Confident as they were in their wards, Michael and Luna decided it would be best to stay together for the night at Luna's father. Michael was glad she had agreed to this – he was going to have a hard enough time sleeping without worrying about Luna and her dad. They slept as well as could be expected until about ten in the morning, at which time Michael finally began packing his things, Luna watching him, leaning up against her headboard.
"It's going to be three in the morning back home," she said dreamily. "Will your parents be angry at you for coming in at that time?"
"Nah," Michael said, tugging with all his might on the zipper of his bag, now well overfull with his various clothing and person items. "They got used to it when I lived at home. How the hell did I get all this in here, anyway?"
"Magic," Luna replied.
"Oh…yeah," Michael muttered. He clapped his hands together and the pair of zippers zoomed to meet in the middle, finally sealing his luggage. "I'm…a little distracted today. Anyway. Seven hours, huh Loon?"
"Six and a half," Luna answered without looking at the clock.
"I can't believe this is actually happening," Michael said, shaking his head. "I mean, I keep worrying I'm going to wake up one day back at STRIKE and this will all have been a dream. That's what these last months with you have been, Loon, a dream come true. It's unreal to think we were separated for so long."
"Mum used to say that the things we lose have a way of coming back to us," Luna said dreamily. "But not always in the way we expect. I don't really care how it happened, though. I'm just glad it did."
"Well I'm going to go home and try to get a little more sleep," Michael said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm still not feeling a hundred percent after that fight…you?"
"I feel good," Luna smiled. "You can sleep. Daddy and I are going to pick sunflowers."
Michael smiled back at her. He couldn't think of a more Luna-like way to spend her wedding day, and he thought it was great.
"I'll see you in a little bit then," Michael said, hoisting his bag up on his shoulder. Luna slid off her bed and wrapped her thin arms around his waist.
"I love you," she said softly.
"I love you too," Michael replied automatically, kissing her on the forehead. "See you."
"Bye Michael," Luna said brightly, stepping away from him to give him room to Apparate. She waved at him and Michael couldn't help but laugh as he turned in place and vanished, leaving only a small trail of flames behind.
Michael stepped out of the fire pillar in his old bedroom, careful to make as little noise as possible. He had chosen his signature form of Apparition to avoid waking his parents – for all their sakes. He threw down his bag and sat down on the edge of his bed, propping his chin up in his hands. For a long time, he simply sat there, reflecting on the past two years of his life and wondering how he would handle whatever the future brought. He discovered he had no answer for this, save that he was glad he would be facing it with Luna beside him. With that pleasant thought to pacify him, Michael sprawled out on top of his blankets, clothes still on, grabbed a pillow from the top of the bed, crushed it in between his arm and head and went straight to sleep.
His mother and father welcomed him back home the next day at seven over a breakfast Michael couldn't eat a bite of. Nancy crossed her arms sternly at Michael.
"You have to eat something," she said firmly. "You won't get another chance till this evening!"
"I know Mom," Michael muttered. "I've just got a lot on my mind, if you can believe it." He contented his mother by taking a drink of orange juice.
"I wouldn't worry," John said from behind his paper. "You're good at war, you've got experience with it. You're halfway trained for marriage then."
Michael snorted, his mouth still full of drink. Nancy shook her head. "I can't believe you're marrying Luna today," she sighed, ignoring her husband. "When her mother died and she left…you were so angry."
Michael rubbed the back of his neck. "I was angry a lot. And then I was again when I found out what really happened to her mom…it won't happen to us. I swear, it won't happen to us." His hand shook his glass of juice.
"Unless the Nargles get you," John chuckled, still not looking at him. Michael laughed at this too. Really, he was glad of the way his parents treated him. It had annoyed him at first, on his first few trips home after becoming a hot-shot Auror, that his mother still bereted him for not eating and his father still poked fun at him, but over time he learned to appreciate it. Especially now, hours after a midnight duel with a madman, Michael clung to any normalcy thrown his way.
With a half hour to go before the wedding, Michael and his parents stood together in the den, ready to Apparate to the church. There was really no need to be much earlier. Of the twelve people attending the wedding, five of them were in it. They turned in unison, vanishing and appearing a heartbeat later near the back of the elementary school Michael and Luna had attended. All three glanced around, but the holidays had left the school deserted and they were able to proceed without incident, walking a few blocks until they reached the chapel.
Michael gazed up at the little church he had passed by so many times when he lived at home, but had never been in. Although small and rather plain, Michael had always counted it as one of the most remarkable buildings in town, although he admitted it had little competition.
"Ready?" John asked Michael, who nodded silently and led his parents inside.
Two rows of pews ran down both sides of the church, no more than ten benches on either side. At the end of the aisle running down the middle was a set of steps which rose up to a platform from which the pastor could speak from behind his podium, though an altar had been placed here today for the ceremony.
A young bald man stood alone at the altar, thumbing through some papers. He looked up at the sound of the door opening and seeing who it was, smiled.
"Mr. Jacobs," he said happily, descending down the steps and shaking Michael's hand. He was not much older than Michael, perhaps twenty-eight or twenty-nine. "It's nice to meet you, my name is Desmond Deel."
"Good to meet you," Michael said politely, shaking his hand. "I suppose I should get changed. Luna's great, but even she probably would get mad if I end up at the altar wearing a pair of dirty jeans and a shirt with a stain on it…" he looked down at himself. "…like I am now. Is there a place for me to change?"
"You can go back through there," Deel said, pointing at a pair of doors at the back of the church. "Take the left one."
"Thanks," Michael acknowledged, turning to leave the young man with his parents.
"You!" called an excited voice.
Jeff had just entered the church, dressed casually and grinning at them all. "Your freaking wedding day! I'm happy for you man, look, I'm even minding my language!" he said, shaking hands with Michael's father and hugging his mother. He really did look thrilled for Michael and for once, Michael was willing to take it at face value. He lowered his voice so only Michael could hear him as he leaned in for a quick hug. "Though…the next time you call me over to play at one in the morning, let's make it little less dangerous."
Michael merely grinned back at him and half-shrugged."We're supposed to go back through here," Michael told Jeff. "To get ready for the wedding and all."
They headed side by side down the aisle, Jeff trying hard to trip Michael as they walked. Michael somehow fought off the urge to shove him into a pew. They opened the door on the left and stepped into a simple square room. The only feature worth pointing out was a beautiful painting on the wall. The walls were colored a creamy tan shade, giving the room a warm feeling. It was usually used for group meetings, but as the tiny church had rarely hosted weddings before, it would have to serve as a dressing room, as would the duplicate room next to it for the girls.
"So, nervous at all?" Jeff asked with a laugh. Michael was tugging at the collar of his shirt, looking extremely edgy. It was exceedingly unlike him to be so anxious, but then again, it was due to a girl unlike any other.
"Just a bit," Michael said. The door opened and Harry and Ron walked in, already wearing their tuxedos. Luna had left the choice of dress robes or tuxedos for the men to Michael, who rationalized that almost all Wizard formals called for dress robes and he would be remiss to forgo a chance to dress like a rich Muggle. "Very classy, trying to upstage me?" he joked, hoping humor would calm him.
"No, we're still recovering from the experience of getting these things on," Harry said, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket. "Sarah had them sent to us already, and Ron's mum made us wear them here…"
"Didn't you get one?" Ron asked Jeff. Jeff was wearing slacks and a plain white t-shirt. Next to Ron and Harry, he looked extremely inappropriate.
"Of course," he said smoothly, "I just have to get it on." He drew his wand and waved it down his body. For a second he looked even stupider, standing in nothing but his boxers, but another second later he had redressed himself, now clad in a tuxedo exactly like Ron and Harry's.
"Here, I've got something for you guys," Michael muttered as he too changed into more formal attire. He waved his wand, and five cut roses fell into his hands. "These were Luna's mom's," he told them, handing one to each. "We got them from her old house. She wants us to wear them today…"
He stuck his own through the buttonhole of his suit, making sure it looked good. The others all did so, handling the roses very carefully. Michael still had one left in his hand.
"Did you guys see Luna and her dad?" Michael asked Harry and Ron, who nodded.
"They're here? Then I'll be right back…" He strode out of the room, the door swinging shut behind him.
"We really are terrible people," Jeff said suddenly, turning to Harry and Ron, who looked at him in surprise.
"What are you talking about?" Harry questioned.
"He's our friend, and he's getting married." Jeff looked miserable, and for a moment Harry wondered if Jeff had done something terrible to him, perhaps involving Luna. Then he shook his head, saying,
"No bachelor party." He whispered it as if it was a dreadful secret, one that would result in his death if anyone discovered it. "We never thought to give him one. In less than an hour, he'll never be able to see a pair of breasts besides hers again… What have we done…?"
"Father forgive them," Michael said in a dramatic voice, reentering the room, "They know not what they do."
"I'm so sorry," Jeff groaned, "How could we have done this to you?" Michael was strongly reminded of a man begging his girlfriend for forgiveness after being caught cheating on her.
"That is a pretty grave crime," Michael said seriously. "I think the only way you can make up for it is by doing something for me."
"What?" Jeff asked, his eyes wide.
"Come here, I'll tell you," Michael said. Jeff leaned in close and Michael whispered quickly into his ear, so that Harry and Ron couldn't hear what they said.
"Consider it done," Jeff said quickly. "I'll make sure it gets here, don't worry about it."
"You'd better," Michael said sternly. "By the way…" He dropped his voice and glanced at the door, making sure no one was about to enter, "if you'd ever seen Luna's boobs, you'd know I don't need any others."
"So not a problem making the Unbreakable Vow then?" Jeff smirked.
"You're not actually making your vows Unbreakable, are you?" Ron asked.
"No, not literally," Jeff laughed. Michael smiled and rolled his eyes. "I meant that if he ever tries to go back on these promises, Luna will kill him."
They all laughed, a touch more nervousness in Michael's now. It was now nine-fifty, the ceremony would start in ten minutes. Harry and Ron left the room to join Michael's parents, Luna's father, and Ginny, the only other people who had no part in the wedding.
"It's time," Jeff said, checking his watch. "You ready?" he asked, all joking aside, placing a hand on both of his friend's shoulders. Michael gave a stiff nod. "The music should start right about… now."
From outside the door, a loud song suddenly boomed. It seemed to come from the walls and ceiling itself. Michael smirked and he and Jeff threw open the door and strode out down the aisle, towards the altar. He flexed his muscles as he walked, pointing cockily at where Harry, Ron, and Ginny sat, on the left hand side front pew. Ginny whistled at him.
Sarah and Hermione were already up at the altar, wearing matching dresses of a light pink color, smiling identically, laughing at Michael's choice for a wedding march.
The music came to a stop and there was a moment of silence. Michael stared at the door from which his soon to be wife and her father would appear any second.
Then, she was there, framed by the empty pews but watched by all.
Michael's eyelids nearly detached themselves as they shot up and down. The shock came twofold for him. It wasn't simply the beauty of the girl he was about to marry.
Luna did not walk, stumble, or float down the aisle. She skipped. Xenophillius also had a spring in his step, though not nearly as pronounced as his daughter's. He also had a red rose pinned to his dress robes. He was the only person wearing non Muggle clothing.
He slipped into the top right pew, next to Nancy and John, watching with tearful eyes as Luna joined the others at the altar. In truth, the altar was unimportant. They didn't need anything physical, only each other.
Luna's strapless dress was unlike anything Michael had ever seen before, a flowing series of layers which from top to bottom encompassed all the colors of the rainbow, from violet at the top branching out to red around the hem on the floor, which she had through some feet of masterful dexterity avoided tripping on. Michael couldn't breathe for a moment…it was all too much. Not the style or the brightness, just…what he was doing. No, he told himself firmly. This was just right. It was perfect. As he looked Luna up and down, he realized he was grinning so much that he heard Jeff snort a bit to his side.
She was looking down at the ring on her left hand, rubbing it with her thumb. Michael had been very proud of his choice for an engagement ring and hoped the wedding band would live up to the standard. He had of course purchased his own band alongside Luna's engagement ring to preempt any money issues.
Luna beamed at him and he smiled happily back as she swayed in place a bit, waiting for what was to come.
"Dearly beloved," Deel began in a ringing voice, his tone commanding attention, despite the wide smile on his face. "We are gathered here today to join two young people very much in love…."
The ceremony was rather quick, for a wedding at least. It took just a little over ten minutes to reach the fateful phrase,
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." He paused for a very serious moment as Michael and Luna stared into each other's eyes. "Love never ends. I now declare you husband and wife." Michael cocked an eyebrow at Luna, making her snort with laughter. She recomposed herself quickly, but Michael thought she had never looked more beautiful. "You may now kiss the bride."
Michael reached out to Luna and swept her off her feet, leaning her backwards and kissing her romantically, her eyes closed. Luna abruptly leaned forward, righting them, at the same time throwing out her arms and spinning in place. A shimmering gold ribbon materialized above the couple, floating down to wrap itself around them.
Michael raised his eyebrows as he and his wife were wrapped together. "Literally tying the knot? I swear I'm not going anywhere."
"Forever," Luna said simply, looking at him with her huge eyes. "Forever." The other eleven people broke into applause, then Jeff suddenly vanished from the raised steps, though no one noticed.
There was no reception after the wedding. What was the point, Michael and Luna had asked, given that a dozen people, mostly close friends, were in attendance. Luna had worried that it would mean missing their symbolic first dance, but Michael had assured her there would be time during their yet to be revealed honeymoon.
Michael therefore took Luna's hand and together they, now husband and wife, sprinted down the aisle as fast as Luna's shoes would allow. The others chased after them, though no one present besides Michael, not even Luna, knew what he had in mind.
They threw open the doors of the church and rushed out into the sunlight. For a single heart stopping moment Michael thought that he was in trouble. Nothing was waiting for them except for the gentle breeze and chirping of birds.
Then, just as the guests caught up with them, their salvation arrived. Michael's neglected vehicle sped down the road towards them, turning sharply and skidding into a hard stop in front of Michael and a wide eyed Luna. The door opened and Jeff jumped out, wearing a pair of expensive sunglasses. He flicked his wand casually at the attendees and muttered a spell, causing a shimmering wall to appear between he, Michael, and Luna and the rest of the guests.
"Congratulations guys," he grinned at the couple, handing Michael his glasses. "I'd ask to kiss the bride, but you've already let me be inside of the other object of your love today."
Typically inappropriate, especially on their wedding day, but neither Michael or Luna would ever have it any other way.
"I swear to God, if 'just married' is painted on it…" Michael muttered threateningly, though to no point. He was far too happy to even pretend to be angry about anything.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Jeff said. He glanced towards the guests, all fighting among themselves to break through the shield, to be the first to congratulate the couple. "Now get going, I won't be able to hold them forever…and try not to kill yourselves."
"Thanks Jeff," Michael laughed. He dove into the driver's seat, Luna seeming to materialize into the passenger side seat. They slammed the doors shut, and with a last look at Jeff, who was standing determinedly firm against the wave of well-wishers, Michael stomped on the accelerator, shooting them off down the empty road, the angry shouts of guests ringing in their ears.
"You candrive, then?" Luna inquired serenely.
"I can drive enough," Michael replied, giving the wheel a quick jerk to pull himself back onto the right side of the road. "I…actually snuck out with Jeff a few nights ago at my parents' so we could figure it out. Not that hard, really, mostly point and go."
"So where are we going then?" Luna asked. She had found a pair of sunglasses on the dash and was wearing them on the tip of her nose, looking curiously at her husband. Michael tried to keep his eyes on the road, considering they were approaching ninety miles an hour, but found it difficult not to stare at his beautiful wife. "Do you actually know?"
"The Virgin Islands," he told her happily, trying to work the radio and stay on the road at the same time.
"Can cars float?" Luna asked loudly over the blaring music Michael had put on. "I might have a spell for that. Or do you have something else in mind?"
"Who cares?" Michael shouted gleefully. Not only his tone or voice, but his entire being radiated joyfulness. A strange combination of the glorious light peeking in through the windows and the unrestrained happiness on his features rendered the scar on his face nearly invisible. "We're married!"