─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Sara was trying to hurry as the girls were yelling at her from downstairs. Through the open window she could see the crowds of guests that were arriving from time to time. She quickly put on the necklace from Nico and did a last check in the mirror.
Hermione had done a good job at changing most of her facial features; since she was already a redhead, she could blend it easier than Harry, who had been forced to take some polyjuice potion mixed with the hair of a random muggle from the closest town.
Her hair was falling in waves on her shoulders, nothing more done to it. She thought her dress was absolutely gorgeous thanks to Madame Delacour and her skills. It was light blue and transparent lace, her skirt falling a bit under her knees and very fluffy, with a V neck and bare shoulders.
The redhead threw her heels on in a hurry and practically ran downstairs, almost tripping and breaking her neck at least thrice.
Ginny and Hermione looked stunning as well. She pulled both of them into a big hug, knowing that the night could bring them anything. The three locked hands and walked to the wedding tent which was already full of people and chatter. Nico, Harry, Ron and Fred were still outside, waiting for the last guests to arrive.
Nico did a quick scan and his eyes finally came to rest on her face. She knew it had changed but not that much that he didn't recognise her.
Behind the boys, 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 and gold flowers. Fred and George had fastened an enormous bunch of golden balloons over the exact point where Bill and Fleur would shortly become husband and wife. Outside, butterflies and bees were hovering lazily over the grass and hedgerow.
Nico smiled and put his hand out for Sara to take. "I'll escort these lovely ladies to their seats."
Since Ginny was one of the bridesmaids, she hurried off to find Gabrielle, Fleur's little sister.
Sara and Hermione sat close together until the boys would take their places next to them and talked a little. Hermione had a bad feeling just like the redhead and they decided to have their wands at the ready for every opportunity.
Ron stole multiple glances at the bushy haired girl, making Sara chuckle. Hermione was wearing a floaty, lilac-colored dress with matching high heels; her hair was sleek and shiny.
Multiple things had happened until the boys took their places next to the girls such as Viktor Krum, aunt Muriel and Xenophilius Lovegood. Aunt Muriel seemed to agree with Sara for the most part, but she hadn't been as excited about Hermione.
"She's just horrible, don't listen to her," Nico reassured Hermione as he took a seat next to Sara; they interlocked their pinkies and listened to Ron and Harry as they joined them.
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 up 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. Then the crowd fell silent as music swelled from what seemed to be the golden balloons.
"Ooooh!" 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 bouncing and beaming. Fleur was wearing a very 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 than usual, 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, Sara saw the same small, tufty-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..."
"Yes, my tiara sets off the whole thing nicely," said Auntie Muriel in a rather carrying whisper. "But I must say, Ginevra's dress is far too low cut."
Nico was trying not to burst into laughter; Sara elbowed him as her eyes filled with happy tears for the couple.
"Can you stop being so insensitive?" she groaned, raising a brow at her boyfriend.
"You know aunt Muriel's worse than a clown, I can't compose myself around her." at his girlfriend's hard glare he stopped laughing. "I'm sorry, love."
Sara chuckled and Nico rolled his eyes.
"You tease."
"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 of the marquee told everyone that Hagrid had taken out one of his own tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs.
". . . then I declare you bonded for life."
The tufty-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 now 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.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" called the tufty-haired wizard. "If you would please stand up!"
They all did so, Auntie Muriel grumbling audibly; he waved his wand again. The seats on which they had been sitting rose gracefully into the air as the canvas walls of the marquee vanished, so that they stood beneath a canopy supported by golden poles, with a glorious view of the sunlit orchard and surrounding countryside. Next, a pool of molten gold spread from the center of the tent to form a gleaming dance floor; the hovering chairs grouped themselves around small, white-clothed tables, which all floated gracefully back to earth around it, and the golden-jacketed band trooped toward a podium.
"Smooth," said Ron approvingly as the waiters popped up on all sides, some bearing silver trays of pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and firewhisky, others tottering piles of tarts and sandwiches.
Since Fleur and Bill were already crowded by people waiting to congratulate them, the 5 went on a search for a table ending up finding an almost empty one where Luna was sitting.
"All right if we join you?" asked Ron.
"Oh yes," she said happily. "Daddy's just gone to give Bill and Fleur our present."
"What is it, a lifetime's supply of Gurdyroots?" asked Ron.
The band had begun to play. Bill and Fleur took to the dance floor first, to great applause; after a while, Mr. Weasley led Madame Delacour onto the floor, followed by Mrs. Weasley and Fleur's father.
Sara and Nico soon joined the crowd of people that were already on the dance floor, moving smoothly along the tune of the music.
"Haven't got a taste of this ever since Slughorn's Christmas party," Nico observed, spinning the redhead.
She raised a brow. "Of what?"
"Dancing with you."
The two smiled and Sara buried her face into his shoulder, taking in his smell; the smell of home.
"After all of this is over, maybe one of the next weddings will be ours," the blackhaired boy whispered. Sara's eyes widened as she went back to look Nico in the eyes.
"We're still so young, do you really think we'll have time for this?" she asked quietly.
Nico gave her a kiss on the forehead. "As long as it's with you, yes."
They danced and danced, everything else off their minds. At some point Sara was swept away by Mr. Weasley in a fast dance that only he probably knew while Nico danced with Fleur.
Sara had no idea that they wouldn't do much dancing together after being separated that night.
As Mr. Weasley spun her, something large and silver came falling through the canopy over the dance floor. Graceful and gleaming, the lynx landed lightly in the middle of the astonished dancers. Heads turned, as those nearest it froze absurdly in mid-dance. Then the Patronus's mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
Sara drew her wand and broke away from Mr. Weasley. Many guests had started panicking already, some apparatting away as the enchantments started to fade.
The redhead was already searching for the others, praying to Merlin that the four of them could leave before anything bad happened.
Somewhere along the way she was grabbed by a furious Ron, both of them throwing hexes at the Death Eaters that had already appeared.
"Where is everyone else?" Ron yelled as he threw another hex.
"I have no idea," Sara was starting to panic, she couldn't spot Nico anywhere.
The next thing she knew, Ron had found Harry and Hermione and just as Sara was about to yell she was squeezed through space and time, away from the Burrow, away from the descending Death Eaters and away from her love.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───