Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N - With this chapter, I will warn you, it goes against PORTKEY.ORG shipping. It has R/Hr in it, but that's only to make this story believable with H/Hr. To have H/Hr believable, I think you have to work through the R/Hr. There won't be any real big scenes between R/Hr except one in this chapter. Just a warning, in case I get angry reviews (the story will turn H/Hr, trust me!)

CHAPTER THREE

A Wedding Like No Other

On Avalon Lane, in the little town of Crewkerne, Somerset, a rather pleasant sized house stood. Lights were on in the dining room, and the kitchen, where the owners of this house were finishing their dinner.

In a secluded part of town, the brick house was very clean, with a course emerald lawn, maroon shingled roof, and a broad beech tree in the front yard. An attractive navy blue blue car stood in the drive, with a bumper sticker reading `Got Teeth? Thank your Dentist!'

The weather here was warm, with a light breeze swaying the beech tree slightly, as the sun began its slow crawl towards the horizon to end the day, painting the sky scarlet, gold, and many shades in between. The backyard of this house, enclosed by a nice wooden fence, was large and spacious. Two birch trees stood there, one hanging a swing from its lowest branch. The outdoor lights were off, and no one inside the house had noticed that three people had just appeared out of nowhere.

Hermione walked to the backdoor of her house, and tapped on the window. A tall chestnut haired man appeared at the window, smiled cheerfully at Hermione, and opened the door. Harry knew it was Hermione's dad, however at the moment, he was admiring their backyard.

This is a backyard he wished for on Privet Drive. It seemed Hermione's house was a little outside whatever town it was in, and had the space to spare. The lawn, the smell in the air telling Harry it was recently cut, was a calm and quiet ocean of green. The house, which was larger than Privet Drive by a bedroom or two, Harry also admired. He looked at the deck in the back, then realized after in his oggling of his surroundings, he was standing alone. Hermione invited Professor Flitwick in already, and was looking at Harry, edging closer to him, keeping the door open.

`Aren't you coming in Harry? My parents wanted to say hello' she said. Harry moved onto the deck, and entered the house, Hermione following.

The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside. The door entered into the kitchen, which had all wood cabinets, with brass handles, and was very clean. He knew Aunt Petunia would approve, since she almost religiously kept her house clean, especially the kitchen. Harry moved forward into the dining room, past a nice maple wood table with matching chairs, and into the sitting room.

Here, Harry found Professor Flitwick sitting, his legs hanging off the edges of a nice leather chair, talking to Hermione's parents. Harry had seen them at Kings Cross before, however never really met them. Hermione's father was tall, with chestnut hair, hazel eyes, and nicely white teeth. He wore thin rimmed glasses, and seemed very relaxed with his cup of tea, while sitting on a couch next to Mrs. Granger. He was talking to the Professor about how Hermione was doing, while Mrs. Granger listened.

Hermione looked very much like her mother. She was shorter than Hermione, but had the same brown, slightly frizzled, but curly hair, and brown eyes. She was listening to Professor Flitwick talk about Hermione doing excellent in charms, when she looked up and smiled at Harry.

`Hello Harry. Please, come and sit down.' She motioned to a nice armchair near the fireplace, which stood dormant and the moment, and Harry sat down. Professor Flitwick continued to talk with Mr. Granger, and Hermione had sat down next to her mother on the couch.

The sitting room was also very amiable to Harry. A painting above the fireplace was of the coast, with a lighthouse shining its light on the ocean. There was a nice wooden table in the middle of the room, where 5 cups and a teapot sat. Hermione must have told her parents that she was coming back later with Harry and Professor Flitwick. Hermione poured some tea for the three of them, while her mother talked to Harry.

`I can't believe we haven't talked to you before. Hermione has told us a lot about you. She sent us a note about what happened with Professor Dumbledore. How are you coping? Thank you dear.' She took the cup of tea that Hermione was offering, and sat back to take a sip, watching Harry. Harry took his, thanking Hermione, and took a sip.

He could tell Hermione was not too pleased with her mother asking the question, giving Harry a sorrowful expression. Hermione looked to change the subject, but Harry gave a slight shake of his head he was sure only she noticed. He felt he needed to be able to speak about this, and not try to forget it happened. He didn't want to run away from this issue, but face it. He finished his sip, and only after putting the cup back down, realized that Professor Flitwick and Mr. Granger had finished their conversation, and were now looking, along with Hermione and Mrs. Granger, at him. He wished he did not put his cup down.

`I'm doing OK.' He found his mouth had become dry, his mind blank, and the ability to speak was lost abruptly. He realized it was too soon to talk about this, and looked at Hermione while reaching for his cup of tea again, hoping she would see his wantingness to now change the subject. She turned quickly to Professor Flitwick, and broke the silence, to the relief of Harry.

`What do you think will happen to Hogwarts Professor?' she asked. She glanced back at Harry, giving a small smile, and looked to Professor Flitwick.

`Well, the teachers are unsure at the moment. We must wait for the decision of the governors' he replied, as he took another sip of his tea, and put down his empty cup.

`Well, thank you very much Brian, and to you Amelia. Mr. Potter and I must be off. I hope to be seeing you again.' Mr. Granger stood up, as did Professor Flitwick, sliding off the chair slightly. He shook Mr. Granger's hand, and did the same to Mrs. Granger. Hermione waved good-bye, and Professor Flitwick motioned Harry back to the backyard.

Harry stood up, with Mrs. Granger and Hermione standing as well, and made his way to the back door. The Granger's followed him to the back, and he turned back at the doorway. `Thank you for the tea Mr. and Mrs. Granger' said Harry pleasantly. Hermione smiled at him, and looked to her parents.

`You're welcome Harry. I'm sure we will be seeing each other again' Mrs. Granger said, giving Harry a nice light handshake.

`Take care Harry' came from Mr. Granger, as Harry shared a handshake with him as well. He walked through the doorway onto the deck, and heard the door close behind him. He was not alone on the deck however, for when he turned to see the Grangers in the window of the door, Hermione was standing there, turning around from the closed door. Once she saw the look of confusion on Harry's face, she slouched her shoulders and tilted her head slightly.

`I'm just coming to say goodbye' she put simly. She came to Harry's side, and they walked towards the underneath of the nearest tree, where Professor Flitwick was waiting.

`Just take care of yourself, alright Harry? If there's any problems, owl someone, OK?' she said timidly. She was trying to look calm, but Harry knew her well enough to see she was concerned, much like on the train. They stopped a few metres from Professor Flitwick, so they were out of earshot.

`Don't worry Hermione. The protection should be alright until my birthday. I'm more worried about you. If there's any problems, don't try and fight OK? Get your parents, and Apperate as quickly as possible, OK?' he said. Hermione looked to her house again, stopping on the kitchen light, and nodded.

`I admit,' she said, `I am concerned about my parents, but Professor McGonagall talked to me on the train about some things. It should be alright, but don't worry Harry, I'll be careful. I'll owl you in a few days, alright?' she reassured quietly. Harry agreed, and they slowly embraced each other in their third hug of the day.

Harry found he liked this hug more than the others. The first one that day was surprising and felt odd. The second was better because he knew it was coming, but it was brief. This hug however, held more feeling to him. He never realized how Hermione made him feel more at ease when they hugged. He could feel her warmth sweep over him, and it filled him with a sense of peace and happiness. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled a warm scent of honeysuckle from her hair, causing him to feel even more peaceful and content.

He felt more than alright to stay there, hugging Hermione in her backyard, however he knew he had to return to Privet Drive. Grudgingly, he let go, and was surprised to feel that Hermione was still holding on. He moved his arms to try and show that he needed to go, but she did not budge, and in fact, held on tighter.

`Be careful Harry, please' he heard from his shoulder, were a large amount of brown hair hid Hermione's face. Harry could tell she was crying. He felt, much like Hermione no doubt did, that this parting was hard. It reminded him of the last time he saw Sirius, with the same feeling of foreboding and unknowingness. Harry gave another tight squeeze to Hermione, and gently pried her arms off, and looked at her face determinately. When he did, he found she had tears flowing down her cheeks, and her eyes were slightly puffy.

`I'll be fine, and you will be too, alright? Everything will be fine' affirmed Harry. He hoped it was enough for Hermione at the time, and was glad to see her nodding in agreement. Harry was as worried and scared of what was to come, but he understood she was looking for reassurance. Harry knew if he sounded confident in his words, she would feel better. He of course would have talked to her about it more, however Professor Flitwick was waiting, and not about to do so for a while.

Hermione leaned over, and gave Harry a kiss on his cheek. He felt himself blush slightly, and smiled back at Hermione, noticing she too had flushed cheeks, and turned towards Professor Flitwick. When he reached the underneath of the tree, Harry turned back to see Hermione standing on the deck, waving goodbye. Professor Flitwick grabbed his wrist calmly, and looked up.

`OK Mr. Potter, now you will guide me. Have you done this before?' Harry did not need reminding of this, since it was with Dumbledore he had done this last, so he decided to simply nod.

`Very well, on the count of three,' Harry waved back up to Hermione, and she went to the door. She waited in the doorway, still looking at the two of them.

`One' Harry thought hard of the backyard at Privet Drive. `Two' Harry thought harder, seeing the backyard in his mind. `Three!' And with a twist of his body, he heard the usual crack, and felt the usual siphoning feeling of Apparating, Professor Flitwick bumping into him along the way.

Hermione continued to look at the spot under the tree, arms folding in front of herself, and only responded a few seconds later after her mother called for her. She wiped her eyes quickly intended not to show she cried, turned, and closed the door behind her.

*

Harry's two weeks at Privet Drive proved to be very different than his usual summers. Most times, he would be stuck in his room, or roaming around the neighborhood, with the usual odd comments from the other residents. This time, he found himself purposely spending a lot of time in his room, and the backyard.

For the first few days, Harry was very depressed. The loss of Dumbledore shocked him, and until now, he spent little time to reflect on it. The quick break up with Ginny did not help lift the weight on his heart. He knew he did it for the best, however he liked what they had, even for the short amount of time it existed. More than a few times he wished he could be back in the Gryffindor common room with Ginny, sitting in front of the fire. If he had the real choice, he wouldn't have given it up.

Now that he was alone, he found himself sleeping almost lethargically, waking up, and simply lying in bed staring at the ceiling, his mind blank and dreary. He would get up eventually, but only out of necessity. The reality of never seeing Dumbledore, or having more of those wonderful times with Ginny came to brunt in his solidarity. The feeling of loneliness was overwhelming, and his mind didn't even try to feel better. He felt like he deserved this, as if things were too good before, and now he was paying the price.

After the fourth day, his room in a state of total disorder, he finally decided to focus his feelings towards something positive. By this time, he started feeling depressed about being depressed. He felt that if he did something constructive, it would help him get past this feeling of emptiness, and get his mind off of Dumbledore's death and Ginny. So, he looked around his room, and tried to find a task to consume his time, and make him overcome his misery.

He decided to read up on defense spells and theory. He had more than enough books to read, and learning new spells would be helpful for the future. At first, he felt like he was imitating Hermione, constantly reading in the library. He found he felt better after the first few days, having a purpose to get up when he woke. It also helped that both Hermione and Ron owled him, encouraging him to feel better. He did not tell them about what he had been doing, and it made him feel better that they knew how he felt, without even telling them.

He read in his room, as well as outside, in the backyard, trying to clear his mind and relax while reading. He did not go out on the street unless he had too, because he knew he would be vulnerable. He kept his mind on the Horcruxes as well, but spent his time learning extra spells and jinxes, finding some very interesting and practical.

He kept constant contact with Hermione, Ron, and the Order, which also helped him keep his mind busy. They agreed to go with Harry after school was done, but found it was safer to stay at their separate homes for the time being.

Harry went through large amounts of parchment, and more than enough quills keeping contact with everyone. Hedwig did not mind the first few days, however closer to the end of the two weeks, she was starting to get noticeably tired of the constant traveling. Ron used Pigwidgeon a lot, and Hermione was allowed to use a very polite Barn owl from Hogwarts named Capella, to lighten the load on Hedwig.

Harry also continued to receive copies of the Daily Prophet, to keep notes on any attacks or killings. It was becoming normal for murders and people to go missing these days. Harry was only glad to see that none of the people so far were people he knew. Harry's uncle did not like the constant owls.

His Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had been oddly silent when Harry arrived home, and went into their usual ignoring of Harry. They seemed not to mind Harry's seclusion during the first few days. Dudley, who Harry found out was late coming home from school because of a boxing competition in which he came in second (`That's my boy!' yelled Vernon when Dudley came in the house with his trophy). Dudley had become bulkier, if it was possible, but as always, he was still terrified of Harry.

At the end of supper on his fifth day home, Uncle Vernon turned his chair to Harry as he was finishing his food, which consisted of mixed vegetables and very little meat, and gave him his usual grumpy look.

`Is it true what that old bloke, what was his name, Alpus? Anyways, is it true you are leaving on your birthday?' He tried to pass the question off casually, yet he never asked casual questions, so Harry knew better. He could picture his Uncle drawing up plans for his room once Harry was gone, going along the walls with a measuring tape with a large smile on his face, Petunia in the background dancing with excitement. It angered Harry a little that he called his former headmaster "that old bloke", but he knew he had to work on his control on his anger, and answered.

`Yeah, it's true. I'll be leaving on July 30th. I'm going to a wedding before hand though, in about 1 1/2 weeks' said Harry. He had not mentioned the wedding to any of them before now. His Aunt looked at him for a second, then continued with her supper. Uncle Vernon on the other hand laughed, and took a ldeep drink of his water.

`A wedding? Do your kind do that?' he chuckled. Harry could feel himself getting angry. He noticed his right hand had started shaking, so he put down his fork, and placed his hand on his lap, hoping to calm himself down. The way his uncle always thought of wizards as a different species sometimes made Harry wish to jinx him back to the previous week. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and surprisingly found himself reminded of the night he hugged Hermione. He found his anger fade away with the pleasant reminder of the memory, and replied.

`Yes, we do that. My friend Ron's brother is getting married, and I was invited. I'll be gone for 2 days' he explained straightforwardly. He wanted to press the fact that he was going, because whether they said yes or no, he was be going anyway. He never attended a wizard's wedding, or even a muggle wedding, and wondered what it was like. Plus, after the talk with Hermione, he had to make sure the Order members found out the new address for Grimmauld.

He pushed his chair back, put his plate in the sink, and returned to his room, where he left Advanced Practical Defense Magic, and continued reading on ways of countering Petrificus Totalus with non-verbal magic.

*

After going over many defence books, and writing down all the information about Tom Riddle and Horcruxes that Dumbledore showed him during the school year, the day of the wedding finally came. During the weeks, he never experienced a full night's sleep. Nightmares littered the nights, full of the deaths of Cedric, Sirius, and Dumbledore, horcrux-like objects floating just out of reach in perpetual darkness, and empty, ancient looking stone rooms.

Harry found himself eagerly awaiting the day, and merrily woke up early. He gazed out his window to see a beautifully clear summer day, and noticed Hedwig sitting on the windowsill, an envelope in her beak. Harry walked over, pat her on the head, and took the letter. She gave an affectionate nip to his thumb, and went onto her perch in her cage. Harry opened the letter, and found it was from Ron and Hermione. He guessed she had gone to The Burrow already.

Dear Harry,

Ron and Hermione

Harry looked over to his trunk, and laying on top were his dress robes. They were clean, but not even close to pressed. He tried the night before to press them, though he gave up after making more creases than before he started. He figured it could be done by magic, but Mrs. Weasley was the one good at house charms.

He read the clock next to his bed, and noticed it was 8:37am. He got up, had his shower, and dressed in regular clothes. He headed downstairs, with his dress robes and some extra clothes in his bag, and his wand in his pocket. He made a final check to make sure he had everything, and sat down at the kitchen table waiting anxiously. His Uncle, Aunt, and Dudley were still sleeping, since it was Saturday. They usually got up at 9am, so he was pleased to notice he would not see them.

He looked at the clock above the stove, and saw it was 8:58am. They would be here in 2 minutes. Harry figured they would be Apparating that morning. He hoped they wouldn't take Floo Powder, because of the incident that happened last time, involving four Weasley's completely destroying the sitting room, and causing Dudley's tongue to lengthen by about four feet. Just as he smiled remembering Fred and George's laughter afterwards, there was a loud crack in the backyard. Harry stood up, and moved to the window above the sink.

In the backyard, Mr. Weasley, Ron, and Hermione suddenly appeared, and walked towards the house. Hermione knocked on the back door, and Harry remembered to ask them questions to make sure they were who they looked like.

`Harry? Are you in there? We're here to get you for the wedding.' Mr. Weasley was half-yelling at the closed door, reminding Harry of Colin Creevey on the Hogwarts Express. Harry went to the window at the door, and looked through. The three on the other side smiled back, and pointed at the door to open it.

`I have to ask you the questions.' He had made it clear in his letters from the day before that he would ask each of them one question that only they would know. Mr. Weasley was first, followed by Ron, and then Hermione.

`Mr. Weasley, what did you warn me about in on Platform 9 3/4 in my third year?' Harry remembered the rather rushed conversation; Mr. Weasley told Harry not to go looking for Sirius, who at the time he didn't know was his godfather. Mr. Weasley squinted slightly, and moved closer to the window.

`I told you not to go looking for Sirius. Right lot it helped, you looked anyways!' he replied. He smiled, and moved over for Ron to have his question.

`OK Ron, what did you see in the Mirror of Erised?' He remembered this, because it was the first time he saw his parents, although they were not really there. Ron turned rather red, looked behind him, moved close to the window, and spoke quietly, hoping his dad and Hermione would not hear.

`I saw myself as Head Boy, and Quidditch Captain. I had the Quidditch Cup, and the House Cup' he mumbled. He moved back, and smiled to Harry. Harry smiled back, knowing this was the correct answer, and now Hermione moved forward.

`Alright Hermione, why did Cho get mad at me on Valentine's Day in Hogsmede during fifth year?' He remembered this day, because Hermione arranged Rita Skeeter to write about the night Voldemort came back. He remembered he talked to Hermione about Cho that day.

`Because you're tactless. To be specific, it was because you said you were coming to see me, which made her upset' she stated matter of factly, looking up, and smiling at Harry. Harry unlocked the door, and the three of them entered the kitchen.

`All set Harry?' Mr. Weasley asked, looking at his watch, then around the room, no doubt admiring the objects.

`We can't take too much time. Molly will have my head if I'm not back quickly.' He turned, and suddenly became transfixed on Aunt Petunia's new blender sitting on the counter.

`oo!' he said, moving towards it. `This is one of those blunders, right Harry?!' he guessed excitedly. Harry knew all too well of Mr. Weasley's fascination with muggle objects. He also knew that they had to get going before waking his aunt and uncle.

`It's a blender Mr. Weasley, but we should get going' said Harry quickly. Mr. Weasley quickly snapped back to the present, muttered `right, right, right', and made his way back into the backyard, motioning the rest to join him. Harry picked up his bag, and closed the door behind him, locking it along the way. The four of them moved to the far side of the yard, and turned towards each other.

`Alright Harry, we're Apparating back to The Burrow. Just think of the yard in front of the house. I hope Molly hasn't put the tent up yet, otherwise we might get a little tangled. OK, grab hold of each other, very good. Now, on the count of three.' He looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who all nodded at the same time.

`One,' Harry noticed Ron had closed his eyes, and was screwing up his face in deep thought. Harry smiled, and looked over to Hermione, who was also suppressing her laughter. `Two,' Harry thought hard of The Burrow, seeing the front lawn in front of the garden. `Three!' With a quick turn, and with Ron and Hermione bumping into him, he felt the usual siphoning of Apparating. After only a few seconds, his feet hit hard Earth, and he looked up at the house, which seemed to be held up by magic.

`Arthur! Arthur, are you back! We need some help with the tables here!' The shout, who Harry knew came from Mrs. Weasley, originated from a white tent set up next to the house. Mr. Weasley gave a sigh, waved bye to the three of them, and headed off towards the tent. Ron, Hermione, and Harry then made their way towards the front door, but where suddenly stopped by a fiery-red haired girl.

`I wouldn't go in there if I was you,' she said darkly, looking up at the three of them, her eyes stopping on Harry. Harry looked at her, and controlled his wantingness to hug and kiss her like he did in the Gryffindor common room only a few months ago.

`Why? We were only gone for a few minutes?' asked Ron, looking thoroughly confused at his sister Ginny. Ginny smiled at Hary, and looked at Ron.

`The chef's arrived from France, and they are horribly bossy. Can't get a glass of pumpkin juice without having a meat cleaver being thrown at you' she quipped. Harry looked at the kitchen window, and noticed mountains of steam, and what looked like smoke, billowing out of the open windows. Ron seemed agitated with this predicament.

`Well, we need to get inside anyways, before Mom asks us to help with stuff again. Com'on.' He motioned Harry and Hermione to follow his lead, and he moved to the door. Hermione followed Ron past Ginny, yet Harry found himself still standing in front of Ginny.

'Coming mate?' asked Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes, and turned to Ron for a moment, before turning back to Ginny and Harry.

'We'll meet you upstairs, OK Harry?' she stated. Harry was glad she understood, and nodded. Ron gave Hermione a perplexed look as she shoved him through the doorway. Ginny turned back and faced Harry. Harry felt very torn, between running away and snogging her right there and then.

'How are you Harry?' she asked, as she moved towards him, and gave a hug. Harry returned the hug, and squeezed tightly. He had wanted a hug for a while, and this seemed to do nicely. When they separated, Ginny moved and gave him a kiss. Harry quickly backed up, making Ginny's expression change from joyful to confused.

'Harry, I know you want to keep me safe, but isn't it my choice?' she asked, sounding slightly aggressive. Harry felt this was coming. When he first returned to Privet Drive, there's nothing he would have wanted more than Ginny to be there with him. Now, after realizing the tasks ahead of him, he knew Ginny would be at even more danger than he originally thought.

'Ginny, you can't. It's-'

'Too dangerous? Harry, I can take the risk if I want to! I can take care of myself!' she stormed. Harry didn't feel like arguing, however he could see Ginny didn't want to go without one.

'No you can't Ginny. It's just like I told you at the funeral. If Voldemort-'

'I thought you just needed some space for a while, I didn't know you meant permanently! And what do you mean I can't take care of myself? I can too!'

'No you can't Ginny' Harry put gently. By Ginny's reaction, he didn't put it gently enough.

'What, you think just because I'm a year younger that I can't fight! Do you think I'm poor defenseless Ginny?!' Harry couldn't see how she was getting this.

'Gin, that's-'

'You know what Harry, forget about it! I thought you wouldn't be like that, but I guess I was wrong!' she fumed, turning away and running towards the white tent Mr. Weasley walked into a few minutes ago. Harry watched her go, wishing this was another dream, however realized it sadly wasn't, and slowly made his way into the kitchen. When he opened the door, he could hear a group of men talking very quick French.

Harry walked inside, and found four rather chubby chefs, all in white robes and white chef's hats, doing various cooking at the counters. It seemed to Harry that they had conjured up a few extra chopping tables, as well as two extra stove-like areas to cook on. They seemed not to notice that he entered into the room, and Harry quickly moved to the stairs, and bound up towards Ron's room. Once there, Harry opened the door to find Ron and Hermione looking out the window, looking back at Harry with sadened faces. They must have observed the scene between himself and Ginny. He put his bag down, and found the room in total disarray.

'Are you OK Harry?' Hermione asked. She moved off the windowsill, and looked to sit on Ron's bed. She gave it a migled look of disgust, and placed herself on the small amount of space that was clear of clothes.

'I'm OK. I didn't think she'd do that though' he admited. Ron gave a sigh, and layed down on his bed, disregarding the clothes underneith him.

'Girls, Harry. Sometimes I think it's best not to try and understand what they do' he said with a touch of wisdom that Harry never thought Ron had. Hermione looked back at Harry, who was still standing in the doorway.

'Harry, I'm sure Ginny's just trying to cope with not being with you. Your reasons are sound, but to Ginny it doesn't matter. Don't worry, she'll get over it' Hermione reassured, giving Harry a comforting smile. Harry gave a small smile back, still not feeling good about the events that just transpired.

Harry moved towards the window, and looked out on the garden. He saw Charlie Weasley helping his father with placing chairs on a clear grass strip near the side of the house, with trees branching over. Harry guessed the wedding was happening outside. Looking out the window reminded him now of his dream he had a few weeks ago. He remembered seeing the long wooden log which ended up being Nagini. He still had to tell Ron about it, since he had not managed it yet, but felt now was not the time.

`Who's all coming today?' he asked Ron, after turning away from the window, and sitting down on the windowsill. He wanted to get on a different subject than Ginny. After all, this was a wedding he was going to. He should be happy.

Ron was rummaging through a dresser, evidently looking for something. Harry saw that the inside of the dresser was in more cluttered than the room. Ron gave a sigh, stopped his pointless search, and sat down on the side of the bed opposite from Hermione.

`There's loads of people coming, too many dad says. Lots from the Ministry, some of my brother's friends, and a lot of people from France. Not too sure how many, but there's enough to say a lot' said Ron cheerlessly. He did not seem too happy about it.

`Like I told you, mum's been raving about everything. Getting us all to help out with things that don't matter and such.' Hermione turned, and gave him a disappointed look.

`Well, it's important to your mum. Bill's the first one of her kids to get married. She wants to make sure it's perfect' she emphasized. Harry looked back out the window, and saw that Mr. Weasley and Charlie finished putting up the chairs. Ron was right, there was a large guest list, at least two hundred.

`Yeah, well, when I get married, I definitely don't want anything like this. It's all too much' grumbled Ron, taking a pair of rolled up socks off his bed, and throwing them into the bottom drawer of the dresser. Hermione turned all the way around this time, and faced Ron.

`So what would you like then? Just to institute the spell, and that's it?' she asked hotly. Harry didn't know what she meant exactly. He knew in muggle ceremonies, the husband and wife exchanged rings.

`Well, yeah, basically. None of this preparation or anything. Don't see a point really' said Ron. Hermione disappointed look continued as she glanced around the room. A few moments of odd silence passed, with each of them looking around Ron's very messy room.

`What do you mean by "institute the spell"?' asked Harry, finally breaking the stillness.

`Well, wizard weddings are somewhat like muggle weddings' said Hermione. `They have a best man and bridesmaid, and all the other people. The vows are done the same, except they have the properties of a spell. When the bride and groom say their vows, it completes the spell, and acts on the two of them. It's kinda like binding love in a way. It's old magic.' Harry was interested to see how the spell looked.

`Well, we should get downstairs before mum starts getting mad again' muttered Ron. He got up, as did Hermione, and the three of them went downstairs, and out into the yard. Harry was glad to see that Ginny wasn't around. He did not want a a repeat confrontation.

The three spent most of the afternoon helping outside with the decorations. Harry wanted to do magic, to make the task easier, however decided not too since he was underage. Hermione noticed, and clarified something for Harry when she asked why he wasn't using magic.

`Harry, you do know you can do magic here?' she asked. Harry knew he could do magic, it was the fact that he would get in trouble for doing it. He told this to Hermione, and she shook her head.

`No, you won't get in trouble. Remember Dobby, when you got in trouble before second year? The Ministry can only detect that magic is being done, but not necessarily by who. They only knew it was you, because you are the only wizard that lives on Privet Drive. Out here though,' she pointed to The Burrow, `almost everyone can do magic, so they can't tell the difference between you doing magic, and say, Mr. Weasley' she said beamily.

Harry had not though about it, but it made sense. He thanked Hermione immensely, and tried a Wingardium Leviosa charm on a fairy light, hanging it nicely on a tree branch. He finished, and was delighted to see no owls telling him he had broken the law, and would be banned from Hogwarts. He smiled at Ron and Hermione, and they continued on.

Ron's brothers Fred and George arrived just after lunch, carrying a suspicious looking package. When Ron asked what it was, Fred gave a small smirk, and the twins hid it in their old room. Harry imagined it was a wedding gift, however knowing Fred and George, he knew to stand back when Bill and Fleur open it. He hoped it was not anything too explosive, literally.

Once the decorations were up, it was late in the day, and was time to change into robes. Harry was surprised that so many decorations had been put up in the one day, and was again, thoroughly happy that Hermione told him about using magic, since the job would have taken hours longer without it. He was also greatful that he had not run into Ginny the rest of the day. He looked around before going back inside, and took in the sight.

At least a hundred fairy lights hung from various trees that reached above the chairs, lighting the canopy with a soft amber glow. The aisle was bordered by white trilliums, which lead to a small white stage at the front of the chairs. There was still sunlight in the sky, coloured a pallid blue, but when the reception took place, the fairies would be the only light.

He and Ron walked up to Ron's room together. Hermione left earlier to meet up with Ginny to change, which caused Ron to grumble since they were just in the middle of cleaning the tables, and he and Harry had to finish themselves. Harry got into the room, and found a new set of pressed dress robes, which were black like his Hogwarts ones, with a black vest. Ron told him that his mum must have gone ahead and bought him new robes, since his other set as a little too small now. Once dressed, he saw Ron also received new robes, which were black with a silver vest.

`Mum had a separate vault with money saved up for things like a wedding, so she got me new robes too. Not too bad, don't you think?' he said, straightening his tie in the mirror. He turned to look at his back quickly, smiled up at Harry, and the two nicely dressed gentlement headed downstairs.

The kitchen was no longer full with fast French speaking chefs, or quick moving chopping blades, and the table was full of platters and plates of food. Some of it Harry knew was Mrs. Weasley's cooking, though the bulk of it looked foreign. Ron made to try an interesting looking blue-iced pastry, when one of the chefs, with dough and chocolate stains on his white apron, came over from the sitting room yelling `noh-noh-noh!' giving Ron's hands a hard smack with a wooden spoon. They both quickly moved out the door before the chef could continue, and found themselves in the midst of a large crowd.

At least a hundred people now stood outside The Burrow, talking amongst each other. All the men wore black dress robes, and white shirts, while the women, were clothed in robes and dresses of every colour.

As Harry and Ron moved through the crowd, from the conversations Harry overheard, many were from the Ministry of Magic. Harry wondered if Ron was going anywhere specifically, but found out when he almost ran over Hermione, stopping abruptly and bumping into her side. She looked over disgruntally, and smiled once she realized it was Harry.

`Sorry' apologized Harry She was wearing a pale silver dress that glittered slightly in the dying sunlight. Harry found it hung off her very well, and was surprised to see that she had quite a nice figure. Wearing Hogwarts robes all the time seemed to hide her form well. Harry couldn't help but stare at her for a moment, then snapping out of his daze, and looked to Ginny, who immediately turned and made her way towards Bill and a few other of the Weasley's. She was wearing the same colour dress as Hermione, and Harry thought it was weird that they wore the same dress and either didn't notice or care about it.

`It's alright Harry. I'm surprised you guys could find us, there's so many people here. Don't worry about Ginny. She's still a bit upset, but it takes a bit of time' said Hermione. She gave Harry a smile, then started to look around, evidently trying to find someone. Harry was going to ask who she was looking for, but she answered it just as he opened his mouth. `I wonder were Fleur is? Her family hasn't shown yet.'

Harry neglected to notice this until now. He figured he would not have seen Fleur, since she would be getting ready, yet none of the other members of the Delacour family were here, remembering how they look from fourth year. The lack of French he heard as he and Ron moved through the crowd also wondered him.

`Dad said they're showing up around 5:45. Said it's a tradition, at least in France, for the bride's family to show up right before' Ron put simply. He was looking around as well, Harry noticing he stopped on Hermione more than a few times.

The three of them made their way to the side of the white tent, still set up next to the house, where Fred, George, Ginny, Charlie, and Bill where talking. Bill looked very nervous, wearing the same black robes as the rest of them, except his vest was gold coloured. The scaring on his face still remained, but was less noticeable compared to the night it happened, when he was fighting Death Eaters at Hogwarts.

`Hey Harry, happy to see you. Thanks for coming' he expressed gladly, giving Harry a handshake. Harry turned towards the crowd, noticing Mr. Weasley, wearing black dress robes with a silver vest, had just finished a conversation with some ministry-looking people, and was heading towards the group. Mrs. Weasley, wearing a light purple dress, was close behind.

`The Delacour's should be here any moment. How about we get everyone seated' he said, gesturing towards the crowd. Bill nervously nodded his head, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley moved towards the crowd, clapping their hands and announcing to the guests to sit at the chairs. Harry looked to the others, so he could sit with them, but they did not move. He asked Hermione and Ron why they weren't going to get good seats.

`Well, we're in the wedding party. Me, Fred, George, Ginny, and Charlie. We asked Percy, but the git he didn't send anything back' said Ron. Harry expected Ron to be in the wedding party, and turned to Hermione.

`She's in the wedding party too mate' explained Ron, motioning to Hermione. Harry now understood why she and Ginny wore the same dress, and vaguely recalled Fleur talking about having the bridesmaids in silver dresses a few weeks ago at Hogwarts.

Harry grasped why Ginny would be in the wedding party, since she's Ron's family, but Hermione did not have any family attachments to Bill or Fleur. He decided for the time, not to ask why she was in the party, and with a deep breath, trying not to look too upset at his predicament, he smiled at Hermione and Ron, both of whom seemed sorry for Harry's situation. Harry turned and moved into the crowd, walking at a more than leisurely pace, and took a seat by himself.

He had not figured earlier in the day that he would be watching the wedding by himself. He spent more than enough time by himself in his room already, and was looking forward to being with his friends. The idea of being surrounded by people and still being alone did not look to keep the day in a good mood, considering so far it wasn't exactly spectacular.

He decided to sit near the back, hoping, on the off chance, no one would notice him, and accept that he would be by himself. Just as he took his seat, a large amount of pops came from the side of house, and at least eighty people moved from where the pops came. The Delacours had arrived.

The men wore dark blue robes, with silver vests, while the women, much like the English ones, wore robes and dresses of every colour. Harry could still easily distinguish the French from English, with most of the French holding their heads high, and looking somewhat snobbish. The bulk of these new guests made their way into chairs, while Harry saw Mr. and Mrs. Delacour, who looked much more warming than some of the other French guests, greeting the Weasley's and Hermione.

Harry looked to the front, and saw a very old wizard in completely white robes move on to the stage unhurried. Harry knew a minister conducted muggle weddings, and figured this old man was the equivalent.

As the guests took their seats, he was surprised by a nudge on his shoulder. When he looked, figuring someone needed to get by, he was surprised to see his old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin.

`Hello Professor!' exclaimed Harry happily, standing up and shaking his hand enthusiastically. Lupin looked tired, with bags under his eyes. His face was white, and hair turning ever greyer. He wore dark grey dress robes, instead of his usual grey and tattered robes. Harry found it made him look younger than is usual self, even with his tired look.

`Harry, how many times must I tell you, I have not taught you in three years now. Please, call me Remus' replied Lupin, who took the seat next to Harry, and took a quick glance to the stage at the front.

`Why are you sitting so far from the front?' he asked. Harry told him about the wedding party, hoping he did not sound self-centered or selfish. He was glad to see Lupin smile, and look back up towards the stage.

`Well, I do understand what it means sometimes to be the one left out. Don't let it get to you Harry, just enjoy the night. Oh, I think it's starting' he said, turning around to look at the beginning of the aisle.

The sky, by now, turned slightly purple. Large amounts of blue was left in the sky, but it was now surrendering itself to the sunset. Harry turned to see, like everyone else, who was coming down the white bordered aisle, just as he fairies started to dance and light up.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, closely followed by Mr. and Mrs. Delacour, walked up the aisle slowly. Harry saw both Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Delacour crying slightly along the way. When they reached the front, the men shook hands, and the women shared a hug, still crying. Once they sat down on opposite sides of the aisle, everyone again turned their eyes towards the back, where Charlie was escorting a lovely woman, wearing the same pale silver dress as Hermione and Ginny. Harry found the woman seemed to almost float along the way up the aisle.

Next, was Fred with a petite girl, whom Harry knew to be Fleur's sister Gabrielle. After them, came George, who was escorting Ginny. George kept speeding up and slowing down along the way, until Ginny gave him a somewhat concealed kick to the shin, after which George moved at normal pace. Lastly was Ron, who escorted Hermione. Ron seemed very nervous, and almost tripped twice along the way. Hermione continued to smile as they reached the front. Bill next came up the aisle.

He looked nervous before, when Harry shook his hand, and it seemed walking up the aisle alone did not help him much. The expression on Bill's face looked much like what Harry would expect from a man squaring off against a dragon with no wand. Bill kept his eyes determinately forward, and made it to the front, where Harry noticed he gave a somewhat obscured sigh of relief. Now only Fleur was left.

Everyone, in both the audience and wedding party, craned their necks for the last time towards the back. Fleur was standing on the threshold of the aisle, beaming at the faces of her guests. She appeared to be radiating beauty from where she stood. She was wearing a pure white gown, and had her hair put up in innumerable twists, which seemed to twinkle gold in the dying sunlight and fairy light. She was crowned with a beautiful gold hewn tiara. Harry heard an elderly witch behind him say `Oh, she looks lovely.' Fleur took a breath, and made her way slowly up the aisle.

Harry now wished he found a chair closer to the stage. The man in white robes was talking, however Harry could not completely hear. Harry tried straining his ears, though being in the third last row, he 0would have done better with a set of extendable ears. He hoped the man would have done a Sonorus Spell, so everyone could hear, but Harry understood that Bill and Fleur would probably not like someone that loud in front of them. He asked Lupin about what was going on, and was happy to find out that Lupin had been to a few wizard's weddings before.

`Well, I went to your parents wedding. I was your father's second, after Sirius of course' he said with a smile. `OK, now they are going ahead with a reading from The Athimus. It's an old magic book on marriages. I do hope they haven't picked a long passage. I went to one wedding, the passage took over 4 hours to say. Most people were asleep by time the vows came' said Lupin. Harry hoped the passage was not that long either, and was glad to see it lasted about ten minutes. Once this was done, he saw Bill and Fleur turn to each other, and Bill started talking.

`Now Bill's saying his vows. He read them to Arthur before hand to make sure they were good' explained Lupin. Harry saw Mrs. Weasley in the front row dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief from Mr. Weasley. Ron was standing next to his brothers, who were all next to Bill. Ron was looking around at the guests, and after ten seconds of scanning, moved back to observing Bill.

Bill finished his vows, and now Fleur started hers. The guests were very quiet during the ceremony. Harry heard a few sniffs of people crying around him, but otherwise it was completely calm. The sky above was slowly subduing to the night. The fairies in their cages still floated around, their glow becoming more and more evident. Once Fleur finished her vows, she and Bill faced the white robed man.

`Who is that man in the white up there?' Harry asked.

`He's a Cleric. Something like the muggle ones, except with magic. Clerics are quite weird in their own right. Not a lot of people become them, but they get their work out for sure. His name is Alcrux. He married Ron's parents, so I can understand why he's doing Bill and Fleur's wedding' said Lupin.

Alcrux was now pointing his wand above Bill and Fleur's head. A white smoke appeared above the both of them, and hovered. Acrux motioned them towards each other, and they kissed. As they met each other, the smoke spiraled around them, and slowly decayed in the air. When it finally dissolved, and the two separated, and the audience started clapping and cheering joyfully. Harry understood that the marriage was complete, and clapped as well.

Bill and Fleur turned, and walked back down the aisle beaming, Fleur crying joyful tears. The rest of the wedding party moved back down the aisle, and the rest of the guests stood up, and moved to the sides, Harry following Lupin to the side. The guests were now moving towards the back, where the wedding party stood. Many of the people were greeting the newlyweds. Harry and Lupin moved in line, and congratulated Bill and Fleur.

`Tank you `Arry' expressed Fleur, with a kiss to his cheek, which seemed to become hot afterwards. As they moved down, Harry came to Ron and Hermione. Lupin said goodbye, and went to talk to Mr. Weasley and another member of the Order of the Phoenix, Mad Eye Moody. Harry waved to Mad Eye, and received a nod. As Harry turned back, he saw Ron was still holding Hermione's arm, while she talked to Fleur's sister Gabrielle.

`Oh, there you are. Where were you sitting? I was looking around for you, but couldn't find you' asked Hermione.

`I was farther to the back. I sat with Lupin. You guys looked good' said Harry. Ron laughed and Hermione looked away for a second.

`Yeah right. You saw, I almost tripped twice. Looked ridiculous' said Ron miserably, looking thoroughly downcast all of a sudden.

`Well, I didn't notice. Looked very good walking up. You did too' affirmed Harry to Gabrielle, who smiled.

`Tank you `Arry. Eef you can excoose moi, I must be go-ing' she said, waving as she left towards her sister, who was now hugging one of her relatives. Ron in the mean time gave an exceedingly sarcastic laugh, louder than before.

`Didn't notice? Yeah right. I'll be inside' he grumbled, as he let go of Hermione's arm, and walked towards the house, head hanging low.

`What's got into him?' asked Harry sharply, as Ron walked into the house. Hermione gave a sigh, and looked back to Harry.

`He's just upset about this whole wedding thing. He's not upset at Bill and Fleur, it's just . . . well, he's just upset about his lack of experience' she said. Harry didn't understand what she meant by `lack of experience', and gave her a quizzical look.

`Basically because he hasn't had a lot of experience with girls. He has this notion in his head that he's never going to find someone. He's been moping like that for a while' said Hermione. Harry figured he should go and talk some sense into him, but Hermione told him not to at the moment. `Just let him settle for a little bit, then go up and talk. Maybe in ten minutes or so.'

Harry decided to follow her advice, and walked around the crowd, while she decided to go and help Mrs. Weasley with the food in the kitchen. Most people now sat down at tables, placed where the chairs stood only moments before, getting ready for the wedding feast. A long head table, not unlike the professor's table at Hogwarts, was placed at the front were the stage was, where Harry figured Bill and Fleur would sit with their family.

As Harry walked around, he ran into some familiar faces. Several members of the Order where at the wedding, including Tonks, who's hair was its usual bright pink, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. After roughly five minutes of walking, he decided to go and see how Ron was doing, with the notion of telling him the feast was about to start.

He walked through the kitchen, with Mrs. Weasley telling him to be quick, because the food would be served soon. He asked where Hermione had gone, and was told she went to see how Ron was doing. Harry wondered why she asked him to wait the extra time, but started up the stairs anyways.

He could here the laughter and talking from outside flood through the windows of the rooms as he walked upwards. When he got near Ron's room, he slowed, not wanting to barge in on Ron and Hermione's conversation. When he reached the doorway, he was surprised to hear no voices. He turned around the doorway, and felt like he had been hit by a Stunning Spell.

Ron was standing in front of the window, and between him and the window stood Hermione. They were locked together, kissing. Harry turned away quickly, and looked back down the crooked stairway.

Harry knew Ron liked Hermione, but was not prepared to see them kissing in such a fashion. He gathered his thoughts quickly, and decided to slowly go back down three or four stairs, trying hard not to make a sound. He then turned, and stomped hard up the rest of the stairs going up to Ron's room, hoping it would cause the two of them to disentangle from each other. When he turned in the doorway for the second time, he was glad to see Ron had moved to sitting on the bed, with Hermione sitting on the windowsill.

`Hi Harry. Um . . . Ron and I were talking, and he's doing better now, right Ron? Ron!?' Hermione yelled to Ron, who seemed slightly dazed. He looked up at Hermione with a large, and what looked like permanent smile, and nodded.

`Yeah . . . yeah, I'm doing great now! Is it time to eat?' he said, looking over to Harry. Harry nodded yes, and continued to look at the two them.

`Yeah, I was coming to get you' Harry said, looking from Ron to Hermione. Ron nodded, and stood up. Hermione avoided Harry's glance, and moved from the windowsill. She put her hand to Ron's arm, and looked at her feet.

`Harry, can I talk to Ron for a moment?' She looked up at Harry for a second, then looked quickly back to her feet. Harry nodded again, turned, and went back down the stairs.

As he went, he found he could not keep a smile appearing on his face. He knew Ron liked Hermione for years, and now he finally showed it. As he descended the stairwell, he suddenly thought about how it would be with them going out. Would they always want to go by themselves places? How would he fit into it all?

Don't worry about that now. Be happy for Ron and Hermione.

Harry felt slightly conflicted, wondering how this would change their friendship. Would he be a third wheel now? It made him feel worst, knowing that he finished with Ginny to protect her. He couldn't get involved with someone, and Ron and Hermione could. He wished, like many times before, the prophecy would have never been made, and he could have a normal life.

As he entered the kitchen, he decided to try and forget it for the time. You are at a wedding, you're supposed to be having fun he continued telling himself. He entered the wedding area again, and placed a fake smile on his face, noticing the sun had set.

The sky was black, with small specks of light shining from stars. The crescent moon hung close to the horizon, making it look larger than normal. The fairy lights were now bright, and flooding the table area with a golden glow. As he made his way through the tables, planning on looking for Lupin, Mrs. Weasley beckoned him to the head table, where all the Weasley's except Ron where sitting on Bill's right side. Fleur's family was sitting on her left side.

`Harry, you are sitting here with us. You're family' she said brightly, smiling up at him. He smiled back, somewhat forgetting his troubles from the stairwell, and sat down next to Fred close to the end. As he sat down, Mrs. Weasley looked down the table.

`Harry, where's Ron and Hermione?' she asked. Harry did not have to answer though, as Ron and Hermione came out the door, and took their places at the end of the table. Hermione sat next to Harry, and Ron next to her with Ginny at the end. Harry was glad in a few ways that Hermione and Ron sat between himself and Ginny. It seemed Bill had been waiting for them to make his speech. He stood up, the wedding guests becoming politely quiet.

`I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. Me and Fleur are very honoured to have you here with us for this wonderful day. Firstly, I would like to thank my father and mother, for their wonderful guidance and support. Without their love, I would not be the man I am today' he proclaimed to the crown, with a look to his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were both crying, and stood up for a hug from Bill. The crowd applauded, as did Harry. Harry knew how well Mr. and Mrs. Weasley treated himself. He couldn't fathom how it would have been being raised by such wonderful parents. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley finished the hug, and sat back down. The crowd again went silent again, as Bill continued.

`I would also like to thank my brothers and sister, who, even when pulling pranks on me' he zeroed in on Fred and George, who beamed triumphantly, `always helped me, and allowed me to better understand some of my parents actions, even when I didn't' he said, looking back to the tables. Another small applause followed this part of his speech, and died down quickly.

`Finally' he announced brightly, `to my new wife Fleur. Who has stood by even after my injuries from defending Hogwarts. She has helped me recover, and never stopped loving me. I will love her forever, and always' he finished.

Fleur, crying slightly however still looking beautiful, stood up, and the newlyweds shared a long kiss. The crowd, as well as Harry, applauded loudly, some roars and cries of happiness popping in here and there. Harry felt so happy that someone could feel such happiness at the time, when so many things where looking dark.

Bill sat back down, and as Fleur stood up to begin her speech, a sudden shiver ran down Harry's spine. At first, he ventured it was due to a gust of wind, yethe noticed the air stood still. Too still.

He looked to Hermione, and noticed she too was cold, rubbing her arms for warmth. Harry gazed up at the sky inquisitively, and dread filled his mind. The stars were veiled, and darkness surrounded the reception. The shiver ran through the guests at the tables like a wave, some standing up, pulling their wands out. Harry looked to Mr. Weasley, who also stood up. He observed his family, and said the word Harry knew was coming.

`Dementors'

He looked down to Mrs. Weasley, a horrified expression across her face, and told her hurriedly to take the family into the house as quickly as possible. She stood up, and moved over to Fred and George, however panic started to settle in.

The guests at the tables stood up, and were either grouping together trying to stay calm, or Apparating away as quickly as possible, yelling to each other making sure they had their family members.

Harry surveyed the area, and found Lupin and at least six other members of the Order of the Phoenix along the edges of the tables, looking out into the darkness for dementors. Harry saw one Order member, a tall thin man with brown hair on the far side of the Burrow, shoot a silver eagle out of his wand at an approaching dementor. The patronus swooped down on the dementor, and flew away.

People were now running everywhere, as dementors seemed to come from every direction, the coldness increasing rapidly. Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley's moved closer the house as quickly as possible, and became separated as people kept running in between them. Harry was knocked over, less than ten metres from the door, and saw Mrs. Weasley pushing Ginny and Gabrielle into the house. Ron and Hermione ran over, and helped Harry to his feet.

Harry looked back at the head table, Mr. Weasley shooting a duck shaped patronus at an approaching dementor, while Bill moved Fleur and her family towards the house. They ran past Harry, Ron, and Hermione, just as two dementors moved in behind them. Hermione pointed her wand at the nearest one, and paused for a moment.

`Expecto Patronum!' she yelled, and a silver otter shot out of her wand, and chased after the first dementor. The second one simply shifted past, and moved towards the three of them. Ron put his wand up, but fell to his knees before being able to say the charm. Hermione's otter now vanished, and Hermione herself had also fallen over, breathing heavily, her hands over her ears. As the dementor approached, its hood centered on Harry.

His mother's screams began to enter his head. He tried hard to block them, but they became louder and louder. Harry felt his knees hit the ground, as the screams became more intense, followed by the horrible high toned laugh that filled his nightmares.

Harry felt cold everywhere, and could tell that more than one dementor was closing in. He struggled to focus his thoughts as hard as he could, but the cold laugh became louder, his body frigid. He glimpsed Hermione, and remembered them hugging in her backyard. The memory flashed before his eyes, and he raised his wand.

`EXPECTO PATRONUM!' he yelled.

A great silver object flew out of his wand, and pushed the closest dementor back, making it scuttle away. It then turned, Harry moving his wand to the right, and pushed, what Harry noticed, were three other dementors away who were approaching them. As Harry lowered his wand, the object slowed, and evaporated in front of him. He gathered his thoughts, and looked around.

The dementors were now retreating from what he could see. Silver patronus' were soaring overhead, and the coldness that filled the area lifted. Most people had Apparated away, and the few that remained were huddled together in groups surrounded by those that made the patronus'. Harry glanced to Hermione and Ron, and helped them up to their feet. They seemed disorientated, but quickly recovered enough to stand up alone.

`Harry, what happened to your patronus?' Hermione asked, in a quiet and shallow voice. The three moved to the closest table that was not upturned, and sat down. Harry had wondered himself what was going on. When his patronus came out of his wand, it was not a stag, like it had always been. He did not have a clear view of it when it charged out, but when it dissolved in front of him, he could easily see what it was: a phoenix.

`I don't know. Lets get inside the house first' gestured Harry. Hermione and Ron both nodded, and they slowly moved their way to the house. Mr. Weasley came over frantically, helping the three into the house, along with Lupin who was nearby. Once they entered, Mrs. Weasley gave all three of them a huge hug, and sat them down, opening up a huge slab of Honeyduke's Chocolate.

`Are you three alright?' she quaked, as she handed out the chocolate. Ron nodded, as did Hermione, who was looking at Harry with worry. Harry was staring at the middle of the table, which was still strune with plates of wedding food.

Why had his patronus changed? He remembered Tonks' patronus had changed after Sirius died. Maybe Dumbledore's death had that same affect to Harry as Sirius' death had to her?

`Harry dear, are you alright?' Harry looked up, and found Mrs. Weasley looking at him, with a worried look much like Hermione. Harry looked earnestly to the doorway, where Lupin was still standing. Mrs. Weasley called him over, and Harry got up to talk to him, but Mrs. Weasley sat him back down.

`No, you have to sit dear. That wasn't just one dementor around you three' she said.

`Four actually Molly' elaborated Lupin, with a small grin to Harry. He motioned Harry to the stairwell, and reassured Mrs. Weasley.

`Don't worry Molly, we're only going over here. He'll be back in a moment.' She gave a nagging look, with her lips pressed tight, however nodded. Harry stood up, and moved to the stairwell, and asked about his partronus.

`Yes, well, I thought it might happen. See, Dumbledore's death must have affected you, and caused your patronus to change. Very interesting that it became a phoenix though' he mulled, with a look down the stairwell.

`Why is it interesting?' Harry asked.

`Well' Lupin said, with a thoughtful look, `Dumbledore's patronus was a phoenix. If yours changed to one, then . . . well, there will be more time later to understand it later. We should all settle down, and make sure everyone's alright, and start cleaning up.' He started down the stairs, back to the kitchen, and stopped short of the last six stairs.

`By the way Harry, what memory did you choose?' he asked. Harry told him it was of the hug he shared with Hermione, and Lupin gave Harry a smile.

`Well, I must say, it was a powerful memory to work on all those dementors.' He continued to smile, but Harry mentioned it only worked on the four around them. Lupin looked to him, and explained.

`It didn't just work on the ones around you. Other dementors, even on the other side of The Burrow, saw the phoenix, and scuttled away.' He looked back down the stairs, and went back into the kitchen.

Harry took another deep breath, and tiredly went back into the kitchen.

A/N - Some might ask why Harry was so open to Ron and Hermione dating, and it's because at the moment, feelings for Hermione haven't started to surface exactly. He's still their friends, and he wants to support them for now.

Spell / Name Meanings -
Amelia - A play off of the character Emilia from "A Winter's Tale" by W. Shakespeare. In the play, she is one of Hermione's ladies-in-waiting (yes, this is the play that Hermione's name is from). I thought staying with the Shakespeare there would be interesting
Athimus - Just a name I made up, no real meaning
Alcrux - The end star of the constellation Crux in the southern sky, which is shaped like a cross (hence the name Crux). The name is meant to have a religious connection.

-->