Disclaimer: Wedding vow stated below belongs to myweddingvows dot com. Also, I do not own the Harry Potter series; its true author is J.K. Rowling.
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Molly Prewett Weasley was worried. Not the usual Molly worried, mind you, but extremely worried.
The first time this happened, every single wizard and witch, except the Death Eaters and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, were running for their lives in desperate hopes of escaping death awaiting them at every corner.
Molly was in her twenties at the time and she'd married Arthur Weasley quickly and early, merely for the fear of being separated and killed. She wasn't in the Order, no! Not yet until the second generation came and then.
So it was on this beautiful day that rosy-cheeked Molly Prewett and scrawny Arthur Weasley were to be husband and wife. Naturally, this wedding had to be kept a tight secret since they couldn't trust people. No one came, as both of them planned to elope; they could always tell their parents and friends later. The scene of wedding was heavily guarded by powerful spells and magical barriers, set by the old pastor, to ensure the happy couple's quiet marriage in the midst of this destruction and violence near.
When both were fully prepared, the wispy-bearded pastor coughed loudly for emphasis and began the ritual.
"Do you, Molly Prewett, take this man, Arthur Weasley, to be your husband, according to God's holy decree; do you promise to be to him a loving and loyal wife, to cherish and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful only to him as long as you both shall live?"
Molly's heart pounded at the sound of his words. She wasn't sure if the wedding would result in any more deaths like Fabian's and Gideon's and—
No. She wasn't supposed to think about these unfortunate circumstances! But her eyes betrayed her mind. She broke down, tears bursting out and staining her rosy cheeks like a river. Blinking rapidly, she wiped the tears away with fierce persistence. You're not supposed to cry. A wedding's a happy occasion! she chastised herself.
Through her tears, she vividly noticed the smile on the groom's face. Her precious love seemed to smile sadly at the sobbing bride with knowledge. She saw that in his eyes. In that moment, Molly realized that Arthur's had some relatives and friends taken away by the Death Eaters nonetheless. Even though he doesn't name them name by name, Molly knew anyway because the Weasleys were an ancient family tree with countless branches. It would be almost impossible for the family not to lose some family members to the prevailing death that had become so familiar to many. She, Molly, was to be one of the branches and part of the family, very soon. She would shed her Prewett surname and become a true Weasley.
Why was she being so selfish now, when Arthur had so many taken away by Death and she a few?
The pastor coughed loudly, took off his spectacles, and closely examined them for any dust. Arthur stared at Molly anxiously, never faltering in his love for the plump witch that he had come to know and love since their first years at Hogwarts.
Her lips moved, forming the following words:
"I do."
Mrs. Molly Prewett Weasley said rather breathily, smiling a genuine smile for the first time in a long time through her tear-stricken face. The bride and groom then kissed, as was required, holding each other tightly. The pastor coughed again, this time with obvious affection, and settled his now-clean spectacles carefully on the bridge of his nose.
She wasn't alone after all, Mrs. Weasley thought, as she hugged her new husband in a deathlike bear hug.
All that marriage did was to mend those gaps death had made.
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Finish.
A/N: My first published fanfic, edited on June 7, 2008. Reviews are greatly appreciated :)