AN: Okay, I know I said only a few more chapters, but I simply can't fit the wedding into just one chapter as I planned. Too much good stuff, so here's part one. I guess we'll all be surprised at how many parts there end up being. Thank you again for all the reviews and favorites! If we get up to 100 reviews I'm seriously considering doing a one shot of choice for the 100th reviewer...

But now, with no further ado...

Chapter 23: The Wedding, Part I

The next morning, she awoke to fresh tea on the bedside table and a piece of parchment where she expected to find Severus. Smiling at the memory of their old morning routine, she sipped gratefully at the tea while she unrolled the note.

My love,

I hope you slept well. I had some business to attend to this morning, but should have returned by the time you awaken. When you are ready to receive company, please send a patronus to come find me. I have one more surprise for you

Your Severus

She chewed on her bottom lip, a perplexed smile playing on her face as she tried to figure out what he could possibly give her that he hadn't already. Knowing the curiosity would begin to eat away at her patience more and more with each passing minute, she quickly donned a dressing gown and grabbed a wand to send a patronus to Severus. She quickly swished her wand through the air with an 'expecto patronum', but gasped and almost dropped her wand as the spurt of silver shot out the end.

Severus was sitting in one of the lounges in the main area of the castle making polite but slightly nervous small talk when a burst of silver flashed through the door. He stood, expecting to see Hermione's playful otter coming towards him, but was surprised when a four-legged creature nimbly leaped into the room, trailing a thick, bushy tail behind her. He began trying to remember who in the castle had a patronus that was a fox, but he couldn't help but smile when his mind automatically associated the way the fox's tail seemed to flow after its owner with the way Hermione's hair… and then he heard her voice emanate from the silver creature.

"I was going to send you a patronus to let you know I was awake and ready for whatever magnificent surprise you have in store for me next, but apparently I had a surprise for you as well. I'm not sure what happened to my otter, but this clever young girl seems quite enthusiastic about her new form. Maybe you can fill me in on some reasons why patronuses change form when you come back? Soon? I missed waking up with you."

At the first words he had suspected what was going on, but he waited patiently for the message to finish before he took out his wand with shaking fingers. Before he cast his spell, he noticed that her patronus had not dissipated after she delivered the message as is normally the case with messenger patronuses. Instead, she sat in front of him, head slightly tipped as she watched him intently, as if waiting for an answer. He was again struck by the uncanny resemblance to the face his Hermione usually wore when she was waiting for an answer to one of her many questions.

Not daring to hope or guess as to what would happen, he waved his wand, muttered the incantation, and thought of the feeling of falling asleep with Hermione in his arms. The silver jet of light that shot out of his wand barely had time to escape the tip before it materialized. His jaw dropped as the slightly larger, obviously male fox cautiously approached Hermione's patronus. Though his patronus seemed to be taking its time to reach its destination, when the female saw her counterpart, she bounded playfully over to him and nudged her muzzle under his chin in a submissive gesture of pure affection.

Severus watched, eyes alight with joy, as the two foxes began crouching and pouncing on each other in unmistakable gestures of play. His fox paused suddenly to look back at him, as if he all the sudden realized that he had been created for a purpose. Severus nodded his head to indicate that he could precede him upstairs. The fox nodded solemnly, and then bounded off, his bushy tailed mate in hot pursuit.

Hermione was just putting her now empty teacup into the sink when she saw a flash of silver light come bounding through the door out of the corner of her eye. She turned around, already steeling herself to ignore the pang in her stomach when she saw Severus' doe, but she laughed out loud as she saw a larger fox come bounding into the room along with the one she had been so shocked to see come out of the end of her wand minutes earlier. She watched laughing as the two put on a continued display of the playful antics they had shown Severus earlier.

They were still playing as Severus opened the door just wide enough to poke his head in and see not only the flying tails of the two pouncing foxes, but the spellbound look of awe and happiness on his soon-to-be bride's face as she watched with delight. It was all he could do not to run over to her, pull her face to his, and use his kiss to explain to her exactly how much she meant to him, but his years of steely self control paid off and he simply watched as her enraptured face followed the two frolicking foxes as they chased each other around the room and finally out the window. As he caught her eyes, a happy tear rolled down her cheek as she finally found the words to speak.

"Foxes mate for life." This fact, simply stated, spoke volumes.

"Yes, they do, my love," he replied with an equally telling smile. After pausing to grin at each other like the idiots he knew they were beginning to resemble, Severus shook some sense into himself and cleared his throat.

"Are you ready for your surprise?" His face looked like a kid on Christmas morning. She couldn't help but catch his excitement, nodding enthusiastically. He slowly entered the room. She surveyed his hands to see what he was holding, but they were empty. Tilting her head at him in the exact same way her fox had only minutes ago, she silently posed her question. Severus smiled back as he held the door open for the two sets of footsteps she had not heard behind him.

"Mom! Dad!" Hermione sprinted across the room and flung herself into her parents' arms. They came forward to meet her and quickly enveloped her in a tight embrace. After pressing her eyes tight shut for a few seconds, savoring the feeling of being held by the parents she thought she had lost forever, she opened her eyes to find Severus' happily smiling face watching the reunion.

"How did you do it?" she asked incredulously, still refusing to let go of her parents.

"I don't suppose I've mentioned that I am excellent with memory restoring potions, have I?" He paused to savor the awestruck look of gratitude on her face. After a few minutes the Granger family managed to disentangle itself enough to sit down on the sofa. Hermone sat between Severus and her mother on the sofa, not knowing whose face to look at. Severus filled her in on how he had located her parents, reversed the memory charm, and given them a rough explanation of what had happened over the last year.

"You're not mad at me, then?" Hermione's timid response shocked Severus, made her mother sniff back a tear and pull Hermione into her side for another hug, and caused her father to reach forward and rest a hand on her knee.

"Of course not, little lightbulb." Her mother was the one finally to respond. "Severus explained to us how you kept us safe. We're just glad we made it back in time to see you get married. A girl needs her parents to get married."

"Plus, I have to give you away," Hermione noticed her usually-austere father radiating with warmth in her and Severus' direction, as if he was seriously contemplating hugging the both of them.

"Now, my love, I am going to give you some time to catch up. Remus has made me promise to stop by their quarters before the official wedding preparation time begins. Molly, Ginny, and Minerva said they would be up in about an hour to begin working on…whatever females do to get ready." He placed a swift but sweet kiss on her forehead as he stood to leave. "Mr. Granger, you are more than welcome to join me and my groomsmen as we get ready."

"Thank you, son. And thank you for everything you have done for us and for Hermione." The two men shook hands and Severus left the room with a wink and a promise to Hermione.

"When next you see me, you'll be becoming Mrs. Snape. Soon." He smiled and, in an even more uncharacteristic gesture of affection, blew a kiss towards his now quite blushing bride as the door shut. Hermione turned to face her parents, a giant smile plastered across her face.

"Okay, my dear, tell us everything!" Hermione giggled excitedly as she began to fill her parents in on the last year, thanking Severus silently for giving her everything she needed to make their wedding day absolutely perfect.