"Chicken and beef?" Fred asked, holding up a form from the caterer.

"Do we have to do a whole dinner?" Elizabeth frowned.

Fred raised an eyebrow. "You expect my family and your family and half of the Wizarding world to sit in a room without incident… without food?"

"Not without," Elizabeth said. "Maybe just cake and punch."

"You mean heavily-spiked punch, right? Because, again, there's going to be my family and your family—

"It's just a lot," Elizabeth interrupted. "Are you sure we can't elope?"

Fred spoke slowly. "My family. Your family."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Chicken and fish."

"Fish? Are we getting married in a pub?"

"Your Aunt Ida is a vegetarian," Elizabeth said, reaching for the form. "So unless you want her eating everyone's salads—

"Aren't fish animals?"

"The rules of vegetarianism seem to be very subjective," Elizabeth shrugged.

"What about beef?"

"It's expensive," Elizabeth looked at the menu. "Are these golden cows?"

Fred snorted. "I think we can swing it, Betsy."

Elizabeth grimaced. "That's the problem. We are not paying for this wedding. My dad insists on paying, and I don't want him working into his 90s because I had to have the beef."

*S*S*

"No beef?" Severus looked up from the catering bill on his desk.

Elizabeth groaned and threw her hands in the air. "I like cows, alright? They're cute! People should just get over it!"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "It's your wedding. You can have whatever you want. However," he pretended to inspect the catering menu as if for the first time, "I can't help but notice that you've chosen the least expensive options here. Almost to the point that people will need to bring their own salad dressing."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "It doesn't make people do that."

Severus sighed. "I suppose I should have had this conversation with you before. Who knew you'd be such a miser? Your mother spent money on our wedding like it was going out of style, and we only had four people there." He pulled a piece of folded parchment out of his desk and handed it to his daughter. "There."

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked, opening the parchment and scanning the contents.

"That, hatchling, is the budget for your wedding." Severus watched her carefully.

"Dad…" Elizabeth looked up at him. "That's a lot of money. We don't have—

"You're right," Severus nodded. "We don't. I do. That, my girl, is your wedding account. I opened it when you were born, and I've been adding to it your whole life. Even when I didn't know about you, your grandfather made sure to put in part of my salary."

Elizabeth blinked rapidly. "But Dad… you could have used this money for—

"Nothing more important," Severus said firmly. "You had everything you needed over the years, and just enough of what you wanted. And now I want you to have everything you want. However," he raised an eyebrow, "this is your wedding account. That means it's for any wedding you might have in your life. So if you're not sure about this one, make sure you save some money for the next one."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "That's okay. Some day, when I marry Draco, he can pay."

Severus snorted. "Never mind that nonsense." He refolded the parchment and placed it back in the desk. "The point is that I don't want to see you cutting corners with this wedding anymore. I know you'd be fine alone on a beach somewhere, but this event isn't just for you. I have only one daughter, and I want to walk her down the aisle." He smirked. "So, as the students say, 'suck it up' and spend the money."

Elizabeth grimaced. "I think I just vomited a little."

Severus grinned. "Sorry, Hatchling."

*S*S*

"Why don't you just get a wedding planner?" Hermione asked as she practiced transfiguring rocks into birds.

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth pointed her wand at her gloves, changing the color. The spell wasn't going to be on their end of term exams, but she was tired of doing practicing every minute of the day. The end of term couldn't come fast enough.

"Get a wedding planner," Hermione said again. "We have one, and I haven't had to deal with any of this stuff."

"So this person… does all the work for you?"

Hermione shrugged. "I picked out colors and food and we told her what we wanted the wedding to kind of… feel like. And then she does all the rest." She jabbed her wand at a bird that was trying to escape, turning it back into a rock. "Ron wasn't wild about spending the money at first, but when I told him that he would have to spend all his Saturdays until the wedding picking out china, he changed his mind."

Elizabeth laughed. "You know what's odd? Fred actually has opinions about that stuff. I couldn't care less what kind of flowers I carry, but he has an opinion."

"What are you carrying?" Hermione started pitching the rocks into the lake.

"Lillies," Elizabeth said, flopping back against the bench they were sitting on. "It's perfect, of course, I can't believe I didn't think of it myself."

"He knows you," Hermione grinned. "But maybe you can take some of the pressure off of him. Hire the wedding planner."

*S*S*

Elizabeth Evans glared at her reflection.

"Be careful, your face might freeze like that," Hermione grinned, handing her friend tube of Water-Witch mascara.

"How many people are out there?"

"Forty or fifty million," Hermione said casually. "Do you want me to do that?" She gestured to the mascara.

Elizabeth shook her head and pulled the brush out of the tube. "It was supposed to be a small ceremony."

"Have you seen the size of our family?" Ginny asked. "You get more presents this way."

"My side of the aisle is going to be sparse," Elizabeth said, finishing her lashes.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I think you'll be fine. You have a few friends, you know."

Ginny bounced over to the closet door. "It's time for the dress."

"We should have done this a year ago." Elizabeth stood, dressed for the moment in her slip and heels.

"I don't think they give you time off from school for your own wedding," Hermione shook her head. "Besides, the NEWT study schedule alone—

"We remember, Hermione," Ginny cut her off and clapped her hands. "Dress time!"

There was a knock at the door, and Hermione opened the door a crack. "Ron, what are you doing here?"

"Doing my best-manly duty and delivering the wedding gift," Ron said, handing her a silver package.

"Oh," Elizabeth dashed to the dressing table and pulled out a deep red envelope. "Give this to him."

After the door closed, Ginny abandoned the dress in favor of the gift. "Open it."

Elizabeth sat down and used her fingernail to split in the Spellotape at the seam of the paper.

"Easy with the manicure," Ginny cautioned.

Elizabeth made a face at her future sister-in-law and pulled back the paper. Inside was a delicate silver chain. On it hung a black pearl. Elizabeth pulled it off the cotton and held it up.

"There's a note," Hermione said, pointing to the top of the box.

Elizabeth picked up the note in her other hand.

Ad Astra

Elizabeth tentatively picked up her wand. Her replacement wand. Lily's was back in Severus' wardrobe for safekeeping. She pointed her wand at the dangling pearl.

"Ad Astra," she spoke softly.

The pearl glowed, and then started shooting points of light out into the room.

"Nox," Hermione cast; shutting off the lights.

Elizabeth looked up to see the ceiling and walls covered in stars. Two constellations shining brighter than the rest.

"Leo and Gemini," she whispered.

"It's pretty," Ginny said.

Elizabeth smiled to herself and shook her head. "It's the first night he kissed me. On the roof of the Burrow."

"What did you get him?" Hermione asked.

*S*S*

"She got you a letter?" Ron raised his eyebrows.

Fred opened the red envelope and pulled out the contents, a folded sheet of parchment.

On this day, the twentieth of the ninth month of the year nineteen hundred ninety nine, Elizabeth Rose Evans, hereafter referred to as the petitioner, is requesting a legal name change as a result of her marriage to Frederick Gideon Weasley. The petitioner requests that her legal name be amended to reflect her marriage. By signing this document, the petitioner certifies that she is modifying her name willingly and without mental reservation or purpose of committing fraud. The petitioner's legal name, as declared by the Ministry of Magic and the Parliament of England, should be given full faith and credit for all legal venues. The amended legal name of the petitioner shall be: Elizabeth Rose Weasley.

The Petitioner's Signature: Elizabeth Rose Weasley

*S*S*

"I thought you weren't going to change your name," Hermione said, helping Ginny fluff out the bottom of the gown once they'd zipped up the back.

"I wasn't," Elizabeth shrugged. "I've always been Elizabeth Evans. The only time I'd ever considered changing it was to Snape, and Dad was always kind of against it. He thought his name would get me in trouble."

"So what made you change your mind?"

Elizabeth looked at herself in the mirror, her hair piled on her head, the white dress cascading over her hips. "Him. He wanted it. It mattered to him. And in the end I was holding out just on principle, to show him that he didn't own me. And then I realized that if any two people in the world own each other, it's us."

*S*S*

"Seeeeeev!" Elizabeth shrieked, holding her arms out to her father.

"Daddy," Severus tried, shaking his head. Elizabeth was going through a phase of calling him by what she heard her mother call him, except the vowel came out in a long, high siren-like sound.

"DaSeeeeev! Up!"

Severus unsuccessfully tried to conceal his smile, swinging his daughter into his arms. "Gryffindor, written all over you," he said, kissing her head. "It's very simple. Daddy. Daddy."

"EeeeSeeeeev!"

"What's going on in here?" Lily appeared in the doorway of the nursery.

"Your daughter doesn't listen," Severus rolled his eyes, swinging the child around.

*S*S*

The Great Hall's ceiling was clear, puffy white clouds drifting through a sunny sky. Elizabeth stood outside the doors, one arm looped through Severus'. Hermione and Ginny fussed with her train.

"Why did I choose the longest aisle in the world?" Elizabeth asked, her knees suddenly weak.

"Because you didn't listen to me," Severus smirked. "You never have." He kissed her cheek. "Ready?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and nodded, holding tight to his arm and looking into the Hall as the doors swung open.

The sheer amount of people was enough to send her head reeling. The right side was thick with Weasleys of all generations as well as Fred's friends and business connections. He had no shortage of either. Elizabeth even saw Angelina Johnson, sitting in the back.

On the left was… everyone. Hogwarts students from all her years. Ministry members, Order members; they filled the seats.

And then the world seemed to stop.

Fred stood at the front of the room, Ron standing to the right. He wore black dress robes, open at the front, black trousers, a white shirt, and a silver tie showing underneath.

Suddenly she didn't see everyone else. All the people that she'd known over her nineteen years. There was only him.

When they arrived at the front, and Severus transferred her hand to Fred's, Elizabeth felt a strength she didn't know was inside her. It was different, somehow, than the strength she felt in battle. Different than the power than surged through her wand. This was a melding of her soul with his.

Kingsley Shacklebolt spread his hands apart and the music stopped. "Welcome everyone," he said in his deep voice. "It is my honor today to officiate the joining in matrimony Elizabeth Rose Evans and Frederick Gideon Weasley. Here, surrounded by family and friends, this this man and this woman have chosen to bind themselves in magic and soul." He turned his attention to the front row behind Elizabeth. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"I do," Severus said, his voice steady. Elizabeth glanced back and smiled softly when she saw that his eyes were anything but strong.

"Who stands with this man during his acceptance of his vows?" Kingsley looked at Ron.

"I do," Ron said, grinning at Elizabeth. "That bit was easy," he whispered to Fred, who rolled his eyes.

Kingsley smiled and addressed the audience. "Carson McCullers said that 'the most fatal thing a man can do is try to stand alone." His voice rumbled out over the crowd. "Those who have gathered here today know that Elizabeth and Frederick have stood apart from the rest of us for much of their young lives. Yet they have never stood alone. A bond formed within these castle walls and forged in the turmoil of the past links them together."

Elizabeth looked into Fred's brown eyes and saw nothing but herself in them.

"In the Wizarding world, we bind wedded couples together with the connection of wands," Kingsley continued, drawing his own wand from his robes. "In preparation for today, Elizabeth and Frederick have given their wands to those they have chosen to rely upon to strengthen their vows. Hermione Jane Granger and Ronald Billius Weasley have agreed to serve as life-long supporters of Elizabeth and Frederick as they create and live their life together. As this man and this woman have entrusted their wands to Hermione and Ronald, they have entrusted their enteral bond to them as well."

Kingsley looked at Hermione and Ron. "Please return the wands that this couple that has chosen you to walk with them in the future."

Elizabeth turned and Hermione handed her the wand Elizabeth had given her before she went down the aisle. On the other side of the dais, Ron handed Fred his wand as well.

"If all parties will join their wands," Kingsley said, holding his wand out before him. Elizabeth and Fred met his wand's tip with theirs, and Ron and Hermione followed suit, stepping between the couple and the audience to form a circle.

"Elizabeth Rose Evans," Kingsley began, "you have chosen to share your life with the man who stands beside you. Do you take him to be your husband, through uncertainties and trials, as well as joys and celebrations, as long as you live upon this earth?"

"I do," Elizabeth said, the words slipping off her tongue as easily as her name.

"Frederick Gideon Weasley," Kingsley continued, "you have chosen to share your life with the woman who stands beside you. Do you take her to be your wife, through uncertainties and trials, as well as joys and celebrations, as long as you live upon this earth?"

"I do," Fred said, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Then in front of these people, I pronounce you to be husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," he nodded to Fred, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

Fred grinned and leaned in, capturing Elizabeth's mouth with his as the audience erupted into applause.

Kingsley raised his hands for silence, and intoned for all to hear:

"It is my great honor to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Weasley."

*A/N- Ad Astra is Latin for "to the stars".