Wedding

This was the first time Harry had seen Ginny in a day.

Even though Mr. Weasley had changed into a conspicuous outfit and his hair no longer looked like it was being blown by the wind, he didn't notice at all.

At that moment, he only had eyes for Ginny.

Ginny wore a simple gold dress, which seemed to shimmer with golden light against the white tent.

Her fiery red hair was tied up on top of her head with a silver headdress inlaid with yellow gemstones, and her charming jawline was on full display for Harry and the others.

In Harry's eyes, everything around him seemed to disappear.

The same goes for Ron, who was beside him.

Only Ginny, accompanied by the fragrance of unknown flowers and the coolness emanating from the petals themselves, appeared before Harry in the very last second before the music ended.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Sirius's voice brought Harry back to reality. He heard friendly laughter all around him and noticed that, besides Ginny, Mr. Weasley was also looking down at him.

"Today we gather here to celebrate the coming together of two faithful souls in Merlin," Sirius spoke eloquently from the stage.

Ginny turned her head and smiled, winked at Harry, and then quickly faced forward again.

Harry's thoughts drifted away from the tent, back to those leisurely moments he and Ginny spent alone in the empty classroom in the castle.

That seems like a very, very long time ago.

He always felt that those leisure times were too wonderful to be real, because Ron was always trying to stay by his side.

So much so that those beautiful moments are so short and precious.

Sirius on stage was still talking about himself and Ginny.

But Harry couldn't help but feel a surge of anger as those memories were stirred up.

Having recently merged with his past self and confronted his dark side, Harry now had only one thought in mind: to draw his wand and give Ron, who was standing next to him, one—no, ten—evil curses!

"Harry James Potter, do you take Ginevra Molly Weasley Weasley (Ginny's full name) to be your wife and child...?" Sirius's words, and the gaze that instantly focused on him, reminded Harry where he was and what he needed to do.

"I do!" Harry grabbed Ginny's hand.

A few sobbing sounds and a trumpet-like noise could be heard from the surrounding area.

Even without turning his head, Harry knew that only Hagrid could make such a loud noise.

He must have pulled out a handkerchief as big as his tablecloth. He's always been so emotional.

"... I hereby declare your engagement over. May you be happy and joyful from now on." Sirius drew his wand and waved it high above their heads.

The white tent ceiling transformed into a pitch-black curtain, with twinkling starlight falling from the 'sky' and a vast expanse of silver stars landing on them, swirling around their tightly embracing bodies.

Then, a sound like fireworks exploding came from above them, and a cake adorned with stars floated above them.

Mr. Weasley stepped onto the platform and drew his wand as well.

With a gesture from him and Sirius, the ten-layered cake was cut into small pieces, which turned into shooting stars that flew towards the audience below the stage and landed on the plate-like vines that suddenly sprouted from the ground in front of them.

Fred and George led the applause and cheers, and the golden balloons above their heads burst open, releasing the Bird of Paradise and the little golden bell, which floated in mid-air.

The gold dust that fell then landed beside the vines in front of everyone and transformed into knives and forks.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Sirius and Mr. Weasley called out, "Please eat!"

So, accompanied by birdsong and the sound of bells, everyone began to eat.

Harry suddenly felt a little happy.

However, it wasn't because of the engagement.

Instead, he suddenly noticed that Ron was standing to the side like a doorman, watching the others feast.

Harry knew that at the engagement ceremony in Gloucestershire, England, as described by Kreacher, only guests were allowed to eat the cake.

The guests eating the cake symbolizes their blessings for the ceremony.

The bride and groom, the best man and maid of honor, and the person who cuts the cake (usually two people, each from one of the bride and groom's families, one of whom also serves as the emcee) are not allowed to eat the cake.

Lost in thought, Harry, arm in arm with Ginny, stared blankly at the altar.

In a typical wedding, the second half would have already ended by then.

But at engagement ceremonies in Gloucestershire, England, there's also a segment where guests eat cake.

The activity will officially end and the second half of the free time will begin once everyone has finished eating.

So Harry started paying attention to the sounds of eating behind him again.

Out of the corner of Harry's eye, Hagrid finished eating first.

The cake was far too small for him.

Although he tried his best to savor it slowly, he still swallowed it down in just a few bites.

After he finished eating, the vines and the knife and fork in his hand seemed to sense something.

The vines transformed into a gentle breeze, while the knives and forks turned back into golden powder.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Sirius and Mr. Weasley called out, "Please stand!"

Everyone stood up.

Perhaps because they had just eaten, everyone got up very cleanly and quickly.

Sirius and Mr. Weasley raised their wands again.

All the seats rose lightly and gracefully into the air, and the canvas of the large tent disappeared.

The manor, the fountain, and the crystal-clear houses behind them appeared before everyone.

Then, a pool of molten gold spread out from the center of the tent, forming a Winky dance floor.

The chairs that were floating in mid-air automatically gathered next to the small table covered with a white tablecloth, and then floated back lightly and gracefully to the ground around the dance floor.

The band, dressed in golden yellow shirts, walked out of the house and marched in unison toward the stage.

"Absolutely amazing," Ron exclaimed.

Waiters appeared from all directions, some carrying silver trays laden with Pumpkin Juice, Butterbeer, and Firewhisky; others carrying piles of rickety pies and sandwiches. Ron eagerly rushed to the nearest table, which was already overflowing with food.

Harry glanced at Ron with a hint of envy, because he and Ginny were immediately surrounded by a crowd and showered with blessings.

What bothered Harry the most was that he didn't know most of these people.

Most of them had bright red hair and freckled faces.

Honestly, he couldn't have stood it if Ginny hadn't been there for him.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore and the others he knew had already gathered around a small table.

Fred and George brought out their deckchair-shaped flying machine from the Quidditch Pitch and flew through the air, hawking Mist Potion and other gadgets they had invented to their relatives.

Hagrid found his enormous chair, five times the size of the others, and sat at a table with Draco, Charlie, and Bill, discussing something.