A/N: I've had bits and pieces of this chapter knocking around in my head for quite some time, but nothing ever really came to fruition until I sat down to write it. Still, I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 3: Conjungo Duos Animas
Everyone in the room looked straight at Harry and Hermione, both of whom had their eyes sheepishly downcast at the floor. Ron cleared his throat and muttered, "Well…that was unexpected. When were you planning on informing the rest of us?"
"Well, actually," Harry explained, rubbing the back of his head while Hermione chuckled to herself, "About two seconds ago, really. We want to keep it as small an affair as possible. We also want to keep it a secret from the better part of the wizarding world."
"That won't last long I'm afraid," Remus interjected. "The Ministry has a magical book that keeps track of the marital status of members of the Wizengamot. The moment the two of you are married, the book will reflect such a change. It won't take long for the papers to spot such a significant change." Harry's face fell momentarily.
"It was probably too much to hope for to keep it secret for too long," he admitted, "But maybe some of my connections with the press can hold off the tide for a short while." Hermione nodded her approval of the plan, before they turned towards Ginny, who had a halfway incredulous look on her face.
"Even still," she complained, still smiling though, "You have to do some kind of planning. After all, you only get married once."
"That's the wonderful thing about magic," Hermione explained. "Harry and I already planned a lot of the details while we were in the time warp. Just a few spells here or there, and Potter Manor will be turned into the perfect wedding." She lowered her head slightly. "Well, almost perfect. But even if my parents can't be there in body, they'll be there in spirit." Harry rubbed her back, a gesture Hermione appreciated from him to no end.
"That's all well and good," Ginny countered, "But you've got to give me and Luna some time to find a dress." She got a mischievous smile on her face, before it was quickly replaced by a rather unbecoming one. "I mean, that is…"
"Of course you're all invited," Harry replied, "And I'm sure you can come up with something." Ginny nodded her head, a determined look on her face as she undertook this new mission. Without a moment's hesitation, she and Luna were each off to another room, to begin a battle strategy. Harry got a large grin on his face, looking at Neville and Ron. "Ron, I hope you would like to be my best man. And Neville, of course, as a groomsman. Both of them smiled and nodded their heads."
"Bloody hell," Ron groaned, "This means I've got to say some kind of speech or something right?" Harry laughed.
"We're not going to have much of a guest reception list. Just close friends and family are invited. We don't want the press to get wind of this." Harry's smile was wiped off of his face when Remus cleared his throat.
"I'm afraid it won't be that simple. Since you're a member of the Wizengamot, the registrar there will automatically be updated the moment you two are pronounced husband and wife." Harry nodded and sighed deeply.
"I suppose it can't be helped," he said, and Hermione nodded her head. She then looked seriously at Remus.
"Professor," she said quietly, surprising Remus with her use of a professional title. "I was wondering if I could ask you a huge favor."
"Of course Hermione," Remus replied, smiling softly. "I'll do anything."
"Since my father isn't here," Hermione said in a hushed tone, "I was hoping that…maybe…you could walk me down the aisle." Remus was momentarily floored by this, but quickly reconstituted himself and sat up smiling, unshed tears shimmering in his eyes.
"It would be my honor."
/ - / - / - /
In Harry Potter's mind, two days had never gone by so quickly. It had been a whirlwind of spellcasting, fittings, planning and most importantly anticipation. Now that the day had arrived, Harry wasn't so sure that he wanted it to get here.
"Relax," said Ron as he fixed his robes for what seemed to be the fourth time. "You two have been waiting to do this for, quite literally, years."
"I know Ron it's just that…" Harry ran his hand through his hair and began to nervously pace back and forth. "What if I screw things up? What if I forget my lines or something? What if I…" Harry stopped his line of questioning when he heard a chuckling coming from behind him. He turned and looked at the portrait of his father, who flashed a Cheshire grin at him. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"You son," the portrait said, fixing his own painted robes, "I was exactly like this when I married your mother, a complete ball of nerves. Of course it didn't help that Sirius tried to prank me on my wedding day."
"You never told me that story," Harry answered back, somewhat fascinated. He also wanted to do anything at this point to keep his mind occupied off the wedding.
"Well, it was a rather stupid prank to tell you the truth," James explained, stroking his chin as he tried to remember the details. "To be honest I'm surprised I even fell for the stupid thing. First he cast a constant color changing charm on my dress robes so that they kept alternating between neon green and a bright fuchsia pink. Then he fired a sneezing hex at me. Oh you should have seen Lily when she got her hands on him. I don't remember the exact spell, but I do know his, wand is probably the nicest way of putting it, didn't work properly for about a month afterwards." Harry, Ron and Neville each laughed and cringed at the thought of it. "The point is Harry," James finished, "Is not to worry. You and Hermione love each other just as much as Lily and I loved each other in life and still do in death. As long as you hold on to that love, there's nothing that can destroy your happiness."
"But what if we.."
"No buts Harry James," the portrait said in a more stern voice, before smiling again. "This is your big day. Live it up."
"Your dad...err…painting…err…"Neville scratched his head and smiled. "He's right Harry. Just go with the flow of the day and everything will be right as rain."
/ - / - / - /
"Maybe we should have waited."
Ginny let out another sigh as Hermione stood on a pedestal while Luna fidgeted with her wedding dress. She had decided on a more muggle-style wedding gown, deciding against the traditional white wizarding robes that a pureblood would likely wear. As she fussed internally over whether or not Harry and she were rushing into things, Ginny finally slammed her hand down on the desk where she was sitting and looked at Hermione in frustration.
"You two have been engaged for over a year as far as you are concerned," she said in anguish. "If you aren't ready now, when will you be?" Hermione just stared at her wide-eyed, and Ginny sighed and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she replied, "All this wedding talk has got me thinking about…well you know."
"I understand Gin," Hermione replied, stepping down from the pedestal and walking over to her maid of honor. "And you don't need to apologize. I know I've been making this into a fuss. I guess I've just got wedding day jitters."
"That or the vinderbarls are biting again," Luna said absentmindedly, as she fiddled with her own dress. "They're often attracted to white dresses."
"That too," Hermione off-handedly remarked, having long since gotten used to Luna and her sometimes incoherent ramblings.
"Honestly I was the same way," came a voice from the wall, causing Hermione to look up at the painting with Lily Potter in it. Though she was not alive, in the absence of her own mother, Hermione had taken to considering Lily's portrait as a kind of surrogate parent. "But not nearly as nervous a wreck as James was. I honestly don't think he ever sweated that much in his life."
"I don't know if Harry could ever be that nervous," Hermione thought aloud.
"Trust me dear," Lily said smiling, "All Potter men are nervous when it comes to women. Once James had realized that he was in love back at Hogwarts, he was barely able to say three words to me for nearly half a year. I guess the shock just kind of overtook him." She laughed at the memory, a far away look in her eyes. "But one thing is certain. No matter how nervous Harry might be today, no matter how nervous you might be today, you two love each other. And that love can withstand any test, no matter what your age might be." Hermione offered a genuine smile, seemingly feeling a bit of relief lift from her mind and her spirit.
/ - / - / - /
Potter Manor had never seen such splendor, at least not in this century. White ribbons and flowers hung from every nook and cranny of the makeshift chapel that had been set up on the front lawn. A few white chairs were gathered around for the small horde of guests that had been gathered together. They included the Weasley children and their respective dates, Augusta Longbottom & Nymphadora Tonks. At the front of the long red carpet that had been set up for the occasion stood two bridesmaids, Ginny Weasley & Luna Lovegood, each clad in scarlet red dresses that matched the carpet perfectly. To the right of them were the two groomsmen, each clad in more modern style wizarding robes that looked a closer resemblance to muggle tuxedos than more traditional formal robes looked (a fact that thrilled Ron to no end.) Augusta Longbottom looked on from the crowd already with tears in her eyes as she saw her grandson standing proudly by Ron's side, wearing the crest of the Longbottom family for the first time in his life.
Next to the two groomsmen was Harry Potter himself. Though he had stared down mountain trolls, basilisks, werewolves, dementors, dragons and Lord Voldemort himself, he was still a bundle of nerves even now at the precipice of his joyful new beginning. His father's words had done little to alleviate the nervousness that he was feeling at the given moment. A small part of him was worried not about the wedding, but rather the aftermath. He had something special planned for Hermione, something that had quite literally taken him years to finish, but he hoped that it worked. In front of him stood Arthur Weasley, smiling fondly down at the young man and remembering with a certain amount of grief and joy his own wedding day. He cleared his throat when he heard the opening chords to some muggle tune called the Wedding March playing from the enchanted organ that had been set up off in the distance. The whole of the small party turned towards a large white tent that had been set up at the base of the red carpet, and in unison gasped in surprise.
Walking down the aisle was Hermione, looking more radiant and stunning than anyone could have ever remembered her looking. Ginny and Luna each smiled at their friend as she moved down the aisle to full effect, literally causing everyone else in the area to be transfixed on her. Her flowing white gown had been trimmed with white pearls on both sides. Her normally curly hair had been tamed, framing her face in a picturesque way. A small blue brooch hung from her neck, standing out like an azure island in a sea of white. She blushed a deep hue of red as Remus confidently led her down the aisle, stopping at the end and placing her hand in Harry's. Remus smiled at them both, wiping tears from his eyes, and taking a seat next to Tonks. Harry cleared his throat, trying to wipe the slightly gobsmacked look that he had set in from seeing her. Together, they moved forward as Arthur motioned for the music to die down.
"Witches and wizards," he clearly stated to the crowd, "We have been gathered together here to witness the Union between Harry Potter and Hermione Granger." Harry smiled when Arthur remembered his request not to be labeled with all of his inherited titles, breaking with tradition. "We have all witnessed these two go from young, talented children into young, confident, mature adults. They have chosen to embark on life's great adventure together, forever binding their bodies, their minds, and their magic to one another. One without the other shall be forever incomplete, but together they shall share in a love that will stand the tests of time." The crowd clapped at the pronouncement, as Arthur motioned for Ron to hand each of them the platinum wedding bands that they had chosen out. "And now, Harry & Hermione have each elected to read their own vows. Hermione…"
Hermione smiled as she slowly placed the ring on Harry's finger, trying to hold back tears of joy. "Harry, I never had many friends as a young child. And when I first learned that I was a witch, I thought it was a chance for a fresh start. Those first two months were hard, despite the fact that I was distantly close to you. I thought that Halloween night that I had blown my last chance at happiness. And then that troll showed up, and there were you. A young boy who was everyone's hero, playing the role for someone you barely knew. But as I grew to know you, I realized that the hero was just a façade. You were just a boy, just like me, someone who was looking for a place to truly belong. As time grew on, I knew that we were connected, and even if I couldn't describe it at the time, I knew that I was in love with you.
"We have faced hardships together, and shall continue to do so. We have stared death in the face, and will continue to do so. But one thing will never change. I love you Harry James Potter, now and forever. Thusly, I willingly choose to marry you, to stand by your side till death to us part." Harry smiled at her and looked down at his hands, gazing at the platinum wedding band that she had placed there. He fingered his own wedding band, and slid it on her finger, before gazing deeply into her eyes. In that moment, the world around him fell, and their existed only him, and only her.
"Hermione, since the day I met you I have cared deeply for you. I may not have always known how to show it, or how to fully express it, but you have always been a part of me. You are the piece that completes me. When I saw you there at the Ministry after being hit by that curse, my whole world stopped. Everything else didn't matter anymore…just you. And that's all I need to get by, just you. As long as I have that, then there will never be a need for anything else. You are the very air I breathe, Hermione, the very essence of my being, and I want to envelope myself in that essence for the rest of my life. I love you Hermione Jane Granger, more fully than I could ever love anyone else in a thousand lifetimes. Thus, I willingly choose to marry you, and forever make you a part of my being." Hermione chuckled as she forced back a sob. She and Harry turned to Arthur, who smiled at both of them, and were completely oblivious to the few tears that were on everyone's eyes in the rest of the wedding party.
"I think we can skip to the end after that," Arthur said, causing the group to laugh slightly. "By the Power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic…and by the grace of Merlin, I now pronounce you man and wife." He pulled their two wands from the altar in front of him and joined them at the point. "Conjungo Duos Animas." There was a bright white light that emitted from both of the wands, one that temporarily blinded some of the guests. Just as quickly as it was created the light faded from existence, and Arthur set the wands aside. "I believe the muggle thing to do would be to kiss the bride." Harry and Hermione both laughed and smiled, as they both embraced and kissed one another to thunderous applause from the group.
A/N: A total chapter of this one event. We'll be back to normal for the next chapter as a few things get set in motion. I hope that wasn't too syrupy for people, once again I'm terrible at mushiness.