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Duel of the Hearts by Eternal Fire
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Duel of the Hearts

Eternal Fire

Harry had been hoping that there wouldn't too much backlash from his wedding announcement, but he should have known better. Hermione was pretty much left alone, but he was a completely different story. For the entire week, he was hounded by girls left and right - despite Hermione's warning. They begged him to say that he wasn't getting married, and that they'd do anything to make him reconsider. Harry merely stated that he was already taken and politely declined. It appeared to be working, but not everyone accepted that answer.

"Oh, come on, Harry, don't tell me you're really going through with this."

Harry had been on his way to Sirius' class when he'd been stopped by Missy O'Connell. She was a Slytherin, and - before Cassandra came around - the most sought-after girl in Hogwarts. However, she also had the reputation of being a rather 'loose' girl.

"I'm sorry, Missy, but I'm quite serious about this. I'm in love with Hermione, and she is going to be my wife. I'm not interested in you or anyone else."

"I'm sure there's something I can do to make you change your mind," she cooed and batted her lashes at him.

Harry backed away from her, and the entire hallway followed his movements.

"Missy, one last time, leave me alone! I'm saying this for your sake as well! Trust me, you don't want to get Hermione mad at you."

"He's right about that, Missy," Lavender confirmed as she came around the corner.

"Trust me, you don't want to see Hermione pissed at you; she'll hex you into next year if she thinks you're messing with Harry."

Lavender stepped in front of Harry and glared at the annoying Slytherin.

"Harry, go on, I'll deal with 'little miss priss' here. I'd hate to see you break your promise of not hexing girls."

"Thanks Lavender, I owe you one."

Harry quickly made his exit as Lavender held her ground.

"That was a mistake," Missy growled. Lavender just shook her head.

"Don't you get it already?" She turned her head to look at all the girls staring at her.

"You…all of you…you all lost the battle for Harry a long time ago so why are you making fools of yourselves. Harry Potter's been out of reach for the last two years. Your precious trophy is not available anymore so deal with it!" Lavender shouted and stormed off after Harry, leaving several of her classmates looking down at the ground ashamed of their actions.

The night before the wedding finally arrived, and Harry's mind was on full meltdown. Between his studies and all the stupid questions he'd been asked about the wedding, he was absolutely exhausted. It wasn't just the wedding or his classmates either. The press had gotten a hold of his wedding announcement as well, and every reporter from the Daily Prophet to Wizard Snitch wanted a piece of him.

That was all over with though; all the preparations were complete thanks to Hagrid and Dumbledore. Right now, he had a date with Hermione and her parents for dinner.

Harry apparated into Dumbledore's house, and Mathis was there to greet him. He owed his headmaster a huge thanks when this year was over. Hermione had come here about an hour earlier because she wanted to talk to her parents.

"Good evening, Harry, how are tonight?"

"Hello Mathis, nice to see you."

"Miss Granger and her parents are in the dining room down the hall. Please go ahead; dinner will be ready shortly."

"Thank you."

Harry entered the dining hall, and he was captivated by the large crystal chandelier hanging overhead - not the mention the plush velvet carpet on the floor. A large mahogany table was in the center of the room, and Hermione and her parents were already seated.

"Harry!" Hermione said happily and ran into his arms.

"I missed you, Herm," he sighed and buried his face in her hair.

"Missed you too," she murmured into his chest.

"It's nice to see you again, Harry," John Granger said warmly.

The young wizard released his fiancé, and the couple sat down across from her parents.

"You look tired, son," Melinda said, noting how raggedy Harry's face look.

"I am. I had no idea planning a wedding could be so stressful."

"Oh, my poor Harry," Hermione said and stroked his hair, "he's been like a target this week, and people have shot at him at least twenty times a day."

"It's all right; it's well worth it," and he clasped her hand tightly.

Harry then turned to face her parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I'm sorry that you can't attend the wedding tomorrow, but if I'm correct, the ceremony is going to come under attack, and I don't want you to be hurt. Plus, the two of you are supposed to be dead, and it would be rather strange if you just showed up. I promise you, sir, you will get to walk Hermione down the aisle - for real!"

"I know that, Harry, and I appreciate what you've done for Hermione and for us," John Granger replied.

"Harry…can I ask you something?" Hermione cut in.

"Sure, what is it?"

"I've just realized this recently, and I'm not sure why I didn't notice it sooner. Why is it that no one has asked you about how you defeated Voldemort last year? I mean, didn't you use the phoenix to kill him? Why hasn't anybody asked you about that?"

"Ah, I see you finally realized it; that's my ace in the hole. You see, no one remembers seeing me use the phoenix; in fact, they don't know it even exists."

"What? But every student in Hogwarts saw you use it. How come nobody knows?"

"Well…you remember that celebration ball we had the end of last year. Dumbledore decided that it would be better if everyone forgot about my phoenix. So, he cast a memory charm on everyone to make them forget what they saw and heard. They remember that I defeated Voldemort, but they don't remember exactly how I did it. Even the press didn't know the truth. The only people who know are Dumbledore, Fudge, Sirius, and you. Plus, you've actually seen my phoenix anyway."

"That's why I didn't see any articles about it; I just thought the ministry covered it up or something."

"You could say that, but it gives me an advantage over Cassandra. She doesn't know about it and neither do the Malfoys. I'm hoping that it won't come to that, but if I have to, I will use it."

"Harry…you don't honestly think that you're going to have to kill her, do you?" Hermione asked fearfully.

"I don't know, I just don't know! I've tried to reason with her - both with words and with action, but she doesn't let up. I would much rather send her to Azkaban for a very long time, but Hermione, so help me, if she threatens your life one more time…"

The torches on the wall flickered violently, and their flames rose up to almost two feet in length. Harry's eyes blazed in the candlelight, and John and Melinda Granger were almost scared at the power radiating from the young man. They may have been muggles, but they could still see the aura that he was emitting.

"Harry…don't worry…I know it won't come to that," Hermione said soothingly, and his power instantly dwindled back to normal with her touch.

"I hope so, Herm."

Thankfully, dinner was finally ready, and the food appeared on all their plates in a matter of seconds. Harry settled into a brooding silence as he picked at his food, and Melinda Granger felt her heart go out to him. She started talking to Hermione about much more casual matters, and the two women slowly worked Harry into the conversation. At first, he wasn't very talkative, but eventually, the frown left his face, and he began to smile as they all laughed at a joke together.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country, a trio slowly made their way through an underground tunnel. One of them pulled a hidden latch, and a doorway opened ahead of them.

Lucius and Draco Malfoy emerged into their mansion with Cassandra Cross right behind them. The wall they had just come through slid back into place, and they sat down.

"What imbeciles, do they really think we'd sit around here waiting for them?" Lucius growled.

He'd deliberately waited until the Aurors had left the area surrounding his mansion before he had returned; they were off on a wild goose chase.

"You're definitely a hard man to catch, Lucius," Cassandra chuckled and threw her blond hair back.

"Their tactics are so predictable; it's a joke!"

"Where do we go from here?" Draco asked.

"Why don't we ask Miss Cross that question? I'm sure she's heard about Potter's wedding tomorrow. Just what do you plan to do?"

"I refuse to allow that bushy-haired bitch to marry him; I'll kill both of them if I have to. If I can't have Harry, then no one will!"

"But how do plan to defeat him? He did defeat Voldemort last year, and you're nowhere near his level of magic. However…" Lucius sneered and walked over to the wall.

"Just what are you doing, father?"

Lucius slid aside a painting and opened a hidden safe. Reaching inside, he drew out a golden amulet. Turning around, he tossed the trinket over to Cassandra.

"What is this?" It was solid gold and had a large glowing ruby in the center of it.

"That is the Amulet of Minerva; it increases your magical capacity by a factor of five!"

"What? Father, why are giving that to her? Why don't you use it?"

"Be silent, boy, I would use it if I could."

"Just why can't you?" Cassandra asked curiously.

"That amulet may only be used by a woman; its power will not respond to a man."

"Interesting…this will be very useful."

"Don't be sorry I gave it you, girl, or I will slit your throat myself!" Lucius growled.

"Not even Harry will stand a chance against me with this!" and the amulet glowed with power in her hands.

"This is where our partnership ends, Cross. From here on, you're on your own!"

"We had an agreement, Malfoy, don't you dare betray me now!" she hissed at him.

"Don't make me laugh," he snickered, "you wouldn't have even known where to start without me. As for our agreement, I have my own score to settle with Potter, and I will do it my way. Now, get out!"

Cassandra stood up, and she sneered at the two men.

"You better pray that we don't meet again, Lucius."

"That goes both ways."

With that, Cassandra headed back into the hidden passage and away from the mansion.

"Father, are you sure it was wise to give her that amulet? What if she comes after you after she kills Potter?" His father just laughed.

"You stupid boy, do you really think I'd give her something that would make her five times more powerful? That amulet is a fake! That girl will think she's all-powerful, and Potter will crush her into the ground."

Lucius reached into his robes and drew out a glowing, green orb.

"Now this, Draco, is something that is quite real; this will truly enhance your magical powers," he almost cackled.

"What is that? I've never that…wait a minute…isn't that…"

"The Orb of Slytherin. It holds magic from the great Salazar Slytherin himself; with this, I will finish Harry Potter and that annoying Albus Dumbledore in one fail swoop. Come Draco, we have plans to make for tomorrow."

The young man eagerly followed his father. At last, he was going to see Harry Potter put in his place. Tomorrow would be a day that he would never forget!

Harry and Hermione returned to Hogwarts late that evening, and they both did several, small last-minute preparations for the following day. When Harry entered his room, Hedwig was sitting on her perch with a note attached to her leg. Harry stroked her feathers to thank her and untied the parchment.

Harry,

Everything is in place for tomorrow. I know this isn't easy for you to go through again, but I know that you will be fine. Rest well tonight, my boy.

Dumbledore

Harry felt a lot of his stress drain from his body and muscles as he read the note, and he changed his clothes for bed.

A few minutes later, his door opened, and Hermione came in. She was wearing the flannel pajamas that he loved so much, and he was already in bed waiting for her. She crawled under the covers and wrapped herself around him.

"Hermione, thank you, for putting up with all of this. I'm not the best boyfriend in the world, am I?"

"Don't be silly, of course you are. Harry, for the last time, this isn't your fault. We're together because we love each other - period! Tomorrow will come and go, but you and I will still be together. Nobody can change that - not Cassandra, not Malfoy, no one!"

"You're right, Herm, I'm sorry. I sound like such an idiot."

"Nah, you're just worried about everyone but yourself; that's why I'm here - to beat some sense into you."

Harry pulled her tighter against him and kissed her deeply.

"You are something else, Miss Granger, and I wouldn't have you any other way."

"Deal with it, lover, you're stuck with me."

"I love you, Hermione Granger," and he kissed with all the depth in his soul.

They left each other breathless, and she laid her head against his chest.

"I love you too, Harry Potter," and their lights went out.

A few minutes passed by, and Harry's eyes began to close when he saw Hermione staring up at him.

"By the way, love?"

"Yes, what is it, sweetheart?" She smiled brilliantly at him.

"My name is Hermione Potter."

Author's Notes: Well guys, I know I promised you the wedding this chapter, but it would have taken another week to get my update done. Now, I have the transition finished and can focus on the action coming up. As for why I haven't updated for a while, I've been busy. For people who know or don't know my work, I write fics for several different series - from Anime to Video Games to Books. Sometimes, I'm writing four or five stories at a time! I'll get an inspiration for one and just spend a week working on that story! I have a lot of work in progress and am doing my best to accommodate all my readers. So please, I ask you to bare with me. I love this trilogy and want it done right, but I can't force my writing. It would destroy my story. I promise to have the wedding up soon. Thanks a lot everybody.