Chapter 39

Wedding Day

Luna had stayed at her Father's and had a good six-hour sleep. She was still nervous about her impending handfasting but was confident about her chosen speech. Severus had stayed with Harry overnight as his best man

in the new house at Magnolia Crescent and witness along with Remus Lupin who was the official witness to Harry's handfasting ceremony to Luna Lovegood.

Harry had phoned Luna at 06:30am to see how she was doing and Severus grabbed the handset off the young groom stating it was bad luck to talk to his future bride.

"You mean it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding"

Severus smirked and handed him the phone before sitting down with a cup of coffee. Janet came down the stairs and helped herself to a piece of toast. "How's the groom this morning, father?" Remus looked at harry and smiled "He's not hungover at least but he is a bundle of nerves."

"Aren't you supposed to be at Luna's about now, Janet?" Remus asked his daughter with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I am going to shower first and head over there in half an hour." Janet said as she sipped her tea and munched on her second piece of toast.

-Line Break-

Luna was in her dressing gown ready for her ritual bath before putting on the traditional chiton handfasting gown that Minerva had given to her. Ginny had run the bath for her and spread lily petals on the surface of the water with lavender anointing oils.

"Luna, the baths ready!" Ginny Thomas called out. The bell rung to her father's front-door and Ginny opened it. "Hermione, I thought the midwife had ordered you on bedrest for the duration of your pregnancy!"

"She did but I wouldn't miss Harry's wedding for the world. Honestly, Severus was driving me insane with all his fussing!" Ginny hugged Hermione "Please give me something to do before I pull my hair out with boredom."

"You know there's a reason for his fussing, he nearly lost both you and the babies last month! Will you promise not to lift anything heavy and don't do any bending either? Just sit here and arrange the flowers for Luna's hair and promise me you won't do anything more than that." Ginny was channelling the earth mother and that was a scary sight as she virtually dragged Luna into the bathroom and closed the door. Hermione busied herself with creating a pretty head-dress of white flowers as she heard a splash of water and Luna shouting "Ginny!"

"O' hush Luna, it's traditional to anoint you and have your hair washed by another woman. Just let me rinse it now and only towel-dry, you don't want your hair like a frizzy mess and I won't be able to braid it if that happens!"

"Mrs Snape!" Xenophillius hugged the young woman "Your husband must be gritting his teeth letting you get out of bed."

"Severus can't wrap me up in cotton wool. Besides Miss Chang and Miss Edgecombe were targeting Luna!"

"Your husband told me what potion they used, Mrs Snape, the Gravitis Expirito potion is no laughing matter!"

Hermione gave up trying to be strong and putting on a front as she broke down. Xenophillius hurried round and hugged her again as she screamed "They nearly killed our babies out of jealousy, I want to see them in Azkaban for life!" Hermione stormed outside and grabbed an axe from the fireplace on the way out in anger as she headed to the nearest tree full of rage. "Mrs Snape, you need to calm down!" he shouted. Ginny and Luna were both in dressing gowns as they followed soon after him.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Luna cried out as she watched Hermione take vicious swings with the axe at the old oak in the fields.

"It's her anger and tears for what she nearly lost. Best let her have her cry-out, she may feel better afterwards and less angry." Hermione was screaming at the tree and was now viciously chopping at the bark of the oak. Her tears dried up as she sank down to the ground as Luna and Ginny approached. "Hermione?" Ginny said cautiously.

Hermione started laughing as she laid down on the bed of wheat and grabbed both of their wrists pulling them down to lay next to her. It was a full-bodied laugh that Luna and Ginny had never heard from Hermione Granger in their entire education at Hogwarts. They started laughing with her. Luna smiled as she looked at Hermione "I take it you feel better" Hermione smiled as she opened her eyes "I'm okay now, merlin, I must have needed that?"

"We have a wedding to get ready for. Lady Potter-Black" Hermione said as she sat up and made her way back into the house. Ginny Thomas and Luna got up to follow her back to the house.

"Hermione, you do Luna's make up and I will make sure there are no stains on those beautiful wedding robes of hers."

-Line break-

Luna had chosen the cottage garden of Stonehill as the handfasting venue as it had a beautiful garden and decking covered in Yellow Roses and White Lilies to represent Harry's mother being there in spirit with him. Harry and Luna had also chosen Kingsley and Minerva as the officials from Hogwarts and the ministry of magic to conduct the ceremony. Their handfasting ribbons were white, purple, green, red and brown. Vernon, Petunia and Dudley were already at the venue and excited about the ceremony in which they were about to bear witness to.

Harry arrived at the Venue and spotted his relatives mingling with Kingsley and Minerva.

"Hi, guy's" he called out and went over to them giving each of them a tight hug. Petunia pulled him aside and gave him something contained in a very large envelope. "This is too much, Aunt Petunia!" She waved off his concern and commented that she owed it to him. "But 20,000 pounds?" Petunia shushed him "I have been saving in a Post office trust fund for you ever since you came to us in case you wanted to be in the muggle world in the future. It is your money, Harry, if I didn't want to give it to you. I wouldn't be offering in the first place and another thing, you may have a child when the both of you are ready. This would secure his or her future whatever he or she decides to do."

Harry suddenly had tears in his eyes "I know that I don't say it that much but I love you, Aunt Petunia and I am so sorry Dumbledore cursed you with that vase."

"Hush, we have a much more open and honest relationship and all because Severus discovered the vase. I love you too" Petunia wrapped her arms around her nephew. "Now let's get you married to that lovely girl of yours" Petunia stood back and appraised the young man in front of her and smiled as she walked over to Severus with him. "I want to thank you for bringing this family back together, Severus, I just gave Harry his trust fund from the post office for any future children he may have, it would honour me greatly Steward of the Ancient and Noble house of Black if you could invest it at Gringotts wizarding bank for him." Severus bowed his head in pride.

"I think they're on their way, Harry! You'd better get in place" Remus said in an excited mood and Harry nodded.

-Line break-

Luna felt like the earth goddess herself in these opulent robes. It was a white silk shift with flower pattern of lace over the top and her sleeves were hanging all the way down to her feet which were bare. Her hair was braided simply with a flowery headband. Her dress was fastened by two opal brooches and she had no underwear under the gown as tradition commanded. Hermione was dressed in a light green shift with a leafy head-dress leading the procession with Ginny who was dancing the old pagan wedding dance precisely how her cousin had taught her to. As she started to spread flower petals to the ground. Janet danced alongside Ginny swinging her hips and covered in just a thin pink shift with a weaved belt tied in the front with three perfect knots

Harry and Severus looked back and were both stunned by how beautiful all the girls looked. Severus caught Remus looking at Hermione with a stunned look on his face and glared at him. Remus gulped and put his eyes on Harry instead. Kingsley smiled as Luna approached and Minerva never looked so proud of both of her former students as she did today.

-Ceremony-

"Does the father of the bride give consent to this joining?" Kingsley and Minerva intoned

Xeno stepped forward "I give my consent, so mote it be" Petunia encouraged Vernon and Dudley to say the words with the rest of the congregation "So shall it be" they all repeated from the cards.

Minerva stepped forward with the first cord of green in colour. "I henceforth bind Lord Harrison James Potter-Black to Lady Luna Marcia Lovegood with the blessing of Mother nature, so mote it be" She wrapped the green cord around their joined hands. "Please face each other and say the words"

"We promise to bless each other every day with the gifts that nature brings."

The congregation intoned "So shall it be"

Kingsley stepped forward with the red cord and intoned. "I henceforth bind Harrison and Luna with a blessing of Love, passion and fire. Please face each other and say your words."

"We promise to never take the other for granted and to keep the love in our lives for as long as we both shall live"

The congregation intoned "And so shall it be"

The rest of the cords were wrapped around the hands of the newly wedded couple and the words and more blessings were given according to each coloured cord. Severus produced the wedding rings to give to Harry first to place on Luna's wedding ring finger and he gave Luna the opposite ring to place on Harry's wedding ring finger.

"We call upon the spirits of Sirius Black, James Potter and Lily Potter to bless this union!" Minerva chanted and everyone gasped as three ghostly figures walked from the great forest of the Cotswolds. Severus tried to swallow the sudden lump in his throat as he shed a few tears but he could see no hate or resentment on each of their ghostly faces.

"Mum!" Harry turned and saw his father and his godfather "Dad, Sirius!"

They spoke with love in their hearts. "We, the ancestors of Harrison James Potter-Black bless this union"

Harry wiped his tears away and Lily turned to face her sister with a smile "Thank you for bringing him up the right way and for giving him a choice to live in both worlds, sweet sister" Petunia sobbed as Lily smiled at her kindly.

Lily turned to face Hermione and Severus as she smiled widely "You found your happy ever after, I am so happy for you, Severus, you will always be my dearest and best friend and I will always watch over you and your children and your children's children. That is my solemn vow from this day forwards." She looked at Hermione and grinned widely "Look after him, dear, he can be quite prickly at times!" Severus shouted out an indignant "Hey!"

"Severus, I am joking, honestly, so serious!" Severus smiled widely as Lily pouted then turned back to her son. "Remember that we are always with you, my son, not on the earthly plane but" she pointed to his heart "In here" she pointed to his head "and in here. Remember that where there is love, we are always with you." Harry found it difficult to speak so he just nodded his head dumbly. "I will remember" he croaked out finally "I love you too" James smiled at his grown-up son and pretended to ruffle his hair with a ghostly hand. "I am so proud of you, Harry, my son, you made the choice between what is right and what is easy. Some of us never get to make that choice and we always choose wrongly. We wanted so badly to be there for you as you grew up." Harry wiped his tears away and nodded "I know but I am ready for it this time. At least I can say goodbye and hold onto that. Thank you for the blessing, Mum, Dad and Sirius, I am so sorry I led you to your death." Sirius put up a ghostly hand and stopped him "I want you to listen to me, my death was not your fault. I would have gladly gone to my death knowing I fought on the side of light. What I didn't know at the time was that it wasn't Severus who was taunting me about being stuck in Grimauld Place but a certain murderous wizard who could not stop meddling disguised by Polyjuice potion."

"You know he's dead right, probably in the burning pits of hades." Harry said as Severus looked stunned and still couldn't believe he had trusted Dumbledore with his life. "Well, we haven't seen him in the summer-lands and Lily-flower would probably torture him more. Any way getting back to the point, you are not to blame, Harry."

"I realise that, believe me, I am happy and content with my wife by my side and she has kept me going even though there were times I wanted to give up and run away."

"That is true love, Harry, hold onto it with every part of your heart and soul" Sirius and James turned to Severus and Hermione. "We are sorry for the misery we caused you in school and we will hope one day to earn your forgiveness, Severus" Severus smiled "When you gave me back my ancestral family manor and the position of Steward to the Ancient and noble house of Black, also the chance to be a good godfather to Harry, you gave me back my life. Therefore, you don't need my forgiveness, you already had it and I vow to serve the House of Black with dignity and Honour" Ghostly Sirius smiled

"Our time is up, Harry, you will see us again when you pass into the summer-lands but not until you are old, I hope"

"Goodbye Petunia, Vernon and the rest of the family. But before we go, we have some good news for Remus for a cure."

James smiled at Lily and spoke "Remus, we leave you a gift in our family vault, it is not a cure but close to it. Before we both died, Lily-flower discovered a rare potion that will allow you to become one with your wolf therefore you will be a hybrid but retain normal human faculties and you will be able to shift into your wolf as an Animagus instead. You will be able to hold a telepathic conversation and you will never attack unless the threat is real to your inner wolf. Your painful transformations will stop all together and you can have a normal life, well as normal as this potion will allow. O' and by the way, why didn't you ever tell us about your daughter Janet, sly old wolf!" James and Sirius winked as they waved goodbye to Minerva, Kingsley and the congregation of this blessed handfasting. The three spirits disappeared into the trees together.

"Right, everyone, we have ale's and cake and music in the tent next to the cottage. The bride and the groom will lead the procession. Please form an orderly line and follow the happy couple!" Kingsley announced and flourished his hand in a display of wandless magic.

A/N This was hard work. Please R&R