It was nearing midday and all the guests were seated expectantly on the white satin upholstered chairs that were set out in the garden of the Burrow, under the marquee. Huge, lavish garlands of white roses were hanging from the ceiling along with big white bows and glittering candles. The altar had been set up at the front of the rows of chairs, a pale blue cloth that glittered in the sun covering it and completing Ginny's blue and white theme. The only things missing were the bride and groom.
"Oh for Merlin’s sake, where have Harry and Ron gotten to? I have been up there to get them down every five minutes for the last half an hour. The only thing left to do is actually break down the bathroom door, and I really don’t want to have to do that to Harry on his wedding day!" fretted Mrs. Weasley, who was getting more flustered and panicked by the minute. "I told them to be down and ready by eleven fifty five, and it’s now twelve and they aren't here! When I get hold of Ronald, he is going to be in a lot of trouble!”
Luckily Mr. Weasley came over at just that moment, before Mrs. Weasley landed herself in St. Mungo’s, and laid a calming hand on his wife's shoulder. He was, on Ginny's request, dressed in a pair of black dress robes with pale blue embroidery around the neck and sleeves.
"Molly, dear, you need to calm down. Ginny isn't even here yet - Hermione told me she would let us know when they are ready, and she hasn't come down."
************************************************
Hermione was on her way to the bathroom, now in a soft blue strapless, and incredibly flattering, dress instead of her jeans, when she bumped into Ron. "Well, well, well," Ron said, looking her up and down appraisingly. “Look at that! A princess has just arrived at my house- what an honor, madam!” He bowed low in front of Hermione, trying not to laugh.
"Ron!" Hermione said, looking him full in the face. "I have told you, there is only so long I can put up with your so-called compliments. You only say them when you want something.”
"Not always," Ron retorted, looking indignant.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you don't want something then?" said Hermione, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously and raising her eyebrows.
"Well I didn't exactly say that, did I?"
Just as Ron was wrapping his arms around Hermione’s waist and bending down to plant a kiss on her lips, they heard a thud followed by a high pitched cry coming from behind Ginny's bedroom door. Looking at each other with startled glances, Ron and Hermione rushed into Ginny's room to investigate the cause of the outburst.
Ron's red-haired sister had collapsed into a sitting position on the floor, and was looking very white and clammy. She closed her eyes with a pained expression and her bottom lip was quivering. She would have looked like a small child if it wasn’t for her snowy wedding dress that was spread out around her like a giant iceberg. The blossoming flowers she had obviously been holding only moments before had been thrown at the wall, smashed into hundreds of petals, and were now drifting to the floor like scattered confetti.
“Merlin! Ginny, what’s happened?” Without a moment of hesitation, Hermione had run to Ginny’s side and was beside her on the floor, holding her hand and frantically trying to pry words out of her.
“It’s, it’s…” And without managing to finish her sentence, Ginny started breathing very fast and, shut her eyes.
Ginny, pull yourself together. You don’t know that what you heard was true. Don’t take it at face value- maybe nothing happened. get a grip, your not a five year old, you’re stronger than this!”
They sat there for what felt like hours, but couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, frozen like a freeze frame. Ginny was staring into space over Hermione’s shoulder, Hermione hugging and patting her comfortingly on the back, and Ron standing stock still in the doorway, a look of unease stuck on his face.
Finally, realizing that someone had to be rational, Ron made an attempt to get some information from his sister. Crouching down to her level, Ron looked her straight in the eye and gently took her hand.
“Ginny, listen to me. You need to get downstairs, because Harry is waiting to marry you.”
Ron kept his voice very calm, with the intention of soothing her, but to his dismay it did nothing of the sort. Ginny’s face turned as red as a tomato and her mouth set into a hard straight line.
“I will not be going downstairs to marry Harry at this point, Ronald.”
Ron looked taken aback, but before he had managed to utter a single word, Ginny had started speaking again.
“I will not be going downstairs right now,” she repeated in a calm and collected voice, as if the breakdown of five minutes ago had merely been a passing emotion, “Because I just heard Cho Chang outside my bedroom window, talking to goodness knows who, and she informed this mystery person that…that…” She took a deep breath to steel herself, and said, “That she slept with Harry…” she took another deep steadying breath as Ron’s face turned to a look of outrage, whilst Hermione’s mouth fell open like a stone, and continued on to say, “And that it was after he proposed to me.”
The minute Ginny had uttered these words, it was like a bomb had exploded. Ron was charging around the room, a torrent of abuse spilling out of his mouth like water gushing out of a faucet, with his face screwed up and his hands balled into fists. Never in his life had he been this livid at anyone, let alone Harry. Given the chance, he would happily cause him a lot of pain.
“How dare he treat my sister like that! HOW COULD HE! When I get hold of that little...that little... he’s going to wish Voldemort had killed him when he wiped out his mum and dad; he’s going to wish he had gone with Sirius; he is going to wish…”
“That’s enough, Ron.” Ginny’s face was blank and Hermione was glaring at Ron with a sharp look in her eye. “Do you really want to get all worked up at a time like this? You help Ginny, and I’m going to find your Mum. This needs to be sorted out right now.”
Ron made to interrupt but Hermione was having none of it.
“No, Ronald, sit down. You need to be with your sister. We don’t know the whole story, and we need to keep a level head for Ginny’s sake. This isn’t about you, funnily enough!” Hermione’s voice was so commanding that Ron sat down straight away with a scared look in his eye.
***************
Harry was sitting at the front of the marquee feeling increasingly nervous. Where was Ginny? Wasn’t the ceremony supposed to have started about half an hour ago? Why wasn’t she here? he thought anxiously. Then, the romantic sounds of violins and harps filled the marquee and everyone stood up as a hush fell. Glancing round to the entrance, where Harry assumed his gorgeous fiancé would be entering, he saw the completely the opposite. It was true, Hermione was walking down the aisle as she was meant to be, but she wasn’t being followed by Ginny and she wasn’t smiling with the beam that he was sure would have adorned his friend’s face. Her face was stony and she looked very troubled. This look startled him, but he didn’t have time to work out why. There was a buzz in the room as everyone came to the same conclusion: something bad had happened and the wedding wasn’t about to start.
“Harry, you need to come with me.”
Hermione’s voice was so serious that Harry leapt up instantly and began to make his way out of the marquee before realizing she wasn’t following him. She had made her way over to Mrs. Weasley and was muttering hastily into her ear that she needed to come and see Ginny. Harry stood staring as Mrs. Weasley swept out of the tent, looking grave.
“Mrs. Weasley, what’s going on?” Harry shouted after her, his heart pounding, although this time it wasn’t from the excitement of his pending marriage. Something was going on, and he was a part of it, although he was clearly not allowed to know what ‘it’ was.
**********
“I want to talk to Harry alone,” whispered Ginny. Her face was red and her mouth was set in a hard line for the second time that day. She was trying to keep a brave face, but her hand was clasped so tightly in Hermione’s that it was turning a mottled purple and she was trembling like a leaf.
“Darling, I really don’t think that’s a good idea, after what he has done.” Mrs. Weasley’s face was pleading.
“What he might have done,” put in Hermione, her face indignant. “If you don’t mind me saying so Mrs. Weasley, we have no proof apart from what Ginny heard.”
When she saw the look of loathing on Mrs. Weasley’s face, Hermione shrank back quickly. She had never seen such a look on her soft-featured mother in law before, and the effect was very daunting. She hastily moved towards the wall, keeping a safe distance.
“I don’t think I asked your opinion, young lady,” Mrs. Weasley spat, her eyes still flashing. “The fact that your friend is a completely heartless young man and that he has broken my baby’s heart has nothing to do with you, although it’s not something I want to believe at this point!”
There was a sharp intake of breath from the doorway. Harry had chosen this moment to come through Ginny’s bedroom door and he was now standing there looking flummoxed.
“I’m sorry,” Harry said, keeping very calm and choosing his words carefully. “What have I done to whom?”
Although there was a sense of control in Harry’s voice, his face was creased and a pink flush was creeping up his neck. Everyone stood around him, although no one dared to catch his eye. Ron, his arms folded, was standing the closest, apparently torn between loyalty to his friend and the fact that this was his sister they were talking about, his threats from the last five minutes completely forgotten. Hermione was by the window, having moved as far away from Mrs. Weasley as possible, and Ginny was collapsed on the floor. Her dress was spread out around her and the remnants of her make-up smeared all across her face, only broken occasionally by tear tracks. In her hand she clutched a scrunched up tissue.
Harry was still looking round dazedly when his eyes fell on Ginny, and his breath caught in his throat. She looked like an angel, regardless of her red rimmed eyes. He had never seen anyone or anything so beautiful. He felt a painful lump rise in his chest as he realized that all the clues were pointing to one outcome: he wasn’t going to be marrying Ginny today.
What have I done? Harry thought, panicked.
How can I make it better; make her feel better?
But Harry knew that the biggest fear that was buzzing around in his head was that he may have forever lost the only girl he had ever truly loved.
Follow Your Heart Not Your Mind by jubjub15
Chapter Endnotes: The text in italics after Ginny stops speaking because she is breathing too hard are her thoughts, it isn't very clear so i just thought i would let you know! :D hope you enjoyed this chapter, another coming soon!