Disclaimer: I own nothing; JK Rowling owns everything!
"So, you just walk down the aisle. I'll be at the end; Ron will be there too. You just have to carry-"
"Pillow," Teddy interrupted, pointing his pudgy finger at the pillow on which rested Harry's and Ginny's wedding rings.
"Exactly! You have a very important job Teddy," Harry grinned, picking up his four-year-old godson who smiled self-importantly.
"After, I eat cake?" Teddy asked, pulling off Harry's glasses.
"Yes, after we will all eat the big cake."
"I like cake," Teddy stated, putting on the glasses.
"That makes two of us mate," Ron replied, stepping into the room, his tie hanging undone around his neck.
"Ronny!" Teddy exclaimed, scrambling out of Harry's arms. He bulleted toward Ron who was one of his favorite people in the world. The boy's hair turned a vivid shade of Weasley red. Harry chuckled. He supposed Ron was a bit of a child himself, which made him an automatic playmate of four-year-olds; working in a joke shop also didn't hurt. Ron had gone through auror training with Harry, paying his way through by working part time at the shop but after a year of working in the department, he had stepped down. Harry had been a bit hurt of course but it was better this way, better for Ron. At the shop, he was in his element and didn't have to compare himself to Harry every single day.
It was Harry's wedding day, finally. It had taken four years to get to this point, four years of relative peace. Harry had loved every minute. He was shaken from his reverie by the entrance of his soon to be mother-in-law. "Ronald Weasley, stop rough-housing! You both are going to ruin your dress robes!" Mrs. Weasley chided, coming into the room with Harry's freshly pressed robes.
"Sorry Mum," Ron mumbled, winking at Teddy.
"Ihate dress robes!" Teddy said emphatically. "Gran made me stand there for hours while she made them."
"You look very nice Theodore," Mrs. Weasley smiled and pinched Teddy's cheek to which the young boy made an ugly face. As soon as she left, Ron grabbed Teddy from behind and flipped him up into the air, both giggling madly.
An hour later, Harry was looking down the aisle at Ginny who looked radiant. They had opted for a very small wedding, just a few close friends and Ginny's rather large family. Teddy was standing beside him, shifting uneasily in his new shoes. Victoire, who was standing with Hermione, holding her basket of flower petals, kept shooting him shy glances. Ginny had her arm linked with her father's and she seemed to float rather than walk. She wore a flowing cream gown (rather appropriate, Harry thought wryly) and the infamous tiara in her beautiful red hair which was pinned immaculately behind her head.
Self-consciously, Harry batted away his tears, hoping Ron wouldn't notice. He wondered vaguely if his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, Remus, and Fred were looking down on him from wherever they were. In mere seconds, she was in front of him, grinning from ear to ear. This was what he had been waiting for; all of those years of worrying and struggling were finally paying off. He took her hand in his and looked to the officiate, an old friend of the Weasleys. He was barely conscious of his vows, getting lost in Ginny's dark brown orbs. Teddy did his job marvelously and Harry tried to give him the proper accolades when he lifted the pillow with the rings. Then, finally, when all the vows were said and Harry had the ring on his finger, they kissed. It was by no means their most passionate or their longest but, Harry knew even then, it would stand out in his memory forever.
"I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Harry James Potter," the officiate exclaimed. Harry and Ginny turned, smiling broadly at their friends who had all jumped to their feet. Mrs. Weasley was dabbing at her eyes between gripping Mr. Weasley's hand and clapping furiously as Harry and Ginny made their way down the aisle.
In a matter of minutes, the rows of chairs had disappeared, replaced by a dance floor and a smattering of circular tables. A gentle spring breeze wafted through the large, white tent and the fireflies began emerging as twilight descended upon them. Thinking back, Harry would remember their reception as one of his happiest moments ever, second only to holding his new born children in his arms. He whirled Ginny around the dance floor and obligingly granted Mrs. Weasley a waltz. Teddy had almost fainted at the sight of the massive wedding cake and he and Victoire had dug in before it was cut, ending in a gaping hole in the back.
When everyone was seated and Harry and Ginny had walked to the front, ready to make their toasts, Harry looked around the room, his heart warmed by all of the happy faces. He raised his glass and wrapped his arm around Ginny's middle before clearing his throat. "Four years ago, I never would have believed this day would come," he began. Ginny moved closer to him. "I had suffered under the delusion that I needed to go at it alone and that I could exist without the love of this amazing woman beside me. I had thought that I needed to go it alone to protect her. Any lesser woman would have found someone else, someone who hadn't hurt them and who did not have as much baggage; I would not have blamed her if she had. But Ginny, my Ginny," he began tearing as he looked into her eyes. "She never once lost faith in me and she never once shied away. It was, I believe, my love for her that sustained me through those long months four years ago. More than that, she was there for me when it all ended, after we had won the war but lost so many other . . . . things," he looked sadly at the Weasley family.
"Everyday I am amazed at Ginny, at her strength, her beauty, her brains and her bat-bogey hexes." The Weasley men cringed visibly. "She has stood by me through the very worst of things and created in those dark moments the deepest contentment I have ever known. When I look into her eyes, I see every dream I have ever had coming true. In marrying her, I become a part of the finest family I have ever had the honor of knowing and make a brother of the man I have always considered a brother," he shot Ron a watery smile. Ron raised his glass, his eyes oddly bright. "Many have said that she is lucky to be marrying me but they are wrong. I am the lucky one, something I will never, not even when the stars fall from the sky, forget. I love you Ginny . . . Potter, my life, my light, my home, my heart." There was thunderous applause but he didn't hear it as he got lost in her embrace. She pulled him to her and kissed him deeply, running her hands through his untidy hair.
She batted away her own tears and raised her glass. "I have loved Harry since I was a little girl when my mother told me stories about the boy-who-lived. Back then, I was in love with this hero, this mythic god who banished the bad man. Since then I have learned to know Harry Potter, the man. I have seen his penchant to blame himself first, to worry incessantly and his incredible capacity for love. With these new findings, I fell in love with him all over again and this time, my love was deeper, more lasting, and much stronger. Following his wonderful toast is hard and, as much as I would like to repeat all of his accolades in reverse, I will not bore you. I will instead reiterate my infamous valentine: your eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad . . . I'm afraid I forget the rest of it," she chuckled and Harry's cheeks reddened. "I love you Harry Potter and, I don't mind saying, I am the lucky one." There was more applause and George tapped his knife against his glass loudly. Ginny rolled her eyes but kissed her husband again, breathing in his clean scent.
There were more toasts that evening and Teddy fell asleep in the middle of the dance floor but everything seemed to fade around him. He saw only the way Ginny looked, bathed in the hundreds of fairy lights hung from the tent's ceiling. He would always remember the way tendrils of her hair fell into her face as the evening wore on, the scent of her lavender shampoo, the sound of her laughter, the blush in her cheeks after four glasses of champagne . . . A love more intense than he had ever felt for anyone else filled his heart like an inflating balloon and he knew, with absolute certainty, that he was homefor good.
A/N: I know this is a long time coming but I've been really busy. I've been dealing with my plans for studying abroad next year in Scotland which is exciting but still rather time consuming. There's one more chapter left in this fic and then I think I'll be writing one about Charlie. I hope you enjoyed the fluff and thanks a lot to all who reviewed the last few chapters! I love you all. REVIEW and have a happy day!
-Liz