Harry Potter and Changing Destinies

Chapter 4

As they began the short walk to the door with their things blurs of orange and white flew towards them both. The next thing they knew they had faces full of a happy kneazle-cat breed and white snowy owl. They looked at each other and back to their familiars with a laugh and began giving them attention. When the cat and owl had received what they believed was enough they went on their way. Leaving a smiling Harry and Hermione standing in the doorway of the Burrow with smiling faces watching them.

Just as they got themselves under control they were knocked over by lots of red and blonde heads. Their ears were crowded with screams of, “Harry! Hermione! Its great to see you again. Are you well?” and so on.

When they were let go they were led to chairs at the kitchen table to sit. They were smiling huge grins of amusement at their friends again. As Hermione began to talk to George and Fred about how they were doing George turned to her and Harry’s mind was put into shock after he heard Hermione gasp, “Oh my Merlin! What happened to you George?” and Harry saw for himself that one of George’s ears was gone. He turned in a rush of outrage and growled, “Why didn’t anyone tell us! When did it happen and don’t fucking lie to me!”

Harry watched as Mrs. Weasley cringed at his anger in satisfaction. He eyed each member of the Weasley family slowly watching as their faces turned all different shades of red. The worst of them all as he expected was his own best friend Ron who had an ashamed look on his face and a shade of red on to match his hair.

Suddenly a soft and calming voice came to him, “A curse missed cutting him in half by mere inches. We were flying around here to get some exercise. The Ministry is still looking, but I can tell you the Order has taken care of it. I’ve dealt with it.”

Harry had a relieved and ecstatic grin on his face when he turned to find Remus Lupin or Moony, the last of the Marauders and dear friend of his as well as his mom and dad, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. With a yell of ‘Moony’ in an instant he was across the room and in the skinny, pale-complexioned, scraggly looking man’s arms. He hadn’t even noticed the blondes or new red-headed arrivals behind Remus yet at all.

Finally with someone coughing loudly Harry looked behind Lupin and saw the enchanting faces of Fleur and her sister who stood with a scarred and tired looking Bill and a smiling Charlie. He laughed and hugged Bill and Charlie in welcome and as he went to shake hands with Fleur and her sister they grabbed him, hugged him tightly and kissed both cheeks as well with a heavily French accented, “Thank you Harry. I’m glad you could make it. Welcome to our family as well the Weasley family.”

When they let him go he was amazed he wasn’t acting as weird as Ron always had. As he watched Bill and Fleur share a light kiss he felt happy but jealous too. “He wanted to be like that with someone, be normal for once,” he thought. He had once thought he could find that with Ginny, but last night as he lay in his bed Ali’s words that he should make his own destiny not do what others wanted had forced him to really look at his relationship with Ginny. What he found should have surprised him, but it didn’t really. He loved Ginny, he enjoyed being with her, but he wasn’t ‘in love’ with her. He loved her like a brother does a sister, like family.

With a handshake for Charlie and a light slap on the arm in return with a smirk from Charlie Harry excused himself to go upstairs for a bit. ~Song: Little Girl by Trading Yesterday starts in next scene ~

As he lay on the bed designated as his in Ron’s room trying to rest and figure some things out. He was surprised out of his half-conscious state by the person he didn’t want to meet up with right now, at least alone with no on nearby. Ginny Weasley, his best friend’s little sister. His adopted family’s youngest and only daughter. His ex-girlfriend that he broke up with for her own protection at Dumbledore’s funeral.

He tried to act like he was asleep, but her voice with its hint of annoyance told him she wasn’t fooled, “Well, Happy Seventeenth, Harry.”

Harry sat up slowly on the bed and with a tired voice replied, “Not right now, Ginny. I’m tired.”

Ginny, “Well fine, you sit and I’ll talk.”

Harry with a heavy sigh, “Fine.”

Ginny letting her Weasley temper begin to boil, “I don’t know what you and Ron and Hermione are planning on doing, but I do know it has something to do with you breaking it off with me. I want you to know I can handle it, Harry. I know life is dangerous now, but once you defeat V-Vol-He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named we can be together again.”

Harry reaching his end now, “His name is Voldemort, Ginny! Vold-emort. As much as I know it will make you mad we’re over. Yes, its dangerous and that was some of the reason I broke up with you, but we won’t be back together because I’ve been dissecting everything in my life lately, really looking at it and I’ve found I love you, Gin but not the way you deserve. You’re family, a sister but nothing more.”

Ginny’s face showed shocked anger and then pain. As she stepped up to him she said softly, “There’s the silver lining I’ve been looking for because from affection can grow true love,” and then she was kissing him as she had never kissed him before.

As he was about to push her away the door flew open and there stood Ron and Hermione in the doorway. Ron’s face showed surprised embarrassment; Hermione’s for a moment Harry swore pain but was quickly replaced by anger. Before he could explain to anyone what was going on Hermione ran out of the room with a calm-hiding-rage comment of, “Well seeing as you have someone, there for you already I guess we don’t have to worry about you brooding.” ~Song ends~

Ron watched her go with a confused look and said, “What’s up with her mate?”

Harry ignoring Ginny completely, “I don’t know she’s been angry with me for something for the past day or so.”

Ginny began rubbing his arm as if to comfort, but Harry shrugged her off and told her to leave him alone. With this he left the room with the yelled comment, “I’m going to check on Mione. I’ll see you two downstairs.”

When he came to the door to the room Hermione was sharing with Fleur this time he found it shut tight and locked. He could feel something in him dying almost from the loss of Hermione’s presence, her respect for him. So before he could get himself under control he was knocking on the door saying, “Mione, its Harry. Come on, talk to me. I don’t know what I’ve done, but I’m sorry. Please, come on talk to me. You’re my best friend, please speak to me. I can’t stand not talking to you, I can’t stand you being mad with me. Please Mione, please talk to me.”

Finally when he was about to give up on her ever talking to him he could hear Hermione moving around the room. When she opened the door though he wasn’t sure if he felt relieved or worse. Hermione never gave him a chance to decide she rushed into his arms with a cry.

As he lifted his arms to comfort her she stepped back with tears in her eyes with anger shooting fire at him in her expression and said coolly, “You’re a right ass, you know that right? I don’t care how powerful you are Harry James Potter I’ll kick your ass down a peg or two if you deserve it! Kissing Ginny like that when…when you don’t feel that way about her. Getting her hopes up like that, that’s wrong. You of all people should know better!”

Harry stepped back and gulped before replying, “I know. I know okay. I was telling her I didn’t love her that way anymore. I wasn’t ready for any romantic relationships at all. She took it wrong and kissed me. That’s when Ron and you walked in. Please I’m not trying to save my ass here. I’m telling the truth, so forgive me? I’d hate to have someone special to me angry at me on my birthday.”

Walking back to her he lifted her chin to him and said, “So, give me that ‘only-for Harry-Hermione-Granger-smile’ and let’s go celebrate my worthless life, huh.”

As she did give him that smile and wiped her eyes she smacked his arm lightly and replied, “Your life is not worthless, you idiot.”

They grinned at each other and headed downstairs. When they arrived downstairs they were arm and arm laughing so hard they hadn’t noticed it was silent. As they began to notice Harry took the lead putting a light hand on Hermione’s to keep track of her and got his wand out. As they turned the corner to the living room having heard a slight noise that way the lights turned on with a yelled Lumos spell and a yell of, “Happy Birthday, Harry!”

After this momentary shock his birthday was a blur of extreme happiness and laughter, opening presents, cake and ice cream, and favorite candies. All while Hermione worked with Mr. Weasley to get the wizarding radio to play muggle stations, which everyone seemed to enjoy especially the stations of 98.5 XM and 102.9 XM. Everyone stayed up until very late hours. Even Remus and Tonks who everyone had found out through the festivities were dating. And the said bride and groom needed their rest for the big day tomorrow. So, everyone went to bed with smiles and laughs after this announcement.

The next day began early and was a non-stop chaos ride of getting things ready until a few hours beforehand when everyone had to get ready.

Afternoon found Ron, Harry, Fred, and a one-eared George clutching seating plans underneath the great white marquee in the orchard. The waiters in white robes and the wizard band in gold jackets were already there waiting. Behind Harry, the entrance to the marquee revealed rows and rows of fragile golden chairs set on either side of a long purple carpet. The supporting poles were entwined with white ad gold flowers. Fred and George had fastened an enormous bunch of golden balloons over the exact point where Fleur and Bill would shortly become husband and wife. Outside butterflies and bees hovering lazily over the grass and hedgerow.

As they waited Fred burst out with, tugging at his collar, “When I get married I won’t be bothering with any of this nonsense. You can all wear what you like and I’ll put a full Body-Bind curse on Mum until its all over.”

“She wasn’t too bad this morning, considering,” said George. “Cried a bit about Percy not being here, but who wants him? Oh blimey, brace yourselves – here they come, look.”

With that for the next hour they led friends, people they knew by name or not at all to their assigned seats. While Harry was speaking to Tonks and Lupin and then telling Hagrid it was okay he had broken a chair or two that they’d be alright Ron had met up with a very interesting looking wizard he could see. When he met up with Ron and the wizard he found out the wizard was really Luna’s father, Xenophilius Lovegood. Luna’s father was as eccentric as his daughter it seemed because he was slightly cross eyed with shoulder length white hair the texture of candy floss, he wore a cap whose tassel dangled in front of his nose and robes of an eye-watering shade of egg-yolk yellow. An odd symbol rather like a triangle eye, glistened from a golden chain around his neck.

Just as they were turning to show him his spot Luna ran up in bright yellow robes which she had accessorized with a large sunflower in her hair. Once you got over the brightness of it all the general effect was pleasant and as Harry turned to face Ron with a light smile after greeting Luna with a handshake Ron thought so too it seemed. As they returned to greeting more people Harry nudged Ron and smirked, “In to Loony now are you?”

Ron shook his head and replied with a laugh, “No…just surprised she actually looked pretty, you know…Wow you look great!” he added blinking rather rapidly as Hermione came hurrying toward them and Harry found himself yet again stunned by how truly lovely Hermione was.

“Always the tone of surprise,” said Hermione, though she smiled. She was wearing a floaty, lilac-colored dress with matching high heels; her hair was sleek and shiny.

As Ron was telling about some of the things his uncle Bilius did before he died and the three were laughing hard that none the latecomer, a dark-haired young man with a large, curved nose and thick black eyebrows, until he held out his invitation to Ron and said with his eyes on Hermione, “You look vunderful.”

“Viktor!” she shrieked, and dropped her small beaded bag, which made a thump quite disproportionate to its size. As she scrambled, blushing to pick it up, she said, “I didn’t know you were – goodness – its lovely to see – how are you?”

Ron’s ears had turned bright red again. After glancing at Krum’s invite as if he did not believe a word of it he said, much too loudly, “How come you’re here?”

“Fleur invited me,” said Krum’s eyebrows raised and with this Harry led Krum away after a friendly handshake. While people were still craning their necks to get a good look at Krum and him, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George came hurrying down the aisle.

“Time to sit down,” Fred told Harry, “or we’re going to get run down by the bride.”

A sense of jittery anticipation had filled the warm tent, the general murmuring broken by occasional spurts of excited laughter. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley strolled by the aisle, smiling and waving at relatives; Mrs. Weasley was wearing a brand new set of amethyst colored robes with a matching hat.

A moment later Bill and Charlie stood up at the front of the marquee, both wearing dress robes with large white roses in their buttonholes; Fred wolf-whistled and there was an outbreak of giggling from the veela cousins on Fleur’s family’s side of the aisle. Then the crowd fell silent as music swelled from what seemed to be the golden balloons.

“Oh - !” said Hermione swiveling around in her seat to look at the entrance.

A great collective sigh issued from the assembled witches and wizards as Monsieur Delacour and Fleur came walking up the aisle, Fleur gliding, Monsieur Delacour beaming. Fleur was wearing a simple white dress and seemed to be emitting a strong silvery glow. While her radiance usually dimmed everyone else by comparison today it beautified everybody it fell upon. Ginny and Gabrielle both wearing golden dresses looked even prettier and once Fleur had reached him Bill did not look as though he had ever met Fenrir Greyback.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, “ said a slightly singsong voice, and with a slight shock Harry saw the same small tuft haired wizard who had presided at Dumbledore’s funeral, now standing in front of Bill and Fleur. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls…”

Ginny glanced around, grinning, winked at Harry then quickly face the front again. Harry’s mind on the other hand wandered to days when he hung out with Hermione by the lake and laughed so hard his sides hurt.

“Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle…?”

In the front row, Mrs. Weasley and Madame Delacour were both sobbing quietly into scraps of lace. Trumpet like sounds from the back told everyone Hagrid had taken out one of his handkerchiefs. Hermione turned and beamed at Harry; her eyes too were full of tears and Harry couldn’t help himself he smiled back at her like an idiot.

“…then I declare you bonded for life.”

The tuft haired wizard waved his wand high over the heads of Bill and Fleur and a shower of silver stars fell upon them, spiraling around their entwined figures. As Fred and George led a round of applause the golden balloons overhead burst: Birds of paradise and tiny golden bells flew and floated out of them, adding their songs and chimes to the din.

As everyone headed to the now set up tables to eat Hermione said standing on tiptoe to see the place where Bill and Fleur had vanished amid a crowd of well-wishers, “We should go and congratulate them!”

“We’ll have time later,” shrugged Ron snatching three butterbeers from a passing tray and handing one to Harry. “Hermione, cop hold, let’s grab a table…Not there! Nowhere near Muriel –.”

Ron led the way across the empty dance floor, glancing left and right as he went: Harry felt sure that he was keeping an eye out for Krum. By the time they had reached the other side of the marquee most of the tables were occupied: The emptiest was the one where Luna sat alone.

Ron asked if they could sit with her and she agreed with a far off smile and grabbed his arm taking him to the dance floor after Bill and Fleur, Mrs. Weasley and Monsieur Delacour, Mr. Weasley and Madame Delacour danced. As they went off to dance Hermione was asked to dance by George and Krum sat down by Harry to talk. Krum asked who the man with the symbol on his outfit was and Harry replied Luna’s father asking why Krum seemed so angry. Krum went on to explain that the symbol belonged to Grindelwald. When Krum brought his wand to beat on his thigh Harry asked if it was made by Gregorovitch and only got a short ‘yes’ in response. As Harry pretended to watch the dancers like Krum all he could thin was, “So Voldemort was looking for a celebrated wandmaker,” remembering reading that Gregorovitch had gone missing. Harry didn’t have to search for a reason: It was surely because of what Harry’s wand had done on the night that Voldemort had pursued him across the skies one night a few years back right after the trap that was the last trial of the tournament. The holly and phoenix feather wand had conquered the borrowed wand, something that Ollivander had not anticipated or understood.

As Krum left to go dance with one of the veela cousins when Harry heard someone say that the Dumbledores had once lived in Godric’s Hollow. Harry was so thrown he did not realize that Hermione had appeared out of the crowd until she drew up a chair beside him.

“I simply can’t dance anymore,” she panted slipping off one of her shoes and rubbing the sole of her foot. Just before Harry was going to ask if she wanted a foot rub; which by itself freaked him out, something large and silver came falling through the canopy over the dance floor. Graceful and gleaming, the lynx landed lightly in the middle of everyone. The patronus’s mouth opened and it spoke in the voice of Shacklebolt, ‘The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.”

The world slowed almost to a halt Harry and Hermione jumped to their feet and drew their wands. Many were finally being struck by what the message was saying. Harry and Hermione threw themselves into the panicking crowd. Guests were running everywhere, it was pure and simple chaos. Many were Disapparating the protective charms having been broken some how.

“Ron!” Hermione cried. “Ron, where are you?”

As he and Hermione pushed across the floor Harry could see cloaked and masked figures appearing; then he saw Lupin and Tonks their wands raised scream, “Protego!” echoing everywhere. As Harry grabbed Hermione throwing her down covering her as a “Reducto” came flying.

Finally, they found Ron and Hermione was screaming they needed to find a place to go. Harry was grabbing their arms to go when he heard a blood chilling scream. He turned around seeing a little girl of around six being thrown into a tree by a stunner that missed her by centimeters. He felt a rage he had never felt before and before he knew what he was doing he stood before her unconscious body and the Death Eater was on fire. The man screamed in agony until nothing was left but ash. He checked on the girl, found she was fine, and found Ron and Hermione again. With a tight grip on his friends he apparated them into Griphook’s private office at Gringotts without thinking of it.