A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than the others, because I decided to split the original chapter 12 into two seperate chapters.
Chapter 12
July 2022
The summer holidays had started about two weeks ago and Hugo had come home from school. He was now sitting with his parents in the living room, reading a very special letter from his sister.
12th December 1976
Dear Mum and Dad,
Today is my wedding day. It's 8 o'clock in the morning and I should be getting ready because the ceremony will start in only two hours in Dumbledore's office. Dorea and Frances Potter bought some beautiful wedding robes for me. They are a cream colour with sapphire blue trimming and embroidery. I'm going to wear the jewellery Sirius gave me for Christmas last year to go with it. I will include a picture next time I write to you, so you can see for yourself.
I'm nervous. Sirius and I managed to become friends in the last year but nothing more. Luckily we won't be living together for at least one and a half years. We will both stay in our dorms until we finish school.
James and Lily agreed to be our witnesses while Dumbledore will officiate our wedding. The only other people who will be there are Charlus, Dorea, Henry and Frances Potter. I wish you could all be here as well. I always imagined having this big wedding with all the Weasleys there, marrying the love of my life. It's not going to happen now.
Oh, Dorea and Frances and Lily just came into the room to help me get ready.
I'll write again soon.
Love
Rose
Hermione was crying once again. Her little Rose was getting married and she wasn't there to share the experience with her. She still had not found a way to bring her daughter back and she started to doubt she ever would.
12th December 1976
"Good morning Dora. You need to get ready, dear," Frances reminded her as she stepped into the Room of Requirement where Dora was supposed to get ready for her wedding.
Dora quickly stood up from the desk she had been writing on and hid the letter. Then she greeted her small bridal party and they started to get ready. The two older women were already wearing their dress robes, which were a midnight blue colour. They helped the two younger girls to put on their own dress robes, make-up and pinned up their hair.
"You need something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue," Lily said after she had donned her azure dress robes.
"I already have something blue," Dora said and showed them her jewellery before she put it on.
"And the dress robes are new," Frances added.
"You are still wearing the engagement ring, right? It's definitely old," Dorea remarked.
"Good, then you are only missing something borrowed. Here, you can have one of my barrettes," Lily said and pinned Dora's hair up with her barrette.
Then they were ready and quickly made their way to the headmaster's office. Luckily it was still early on Sunday morning and the office was on the same floor. No one saw the four women walk through the corridors of the seventh floor in their dress robes.
The five men were already waiting for them in the headmaster's office. Dumbledore behind his desk and the other four men on Dumbledore's right with Charlus Potter closest to the headmaster and Sirius opposite the Headmaster in the middle of the room.
Dorea was the first of the women to enter the room and positioned herself on the Dumbledore's left opposite her husband. Next was Frances who did the same, followed by Lily who took her place opposite of James. Dora was the last to enter and took her place between Lily and Sirius.
The ceremony was short. Dumbledore said a few introductory words, bound their hands together with a blue band and waved his wand. They exchanged their vows, rings and the obligatory kiss and then signed the marriage documents together with Dumbledore, Lily and James. Afterwards they sat down to have some cake the house elves provided.
"Hold on," Dora said as they all stood, ready to leave. She conjured a bouquet of flowers and threw it at Lily, since she was the only unmarried woman in the room.
"You are the next to marry," she said with an impish grin.
Sirius got the idea, conjured a garter and threw it at James. "Maybe they will marry each other," he remarked with an equally wicked grin.
Everyone laughed as Lily and James blushed. Then the four students filed out of the headmaster's office, while the four Potters flooed back to Potter Manor.
Later that day Sirius got an owl from his Uncle Alphard, his mother's brother. He congratulated him on coming of age and presented him with a Gringotts key to a vault containing 1000 galleons. Sirius was speechless. He had thought he would never hear of anyone from his family ever again besides Dorea, Andromeda and her four-year-old daughter Nymphadora. He was sure his uncle would be blasted off the family tapestry for this. He quickly penned a thank-you-note to him and sent it off with his owl.
Outwardly nothing changed after Dora's and Sirius' wedding. They hid their wedding bands under a concealment charm, still slept in their dorms and hung out with their respective friends.
Dora was still friends with Sharon and Becky but Snape had told her to stay away from him after the incident at the Whomping Willow. He knew Black acted out of jealousy and didn't want to risk any further attacks. This saddened Dora slightly but she could see his point so she let it go.
The newlywed couple spent Christmas at Potter Manor. It was a cheerful affair with lots of presents for everyone. Dora finally managed to achieve her animagus form – a beautiful barn owl – something she was very proud of. Although Dora and Sirius were now married they still slept in separate bedrooms. Sirius had yet to manage to make his young wife fall in love with him.
The next few months passed quickly. Sirius attempts to romance Dora were thwarted by the study frenzy she went into in spring. She was still obsessed with getting top marks although she had no ambition to make Head Girl next year. That honour belonged to Lily she told her husband.
Despite their untroubled life at Hogwarts, the shadow of war was still looming over them. Their families had been spared from any tragedies so far but darker times were approaching and Dora knew it.
A/N: Thanks to missnightowl00 and Concrete63 for your reviews! I'm glad you like the story.