Harry looked out of the window with mounting apprehension - was it too late to ask everyone to go home? Half of the wizarding world must have turned up. He watched as two witches he vaguely recognised as Hermione's colleagues talking to a man he was certain he had never seen before in his life - and he wasn't the only one, he was sure he hadn't met most of these people before. Although, he considered wryly as he watched Ginny and Molly standing slightly to the edge of the garden, it was possibly better than knowing some of them too well. He was still stunned that they'd come, Ginny especially, but then he wouldn't put it past her to try and stir up trouble, or perhaps she was just here to see everything blow up in his face? She never had gotten over what had happened last year.
Suddenly Harry squinted to get a better look at one of the figures standing at the far end of the garden. Surely that wasn't - ? Harry grinned as he recognised the form of Harald Burnes, he hadn't thought the old wizard would come; clearly he liked him more than he let on as according to the wizarding grapevine the last social event he had attended had been in the previous decade. The one person he had expected to see lurking amongst the potted shrubs, and was profoundly grateful that he couldn't, was Rita Skeeter. Evidently she hadn't managed to get past the heavy security that Hermione, ever cautious, had insisted upon. Either that or she was staying well away after he'd had a gagging order placed on her after Christmas so that he and Hermione could leave the house without being hounded, although he strongly suspected that it was the former.
"Looking for an escape route mate?" Ron came into the room, adjusting the collar of his dress robes, followed closely by Andromeda carrying a very sticky looking Teddy. A fact which she did not look overly pleased about.
"Not a chance - just wishing I could vanish half of these guests," he smiled ruefully at them as Ron winced in sympathy.
"I feel for you mate I really do, but Hermione would kill me if I tried so…" he shrugged to indicate his hands were tied. "Besides this isn't nearly as many people as wanted to be here. It's Harry Potter's wedding day; everyone in the wizarding world wants an invite."
"Well I'm sure they could have had the Dursley's if they wanted, they never did reply."
At this Andromeda paused in trying to wipe Teddy's face with a cloth. "I never will understand why you invited them," she had heard some of the stories from Hermione.
Harry merely shrugged and didn't answer but instead turned his attention to his godson who clearly was not happy about having his face washed. "What happened to the little man then?"
"He found the strawberry tarts I left in the kitchen - on the table mind - and decided to levitate them down and help himself. Little monkey."
Harry struggled not to laugh, his godson was becoming such a handful - especially since he had learnt to walk - and was forever up to some mischief or other. "Here do you want me to do that, you can go and fix your hair," he indicated the strands that had been pulled down from her careful bun by her grandson.
"Trying to keep yourself busy so you don't have to think about remembering your vows?" Ron grinned.
Harry finished wiping the red mess off Teddy's face then threw the cloth at Ron.
"Boys!" Andromeda turned around from the mirror sternly. "Mind your robes! Besides, what sort of example is that to set for this little one here?"
They both looked bashful and mumbled shame faced apologies before she laughed. "It's alright, he doesn't need you two to show him how to be badly behaved, he makes a fine enough job of that all on his own." Teddy's hair turned golden blonde again as she looked at him sternly.
"Haaarreeeee," he burbled happily reaching out his arms towards his godfather as though oblivious to the conversation around him.
With a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth Harry obliged, he never could resist his godson anything.
"Oi you lot!" George stuck his head round the door. "What's taking you so long? You having second thoughts Harry?"
"Not a chance."
"Alright well hurry up they're ready for you now… oh and Harry," he turned back as he was away to leave the room again, "don't go walking down the aisle with a baby mate. It's not a good look."
"Right I better go and get this little one ready for his big role - ring bearer's a big responsibility. Good luck Harry," Andromeda kissed him on the cheek as she took Teddy back before walking out of the room.
"You ready mate?" Ron looked at him questioningly as he had suddenly gone rather green.
"Yeah, I just…" Harry took a deep breath. "Yeah, c'mon lets go." He strode quickly from the room - he was worried he might fall over if he stood still too long - and went down the stairs three at a time before arriving quickly in the back-garden of Andromeda's house.
The minute he stepped onto the grass most of the assembled guests turned to look at him and there were a few spatterings of applause as he felt himself go beet red. Taking another deep breath to steel himself and glancing across at Ron who nodded encouragingly he moved towards the seats set out in rows under the biggest white marquee he had ever seen. He'd much rather have gotten married on a quiet beach somewhere with just a few of their closest friends, but Hermione and her mother had insisted on doing this properly and who was he to argue with the bride?
"Good luck Harry," Bill Weasley came over with his father and clapped him on the back with his free hand (the other was occupied in holding, a currently sleeping, baby Victoire who had been born two months previously.)
"It couldn't happen to a nicer couple," his father agreed. "And you know Molly and I are both very happy for you don't you?" he looked at him earnestly.
"Of course Mr Weasley… and thanks both of you." Molly was alright with the situation really, after that afternoon at the Burrow she hadn't spoken to either of them for a month but she'd eventually come round to the idea, if not wholly been reconciled to it. Deep down, Harry knew, she still would have rather he married Ginny. Forcing his mind away from the contentious issue of Ron's sister he focused on trying to make his way towards the front of the crowd, an effort complicated substantially by the fact that nearly everyone in the garden seemed to want to wish him luck. Eventually he managed to get there and after receiving one last, very Hermione-ish, tearstained hug from Mrs Granger he and Ron took their places facing everyone.
After that he wasn't really sure what happened. His brain seemed top disconnect slightly from his senses. He was aware that the minute he had stood in place the band had struck up the wedding march - trust Hermione to be on time - and his bride had appeared round the side of the house looking absolutely radiant in a dress made of some flowing fabric, which he felt vaguely sure was called chiffon - he probably had been told enough times - and a smile on her face that threatened to outshine the sun. It was probably something to do with the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off her, marvelling at how beautiful she looked, how lucky he was, and how he still couldn't believe that this was happening, that meant the ceremony itself passed in a bit of a blur.
Several hours later he was sitting in a chair near the edge of the marquee, with the band behind him playing a lively dance number, looking out at the star flecked sky and trying to relive the moment in his head. He could probably add it to the pensieve later, but this was something he wanted to carry around inside his head for the rest of his life.
"What are you thinking about?" The voice in his ear raised the hairs on the back of his neck as her breath tickled it pleasantly. Snaking his arm out he captured his new wife's waist and pulled her gently round to sit on his lap and could feel the delighted smile on her face as he kissed her.
"Just trying to work out how I managed to get so incredibly lucky," he rested his chin on the top of her head as she leaned into him.
"Mmm… I've been wondering that myself."
As the two of them sat there the music changed to a gentle waltz that Harry recognised, but he had no desire to move from where they currently sat, he wanted to stay this way for the rest of their lives.
"They played this at our engagement party," Hermione mused quietly after a moment.
"Correct as usual Miss Granger," he laughed as she swatted him playfully on the arm.
"It's Mrs Potter now," twisting slightly she looked up at him, "Mrs Hermione Potter," she repeated blissfully. After that there were more kisses which lasted for several minutes or possibly several days, Harry didn't know and didn't care.
"I'm really glad you asked me to marry you Harry," she sighed contentedly as they broke apart.
He chuckled into her hair, "I'm glad I did too, even if it didn't exactly go as planned."
"It was perfect anyway, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. You look so sweet when you get embarrassed."
He smiled wryly. "You never did explain why you opened the present early though."
"I…" Now she was the one embarrassed, "I thought you had gotten me a necklace, you know that one I had seen in the jewellers next to Flourish and Blotts? I was just going to rip the paper a tiny bit to see if it was in one of those lovely purple boxes, so that I would know if I was right," they both grinned at this, "and then all the paper sort of came off and I thought I might as well open it since I couldn't pretend I hadn't. I'm just too impatient when it comes to mysteries."
"It's one of the things I love about you." She squeezed his hand affectionately as they lapsed back into a comfortable silence, each simply content to enjoy the moment. All too soon however it was broken by a childish giggle and the patter of feet on the dewy grass and Teddy came hurtling out of the gloom, his tiny robes flapping madly behind him, a piece of wedding cake clutched firmly in his tiny fist and an exhausted looking Ron and Luna chasing desperately along behind him.
"Haaaaarrrreeeeeeee!" He flung himself at Harry's leg as Hermione shifted to allow him space.
"Hi Tedster, what have you been getting up to?" Harry rescued the piece of cake from his hand which was flying dangerously close to Hermione's pristine dress while scooping his godson up onto his other knee.
"Here," Hermione handed him a napkin from the little table next to them as Ron and Luna stopped short.
"Sorry mate, we did try and catch him he's just…"
"Very fast," supplied Luna helpfully, and Harry noticed with a grin that she slipped an arm round Ron's waist as she did so.
"It's alright, he's more than welcome. Where's Andromeda?"
Ron nodded towards the dance floor, "Burnes asked her to dance… I didn't know he could."
"Perhaps he petitioned the Keilidhin to give him the ability for the night," Luna replied dreamily. Ron opened his mouth to ask her what that was and then seemed to decide better of it.
"Are you two enjoying yourselves?" Hermione asked smirking at them.
"Yes - the wedding is rather good, isn't it Ronald?" the blonde seemed oblivious to the subtle humour in Hermione's question, unlike her new boyfriend who, as he was wont to do, had gone scarlet and mumbled something unintelligible.
At this point Teddy decided that they weren't paying enough attention to him again so he immediately switched his hair to a violent purple and spread his arms wide as he looked up at Harry. "Daanz!"
"Here we'll take him," Ron said as the all laughed, "and give you two lovebirds some peace."
"No it's alright," Harry smiled at his wife - it was still so strange and wonderful to think of her like that, "we'll take him."
Hermione got up and took his hand as he lifted Teddy up with the other one and they made there way onto the dance floor with Ron's shout of "You need the practice" and Luna's subsequent reproach ringing in their ears.
"I'm glad everyone's having a good time," Hermione observed as they found a spot to stop and dance slowly, with Teddy in Harry's arms between them.
"Well almost everyone," Harry nodded towards a certain redhead standing on her own at the edge of the dance floor casting surly looks at them intermittently. He sighed, was Ginny ever going to accept the way things were now? Or was she going to spend the rest of her life being petty and vindictive about the way things had ended between them? He certainly hoped not.
"Just ignore her," Hermione turned back to give him a radiant smile. "She's not worth it, besides we don't need her approval to be happy. She'll move on eventually." Even as she spoke Harry saw John Vance walk up to Ginny and escort her onto the dance floor. Perhaps things might turn out alright after all?
Turning back to his little family Harry wondered for the millionth time - he also suspected it wouldn't be the last - how he had gotten so lucky. Hermione was smiling beatifically as she swayed in his arms and pretended to dance with Teddy as she held his tiny hand. Looking at the way his godson's tiny fingers curled around hers Harry suddenly came to a decision he had been pondering ever since Hermione had agreed to his proposal.
"I was thinking Daniel."
Hermione looked up at him curiously. "What?"
Harry's eyes were earnest and steadfast as he repeated himself. "I was thinking Daniel, or Hope if it's a girl. For our first baby."
Hermione looked at him for one long endless moment as tears filled her eyes and then she leant past Teddy to kiss him softly on the cheek. "That's perfect."
-->