Disclaimer: I do not own anything dealing with Harry Potter or anything like that. And you know this. At least, I would hope you know this. Oh yeah, the song belongs to Shania Twain.
A/N: Here is a new story. This is dedicated to all those loyal reviewers who asked again and again for more one shots from me. Thank you to you all and I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!
I do swear
That I'll always be there
I'd give anything
And everything
And I will care
Through weakness and strength
Happiness and sorrow
For better or for worse
I will love you
With every beat of my heart
The music blared around the large room, bouncing off the walls in a vibrant echo. The occupants of the church turned stood and turned around to face the bride, who had just appeared at the beginning of the isle. The groom, Albus Dumbledore, gasped. His bride to be, Minerva McGonagall, looked absolutely stunning in the white wedding gown.
Minerva smiled warmly at her future husband. He did look handsome in his tuxedo. She had enjoyed the look on his face when he tried to tie the muggle tie for the first time. And now, he looked just as handsome as ever.
They had been engaged just shy of twenty years, but could never decide on when to get married. Voldemort kept them busy fighting for the good side, so there was no time to plan for a wedding. And neither Albus nor Minerva wanted to make things more complicated by marrying. It wasn't until Harry had defeated the horrible wizard at age seventeen that they were able to finally get married.
From this moment
Life has begun
From this moment
You are the one
Right beside you
Is where I belong
From this moment on
As Minerva made her way down the isle, she felt her heart soar. The day had just begun and already she could tell that this was going to be the most memorable and, most definitely, the happiest day of her life; and she had lived more than seventy years. She was thrilled at finally being able to share the rest of her life with Albus, the only man she had ever wanted to be with.
And as for Albus, mere words could not describe the flying number his heart did every time Minerva was in sight. He felt like he could do anything around her. She seemed to strengthen him, even without saying a word.
From This moment
I have been blessed
I live only
For your happiness
And for your love
I'd give my last breath
From this moment on
Minerva stopped right next to Albus, the smile never leaving her face. It made her feel good to know that, no matter what she was going through, she could always count on Albus to lead her through. She knew that, through good times as well as bad, they would go through them together. She reached out her hand and held his, enjoying his soft touch.
"You may be seated," announced the priest. Everyone sat down and focused on the front of the church. Minerva squeezed Albus' hand, her sign to him that she was ready for anything that came their way. And, wanting to reassure her that he felt the same, Albus squeezed her hand back.
I give my hand to you
With all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you
Can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true
Because of you
The ceremony went on beautifully. The whole time, Minerva stared lovingly into Albus' eyes, thankful that, even if they couldn't have been married as long as they had wanted to, they still faced everything together. And she knew that, no matter what happened now, they would always be together, for all eternity.
Albus was fading in between listening to what was being said by the priest and thinking about his future with his beautiful wife. The witch standing in front of him was the only one for him; THAT he was certain of.
"…And as you both embark on this glorious journey together, may the eternal light of your love lead you both through the dark times and comfort in times of light," continued the priest. "Upon this day, your souls shall be entwined together forever, stretching for as long as you both shall live and even after death…"
From this moment
As long as I live
I will love you
I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on
Oh….
"Now, I believe that each of you have prepared your own vows, is that correct?" The priest waited until both Albus and Minerva nodded their assurance. "Very well, then. You may go first, Minerva." He stepped back slightly, allowing for the couple to concentrate solely on each other. Minerva smiled and looked at Albus, grabbing his other hand so that both her hands were in his.
"My dear, dear Albus," she began. "Let me start by saying that I love you so much, that I can't even describe what it is that I am feeling. I love you with all of my soul and my heart. I would do anything for the sake of you love. I promise that I will do everything in my power to make you happy for the rest of our lives. I was in love with you from the first time I saw you, and am glad that we can finally be together. I love you, Albus Dumbledore, and cannot wait until people begin to call me Mrs. Dumbledore."
By the end of her speech, tears of happiness were falling softly and silently from her eyes. Albus brought his hands up to cup her face and gently wiped them away with his thumbs. Bringing them down again to hold her hands, he began his speech.
"My darling Minerva, every day I wake and thank my lucky stars that I have had the chance to know someone such as you. And now that we are finally able to show our love with the entire wizarding world, I am an even luckier man. I don't know what kind of divine power has brought us together, but whatever it is, I am willing to get down my hands and knees and thank it for the rest of my life. You're smart, kind, funny, gentle, and very beautiful. Why you chose to marry an old coot like me, I shall never know. Despite all that I do not know, I do know that I, too, will love you for the rest of my life and do my very best to make sure that you are always happy with me. I love you, Minerva; and, just like you, I wait for the time to hear the words, 'Mrs. Dumbledore' come from the lips of every person we meet."
Now, both were crying joyously.
You're the reason
I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers
From up above
All we need is just
The two of us
My dreams came true
Because of you
From this moment
As long as I live
I will love you
I promise you this
There is nothing
I wouldn't give
From this moment
I will love you
(I will love you)
As long as I live
From this moment on
"… I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Scarcely had the priest said this did Albus press his lip firmly against Minerva's, taking in all the warmth she radiated.
NINE MONTHS LATER
"Push, Minerva, push," persisted Poppy Pomphrey, the medi-witch who had been Minerva's maid of honor at the wedding. Now, she was the one to assist in bringing a little Dumbledore into the world.
"I can't, I can't," panted Minerva, who was breathing heavily and sweating quite profusely. She was leaning on her pillow, wishing the birth was over with. For no matter how happy she was to have a child and have it be Albus', she hated the pain.
"Yes you can, darling," whispered Albus, trying not to buckle under the pressure of his wife's firm grip. His fingers were aching horribly, but he didn't say anything. He knew childbirth was far worse pain-wise than a few broken fingers.
"Just one more push, Min," coached Poppy. "I promise, just one more." Mustering all her Gryffindor courage and what strength she had left, Minerva pushed. Her face, already red from nearly eight hours of labor, became dangerously red. It wasn't until she heard the wail of a child that she dared to stop. Falling back upon her pillow, she thanked the gods that she could have the strength to go through giving birth.
"Well done, Min," congratulated Poppy, handing the baby to Xiomara Hooch and Sylvia Sprout to be cleaned up. "You have a girl. Now all that is left is the placenta, which should be no trouble." As Poppy attended to that, Minerva looked over to Albus, who smiled.
"Good job, Minerva," he said, the infamous twinkle in his eyes. "We have a girl! You did it!" He kissed the back of her hand. "I knew you could do it." Minerva laughed.
"That made one of us," she said. Then, she thought of something. "Did we ever decide what we were going to name her?" Albus shook his head.
"As I recall, we were torn between two," he replied. "We were leaning towards both Athena Daniela, after your mother Athena and my aunt Daniela, or Crystal Lenora, Crystal after my mother and Lenora after your cousin. Which would you prefer?" Minerva thought for a moment. They were both good names. Which was the best one? Then, she decided.
"Crystal Lenora Dumbledore is definitely the right name," she said. Poppy brought the newborn baby girl to Minerva.
"Here you go, Min," she smiled. Minerva took the baby in her arms, her heart bursting with pride. Albus stared down at his daughter. He could not believe how small she was. She was so tiny and yet appeared to be so strong. She was not even ten minutes old and she was already at the center of his heart, right next to her mother.
Crystal looked at Minerva for a few seconds, then turned to her father. Though the hair color was not yet for certain, she clearly had her father's eyes. They were of the brightest blue, and held much curiosity in them. She held her father's stare for a few more moments before she yawned and curled into her mother, finally deciding that she needed sleep. Minerva kissed the top of Crystal's head and held her tight. She was thankful she still had two months left in the summer to rest before she had to go back to her teaching. Albus had tried to get her to rest more, but she was most certainly stubborn. He'd have to talk to her about it later, but for now, he was just happy that the birth had gone so well.
"I'm tired," whispered Minerva, looking up at Albus. He kissed her cheek and told her to go to bed. But not before promising to be there when she and the baby woke up. From that moment on, they would be parents and didn't intend on missing a moment of it. Not for all the galleons in Gringotts,
"No," he told her. "Not for a moment…"
A/N2: Well, there it is. And there will be a sequel. That is, if everybody wants a sequel. The sequel will also be a song fic, and once again it'll be by Shania Twain. It'll be that song, "You're Still The One". Is everyone kewl with that? Always Hopeful