Chapter 9: Yuletide Bliss
A/N: Ok, so I'm prolly not an expert on weddings… I've only been to three or so that I can remember, and I'm sort of planning my own, but this is something that comes more naturally to women. I'll try, though…
The day of the wedding dawned before Harry could even turn around, or so it seemed. Harry was awakened by a strong feeling of excitement that he knew couldn't have belonged to him. Who could get excited from dreaming about detention with Snape? Groggily, he stumbled out of the bed he occupied at Tonks's home. Remus wasn't allowed to see Tonks until the wedding, the muggle tradition that her parents insisted on meant that Harry had to return to the estrogen ocean alone after the bachelor party. When he returned, he noticed that Tonks, Amanda, Hermione, Molly, and some women from the Order had fallen asleep in the living room after what seemed to be a rather wild party.
Harry found Tonks and Amanda sitting at the kitchen table. None of the other women had woken up. Amanda looked up, an apologetic look on her face. She had obviously sensed Harry's irritation when he had been stirred from sleep. He assured her it was ok.
After drinking a cup of coffee and kissing Amanda, Harry ran back upstairs to grab his things. He was going to Apparate to Grimmauld Place for a number of reasons, mainly because he didn't want to try to prepare for the wedding (normally a twenty minute task after a shower) in a house full of women. Tonks may have had two bathrooms, but Harry knew he would never be allowed near one of them until each one of the ladies was completely ready. Sometimes causing conflicts was an excellent way to pass the time, but at the moment Harry would rather face a dozen Voldemort clones.
Remus was pacing the floor silently, waves of nervousness pouring from his body. Harry was at the end of his rope. "Moony, if you don't sit down I'll hex you. You're bad enough, but try getting married with boils all over your body."
Ron laughed, looking up from the sausages and bacon he was cooking. "He'll do it, Professor, he's mad!" Ron turned back to the food. "And the wedding wouldn't be bad… it's the wedding night that matters when it comes to being covered in boils. That might be a little painful."
Remus blushed and sat at the table with Fred, George, and Harry. "And what would you know about wedding nights, Ron? Should mum and dad have a little talk with Hermy's parents?"
"Oi, George, not so loud. My head is splitting." Fred looked up at Harry, "If this is how you felt when You-Know-Who was around then how are you still alive?"
"A hangover is nature's way of telling you that Angelina was right." Remus said, conjuring an ice pack for Fred.
"Yeah, mate. Although that firewhisky helped with your singing voice, maybe we should do this more often. 'I'm a little teapot, short and stout…'" Fred launched his ice pack at his twin, trying to laugh through his pain.
Harry, Remus, and Ron laughed, remembering the previous night when Fred had climbed onto their table at a small pub in the village that Remus grew up in. Fred had proclaimed to the entire room that he was the "Magnificent Magical Melody Maker" and proceeded to rupture dozens of eardrums as he sang as loudly as he could.
With the noted exception of Remus and Harry, the rest of the men from Grimmauld Place were by the lake at Hogwarts. The groom and his best man were waiting inside the castle. Harry had expressed a strange desire to talk to Professor Snape, and there was still a half-hour before Tonks and Amanda arrived.
Remus gazed out the front doors, watching as Molly took charge of the decorating and redecorating. Bill, Charlie, Ron, Percy and the twins had been forced to help their girlfriends, mother and father with the task, and their small army was quickly getting things done.
Moments later a sound from the passage leading to the dungeons caught the werewolf's attention. Harry was walking out with a broad grin on his face, tucking a slip of parchment into his wedding robes. "All done, Moony." He said, stopping beside Remus.
"What was the important business you needed Severus to help with?" Remus asked, trying to find the location of the parchment on Harry.
"I'll tell you later, it's a bit of a secret." Harry replied, walking out onto the grounds to the reception area to help the Weasleys, Hermione, Fleur, Angelina, Katie, Penelope, and a black haired witch Harry had never seen before, though it was obvious that she was Charlie's girlfriend, since everyone was working on something with their significant others.
Before they knew it, Professor Dumbledore had joined them, standing at the pedestal that had been placed at the water's edge. Remus was standing to his right, and Harry to Remus's right. The guests, members of the Order of the Phoenix, other Hogwarts staff, and Tonks's parents, were seated and Amanda was walking (gliding, Harry thought) down the aisle to take her place as maid of honor.
With a loud trill from Fawkes, which almost everyone understood was their cue to stand (Harry's brain translated it as "She approaches."), Tonks came into view and made her way down to Remus, Amanda, and Harry. Harry assumed she was in her natural form. She was the same height she normally was, but had long, black hair and the same nose that Sirius had. Her eyes were a rich, chocolate brown.
"As we stand here, honoring the desire of these two to join themselves together in matrimony, we will acknowledge four outstanding people who are not here in body, but have made their spiritual presence known." Dumbledore waved his wand and four clouds changed shape, one into a dog, one into a stag, and two into the faces of women. Molly Weasley gasped as she saw her daughter's face in the clouds.
"Nymphadora and Remus have consented to bind themselves to each other before the gathered witnesses in the eyes of wizarding law, and most importantly in their hearts. Does anyone have any objection to their union?" Dumbledore continued, no one objected. Dumbledore waved his wand and a golden circle appeared around each of them. Another wave of his wand drew them together and the circles became one, changing from gold to pure white. The light was nearly blinding.
When the light faded Remus and Tonks were floating and slowly revolving, gazing into each other's eyes. Everyone rose and clapped as they touched the ground, the Weasley twins fired specially created fireworks that formed an image of the newly married couple in the sky, claiming that their Wedding Whiz-Bangs would last for two weeks and changed colors from day to night so that they could be seen at all times.
"And now, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin would like to say something." Dumbledore said, moving aside.
Remus and Tonks took his place. Remus was the first to speak. "If anyone told me that I would be marrying Nymphadora when I first met her, I would have laughed at them. The scared little girl that sat between Sirius Black and myself at her sorting feast has certainly grown up. I still remember the first words I heard her say. 'Sirius, what will mum's family say? Aunt Narcissa is glaring at me…' She sounded positively frightened. The Black family, being mostly Slytherins, had just produced another Gryffindor, bringing the total to three. Her mother, Andromeda, and her cousin Sirius were the others. She never even glanced my way, even though she eventually fell asleep and slumped down at the table, eventually falling over onto me. I couldn't bring myself to wake her. When the feast ended Sirius and I had James Potter carry her to the dorms. We had to make him look good for Lily, after all." A few chuckles came from the guests.
Remus moved back, making room for Tonks to speak. "Remus and I didn't speak for years after he left Hogwarts. In fact, we've only really known each other for a little over two years. I must admit, I was a bit wary of him at first. An Auror never gets too close to a werewolf, unless it's part of the job. When I came to know Remus as a person, however, I found myself smitten. I placed all of my training aside and turned on the charm… it was pointless, though, because I learned that Remus was actually rather fond of me. He's the only person I've ever allowed to call me by my proper name, aside from my parents…"
Remus and Tonks shared tales from their lives together for a long time, and eventually stopped talking and began their reception. Harry, Amanda, Ron, and Hermione were seated at a table together, eating cake.
"How was your first wedding as a best man, Harry?" Ron asked, eyeing his friend closely.
"It was great! I couldn't be happier for them!" Harry looked down as if he were trying to wade through clashing memories. "I thought the bride and groom were supposed to exchange vows though…"
"Vows are private. They're not needed. Technically a ceremony isn't needed, as long as both agree to bind themselves together. In the ceremony, the gold circles show that they both consent, and the white light shows that they truly love each other. The ceremony is just for legal purposes, but marriage is supposed to be in the couple's hearts not on paper, so like I said; a ceremony isn't really needed." Ron replied. Hermione, Harry, and Amanda stared at him as if he had grown another head. "What?"
The others shook their heads.
Remus and Nymphadora decided to go on their honeymoon, leaving Harry and Amanda alone at their home. Now that the seaside cottage was protected by the Fidelius Charm, with Molly Weasley as the Secret Keeper, and the fact that they were both of age and could use magic if the need arose, was enough to squash any fears about the two of them being alone with no protection.
Amanda had questioned Harry about the small slip of parchment that he had brought from the wedding and placed on the newly married couple's bed. It wasn't until he closed the bedroom door and conjured parchment and quill, scribbled a note, and attached the note to the door with a sticking charm that he answered.
"That note tells them about a potion that Remus can take. I asked Professor Snape about it shortly after they told us they were engaged. What surprised me was that he agreed to work on it…" Harry escorted Amanda to the kitchen table and began to cook their supper before continuing.
"When I asked Snape about it, he scowled for a minute and then… I don't know what happened, but he… changed? Anyway, he agreed to perfect a potion he has been working on for years." Harry, positive that he didn't need to stand by the stove, sat across from Amanda. "It's a potion similar to Wolfsbane. If Remus takes it for the week before the new moon, and Tonks conceives a child on the new moon, the child won't be a werewolf."
Harry was pleasantly shocked when Amanda moved from her seat and an instant later had her lips pressed to his. "Oh, Harry, do you know what that will mean to them? That's the greatest gift they could ever receive!" Harry wiped away her tears and waved his wand to prevent the food from burning.
"They deserve it." Harry said, noticing that his girlfriend was on the table. A playful smile crossed his face. "Young lady, may I ask what you're doing on the table?"
"Nothing…" she said, smiling coyly, "Just thinking of something…" her face became serious. "D-do you remember what Ron said earlier? About marriage?"
"Yeah. That was rather shocking. I expected Hermione to say something like that, but not Ron."
"Yeah," she giggled, "What he described… didn't it sound sort of like what we did?" Harry cocked his head to the side as if he was trying to think. "I mean, we willingly bonded ourselves together when the phoenixes asked about marking me with the Shadow Flame."
Harry's jaw dropped. She's right…we did agree to be bonded together… "I-I dunno… I suppose…" Harry looked into her eyes. Through their bond, he could tell that she was scared and, for some odd reason, hurt. Harry didn't have time to say anything before she bolted from her place on the table and ran back to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Harry raced upstairs after her, tentatively knocking on her door only to be met by her sobbing voice demanding that he go away. Harry resigned himself to sliding down the wall beside her door and staring into his own room. "Mandy, what's wrong? Are you ok?"
"I'm just fine, Harry, now go away." Amanda half shouted. Harry felt a great tug on his heartstrings.
Taking out his wand, Harry summoned his school bag from his room, took out a quill, some ink, and some parchment. He tried to think of the best way to phrase the letter he had to write, and when he eventually gathered his wit, he began his task. A couple of minutes later, he was finished. Thinking insanely hard, he managed to call Fawkes to him, just as the phoenix told him he could do. "Take this to Dumbledore and tell him I want a reply." He said, Fawkes nodded his red and golden head and disappeared in flames.
"Harry, why are you sitting outside my door?" Amanda asked; her voice sounding strained.
"Because I'm not going to leave you all alone. You're sad and upset and hurt and I don't know why. I'm worried about you."
Amanda didn't respond, she just opened the door and came to join him in the hallway. They sat there in silence for nearly a half hour until Fawkes returned. Amanda was startled, but Harry reached out for the letter in the bird's beak without showing any sign of surprise. He read the note and passed it to Amanda. She read it and began crying again.
Dear Mr. Potter,
Your question is one that I wasn't prepared for at all. I was, of course, wondering if I would be receiving such a letter after the marriage of Remus and Nymphadora, though I knew I wouldn't have a clear answer.
For all intents and purposes, yes, you and Miss White are married. It is not a legal marriage, however, and should anything happen between you (though I hope that nothing ever will) and you feel the need to go your separate ways, you will be free to pursue relationships with other people, and even marry other people. I am straying from the content of your letter, however, so I digress.
As I said, the marriage is not legal in the eyes of the Ministry. I will be so bold as to tell you this; the Shadow Flame wouldn't be on Miss White's (or perhaps I should say Mrs. Potter's, if she does not mind?) back if you did not care deeply for one another.
Should both of you desire to make the marriage legal, I will be more than willing to perform the ceremony.
Albus Dumbledore,
Headmaster
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"Mandy? What's wrong?" Harry asked, sliding closer to her and drew her into his arms.
"N-nothing. It's just… we've only been dating a couple of months, and now we're married? We never knew what we were getting into, and now… now you're stuck with me." She dried her tears on her sleeves.
Harry rocked her back and forth, gently running his hands up and down her arms. "We've been together for five months, even if we have only been dating for two…" He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. "You know, I was thinking about asking you after we left school…" He looked down at her, peering into her eyes. "It seems that we've skipped that step though."
"Oh, Harry… you were really… you were going to…" Harry nodded. Amanda hugged him tightly and pressed her lips tightly to his. "I love you, Harry Potter," she sniffed the air, "even if you did end up burning our supper."
"And I love you, Amanda White, even if you are the reason that I burned our supper."
"That's Potter, not White. Get it right next time." She laughed as his jaw dropped for the second time that night.
Ron was rudely awoken on Christmas morning when Hermione began beating him with a pillow. He immediately attempted to get out of bed and rush to get his presents, but Hermione stopped him and told him that it would have to wait until he popped over to get Amanda and Harry. He looked crestfallen for a moment, but the feeling he had was soon replaced by a look reminiscent of Fred and George. He agreed to go. Hermione kissed him and left him to dress.
Apparating into Harry's bedroom seemed to be the safest option out of all the rooms at the small cottage. He had just been jarred into consciousness by a pillow slamming into his head, after all, and what could be a better place to do the same to Harry? Ron was mistaken, however, because once he arrived he noticed that Harry wasn't there. Silently creeping out of the room, he began his search for his friends.
Harry and Amanda had stayed up rather late, discussing their relationship. Now that they had been made aware that they had subjected themselves to marriage, they needed to clear up a few things. After their discussion, Harry suggested they go ahead and exchange their gifts.
Harry and Amanda raced to their bedrooms and ran back to their places on the sofa. When both had returned, Amanda forced Harry's eyes shut, closed hers, and they both placed the gifts behind their backs on the other's lap. As soon as Harry felt the new weight in his lap, he opened his eyes. He quickly unwrapped his gift. The simultaneous gasps confirmed that each loved their gift. Harry had received a Foe Glass that could be charmed onto one of his glasses lenses and a note saying that it wasn't quite like "that odd Moody guy's eye" but it was useful for an Auror in training nonetheless. Amanda had received a golden ring with an emerald set into it, and diamonds surrounding the emerald. Harry informed her that it would have originally been a promise ring. The ring also had a useful little charm that allowed the wearer to wave the hand with the ring on it over a person and cause any poisons and any injuries to glow over the affected area (poisons glowed green and injuries glowed blue), a perfect gift for any Healer.
Eventually, they fell asleep in each other's arms while the TV played Christmas cartoons. This was how Ron found them.
Anyone looking at Ron's face would assume he was one of his elder brothers. The first thought that crossed the sixth Weasley's mind was noise… lots of noise. After sneaking to the kitchen and grabbing a large cooking pot and a long metal spoon, he returned and began banging the spoon inside the pot, effectively scaring the pair on the sofa to the point that Harry had pushed Amanda behind him and had his wand trained on Ron. As soon as Harry lowered his wand, Ron burst into laughter. Amanda and Harry pulled their blanket closer to themselves.
"Oi, go into the kitchen for a minute, mate." Harry said. Their snogging had gotten rather intense the previous night, and most of their clothing had been discarded, leaving only a long shirt and underwear for Amanda, and boxers for Harry.
Ron's eyes bulged as he saw the clothing on the floor, causing improper thoughts to run wild in his head. He started moving to the kitchen, his face as red as his hair. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Weasley! It's not what you're thinking!" Amanda shouted, blushing as darkly as Ron.
Christmas at the Burrow could be described by many words, but Harry settled for "festive chaos". The six Weasley brothers, their adoptive brother, Hermione and Amanda, as well as some people Harry had never seen before, began their morning with a furious snowball fight. The snowballs were charmed to leave an inky substance after they hit which turned each person a different color.
After their hands were well beyond numb, and no inch of exposed skin was its original color, the game was considered a draw. After the twins promised that no matter how much they washed, their colors wouldn't fade, an emerald Harry, a sapphire Amanda, a scarlet Hermione, and a maroon Ron stalked back into the house.
Harry's well-developed Legilimency skills couldn't avoid tapping into Ron's mind, as if Ron's head was a house and every window and door was open and the residents inside were screaming the same thing.
"Because they know you hate it, mate. I'm green because of my eyes, Amanda's blue because… well… it does look rather fetching… and Hermione is red because… I don't know that one, but you're maroon because you hate it." Everyone turned to look at Harry.
"That's creepy, mate, reading my mind like that…" Ron said with false indignation.
"I couldn't help it, you guys know I never use Legilimency on purpose." Harry tried to defend himself, but noticing Ron's smile he gave up.
After everyone opened their presents, Molly called everyone to the recently enlarged kitchen for a feast to rival any that Harry had eaten in his seven years at Hogwarts. Mrs. Weasley had certainly outdone herself this time, but Harry couldn't help thinking that the food would be much better if all the Weasleys were there to share it.
Charlie had been summoned back to Romania when a Peruvian Vipertooth started attacking the dragon keepers. They had taken delivery of the Vipertooth (on the day Charlie came to England) for breeding purposes, to see if they could create a new species by making two different species breed. They had paired it with a Common Welsh Green, and it didn't seem to have any interest in the other dragon. Bill had decided to spend Christmas with Fleur's family in France, since she spent the previous Christmas with the Weasleys. Ginny wouldn't be attending any Christmas dinners unless the dead could eat, though Harry felt a slight tingling sensation on the back of his head when he thought about her, perhaps the Phoenix Flame allowed him to interact, however obscurely, with the dead and she slapped him.
Harry was snapped out of his depressing thoughts when Percy's food had attempted to attack him. The twins were attempting to repress an explosion of laughter but failing miserably. Molly shot them a death glare and they immediately performed the counter charm to the spell they had used to torment their elder brother. Harry noticed that Ron was laughing as hard as the twins, and couldn't hold back a chuckle of his own. It was only when Amanda pinched his leg that he stopped.
After the incident with Percy, which the four students were later told was because the twins still hadn't forgiven him for deserting his family when Voldemort had first returned, nothing really distracting happened. Ron had received a new set of Quidditch balls from Charlie and demanded that they all play a game. Hermione, who was as good a flyer as a rock was a swimmer, refused but after a whispered conversation from Ron, she agreed to play Chaser against Amanda, Harry, and George.
Harry had pocketed a specialized Snitch that Charlie had sent him, a note attached to the golden box it came in said that it would automatically fly to his hand when he commanded it to do so; quite useful in case practice had to be called off early. He would be playing Keeper for his makeshift team, but since Hermione couldn't fly well, he thought he might test the Snitch out.
Three and a half hours later, Harry's team was victorious, being the first to five hundred points. The six players were soaked from sweat and snow and freezing to the bone. It was now quite late in the afternoon, as proven by the slowly setting sun. Amanda and Harry had informed the Weasleys that they were leaving. Harry wrapped his arms around Amanda and the two disappeared in a burst of fire.
A/N 2: Hmmm… not a lot going on at Christmas. None of this will be important, really. I didn't want Harry and Amanda to be married this soon, but a friend was over when I was typing and he pointed out that if I was going to keep the part about how wizard weddings work, it would only be right. That won't really be important though, they'll keep it a secret, or something… More about marriage in the final chapter… whenever that'll be.