The day of Harry's birthday, is also the day of Bill and Fleur's wedding. Sam and Hermione sit up in their shared room, getting ready. Hermione sits across from her as she lightly puts on her makeup.
"I've never been to a wedding," Sam admits.
Hermione leans back, "Really?"
Sam nods as she motions for her to come back, "I'm just nervous because my mind can't really be on that with everything going on around us."
Hermione sighs, "We've been living in a world of chaos for so long now, just trying to enjoy the few normal moments we get. This is one of the moments we need to cherish. We'll be leaving any day now to search for these Horcruxes, we'll need all the memories we can get."
This time, Sam sighs as she finishes Hermione's makeup and starts on her own, "Can't we just try to make some good ones while we're away?"
Hermione shrugs as she tugs on her dress, "We just don't know what we'll be facing when we're out there... but I don't think it's a bad idea."
Sam applies the light smokey eyeshadow and minimal liner, "Did you pack the photo albums? I know it seems silly-"
Hermione smiles at her, "Of course, I did."
Sam returns her smile as she stands up from the bed, "I'm going to go and grab my dress from the hall."
She walks out to the rail where it lays and changes into it in the bathroom. She reaches behind her to pull up the zipper, but realizes she can't quite reach it. Rather than stop Hermione from trying to fix her hair, she goes downstairs and runs into Harry in the kitchen.
She smiles at him and turns around to show him her bare back, "Will you zip me up?"
He blushes and nods as he walks over to her. He pulls her zipper up as it ends at her lower back. He notices how stunning she looks in the gold dress. It has an open back and when she turns around to face him, he notices that the neckline is fairly low. He looks back up to her eyes quickly and blushes yet again. She leans in and puts her hands gently on his cheeks. He looks into her warm eyes. He's never seen anything like them. A warm, amber brown in the center, but it melts into a light green.
He leans in further and kisses her. He places his hands on her bare back and pulls her into him more, deepening the kiss. They hear someone clear their throat and they quickly pull apart. They see George leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Morning," he greets slowly and suggestively with a wink.
Sam bites her lip, trying to contain her growing smile. She nods and walks out of the room and back upstairs. George eyes Harry warningly and Harry pulls his lips into a tight line awkwardly and half heartedly points to outside.
"I'm just gonna-"
"Yeah," George interrupts with a smile.
Harry nods and walks outside. He sees the Minister of Magic walking up to the house.
"Bloody hell. What's the Minister of Magic doing here?" Fred asks.
The Minister looks at Ron and then to Harry, "I require your company, and the girls, Miss Granger and Miss Black."
Harry and Ron look at each other quizzically before nodding as they follow him into the house. Ron calls up the stairs for the girls and they come down to sit in the front room on the couch with the boys. The Minister sits across from them and opens his briefcase.
"To what do we owe the pleasure, Minister?" Harry inquires curiously.
"I think we both know the answer to that question, Mr. Potter."
He pulls out a few items and a piece of parchment. He waves his wand so the parchment unfolds and floats in front of him.
"Herein is set forth the last will and testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," he reads aloud, "First, to Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, a device of my own making, in the hope that, when things seem most dark, it will show him the light."
The Minister picks up the object and hands it to Ron. He looks at it in shock, "Dumbledore left this for me?"
"Yeah."
"Brilliant," he responds, "What is it?"
The Minister shrugs, so Ron opens the top and the lights in the front room float out of the lamps and into the Deluminator. When he opens it again, they return to their original places.
"Wicked," Ron breathes out.
"To Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in the hope that she find it entertaining and instructive."
He hands her the book and she smiles slightly.
The Minister continues, "To Samantha Noelle Black, I leave a package, given to me by her mother, in hopes that what lay inside will guide her way."
The Minister picks up the package and gently hands it to Sam as he looks at it questioningly. Sam holds the parcel in her hands for a moment before placing it in her lap. She looks at him, waiting for him to continue.
"To Harry James Potter, I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill."
The Minister unwraps the Snitch slightly, but still holds it by the cloth as he hands it to Harry. Harry smiles at it for a second before looking back up at the Minister.
"Is that it, then?"
"Not quite. Dumbledore left you a second bequest: The sword of Godric Gryffindor. Unfortunately, the sword of Gryffindor was not Dumbledore's to give away. As an important historical artifact, it belongs-"
"To Harry," Hermione interrupts, "It belongs to Harry. It came to him when he most needed it in the Chamber of Secrets."
"The sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor, Miss Granger. That does not make it that wizard's property. And, in any event, the current whereabouts of the sword are unknown."
"Excuse me?" Sam asks.
"The sword is missing. I don't know what you're up to, Mr. Potter, but you can't fight this war on your own. He's too strong."
The Minister collects his things and quickly exits. They all look at their items in awe and wonder. Hermione turns to Sam.
"Aren't you going to open it?"
Sam looks at her package, "Not yet," she turns back to them, "We have a wedding to attend."
After the initial ceremony, they bring in tables for the reception and many people make their way to the dance floor. Sam notices Ron staring at Hermione across the room. She smirks slightly. She grabs Harry's hand and pulls him up to dance. He hesitates for a moment.
"I don't know-"
"Come on, the world is in shambles and we're at war... dance with me, in case it's the last chance we get for awhile," she smiles at him.
The truth is, she doesn't know if her next moments will be her last. It's similar to nearly everyone who is aware of the danger that surrounds them, but the others have hope of surviving this war. Sam knows she won't. She holds out her hand for him and he smiles as he takes it gently in his own. She leads him out to the dance floor and he rests his hands on her waist as she sets her on his shoulders.
They sway together and she lays her chin onto her arm as she wraps it around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. He smiles to himself and relishes the moment of simply holding her. The song plays in the background and Sam smiles at the lyrics.
She begins to sing quietly, "I was made for loving you. Every bone screaming. I don't know what we should do. All I know is, darling, I was made for loving you."
He sings back to her, "Please don't go. I've been waiting," she joins in, "So long. Oh, you don't even know me at all, but I was made for loving you."
They smile as they continue to sway to the music. He grabs her hand and pulls her out, twirling her once and then pulling her back in.
"I'll love you forever," Harry blurts out.
Sam grins and then remembers earlier this year, "Do you remember when you were high on Liquid Luck?"
He chuckles, "Yeah."
"Do you remember what you said?"
He spins them in a circle, "I said I was going to marry you someday."
She bites her lip and pulls back from him slightly as they continue to sway, "Did you-"
He simply nods and pulls her back into his chest, "When we make it out of this war, I'm going to marry you."
She rests her chin back on his shoulder as her face morphs into sadness, "If it helps, I'm going to say yes."
He laughs, "Yeah, it helps."
They dance to the end of the song and he pulls away from her, he looks across the room and sees the man who was in the paper this morning. He wrote a book about Dumbledore.
"There's someone I need to go talk to," Harry states.
Fred suddenly pops up from behind him, "Go on, mate. I want to dance with my sister."
Harry nods and walks away as Fred grabs onto Sam's waist. She places her hands on his shoulders.
"I noticed the sadness on your face, what did he do?" Fred asks seriously.
She shakes her head, "Nothing. He was perfect... that was the problem."
Fred looks at her curiously before she continues, "He told me that when the war is over, he's going to ask me to marry him."
Fred looks a mixture of happy and protective, "You're far too young for that-"
"Fred..." she stops him, "We're not going to get married."
She buries her head into his chest as a single tear slips down her cheek. He holds onto her tightly and rests his chin on the top of her head.
"I'll make sure that you get that chance, okay? Prophecy be damned."
She puts on a smile for a moment, "Hey Fred?"
"Mhm?"
"I love you... so much. I don't know what I would ever do without you."
He chuckles, "I don't say it nearly as often as I probably should, but I love you too, little S. I'm incredibly proud to have you as my sister. You know, the day you came to us, I wasn't sure about you. Having another person in the house... but then, you did something that shocked me and George, you never mixed us up. No one, to this day, has ever done that, well, except for Harry."
She pulls away slightly to look him in the eye, "You're important to me, so I worked hard, everyday to find the differences between you two. I can tell you apart by your voices now."
"When you, Harry, Hermione and Ron leave, I want you to remember something for me. No matter what happens, I will always love you."
George cuts in and spins Sam around and into his arms, "We both will."
The song changes to one that has a faster tempo and they all dance together. The twins bring a smile to her face and keep her laughing. She cherishes these moments. The twins will always hold a special place in her heart. They have been the only ones that can make her laugh in even the darkest of times. Two of her favorite people. She wishes more than anything that she could take them with when they go off to find the Horcruxes, but she knows that they're far safer staying away from them.
As everyone is dancing, a bright blue ball of light crashes into the tent and the music stops.
"The Ministry has fallen," a recorded message from Kingsley Shacklebolt comes from the ball of light, "The Minister of Magic is dead."
Then, a different recorded message from the Minister plays, "They are coming. They are coming."
Everyone at the reception begins to panic and disapparate. Death Eaters begin to appear all around as they fly into the tent in clouds of black smoke. Fred and George stand in front of Sam, protectively. Ron runs to Hermione and then holds his hand out.
"Sam!" He calls to her.
She looks at Fred and George one last time and then runs over to her friends. She holds out her hand, "Harry!"
He runs to them and holds onto her hand as Hermione apparates them into the middle of a street in London. They all dash out of the way and onto a sidewalk. They quickly make their way through the heavy crowd of people.
"Where are we?" Ron asks frantically.
"Shaftesbury Avenue," Hermione responds, "I used to come to the theater here with Mum and Dad. I don't know why I thought of it. It just popped into my head. This way."
She guides them through the sea of people and into a dark alley, "We need to change."
She pulls out her small bag and reaches deep into it, pulling out several items of clothes.
"How the rudy-" Ron begins before Hermione cuts in.
"Undetectable Extension Charm."
He smiles, "You're amazing, you are."
"Always the tone of surprise," she remarks.
She reaches in again and they hear a muffled thud, "Ah, that'll be the books."
They all begin to change into more comfortable clothes. Once they're done, they head to a coffee shop to get off the streets.
"What about all the people at the wedding?" Harry inquires, "Do you think we should go back?"
"They were after you and Sam," Ron states, "We'd put everyone in danger by going back."
"Ron's right," Sam explains.
A waitress comes up to their table, "Ahem. Coffee?"
"A cappuccino, please," Hermione orders.
"Same," everyone answers.
The waitress nods and goes back to the kitchen.
"So where do we go from here? Leaky Cauldron?" Ron suggests.
Hermione shakes her head, "It's too dangerous. If Voldemort really has taken over the Ministry, none of the old places are safe."
"Grimmauld Place," Sam offers, "It's fixed up now, and the protective enchantments over it still hold."
"My rucksack with all my things," Harry sighs, "I've left it at the Burrow."
Hermione slowly shakes her head and nods to her bag. Two more people walk into the shop and head to the counter.
"You're joking," Harry whispers.
"I've had all the essentials packed for days, just in case. I grabbed everyone's wands and things before the wedding. I was worried something like this would happen."
"By the way," Ron adds, "These jeans, not my favorite."
Harry shouts, "Down!"
They all drop to the floor as the two people fire spells at them. They quickly stand back up and fire back. The two Death Eaters continue attacking them, so Sam stands up and holds out her hands as her eyes shift a vengeful green. She shatters the glass case uncontrollably with her powers and the men hold onto their heads tightly as they cry out in pain before they drop to the floor, unconscious. Ron, Hermione and Harry look at her in shock and she breathes deeply. Trying to shake off the feeling. The waitress steps out of the back and looks in horror at the scene.
"Go. Leave!" Hermione warns.
She quickly runs out the door and the four of them step up to where the Death Eaters lay.
"Lock the door, get the lights," Ron commands.
They stare at the unconscious men as Harry informs, "This one's name is Rowle. He was on the Astronomy Tower the night Snape killed Dumbledore."
Ron steps around him and towards the other, "This is Dolohov. I recognize him from the wanted posters. So, what we gonna do with you, hey? Kill us if it was turned round, wouldn't you?"
"If we kill them, they'll know we were here," Harry alerts.
"No one is killing anyone," Sam orders, "Not today. It's better we wipe their memories."
Ron steps back to the group, "Hermione," he gently wipes her cheek where she was cut with glass, "You're the best with spells."
Hermione steps forward and casts, "Obliviate."
They quickly exit the shop and move back onto the bustling streets and make their way to Grimmauld Place.
"How is it they knew we were there?" Harry questions.
"Maybe you've still got the Trace on you?" Hermione suggests.
"No, the Trace breaks when you turn seventeen. It's wizarding law," Sam answers.
Hermione stops walking and gasps lightly, "We didn't celebrate your birthday, Harry. Sam and I, we baked a cake."
"Hermione, honestly, I appreciate the thought, but given the fact that we were almost killed by a couple of Death Eaters a few minutes ago..."
"Right," Hermione agrees, "Perspective."
"Don't worry, we'll settle down when we get home," Sam assures.