Moments
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or you know anything in the HPverse
Chapter 16:
"Are you sure about this?" Fred asked looking at himself in the mirror.
"Of course I am" I said adjusting my own brand new robes.
"You aren't just marrying her because you knocked her up?" Fred asked.
"I'm not marrying her because I knocked her up. Even if she wasn't pregnant we'd still get married. We'd just wait. I want to save her from the gossip and back talk."
"She's going to be a Potter, people are going to talk. Especially when she has the baby and it comes three months early."
"Shut up" I said.
Fred just grinned. "Any way, I'm still pissed you're denied me a chance to throw you a stag night. Therefore when I get married you're going to have to throw me the best stag night ever in order to make up for it."
"Sure, we'll make a whole week of it. Of course you'll actually find a girl that's willing to marry you" I joked.
"Hey, there are plenty of girls who would love to tie me down. I'm just not ready to be a one girl kind of man. Are you?"
"Of course."
"Hey" the door opened and Al walked in wearing dark blue robes similar to Fred's. "You two ready?"
"Yeah, is it time?" I asked.
"Please say yes" Fred said, "James is so anxious he's just about ready to jump out of his skin."
Al grinned. "Good, because it's time to start."
We were having the wedding about 4 kilometers away from Shell Cottage. The guys and I stayed at my parents house as we got ready while Ali and everyone else went to the sight of the wedding. Ali isn't allowed to apparate because she's pregnant.
So Fred, Al, and I apparated to the location.
I could see the sun setting over the ocean and there were fifty or so fireflies twinkling in the sky. It was Ali's idea to have the wedding at a beach. I told her whatever she wants she could have. Dad went and found a minister. Ali named Rose and Lily her bridesmaids. I told her she could invite her friends from school, but she thought the smaller the better. Mum and dad were there. Dad was wearing the black robes he wore to Teddy's wedding. Mum was wearing a new dress, it was green and glowy like the fireflies in the sky. Then the girls walked up. Lily and Rose were wearing matching blue dresses. They were a light blue sorta silky. It was pretty I suppose but I saw Alison and I had eyes for no one or nothing else.
Her hair was pinned up, two strands hung down her face, and there was a blue rose tucked into her hair. Her dress was ivory and shone in the moonlight. It was strapless and flow-y. It looked like it was made of chiffon or satin or something. The train was long and she looked absolutely amazing.
Fred placed a hand on my shoulder. Until then I hadn't even realized I wasn't breathing. She looked so beautiful it stole my breath away.
"Family and friends, we are joined here tonight to share with Alison Marie Leigton and James Sirius Potter an important moment in their lives. Their time together, they have seen their love and understandings of each other grow and blossom and now they have decided to live out the rest of their lives together. They do not enter this marriage lightly but reverently, passionately, lovingly and solemnly" the minister said.
Ali was already crying.
"The couple wishes to share with you their own vows."
Oh, I guess that was my cue. I had thought of a few things but I had mostly decided to just wing it. Things are better when they're said unrehearsed anyway.
"There really are no perfect words to say to the most perfect girl I have ever met. You are the only girl who ever wanted me for me, not because my mother used to be a badass Quidditch player or that my dad used to slay evil badasses. You are the only girl who has ever held my heart and for that I promise to love and cherish you forever. I promise to protect you whenever you need a protector and support you whenever you need a supporter. I promise to buy you chocolate whenever you're PMS and buy you flowers and gifts just because. I promise to be your family since your first one was so shitty and I promise to deflate my ego, at least whenever I'm in your presence. I promise not to ever look at any girl the way I look at you. And when we're old and grey with an army of great-great-grandchildren at our feet I promise that twinkle in your eyes won't die, and I'll still be by your side."
Now Lily and Rose were crying too. What is it with girls and crying at weddings?
"I guess, it's my turn. James, I promise to love you no matter how many babies you expect me to push out of my body. I promise to love you when you're being a conceited arse. I promise not to get to mad when you leave your dirty Quidditch robes all over the floor or when you tried to feed or children something from Weasley Wizard Wheeezes. I promise to continue to support you, as you have supported me. With you I feel like I have finally found a family I can call my own. I promise not to kill every girl who flirts with you however if she happens to touch what's mine all bets are off. I promise not to hex you when you irritate the crap out of me, and I promise always be yours through sickness and health, the good times and the bad. I promise to love you when you're too old to play Quidditch and your hair turns grey and falls out. You'll always be my number one for all eternity."
The minister turned to Fred, "If we could have the rings."
Fred pulled out the ring box. One ring was handed to me, the other to Ali.
"I give you this ring, to make you my wife"
"I give you this ring, to make you my husband."
We slid the rings on each other's finger.
The minister pulled out his wand and held it over our linked hands.
"With the power invested in me, I now pronounce you bonded for life." I could feel the bond run through my arm and settle into my body. "You may now kiss the bride."
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her deeply. I vaguely heard wolf-whistles and clapping.
I hadn't realized that my parents had bought a camera. My father thanked the minister as my mother snapped away pictures. Lily's purse turned out to have an undetectable extension charm. Inside she had snacks, drinks, and a wireless radio. We were all telling stories, making jokes, and dancing crazily, when Fred hauled me over his shoulder and ran me to the water. He dumped me in it ruining my white robes. I made sure to pull him down with me.
The water was freezing cold. I'm surprised it wasn't frozen. It was Christmas Eve after all.
We didn't stay for long. Spending Christmas Eve night and Christmas day at the Burrow is a family tradition. The others would be waiting for us.
"You're finally here!" Grandma Molly said as we arrived at the Burrow. "We didn't want to start dinner without you."
"Sorry, to make you wait" dad sad and he hugged grandma. Hugs were passed all around. There were numerous amounts of extension charms placed on the house to make it comfortable for everyone to fit. There were 29 people in the house all together. Grandmum and Granddad, Andromeda, Bill, Fleur, Victorie, Teddy, Louis, Dominique, her fiancé Noah, Percy, Audrey, Molly, her husband Isaac, Lucy, George, Angelina, Roxy, Hermione, Ron, Hugo, plus the eight of us that just arrived.
I tried to introduce Ali to the family one at a time. I knew she was probably lost and confused, so I held her hand through it all and told her that she'd get them all straight someday.
"So what was so important that you all missed family dinner?" Gran asked.
"Ali and I just got married" I said holding up Ali's and mine hands to show off the wedding bands.
"You—what? You got married?!"
Gran wasn't the only one who was shocked. I think everyone had a shocked expression on their faces before they shook it off and gave their congratulations.
"I can't believe I wasn't invited to my grandson's wedding" grandmum said. "Congratulations, anyway, but I don't know what the rush was. You could've waited to invite the whole family."
"We didn't want a big ceremony" I tried to explain while Al sniggered.
"So, when's the baby due?" Uncle George asked. I think he was joking.
Ali blushed and Angelina punched her husband in the arm.
"Oh, there really is a baby?"
"You're pregnant? I'm going to be a great-grandmum?"
Gran got over her disappointment over not being at the wedding quickly as she pulled Ali into a big hug. Chatter instantly broke out.
Teddy came over to say congratulations as well as most of the other guys in the room while the women mobbed on Alison.
I guess the family was really excited there was going to be another baby in the family.
"Oh you're just in time. The hot chocolate is done. We're going to get them passed around and have story time. It's usually when we reminisce about all our previous holidays. You can tell us all about how you and James met and got together…" gran was saying as she led Alison away. I was afraid it may be a bit much for Ali to take in. Our family is huge and sometimes it could be really intimidating to outsiders. But Ali seemed to get along well with grandmum instantly, I was grateful because I didn't want her to fill like an outsider in our family.
"I wish the two of you would have waited, but I guess kids are no longer waiting these days. It's a shock to find out. I'll tell you. One day I went into Ron's room to give him his laundry and I saw—"
"MUM!" Uncle Ron yelled. "You promised to stop telling that story!"
Aunt Hermione blushed as Rose and Hugo both gagged. I didn't want to think about what ever grans caught my aunt and uncle doing as teenagers so I turned to my Uncle George.
"Thanks for dropping the ball" I said.
"No problem" George replied just as cheekily. "I was just joking, but I think we would've figured it out when the baby came early"
"That's the same thing Fred said."
"You know what they say, great minds and all that. OI, my spawn get over here!" George tossed an arm over Fred's shoulder "I know how the two of you like to do things together. You didn't get a girl pregnant too did you?"
"James is the one too wizard to not know what a condom is"
"A what?"
"My point exactly."
The two chuckled at my expense. Arses.
Mugs of hot chocolate came floating into the room. I chatted with Uncle George and Fred for a bit longer before I headed over to where Gran was telling stories.
"…he said he didn't want to burn his clothes in the fire so he stripped down and ran right into the floo." Oh Merlin's pants not this story. "He was shouting a bunch of nonsense we had no idea where he went. It took us three hours to find him. Of course we were all freaking out. Harry had all the aurors running about trying to find him, we were trying to keep it from the press. You can imagine what that headline would've looked like."
"Gran, don't tell that story" I said.
"Why not? I want to hear more" Ali said. "Where did you find him?"
"We found him in Wales" mum added, "he was running around, still naked, on someone's law in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwrndrobwlllantysiliogo gogoch"
"That's not funny" I said but people still laughed.
"Well no it wasn't funny at the time, we were all frantic. It didn't stop you from peeing on those people's lawns. They were so nice about it too. They were a middle age couple, muggles, didn't seem surprised at all to see a naked infant on their lawn."
"Okay time for a new story" I said.
"Well one time James and Fred decided it was no fair that only muggles got to get treats for dressing up on Halloween. So they decided to go trick or treating" Angelina said. "They were about six and insisted on making their own costumes."
I could see it now. This night would be all about embarrassing me. There would be no getting out of it.
"I have pictures!" Gran exclaimed.
"No! No pictures" I said ready to set any and all photo-books on fire.
"Yes, pictures. I would love to see what James looked like as a kid" Ali said.
"I am so going to remember this" I whispered in her ear as she giggled.
All in all it was a good Christmas Eve. Ali was a bit stiff at first but she really seemed to get along with the rest of the family. It seemed like everyone had an embarrassing story to tell about me. Al just had to tell the story about me jumping off the roof when I was about three because I thought I could fly without a broom if I made a cape. I saw superheroes do it in the comics! After about two hours someone took mercy on me and changed the subject to Christmas stories that had nothing to do with me embarrassing myself.