Chapter Thirty-Two

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Looking to the Future, or is it the Past?

The day after asking Severus to officiate found Harry and Ginny standing on the doorstep of number 4, Privet Drive. Returning to Little Whinging was something Harry really didn't want to do, but he felt it would help him to leave his past behind and look positively to the future. While he had resisted thinking about his life with the Dursleys for so long, he decided he needed closure. His aunt and uncle had never been nice to him, but the least he could do was to invite them to his wedding. Actually, `invite' was a deceptive title to give the action. He wasn't inviting them, he was telling them.

After knocking on the door, the pair waited while they heard a loud thumping noise on the other side of the door.

“ Dudley,” Harry muttered under his breath, recognising his cousin's heavy footsteps. When the door was forcefully pulled open, sure enough, the large form of Dudley Dursley was on the other side. His piggy eyes scrunched up in concentration as he assessed the couple on his doorstep. Taking in Harry's taller frame, short hair and dazzling green eyes no longer obstructed by heavy spectacles, he realised who the visitor was when he glanced up and spotted the telltale lightning bolt scar.

“ Potter! What do you want? I thought we'd gotten rid of you. When Dad turned up at the station and you weren't there, we had a party. You're not welcome here anymore, freak.”

“ I'd watch who you're calling a freak, Duddykins,” Harry sneered, his fangs elongating slightly. Dudley blinked stupidly, before filling his lungs.

“ DAAAD! THE FREAK'S AT THE DOOR.”

A grunt followed by a series of loud thumps could be heard from the direction of the living room, and the large form of Vernon Dursley appeared behind his son.

“ What are you doing here? Get off of my property, Potter. We're through with your kind.”

“ That's all well and good, Uncle Vernon,” Harry said, “ But all I want is a few moments of your time, then I'll leave.”

Vernon thought it over for a few seconds before resignedly opening the door and waving the couple in. As they made their way to the living room, Dudley leered at Ginny, gaining him a scowl from his cousin. Once they were all seated and Petunia had reluctantly provided cups of tea and a plate of biscuits, Vernon cleared his throat and broke the awkward silence.

“ So, why are you here? Why do you look so different, and who's that?” he asked, gesturing to Ginny.

“ This is Ginny, my fiancé.”

The Dursleys stared in disbelief for several seconds, before they simultaneously burst out laughing. Once they had calmed down, they turned back to a bemused Ginny and irritated Harry.

“ As if!” Dudley spluttered, “ A freak like you could never get a girlfriend. Besides, you're too young to marry!”

“ Actually, Dudders, I think it's you who would never get a girlfriend. And as for being too young, that's not true. Something happened to me over the last year, and I'm now physically nineteen years old.”

The Dursleys didn't know how to respond to that, so they just stared back in disbelief. With a sigh, Harry gave a very brief summary of what had happened to him, leaving his relatives gaping back at him.

“ S-so it was you!” Petunia gasped, “ You were the one who brought my sister here twenty years ago.”

“ Yes, that was me. I see you remember it. Look, I don't want to be here any more than you want me here, I just came to invite you to my wedding.”

That was the last straw for the three Muggles. Dudley dissolved into giggles again, Vernon snorted in disgust and Petunia grew a few shades paler. Once they had recovered, Vernon asked the obvious question.

“ Just what makes you think we'd want to go to a freak wedding?”

“ Because if you do, you will never see or hear from me again, that I guarantee.”

“ And if we refuse?”

“ I'll sic my godfather on you.”

The three paled at the mention of Sirius. Of course, they had never heard that he had been found innocent, as far as they were concerned, he was a mass murdering wizard. After thinking it over for a few minutes, Vernon finally spoke.

“ We'll never hear from you again?”

“ Or your freak friends.”

“ Wizards, and no.”

“ There will be no more unnaturalness to deal with? Ever?”

“ I give you my solemn vow as a wizard that if you attend my wedding, and don't cause trouble, you will never see or hear anything to do with the wizarding world for the rest of your lives.”

After mulling this over, the Dursley patriarch finally nodded, albeit reluctantly.

“ Alright then, we'll come. When is it?”

“ August thirty first,” Harry told them.

“ And where will it be held?”

Harry gave the people in front of him a malicious grin.

“ In the elf world!”

The next three days were frantically busy with last minute preparations. When the time travellers woke up on the morning of the 31st, they were all surprised to find Ministry owls waiting for them at the breakfast table. After Harry gave Ginny a quick kiss, he sat down in the dining hall with his friends, taking the letter from the excited bird sitting by his plate. His eyes widened when he opened the envelope and saw the contents.

“ It's the NEWT results!” he gasped. The other four snatched the letters from their owls and ripped them open, looking at their exam results. Glen, Hermione and Ginny all let out excited yelps and swapped letters. Ron frowned slightly at their behaviour before reading his own parchment, a faint grin appearing on his face. Harry watched amused as his friends congratulated each other. When Glen passed his letter over to his father for approval, Harry read down the list of `O's and a soft smile graced his features.

“ Well done, Son,” he said, “ These are wonderful results. I'm proud of you.”

Glen beamed at the compliment, contentment filling him at his father's approval.

“ Thanks, Dad,” he replied, “ How did you do?”

Harry handed his own letter over, showing the same results. It suddenly occurred to the Boy-Who-Lived how strange the situation was. How many people could say they shared breakfast with their son and both opened their NEWT results together? It certainly was a unique situation. Only in the wizarding world…

As soon as breakfast was over, the party made their way to their respective rooms to get ready. After gathering all of their supplies, the girls holed up in Ginny's room to make the bride look beautiful. Over the course of the morning, many people began turning up at Domus Corvus Corax, joining one group or the other. Harry didn't take very long to get ready. He was wearing simple elven wedding robes, made up of a pale green diaphanous material spun from a combination of elves' hair and spider silk. Underneath the overrobe was a pair of well fitting trousers of the purest white, adorned with elven writing stitched in gold thread. At his side he wore his sword, a gift he had received several years earlier from Kaiari, and on his back was the beautiful elven bow. The weapons were an important symbol at an elven wedding, showing the readiness of a warrior to protect his wife from harm. Around his head, Harry wore a thin band of silver shaped delicately and adorned with glowing emeralds.

As soon as he was ready, and Sirius and Remus had stopped fussing over him, he made his way to the portkey room to collect a portkey to Privet Drive. He thought it would be the best mode of transport for the Dursleys to experience. When the portkey activated, he found himself in the middle of his relatives' living room, startling the three and causing Petunia to spill tea down the front of her best dress. With a squeal, she leapt to her feet and made to head for the bathroom.

“ Don't bother, Aunt Petunia,” Harry said, and with a wave of his hand the stain disappeared. Vernon turned an ugly shade of magenta, but decided it was best to stay silent.

“ Thank you for being ready,” Harry said, looking at their outfits. All three were wearing their best clothes, “ I have only a few last instructions. As I mentioned on my last visit, the ceremony is taking place in the elf world. Humans and elves have been at odds for hundreds of years, and only this month have we tentatively reconciled our differences. I don't want you to jeapardise that in any way. I know you don't like magic, and I respect your opinions, even though I don't agree with them. I'm grateful that you are coming to the wedding, but I must stress the importance of the situation. I am trying to build bridges, and I will not allow your prejudice to ruin any chance we may have at gaining the friendship of the elves. Therefore, I have come up with a suitable…incentive.”

“ And what might that be?” Vernon asked, scathingly.

*Simbi, Nirah, you know what to do*

If the Dursleys were startled at the hissing, they were petrified when two heads appeared from out of Harry's sleeves. Harry grinned back at them and set the two snakes on the floor and watched them make their way towards his aunt and uncle.

“ These are coral snakes. The female is called Nirah, and the male is called Simbi. They are very poisonous. I have asked each of them to accompany one of you to the wedding. If you say or do anything that could jeapardise our truce with the elves you will be bitten. If Dudley says or does anything out of turn, you will both be bitten. Do I make myself clear?” he asked as the two snakes each wrapped around one of the adults' ankles. Petunia and Vernon simply nodded in shock. Harry wasn't prepared to tell them that as Muggles, they had nothing to fear from magical coral snakes.

After getting the three to touch the portkey, Harry activated it and the group was whisked to Domus Corvus Corax. As soon as they set eyes on the building, their jaws immediately dropped in shock. When they moved from the portkey room into the entrance hall, Petunia almost fainted.

“ W-what is this place?” she stuttered.

“ My home,” Harry stated smugly. Revenge was sweet.

The wedding party moved out of Corvus Corax in several stages. Gaerwyn, Lolide and Minh all turned up relatively early to help Ginny with her dress, and when they left for the wedding they took as many people as they could with each stone. For many of the guests, it was their first time in the elf world, and they gaped at the scenery, taking in as many wonders as humanly possible. When Harry arrived with the last guests, including his family, he watched in amusement as the Dursleys almost fainted at the sight of people with pointed ears carrying bows and quivers of arrows. The scene didn't exactly fit into their view of `normal'. When Harry showed them to their seats, they collapsed into the chairs and tried to make themselves as small as possible, which was amusing to see considering the size of Dudley and Vernon.

When he was sure everyone was seated, Harry made his way to the bottom of the aisle, taking his place next to Ron and in front of Sirius. The older animagus grinned at him and gave him two thumbs up, while the werewolf next to him gave him an encouraging smile.

I'm pleased for you Harry, came a voice in Harry's head.

Thank you, Albus, Harry replied. He had gotten used to having the old man in his mind now. Most of the time he didn't even notice that the former headmaster was there. He sometimes made comments or gave advice that was helpful to the Boy-Who-Lived, but he was never intrusive. Harry was even pleased when Dumbledore told him he wanted to stay with him longer than he planned. Apparently the old man wasn't finished experiencing the world, and wanted to see where Harry ended up on his next trip through time.

Eventually, after everyone was seated, soft music began to play. Looking up, Harry watched as his son performed the task Harry had asked of him. The boy thought it appropriate that Glen took part in the actual ceremony. Like Harry had spoken to Gallatea and gained her permission and blessing, Glen's help in the wedding was a silent way of giving his approval for his father to move on with his life. The ancient boy was playing an elven variation of the lute. Having experience with the human version of the instrument, it had taken little practice for him to become proficient in the other. As Ginny suddenly appeared at the other end of the aisle, one arm wrapped delicately around that of her father, an unearthly music filled the air, accented by the occasional trill from Fawkes.

Ginny was wearing traditional elven robes. Like Harry's, they were made of a diaphanous but gorgeous material, this time in a soft peach. The colour accented her hair well, something which was also set off with a thin silver band, similar in design to Harry's, but with glittering rubies. Around her neck was an intricate pendent hanging from an almost invisible gold chain. Harry gasped when he first saw her. She was beautiful.

When she reached the end of the aisle and stood next to the Boy-Who-Lived, Arthur gently removed her hand from his arm and handed it to Harry.

“ Dearly beloved,” Severus began, “ We are gathered here today to celebrate the joyous union of Harry Potter and Virginia Weasley. Do you, Harry, take Virginia to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”

“Do you, Virginia, take Harry to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”

“ Do you have the rings?”

“ Yes,” Ron said, digging in his pocket and pulling out two shining rings of the purest elven silver, etched with elven writing and enchanted by Lolide for long life, health and happiness.

“ Harry, repeat after me,” Severus continued, “ I, Harry.”

“ Stand here before these people assembled.”

“ And am witnessed by Merlin himself.”

“ Upon taking Virginia as my lawfully wedded wife.”

“ Now, Ginny, repeat after me. I, Virginia.”

“ Stand here before these people assembled.”

“ And am witnessed by Merlin himself.”

“ Upon taking Harry as my lawfully wedded husband.”

As the words were spoken, a soft blue light enveloped the pair, who each raised their wand hands and had them tied together with a rare plant from the elf world. Having completed the wizarding portion of the ceremony, they were ending it with an elven tradition to honour their hosts and Harry's heritage. Once they were firmly tied together, Severus spoke several lines of elven wedding blessings in their original language, something he had spent hours rehearsing. Once this was done, he performed a series of minor elven spells, making the plant shrivel up as its properties were transferred to the newlyweds. Once this was done, the plant was removed and Severus ended the proceedings.

“ With these actions I forever bind you as one, mind and heart, body and soul. As witnessed by the persons here present, and the mighty Merlin himself, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Once the wedding ceremony was over, the guests were transported back to Domus Corvus Corax for the reception. Molly Weasley had been very busy preparing the food, and the buffet they found upon arrival was by far the best they had seen in a long time. As the band struck up the first song, Harry dragged Ginny to the dance floor and led her in a dance popular at the time of the founders. His new wife smiled at him and leant in for a tender kiss. When she pulled away, Harry grinned back at her.

“ Thank you,” he said.

“ What for?” she asked, her brow wrinkling in confusion.

“ For making me happy. I love you, Gin, and I can't imagine a life without you. Whatever the future may bring, I always want you to remember that.”

“ I will Harry, I will. As for the future, what do you see for us?”

Harry thought about the question seriously, before raising a difficult issue.

“ Gin, you know I can't abandon Glenadade. He's my son, and I've missed so much of his life already. I need to spend as much time with his as I can, because as soon as he gets back to where he belongs, I'll never see him again.”

“ I understand that, Harry,” Ginny told him, “ And I respect it. I know you want to go with him when he uses the amulet, and I'll be with you every step of the way. At least this time we'll know what to expect, and can prepare accordingly.”

“ True. After all, who's to say the first time we end up in will be Glen's? We could go back a lot further than a millennium. In fact there's nothing to say we'll reach his time at all. After all, the amulet's not exactly predictable.”

“ We'll manage. You know Ron and `Mione are coming too, right?” she asked. Harry nodded.

“ Yes, they'll be there. I was thinking of asking a few more people as well. The more the merrier, after all. And if we end up somewhere a little more alien and hostile than last time, we'll need all the friends we can get.”

“ Sure, we'll discuss it tomorrow. For today, I just want to think about enjoying my wedding day.”

Harry smiled at his wife and pulled her tightly to his chest, resting her head on his shoulder.

“ That I can do, Mrs. Potter, that I can do.”

As the reception party was coming to a close, with several people lying around the room drunk, including Petunia Dursley and Draco Malfoy, who were dancing together merrily on one of the buffet tables, Ron tapped his glass loudly and gained everyone's attention. Once everyone was looking to him, he cleared his throat and prepared to give his best man's speech.

“ Erm…Right. Hi everyone, as you know, I'm Ron Weasley, best man and brother of the bride. I just wanted to say a few words to the newlyweds. Harry, you're my best mate, and have been for eight long years. We've been to Hell and back together, and I can't think of anyone more worthy of my sister's love than you. Gin, sis, way to go, you nabbed the Boy-Who-Lived!”

Everyone let out a light chuckle, causing Harry to turn beet red. Ron grinned at the couple before continuing.

“ On a more serious note, I just wanted to say one thing. Harry, Ginny, you've been given a great gift, the gift of love. Don't waste it. I know marriages have their ups and downs, and your lives have been filled with trying times and horrors, but you have the chance to be truly happy. Embrace it. Don't let it go. Live, and be happy. To Harry and Ginny Potter,” he said rising his glass in a toast. The rest of the guests joined him, raising their own glasses and repeating his words.

“ Harry and Ginny Potter!”