He had vaguely remembered the superstitions about rain on your wedding day- some rubbish about luck or what not. She had enthusiastically chattered on about it as she rushed up the stairs, calling down to him to get dressed and that she wouldn't be long. He had stood alone at the foot of the stairs, head spinning as the day suddenly shifted from that of a quiet day at home to his wedding day.
His wedding day.
His stomach clenched at the thought. He had never fathomed that he would be married, much less to someone like her. As a boy, he had daydreamed of a red headed girl in a white dress, but those daydreams had dissipated like fleeting clouds as he grew to learn those feelings weren't reciprocated, and that her daydreams in white belonged to that of the boy who bullied him relentlessly. He had grown up seeing marriage as a transaction, that of convenience and duty. His parents had loathed one another, constantly screaming and assaulting the other with both their words and fists, leaving their child in the crosshairs to retreat inward and question if love truly existed, or was just a fool's dream.
Who he had been, who he had become, a pawn on the board of the most dark wizard the word had seen… that fool's dream had seemed even more unobtainable then. He was settled with a lonely existence, that of his work and deal with the headmaster. After Lily, after what he had done to her, he had destined himself for solitude. Pain, death, and darkness followed him seemingly wherever he went. He had been content with this, convinced himself that it had been his choice to remain miserable for the rest of his days, repenting for the sins of his boyhood.
But now he stood at the foot of the stairs, clutching the small bouquet of perennials she had clipped from the garden in one hand, tugging on the too tight collar of the cheap dress robes he had worn to his mother's funeral with the other. The sleeves were slightly too short, the thick material hot and itchy, the flowers fragrant and still damp with summer rain. Now he wondered if he could make a different choice. The choice to heal, to love, to find salvation in the arms of someone so beautifully broken. Who accepted the sins of a Death Eater, who challenged a professor, and who took the shaking hand of a scared boy and showed him that a fool's dream was in fact a glimmering reality.
Severus shifted nervously, brushing an unseen speck of lint from the front of his black dress robes. They were slightly tighter than the previous time he had worn them, but they were the most formal piece of clothing he owned. He glanced at the clock on the mantle, taking a step up the stairs to call up to her, "The Ministry will be closed by the time we get there if you continue at this rate."
"Are you seriously rushing the bride on her wedding day?" she called back, the sarcasm in her tone making Severus smirk.
"There will be no wedding today if you don't hurry up,"
"Good lord, fine," she called, her footsteps crossing the creaking floorboards as she crossed the bedroom floor to the landing of the stairs, "Don't get your wand in a twist."
Severus caught his breath as she stepped out of the bedroom, skirt swishing around her legs, her hair draped over one shoulder as she tilted her head to fasten her earring. She smiled as she straightened, Severus taking in the image of her. He recognized the dress she wore; the sleeved, lace dress she had shoved in her trunk before they returned from Ireland. Creamy lace formed a modest v, her freckled chest and breasts pleasantly framed, a simple gold pendant hanging from her neck. The sleeves hung loosely around her wrists, the same lace of the neckline around her waist, hugging her attractively. Her curls were smooth and glossy, carefully twisted and pinned half up at the crown of her head, adorned with little pink blooms from the garden. Her face was painted in shades of peaches and creams, her lips a glossy pink. She tossed her hair behind her, starting down the steps, "Well, how do I look?"
Severus smiled, reaching a hand out to her and helping her down the last step and she gathered the skirt. He skimmed his hand down her waist, kissing her temple and breathing in the sweetness of the flowers in her hair. Simply, she looked like a bride. Like his beautiful bride. The effervescent wife of the brooding potions master. Mrs. Snape. "You look," he whispered against her temple, "absolutely stunning."
She smiled, her fingers curling around the flowers he held, carefully tied with a scrap of twine. She held them to her middle, brushing back the strands of hair she had left out to frame her face. She let out a content sigh, smiling up at her groom, "Shall we then?"
The Ministry was unbearably overwhelming. It was always busy and bustling, witches and wizards in a rush, not caring who they bumped shoulders with in their hustle. Severus loathed visiting there, making his trips to the Ministry as infrequent and efficient as possible. The sea of people was a bland mix of dress robes and professional garb, the couple standing out in their wedding dress as they made their way, hand and hand, to the lifts.
Katherine gently brushed soot from the hem of her sleeve, hoping that she could carefully remove the evidence of their Floo travels from her dress. She had argued with Severus about the use of the Floo Network to get to the Ministry, worried about dirtying themselves before they arrived. He had reminded her of the limits methods of entry, kissing her where her eyebrows had furrowed into a pout.
They managed to squeeze into a packed lift, Katherine calling out to the attendant that they needed the second level. When the lift lurched backwards, Katherine leaned against Severus, smiling brightly up at him. The lift gate snapped open at the second floor, the couple pushing out into the lobby of the Wizengamont. A plump woman sat behind a large desk, parchment and quills sorting and scribbling behind her while she worked. Severus looked down at Katherine, who looked back up with him with a reassuring smile as they stepped toward the desk. "Excuse me," Katherine called as they approached, "we would like to-."
"Apply for a marriage license?" The stout woman interjected. She looked up at the two, removing her glasses and smiling warmly, "Usually that's the only reason anyone comes here dressed as nicely as the two of you. Wands, please."
The stout woman at the desk took their wands, turning away from them as she checked their identification and readied the paperwork, Katherine smiling up at Severus and squeezing his forearm excitedly. "We don't usually get many couples coming in this late in the evening," she said, turning to return their wands to them, a quill scribbling across parchment behind her, "Lucky for you two, one of our judges hasn't left for home yet. He's a bit of a romantic, really. I'm sure he won't mind squeezing you in."
She plucked the parchment from the quill, inspecting it before laying it out in front of the couple, the quill zipping forward to however over it, "Well then, loves, it looks like everything is in order. I'll just need you both to sign here, and for your witness to sign below."
Katherine looked up at Severus, her heart dropping. Severus opened his mouth, closing it, and looked down at Katherine, the two sharing a panicked look. "Witness?" Katherine said, looking back at the secretary.
The woman nodded, "You will need a witness to oversee the ceremony and sign off on the license. Surely, you two brought a witness with you?"
"Surely, it can be done without a witness?" Severus questioned, his tone defeated.
"I'm sorry, deary, it's a ministry requirement. Unfortunately, the judge cannot perform the ceremony without one."
Katherine put a hand on his chest, stopping him before he had a chance to argue, "It's alright, Sev," she said softly, "We can come back another day."
"Today is the last day of business before I return to Hogwarts," he argued softly, "If not today, we will have to wait until I return this winter," he squeezed Katherine's hands, saying softly, "I simply cannot spend another moment of my life without you as my wife." Katherine smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips.
"Oh, alright then!" They turned to face to secretary, who smiled at the two of them, her hand pressed to her chest. She plucked the quill from where it hovered over the parchment, scribbling down her signature in the witness box. "We usually don't allow this, but you two are just too lovely," she smiled up at then, tilting her head down the corridor, "Come on then, let's get you hitched."
Katherine let out a giggle of relief, Severus giving her a surprised look before taking her hand once more and following the woman down the corridor. She stopped at the third door on the left, knocking before opening the door and entering the small office, "I've got your last one of the day for you, sir."
She held out their marriage license to the old wizard, who stood from behind his desk to retrieve it from her. He took it in one hand, reading it over from behind his spectacles while he tugged on his plum robes with the other. "Alright, come in then," he said, motioning for the couple to enter. The secretary smiled, gesturing for the two to step into the office, shutting the door behind him and pressing her back to the closed door. The wizard let out a low chuckle, "Hettie, dear, we have spoken about this, have we not?" He called to his secretary, "you cannot stand in as a witness for every couple who comes unprepared."
Hettie winked, lacing her fingers in front of her, "Oh, on with it, you old fool."
The judge chuckled again, motioning for Severus and Katherine to step in front of his desk as he glanced down at the license once more, "Mr. Snape, Miss Blakewood, I assume the both of you are here today on your own volition?"
They both nodded, Katherine taking Severus's hand and smiling excitedly. The judge smiled warmly, "And I am assuming that you are here today to be married?"
"Yes, your honor."
The judge clasped his hands, looking between the two, "Well then, let's begin! Mr. Snape, please take Miss Blakewood's hands," he winked at Katherine, adding, "This will probably be the last time you are called that, eh?"
Katherine grinned, Hettie stepping forward to take the small bouquet from her, Severus taking her hands in his own. He tried to keep his hands from shaking as he looked down at her, lost in the warm way she gazed up at him. The judge started in on his theatrics, Severus and Katherine repeating his words as necessary, unable to look aware from each other for a single moment. As he pledged himself to her, to a lifetime of partnership, of love, of forgiveness; he found that the worries he had carried so heavy in his chest carried less weight. Gone were his fears of failing her, of repeating the mistakes of his parents, all he could feel in the moment was her.
"By the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic, and by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I declare you to be wed. Mr. Snape," Severus looked up at the judge, no longer hiding the grin that split his usually brooding face, Katherine bouncing excitedly on her toes, "Kiss your wife."
Hettie clapped as Katherine threw her arms around his neck with an excited squeak, his lips crashing against hers. He pressed his hands against her lower back, pressing her to him. He pulled away from her lips, pressing his forehead to hers, whispering, "I love you, Mrs. Snape."