all was well

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007) dir. David Yates

“Sorry, briefing ran forever.” 

“You are not forgiven.” 

He eyed the cigarette, “What are you doing out here?”  

“Everyone thought I should come out here to make sure you wouldn’t get lost.” 

Harry, who had been to Bill and Fleur’s a hundred times and memorably hidden during the quite-recent war, gave her a look. “What did you do?” 

“It’s hell in there.” 

“It can’t be that bad.” 

“Three people have asked me when our baby’s due” 

“What?” 

“Apparently all of Fleur’s friend’s read the prophet, and there was that bit about me being pregnant last week. Everyone’s taken it to heart.” Ginny looked at him, took a drag, “Don’t worry, I said you weren’t the father.” 

Harry couldn’t help laughing, “Bet your mother loved that.” 

“That was around the time I was asked to come see where you were.” 

“You are not making me excited to go in there.” 

“Oh please, you’ll be fine, they all love you. Chosen one.” 

“Yeah, but I can’t keep coasting on that forever.” 

“True,” Ginny sighed, “but at least right now it’s working for you. If I was pregnant at least I’d have something to say to Fleur’s mother”

“You make me so nervous.”

Ginny grinned, flash of teeth, “I bet. How was the briefing?” 

“Boring, wished I was here, actually.” 

“Freak.” 

“Yeah, but mainly to meet the guy you’re having this kid with.” 

Grinned again, “You just missed him. He got here early, actually, Helped set up the gift table and everything.” 

“Wow, maybe you should start going out with him”

“Eh, can’t” she hit ash over onto the concrete, eyes rolling “I’ve been mad on the same guy for ages” 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Right git. Late to everything.” 

He grinned, the middle of him glowing. “Ginny!” Mrs Weasley’s voice, still not Molly after all this time, coming from the hallway. Ginny threw the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with her foot in half a second. The doorway was suddenly full of Mrs Weasley, with one of Fleur’s friends in tow, “Honestly wher– Oh, Harry!” 

Seeing an ember out of the corner of his eye, Harry covered it with his shoe. “Hi.” 

“When did you get here! Come in, come in!” She bustled over to them, “Why does it smell like smoke out here?”

“… it felt as though a cold draft had entered the room when the door opened, and his shining moment had popped like a soap bubble.” HP7 - The Will of Albus Dumbledore 

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“Harry could not bear to hear these things, nor did he think his resolution would hold if he remained sitting beside her.” HP6

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“It made a very nice change to be talked about because of something that was making him happier than he could remember being for a very long time, rather than because he had been involved in horrific scenes of Dark magic.” HP6

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“I wouldn’t be the person I am without so many people here.” —Daniel Radcliffe

“When things get really dark, and times are really hard, there’s something about Harry Potter that makes life richer.” —Emma Watson

“It’s a strong bond that we’ll always have. We’re family. And we will always be part of each other’s life.”—Rupert Grint

read on ao3

/

The thing was, they weren’t married. They talked about it and then shrugged it off for later, because they had stuff on, because Mrs Weasley teared up even at the mention of an engagement, and mainly because it wasn’t worth the press. On Harry’s twenty-first birthday The Prophet had run a 5-page spread, summarising his life and accomplishments and attempting to interview anyone he’d even passingly interacted with. They’d printed their phone call with the Dursley’s in full, expletives censored.  

When Ron and Hermione got married, 23 and beaming, they’d had to put so many privacy enchantments over the place that when Hagrid wandered out to find a bathroom he’d found himself magically apparated to the French country-side and missed speeches. However, The Prophet only did a three-page spread on the ceremony and managed to hold off referring to Harry as ‘The Chosen One’ until paragraph two, which as Ron pointed out, was something like progress. 

Even apart from the press stuff, weddings were always strange mix of brilliant and sad. At George and Angelina’s, George’s best man’s chair had sat empty, and at Percy’s Andromeda had held a squirming Teddy until late at the back of the reception, exhausted, half-crying, the moon huge behind her.

But then, always, there was the great stuff, Mr Weasley grilling Mr. Granger about how to unclog a drain, Luna wearing something absolutely insane and trying to explain it to an uncomfortable Percy, George’s speeches, Victorie’s outfits. And then, you know, love and that. When Ron and Hermione had gotten married, and everyone cried so much during the ceremony Ron said later it seemed like it was a funeral – even though he was also crying, Bill would point out. 

Anyway– the point was, they weren’t married. They would get to it later. Which was all fine, only then they got sloppy. 

/ 

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

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