Chapter 4: As Unchangeable as Nature

A/N: Sorry for not posting this chapter sooner! I have had most of it saved onto my computer for a while now, but haven't found the time to post it! You have no idea how hectic getting a wedding together is (April 8th… the countdown is on!)

I won't be posting probably until after the 15th because I will be in Egypt for my honeymoon (a place I have ALWAYS wanted to see, having wanting in 3rd grade to be an Egyptologist… I know I was a little weird back in the day, but who didn't go through an awkward stage). But please have fun reading this chapter and as always be kind and review!

By the time Nymphadora, Molly and a newly awaken Andromeda had walked out the door it was almost two o'clock and Molly was going crazy. They had to apparate into Hogsmede because the castle was still being protected by all its magical spells and enchantments. Professor McGonagall had allowed those coming from Hogsmede to take the school carriages to the castle. Not many people were going to be in attendance for their sunset wedding, but that was the way that they had both wanted it. Both to avoid the publicity and because they thought their special day should be shared by the people who wanted to be witness to it the most.

"Nymph!" came a loud cry as she got out of the old carriage. Dora looked around to see the face of the Weasley's second eldest son, Charlie.

"Oh, Charlie! You could make it after all!" She said giving her old friend a big hug. "I thought that the birth of a new dragon would be keeping you away from my wedding."

"Nothing could stop me from coming back to this place," Charlie said with a smile before kissing his mother on the cheek. "Hello mum."

"Charlie, darling, we thought you weren't coming! This is such a great surprise."

"Yeah, the dragon who we had mixed breeds with actually won't be hatching for another two weeks, so I thought I didn't have anything better to do, so why not come back and see what ole Nymph was up to." Charlie gave her a wicked smile as Tonks playfully punched him on the arm.

"Like you had anything better to do. I know you wouldn't miss this for all the dragons in the world."

"No, I probably wouldn't Nymph. Congratulations by the way."

"Thanks Charlie." She said giving her old friend another hug. "Come on, let's go up to the castle and see what trouble we can do back at the school."

"You're on." Charlie said giving her a mischievous grin.

"Nymphadora, you know better than to start fooling around the castle grounds just before your wedding day!" Andromeda said, scolding her from behind.

"Mum, I was only kidding," Nymphadora said sheepishly. She knew that going around to cause some old trouble like they used to when they were kids at this school was more than cutting it close. But she thought that before she gave up her life to the ultimate statement of adulthood and maturity, she ought to do something childish before it was all over.

They walked up to the castle grounds, where a large tent could be seen, fully erected. They saw the white lawn chairs facing the large tent and saw most of the men helping to set them up in an orderly fashion.

"Bill!" Molly called out to the group. "Look, your brother took time out to come and see everyone. Ron, Fred, George, why don't you stop for a moment to come say hi!" Suddenly a group of red headed men came bounding over to greet their newest arrival, leaving Andromeda and Tonks quite out of the picture.

"Come on dear, why don't we get you set up in one of the classrooms so we can fit you into your dress." Andromeda Tonks took her daughter's hand and lead her up to the castle and through the front doors, where they collided with a man whose hair was not red at all.

"Remus!" Andromeda squeaked as she put a hand over her daughter's eyes. "Close your eyes Remus, we don't need any bad luck today."

"Oh, of course not," came the reply. Nymphadora was unable to see what his reaction was to all of this, for her mother's hand was doing its job of blocking her field of vision.

"Wotcher Remus," she finally said, a bit muffled with her mother's hand expanding down past her eyes.

"Nymphadora," Remus said shortly. "Uh, fine weather we're having today. Should make for a very lovely ceremony."

"Oh yes, it should be a very pretty ceremony." She said, still with her mother's hand blocking her from seeing his face. There was an awkward pause, as neither of the two had much to say. Both had the familiar sensation of butterflies in their stomachs and could not find a word that would describe how they were feeling at that moment.

"Well, we mustn't keep you from whatever you were about to do, Remus dear." Andromeda said, leading her daughter away from the front door.

"Right, I guess I will see you later Nymphadora." Remus said, as mother and daughter walked away.

"Yes, I will see you in a few hours. I can't wait Remus!" Tonks shouted, as she was lead further away from her future husband.

"That was close!" Andromeda said as she pulled her daughter into the nearest classroom that was available. She took her hand away from Nymphadora's face and sat down at one of the desks and looked around the old classroom.

"God, the last time I have been at Hogwarts, must have been your graduation, Nymphadora. But that was outside as well. It feels very strange to be back in a classroom."

"Yeah, it does. So, are you going to help me into this dress or not?"

After much pulling and prodding, the vintage dress Tonks had found at an old Muggle store was fully fitted and hugging the young Auror in a way that was most agreeable with her slender frame.

"You look so lovely Nymphadora," Andromeda said with a few tears in her eyes.

"Thanks mum," Nymphadora said, examining her reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. There came a small knock on the door.

"Tonks?" The voice called from behind it. Andromeda hurried over to open the door and found Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley standing huddled together.

"Oh, Hermione, Ginny, you both look so pretty." Tonks said scooping the two girls into her arms. They both had chosen to put their hair up in elegant knots, and they both wore the lavender brides maid dresses they all had picked out together one afternoon in London.

"Oh no Tonks, you look so much more beautiful. That dress is really quite something." Ginny said taking in a full view of the dress that they had said would be "killer" to wear.

"Thanks, what time is it by the way?" Tonks said looking around to see if there was a clock anywhere.

"It's half past four." Hermione said. "Mrs. Weasley just wanted us to tell you that the pavilion was all set up and that master of ceremonies has just arrived."

"Mum, I still can't believe you found the guy who performed you and dad's wedding ceremony."

"Well, we owe a lot to him, for doing our ceremony in the middle of the night. You know, running away and eloping sounds romantic, but when in fact, it's just impossible to actually go out and find someone willing to do it." Andromeda said with a slight smile on her face. "Yes, no one was really keen about marrying off the product of the Black family with a Muggle-born wizard. The scandal I'm sure that would have ensued. Your grandmother and your great-aunt would have made sure of that."

"Well, at least you two are finally getting married." Ginny said happily. "I still can't believe that it has taken you this long to finally take the initiative and do it."

"I know it's been too long." Tonks said. "But we needed to find the perfect time to go ahead and have the ceremony. Because we didn't want to do it too soon after your brother's wedding, and we needed to find a time that worked out for Remus' mission, and with all my duties at the ministry. And of course, we needed Ron, Harry and you Hermione home, because both Remus and I wanted all of you to be part of our wedding."

Hermione blushed slightly, and looked pointedly down at the floor. "I'm sorry Tonks, that we haven't been home sooner. It just gets so crazy now with tracking down parts of- well you know." She said looking up slightly over at Andromeda, who didn't seem to find the conversation they were having of any interested and took to painting her fingernails the shade of light pink her dress was made out of.

"I know Hermione, and I don't blame you in the least for anything. I think what you and Harry and Ron are doing is fantastic. I just wish that I could help you out more."

"Well, don't worry, I have tried to help out, but no one seems to want to take it." Ginny said, patting her friend on the shoulder. Hermione Granger seemed to have aged twenty years since Tonks had last seen her. She seemed almost too mature, with her hair pulled back, and worry lines crease her face. It was all because of the war, Tonks thought sadly. She wished that she could take away some of her young friend's pain, because she knew that Hermione had to be the strong, sensible one in their group, especially for Harry.

"Well, why don't we go spying on the boys before we have to start moving down to the pavilion before the ceremony starts?" Tonks asked earnestly, looking at the two girls.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Nymphadora dear." Andromeda said speaking for the first time the two young girls had come into the room.

"Mum you ruin all the fun."

"Dear, if it is really half past four, you're wedding is going to be starting in a little over in hour to catch the sunset. And we have to go and take pictures with your father before everything starts. And I think that you should go over your vows."

"My vows?" Nymphadora said, her voice shaking only just slightly. Her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink and looked anywhere but at her mother.

"Nymphadora Tonks, please tell me that you have written out your vows!"

"Well, I haven't written them out per se-" Tonks had started. Ginny giggled a little behind her hand, and Hermione gave Tonks the same look her mother was now giving her.

"Nymphadora, you sit down right now and put into the most elegant words you can think of about why you are marrying this man. I'm going to come back here in a half-an-hour with your father and we will go over what you have written."

"Yes, mum," Tonks, said slumping down into a desk, and conjuring up a piece of parchment and a quill.

"Nice one Tonks," Ginny said, as Andromeda left the room muttering under her breath about the sanctity of marriage.

"I had thought about what I was going to say, I just, never wrote them down." Tonks said, starring down on at the blank piece of parchment.

"Well, you had better come up with something fast, because knowing Professor Lupin, he'll have come up with some long speech." Hermione said, drawing up a chair next to Tonks.

"Oh I know, I think I stumbled upon them one day in our flat a few weeks ago. I thought it was some Muggle poetry he had written down, before realizing the title of the 'poem' was the date of our wedding."

"Well, there you go, we need to think up of something that will be pleasant to the ear, as well as conveying all the reasons why you love Lupin." Ginny said, taking the other side of Tonks to help her write out her long forgotten vows.

"Hmm, I don't know where to begin with how to describe my love for Remus Lupin."

"That would be a good opening line," Ginny said, pointing to the blank piece of parchment. "You can put, 'I have no way to describe exactly how I feel about Remus Lupin.' It's cheesy but it will make my mum bust out in tears."

"As much as I would love to see your mother in tears Ginny," Tonks said giving the young woman a sarcastic look. "I want what I have to say original and meaningful. Not some cheesy line found in any work of fiction."

"Well, how do you propose to start off with your vows?"

"I have no idea." Tonks said sadly looking down at the blank piece of paper. "Maybe I'll just make them up off the top of my head when the master of ceremonies asks for vows to be exchanged. You know me, improvisation is a specialty of mine." And with a flourish, Tonks chucked the never used piece of parchment into the wastebasket, and smiled pleasantly at the skeptics looks on the two girls' faces.

Please be kind and review! Everything and anything is appreciated! Next time I'll be writing I'll be a married woman!