Author's Note: My amazing beta returned this early, so you're getting it early too. The emphasis will be back on the problems of the wizarding world and Harry's personal growth in the next chapter, but for now we have a romantic interlude. Enjoy, MNF

Chapter 29:

The Quietest Wedding of the Century

Thursday 21 December 1995

Minutes before nightfall

"You nervous?" Remus asked Sirius from his seat on his mate's bed while the groom put the finishing touches on his wedding robes. The black and silver robes were made of the finest Acromantula silk with a faint jacquard print to them. His house crest was embroidered over his heart.

"Excited, but not nervous, no. I'm certainly not James on his wedding day," Sirius said with a chuckle. "He was bouncing off the walls."

"I remember, we had to slip him a Calming Draught a half-hour before the ceremony just to make sure he'd make it through," Remus said happily. "He'd be thrilled to know you and Amy are finally being married."

Sirius turned away from the full-length mirror to look at his oldest friend. "I know he is. He and Lily were happy when Amy and I started dating. He said it was about time I stuck to one witch for a while. She stole my heart and was the last only one for me." Sirius crossed over and sat on his bed next to his friend. "You're not upset I asked Harry to stand up with me, are you?"

"Not in the slightest, Pads," Remus confessed. "He's your son, he belongs by your side, just as Susan belongs with Amy. I think you made the right choice. How did you avoid having a big Ministry do, however?"

"Well, a certain set of twins set off a ton, well, not quite that many but you get the idea, of dung bombs off in the ceremony room three weeks ago, just after we announced our engagement. The Magical Engineering and Sanitation Department suspects it will be mid-March before the room would be usable. It isn't high on their list of things to fix at the Ministry right now."

"Hmm, sounds like a Marauder engineered project." Remus said with a glint in his eye.

"No, it was a Marauder junior facilitated project," Sirius said, and a great chuffing laugh came out of Remus. When his friend had quieted down, the groom continued. "One night while I was out with my son, I mentioned how Amy and I really wanted to avoid a big Ministry wedding. We just wanted it to be private. The rest was 'twin magic', although I suspect Arthur might have been an unwitting accomplice."

"I can't decide if they are the most brilliant wizards to come out of Hogwarts in years, or if they're on their way to being criminals," Remus confessed.

"I suspect if they were bored, it might be the latter. However, I intend to back their shop idea fully. Some of their prank items are pure genius."

"So, you took advantage of there being no place large enough with wards flexible enough to allow a large wedding and that's how we've ended up here today?"

"Exactly. Since Amy and I had not set a date, and neither of us wanted to draw more attention to ourselves, we were given a reprieve from having everyone and their brother here. I just wanted our house family, even if that meant the whole Weasley family were invited, and the Tonks's here. Amy had a few folks, like Kingsley and Rufus and her assistant, whatever his name is, and Becky and Steve Abbott. We have about fifty people, and I know the staff have pulled out all the stops, so it's just what we wanted."

"I envy you," Remus said honestly. "I long to find someone to love."

"Remus, you have someone, you just need to let her love you," Sirius answered.

"We are just friends," Remus answered quickly. "Intellectual sparring partners."

"She's seen you just after you've wolfed out on many occasions, so you're not going to frighten her away. Someone doesn't do that if you're just good at conversation. They do it because they care. You've not let Amy see you post-moon, and she's about to be my wife."

"But –"

"But nothing. You've been chasing people away from you for as long as I've known you. Give it up. Maia isn't a fifteen-year-old who doesn't understand. She's a powerful hedge witch who cares for you deeply and who understands and cares for all sides of you. Give yourself permission to let someone in."

"When did you become so mature?"

"When my recklessness cost Harry so much," Sirius said honestly. "I still love a great prank, like we played on those losers outside your old cottage. That was funny. Relationships, caring about those I love, being a responsible Lord, that is serious and I'm not just making a pun."

"Thank Merlin, that joke became old very quickly." A knock at the door interrupted their conversation and when Sirius called to enter, Harry cracked the door and peaked in.

"The guests are all here and Susan went to check on Amy, making sure she's ready to get this show on the road; are you?" Harry asked.

"I am. Filius is in place?" Sirius asked.

"He is."

"Then I say we be off. Remus, if you will lead the way?" Remus nodded and left the room first, followed by Harry and finally, Sirius. He took one last look about the room, knowing when he came back it would be different. The staff would move in Amy's things, repaint the walls and hang new draperies. While the room wouldn't be fully feminine, it would be less overtly manly. He was overjoyed at it, and with that thought he closed the door.

Sirius and his gentlemen arrive at the landing on the second floor just before Amelia and her gentlewomen did. Minerva had been sitting with Amelia and Susan as they prepared, and Remus offered her his arm as they descended the stairs. The ceremony was taking place in a magically expanded orangery that Neville and Hannah had been spending the afternoon decorating. Harry then offered Susan his arm and led her down the stairs. They would wait just outside the orangery for the happy couple and enter just before them.

"You look enchanting," Sirius said to his bride-to-be when he was able to see her fully. She wore a pale lavender set of dress robes that had a deeper purple dress beneath. They were cut to accentuate her bust and hips. Susan had worked on her hair and make-up, and it was a cascade of soft curls and deep, smoky eyeshadow made her green eyes pop. Sirius honestly thought she looked twenty-five again, and he felt a bit like a nervous twenty-year-old in her presence. "You look just like you did the first night we went out for dinner."

"You surprised me by taking me to a Muggle restaurant. Japanese, if I remember. They cooked right at the table?"

"They did, and the chef kept flinging hot food at me to catch with my mouth," Sirius said with a laugh. "I knew I would marry you that night. It just took a tad longer than I expected."

"I don't care how long it took us to get here," Amelia said softly. "The important part is we are here now." Sirius leaned over carefully and gently kissed her. "By the way, you're absolutely handsome." Sirius had gone to pains to be clean shaven and had pulled his hair neatly back and secured it with a thin silk cording.

"Thank you," Sirius said before offering her his arm. "Shall we go and be married?"

"Oh, we shall." The pair walked down the stairs and were greeted with the household staff, all of whom stood proudly and smiled warmly at their Lord and the soon-to-be Lady of the house. Sirius made eye contact with each of them as he passed, knowing they'd been working extra hard on the food for the reception.

Entering the Orangery, they noticed the hothouse flowers that Neville and Harry had been growing for the last three weeks. There were hydrangeas in the same purple as Amy's dress, Stargazer Lilies for the star names the Black family was fond of, and white roses by the dozens.

When they reached the windows, they found Filius Flitwick standing on a small set of steps, so he was close to the same height as the bride, although Sirius was still several inches taller.

"It isn't often I am called upon to marry anyone, although lawfully I can as an elder of the ancient house of Wick in the Goblin Kingdom. I am, however, pleased to marry two of my favourite students today and I am humbled I was asked. Welcome, then, family, friends and loved ones, all who have come to bear witness to the marriage of Sirius and Amelia. Share today in the triumph of their love as they proclaim their intention to care for and grow old with one another.

"Amelia and Sirius, while love is dynamic, fluid and responsive to our magic, a marriage of souls should not be entered into lightly. You will be making a sacred vow not only to each other, but to magic as a whole. You are committing to be a partner to one another, to honour that connection between your souls and will not do anything to harm or dishonour one another or your connection. Your loved ones are here to bear witness to the commitment you make." The Charms professor then looked up at the gathered. "Are you prepared to not only witness but to help in upholding the marriage vows they make?"

"We are," the gathered said in unison.

"Harry, son of Sirius, Susan, niece of Amelia, as their closest relatives, are you prepared to support their union? Will you be the voice of reason and support when tempers flare, and the reminder of the love that brought them here when Amelia and Sirius appear to forget."

"I am," Susan answered.

"Well, you've met Sirius, I'll do the best I can," Harry truthfully answered which caused all the gathered to chuckle. Sirius looked at Harry with a crooked smile before he sideways hugged his son.

"Amelia, Sirius, do you intend to enter this commitment of marriage with an open heart and mind?"

"I do."

"Sirius and Amelia, you will be making six vows in total to one another before me and these witnesses. For each, I will ask each of you to comment before we move on. Do you agree to these terms?"

"I do," they replied in unison.

"Sirius, will you share in Amelia's pain and see to protect her from it and ease her of it?"

"I will," Sirius answered, and Filius then asked Amelia the same question, and she replied the same.

"Then let the binding be so," Filius said, shooting a cord of light out of his wand, having it cross over their conjoined left hands with a single crossing.

"Amelia, will share in Sirius's joy, rejoice with him and look for the best in him always?"

"I will," Amelia answered and when Sirius had answered the same question in the affirmative, Flitwick blessed it and the cord of light cross over their hands, creating a second binding.

The questions went on: Will you share in the other's hardship and toils, so that the two of you may grow together? Will you share in the other's dreams and work with them to fulfil them? Will to use your anger to strengthen and temper the bond between you and your beloved. The questions were always answered in the affirmative, creating another crossing of the magical ribbon.

"Finally, Amelia, will you honour and respect Sirius, treating him as an equal in this bond?"

"I most certainly will," she said in a breathless tone.

"Sirius, will you honour and respect Amelia, treating her as an equal in this bond?"

"With everything in me, I always will," he answered, his voice cracking with emotion. The final crossing of the cord covered their hands before glowing brightly before fading into the skin. A light mark was left there, although over the next week it would fade.

"Amelia and Sirius have chosen to wear rings and have written their own vows to share while putting the ring on their spouse's finger," Flitwick explained. "Sirius?"

She took Amy's left hand and began to slide an ornate wedding band covered in flowers onto her third finger. "Amy, I never expected to live to amount to much, and then I met you and you whipped me into shape. Because of you, I had a career and then I had someone to share the good things in life with. It wasn't easy back then, we were on the front lines of a war, but our time spent together made the rest bearable. When I came back, I didn't expect to renew our friendship, let alone anything else; but the world has a funny way of bringing people together when they need each other. For the rest of my life, I am going to make sure you know how loved you are, how proud I am of you and how lucky I am that you gave me a second chance. I hope our family continues to grow, but even if it's just the two of us with Harry and Susan, I will think we have the grandest family ever. I love you." Sirius slid the ring the rest of the way onto her hand and then leaned down to kiss it where it rested.

"Sirius, you should have let me go first," Amy said, tears running down her face. "I should have known the one time I wasn't expecting it, you went with sincerity." Everyone chuckled again at Sirius's expense, but he was happy for it to happen. "You talk about being thankful I gave you a second chance, but really, it was me who shouldn't have expected it. You came back to me, opened your heart and in doing so brought mine back to life. I had resolved to live my life alone, but you changed all that. You are such an extraordinary man, a wonderful father and friend and true leader in the wizarding world. We are at such a time of change, yet I know my homelife will be an island of calm because you're here. I love Susan and Harry, but it is my hope that we will have children to raise together. Thank you for reminding me there is more to life than work, and that our love transcends anything that the world can toss our way. I love you." Amelia slid the rune covered ring made of platinum onto Sirius's third finger and then gave his hand a squeeze.

"Having proclaimed your bond of your souls together, the giving and receiving of rings in the sight of these witnesses and based on the strength of your love and commitment shown by the magical cords, it is my honour to pronounce you married. Please seal your bond with a kiss," Filius said while smiling broadly. When they kissed, the twins pressed a button and fireworks went off over the top of the orangery, delighting everyone present.

ITWAU ITWAU ITWAU

An interesting meal, consisting of many 'winter' foods like game stew; homemade bread; fruits, like apples and pears, stuffed with raisins and nuts; roasted beef and potatoes; and a pot of hot buttered rum was served for dinner. There was even a flaming plum pudding. Hermione was sitting next to Harry and leaned over to ask him about it.

"I've been to several weddings and this dinner is nothing like I've ever eaten at the reception. Usually there are fish courses and main dishes and –"

"Hermione, those were non-magical weddings. This is not only a wedding, but we're going to celebrate Yule," Harry said gently.

"Christmas isn't for a few days," she said, clearly confused.

"You're right, but Yule is the magical holiday held on the shortest day or longest night of the year. Sirius and Amy chose tonight on purpose, because it's the end of the old year and beginning of the new and what better day to have your marriage begin? The party will last until the sun comes up, and then the happy couple will truly begin their union by heading out to whatever house it is that Sirius is taking Amy to. All I know is it belongs to one of us and it's warm there."

"Oh, that's sort of beautiful. I'm sorry I didn't know."

"I'm sorry that I didn't inform you," Harry said. "Remus has been teaching me about the magical faith, and I didn't even consider that you wouldn't know these things. I know you've grown up Anglican and I didn't want to pressure you to change."

"That was quite polite," Hermione said. "Didn't you grow up going to church?"

Harry shook his head. "The Dursleys went when it was politically and socially expedient for them; Christmas, Easter, some child of a co-worker or a neighbour being baptized. They always left me home. The more I learn, the more I feel compelled to practice the magical faith. It was, after all, the religion of my birth parents and my adoptive parents."

"That makes sense," Hermione said quietly. "So, you think of Amy as your mum?"

"She's as close as I'm going to get in this life," Harry answered honestly and Hermione nodded.

Sirius rose and tapped his glass. "Friends, family, as tonight is Yule, I would appreciate it if you all joined us on the rear portico with the candles at your places, please. We will say goodbye to the old oak king and welcome the holly king." He offered his hand to Amy, and they led the guests from the formal dining room to the doors to the portico. It was charmed to keep the cold away, although they could see the light snow that was falling outside the magical dome.

The middle of the portico there was a large circle, and everyone was careful to walk around it, as to not break the chalk line. Harry gently guided Hermione to stand next to him, he standing next to Sirius. There were several huge candles in the middle of the circle, along with a substantial long.

"Friends," Sirius began, "the wheel of the year has turned once more, and the nights have grown longer and colder. Tonight, the darkness begins to retreat, and the light begins its return once again. As the wheel continues to spin, the sun returns to us once more." Sirius flicked his wand and lit the largest of the candles in the centre of the circle.

"Even in the darkest hours," Amy said, "even in the longest nights, the spark of life has lingered on, lying dormant, waiting, ready to return when the time was right. The darkness will leave us now, as the sun begins its journey home." Amy lit the other two candles making the triad glow brightly.

"As the wheel turns, light returns. The light of the sun has returned to us, bringing life and warmth with it," Susan said.

"The shadows will vanish, and life will continue. We are blessed by the light of the sun," Harry said before flicking his wand, as did Susan, and lighting the log on fire.

"This log will burn for the twelve nights of Yule. Blessings be to all who are here to see it." Sirius joyfully announced and lit his and Amy's candle, and they turned to those next to them, lighting the unlit candle.

"Excellent job, Pup," Sirius said as he lit Harry's candle.

"Thank you, Pater," Harry replied with a smile that rivalled the glow of the Yule Log. He then turned to Hermione to light hers. When the circle was fully lit, Sirius lifted his candle skyward and the assembled followed his lead. When the circle was fully made of light he pronounced: "Blessed be."

"Blessed be," they responded.

"Let the party commence," Amy then yelled jubilantly and gently blew out her candle, took Sirius' hand and headed to the ballroom for their all-night festivities.