Harry was nervous enough when Remus and Catherine never appeared for breakfast. He was hoping it meant that they'd made up after their fight, or at least were talking about it, but he was afraid they were still avoiding each other. When lunch started without either of them present, he began to wonder if he ought to go look for Remus after the meal, despite Moody's warning not to interfere.
Then both of them walked into the morning room where everyone was eating, and even if their arms had not been entwined about each other, one look at either of their faces would have told him that everything was fine between them. Harry couldn't remember ever seeing Professor Lupin look so carefree and happy, and Catherine Clare almost seemed to glow.
"If I could have your attention for a moment, I'd like to make an announcement," Professor Lupin said clearly. "I'm delighted to say that, much to my amazement - " he and Catherine exchanged looks before Remus continued " - Catherine has done me the great honor of agreeing to accept me as her husband!"
There were fewer people at the midday meal than there had been at the breakfast when Knoggin joined the Weasley family, but the ensuing commotion was at least as loud. Hestia Jones sprang up immediately and, with tears in her eyes, hugged Catherine as though it had just been announced that she was Apparating to the moon and would never be heard from again. Molly Weasley, who looked somewhat dumbfounded, rescued the bride-to-be by hugging her herself, while Ginny and Hermione fluttered around, chattering brightly as they wished Catherine well and tried to settle Hestia down.
Remus was surrounded by a thick cluster of people congratulating him - Harry was surprised to see him shaking hands with Snape before the Potions Master turned to offer his best wishes to Catherine Clare - and it was some time before Harry could reach him.
"Congratulations," Harry told him, genuinely pleased as he shook hands enthusiastically. "I think it's wonderful."
Remus leaned in as though sharing a great secret and whispered, "So do I!" and they both laughed. Harry marveled at the extraordinary change in his appearance that seemed to be the product of nothing other than happiness.
"Harry, I wanted to ask if you would stand up for me?" Professor Lupin said. Harry, who was already standing, was momentarily confused. "The wedding will be very small," he continued, "but I would be very pleased if you would agree to act as my best man."
The sudden surge of emotion caught Harry off guard. "I'd be honored," he said, his voice thick. Then, because he had already shook Remus' hand and somehow it seemed appropriate, he hugged him very hard.
"Have you set a date for the wedding?" Hestia was asking the bride-to-be, and the others fell silent to hear the answer. Catherine Clare, momentarily free of the press of well-wishers who had been hugging her, returned to Remus' side as though drawn there by a very strong Summoning Charm, and her future husband slipped an arm around her.
"We have a few things to settle first," Catherine said, glancing at Remus and receiving a quick nod. "Severus, would you agree to stand up for me?"
Harry was forever grateful that Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were all in the room to see the expression on the Potions Master's face for themselves. He would never have been able to find words to adequately describe it.
Finally Severus Snape managed to say, "You are asking me - "
"To serve as my principal attendant at my wedding," Catherine finished for him quite calmly. "Yes, I am. My only attendant, actually." She waited another moment for a response that Snape seemed to be incapable of giving.
"It's probably not quite as much of an honor as one would think, as there will be a great deal of work involved," she continued, "but then I do believe I owe you for all those dueling practices." Her light blue-gray eyes met Severus' black ones, and Harry had the sense that she had managed to convey several levels of meaning with a few well-chosen words.
Harry glanced instinctively at Remus to see how he felt about this, but Remus appeared perfectly relaxed and not at all surprised by Catherine's request that Severus Snape take part in their wedding. Remus noticed Harry looking at him, and gave him a quick, reassuring wink.
"Remus and I would like to be married this weekend, and we're asking our attendants to handle the wedding planning on our behalf," Catherine was saying. It took Harry a moment to absorb this, realizing the incredible amount of work that would need to be done in a very short time - and also realizing that he and Catherine's attendant would need to work together to accomplish it.
Everyone in the room seemed to be waiting for Snape to give her an answer, but he had yet to say anything definitive one way or the other. Harry wondered why on earth she had asked him - and then, like a kaleidoscope shifting, everything seemed to fall into place - "Another member of the Order went with her that night " - Snape's proposal for regular combat training - "Catherine stayed and fought them alone" - Snape's insistence on drilling against multiple opponents - "I owe you for all those dueling practices" - and he understood.
He also knew what to do.
"They're probably hoping you'll be able to keep me from messing things up too much," Harry told Professor Snape gravely.
The normally formidable man in black seemed to pull himself together. "I would be - honored - " he said carefully " - to do what I can."
"Thank you," Catherine said simply, glancing again at Remus.
"And now, if you'll excuse us, we'd like a few minutes with Severus and Harry before we leave," he said to the company at large.
"You're leaving?" Molly Weasley asked sharply.
"Why, yes," Remus said, his expression carefully bland. "Catherine and I thought we'd spend the time before the wedding visiting my home. She's never seen it, you know, and she probably ought to before the ceremony."
"Very proper," Hestia said approvingly.
Harry happened to look over at Professor Snape, and had the strange impression that the sour-faced man was amused, although Harry couldn't imagine why.
*****
The four of them adjourned to the study, where Catherine immediately started issuing instructions.
"We want a very small wedding with a minimum of fuss," she said quite firmly. "There are a few people to be invited who aren't in the Order or on the staff at Hogwarts - like my brother - and we've noted their direction for you and left it on the desk."
"It won't be as difficult as you might think," Remus assured Harry, who was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. "Professor Dumbledore can help you take care of the special license. Kate and I will take care of our rings and the wedding trip. Just owl us at my place and tell us when you need us to be back here for the ceremony."
"Keys to our vaults are in the desk, and Madame Malkin has our robe measurements," Catherine continued. "Am I forgetting anything?"
"I don't think so," Remus assured her calmly.
Catherine looked at Severus Snape meaningfully.
"If you make me look like a meringue on my wedding day, I will hex you into oblivion," she said very evenly.
"I'll try to keep that in mind," he responded dryly.
****
Harry never thought he would be thankful to have to work with Severus Snape on anything, but he had to admit privately that there were worse people with whom he could have been stuck planning a wedding than his far-from-beloved teacher.
Snape, a ruthless perfectionist in the classroom, proved to be equally zealous in producing a flawless ceremony. Within minutes of the couple's departure, he had generated two master lists of the tasks to be done - Harry was relieved to see that the groom's list was a good deal shorter than the bride's - and then Snape began attacking the items on his own list with brutal efficiency.
What surprised Harry most was that the he didn't do it all himself. It quickly became clear that he could have, for the Potions Master cowed recalcitrant florists into submission and forced already-engaged musicians and photographers to accommodate him with equal facility. He could just as easily have made any requisite decisions - which flowers? what music? - or simply demanded the best from the various providers; Harry had no doubt the result would have been spectacular.
Instead, however, Severus Snape drew mercilessly upon the talents of others to accomplish his own apparent goal of matchless perfection for the occasion. Professor Sprout was first consulted about background greenery - the ceremony was to be held in the central hall of Stone House on Saturday evening - and later accompanied them both to the florist. Professors Flitwick and McGonagall, when requested, both threw themselves enthusiastically into planning other aspects of the decorations - Harry overheard them arguing vehemently about the type of figures to be used to hold up some sort of drapery coming down from the ceiling - and the Headmaster himself was asked to weigh in on the subject of music. Severus Snape and Molly Weasley were closeted together for almost half a day before they settled on a menu for the dinner, which seemed to Harry rather a long time to take to decide what to eat.
Harry had followed the Potions Master's example and recruited Hermione to help him with the bridal bouquet. When the florist, after lengthy discussions with Professors Sprout and Snape during which Harry thought they must have debated the merits of every magical and Muggle plant in existence, had finally turned to Harry and asked him what he wanted, he had said simply that he was still deciding and would let him know the following morning. Professor Snape had shot him a very dubious look but, surprisingly, had not said anything. Harry returned to Stone House, found Hermione, and asked for her help.
Hermione had quizzed him extensively about the ceremony before she disappeared into the library. She had woken him up very early the following morning to go over the results of her research and give her recommendations. Harry was astonished to find that there was a wealth of symbolism involved in the choices, which he had thought were only based on appearance and scent, and that availability was also a consideration. By the time they had finalized the order, the sun was starting to rise.
Harry intended to leave the order on the desk in the study with a note for Snape when he came down. He was quite surprised to walk in and find the Potions Master already there. Snape was seated at Catherine Clare's desk, meticulously reviewing the various lists on orderly stacks of parchment in front of him.
"Potter," he said grimly when he saw Harry come in.
Harry walked over to stand in front of the desk. "The order for Miss Clare's bouquet," he said evenly, setting the parchment down. He was close enough to see the lines of tension in the Potions Master's face as he picked up the order; Harry could also see Snape relax almost imperceptibly as he read through the list of flowers to be included.
"Unless you can suggest any improvements," Harry added politely. "I understand that the American form of one of the flowers listed may be difficult to get on short notice, but there is an alternate - "
"I am quite sure Monsieur Floret will find he is able to obtain it," Snape hissed, cutting him off. Harry felt a sudden wave of sympathy for the florist should he make the mistake of telling the Head of Slytherin House that he couldn't have the flowers he wanted.
"You will be available this morning to visit Madam Malkin's?" he continued silkily, and Harry nodded. "We will be leaving at nine."
Professor Vector, the arithmancy witch, was Snape's choice to assist in selecting dress robes for the wedding ceremony. Harry, who had only seen her occasionally and always in her teaching attire, had no idea why until she met them at Madam Malkin's. Even Harry, who knew very little about clothes, could tell that she was beautifully dressed, although he couldn't figure out what made this so. Her robes were not particularly elaborate or decorated with lace or anything, but they were somehow exquisitely right.
The two colleagues quickly decided on a simple and elegant design for Catherine's dress from several suggested by Madam Malkin, her wand generating three-dimensional outlines rotating obligingly in the air for their consideration. Choosing the fabric and trim, however, took well over an hour. Snape had known he wanted a creamy ivory, but to Harry's amazement he quickly lost count of the number of fabrics produced in that color. Feeling rather nervous about the whole thing by the time his turn came, Harry picked out a simple fabric for Remus in a matte shade of old, dark gold that he thought would look well with Remus' amber eyes, and was relieved when Professor Vector nodded approvingly and even Snape said, "That will do," in a neutral tone that was as close to approval as the critical teacher ever came.
It was on the visit to Madam Malkin's that Harry found out that Snape had not been drawing on Catherine Clare's vault to fund any of this. Having thanked Professor Vector again for her help, Harry had gone back inside the shop to inquire about how and when the robes would be delivered and had overheard Professor Snape arranging payment from his own Gringott's vault with Madam Malkin, who did not seem to find this remarkable. She stepped away for a moment to address a matter of the buttons, and the Potions Master saw Harry standing there. He promptly glared at him.
"If the bride's parents were alive, it would not be at all unusual for them to attend to these matters themselves," Snape informed him icily. "Having been honored by Miss Clare as I have, it is not inappropriate for me to do so, particularly when it is easily within my means."
The Potions Master was scowling at him more venomously than he had since they had begun planning the wedding, and with a flash of insight, Harry realized that he was deeply embarrassed.
"I wanted to check on the delivery arrangements," Harry said imperturbably. He rather thought Snape was wishing he could order him out of the store. "If you could find that out for me when Madam Malkin returns, I'll just wait for you outside." He didn't wait for Snape's rather jerky nod to turn and leave again. The Potions Master joined him a few minutes later.
"The robes will be delivered to Stone House by noon on Friday," he told Harry tightly. Harry nodded.
They did not discuss it again.
The discovery was actually very useful. Harry had just been using the money already in his purse for things - the groom apparently didn't have to pay for very much anyway - and had been wondering if it would cause problems if he sort of 'forgot' to reimburse himself out of Remus' vault. Now he had a much better excuse, and he grinned privately at the thought that Snape had helped him out, albeit rather unintentionally.
Ginny Weasley had been asked - ordered actually, but she didn't object - to write out the invitations. The Potions Master made it clear that he had chosen her for her handwriting and that she was not to allow anyone else to assist her. The invitation list had grown in the couple's absence, Michael Clare having inquired very tactfully about the possibility of adding to it and Dumbledore making some suggestions of his own, usually along the lines of, "I expect that perhaps, in the rush of things, so-and-so's name might have been omitted quite inadvertently - "
Harry wondered what Remus and Catherine would think when they returned.
*****
After leaving Stone House, Remus and Catherine had spent the afternoon happily choosing their wedding rings and wandering around Hogsmeade hand in hand. They arrived at Remus' house just before dinner time. Catherine was smiling at it fondly as her future husband unlocked the front door.
"I'm really glad to be back here," she told him happily. A thought struck him and he stopped.
"Why didn't you want to come?" he asked.
"I did," she told him, puzzled. "I'm the one who suggested it."
"No, I meant when you were on your mission. I heard you talking to Dumbledore, and you said you'd rather stay with Severus." Kate laughed, and then wrapped her arms around him before she answered.
"Of course I would rather have stayed with Severus. I wasn't in love with him," she pointed out. "I was afraid I'd give too much away and make you suspicious. I was supposed to be a stranger, but then I lost my temper when you treated me like a guest. I didn't do a very good job of keeping my distance," she confessed. Remus indulged himself with a very brief taste of her lips.
"You didn't make me suspicious," he told her quietly. "Although I think you did make me fall in love with you, even if it was a long time before I understood what I was feeling."
Kate looked up at him almost shyly. "When did you know?"
Remus considered for a moment. "I think I realized it on some level when you asked me to visit after you gave me the Pensieve. I heard myself make some excuse about checking with Dumbledore before I accepted, and I knew I was trying to give myself a way out if it was too hard - being with you without being able to show you how I really felt."
"I came anyway, you know - I couldn't help it," he admitted wryly. "I'd spent most of the time in between your visit as Cassie and meeting you again on a long and difficult job for Dumbledore. It should have occupied all my attention - but I kept missing you. Then, when I found you again, I couldn't turn down a chance to spend more time with you - even though I didn't think you could ever care for me as more than a friend, and I would only get hurt."
"At least you figured it out yourself," Catherine told him. Remus was enthralled by the soft wave of color sweeping up to her hair.
"You didn't?" She shook her head and mumbled something into his robes. "What did you say, love?"
She raised her head again, still blushing. "I said the cats knew before I did." She sounded rather cross about it.
"The cats?" Kate nodded, still looking distinctly ruffled. "Does this have something to do with why you were so upset about the cats letting us out of the house?"
"Yes. The cats don't listen to very many people," she told him.
"I gathered that," he said, still a little confused.
"Only the head of the house and his - or her - well - mate."
"Mate?"
"That's the closest word I can come up with," she said. "It isn't 'spouse' - my grandmother couldn't make them listen and my grandparents were married for ages. I don't think the cats care that much about human conventions like weddings anyway, the sense was more - " Kate shrugged helplessly. "I think 'mate' is about as precise as I can be. The cats seem to have their own standards about it, not many of the - um - partners have qualified over the centuries."
"The cats think I'm your mate?" Remus grinned. Then he started to laugh.
"I don't think it's that funny," Kate protested, but Remus saw the corners of her lips twitch. "You have no idea what it's like to have a bunch of cats know that you've fallen hopelessly in love before you do. And then you came upstairs and kept wanting to know if there was something you could do!" Remus had been trying to stifle his amusement, but this set him off again. "The whole thing was mortifying," Kate insisted, but she allowed him to gather her into his arms.
"My darling Kate, I think I'm allowed to be delighted to have their approval," he told her. "Particularly since it is so rarely bestowed. It also explains how your brother knew I was in love with you."
Kate had been resting her head on his shoulder, but this made her look up. "Michael knew?"
Remus answered her with a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "I seem to have inadvertently told him when we were talking about the cats, and I mentioned what had happened. Not understanding the, er, mate aspect of the story I had no idea what I was admitting."
"What you were admitting?" Kate asked. Remus smiled indulgently.
"I wouldn't be much of a mate if I wasn't madly in love with you," he pointed out. Evidently this hadn't occurred to her.
"Oh! So it meant that you were - "
"Yes, love," he told her, tenderly amused. "Michael seems to have realized it even if you didn't."
"He didn't explain things to you?"
"Not that part, but he did tell me that you were alive as long as the panther was on top of the fountain, which was an incredible relief. He also kept coming by to check on how I was doing - which, without you, was not very well," he admitted. "You have a very supportive family."
"Well, at least he won't be surprised by the sudden wedding invitation," Catherine said philosophically.
"Speaking of weddings," Remus said, sweeping her off her feet in the most literal sense. "I have suddenly become very interested in the topic of honeymoons." Having carried her over the threshold, he lowered her slowly to her feet inside the front hall in a manner calculated to maximize the contact between them. Then he began to kiss her with great intensity.
When he allowed her a momentary pause to catch her breath, they were both breathing very hard.
"Do you need to greet Uncle Bertie first?" she asked, rather shakily. He shook his head, his eyes focused only on her.
"Later," he said. It was the last word either of them spoke for quite some time.