Silver Chain Chapter Thirteen

[inarrasnape]

Silver Chain: Chapter 13
The Wedding

Remus sat at the kitchen table and waited for Ginny to come home. He sipped nervously at his cider. As dinner time came and went, he started to worry. What if there was something wrong? Would they have kept her at St. Mungo’s? What if she wasn’t pregnant? What if she was? In the back of his head, Remus realised that Ginny had no way of knowing that he was waiting for her and had probably just stopped somewhere to eat; but that didn’t keep him with coming up with more and more outlandish scenarios.

He began to pace the length of the small kitchen. She’d told him about the appointment, did she think he wasn’t interested in hearing the news? Either way? He howled in frustration and worry. Where was she? In an attempt to calm himself, Remus decided to Apparate to the Burrow. Maybe Molly would know where she was.

He was so agitated when he arrived at the Burrow, that he didn’t knock at the door, but rather, barged in. “Molly? Arthur?” he called, frantic.

“In here, Remus,” called Molly from the living room. It was then that he could hear someone crying. He dashed into the room to see Ginny curled up next to her mother on the settee, sobbing against her mother’s shoulders. He felt as though the floor had suddenly dropped from beneath him.

“What’s wrong with her?” he demanded.

“She’s pregnant, Remus,” said Molly.

“Well… yes, I mean, she’s supposed to be,” stuttered Remus, thoroughly confused and just as worried.

“Yes, dear, congratulations,” soothed Molly. She nodded at the space on Ginny’s other side and Remus staggered over and collapsed next to his young wife.

“There now, Ginny,” she crooned. “Remus is here, he’ll hold you.” None too gently, she heaved herself out from under her daughter’s weight and tipped her over towards Remus.

Remus looked down into Ginny’s red-rimmed eyes and kindly ignored her dripping nose. “Hey,” he whispered. “Tell me what happened.”

Ginny blinked away her tears and hiccoughed. “We’re having twins,” she blubbered.

Remus’ eyes widened in shock. “Um, wow.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. That had hardly been supportive.

Ginny giggled and he opened his eyes and stared at her. “Oh Remus,” she gasped. “If only you could have seen the look on your face!”

He shook his head again, trying to clear his head, he couldn’t keep up with her. “Ginny, just a moment ago you were inconsolable. What’s the matter?”

She frowned for a moment and gave him a confused look of her own. “I don’t know, really. I was just sitting here talking to Mum about raising twins and I remembered something the mediwitch said about werewolf babies being different and I just burst into tears.”

“Different? How?” exclaimed Remus. Had he put her in danger? Would their babies be all right?

“She said they were healthy, Remus. I guess they just develop differently. I’ll have to see if Hermione has any idea of where we can get more information on half-bred werewolves. It hadn’t really occurred to me that there’d be any difference.”

Ginny was so nonchalant that Remus was almost distracted from the topic. He shook his head again. How could she be so calm about this?

“Remus, if you keep shaking your head like that you’re going to give yourself a headache!” she scolded.

“Never mind me!” he growled, exasperated. “Are you okay? What do we need to do?”

“I’m fine, Remus,” said Ginny, dismissively. “I think we need to go home, though. I’ve been here for hours and Mum looks about ready to drop on her feet!” Ginny jumped up and ran off into the kitchen where her mother had retreated. Arthur materialised in the doorway.

“Don’t mind the mood swings, Remus, they’re normal.”

Remus looked up at his friend in bemusement. “Is that what that was?”

Arthur snorted. “I could tell you stories. Molly would kill me, but she never could hang onto a train of thought for longer than the flutter of a butterfly’s wing. Conversations with her while she was pregnant were always an adventure!”

“What have I got myself into?” Remus groaned.

Arthur guffawed. “You were the one who was all fired up to get to Gretna Green! I think this may just be about right in terms of payback!”

“And so it starts,” muttered Remus darkly. “I knew you were being too nice to me.”

Arthur smirked. “She is my only daughter, after all.”

~ : ~ : ~

Remus surveyed the castle courtyard. It was a beautiful venue for a wedding and he found he was very grateful that it was Charlie’s wedding and not his. There were bows and enchanted paper doves on everything. Ginny was a bridesmaid and so Remus found he had to sit alone. There was room for him amongst the family, of course, but he had no desire to be so visible. His marriage to Ginny had not been announced, so everyone who saw him seemed to view him as 'the other man'. Remus sighed and took a seat towards the back and out of the way. It had been almost two years since he and Tonks had gone their separate ways. He was long over her, and she him. Apparently society took a little longer to accept these things.

“Is this seat taken?”

Remus glanced up and then stood up. “No, of course not, by all means, Minerva,” he said, holding the chair out for her.

“Thank you,” she replied politely and took her seat. “It’s been quite a long time, Remus, how have you been?”

“I’ve been doing very well, actually. What about you? How are things up at Hogwarts?”

Minerva McGonagall smiled. “For all that things have changed, so very much is the same. A bit dull without a Weasley or two, but other than that…”

Remus grinned. “Well,” he said, “we’re working on the next generation, it won’t be long now.”

“Indeed. So, why aren’t you closer to the front, Remus? Surely you and Tonks have mended you differences? You aren’t planning on objecting are you?”

“Not you too,” groaned Remus. He gazed heavenward. “I promise you that Tonks and I mended our differences a very long time ago and we are as good friends now as we ever were.”

“Ah, so it is everyone else’s perception that has you hiding in the back?”

“Partly.” Remus took a deep breath. “Ginny didn’t want me so close that she’d be able to meet my eye. She’ll be giving one of the readings and she told me in no uncertain terms that she was nervous enough.”

Minerva gave him a quizzical look. He and Ginny would be announcing their engagement after Tonks and Charlie left on their honeymoon. Remus gave his old professor and former colleague a somewhat rueful look. “Well, I suppose telling you will be good practice for what’s to come.” Remus took a deep breath. “Ginny’s my wife.”

Minerva blinked. “Exactly how is that possible?” she asked very carefully.

Remus shrugged and felt a streak of Sirius’ insouciance running through him. “Well, there was this witch at a desk in Gretna Green and she had this paper and Ginny and I both signed it…” he trailed off.

“Don’t get smart with me!” snapped McGonagall.

Remus sighed. “It’s not exactly a pretty tale, Minerva. The Weasley’s aren’t altogether pleased with me either. But - it’s done. We’ll be announcing our engagement in a couple of days and have a small ceremony at The Burrow at the end of June.”

“Remus.” Some of the immediate shock had subsided and Minerva’s voice was filled with concern. “How could this happen? Is she with child?”

Remus smiled. “She is now. She wasn’t, when we were married. But, Minerva, there’s no need for concern. Ginny and I weren’t somehow forced into a marriage. We’d been seeing each other for over a year. I fell in love with her.”

“This is all rather strange, Remus,” she said.

“Yes, it is. Strange and lovely. Life is that way sometimes. I think James and Sirius would have approved of her though. I think they would have understood. And Peter would have been scandalised, but secretly jealous.” Tears sprang in his eyes and he noticed Minerva wiping at hers. “Merlin, I miss them.”

~ : ~ : ~

Remus stood on the fringe of the reception. The speeches had been made and the first series of dances had begun. With all of her bridesmaidly duties complete, Ginny would likely search him out. Remus grinned as he remembered her standing up in front of everyone as she welcomed Tonks into the family. She looked so beautiful in her dress robes. The smooth satin clung to her and he could see the soft swell of her stomach. It wasn’t so prominent yet as to be obvious, but he knew that his babies were in there and the thought pleased him.

“Fancy seeing you here. Come to give the groom your condolences?” came a disparaging voice from just over his left shoulder.

“Crashing parties these days, Snivellus? I can’t imagine that they’d have bothered to invite you.” Remus grinned. A bit of banter with Severus Snape was just the thing to take his mind off of sex.

“As a matter of fact, I did receive an invitation. I came to watch you make a fool of yourself. I must say you’ve been very disappointing. I would have thought that you’d have challenged the Weasley whelp to a duel by now.”

Remus chuckled. “Stick around. I may still make a fool of myself, but not over Tonks. She and Charlie are quite well matched and have my heartfelt congratulations. I do still care for her quite a bit; I imagine it will be wonderful, having her as a sister-in-law.”

“Sister-in-law? So, Molly and Arthur have gone so far as to adopt you, have they? Have you taken the name Weasley as your own?” scoffed Severus.

“No,” replied Remus. “Ginny has taken the name Lupin, actually.” Remus laughed outright as Severus blinked uncomprehendingly at him. “As a good friend of Tonks’ and the Weasley family, I wouldn’t have missed this wedding. But, as a member of the family, it was something of a command performance.”

Remus tilted his head slightly and looked searchingly into the crowd. “Over here, love,” he called out to Ginny who was weaving uncertainly through the guests. She raised her head at the sound of his voice, caught his eye, and made straight for him.

“Well what are you doing all the way over here?” she gasped breathlessly as she hurled herself into his arms. “I’m in the mood for a dance and I don’t fancy the chore of mopping up the blood if I were to dance with another man.”

“Ahem.”

Ginny pulled away from Remus slightly, in order to acknowledge the man who had just cleared his throat. “Professor Snape! I didn’t see you there!”

“I gathered that,” he muttered. “Well, Mrs Lupin, I’ll leave you to your dance.”

“It was nice speaking with you, Professor,” Remus teased. “Molly will be holding a wedding celebration for us at the end of June. I’ll make certain that you receive and invitation.”

Severus smirked. “Make certain you do. I wouldn’t want to miss the spectacle of the young lady’s brothers tearing you limb from limb.”

Remus watched as Severus walked away and smiled down at his wife. “Shall we dance?”

~ : ~ : ~

“Hey Lupin!”

Remus looked over to the table where Charlie sat, with several members of the old Order. Kingsley, Mundungus, Moody and Bill were all plying the newly wed man with alcohol and laughing uproariously at course jokes. Most of the party guests had left, and only those closest to the family remained. The women were off doing whatever it was women did and soon Tonks would return and her husband would abscond with his new bride. Remus smiled at that notion, everything was as it should be.

“C’mon over! You got any advice? One married bloke to another?” slurred Charlie.

“I haven’t got anything to tell you that you either don’t already know, or wouldn’t have you and Bill cursing me into oblivion. I’ve never actually been the recipient of an Unforgivable, but I’ve heard they aren’t pleasant.”

“Takes all the fun out of it, don’t he?” spat out Bill.

“We’d only hurt you a little, Remus,” cajoled Charlie.

Remus smiled broadly as he took a seat at the table and poured a shot of Firewhiskey for himself. Moody and Mundungus both sported looks of confusion, which in Moody’s case was rather unsettling. “My wife deplores bloodshed,” he said, enigmatically.

“Wife?” snorted Mundungus. “Ye get yerself shackled and ye don’t invite me? That’s cold, that is!”

Moody was slightly more observant. “How is it you aren’t already dead?”

Bill shrugged. “It’s not from a lack of trying, I assure you. Bloody werewolf has more lives than a cat!”

Remus ignored Moody’s question and went for Dung’s instead. “You haven’t missed anything, Dung, we eloped. Molly will be holding a party for us at the end of June. I’ll tell her to add you to the guest list.”

“Ah, well, tha’s all right, then. So, who’s the missus? How come ye haven’t brought her round? Ashamed of ye’re old friends, are ye?”

“Ashamed of himself, more like!” interjected Bill.

“I’m a werewolf Bill, I feel no shame,” scoffed Remus. He was enjoying the ambiguous banter with his brothers-in-law as well as Mundungus’ confusion. Moody was giving him a speculative look, though, which was again unsettling.

“I imagine Remus was more wary of the girl’s family than he was of her sensibilities,” Moody muttered gruffly.

“Well who is she?” huffed the exasperated Mundungus.

Remus looked up to see his wife approaching the table. “None other than the lovely, Ginny Weasley Lupin,” he said, beaming up at her.

Chapter 12: The Devilish Details
Chapter 14: Transitions
Index