Chapter 18- The Second Wedding
The next morning Ruby was woken up at seven o'clock in the morning by Auntie Fleur who appeared to be a whirl of wedding chaos. She shook Ruby awake and then disappeared talking to her little sister in rapid French. Ruby dressed in casual clothes, the wedding wasn't until mid-day, and then walked into the kitchen to find Victoire talking to her sister and eating a small breakfast.
"Morning, sleep alright Vic?" Ruby asked, sitting down and pouring herself a cup of tea.
"I did thanks to that potion, you're a lifesaver!" Vic said, smiling at her.
"Just don't tell anyone, I don't want a reputation for administering sleeping potions all over the place." Dom and Vic laughed and nodded.
"Where's Louie?"
"He stopped at your house, Dad said that Uncle Charlie let him try Firewhisky!" Dom said, grinning. She was tanned and had managed to cover the tattoo of a mummy on her neck for the occasion.
"Good thing Mom keeps hangover potion in the cupboard then."
"Speaking of which," Uncle Bill said, walking into the kitchen and looking at Ruby. "Does my favourite niece fancy returning a sobering-charm favour? I'd ask Fleur but she'd only tease me." Ruby laughed and performed the charm, her Uncle's face brightened up instantly.
"I'm going to tell Lily you said I was her favourite though."
"Merlin, not Lily! She's badger me with owls for months! Tell Immy!"
"No, she won't care. I'll tell Rosie then."
"Hmm, okay but tell her I was hung-over." Ruby laughed and Bill walked out of the kitchen.
"I can't believe today's the day. Do you think Teddy's nervous?" Vic asked, looking at Ruby.
"Nah, he's been in love with you since he was fourteen." Ruby said honestly.
"I bet Aunt Eliza's nervous though." Dom said and Ruby nodded before answering.
"She'll be alright, if it gets too much Dad will just take her to 'calm down'." Ruby said using air quotes.
"You don't believe Uncle Ron do you?" Vic asked, smiling.
"What does Uncle Ron think?" Dom asked.
"That every time Dad takes Mom away when she gets a bit stressed they are just shagging somewhere. I don't know, perhaps some of the time but not every time." Ruby said. Bill walked back into the kitchen.
"Every time, what?" He asked, picking up a slice of toast.
"Do you think that every time Uncle Fred takes Auntie Eliza off somewhere to calm down they are secretly shagging?" Dom asked without batting an eyelid. Uncle Bill nearly choked on his toast.
"I didn't know you lot knew about that!" He said, taking a swig of Pumpkin juice.
"It's true?" Vic asked, eyes wide in shock.
"Well, Ron thinks so but he's got a dirty mind. How did you find out?"
"Teddy told me." Vic said.
"How did Teddy find out?"
"I told him, Uncle Ron told me on their anniversary, he was quite drunk though." Ruby said smiling.
"Well, don't talk about it in front of your mother, she'd be mortified. It probably is true though." Uncle Bill said, walking back out of the kitchen.
At half eleven Ruby slipped into her bridesmaid dress and Aunt Fleur did her hair, it was down again but had an Alice band in it with some of the flowers from Vic's bouquet.
"Oui, you are done, Ruby. Charmant. Now, pleeze go and check with your mother zat Teddy is here." Ruby nodded and left the cottage in search of her mother.
She found her mother talking to Uncle Harry near Dobby's grave, both twins were looking out at the ocean although a pale pink dot in her mother's ear told Ruby she could not hear the sounds accompanying the waves.
"…really proud of how you raised him, Eliza." Harry was saying and Ruby stopped, not wanting to interrupt.
"I think they would, you raised him too though Harry, it wasn't just me."
"I know but you adopted him, he lived with you, I just got to be the cool godfather who took him to Quidditch matches and on holiday. You had to be his mother, and tell him off and things." Ruby saw her mother smile.
"He wasn't much trouble. Remus and Tonks would be really proud of him. I wish they were here, Harry. All of them."
"I know, but you know they're watching."
"I know." Her mother said and Uncle Harry turned back to the house and noticed Ruby hovering.
"You look lovely, Rubes." He said, smiling, her mother also turned and nodded, Ruby walked over to them.
"Thanks, you both look great, Aunt Fleur asked if Teddy is here yet?"
"Yes, he's in the marquee being pestered by Molly and Aunt Petunia" Harry said, smiling.
"Has Dad bought Milly and Patrick yet?" Ruby asked, Patrick was new to the magical world.
"He's gone to get them, you better wait by the marquee in case Patrick faints or anything."
"Eliza fainted the first time she apparated." Uncle Harry said, smiling, his sister turned to him.
"I was thirteen and I had a chest infection, shut up." She said, poking him.
"I'll wait in the house, Vic doesn't want Teddy to see the dresses, bring Patrick in if he doesn't feel well, isn't Madam Pomfrey here though?" Ruby asked, she was looking forward to catching up with the nurse.
"Yes but Patrick will probably feel more comfortable being treated by you. It's probably a bit overwhelming." Ruby nodded and walked back to the house.
Inside the door of Shell Cottage she found Dom pulling at her tights in apparent discomfort.
"Are you alright?" Ruby asked,
"Yeah, I bloody hate wearing tights, and Vic knows it! So itchy!"
"You could ask mom to transfigure the material so it doesn't itch."
"Good idea, where is she?" Dom asked, looking eager.
"Over by Dobby's grave." Dom nearly ran over to her aunt and Ruby walked upstairs to find Vic. She found her in her bedroom, looking stunning.
She was wearing a long white, fairly tight fitting, dress which fanned out at the bottom. It had thick scraps and an elaborate yet feint and tasteful butterfly pattern on the front. Vic's patronus was a butterfly and it was a recurring theme in the wedding. Ruby had a few charmed butterflies that would fly over her bouquet when she walked down the aisle.
"You ready, Vic?" Ruby asked, sitting on the bed.
"Course I'm ready. Just a bit worried about Dad's speech, he wouldn't let me look at it."
"I'm sure your Mom looked at it." Ruby said, trying to reassure her. Just then Aunt Fleur arrived in the doorway.
"Ruby, Patrick needs a potions, he iz feeling sick." Ruby nodded and walked down the stairs to find her new cousin looking very green sat at the kitchen table. Aunt Petunia was standing next to him, fanning him with an Order of Service, and his new wife was holding his hand and trying to reassure him.
"Oh Ruby! There you are, Patrick needs one of those potions things." Petunia said, barely glancing up at Ruby before looking back down at Patrick.
"Hi Patrick, are you okay?" Ruby asked, Petunia moved out of the way so Ruby could sit next to him.
"Feel a bit sick to be honest Ruby, can you do that appearing thing?"
"Yeah, don't worry though it makes everyone feel rough the first few times. I'm just going to wave my wand over your head so I know which Potion to grab, okay?"
"Yeah, whatever." Patrick said quietly. Ruby performed the charm and then looked at the selection of potions that Uncle Bill had bought in from the medicine cabinet and selected the right one.
"Here you go, drink this." Ruby said, conjuring a plastic cup and pouring the correct dose of potion in.
"How long will it take to work?" Milly asked, looking worried that her new husband would have second-thoughts about what he had married in too.
"Instantly." Patrick drank the potion looking unconvinced but then the colour returned to his face and he looked at the potion in amazement.
"Bloody hell! That's amazing it's just like…"
"Magic!" Ruby said smiling and he nodded.
Five minutes later Ruby was standing outside the marquee behind Vic and Uncle Bill and the music started.
"Knock em dead Vic!" Whispered Dom from next to Ruby.
They started walking and everyone stood up and gasped at how beautiful Vic looked. There was a reporter friend of Ginny's taking pictures and he starting clicking away looking delighted that his friendship with Ginny Potter had resulted in him scooping the Wedding-of-the-Year.
The ceremony was short and beautiful. Vic and Teddy had written their own vows and by the time they were married most of the women in the crowd, along with a good deal of the men, were crying with happiness.
Ruby stood up and walked behind the couple as they walked back down the aisle and as soon as they exited the marquee Ruby threw her arms around her brother's neck.
"Yay! Congratulations you two!" She squealed as Dom also hugged her sister.
"Thanks Rubes, can't believe it Vic! You're finally a Lupin!"
"And you're finally a Weasley!" She said and Teddy pulled her into a kiss.
"Alright you two, save in for the honeymoon!" Dom said good-naturedly. The rest of the Weasleys gathered around quickly while the marquee was transformed into tables and a dance floor. Ruby left to find her mother.
As Ruby predicted her mother was standing in between her husband and Aunt Minnie dabbing her eyes with a tartan handkerchief that Ruby suspected her godmother had conjured.
"Alright, Mom?" Ruby asked, giving her mother a hug and then hugging her father and godmother as well.
"Yes, I'm fine, just such a happy day." Her mother said, looking over at where the mass of red-heads were congregated.
"He is a wonderful young man Eliza, Remus and Tonks made the right decision picking you." Aunt Minnie said and her mother cried some more before her father pulled her into his chest and whispered reassuring words in her ear. Ruby smiled at her godmother.
"You look lovely, Ruby. I like all the butterflies."
"Thanks, it's Vic's Patronus." She replied.
"Nice idea, what's your Patronus?" She asked, looking at Ruby intrigued.
"A Red Squirrel." Ruby replied and Aunt Minnie laughed.
"Of course it is, do you two remember that time that Ruby climbed one of the apple tree at the Burrow because Teddy told her that you could climb trees, Eliza?" She asked and Ruby's father nodded and laughed.
"Did I?" Ruby asked, smiling.
"Yes, it was the day I found out I was having the twins, Molly's birthday. We asked you why you'd climbed the tree and you said that Teddy had told you that I could climb trees. We made you sit with us at the grown-up table as punishment. Then you wanted me to turn into a squirrel to…"
"No, Eliza, she wanted you to turn into a squirtle!" Said her father and they laughed again. The scene was interrupted by Teddy and Vic coming over.
"We did it, Aunt Eliza!" He said, hugging his godmother, Ruby's father clapped him on the back and then hugged Vic.
"Congratulations at last! I'm really proud of you." Fred said while Teddy and Eliza were still embracing. When they broke apart Teddy looked at his godmothers face seriously.
"Thank you Aunt Eliza, I really mean it, thank you."
"It was nothing, Teddy." She said, reaching up to stroke his turquoise hair.
"It was not 'nothing', it was everything." He said and Ruby felt tears crept down her face again.
"Merlin you two, good thing this make up is waterproof!" Vic said, dabbing at her eyes.
"No such luck here, I shall have to go to the bathroom please excuse me. And congratulations you two, a fine match." Teddy smiled and hugged Aunt Minnie and then she walked off the remove the black streaks on her face.
Ten minutes later they sat down to eat. Ruby was sat in between Teddy and her mother. Uncle Bill stood up and addressed the guests.
"Hello everyone, for anyone who doesn't know. I'm Bill Weasley, and this beautiful young lady here is my eldest daughter- I know what you're thinking but she got her looks from her mother!" There was some laughter and Vic and Fleur both blushed.
"Now I'm told that it's the job of the father of the bride to embarrass his daughter but I'm thinking that if she has enough champagne she'll probably do that herself so I'm going to keep this speech short. I first suspected that Teddy might have a soft spot for Victoire when he came to see her at the hospital shortly after she was born- he said, and I quote 'Baby… girl… chocolate' and then he tried to give her his bar of Honeydukes chocolate." Teddy blushed as everyone laughed.
"The first time I noticed that Vic was fond of Teddy was with her first word, most children say 'Mommy' or 'Daddy' but with Vic we were slightly put out to learn that it was 'Teddy'. And from the tender age of sixteen months I knew that this boy was going to steal my daughter from me." More laughter.
"They certainly took their time though, the Weasley family have a, probably unhealthy and certainly unethical, habit of making bets on our children's lives and with Teddy and Vic it was of course Teddy's godmother, Eliza, who won the bet, she predicted- to the week- when Teddy would first pluck up the courage to ask Vic out, she then won more money when Teddy proposed although I had to withdrew from that particular bet as Teddy had already asked me for permission, using the words- 'I know she's like my cousin Uncle Bill, but she's like not really, and I like love her, can I like ask her to like marry me?' Of course I said 'Look Teddy, I like you and I like understand that you like love her but if you like hurt her I will like kill you!'" More applause and Teddy nodded as if remembering it well.
"I know that Teddy will look after my princess and I know that they will have a happily ever after. So if you can please raise your glasses to Teddy and Vic!" Everyone toasted them and Vic looked very relieved that her father's speech was over.
The next person to make a speech was Keith, Teddy's best man who was also his Auror partner. He told a few anecdotes about how Teddy was as an Auror and joked about him disappearing on a five-year gap year and expecting everything to be the same when he returned, in fact Keith had married and divorced twice in that time.
Then Teddy stood up to make his speech and Ruby looked up at him wondering what he would say.
"Hi everyone, first of all thanks for coming to celebrate with us- sorry it took so long but my beautiful bride told me quite firmly when I proposed that we couldn't get married until she'd found herself. Well, we spent five years travelling all over the world and we couldn't find her so we thought we better get married before Grandma Molly killed us!" Everyone laughed and Grandma Molly smiled as she nodded.
"I first knew I loved Victoire Weasley, I mean properly loved her, when I was fourteen. I was sat at the Burrow watching her play Quidditch with her cousins and my little sister, Ruby, asked me if I was in love her, I said yes without thinking about it and then I almost had a panic attack and completely freaked out. It took Ruby another six months to convince me to ask her out but Ruby is as stubborn as they come, it's a genetic trait I am told," several people made noises of agreement and both Ruby and her mother blushed, "and she wouldn't give up. So I went up to her in the library one day at Hogwarts and asked her out, she said 'okay but if it's a joke then I'll tell Aunt Ginny' a very serious threat in the Weasley family. Thankfully it wasn't a joke as Vic was so convinced that it was and since then we have been very happy, and completely in love." Everyone aww-ed and Dom mimed throwing up behind her bouquet before her mother swiped at her and she stopped.
"I would like to thank two, and by extension four, very important people in my life. First is to my godfather, Harry Potter, who taught me how to be a good man, and a good Auror." People clapped and Harry smiled.
"Secondly to my Aunt Ginny, who instils such fear in the family that Vic was quite safe with me, and also taught me how to do the Bat Bogey Hex." Everyone laughed and Ginny nodded, smiling.
"Thirdly to my Uncle Fred, who taught me how to be a good husband, and how to pull the best pranks and how to get out of trouble if the pranks go wrong- it's all in the cover story." Again laughter and Ruby's dad said "Too true!"
"And finally, and most importantly to my godmother, Aunt Eliza, who adopted me when she was only nineteen, who told me stories about my parents when I asked, who told me off when I was naughty, who held me when I was sad or hurt, who treated me like a son and gave me two wonderful sisters- and Immy," Immy laughed loudly and everyone laughed along with her. "Who took me to Kings Cross station when I went off to Hogwarts, who told me that I could apply to become an Auror even though I knew it scared her, who taught me how to be a good man, who let me have fun and have a happy childhood, who let me travel around the world for five years trying to find the woman who was standing next to me the whole time, and finally who taught me how to be brave, and why bravery is important. I often get sympathy when people realise that my parents died in the war but I always tell them that I'm not an orphan and that's because my Aunt Eliza never let me be one. So if we could all please raise our glasses to Harry, Ginny, Fred and Eliza."
Everyone stood up and raised their glasses, Ruby could tell that Teddy had made a good decision by putting the toasts together so that her mother wasn't singled out. They toasted the four and then Teddy turned to Vic and raised his glass again. "And to my beautiful bride, Vic, may you never find yourself and realise that you are too good for me." Vic laughed and stood up to kiss her new husband. It was the perfect day.
A/N What a lovely wedding, I hope! What do you think?
Next chapter; There's an unwelcome guest at the reception, and Hamish has a plan.
Thanks to mozie for beta-ing! I'm still looking for a new beta though, PM me if interested.
witchprincess33- Did you cry?
LUG-14- Thanks, yes there is more sex in this story but they are grown ups now.
xXMizz Alec VolturiXx- Thanks!
scorubes4life- You're welcome, any other stories you want to find? I have no life at the moment so fanfiction takes up a lot of my time!