The Arrivals , A slow Burn Romance [ Edited Version 2022 ]

The Wedding

Lily and Snape's wedding

"Hurry up Hermione, love! I promised Lily I would walk her to the aisle. She will tear us to pieces if we don't show up before the priest!" called Sirius from the house door while his fancy blue car was parked gracefully at his sea house.
Hermione ran while wearing her long violet dress. She crossed two stairs at a time.
"I am coming, but Harry is not answering my messages!"
"Let's hope he didn't start that drama again, poor little Ginny... come now hurry up."
Sirius fixed his collar and quickly grabbed his coat and departed to the church.
Before he turned his Car , he looked at the mirror, and then at Hermione, saying, "I can't believe I am doing this for the second time... with the same bride, and my worst enemy as the fucking groom!" And after a second thought, "but I am happy! Lets go!"

.....

Meanwhile, at Spinner's End:
Remus Lupin was dampening his laugh, and Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall were fighting like street cats over this long awaited day.
"Severus! You will cause me a heart attack! She will not escape! What in Godric's name are you mumbling! " Minerva yelled at the traumatized Snape , who was still insisting that maybe, or in 1% , Lily may leave him.
Remus gathered his stuff and his bravery at once and added, "In both cases, you should come with me now, Severus, so we can get to see whether your bride escaped or not!"
Snape hissed small insults to Remus under his breath, he was very stressed and couldn't sleep , he couldn't consume the idea that nothing will change except they will share a bond. Lily was living with him for three years now and she was sneaking to his dungeons every night back at Hogwarts.
He stood at the fireplace, in the middle, between Minerva and Remus.
"She could just go back to her chambers, you know, if she doesn't want you " Minerva said sarcastically.
He curled his lips and took a deep breath , and the flames transported them to the church.

......
On the way to the church inside a limousine, sat the beautiful, redhead bride, her daughter-in-law, Harry, and Mrs. Weasley.
"Harry, did your Aunt write something?" Lily asked while Ginny fixed her makeup, asking her not to move
Harry who was staring silently at the windows, causing the dense air and huge tension, was now alerted.
"WHAT?" he growled. "Aunt Petunia is coming?"
"Obviously! She is my sister!" Now Lily talked like Snape, but softer and more energetic.
Harry clenched his fists, "Mom, Snape and Petunia, and Uncle Vernnon in one place! Is that a punishment or something?"
"Okay. Stop fighting, you two. Come on now we arrived," Molly announced.

.................
They ALL, except Minerva and Snape gathered at the back stage. The wedding guests were chatting and drinking and meeting each other at the beautiful garden.
Lily whispered to Remus, "Did you remind Snape not to kiss me strongly after the vow? So Harry wont feel insecure?"
"Yes, yes." Remus shook his head in confirmation.
"Is he good? How is he for heaven's sake?"
Remus hesitated and then said, "Minerva is doing an effort."
"What the hell doe Minerva have to do with it? I'm not marrying her, Remus!"

He chuckled lightly, "Lily, he is dead worried that you will escape..."

She chuckled too, trying to stop it while Harry was glancing at her from afar.

Nymphadora grabbed Harry and went to head-to-head words with him because Ginny was over.

Finally Sirius and Hermione arrived. They ran to the bride while she was fixing her rose bouquet. Sirius kissed her and said, "Big day, old friend."

"Big day, Padfoot," she said while choking with her tears.
Hermione kissed Nymphadora and Remus casually, and asked them about the next steps and went straight hurrying to check if the elves are hosting the guest properly, crossing her way through Mrs.Weasley's screams at Ronald who brought the wrong rings from the jewelry shop.
........

After half an hour, when Ron finally brought the right rings, Sirius grabbed Lily's arms and the ceremony started. He looked handsome with his side of thin sliver hair strands and his dark blue suit. His tattooed hands were decorated with one silver ring--his wedding ring. His hair was a sleeked back and his face was not smiling at all. All the female guests' sights were on him.

Lily was blooming and blushing. She was wearing a long, white dress with an emerald-green necklace and earrings set, which matched her eyes exactly. Her thick long wavy red hair framed her body and fell on her decently long-sleeved white dress. It wasn't too exposing; it went well with Snape's private nature.
Snape was next to Remus who gave him the "I told you" looks, and Mrs.Weasley was hushing Minerva who was in tears over her two little students, later work mates.
Albus Dumbledore took a seat next to Uncle Vernon, who was extremely blue out of anger, but his wife insistence made him attend this funny, old wizards' party doing magic tricks... again.
However, Dumbledore ensured he will have the best company and he sat next to him--on purpose.
Lily and Sirius walked through, they crossed all the friends including Petunia who kissed Lily and wished her good luck, and Harry who hugged his mother at last and told her he is happy for her after all... she suffered enough.
So they stood behind Sirius once they reached the aisle, and as the priest was saying some welcome words, Sirius glanced at the guests quickly, grabbed a coin from his pocket and secretly placed it in Harry's hands behind him without looking back.
"Sirius, what the fuck is that?" Harry whispered.
Black answered, whispering without turning, "20-years-old Marauder's vow, well... At your parents wedding, I had a bet that if we saw Vernon next time, he would reach the size of a cow... James suggested whale. And clearly, he won. Now, you are the best representation of James now in his ex-wife wedding. Take the bet, my boy."
Lily was hearing all this and she was giggling under her veil.
"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" the priest finally said.
Sirius took a step forward and Lily inclined one step to meet her spouse.
Padfoot went to Snape's side and threatened him, " Hurt her and I will k--"
But Remus pulled him, and almost cast a silence charm on him just in case he doesn't oblige to the objection part.
Sirius and Snape were enemies after all.
"Do you, Severus Snape, take Lily Evans, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you apart?"
Snape said with determination, shaking voice, "Always."
After the vows, Snape finally raised her veil with tears , he kissed her softly and they both started to smile and cry in the same time.

-----
After the wedding , Remus and Sirius excused their ladies and went for a walk in the streets of Edinburgh. They walked for three minutes until the reach a small espresso shop. They crossed the expensive red Ferrari that was parking, and the gentleman entered the cafe slowly and met a man who was broken and staring at the window, flying his mind away back in old memories.
"James, you need a shave my friend," Sirius suggested
"Three cups, please," Remus asked the waiter.
James Potter, with desperate face and sad eyes turned to them. "Is she happy?" he asked with a broken tone.
Their silence was confirmation.
He again moved his sight back to the window; they were her friends too as well as his.