Walden stared at the two Wolves as they made their way to the bar and buffet. He hadn't dared admit that he didn't want them at the wedding, because Evey was obviously fond of them – although that was precisely the reason why he didn't want them here – but now he felt silly.
They were obviously a couple. The way they bickered, arguing about their itinerary from London to the manor house, Blackbeard wondering if his suit made him look fat and if his and Musashi's ties didn't clash… Yes, it was obvious now. No wonder Evey had laughed at his reluctance to invite them.
Apparently, Imhotep and Gorgo were also an item. They'd arrived together, their very first guests – Molly excluded, because she'd insisted on assisting Evey with her dress and hair. Gorgo had asked where she could find Evey, because she had something to give her before the wedding, and she'd left the men to talk as she went upstairs. She hadn't reappeared since then. Neither had Molly. Walden had yet to see his wife-to-be, but according to Tony, he wasn't supposed to see her before the wedding. He'd always assumed that it was a Muggle superstition, but Molly had concurred. It was bad luck to see your fiancée in her wedding dress.
As for the rest of the Ancients, they had declined the invitation, mainly because they were already out of the country. Alice had sent them their good wishes, and Tony had received a separate note from her that Walden hadn't been allowed to ask about. His brother pretended that it was nothing important, and Walden had let it slide. He assumed that it had something to do with the fact that Jeanne hadn't been invited.
The Ripper had come by the manor house earlier in December and left a letter, apologising that she had to miss the party, but she'd just received a "job" and had to depart for Canada right away. Evey had had a good laugh when she'd opened the gift the Ancient had left for them: it was a vintage "vampire kit" of the like they sold in the late 19th to early 20th century, after Bram Stoker's famous Dracula novel was published. It contained all sorts of silver objects, notably bullets, crosses and stakes, as well as a bible and a pistol.
"Just in case you get tired of him," the Ripper had written, "or if he should make the mistake of crossing you." Ancients didn't fear silver any more than they did garlic, but Walden was now severely allergic to both. Of course, the religious paraphernalia was useless, but it was still an amusing gift – at least Evey and Tony thought so.
The Bloodmother had sent a card as well, in which she expressed her fondest wish that the wedding went as they hoped, and thanked them warmly for their invitation. She'd adjoined two small carved stones, each held by a simple leather cord. The note said that, in her days, these were given from mother to daughter, and from father to son, when their offspring wished to pledge themselves to each other. The symbols represented life and death, meaning that from that day forward, they would share everything together – the good as well as the bad.
Tony was running around, making sure that everything was perfect. And it was, of course. Walden hadn't expected anything else. The garden was beautiful, brightly alight with firefly lanterns – where he'd hit upon those at this time of year, Walden had no idea – and decorated with colourful flowers that must have come a long way. Tony must have cast a Preserving Charm on them, for they looked as though they'd been picked that very morning.
The buffet seemed endless, and perhaps it was: the food replenished itself continually. The elves of Hogwarts, who had always been quite fond of Tony, had outdone themselves. Walden hoped that Caraid had at least been allowed to give a hand, otherwise the old elf would never forgive Tony.
For once in his life, Walden was very consciously glad to be wealthy. It had never really affected him before, because he'd never been much of a spender. This, however, would cost him an arm and a leg, but it was money well spent if ever there was.
The ceremony proper would take place around ten. He'd wondered at that, pointing out that everyone would be pissed by then, but Tony had assured him that the real booze-up would start after they were officially married. They would keep the stronger liquors for later and only deal out champagne and wine in small quantities, to go with the food.
Dumbledore arrived at nine, accompanied by most of the Order, as well as Professor McGonagall and Rubeus Hagrid. The imposing gamekeeper looked awkward in his linty brown suit, but his face hardened when he caught sight of Walden. Hagrid hadn't forgiven him for almost killing his hippogriff, despite his knowledge that Buckbeak was very much alive. The best way to remedy that, Evey had said, would be to return the hippogriff to his original owner.
After Sirius had died and they'd abandoned Grimmauld Place, while Walden was slowly transforming into a vampire and plunged in a strange, nightmare-ridden coma, Tony had offered to give the hippogriff a new home in the woods behind Macnair manor, until they decided what to do with him. Caraid had taken good care of him – the house elf was used to dealing with all sorts of magical creatures – and later, Walden himself had made certain that the hippogriff was tended to.
Walden went around the house, where he'd left Buckbeak earlier, bowed smoothly, and politely asked the hippogriff to follow him to the garden. He was well-trained, he had to admit.
Hagrid became quite emotional after that unexpected reunion, and he almost crushed Walden in a bear hug until Dumbledore interrupted him. The old Headmaster was wearing a very chic dress robe of an improbable magenta colour.
Nah, he's not wearing it, Tony corrected Walden later. He's rocking it.
Molly finally came downstairs a few minutes before ten to order everyone to take their places. Gorgo was still upstairs, as far as Walden could tell. Imhotep had spent most of the evening discussing with the Wolves. Whoever said that vampires and werewolves couldn't get along? They'd received many curious glances from the other guests, of course. Remus Lupin had been frowning at Blackbeard and Musashi for most of the evening. He had to know that they were werewolves, and was likely wondering why Evey, of all people, would invite two of them to her wedding, after her recent ordeal.
Tony grabbed Walden's arm, breaking through his mind's wandering thoughts, and pulled him toward the golden arch under which Evey and he would be wedded. Dumbledore was already there and smiled brightly when the brothers approached. Tony was still fussing with Walden's bowtie when a sudden hush fell among the guests. Musashi started playing I'll stand by you, by The Pretenders, as per Evey's request, and Walden had to admit that it was more compelling than the traditional Here comes the bride.
And then there came the bride.
In the end, despite Mrs Weasley's appeal for something more traditional, Evey had picked out a golden dress, because it suited her complexion and hair better than a white or silvery one would have, and also – most importantly – because it was much more original.
And a good thing that she had, because the tiara that Gorgo had brought as a wedding present was of wrought gold. Evey wore no other jewellery, save the necklace that Imhotep had selected for her, and it matched the tiara perfectly. They were both quite simple in design, with no superfluous adornments, delicate and tasteful. The necklace was relatively modern, as it had been purchased in Paris in the 1920's. The tiara, however, was the one the Spartan queen wore when she was married to Leonidas, a treasure she had cherished for millennia, and it was in pristine condition. Why she had suddenly decided to part with it was beyond Evey's understanding, for Gorgo barely knew her, and yet the Queen addressed her as though they were dear friends, which was perfectly fine with Evey. She'd always had trouble getting along with other girls, but Gorgo was different. She wasn't gossipy. She wasn't judgemental. She was mature and genuine and she made Evey feel comfortable. It was very easy to like her. She wasn't even mad at Walden for having a tiny crush on her – which he fiercely denied, though it was quite obvious. Tony teased him about it mercilessly.
Better Gorgo than Jeanne. Gorgo's heart was taken, anyway, so there really was no reason to be jealous. Unlike her soon-to-be-husband, Evey knew when a fit of jealousy was required.
Evey was beginning to feel light-headed with nervousness, despite knowing that everything was going according to plan. Mrs Weasley, with Gorgo's help, had turned her into a radiant bride – if she did say so herself – and she knew that the guests were in good hands. She could hear them laughing and making silly toasts as they waited outside. As promised, the Wolf Silverclaws had brought music, and it seemed that George and Fred had initiated an early dance party, to the rhythm of the Spice Girls' Wannabe, of all songs.
Everything was perfect. Tony had truly outdone himself.
Well, it was perfect except for the fact that Evey was starving. She hadn't eaten much since she'd awakened in the afternoon, and the excitement of the day seemed to have burned out what little calories she'd ingested earlier. Of course, now was not a good time to grab a bite. She just hoped that her stomach didn't rumble at the altar.
Evey glanced at the old grandfather clock in the dressing room and realised that it was almost ten already. Molly caught her movement and smiled approvingly as she finished arranging Evey's hair. "I think we're done here," she said with some satisfaction. She looked at Gorgo, who nodded in agreement. The two women got on famously well. Mrs Weasley, in her pre-wedding frenzy, hadn't even asked who Gorgo was or how Evey knew her. As soon as Gorgo had walked in, Mrs Weasley had delegated several tasks and Gorgo's efficiency had been enough to prove her worth in Mrs Weasley's eyes. "I'll go and gather everyone. It will only take a few minutes. Be ready, dear." She didn't wait for a reply as she hurried outside.
Gorgo smiled reassuringly and patted Evey's arm. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
"I just don't like all the attention," Evey said, narrowly avoiding chewing on her lip. Mrs Weasley had already reprimanded her a few times. She shook her head at her own foolishness. "It's stupid, I know. That's what weddings are for, right? To focus everyone's attention on us, on our love."
"Think only of Walden," Gorgo advised her. "Look him in the eye, and forget everyone else. This is about you two. The others are just here for the free buffet," she added with a grin.
Evey laughed, perhaps a little too loudly, due to her agitation. "I wish I could attend the buffet right now," she said wistfully.
"You should have eaten something before we applied the make-up," Gorgo said with a rueful smile. "It's too late for that now."
A bright golden light suddenly illuminated the room. That was the signal. Taking a deep breath, Evey rose from her chair and walked toward the stairs, Gorgo at her side, arm in arm to steady herself.
Merlin, she's beautiful, Tony thought in wonder. His throat felt dry all of a sudden, and he cleared it as discreetly as he could. He wasn't the one who was supposed to gape and stare. But to be fair, it was difficult not to, and he had no pretty maids of honour to distract him.
He hadn't seen the dress until now; Molly had been afraid that he would describe it to Walden. It was simple enough in design, but the gold shimmered brightly and was pleasantly accentuated by the jewellery, a ravishing tiara and a cute necklace. That explained why Gorgo had spent the evening upstairs, at least. She was fond of Evey, Tony knew, although he wasn't entirely sure why. They'd only met once, after all. Perhaps Evey reminded her of someone she'd known in a past life.
There were tiny sparkling butterflies of many colours flying around the bride as she made her way down the aisle with Arthur. The balding man looked ever so proud of his part in the wedding. It will be good practice for the future, Molly had told him. Walking Ginevra down the aisle would be a breeze after that. Not that it looked very complicated, admittedly.
Evey was gazing dreamily at Walden, the guests apparently forgotten. She was beaming, glowing, radiating with happiness. Did she know how beautiful she was? Did she have any idea? She'd often compared herself to Fleur in the past few weeks, for reasons unknown to anyone but herself, but Fleur was a minger in comparison. If a naked Veela had appeared in front of him at that moment, Tony wouldn't have spared her a glance.
…ok, maybe one glance. After all, he wasn't the one who would be spending the rest of the night with Evey. He could use some company, but Fleur was taken, Tonks despised him, and the rest were either too young or too old.
When Arthur left her with Walden a moment later, Evey turned briefly to Tony and grinned at him. She mouthed two words: Thank you. As she faced Dumbledore, Tony looked at his brother who, for once, was elegantly dressed, in a black kilt and fancy jacket, and was even wearing a shirt.
Walden looked oddly nervous; for a man who was used to facing down dragons and worse creatures, it was strange indeed. Tony hoped that Evey wouldn't interpret it to mean that she was more daunting than a dragon. Although, knowing her, she might take it as a compliment.
Dumbledore had a way with words, that couldn't be denied. The ceremony was short but quite entertaining, thanks to him. Tony didn't pay much attention to the vows – he'd helped both Walden and Evey write them, so he knew the gist of it – but instead let his acute hearing wander. There was always the possibility of an attack to consider, although he hadn't mentioned it to anyone but Dumbledore. The domain was warded in every way known to him, but who knew what Voldemort had learned in the years since his defeat, especially after he'd recovered his body?
What he caught, however, was nothing more than the noises made by Walden's pets – as Tony called the various and quite numerous magical creatures that inhabited the woods surrounding the manor house. They were supposed to be tame, partially at least, but Tony had taken no chance and raised a barrier between them and the beasts. The sounds were mostly muffled, but to him the wail of the banshee was just as piercing as if it were standing beside him. Much like the thunderous appeal of Evey's stomach.
Tony focused on the ceremony long enough to provide the couple with their respective rings. As best man, it had been his job to choose the groom's ring; Walden had wanted something simple for himself, a plain golden band – silver was obviously out of the question – and that was what he received. As Evey's…man of honour, he'd also had to have a ring made for her. She'd wanted something original, she'd wanted to be surprised. To Tony's relief, she laughed with delight when she saw the tiny fox with emerald eyes. He'd had it handcrafted especially for her. The fox occasionally moved along the ring and changed posture: goblin craftsmanshift at its finest.
Dumbledore ended the ceremony with a jolly remark. "And now, for those of you who haven't tried the buffet," – he looked down at Evey with a knowing smile, and she blushed – "I highly recommend the cheese soufflés. They are scrumptious." Tony groaned softly at the comment. Cheese soufflé had always been one of his favourite dishes at Hogwarts.
The cake would be served at midnight, to give the guests time to regain their strength after being away from the buffet for so long. Tony launched another round of champagne, of course, to toast the newlywed couple.
Then he made his way toward the Muggle music box that Silverclaws had brought with him. It was about time they danced in earnest, and he'd heard wonderful things about a mysterious dance called The Macarena.