Matrimony
Thanks to all followers, favouriteers and reviewers. This chapter was actually with the next. Together they became too big. So it was split.
In neither timeline had the school year been interrupted so many times for the time-traveller. The Wizengamot meeting, Snape, Dumbledore, Voldemort's soul reunification, and now Sirius' wedding to Amelia, were the many events that took up school time. At least this new event was a very happy one.
It would take place at the Bones' ancestral home, the Ossuary, the bride's home, as per custom. With Susan the overgrown flower-girl and Harry the overgrown ring bearer, it would have made the wedding seem like something on a very old couple's bucket list. So instead, they were not given any official jobs, and were given the task of overseeing the organisation which they happily got down to. The Minister, Harry realised was the same one who had officiated Bill and Fleur's wedding. Perhaps it was an official position and not the way mundane seemed to choose the Church and the official. He didn't know much. The only higher power to trust, in his mind, was Cassiopeia.
It was going to be a well-attended and even better protected wedding. The entire alliance was going to descend upon the Ossuary, as would several friends. Neither Amelia, nor Sirius had much in the way of family left. In fact, it was only after Sirius' escape that there was some semblance of any family left beyond their respective wards at all. So the Tonkses, Grangers, Longbottoms, Remus and Minerva were the only ones truly representing that section for both in common. True, her maternal family, the Hargreaves were present, but they were not so close considering that the surviving family line was that of her grandfather's third cousin. To her, people like Alastor and Rufus, who had been her teachers and later her colleagues, the Hogwarts teachers of her time, and her fellow Aurors during the time she was on field duty, were closer.
Other friends like the Lovegoods and the Weasleys, the Abbotts and the Diggories, and the other families that had formed newer ties of alliance were invited as well as was the Headmaster and senior Ministry officials. That had been an issue, but this was not a time to poison the atmosphere with grudges. The real surprises though were the Garnarukran who formed the Gringotts' representative contingent. It was hardly everyday that the Lord-Director stepped out of Gringotts. It had diplomatic connotations, considering who their first choice for the Ambassadorship was.
Kreacher, with his granddaughter Winky, had rustled up a battalion of House Elves who were eager to help as always. It was a momentous occasion for them all. Marriage meant they had the arrival of babies to look forward to. And Mistress Amy was already going to have one, so everything had to be perfect and completely comfortable for her. Winky was quite the mother-hen when she wanted to be, and since Dobby was always more interested in being so weird for an elf, it was left to her to be the responsible one.
The Ossuary was cleaned. Refurbished and renovated would probably describe the state of the place better. Of course, there was nothing for many people to compare to, considering they had never been there before.
It had a homely, Hufflepuffy, welcoming feel to it. It was spread over a smaller expanse as compared to what Harry had expected and was only two stories tall, but with the red brickwork, the ivy wines climbing around latticed windows, the shrubbery, the stone-paved ways through the meadow-like open area, the chair-set near the doors for impromptu afternoon teas, and the barns and stables in the distance made it look like a setting in any quaint English village. It looked and felt more like a home than a seat of power, which was what it was intended to be.
The new couple had not decided where they intended to live post-marriage, but so far as everyone knew, they were married in all ways except legally, so there was nothing that really changed. But with the consideration of the new kid, this would be the place to raise him or her. It was not a happy thought. Harry felt a pang of jealousy, as much as he wanted to treat the baby as if it was Teddy returned to him. Sirius was his godfather first!
The walls were festooned with sparkling streamers and flowers, as was the canopy tent. With just under a hundred guests, there was ample space for everyone. Everything was set. It was an actual time for celebration.
The reason why the contentment and happiness felt true was that there was no longer a Voldemort cognisant of the world. It was very nice to be free from Voldemort, even if they were only halfway there. There were still three months to go, and honestly, even if that plan failed, they could and would find other ways or at least other people. The latent fear of Voldemort was no longer there.
This joyful celebration would mark the end of Voldemort's fear, truly, as would the baby, in different ways. It would mark love and life, hope and happiness, generally the things that turned old Tom Riddle's stomach.#
Molly Weasley was one particularly happy, and nervous, woman. The reasons were the same. Her new business had started on the day after the Equinox. She had decided to start off small – as a magical caterer and canteen service provider. A space bought in the erstwhile Knockturn Alley, which as of yet was still un-renamed, had become her single point of storage, workspace and delivery centre.
She had also employed elves. As much as she detested the idea of not cooking food all by herself, she knew that if she intended to widen the scope, she needed help. As it turned out, the Department of Control of Magical Creatures had a surplus of elves that were kept bonded to the various members so that they did not wither away. This was the system for the in-between-bonds elves. She had bonded with Toffee, Petal, Nobby and Mixy, four elves who were well-versed with cooking.
Since it was now a Potter-partner business, she had been given the contracts for canteen services for the four businesses in the Alley for a two month span on a trial basis. She did not mind that. Since they were only just starting out, it made sense to create a loyal customer base. She was getting good feedback, so she had high hopes. By the same token, she had taken to sending Arthur his lunch by the office floo instead of having him come home every day. This led to some curiosity, and food is something that always brings people together, though nobody actually barged in to share.
That started a slew of floo calls from people asking for recipes. They had instead been invited to the Weasleys for dinner. She received some customers that way as well. The objective was to try out dishes and gauge the taste buds before starting out a full-fledged restaurant.
It was how she was asked to be the caterer for the wedding of Sirius Black and Amelia Bones. This was her trial by fire. She was today catering to more people than she did in a week. If seventy five of those nearly hundred people were satisfied, she could consider it a successful first chance.
"Need some help, Mrs. Weasley?" asked a voice by her side.
It was her favourite non-Weasley boy. "Not at all, Harry. We are ready to serve at a moment's notice."
"That's great," he praised. "You just wait. Molly Weasley's food business will be taking flight today!" he declared grandly, miming a large board.
She beamed at him. "Oh come here, you," she said grappling him in a hug. He was much taller than she was now, so it was a bit difficult, but she was accustomed to that with Bill and Percy. Truth be told, this business was not as much about money, though she rather liked the idea of contributing to her family, as it was about her creating an identity for herself. Between Bill, Arthur and Harry, she had been coaxed, encouraged and pushed to try this out.
As soon as she let go of him, she asked, "Is Amelia ready? Does she need some fruit juice? I asked Andy and she asked me to stock some just in case." It was how she was, a matronly lady, though she was often considered overbearing. There were many instances where she was now learning that she should tone her concern down a fair bit.
"I don't know," he replied shiftily. "I have been forbidden to go over to their tents. Susie drove me away," he complained.
"That girl has a head on her shoulders," she remarked approvingly.
"HARRY!" called Neville, who was acting as an usher. "THE GUESTS ARE COMING!"
"I will come around later Mrs Weasley," he promised as he scampered off, a very odd verb to use for the lanky teen. He did look exceedingly like James, whom she knew in passing through her brothers, and she had known of him from around the same age as Harry was now.
She puttered around a bit, checking up on everything, ensuring the tastes and portion sizes (which she had been reminded too many times to moderate or reduce; she always serve a healthy helping, but it wasn't necessarily good for presentation and plating, and she had learnt, that to some, it was off-putting. In her business, having people ask for a dish again, after serving a minuscule amount by her standards was very high praise) when Dumbledore came over.
It struck her how times were truly changing. While not on the same level magically or knowledge-wise, even she knew that the boy who had just left was truly replacing her old Headmaster in many ways.
"Ah Molly, it is good to see you."
"You as well, Albus," she greeted back cheerfully.
"I take it this is a new business?"
It shocked her that Albus did not truly know that their aspirations and circumstances had changed since the last time the Weasleys met him. It was neither obligatory nor necessary for him to know, but as someone who had helped the Prewetts a lot in the aftermath of her brothers' deaths, Dumbledore had become a very important figure for them all. In the small magical community, some people were trusted to the extent of reverence. Dumbledore, till very recently had been one of them.
"Yes Headmaster. Harry got me to think of this over the summer, and Bill agreed, so I am attempting it. It's a bit overwhelming at times, but it is my own," she informed him seriously.
"Are you in need of help?"
"Thank you Headmaster, but we have that covered for the most part, as far as the contractual parts of the business are concerned. Sirius has been a great help while Harry and Bill were away. He sat me down and explained how the contract worked and how to set up suppliers and everything."
Dumbledore smiled widely. "So Sirius is doing his job as the regent?"
"Yes. We were all a bit adrift during the past twelve years, but those two are doing a good job. Did you know that they helped the Vaughns set up a magical repairs shop up in Straffordshire? Their daughter Mary passed out when Ron started at Hogwarts. She knows a bit about mundane machines, so Harry is funding her apprenticeship with someone he knows on the mundane side. Arthur knows a fair few of the other vassals, so he has been going around with Sirius and introducing them."
"Is it? I didn't know. It seems that I have been rather out of touch." He chose not to comment on the fact that she was using the word mundane instead of muggle as if she had been doing so all her life. All around, he could see changes.
"Nobody can fault you for that. You were cursed, everyone knows that. We all know how you fought that alone yet so well. A person of your stature and power with a weaker disposition could have carried on post V-V-Voldemort." She looked around furtively, before smiling nervously. It was still scary.
"You are too kind," he replied, marvelling inwardly at Molly's bid to overcoming her fears. He had never managed to get people to do that.
Molly's face fell. "Well, we can't take much credit really. Many people wondered about you when we found out, but letters were sent under the House Seal to let people know your plight. You know how people are. Some people take longer to come around, but most understood that you were used in that monster's lust for power, while still managing to do the best in the circumstances." She gave him a kind, understanding smile. "The Vassal Houses know to accept the word of the House of Potter, Albus. We stand with you."
Dumbledore didn't know if he was knowingly or unknowingly used by The Potter to come across as the Liege-Lord that was respected and well-liked by the vassals, someone who would protect them when the need arose, or if it was a situation created to save his reputation from the backlash that saving Snape would have had, but either way he was grateful. Together they spied the arriving guests.
"I better get going. I do have a seat in one of the front rows."
"Yes, yes of course," Molly agreed. "We will meet later at the Vassals' Induction?"
"Yes."
Albus tarried a moment around the eating area with a peculiar expression, prompting Molly to ask, "Are you having doubts about your induction? Perhaps, Harry's age is making it awkward, not to mention that he is still your student?"
"Oh, no, no, it is nothing like that," Dumbledore replied airily. "I was merely wondering whether it is the right time to pass the House over to Harry. He is my great-grandnephew through his mother after all."
"Is it so? Helping people must run in the family then. I have heard that Lily was much the same."
"Don't make me blush Molly. But you're right, Lily was a remarkable woman."
The wedding ceremony was just as beautiful, or even more so, as the one Bill and Fleur had had. Amelia danced gingerly, as did Sirius (he was horrible), before Remus and Susan, the best man and maid of honour respectively, took their places.
Amelia looked resplendent in her white and gold robes. She actually seemed to glow. Sirius looked like he was feeling all the happiness denied to him for over a decade in one go. He had foregone the robes for a completely normal grey suit with a peach shirt. They did not match, but then it didn't matter. They had each other for quite long enough for such trifles to never matter.
Amelia had lost many friends during the war. All the same, the few close ones that she did have, considering that she spent the majority of her time around people much older than she, were very un-Amelia-ish in every way conceivable.
Lady Amelia Bones-Black, regent of the House of Bones, was a tough woman. She was among the youngest ever directors of the DMLE and also its only woman director till date. She had fought against Death Eaters and had, in a span of under two years, overseen a massive purge.
Amelia's friends however, were everything Amelia wasn't, put together. Samantha Wallace was a giggly woman who managed to scare Padfoot enough to make him look nervously at his new wife. She also had all the attention span of a five year old, it seemed. She was always pointing someone out to the pair and hiding her mouth behind her hands as she ended up giggling again.
Patricia Ruther was another case altogether. She was a healer – an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist to be precise – who was going to be the one to deliver the baby. She was also one of the first recruits of the multispecialty hospital that the House of Gryffindor was funding. Since the Peverell-Potter unification, an executive decision regarding the way that the houses would work needed to be taken. The three houses, between them, would trade investments, new businesses including design, manufacturing and enchanting, and philanthropy. Healer Ruther had been the first to be approached, courtesy Amelia, and she was interested. St. Mungo's was often overrun by more patients than they had space. She had in fact helped secure a few more of her colleagues' help for the same till the James and Lily Potter Hospital would become fully functional in about six years' time. There would be more capable potions students coming out of Hogwarts in five years' time anyway, so there would be more Healers as well.
She was the most Moony-like woman they knew. Which meant she was slipping in comments with a face straighter than the one Minerva used to scare each new batch of little first year students after the usually entered in drenched. It was just that those comments were making Sirius blush and Remus, who was hanging about, to guffaw. And it took some skill to achieve those two reactions.
Miranda Phillips was for Amelia more than a friend. She was her House's vassal as well, but more importantly, she was the woman they had to thank for helping her through the twelve years. She was a friend when Amelia was bogged down by office politics, was an aunt to Susan when Amelia was buried under her work, she practically managed the House of Bones because she was the one Amelia had trusted long enough for that, having known the older which since she was six and Miranda was thirteen.
She hadn't met anyone but Sirius formally, but it made sense, considering that as much she was trusted, she never really could be that close to any of the others. But then again, post his exoneration, she and Sirius had met several times. He was being tutored in the ways of the House of Bones, considering the fact that he would be the Heir's father. He had thanked her profusely and very sincerely, enough for her to be deeply touched, for being there for Amelia.
And then there was Amanda Campbell. If Samantha Wallace was giggly and catty, Amanda was a pure gossip queen. She was Lavender and Parvati rolled into one. And that was the beauty of it all. Her gossip was delivered in such a manner that it seemed invasive to some. However, she always talked about the brand that so and so person always favoured in the magical world, or what possession of whom had gone conspicuously missing. It all came down to one thing. The woman, a cousin of the late and lamented Kingsley Shacklebolt, was her informer from among the socialite. One just had to observe her pauses and meaningful glances.
Sirius looked on wistfully. He only had Moony now. Prongs, Frank, Gideon and Fabian...they were all gone. As much as he hated the rat even post his death, he couldn't deny that he missed the friend he had had for seven years. Lils was gone. Prongs and Lils were there, but it was not the same. Regulus was gone.
Sure there were people like Ted and David and others, but he had never had the chance to have living friends.
So he went and met the largest friend most people at Hogwarts ever had. Hagrid, the great softie, was being very happy and had also sobbed into his huge sail-cum-handkerchief.
"I am very glad that you came, Hagrid."
"O' course I had ter come, din' I? I spent my time watching you lot grow up din' I? O' course I came."
"Well of course you had to. You and Moony are all that I have left from my own school time. Minerva doesn't count. She is always scary. You are the biggest friend most Hogwarts students make."
Hagrid smiled a very wide watery smile. Then it dimmed. "I am sorry tha' I never listened ter yeh tha' night."
Sirius considered Hagrid for a moment. There were some things that were simply not worth fretting over. Both knew that in that situation, Hagrid would have followed Dumbledore again and again. The gentle half-giant was nothing less than loyal to Dumbledore come what may. There was no point holding a grudge over that.
Hagrid was not done. "If 'n I'd found the Rat or Snape, I shudda have wrung their necks till they wouldn't have made a peep more."
"Well, that would have been an excellent present," Sirius said with an affected guffaw, "but that's all water under the bridge. Now we have got everything going on thoroughly well."
"'Cept You Know Who."
"Well I can let you in on a secret, Hagrid. Harry and I have half killed him last month."
"WHAT?" Hagrid roared. Then he looked around sheepishly and at Sirius. "Sorry, he was tellin' me summat abou' dragons." He turned to Sirius and made a spirited attempt at secrecy. "You-Know-Who is dead?"
"Well, not fully, but mostly yes," Sirius answered. It made Sirius feel like a fraud, but they had to buy Hagrid's loyalty without making it seem like it. Hagrid was important to Harry for some reason. Sirius suspected that whatever the ploy that Hagrid had been used in was, it didn't matter to the pup. Hagrid was still the first adult Harry genuinely seemed to like. "That's what I want to invite you to, actually. We intend to kill Voldemort sometime soon. We thought you would like to be there when it happens."
Hagrid looked almost giddy at the thought before he sobered again. "It will be nice ter know tha' he'll be dead. Killed so many o' my frien's he did."
"For all his truly astounding capabilities, it is a shame that all Tom Marvolo Riddle will ever be remembered as is a murderous, lying, cheating, genocidal, insane scumbag."
Hagrid chuckled darkly, "I'm sure tha' yeh used them words twice, but tha' is true. I will be comin' o' course."
"Good man," Sirius replied.
"An' the' I'll 'ave 'arry release me ter drink through the nigh'!"
"That he will!" agreed Sirius. "And I'll join you, as will Moony, I think."
The students who had been given leave for the weekend on request, except Susan, were watching it all from the sidelines. This meant that barring Percy, the school-going Weasley hoard, Luna and Hermione were there too. There was nobody else so close to the family that questions would be asked if they were absent.
"So, have you heard any old people gossiping? We generally get a lot of that at magical weddings. Lots of things that we can use against old Sirius," Neville remarked with an anticipatory gleam in his eye. "We could set Amelia or Remus onto him!"
"For the sake of Merlin, don't!" cautioned his friend. "I tried to slip Sirius a babbling potion because he was nervous and would speak lots of funny things and well... you get the point. Susan caught me and bit my head off."
"Is that why you were near Amelia's tent?" demanded Hermione, resplendent today in a green gown to match Harry's suit's trim. It was tasteful in the normal world but probably too much for some of the magicals – she was showing her SHOULDERS (!) and just a hint of her...proper magicals didn't even talk in public about those things! It was scandalous! "Were you attempting a similar prank?"
"It was funny," Harry defended mulishly. "I know how Sirius speaks when drunk."
Neville snickered.
"And what is this we here hear?" crowed a voice which caused the younger teens to groan.
"Indeed, Gred, did I hear ickle Harry having attempted to slip an original Marauder a Babbling Potion of all things, only to be arrested by the DMLE Chief's niece?"
"Big Marauder, small Marauder, big Director of the DMLE, small director of the DMLE; it all runs in the family for these people Forge. I can almost imagine little Harry and little Susan playing Aurors and Dark Wizards ten years ago."
"Oh can it Gred. You honestly think a Marauder's kid would play that?"
"You know, I am very much tempted to order you both to never use the Twin-Speak (trademark) thing you do," Harry interrupted mildly. "Perhaps people may even understand you then."
"You can't order a Snorkack to not burrow Harry. It's against their nature."
"Well, I can't exactly order a Snorkack either, can I Luna? These two, though, I can," he answered grinning toothily at them.
"So will we have to bow to you or something all the time?" asked Fred seriously, suddenly changing his tone.
"If you want to, I won't stop you," answered his friend equally seriously. "Maybe you can develop abs that way? Perhaps that will help you impress the ladies after your string of mishaps? You can try and tell me."
"You are a supreme git," the offended twin declared, while George was guffawing away.
"Why do you want to impress the ladies?" asked Hermione snidely.
"I never said I did. No telling who likes what though," he responded brightly. "Useful information for when we start taking out ads for Mrs. Weasley's restaurant, you know. If having Fred and George in all their birthday suit glory posing for any business increases sales, who am I to say no?"
"Good horrible Merlin's sagging nipple!" swore the twins in unison. "You know what mum would do if we exposed that much skin?"
"She would skin you," chirped Luna.
"Excellent!" cackled George. "Little neighbour Luna is growing into a fine young lady with a finer brain!"
"I see that neither of you found the idea revolting," Neville observed.
"We have put up a show for our Chasers from time to time," admitted one of the two, while buffing his nails.
"I suppose they were distinctly unimpressed?"
"You wound us neighbour..."
Harry and Hermione inched away from the group. "May I have the honour of a dance, milady?"
"Please, Harry, we aren't Victorian-era frumpiness personified. Ask me normally, and I will see."
"Hermione," Harry tried again, this time pausing for a grunt, his arms hung low as he stooped lightly and looked at her with an expression Crabbe or Goyle would be proud of. "Me wanna dance," he grunted again. "You come." He then pulled at a tastefully loose strand of her hair for good measure. "That works for you?" he asked cheekily.
"You are horrible," she declared flatly.
"It must be my day for compliments. First Susan, then Fred and now you," he counted off.
"Why do I ever go out with you?"
"You can find the answer in your own time. Can we dance now while there's still some music?"
"Yes," Hermione replied with a crooked grin.
Harry stilled before huffing at her. "You did wrench what you wanted from me in the end."
"It is a necessary skill. Come on now," she replied, patronisingly patting his hand.
"And you called me horrible," he grumbled without rancour.
And dance they did. Not so much as to make people have half a mind to remind them to ensure propriety, but enough to let everyone know that they were quietly together. As Sirius would remark many years later, it was with all the subtlety that Lily wanted James to use till he finally ended up being her friend and ending up being shy around her – well shier compared to how he originally was. Just a dance, without grandiose declarations and oversweet cheesiness, was all that they needed to let people know.
