Disclaimer: I don't own HP.
The Wedding Ambush
March 16th, 1997
Vanessa had been having a good day, even with Grace teething while still nursing. Dobby had been showing up every now and then for the last week, and she had been incredibly grateful for the help around the house.
If only she had magic that could do half the things the little guy could.
But she knew that Pansy was coming over to visit that afternoon, and she had a feeling that Dobby might have done an even better job than usual at tidying up the place since 'the great mistress' was coming over. She had asked the house-elf about why he was so devoted to the Potters, and Dobby said that he kept his family's secrets but admitted that Harry had freed him from his abusive former master.
The idea of abusing someone that not only acted as a housekeeper but also a cook seemed ludicrous to Vanessa. Forget spitting in your food, what if they poisoned you?
The doorbell rang and Grace started to flail her chubby little arms around.
"It's just your aunt Pansy sweetheart," she said while giggling at her baby. "Of course, she's probably just as excited to see you."
"I am, actually," Pansy agreed as she walked into the living room.
"I'm glad Steven was here so I wouldn't have to get up," Vanessa sighed before waving Pansy over with her free hand. "Well come on then, and take this little princess off my hands for a while."
"Gladly," Pansy grinned as she picked up the infant. "Hello again Grace, you wonderful little princess."
Said princess gurgled happily at her.
"I've seen that look before," Vanessa giggled. "Don't get in too much of a hurry. Now that I know you're only seventeen, I feel like I should try to be a better influence on you."
"I'm not in that big of a rush," Pansy replied even as she kept staring at Grace. "But I think I should pay attention now while I can. I have a feeling Harry would love to have a big family."
"Why?"
"Well, other than the fact that he can't keep his hands off of me?" Pansy snorted. "A couple of reasons, actually. For one thing, there was this family we knew- the Weasleys. Harry was friends with some of them, and he even spent a bit of time with them the year before he and I got together. Now, the thing about them is that to some people in the magical world they were seen as foolish because they had seven children despite being rather poor. Or, I guess, they were poor because they had so many kids. But to Harry, their home was amazing because it was the first time he'd been able to experience a family that wasn't completely terrible. Those bastards that he grew up with-"
She stopped herself from going off on a rant by taking a deep breath while looking at Grace again. "Anyway, there was a story he told me. A few years ago, he came across this magical mirror that showed your heart's desire. And Harry, the orphan desperate for affection, saw the family he should have had. His parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on. Harry never got to know any of them."
"I don't think many kids would see something like that," Vanessa said. "When I was that age, it would have been something silly, like me becoming the next Madonna."
"I probably would have seen my parents' funeral," Pansy sighed. "Or at least my father's. My feelings for my mum were pretty messed up by then."
"You've never talked much about them."
"My father was a monster." Pansy looked over at her friend who was frowning. "And I'm not exaggerating, either. He was a terrorist who murdered six people, not including my mother. About the only bright spot was that he wasn't a child molester, but he was physically and emotionally abusive, to me and my mother, and he was sexually abusive to her too. I spied on them a couple of times when I was little, and my first ideas about sex involved seeing my mum naked and crying, and... well, it left a few scars."
"I'm so sorry."
"It's alright," Pansy exhaled. "I've gotten over a lot of it. Harry has helped with that- well, with everything really. We're both damaged people in our own ways, and we've clung to each other more tightly because of that. I've been told we're codependent, and there is something to that, but I think I've gotten a lot better over the last couple of years. But Harry, sometimes I worry over him. He's been through so much, and I just want him to be happy. So, I can see myself giving him a big family someday. I don't know if I want to have a ton of kids, but I could see having three or four maybe, spread out over several years."
"That's probably smart," Vanessa agreed and then started to smirk. "I can promise you I won't be giving little miss Grace a brother or sister for at least another year or two. I think it would be nice to have a boy, but it would be wonderful if she were potty trained before I had another baby to deal with."
"Well, I hope you don't mind if I turn to you whenever I do have questions someday," Pansy said. "I don't have a lot of people I can ask about things like that. My gran died when I was young. The one I was close to, I mean. And Luna lost her mum when she was young, unfortunately."
"I think I'd like to meet her one of these days," Vanessa grinned. "You light up when you talk about her."
"That's just how wonderful Luna is. She's brilliant and strange but she's also so open and loving. Harry and I can both be pretty cynical and mean at times, especially with all the stress we've had over the last few years, and she's always been the one we could turn to who could cheer us up. Maybe sometime this summer we could have a little get together."
"That would be lovely, especially if Gracie can handle staying with my mum for a night or two." Vanessa perked up. "Oh, that reminds me! We're on for Glastonbury this year. Steven even has an extra couple of tickets if you can come with us."
"Really? That would be great." Pansy chuckled. "Harry especially will be pleased since he heard that Radiohead is going to be there this year."
"You hear that?" Vanessa called into the kitchen.
"Yeah, hon, I heard," Steven replied from the other room. "I've got to keep an eye on the stove though."
"I am so glad that he can cook," Vanessa laughed. "Richie and Barbara aren't going to make it this year. She's going to pop one of these days, and she already told him that if he runs off to Glastonbury while leaving her at home with a newborn that she will make sure that he never has any future children. It was pretty funny as she got out this big pair of scissors to show that she meant business."
"I don't think I'll ever have to worry about that with Harry," Pansy giggled. "It's more likely that he'll spoil our kids rotten. And he'll probably pamper me when I'm pregnant too; he already does most of the time anyway."
"You were each other's first loves," Vanessa sighed. "It's very sweet even if I do worry that you've rushed into things."
"I think that's just how Harry is," Pansy shrugged. "Because of his awful childhood, I think he would have grasped onto whichever girl had first shown him love. In fact, if you asked him to really think about it, I bet he would say that he had decided to marry me long before we actually talked about it."
"That ties into his need for family too," Vanessa nodded. "Just be careful, alright? Make sure the two of you are settled and healthy and taking good care of yourselves before you start adding any little Potters."
"I will."
"Good," Vanessa replied. "So, where is Harry anyway?"
"Oh, he's spending some time with his godfather," Pansy laughed. "Sirius and Harry are probably being bad influences on each other, but they have become really close over the last couple of years. I just hope he doesn't come home too drunk for any fun later."
"It seems like Harry's a fun drunk at least." Vanessa thought about it for a moment before Grace started fussing and Pansy handed her over. "She probably wants to nurse again. It's been awhile. You don't mind, do you?"
"No."
"Thank Christ." Vanessa unbuttoned her shirt. "Breast feeding is supposed to be a natural thing even if some people get all stuffy about it. But hell, I'm sitting on my own couch, so everyone can shove off."
"I imagine Harry would be good about that," Pansy said with a laugh. "At least until it's me feeding our child. He gets the goofiest look on his face whenever he sees my boobs. And I can't tell you how great that's been for my self-esteem. I mean, I used to be so damn jealous of girls with big breasts."
"I was a bit of a late bloomer," Vanessa responded as she grimaced briefly and looked down at her daughter. "Be careful with those teeth, Gracie. But yeah, I remember how the other girls were all developing and I was still completely flat, and my god I hated those bitches. Then, the summer after I turned fourteen, all of a sudden it was titty city. I was so damn relieved."
Pansy laughed. "Titty city, I'll have to remember that."
"So, why are you back in town already? I thought you were supposed to be off on a year long honeymoon?"
"Oh, that actually reminds me of something I wanted to ask you about," Pansy perked up. "So, have you seen the Star Wars movies?"
"Of course."
"Right, so they were back in theaters and Harry just had to see them all," Pansy smiled. "It was actually rather sweet that he hoped I would enjoy them too, and I did even though I teased him mercilessly about how he just wanted a 'laser sword.' He always corrected me about it with this little grumpy pout. But we saw the last one the other day, and you know how the princess gets captured and put in that one kinky outfit?"
"The slave Leia thing," Vanessa giggled. "I think every guy that's under forty or so has had a fantasy about that. It's a popular costume for that very reason."
"Yeah, and I need to dress up like that," Pansy smiled. "Harry will go completely nuts for it. In fact, he said that he will do absolutely anything I want if I do."
"It might be easiest to wait until the Halloween season and then look in all the shops," Vanessa suggested. "I'm sure you'd be able to find it somewhere."
"I was hoping to do it sooner than that, but I guess I could wait." Pansy continued with a smirk, "It's not like he isn't wrapped around my finger already."
"So, tell me about Africa..."
March 18th, 1997
Pansy was sitting on the couch and enjoying a cup of tea while Harry took a shower. Not having anything planned for the day yet, she was hoping they could just relax at the flat, staying in while talking over where they wanted to go next when her magical mirror drew her attention.
"Pansy, darling, how are you?" asked Apolline Delacour.
"Oh, well enough. We're having a bit of a day off before we decide where to travel next."
"I see. Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to request that you and Harry come over to visit us. Could you join us for dinner?"
"Sure."
"Excellent. We'll be expecting you at seven."
"Alright."
Harry came out a moment later humming to himself and drying his hair. "Hey, who were you talking to?"
"We've been invited to dinner with the Delacours."
"Oh, okay. That would be fun." Harry stopped using the towel and turned back to her. "Aren't the girls all at school?"
"Come to think of it, they should be," Pansy replied. "It may just be Apolline and Henri, if Fleur isn't free."
"Hmm," he shrugged. "Well, I guess that means that Gabrielle will just be put out that she missed us."
"You mean, that she'll have missed getting a chance to fawn all over you," Pansy snorted.
"Alas," Harry laughed. "I'll just have to manage without seeing her this time."
"Maybe Apolline could suggest some places that we haven't thought of," Pansy said. "I wonder how well traveled she is."
"May as well ask her tonight," he shrugged.
"I think I will."
They were not expecting the ambush when they arrived at the Delacours.
"Auntie Evangeline? What are you doing here?"
Harry was pleased that Pansy recognized the older woman that was sitting at the dinner table because he would have been lost otherwise. Although, he had only met Evangeline Beaumont once- at Pansy's mother's funeral- and that had been three years prior.
It had also been a particularly traumatic day as Pansy's relationship with her mum had been a mess.
The older witch's French began rapidly. "I have heard the most disturbing thing, and I have come to rectify a great misfortune for you, child."
"What are you talking about?" his wife asked, and Harry smiled as he was getting used to being able to call her that, even in his own thoughts.
"This nonsense of you not having a proper wedding," Evangeline replied with a scowl. "What possessed you to merely 'sign some papers' and think that would be enough?"
"We just wanted to get away from everything and start our honeymoon," Pansy answered.
"Getting away from that boorish country I can understand," Evangeline turned her nose up and Harry tried not to giggle. "Especially the fools in the magical side of things. However, that is no excuse for not having a proper wedding. Well, I have decided that we will be fixing this as soon as possible."
"I don't need all that," Pansy scowled. "Besides, we're hardly old fashioned. Harry and I have been living together for years. And he has to take me around the world for almost nine more months before we'll be done."
"No, that won't do. We can have a ceremony before you get back to this honeymoon. But every girl deserves a proper wedding day. Especially one of my nieces. Or close enough to one."
"You're not?" Harry asked.
"First cousin, twice removed," Evangeline responded before turning back to Pansy. "Now, let's start talking about the big day."
"But-"
"I am not taking no for an answer, young lady. Amelie and Dahlia would never forgive me if I let this travesty go unchecked. Thankfully, the choice of venue and priest is easy enough- Senlis is beautiful, and your grandmother was married there, plus Louis is an old friend, so I'm sure he would love to perform the ceremony. You remember him from the funeral, I assume?"
"I do, but-"
"Then we already have a place to start," Evangeline nodded. "We can discuss other things over dinner- your dress, the food, decorations, and whatnot."
Pansy turned to Harry but he knew that he wasn't going to be much help so he just shrugged and she rolled her eyes at him. "I suppose we could begin thinking about this, but it will not be happening too soon. Luna won't be free until summer, and I am not getting married without my bridesmaid."
"When does she get out of school?"
"The end of June, roughly," Pansy replied.
"Then we'll aim for the first of July." Evangeline pulled a small folder out of her purse that quickly grew in size as she flipped it open. "The fifth and sixth of July are the weekend. However, we may need to go with the Friday before, as weekends are always more busy, so that would mean July fourth. We'll try for the fifth though, with this much time to prepare, we should be able to get on the schedule, I hope."
"I guess that could work-"
"Excellent!" Evangeline clapped and turned to Harry. "If my darling Pansy will only be having one bridesmaid, that means you will only have one groomsman, mister Potter. Have you someone in mind?"
"Sirius, I guess."
"Very good; you should speak with him soon to begin arranging things."
Apolline finally interrupted. "I believe dinner is ready."
"Then we can discuss this more while we eat," Evangeline said with a smirk.
And from there, the wedding train barreled on down the tracks for the rest of the evening. Apolline ended up offering them one of the guest rooms once auntie Evangeline had gotten her fill of details and went home, likely to continue planning out their nuptials all night long.
Pansy glared at Harry when they finally retired for the evening. "You weren't much help tonight."
"As if you aren't much more of an expert at weddings than me," he snorted.
"It's going to be our wedding; you should have had something to say!"
"Well, you'll be there, and that's the really important part."
"Harry," she growled at him. "You will be more help, or else."
"Whatever you want, dear."
"Damn right."
Harry started to grin. "I do have one idea."
"Really?" she raised an eyebrow at him, likely guessing that he was about to say something ridiculous.
And she was right, as usual. Harry grinned and said, "I know what your wedding dress should look like."
"Go on."
"Remember that Guns N'Roses video where the dude married the supermodel lady? And she wore that dress-"
"With the miniskirt that showed off her legs," Pansy snorted. "Harry, this may come as a shock to you, but I am not a six foot tall model with legs that are miles long. You don't really think I'd wear something like that, do you?"
"But..." Harry pouted. "I love your legs."
"I know, you silly man," she sighed. "You'll just have to wait for me to wear something fun later that night."
"Promise?"
March 29th, 1997
Luna was sitting in her dorm when Pansy's voice rang out from her mirror. "Are you busy, sweetie?"
She picked up the mirror and smiled. "Nope. I was considering whether or not to sneak down to the kitchens for some tea before bed. Oh, and maybe a scone!"
"Well, I've got some news."
"Is it about Easter tomorrow?" Luna asked. "Because Daddy and I are still trying to figure out if Jesus is supposed to come back as a giant bunny or a giant piece of chocolate."
"What about a giant chocolate bunny?" Pansy suggested with a smirk.
"Yummy," Luna moaned. "Now I'm feeling even more hungry."
"Then I won't keep you too long," Pansy giggled. "Harry and I ran into my auntie Evangeline the other day. Or, more appropriately, she actually ambushed us at dinner with the Delacours. Turns out she's old friends with Apolline's mother; the French magical community isn't much bigger than the British one. Anyway, she heard about Harry and I eloping and she's determined that I will have a proper wedding ceremony. So, how do you feel about being my bridesmaid on the fifth of July?"
"I'd be honored," Luna smiled. "We'll have to pick out a dress for me though."
"I'm already on it; I just need your measurements."
"Winky could take them and then meet up with you," Luna suggested.
"Good thinking."
"So, are you excited?"
Pansy grinned before stopping herself and looking around. "Okay, Harry's still in the shower, so yes, I really am. I think every girl probably has some dream wedding, but when I was little I just never really thought I could have one where I'd be happy to be getting married. Fear of my bastard father and all that."
"Why did you have to check on Harry?" Luna asked.
"Because I don't want him to tease me about this," Pansy laughed. "Especially after how little help he was when I saw my auntie and she just drove the entire conversation. Oh, and by the way, the wedding is going to be in France, so you might want to brush up on your French."
"I can do that," Luna nodded. "I might just have to call you every night or so to practice though."
"Maybe I should call you instead," Pansy suggested. "Harry is pretty insatiable."
"And I wouldn't want to interfere with your honeymoon," Luna smiled.
"Exactly."
"Alright, I guess all of this will give me something to really look forward to once I get past my OWLs."
"Glad to help, sweetie," Pansy giggled. "I'm going to be spending tomorrow visiting Vanessa and Grace again. She's going to help me pick the perfect song for the first dance at the wedding."
"What's Harry going to be doing?"
"I'm not sure," she shrugged. "He already talked to Sirius about being his best man. I might see if he wants to come with me."
"Do you think Sirius is going to try to organize some ridiculous bachelor party?"
"Ugh, he probably would," Pansy groaned. "We'll have to come up with some way to put a stop to that."
"Why? Don't you think Harry would have fun?"
"I think he'd rather have fun in bed with me than getting too drunk with Sirius and staring at strippers or something."
"We could have a party!" Luna suggested with a huge smile. "For both ladies and gentlemen."
"So Sirius won't be invited?" Pansy cackled.
"Oh, he can come too, but only if he brings his lovely wife," Luna added. "She can help keep him in line and maybe with enough couples there, he won't be able to complain too much about a lack of strippers. Or, you could always suggest that Harry won't need strippers if he's got you waiting at home."
"I haven't done that in awhile," Pansy mused with a smirk. "And I could invite Vanessa and Stephen, so they could meet some of our magical friends, like you."
"That would be fun. Plus, as far as drinking too much goes, we could have drinks and other things at the party to make everyone feel really festive. But you and Harry can make sure that you're both still feeling like having fun when it's over."
"I'm liking this idea more and more."
"Goodie!" Luna clapped. "I'll have to see if daddy can get some fun hallucinogens for us."
"That would definitely make things more interesting," Pansy snorted. "I suppose if we need more couples, I could invite Fleur and her beau."
"Ooh, and that would also add more eye candy to the night!" Luna giggled. "If they're done at Beauxbatons in time, you should invite Hestia and Flora. I'd like to see how they're doing. They were nice."
"Give me the dates of your OWLs, and I'll see which weekend will work out the best," Pansy suggested. "We might even do it in the middle of the two weeks, if you want a break from studying."
