Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I am not her.
Septimus Weasley smirked as he watched his son pace to and fro. He would take six steps, turn on his heel and reverse his path, often glancing anxiously at the closed double doors he was never more than a few feet away from. Every time he turned he would fidget with his clothes, pulling on his sleeves or fingering his collar as if the garment didn't fit properly. Septimus found this ironic, considering his robes were tailored for this specific occasion only days ago.
"Son," he said, trying to draw his attention but there was no response. "Arthur?"
Septimus rolled his eyes and took two steps forward, placing him firmly in the young man's path. He raised a single eyebrow.
"Nervous?" he asked with thinly veiled amusement.
Arthur fidgeted in place, turning his head towards the door and back to his father before the words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush. "What if she changed her mind? She could do so much better. What if she wised up and is running for the hills right now?"
Septimus chuckled but decided to ease his son's worries when he saw how truly aggravated he looked. "There is very little chance of that. After all she's gone through to ensnare you Molly will not let you get away now."
He watched as Arthur frowned, then smiled, only to look anxiously at the doors again and resume his pacing. Septimus couldn't stop a snigger from escaping.
"You're not having second thoughts yourself?"
Arthur looked at him aghast. "Me? Of course not. I love her."
It took Arthur a few seconds, but his firm declaration eventually penetrated his anxiety and the smile on his face grew until he radiated the happiness he really should be feeling right this moment.
Septimus wasn't given a chance to needle him for his rapidly changing emotions because at that moment one of the doors opened and a familiar face peered around the corner.
"They're ready for you now."
After pacing in front of the doors for ten minutes, now that he was finally allowed to move into the room beyond, Arthur froze.
Septimus rolled his eyes again and gave him a nudge. "Go on. Get in there."
Arthur's eyes showed panic for a moment, but then he blinked and squared his shoulders. Like a man preparing for his doom he marched on through, towards the sounds of soft orchestral music and a whispering crowd.
"Witches and wizards, we are gathered here today to celebrate a union of souls."
Septimus kept one ear on the presiding wizard but most of his attention was on his son, who was staring almost glassy-eyed at his soon-to-be wife. In his defence, Molly was a sight to behold. Her white dress left her shoulders bare but had two short frilly sleeves holding it up. The tight bodice showing a hint of cleavage flared out widely into several layers of loose cloth that he was confident would look amazing during the dancing that was sure to follow. Base solely on looks, his son had chosen well.
"The magic of souls is one not widely understood, but what we do know is that sharing one's soul is the utmost declaration of love. To give another a piece of oneself is only truly possible for those with the deepest of feelings. This couple hopes that their souls will grow and intertwine, forever joining them in the deepest of ways. It is said that as long as another holds part of one's soul, not even death can separate them. It is my honour to be here to bond this beautiful couple and celebrate their wondrous love."
"Do you, Arthur, take Molly..."
Septimus watched as his son trembled as he reverently placed a ring on Molly's finger. She, in turn, had tears streaming down her cheeks, but was looking radiant and smiling so widely it was impossible to look at her and not feel happy in return. Several women in the audience could be found needing handkerchiefs as well.
Overall he felt an immense sense of pride in the youngest of his sons. It was clear for all to see that he loved this woman very much and despite a few obstacles in the past, looked to be heading for a wonderful life with Molly by his side.
Gold sparks left the presiding wizard's wand, filling the air and illuminating the couple in a golden glow. Locked at the lips as they were, they did not appear to notice. One of Molly's red-headed brothers eventually started whistling lewdly and loudly, breaking the moment when it went on almost to the point of indecency.
"That's my sister you're pawing," said Gideon loudly, causing chuckles to erupt all around.
The newly married pair flushed red and Molly glared at her brother. Now that the ceremony was over with Arthur looked to have regained his courage.
"That's my wife, thank you very much," he retorted, causing the chuckles to evolve into full blown laughter.
Yes, he was very proud indeed, thought Septimus as he met the eyes of Molly's other brother Fabian and gave him a nod and a secretive smile.
Fabian nodded back and looked approving and triumphant at seeing his baby sister so happy. For good measure he shot the older man a wink too.
Afternoon turned into evening and there was food, dancing and much laughter until Septimus thought it was time to embarrass the newlyweds and stood up, glass in hand, to make a speech. It didn't take long for the crowd to settle down.
"The first time I heard the name Molly Prewett was in a letter home during Arthur's sixth year at Hogwarts," he said gesturing with his left hand towards the couple. "It was followed immediately by a request to let the two of them marry on the spot, even though they were only sixteen at the time. Since I had never heard of the woman before I was naturally curious."
Arthur's face went red but Molly seemed to know where this was going and hid her face in her husband's shoulder. Fabian shot Septimus a wide smile and his eyes sparkled in mirth.
"Imagine my surprise when I found out that they didn't actually have a relationship at the time and as far as anybody knew, weren't even friends. I investigated a little and wasn't at all happy with what I found. This led to the first time I met Molly Prewett. It couldn't have gone worse."
Those who already knew the story started quietly sniggering, making the rest of the crowd all the more curious. Septimus wasn't given the chance to continue because Fabian decided to stand up and continue the story in his stead.
"Yes, imagine my surprise when me and Molly laid eyes on Septimus Weasley for the first time and he promptly attempted to murder my baby sister." His jovial tone took any sting out of the words. "Naturally I chose to intervene."
"I was giving her a stern talking to," Septimus scowled at Fabian, "when this reprobate knocked me over the head with a lamp."
Fabian shrugged. "Yes, well, for years my sister had talked about little else than Arthur Weasley and how he was so tall, and smart and had these cute little freckles. I'd never met the lad, but the first time I see his father he starts yelling at my sister in our home. I obviously took offence."
Arthur, whose face had been slightly flushed before, blushed bright red at a younger Molly's description of him. Septimus grinned when he saw as much.
"I, on the other hand, had never heard of Molly, only to find out that she had the nerve to spike my son's drink with a love potion because he wasn't noticing her. Of course I took offence as well."
"We had words," said Septimus.
"We fought," said Fabian at the same time.
Septimus eyed the younger man for a short moment before conceding. "There may have been a short brawl."
Fabian's eyes glinted with amusement. "Which I won."
"Because you hit me with a lamp!" Septimus said exasperatedly.
By now the audience was laughing both at the story and the byplay, while the pair's primary objective had been accomplished: the newlyweds were very much embarrassed.
Septimus raised his glass towards Fabian, who did the same.
"To make a long story short, Molly's plan worked insofar as that my son definitely knew who she was from that moment on. He was also very embarrassed and somewhat afraid of what she might do next."
"At the same time, my sister was terrified of visiting the boy she'd pined after at his own home in fear of crossing his father."
"And yet, they fell in love," said Septimus, this time with a gentle smile as he turned to face the couple. "You kids are smart. You both finished Hogwarts with good grades. You have endless opportunities ahead. You have loving partners. As long as you don't forget to think-"
"Redheads with tempers," interrupted Fabian, mock coughing. Septimus ignored him.
"As long as you don't forget to think, you both have an exemplary moral compass. I predict you will go on to do great things."
His serious tone had driven up the tension a notch and decided to get to the point. "To remind you to think, me and the upstart redhead over there have a gift for you."
Fabian waved his wand and a package came zooming over from a far off table. He handed it off to the wedded pair with a wide grin. Together they ripped off the wrapping paper before looking at them incredulously.
"Is this what I think it is?" asked Molly.
"A Prewett family heirloom that has been used to shed Weasley blood," Fabian said grandly.
Septimus snorted. "It is indeed the very lamp that your brother used to end the first conflict between our families. May it remind you of obstacles you've overcome and to avoid conflict in the future."
"Or help you end it swiftly either way," Fabian said, grinning.
Both men raised their glasses high. "To Arthur and Molly!"
"To Arthur and Molly!" echoed the crowd.
The pair eyed Septimus gratefully before staring at each other and sharing a brief kiss. It made Septimus feel warm inside to see them so devoted to each other. Together they would indeed go far, he reflected.
The party was over, the newly wedded couple off on their honeymoon and Septimus saw a lone redhead standing in the doorway looking into the now empty ballroom. Quietly he walked over until he was standing just behind the younger man and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"How long have you been standing there?" he asked.
"A while," Fabian said vaguely while leaning backwards into the older man. "My baby sister's all grown up."
"That she is," Septimus agreed.
The pair were silent for a while before Fabian snorted. "Did you see their faces when you mentioned the letter? I swear the pair of them would have taken off then and there if there wasn't a whole lot of guests between them and the exit."
Septimus chortled. "That wasn't as much fun as when you gave Arthur's new wife permission to bash him over the head if they ever disagreed. For a moment he looked almost green."
Fabian snorted. "Do you think their furniture will survive their marriage?"
Septimus' eyes flashed and he smirked. "I'm sure they're practising breaking furniture right now."
Fabian shivered and blindly reached behind him to slap Septimus on the head. "That's my sister you're talking about."
Septimus laughed, thinking back to Arthur's words during the wedding. "That's my son's wife, thank you very much."
A/N: Written for the Points and Prompts Competition - Round 5 using prompts 1, 4, 5 and 8-12.
Thank you for your thoughts.
-brainthief