Chapter Fourteen

Danica threw the handfuls of soft flower petals over William and Pansy as the photographer snapped away, capturing the moment and ordering people around.

The centaurs were highly amused by the goings on. Most of them had never even had their picture taken before, let alone having several taken one right after the other.

Pansy was so happy she couldn't stop smiling and her face was starting to ache.

"Are you happy my love?" William asked, smiling for the camera as the photographer made his mother move slightly further towards him.

"I am." Pansy said truthfully, "It's been magical."

Danica found a comfortable looking tree stump to sit on while everyone milled around. They were serving some sort of tart, deep red wine for people to sip on but Danica was quite sure it tasted like vinegar so had left hers.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Matthew said, flopping down beside her, "Having fun?"

Danica smiled, desperately trying not to blush, "I know! How odd." she laughed, "Having a good time?"

Matthew nodded, taking a sip of his glass of wine and pulling a face, "Yeah. It was a lovely ceremony. Not going to lie, I totally cried."

"It was really beautiful. Pansy and William look so happy." Danica said dreamily.

"Wont be long before it's Harry and Cho getting married." Matthew said, teasing gently.

Danica laughed, "I think so. Hopefully they'll have it during team time as well and we can get an extra day off school again."

Matthew snorted a laugh, "True, although I think they're more likely to aim for a weekend. It's a centaur tradition to get married on a Wednesday. It's when they start their weeks or something."

Danica nodded thoughtfully. It was strange to think this was the first wedding, in living memory at least, where centaurs were welcomed guests.

It was a huge turning point in the relations between the centaur herds and the Ministry.

"I'm going to get myself some water, this stuff tastes… yeah…" Matthew said, wrinkling his nose, "Would you like a glass of water as well?"

Danica nodded, butterflies buzzing in her stomach, "That would be great, thank you."

"I'll even see if I can grab us some of those puff things people are eating. They smell great." Matthew said, wondering towards on of the people serving the guests.

"You look really beautiful." Danica smiled, as Pansy walked past.

Pansy turned and sat next to her, "Thank you. So do you. You enjoying school?"

Danica nodded, "Yeah for the most part at least, it's been a bit of a learning curve."

"I totally get that." Pansy agreed, "I remember when I first went, it was… intense."

"Intense is a good word for it." Danica sighed.

"Pansy, do you have a moment?" Her mother asked, "The photographer wants a few pictures of just you and William."

"Duty calls." Pansy laughed, "I'll catch you later."

It wasn't long before darkness started to fall over the grove. Centaurs went around lighting a hundred or more lanterns hidden in the trees. The area had been magically warmed so that no one would get cold as the warmth from the autumn sun slowly faded.

"Would everyone please find their seats ready for the feast." a smartly dressed wizard announced, bowing to the crowds of people and centaurs and showing them towards the dinning area.

The rows of seats from the wedding ceremony had been moved to sit round a dozen or more round tables with one long one under a canopy of leaves and flowers.

Danica and her family were sat near the top table with Edith and William's grandparents. She poured herself a glass of water before anyone could fill it with more of the wine and she would have to pretend to like it.

"Will everyone please rise for the bride and groom, the new Mr and Mrs Culpeck." the wizard from before said, clapping loudly.

The rest of the guests joined in, clapping until their hands hurt while Pansy and William walked through the tables to take their seats in the middle of the top table.

Pansy had removed her veil and put her hair up, still laced with flowers but kept out of her face.

William took the time to pull out his new bride's chair before pouring them both a glass of fruit wine.

William raised his glass and the crowd of guests fell silent, "I would like to say a few words, and I will because it's my wedding day." he paused for a moment as a ripple of laughter filled the air, "But first, a lot of people have worked really hard to prepare an amazing meal for us all, so I think we should all enjoy it."

Danica clapped along with the other guests as neat bowls of winter vegetable soup appeared before them all.

She grabbed a chunk of bread from the bowl in the middle, smothering it in butter before tucking into the rich and warming soup.

"This is lovely." Edith smiled, "For some reason I thought it was going to be too spicy."

"Do you not like spice then Edith?" Lily asked.

Edith wrinkled her nose.

"Our Edith has never been a fan of hot things." Their Grandmother smiled, "Pleasure to meet you, my name is Aspen Darrow, and this is my husband, Branek. We are William's grandparents."

"On mum's side." Edith finished, "And this is Papa Peter and grandmama Sarah. From dad's side."

"It's our pleasure to meet you as well." Severus said warmly before introducing them all.

"We've heard a lot about you Harry." Sarah said softly, focusing a lot on her bread.

"All good I hope." Cho smiled, giving Harry's hand a tight squeeze.

"It's difficult being on the outside." Sarah said tightly, "Not really understanding…"

"Sweetheart, now is not the time." Peter said, "Besides, I'm sure that Harry and his family know what it's like for those who aren't directly involved."

"Quite." Lily said, trying not to remember the heartbreaking day they had to wipe Hermione's parents' memories of her, to protect them from a world they could never completely be part of.

Aspen and Branek looked slightly less impressed, changing the conversation to more pleasant matters.

Danica tried not to be bored as the grown-ups talked about boring grown-up stuff.

The food was every bit as wonderful as William had said it would be. After the soup there was fish in a spiced tomato sauce, Edith's made without much of the heat. Then there was roasted lamb with crispy roast potatoes and vegetables all arranged in a little mountain on the plate, the lamb balanced on top. Then came a wide selection of cheese and crackers, followed by the biggest slices of cheesecake Danica had ever seen.

"I don't think I could eat another bite." Harry said, all but having licked his plate clean.

"It was amazing though." Cho said, slightly lost in thought, "We should see who catered for…"

William stood and cleared his throat, tapping his soon on the side of his glass, "I would like to thank you all for coming, it has already been the most wonderful day of my life. I will be very quick, as we have chosen to embrace on of the centaurs traditions of the ladies giving the longer speeches at such a union. And I promise it's not just so that I could get out of having to write a speech."

There was a small ripple of laughter around the room, a few of William's friends calling out that that was exactly why they were embracing the tradition.

"Anyway," William continued, grinning like crazy, "I would just like to thank everyone who's helped out today, it is truly appreciated more than words can say. I would also like to thank my wonderful, amazing and beautiful wife, Pansy. She's stood with me through… so much. We fell in love many years ago but it was here, in the house we built, that we were sure that this was the life we wanted. Even in a hastily built, and really rather cold house, as long as we had one another, we would be just fine. Better in fact, we would be perfect. So, to Pansy."

"To Pansy!"

Pansy blushed and stood up, kissing William to the cheers of the guests before they both sat down, hands intertwined.

Daphne was the next to stand up, pulling out a small card with a few notes on it, "When I was asked to be Pansy's made of honour, well that was expected. We'd always been friends, since before we can remember and I truly believe that that friendship has not only kept us going through… well, interesting times, but will always keep us going. There are a lot of stories I could tell about Pansy and I growing up… but I wont, as I think she might kill me. Instead I will tell just two, the story of when Professor Umbridge violated the squid that lives here, in the lake. She made him attack us and we were in danger of getting really hurt. William flew in without a second thought, he thought only of Pansy. The love he showed, that shone from his eyes… we should all be so lucky."

Danica joined in the loud clapping. William and Pansy, as well as many of the guests, wiping tears from their eyes.

Daphne centred herself for a moment so she didn't also burst into tears before continuing, "The next was one of the worst moments of our lives, when we thought we'd lost Harry during that final battle at Hogwarts. I knew in that moment, that Pansy would feel torn, between her friend Harry who she'd known and loved for years and the love of her life William. William wouldn't let her choose though, he had her back, just as she had his. They supported one another without fail. So, will you please all raise your glasses to the bride and groom."

"The bride and groom."

Daphne hugged Pansy and William before taking her seat again. Pansy's mother next stood, smoothing her dress and tucking a wisp of her dark hair behind her ear.

"Every since she was a little girl, Pansy has been head strong, proud of her convictions and true, to the last moment." Seraphine said, trying not to burst with pride, "When she told us that she was in love she was a grand total of fourteen, but her father and I knew that if Pansy was sure, that was it. I have to say, I couldn't wish for a better man than William for Pansy to fall in love with. As Daphne said, they have stuck with one another through thick and thin, going through a lot more than many ever would and hopefully never will again. Every parent will tell you that saying goodbye to your child, even if they're going somewhere you know will make them so very happy, it's difficult. But I know you will have a wonderful life with one another and I wish you all the very best. So, to my wonderful daughter Pansy, and my new son in law, William. May you both have a truly blessed life with one another."

"To Pansy and William!"

Pansy stood up and took a deep breath, "Well… thank you all for coming, we are so very grateful for you all sharing our special day with us. As you all know we've incorporated a lot of centaur traditions, more precisely from the herd that live right here, at Hogwarts. They saved our lives more than once during the year that we lived here. They taught us that they weren't something to be afraid of, that we could learn from one another. And I'm really proud to have one of them, Titania, as my close friend. So firstly I would like to thank the herd, for everything they have done for us, and continuing to do."

There was a loud cheer and a lot of clapping as the centaurs graciously accepted the praise.

"Now I would like to thank my husband… goodness it feels weird saying that." Pansy laughed, "William, you truly are the love of my life. I can't tell you how happy you made me when you asked me to marry you."

"I know how happy it made you." William said, standing up to face Pansy, "Because it's how happy you made me when you said yes."

Pansy smiled and kissed him deeply, while everyone cheered and clapped.

"Good speech." Danica laughed.

Everyone was directed to stand and as soon as they did the tables and chairs moved to the edges of the grove, leaving a large dance floor in their place.

The trees themselves started playing music once again, softly growing until it was loud enough to fill the space.

William took Pansy's hand and led her into the centre of the dance floor. He took her in his arms and started to spin her slowly around as everyone watched, revelling in the love between them.