Chapter 127
The Lupin/Black Wedding
Lily smiled as she stood at the alter in the tent that had been set up, looking at where Remus and Sirius would be coming from. Both were coming from different entrances, and with the music playing in the background, Lily knew the first of the two, Sirius, was coming out.
The entrance to the back left of the tent opened, and Sirius began walking down the aisle with Molly next to him. He and Remus had decided they'd both walk down the aisle, being given away by different people.
Lily noticed Rufus Scrimgeour sneak in as Sirius was halfway down the aisle, so she flashed him a smile. As Sirius reached her, Lily smiled.
"You look wonderful, Uncle Sirius," Lily told him.
"Thank you, Lily Cub," Sirius smiled back at her.
"And you look so beautiful, Mrs. Weasley," Lily said.
"Thank you, dear," Molly replied, just as they turned, seeing Remus enter. Sirius had chosen a purple suit; Lily had laughed when he had told her, but not in a mocking way. She had explained how she knew he wouldn't wear anything traditional, since traditional was one thing Sirius was absolutely incapable of being.
Remus had chosen a green outfit, with a cape to go with it. Lily loved the outfit; it suited him perfectly. Minerva was walking Remus down the aisle. Sirius had asked Molly wanting her to have an important role in the wedding, and Remus had wanted Minerva to walk him down the aisle since he had no one else from his family alive.
Minerva was wearing a black dress, similar to what she usually wore, but with lace and made of satin.
The officiant for the wedding was Aurora Vance, Angeline's mother, who had offered to perform the ceremony, since she was not only well known as an official, but she was also family now since Angeline was expecting Sirius and Remus's babies.
Lily knew it had been difficult for Aurora, after Emmeline's death, but she had spent a lot of time with Sirius, Remus, and Angeline, which had helped her a lot.
Aurora smiled at Lily, and then at Sirius and Remus, just as Remus reached the end of the aisle. She looked out at everyone before speaking.
"Today is a day of joy and celebration as we are gathered here to witness the joining of these two men," Aurora began. "Love, in any form, is a powerful force for good, and one of the greatest gifts we can have in this world. It is pure, and beautiful, and seeing the love between these two men gives me hope for the future. To be here today is a privilege and an honour, one I am so thankful to have. When we think of love, we think of hope, and of the future, and so, now we are here to cement the future for Sirius Orion Black and Remus John Lupin. I have been asked to say that if anyone knows of any reason for these two men to not be married, keep it to yourselves or be thrown halfway across the world," she said, chuckling, as the entire tent roared in laughter.
Lily smiled as Aurora began to recite a poem about love, before they reached the vows. Remus and Sirius had decided to write their own vows. Remus was the one who went first.
"When we first met, I was so afraid of being alone, because of my affliction as a werewolf. I was already afraid about being at Hogwarts, especially as a child who, once a month, became a feral beast, but you and James made me feel welcome. You made sure I wasn't alone, and you comforted me when I was at my lowest. I remember when I first fell in love with you; we were fifteen, and you had forgotten the password to the Gryffindor Common Room. As I reached the entrance, I saw that you dropped your trousers for some reason, in order to prove that you were you, and that you should be allowed in," Remus began. Everyone laughed at that story.
"I don't know what you were thinking, but I remember thinking how impressive it was that you would do something so insane, even if you didn't know it would work. I saw that was how you lived your life; it didn't matter if logic said it wouldn't work, you did it anyway, including being friends with me, and then falling in love with me. By all rights, our relationship should never have worked, yet here we are, a family. So, to hell with logic, reason, and anyone who tells us our relationship shouldn't work, because they're all wrong. It works, because the love we have is great, and the best gift you've ever given me," Remus continued.
Lily could see everyone welling up with tears of joy; she felt the same as Remus continued.
"So, my vow to you is this; I will always nag you to take better care of yourself, and I will always be by your side, no matter what life throws at us. I will love you forever, even though I don't think forever is long enough, and I will always choose you to be with me," Remus smiled. Sirius chuckled, before beginning his vows.
"Like you, I didn't expect to have friends, because of my family line. What kind of Gryffindor could ever love a Black? Well, the answer is you, because you chose me, and you kept me sane, although you failed to keep me and James in check when we ran havoc at school," Sirius said.
"Hear, hear," Minerva spoke up, prompting everyone to laugh, including Sirius.
"But no matter what mischief we got up to, you were always there to keep me company. When we left Hogwarts, you insisted I move in with you, because my parents had thrown me out by then. I still remember the day we first shared a kiss; our final year, when we were relaxing on a Saturday. We had been playing Quidditch with James, and it had been fun, but I was worn out, and having to study for my exams, which, by the way, I only did because you were with me, and even then I was barely paying attention," Sirius said. That prompted another round of laughter.
"No matter how bored I was, though, you somehow managed to keep me focused, because just being with you made me want to be better, to prove myself worthy of you. When you were unjustly thrown into Azkaban, I agreed with it at the time, but a part of me could never accept that you had betrayed your friends, because that wasn't the Remus Lupin I knew and loved. Then, when I saw you in the Shrieking Shack, every kiss, every moment we took for ourselves, and every profession of love returned, and I just wanted you in my arms. You were freed thanks to Lily, Ron, and Hermione, and despite my thinking the worst of you, there was no anger, no disappointment, no hatred, just love, acceptance, and gratitude from you. I still feel that I failed you, and I swear to make it up to you every day, by loving you, being with you, and choosing you, until the end of time itself," Sirius said.
Lily could see the tears in both her Uncle's eyes, and her own eyes were swimming with tears. What both of them had said was so beautiful, and she was thankful to be there.
"With the vows that you have made, it is my honour to bind you both together in holy matrimony, so, do you, Sirius Orion Black, take Remus John Lupin, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Sirius said.
"And do you, Remus John Lupin, take Sirius Orion Black, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Remus repeated.
"Then by the power vested in me, and in front of these witnesses, your friends, and your family, I hereby pronounce you husband, and husband. You may now kiss the groom," Aurora said.
"No need to tell me twice," Sirius smirked, pulling Remus into a passionate kiss. Lily raised her wand, shooting fireworks out of the top of the tent, which had just been removed by Minerva, just as everyone cheered and clapped.
"We did it," Remus said softly.
"Yes, we did. Now you're stuck with me forever," Sirius teased. Remus chuckled.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Remus smiled, before kissing Sirius again.
The party began in the hall, with everyone celebrating, dancing, cheering, and enjoying the food and drink, as Sirius and Remus danced, and made sure to thank everyone for coming to the wedding. Lily smiled as she walked over to Scrimgeour.
"You made it then," Lily said.
"Yes, thanks to my deputy, and friend, Pius. He insisted I allow myself some time to relax and see my friends get married," Scrimgeour said.
"He's right. You've been working hard lately; a day off isn't necessarily a bad thing," Lily agreed.
"True," Scrimgeour agreed. "Those fireworks were perfect. I take it you had been practicing?"
"Yeah, like, a lot," Lily confirmed, chuckling. "I was a little nervous; I didn't want to mess it up, but Aunt Minnie and I wanted to make it special."
"It worked," Sirius said, as he and Remus joined the two of them. "Thank you for coming today, Rufus."
"Glad I could make it. I was telling Lily that Pius insisted I take a day off, and if there was any reason to get me to do so, this was it," Scrimgeour said. "You both look amazing."
"Thank you," Remus said. "We're pretty damned happy with how today's gone."
"You should be. This is an amazing wedding. Molly really should go into party planning," Scrimgeour told them.
"You're not wrong," Sirius agreed. "She put a lot into this, and Lily, the fireworks were beautiful, thank you."
"Anything for you, Uncle Sirius," Lily said, embracing him in a hug. "I love you, both of you, so much."
"We love you too, Lily," Remus told her, looking at her affectionately. "And we're glad you're here with us today."
"Wouldn't be anywhere else. Voldemort can go to hell right now if he thinks he's keeping me from this," Lily said.
"I know Albus would be proud of you too. If he was here, he'd have likely officiated, but I know he thought fondly of the two of you. He and I spoke often, and he told me how thankful he was to get to see you two in love," Scrimgeour said.
"He was part of the reason I was able to be freed," Remus said, smiling. "I suspect he wanted this to happen."
"He knew it would, and when you proposed, he was glad to see it," Scrimgeour told them. "Now, I also understand that you're going to be fathers?"
"Guilty," Sirius confirmed. "We began a relationship with Angeline last year, just before Christmas. We had sort of been seeing how things were going before… well…"
"Yes, well, the less said about that event, the better, but I'm happy for all of you," Scrimgeour said. "You both deserve every happiness, and I know you'll be amazing fathers."
"Thanks, Rufus, that means a lot," Sirius smiled. "You're staying for dinner, right?"
"I took the whole day off, so yeah, I'll be here for the evening meal. Have the two of you considered a honeymoon? Maybe somewhere peaceful?" Scrimgeour asked. "If you like, there's an Island hidden from Muggles that's been in my family for years. I've been keeping it stocked as a secret hideout, should it be needed. You're welcome to use it," he said, removing a small card from his pocket. Sirius and Remus accepted it, smiling.
"Thank you," Remus said. "This is… an amazing gift."
"Honestly, you deserve it," Scrimgeour told them, as Molly joined them. "Molly, this is an amazing party."
"It really is, Mrs. Weasley," Lily confirmed. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to catch up with Ginny."
"Please, do, I suspect she'll be wanting a dance," Sirius smiled. Lily walked off, finding Ginny quickly.
"Enjoying yourself?" Ginny asked.
"Oh, definitely. Your mum knows how to throw an epic party," Lily replied. "When we get married, she's definitely going to be the planner."
"You think we'd have a choice in that?" Ginny laughed, as she pulled Lily to the dance floor, with slow music playing, and several couples dancing to it. "And before you say anything, I don't want to think about tomorrow, only about today."
"That works for me," Lily told her, smiling before pressing her lips to Ginny's, enjoying the kiss. "This whole thing… this whole day, it's perfect."
"That's for sure," Ginny agreed, enjoying the dance. "Then again, any time I get to spend with you is perfect."
"You are such a romantic," Lily teased.
"And don't you forget it," Ginny told her, smirking. "And I'm your romantic, always and forever."
"I don't think there could be anyone else I'd want to be with," Lily promised, before the two of them kissed again. It was, in every sense of the word, perfect. Of course, everything with Ginny was perfect, but, as Lily knew all too well, life in war was never meant to be perfect, which meant it was time to return to life as she knew it, marked by the arrival of Kingsley Shacklebolt, who literally fell from the air, landing on the floor.
Lily ran over to him, as did several others, including Molly, Sirius, Remus, and Scrimgeour. Kingsley had multiple cuts on his face, and his clothing was ripped in different places.
"Thicknesse… he was… Imperiused," Kingsley struggled to speak. "Voldemort… he's…"
"Kingsley?" Scrimgeour asked, afraid, as Lily felt a cold chill run down her back.
"He's taken… the Core… of the Ministry…" Kingsley gasped. "He's… in control… of the Ministry. Taboo… on his name. They're… coming… here!"
Lily froze as she looked at Scrimgeour. Thankfully, he was able to respond quickly.
"EVERYONE, THE MINISTRY HAS FALLEN! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Scrimgeour shouted. Seconds later, an explosion was heard outside of the tent, causing everyone to scream.
Lily and Ginny drew their wands, just as Death Eaters began to appear in the tent. Feeling her anger rise, Lily immediately sent an attack curse at one of the Death Eaters, sending them flying backwards out of the tent.
"Get Kingsley out of here!" Lily exclaimed.
"I've got him, I'll get him to Beta," Molly replied, meaning one of the safe houses they had. She apparated with Kingsley, just as Sirius sent a killing curse at a Death Eater. Another appeared next to Sirius, so he punched the man, hard.
"Interrupt my fucking wedding day, you bastard?" Sirius growled angrily, his teeth elongating.
"Ginny, get to Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Pansy, and get Lily out of here, now!" Remus insisted, firing a curse at several Death Eaters, as more of the wedding guests disappeared.
"Not without you!" Lily exclaimed.
"Lily, we've got this! They want you. Now go!" Sirius demanded, looking at Ginny, who pulled Lily away. The two of them ran towards where they saw Draco, Hermione, Fleur, Lavender, Ron, and Pansy fighting, and fired curses at the Death Eaters.
"We need to get out of here, now!" Ginny insisted.
"I'm on it," Hermione replied, grabbing several candlesticks, and throwing them to the ground. "Portus," she exclaimed, making them glow. "Everyone, grab hold of one of them now!"
"Uncle Sirius, and everyone else…" Lily began. Ginny just grabbed Lily, and grabbed one of the candlesticks, just as Ron, Lavender, Draco, Pansy, Hermione, and Fleur all managed to grab hold of at least one of them. Lily felt herself pulled upwards as she and Ginny, and Hermione, were yanked away from the battlefield, and to safety, though Lily was praying that everyone was going to be okay.
