
Best Man: Remus Lupin
Maid of Honour: Anne Grace Granger
Couple #1: Neville Longbottom/Ginny Weasley
Couple #2: Fred Weasley/Alicia Spinnet
Couple #3: George Weasley/ Angelina Johnson
Couple #4: Dean Thomas/ Parvati Patil
Couple #5: Seamus Finnegan/ Lavender Brown
Couple #6: Oliver Wood/ Katie Bell
Hermione seemed quite satisfied with the invitations, so they went to bed, ready to "put the wheels in motion" for their wedding, for the dream of their life.