The blood-red sunset was brilliant against the summer sky, heralding the onset of evening. But the wedding celebrants on the lawn of the Burrow paid no heed to the oncoming darkness; instead, they conjured lights and continued their merry festivities. A pool of golden light illuminated the dance floor and the long tables laden with delicious food. A mingled murmur of French and English filled the air as the friends and family of Fleur and Bill Weasley talked in groups around the dance floor.
A slow tune was playing across the candlelit floor, and the newlyweds were dancing in the very center. Fleur looked positively radiant in her floaty wedding gown of pale silver, her blonde hair flowing out almost of its own accord. Bill, for all his injuries, had never looked happier; the scars Greyback had given him were hardly noticeable in the golden light that bathed the dance floor, concealed by the joy that clearly shone in his face.
Other couples were swaying slowly in each others’ arms; Arthur and Molly Weasley were dancing not too far from their oldest son. Fleur’s own parents had gotten up and gracefully made their way into the circle of candlelight after a minute or two of hesitation.
At the edge of the floor danced a weary-looking wizard who held a pink-haired young witch in his arms. Remus Lupin smiled tentatively down at Tonks, who pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and laid her head against his chest with a contented sigh.
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger seemed lost in their own world; they were looking into each others’ eyes in final acknowledgement of their feelings, though they looked as though they could hardly believe it. Tonight, everyone forgot about the war. Tonight, everyone forgot that Lord Voldemort was still out there, that danger still lurked in the outside world. In the magic and joy of the wedding, everyone could forget the troubles that yet existed.
Save one.
Harry Potter was at the very edge of the dance floor, sitting alone with a still-full champagne flute in hand. No, he could not forget. It was his mission “ his purpose “ to bring Voldemort’s destruction about. He had promised Ron that he would wait until Bill’s wedding was over, but he could no longer sit idle. What little security had been left in the world had died with Dumbledore. Harry had been watching the papers: Voldemort had grown more audacious now that Dumbledore was gone, destroying at his slightest whim with little enough caution.
Harry knew that he had to leave soon, taking Ron and Hermione with him. He smiled to himself as he watched them dance “ finally, they had begun to act upon the feelings that Harry knew they had harbored for years. It had only been a matter of time.
Was it right, for him to take them along? If they let him go alone, they could have full lives ahead of them. With Harry, they were putting themselves in jeopardy every moment.
And yet their words came back to him: they would stand by him no matter what. Harry sighed. No matter how much he had tried to reason with them, they had not changed their minds. But at the same time, he was grateful that he had such true friends. They were the family he had never had “ no, the Weasleys were the family Harry had never had, and Hermione much like a bossy older sister. A small smile twitched his mouth upward ever so slightly. Without any of them, he would not have been as happy as he was right now.
He could not feel content at this moment, however. It wasn’t that he dreaded searching for the Horcruxes or meeting Voldemort “ well, he did, but in a way he had always known it would happen. No; it was something he had possessed for a mere few weeks before pushing it away in the name of safety. Something he still desperately wished to have but that he denied himself every time she came too close. He couldn’t afford to love, even if Dumbledore said it would be his greatest weapon. He didn’t want to bring harm upon anyone he was close to, especially her.
His eyes scanned the crowd, looking for her bright red hair. There she was, talking with the twins. Harry knew the meaning in her posture “ as though the heavy weight of sadness had settled inside of her, despite the smile on her face.
It had been painful, but what choice did he have? He didn’t want to see her used against him. It seemed ages ago that he had promised Ron that he would not get her hurt “ and he knew that the break had wounded her deeply as well. Only a few weeks had seen them together, but Harry had known that it would last much longer. At least, he had hoped.
Ginny turned away from her brothers and looked out across the dance floor. Harry saw her gaze hover for a moment over Ron and Hermione, and a smile twitched the corner of her mouth. She moved her eyes again, and suddenly Harry found himself looking right into them.
He started for a moment; it had been weeks since he had looked at her, for he had only spoken to her when necessary. She looked beautiful in the flickering candlelight “ not as ethereal as Fleur, but stronger, more spirited. Her piercing brown eyes spoke a challenge, daring him to ask her to dance, pleading with him to do so.
Not today. He could not approach her yet.
Harry dropped his gaze to his glass, looking with feigned interest at the bubbles rising from the champagne. When he looked up again, Ginny had melted into the crowd.
The chatter “ the music “ the dancing “ it was too much. He needed to leave.
Harry stood up abruptly as the music rose in a crescendo. Wordlessly he turned around and began to walk in the direction of the field the Weasleys used for Quidditch.
There was an old pair of swings hanging off a tree branch, overlooking the field. Harry sank into one of them and curled his hand around the rope, leaning his head against it and breathing in the fresh night air.
Ginny. No matter how hard Harry tried to forget about her, he couldn’t. He needed to push whatever he felt for her away “ but of course, that was easier said than done. How was it that what was his supposedly his greatest defense against Voldemort was his biggest vulnerability? At times he envied his enemy’s seeming inability to feel, his lack of care for any human being but himself. Not that he can really be called a human anymore “ more like a monster.
Pushing gently against the ground, Harry rocked the swing a little. It was made for a much smaller person than he was “ for a child, really. This was probably where Ginny and Ron had spent many a lazy summer afternoon together when they were small. Harry glanced back at the sky. The redness of the sunset was fading to a deep, velvety purple. The music was just audible from where he sat alone.
“Eet is beautiful, no?”
Harry jumped and twisted around in the swing, heart hammering. “Fleur?”
“Oui.”
“I didn’t hear you coming. Shouldn’t you be back there with Bill?”
She glanced back at the pool of candlelight that was the celebration and shrugged. “’E knows where I am. I ‘ad to get away for a moment “ eet is a little warm.”
“Oh.”
“And you are here “ ”
“I wanted to be alone for a few minutes. It’s “ ” He wasn’t sure if he could quite put how he felt into words without completely giving away the secret known to only himself, Ron, and Hermione. Instead, he lapsed back into silence as Fleur gracefully took a seat in the swing next to him, shaking back her silvery hair in the light evening breeze. She tilted her head back and inhaled deeply, eyes closed, a smile playing about her lips.
“Why do you want to sit alone, ‘Arry?” she asked. “Ze celebration, after all “ ”
“It’s not that, Fleur. Honestly,” he added, as she turned to look at him, “I’m really glad for you and Bill. But there are “ things “ I need to think over.”
“Ahhh. And?”
“And what?”
Fleur smiled. “’Arry, I am part Veela “ and it does not even take zat to know zat zere is something about you and a girl who is at ze celebration.”
Harry sighed. “Is it that obvious?”
“Oui. I think so.”
“I “ ” He broke off. How much could he tell Fleur? Well, she was a Weasley now “ and she was looking at him with a very expectant expression. Who better to ask than this newlywed? “I don’t want her hurt.”
“I see. And you ‘ave left ‘er because of it.”
“Yes.” Painful though it was to say, it was the truth.
“But she did not want you to.”
Are all women this perceptive? Harry asked himself silently. Before he could form a reply, Fleur added, “And you did not want to either.”
Harry scuffed the ground with his shoe, looking away from Fleur. “I think that’s about right.”
Amazingly, Fleur laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Harry demanded crossly. “You think it’s hilarious that “ ”
“Non, non!” she said. “But I ‘ave ‘eard the same story so many times. ‘Eet is too dangerous,’ you men say. But what makes you theenk that she will be any safer without you?”
“But Voldemort “ ”
“Can use ’er against you? Yes. But ‘e will if ‘e can, no matter what. You know zis.”
Harry had thought it over many times “ and yes, he could hardly think that his relationship with Ginny had been a complete secret. Malfoy and Snape had known, of course, and what was to stop them from relaying news of the relationship to Voldemort?
“He’s used her against me already. And that was when I considered her barely a friend “ it’ll be worse now! I’m trying to protect her, don’t you see? I’ve seen too many people I love die because they tried to stand between me and Voldemort! I don’t want any more protection. I don’t want any more sacrifices. I want to face Voldemort and kill him for what he’s done. And I don’t want anyone in my way.”
He was breathing heavily and glaring at Fleur now. Somewhere in the course of his rant he had stood up; he now sat back on the swing. There was a slight wariness to Fleur’s features now, a look that held a little fear.
“’Arry “ ”
“Look “ my parents, Sirius, and Dumbledore all died because of me. I’m not going to let Ginny “ ” He clamped his mouth shut. He had told Fleur more than he wanted.
After a few moments of silence, Fleur nodded. “Yes, I knew it would be ‘er.”
“How do you “ ”
“Eet wasn’t difficult. ‘Arry, tell me “ do you love ‘er?”
It was a striking question, one that he had never fully considered. How much did he really like Ginny? Just how deep did his feelings go, the feelings that overlooked the fact that he had seen her almost as a sister for nearly six years? “I “ I don’t know.”
“Mmm.” She turned to glance at the place where the sun had at last vanished to be replaced by bright, twinkling stars.
Harry scuffed his shoe against the grass again. Well, how else was he supposed to answer? “I guess I haven’t really thought about it that way,” he said. “We only went out for a few weeks, after all…” When Fleur continued to look at the sky, he asked, “Look, Fleur “ how do you know that you love Bill?”
She turned to look at him, a slight frown on her face. “I do.”
“Yes,” Harry said impatiently, “but how do you know?”
“Eet is difficult to describe,” she said. “L’amour “ no, not even the best words can say.”
“That’s awfully helpful.”
Fleur laughed softly. “No,” she sighed. “Eet is different for everyone. When I first saw Bill…”
“I remember,” Harry said. “It was before the Third Task. Mrs. Weasley and Bill had come to see me.”
“Yes. Me “ I saw Bill, and I knew.” Fleur shrugged. “Eet is something about being part Veela; my muzzer was ze same way.”
“But let’s just say that you weren’t part Veela. Then how would you know?”
Fleur thought this over for a few moments before slowly asking, “You remember a few months ago, in ze ‘ospital wing, after Bill was attacked?”
Harry nodded.
“And Bill’s muzzer did not believe that I truly loved ‘im?”
“Yes.” Harry could clearly recall Mrs. Weasley’s feelings towards Fleur; the two women had warmed to each other considerably before then. Harry supposed that it was Fleur’s appearance that fueled beliefs that she was superficial and self-centered. While he could not entirely dismiss the latter belief “ Fleur had her own vanities, after all, but even Hermione indulged now and then “ he knew that she was much stronger than she looked. A Triwizard Champion was never faint of heart, and Fleur had proven her worth when she had proclaimed that Bill’s scarred appearance did not matter to her.
“I theenk “ yes. When you are willing to give up everything for someone, when you know zat ze person will be the same to you no matter ‘ow they look or ‘ow bad things become “ zat is love.”
Harry wasn’t sure what to make of Fleur’s reply. It wasn’t the holding hands or giggles, it wasn’t any of the silly, embarrassing things that Bill and Fleur had done over the previous year. And then a thought rose in his mind “
“My mother died to save me,” he said quietly. “Because “ ”
“Because she loved you. I wish I could be as brave as she was “ as brave as my ‘usband. If I was that brave, I could truly say that I would die for Bill, that I would ‘ave taken Greyback’s attack for ‘im. But “ ”
“But you are brave, Fleur,” Harry said. “You were a Triwizard Champion!”
A sad sort of smile crossed her face. “Per’aps. But zis is ze real world “ the Tournament was mere playing next to…next to…”
“Next to Voldemort,” Harry finished for her.
“Yes.” Fleur looked back at the sky, her wide eyes catching the twinkling starlight. “I wish ze war was over. I want my children “ and Bill’s “ growing up without fear.” She sighed wistfully and tilted her head so that it rested against her right hand, which was curled around the rope.
And I want it to be over “ for more than one reason. His voice hardened as he promised, “I’ll end it, Fleur. It’s me and him, and I’ll be the one to end it. If not for myself “ then for everyone else.”
“Bonne chance,” Fleur said after a few moments. “But do not forget zat zere is someone waiting for you. She will wait, I know.”
Harry was silent as Fleur rose to return to the celebration.
“Theenk about it, ‘Arry. Choose well.” And with that, she glided back towards the party.
Love. It was both his greatest strength and his foremost weakness. He liked Ginny “ he really cared about her “ but was it love? He knew already that Ron and Hermione were meant to be together, but his own relationship with Ginny was nothing like that. At least, he didn’t think it was.
Harry looked back at the pool of candlelight. There she was again, her bright red hair shining, reflecting the fiery and headstrong spirit within. And she was mischievous as well; Harry smiled as he remembered the wicked light that shone from her eyes as she grinned. Now he realized just how much he missed seeing her smile.
Time was short. He stood abruptly and strode down the hill back towards the celebration. Once there, he began to seek her out.
She sat alone, looking forlorn as the music slowed and couples began to turn towards each other. Harry’s head felt light as he breathed in her flowery scent “ a scent he had not encountered in what felt like ages. Only now did he realize how much he missed it.
“Ginny?”
She turned towards him, brown eyes alight with anticipation.
“Would you like to dance?”
How Do You Know? by Galadriel8891
Chapter Notes: None of the characters, settings, etc. are mine. All belong to JK Rowling; no infringement is intended.
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