Chapter 51

"This one is pretty, but it might get in the way-"

Tiannah and Monica exchanged bored looks as Hestia contemplated on which dress for Tiannah's wedding. Tiannah, in all honesty, couldn't care less what her dress looked like, as long as it wasn't frilly or puffy. Hestia seemed to think otherwise, however. She wasn't one to burst Hestia's happy bubble, so she put up with it.

"Can I please go?" Monica asked in an undertone.

"No," Tiannah whispered. "Please. You are to be my sister in law and you are the only sane person in the vicinity."

What Tiannah said was true. The wedding shop was full of females who were talking at top speed about their dresses, and who, like Hestia, were seemingly debating with themselves.

"I don't want Theo to get fed up with Dave, and he probably needs a feed."

Tiannah opened her mouth to argue, but knew that any scathing comments would be uncalled for; after all, what Monica said could well be true. Glaring like a fiend, she gave Monica a dismissal nod and she gratefully left the room. Hestia looked up and grinned.

"Good. It's just us. Now-"

Kill me now, Tiannah thought, hoping with all her might that someone would come to her rescue. It was a month after Oliver proposed, and Tiannah was still getting her head around the fact that she was going to be married in a mere four months. They wanted the wedding to happen fairly soon, because already the Quidditch Press found out, and Tiannah thought that the sooner it was over, the better; there wouldn't be so much attention. For Tiannah and Oliver had become quite famous in the Quidditch world. In fact, there was a fanzine dedicated to 'Ollieannah' – a ship that had become quite popular amongst young girls. Tiannah didn't know what a ship was at first, and she thought that the girl who suggested making a fanzine was saying that she and Oliver were going on a cruise. It was still very baffling. Tiannah could barely get her head around the fact that a mere two years ago, she and Oliver were still students at Hogwarts, and now they were Quidditch stars, and about to be wedded.

"Hestia-" Tiannah interjected. "I am starving. Can we please continue after lunch?"

Hestia blinked for a moment, before nodding enthusiastically. "Sure."

The shop that they were in was a muggle one. Hestia said that she wanted to go there to see if there were some dresses that could serve as means of inspiration – she was still planning to become a fashion designer. Tiannah obliged. They didn't have much trouble blending in as muggles. After all, both girls usually wore muggle clothing anyway, apart from work or travelling to magical places, where Tiannah especially had standards to uphold.

Hestia and Tiannah decided to order food from a place called McDonalds. Neither of them had ever seen food that looked so greasy: they hadn't seen anything that looked so greasy, full stop. However, Tiannah argued that Snape's hair looked a whole load greasier than the food. They ordered Big Macs, took a seat, and began to talk.

"How's Ken?" Tiannah asked, taking a bite from her burger.

"He's good, Tia. He's a little stressed with work though," she said, and Tiannah caught the 'and there is more to it' tone in her best friend's voice. She gave Hestia a pointed look, and she elaborated.

"I didn't realise that working for the Ministry would be so stressful for him. I mean, yeah, I never thought that it would be easy, but it is really affecting me too."

"Continue."

"Like, we just don't spend time together anymore, if you get my drift," the blonde said, giving Tiannah a look, which she interpreted to mean 'we don't have sex anymore.'

"But you're busy too."

"Yeah, that's the thing. I'm always writing articles for the Daily Prophet, he's always writing reports for work, and I still want to design clothing. I want support from him concerning my career, but he doesn't give me any!"

Tiannah bit her lip, unable to think of a response. She and Oliver always had time to talk; they made sure of it. They had Quidditch training for eight hours each day, so they had a lot of time together, despite the fact that they spent their spare time catching up on sleep. However, Ken and Hestia worked from nine until five, thus they were very tired and didn't have time for aloneness.

"Hest," she eventually, "I think that you have to be there for him. Remember, guys are really very stupid when it comes to seeing how girls are feeling, and I would know. Maybe if you support him, talk to him more, maybe then he'll see that you need him."

Hestia blinked her green eyes rapidly, and then smiled. "God, you have the most amazing relationship advice. I don't know where you get it; you and Oliver seem to have a flawless relationship of late."

Tiannah snorted; she thought the same of Hestia and Ken, but was clearly false in thinking so.

"You of all people know that Oliver and I don't have a flawless relationship. But in the past year, we've realised that – or at least, I've realised – that I can't lose him, and he can't lose me. And besides, he can read me like a book; we've known each other since we were little. When was the last time that you and Ken fought?"

Hestia frowned for a moment. "Never, not really. The last time was probably when he went to the strip club."

Tiannah's eyes widened. "That was ages ago! Look, I know that you and Ken are married, but in a way, Oliver and I have been through more. I guess that fighting strengthened the relationship."

"So you're telling me to fight with my husband?"

Tiannah stopped mid head shake, struck by an idea. "Yes. Yes, go and pick a fight with him for not being so supportive of you. He is your husband, and he should realise that you need his support as much as he needs yours," she said, becoming more passionate as she said each word. Hestia stood up.

"Tia, you are right. We can finish this tomorrow, because I am off to go and pick a fight with my husband."

Several of the people in the vicinity looked at Hestia curiously, but she ignored it and flounced off. Tiannah blinked, then took a bite of her burger. She leaned back in her chair, satisfied with herself.

Well, I got out of shopping and helped my friend. Win win!

Hestia reported back to Tiannah the next day, looking immensely pleased with herself.

"Well, I confronted Ken about it. We had a fight, and it was actually really fun! We got to the point, and agreed that we would start supporting each other more. Then we had even more fun, if you get my drift," Hestia finished, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Tiannah smiled and patted her friend on the back.

"Good on you, Hest!"

She beamed. "Thanks. Now, it is Sunday, and you have no training. So, can we go dress shopping?"

Tiannah reluctantly nodded.

Tiannah's birthday was also the day of her wedding. For her, it was the best birthday present imaginable, but it didn't change the fact that she was incredibly nervous. She woke up on the eighth of May, and tried to fathom the fact that these were the last few hours when she would be known as Tiannah Summers. She didn't feel any different knowing that she was twenty years old, in all honesty. Well, she wasn't in the teens anymore, and she thought that would feel very different. It wasn't every day you turned twenty, but that fact was ruled out by another: it wasn't every day that you get married.

Blearily, Tiannah rubbed her eyes, and before she could stand up, Hestia burst through the door, along with Meredith, Jane and Monica, who were holding bags of make-up and the latter was carrying what was known as Tiannah's wedding dress.

Slowly, a smile unfurled on her lips, a dazzling smile that the four females returned.

"You are smiling at the thought of getting make-up on!" Hestia exclaimed.

"I wouldn't be smiling because I'm going to get married, would I?" Tiannah said sarcastically, eyes veering into a roll.

"Honestly," Hestia huffed, turning to Meredith, Jane and Monica. "When we were in America, she was almost girly. Then she moved back to England and became friends with Oliver again and BAM! She was a tomboy again. Five years of work, all gone down the drain!"

Tiannah rolled her eyes as the females laughed. "Well, the first time I wore a dress was when I was sixteen," she pointed out, and Hestia slapped her palm on her forehead.

"Don't remind me!"

"And I can count the number of times I have worn a dress on my fingers."

"Not after today," Hestia pointed out, and Tiannah groaned.

"Have you been keeping count?"

"Yep! It'll be eleven times today!"

"Well then, I might just not get married."

Hestia looked as though she was going to slap Tiannah, but Jane interjected, enfolding her daughter in a teary hug.

"Happy birthday, Tia," she whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek. Tiannah felt tears of happiness well in her eyes.

"Thanks Mum."

"Okay, enough of the sentimental shit," Monica exclaimed, giving Tiannah a quick hug before speaking again. "Theo and Dave are having 'fatherly son time', and Dave has the cutest clothes for the wedding..."

Tiannah noted the loving look in Monica's eyes and smiled. In fact, Tiannah felt like smiling at everything. For today, everything was smile worthy.

"Okay," Meredith said briskly, hugging Tiannah. "Oliver says hello and he loves you. He and Ken left early this morning."

"Bet you that they are at a strip club," Monica offered up, causing Hestia and Tiannah to glare at her. Hestia, however, brushed it off and handed Tiannah a bathrobe.

"Take this and have a shower," she said, before adding in an undertone, "Wear nice knickers for Oliver."

Blushing, Tiannah nodded and went to have a shower.

When she got out of the shower, the four women had already set out all of the appropriate makeup and hair equipment. Hestia pointed to a chair that Tiannah had to sit in.

"Can I eat first?" Tiannah asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Okay, but not anything too heavy," Hestia said, nipping downstairs to get her friend some food. She eventually decided on a muffin and a drink of hot chocolate. Tiannah was sufficiently pleased with the choice of food.

After Tiannah ate her food, the four women got to work on her. Sighing contently, Tiannah trained her eyes on the dress that she and Hestia eventually agreed on.

She didn't want a white wedding, despite Hestia's protests. They looked for dresses, both of the girls rarely agreeing on one, until Tiannah spotted a dress that stood out before all the others. It was a mermaid-style chiffon dress, in a rich emerald colour. It fell to her ankles, and was made from a flowy, lightweight material. There was a band at the waist, which was made from a fancy black lace. Automatically, Tiannah and Hestia agreed that it was going to be her dress.

A grin slipped onto Tiannah's features as she thought about Oliver. It wasn't uncommon – Tiannah found that she was constantly smiling when it came to Oliver in recent months.

Finally, Hestia announced that she was finished doing Tiannah's hair. She had a look in the mirror and smiled. The girls had done a great job, Tiannah reckoned. Part of her hair was pulled up in an elegant bun at the back of her head, with an emerald encrusted clasp keeping it in place. The clasp had belonged to Tiannah's grandmother. The rest of her long hair fell down her back in a shower of ringlets. Overall, Tiannah loved it.

Next was the makeup, which was Tiannah's least favourite part of makeovers. However, she liked the end result. The girls had decided to go for a natural look: a light coating of mascara, eyeliner, blush, foundation and lipstick. It wasn't over the top, and when Tiannah looked in the mirror, she saw herself, just a little bit more glammed up than usual.

Next came the dress. Tiannah had tried it on at the wedding dress shop, but coupled with the makeup and hairstyle, it looked even better. She heard Jane and Meredith sniff and she turned to them, smiling wryly as tears of her own formed in her eyes.

"You look so beautiful," Jane whispered, hugging her daughter. Just as Tiannah was about to reply, Hestia screeched.

"Don't you dare start crying, Tiannah soon-to-be Wood!"

Rolling her eyes, Tiannah ignored her friend and hugged Monica, as Meredith was comforting Jane, who was crying her eyes out.

"Mum... I'm just getting married, no big deal."

Jane sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I remember when you first started walking, and your first words, and your first game of Quidditch, and when you went to America, and-"

"Mum," Tiannah said firmly, stopping her rant. Despite her nerves, Tiannah now realised that it was just like any other day. Just like any other moment with Oliver. And overreacting would achieve nothing.

At Ken's house, Oliver was extremely nervous.

Happy, but nervous. He didn't exactly know why he was so nervous – Tiannah never gave him cause to be nervous. Well, most of the time. They knew each other so well, thus they were rarely shy around each other. He knew that Tiannah loved him, but it didn't change the fact that he was so incredibly nervous. There was an hour to go until they had to be at the venue, which was in the Scottish country. During spring, the weather there was beautiful: sunny, with a slight breeze. It was to be an outdoor wedding, and they were to be wedded on a large gazebo that had fairies flying around it. He knew that Tiannah would love it; they visited it when they were kids, and she adored it then.

"Mate," Ken said, walking into the room, "you're just getting married. No biggie."

Oliver snapped his attention to his best friend, glaring.

"I recall you being just this nervous before your wedding."

Ken looked slightly abashed. "Yeah, well, you don't have to be nervous."

Oliver ignored this and started pacing the room. He wondered if Tiannah was thinking of him, and a smile pricked the corners of his lips at the thought of her. Hestia had assured him that the dress was beautiful, and that she would do a good job with the makeup. It was all meaningless to Oliver; Tiannah would be his beautiful wife, even if she walked down the aisle in a paper bag. Actually, he thought, if she wore a paper bag, I would get a good view of those fantastic legs.

Meredith had left to deal with Oliver, as had Monica, who had to go and check up on eleven month old Dave, which left Hestia and Jane. Hestia was checking her speech that was to be read at the wedding reception, which was going to be held in an elegant hall, near the gazebo that they would be wedded at. Jane went through Tiannah's draw, and found the emerald earrings that Oliver gave her two years ago. Tiannah smiled when she saw her mother holding them.

"I remember when he gave them to me. That wasn't a happy Christmas," she said softly, looking to the ground as she remembered when they broke up.

"That's all over now," Jane said soothingly. "You're about to get married."

A wild grin crossed Tiannah's features, as her eyes trained on the engagement ring. Oliver knew exactly what she wanted – it was encrusted with emeralds. Simple, yet elegant.

The magical bonder was making the regulated speech, as Tiannah stared into Oliver's brown eyes. She wasn't really paying attention to the speech, and she could tell that Oliver wasn't either. He gave her a look that clearly meant, "Is this over?" and Tiannah smirked in response. Her nerves had completely dissolved by now, and she just wanted the speech to end so that she could be married.

"Do you, Oliver James, take Tiannah Jane to be your lawfully wedded wife..."

Both Tiannah and Oliver were in a daze as they exchanged vows, each staring into each other's eyes, grins unfurling on their lips.

"Then I declare you bonded for life."

The wizard raised his wand and a flurry of stars fell upon the two Quidditch fanatics, as Oliver leaned in to kiss Tiannah.

Flashes of their first kiss, playing Quidditch from dawn until dusk, laughing in the Gryffindor common room, waking up after they went to the Quidditch match during the summer before seventh year and innumerable others flashed through Tiannah's head as she kissed Oliver. Every memory of Oliver was combined into that one kiss, their first kiss as husband and wife.

When Oliver pulled away, he had never seen a wider grin on Tiannah's features. Her blue eyes were glittering up at Oliver, and neither of them had ever felt happier than they did at that moment.

"I love you, Mrs Wood," he said softly, resting his forehead against hers. Tiannah smiled at him, as his brown eyes burned into hers with a furious sort of love.

"I love you too."

The reception had to be the one of the best nights of Tiannah's life.

"Hey," Monica said, approaching Tiannah and Oliver, holding Dave. Tiannah smiled at the sight of her godson: he was wearing an adorable little tuxedo with a bowtie. "How does it feel being married?"

"It doesn't really feel any different, to be honest," Tiannah stated, squeezing Oliver's hand. He smiled down at her.

Gwenog was the nest person to approach the newlyweds.

"Congratulations, Tiannah," she said genially, nodding curtly at Oliver. "We're going to have to change the embroidery on the back of your robes, though."

Tiannah nodded, but didn't really care. It was a minor problem. After people went up to Tiannah to congratulate her, Hestia began to make her speech.

"I met Tiannah when I was in America," she began, green eyes locking on the blue eyes of Tiannah. "And I thought that she was awesome. We were best friends all through school, and we rarely fought. I always thought that there was something that blocked Tiannah's happiness, however. And it was because her best friend, Oliver, was in England. I used to tease her all the time about her 'boyfriend', much to her annoyance. When I finally met Oliver, I thought that he was an obsessive but caring guy, who was obviously mad about Tiannah in every way possible. For ages, they both were in denial, and I felt like slapping Oliver especially for being such an idiot. I don't think that I'm the only one who has had that urge," she glanced at Tiannah as the crowd laughed. "When they FINALLY got together, I was so happy for them. They've had their ups and downs, and I've been the one to pick up the pieces at times, because they are both naive idiots. But I have no idea how to describe my happiness, now that they are married. Just one thing: Oliver, if you hurt my best friend, I will brutally murder you."

The crowd laughed again and Tiannah brushed tears of happiness away from her eyes. Of course, Hestia had been Tiannah's maid of honour. The speech had touched Tiannah. When Hestia walked over to Tiannah, she was grinning broadly.

"That was amazing, Hest," Tiannah exclaimed, hugging her friend.

"Thanks!"

Tiannah found that the smile on her face didn't falter all night. She and Oliver were slowly dancing in a corner as the reception came to a close. Tiannah couldn't be happier with how it went; everyone seemed to have had a good time.

"Happy birthday, by the way," Oliver said, bringing a hand up to her cheek.

"Thanks. You are the best birthday present ever," she whispered, running her fingers up his chest. She was brought back to the moment when she was in her sixth year, and she suddenly realised that she loved Oliver. Four years on, and she still did, and knew that she always would.

"Mm. I've got a really good present later," he whispered, pressing his lips onto hers.

"Would that present involve taking off my lacy underwear?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, are they lacy?" he teased, smiling down at Tiannah.

They would be apparating to a fancy lodge nearby after the reception for their honeymoon. It was beside a beach that they visited as kids, so it was an automatic pick for them. With glinting blue eyes, Tiannah answered.

"Well, maybe. I guess that you'll have to find out for yourself, Ollie."

"I intend to, Mrs Wood."

After teary goodbyes from their respective parents and siblings, Tiannah and Oliver apparated to the lodge that they were staying at. It was deserted; they were the only people there, apart from the few house elves that visited once a day. However, at midnight, they weren't there, which left Tiannah and Oliver alone. Neither of them felt like sleeping, so Tiannah decided to go for an adventure outside. She took off her wedding dress and put on a flowy nightie that was very revealing, thus she knew that Oliver would love it.

Tiannah had never seen so many stars before. It was a clear, cool night, with a full moon visible in the sky. Oliver stood behind Tiannah and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back onto his torso, so they fit together like spoons. They stayed like that, until Tiannah pushed away.

"Hey!" Oliver exclaimed.

Tiannah grinned and shrugged. "You'll have to catch me, husband dearest."

Oliver ran after Tiannah, who was giggling and squealing as Oliver failed to catch her. He eventually backed her up against tree, panting as Tiannah giggled.

"Hm, we've never shagged against a tree!" Tiannah commented, as Oliver started to trail kisses down her neck. She was going to snap at him, but all rational thoughts left her brain as Oliver sucked on the pressure point of her neck.

"We're not about to," Oliver said, fingertips coursing up her thighs.

"Oh yes we are," Tiannah whispered lustily, cupping his cheeks and capturing his lips with her own.

Disclaimer: Swiggity swiggity swag I'm a stag. If I am a stag, I am James Potter. If I am James Potter, I own Harry Potter. I am not a male, I do not have hazel eyes or black hair, and I am not fictional. Therefore, I don't own Harry Potter.