"You look beautiful, Eagle," Mr. Norton beamed with pride when he saw Chris in her wedding dress.
"You look great as well, Dad," She smiled up at him with tears in her eyes.
Mr. Norton also started crying, but quickly wiped his eyes and clasped Chris's hand on his arm. They started walking down the aisle together. Harry had found this beautiful wedding venue beside a gorgeous-looking lake, and when Chris saw it for the first time, she already knew it was perfect.
Now it looked more beautiful with the sun setting in the background, all the flower arrangements, guests sitting on both sides of the aisle, and the archway at the end, where Harry stood with the officiant in the middle. Behind Harry stood Ron and opposite to them Ginny, Luna, and Colin. All of them beamed at Chris, but Chris thought Ron's eyes looked a bit worried. However, before she could ponder over that, her eyes brought her back to Harry.
Harry wore a black suit, but his pocket square was the same colour as Chris's dress. He had changed over the last few years; he looked taller and bigger now, with a few tattoos that he had gotten with Sirius. His hair was still a bit messy, just like it always was, even after being combed. Aurelia was a bit mad about the tattoos, but Chris loved them because she knew every tattoo meant something to Harry. She looked at each tattoo and knew its meaning without Harry explaining them. That was the thing between them, they got each other in a way that Chris could never explain in words, and even now, when she looked at him, she knew he was perfect. Perfect for her. Perfect in every way.
Harry smiled brightly at her, and Chris grinned back. Even from far, Chris could see the tears in his eyes.
"I am so happy you found someone who knows how special you are, Eagle," Mr. Norton whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "He is a nice boy. He would make you happy."
Chris laughed, startled by Mr. Norton's words of approval just before reaching the archway.
"He does, Dad," Chris smiled, and her father squeezed her hand before letting her go.
Chris let go of her father's hand and turned to Harry, who had already extended his hand towards her. With a big smile, Chris took it, and they stood facing each other.
"I can't believe we are really here," Harry whispered, looking a bit dazed. "That we are getting married."
"Honestly, me neither," Chris held his hands tightly. "There were so many times I thought I lost – never mind that. We are together, and that's what matters. Nothing else."
The rest of the ceremony, the officiant's words felt blurred as Harry and Chris stood there smiling stupidly at each other. Finally, the officiant pronounced them husband and wife and asked them to kiss. Harry and Chris both cried during the kiss, but they both knew they were utterly inextricably happy.
That was when it happened.
A loud boom shocked everyone. Chris flinched, and Harry instantly pulled her towards him. Ron jumped in front of them, his wand raised, as if he was ready for something like this. Chris saw Theodore and Aurelia run as well with their wands raised in a fighting stance as they shielded Chris and Harry from the other side. Kingsley pulled Mr. Norton behind him and looked around, alarmed. They were all expecting a fight, but then they all froze.
"Fireworks!" Yelled Teddy, little Regulas (now seven years old), and Bill and Fleur's two kids, all in unison.
And the kids were right. It was fireworks that illuminated the sky and the kids clapped. Chris and Harry relaxed, knowing who could set the fireworks.
"Thanks, Fred, thanks, George. That was a pretty good surprise," Chris grinned at the twins after the fireworks ended after a while.
"A bit scary but good," Harry added jokingly.
Fred and George looked at each other, confused and started to say something when Ron stormed up to them.
"That was not funny!" Ron thundered at the twins, looking very angry.
"What are you talking about?" Fred asked, looking annoyed at Ron's outburst.
"What happened, Ron?" Harry asked as he and Chris exchanged worried glances.
"The Fireworks!" Ron said, pointing at the sky. "You scared us to death."
Chris noticed Kingsley, Aurelia and Theodore coming towards them.
"It wasn't us, genius," George said. "If it were ours, it would have done more than just burst out like that."
"Yeah, you all know our work, don't you?" Fred asked. "Does it look like ours?"
Kingsley, Aurelia, and Theodore stopped short, hearing Fred. They look around the guests and everyone seems to be clueless. Ron, Theodore, Aurelia, and Kingsley looked up at the sky with a dark expression.
"What is going on?" Chris finally asked. "I have been watching you all since morning, you all looked so worried all day."
"Chris, I . . ." Theodore hesitated.
"Chris, I – we . . ." Ron trailed off, looking at Aurelia and Kingsley.
"We can talk about this later," suggested Aurelia with a smile. "It's your wedding day. You should be enjoying it."
"But –" Chris began but Theodore interrupted her.
"They are right, Chris. I will tell you everything tomorrow, I promise," Theodore reassured.
"Fine," Chris said begrudgingly.
"But who set the fireworks then?" Harry asked.
"We will figure it out," Ron said, clapping Harry on the back. "Maybe some fan of Harry Potter?"
Chris rolled her eyes and Harry hurriedly tried to change the subject. Because it could be an actual thing. Many women still openly flirted with Harry even after knowing he and Chris were together. Chris didn't care much about it but Harry always felt mad on her behalf.
Soon, Harry and Chris got busy as all the guests of the wedding started to congratulate them, which included all the Weasleys, Sirius, Mr. Nelson (Chris's stepfather) and his sister-in-law and her son Shawn, then the Hogwarts Professors joined them, who now attended the wedding like their colleague's wedding now that Harry worked at Hogwarts as their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. After that, their Hogwarts friends came up to them, and to everyone's surprise, even Abelforth Dumbledore, Professor Dumbledore's brother, attended the ceremony and even got teary-eyed while congratulating them. He left soon after that. The Royal Vampires also got an invitation, but they could not attend but sent plenty of gifts.
After talking with the guests for a while, Chris and Harry were called for their first dance, and they quickly fell into the rhythm, smiling at each other. However, after a moment, Chris's smile struggled to stay on her lips. Harry, of course, instantly knew.
"The fireworks are still bothering you, aren't they?' Harry asked as he twirled Chris around.
"Not just the fireworks, the whole thing. Like, don't you think Aurelia and Kingsley are acting strangely?"
"Yep, so is Ron, he has been extra clingy to me all morning," Harry said, knitting his brows. "To be completely honest with you, I think I already guessed something is wrong, but I was just –"
"Too busy being happy about today to care about anything else?" Chris finished the sentence, and Harry grinned.
"Yeah."
"Same," Chris grinned back. "And honestly, who is really surprised? I knew what I was walking into when I fell in love with Harry Potter. Nothing is ever less dangerous with you."
"You are one to talk," Harry joked, pulling her closer. "And how many times have I followed you headfirst into disasters?"
"Too many to count," Chris wrapped her arms around his neck. "Any regrets?"
"God, no. I would do that a thousand – no, a million times over if that means I get to call you my wife at the end," Harry whispered and Chris turned red.
"It still feels unreal when you say it," Chris said, blushing harder. "I don't think I would ever get tired of hearing that, nor calling you my husband."
"Me neither," Harry let out a happy sigh as he pulled Chris into a hug. "So I guess we already know whatever comes next, whatever danger, we are in this together."
"Forever," Chris smiled as she slipped her hand into Harry's hand and watched their joined hands. "And now we even have the matching rings to prove it."
[To Be Continued]