metanoia

Chapter Eighty-five

In the late spring, the Order of the Phoenix had cause for celebration. Frank Longbottom and Alice Fortescue were getting married that warm afternoon. Because of the nature of the War, they decided it would be best that they didn't endanger Frank's mother. So they held a small, intimate wedding with their friends in the order.

The small backyard was filled with flowers, enchanted to go without wilting as they adorned the aisle and folding chairs the members of the Order filled. Music began to softly play as Alice and Mad-Eye Moody walked outside, her arm pulled through his elbow.

Lisette turned to see Alice in her beautiful gown, lilac flowers pinned in her light brown hair, smiling as Alice whispered something to Alastair, "Aww, Mad-Eye is walking Alice down the aisle."

As Mad-Eye and Alice walked down the makeshift aisle, past them. Fabian took a double take, as did many people as they admired how beautiful Alice was in her dress, "Is he smiling?"

Sirius watched them closely, his eyes welling up seeing Frank begin to cry at the sight of his bride, "I think he is."

Albus Dumbledore stood at the alter with Frank, his best man Kingsley, and Marlene, Alice's Maid of Honor, officiating the wedding. When Alastair and Alice reach the alter, Albus looked over his crescent moon shaped glasses, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Mad-Eye pressed a kiss on her cheek, unlinking his arm from Alice's, "On behalf of her family, I do."

"Friends, we have been invited here today to share with Alice and Frank in a very important moment in their lives. In the time they have been together, and in light of how none of us know how much time we have on this Earth they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife."

"I, Frank Archimedes Longbottom, take you, Alice Calliope Fortescue, for my lawful wife, 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 us part."

"I, Alice Calliope Fortescue, take you, Frank Archimedes Longbottom, for my lawful husband, 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 us part."

Professor Dumbledore smiled at the couple, looking around at their friends and colleagues that were attending the wedding, "Well, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. Frank, you may now kiss your bride."

When the newlyweds kissed, their friends erupted in cheers and brought many of the girls to tears. With a swish of Dumbledore's wand, the backyard was rearranged for the reception. Marlene joined her friends, wrapping her arm around Dorcas' waist following Sirius and Fabian's line of sight to Alastair Moody smiling and laughing with Alice and Frank, "I don't think that I've ever seen Moody smile before."

"I didn't know he could smile."

"I can," Moody interrupted, scaring Marlene and Sirius, who hadn't realized he was close enough to hear them. "Just not because of either of you."

"Is that a challenge?" Sirius and Marlene mused together, making their friends laugh at how inspired they looked by his comment.

Seeing the glimmer of mischief in her friends' eyes, Alex laughed, shaking her head at Moody, "Oh, you're going to come to regret that Mad-Eye."

He rolled his eyes at the blonde, "I've been face to face with You-know-Who, Worth. I'm not scared of a pair of annoying teenagers."

Alice and Lily embraced, Lily kissing her friend on the cheek, "The wedding was beautiful, Alice. Absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you. It's the best we could do considering we couldn't have his mother here."

"And I'm sorry to hear about your brother. What was his name again?" Remus asked, having only spent a little time with her older brother who recently died on a mission.

Alice sadly smiled at the mention of her late brother, "Neville. He was a good man, a good brother too. I just wish he could have been here. He would have loved to see me marry Frank. He loved Frank."

Kingsley stood up from his seat beside Frank, tapping the side of his glass with his fork, pulling everyone's attention to him, "Alright, I've been told I was to give a speech. I don't understand why they couldn't have told me before just now but okay. So as his best friend and best man, you can believe me when I say that Frank became a better man because of Alice. And I'd argue that he made her better too. But there is something special about any two people who love each other so much that they decide that they want to get up in front of their friends and family and promise to spend the rest of their life together. So, to the bride and groom, may your life together be long, happy and healthy."

Marlene rose from her seat, clearing her throat as she wiped her hands on the sides of her dress, "Damn, how am I supposed to top that. Well, hi I'm Marlene. I'm Alice's best friend and her Maid of Honor. Fighting in a War puts things into perspective. You realize who you love, what's important and what you need to protect. And lucky for Alice and Frank, they didn't need the War to tell them that they loved each other. I've watched their relationship flourish from a timid friendship into soul mates and they are a living reminder that good things come to those who wait. I'm so happy for you both. To Alice and Frank."

"To Alice and Frank."

Alex watched Frank and Alice press close together, dancing to the soft music for their first dance, smiling at how happy the couple was to be in each other's arms. She felt eyes on her, knowing that her boyfriend was watching her watch the Longbottoms, "This is the first wedding I've ever been to."

"Really?"

She nodded with a chuckle, hearing Alice's happy giggles as Frank twirled her, "Yeah. Who else's wedding could I have gone to?"

Remus shrugged, not having thought about why she'd never been to a wedding before because he was just surprised that the Longbottom wedding was the first one she attended, "I don't know, I just figured most people had been to some wedding when they were a child. I was. I was the ring bearer in my cousin Lucille's wedding when I was four."

"Nope. I didn't know I had a family until I was sixteen years old and my father was an only child so there were no cousins until Jamie."

Remus knew that, he knew that she grew up with only Lisette and Noah. But he figured most people had some kind of family friend. He quickly moved past it, seeing that James and Lily went to the dance floor and danced with the other couples who joined the married couple. He smiled at how happy they looked, "Funny to think that the next wedding we go to will be our best friends' wedding."

Alex nodded, smiling fondly at her cousin and his fiancée until she did a double take, processing what her boyfriend said, "Oh, Merlin. I'm in that wedding. What exactly am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to make a speech like Marlene?"

"Only if they ask you to. But traditionally yes, the Best Man and the Maid of Honor make speeches."

"But I'm James' Best Man. And Sirius is her Maid of Honor. How does that work?"

"I have no idea," he laughed. "I don't think it's been a problem before."