Disclaimer -- I own nothing... not even my home... it's all JK Rowling's, who is one of the most creative people I have ever had the privilege to read...
Committments and Endings
It was Christmas Eve at the Burrow. When it was rebuilt, it was made much larger and more stable than in its previous state. Everyone was home too. Bill, his wife Fleur and their son Cameron; Charlie with his wife Alyssa and their children Gabriel and Gabriella; Percy and Penelope with the son Peyton, Fred and Angelina, George and Katie Bell, Ron and Hermione with their twins, Ginny and Harry with their children James and Sirius.
The table and room just kept expanding when Draco, Madison, Master Lucius and Miss Rowan, joined by Stephen, Sarah and Seamus, Dudley, Lucius Sr., (As he now liked to be called) and Narcissa. Smiling, Sirius, Rowan, Remus, Mattix and Madeline joined them. Dumbledore, Minerva and Hagrid came a bit later.
Sirius announced to the crowd that they were all invited to the Cowan Estate at 9:00 PM for a bit of special festivities. When the crowd arrived, they found the ballroom covered in flowers and chairs. Professor Dumbledore beckoned them in. They were seated as the music began to play.
Sirius and Remus entered first and stood on the stage, flanked by Mason, Ron, Draco, and Harry.
Madison entered first, followed by Ginny. Rowan entered last in a pale yellow dress. She carried flowers of yellow and red roses. She looked at Remus then Sirius as they stood just a bit apart. Finally, the music ended, and the trio stood in front of the Headmaster of Hogwart's, the man responsible for joining them so very long ago. They were surrounded by their children and closest friends as they renewed their vows.
Sirius spoke first. He took a deep breath as he looked into the deep brown eyes. "Rowan, my love, I cannot believe we are here. It is so hard for me to comprehend how you could forgive my idiocy. But yet, you stand before me, ready to bind our lives together again. I am so glad you didn't learn your lesson the first time around.
"Almost twenty-five years ago, we decided to be married, rear children, and grow old together. Tragedy tore us apart. The world spun out of control for us and our children. We made terrible choices.
"I cannot live enough days to earn your love again. I cannot lose enough sleep to make up for the nights we lost. Seventeen years apart was seventeen years too many. Through the love of the children you were forced to rear without me, I was brought back from the darkness. I will live the rest of my life loving you Rowan."
"I am honored to be bound to you for the rest of my days."
"Remus, you are my oldest and dearest friend. I have loved you as long as I have known you. You are the completion of my soul. Only in the last year have you been granted the rights you earned so early on. I love you.
"I am honored to be bound to you for the rest of my days."
She fought her own tears as he finished. "Sirius, I loved you when I could not remember who you were. I left the world behind when I lost you. I never loved another. For fifteen years, I felt like a piece of my soul was gone. It was because you were not with me. Our children, so much like you, sustained me. They kept me grounded to life without you. I fought them bringing you back, knowing you could not forgive me for leaving you so very long ago.
"I could not live in a world knowing you hated me. My love for you never ran dry. It was the fountain that flowed from you to me. Our time apart only made me realize how alive I am with you. Thank you, Sirius, for coming back to me; for loving me. For forgiving me, even when I could not forgive myself.
"I am honored to be bound to you for the rest of my days."
"Remus, we were childhood friends. I was fortunate enough to know you as my friend before you became my lover. I am also lucky enough that you allowed me to love you. You saved me when I could not save myself. You loved me unconditionally throughout my time of being less than human. Only you could have shown that type of love to another human being.
"I knew from the moment I felt you in my arms; that you were half of what I had longed for. You make every little girl dream come true for me. You keep me sane when I cannot find sanity. You dry my tears when they fall, but you are never the cause. I love you now and always.
"I can only tell you the same thing I told you the night we decided to do this: I am honored to be bound to you the rest of my days.
Remus looked into the eyes of the man and woman he had loved for years. "Sirius, Rowan, I can only thank Heaven above for the gift of life you gave me. For years, I have searched for my soul mate, in you both, I found them. Until this, I did not know that a soul could be divided into three parts. Only in our love have we been bless enough to rejoin that single beautiful soul. I know we have searched for years for ways to allow us to be married and legally together. Last spring we found that. I love you. I never want to wake without you by my side. I never want to sleep with you near. You are the part of my soul that has been gone too long."
"I am honored to be bound to you both for the rest of my days."
Professor Dumbledore waited a moment before continuing. The trio's hands were held in the circle as they turned to him. He reached to their left hands, winding a magical gold cord around the three hands. The cord glowed as they repeated their love for one another, sealing the magical bindings with a kiss. The trio turned to the group of friends with huge smiles on their faces.
Dumbledore choked back a sob as he reintroduced the Trio to them, Mr., Mr., and Mrs. Lupin-Black. The group erupted in applause as the trio stepped from the stage. Mattix and Madeline ran from the Weasleys to their parents and jumped in their arms. Colin, as usual, had been commissioned to take pictures of the occasion, and was pleased to get the couple, children, in-laws,
and grandchildren in one picture.
Easter 2016
The Easter Sunday was to be held in the Malfoy Manor. Only little Seamus lived there as a general rule as Sarah was in her last year at the University. They were all able to put the gifts there for the past month. Draco and Madison, joined by their children, left the Potter Mansion for Easter treats at the in-laws. There was a mountain of presents. At the end of the morning, Draco stood and called Madison to his side. Turning to her in front of her friends and family, he read a letter that he had written; softly explaining that he did not want to forget anything important.
"I love you. From the first moment I saw you on the Hogwart's express, you have had me. From the first moment I saw you run to your mother's arms the first day of my Seventh year at Hogwart's, I have loved you. Your family and love have helped me to be more that I was originally destined. The first time I wrapped you in my arms, I heard your heart's music. I danced to that beat from that point forward. Our year in Texas helped me realize how truly lucky I am.
"There were guys everywhere who wanted a chance to be with you. You never made me doubt that we were meant to be. When most guys in high school wonder what they will do when they graduate; I did not particularly care what I did, as long as I could be with you through it. I knew that we would be together.
"When we went to New York to learn how to save the children, I never dreamed it would turn out the way it did. I was lost when you were no longer with me. I could not understand what had happened literally overnight for you to hate me.
"I know now that it was your love of OUR children. I stayed; but I did not know how to reach you. I could feel your hurt, your ache, but I could not help you. I learned beside you at school, watched you work, and lived in the same apartment you did, but I did not have you anymore. For eight months, we were apart in spirit. For eight months, I was lost. For five months after that, I was worse off than when I could see you everyday. I never imagined that I would be able to hold you again. I truly believed you were lost to me forever.
"As I look at you and our children, I understand what happened. A mother's love is something that is not explainable. It is only something you can feel.
"Forgive me for not following you to the ends of the earth. Please, forgive me for not loving you enough to see what had happened. Please Madison, forgive me and love me like you did before. I will wait forever for your forgiveness and spend every day earning it."
The room was silent. Not even the little ones made noise as though they all knew how important this was. He had professed his most intimate secret desires in front of the people who mattered most in the world to him. He did not want there to be any possibility of no one knowing how he felt for this woman. He loved the children they made together. But most of all, he loved her.
She stood, rooted to the spot, listening to his words. She finally wrapped her arms around him and said "You have nothing for which to be forgiven. I have loved you always. I… just got lost. You found me. You returned my children to me. There is no other." She hesitated until he looked at her again. "However, my love; there is something you should know…."
He pushed away from her, expecting the worst. She couldn't stand the hurt that flashed in his eyes, so she continued. "All this extra healing that Poppy and Celery suggested?" He nodded, "It worked," she grinned an evil grin, "Unless the end result was not supposed to be pregnancy."
He looked at her, mouth open. Regaining what little composure was possible at that moment, he asked, "Pregnant?" She nodded, as the room broke in applause.
Katie leaned over to Mason and said, "No way…not me… don't even think about it. Two are plenty." And smiling, he kissed her while the children played in the boxes the toys came in.