A/N: This is for the prompt 'a games of compromise' on the rarepair_shorts comm on LJ. It's also for fanfiction writing month and is 354 words.
Harry stared at his fiancée in disbelief.
"How many guests?"
"Two hundred. I know it sounds a lot, but I've calculated the cost and we would be able to do it," Astoria said matter of factly.
"Is that for the ceremony, or just the reception?" Harry asked.
"Two hundred for both, but combining our lists there would be three hundred," Astoria confessed.
"Do you think we need that many guests?" Harry asked cautiously.
"There are a lot of people associated with my family who are expecting an invitation regardless of whether we are close or not. If we didn't ask them then they would feel snubbed and it could effect my father's business," Astoria informed him.
Harry sighed. He thought that his future father-in-law's associates would have felt more left out because Astoria was marrying him rather than anybody else, but knew that it was unwise not to alienate them.
"Why don't we compromise? Invite our closest friends and family to the ceremony, but invite everyone else to the reception. That way your father's associates won't feel snubbed as they are part of the wedding, and we still get a small, intimate ceremony," Harry suggested.
Astoria bit her lip obviously weighing up the pros and cons of Harry's suggestion.
"That should work," she said after a while.
"So it's a deal then? How many will that leave us with for the church?" Harry asked.
"Fifty I think, and that includes all of our family and friends. It maybe a few less but that will be the maximum," Astoria replied.
"That's settled then. When will you tell your father?"
"Tonight at dinner. You do remember we're dining out with them and the Malfoy's don't you?"
"How could I forget," Harry drawled making fun of his old nemesis. "Are you inviting the Malfoy's to the ceremony?"
"Yes, I think we should. Daphne is married to Draco after all."
Harry was happy that Astoria had agreed to the change, and although he didn't really want that many guests at the reception it would be a lot better than them seeing the most intimate moments of the day.
