Chapter Eighteen

The Mugglish Wedding That Wasn't

Jennifer was in the kitchen the next morning when Rolanda emerged, holding her head as if there were a ton of bricks stacked uncomfortably upon it.

"Good morning," Jennifer said.

"Not so loud," Rolanda protested with a groan. "Do you happen to have a Dry-out Potion with you?"

"Rolanda," Jennifer chuckled. "I only carry potions with me for emergency situations."

"Believe me. This is an emergency situation," she said, sitting down.

"Well you got what you deserved after that display last night," Jennifer said.

"What do you know? You missed the fun part, leaving so early," Rolanda said. "I wonder if anyone ever got Hermione off the roof?"

"Off the roof?" Jennifer said, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, we had a dare going, and she was the first to pass out so we turned her into a Christmas decoration."

"In front of all those Muggles?" Jennifer asked so loudly that Rolanda cringed in pain.

"Don't blame me, I didn't cast it, it was...no… I'd better not say," Rolanda decided, holding her forehead. "I doubt anyone was sober enough to notice anyhow."

"Oh good grief, I swear that I'm the only one who has any sense these days," Jennifer said, going to the attic and climbing up on the roof. It didn't take long to figure out which one was her, for there was only one girl tin soldier there. Praying that no one was watching and walking carefully to keep herself from slipping off the icy rooftop, Jennifer took out her wand and concentrated on the decoration. For a change the spell actually went off, almost instantly turning the stiff figure back into flesh.

Yelping out in surprise at where she had been placed, Hermione slipped, grabbing at the lights around her. She slid down the shingles as Jennifer called out her name. Just then, the other end of the lights got tangled around a chimney, and Hermione found herself dangling halfway down, wide awake and wishing she were anywhere but in her current predicament. That was when they realized that several people had come outside to find out what the commotion was, and not all of them of them were magic.

"Um. Could someone get me a ladder?" Hermione suggested before anyone could say anything.

Anna, upon hearing of the incident, decided to tell everyone to go away, and her grandmother began organizing car rides to the church. Megan sighed with and closed the door, already in her velvet green bridesmaid dress, glancing in the mirror before turning back to Anna.

"Do you think everyone bought the explanation that she was up there fixing a light?" Megan asked.

"I don't know. I don't even care at this point," Anna muttered. "Especially after that row when my brother found out that Jennifer was up there 'without her barrette' and kept going on and on about it. All my of old friends have decided that he is completely out of his mind."

"Well, I didn't get it either until you explained to me about her barrette being enchanted and all," Megan grinned. "Relax, it's perfectly normal for the wedding party to break out in complete chaos before the wedding."

"Chaos is one thing. Bedlam is another." Anna said.

There was a knock at the door and her grandmother looked in with a smile.

"Sirius, Harry, Remus, and Ederick have all left so it's quite safe for you to finish getting ready now, Anna. Your grandfather wanted to speak with Severus, so he's going to take the Snapes in his car," she said, but then frowned as she peered over her shoulder. "Oh, dear! Is that your dress?" Anna looked up curiously as Jennifer entered in a light spring organdy formal looking positively miserable.

"It doesn't fit. Do you have something else?" Jennifer asked hopefully. The screech that emerged from Anna's lips shuddered the house.

'That's not the dress you're supposed to have! They're all supposed to be green velvet!" Anna said.

"They are?" Jennifer said with relief, sticking her head out the door. "MINERVA! Are you still here?"

Within a flash, the Transfiguration teacher was found and brought in to see the problem, and before Anna could finish getting ready the dress was the right material and shade of green and loosened around the waist to compensate for Jennifer's condition.

"I hope this doesn't seem too odd with her coming in with one dress and out with another," Minerva said as she finished the last stitch and zipped her up, putting her pins away.

"We'll just say we had another dress and she was given the wrong one," Megan shrugged, helping Anna with her coat. "Are we all ready now? We're running late."

Just then there was a pounding on the door, and Megan opened it to see Corey standing there in a nice Muggle suit.

"Is my Mom in there? Dad still refuses to get into the tuxedo," Corey said.

"Oh, great," Jennifer sighed. "I was afraid this would happen!"

"Leave that to me, Jennifer," Minerva said, putting on her stern face. "I'll make sure he puts it on and gets there on time. Why don't you head out with Anna?"

"Well, I hardly think anything else could go wrong," Megan said cheerfully.

That was when Alex began to cry.

Jennifer hurried over when it didn't stop after a few minutes, looking quizzically at Carol, who seemed quite puzzled herself.

"I don't know what is wrong, Mrs. Snape. She's clean and fed and not bubbly," Carol said.

"Perhaps she's just tired," Jennifer suggested, taking her from her. "She'll probably fall asleep before we get there."

But Alex didn't stop crying on the way or even when they arrived, and Jennifer and Carol took turns trying to hold her to no avail.

"I don't get it, she's usually so good natured," Jennifer said while they stood in the back.

"Don't fret, Mrs. Snape, you just let me have her and I'll see she's alright," Carol insisted.

"What is going on back here?" Severus said, stepping in and looking annoyed. Jennifer's eyes went wide at the image of Severus in a tux and could barely keep herself from laughing, knowing it would only make him want to take it off. His collar was pulled high around his neck and it had no tie, and his expression dared anyone to say anything funny.

"My, don't we look striking!" Carol complemented, gratefully allowing him to take Alex from her. Alex immediately settled down, looking sleepy. "Well, look at that, now! I'm supposin' tha' all she wanted was her father all the while."

"I am certainly not going out there like this," Severus scowled. "It is bad enough having to wear this miserable straitjacket without a baby in my arms. My only consolation is that Sirius looks even more ridiculous than I do."

"Don't listen to him, Anna, Sirius looks fabulous," Megan said. "But nobody looks as good as you do. Why, you're practically glowing."

"Wait a moment," Severus said, squinting at her. "She really is glowing."

"Well, this is going to complicate things, isn't it?" Jennifer said, earning a dirty look from Severus. He passed the sleeping Alexandria back over to Carol. "I hope nothing's really wrong."

"I'd think Audi and I would have found out by now. Let me see if I can play with the electric. Perhaps I can get it to seem like it's the lighting," Severus said. Ginny walked in from the side corridor, passing Severus as she walked over to Megan and Jennifer.

"Nearly everyone's in place now, but we're running late," Ginny said.

"Bad luck for a wedding to start on time, you know," Jennifer pointed out. "Don't worry, it'll be brilliant."

"Just as long as I'm not the one being brilliant," Anna muttered.

Sirius rocked back on his heals, chewing on his lip and wondering what was taking so long. Harry, his best man, stood by his side, trying to be silently supportive, as was Lupin, standing beside them and gazing at his watch.

"Where in the devil is Severus?" Sirius scowled. "I should have known better than to ask him to stand up here, but after all, he is her brother."

"I'm sure he's not far. He just went to check on Alex," Harry said.

"I don't think he's checking on Alex," Lupin said thoughtfully, looking at the reflection in his watch case.

"What makes you so sure?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, don't look up because it'll attract attention, but he seems to be above our heads, messing with the lights," Lupin said, showing Harry the reflection in the case. It was all Harry could do to keep from looking up, gazing worriedly over at Sirius who was growling softly.

"If he's doing anything that will mess up my wedding, I am going to kill him."

"I'm sure Severus has a good reason for whatever if it is he's doing," Harry reassured him. "If he was going to mess up your wedding, I seriously doubt he'd do it wearing a tux."

"There she is," Lupin said out of blue while Sirius was still trying to get a quick nonchalant glance up to see what Severus was up to.

"There who is?" Harry asked.

"The woman who tried to make tea in my cabin," Remus said impatiently.

Harry glanced over to see a rosy-cheeked red-haired woman in a simple brown dress come in with a baby. Corey came in directly behind her and waved at them cheerfully.

"Oh, Carol? Yes, I've met her." Harry nodded, looking over thoughtfully at Remus. Would he really ever truly consider getting involved with someone, considering his situation?

Just then, the lights changed suddenly flickered. Everyone looked up to see a row of lights down the center of the aisle, while dimmer lights dangled across the rows. It was then that Severus finally strode in and took his place, looking a bit dusty and his hair loose, but otherwise no worse for the wear.

"Do you mind telling me what that was all about?" Sirius asked him.

"Not now," Severus hissed.

But before Sirius could insist, he had noticed the procession had started, and a sudden chill entered from the top of his head and shot straight down to his feet as the realization of where he was and what he was doing sank in. Harry's hand went to his shoulder, smiling softly. Harry was getting to be an old hat at this, although he hadn't remembered Sirius being quite this unsteady, even before he saw Anna appear in the doorway.

Heavy lighting drew out the sheen in creamy white dress, simple but elegant with gently puffed sleeves and hems embellished with lace. Anna, who was looking a lot more confident then she actually felt, glided gracefully down the aisle on her grandfather's arm. Just in front of her, Megan had an almost lopsided smile on her face, glancing into the crowd and winking at someone before taking her place as the rest of the procession neared.

Jennifer looked up to see Severus watching her with an intense gaze and smiled warmly at him, sharing a memory. But as they turned their attention to the front, Jennifer heard a familiar cry as Alex awoke. After a moment of trying to settle her, Carol whisked her out into the hall. Jennifer was all too aware of her crying even at a distance, sharing a grimace with Severus.

But there was little time to act, for Lunette Vallid, dressed in formal judge's robes, and Dumbledore, who strangely enough was dressed as himself in flowing white and grey brocade, had suddenly took a step up, looking at the two before them with gentle, nearly identical smiles.

"In the beginning, God made man," Vallid began, "And from man, God made woman, because every man needs a manager," she said, getting a slight chuckle from the crowd. "On this night before the birth of our Lord in this holy temple, we have gathered to witness the marriage of Titiana Severa Hughes Snape and Sirius Jonathan Black. And marriage is a very serious commitment," she said, eyes twinkling. "For it is more than a joining of two people, it is a joining of families…"

"And a joining of cultures," Dumbledore continued. "A celebration of each other's strengths and an acceptance of each other's weaknesses. It is a learning process that will stay with you for the rest of your lives."

"No greater gift can be given in the eyes of the Lord as the giving of yourself to another," Vallid continued, "and no greater gift can he bestow upon you above the ability to love and be loved."

"No power of light or darkness alike can withstand a love selflessly and freely given," Dumbledore said, "nor can any outside power truly break the promises of the heart. And so with these thoughts in mind, it is time at last to take that vows that will seal those promises into one promise shared by two individuals of the same mind," he smiled.

"Titiana Snape, do you promise to love, honor and cherish this man, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?" Vallid said solemnly.

"I do," Anna said, glancing at Dumbledore.

"And will you promise to love him in good and bad temperament, to be understanding and kind, to never take him for granted, to graciously accept all complements with sincerity, and to not make him sleep outside in the doghouse when you quarrel?" A smattering of chuckles could be heard while Anna couldn't help but stare at the mischievous smile on Dumbledore's face, wondering exactly how he heard about that.

"I will," Anna said after a moment, looking over at Sirius, who was watching her with adoration, not in the least bit embarrassed about it.

"Sirius Black, do you promise to love, honor and cherish this woman, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?" Vallid said solemnly.

"I do," Sirius said loudly, as if making a point he'd been waiting all day to say that.

"And will you promise to love her in good and bad temperament, to be understanding and kind, to give her space when she needs it and to be there when she doesn't, to allow her to share in your failures as well as your triumphs, and to never ask her to choose sides when you are fighting with her brother?" Dumbledore said. Sirius smirked and glanced back, but oddly enough Severus wasn't there.

"Well, I don't know about that last… oh all right, I will," Sirius said mischievously, and Anna couldn't help but shake her head at him.

"If anyone knows any reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace?" Vallid asked, gazing over the crowd. The door opened and everyone turned to look as Severus came in. They also noticed Jennifer, a few steps ahead of him trying to sneak back into place. Alex, perfectly content and giggling for the first time since the ceremony began was sitting in her father's arms, sucking on her fist and looking around as if wondering what all the fuss was about. Severus grimaced, clearing his throat.

"Sorry. Please continue," he said, heading back into place as he whispered to his daughter. "I hope you realize you're destroying my reputation. Just wait until you get older and bring your first boyfriend home, I'll get even," he warned her.

Jennifer couldn't help but smile as he sheepishly stepped back into place, completely aware of all the grins directed at him. Corey stepped up and held out the ring tray, winking at his Aunt as Vallid took the rings.

"These rings are the outward symbol of the love you have pledged to each other. They are a reminder of your devotion, and with their exchange you seal your vows." Vallid said, handing them the rings.

"Now Anna, place the ring on his finger, and say, 'By the power of this ring, my heart, and my soul, I pledge my life to thee.'" Dumbledore told her.

"By the power of this ring, my heart, and my soul, I pledge my life to thee," Anna said, exhaling softly as she put the ring on his finger. Dumbledore nodded to Sirius.

"By the power of this ring, my heart, and my soul, I pledge my life to thee," Sirius repeated with a smile, nearly dropping the ring but catching it and slipping it firmly onto her finger.

"Then, by the powers invested in us, and in the presence of God and the servants of the Light, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife," Vallid said. "So, kiss her already."

As Sirius moved to kiss her, the glow that had been around them began to glow even brighter as the crowd began to applaud, and Severus nodded up to the light above until it flooded brightly over them as the light from the rings joined in.

Severus sighed, loud and long as he watched them, his mixed sadness and contentedness for his sister difficult to reconcile. Jennifer moved to his side, smiling warmly at him and breaking into his thoughts as they watched the couple head up the hall to greet the guests.

"I finally got my sister back, and now I've lost her again," Severus brooded.

"Don't think of it as losing a sister, Severus, think of it as gaining a –"

"Don't even say it," Severus scowled, earning a grin from his wife as they walked up the aisle.

Jennifer and Severus had little intention of staying long at the reception. It was getting late, and they were already going to have to go quite a bit back on the Time-Turner so that they could get some sleep as well. By the time they had gotten a ride and arrived at the reception hall, it was already bustling with people. Corey and Carol quickly got lost in the crowd, while Jennifer took Alex, who was now content to be with anyone so long as she could see what was going on. Arthur, standing along the back door, greeted them as they came in, a glass of punch in his hand.

"There you are, I've been looking for you. I don't suppose you saw who came to the wedding and was sitting behind me?" Arthur said. They both shook their heads. "Cornelius Fudge! I asked him what he was doing here and he said the Hughes family invited him."

"Cornelius Fudge!" Jennifer said in alarm. "Why in the world…"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Severus mumbled in Jennifer's ear, slipping into the crowd.

"I say! Is that little Alexandria? But she's gotten so big! Molly will want to see her," Arthur said with a beaming smile, offering the baby a finger to hold. "And how are you feeling these days?"

"Tired," Jennifer admitted. "And so are my feet, after all of this…"

"Oh, goodness, where are my manners? Come sit with us a spell until Severus gets back," Arthur said, ushering her over to the Weasley table. Ron and Hermione were already sitting off to one corner, talking quietly to each other. Bill, George, and Fred all greeted her warmly and passed the baby around.

"Molly's off talking to Harry and Ginny but she'll be around shortly, and Penelope and Percy couldn't make it, they're off visiting her family," Arthur said. Just then she felt a hand on her chair and she looked up to see the Minister of Accidental Magic, Arnold Peasegood, tapping the table to get Arthur's attention.

"The trackers are picking up a magical creature in the area," he said in a low voice, leaning over the table.

"So what? Let the locals take care of it. I'm sure they can handle it," Arthur said unconcerned.

"Well, normally I'd agree, but whatever it is, it appears to be on the premises," Arnie said, "and we promised them we wouldn't cause them any unnecessary headaches, remember?"

"On the premises?" Arthur repeated in puzzlement. "Oh, all right, check with Auror Belle first, but look into it. I say, I hope no one got conjure happy, we wouldn't want an international incident."

"Are you going to need some help?" Jennifer asked, suddenly concerned.

"Now then, Jennifer, just sit back and relax," Arthur insisted, handing the baby back to her and standing up. "Let me see if I can't go find Molly."

"Come on, Hermione, let's go dance. We wouldn't want you to turn into an ornament or anything sitting about too long," Ron suggested, getting up.

"Very funny, Ron," Hermione glowered but got up.

"Hey Jennifer, that woman dancing with Lupin, is that your new nanny?" Bill asked, leaning over the table.

"Yes, that's Carol," Jennifer nodded.

"Is she seeing anyone?" he asked again.

"Not yet," Jennifer chuckled. Fred and George looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Here we go again. What sort of bet do you want to put down this time?" George asked Fred.

"The usual I suppose. Still, she's a redhead, maybe this one will last longer than miss platinum blonde," Fred answered.

"Oh, cut it out you two," Bill warned. "I can still pin you both to the ground if I have to."

"Not likely," Fred said.

"Haven't either of you gotten involved with someone yet?" Jennifer asked them, folding her arms. They both nodded.

"Fred did once, and it lasted for a few weeks," George answered. "Unfortunately, it went belly up after that."

"I swear, she had no sense of humor whatsoever," agreed Fred. "See, I got to working on this new invention of mine for the shop, and got I got preoccupied with it one night when we had a date, so I had George went in my place."

"She hasn't spoken to either of us since she found out," George admitted.

"You know, if you had any sense at all, you'd open another shop in a different part of the globe so you're not tempted to do stuff like that," Jennifer chuckled.

"Well, what's the fun in that?" Fred wanted to know.

"I give up, you two are going to stay eighteen forever," Jennifer decided, getting up. "I had better find Severus. I'll be back in a moment."

It wasn't long before she spotted the lanky figure standing in the center of the room looking over the crowd, and she walked over to him.

"Well? Any luck?" Jennifer asked.

"He doesn't seem to be here," Severus frowned, "but apparently he used to be an 'old friend' of Anna's mother when she and my father were married."

"Who isn't he an 'old friend' of," Jennifer muttered. "But we have other problems. Arnie Peasegood says there's some sort of magical creature here somewhere. They're trying to track it down."

"You did leave Mercy in our room, right?" Severus frowned.

"Yes, I was afraid if I brought her, something would happen that I'd have to explain," Jennifer chuckled. "Do you think that's all it is? A wayward House Elf?"

"No, not really," Severus admitted. "Wait here for a moment while I find Audi."

It was just as he turned and took a few steps away that Jennifer heard a loud noise like a crack above her head.

Anna, who had been jumpy ever since they had gotten to the reception, had just turned around after talking with the DJ on the stage when she saw the huge brass and crystal chandelier above the main floor start to sway. When she glanced up, she saw a horrible grey creature barely a yard tall flapping above it, biting ferociously at the chain. That was also when she realized that Severus, Jennifer, and Alex were standing right beneath it.

Just as the creature finally bit through the metal and the chandelier came crashing down, Anna reached out with her mind and a great rush of magic went through her in a bright light, holding the chandelier in mid-air. Severus suddenly looked up from where he was standing and made a dash towards Jennifer and Alex, grabbing them and pulling them out of the way. Just then, the light faded and the chandelier came crashing to the ground. That was when Anna realized that every eye in the room, magic and Muggle alike, was fixed on her as the glow around her slowly faded away.

Before she had time to react or say anything, the bold creature jumped down into view and onto the reception table, picking up the punchbowl and tossing its contents on the guests, laughing wildly. Jennifer sat up from where she had been knocked on the floor, looking around at the creature with surprise.

"An Imp! How did that get in here?" Jennifer said, scrambling to her feet and trying to calm Alex down.

"Never mind that, the damage is done. I'm going to go get rid of it," Severus said, taking out his wand. Several other wizards in the room had also pulled out their wands, while the Ministry was working to try to get everyone else to back away from it.

Spotting Carol standing over by Bill, Jennifer hurried over to her with Alex. But just as she was handing the baby over, she heard the maniacal laughter erupt from right overhead as the imp reached out and snatched Alex away amid screams from those nearby.

Not wasting a second, Carol leapt forward and turned into her wolf form. Letting out an angry growl, she grabbed onto the Imp's leg, preventing it from flying away. Jennifer yelled at everyone to get back and took out a phial, but was too petrified to throw it, afraid that she would hit Alex instead. Looking across the room, she saw Severus standing there as well, also at a complete loss as to what to do. The Imp cackled, still grasping its prize and trying to free its leg from the Carol's jaws.

Suddenly Alex disappeared, and the imp stopped cackling and looked around in confusion. A spell shot out of Severus' wand and the creature took on a stony look and fell to the ground, landing on Carol's paw.

"Alex? Where's Alex?" Jennifer asked in a panicked voice, putting away the phial.

"It's all right, Jennifer," Dumbledore said with a calm voice, appearing from the crowd. "She's right here with me." In fact, she was busy pulling his beard and looking around as if nothing had happened. Sighing with relief, Jennifer turned to help Harry and Remus roll the stone Imp off of Carol's hand as she returned to her normal form.

"Ederick, could you please take care of that creature?" Arthur said, "and ah, make sure nobody leaves?"

"Arthur, you really don't intend to make them all forget, do you?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"What other ruddy choice do we have, after all?" Arthur asked.

"Let them know."

Everyone looked over at Anna, who had an unusually calm look on her pallid face. Sirius came up beside her, looking concerned and putting an arm around her.

"I can't do this anymore. I can't live two completely separate lives all the time. I'm just going to have to face the fact that both worlds are apart of my life and there's just no way of shutting one out of the other," she said, looking around the room to see that all eyes were on her again. "I'm a witch. That's what I am, and there's no denying it. My brother is a wizard, my husband's a wizard, and as I'm sure all of you are discovering by now, half of my friends are witches and wizards. But that doesn't make me any less Anna Hughes…well, Anna Hughes Black. And I'm sorry if this is a bit overwhelming and I'm sorry if it's a bit scary, but believe me. it's just as scary being on my side of this mess. Now if you don't mind, I think I need a few minutes alone," she said, walking numbly towards the back as everyone moved out of the way. Sirius was about to follow her when Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me talk to her a moment first," Dumbledore advised, and Sirius nodded. Jennifer sighed softly as she handed Carol a phial and coaxed her to drink it, the room still bathed in silence.

"Excuse me, ma'am," said a man she didn't recognize, crouching down. "Might I ask what it is you are giving her?"

"Oh, it's just a standard Healing Potion," Jennifer admitted to the man. "She has a broken wrist, but she'll be alright in an hour or so."

"Really?" the man asked thoughtfully, looking over at Carol. "Can someone without your abilities make one?"

"Honestly, I doubt it," Jennifer said, "there are certain parts of the formula that need spells cast to make the solution react."

"Perhaps I could have a sample of it to see how it reacts to standard lab tests?" The man asked. "You see, I'm a doctor, and I wonder what the chemical makeup might look like."

"Sir, sir? What exactly was that creature you just put down?" another man asked Severus.

"An Imp, not a very common occurrence," Severus replied warily.

"Are there many other creatures like that? That we don't know about?" The man asked persistently, "And is the Loch Ness monster one of them?"

"How exactly did you get on that roof, anyhow, was there something magic about that?"

"That glow wasn't just the lighting, was it?"

"Can you turn into any other animals?"

"How do you manage to keep all of this quiet? It would drive me crazy knowing I could do something like this and not tell anyone."

"I say, I've wondered if there was anything to this crystal power business, could you enlighten me?"

Jennifer could never quite remember the rest of that night, except for the knowledge that Audi and Vallid took a post by the door, making sure that anyone incapable of dealing with the events that had occurred could have a peaceful, uneventful ride home from their peaceful, uneventful trip. And in the meantime, Jennifer, although overwhelmed with questions, felt for the first time in her life completely comfortable surrounded by Muggles.