Disclaimer – All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc are the property of JK Rowling. The original characters and plot belong to me. I am in no way associated with JK Rowling, warnerbrothers, or any of those other rich people. This story is my version of what would happen next if I were to write the books.

Harry Potter: Chapter VII

Chapter 1

Wedding Bells

A rather thin, rather pale boy of 17 awoke in a bed that was not his own. He stared at a ceiling that he thought he recognised and just as he was remembering where he was, grief swept over him once more. Harry Potter got out of bed and scrambled around for his glasses on the bedside table. He woke up and opened the wardrobe where he had once put Dobby. He looked in the mirror and decided he needed some breakfast.
He stomped downstairs making no attempt to soften his steps. He knew he would wake the Dursleys, but since his last term at school recklessness had come over him. He had only returned here because he had promised Dumbledore he would. He hadn’t told them how long he would be staying, but he saw the terror that reached petunia’s eyes when he said, quite audibly, that he would not be returning to Hogwarts this year.

He knew that he would not be staying here forever, but it was satisfying to see the reaction of the others that obviously thought he would. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he heard a shuffling in the cupboard in which he used to live. Next he heard a low grumbling voice. The words ‘mudbloods’ and ‘mistress’ seemed to be favourite words of the voice. Harry opened the door to a smell that would have made even Dudley vomit. Kreacher was curling himself up in the dirtiest blanket Harry had ever had the misfortune to see.
“Kreacher what are you doing here?” Harry asked urgently
“Kreacher must stay where master dwells” Kreacher said loudly, as if he had been drinking one too many fire whiskeys. He got up and bowed deeply so that his nose touched the floor, and added in an equally loud voice
“Though Kreacher does not like being in a house full of stinking mudbloods with a master that is the biggest blood traitor Kreacher ever knows. Oh! If mistress could see me now”
“Kreacher I don’t care about your mistress! Why aren’t you at Grimmauld Place?”
“Because Kreacher is not finding anything more to clean, and because his mistress told him to leave the house”
“You took orders from a painting? And Kreacher, if there was nothing there left to clean I’d eat Ginny’s pygmy puff. Get back there NOW” and with a crack, Kreacher was gone.

Harry stepped onto the cold kitchen floor just as Petunia howled “what was THAT?!”
“What was what?” sniggered Harry, amused at the explosive, yet sickened look on his aunts’ face.
“That thing you were talking to. It was hideous. It wasn’t staying here was it?” petunia gasped. Harry was sure his aunt was in danger of floating with shock.

He walked off feeling quite happy. He walked up to Dudley’s second bedroom and was just stooping to lift a loose floorboard when a minute owl shot in through the window and hit Harry in the face. Ron’s owl leapt into the air and started twittering madly, happy to have delivered successfully once again. Harry grabbed the owl, took off a small package and put Pigwidgeon down next to Hedwig’s water tray. Harry recognised Ron’s writing at once and sat down to open the parcel. Inside was a letter, a present and a birthday card. He read the card, it was from the Weasley’s, wishing Harry a happy day. The present was a packet of chocolate frogs, and Harry wolfed three down before picking up the letter.

Harry,
How have the muggles been treating you? HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You’re of age, now you can threaten Dudley with magic all you want! How long were you planning on staying there? Mum says it’s not right that you’re there on your seventeenth so we’re having a party at ours tonight. Send pig back on the double and let us know if we should pick you up tonight. Mum says you can stay as long as you want once you’re here – and it’s Bill and Fleur’s wedding next week so you have to come over anyway! Has your scar been hurting? Any clues on R.A.B? let me know, and we’ll see you tonight.
Ron
P.S – Hermione is already here; she keeps looking at me funny and touching my shoulder.

Harry chuckled at Ron’s inability to understand women. He thought that the day wasn’t going to be so bad after all. He grabbed a scrap piece of parchment and scribbled:

Hey Ron,
Thanks for the frogs- great breakfast! I’d love to come, but how am I going to get there so quickly? Should I fly? I’ve not passed my apparition test yet. Scar’s fine. Don’t know who R.A.B is.
Harry

He tied the scroll to Pigwidgeon and flung him out the window. Harry started to pack, feeling the day really was going to be good.
•••


At 7o’clock there was a nock on the door and Harry leapt off the bed in excitement. Harry distinctly heard Mr. Weasley’s voice, and a lack of Mr. Dursley’s. He started to heave his trunk out of the room when Fred and George walked in.
“Leave that to us mate” Fred winked at Harry.
“You’re needed downstairs. There is a definite shortage of conversation” grinned George. Harry took his advice and left the room just as he heard a twin say ‘locomotor trunk!’ When he got to the bottom stretch of stairs Mr. Dursley looked up at him, positively fuming.
“Hi Harry” waved Mr. Weasley. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah, Fred and George are getting the trunk”
“Excellent”
“Bye then” Harry waved at the Dursleys. He heard Mr. Weasley speak.
“Your nephew, who you may never see again just said goodbye. Isn’t there something you would like to say back?”
Mr. Dursley looked like his face would explode.
“Bye” he grumbled.
“There, that wasn’t so bad. Watch out now, the trunk is coming past” Fred and George leapt down the stairs hovering the trunk right next to Vernon’s face
“Bye duddykins” scoffed George before leaving the house.

Harry waited while Mr. Weasley talked to his aunt and uncle, and let the fact that he would never have to return here again wash over him. He said to Fred
“How are we getting to your place?”
“Disapparating” nodded Fred
“But I haven’t passed my test yet!”
“Don’t worry, you’ve done it before, It’ll get easier now” smiled George, clapping Harry on the back. Mr. Weasley walked up to Harry.
“Now, Ron has told me that you have disapparated before, is this correct?”
“yes, but-“
“Great, just think of the burrow and off we go! Fred, I’ll take the trunk” In two swift movements the twins were gone.
“Now you Harry” and he concentrated as hard as he could on the burrow. He turned and knew that it had worked because he had the feeling he was being pressed down on, from every direction. The sensation stopped just as suddenly as it had started. He opened his eyes and was standing in the middle of a field. Oh, no, Harry thought. He had missed the burrow completely. He looked around desperately trying to see where he was. Just as he was giving up hope he spotted a building he recognised at the bottom of the field: The burrow. Relief swept over him. He started to walk when he thought he’d have one more go of disapparating. He concentrated so hard he was sure his mind would implode, and when he opened his eyes he was standing next to a distraught looking Mrs. Weasley, just in front of the burrow door.
“Oh Harry, thank God. We’d hoped you hadn’t gone too far. Come in now, have a spot of supper. You look starved” Harry didn’t complain when he was given a plate full of Mrs. Weasleys excellent cooking, followed by 3 helpings of his favourite treacle tart.

Ron came down the stairs looking like he’d been stretched a little bit, and said
“You alright, mate?”
“Yeah not bad, you?”
“Alright I suppose, Hermione’s been acting a little funny. Maybe she’ll stop now that you’re here. She keeps smiling at me and stuff”
“Ron, a tree frog could figure out that Hermione likes you. Why don’t you put her out of her misery and just ask her out” snapped Ginny.
“Hi Ginny”
“Hey Harry. How’s your summer been?” she asked simply. Harry wondered if she even cared that they weren’t together anymore. He had spent nights thinking of her, wishing she was around. He even felt bad that he had ended it. But she seemed fine. Had she missed him at all?
“Oh yeah I’m good. What have you been doing since school?”
“Oh you know, planning the wedding. Fleur has been a nightmare ‘Oh, no, zat would be ‘orrible like zat. Ginnee will you pleez keep steel? Ze man cannot measure your size with you ‘uffing and puffing like zat’, honestly it’s been mad” Harry chuckled at her amazing impression of fleur and was mesmerised by how she looked in candlelight. He suddenly heard a shrill voice.
“Harry!” Before he knew it, he was surrounded by a mass of bushy brown hair.
“Oh Harry! When did you get here?! How have you been?!”
“I’m fine Hermione. Got here about half an hour ago. How has your summer been?”
“Oh, you know, this and that –“ SMASH. Harry looked around to see Bill and what looked like a crystal vase shattered at his feet. Fleur swooped out of no-where and restored it with a flick of a wand. She guided Bill to a seat and kissed him on the cheek. She darted out of sight again. Harry felt sorry for Bill. His usually good-looking face was now as scarred as Moody’s. He didn’t seem any different apart from his laugh was more of a bark, and his meat looked a little too rare for Harry’s taste.
•••


The day of the wedding was extremely hectic. The ceremony was to be taking place in the field Harry had landed in a week ago. The grass had been magically cut, and what seemed like a hundred chairs had been lined up, creating an isle down the middle. White flowers were hovering at strategic points over the area and there was a wedding arch in front where they were to be married.

Ginny and Gabrielle were dressed in pale gold dresses that skimmed the ground. Mrs Weasley was dressed in elaborate bird-blue robes with a matching hat that had real bluebirds nesting in it. Mr Weasley was dressed in elegant midnight blue robes to complement his wife. Fleur’s mother was wearing bright pink robes with intricate flowers woven in, and a matching hat with a giant pink flower perched on top. Her husband wore deep purple robes, which were not dissimilar to his wife’s. Hermione was dressed in soft-pink and Ron was running around in a towel asking hysterically if anyone had seen his new dress robes. He hadn’t realised that Fred and George had hung them off the burrow roof as a flag to show where the wedding was.
“Harry! HARRY! Have you seen my dress robes?”
“Yeah, they’re hanging off the roof” chuckled Harry. Ron went green.
“You mean they’re-“Ron swallowed and dashed off upstairs. Harry looked up and saw Ron appear on the roof attempting to yank the robes down with his towel desperately clutched in one hand. Harry was feeling sorry for him, and just as he was going to help him, a particularly large gust of wind swept by and Ron’s towel went flying. Hermione screamed, Ginny fell to the floor with laughter and Ron dropped his hands to cover himself.
“RONALD WEASLEY” bellowed Mrs. Weasley
“What are you doing on the roof, and why oh why are you NAKED?” Harry felt like he needed the toilet. He had never witnessed something so hilariously funny in all his life. But the part of him that loved Ron took control and told him to go upstairs and help his friend. When he got there he chucked Ron a new towel and removed his robes from the roof with an un-sticking charm. He brought them inside and waved his wand over them to clean them. He took them over to Ron on the bed, who looked particularly disgruntled.
“Could you see – you know” asked Ron, flushing so furiously he was in danger of going purple.
“Erm, yeah” mumbled Harry, willing himself not to smile.
“Oh no. My life is over. Did Hermione see?” asked Ron, pleading.
“Um, no, I don’t think so” he lied. Harry couldn’t bring himself to tell Ron the truth. Ron looked slightly happier and dressed into his emerald green robes. Harry followed suit and dressed into his own black robes.

They went downstairs together and Harry noticed some bushy hair flying out of the room.
“Nice one mate” growled Bill, chortling.
“Oh ha ha, very funny” mocked Ron, his ears turning pink.
“’zere is notheeng to be embarrassed about, everyzing seemed to be finely formed” giggled Fleur. Ron looked in danger of passing out. Harry steered him outside.

Hermione was staring at a tree intensely when Ron said “Hey Hermione! What are you staring at?” She seemed to come out of a trance and blushed at Ron.
“Are you feeling ok?” he asked, concerned
“Oh, yes, I was just feeling a bit, faint” Ron took her by the arms and led her into the shade of a large oak and attempted to conjure a glass of lemonade. What actually appeared was a bunch of flowers. Hermione looked at them with a mixture of shock and pleasure. Ron looked awkward and said “err, these are for you” she took them and squeaked a ‘thank you’. Harry didn’t want to watch this so he went to find Ginny. He turned the corner to find her yelling at her older brother Percy.
“… Well if you hadn’t gone prancing off, kissing the ministry’s bum then maybe your family would still accept you!”
“If you kindly wouldn’t shout at me Ginevra, I have a headache”
“And why is that? Have you been betraying anyone recently or is your own voice getting too much for you?” she spun on her heel and almost rammed Harry to the ground. She stepped round him and ran off.
“Harry” nodded Percy.
“Hullo Percy” mumbled Harry, and he disappeared just as Ginny had done.

When he came round the corner Ron and Hermione were acting normal again, but something was different. Ron had a rather sheepish grin on his face and his hand was in Hermione’s. He took a step towards them and doubled back, thinking better of it. He stepped onto something soft and turned around seeing the smiling face of Lupin, closely followed by Tonks whose hair was white for the occasion.
“Wotcher Harry”
“Hi Tonks. How are you two?”
“Well we’ve been better. More importantly, how are you?”
“Fine, just been at the Dursleys for the last time. I’ve been here for a week now. Thinking of leaving just after the wedding. Get a move on finishing what Dumbledore started”. The name Dumbledore seemed to send an electric bolt through the two of them. Harry remembered how Lupin had thought of Dumbledore, and was ashamed he had said his name in front of him with such ease.
•••


The wedding went ahead without a hitch. Fleur wore a dress of purest white with real fairies on it and her veil was just as long as her dress tail with gold trimming to match the bridesmaids dresses. Bill wore a black tuxedo with a gold waistband. They were married by a man so old, that Harry wasn’t sure he would make it through the ceremony. Mrs. Weasley cried and so did Mrs. Delacour; with the end result of them holding each other and sobbing uncontrollably well into the reception. Someone had pulled some strings and Celestina Warbeck sang at the wedding. Bill and Fleur were first to dance, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the Delacours. Ron shuffled up to Hermione and mumbled something to her. The next thing Harry knew was that they were dancing in front of everyone and Harry wondered when Ron had learned to dance so well.

Harry looked up to see Ginny smiling at him.
“Aren’t you going to ask me to dance?” and before he got the chance he was on the dance floor stumbling around with Ginny whispering moves in Harry’s ears. He realised he looked ridiculous but he didn’t care. He was with Ginny, felt her warmth, he never wanted it to end. He was suddenly aware that people were watching him and he looked around to see that no one else was dancing anymore – Harry had been singing the words to Celestina’s songs and had been dragging Ginny around for the last ten minutes. He let go of her quickly and went off to find Ron.

He turned the corner into the Weasley’s drive when he found Ron, but he wasn’t alone. Ron and Hermione were locked in an embrace. Harry knew this day would come, he just wasn’t sure that he was quite ready for it to happen yet. He turned away and saw a man standing at the top of the hill. He was tall and thin, with a slight stoop. Harry knew without knowing that this man was important to his cause. He needed to talk to him so he started up the hill. He looked up and the man was gone.
“Hello?” Harry yelled into the night. He had lost him, an important part in the puzzle. He slumped slightly and turned to go back to the house.
“Hello Harry”