Ellie had only seen a limited amount of actual magic ever since she'd known about it. It had of course been one of the first things she'd asked Dora and Andromeda, a demonstration.
But in comparison to the lazy flick of Andromeda's wand levitating the dining table, and Dora immediately transforming into a flawless copy of Rowan Atkinson, this was just madness.
"You want me to step into the fire?"
"Precisely," Ted said smoothly. "Worry not Ellie, it was hard for me the first time."
"And why exactly does stepping into fire serve as some kind of instant teleportation?" Ellie looked expectantly at Dora, who coincidently had ghost-Ellie hovering behind her.
Ghost-Ellie simply shrugged, and surprisingly, so too did Dora.
"Never really thought of it. I guess cause the one who invented made it that way?"
"That's what I'm saying!" Ellie huffed. "How do you even come up with something like this? Was the inventor actively trying to create instant transportation or were they just really drunk? If they can create instant travel, why make fire the primary tool?"
Dora rolled her eyes. "No clue. Now are you going to go in or not?"
Ellie put her hands on her hips. "Doesn't it make you curious?" she demanded. "Are all wizards this damn dismissive of their pointlessly fascinating technology?"
"Wizards are lazy creatures..." Dora muttered.
For a while now, Ghost-Ellie had been staring at the green fire as though its existence were a complicated maths problem. "Wizards can already travel instantly without this stuff, I'm pretty sure?" she eventually inputted.
Ellie would have deadpanned. Instead, though she eyed the flickering emerald flames warily. "I don't trust it. It's going to burn me."
"It's not going to burn you," said an exasperated Tonks. "Dad, would you in and show her?"
Ted obliged with a grin, calmly stepped into the fire and said, "The Burrow!"
Promptly, he seemingly disintegrated.
"He's dead!" yelled Ellie in panic. "Turned to dust!"
"Remind me again, Mother," said Dora through gritted teeth. "Why we didn't just side-along apparate with this little fart? You know, like all the other guests?"
"You know why," said Andromeda sharply, readjusting her purse. "We can't risk Ellie throwing up all over her lovely dress."
Ellie made a face.
"I must correct myself," Andromeda tutted. "We can't give Ellie an excuse to throw up all over her lovely dress."
"What's a 'Side-Along Apparate?'" Ellie asked.
"It's what I was talking about earlier. It's the coolest thing!" ghost-Ellie beamed. But Ellie ignored her. She'd learned a while ago that ghost-Ellie's definition of 'cool' couldn't be trusted, especially not in this situation, in which it would result in her throwing up.
"Disappearing and reappearing somewhere else," muttered Dora. "Or teleportation, as you called it before. You Muggles and your made-up sci-fi terms..."
"So why does this method," Ellie gestured wildly towards the green fire. "exist at all if you lot can just teleport wherever you want?!"
"Would you just go in? I'll tell you on the other side."
"Hmph. Someone's impatient to see their new hubby."
"I'm not!" Dora protested.
Although they'd been newly married, Remus and Dora were still living separately for now. They still had to figure out what to do with Ellie, since she wasn't sure how to feel about living with only Ted and Andromeda once Dora moved out, nor did she know how to feel about moving in with a newlywed couple.
Ellie, her hands curled into fists and held firmly at her sides, took a deep breath and dipped a single, sandalled toe into the fire.
"Oh, for goodness' sake!" cried Dora, shoving Ellie straight into the fireplace.
Ellie yelped, and ghost-Ellie covered her eyes, but sure enough, she was fine. She inhaled a lot of smoke, however, and was sent into a coughing frenzy.
"Let your lungs clear out before you say the words," warned Andromeda. "Tuck yourself in a bit."
Ellie, still not very pleased at having been pushed into the fire, glared at Dora. Then opened her mouth and said loudly and clearly, "The Burrow!"
She braced for impact, but she hadn't for the life of her anticipated the feeling of being flushed down a toilet. It was as though the floor had collapsed under her and she was spinning down a pipe or a chimney at incredible speeds.
And finally, she stopped spinning, staggering out of the other side and very nearly falling onto her arse. She frantically surveyed the area, worried she may have lost ghost-Ellie during the process, but the ghost popped into existence a few seconds later, right next to her.
"That all happened so fast I didn't even get to experience it with you!" ghost-Ellie complained.
Ellie felt Ted help her to her feet. "You okay?" he asked amusedly.
Ellie looked up and down at herself and Ted. Both of them were covered head-to-toe in dark soot. Their fancy wedding clothes and all.
"Was this much better than vomiting all over my dress?" Ellie muttered.
Ted laughed and pulled out his wand. "Tergeo."
The soot vanished.
"Wouldn't you have been able to do that with vomit, too?" Ellie asked smartly.
"Yes, but I wouldn't want to, would I? And no spell would be able to get rid of the smell."
"Fair enough."
Dora and Andy had appeared behind her now, getting rid of the soot on their bodies in similar ways.
"To answer your earlier question, you little fart," said Dora, still a little irritably. "Kids can't apparate. And there are some areas where wards are set up against apparition. In those situations, Floo power is needed."
Ellie nodded in acceptance, surveying the area again. It was only until this moment she realised they were standing in the middle of someone's kitchen. On either side of the fireplace stood two identical red-headed boys just about younger than Dora. One of them had his head bandaged.
"Ah, and here come the family of the lesser wedding!" one of them said somewhat jubilantly.
"How does it feel to be shown up, Tonks?" said the bandaged one.
Ellie almost immediately flared up, but she stopped when not only Dora, but ghost-Ellie too, laughed.
"Shut up, you two," Dora said good-naturedly. "How's the ear, George?"
"Fred! George!" exclaimed ghost-Ellie in delight, though they obviously could not hear her.
George, the bandaged one, shrugged. "I dunno how to feel about people not confusing us anymore. It was our oldest, but greatest trick."
"When all else failed, it was the one prank we could always rely on." said the one called Fred, wiping away a fake tear. "And now... now - !"
He burst into fake sobs. "Hold me, Georgie!"
George wrapped an arm around his twin. "There, there..."
"Are you quite finished?" deadpanned Dora.
"Quite." Fred agreed, sobering up immediately. His eyes then fell on Ellie. She couldn't be certain, but she was sure she saw the boy's face drop for only a fraction of a second. But his grin had returned before she could register it.
"Ellie! Our dear, sweet little sister we never had!"
"We have a sister, Freddie."
"Shut up, George! That's not the point! Does Ginny radiate that same aura of blissful innocence? Of course not! Ellie possesses a level of cinnamon-rollness Ginny could never dream of possessing!"
"Fuck you," said Ellie immediately, more to prove a point than anything.
Fred took a few steps back, staggered, and then fell backwards into the arms of his twin, dramatically placing the back of his palm on his forehead.
"No!" he wailed in exaggerated despair. "The dreaded teenage phase! It's taken hold of another sweet, adorable little sister!"
"Be strong, Fred..." fake-sobbed George. "It was inevitable..."
Ellie couldn't help grinning. The two were just so damn likeable.
"They're great, aren't they?" ghost-Ellie giggled.
"Enough of that, you two," said Ted. "Show us to our seats, would you?"
"With pleasure, sir Tonks," said George, letting go of his brother, who fell to the floor. "Do follow me."
They were led out of the kitchen into the orchard, where a large marquee had been set up. Guests were popping in and out of existence, being led to their seats by various waiters, much more professional-looking than the red-haired twins.
"The Weasleys are a big family," Dora told Ellie, as though reading her mind. "These two are brothers of the groom. You knew them well before the memory wipe."
"Congratulations," Ellie told the twins.
"Bah!" said Fred. "Bill's gone and set the standard for the rest of us, he has. And with Ginny smooching the Boy-Who-Lived himself, Mum's gonna start expecting the rest of us to marry celebrities and drop-dead beauties, she is!"
"The Boy-Who-?" Ellie started to say, but ghost Ellie interrupted her.
"Harry," she said, smiling sadly. "One of Y/N's friends. He's pretty famous in the wizarding world."
Ellie remembered him from ghost-Ellie's story. She nodded.
They were led into the marquee to join a near-empty table. The only person sitting there was -
"Remus!" said Dora happily, rushing forwards to kiss her husband.
"Did you lot make it okay?" Remus asked kindly, ruffling Ellie's hair, hugging Andromeda and shaking Ted's hand. "No throwing up?"
"We used the floo," said Dora. "Didn't give Ellie an excuse to ruin her dress."
Remus chuckled. "You look lovely, Ellie."
Ellie slumped into her chair. "You're all lying to me." she scoffed.
Ellie took a moment to survey the guests. It was the biggest number of wizards she'd ever seen in one place. She was surprised at how many supermodels seemed to be there. They spoke in French and seemed to be related to the bride. A lot of them were young women with silvery blonde hair and impossibly beautiful faces.
"Is the bride French?" Ellie asked Ted.
Ted nodded. "Not just French," he said. "She's part-Veela."
"Which are?"
"A race of Magical semi-humans," he said, somewhat dreamily. "Beautiful women who can spit fire and transform into bird beasts."
Andromeda elbowed him rather harshly.
"That explains all the beautiful cousins," said Ellie, looking back at the bride's side of the marquee.
She was surprised when, among the part-Veela, a young girl about her age, with the same silvery blonde hair as the rest of them, seemed to brighten upon seeing her. She waved, and immediately bounded off her seat, hurrying towards the Tonks table.
"I reemember you!" she exclaimed excitedly, jumping into the seat beside Ellie. "You were a 'ostage too!"
"Uh," said Ellie, dumbfounded. "I'm sorry?"
"Don't you reemember me?" said the French girl gleefully. "During ze Triwizard Tournament? You were Y/N L/N's 'ostage, no?"
Ellie didn't know how to respond. But suddenly a much older part-Veela, so beautiful she could almost hear Ted's breath get taken away, marched on over to their table.
"Gabrielle!" she chided, grabbing the girl by the arm. She turned to the Tonks'. "So sorry!" she said, in an oddly panicked tone. "We 'aven't yet told 'er... I apologise!"
And she hurried away, dragging the girl with her.
"That was the bride's mother," said Andromeda sadly. "We must have made her right uncomfortable."
"Why? What's wrong?" said Ellie.
"You still don't know everything about yourself before the memory wipe," said Dora. "The Weasleys probably told all the guests to be extra sensitive around you."
"Why? Did I know that girl?"
"You both were taken to Hogwarts a few years back for an event." came a voice from behind her. Ellie immediately swivelled around.
"Hermione!" ghost-Ellie exclaimed happily.
Her brother's supposed girlfriend was nowhere near as gorgeous as the Veela cousins. But Ellie was almost certain that Hermione should take it as a compliment, because she was pretty in all the ways the Veela weren't. Her appearance was subtle, modest and homely, despite having clearly dressed up for the wedding.
While the Veela looked like supermodels caked in makeup, Hermione was beautiful because it looked like she wasn't even trying to be, she just was. Her beauty was natural. She also seemed far more mature than the giggly Veela, with brown eyes that seemed to shine with wisdom and a very big-sisterly vibe to her.
Behind her stood two boys. One of them matched ghost-Ellie's description of one of Y/N's male best friends, Ronald Weasley. The very same gangly arms and lanky figure, long nose and shock of red hair and freckles.
The other boy, whom she didn't recognise, must have been another Weasley brother because he also had a shock of red hair. His was much curlier than Ron's, however, and he was on the chubbier side, shorter than both Ron and Hermione. He wore emerald robes that seemed a tad too small for him.
"Hi, Ellie," Hermione said warmly.
"Hey, kiddo." greeted Ron, who seemed to be debating whether or not to ruffle Ellie's hair, something he seemed to be accustomed to.
"Wotcher," Dora greeted them. "Sorry about last night. The Ministry's being very anti-werewolf at the moment and we thought our presence might not do you any favours."
Dora and Remus had popped out somewhere the previous night. Ellie had just assumed they'd gone on a romantic date but they'd apparently been with this lot.
"It's fine, I understand," assured the chubby one.
Ellie shuffled her feet awkwardly.
"Ellie," said Andromeda gently. "Why don't you go and sit with Hermione and her friends for a while? I'm sure there's a lot they'd like to talk with you about."
Ellie nodded. Surprised at how much she wanted to talk to them.
"Our table is over there," said the chubby one, gesturing to a table closer towards the entrance of the marquee.
Ellie followed them meekly. Before they could sit, however, they were approached by what was perhaps the most eccentric girl she had ever seen (which was saying something as ghost-Ellie was hovering right next to her).
She wore a bright yellow dress that seemed rather out of place for wedding attire. She had dirty blonde hair tied into a ponytail and her eyebrows were arched in such a way that she seemed permanently surprised. She had a sunflower in her hair and once you got over the brightness of it all, the overall effect was quite pleasant.
"Hello, Harry!" she greeted the chubby boy.
Harry? Thought Ellie.
"Er - my name's Barny," said Harry, flummoxed.
"Oh, have you changed that too?" she asked brightly.
"How did you know - ?"
"Oh, just your expression," she said.
"He must be in disguise," whispered ghost-Ellie. "It must be Harry. You know, Y/N's other best friend."
"Why's he in disguise, though?" Ellie whispered back, making sure nobody could hear her.
"Dunno. He's pretty important in the wizarding world. I'm sure they'll tell you."
They were then approached by a man who could only be the yellow girl's father. He was dressed in similarly yellow robes, though the bright colours didn't look nearly as flattering on him as they did his daughter.
"Xenophilius Lovegood," he said, extending a hand to Harry, "Luna and I live just over the hill, so kind of the good Weasleys to invite us. She lingered in that charming little garden to say hello to the gnomes, such a glorious infestation! How few wizards realize just how much we can learn from the wise little gnomes - or, to give them their correct name, the Gernumbli gardensi."
"Ours do know a lot of excellent swear words," said Ron, "but I think Fred and George taught them those."
The girl - Luna, suddenly piped up. "Daddy, look - one of the gnomes actually bit me!"
"How wonderful! Gnome saliva is enormously beneficial!" said Mr Lovegood, seizing Luna's outstretched finger and examining the bleeding puncture marks. "Luna, my love, if you should feel any burgeoning talent today - perhaps an unexpected urge to sing opera or to declaim in Mermish - do not repress it! You may have been gifted by the Gernumblies!"
Ron let out a loud snort.
"Ron can laugh," said Luna serenely, "but my father has done a lot of research on Gernumbli magic."
"Really?" said Harry. "Are you sure you don't want to put anything on that bite, though?"
"Oh, it's fine," said Luna, sucking her finger in a dreamy fashion and looking Harry up and down. "You look smart. I told Daddy most people would probably wear dress robes, but he believes you ought to wear sun colours to a wedding, for luck, you know."
And she drifted off after her father.
"Odd one, she was," said Ellie, after a substantial pause.
Harry immediately laughed. "She has that initial effect on a lot of people. But she's great."
As they all took their seats, there was another short silence. Though Ellie couldn't tell whether or not it was a comfortable one.
"Ellie," said Hermione eventually. "I'm Hermione Granger. This is Ron Weasley and -"
"Harry Potter," said Harry, and he winked. "I'm in disguise though, don't tell anyone."
Hermione gave him a light shove before turning he'd attention back to Ellie. "You knew us rather well before the memory wipe. We're -"
"My brother's best friends." Ellie finished.
Hermione nodded, but Ellie noticed a very slight pursing of her lips. "We heard you know about magic again. I'm assuming you were told about other bits of your past? The Orphanage? Annie? Us?"
Ellie noticed Hermione seemed to be avoiding actually mentioning Y/N. She nodded. "Not everything though, clearly," she said. "Who was that French girl who greeted me?"
Ron suddenly let out a grin. "She's the bride's little sister. It's a funny story, actually. Back in our school years, there was this big tournament going on, and you and Gabrielle were selected to be saved during one of the tasks by the competitors, Y/N, Fleur and a few others. You were put to sleep underwater for them to come and save you."
Ellie stared. "I was put to sleep underwater?" she glanced at ghost-Ellie, who nodded seriously.
"Exactly our initial reaction." sighed Hermione.
"With vicious seamen holding you hostage at spearpoint." Harry inputted helpfully.
Ellie closed her eyes, as if trying to collect herself. "Dora told me the magical world was corrupt but I didn't think it'd be this crazy."
"It's all the Ministry," sighed Ron. "They've been run by idiots for years."
"But Y/N's trying to fix it, right?" Ellie said.
Suddenly the table went very quiet. This time, Ellie was almost certain it wasn't a comfortable one.
"What's wrong with them?" whispered ghost-Ellie.
Ellie couldn't tell her, but the answer was obvious. They didn't agree with him. That's why they were here and he wasn't. They had a falling out.
"But -" Ellie said, breaking the silence. "You recognise that the Ministry's corrupt, right? How can you disagree with him?"
Harry was playing with his fingers, but he answered sullenly. "Y/N's idea of fixing it is merging the Muggle and wizarding worlds together."
"So?" personally, Ellie thought that was a great idea.
Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Hermione cut him off. "We're not here to talk about that." she gave Harry a glare. "It'll only put everyone in a bad mood. We're here for you, Ellie. Is there anything you'd like to know about us? About you?"
Ghost-Ellie hurriedly whispered something in Ellie's ear. She obliged.
"How did you and Y/N become friends?"
Ron groaned and plonked his forehead against the table. Ellie gave him a questioning look. Harry laughed.
"Sorry about that. He doesn't like recounting how we all became friends, cause he was a right tosser at first."
"A total dick," Ron agreed, lifting his head and giving Ellie an expression as though he were warning her. "Don't think too badly of me."
Hermione smiled before seemingly kicking Ron in the shins. "Watch your language. She's twelve."
Ron winced. "Fred and George told me she said something a lot worse Earlier. Apparently swearing is now a habit of hers."
"For shame, Ellie," said Harry, mockingly shaking his head. "For shame."
Hermione laughed again. When she settled, she seemed to ponder for a while. "It was just me and Y/N at first," she began, saying Y/N's name with subtle softness and affection. "We met on the train and clicked instantly. We were both bookworms... both keen about learning."
"The train to Hogwarts is called the Hogwarts Express," Ron told Ellie seriously. "Y/N and Hermione were helping a boy who'd eventually become another friend of ours, Neville, find his missing toad."
"Toad? Ellie interrupted. "Who in their right mind would want a toad for a pet?"
"Wizards are strange," said Ron. "Anyway, Y/N and Hermione eventually came to mine and Harry's compartment, asking us if we'd seen Trevor - the toad."
"We found Hermione annoying at first," said Harry. "And it stayed that way for a good chunk of our first year at school. It didn't help that her best friend Y/N was infamous and everyone hated him."
"Why?" said Ellie curiously. "Why did everyone hate him?"
"His mum was a big supporter of You-Know-Who -"
"Wizard-Hitler?"
Harry burst out laughing but Hermione look scandalised. "Wizard-Hitler?" she repeated, flabbergasted.
Ron grinned, but it was somewhat uncomfortable. "Let's - let's not mock him yeah?" he glanced around nervously as though the man himself would pop out of nowhere dressed in a butler's uniform.
Harry was still laughing. "Let's call him that for now, yeah. Wizard-Hitler and Y/N's mum had a long history together. But she eventually betrayed him."
"So Y/N earned the hatred of both sides," said Ron. "The kids against You-Know-Who hated him for being the son of a Death Eater, and the kids who thought You-Know-Who had the right idea hated him because his mum betrayed him."
"Ron was one of them," said Harry slyly.
"Oh come on - do we really need to tell her?" Ron protested.
"Yes," said Hermione, without even a moment's hesitation. "Ron used to spit in his food."
Ellie raised her eyebrows at the lanky redhead.
Ron slumped down against the table again. "Gimme a break..."
Ellie spared Ron a rather disdainful look and turned her attention back to Hermione. "So what changed?"
"We fought a mountain troll together," said Harry simply.
Ellie wasn't sure whether to take him seriously or not. "Really?"
"Yep," said Ron, leaning back on his chair. "Four twelve-year-olds versus a big ugly troll that had snuck its way into the school. I'm actually the one who dealt the finishing blow," he said smugly.
"Only because Harry disoriented it by sticking his wand up its nose." sniffed Hermione.
"Point is," said Ron loudly, speaking over Hermione. "We became best friends after that. A Quartet."
Ellie stared at them. She couldn't help but relate them to the very grand adventure that she'd hoped to have. These three and her brother had faced a Troll when they were her age, and she did not doubt that they had more adventures after. They were the merry band of children going on summertime adventures that Ellie always read about in the storybooks. The Famous Five of Hogwarts.
But before she could ask them to speak more of their adventures, they were approached by a dumpy sort of elderly woman, with a beaky nose, red-rimmed eyes, and a feathery pink hat that gave her the look of a bad-tempered flamingo. She promptly slapped Ron around the back of his neck.
"Your hair's getting much too long, Ronald, for a moment I thought you were Ginevra. Merlin’s beard, what is Xenophilius Lovegood wearing? He looks like an omelette. And who are you?” she barked at Harry.
“Oh yeah, Auntie Muriel, this is our cousin Barny.”
“Another Weasley? You breed like gnomes. And who are you?" she barked at Ellie, eyeing her short hair dismissively.
"This is Ellie Anchor, Aunt Muriel." sighed Ron. "She's with the Tonks."
"Hmph! Your hair's longer than even that girl, Ronald! Shame on you! Isn’t Harry Potter here? I was hoping to meet him. I thought he was a friend of yours, Ronald, or have you merely been boasting?”
“No — he couldn’t come —”
“Hmm. Made an excuse, did he? Not as gormless as he looks in press photographs, then. I’ve just been instructing the bride on how best to wear my tiara,” she shouted at Harry. “Goblin-made, you know, and been in my family for centuries. She’s a good-looking girl, but still — French."
Her eyes fell on Hermione. "Oh dear, is this the Muggle-born?" she seemed to survey her. "Bad posture and skinny ankles."
Hermione looked rather amused.
"Well, well, find me a good seat, Ronald, I am a hundred and seven and I ought not to be on my feet too long.”
Ron gave them all a moping look before rising from his seat and disappearing with Muriel.
"Ron's got an eccentric family, hasn't he?" Ellie remarked.
"You don't know the half of it," said Harry, as Ron returned to his seat.
Ellie looked at Hermione in uncertainty. "I don't think you have skinny ankles," she said, and Hermione laughed.
“Don’t take it personally, she’s rude to everyone,” said Ron.
“Talking about Muriel?” inquired George, reemerging from the marquee with Fred. “Yeah, she’s just told me my ears are lopsided. Old bat. I wish old Uncle Bilius was still with us, though; he was a right laugh at weddings.”
“Wasn’t he the one who saw a Grim and died twenty-four hours later?” asked Hermione.
“Well, yeah, he went a bit odd toward the end,” conceded George.
“But before he went loopy he was the life and soul of the party,” said Fred. “He used to down an entire bottle of firewhisky, then run onto the dance floor, hoist up his robes, and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his —”
“Yes, he sounds a real charmer,” said Hermione, while Harry roared with laughter.
"Eeeeew!" said ghost-Ellie.
“Never married, for some reason,” said Ron.
“You amaze me,” said Hermione.
The entire table burst into laughter, but it subsided as the tent visibly darkened. Slow music began to play.
"Looks like it's time," whispered Ron.
A sense of jittery anticipation had filled the warm tent, the general murmuring broken by occasional spurts of excited laughter. Two middle-aged redheads who could only be Ron's parents, Mr and Mrs Weasley, strolled up the aisle, smiling and waving at relatives; Mrs Weasley was wearing a brand-new set of amethyst-coloured robes with a matching hat.
A moment later the groom, Bill, and perhaps another Weasley brother, 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, swivelling around in her seat to look at the entrance.
A great collective sigh issued from the assembled witches and wizards as the bride's father and the bride, Fleur, came walking up the aisle, Fleur gliding, her father 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. A red-headed girl the same age as Hermione, and the little part-Vela girl Ellie recognised as Gabrielle, both wearing golden dresses, and once Fleur had reached the groom, it was only then Ellie noticed the heavy scars on his face.
"She's so pretty!" gasped ghost-Ellie.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” said a slightly singsong voice, 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.”
“Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle . . . ?”
In the front row, Mrs Weasley and Fleur's mother were both sobbing quietly into scraps of lace.
“. . . 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, spiralling 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 centre 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. "You okay, Ellie?" he added with amusement.
Ellie was glancing around the canopy madly. "It was - it -!"
"Great isn't it?" said Harry. "I love magic."
“We should go and congratulate them!” said Hermione, standing on tiptoe to see the place where Bill and Fleur had vanished amid a crowd of well-wishers.
“We’ll have time later,” shrugged Ron, snatching three butterbeers from a passing tray and handing one to Harry and Ellie respectively.
“Let’s grab a table... Not there! Nowhere near Muriel —”
Ron led the way across the empty dance floor. By the time they had reached the other side of the marquee, most of the tables were occupied: The emptiest was the one where the yellow girl - Luna, sat alone.
“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.
Hermione aimed a kick at him under the table.
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.
“I like this song,” said Luna, swaying in time to the waltzlike tune, and a few seconds later she stood up and glided onto the dance floor, where she revolved on the spot, quite alone, eyes closed and waving her arms.
"She's so weird," muttered Ellie.
"I like her." said ghost-Ellie.
When she looked away from the strange girl, she noticed that Hermione and the others were now caught up in their own conversations with many other guests.
Harry was caught up in a conversation with an elderly wizard with a cloud of white hair. Hermione was chatting with a few of the part-Veela cousins in French, and Ron had gotten up to ask someone from the bride's side of the canopy to dance.
Ellie was starting to sense that her presence was no longer needed. The group seemed to have moved on to more typical wedding stuff. Quietly, she slipped out of her chair, looking around for the Tonks'.
Instead, she found Gabrielle, the sister of the bride who had approached her earlier, looking quite alone without her sister and mother to keep her company. Gabrielle noticed her and dipped her head low.
"I'm sorry about earlier." she apologised sadly. "My muzzer told me of your situation. I did not realise."
Ellie waved off the apology. "It's okay," she said. "There's a lot I'm still figuring out. I'm still really new to this whole magic thing."
"You are a Muggle, yes?" said Gabrielle. "Which is why your memory was recently erased by your ministry?"
Ellie nodded. "Could you tell me about that tournament? I'd like to hear about it."
"You could have just asked me." ghost-Ellie pointed out. Ellie ignored her.
Gabrielle nodded. "Eet was just over three years ago," she said. "Ze second task was to rescue a 'ostage from the lake at Hogwarts, and you were Y/N L/N's 'ostage, while I was my sister's."
"They were both competing?" Ellie asked.
Gabrielle nodded. "But my sister was unable to come and rescue me. When it became evident zat ze merpeople intended to keep ze 'ostages, Y/N L/N came back down to save me himself." She had a somewhat dreamy expression on her face.
"He saved you?"
Gabrielle nodded. "Zis was why I was so eager to see you. My seester and I were very pleased with him that day. Fleur even gave him a kiss."
Ellie faltered and turned to ghost-Ellie, who nodded somewhat reluctantly.
"You mean Fleur, the bride?"
"The very same."
Y/N, you chick magnet! You playboy! Thought Ellie crossly.
Gabrielle had turned her attention elsewhere, however, and following her gaze, Ellie saw something large and silver come falling through the canopy over the dance floor.
Graceful and gleaming, a 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 a loud, deep, slow voice.
“The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.”