Until Death do us Apart - Part 7

Ginny looked over towards the direction of the house, squinting her eyes to see. "Some. A lot of people have had a bit to drink, so they're arguing. Some are just panicking. I can see Mum and Professor McGonagall trying to move everyone. The crowd has thinned some, but not a lot."

Flames could now be seen around the perimeter, and the scent of smoke was rapidly filling the air. Harry stared around hopelessly. He could see various Order members on the front line, trying to hold back the Dementors. Several of the soul-sucking demons had breached the line and were moving toward the tent. He could see the Death Eaters, as well. Their masked shapes were creeping from the shadows and casting spells to weaken the wards, Harry assumed.

Squinting his eyes to try and see through the smoke, he could tell that even the Patronuses were weakening the wards. It wouldn't hold much longer. The members of the Order looked tired and drained.

He could see Fleur, her beautiful white wedding robes streaked with dirt and Auntie Muriel's tiara askew on her head, standing firm and firing off her butterfly Patronus as she covered Bill. Bill was hunched down and waving his wand in intricate patterns. Harry assumed he was attempting to strengthen the wards.

Staring desperately at the chaos around him, it occurred to Harry that he still hadn't seen either Ron or Hermione, and the feeling of hopelessness began to build in his chest.

Where are they? And how am I going to stop this from happening?

An unearthly fog covered the length of the Weasley meadow, where only moments before a celebration of life had been taking place. The floating candles had all been extinguished by the cold, damp fog that always accompanied the presence of Dementors.

Shouts and muffled grunts mixed with the sounds of rapid spell fire as those guests who had chosen to stay and fight attempted to hold back the approaching Dementors. Death Eaters could be seen gathering along the edge of the forest, casting a barrage of spells and further weakening the already strained wards.

Harry was cold and feeling slightly dizzy from the intensity of the memories flashing through his mind. His teeth chattered as he moved quickly toward the crouched figures of Fleur and Bill, Ginny's hand held firmly in his own. He could feel her small body trembling, and he knew the Dementors were affecting her as badly as they were him.

"What are you doing 'ere, 'Arry?" Fleur hissed, directing her butterfly Patronus toward the direction Harry had just sent Prongs. Her beautiful white wedding robes were smeared with dirt and mud, and one sleeve looked as if it had been singed. "If zose Death Eaters do get in, zey will come right for you. You should evacuate now."

"I'm not leaving," Harry said firmly, his eyes locked with Bill's. This was as much his home as any other place he'd ever stayed, and he would not leave it without a fight. He saw a look of acceptance and understanding flash on Bill's scarred face, and he was grateful for it.

Finally, someone who wouldn't treat him as if he were a child.

Bill nodded, and Fleur apparently took this as reason enough to cease her demands. Auntie Muriel's tiara remained perched on her head, shimmering as the lights from various spells illuminated it. The thought rose unbidden in Harry's mind that it was Ginny's right to wear that one day, and he'd see to it that she got the chance.

"What are you trying to do?" he asked.