I have finally finished it! The long awaited wedding! Sorry it took so long, but I was not sure exactly how I wanted the vows to be and I really wanted to get it right. Note that I have not been to many weddings, and all the ones I remember well have been Catholic weddings integrated into full masses. I knew I wanted it to have a hand-fasting and I knew I didn't want it to too strongly resemble the average wedding vows or the vows from Bill and Flur's wedding. I hope you all like what I came up with. I did a sketch on how I imagine Tonks' dress, as apparently nothing that closely resembles it even exists. I am posting the link on my profile if anyone is interested. Please note, that this is by no means my best artwork. I drew it quickly when I was sick at home (with an eye infection, so I think that deserves at least a little bit of leniency). Anyway... on with the chapter!
I don't own Harry Potter.
Tonks stretched when the morning light shined in her eyes. She rolled onto her side and saw Keira curled up on the pillow next to her. That is when it hit her. She was getting married today. She was staying at Grimmauld Place with Keira because Molly told her it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, despite Tonks' protests about nightmares. She and Remus had both been given Dreamless Sleep potion from Molly's stores so that they so they could sleep the night before. "The two of you need to rest up," Sirius had said with a wink.
She crawled out of bed carefully so as not to disturb Keira. She walked to the kitchen in search of Molly. As she suspected, she was scrambling eggs on the stove and frying bacon with her back to the door. She turned when Tonks wished her good morning. "Oh, there is the bride!" she exclaimed and pulled her into a hug, "How are you feeling this morning?"
"I'm a bit nervous, but mostly excited."
"That is just as it should be. Breakfast is almost ready; do try and eat something."
Tonks nodded and rose to get a plate. "Molly?" she asked quietly, checking over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. Molly hummed in response. Tonks took a deep breath. "What if I am no good at it?"
"No good at what dear?" she asked distractedly.
A blush that she could not hide completely spread across her cheeks. "You know… it."
A look of realization dawned on Molly's face along with a blush of her own, "Oh. Well… It is a very natural thing. If you let yourself… have a nice time… things will just go as they should. Clearly it is not unpleasant, after all I have seven children," she paused for a moment, "You do know how to be safe, don't you?"
"Molly!" she gasped, "I am a twenty-two-year-old woman!"
"Just checking! In your position, a baby may be hard to explain."
Tonks nodded. That it would, she thought. Though she was a bit disappointed to be unable to have kids of her own, she knew Remus was terrified by the prospect even before the law. At least they had Keira, even if the circumstances around her arrival in their lives were tragic. Together, they would be a family.
Molly pulled her out of her thoughts. "Why don't you go wake Keira and bring her down to breakfast. We need to get a move on if we are all going to be ready on time. Tonks jumped from her chair to do as she was told, eager to escape from the awkward conversation before Sirius arrived and teased her mercilessly.
"There," Molly sighed, "It's lovely." She pushed a final pin to secure the pink Christmas roses into Tonks' soft curls, today dark honey blonde with pink tips for the occasion. "Let's get your dress on and then you will be ready."
Tonks stood and slipped off her robe. She grasped Molly's shoulder for balance and stepped into the dress. In a few moments Molly had fastened the last pearl button and guided her toward the mirror. "You look really pretty, Dora," Keira said sweetly, moving to stand by Tonks in the mirror.
"You look very beautiful, too, Keira. That dress looks very nice on you."
"I think yours is prettier," she protested without envy.
Humble though she may be, Tonks had to agree with the little girl's assessment. Molly had done all the alterations perfectly. The bodice hugged her slim figure until it flared out at her hips into an A-line skirt. The bit of her personality came out in the pink petticoat underneath and the pink sash at her waist, but still complemented the elegant lace and form of Mrs. Lupin's dress.
"Do you like it?" Molly asked nervously.
Tonks realized that she had yet to say anything. "I love it, Molly. Thank you. I feel beautiful."
Molly visibly relaxed. "You look beautiful, dear. You always have. It seems like just yesterday that you were playing in the garden will Bill and Charlie, and now you're getting married," she teared up into her handkerchief, "Give me a minute. Keira, let's get your dress on so we don't run late."
"Stop pacing! You are going to wear a hole in the floor," Sirius cried as he watched his best friend walk back and forth across the library, hands shoved deeply into his pockets. Remus paused and stared at him pointedly, then continued to pace. "Please sit down, you are making me nervous! I am sure she is not going anywhere. Please, please, stop pacing before I actually murder someone."
"Sorry," he cried, "I just wish I could see her. It is hard for me to believe that this is really happening to me."
"I always told you that some lucky girl would snag you. Admittedly, I did not think it would be my baby cousin. Molly will probably kill you if you try to see her now. Do you want me to go check on her?" Remus nodded weakly. Sirius patted him on the shoulder bracingly and handed him the Scotch that he had been drinking. "Here, finish this. You need it more than I do."
Sirius knocked on the door down the hall where he knew Tonks was getting ready. "Everyone decent?" he called. Molly opened the door, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief.
"Oh, Sirius, it's you. How is our groom doing?"
"He is trying to wear a hole in the carpet. He sent me to check on the blushing bride."
Molly opened the door to usher him in. "Tonks dear, you have a visitor."
Tonks looked up from fussing with Keira's dark curls. "Sirius? Aren't you supposed to be with Remus? He hasn't changed his mind, has he?"
Sirius laughed at her worried expression. "He sent me to check on you. I suppose I can go back to him and tell his that he has a beautiful bride waiting for him. Truly, you look… you look great, Tonksie."
"Sirius, are you getting choked up?"
"No, of course not. I am just very, very proud to call you family. Come here." He pulled her into a tight hug. "Love you," he said somewhat self-consciously.
"Ah, Sirius, now you are going to make me cry!"
"Well, I don't want to do that. I best go and assure the groom that his bride isn't going to do a runner."
"Tell him he is not going to get rid of me that easily."
"Ten minutes," Molly warned, "You had best get Remus downstairs and get a hold of Moody."
"Good luck, Dora. Don't trip."
Tonks laughed nervously. "Very funny," she quipped, even though she had convinced Molly she did not want to wear heels for that very reason. Sirius gave a barking laugh and left to go back to Remus.
"You ready?" Mad-Eye asked gruffly. She stared at the door, her heart pounding an unsteady rhythm. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry, as if it was full of cotton. She had a smart-aleck, witty reply for him, but she couldn't quite remember what it was. She nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "Good. You tell that Lupin that if he hurts you, he's got me to answer to."
"He won't hurt me."
"I know that. Isn't that what a father of the bride is supposed to say? I know I'm not exactly who you wanted for this job, but you are as close as I've got to a daughter, you know."
"Mad-Eye! First Sirius, now you? Everyone is going sentimental on me!"
"How's this? Just because you are getting married does not mean that you get any slack. Constant vigilance! That dress is incredibly impractical for fighting Death Eaters."
"Much better," she said, "Let's do this."
He took her by the arm and opened the door. Tonks drew in a deep breath. It was hard to believe that this was the drawing room of Grimmauld Place. Not a speck of dust remained, and white and pink flowers adorned every available surface. The curtains were pushed back so that the light streamed into the room. It seemed the entire Order was present, the only exception being Prodmore who drew the short straw for guard duty and Snape, who was, well, Snape. When they heard the door open, all eyes turned to Tonks and Moody expectantly. As she made her way down the aisle, her eyes locked with his. She had never seen him happier, and it made him look years younger, as if his life had never been touched by war, loss, or lycanthropy. A warm glow spread throughout her chest, as if his gaze was caressing her. She was proud, because she made him smile that way; no matter how long she lived and what she accomplished, she was sure that she would never be prouder of anything.
Finally, they made it to the front of the aisle and Moody gave her a rather awkward kiss on the cheek after pulling back her veil. "Who gives this woman?" asked Arthur, standing alongside Molly as co-officiate. After reading marriage ceremonies from at least a hundred different sources originating from both patriarchal and matriarchal societies, Tonks and Remus had found the one they had been searching for. It was the tradition in a small village that a long-married couple would welcome the intended couple into marriage by administering the vows. As neither Molly nor Arthur had the Ministry authority that would make the vows official, they were able to perform the ceremony.
"I do," Moody answered as he placed Tonks' hand in Remus'.
"Who stands for this man?" questioned Molly, her broad grin belying her formal tone.
"I do," replied Sirius, patting Remus on the shoulder.
"Will the bride and groom kneel and grasp wand arms?" asked Arthur. As instructed, Remus and Tonks kneeled facing each other and held their right arms out for the other to hold at the elbow.
"Nymphadora and Remus, do you both come here today of your own volition to enter into a willing and equal partnership?" Molly asked.
"We do," they replied, not sparing a glance for the couple guiding their vows. They had eyes only for each other. A gold ribbon of light shot from Molly's wand and wound its way around their interlocked arms.
"Marriage is both a great joy and a great responsibility," stated Arthur, "Do you each swear to uphold this responsibility for all the days of your lives?"
"We do." Another ribbon of golden light joined the first.
"Do you swear to love, honor, and cherish each other in good times and bad, through sickness and health?"
"We do."
"Remus John Lupin, do you take Nymphadora to be you wife?"
"I do," he said fervently, and the gentle look in his eyes made her breath hitch.
"Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks, do you take Remus to be your husband?"
"I do," she said, smiling through happy tears.
"Make your vows to each other and exchange the rings."
Remus accepted the ring from Sirius with his free hand and slipped it halfway on to Tonks' finger. "Nymphadora," he began, "When I met you three years ago, I would not have believed we would be where we are today. Every day I wonder what I did to deserve the love of such a wonderful woman. I never thought I would meet someone who could accept me and all my problems, but you saw through all of it. We have been through a great deal together, and will no doubt have to face even more, but there is no one I would rather have by my side than you. You have brought love, life, and color into my world, where there was none before. Dora, I pledge to you my love and fidelity, as long as I live." He pushed the gold band to its place on her finger.
Tonks sniffed a little and took a ring from Keira, who had been promoted from flower girl to maid of honor. "Remus," she said, "I never thought I would find a man who would make me feel as loved as you do. You never ask me to be anything but what I am. Every day I fall even more in love with you and I truly do not think that I can live without you. You complete me, and yet somehow you think you are the lucky one. I feel like I am the luckiest woman alive so long as I am with you. Remus, I pledge to you my love and fidelity, as long as I live." She moved the ring on his finger and entwined her hand with his.
"We now pronounce you bonded for life. You may now kiss the bride." The wedding guests clapped and Sirius wolf-whistled when Remus leaned down to press his lips to Tonks'. Hagrid could be heard snuffling loudly in the back. The ribbons of light left their hands and grew to envelope their bodies. Gradually, the light faded until it settled in the rings. Remus and Tonks barely noticed because they were still busy placing soft kisses on each other's lips. They did not break apart until Mad-Eye began to cough awkwardly in the front row. The newly-wed couple turned to face the room. A blush spread across their cheeks, but bright smiles did not fade. Arm in arm, they led the way back down the aisle to the basement kitchen where the reception would commence.
Several hours later, the party was winding down and the remaining guests—Molly, Arthur, Charlie, Bill, Kingsley, Mad-Eye, and Sirius—had gathered around the table. The combination of Molly's rather lavish dinner and Sirius' free-flowing supply of wine had left them feeling lazy. Tonks and Remus were making a start on opening their stack of wedding gifts. So far they had received a few home ware items, but Tonks' favorite so far was a clock similar to the one the Weasleys had to keep track of their family. A close second was an alarm clock that changed color when a birthday or anniversary was approaching. She may be an Auror, but she was also dead forgetful. The last gift Tonks came to was a large envelope. She opened it, thinking it was another card, but was confused when she read the paper.
"Why do I have another copy of this month's guard duty?"
Everyone around then smiled. "It is a revised copy," Molly explained, "Notice who doesn't have any assignments this week."
She took a closer look and sure enough, her and Remus' names had been replaced by the names of other members. "You shouldn't have," Remus began to protest, but they all raised all waved away their objections.
"We wanted to. The two of you deserve some alone time," Charlie insisted with waggling brows, "Which brings me to the gift from me and all the Weasley clan."
He handed them a small package. Tonks apprehensively removed the wrapping paper. After all, Fred and George had to have learned their sense of humor somewhere, and she knew from experience her old friend was a likely candidate. Encouraging looks from Molly and Arthur reassured her. She opened the box to reveal... a key. She and Remus exchanged bemused looks that did not pass beneath Arthur's notice.
"It is for our aunt's vacation home on the outskirts of Tinworth. Shell cottage is yours for the week. The beach isn't exactly a tropical paradise this time of year, but it is quite beautiful," Arthur explained.
"I doubt the two of you will be doing many outdoor activities, anyway," Bill added with a suggestive wink.
Tonks blushed furiously, bit grinned all the same. "Thank you," she said as she pulled the Weasleys in for a hug. Remus thanked them as well, for once foregoing his formal handshake to hug them.
"It is getting pretty late," Sirius hinted, "The two of you may want to get going. Molly and I can watch Keira for the week. I don't think she would be too pleased if you moved her now anyway." He gestured to the little girl who was now fast asleep on Sirius' chest.
Tonks nestled in under her new husband's arm and beamed at everyone who had gathered to share this lovely evening with them. "Thank you so much, everyone. I can't say how much this all means to me. I am so thankful to have this wonderful wedding with a wonderful family, not to mention a wonderful groom."
"And I have the most wonderful bride a man could have," Remus finished. He pulled her in for a kiss as the guests cheered and showered them with rice. With some effort, he managed to hoist her in his arms bridal style and carry her out the door to apparate to the cottage.
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