Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.
+++++
Harry stepped into the study on Friday morning feeling very nervous. The “normalcy” that he had experienced with Ginny just a few days before had now become little more than awkward silences. Granted, they had not really seen much of each other--she was studying for her upcoming O.W.L.s, and he was spending most of his time either training or practicing Occlumency.
Ron and Hermione had started spending their afternoons in the garden. Neither was willing to tell him what they were up to; they only said they were exploring some possibilities for the upcoming year. Harry suspected that Ron had finally made his feelings known and that they were “exploring” other things, but he kept his opinion to himself.
Training had been going extremely well. He had now worked with Hermione, Neville, and Luna. Each time, the dueling practice had gone very well, with Harry and his partner winning far more times than they’d been defeated.
The odd thing to Harry was that the sessions were completely different each time. When he had worked with Hermione, he’d used an obscure spell--one that he hardly remembered ever reading about or even hearing in passing--to defeat Tonks and Shacklebolt.
In their duel against Remus and Bill, he and Neville had surprised their opponents by simply overpowering them with spells, never even seeking cover for protection. They certainly took their fair share of bumps and bruises in that particular duel, but they had come out on top.
“Sheer bravado you two, that was all that was,” Moody had growled when they defeated Bill and Remus for the third time in a row using the ‘charge down the canons approach.’ “Bravado is good, but if it is mindless then it can get you killed.”
“Bravado sound a lot like courage, Neville; you did great in there,” Harry had proclaimed as they walked towards the kitchen.
The duel with Luna was certainly the strangest of those he’d had that week. Harry had found it very hard to focus on what he was doing. Random thoughts about Ginny, or a Potions essay, kept leaping into his head, and just as quickly leapt back out. He’d found, however, that his moves were less predictable and although he was not as focused on the task at hand as when dueling with the others, he’d often been able to catch his opponents off guard by doing the unexpected.
Today, however, was a different day entirely. Today he would have to duel with Ginny as his partner. He felt more nervous than he had in a while.
This is stupid. I’ve faced Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. Why am I so nervous? he wondered.
The study was still magically expanded to make more room for dueling. The furniture, which had been repaired countless times, was still sitting in its usual places: four chairs by the fireplace, a couch against the far wall, and a desk in front of a window that had been enchanted not to break.
Tonks and Remus stood beside the desk talking quietly as they waited for Harry and Ginny to arrive.
“Wotcher, Harry,” Tonks said, smiling as Harry entered the room. “Where’s Ginny?”
“Right here…sorry I’m late…overslept,” came a voice from just outside the room. Ginny entered the study, stifling a yawn and shaking her head back and forth. “Didn’t sleep well last night.”
Harry caught the scent of fresh flowers, and his stomach did a flip. He watched her as she walked into the middle of the room and greeted Tonks and Remus warmly.
“Everything all right?” Remus asked, glancing quickly over to Harry.
“Oh yes, just too tired to sleep, I think. I have been studying so much I think my brain is going to explode,” she replied, catching the direction of the glance but not turning to look at Harry. “Are we ready?”
She walked back to stand at Harry’s side, drawing out her wand.
“Let’s go,” Tonks answered, drawing her wand and sending a Stunner at Harry.
Harry was quicker than Tonks had anticipated and easily blocked the spell.
The battle went on in earnest for the next hour. The duels were evenly split between Remus and Tonks winning and Harry and Ginny winning. This was very disconcerting to Harry, because in the other sessions, he and his partner had always had far more wins than losses.
The problem today was that Harry was again having trouble focusing on the duel. He was slow in his response to spells, made some dreadful tactical errors and found himself on the receiving end of more curses than he had in all of the previous training sessions combined. By the end of the first hour, he was exhausted, feeling the effects of multiple curses and hexes.
“Ahhh!” he yelled in exasperation after being Petrified for the third time in as many duels. “Why am I rubbish today?”
“Because you aren’t concentrating on what you are doing, Harry,” Ginny barked at him from behind one of the chairs. “You keep glancing over at me instead of focusing on your opponent! Stop trying to look out for me and just fight, okay.”
Her voice was hard, but Harry could see a bit of pleading in her eyes. He nodded, confused by the pleading look, and got ready to start again.
The duels began again, with Harry and Ginny winning more often now. Harry had finally relaxed somewhat, although he didn’t really know why, and his judgment and focus were better. He was still catching himself looking over at Ginny during the duels but seemed to be doing so less often than he had been.
Close to an hour later, the battles were still raging in the study. Harry sent a Jelly-Legs Jinx towards Tonks, causing her to loss her balance and fall behind the desk. He shot a quick glance over at Ginny and saw her dueling with Remus. Remus’ wand shot out purple smoke that was moving towards Ginny.
“PROTEGO!” Harry shouted wildly, attempting to shield Ginny from the smoke. The shield deflected the spell away from Ginny just after she had ducked safely behind the chair.
“Expelliarmus!” Tonks called out from the behind the desk. Harry was hit, knocked back into the wall; he collapsed on the floor, his wand flying out of his hand. He quickly started to get up, but a hand pushed him back down to the floor.
“STOP TRYING TO PROTECT ME, HARRY! YOU’LL END UP GETTING US BOTH KILLED!” Ginny yelled down at him before turning on her heel and storming out of the room.
Harry got to his feet, an angry reply forming in his mind.
“Silencio.”
He opened his mouth and nothing came out. He started to work his mouth up and down, trying to figure out why he couldn’t speak. Confused as to why someone had silenced him, and growing even angrier than before, he whirled around and glared at Remus and Tonks.
“Tonks did that so you wouldn’t say anything you might regret later, Harry,” Remus explained, stepping between Harry and Tonks. “You need to learn that she can take care of herself.”
Harry was furious, opening and closing his mouth but unable to make a sound.
“Calm down, Harry; I won’t remove the curse until you do,” Tonks growled at him.
After several minutes of Harry glaring at them both, he finally gave up and slumped into one of the armchairs.
Tonks walked over and performed the counter-curse on Harry. “There…now listen. I know you are trying to be noble and everything. I have seen it all before.” She glared over at Remus, who put his hands up in surrender. “But you have to understand, Harry, Ginny is part of this fight, whether you like it or not. She is with you to the end, just like we all are. You can’t shield her from every danger. Molly finally understands that, why can’t you?”
“I just saw that spell--it looked the one that got Hermione in the Ministry--and I panicked,” Harry explained, his anger deflating, replaced by anguish over having really fouled things up with Ginny.
Remus placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder in a fatherly way. “Harry, the best way to protect Ginny and all those that you care for is to defeat Voldemort. That means staying focused on the task at hand and letting us help you in any way we can. Ginny wants to help, and she doesn’t need you to watch out for her.”
“I’ve got to head to my room,” Harry declared, getting up from the chair. “I have to practice Occlumency for a while before Abe gets here. Thanks.” He started for the door, smiling weakly at Remus.
“Abe won’t be here today, Harry, remember? We have a wedding to go to,” Tonks reminded him.
“What? That is not ‘til tomorrow. Why do we need to be there today?” Harry asked, confused.
“For the rehearsal. You and Ginny are in the wedding, and Molly and Arthur have roles as well; we are all going to go today. We are staying at Beauxbatons tonight for the wedding in the morning,” Tonks said, smiling at the thought of the wedding.
Harry walked out of the room without reply. He was feeling miserable and had no desire to go to this wedding, much less be in it. He stalked up to his room.
“Like Dean?” came Hermione’s voice from inside Ginny’s room just as Harry walked by.
“I don’t know, but it was just so frustrating,” came Ginny’s voice from behind the closed door.
“When is he going to understand…” was all that Harry heard before he slammed his bedroom door behind him.
++++++
Saturday morning dawned bright and warm at the Beauxbatons Palace in southern France. They had arrived via Portkey late Friday afternoon and were quickly shown to their rooms inside the castle dormitories. Each dorm had its own name and significance, but the history behind Beauxbatons was a mystery to Harry, and he didn’t care to learn it now.
The Beauxbatons dining chamber was not as large as the Great Hall at Hogwarts. It had windows surrounding the room, with a large stonework fireplace built on the far end. Huge wooden beams supported the ceiling. It was a beautiful sight.
Hermione sat down beside Ron at the breakfast table, with Harry sitting opposite them. “This is incredible,” she proclaimed.
“Been reading Beauxbatons, A History, have we?” Ron smirked as he loaded more eggs onto his plate.
“No,” she replied smacking him on the arm. “I just realized I’ve been here before.”
Harry and Ron looked at each other in confusion.
“When my parents took me to France a couple of years ago, we came to this very palace. We took a tour and everything. It just looked like a ruin then. It must be enchanted to look like that to anyone who is not supposed to see what it really is,” she said in a rush.
“Well, it is a pretty nice place, if I do say so myself,” Ron intoned, grinning as he watched two very pretty blonde girls saunter into the hall. “Recon those are Fleur’s sisters?”
“Ronald, honestly, when are you going to stop looking at girls like they’re pieces of meat?” Hermione asked, glaring from the girls to Ron and back.
“Not pieces of meat, Hermione, just attractive. Right, Harry?” Ron retorted, smiling at Harry.
“Yeah, Ron, whatever you say,” Harry answered absently. He was not looking at the girls who had just entered the room. He had just noticed Ginny leaving and was watching her walk out the door.
“You two are unbelievable,” Hermione proclaimed in exasperation. She got up and left the table, hardly touching her breakfast. “Boys are stupid,” she mumbled as she walked out.
“What did we do?” Ron asked, going for a sixth slice of bacon.
“She’s right, you know; we are pretty stupid,” Harry said, ignoring Ron’s question.
“Yeah, well, if boys are stupid, then girls are just--just insane,” Ron spoke defiantly, taking another piece of toast.
Harry merely shrugged. He soon got up and left to get ready for the ceremony.
++++++
The wedding was held outside, on the grounds overlooking a beautiful lake. Harry discovered that Fleur’s family was very well-connected: most of the top members of French wizarding society were in attendance, as well as delegations from Belgium, Germany, England and even the United States. The French Minister of Magic was even on hand to perform the ceremony.
The music began and the attendants proceeded up the aisle. Harry walked with Cosette Delacour, Fleur’s older sister. She was just as beautiful as Fleur, and carried herself with an amazing amount of style and class. They walked arm in arm, stepping in rhythm to the music. Cosette had to lead, as Harry kept trying to walk either too fast or too slow. He was nervous and really just wanted this to be over with.
At the altar, Harry turned towards Cosette, his cheeks burning red, and kissed her hand before they parted, as each couple had been told to do. They went their separate ways and took their places for the wedding.
Harry turned just in time to see Ginny walking up the aisle with Adrian Gogan. Harry and Ginny had both been introduced to him the night before. He was a tall blond who was a direct descendant of Louis XI. He seemed quite pompous to Harry, but Ginny seemed to find him most interesting at the rehearsal.
Now she walked arm in arm with him, smiling as she came up the aisle. Harry’s cheeks burned even more as Adrian bent over and kissed Ginny’s hand, lingering longer over the gesture than Harry had. The beast in his chest began to growl as he noticed Ginny blushing and smiling at the handsome young man in front of her.
The rest of the wedding party came in, and the French Minister began the ceremony. He pulled out his wand and cast a charm over the entire crowd, which was very large. Then, to Harry’s amazement, he began to speak in perfectly understandable English. Harry had been expecting French, or at least the heavy French accent he had heard from Fleur so often.
As the ceremony progressed, Harry could not take his eyes off Ginny. If he didn’t know better, he would have been sure she was part veela. She wore the same dress that the other bridesmaids wore, but she stood out. Her flaming red hair, compared to all the blondes standing next to her, made her completely unique. The dress accentuated her petite body in ways that robes never could.
Here I am at a wedding with part veela standing everywhere, and I can’t take my eyes off the normal girl, Harry thought, smirking slightly. He couldn’t help staring; she was just so stunningly beautiful.
Harry saw her turn her head slightly, not making eye contact with him. She winked, and grinned. The monster in Harry’s chest began to purr contentedly, then growled as Ginny turned red and returned her eyes to the Minister. Harry glanced quickly and saw Adrian grinning, a tinge of red creeping into his cheeks.
She winked at him? Bitterness filled Harry’s heart. She winked at that pompous git. I must have really lost her. I am the new Dean Thomas.
The ceremony ended, and a very depressed Harry recessed down the aisle with Cosette on his arm. He hardly even noticed her presence. His heart was breaking and his stomach doing flips.
+++++
“Mr. Marius and Mrs. Eponine de Chagny,” announced the usher at the door. Each dignitary was announced as they entered the Great Hall for the reception.
“Mr. Hans and Mrs. Helga Knodal of Germany.”
The wedding party, all except the bride and groom, had been announced first and were now seated at the head table, men on the right, ladies on the left. They watched as the rest of the dignitaries made their entrances.
“Mr. Johan and Mrs. Elizabeth Dillahay of Belgium.”
Harry watched with little interest as the delegations and guests entered. He was never one for seeking the limelight, but didn’t care about how others felt about it. He figured each of the people being announced were important in their own ways but could not bring himself to find them interesting.
“Mr. William and Mrs. Carolyn Fagan of the United States of America.”
Harry glanced down the table. He could see Ginny watching the guests enter the dining chamber. She wore the same bored expression that he believed he had. She was not one to be impressed with the trappings of power and fame. That was one of the things that Harry liked about her. She never saw him as the Boy-Who-Lived. He was always just Harry. Well, for a few short weeks I was more to her, but that seems to be over now, he thought bitterly.
“Mr. Quinton and Mrs. Kristina White from the United States of America.”
There had been a faint smattering of applause with each new announcement of an incoming guest. However, as the Whites entered, followed by a young girl of perhaps fifteen or sixteen, there was a much larger round of applause.
“The delegation from England’s Ministry of Magic.”
Harry looked up and saw some familiar faces. Rufus Scrimgeour walked in next to a woman who must have been his wife. Percy was directly behind him, walking with a girl Harry didn’t recognize. Behind Percy and his date, walking alone, was Cho Chang. She caught sight of Harry and offered a huge smile. Harry turned pink and quickly looked away. He noticed that Ginny was glaring at Cho. Harry tried to look anywhere but towards the door.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to announce the arrival of Mr. William and Mrs. Fleur Weasley.”
The crowd broke into applause as Bill and Fleur walked into the reception. Fleur looked wonderful in her white wedding gown, with her long blonde hair pinned up on top of her head. Her veil was pulled back; it was fluttering in the air as she walked. She looked every bit the beautiful bride that she was.
Bill wore a black morning coat with white vest and tie, his red hair in its usual ponytail. The Dragon tooth earring had been replaced for the day with a diamond stud. The scars on his face gave him a rugged appearance that enhanced his looks rather than detracting from them. Harry thought he looked like a secret agent from a Muggle spy movie he had once seen.
The bride and groom walked in and the music began almost immediately. They danced the first dance, and then the wedding party was invited to join in. Harry would have preferred to remain seated, but he had been instructed in no uncertain terms that he was to dance with rest of the wedding party for the first dance.
All of the couples took their places on the dance floor and began to dance. Harry kept glancing over to see Ginny dancing with Adrian. She was smiling as they twirled around the dance floor. The beast in Harry’s chest was beginning to grow impatient. Finally the music stopped, and he headed for the sanctuary of Ron and Hermione’s table, leaving a somewhat confused Cosette standing alone on the dance floor.
Harry sat heavily into a chair beside Ron.
“Harry, wasn’t that an absolutely beautiful wedding?” Hermione gushed.
“Yeah, great,” he mumbled distractedly as he watched Ginny walk back over to the head table. Adrian was now dancing with Cosette.
“The ceremony was wonderful; who knew they would use an Evidentia charm? Harry, you looked wonderful in your robes and Bill looked amazing. Fleur was so beautiful. It was all just wonderful,” Hermione continued to gush, smiling broadly at the sight of Bill and Fleur dancing.
“The what charm?” Ron asked.
“The Evidentia charm,” came an American-accented voice from a behind him. “It’s like a universal translator.”
Ron, Harry, and Hermione all turned to see who was speaking to them. Harry recognized the girl who had followed the Whites into the dining chamber.
“A what?” Ron asked, seemingly more perplexed than before.
“A universal translator. It’s from a Muggle TV show that my dad watches. “Star Track or something,” she said, smiling at the trio. “The charm allows you to hear whatever is said in your own language. It usually only lasts twenty-four hours. I’m Jenny, by the way, Jenny White. My mom is a teacher at Salem Witches Academy in the U.S., and my dad was the Keeper’s coach for the U.S. Quidditch team.”
The trio began to introduce themselves, but they were cut off by a wave of Jenny’s hand. “I already know who you three are,” she declared. “You’re Hermione Granger. Mom has talked with your headmistress about you. Mom teaches Transfiguration, and Professor McGonagall says you are as good a student as she has ever seen.” Upon hearing this praise, Hermione blushed in a way that would have made a Weasley proud.
“And you are Ron Weasley. Dad has seen you play“he’s been over to watch a few matches. He says you are very good Keeper most of the time. He saw the match that won you your school championship last year; he was really impressed.” It was Ron’s turn to blush, and he smiled brightly and started to examine his shoes.
“And you are Harry Potter,” she said, smiling at him. Harry waited for her eyes to travel up to the scar, as always happened when people first met him. Her eyes, however, never left his. She just gave a friendly smile and continued, “Dad has seen you play as well. He said he hasn’t seen a Seeker your age fly so well in his life.”
Harry was stunned. Jenny was one of very few people in the wizarding world who hadn’t immediately mentioned his scar and how famous he was. She was impressed by his flying and not his fame.
“So what do you mean that your dad used to be the Keeper’s coach?” Ron asked, looking up again.
“I think he got a better job, but I can’t say where yet. He has to wait for some announcement,” she said with a grin.
The group talked for a few more minutes before Jenny left to go chat with a couple of Fleur’s siblings.
“Well, she was certainly nice. I wonder what living in the States is like,” Hermione said, getting up from her chair.
“Hermione, would you like to dance?” Ron asked, turning a new shade of pink.
Hermione was slightly taken aback, but smiled warmly at Ron. “Yes, I would love to dance.” The two got up and walked onto the dance floor. Harry watched as they embraced each other, swaying gently to the slow music. He then looked back over to the head table and noticed Ginny glaring at him. Surprised at the anger he saw in her eyes, he got up, intending to find out exactly what he had done to deserve that particular look.
“Hi, Harry,” came a sweet, girlish voice behind him. Harry froze. He had just figured out what Ginny was glaring at, and it wasn’t him.
“Ah”hi, Cho,” Harry turned to see a huge smile on Cho’s face. “So, how is Michael these days?” he asked, looking around for a means of escape.
Cho’s smile faltered. “Well, we broke up a few weeks ago. You know how school romances never work out,” she said, looking out at the dance floor as the music stopped.
Harry quickly turned and glanced pleadingly at the head table, but Ginny was gone. The music started again, another slow romantic tune. Harry turned back and saw a look of delight in Cho’s eyes.
“So, Harry, I hear that you and Ginny aren’t together anymore. What happened?” she beamed at him.
The words caught in Harry’s throat. Did everyone know about his love life? he wondered.
“We, ah--we sort of--” he stammered.
“We decided that with all that is going on with Vol-Voldemort, a relationship just wasn’t the best idea. We are still great friends though. Speaking of which, Harry, you promised me a dance,” Ginny stated, smiling broadly at him.
“I sure did. See you later, Cho,” Harry called as he was being ushered onto the dance floor. Cho looked furious and stalked off in the direction of the head table.
“Thanks,” Harry said, finally able to breathe again. “She just sort of popped up behind me.”
“You’re welcome. I didn’t know if you would want to dance with her or not, but I saw the look on your face and figured that you didn’t. I thought I could help,” she stated, smiling slightly up at him.
“You know, I don’t need you to protect me,” he replied with a wink.
“What!” Ginny exclaimed, anger beginning to fill her eyes.
“Kidding, just kidding,” Harry said apologetically. “I am sorry about training yesterday. I know that you can take care of yourself. I just sort of freaked out there for a minute. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Harry, you won’t lose me. We will always be friends.” She leaned her head against his chest while they swayed to the music.
“Friends?” he said just barely above a whisper. He wanted desperately to ask if it was still possible to be more, but the words never came out.
“Yeah, friends,” Ginny whispered back to him. She seemed to be unwilling to look into his eyes.
“So, how was Adrian?” Harry asked, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood. If they were only going to be friends, then he was going to at least enjoy it.
“He is a prat. Kept going on about his royal lineage and such. I thought he was going to soak my hand when he kissed it during the ceremony. Oh, and by the way, Harry, I was winking at you during the wedding. Adrian thought I was winking at him, but it was you. I think you look really dashing in your dress robes,” she explained.
“Thanks. I was hoping that you were winking at me, but things have been so weird between us that I wasn’t sure.” He looked down at the top of her head, taking in the scent of her hair.
“We just won’t let things be weird between us anymore, okay?” she demanded, squeezing him in a hug.
“Sure, we won’t. From now on, no more weirdness.” Harry returned the hug, relishing the feel of her body next to his. They just seemed to fit together so well.
“Speaking of weirdness, take a look.” Ginny released Harry and pointed to the fireplace in the far corner of the room.
Harry saw Ron talking with Hermione, gesturing nervously with his hands as he spoke. Hermione was listening intently, grinning from ear to ear. Finally, she spoke in response to Ron’s gesturing, and it looked to Harry like she said, “It’s about time.” Ron’s shoulders stiffened, and he began feverishly talking with his hands again.
After a few minutes of this, Ron grabbed Hermione’s hand and they walked towards the door of the dining chamber.
“Well, it looks like Ron finally made his move,” Harry said, smiling at the thought of his friends getting together.
“It’s about time,” Ginny declared, shaking her head.
++++++
The rest of the day was filled with dancing and merriment. Cho spent most of the evening dancing with Adrian and they seemed to hit it off quite well. Ron and Hermione reappeared after about half an hour, still holding hands, and they danced the night away.
Harry danced with Ginny several more times; he also danced with Fleur a couple of times, her little sister Gabrielle, who never would look him in the eyes, and even once with Jenny from America. He had a chance to speak with her dad about Quidditch, and Mr. White promised to try to make it to a game that year.
Finally, sometime well into the evening, it was time for the bride and groom to start their honeymoon and for the guests to leave. Once the final tune had been played and the party ended, everyone gathered around an old top hat and touched the Portkey that would take them back to Grimmauld Place.
They arrived in the kitchen, Harry stumbling slightly as he landed. Hermione and Ginny immediately ran giggling from the kitchen. Harry looked over to Ron, who was smiling and turning pink as the sound of giggles continued to carry into the kitchen from down the hall.
“So, you and Hermione?” Harry asked, smiling at his friend.
“Yeah,” Ron grinned back.
“Good, but ah--no great displays of snogging like with Lavender, all right? And she isn’t going to call you ‘Won“Won’ is she?” Harry asked, looking a little ill.
“Merlin, I hope not. I don’t think the snogging will be a problem either. Hermione has already said that we are going to keep the ‘public displays of affection’ to a minimum. We are Prefects, you know.” Ron admitted, turning pink again. “Up for a game of chess?”
“Ready to be humiliated?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Harry. You haven’t beaten me yet, and it has been six years.” Ron walked out of the kitchen with Harry following him.
“Well, today is going to be my day. You are distracted with your love life, so I have the advantage.”
“Whatever you say, Harry.”
They entered the study and began to play. They were joined by the girls about an hour later. Hermione grabbed a book on Transfiguration and plopped down in a chair beside Ron. Ginny, smiling gently at her brother, walked over and tousled his hair.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Ron shot at her as his knight pummeled Harry’s bishop into submission and tossed it off the board.
“It was just cute the way you asked Hermione out. A little lame, but cute nonetheless.”
Ron turned a bright scarlet and looked over at Hermione. She just looked up at him, grinned and went back to her book.
They whiled away the rest of the evening with chess and books and conversation. Finally, exhausted from the day’s activities, they went to bed for a well-deserved rest.
+++++
The following week, the routine began again. Harry trained in the morning and studied Occlumency
in the afternoon. This week, however, had the added activity of getting ready for his Apparition test. Thursday was his birthday, so he and Ron planned to go in the morning to take the test. Mrs. Weasley had a huge birthday bash planned, with all of Harry’s favorite foods and as many Order members as were available.
They arrived at the Ministry and walked through the main lobby to the lifts. Harry had not been in this building since the night that Sirius had died. He still struggled with those memories, although the guilt had receded with time.
Finally, Harry found himself in a small office without really knowing how he’d gotten there. He pushed down the feelings of loss, knowing that he needed to concentrate on the test.
An elderly witch with short graying hair looked up as the three men entered her office. “Name, please,” she stated without preamble.
“Ronald Bilius Weasley and Harry James Potter. Here for Apparition licensing,” Mr. Weasley declared in an official tone.
“Sit here and wait. The tester will be with you shortly,” the witch responded, looking back down at her desk, never even acknowledging the two boys.
Mr. Weasley bid farewell to the boys as they sat to wait for the tester to arrive. They sat there for what seemed like hours, until finally the door to the testing room opened. An extremely disgruntled looking young man walked out of the testing facility carrying a small box. Harry looked at him for second, trying to decide what was strange about this boy’s appearance. Finally, he realized the boy had no ears. He smirked, thinking that the missing ears must be in the box.
“That’s fine, Warren. Just head to the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes on the third level and they will put those ears right back,” instructed a short balding wizard stepping out from behind the door. “Well, he failed I’m afraid,” he told the witch sitting behind the desk. She didn’t look up from her paperwork but simply nodded with a “Hmpf.”
“Okay, who is next?” he asked, looking cheerily at the two boys sitting across the office. Harry and Ron looked at each other, Ron turning a deeper shade of green.
“I am, sir. Harry Potter,” Harry declared, standing. He looked at Ron who mouthed, “Thanks,” to him. Harry walked nervously across the office to the door that the testing wizard was standing in.
“Merlin’s Beard, the Harry Potter?” he remarked, taking a long look at Harry’s face before his eyes darted up to the scar.
Harry tried not to show his frustration with this but failed. “Yes, sir,” he sighed.
Realizing he was staring, the wizard quickly turned and walked back into the room. “Right then, here you go.” He led Harry into the room and the door closed behind them.
Fifteen minutes later, Harry emerged, completely intact and smiling happily.
“How was it?” Ron asked. He didn’t look as green as he had when Harry went in.
“No problem. Apparate into a couple of hoops and then through a wall. Piece of cake. You will do fine,” Harry ensured him. Ron seemed to take heart with what Harry said and quickly moved towards the door. The testing wizard came out to greet him.
“And you are?” he inquired, his eyebrows twitching up at Ron’s show of enthusiasm.
“Ron Weasley.”
“Very well, Mr. Weasley, in you go. This one passed fine, Helga,” he announced to the witch behind the desk. She merely nodded and started working on another bit of paperwork.
Twenty minutes later, Ron exited the testing room. He too was fully intact and smiling from ear to ear. “No problem,” he declared.
“Very well done, Mr. Weasley,” said the tester as he walked out of the testing room. “He passed, Helga… and smile, this is fun.” Then the tester walked through another door in the office.
Helga didn’t smile, however--she didn’t even look up. She simply filled out two pieces of parchment and handed them to the boys. “Take these to the Records Office, and they will provide you with copies of your licenses. Congratulations,” she said with absolutely no feeling behind it whatsoever.
Harry and Ron took the parchments, smiling widely, and headed for the lifts that would take them to the third floor. As they entered lift number six, they were greeted by a familiar voice.
“Hello Ronald, Harry,” Percy said as they entered the lift. “Here for your licenses, I presume.”
Both boys were caught off guard by Percy’s appearance. He had been around a couple of times in the last year--Christmas and Professor Dumbledore’s funeral--and he had spent some time with Ron’s mum and dad, but he had made no effort to reconcile with the rest of the family. They both remained silent, staring at him.
“Well, that is how it is going to be then,” Percy declared pompously. “I’m glad I ran into you both. I was just in the Records Office and saw the memos saying you both passed your tests. Congratulations. I have your licenses here so you won’t have to wait in line up there in the office. It is a mad house up there.”
“Oh, ah, thanks,” Harry mumbled, not really knowing what to do. Ron simply glared at his brother.
“Why don’t you both come to my office and I will give you the licenses. I would really like to show you around a bit. I have been moving up in the world since the last time we talked.” Percy motioned them out of the lift. They hadn’t even realized it was moving, so stunned were they by seeing Percy and by his desire to “show them around”.
They entered the office behind Percy. He was looking at his pocket watch as he walked over to his desk. He picked up two pieces of parchment from the desk and looked again at his watch.
“So, Harry, tell me, are you looking forward to Hogwarts this year?” he asked. This was not like Percy at all; he was not one for small talk and wasting time.
“Why didn’t you talk to mum or dad at the wedding?” Ron growled.
“Oh, well, I was very busy Saturday during the reception. You know, all those foreign dignitaries to talk with. We need to stand together if we are going to defeat the Dark Lord. We are at war and all. Speaking of the war…” Percy again looked at his watch, smiling a little. “Harry, are you getting ready for the role you are going to take in the war--'The Chosen One' and that sort of thing?”
“What are you talking about? I don’t know; why ask me?” Harry was dumbfounded by the way Percy was acting, and he was starting to feel nervous about the whole thing. “We need to go, Ron; your dad is waiting for us.” He looked at Ron meaningfully. Ron nodded.
Percy got up from behind his desk, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Very well, give my love to mum and dad.” He handed a parchment to each of them. He then walked back to sit behind his desk. As the boys walked to the door, he cleared his throat. They both turned at the sound.
“By the way, Harry, I wanted to tell you something. Ron, you should hear this too,” Percy called with a smile crossing his face. “Remember, there is no good or evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it.”
Harry’s eyes widened in shock at hearing those words. He had not heard them in a very long time, but the memory was seared in his mind forever. He looked at Ron, who was staring at his brother in disgust. Before he could say anything, they both felt the tug of a Portkey being activated, and they were gone.
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A/N: Another happy cliff hanger, hehehehehe! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It is one of my favorites. Let me know what you think with a little review. Any suggestions will also be helpful.
As always, thanks to my pre-betas cableguysmom and Kerrbear. Thanks also to my wonderful beta JenC. Thanks again ladies for all your wonderful work and ideas.