The Middle
She knew that it was bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the wedding so when Alice heard a knock on the door just a few minutes before the ceremony, she was surprised when Frank entered. She wanted to scold him for it, but when he held out his hand, her frustration melted away easily. And anyway Frank was too enchanted by Alice to even take notice of her displeasure.
"I figured you deserve fresh ones for this special day," Frank said when he found his voice.
"Thank you," Alice mumbled, as she took the small bouquet of forget-me-nots from him.
The comfortable silence between them was disrupted when the door swung open again, revealing an anxious Mrs Fawley standing at the doorway.
"Frank!" she shrieked. "I thought I told you not to see Alice!"
"Sorry Mrs Fawley. I couldn't help it," Frank said in jest and Alice let out a small giggle.
Though still infuriated for disobeying her orders, Mrs Fawley smiled in spite of herself. The faraway look in her eyes hinted that she was fondly remembering something from her past.
"I better go then. See you soon, love." Frank planted a soft kiss on Alice's temple before leaving.
Mrs Fawley took a few steps forward to get a better look at her daughter. Alice shied from her mother's gaze, feeling rather uneasy about how she looked all of a sudden. Her nerves were eventually kept at bay, however, when her mother cupped her cheek and said, "You've grown up so wonderfully, my darling."
Alice smiled. "Thank you, Mum."
"Now, what exactly did Frank want?"
It was foolish to have a wedding in the middle of a war. Alice knew this. She was aware of the many different risks that could happen if the Death Eaters had nothing better to do and decide to crash the party. Five years of being an Auror had taught her that sometimes, those wretched cronies of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would wreak havoc for no reason at all. And this wedding—this totally unorthodox wedding held at the most inopportune time possible—could just be a good enough reason for them to attack. So even though Alice fancied having a grand romantic wedding ever since she was a little girl, she grew up into a practical woman who decided to push her marriage plans to the side to fight for the greater good.
But Frank knew that it was Alice's girlhood dream and he wanted to give it to her, albeit slightly less majestic than he thought she expected. He, too, knew well enough of the twisted things that could happen. Yet it gave him all the more reason to put his plan in motion. Alice deserved to have her own wedding, regardless of the situation.
And yet, there was another reason, one that he tried to keep from entering his mind at all costs. Because in spite of the fact that he had been at the other end of a wand more times than he can count, Frank was frightened. But not of his job or the different criminals he had to face. He was used to them. His greatest fear was that his time with Alice would be cut short. He planned a long life for them and their future children. They would live in a quaint house with a large and beautiful garden at the back. They would watch their five children receive their Hogwarts letters, and though it would be painful at first, they would learn not to miss them so much once they'd gone. However, with the war only becoming worse, Frank began to understand that there was no time for waiting. Not in a war. So he wanted to make sure that he could give Alice a piece of forever even if only for a short time.
At precisely three o' clock, music filled the air and the guests turned their heads towards the back of the tiny tent to see the bride. Alice took her father's arm and nervously began to walk down the aisle. She still couldn't believe what was actually happening. The whole wedding was almost too spontaneous. Alice had to stifle a laugh at the memory of Frank proposing to her literally just yesterday. There were only a few guests to ensure the safety of the affair. Only the most important people were invited from each side of the family. Their friends and co-workers from the Auror office were still even in their uniforms when they came. Alice could not complain despite the plainness of the event, especially when her blue eyes finally met Frank's brown ones. She realized that so long as it was Frank waiting for her at the end of the aisle, there was no need to ask for anything more.
She couldn't wait to get married to him.
Alice would later tell Frank how grateful she was that the aisle was short enough; else she would have caused quite a scandal, running to him just because she was too excited. Frank would then tell her that in spite of feeling flattered of her confession, he was glad that she had not done so. After all, it would mean that she would be leaving her father standing awkwardly alone in the middle of all the guests, baffled by her daughter's eccentricity.
"Then I would have to say, 'I'm sorry sir. I don't even try, but your daughter just loves me so much.'"
"And I would say, 'He put a love potion on my food in sixth year, that's why!'"
But before all of that happened, the father and daughter finally came to a stop when they reached the altar, and Mr Fawley kissed Alice on her forehead before putting her hand on Frank's outstretched one.
"Hi," Alice mumbled, her lips curved into a wide, radiant grin.
"Hi," Frank breathed, his smile nervous yet bright.
When he noted the forget-me-nots in her hair, Frank couldn't help but fall more in love with her. He was expecting her to put the flowers he brought in her bouquet. He didn't know how but Alice always had the ability to surprise him even with just the little things she did.
"You look beautiful," he mouthed and she squeezed his hand gently.
"Dearly beloved…" the small and tufty-haired wizard began.