Chapter 20
It was a Sunday morning, a day before their wedding when the couple was separated for a whole day. Lily, Sarah, Alice and Bo slept over Natalie and Genevieve's house. No was the first to wake up. She couldn't sleep; she was too excited. She thought she was just too lucky. 'A husband and a baby seems too good to be true.', but nevertheless, it was her reality. Her thoughts wandered off, but when she thought about her mother, she tried to fight the tears. She and her mother weren't on speaking terms for a while and as the wedding was approaching, she grew to miss her. 'She doesn't understand that I'm a grown up. I can take care of myself.' Bo knew that she wouldn't write to her mother, no matter how much she missed her; she was still furious with her. She wiped her tears when she heard footsteps coming closer to her direction; the kitchen.
"What's wrong, Bo? Why are you crying?" Alice asked her.
Bo shook her head. "I'm fine."
Alice gave her an incredulous look: she wasn't buying it. Bo knew it was no use lying to her and said "I miss my mother. I need her more than ever and she deserted me. She even walked out on my dad!" Alice half- hugged her.
"I know you do. It's your choice if you want to talk to her or not. Everything will be alright in the end." Alice kissed Bo on the top of her head and went to call for Genevieve to help her with finding ingredients for making breakfast.
Bo and Alice made a glorious breakfast, filled with many waffles and pancakes, salads, eggs in many forms and various dishes. The others joined them in the petite dining room and ate with them. "And without wands, ladies!" Bo boasted.
"Really?" Natalie asked doubtfully.
"Bo is a fantastic cook, Nat." Lily defended Bo. Bo smiled gratefully at her.
They spent the rest of the day shopping for last things and visiting Shell Cottage. They apparated near the cottage to take a look at the sea. "It will be one hell of a wedding." Genevieve said quietly.
Alice nodded. "What a great place of a wedding!" Sarah said.
"I couldn't agree more." Bo said. Lily conjured a large red blanket and they sat down on it and viewed the waves.
The boys, however, were still suffering from hangovers. They woke up at noon. It took Sirius several minutes to figure out where he was: in James' room. He heard Remus groan. Sirius woke up from the floor, apparently trying to figure out how he got to sleep on the floor. "You crashed on the floor, mate. You were completely sloshed." James muttered to Sirius from his bed. Sirius walked out of James' to the bathroom. He washed his face 'Tomorrow I'm a married man. That reminds me, I have to get her ring!' All prim and proper, Sirius ran to James' room and told the boys that he's going to get Bo's ring and he'll come back and play poker with them. Poker was their favorite Muggle card game. Sirius disapparated.
The other boys woke up and ate breakfast. Henry Potter smirked at his son; he had a severe headache and was groaning.
"How much did you drink, boys?" Henry asked him at the kitchen table.
"Too much, Mr. Potter." Frank squinted his eyes, clearly suffering. Henry muttered a spell, waved his wand at them and their headaches quickly subsided.
"It's a miracle!" Peter squeaked. Remus and Frank thanked Henry.
"I have to remember that spell." James mumbled. Henry nodded at his son. After they finished their breakfast, Sirius returned with Bo's wedding ring: a silver ring with little diamonds around it.
"Damn, that looks expensive." James said.
Sirius laughed "It is, Prongs. A little bird told me that you're going to propose to Lily." The two of them looked at Remus.
Remus chuckled "Well, I had to tell him, James. You are, after all, his best man." They shared a laugh.
"That's great, Prongie pal! When?" Sirius asked James.
James replied "Tomorrow."
They decided to spend the rest of the day playing poker and reminiscing Hogwarts stories. They had spent another night at James' house. Sirius had a hard time falling asleep. He was too nervous. Grace Potter, being the kind person she was, gave him a Sleeping Draught that would let him through the night. His head hit the pillow quicker that he thought.
It was the morning of the wedding. Finally, the day they had been waiting for arrived. The couple woke up early separately to get ready for the first day of the rest of their lives. Bo was still with the girls, and Sirius was with his friends. The girls were made up and dressed to kill. Bo was the last one to get ready. Bo charmed her dark brown hair into a high elegant bun supported by a big hair pin and the veil was attached to the pin. She, with a flick of her wand, zippered her dress and walked barefoot out of the bathroom. The girls gasped in awe. Bo's blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
"How do I look?"
Comments of "Beautiful!", "Outstanding!" and "Gorgeous" were thrown in the air. She blushed and thanked them.
"I have one favor to ask. Can someone help me with my shoes?" They all laughed and Genevieve volunteered and help Bo put her shoes on because she had a hard time kneeling down.
Sirius was all dressed up in his suit and was now dealing with his tie. He remembered Bo's difficulty fixing her tie at Hogwarts and laughed lightly to himself. He walked out of the bathroom to see his friends in their suits.
"Looking good, gentlemen!" Sirius praised them. They smiled sheepishly.
"Where's the ring, Prongs?" Sirius addressed James. James pulled out a small box from his left pocket.
Sirius smiled "Good. And where's Lily's?" James patted his right pocket. They shared a grin.
"Break a leg today, Padfoot."
"Thanks, Moony." Sirius and Remus shared a quick hug. They went down the stairs and saw Grace crying.
"What happened, mom?" James asked quickly.
"My little Sirius is getting married!" The Potters took Sirius in when he was 16 years old. She hugged Sirius tightly, and Henry threw him look of empathy.
"Let's go, if we don't want to be late." Frank said. The boys, along with the Potters disapparated to Shell Cottage.
The ceremony was going to take place on a platform floor placed on the sand by the sea. It was decorated with pillars covered with colorful flowers and an open sided shelter would be above the couple. A deep red carpet was laid down up till the floor, to be used as an aisle. To the right and left of the aisle were white chairs. Sirius waited with the other boys at the platform floor next to an elder wizard, who was in charge of the ceremony.
"Where is she? I can't wait!" Sirius said anxiously.
"They'll be here, don't worry." Remus reassured him. Sirius waited and anticipated. They heard a few pops and saw the girls, but Bo was covered in a black cloak.
Sirius chuckled "They didn't want me to see her before the ceremony." They boys laughed along. The guests had arrived as well. From underneath the cloak, Bo saw the Potters and the Lupins sit next to each other. Alan Carter walked over to the girls and spoke to them for a minute of two.
She heard the girls walk away and he took Bo's cloak off "This is silly. He's going to see you anyway."
Bo smiled at her father "Hey Dad."
Alan's face softened. "Hey, baby girl. Well, you're not a baby anymore. You're having one yourself." He looked down to her stomach and looked up to her.
"You look magnificent." He kissed her on the cheek and led her to the edge of the carpet, facing Sirius. Bo and Sirius shared looks while her walk to him. 'She looks heavenly, like a dream.' Sirius gushed. The guests stood in her honor and took photos of her. She saw her friends standing by the pillars, smiling at her. Lily, Sirius and James were closest to the elder wizard. Alan kissed Bo's cheek and sat down. Bo walked to Sirius and he kissed her hand. She mouthed to him "Hey, handsome." The guests sat down and the elder wizard began the ceremony.
"I wanted to say how much I love you, Sirius Black. I loved you ever since I first saw you. We had our ups and downs, but that didn't change the way I feel about you. You are the man of my life." Bo said to Sirius. Bo was crying and cried harder when she saw Sirius's tears.
"I would have never thought I would meet the love of my life at Hogwarts. You've completely changed me for the better. You've made me a better and stronger person. I love you so much." Sirius said to Bo.
The guests applauded. They exchanged vows, rings and kisses. The ceremony was over. The guests clapped and cheered for the newlywed couple. Looking at the guests, Sirius spotted a very familiar professor with a white long beard. They walked down the carpet and thanked the guests for coming. Bo and Sirius conjured tables with delicious meals, drinks and chairs.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a surprise for the couple!" Sarah shouted. Four young men apparated into the wedding, and they conjured their instruments.
"Hit it, guys!" The band was playing Bo's favorite muggle song "All You Need is Love." Bo spotted the first notes and gasped in surprise. She sang along with the band and the guests were enjoying themselves. After the song, the band played their own songs. Bo walked up to the girls "Thank girls! You're the best! But how did you get-?"
She was cut off by Genevieve "Well, the bass player and I had a thing together and let's just say he owed me one." Genevieve snickered to herself. Bo hugged every one of her friends.
Sirius walked over to the professor he'd seen before "Professor Dumbledore! What a pleasure to see you."
Dumbledore lowered his head slightly "Congratulations, Sirius. Thank you for the invitation. There is something we need to discuss. Tell the others to join you; excluding Bo." Sirius nodded and ran to tell the others to come along with him.
"What happened?"
"Dumbledore's here and he wants to see all of us, except for Bo." Sirius said.
"Why not Bo?" Lily asked.
"That's what he said. He must have a reason." They joined Sirius a bit away from the wedding party to speak with Dumbledore.
The former students greeted their former headmaster. Dumbledore conjured chairs and they all sat on them.
"I wanted to postpone this conversation, but I'm afraid I can't. We are in danger; grave danger. An evil wizard is planning to rise to power and destroy muggleborns and what he calls 'blood-traitors'. I have started a group, which its purpose is to train to combat and fight against him. It is called the 'Order of the Phoenix'. I wish for you to join me."
There was a slight silence.
"Who is he? Where has he come from?" Alice asked him.
"A good question, Alice. His name is Lord Voldemort and I have known him since he was a young boy. He discovered Hogwarts through me and I had been his teacher. Since he left Hogwarts, he has done terrible things."
There was a silence until James said "I'll join." The others followed James.
"A question, Dumbledore?" Natalie asked. Dumbledore nodded slightly.
"Why are you excluding Bo?"
"Well, Natalie, I thought the reason was obvious. She is expecting and I don't want her in any of this right now. She needs to focus on being cool and collected until the birth. If after the birth she wishes to join, then so be it." Dumbledore replies calmly. They have all agreed to join, to his delight.
"I shall owl you each the date and time of the first meeting."
Bo, to their surprise, didn't suspect anything. They continued to have a good time and dance. Bo got tired and wanted to sit down. She gulped down a goblet of pumpkin juice when she heard a chuckle beside her.
"Professor Dumbledore." Bo stated in surprise.
"Congratulations, Bo Black." He smiled at her. She shared his smiled and thanked him for coming. They talked for a while when Sirius wanted to dance with her. Bo excused herself and left the table with her husband. They slow danced together.
In the middle of it all, she asked him "Where did you disappear? And don't lie." Sirius was silent; he didn't think that she would notice.
"Dumbledore wanted to talk to us, but he excluded you."
Bo furrowed her perfectly shaped eyebrows together and asked "Why?"
Sirius replied "Because of the baby." He told her about the Order and told her that if she wanted, she could join after the birth. Bo was worried.
She looked into his eyes and asked "What are we going to do, Sirius?"
Sirius smiled confidently at her and said "Everything will be alright. Let's enjoy ourselves, it's our day today." Bo calmed down. She smiled and kissed him. She looked over to see Genevieve dancing barefoot with Amos. She chuckled.
"She never liked high heels." Sirius chuckled along with his wife.
After the slow dance, Sirius and Bo heard James call out "There's something I wanted to do for a long time." They spotted him kneeling in front of a gasping Lily. He pulled out an engagement ring.
"Lily Evans, I've loved you ever since I first saw you on Platform 9 and 3\4. Will you marry me?"
It didn't take long until Lily screamed "Yes!" James grinned, slid on the ring on her finger and picked her up. He twirled her around and the guests cheered for them. Grace and Henry walked over to James and Lily and congratulated them.
"Good job, Prongs!" The boys praised him. The girls examined the ring and hugged Lily.
The dancing and eating continued. Sarah went to get herself dessert. She walked over to the dessert table and saw one marmalade frosted cupcake 'My favorite!' she was about to grab it when she saw someone's hand on it already. She looked up to see a young man with light brown eyes, blonde hair and a stubble.
"I'm sorry! Take it, it's yours!" The guy said to her, taking away his hand.
Sarah insisted "No, no, take it." The guy saw another cupcake at a table nearby and reached out to get it. He told her to take the cupcake.
He looked at her and asked her "What's your name and what's your relationship with the couple?"
"I'm Sarah, and Bo's one of my best friends. And you?"
He smiled and replied "I'm Daniel and I'm Bo's childhood friend." He was about to say something until Bo interrupted.
"Danny! Thanks for coming!" She hugged him. It took her about a minute to feel that she was in the way.
"Did I bother you guys? I'm sorry!"
Sarah and Daniel quickly replied "No, no, no", but in vain.
"I'll let you two talk!" She winked at Sarah and left them to talk.
Bo was talking to her father when he suddenly held her hand and took her aside from the party.
"There's someone who wants to see you." Alan said.
"Who?" She asked him. He moved aside to show her.
"Hello, Bo." Her mother, Miranda appeared.
"Mother." Bo greeted curtly.
Miranda looked down to the swollen stomach and sneered "You're stupider than I thought; keeping a baby at this age. All I wanted for you was to learn from my mistakes. I never wanted this for you. You know-" She was cut off by a scoff escaping Bo's lips.
"Mother, listen. I've decided to take responsibility and not to get away with it. I don't regret it. Sirius and I are going to raise this baby. We've done the right thing, and if you can't accept that, then there's no use speaking to each other." Bo had finally told her mother what she felt.
Miranda looked at Alan "I know you approve this, this abomination!"
"The only abomination is you, Miranda." A new voice joined then. Bo turned to look at Sirius, who was behind her. Miranda smirked evilly and disapparated. Bo didn't feel sorry for not being in good relations with her mother; not for one bit. The wedding party ended with Remus catching Bo's garter and Natalie catching Bo's bouquet. Sirius and Bo left for their honeymoon.
They were on a private exotic island. Sirius and Bo lay beside each other on a beach bed by the sea. He stroked her belly and kissed it. She giggled slightly and thought about her mother again. Sirius looked at her and immediately knew what was wrong.
"Honey, don't mind her. She had her chance to be a part of this, but she is ashamed of us. I think we should move on. Am I right?" Sirius said to her. Bo never wanted her relationship with her mother to be ruined, but she wanted to take responsibility and be independent. Bo licked her lips and nodded.
"You're right. I guess deep down that I wanted her to change her mind." Sirius took her hand and kissed it. He decided to give her a little surprise and picked her up. "Sirius! No!" Bo laughed. Sirius grinned and led her into their little house nearby. The door was slightly open when they arrived, so in order to open it wider, Sirius kicked it a bit and took his new bride upstairs to the bedroom.