The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
We Will Be Remembered
The chapter title is from the song:
Long Live by Taylor Swift.
28th August 2022
It had been one year since the attacks on Diagon Alley that changed their world forever and caused 133 people to lose their lives needlessly.
In the year since, the wizarding community of Britain had stepped out of the shadows and learned how to live side by side with the non-magical community. The British Ministry had been rebuilt upon welfare reforms, so unique that Draco had been coined as the most liberal Minister for Magic since Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Diagon Alley had become precisely what they intended it to be, a hub of activity where the non-magical community met the magical one. Some businesses had stayed open – like the Museum of Muggle Curiosities. A sister museum had sprung up across the alley – The Museum of Wizarding Wonders- both were big tourist attractions. Coffee shops and cafés had sprung up; next door to a Costa was a brand new branch of Madam Puddifoots. In addition to the wizarding sweet shops, a non-magical bookshop had a contract with Flourish and Blotts. It had a wizarding section that could only be accessed by pulling out a copy of The Chronicles of Narnia and pushing in a copy of The Lord of the Rings trilogy to open up a secret door behind the bookshelf.
Today, the alley was packed full as Draco stood beneath the memorial arch that now formed the entrance into Diagon Alley. The building that had once been the Leaky Cauldron no longer existed. In its place was a large marble archway that the Ministry of Magic had installed.
It was a memorial to those who had lost their lives on August weekend. Their names were engraved on the stone in golden writing that sparkled even when the sun wasn't shining, which was often in London. Atop the arch, the three people who had gotten post-humous Order of Merlin's were commemorated. The figures moved because this was a wizarding memorial, but for the first time, non-magical people could view the moving figures too.
One was a woman who knelt on the ground, holding a shield charm. Another was a man with two children in his arms, and the third was a shorter woman, sheltering children with her arms – they represented Felicity, Sorenson and Cheryl.
Draco cleared his throat and spoke to the nation – cameras flashed, both the wizarding and the ordinary variety. There was a camera crew, at least two local news crews and reporters from every wizarding newspaper in Europe.
"I would like to start by reminding those of you from the press, or the news office, to be mindful of the people around you today. We are joined here to commemorate, above all else, and the families of those who lost their lives one year ago are in attendance today."
He looked down at the speech he had written. Although his family knew he didn't need to, he had the speech memorised.
"In one horrific day, we lost so much, but thanks to the courage of a few, we saved more," Draco said calmly, "But that does not in any way diminish the pain that we feel for those who lost their lives."
He looked up and said, "There were so many heroes that day, so many people who ran into the fire to save those who couldn't save themselves. There were Healers who were off duty, who worked themselves to the bone. Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics stepped into a magical hospital and did their duty as if it were any other hospital in the world because that is the code of ethos they live by."
Draco had to pause to stop himself from getting too emotional. He looked up, specifically at Ron, "Felicity Weasley saved seven lives when she held up a shield charm to let her workers escape. She put their lives before her own, people who society would deem as less than her because they just worked in the kitchen."
"Those seven people are alive because of Felicity Weasley."
Ron swallowed and nodded, looking down at the ground. By his side, Clara took his hand and squeezed it silently.
"Sorenson Cauldwell climbed into a building he knew was on the verge of collapse," Draco continued, "When he heard a little boy calling for help because he couldn't reach his sister. Sorenson had a little sister himself, and he knew he would have done anything in his power to save her, so he helped that little boy save his sister, and he did so knowing that he was unlikely to survive."
Clara took a shaky breath, and from her other side, Oscar grabbed his stepmother's hand. He stood with Cassie on one side, Sage standing in front of them with her hands clasped and a far too serious expression on her young face.
"And Cheryl Butcher," Draco said. He looked up at Daphne, Bill, and Fleur, standing with Cheryl's two children, Rowan and Lennox.
"She had no magic, like many of you in attendance today," Draco continued, "She couldn't put up a shield charm to stop the flames from burning her, and she didn't have any protective equipment, but she ran into the fire anyway. She couldn't put up a bubblehead charm to stop herself from breathing in the toxic smoke that was rising from the apothecary below, but she tied a scarf around her mouth and got 16 people out of a building that was being consumed by fire."
He paused, cleared his throat, then looked up again with tears in his eyes, "There were so many heroes that day, but we remember these three above all others because they gave the ultimate sacrifice, and that is what we learned from the August Weekend attack."
Draco looked past the reporters and the news crew to the victims' families, "We learned that whatever the sins of the past, they can be forgiven. We learned that the non-magical community are not so different from us. We learned that in the darkest of times, the light of hope can never be extinguished when there are people like Felicity, Sorenson and Cheryl whose love and compassion for humanity is such that they sacrifice their own lives to protect it."
He motioned to the arch above him, "And that is why we have commissioned this memorial arch. I want to thank everyone who worked hard to install it and made sure that it was an appropriate memorial to those who lost their lives and their families."
Draco paused, "And I would caution everyone to take a moment to think when they walk through it. When you step through this arch into this wonderful hub of magical and non-magical activity that the Mayor of London and my wonderful wife, Hermione Blacknot, have created, I hope you think about the outstandingly brave people who made this possible."
He took a breath to compose himself, "Diagon Alley is still the busy hub of activity that it always was, but it is also a place of healing and hope. It is where we come together, regardless of our race, colour, or gender."
Draco looked over, his eyes sweeping over Harry and Daphne to focus on his family, "133 men, women and children are commemorated on this arch. Here, we can touch their names and remember them."
He swallowed and looked up again, "Some of the families of the fallen do not have much to cling onto – a framed Order of Merlin that their loved one never got to see - a shiny Auror badge that lives in a cabinet," his eyes met Clara's.
"Or a wedding ring that sits in a drawer, never to go on the hand of another," Draco's eyes shifted to Ron, who cast his gaze downwards as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"This arch may not look like much, but it symbolises remembrance. It reminds us of the bravery of Rachel Grey, who threw her six-month-old daughter out of a wedding to a bystander, just to give her a chance at life."
Draco stuttered over his words a little because that six-month-old had been Piper, his granddaughter whom he absolutely adored.
"It reminds us of the parents who were found slumped over their children's beds as they tried to protect them from the fire and the smoke," Draco continued, "It reminds us that we are all human, that we are all capable of love and compassion. This arch symbolises hope, hope for a better future, for a more inclusive future. It symbolises resistance and resilience because we are a nation that refuses to be beaten down by hatred, and we have shown that time and time again, whether in the magical community against dark wizards or the non-magical community against cruel dictators."
He paused and took a steadying breath, "This arch I stand below symbolises all that we lost one year ago today. But it will also serve to ensure that generations to come never forget the sacrifices that set the foundation for the new world we have built from the ashes."
Draco looked over at Harry and continued, "Children at Hogwarts will be taught their names for years to come, and non-magical children will sit in history classrooms up and down the country learning about the act of hatred that brought us together. Nobody will ever forget the bravery of the off-duty medical workers who saved lives that day. Everyone will remember the retired Reserve Aurors who rushed into fiery buildings to save innocent lives. We will always remember those who spent their final moments saving the lives of others, and the innocents who lost their lives will live on in the memories of their families and friends forever."
He gave a slight nod to those in attendance and finished,
"They will never be forgotten."
Godric's Hollow
Nevaeh leant back on a bench by the town square and threw her arm over Edith's shoulder.
It was a warm day, even as August eked out into September. They were watching a group of kids from the Closes play on brooms that had been donated to the town by a mysterious benefactor. Everyone was still debating whether it had been Theodore Blacknot or Harry Potter.
"How's your mum?"
Edith chuckled and leaned into her girlfriend's embrace, "Freaking out. Not with cold feet, but just panicking about everything going to plan."
"And Susan's just winging it like a pro?" Nevaeh guessed.
Edith grinned in amusement, "Something like that, yeah."
It was their day off, and technically they were supposed to be up in Hogsmeade shopping for shoes for the wedding next weekend, but they had plenty of time, and they liked Godric's Hollow. For Nevee, it was her home away from home. She was a Trauma Healer, but she spent every free minute helping out here; whether that was doing welfare checks or just general vaccination check-ups, it didn't matter. She had grown up in the Closes, these were her people, and she hadn't forgotten who she was now that she had some success.
"On a scale of one to ten, how excited are you for Vic to come back from her maternity leave next week?" Edith asked.
Nevaeh laughed; the comment drew her away from her thoughts, "You have no idea. The temps they've given me over the last few months have been the worst. I'm so ready to have my partner back."
"I think she's ready to be back," Edith joked, "I've not seen her so excited in months. She was ironing her bloody uniform when I went over to see her and Phoenix the other day."
Nevaeh laughed and looked back out at the kids messing around on their brooms.
"Yeah, it will be good to get back to normality, finally."
Edith smiled and nodded. This last year had been strange. There had been a lot of change, most of it for the better, but change all the same.
They were all ready for the return to normality.
Hogsmeade
The school term was due to start in two days which meant that Harry and Neville were both rushed off their feet approving lesson plans and chasing up parents to sign permission forms, all of the general admin work that Harry hated about being Headmaster.
Lilly was just as busy as ever at the hospital. Ever since Michael's appointment as Head of St Mungo's, the two had operated the general hospital and the maternity hospital like the professionals they were. In saying that, Harry had also seen them playing 'rock, paper, scissors in the hallway to decide who had to go into the budgeting meeting with the Ministry council.
To get a break from the castle and to try and force his brain into action, Harry had come to the new Leaky Cauldron in the hope that a change of scenery might help. He sat down in his usual seat, a booth between the bar and the staircase up to the boarding rooms.
"Hey, Felicity," He said to the portrait above the bar. It was a brilliant likeness, Harry had been with Ron when it was unveiled upon the opening of the new bar, and he could understand why Ron had broken down the way he had. Harry would have felt the same if it were Daphne.
Felicity smiled out of her portrait, "Hi Harry. Lesson planning not going so well then?"
Harry scoffed and shook his head, "That's an understatement. Honestly, Felicity, I tell myself that the people I employ are smart, and then I look at their proposals and doubt everything."
Felicity grinned, "Get Harry his usual, Sophie," she said to the girl behind the bar, "He looks like he could do with a decent bowl of soup."
Sophie chuckled and nodded at Harry, "Coming right up, Headmaster."
Harry smiled and looked down at the proposal in his hands for a long moment. He registered a presence above him, but he also knew it was friendly, so he didn't bother looking up.
"Difficult term, is it?"
"When my best teacher hands me her notice, yeah," Harry said. He looked up at Daphne with a smile.
Daphne chuckled and slid into a seat opposite him, saying, "I didn't hand you my notice; Lacey returned. It was always a one year deal while she was on Maternity Cover, and I know you wanted me to take the vacant Ancient Runes position, but - "
"You had your own dreams to chase," Harry said with a smile, "I know. How is the college?"
"Old, pretentious," Daphne shrugged, "The students all think they can one-up me. As of yet, none of them has."
Harry smiled to himself, "And I doubt they ever will."
She had left to pursue a new career, lecturing on magical history and culture at the esteemed Cambridge University. She was so brilliant that Harry couldn't begrudge her for leaving.
Harry's soup arrived, and he winked up at Felicity in thanks. She gave him a mock salute back, and Harry laughed. He loved the new Hogsmeade, and he loved having that portrait around almost as much as Ron did.
Susan had looped Ron in on the wards for the Leaky, and Harry knew that he came here to talk to Felicity when things got hard. After the moving memorial service, he'd found Ron asleep on a barstool the following day with Felicity's portrait watching over him.
Harry also thought it had helped Ron to move on. Having a portrait likeness of your wife call you a stupid old sod when you said you were never going to date again would do that.
And Ron wasn't dating, not technically. He and Clara were friends; Ron helped Clara around the house and gave her girls Quidditch lessons. Clara came over to Ron's house every other night and cooked meals to see him and the kids through the week. They travelled together, had holidayed all over Europe, but it had never been anything more than friendship.
Harry didn't know if it ever would be or if they actually needed it to be. They were two people, brought together by their shared painful experiences, and they had helped each other heal. Maybe that was enough for them.
He was aware of Daphne ordering a coffee, but Harry was in his own head for the most part. The memorial service had gotten him thinking about how far the wizarding world had come in the year since the Diagon Alley attack.
Hogsmeade was thriving; buildings that had always been an eyesore on the landscape, like the Shrieking Shack, were finally in permanent use. The Wolf's Den, the nightclub that George and Ron had opened in the former Shrieking Shack, was just as popular as the Weasel's Den in Diagon Alley had been.
Harry, Ron and George were no fools, though. They had made sure to fill in and board up the old tunnel between the Shrieking Shack and the Whomping Willow. Harry had no doubt that students would use it to sneak into the nightclub otherwise.
Susan's vision to bring the vibrant atmosphere of Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade had most definitely been fulfilled, and Harry loved spending his weekends in the little town, which was growing by the day.
"Oh my gosh, look."
The hushed voices made Daphne chuckle, and Harry looked up in amusement. A group of children were standing close by. They had obviously been here shopping for their school supplies.
"It's Headmaster Potter," One of the girls said.
"And Professor Potter!" Another said.
"They are so cute together in real life."
Daphne looked over at Harry and whispered, "Do you think they'll find Sadie and Theo so cute this year?"
"Oh, probably," Harry chuckled, "I can't believe I got Theo to give up his school, to be honest."
Daphne chuckled, "He has so many grandkids now, he probably thinks by teaching at Hogwarts he's delaying the inevitable moment that he has to teach them."
Harry grinned, but he was glad to have Theo on board as the new Ancient Runes professor.
"Plus, it was really time for Susan to get a chance at running that school," Daphne added, "She's wanted to be Headmistress for years."
"And she'll be great," Harry said, "Like you said, it's been a long time coming."
"So has the wedding we're going to in a few days," Daphne said, "It's about time for Susan to get her happy ending though. She's had to watch everyone else get theirs for too long."
Harry reached over and took his wife's hand, "If I didn't know better, I'd call this sentimentality. Are you going soft on me, Daphne?"
Daphne smiled and leaned across the table to kiss him, "Absolutely."
"Awww!" The school children in the distance chorused.
The Hebridean Dragon Reserve
St Kilda, Scotland
"Did your dad ask Clara to be his date to the wedding?"
Freddie Wood jumped off the dragon he had been tethering and grinned, "Yes, as a friend."
Andrea Potter rolled her eyes, "Seriously? He's still saying they're just friends."
Freddie shrugged and drew Andrea in for a kiss, mucky hands and all, "Mm, maybe they are. It's not our place to judge what they are, is it? All that matters is that they're both coping better than they were this time last year."
"True," Andrea said, wrinkling up her nose, "Why do I smell burning?"
"Because I singed myself earlier," Freddie said. He flipped his shoulder-length hair around to show her a significantly shorter strand, "Uncle Charlie got distracted."
Andrea raised an eyebrow, "Since when does he ever get distracted?"
"Since he tried to multi-task," Freddie chuckled. He hooked an arm around Andrea and pointed at the outpost behind them where the dorms and the dining hall were housed, along with the crucial hospital wing.
This was Charlie's favourite place. He would have quit his job at the Ministry to run it if Astoria or Amber had let him. They had reminded him that he was best placed to keep an eye on things if he carried on as Head of the Department for the Care and Protection of Magical Creatures, so Charlie had agreed and put Freddie in charge.
At the moment, he was clearly here on a visit, but he was multi-tasking because he was talking to a couple of dragon tamers animatedly with his two-month-old daughter in his arms.
"Oh, for the love of Merlin," Andrea muttered, "I'll relieve him of duty for a while."
Freddie chuckled, and they headed towards Charlie together, "Haven't you just spent 12 hours working with babies?"
"Delivering them, actually," Andrea replied, "They were short-staffed in Maternity today, so I stepped in."
Andrea was still in training, and although she was brilliant at whatever she put her mind to, Paediatric Healing was definitely her calling. She had stepped up to the plate when Nina went on maternity leave after having Gaia, but she was in her element this last month since Nina's return to the hospital.
They reached Charlie, and Andrea said, "Charlie Weasley, put that poor baby out of her misery and quit bouncing her around while you work!"
Charlie chuckled and handed the baby over to Andrea with ease, "Andrea, you are a lifesaver, and before you rant at me for being a bad father, blame her mothers. They decided that shopping for dresses for this damn wedding was more important than my work."
Freddie gave his Uncle an amused look, "That's because you're not even supposed to be working today. Normal people don't hang around dragons on their day off, Uncle Charlie."
Charlie grinned, "When have I ever been normal?" he asked, to the amusement of the other dragon trainers who were nearby.
Andrea tutted and shifted the 2-month-old in her arms, "Hello Ruby, your father is a bit of an idiot, isn't he? I don't suppose he realises that breathing in dragon breath is bad for your lungs. If he did, he would have considered the consequences of your mummy's finding out."
Charlie smirked and said, "She's under a bubblehead charm. I might be a bit of an idiot, but I'm not a complete tosser."
Andrea checked the charm, then chuckled, "Fair enough, I'll let you off this time. Finish your completely unessential business then, and I'll steal your daughter for a while."
Charlie kissed Andrea on the cheek and thanked her, then he winked at Freddie and patted him on the back, "Don't let her go. She's a keeper!"
Freddie just smiled warmly, "Oh, I know she is," he said, his eyes meeting his girlfriend's.
3rd September 2022
Bones Manor
"I can't believe it."
Daphne looked over at her friend, "You can't believe you're getting married again, or you can't believe you're marrying a woman?"
Susan looked up, "Oh, I can't believe I'm getting married again. I'm totally unsurprised by the fact I'm marrying a woman."
Daphne laughed and looked at her best friend, "You look amazing, you know?"
Susan smiled a little tightly and looked at herself in the mirror. She had broken down to Daphne a few months ago when Daphne had asked what she thought was an innocent question – will you wear a dress?
After the tears, Daphne got to the bottom of why that had been a stupid question. Susan still had her wedding dress in the attic of Bones Manor, she couldn't bear to look at it, but she couldn't bear to throw it away, and the thought of buying another one hurt her more than she thought it would.
So Daphne had told her to calm down, and she and Lilly had taken Susan to their favourite occasion wear shop in Paris. Susan had gotten more than a little bit of a laugh out of the fact that the man who owned the shop referred to Daphne and Lilly as if they were married themselves, and it had surprised her how perfect Lilly's French was these days.
"My influence," Daphne had said with a wink in Susan's direction.
The outcome of that shopping trip had been the white jumpsuit that Susan was wearing now. The trousers were satin, the bodice lace satin and embellished with silver diamantes. Over the top, she wore a silken long-sleeved, lightweight cloak that fastened like a suit jacket. Combined with the high heels that Daphne had picked out for her, it was a perfect mixture of elegant and formal, without being a wedding dress.
Hannah, one of the Bridesmaids, had done Susan's hair for her. It was nice to include Hannah like this because things had been so raw when Susan married Percy. They hadn't been able to share that moment.
Susan's red hair was left down and curled lightly. The natural look had always suited her but even more so now that her hair was almost constantly up in a tight bun to keep it out of her way at work.
"Thank you," Susan said, drawing Daphne out of her thoughts, "But I still feel like you're trying to upstage me."
A scoff sounded from the doorway, and Clara stepped inside, "You have met Daphne, haven't you? She always dresses like that."
Daphne didn't think she was too made up, personally. Her dress was floor length and embellished with gold and silver sequins, and she was wearing skyscraper high heels that made her tower above Harry, as usual.
"Very true," Susan laughed.
Daphne scoffed and said, "Now I just feel set upon."
Hannah smiled slightly and looked at Susan, "How are you feeling?"
"Excited," Susan replied honestly. She looked out at the three women she had asked to be a part of her bridal party and nodded, "Like Daphne said to me this morning, it has been a long time coming."
Clara nodded and smiled a little tearfully at Susan. It had to be hard, being here watching Susan moving on when Clara's pain was still so raw, even now, one year on from Sorenson's death.
Percy had been gone for over a decade before Susan felt ready to move on, and she could understand if her best friend never could. For the longest time, Susan didn't think she would ever feel the way she had with Percy again. Then Caroline came along.
Hannah smiled at her old friend and nodded, "Yes, it really has been."
Longbottom House
Lilly had offered her house to Caroline as a place to get ready. Susan had been willing to let Caroline have Bones Manor and go to Potter Manor to get ready, but Caroline was always out to please everyone else, so she told Susan not to be so silly.
"You look like you're going to throw up."
"I feel like I'm going to throw up," Caroline admitted. She looked over at the women she had chosen to be with her today. Her maid of honour was Jennifer McKay, a Trauma Healer she had worked at the Auror Training centre with for years, and she had asked Lilly and Ginny to be bridesmaids because she had worked with them both over the years. Unlike Susan, Caroline didn't have many friends outside of her work.
Jennifer stepped forward and gripped Caroline's arms, "Just take your own advice. Close your eyes, count to ten inside your head and take a breath."
Caroline blew out a breath and closed her eyes. Even though she felt nervous, she looked beautiful. Unlike Susan, she had worn a dress because, as she had said to Jennifer earlier in the year, "I never got to the first time."
When she had married Eddie, she was pregnant, and they were pretty fresh out of school. It had been in the middle of the war, a hurried affair. She wore the dress she had worn to the Yule Ball, and he wore dress robes that were a little too short in the arms. They laughed and said they would joke about it when they were old, but they had never had that chance.
So Caroline wore a wedding dress this time, and it was everything she wished she had been able to wear the first time. Her satin dress was white, not ivory. It had a beautiful lace bodice and arms, and in heels higher than she usually wore, she felt far more glamourous than she ever had.
Caroline opened her eyes and nodded, "I feel better. Thanks, Jennifer."
Jennifer smiled and said, "You're ready for this. You're only panicking because of how many people there are."
Caroline nodded and paled slightly again, "You know I don't like crowds or being the centre of attention. The last time it was just Eddie, me, my dad and a few friends."
"But this isn't the first time," Ginny said. She stepped forward and said gently, "This is Susan, not Eddie. It's different, so stop comparing it to the last time, okay?"
Caroline nodded nervously, "But everyone will be looking at me, won't they?"
"You and Susan are walking up to that altar together," Lilly reminded Caroline gently, "So everyone will be looking at you both, and Susan will enjoy the attention enough for the both of you."
Caroline laughed, then nodded. She seemed a little more sure of herself.
"Okay?" Jennifer asked, testing the waters a little.
Caroline smiled more genuinely that time, "Okay," she promised.
Inverness
Susan hadn't wanted to get married at Bones Manor, not after she and Percy had their wedding reception there and then built the home back up from a ruin, building a home and a family in the process.
She had needed a complete change, and Caroline had wanted different too. She and Eddie had eloped in the middle of a war, neither of them had gotten the big white wedding they had secretly wanted as little girls, so this was their chance to fix that.
They were getting married in a chapel in Inverness, which Susan knew well because she had been raised in Perthshire and had holidayed up north as a child. They had also agreed not to have a typical wedding party or a head table because neither had any surviving parents.
That was why they had decided to walk down the aisle together.
They touched down in a Thestral pulled carriage, and Daphne jumped out in her high heels and her shiny sequined dress. She looked past the Ness River up to the sky to see if she could see Caroline's carriage, but there was no sign of it yet.
She peered into the chapel, which was full of people chattering away happily. They just needed Caroline to arrive now.
A soft whoosh overhead made her look up, and surely enough, a pale blue carriage materialised in the air. It touched down, and Lilly jumped out.
"Nice dress."
Lilly was far more conservative in a knee-length black and silver number, but Daphne replied, "You too. How's your bride?"
"Nervous," Lilly replied, "How's yours?"
"Not nervous," Daphne said with a smile.
Lilly opened her mouth to ask if they were ready for the brides in the chapel, but before she had a chance, a little girl walking along the river path spotted Daphne and let go of her mother's hand.
"Isla!"
But the little girl ignored her mother and ran up to Daphne to whisper, "Are you Elsa?"
Lilly chuckled, but Daphne just smiled and hunched down in front of the little girl. She whispered, "Glacius," then formed a little Loch Ness monster from ice and handed it to the girl, who couldn't have been older than six.
Her big blue eyes lit up, and she whispered, "Woah, thanks, Elsa!"
Her mother reached them and grabbed the little girl's hand, "Isla, don't run off like that!"
She looked up at Daphne and shook her head, "I'm so sorry. Every time she sees people in sequinned dresses, she thinks it's Elsa."
Daphne laughed and smiled, "It's fine. She was just being curious."
The mother saw the ice figure and smiled, "Thank you for doing that."
Daphne smiled genuinely and waved at the little girl. She beamed and said, "Bye, Elsa!"
Daphne turned back to Lilly with a chuckle as the little girl walked away saying, "She's the real Elsa, Mummy! She can do ice magic!"
"You are so soft, Elsa," Lilly smirked. She thrust her wand in Daphne's direction and cast a transfiguration spell. The silver sequins on Daphne's dress remained the same, but the gold ones turned blue.
"You really ought to braid your hair more often," Lilly teased as she pulled Caroline's carriage door open.
"Oh, come on," Daphne complained as she opened Susan's door, "Don't make it stick just because I was nice to a little girl."
"It's going to stick because you're dressed like that," Susan said as she climbed out of the carriage with a grin, "Elsa."
Daphne groaned, and Susan winked at Lilly.
Lilly laughed and helped Caroline out of the carriage. When Caroline stepped out, she caught Susan's eye and let out a breath of relief.
Susan smiled and grabbed Caroline's hand, "Are you okay?"
Caroline nodded and smiled at her fiancé, "I am now."
Daphne hooked her arm through Lilly's and shot a smile over her shoulder at Susan and Caroline, "Good because it's showtime!"
"You are so dramatic," Lilly whispered as they entered the chapel together.
Daphne just smirked in response. They walked down the aisle to the altar, splitting to stand on their respective brides' sides. Technically, Daphne should have walked in with Jennifer, but as Susan and Caroline didn't care about tradition, Jennifer and Clara followed, and Ginny and Hannah made up the rear.
Once they were all in the chapel, the bridal march began to play, and Susan and Caroline walked in arm in arm. They walked up to the altar, and the wedding ceremony began.
Like Charlus and Victoire, they had opted for a fairly traditional wedding ceremony, with more of an emphasis on the reception. A big part of the reason for that was that Caroline was a nervous person and, as she had said earlier, she wasn't a fan of being the centre of attention for a prolonged time.
There was also a degree of nervousness from both of them about the colour of their marriage bond. They had both been bonded before, which wasn't to say that a person couldn't be bonded again. The Blacknots had extended their existing marriage bonds, but this was different; this was a whole new marriage bond.
Had Percy or Eddie still been alive, the ritual simply wouldn't take. But as their soulmates were gone, another bond could be forged. That wasn't what worried Susan or Caroline, though. They had preconceived notions of marriage and its meaning, but those ideas didn't necessarily align.
Susan and Percy's marriage bond had been red, a symbol of desire, strength and passionate love. Caroline and Eddie's had been pink, symbolising grace, gentility and happiness.
They had no idea what colour their marriage bond would be, which scared them both.
Daphne knew that, so she involuntarily sucked in a breath when the ritual began to draw Susan and Caroline's magic together. Harry smiled and took Daphne's hand for a self-proclaimed Ice Queen, she cared an awful lot about the people she loved. It was why Harry loved her so much.
The tendrils of magic formed a ball around the newlyweds, and it glowed a vibrant, bright orange. Daphne smiled slightly; the colour was bright, like a warm summer's sunrise, which fit them perfectly.
Harry nudged her from the side, "Doesn't orange mean happiness?"
Daphne nodded tearfully as the glow faded, "Joy, warmth and happiness," she corrected her husband.
Harry smiled too, "Well, that fits."
"You may now kiss!"
Susan smiled broadly and pulled Caroline into a kiss. Daphne got to her feet and clapped as loudly as she could.
"Yes, it does."
- TBC -
