Porky Poo, if you're still reading this, thank you so much! I hope you still like it as much as you liked the first few chapters, and thank you for reading it! I'm glad you don't think its too rushed or anything, I've tried to show that there are feelings growing, but that its more organic than forced!
Veronica - I was laughing when I wrote that bit! And I know! She did think he was handsome though! Who do you think her first crush might have been?
Its not important to the story, but I wonder what might think! And anyone else who'd like to make a suggestion too, I'll mention her real first crush it in the author section of my next chapter!
MoonFairy00 - YAY! I'm so glad you got it! Its pretty obvious, but then again Amelie would never think it was her they were talking about! Hope you like this chapter!
Chapter Thirty-Six
Abigail's POV
'Are you nervous?'
Yes.
'No, why would I be nervous? I'm marrying the man I love, and besides... We're only going to go home afterwards, and everything's going to be the same.' I tell my Dad as he adjusts my veil over my hair. Maybe if I keep telling myself that, it'll be true.
Not the part about loving him, because I do. So much that sometimes I can't imagine how I ever got through life before I loved him, or was loved by him. He's the best. Not just the best at being a boyfriend, or fiance, or even as a husband... Which he'll be in little over half an hour... But as a friend, confidant, housemate, and just... Overall perfect person... He's the best at all of those things.
I've just got to convince myself that nothing's really changing, and that we're going to be together forever, just like he's told me since our first date.
It just doesn't seem like I can make these butterflies go away. No matter what I do, or what I say, my mind seems so preoccupied with the knowledge that its not going to be the same as it was. We're never going to be the same as we were once we say those vows.
'Just breathe, darling, breathe. It'll be okay.' Dad tells me as I take his arm and we turn to face the double doors ahead.
'Do I look okay?' I ask him, my voice uncharacteristically shaking. Godric, I think I'm on the verge of tears already. As long as I just push my groundless anxieties down, I'll be fine.
'You... No.' He says hesitantly, looking at me through the thin fabric covering my face and upper body. I let out a little gasp of surprise. I mean... I know I only found the dress the other day, out shopping for someone else's wedding, but I thought it was lovely. Maybe I was wrong? 'You look-' His voice breaks as he turns his face away for a second, shaking his head a little.
'I look?' I ask, nervously awaiting his reply. Its not every day I get married, and knowing how good my husband will look when I see him, I don't want to disappoint myself or him when he sees me. I don't think I would care if my dress was hated by everyone else as long as he liked it.
When did I become so worried about what he thought of me? I mean... Again...
Of course, back when we went on our first date, I was so nervous about it all that it took my friends two days to get me to decide on an outfit. Was that really so long ago? He's taught me to put myself first since then, and not to care about what others think... To do things and to wear things for myself, and not to focus on the approval of other people, least of all him.
I'm no longer the scared little Gryffindor I was, nervous that I'd not fit in... He changed all that, bit by bit, coaxing me out of my shell and always being there to hold my hand if I said something stupid, or more often than not, did something stupid. And I know that he thinks that clothes and masks don't matter, the only thing that matters is the person underneath... Which the first time he told me, sounded so much like a line that I'm pretty sure I almost slapped him.
'You... You look perfect.' Dad tells me, finally getting a hold on his emotions.
'Should we walk?' Lily asks, standing at the front of the group, looking sweet as ever with her little bouquet of flowers shaking ever so slightly as she bites her lip and looks up at me. Its time to make our way through, and the last thing I want to do is to make him wait any longer for something that he's already spent so long wanting.
'Y-yes.' I tell her, nodding. My grip on Dad's arm grows stronger as I steel myself against the nervousness that still affects me a little. I might be a hell of a lot more confident, but I guess that's another thing I've tried to tell myself enough that I've started to believe it...
The doors open, and one by one, my beautiful bridesmaids make their way down the aisle. I know that they must think that I chose them because we're all going to be related by law, or in one case by god-family, but really its because of the fact that they're all the lovely, lovely people in their own ways.
There was a time, really only up to a couple of days ago, when I didn't think I'd say that about Daphne Wicks, but then she turned around and surprised the hell out of me. It turns out you only need a pep talk and a couple of pre-wedding drinks to break through her particular shell and find the real pearl underneath.
'We need to start walking,' Dad tells me as I catch myself pondering just how quickly I overcame my initial dislike of Albus' fiancee, and I snap to it, ready as ever.
What was it my perfect soon to be husband told me on our first date? I think that if you'd just let me try, I could make you realise that love is just like flying. All you need is a little trust, a lot of belief, a couple of deep breaths, and the knowledge that we'll soar together. One day, I'll marry you, and I want you to remember that when you walk down that aisle and start to feel nervous.
How he'd come up with words like that, I'll never know. I do know that he was right though, and that he will always be right about how we belong together. Not that I'll tell him of course. We don't want his ego growing any larger or there won't be any space left in the house.
One step after another. That's it. Just one step after another. Left. Right. Left. Right.
Don't cry. Don't cry. Breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Look up. Look up and take it all in before you miss it.
By Gryffindor.
It looks perfect. Even through this stupid veil that seemed like a good idea at the time, but is stopping me from getting a good look at it, it looks perfect.
He obviously paid about as much heed to the fact that he wasn't meant to go all out on the decorations or flowers as he did when we decided that as this would be a small wedding, we'd not stand on ceremony and he could wear a normal suit rather than full on dress robes.
The entire church is set out like something out of a romantic fairy-tale. There are streams of golden confetti falling from the ceiling and then magically disappearing about six feet or so above our heads, and swathes of cloth running down from the rafters to the ground which make the nave look like it would be better suited to a great hall in a medieval King's home than a little church in a village. The pews have ribbon and flowers wrapped around the ends, trailing down to skim the stone slabs covering the aisle up to where he's standing with his brothers and Harry by the chancel.
As I watch, golden footprints appear in front of me perfectly matched to my pace, as if guiding my way through it all... In the same way that he's held my hand and we've guided each other though everything else.
There's nothing that could come close to the beauty of what he's accomplished. He probably enlisted the help of his groomsmen to pull this all off without my knowledge when the girls all came round to spend the night with me and calm my already frayed nerves. I can't even begin to explain or take in the full grandeur of it all, and so I won't try to describe anything more than those few things which first capture my attention.
All I can hope is that the vicar knows about magic already, because if he doesn't, we'll all be in more trouble than I can imagine.
Before I know it, time seems to have caught up to us, and Dad's giving my hand a little squeeze as he releases my death grip and shaking his arm to get his circulation back. I don't realise that I'm still walking until the golden footsteps cease and I'm standing in front of the most handsome man I've ever seen as he lifts my veil back.
'I don't like this,' he tells me, glaring at the offending piece of fabric. 'Its too... Veil-y... I couldn't see whether you were crying at how handsome I look or not.'
I roll my eyes and turn towards the front as people chuckle around us. Like I said before, his ego really is too big already.
'I would never cry about that,' I tell him as he takes my hand in his and leans down to whisper in my ear.
'You look so perfect that I teared up just now... I love you so much, and I can't wait for you to be my wife, Godric knows I've waited long enough... Are you nervous?' He asks, and the true him is back. Not the one who everyone else sees, but the real him, the side he only shows to me and occasionally his parents if he's acting seriously.
There were no jokes in what he said, only calm and honest truth, and the surety of his tone added confirmation to that which I already know to be true.
'No.' I reply, smiling up at him, taking in his features one last time as my fiance. 'As long as you're with me, it'll be like flying.'
'You remembered that?' He asks, tears springing to his eyes again as he thinks back to the little picnic we shared at the Shrieking Shack. It was made up of food we'd bought from the Three Broomsticks, and is still one of my favourite memories.
'I'll always remember that.' I tell him, leaning up to give him a soft kiss on the lips.
'Oi, keep the kissing for after, eh?' Albus whispers, breaking our otherwise peaceful moment, and reminding us of what we're here to do.
'Shove off, little one. Just because you got the wrong height genes doesn't mean you can butt your broom into everything.' James tells him with a glare, which has Al blushing a little before I smile and tell him its okay.
The rest of the ceremony goes by in a blur. I can't seem to concentrate on anything but my groom, watching his face as he reacts to the different parts, catching the little smiles he sends me when he knows I'm watching him, and seeing the tiny yawns he suppresses which throw greater claim to the fact that he must have been up all night sorting it out.
'And now, for the rings.' The vicar says, breaking me out of my little bubble just before we turn to face each other head on and exchange the vows which will seal our marriage both ceremonially and magically. The vicar hands me the ring first for my groom first, and addresses me as he speaks.
'Repeat after me. I offer this ring to you as a symbol of my love and of the vows I have just spoken...'
'I offer this ring to you as a symbol of my love and of the vows I have just spoken...' I repeat, the words tripping off my tongue so quickly that they jumble up as I stare at my groom. I love saying that, even if its just in my head. Who'd've thought that he would be my groom? Who'd've ever thought that I'd be so lucky as to have him in my life?
I slip the ring onto his finger, and my vision blurs with the tears I'm failing to hold back.
Before he does anything else, he uses his thumbs to brush my tears away, and I'm suddenly able to see that his own eyes are watery with the emotions he must be feeling right now.
'I love you,' he whispers, and I can only mouth my reply that I love him too, as my throat is so choked up right now. He understands, and squeezes my hand with the one now wearing the unfamiliar gold band.
'Now, if you'll please do the same, and repeat after me? I offer this ring to you as a symbol of my love and of the vows I have just spoken.' The vicar says calmly, although you can hear the smile in his voice despite or because of the fact that we just jumped the gun a little bit kissing wise.
'I could... But I'd rather say that... As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I've loved you since before I knew what love could truly feel like, and I'll love you forever, no matter what might come our way.' OKAY, THAT'S IT! CRYING IS OFFICIALLY HAPPENING!
Fabric wraps itself around our left arms after he slips my wedding ring on, joining us in marriage, and I miss it all. And that's my favourite thing about these weddings! They get so dull after a while, but then the magical bonding bit happens and its awesome!
But no, I have to miss watching myself officially become his wife because I'm sobbing up at him. At least he's crying too, although if I could see properly, I bet its more of a manly cry than my full on body moving sobs.
'I now pronounce you husband and wife.' We're told as my new husband wipes his eyes quickly with the back of his hands and then brushes away my tears in a much more gentle fashion. 'You may now kiss the bride.'
'Don't mind if I do,' James says, grinning as he swoops down and turns me in his arms, dipping me in front of the fifty or so people attending, and giving me the kiss of a lifetime.
I'd like to say that he stops after he pulls me back to my feet and lifts me into his arms bridal style, but... That would be a lie. I'd also like to say that he stops when after a while the whooping and cheering begins, along with wolf whistles from his male cousins... But that would also be lying.
In fact, it takes Harry poking him rather violently in the arm with his wand and reminding him that there are young people and children present for James to finally put me down.
'We did it, Abi!' He whispers excitedly as he tucks an errant lock of red hair back into place. 'We got married, just like I told you we would in first year!'
'I know,' I reply, grinning up at him. 'I believe owe you ten galleons.'
I thought about doing this chapter in Amelie's POV and everything, but then I thought about it, and I didn't think she'd be able to do it justice. I don't think I've managed to do it justice either, but I hope you all like it!