On his way to the altar, Ted caught a glimpse of Dora who was squirming in his mother's arms. She was waving her arms and squealing and his mother kept on trying to keep her quiet. He was sure Nymphadora had no reason to be happy or excited today, but he decided that if she could keep her calm through all the noise and all the people pinching her cheeks and ruffling her hair, then so could he. Not that there was going to be any pinching or ruffling where he was concerned.
He shot his parents and Dora a smile as he stood at the altar and waited for Andromeda to emerge. He fidgeted with his cuff links, glanced at Andrew, glanced at his parents and an overjoyed Dora, then he looked down at his shoes. It became a cycle until the music started playing and the doors at the other end of the room opened.
Andromeda walked in, elegant and regal and with a genial smile from which no one could guess that the wedding wasn’t even slightly close to the standards she had always wanted to uphold. He beamed at her as she continued to walk towards him.
Once she was up next to him on the altar and they were facing each other, Ted attempted to mouth at her that she looked beautiful, but he wasn’t sure she got it. They joined hands and the ceremony started, each of them speaking when prompted. His gaze never parted hers; they really were doing this! It took Ted a moment or two to realise that it was time for him to read his vows, which he’d managed to memorise.
He gave Andromeda’s hands a gentle squeeze and started, “Andromeda, I know things have been rather difficult for us from the get go. And I’d like to think that we’re already past the toughest part. But in case we aren’t, I want to promise you, here, today, that I’ll always try. The harder it gets, the harder I’ll try my absolute best to make things work out, regardless the circumstances or the people involved."
He hoped that it didn’t sound rehearsed or forced because he did mean it.
It was then Andromeda’s turn and he squeezed her hand again in reassurance, not quite sure if she needed that. “Ted, I will join my life with yours. Wherever you go, I will go; whatever you face, I will face. For good or ill, for happiness or sadness, come riches or poverty. I take you as my husband and will give myself to no other.”
Once they were pronounced husband and wife, Ted pulled her gently towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, she had her hand against his jaw, and they kissed, forever bound.
Ted had thought that getting married to Andromeda would be easy. They had been together for years, they had a daughter together, they’re already family. He’d just put on his tie but was starting to feel suffocated, so he loosened it and gripped the edges of the dressing table. He look at himself in the mirror: his perfectly combed hair, his soft clean-shaven face, his neat black wizarding dress robes, his wand that in front of him on the dressing table. Why was he worried all of a sudden? Was he so cliche that he was getting cold feet?!
No, who said anything about cold feet?! He probably was just worried about standing in front of all the people. That had to be it. Or maybe the fact that his parents where there among all his friends from Hogwarts.
He poured himself a glass of water and sat down, trying to organise his thoughts and his breathing. Andromeda would know what to do. She'd tell him to stop being silly, and set his perspective right. He wondered if she'd started getting nervous as well and attempted to fight the urge to go check on her. Bloody. Stupid. Traditions.
He was thankful when his father walked into the room. "Are you ready, Ted?"
"Is it time already?!" Ted shot up to his feet and looked around the for a clock.
"We still have a few minutes." His father put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright, mate?"
Ted took a deep breath in and sat back down, watching his father do the same. Ted sank into his seat, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling. "I think it just hit me that I'm a twenty-year-old man, who lives in a world where there is magic and wands, and flying brooms. And I'm about to get married to an amazing woman who comes from a family that wants to exterminate people of my kind."
"It's normal to get all retrospective on your wedding day, Ted. And you've done well so far. You always did alright in school, you have a beautiful daughter, and you've been saying you like your new job --"
"Yes, where I write about a game in which brooms fly. Yes."
Ted kept his eyes on the embellished ceiling, not daring to face his father. "Come on, Edward, even your mum and I got used to all the oddities this world has. And it's not like panicking about all of that now will do anything. What do you want to do? Walk out on all of it?"
His father's tone was composed and calm, but his face was creased in a stern frown. Ted considered it for a moment. He could get a job at comic bookstore or deliver pizza. And he could figure out a charm that would stop Nymphadora's features from shifting ever so often. And Andromeda... Who was he kidding?
"No...no, you're right. I'm just being silly." Ted sighed and shook his head, as if he was physically trying to snap out of it.
“Okay, good.” his father said firmly with nod. “Do you need help with that tie?”
“No, I can handle it.” He walked over to the dressing table and used his wand on it.
