A/N: Okay, here it is folks! The beginning and the end! I hope this chapter pleases some of you die-hard Harmony shippers. Many thanks to those of you who have been taking time to write me a review! I look forward to each and every one!
I do not own these characters, and I would like to thank JKR for creating such frustrating situations that we all feel we need to fix!
Chapter 10
Weddings and Confessions
The day of the wedding was clear and warm. The Burrow had never looked so good. The gardens had been pruned, weeded, and decorated with lights and fairies. Harry was wearing his newest dress robes; they were black with a deep green trim. While he was waiting for the wedding to start, he was looking through some books that Lupin had loaned him. He was trying to find a source or any information for this so-called power he seemed to have, but was unaware of. He wasn't being very successful. He could hear Mrs. Weasley calling for everyone to come outside, so he left his studies and went to join everyone else.
"Harry, dear, you'll be sitting up here, behind us," Mrs. Weasley said, "You are a part of our family." She fussed with his robe and tried to straighten his hair as she spoke, and Harry could tell that she was nervous. He finally got away from her and headed up to where he had been instructed to sit. He sat there, thinking about the lessons he had been having with Lupin, and the satisfaction he felt with his success. He had learned more in one week than he had learned all last year with Snape.
"Mind if I join you?"
Harry looked around and his breath caught in his throat. Hermione was standing behind him, and to Harry, she looked incredible. She was wearing a pale blue spaghetti strap dress that seemed to flow from her waist down. She had her hair up just like the night of the Triwizard Ball. She looked beautiful.
"Uh…hi," he said after he realized he had been staring. "Um…sure."
"You look very nice today, Harry. Are those new robes?"
"Uh…yeah, Mrs. Weasley got them for me. You…you look nice too," he felt foolish by the amount of stammering he was doing. He had never been this way around Hermione before the night of that kiss.
"Thanks," she said, blushing slightly.
The other guests were now seated, and Bill was standing up front with his brothers, minus Percy. Ron was looking very uncomfortable in his dress robes, but at least they were brand new, without any lace. Bill looked roguishly handsome, and the scars on his face didn't detract from his appearance. The music started and everyone turned to look behind them. Fleur's bridesmaids came down the aisle and it seemed to Harry that they were floating. They were dressed in identical full-length gowns in the Beaubaxton's pale blue color with a soft ruffle that started at one shoulder and fluttered across at an angle, leaving the other shoulder bare. Harry was reminded of the first time that he had seen the girls in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Fleur's bridesmaids were as equally spellbinding as those girls had been then. Soon, every eye was drawn to the beautiful girl in white beside her father as they started up towards the front. Her gown seemed to be made of the finest silk and flowed gently as she moved. Her long sweeping train trailed behind her and was woven with sparkling crystals. As the sun glinted off of her dress, it looked like hundreds of fairy lights had been sewn into the bodice. She smiled serenely as she walked up the aisle, but she only had eyes for Bill, standing proudly at the front.
"She looks beautiful," Hermione sighed as she leaned against Harry to see.
She hugged his arm, and as her body made contact with his, he lost sight of everything else. He was distinctly aware of exactly every inch of his body that was touching hers. He could feel the softness of her breast as it brushed against his arm, and he tried to keep his breathing even. Didn't she realize the affect she had on him? He was starting to feel uncomfortable, and he leaned back in his chair, shifting a bit as Fleur went by. Hermione moved away from him, and he felt a loss as she sat back in her chair. Harry was beginning to feel frustrated. He found himself yearning for contact with her, but knew it was wrong. He was at war with himself because he wanted to be close with her, but knew she belonged to Ron. There was an ache in his chest, one he felt that he couldn't fill. He suddenly felt a nudge from Hermione and realized that everyone else was standing. He stood up quickly, realizing that he had just missed the nuptials with his daydreaming. Hermione was looking at him with concern, so he turned and smiled at her. Once the Weasley and Delacour family went by he offered his arm to Hermione to lead her down the aisle, glad to be able to touch her again.
While the families were having photos taken, Harry and Hermione went for a walk down by the pond. Harry told Hermione about his lessons with Lupin, although he left out the parts about her. They talked about the Horcruxes, trying to figure out where to start. They were sitting by the pond in a comfortable silence when Harry noticed that Hermione was chewing on her lower lip. He knew she was thinking about something.
"Okay, Hermione, what's up?" he asked.
She looked over at him, and he could see she was worried about something.
"Well, I've been thinking about something and I don't want you to get upset or blow your stack before you hear me out."
"Forget it Hermione, I'm not going back," Harry said.
"How did you…? Never mind. Look, we need to go back," she held up her hands to stall any further comment. "First, you need to talk to Professor McGonagall. We need to warn her about what you saw. We need to come up with an emergency plan to protect the school and the students. Secondly, you need to see Dumbledore. His portrait I mean," she added hastily at the look on his face. "Third, Hogwarts has the biggest selection of books in the restricted area. I don't even think that Grimmauld Place has that much. And finally, we need a base. Somewhere we could stay that would give us some measure of protection. Otherwise, we may never sleep properly."
"Too much risk," Harry said shaking his head.
"Harry, the school is safe. Professor McGonagall said-"
"You spoke to her?" Harry interrupted.
"Yes, well I sent an owl…" she replied.
"About what? Why didn't you tell me you had talked to her?" Harry said angrily.
"Well you have been busy, and I wanted to borrow some books," she said.
"What did you tell her? Did you say anything about the Horcruxes?" he asked
"What? No! Harry I wouldn't do that! You know me better than that! How could you even think such a thing?"
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"Yes, well I think we should tell her, Harry. She is a great source of information."
"Dumbledore said…" he began.
"Dumbledore is not here anymore, Harry. We need all the help we can get. Professor McGonagall will have access to a lot of information that I can't get my hands on. At least discuss it with Dumbledore's portrait. See what he thinks."
"I'm not taking any classes," grumbled Harry.
Hermione smiled at him as she realized she was winning him over. "I promise you won't have to do anything you don't need to do. But we should also think about the DA. We need-"
"All the help we can get. I know! I know! I get it!' Harry said as he threw his hands up in the air in resignation. "I'll go talk to her. I'm not making any promises though."
Hermione smiled. "Thanks, Harry. It will work out. You'll see. I'll send her an owl."
"I don't know how you talk me into these things," Harry grumbled.
"Because you know deep down that I'm right," she said smugly.
Harry shook his head and laughed.
"Poor Ron! He doesn't stand a chance, does he?"
"A chance at what?" Hermione asked, confused.
"You know, in your relationship. He's never going to win any of the arguments," he grinned.
Hermione was looking at him strangely.
"Have you spoken to Ron lately?" she asked.
"Not really. We keep getting interrupted," he said.
"Well," Hermione hesitated for a moment, "Ron and I decided that we're not going to see each other anymore as boy and girlfriend," she explained.
"Did you have a fight?" Harry asked.
"No, no. We just decided that it wasn't going to work."
"Why?" Harry blurted out without thinking, and then went red. "Oh. Sorry. I guess it's none of my business really."
Hermione smiled. "That's okay. We were down by the broom shed the night of your birthday and when Ron kissed me-"
"He kissed you?" Harry said with a pang of jealousy.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, Harry, boys and girls do that sometimes. Anyway, it didn't feel right. I guess we have been friends for too long. We are more like family than boy and girlfriend, so we decided to just remain friends."
For one fleeting moment Harry was elated, but then he replayed what she said in his mind.
`We have been friends for too long. We are more like family…'
"Oh…" Harry said with a sinking feeling, "Well, I'm glad you're still friends."
Was that how Hermione saw him as well? Just friends? Harry wondered if she could ever think of him in any other way. And then there was Ginny… He had been so focussed on everything else this week that he hadn't given her a second thought. He stopped to think about her then, and realized he didn't feel any type of longing for her. As a matter of fact, he hardly thought about her at all. He thought more about his best friend, his beautiful best friend, than he did about Ginny. What they had was over. He didn't have the same feelings for her anymore. He figured he would have to talk to her eventually.
"Harry? Did you hear me?"
"What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something," he said.
"I could tell. I asked you if you had decided when you wanted to go to Godric's Hollow."
"I was thinking about going in a week or so. You don't have to come you know."
"I want to come," she said as she took his hand in hers. "I don't think you should go alone. Why do you want to wait until then?" she asked.
"I want you and Ron to take some Occlumency lessons with Professor Lupin and Professor Tonks," he replied, "I want both of you to be as prepared as I am. I don't want to risk either of you and this is the best place to do it," he squeezed her hand. "Besides, if you become good enough, maybe we can teach the rest of the DA's. As you know, we need all the help we can get," he grinned at her as she punched him in the arm.
"Let's go back," Harry said, "they're probably finished by now, and I'm hungry."
Hermione laughed. "You're just like Ron," she said.
Harry smiled wistfully. "Hopefully not too much," he said as he started walking back towards the Burrow.
The day after the wedding Harry was hard at work again. Now the tables were turned. Harry was the one using Legilimens against Lupin, and he wasn't being very successful. He was having a hard time trying to get past Lupin's defenses. Of course, just to make it that much harder, Lupin would try and use Legilimens on Harry, so he was trying to block and invade at the same time. He was finding that the mental exertion was just as tiring as, or maybe even more than, the physical exertion of Quiddich. Ron and Hermione were doing Occlumency as well, and Tonks was helping out. They were all falling into bed exhausted, only to get up and do it again the next day. During one of the sessions, Harry became so frustrated that he just mentally pushed. Lupin staggered back, and Harry was able to push his guard down just for a second, before it snapped back up.
"Harry, stop," Lupin said, breathing hard. "You're going about it the wrong way. If your target can feel you doing that, the walls will be harder to break down. You need to be subtle."
`Subtle,' thought Harry. `Like a mouse or a wisp of smoke…' He pictured himself being like a thin trail of smoke and thought `Legilimens' while Lupin was talking.
He slowly and carefully felt along the wall, looking for a crack. Lupin was still talking; unaware of what Harry was doing. Harry nodded every once in a while, but he was probing. He found a small crack and pushed his way through. Suddenly, he was in. He dampened down his enthusiasm and continued his quiet probe. It was a lot easier than a frontal assault. He found memories of Lupin growing up, time at Hogwarts, playing jokes with Sirius and his father. The memories were coming fast and Harry couldn't hold on to any of them. Suddenly, Lupin's face changed as he realized what Harry was doing and the walls slammed down again. Harry thought that Lupin would be angry, but he was surprised to see him smile.
"Very good, Harry. Legilimens works best when the subject is distracted or weakened. I didn't even realize that you were there until you saw the memory of your father. If you can keep yourself calm like that, you'll be able to get far. Remember that a mind that is on guard is hard to penetrate. A mind that is distracted or weakened is easier."
Harry smiled. He was beginning to find that it was getting easier to pick up on the lessons and his confidence was growing. Maybe he had a chance to defeat Voldemort after all. Now all he had to do is find the Horcruxes.
A few days before Harry was to leave for Godric's Hollow, he received letters from two places: one from Hogwarts, and one from the Ministry for Magic. He opened the one from Hogwarts first, expecting it to be the usual letter welcoming him back for his final year of school. He was surprised then, to find a short note.
Dear Mr. Potter,
I would like to request a meeting with you, Mr. Ronald Weasley, and Miss Hermione Granger for the 16th of August at 9:00 am. Please reply by owl if this date is convenient for you.
Sincerely Yours,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Magic
Obviously Hermione had been in touch with her again. Harry knew he had to go back there eventually. He wrote back saying that they would be there, and sent the owl back. He opened the second letter to find that his apparition test was scheduled for the Thirteenth. He smiled grimly. He was ready for that one. He had just finished reading the letter when Ginny walked into the kitchen. She was startled to see him, and looked around to see if anyone else was in the room. Harry was prepared for Ginny to throw herself at him, but she just stood there, looking at him.
"Uh, hi, Harry," she said, "did you get your letter from Hogwarts?" she asked.
"Yes," he said warily, watching her as she made her way towards him.
"I guess you won't be going back," she said sadly.
"Actually, I was thinking about it, you know, for the DA. I think the Order is going to need us. Actually, I'll need you," he said.
Ginny looked at him with a mixture of caution and hope.
"You mean…Oh Harry! This is wonderful!" she said as she threw her arms around his neck. "We can be together, just like before, and I'm sure that I can be a big help to you, just like Ron and Hermione. "
Harry sighed. He really needed to start thinking about the way he said some things.
"No, Ginny," he said as he gently pushed her away and led her to the table to sit down. He took her hands in his. Somehow this seemed a lot harder now than at the funeral.
"I may need your help with the DA, is all. Ginny…look, I really like you, a lot. We had some great times together and I will never regret what we had. But that was in the past. It was another lifetime. I don't love you the way you want me to. You deserve to have someone who is willing to commit to you. You are part of my family, but I'm sorry, there's nothing more. I hope we can stay friends, but I'll understand if you can't do that." He searched her face for a sign of understanding.
Ginny pulled her hands away from Harry, and he could tell by the look on her face that she was annoyed with him.
"You know, I wish you would make up your mind. At the party you were all over me, so then I thought that maybe, just maybe we had a chance. Then, you spend the next week avoiding me. You're really good at sending mixed signals, Harry," she said angrily.
Harry bowed his head. "You're right. I would be surprised if you ever talked to me again," he sighed as he ran his hand through his already messy hair. "I'm so sorry Ginny. I seem to screw up every relationship I've been in. Maybe its better if I didn't have one."
Ginny stood up and moved away from where Harry was sitting, her eyes glistening with angry tears.
"You know when you are young, and someone you know, or heard about, seems so wonderful, and then when you finally meet them, it's like a dream come true. Only to make things harder, that person is even better than the stories you hear. You were my hero, Harry! Your name came up so many times when I was growing up, and then, when I met you, you were all that I had ever heard about, and more. When you saved me from You-Know-Who, I was smitten, and when we started going out, my dreams had came true, I was going out with my hero."
"Ginny, I don't want-"
"I don't care what you want or don't want! I'm the one being hurt here!"
Harry looked at her in surprise. He had never really seen this side of Ginny before. He watched her as she paced back and forth, her face flushed in anger. She suddenly stopped and glared at him.
"The other night, when you had that nightmare, I saw a different side of you. You were…vulnerable," she said as though it left a bad taste in her mouth.
"Even so, I thought you might need me. And then I saw how you reacted when Hermione and I came in the room. It was her that you reached for, not me. It hurt, Harry, it hurt a lot. She has always been number one in your life, and no matter how hard I try, and no matter how much I want it, I will never hold that spot. I knew then, Harry, even though I have tried to deny it. She will always come between us. You care for her, don't you?"
Harry was startled. Was he that transparent? "I don't know what you're talking about," he said evasively. "Of course I care for her. I mean, she is my best friend and all. She was one of my first friends, and we have been friends for several years, so of course I would look to her for support. You're seeing things that just aren't there. I don't see anything wrong with going to her for comfort," he was rambling now, to cover for his embarrassment.
"I'm not surprised," she snorted, interrupting his spiel. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
"Look, I don't want to discuss this anymore. I have waited my whole life…" she trailed off and shrugged. "You will have to forgive me, Harry if I don't seem eager to be `just friends', I'm not used to being burned." Her voice was cold, and Harry could hear the bitterness in it.
He let his shoulders slump. He figured that he deserved that after the way he had treated her. "I'm really sorry Ginny. I'm pretty messed up when it comes to the relationship department."
"Well," Ginny said haughtily as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, "you had better figure it out. You have already let one fantastic girl get away. We don't like to wait around you know." She leaned over suddenly and kissed him fully on the lips, hard.
"It's a shame you will never know what you've missed," she said seductively, as she trailed her hand down his arm. Harry watched her head outside and wondered if she was right. His whole life has been put on hold because of one man: Voldemort.
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