Love, Lupin

Part Fifty-Eight

"You'd be carrying me out of that house if we stayed any longer," Remus sighed quietly as they exited the Weasley home, stepping onto the large blue porch. The pair had to step over a few stray chickens as they made through way through the thick corn stalks of the Burrow, the sun still hanging high in the sky. It was a rather beautiful day, the last bit of warm summer air lingering about. The sky was the most beautiful shade of baby blue, not a cloud could be spotted.

"You're part of this family now, you can ask to leave whenever you please," Bobbie reminded him as they exited the Burrow and were now surrounded by the charming little town of Ottery St. Catchpole. Dozens of shops and boutiques lined the streets, the smell of a freshly baked apple pie swarming their nostrils and inviting them into the small pink bakery.

"I'd hardly interrupt those two when they're set on something, no matter how long I am part of the family," Remus laughed lightly, his finger tips bumping against Bobbie's hand after every few steps they took. "Why do you think I've agreed to attend yet another ballroom dancing class?"

As they were walking, Bobbie's eye caught the small white chapel that was located on the end of the street corner. The plethora of stain glass windows were all open, allowing the September breeze to fill the old building, bringing an unusual amount of life into it, more than it was used to the girl supposed. She had remembered chasing Ron into the church years ago with the twins, telling him he'd be haunted if he stepped foot in it. She recalled how worn in the building looked before, and thought how now it appeared rather historically charming.

"So let's skip them," Bobbie shrugged her shoulders.

Remus stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the sidewalk, the back of his hand moved to rest on Bobbie's forehead. She furrowed her brows together, and smacked his hand away, asking what he was doing. "Sorry, I had to make sure you weren't ill because I thought you just suggested we skipped our dancing class that your mother and Molly were perfectly adamant on us attending."

"Let's skip it all," Bobbie added.

She saw Remus's face fall as she said this, staring down at the black sneakers on his feet. "You're...you're having second thoughts?"

Bobbie gasped and quickly reached to hold her fiancé's head in between her hands, kissing his cheek firmly. "Not at all my love, that's not what I meant. I just...this isn't us Remus. A huge wedding with months of preparation and silly ballroom dancing classes, is that really what you want?"

"I want to do whatever makes you happy," Remus said seriously, tucking a strand of brown hair that was getting to be rather long these days behind her ear.

"Let's get married right now." The statement said out loud caused Bobbie to giggle in joy, her hand coming to rest over her mouth in disbelief. After the initial wave of shock wore off Remus he asked her where they were supposed get hitched on such short notice. Bobbie's answer was a simple wave over to the white church on the corner of the street they were on.

"But I'm in summer shorts a jumper darling," Remus said, his eyes still wide with shock moving down to peer at his attire.

"Much better than a top hat and a stiff morning coat from the 70's, no?" A wide smile spread across Remus's face as Bobbie said this, realizing she was absolutely right. Nothing about their own wedding was truly them. They weren't extravagant beings as Molly and Monica made the wedding out to be. Every detail of their celebration felt phony, fraudulent. And this was one day they wanted to be real, wanted to be themselves.

So on the twelfth of September, 1996 Remus Lupin grabbed hold of Bobbie Granger's hand as he took off down the street in Ottery St. Catchpole headed toward the small white chapel. A priest was walking out of the building as they arrived, the couple nearly ramming into him.

"We'd like to get married," Remus panted, nearly out of breath as they had sprinted there. The priest looked between the pair, a large smile replacing the flat line on his lips and he motioned for them to follow him inside.

The church was empty and dusty, though the ray of sunlight beaming from the various stained glass windows shone on Remus's face and made a tiny rainbow form over his eye. In that moment Bobbie knew they had made the right choice, no matter the amount of scolding they would receive from the family later on.

"We don't have any vows," Bobbie whispered awkwardly to the priest. Remus held her hands in his own as the priest read from the large book muggles referred to as the Bible. Ottery St. Catchpole belonged to both muggles and wizards alike, the couple not knowing which world they stepped into when they entered the church. That day, in this moment, the two worlds held no significance to Bobbie and Remus. They didn't care where they were doing it, only with whom. And they had both found that perfect person. The person that made forever feel like an insignificant amount of time.

"Actually...I'd like to say something," Remus stated, his eyes not faltering from the girl across from him. Her brow furrowed at the man as he cleared his throat. "In my entire life I have never loved someone so greatly, so profoundly. You loved me, even when I did not love myself, and though I'm still in disbelief why you would stay with me, I will be selfish and say that I am eternally grateful that you did. You have made me, and continue to make me a man I do not recognize. I say this not in a negative way, but in the best way possible. I look in the mirror and I see smile lines replacing lines of tiredness and hatred."

A steady stream of tears were running down Bobbie's cheeks as her fiancé spoke. Remus was always one to be a bit of a romantic, but never had he spoken so honestly, so vulnerably to her. "Bobbie Monica Granger you will never understand the true depth of my love for you, and that's okay because your head can get a bit big for your own shoulders sometimes." Bobbie laughed softly and took her hands from Remus's for a moment to push his shoulder before molding their hands together once more. "Forever seems like split seconds when I think of the amount of time I want, no need, you by my side so today I stand before you and become your husband in the hopes that I get the chance to spend all my lives with whatever version of you exists."

Full blown sobs were coming from Bobbie at this point, she even saw the priest dig into his black robes and pull out a handkerchief to dab his eyes with during Remus's speech. The priest recited the typical vows given at every wedding Bobbie had seen in films before asking them to present their rings.

Shit, no rings! They had forgotten the most crucial part of the ceremony, and she could see Remus turn a deep shade of red. "Father, we haven't got-" His sentence was cut short as he saw Bobbie shoot an apology to the priest and run down the aisle. He hadn't a clue what his fiancé was doing when she plucked two bouquets of flowers from the cloudy water at the entrance of the church.

As she made her way in front of Remus once more she took the two bands that held the bouquet of flowers, one band was a deep red - the other a bright yellow color. "Rings," she said, delighted with her quick thinking.

"I do," Remus stated as he slid the yellow rubber band onto Bobbie's left finger.

"I do," she repeated, sliding the red band onto Remus's left finger.

All that was left was to kiss the bride, which Remus did the second she was finished putting his ring on his finger. He kissed her deeply, both arms circling around her waist to pull her close. She couldn't get close enough to him, wanting to crawl beneath the layers of his skin so they could become one.

"Wave to Sirius," she giggled as she pointed to an empty pew at the front of the church.

Remus shook his head, nodding next to him. "He'd be right here beside me, kissing your cheek once I was done with you." He said before he once again connected their lips, his fingers playing with the yellow band that rested on his wife's finger.

"I love you so much, Mr. Lupin."

"And I love you, Mrs. Lupin."

This time when they called each other this, it was actually true.