Chapter Text
Remus looked down at the intricately knotted strands of white and yellow gold wrapped around his ring finger and sniffled, happily. "I can't believe it," he said, smiling and rubbing the ring with his thumb. "I can't believe we're really, truly going to be...married."
"Well, don't get all soppy on me, yet," Severus said, "We have managed to live together quite amicably for three years; are you certain you want to do this?"
Remus looked up in hurt and mild alarm. "Of course I do! You're not having second thoughts already, are you?"
"No! No, of course not," Severus said irritably, "but...I don't suppose you'd settle for a visit to the Registry Office?" he asked hopefully. He watched disappointment creeping into Remus's eyes. "Or...well, some of the Muggle churches are performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples now, you know. How about that?"
Remus blinked a tear out of one eye. "If that's what you want, Severus," he said quietly.
"Oh, for Merlin's--" Severus folded his arms about his mate, pulling him close. "No, you idiot werewolf! I want to be married to you, in the most solemn, sacred magical ritual binding ever devised by wizardkind. I want a huge, loud wedding reception that carries on for a week, with hundreds of annoying guests we don't even recognize, raucous music and drunken debauchery. I want a five-week honeymoon cruise to exotic locations, and I want to make love to you on a sandy beach and twine flowers in your hair as the sun goes down."
He leaned his head against Remus's silver-streaked hair and murmurred, "I want to grow old with you, and die in bed beside you, with our wedding rings worn thin as paper on our ancient, bony hands. I want our ashes mingled and scattered together, and I want to be with you in the hereafter, forever."
Remus sniffled again and turned to kiss him. "I love you," he whispered against Severus's lips.
Severus slipped his tongue lightly over Remus's lips and nipped gently at the bottom one. "I love you, too," he murmurred, "soppy sentimentality and all." His tongue flicked into the corner of Remus's mouth, which opened in welcome.
They savoured a long, wet kiss. Remus gave a contented sigh and leaned his head on Severus's shoulder.
"I just think it would be safer to do this the Muggle way," Severus grumbled.
"When did we ever do anything the safer way?" Remus asked, pushing away and smiling at him.
Severus sighed. "All right. On your head be it, then. We'll do the full, formal wizarding ceremony. Filius and Minerva will officiate?"
"They'll be delighted; you know they will." Remus sat at his desk and began jotting down notes on a piece of parchment.
"I suppose you want Potter and...Tonks to cast the charms for you?"
"If they will, and you know they will. And you know that Nymphadora and I are nothing but friends now, Severus."
"Hmph!" Severus eyed him suspiciously, but Remus merely rolled his eyes. "I'll ask Draco and...perhaps Lovegood," Severus mused.
"Are they dating again?"
"If you can call it that. He keeps breaking it off, then running back to her. I'm not sure she even notices when he's gone, frankly."
Remus chuckled. "We'll have to settle on the site. Did you want to have it at Hogwarts?"
"Perhaps. I thought of asking Granger - oh, Granger-Weasely, I suppose it is, now - to coordinate the details."
"Pomona will be delighted to handle the flowers, I'm sure. Is Millicent still doing catering?"
"Yes, and she's been pestering me about this for months," Severus sighed. "Ever since you and I went to that reception together. I'll owl her; you can let Granger know." He pursed his lips for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Apart from our ritual robes and whatever you want to wear for the celebration afterwards, that only leaves one other thing to arrange."
Remus reread his list and looked up, frowning. "I thought we'd decided on the perfect date, ages ago. Invitations will be no problem, and Hermione will take care of all the details. What else is there?"
Severus reached for the bottle of firewhisky on the sideboard and poured himself a shot. Tossing it back, he scowled. "The obligatory parental blessing," he said.
Remus paled.
"I thought...isn't that only for..."
"For what? For real weddings? You're not trying to tell me our bonding ritual isn't real, are you, Remus?" Severus sneered.
"What? No! Of course it's real! You know as well as I do that same-sex bondings date back practically to the beginning of recorded wizarding history! But...I thought you only needed the parental blessing for...well, for younger couples, for one thing," Remus faltered.
Severus snorted. "We're hardly tottering on the brink of the grave, Remus. Thaumaturgically speaking, if our parents are alive, their blessing is a significant element of our bonding ritual. And no, it's not just to ensure fertility and the survival of bloodlines."
Remus rose and poured himself a shot as well. "Oh. Well, but we're both half-bloods; are you sure we need--" he began, hopefully, but Severus was shaking his head.
"Doesn't matter. We could be Muggleborn; it's the relationship that matters, not whether or not they've magic of their own."
Remus drank. "I...er...I never met your mum but that one time...third year, was it? When she met you at the station? She's still alive; I know you write her every now and then. And your dad?"
Severus nodded. "They're both still living. I've never met your parents, either. I don't recall you even writing them; are they...?"
Remus groaned and covered his face with one hand. "Yes, they're still alive...I think. I'm fairly sure someone would have let me know if--well, never mind."
"So."
"So, how do we do this?"
"We'll have to ask them. I don't suppose we could do it by owl?"
Remus grimaced. "Probably best not. We'll have to go meet them, I suppose." He tossed back the rest of the whisky and poured another. "Yours first or mine?"
Severus took the bottle from him and put it aside. Rummaging in a pocket, he pulled out a knut. "Flip you for it."
"Tails."
He tossed the coin and caught it, holding it out on his palm.
They both stared at it
"Damn."
Remus wrapped his arms around Severus and kissed him again. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."
"Hmph!"
"You go write your mum a note and let her know we're coming to visit. Saturday, perhaps?"
Severus sighed heavily. "I suppose. Remus," he said heavily, "You'll...it won't make any difference between us...if you...if they...?"
"Nothing your parents could do or say could make me love you less," Remus promised him.
"You say that now," Severus said darkly, "but you haven't met them yet."
"Severus, your mum is a good twenty five years or more older than either of us, and your father's older still and a Muggle to boot! How bad can they be?"
Severus merely shuddered.
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