A grown up wedding
“You are not getting married in the Ministry!” Dorcas howled looking at her daughter in horror. Privately, Severus agreed, not that he was getting in the middle of this particular argument. He wasn't that stupid.
“Mum, it's agreed! We want to be married before the baby's here and I want to be married before I look like a sodding house. So it's sorted. Ministry next week, over and done with.”
“Over and done with,” Dorcas repeated faintly. “Over and done with….you are my only child!”
“And you can be there,” Hermione dismissed. “At the Ministry."
“No! Severus talk sense into your daughter!” Dorcas demanded.
“What?" he yelped, startled at his sudden inclusion into this argument. "No! I’m not getting involved in this!”
“Do you want to watch your only child get married in a nondescript little room?” his wife demanded.
“Well no.” he conceded because truly, it was a fucking awful idea Those rooms were always brown and smelled of stale coffee. No one in their right mind wanted to get married in them. Although his daughter was marrying Neville fucking Longbottom. He already knew she wasn't in her right mind.
“Then make her see sense! It's your fault she's so damn stubborn!”
“My fault!” he hissed.
“Yes!” his wife insisted…stubbornly.
He sighed, turning to face his daughter, “Come with me.” he murmured, turning sharply, and heading for the door. He heard her sigh but assumed she’d followed him, so he stopped, holding the door open for her.
“Where are we going?” she asked with an edge to her voice.
“For a walk,” he replied blandly as he took her arm, leading her out into the garden. “Your mother means well.”
“That doesn't mean I have to change my mind.”
“No,” he agreed, keeping his tone even, “but truly, my girl, do you want to get married in the Ministry?”
“I don't care,” she shrugged, “It's a piece of paper.”
“And binding magic!” Severus spluttered.
“Fine, a piece of paper and binding magic. I don't care where it happens, as long as it does before I'm bloody waddling!”
“Yes well if you’d planned better…” he mumbled.
“I thought we’d established it wasn't planned at all, Daddy,” she responded wryly.
“You’ve known the contraceptive charm since you were thirteen, Hermione!” he whined, “I know that you have, your mother made me teach you as a punishment for something!”
“Not telling her Uncle James had given Harry the map and we were sneaking into Hogsmeade,” Hermione responded promptly with a grin. “She decided it was the best way to embarrass us both.”
Severus snorted, “So it was. However, that is not the point! You know it! There is no excuse. How on earth did this happen?”
Hermione smirked impishly, “Well Daddy, when a woman loves a man very, very much and the woman has an Uncle Sirius with a plethora of tips that sound interesting…”
“Stop!” he commanded a look of utter horror on his face, “For the love of all that is sacred, stop!”
Hermione giggled at the look on his face, “You did ask. Although I’ve realised, it's clearly Uncle Sirius’ fault so maybe you could berate him?”
“Nice try, my girl.” he retorted before he sighed. “I don't want you to get married in some awful little room in the Ministry.”
“Well, the constraints…”
“Nonsense. Uncle Reggie can perform the binding magic. He’s allowed, something to do with a drunken dare gone wrong. That was most definitely your Uncle Sirius’ fault. And we have a garden. The boy's ancestral home has a garden. Hell, your Uncle Luc would be overjoyed if you took over his garden! Just…not some dingy little Ministry room. Please.”
“Oh,” Hermione whispered, as he turned sharply to look at her. She was crying. Fuck.
“Hermione?” he hedged, not entirely sure what he’d said to upset her. “Sweetheart. I…gods. I didn't mean….” he trailed off when she flung herself into him, sobbing.
“Fucking hormones,” she mumbled into his chest as he rocked her.
“Is that a yes to your Uncle Reggie?” he checked.
“Yes,” she sobbed, and he finally let out the breath he’d been holding. Thank all the gods for that.
“Stop pacing Severus!” Dorcas demanded as he whirled to look at her wide-eyed.
“We have to stop this! She can't get married, she's not old enough!”
“Severus,” Dorcas gentled her tone and he winced, knowing she was attempting to talk him down, “She loves Neville. She is going to get married today, you are going to walk her down that aisle without complaint and you will not let her see that you're not happy about it.”
“But why?” he whined.
“Because this is what she wants” his wife reminded him.
He sighed, feeling his entire body deflating. “She's too young!”
Dorcas’ eyes softened as she leaned into him. “She's not, unfortunately. Now, I only came to check on you, I’m going to send Reggie in to keep you calm and I am going back to help our daughter get ready.”
He scoffed but didn't stop her as she moved to the door. “How is he?” he heard a voice ask.
“Not great,” Dorcas murmured as she left, letting Regulus enter.
“I’ve been instructed to keep you calm,” Regulus announced.
“So I’ve been told,” he responded dryly.
“So, I stole some of Luc’s best firewhisky, want some?” Regulus grinned waving the bottle at him.
“Salazar, yes!”
Regulus snorted, pouring him a measure. “You're only getting one. Hermione is vicious and Merlin knows what punishment she’d enact if you were drunk walking her down the aisle.”
Severus gave a huff of laughter, “I can only imagine.”
“Do you remember when she wanted me to be her pet?”
Severus laughed, “Yes, it's how we ended up with Angus. Gods Cassie was furious.”
“I think I would have agreed to stay in form if she’d cried you know.” Regulus mused.
“I know. We all knew. Little witch had every one of us wrapped around her finger from the moment she appeared.”
Regulus smiled slightly sadly, “I can't believe she's getting married,” he whispered.
“Nether can I,” Severus agreed, biting back the tears that threatened. He’d never be allowed to live it down. Or more worryingly, if he started, he wasn't sure he'd stop.
“Alright, it's almost time,” Narcissa commanded, throwing the door open. “Reggie, get down the front, Neville will be there in about five minutes. Harry says he’s half terrified she's not going to show, ridiculous boy.” She turned to face Severus. “Go and see your daughter. She’s waiting.”
Severus blew a harsh breath out of his nose and steeled himself. He wasn't ready for this.
Opening the door slowly, he stepped into the room to find Cassie fussing with Hermione's dress. His daughter stood in front of a full-length mirror, running her eyes over the image, one hand resting on her still flat middle. His breath caught as her eyes met his in her reflection. She looked utterly stunning and altogether too grown up. It felt like he’d blinked and missed the entirety of her childhood, where had the tiny girl who insisted on tutus and black robes gone? When had she stopped being a little girl and turned into this woman?
“Daddy?” he heard the wobble in her voice and knew that despite his own misgivings, he needed to reassure her.
“You look beautiful, my girl,” he murmured, pulling her into a hug.
“Don't you dare cry!” Cassie commanded, tears already tracking down her face, “You’ll ruin your makeup and your Aunt Cissa will murder us!”
Hermione gave a wet sounding laugh as she let him go to hug her mother. Dorcas squeezed her tightly for several seconds before she let her go, holding her at arm's length, studying her face, before reaching up to gently wipe the tears away. “I love you so much, sweetheart.”
“I love you too, Mum.” Hermione smiled before shoving her gently, “Now go before I really do ruin my make-up.”
Dorcas laughed, hugging her again tightly, “I’ll see you soon.” she smiled as she left the room.
“We’ll give you a minute,” Susan smiled, tugging on Luna Lovegood and Pansy Parkinson's hands as they followed Dorcas out of the room.
Hermione let out a long slow breath as soon as the door was closed, “This seems surreal,” she whispered, turning back to look at herself.
“I know,” Severus agreed.
“Daddy…I am doing the right thing aren't I?” she asked turning to look at her with wide, frightened eyes.
Severus stilled, forcing himself to act like the adult he was supposed to be, “Do you love him, my girl?”
“Yes,” she answered with no hesitation.
He smiled slightly, “Then how on earth would it not be right?”
Hermione nodded at him, resting her head on his chest as she squeezed him tightly, “Let's go and get me married then.” she murmured.
He exhaled sharply, “Come along then, I’m sure he's worked himself into a right mess by now.”
“Probably,” Hermione agreed with a laugh as she reached for his arm.
He barely registered the guests waiting in the gardens of Malfoy Manor, a lone Unicorn standing guard by Regulus, Hermione snorted when she spotted her. “Bloody Draco,” she muttered.
“Or your Uncle Luc,” Severus replied softly. “Let's hope Shimmer keeps her horn to her bloody self today.”
“Aunt Cissa’s really outdone herself,” she whispered as she took in the rest of the area. He hummed, not able to find words as it hit him they were doing this. His baby girl was getting married. Properly married, not the silly play vows they’d enacted as children. Really married. His eyes followed Susan, Luna and Pansy down the aisle, each meandering gracefully in the dresses Narcissa had insisted on.
At the front, Longbottom looked terrified as Harry kept up a constant stream of what he assumed was soothing nonsense in his ear. He stilled the minute he spotted Hermione though, his eyes never leaving hers as she walked towards him.
In the first seats, Severus spotted Dorcus and Lily, already crying, Narcissa behind them. James, Sirius and Lucius also looked suspiciously glassy-eyed, he wondered which one would cry first. His money was on Sirius. Everyone else had their money on him.
He swallowed back tears as they reached the front, knowing that this was it, feeling utterly unequal to the task of handing his daughter over to another man now the moment was here.
“I love you more than life, my girl,” he whispered, kissing her cheek, ignoring the first tear as it fell.
"I love you too, Daddy,” she murmured as he took her hand and placed it into Longbottoms.
“Look after her, or you’ll have me to answer to,” he glared at the boy.
“And me,” Regulus muttered, swiping at his own eyes.
Longbottom's lips twitched “I wouldn't expect anything less.” he agreed before turning fully towards Hermione. “You look stunning.”
“Well done,” Dorcas murmured, her grip on his hand tight to the point of pain as he joined her in their seats. “Look at our girl, Severus.”
And so he did, holding on to his wife's hand as an anchor as he watched his baby glow as she exchanged vows with her soon-to-be husband, a hint of the tiny girl she’d been escaping as Harry twirled her with a laugh the moment Longbottom released her, her wedding dress fluffing out like the tutus she used to wear.