I Do
I felt sick, tired and sick, nothing worse than waking up knowing you barely got any sleep on a day where you were supposed to be well-rested. Jocelyne had fallen asleep next to me, I couldn’t be without someone sleeping close to me, she argued that I was supposed to sleep alone because it was some kind of symbol of innocence, but when I frowned at her not quite understanding her meaning, she just sighed and got in next to me. I loved her.
By the time I needed to actually get up, Jocelyne was already making tea and getting things ready. She was making me even more nervous and my instinct was to go up into my lab and research. It was my safe place, my comfort zone, but Jocelyne wouldn’t let me do any of it, she just kept telling me to take a shower and try not to think too much on the day.
‘Focus on tomorrow, Angie.’ She kept saying, but the problem was, I had no idea what I would be doing tomorrow. Possibly watering the garden, spending time with Remus, making him some tea while he read on the dock beside the lake? That would be nice, nothing too fancy, just spending time with him would be exactly what I needed.
I thought back to the first time I’d met Remus, he was Professor Lupin back then and he was the new shabby young Dark Arts teacher, I had no idea how important he would become. I remembered the first time I’d seen him staggering out of the Forbidden Forest, I felt incredibly sorry for him and I only wanted to help, he had a wild look in his eye that now put a small fear in me, a fear I’d almost come to treasure, because it meant that I understood now, I understood that that side of Remus was dangerous and not to be toyed with the way I had been so willing to do once.
Maybe I had changed, maybe I had become somehow better… maybe "better" wasn’t the right word, but I was certainly more wary and cautious than I once had been, was that better?
‘Stop it.’ Jocelyne said firmly, I realised I’d stopped midway through eating my toast and was staring off at the woods outside my kitchen window.
‘What?’
‘Stop thinking, eat your breakfast and stop worrying about things you can’t do anything about.’ Jocelyne was exasperated, I gave her a weak smile and did as I was told, it was the only time I ever did.
We eventually left the house and made our way to my parent’s home. There was a nice spot behind the house that looked out at an open field leading to the hills I used walk over with my parents and Darren, the view was something I’d never quite appreciated before now.
‘Angie, come on!’ Jocelyne demanded. ‘We need to get you ready.’
My mother came out and it was clear she’d already been crying.
‘Oh Angie, you’re here.’ She said and wrapped her warm arms around me. I always thought she looked so pretty without makeup, but she often hated her complexion. I wondered if I would grow to think something similar about myself. ‘Dad’s just finishing the seating arrangements with the boys, let’s get you inside and ready.’ I could see the tears forming again in the corners of her beautiful blue eyes and followed her inside the house.
The house was tidier than I’d ever seen it before, had they done all this just for me? It was the sight of Harper and Jackson that had a new smile forcing it’s way to my face.
‘Hey!’ I exclaimed and pulled them both in for a hug in the middle of the clear kitchen, Harper was giggling, her curly red hair was exactly like her dads and it made me smile far too much. Jackson’s hair was straight like Jocelyne’s and it was getting lighter. They were so beautiful. ‘You guys ready for today?’
‘I’m wearing a blue dress!’ Harper cheered.
‘Really?’ I joined in the excitement. ‘I’m wearing a cream one that your mum picked out for me.’
‘She picked mine as well! It’s pretty!’
‘I’m sure it is, your mum has great taste.’ I said and kissed the side of her head, turning to Jackson. ‘What about you? Are you wearing a blue dress as well?’
‘No!’ Jackson laughed, playfully stamping his feet and shaking his head.
‘No? Well, you can hardly go out with no clothes on Jackson Meyers.’
‘I’m not wearing nothing, I’m wearing that!’ He pointed as a small grey suit hanging on a wooden chair next to Harper’s dress, it had a blue tie the same colour as the dress and I knew instantly that he would look just as handsome as his dad.
‘That is a very smart suit,’ I smiled. ‘Did your mum pick that one as well?’
‘No, I did!’ Jackson said, rather defiantly.
‘Really?! Well, you’ve got great taste as well then.’ I laughed and pulled him in for another hug. ‘I’m so glad you’re both here, makes me feel so much better that all my family are together.’
‘Right, come on you two,’ Jocelyne cut in, she was noticeably less stressed seeing me with her children. ‘Let’s go and find your dad, he’s probably having a beer with David already.’ She playfully rolled her eyes and guided the twins away.
‘They’re getting big.’ I said, watching Jocelyne walk with them out into the garden.
‘I remember when you were that age,’ my mum commented behind me, I turned to see her gesturing up the stairs. ‘Always running after Darren, trying to keep up and play all these ridiculous games he made up… time does fly Angie.’ There seemed to be a weight to the statement that I wasn’t quite ready for, but I didn’t push the subject.
We went up to my old room which was so different to the way I remembered, the bed was on the other side of the room, clean white sheets with a blanket I didn’t recognise on the end. My certificates and trophies were still in the same place next to the door and I still felt sick looking at them, maybe everything didn’t always change.
My mother was incredibly excited to start getting me ready, but she took her time with every step, she had me sit down in front of the full length mirror as she began to brush my hair which had somehow gotten tangled since getting out of the shower. She told me stories about her wedding and how she was just happy that her family was able to make it, she told me about her father walking her down the aisle and how dad cried when he saw her.
‘Why did he cry?’ I frowned and found myself unconsciously playing with my engagement ring.
‘Because he was happy, Angie.’ My mother laughed, looking at me through the mirror. ‘I’m sure Remus will be the same, so happy he can’t contain himself… and it’ll probably take you by surprise as well. It always does on your wedding day, you remember what Jocelyne was like?’ I laughed remembering how much she cried and how confusing the whole thing had been for me.
I watched my mother put the finishing touches on my hair and with each strand of hair that was put into place, I grew steadily more nervous as I knew the time was getting closer and closer.
‘There we are.’ My mother stood back and I looked at her work. I honestly wasn’t sure if I looked good enough for Remus, but she was getting emotional and that had to be good enough for now.
‘How are we doing?’ Jocelyne came into the room and quietly closed the door behind her, she looked incredible. She wore her hair up in bun, her makeup was complimentary to her soft features and her navy dress made her look like the Jocelyne I remembered from school. ‘Oh Angie, you look gorgeous!’
‘You really think so?’ I grimaced.
‘Well, once you’ve got the dress on it’ll be perfect, but trust me, you look amazing.’ Jocelyne smiled and turned to my mother. ‘I like the hair, I wasn’t sure when you said about only tying part of it back, but it definitely works.’
I rolled my eyes and sat back down on the chair in front of the mirror.
‘Right, we’ll stop,’ my mother suddenly said and it made Jocelyne half laugh. ‘I need to go and make sure your father is ready anyway, I’ll see you down there.’
Jocelyne watched me from the door as my mother left us alone, she was watching my expression and I felt myself rolling my eyes again.
‘So, are you going to get dressed or what?’ Jocelyne teased.
‘Yeah.’ I sighed but didn’t actually make a move towards the dress.
‘Angie, come on, you’re almost there, you just need to walk down the aisle, tell Remus you love him and then it’s all over, you’ll be married.’ She was trying, Merlin love her she was trying so hard.
‘I just need a minute.’ I nodded and took a deep breath.
My stomach was in knots, I felt like any second I would throw up, why was this so hard for me to do? Jocelyne was right, all I needed to do that day was put on a dress, give Remus a ring and tell him I loved him, nothing I hadn’t done before. So why couldn’t I bring myself to take the next step?
‘You’ll feel better once you’re in the dress, Angie.’ Jocelyne encouraged and began taking it out of the carrier. ‘Remus is going to love you in this… and don’t worry, it’s not too tight so you won’t feel sick wearing it. I learnt that lesson well enough from mine.’ I gave a twitch of a smile, it was all I could muster at that point.
‘Where’s Benji? And David?’ I suddenly asked.
‘Downstairs, Benji is looking after the kids and David is practising.’
‘Practising?’
Jocelyne suddenly looked a little sheepish. ‘Hang on, I’ll get them.’ She rolled her eyes and yelled down the stairs, probably scaring the life out of everyone down there.
‘What? What’s wrong?’ I heard Benji ask the second they got to the door.
‘Just both of you get in here for a moment.’ Jocelyne ordered them.
They were incredibly handsome men, Benji with his grey suit, similar to Jackson’s, but with a black tie and David in his open collar white shirt and brown plaid suit. They looked so good, the way I’d always known them to look.
‘Angie, you alright?’ David asked through the mirror, placing his hand on my shoulder and smile his charming smile, no wonder he got all the girls in school.
‘What were you practising?’ I frowned.
He quickly looked to Jocelyne who just rolled her eyes and nodded. ‘I was practising what I’m going to say when I marry you.’ I felt my eyes almost fall out of my head. ‘Well, not marry you, but marry you and Remus… you know, to each other… I got ordained, Jocelyne thought it was a good idea.’
I stood up slowly, not taking my eyes off of his big brown ones, before suddenly turning to hug him. ‘Thank you.’ I whispered.
David just laughed. ‘It’s okay, Angie.’ He said, holding me tight and I felt myself trying to hold back tears.
‘Don’t you dare cry.’ Jocelyne warned, half meaning it. ‘We don’t have time to redo your eyes, so you’d better keep it together Lockwood.’
I couldn’t help but finally laugh. I let David go and tried to compose myself.
‘What’s wrong Angie?’ Benji asked, gently. ‘You’re not having second thoughts, are you?’
‘No.’ I shook my head, I definitely wasn’t having second thoughts about marrying Remus. ‘I just… I just want to be married to him, but all this is just… I keep thinking about your wedding and my mum was telling me about hers… it’s just so scary.’
‘Angie, this isn’t going to be like ours,’ Benji chuckled, stepping forward so he could hold my hand in an effort to comfort me. ‘Jocelyne has done an amazing job ensuring that none of this will be overwhelming for you and quite frankly I’m jealous.’ That made me chuckle. ‘You don’t need to worry, we’re all going to be there making sure you’re okay.’
‘We’re not leaving you Angie, we’re right here.’ David nodded.
‘Well, actually, I’d rather not be here when you’re getting changed.’ Benji confessed.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve been here before,’ David winked. ‘Why don’t you two head down and make sure Remus is alright? I’ll take care of Angie.’
‘You sure?’ Jocelyne asked, surprised. ‘I can help with the dress.’
‘Jocelyne, you’ve done enough with this whole thing,’ David stopped her. ‘Go and relax, take care of the kids and do something about Benji’s tie, it’s driving me mad.’
I suddenly noticed that his top button was undone and his tie was a little loose, much to the annoyance of Jocelyne who began questioning when that had happened and why he didn’t say anything. David ushered them out of my bedroom and I just laughed. I loved them so much, they didn’t even know… or maybe they did.
David came back and rolled his eyes, taking his jacket off and getting ready to help me into the dress.
‘Right, come on Lockwood, take those off, let’s get this on.’ David used his no nonsense voice he used with the students and I just laughed, loudly and proudly. ‘There she is!’ He cheered and it was enough to make me take a deep breath and take off Remus’s cardigan that I’d been wearing far too regularly now.
David was as kind as the days he helped me shower when I was depressed and unable to do things for myself. He folded my clothes and held my dress for me to step into it, sliding the soft fabric up and zipping the back up. I would never have been able to reach it on my own.
‘There we go.’ David stepped back as I slipped my cream heels on. ‘Good enough to marry.’ He winked and I could help but smile.
‘I’m still not sure, but I suppose I look okay.’ I shrugged and looked at every part of myself in the mirror. ‘This is going to be fine.’ I found myself playing with the engagement ring once again.
‘Yes, it will.’ David said, gently. He’d put his suit jacket back on and stepped a little towards me. ‘You just need to remember that you wanted a marriage and once you get over all the formalities, you’ll have that. You and Remus will have the marriage you always wanted.’
I sighed tried so hard to focus on that instead of what a disappointment I felt I looked.
‘Are you ready?’ I heard my mother come into my room. ‘Oh Angie… my darling girl.’ She was so beautiful in her silver-grey dress, it was so her, so fitting and elegant and my mother was nothing if not elegant and classy. ‘George, come in here.’
I rolled my eyes not for the first time that day and presumably not for the last. My father looked the picture of handsome, a fitted three-piece navy suit, crisp white shirt and black tie, his grey hair only furthered his handsome and kind features. ‘Angie.’ I’d never seen my father in stunned silence before, it was a strange sight, making me turn to see him. He had tears in the corners of his eyes and soon David left with my mother on his arm. ‘You look so beautiful, Angie.’ He let a few tears go and I wanted so much for him to hug me.
‘Dad.’ I said, weakly and slid my arms around his neck.
‘I’m so proud of you, my darling girl.’ He whispered and I could feel my father losing control over his emotions. ‘So incredibly proud of you.’ He pulled back and we both just laughed at how ridiculous we were for crying in the middle of my old bedroom on my wedding day. My father carefully wiped away any tears, being careful not to smudge my makeup. ‘Are you ready?’
‘I think so.’ I nodded and quickly took a deep breath looking back in the mirror and making sure everything was as it should have been.
‘Are you happy?’ It seemed like an odd question for my father to suddenly ask. I frowned at his questioning. ‘I’m only asking as a father’s concern. I just want to make sure you’re really happy with everything.’
I turned to face him and smiled. ‘I am happy, dad. I’ll be even happier when this is over and I don’t have wear these bloody heels anymore.’ That pulled a laugh from him and I was glad to see my father smile, it was such a rare occurrence these days.
‘Okay then, let’s go.’
My father held out his arm for me to take and soon we were descending the stairs of my old home to the back garden where my family were, but more importantly where Remus was standing waiting for me to tell him how much I loved him.
Remus felt his hands getting clammy and his mouth going dry. He wasn’t usually a man who paced, but the second he arrived at the Lockwood home, he needed to keep moving. Sirius was doing his best to keep him calm, but on occasion would tease him about being nervous, so James took over while Lily scolded a laughing Sirius.
Angelina had already arrived and was upstairs getting ready when he got there. George had told him to use their bedroom to change and James took him up to get ready.
‘You should have worn those other shoes I told you about.’ James laughed shaking his head.
‘Angelina likes the brown ones, says they’re more me.’ Remus argued and removed his loose t-shirt before putting on his clean white shirt. He had let James take his suit in a carrier for him, not trusting himself to keep it neat.
‘Well, this is your day, so you do whatever makes you happy, mate.’ James nodded and handed Remus his dark grey trousers. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Nervous.’ Remus confessed slipping his trousers on and tucking his shirt in with a little more force than he intended.
‘Hey, hey, relax, or you’ll do yourself an injury.’ James laughed and Remus put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. ‘Why are you so nervous? You want this, right?’
‘Of course, I do!’ Remus snapped and took another calming breath. ‘What if she doesn’t? What if she’s only doing this because she thinks this is what everyone else wants for her? What if I can’t make her happy? What if I can’t give her the things she wants or-‘
‘Okay, okay, that’s enough.’ James took a firmer stance on the matter. ‘Come on, mate, this isn’t you, you know she loves you and you know how stubborn she is. If Angie didn’t want to marry you and spend the rest of her life with you, then you’d know about it.’ Remus sighed and tried to slowly button up his trousers. ‘Come on, what’s this all about?’
‘I don’t know.’ Remus shook his head, truthfully, he had no idea where this was all coming from. ‘I just… I want her to be happy.’
‘Well, that’s not going to happen on it’s own, so you need to make that happen.’ James reasoned and he knew it was playing on Remus’s much more logical mind. It worked, Remus felt a little calmer, the prospect of marrying Angelina to ensure her happiness, that was a good line of thought to follow.
‘Hey,’ Lily bounded into the room just as Remus was putting his waistcoat on. ‘Your dad’s just arrived.’ She said.
‘Is he alright?’
‘Yeah, George is taking care of him and Harper and Jackson are giving him good cause for entertainment.’ Lily nodded, she was already wearing her long sleeved, emerald dress, it came down to just above her knee and suited her red hair, which was pinned up, very well indeed.
‘That’s good, I’ll see him when I get down there.’ Remus could feel his hands starting to shake as he thought more on the fact that his mother would miss this day. She always looked forward to it and he always promised it would happen and she would be there to see it. He just couldn’t believe she wouldn’t see him marrying Angelina.
‘Right, why aren’t you dressed yet?’ Lily directed her questioning at James.
‘I was making sure Moony got dressed.’ He argued.
‘Well, he seems to be doing okay on his own, so go and get your suit on and make sure Sirius stays out of trouble, he’s already excited that David is wandering around.’
James sighed and smiled at his wife, kissing her as he left.
‘You need some help?’ Lily turned to Remus who was now struggling with his tie. He sighed and nodded.
Lily just smiled and wandered over to tie his soft grey-blue tie, making sure it sat beneath his dark grey waistcoat neatly. ‘Angie is going to love you in this, you know?’
‘I hope so.’ Remus smiled and took another deep calming breath.
‘Hey, there’s no need to be nervous,’ Lily assured him. ‘She’s here, she’s getting ready and according to Jocelyne she’s not panicking too much which apparently is the best-case scenario, right?’
‘Yes, that’s true.’ Remus chuckled. He knew this was difficult for Angelina, not a particularly comfortable experience for either of them, but he knew that they wanted to be married and all the formalities were really for everyone else, he truthfully no longer cared if they had a big celebration, he just wanted to be her husband. ‘I heard David is marrying us?’ Lily gave him a guilty look. ‘How long have you known?’
‘A little while now.’ She admitted, half laughing. ‘How do you feel about that?’
‘David is a good choice, a good advocate for love in all forms and he’ll make Angelina relax if nothing else.’ Remus nodded. ‘I’ve always liked him, he’s a good man.’
‘That he is, he’s good with the kids as well, Harry likes him a lot,’ Lily stood back and looked at her handy work. ‘Says he gets a lot of attention from the female students, but he brushes it off, something you used to do quite a lot of… couldn’t resist them all though, could you?’ Lily winked and it only made Remus’s cheek flush pink.
‘Angelina was different and you know that.’
‘I do, I’m only teasing you.’ Lily smiled. ‘Now get your jacket and shoes on and let’s get you downstairs.’
Remus did as he was told and put his dark blue-grey jacket on, he sat down on the edge of the bed and began tying his shoes.
‘Wait, what are you doing with your hair?’ Lily suddenly asked.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, look at it, it’s a mess.’
‘Erm…’
Lily sighed and wandered out of the bedroom, she was gone for nearly a full ten minutes and all Remus could do was pace and continuously adjust himself.
‘Right, sit down.’ She said, he did as he was told. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll not do anything extreme, but you can’t go out there with your hair hanging down your face… and I remembered you did this for my wedding which is where all this joking around about me running off with you started.’ Remus laughed, knowing exactly what she was about to do. Remus had slicked his hair back that day, part of him hating that his scars were so on show to everyone, but it seemed they were somehow less noticeable. ‘There we are, though I do wish you’d had a shave before this.’
Remus didn’t tell her that Angelina in fact liked his beard, it was a little shorter than normal, but she didn’t care, she liked the feel of it against her skin and that was always a good feeling for him.
Remus had to admit that when he looked at himself in the mirror, he didn’t think he was entirely unattractive, at least, everything about him was co-ordinated around things Angelina had told him she liked and that was what counted.
He went down to the kitchen where James handed him some water immediately. Remus had never been more grateful for water in his life, his mouth was incredibly dry. He spotted his father sitting on one of the wooden chairs in the garden, playing with Jackson and Harper who both looked entirely adorable in their dress and suit.
David and Benji were going over some notes David had and George was co-ordinating the rest of the furniture with Darren and Sirius, both of whom were already dressed and ready for the wedding to take place. Remus felt a small whip in his heart at seeing Darren, he honestly wasn’t sure he wanted him at the wedding, but he was Angelina’s brother and no matter what, that meant he was protected by her.
Remus sighed and went to sit with his father and the children, indulging in their games for a while, Harper being the more excited to see him with Jackson watching his sister closely.
The garden looked wonderful, a wooden archway stood behind a small platform where David would conduct the ceremony, there was a silk white wrap that twisted around the archway and white material that Angelina would walk down, something that Remus wanted as his mother had done at her wedding, she was insistent upon it for some reason. Remus suspected it was something to do with innocence and her purity in the magical world, not something that applied to Angelina or himself, but he enjoyed how it looked all the same.
He spotted a gramophone sitting behind the seats, one of his favourite songs would play when Angelina came out and it was again one of the only things he had asked Jocelyne for, the rest were just requests to keep it simple and small.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Benji and David suddenly rush back into the house and it made Remus stand up, worried that something had happened with Angelina. His heart dropped for a moment, what if she had changed her mind, what if she decided he wasn’t good enough for her, she wouldn’t have been wrong, but he couldn’t handle the idea of being without her.
‘I’m sure she’s fine.’ James said, loosening his tie a little. Remus frowned at him. ‘Jocelyne said Angie would feel better if we were all a bit more relaxed.’
Remus felt a small smile form. ‘Yes, she would. She wouldn’t want anyone to be anything other than themselves for the sake of anything… lose the tie if it’ll make you feel better.’
James turned and laughed at his friend. They waited a little longer before Benji and Jocelyne came out into the garden fussing over Benji’s tie.
‘David’s with her,’ Jocelyne rolled her eyes at Remus. ‘They’re just getting her into the dress, finally.’
‘So, she’s alright? Is she nervous? Or worried about anything?’
‘She’s fine Remus.’ Jocelyne assured him. ‘She’s just being Angie, she thinks she doesn’t look good enough, but I’ve seen her looking hot as they come and this tops all of it.’
‘Who’s hot as they come?’ Sirius popped up, he was his usual brand of slightly dark and gothic, with his dark purple suit and black open shirt that buttoned halfway down his chest, something that Angelina would love instantly.
‘Angie, but then she’s always been like that.’
‘-been like that.’ Sirius said at the same time as Jocelyne. ‘I’ve heard the rumours.’ He said and let out a bark-like laugh.
‘Right, best get everyone in the seats,’ Benji said, pointing to where George and Anna were heading upstairs. ‘She’ll be done soon.’
Jocelyne jumped into action and got everyone seated. Remus was glad it wasn’t a huge wedding party, just family, exactly the way Angelina wanted it, everyone sat in amongst each other, including Alfred, Alice and Casper who turned up just in time. Darren sat on the end of an aisle with an empty seat next to him for Anna, Remus thought it was best for everyone that he did, not that they really knew why.
David came out, adjusting his collar and looking incredibly handsome as he always did back in his school days. He conjured a white rose and attached it to his lapel, making Remus frown and smile in questioning.
‘Angie doesn’t do flowers, but my parents are muggles and told me it’s bad luck for a wedding proceed without them, so this is my small act of rebellion.’ David winked and tried to look somewhat stoic. Remus couldn’t help but laugh and nod, appreciating that once again Angelina’s friends knew her so well.
Anna came out, wiping away a few tears and suddenly Remus was nervous again. James stood behind him and Jocelyne stood on the other side, waiting for Angelina to take her place, but more likely to help her friend if she got stuck.
He looked down the aisle and caught sight of all the faces that meant so much to him as well as people he was almost certain were invited by Jocelyne, such as the bright redheads of Benji’s parents and the light blonde of Jocelyne’s, the dark messy hair and bright blue eyes belonging to Lockwoods, with Lyall in amongst them and everyone else who wasn’t blood, but to Angelina and Remus were as good as; the Potters, Alfred and Alice, Casper, David and Sirius.
Remus could see George indicating to Jocelyne that Angelina was about to appear and Remus felt his stomach knot so tightly it almost crippled him. Everyone stood up to watch Angelina as the music began to play and he was glad that he was on a slightly raised platform so he could see her walking all the way towards him.
George smiled and began guiding his daughter on his arm towards Remus. All the air seemed to leave his lungs as he watched the single most extraordinary thing he’d ever seen. She wore a cream, lace dress that came down to just above her knees, revealing her strong slender legs that slotted into simple white lace heels, they were low enough that she was probably okay walking in them and high enough that she wouldn’t have to reach up to kiss him. The dress itself was something to behold, it clung to her every smooth curve so wonderfully, Remus felt a hot rush washing over his entire body. It was long-sleeved with a v-neck that only served to elevate just how sexy he thought she was, it was a word he didn’t often use as it caused her to be abnormally embarrassed, but he couldn’t help but think she was both the sexiest and most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life.
Angelina’s bright blue eyes connected with his almost instantly and her smile was radiant, he could see her every feature and thanked whoever had helped her decide to have her dark blonde hair half up and half down. Remus let his eyes drift over her entire body once more, taking note of anything he may have missed on first glance, including her soft neck which only caused him to have replays of every time he’d kissed her there. And the fact that her dress covered over the scar on her shoulder where she’d been bitten, he was glad he wouldn’t have that memory looming over him throughout the day.
Remus could feel a few tears had escaped his eyes, he just couldn’t believe after all those years of suffering unsure of if he would even be accepted into Hogwarts, being terrified of living alone without friends, enduring torturous transformations without the wolfsbane potion to ease anything, getting wrapped up in a war, feeling the grief and loss of his mother and two of his closest friends, worrying over his father’s health, over Harry’s safety, knowing that his secret would come out at any moment causing him to lose everything he cared about; Remus would do it all again as long as it led to this moment.
George kissed his daughter’s cheek and allowed Remus to hold out a slightly shaky hand to help her up to the platform, she was nervous and a tear had escaped her eye, but she was still smiling and that was worth more to Remus than anything. He could smell her sweet, feminine scent from where he was standing and suddenly his senses were being overwhelmed with everything pleasant and intoxicating.
‘Welcome everyone,’ David said, breaking Remus’s thoughts just a little, he felt his cheeks burning and aching from how much he was smiling, she was radiant. ‘Keeping within the best interests of Remus and Angie, I will try and keep this short and to the point.’ There was a small, polite murmur of laughter. ‘We have been brought here today by the overpowering love of these two individuals and now we are privileged to witness the joining of Remus John Lupin and Angelina Glamora Lockwood in what we all know will be an everlasting union.’
Angelina rolled her eyes slightly at the full use of her name, which earned a subtle wink from David as it was the only time he’d ever been able to tease her with her full name and get away with it. He was loving every moment of it.
David pulled out his wand and indicated that they should raise their hands, placing Angelina’s left on top of Remus’s left, she was still very nervous and for whatever reason, Remus gave her a wink which made her chuckle and calm down ever so slightly. With a small flick of his wand David created a silver-white ring, capped with a sparkling white rose, that floated around their hands.
‘This ring symbolises your commitment to one another,’ he continued. ‘It represents the cycle of love, where one of you begins the other ends and where one of you ends the other begins, becoming one eternal life force and one infinite love. Do you, Remus John Lupin, take this wonderful woman to be your wife, to love her, protect her, support her and try your best to keep her out of trouble,’ that earned a small laugh from most of the guests, including Angelina who had already begun shaking again and holding back her tears. ‘From this day until your very last day?’
‘I do.’ Remus felt his voice deepen inadvertently. Angelina took in a sharp breath and tried to breathe as calmly as she could.
‘And do you, Angelina Glamora Lockwood,’ David put slightly more emphasis on her name much to her amusement. ‘Take this extraordinary man to be your husband, to love him, to protect him, support him and not make his life difficult by keeping out of trouble yourself,’ another laugh. ‘From this day until your very last day?’
Remus felt time slow for just a moment, her glistening blue eyes finding his, her soft cheeks pulled up into a smile, her perfectly pink lips showing off her happiness, he could scarcely believe it was really happening, did he really get so lucky?
‘I do.’ She said and immediately lost a few tears as she laughed with him.
David brought his wand up as the silvery-white circle began to fade, the rose landed on top of their hands and delicately faded as well.
‘With the exchange of these two rings…’ David quickly looked around. ‘Jackson, Harper.’ He whispered, the twins bounded up with Benji’s encouragement and handed over one ring to Remus and the other to Angelina who was still shaking. David high fived them both, making her laugh again, before straightening up and continuing on. ‘With the exchange of these two rings,’ he gestured for Remus to go first, who was shaking even more, but concentrating hard on gently sliding the silver band over Angelina’s finger so that it nestled against her engagement ring. ‘One representing the promise of the husband, giving the gift of his name and impossible patience where it is desperately needed,’ that made Remus chuckle. ‘And the other representing the promise of the wife,’ Angelina seemed to lose her smile in order to concentrate on doing the same thing in sliding the ring onto Remus’s finger, but when she had finished, she took another calming breath and clearly felt better for having done it without too much trouble. ‘Giving the gift of commitment and stubborn bravery where it often seen as a gateway for trouble… I now pronounce you husband and wife.’ David took an annoying pause between his next words. ‘You may now kiss.’
Remus knew that people had stood up to clap, but he suddenly couldn’t hear anything except his own heartbeat pounding violently in his ears. He slid gently slid his hands up her impossibly soft jaw, grazing his lips over hers, before putting a small amount of pressure against her mouth, he could feel the vibrations of her humming and the tightening of her hands against his waistcoat. Angelina Lockwood was now his wife.
‘I love you so much, Angelina.’ He whispered between soft kisses.
‘I love you too, Remus.’ She whispered back.
Remus took a moment to absorb the way she said those words, before pulling back and suddenly be able to hear the cheers from the small wedding party. He held her hand and for a while everything that wasn’t Angelina was a blur, he didn’t remember taking any pictures, but he remembered her rolling her eyes and looking up at him to smile, he didn’t remember anyone handing him a drink, but he remembered watched her smooth throat as she swallowed her champagne and he never remembered initiating a kiss, but he remembered the softness of her lips.
Angelina was clearly more nervous about the dancing than she was letting on, so Remus handed her another glass of champagne and winked. ‘I want to dance with you.’ He whispered in her ear and watched the hot pink flush ascend from her chest.
‘Okay.’ She smiled and drank her champagne.
Remus had loosened his tie at some point over dinner, which was held in the garden while it was still warm beneath a cream canopy. Everyone was enjoying themselves, drinking and laughing, with a few speeches given from James, David, Jocelyne and George. George’s speech was especially heart-warming, stating that after all the uncertainty and the years of heartbreak and joy, he was finally happy to see his daughter happily married to the man she’d always adored. Jocelyne wanted desperately to talk about her time with Angelina at Hogwarts, keeping it appropriate, but Remus knew there were hints of details that only four people in the wedding party understood. David was his usual brand of kind, but funny, delicate, but to the point. And James went straight for the jugular and talked about Remus’s awkward school days.
The music played and Remus brought Angelina up with Jocelyne and Benji and James and Lily supporting them, and they danced. Remus placed his hand gently on her lower back and held her other hand close to his heart. He could feel her two rings against the back of his neck as she softly played with a few loose strands of hair, the lace fabric of her dress was a far more pleasing feeling than he anticipated and it only made her smile as she sensed what he was feeling.
Remus couldn’t help but bring her body close to his, pressing against him and softly kissing her as he just absorbed the moment being shared between them.
‘Are you happy?’ She whispered against his mouth, his eyes were still closed as he continued to breath her in and hold her body close to his.
‘Very.’ He whispered back.
‘Good.’
‘I love you Angelina.’
‘I know… I can feel it.’ Remus felt her smile against his mouth, he was sure she could feel more than just his love, but she didn’t say anything, in fact, it was the first time he’d known Angelina to be so quiet with him.
‘Are you happy?’ Remus asked, suddenly unsure of everything. He pulled back to see her darkened blue eyes and a flashing image of the way he looked at her as she approached the platform, skated across his mind.
‘What do you think?’ Angelina said and gently bit her lip. Remus carefully pulled it away from her teeth as he pressed a somewhat more intense kiss to her.
‘I think you love me.’ He breathed. ‘That’s all I need.’
They swayed together for a little longer, before Harper and Jackson running past them, snapped them out of their trancelike state, suddenly becoming aware that there were other people in the room, granted few were paying them any attention, but they both felt a small awkwardness at being so intimate in a public setting.
‘The sun is going down,’ Remus said. ‘Will you watch it with me?’
Angelina nodded, again her smile didn’t falter, if anything, it grew wider. Remus guided her out to where David, Benji, Jocelyne, Sirius, James and Lily were all sitting together, drinking and laughing.
‘There they are!’ Sirius cheered, standing up with David and dramatically applauding, Angelina moved unconsciously to hide behind Remus. ‘Come on, Moony, get a beer in you, sun’s going down.’ Sirius threw Remus a butterbeer which he caught fantastically well, it was closely followed by another one which Angelina darted out to catch herself, making them laugh.
‘Remus?’ A voice called from behind. Darren. Remus felt another sharp whip of anger hit him, followed by guilt. ‘Sorry, I’m going to be leaving soon, any chance I could grab a quick word?’
Remus gave him a tight smile and nodded, he took his blue-grey jacket off, handing it to Angelina and indicating she should sit down with her friends and wait. Darren led him behind the house where they wouldn’t be at risk of being overheard by anyone.
‘Look, I don’t want to waste your time,’ Darren suddenly said. ‘So, I’ll just get straight to the point… I’m not stupid, I know that Angie isn’t telling me everything to do with Clara and I know that you know what I did…’ Remus took a calming breath, his anger bubbling beneath his chest. ‘I can’t say I’m sorry and expect that to be enough for you, I’d be a fool if I did, so instead I want to give you something that might help in the long term… I want to make a deal with you…’
Remus had been a while with Darren and I was starting to worry, the sun was getting lower in the sky and it was the longest I’d gone without Remus beside me all day. I couldn’t fathom what Darren would want to talk to him about that I wouldn’t know, but soon Remus came back in slightly better spirits. He smiled a genuine smile, the same one he’d been wearing all day and it warmed my core.
‘Already stealing my wife, David?’ Remus joked seeing that I had snuggled a little closer to David who was telling some embellished story about Bulgaria.
‘Remus, let’s be honest, I’ve already stolen her heart, it’s just a matter of time.’ David winked and I could only roll my eyes. The idea of myself and David was almost revolting, he was like my brother and as handsome as he was, he was a pain at the best of times.
‘Darren’s leaving, he wants to say goodbye.’ Remus gestured for me to go and see my brother.
I wrapped Remus’s soft, warm jacket tighter around my body and suddenly noticed a small exchange of looks between Jocelyne and Benji, I quickly put it out of my mind, kicked off my shoes finally and rushed over to Darren. He looked very handsome in his blue plaid suit and white shirt, but then he always wore a suit very well.
‘Angie.’ He sighed and wrapped his strong arms around me, kissing the side of my head. ‘I’m so happy for you, I’m so proud that you finally did what I didn’t get to.’ His voice was low and I couldn’t help but just take in his presence, I felt like I hadn’t seen anyone except Remus all day.
‘Thank you for coming, it means the world to me, I hope you know that.’
‘Of course,’ he pulled back and smiled his winning smile. ‘I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.’
‘What were you and Remus talking about?’
‘Nothing important, just giving him the big brother talk, you know?’
‘Seriously?’
‘Well, I didn’t get to do it in the beginning so I decided to indulge myself as per your request of every guest.’ That pulled a laugh from me, it was true, I’d specifically asked that everyone be comfortable and happy as oppose to formal and uncomfortable and it seemed everyone had taken my request seriously. ‘Anyway, I need to get going, first training session of the season tomorrow and I’m not exactly fighting fit at the moment, so I need to rest for a while, but I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and how happy I hope you are with Remus.’
‘I am happy Darren.’
‘Good.’ He nodded. ‘But just remember… no one loves you the way I do, Angie. I’d do anything for you, I hope you know that.’
‘I know.’ I nodded and smiled. ‘You know I’d do the same for you.’
‘I know.’ Darren smiled, but it wasn’t his winning smile, it was a little sadder than that and I was suspicious. ‘Have a good night and I’ll see you soon.’
He wrapped his arms around me again and gave one last smile, before wandering off to the apparation site. I watched him every step of the way and wondered if he was telling me the truth about Remus.
‘Angie!’ David called, I spun around to see them indicating that the sun was setting. ‘Come on, you’re going to miss it.’
I rushed back over to where everyone was sitting observing the sun descending between two hills that I’d walked over so many times with my parents and Darren when I was younger, I missed those days. I felt Remus’s hand reach up to mine, he smiled at me and gently guided me to sit on his lap, his hands rested on my hip and my bare leg, softly and subtly stroking the skin.
He stopped only to hand me my butterbeer with a small wink and a smile, I could feel exactly what was going on in his head and could not wait to get home and reap the benefits of his patience once again.
We continued to watch the sunset in silence, everyone just absorbing the night air. Remus was much more focussed on placing small kisses against my neck and just below my ear, he did it just enough to keep me warm, but not enough to cause me to need anything more. It suddenly occurred to me how well Remus knew my body, he was the first to really know anything about it and for that, I was glad.
‘Still can’t believe you finally did it.’ Jocelyne’s voice suddenly penetrated the air, causing everyone to snap out of their thoughts and take a moment, before laughing at her statement. ‘Honestly, you have no idea how long we’ve all been waiting for you two to finally get married.’
‘Not as long as me.’ Remus whispered into my hair and I could see his eyes were darker than they had been all day, it was putting a very welcome warmth in the pit of my stomach; luckily no one noticed.
‘Jocelyne?’ I heard her mother call from the house.
‘Oh, come on, they’ll be heading home with the kids.’ Jocelyne said and took a tired Benji’s hand to say goodnight to the twins who were staying with Jocelyne’s parents that night.
‘You know, David,’ Remus suddenly said, taking a mouthful of butterbeer and I could feel his mood lightening. ‘I had rather hoped that the next wedding we were at, you would have upped your drinking game and given me better competition this time round.’
Sirius was the one to let out an outrageous laugh, James following in close behind.
‘I’m afraid not, I have given up the drink for good,’ David announced dramatically. ‘But I’m sure Sirius would gladly take my place.’
‘Oh no,’ Sirius surprisingly refused. ‘I learnt my lesson a long time ago, no one outdrinks a werewolf, not matter how much you can hold, it’ll always be too little.’
I couldn’t help but chuckle as Sirius began telling stories about the old days drinking with Remus and seriously regretting it. Remus had begun letting his soft fingertips drift a little further up my thigh and applying small amounts of pressure, I knew he could hear my breathing change, but I was sure he didn’t care in the slightest.
We stayed a little longer, finishing our drinks and listening to everyone exchanging stories about the old days, Benji and Jocelyne had seen her parents off and my own were still entertaining people in the kitchen. According to Benji my father was looking after my mother who’d had a glass of wine too many, but laughing all the same, she’d feel it in the morning.
Eventually the night air was a little too cool for my liking and Remus decided to call it a night. Everyone was a little unsteady, including myself, and so struggled to get inside. My father had told us to just leave the seating, he would take care of it in the morning.
‘Angie.’ He smiled as we entered into the kitchen, my mother was swaying to the low music with Lyall and it only made Remus chuckle, kissing the top of my head and going over to his father. ‘I know I’ve said it already, but I am so proud of you.’ My father wrapped me in a warm hug. ‘Before you go, would indulge me for a while?’ I frowned up at my father for a moment. ‘I know you hate tradition, but it is tradition that a father gets to dance with his daughter on her wedding day.’
I couldn’t resist my father’s kind smile and rolled my eyes playfully. ‘Fine, but I’m no good at this.’ I chuckled and took off Remus’s jacket, hanging it on top of a black coat on a kitchen chair. My father guided me to the spot where Lyall and my mother had been dancing and proceeded to gently dance with me.
I could hear the remaining guests either saying goodbye to Remus and my mother or stopping to watch me dance with my dad, after a while, I could feel the butterbeers catching up to me and so I felt so much more relaxed.
‘And there we have it.’ My father said, spinning me slowly. ‘My beautiful little girl is now married and far too grown up for my liking.’ I couldn’t help my giggle. ‘Seems like only yesterday you were coming home with Darren excited to show everyone your new wand: Elder, ten inches with a phoenix feather core, a very worthy wand for my daughter… and now a very worthy husband…’ I wasn’t quite braced for my father to suddenly start crying, I certainly wasn’t prepared for him to be laughing while he did. I wrapped my arms around his waist and tried to hold him together for a while. ‘Oh Angie, you have grown into the most wonderful woman I could ever hope for. I am just so proud.’ He said again and I laughed.
‘I love you, dad.’ I said and pulled back to see him.
‘I love you too, Angie.’ He took a deep breath and reminded me so much of Darren when he did. ‘Now, come on, Remus is waiting, you best be on your way.’
I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave my father so soon, but I looked over to the doorway to see Remus was in fact waiting for me, my mother hanging on his arm and watching me as well.
‘Okay,’ I nodded. ‘I’ll see you again soon.’
‘Don’t be a stranger, Angie, you’ll always be welcome home.’ My father reminded me and we walked towards the back door.
My mother immediately started crying again and wrapped her arms around me a little too tightly for comfort.
‘Oh, I’m sorry darling,’ she sniffed. ‘I just get so carried away.’
‘I know.’ I laughed and smiled up at my mother, she was so beautiful and I prayed I would look something like her when I got a little older. ‘I love you too, mum.’ I said and it only made her laugh and kiss me everywhere she could reach.
‘Okay, that’s it,’ she said, still kissing me. ‘I’m done, no more kisses, off you go.’
My cheeks hurt from laughing so much and it took my father, gently prying her away for my mother to actually stop kissing me.
‘I love you, Angie.’ She called as Remus handed me my shoes and coat, guiding me out of the house and into the cool air.
‘I love you, too.’ I cheered back, making Remus chuckle. I turned to see he was carrying a small case. ‘What’s that?’ I frowned.
He suddenly looked a little bashful. ‘This is my surprise…’ he said, rather cryptically. ‘Do you trust me?’ Remus asked, sliding his hand around my waist and pulling me close, I felt a small thrill and nodded. Remus pressed a light kiss to my lips and I felt a sharp change in my surroundings as we apparated to a place much colder than my parents back garden.
I gently pulled away and looked around to see something familiar. ‘Reykjavik.’ I breathed and began laughing with joy.