They were putting away the breakfast dishes on Friday morning when the owl arrived, dropping a letter for each of them on the table and immediately taking off again.
Catherine's note from Severus was quite short, and she was able to finish scanning it while Remus put the last cup away. "Everything's fine, ceremony tomorrow at six, supper to follow, they don't need us back until two or three at the latest," she summarized, tossing it back on the table. Remus looked rather amused.
"That's all he told you?" he asked. Catherine looked surprised.
"What else do I need to know?"
Remus went over to open his own letter from Harry. "Probably nothing," he told her absently. "I'm merely impressed by your firm focus on essentials."
Then he began reading his message from Harry and part way through, started to chuckle. When he finished, he handed her the letter. "The last couple paragraphs," he suggested, still chuckling. Kate's eyes narrowed.
I probably ought to warn you that the wedding seems to be getting a little bit larger than I think you expected, as Professor Dumbledore and Catherine's brother have both been adding to the guest list. If Catherine is concerned about the extra guests inflating the budget, please don't let her worry about it. Professor Snape has been taking care of things as part of his wedding present, and of course I have done the same, although I can't say that the more elaborate arrangements make any difference to the groom's side.
Working with him has been very interesting. While I'm still not exactly fond of him, I can't help being impressed by his ability to arrange an event of this magnitude on such short notice. I am looking forward to seeing you and Catherine enjoying the results tomorrow, and to congratulating you again in person -
Harry
"That - " Kate seemed to have lost the power of speech temporarily.
"Snake?" Remus suggested, trying hard not to laugh in the face of her stormy countenance.
"Weasel!" Catherine expostulated, starting to pace. "He knew I wanted a small wedding. He's doing this on purpose so I can't complain!"
"Do you think you could interpret it as a gesture of appreciation on his part?" Remus proposed, still struggling to repress his amusement. "In recognition of the honor of standing up for you tomorrow?" Kate glared at him.
"Well, of course it is," she replied, clearly exasperated. "I honored him and stuck him with a lot of work planning our wedding. In return, he's gone and paid for it! He's managed a 'gesture of appreciation' and he's fixed it so I can't complain about his not keeping the wedding small. Blast!"
Remus couldn't keep a straight face any longer, he simply had to start laughing again.
"I'm sorry, darling," he said to Kate, pulling her into his arms in apology. "I'm afraid he's beaten you this time." Kate snorted.
"Just wait until his wedding," she promised.
"You think that's likely any time soon?" Remus inquired idly.
"Well, not until Voldemort's taken care," Kate replied absently. "Emmeline won't be able to come out of hiding until then."
"Emmeline Vance?" he asked in surprise.
Kate nodded. "She's been at Grimmauld Place since Malfoy attacked."
"And you think - Severus?"
"Mmm-hmm. He was too proud to say so while she was still getting over Malfoy, but she almost has to sooner or later." A thought occurred to her, and her eyes gleamed. "It's too bad I can't invite her to the wedding."
"You can't," Remus told her quite firmly. "Severus has got you there too - we don't know who will be there any more, so it wouldn't be safe." Kate made a face.
"Look at it this way," Remus told her, "Harry has spoiled Severus' surprise, hasn't he?"
"That's true," she agreed, brightening.
"And we have another whole day here to fortify ourselves to face the ceremony," he pointed out.
"True again," she was smiling up at him in a way that made his heart race.
"We don't really have to spend it talking about Severus and Emmeline, do we?" he asked huskily.
Kate answered him without speaking.
****
Until Remus and Catherine arrived back at Stone House, Saturday passed in a blur for Harry. The florist, who arrived while most of the household was still at breakfast, was only the first in a stream of people swarming into the house in ever-increasing numbers as the day progressed. Professor Snape stood glowering in the central hall most of the morning, his cold black eyes alert for the sight of anything that was not exactly as it should be.
"There is more fabric on the left side of that drapery than the right. Fix it."
"Perhaps it was not clear to you, Monsieur Floret, that we require fresh flowers? Tell me, if you please, whether those below the fourth wall sconce on the east side of the hall are, in your opinion, quite up to our standards?"
"Does your employer imagine you capable of the simple task of setting out chairs so that they are neatly aligned? How extraordinarily optimistic of him - unless, of course, you have not yet finished your work?"
Snape's soft intonations produced the same effect on the representatives of the various vendors as they did on his students. Harry understood why. When he appeared in the hallway still in his regular clothes after downing a hasty lunch, Snape had only to flick his eyes ever so slightly from Harry to the nearest timepiece for him to get the message. Harry immediately decided he would bathe and change into his own dress robes before laying Remus' out to await his return.
****
Remus and Catherine slipped in the side door in mid-afternoon, separating to go to their respective rooms to dress for the ceremony. Harry had everything laid out for the groom, nervous again in case he had forgotten something in his unfamiliar role. There wouldn't be much time to fix anything at this point.
Much to his relief, Remus himself did not seem to be unusually nervous or edgy, but smiled kindly at Harry and calmly accepted his robes for the ceremony before heading into the bathroom to bathe and change. Harry occupied the time trying to calm his own nerves between mentally running through the checklists again and wondering if he could properly duck out for a minute to run down and get the actual list from the study below.
His musings were interrupted by a knock on the door, which made him jump. Deciding this was part of his duties today, Harry opened the bedroom door and found Michael Clare standing on the other side, holding a small wooden box.
"Hello, Harry," he said calmly. "I'd like a private word with Remus some time today. Would you let me know when it would be convenient? After the ceremony is fine."
"Uh - " Harry glanced around for inspiration - he thought that Remus had finished dressing, but didn't know whether he'd want to have visitors before the ceremony. "Sure," he said quickly.
"Is that Michael?" Remus called, evidently having heard Michael's voice. "I'll be out in a minute if he'd like to wait."
Harry opened the door a bit further and stepped aside to let Catherine's brother in. Harry wondered if he was supposed to offer him a seat, but Michael Clare had barely walked into the room when Remus emerged from the bath and crossed to greet him.
It was Harry's first chance to see Remus in his wedding robes, and Harry was greatly relieved to see that he hadn't made any glaring mistakes in choosing them. The old, dark gold did make Remus' amber eyes seem to sparkle, but it also made his hair look richer somehow - at least the brown parts. The gray actually looked a bit lighter, and the simple cut of the garment suited the former professor's quiet dignity.
"It was very kind of you to agree to see me at such a time," Michael was saying.
"Not really," Remus smiled, glancing over at Harry. "Harry has everything well in hand."
Michael smiled briefly, but warmly, at Harry before coming to what was evidently the purpose of his visit.
"There's another, well, public wedding present downstairs, but I wanted to give you this myself," Michael said, handing Remus the small wooden box, which Harry now saw had an elegant design of inlaid wood on the top. "It was our mother's first anniversary gift to our father. The song it plays was one they danced to at their own wedding, and it was also the night she told him she was pregnant with Catherine."
Remus accepted it, looking rather shaken. "Thank you," he said softly, and Harry could tell he was deeply moved. "It means a great deal to me." Michael smiled kindly at him.
"If our parents were alive, they would have been very pleased to welcome you into the family, just as I am."
Without waiting for Remus to say anything further - which was just as well in Harry's opinion as Remus was still looking a little overwhelmed - Catherine's brother glanced over to smile at Harry inclusively before continuing. "And now I had better excuse myself and find the rest of the family before the next generation does something unforgivable to the flowers," he finished lightly, grasping Remus' hand one more time before he left. Harry followed him politely to the door.
When Harry turned back, Remus was staring at the box in his hands with a bemused expression on his face.
"It's very nice," Harry offered. Remus looked up and smiled at him.
"It's beautiful," he agreed. "And I would be just as pleased if it were the most hideous music box ever made," he confessed, laughing slightly at the thought. "Would you take it across the hall for me?"
Harry accepted it, slightly confused.
"Harry, I won't be using this room after Kate and I are married," Remus pointed out gently. "In fact, we were wondering if you would like to relocate over here when you come back?"
"Come back?" Harry echoed, still feeling rather stupid about not realizing that Remus and Catherine would be sharing a room.
Remus looked at him rather keenly. "I realize that you will probably want to establish a home of your own at some point, but I hope that you will always consider this as one of your homes, even if it's not always the only one." Harry realized that Remus was saying he could come here after he graduated instead of striking out on his own, and felt a surge of gratitude that his one-time professor was still a part of his life.
"I would like that very much," Harry replied, his voice a little thick, before turning abruptly to carry the music box across the hall.
It seemed very odd to have Snape open the door to Catherine Clare's room.
"Yes," he intoned, frowning.
"Remus wanted me to bring this over."
The Potions Master opened the door further to admit Harry, who stepped inside wondering why Snape hadn't just taken it and whether he could set it down somewhere. Catherine Clare, who seemed to be already dressed as well, was standing on the opposite side of the room by the fireplace looking rather more nervous than Harry thought Remus had. She looked over at him as soon as he came in.
"Harry?" she asked, crossing the room quickly. "Is everything all right?"
"Fine," he assured her quickly. "Remus just asked me to bring this over, that's all. I guess he's not supposed to come over himself," he finished awkwardly. Some of the tension seemed to leave her as she looked at the music box.
"Michael gave it to him?"
"Yeah, I, er - Remus seemed to be very pleased. I think he wanted to make sure nothing happened to it," Harry explained. "What should I, er - "
"Just set it on the desk," she told him, perching uneasily on one of the chaises in front of the window. Harry did so, noticing that Snape looked at him rather thoughtfully before strolling over to help himself to a drink from a tray near the fireplace, where he would be out of earshot of a low-voiced conversation. Hesitating slightly, Harry sat down beside her.
"Are you - is there anything I can do for you?" Harry ventured. Catherine shot him a very distracted look.
"No, I just have to get through this," she said absently.
Get through this? Harry felt a wave of cold wash over him.
"Don't you want to be married to Remus?" he asked quietly, trying not to sound too accusatory. Catherine looked at him as if he were being remarkably thick.
"Of course I want to be married to Remus," she said instantly, sounding rather irritated. "I'm just not thrilled about what I have to do to get married! I have to walk down the stairs with everyone watching me and I just know I'll do something disgraceful - like trip - especially since you're not supposed to be looking down - which is absolutely ridiculous because how are you supposed to walk down stairs without falling when you're nervous and you're not allowed to look at them?"
Once Harry absorbed the idea that she was only nervous about the ceremony, he tried to think of what he could say to make her feel better.
"I'm sorry, Harry," Catherine apologized immediately. "I shouldn't have dumped all that on you. It's just nerves. I mean, it's not as if they won't let me marry him if I do trip, and that's really all that matters."
"That's okay," Harry told her, still trying to think of what to say and wondering what Remus would do if he were here. "It may be more people than you expected for your wedding, but it's still only friends and family, and they all want you and Remus to get married. Nobody's going to care if you trip, they just wanted to be there with you."
Catherine smiled at him, apparently calmer now. "Thank you, Harry."
****
Catherine didn't trip.
Harry thought she looked rather nervous again until she saw Remus, but when their eyes met, she smiled and walked down the stairs to stand at his side as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Remus was rather pale as he said his vows, although his voice was quite steady, and he didn't begin to regain his color until the officiant pronounced them husband and wife.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur. There was always someone for him to speak to, although he could never recollect later what anyone had said. All Harry retained were isolated images - Ginny's eyes laughing up into his as they danced - Snape looking oddly relaxed as he spoke quietly with a woman later identified as the widow of Catherine's partner - Ron and Hermione revolving solemnly around the floor without speaking - Tonks reshaping her nose repeatedly at dinner while the werewolf Harry remembered sharing Mr. Weasley's hospital room smiled at her very tentatively - and then Stade was gesturing him over and telling him that he was wanted upstairs. He was barely aware of the new portrait in the hall - a white-haired wizard in old-fashioned dress robes - as he went by, although he did respond politely to its greeting.
Catherine and Remus, wearing everyday robes instead of their wedding ones, were seated on the sofa in front of the fireplace in their bedroom. Catherine had tucked her legs under her and was curled up against her new husband, but she sat up properly when Harry came in causing Remus, who had his arm around her, to look up.
"There you are, Harry," he said pleasantly, looking very pleased. "I'm glad we didn't miss seeing you before we leave."
"I didn't realize it was time already." Remus chuckled and stood up, pulling Catherine to her feet as he did.
"Good, then maybe we have a fair chance of getting away before the crowd downstairs realizes we're escaping," he told Harry drolly. "We should have done this before the ceremony, but things were a little rushed."
Snape came in to join them just as Harry asked, "Done what?" Catherine was the one who answered him.
"It's traditional for the couple to give their attendants a memento of the occasion," she explained, stepping over to four neatly wrapped packages piled near the window. They were all covered in silvery paper, but two had red bows and two had green. When the first two identically-sized packages were opened, Harry discovered an elegant silver letter opener engraved with the date and his initials. The handle of his was a Gryffindor Lion enameled in red and gold, while Snape's handle was a green and silver snake.
As Harry was thanking Remus, the bridegroom - his amber eyes alight - told him in an undertone, "It's also customary for the mementos to be useless and engraved!" Harry grinned.
His other present was unexpected, for Remus had given him what appeared to be a very nice wizarding camera. There were a number of attachments for it, and also a supply of ingredients for Developing Potions.
"I wanted to make sure you had an opportunity to take pictures of the important people in your life," Remus told him quietly.
"Thank you," Harry said, his voice thick. Remus hugged him. Harry blinked hard as he hugged him back, determined not to get teary in front of Snape.
He turned to face the Potions Master and saw that he was staring down at Catherine's second gift to him in disbelief. Harry wasn't sure what was so remarkable about it - it appeared to be just an old book - but Snape's hand was almost trembling as he touched the cover.
"I'm afraid I can't give it to you for more than your lifetime - it will come back here upon your death no matter what I do - and you're the only one who will be able to use it while you're alive," Catherine was telling him. Reverently, he opened it and began to turn the pages, his expression of disbelief fading as something closer to avarice replaced it.
"Panacea Hildegardis - I had all but concluded that one was only a legend - Lapis clarus - Translucent Stone is a potion?" Snape demanded, his voice harsh with excitement.
"Actually a potion combined with a charm, which is why no one has ever been able to duplicate it without the instructions." Snape's fingers clung to the book Catherine had given him as he listened to her. "Now you have them. If you want to get some work in while you're here, you can find the stone cauldrons and some of the more obscure ingredients in the expanded potions lab."
Severus regarded her with narrowed eyes. "Expanded potions laboratory?" he inquired darkly.
Catherine smiled at him. "Why, yes," she replied sweetly. "You can unlock it only when entering from the billiards room. The password is 'Victrix feles'." Snape stared at her wordlessly for a moment before turning on his heel and striding out of the room.
Just as he reached the threshold, he turned and said "Thank you" very stiffly before closing the door smartly behind him.
Catherine pressed her hands over her mouth to smother her giggles. Remus was grinning at her as pulled her into his arms.
"You seem to have won that round," he told her affectionately. "No regrets about spilling the family secrets?"
Kate's eyes danced. "Not even if he tried to take them public, which he won't. And to be fair about it, he is much better at potions than anyone in the family. Maybe he'll be able to get some use of it." She linked her hands behind her husband's neck and added, "I intend to be otherwise occupied."
Remus was looking at his wife with an expression in his eyes that made Harry think he had forgotten that there was anyone else in the room. Harry slipped quietly out the door and shut it softly behind him.
-- END --
A/N - Thank you to my reviewers for your interest and support. I am going to try to repay your kindness to me by spending a little more time reviewing other authors while I get some other pieces in shape to begin posting. I am working on two other HP fanfic stories at the moment - one of which is related to this one - but I'm not sure which will be the first to get to the point where I'm willing to make it available for comment.
The related story includes Severus Snape's point of view on some of the events in The Stone House Cats, although it continues further into the future than this one and contains a romance for the Potions Master - not the easiest thing to write credibly, I'm finding. Severus needs to grow up a little before he's ready for an adult relationship.
The unrelated one provides a different romantic interest for Remus (with all due respect to Catherine Clare, of whom I'm still very fond) as I wanted to see him in something closer to a normal courtship. While I thought the way things progressed between Remus and Catherine was appropriate for their characters and this story, there was a part of me that wanted to hit him over the head sometimes for being a little too self-effacing. I think that if James or Sirius had been around, they would have been more than willing to take care of that for me - which is one more reason to miss Padfoot!