My Angelina
Thump, thump, thump, thump. The only sound I could hear was my heart thumping in my chest. I thought my pristine plum colored tie would soon turn black with blood. I feared my heart was going to beat out of it's chest. My breathing was ragged and stuttered. I could see the puddle starting to form below my fingertips as they dripped with salty perspiration. I felt like my shirt was starting to suffocate me as it stuck to my skin. I fidgeted with the tips of my emerald green vest. I began to pinch the ends so hard it folded into a crease. So I began tapping my foot, but before I knew it my whole body was shaking. My brother Bill handed me a hanker chief and looked me in amazement and humor. He knew what I was thinking. We exchanged glances of luck and he turn back to his very pregnant wife and vila daughter, Victoire. Charlie was off flirting with some unknowing cousin of Angelina's. Percy was with his fiancé in the back corner avoiding all human touch with the mass of children running around. Fred's spirit lingered beside me. Ron was fighting with his fiancé Hermione and Ginny was chatting with Luna. My father was yelling at the caters and my mother was corralling everyone into the simple white tent. I bowed my head and began to count how many drops of slowly sweat fell from my finger tips. I heard the crowd sit down and go quiet. Music began to play and the procession of the wedding party began. First Ginny all by herself, walking with Fred's spirit down the aisle. Next was Harry and Angie's sister, Yury. Then Ron and Katie Bell. A change in music occurred and the crowd rose to their feet. A felt a tap on my shoulder, Harry whispered in my ear, "Dude you need to look up and see her."
*Three days earlier*
Sitting in the bright waiting room of the tuxedo shop was nerve racking. Harry and Ron were next to me chatting about their lives. To be honest I couldn't hear a word they were saying. An elbow jabbed my arm, "OW!" "Dude you ok?"
"Yeah, Ron just missing Fred."
"Me to." Soon a lady in a navy blue pencil skirt and blazer with a pink button down shirt and her hair pulled back.
"George Weasley?" I stood up and straightened my teal t-shirt and began to walk forward to greet her. The two boys stood up and followed behind me. We walked down long narrow hallway toward the back room. The walls were covered in wedding photos and models in different tuxes the shop supplied. In the pictures the brides twirled in their dressed while the groom stared in laughter. In some photos the groom was dipping his new wife or they were kissing. We reached a red oak door that had 'Dressing Rooms' above it. "Right through here sir. Are the other two men going to be getting a final fitted as well today?"
"No, I believe they already have them." The lady led us through the door. From the bright waiting room we were lead into a dingy, wallpaper peeling, dim lit room. There were three sewing machines with three old ladies sitting behind them smiling and singing to themselves. Two young boys around the age of ten were spinning around in wheely chairs. While an old man around the age of 60 stood by another door, in his arm my tux. As we got closer his features became for distinct. He had a crooked, drubbed nose, his hair line had receded but he still had a full head of hair, his cheeks were slightly droopy and his mouth was thin and smiling. I looked down at his hands they were scared and wrinkled with sun spots giving away his elderly age. "This is Brondy, He'll be your attendee." The women nodded at me and went back through the door we came though. The elderly man draped the suit over his right and open the door. He motioned me through and showed the boys where the could sit. It was a forest green sofa that had buttons covering the seat. It was dingy but Harry and Ron timidly sat down, looking afraid that the seat would give way to the combined weight of them. The old man shut the door and led me into a room with a curtain and full length mirror. I had already gathered the thought that the man was mute and enjoyed his job here at the tux shop. I walked in to the curtained cube, Brondy had hung up my tux and closed the curtain. I took off my shirt and pants so I was down to my boxers. I could hear Brondy scrummaging around in a drawer probably looking for his needle pin. I put on the suit and it fit like a glove. The black pants were the perfect length and fit around my chiseled waist. The shirt was black with a emerald green vest and a plum colored tie and it wasn't to loose or to tight. I looked in the mirror and saw I had turned into Fred. We made a decision early on to incorporate my deceased brother as much as we could.
*Flashback*
"George what are the colors? Your mom shoots down all my colors. I still think she doesn't like me."
"Angie, she does she just realizing three wedding are going to occur in the next year. Ginny is engaged, Ron's engaged and now we are engaged. She's stressed out. How plum and emerald green?"
"Was that Fred's favorite colors?"
"Yes." I said this muffled because that was the last thing Ange wanted was our wedding to be a somber affair. Even though I lost my brother 5 years ago part of me still longed for his presence at my wedding. All of a sudden my fiancé was kneeling down before me with my hands in hers.
"O.k," My head shot up, "we'll do his colors. If the shoe was on the other foot he'd want yours. Any other request?"
"Can I have a place for him in the procession?"
"I can do that."
"Thank you so much baby." I bent over and kissed her forehead. My brother would be at my wedding. I was elated.
*End of Flashback.
I opened the curtain and faced the old man. He dropped his pin rose and began speaking Italian. "Bello, bello. Pura perfezione" From my time with the Italian wizards I knew this meant "Beautiful, beautiful, Pure Perfection." His hands flew in the air and he ran out the open green oak door yelling "Bello, bello. Pura perfezione," down the hall. Harry's shaggy black hair and Ron's stiff red hair popped in the door frame.
"Way to tick off the Italian."
"Shut-up and admire my looks Ronald." The boys came into the room and walked around me.
"Italian made, plum, black and emerald coloring suit. George I know you're rich but can you afford this?"
"Harry I could afford you! What would Fred think?"
"He'd love it. He'd gently rip it off your back!"
"Thanks Ron," I cracked my Weasley smile, "I wonder what mom will think?"
"She's going think it's bloody atrocious."
Harry left go find the old man again so we could make the sleeves a little bit above my elbow. This wedding was in the forest of by Lovegood's. Luna had rented us her space for our outdoor, rustic wedding. I couldn't believe I was getting married in three days. The old Italian man came back and fixed the sleeves in a few seconds. The three old ladies were no longer behind the sewing machines but admiring the masterpiece they had been slaving over. Pinching it here and there, pull on the sleeves, then pull them up. They repeated stuff in Italian but I had no idea what they were saying. Finally, I was through with the nitpicking and needle pricking. Brondy, the old man, took the suit, sent it for one final pressing and then brought it back in a stark black bag that had the words 'Vecelio's Tuxedo Shop' on it. He led us through the red oak door and out to the brightly lit front room. He gave the lady the up front a kiss on the cheek, nodded to me, and returned to the back. "That will be 300 galleons, 27 knots and 13 sickles."
"BLOODY HELL! IS IT LINED WITH GOLD!?"
"Why yes, it is Ron," his stunned face made me realize that he thought I was still serious, "no Ron it isn't it's just Italian and custom made." Harry had his hands in his pockets ignoring the sarcastic remark and hiding his shell shock expression.
"Hey George, I don't think you can afford me anymore."
"Yeah, probably not." Harry grabbed Ron's arm, "Hey mate we get to do this in a year."
"I think I'm going to be sick... Hey George-"
"No absolutely not."
"Come on, I'm your brother!"
"So?"
"Whatever. Harry, I don't think we can go here."
"I can..."
"Oh buggars."
"Dude, I'll pay for yours." Harry turned to the woman,"Can we set up an appointment?" The woman nodded yes and Harry set up his appiontment for August 24th. We walked out of the stores onto the London streets. Cars zoomed past the vacant wall not even noticing that three people just appeared out of no where. The shop was located in downtown London, three blocks from Westminster Abbey. The street buzzed with the tourist shopping, teenagers texting, and cabbies driving. Double deckers rolled by with tourists flashing cameras at blurred pictures. Ron, Harry and I walked down the street toward the empty alleyway we arrived in. We tapped the bricks the in a certain fashion, three bricks on the right two on the left, one up four down. All of a sudden the charred bricks began to move and a doorway appeared. Here laid in front of us was Diagon Alley. It hustled and bustled with summer life. Flowers bloomed between the cracks in the cobble stone and the tightly knit walls. Small children ran around chasing Chocolate Frogs or Whirring Fireworks that came from the Joke Shop. Parents were rushing to the school sales at Ollivanders, or buying their books at Flourish and Botts. Life in our world was consumed with summer life. Heat waves came through causing temperatures to sky rocket and sweat to drip down the nape of my neck. Life couldn't be better in our place. The joke shop sales were booming and the wedding was coming up quickly. Our family was finally finacially stable and parents were becoming grandparents. Bill's second child was soon to be born and three of us were getting married. We walked down the main street of our little downtown, tipping our heads to strangers and friends. We turned the corner on to Revena Road, my fiance was walking out of the flower store with about 5 sacks in her hands and trying to balance parcels. I handed my suit to Harry and gave him a look, that if he drops this I'd kill him. I stuck up on my wife and grabbed the box.
"You know you have friends that can help you."
"George!"
"HAHA! Baby you know I love you. What's in the box?"
"China ware for the table."
"Oh so extremely breakable," I held out the box above a puddle of rain water, "So I shouldn't drop this?"
"Don't you dare!" I could see Harry and Ron about 15 yards away cracking up at Ange's tantrum and scolding a grown man.
"What can I help you with love?"
"Take the box's and this bag it's your boutineers."
"There's only three..." "I can't put one on a ghost George."
"I know I just always planned for four."
"I know." We started walking the alley towards our humble flat in the joke shop. Hermione waved at us from the window as she helped Ginny set up wedding bells in the window. "What is this George."
"I thought we could set up the joke shop to be wedding-y."
"Why?"
"Because I'm excited and we are closing the shop after tomorrow afternoon."
"Oh right . OH RIGHT! WEDDING IN THREE DAYS!"
"You forgot? You forgot with flowers in your hand and china in a box?"
"Yep. Pretty much."
"Oh right you're the bride." Angie smirked at me sarcastically with her famous eye roll. Her chocolate skin glowed in that moment. All I could do was simply smile at her she was mine, all mine. "Excuse me sir could you hold this?" I asked a stranger walking by. They nodded and held out their hands as I place the two packages into their palms. I walked over and planted a giant kiss on my fiance. All of a sudden the heavens opened up and it began to rain.
"THE FLOWERS!" We had our foreheads together.
"Don't worry about them." I just smiled a huge smile. As she ran hand across the place where my left ear should be.
"What's that stupid look for?"
"I love you... and don't deserve you."
"Are you calling off the wedding?"
"Absolutely... not. I want you all to myself." Angelina laughed openly at my boyish need. She quickly pecked me on the cheek and pushed me away. "Isn't rain lucky?"
"On the wedding day, before it's just rain."
"Oh ok." I grabbed the hand that brandish the Leo diamond on the gold band. The ring sparkled as the rains misted around it. The eleven diamonds played jokes on my eyes as they seemed to never end. The thick gold band mutated my body. Making it seem like it was bending and curving in all the wrong ways. It shown as the miniscule mist drops rain down it. The gold off set the multitude of gleaming diamonds and silver settings. It two slits at the top so four diamonds, two on each side, could be in the band itself. The diamonds rose from their sets each one above the next. Two diamonds on each side that were set inside the represents both our lives coming together. The step up was two more diamonds, one each side, those were the same sizes as the ones on the band. The next set were bigger then the last ones and higher up. Then the final diamond, 1 3/4 CT TW Round-cut. A breath taking diamond that stood above the entire ring. I ran my thumb across it and looked at her. " A beautiful ring for a beautiful girl."
"Come on fabio." I smirk, turned back to Harry and Ron who were already walking towards us. Angie laced her fingers with mine. I stared back at my savior, the love of my life, girl of my dreams, My Angelina.
