Chapter 80: In Which We Rehearse
The sun had sunk behind the trees and the stars were starting to shine before everyone was ready to start the rehearsal. Ginny had marshalled the players into their starting positions, and then walked to the front of the chapel. She gave Spike a nod, and Severus' music began.
Arthur and Severus walked in from outside the doors of the chapel, and took their places in front of Ginny. Spike cut the music, waited two beats, and began Hermione's theme. It took longer for Hermione and Harry to reach the chapel, because they had started from inside the house, but her music was long enough to cover the time. When they entered, Ginny gestured for everyone to rise, and Hermione's parents, Buffy, Willow, and Xander did their bit.
Harry walked Hermione to her place besides Severus, gave her a kiss, pantomimed lifting her veil, and then took a step back and pulled Hermione with him.
"Have to redo that." He pantomimed lifting her veil, gave her a kiss, and she handed him an imaginary bouquet of flowers.
Snape and Hermione looked at each other and grinned. Ginny smiled at them, and said, "So this is the bit where I do my speech. All the rest of you sit there politely and pretend you care. And then we get to the real show. Severus, all yours."
He took Hermione's hand. "Say my vows, wave my wand, tattoo appears."
"Hermione, now you," Ginny said.
"Say my vows, wave my wand, tattoo appears."
"Now you two tie your hands," Ginny said. Severus pulled out the ribbon, and the two of them fumbled with it for a few moments. Harry and Arthur tittered. Ginny rolled her eyes.
Hermione gave her a gentle glare. "We'll get it. That's why we've got a rehearsal. Besides, it's not like you ever tried to tie a knot one handed."
"I'm here, too." Severus said, trying to get the ribbon to stay where he put it.
"One and a half handed."
"Hey!" Snape finished his loop and pulled it tight.
"Very nice," Hermione said sarcastically. The knot was rather lopsided.
"Do you want to tie it?" Snape asked Hermione.
"I might as well try. Why don't you wrap it? I'll tie."
"Fine." He snagged the end of the knot and pulled it tighter. The two of them fought with the knot, each trying to undo it with only one hand, while the rest of the group looked on with happy amusement.
"You know, this is really what being married is all about," Arthur said while smiling at the struggling couple.
The second time went smoother. Snape wrapped the ribbon around their wrists, leaving the two ends close to each other, and Hermione had it in a knot in a matter of seconds.
"You're done? Wonderful! Now back to me," Ginny said. She pulled out a ribbon, slipped it around their wrists and tied it swiftly. "Welcome to the family. We love you all. Congrats, you're married! Kiss that woman!" Severus and Hermione kissed. Ginny waved her wand, and the knots released. She nodded to Spike and the recessional music began. "Turn around, take a bow, and off you go." She waited until Severus and Hermione had gotten to the doors of the chapel.
"Harry and Dad, off you go." The two men walked down to join Severus and Hermione. The music continued to swell and grow with joy. She followed behind them. "I think I just set the speed record for a wedding rehearsal."
As the five of them stood in a line, the prospective receiving line, the others began to file out, and the first notes of Billy Idol's White Wedding came blaring out of Spike's iPod. Severus laughed. Spike gave him a salute.
"Time to eat?" Harry asked.
Dinner was a similarly light affair. Since it was the staging point for both of the night before parties not only were the traditional out-of-town guests and members of the wedding party there, but so were all the guests at both parties.
After spending twenty-five minutes with Ginny and a seating chart, Hermione opted for a buffet and an open seating plan.
So far all was going well. People were buzzing about, happily munching upon the nibbles provided for their consumption, and the gentle roar of conversation filled the room they had rented for the meal.
Hermione stood by herself, somewhat hidden by a booth and just watched the party roll. She had a feeling that moments of quiet contemplation would be few and far between for the next twenty-four hours.
It was pleasant to watch the people she held dear having such a good time. Her parents had somehow correctly identified Xander as the only other thoroughly non-magical person in the group and were animatedly chatting with him about life among magical folk. Percy, Willow, and Spike were talking about something, and it must have been interesting because Hermione hadn't seen any of them get more food or a new drink for close to fifteen minutes. Girly giggling slid from the direction of Buffy, the Patils, Angelina and Deidre. Molly walked over, joined them, and added her laughter to the mix. Arthur, Harry, George, and Severus were hovering around the buffet table making sure that none of their favourite titbits had the chance to go cold.
"It feels odd doesn't it?" Hermione jumped slightly as Ginny's hand landed on her shoulder. "My whole wedding I felt like I was watching it from the outside. I had to keep reminding myself, 'I'm the Bride.'"
"No, not odd, at least not yet. But it's nice to just sit back and watch it. I mean, twenty years ago, who would have guessed any of these people would be in a room together?"
"Besides all of us red-headed-Weasley-types?"
"Well, yes, I guess it wouldn't be too hard to figure you'd all be in one room. But you know what I mean…"
Ginny smiled kindly. "I know what you mean. Who could have guessed that these people would become tied to each other by love and blood and joy and tears and history? Twenty years ago a lot of us were just kids, and those who weren't would have never guessed they'd be here with each other."
"So, shall we get back to mingling?" Hermione asked after another moment of watching her party.
"Sounds like a good idea. Besides, if I don't hit the buffet again soon, my husband will have eaten all the spring rolls."
"And we wouldn't want that."
"Damn right! I want at least one more of them."
"Jean?" Ginny pulled Hermione's mother aside as she and her husband were leaving the dinner.
"Yes, Ginny."
"I know you and Robert don't want to walk Hermione down the aisle, but would you like a different part in the wedding? Something to surprise Severus and Hermione?"
"Possibly, do I have to indicate I'm selling my daughter?"
"No, nothing like that. Tomorrow's ceremony will have a handfast as well as traditional wand binding. Supposedly I'll bind their hands to mark them as part of the family, but I decided to change it up for a surprise. Harry and I will bind their hands with a ribbon to mark them as part of our family. Dad and Mum will do the same. I was wondering if you and Robert would be willing to do so as well?"
"I'll have to see if Robert's on board, but yes, I think we can do that. Any special kind of ribbon?"
"Long enough to wrap around their hands a few times, and in a color that means something to you or that you like. Let me know before the ceremony starts."
"We'll make sure you know by the time we sit down."
Hermione was kissing Snape goodbye. She had one hand on his neck, and the other pressed against his chest. His arms were wrapped around the small of her back, and his forehead pressed against hers.
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
"See you."
They both stood there, not really wanting to let go and move onto the other festivities of the night.
"Oi! Get moving! It's not like you're off to the wars!" George called to Snape.
Hermione smiled. Snape gave her a quick kiss.
"Tomorrow."
"I'll be the one in white." She continued to smile as he joined the other men and walked off into the London night.
Ginny walked to her side and put an arm around her.
"So, what do you think they'll be doing?" Hermione asked.
"Things we'd rather not think about. Harry told me something about rented videos and lots of alcohol."
"Uggh. And what do you have planned for me?"
Buffy, Willow, Padma, Parvati, Angelina and Deidre surrounded Hermione and Ginny. All of them looked happy and mischievous.
"We are going to go out and enjoy your last night as a single woman," Ginny said.
"We're going dancing, and we're not stopping until at least five men have fallen in love with you." Buffy grinned.
"Seems kind of mean." A slow smile spread across Hermione's face. "But I think I can get behind that plan."
"Good, because our night starts…" Ginny watched the street. A black limo pulled up. "Now!"
The men had retired to George's home. (Arthur's place currently held Molly, Harry's kids and George's kids. Harry's home was where the ladies would be returning at some point.) Specifically, they were in George's Muggle Entertainment Room. Supposedly he owned it to do research and get ideas for jokes, but really it was there because he just liked muggle movies.
This is our entertainment?" Spike looked at the two DVDs. "Die Hard and Die Harder? I'm all for Bruce Willis, but this doesn't really say night of drunken debauchery."
"We'll be more than drunk enough," Harry said from the bar on the far wall.
"And as for debauched, we're all married." George told him while taking Die Hard out of Spike's hands.
"You could have gotten some decent pornos," Spike kidded him.
"Yes, because there's nothing like a group of grown men with stiffies and no one to use them on. One huge wankfest! That sounds like a great party, if we were still fourteen." George said to Spike, a smile in his voice. Spike grinned at him and helped fiddle with the sound equipment. He had a sense that he and George could make a wonderful team. Arthur had overheard the conversation while grabbing a drink for Severus and was shocked for a second, and then laughed rather than look prudish.
"Well, if you put it that way, let's get drunk and watch things get blown up. Hell, I don't suppose we could blow up some stuff ourselves later?" Spike looked like a kid asking for candy. The other men shook their heads. George was seriously starting to wish he had met Spike eight years ago when he could have really enjoyed his company.
"No?" Spike asked. More head shakes. "Minor vandalism then?" He still hadn't sold them on the idea. "What a shame. Well, then what's to drink?"
The first club was rocking. Literally. The music was so loud the walls were vibrating. Hermione thought this boded well as a place to go dancing. Then they got into the club and Hermione found of that yes, there would be dancing, but they wouldn't be the ones doing it.
She had never known she could blush so deeply. But, as Buffy hustled her to the seats right in front of the stage, and Willow shouted in her ear, "American tradition. Can't have a proper bachelorette party without some naked men." Hermione found she could indeed blush an even deeper red.
As said men began to gyrate around, and the ladies around her began to laugh, Hermione found herself laughing as well. She was sure it said something about how women and men view sex that most of the women around her thought dancing naked men was one of the funniest things in the history of the world. From her somewhat limited experience she was fairly sure that men did not break into fits of giggles when they went to strip clubs.
Apparently it wasn't just an American tradition. The MC got up and asked who was getting married tomorrow, and three women were pushed forward by their friends. (Hermione thanked all that was good and holy that her buddies decided that it was enough to just watch.) The Happy Bride Dance was something she didn't think she'd ever forget, and she wasn't entirely sure that was a good thing.
"You know you two have doomed me." Spike looked from Harry to Severus; he gulped a shot of whiskey as John McClane saved the day in the dramatic finale to Die Harder.
"How could we have possibly done that?" Harry asked.
"Your wives, between Ginny's wedding pictures and getting Hermione ready for tomorrow, my woman wants to get married now. She's got white dresses dancing in her head, and it's all your fault."
"Worse things could happen," Severus said.
"I like being married," Harry added.
"Yes, but now I've got to go get a ring, and make up a fake identity so we can get a wedding license, and who knows how I'll pass a blood test. Willow'll have to magic that up for me. And then there'll be flowers, and food, and music, and dresses, and suits, and mountains of girly stuff. I tell you, I'm doomed."
"Join the club," Arthur put an arm around his shoulder warmly.
"It's good to be doomed. Hell, I'm doomed twice over," George added.
"You know, there's a reason they call them bachelor dinners. There's supposed to be more than one single guy in the group."
"Spike, you're no more single than any of the rest of us," Harry told him.
"Hey, I'm still single." Xander spoke up from the chair everyone thought he was asleep in.
"Sorry Xander, you were so quiet we forgot you were there," Harry shot at the man slouched in the chair.
"Just because I'm almost unconscious doesn't mean I'm not here! My Gods, what is in this stuff?" He lifted his glass to indicate another of the concoctions wouldn't be unwelcome. Harry looked at him, and decided that one more would render Xander unconscious.
"How about I make a new drink for you?"
"Sure."
"One coffee coming right up."
Xander glared at Harry, tried to get up, and stumbled over his own feet. "What's the point of having a bunch of wizards around if I can't get blind drunk, and then not have to feel it the next morning?"
"Trust me lad, you're pissed, and you won't feel it in the morning. But Harry doesn't have any desire to cross Willow, who instructed that you had to be back in one piece and able to walk," Arthur told Xander while putting him back in his chair.
The second club was more along the lines of what Hermione had been thinking of. Proper dancing. All the men were dressed. Dressed nicely, a little tighter than was strictly necessary, but dressed. Which suited Hermione just fine, she had seen more than enough jiggling genitalia for one night.
The ladies staked out a table and got down to it. Hermione shimmied and shook with the best of them. Each of the women was hit on at least three times, including one rather persistent fellow who needed more than a gentle rebuff to leave Ginny alone. But all in all, a good time, and some slight hearing damage, was had by all.
At 3:00 Hermione decided she had had enough. "Time to go home?" she asked Ginny.
"Well, my home, but yes, it's time."
The women parted with happy, tired smiles and best wishes for the coming evening.
Hermione and Ginny returned to Grimmauld Place, and found Harry sitting at the table waiting for them with hot tea.
"Been home long?" Ginny asked her husband.
"Nope, five minutes? Ten tops. Long enough to make tea. Have a good time?"
"Yes," Hermione answered. Ginny just grinned at him.
Hermione looked at the tea but decided against it. She gave a great yawn. "I'm knackered. You've done a good job keeping me up late enough and working me out hard enough that I'll sleep like a log. My usual room?" Hermione had had a 'room' at Grimmauld since shortly after the war. Technically it was an all purpose guest room, but she was the only person who used it.
Harry nodded at her and sipped his drink. Ginny waved. "Sleep well. We don't want to see you down here before noon."
"I think I can handle that."
Severus was bored. The movies had been nice. The drinks were good. The first few rounds of darts had been amusing. Spike and George playing off each other had started out fun and was rapidly moving toward manic as more alcohol was consumed. He wanted to go home. He wanted to curl up in bed with Hermione, have a nice shag, and go to sleep. He looked at the clock, 2:23. It was late enough.
Arthur caught the look on Severus' face, and said, "Let's go. I think we've had enough fun for one night. Can I trust one of you to get these two back to their hotel?" He asked Harry and George about Spike and Xander.
Harry nodded to Arthur. He thought he might need a stunning spell to get Spike and George calmed down enough to get Spike back to his hotel without any vandalism en route. But, to paraphrase Xander: what good was being a wizard if you couldn't calm down a hyper vampire and a drunken brother-in-law with a flick, swish, and a few words?
"See you tomorrow, then?" Harry said to them.
"See you then," Arthur replied.
He and Severus apparated to Severus' home. "Do you want me to stay with you?" Arthur offered.
Severus thought about it. "Usually I'd rather be alone, but tonight some quiet company might be just the thing. It's fine with Molly?"
"She doesn't expect me home tonight."
"I'll make some tea."
"Good, I could use something without any alcohol."