"Nervous?' A voice called out from behind him, and he turned away from the mirror. Sirius Black stood in his finest suit in the doorframe of the room that he had been staying in. No matter how long he stayed in the comfortable full beds of the palace, he had never truly felt like he belonged there.

"Oh no. Just marrying a princess in front of about a thousand people while simultaneously accepting a crown that guarantees I will be the next king of England. What's there to be nervous about?" Harry's voice wavered for a moment at the end, and Sirius chuckled lightly.

"Told you he was having a breakdown." Another voice added, as Ron Weasley strut through the door. He had been the natural choice to be Harry's best man, but he was not very helpful at the pre-wedding jitters.

"Yes well, I don't know what I expected. James was just as much a mess when he was going to marry Lily. Nearly tried to jump out a second-floor window. Guess you two are more alike than I realized. Both bloody idiots." All three men laughed at that, although Harry's laughter was still containing the evidence of strain.

It was Rolf's turn to enter now, followed shortly after by Dean. "The Queen says that its almost time to go." Rolf began, plopping down in a chair next to the door. He had been incredibly vocal about hating being dressed up, so he grouchily played with his collar as well. Dean just sighed and clenched the bridge of his nose.

"Gin sent me to make sure you lot got to the alter in one piece and on time, and I am not trying to upset my incredibly pregnant wife." Dean liked to joke about Ginny, but the man had not stopped talking about her pregnancy and how excited they were to be parents. When Hermione had accepted Harry's proposal, he had requested that Dean be assigned as his personal guard. The two men had grown closer, as had Ginny and Hermione.

"Well it wouldn't do to upset Ginny. Best get this show on the road gentlemen." Harry took one last long look at the men gathered around him. Sirius, Ron, Rolf, and Dean had all played their part in helping Harry to get to this moment, and he felt his throat tighten as he began to get emotional over all the people who weren't able to be there. "I…I wish they could be here to see this. They would've loved her…I'm sure of that." He could feel tears working their way up to his eyes, and he rubbed them away before they could threaten to spill over. Sirius's hand moved to Harry's shoulder, and it made the boy look up.

"They would have; and they would've been so proud of you." Pulling his godson into a tight hug, Sirius cleared his throat. "Time to go get married…son."

The four men walked together through the stone halls of the Palace. They were to ride in a carriage to Hogwarts. Harry had laughed hysterically when Hermione had expressed a desire to marry in the place they first met. The library was not big enough to house their ceremony, but the grounds would do.

Ron was thoroughly enjoying his duty as Harry's best man, making sure that Harry understood just how lucky he was.

"I'm just saying mate, a year ago you had to beg your Aunt to come to the market with me and now you're going to be a Prince. A Prince!" Ron had taken to being a member of court like a fish takes to water. It helped that he had begun to court Lady Susan. Grand feasts and fancy parties were Ron's idea of a perfect life. Of course, Molly had been thrilled to discover that not only was Ron courting a Lady in Waiting, but also that Harry would one day be king.

The carriage came to an abupt halt, and Harry drew in a deep ragged breath. This was not unlike the feeling he had all those months ago when they had arrived in the Capitol for his fiancée's birthday. It was still strange to him, even now, to call her that. When his mother had died, for a long while, he was convinced that he would never marry; that he would never find a love as deep and wholesome as his parents. Some days he could even remember his father's face, his father's voice, the look of love he shared with his wife.

Ron seemed to sense Harry's unease because his joking manner slipped back to pull a more serious face. "You know I've been telling you for months how lucky you are, but I don't think I ever really got round to telling you how lucky I am. That day when you happened to be passing by the river and you save Ginny, that was the best day of my life. Urm…obviously not because of Gin almost dying, but because for the first time in my life I had a true friend." The ginger man held out his hand for Harry, which the darker haired man took eagerly in a firm shake.

"You're my best friend Ron. Brothers?" Harry offered, his voice full of emotion as he looked at the man who had grown from the boy he once knew.

"Well I already have five of those, so who'll notice one more. I'm with you Harry. Through anything. Now if I don't get you out of this carriage in the next few seconds, Gin is going to murder me and I don't fancy you having to throw my pregnant sister in the dungeons." Ron clapped his hand on Harry's back and exited the carriage. Harry followed suit, and the first thing he noticed was that the air was filled with thunderous noise. Those who didn't have invitations to the wedding ceremony had gathered in droves around the perimeter. Just past the castle gates, hundreds if not thousands of people were standing, shouting his name.

"Are all these people here for me?" Harry choked out, suddenly overwhelmed again. His record for not feeling like he might vomit had been going strong at a solid two and a half minutes.

"No. They're here for me. I'm very famous you know." Ron joked, rolling his eyes and pushing forward to the castle grounds. Dumbledore and McGonagall were among those in attendance, and Harry noticed that Dumbledore was wearing a rather ostentatiously green outfit; it somehow fit the older wizard though. Sirius had travelled ahead of them in a prior carriage, so he was standing at the end of his row of seats with a tall sandy-blonde haired man who looked rather tired.

Upon noticing Harry's arrival, Sirius's face lit up, and the man beside him looked like he might try to run. "Harry, come. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Harry, curiosity peaked, obeyed the instructions swiftly. He had a few minutes to spare before the ceremony was to begin anyway. "Hello." He greeted once he approached the pair. It did not escape his notice that the man flinched when he met his eyes. By that point, he was fairly certain just precisely who this man was. "Remus Lupin."

The blonde man looked nervously between Harry and Sirius before taking a deep breath. "Hello Harry. You'll have to excuse my lack of decorum, all my knowledge of court is from your father and Sirius and neither was very inclined towards behaving."

Sirius took mock offense to this, pouting at his friend. This earned a meager laugh from the other man who defended his claim. "Oh please. By the time we graduated Hogwarts you hadn't even learned the difference between a salad fork and a brandy bottle." Sobering after he caught Harry's eye again, Lupin cleared his throat. "I meant what I said in my letter you know; when you are ready to hear my stories, I am ready to tell them."

Harry nodded brightly at the man, holding out his arm. Lupin grasped his hand and the men shared in a handshake that seemed to cement their presence in each other's lives.

"Ready to take our seats my friend?" Sirius interrupted, noticing the guests had begun to sit.

"Friend? Even after all this time?" Lupin asked, the words nearly catching in his throat.

"Always." Sirius reassured, shooting one last wink at his godson before making his way down the row. Harry saw Lupin's eyes flicker briefly with pain and then again with relief before he too took his seat. Standing in the middle of the aisle, Harry made eye contact with Dumbledore, who now stood in his position underneath the beautiful flower arch that had been constructed. It had only made sense for the older man to officiate.

Stepping forward towards the man, he saw that Ron had taken his place at the beginning of the aisle with pride, standing precisely where he had been told to and looking every bit of a nobleman. He was going to escort Lady Susan, who Hermione had chosen as her handmaiden. Taking his own place, Harry turned briefly to Dumbledore, watching as the man eyed him with amusement beneath the half-moon spectacles he wore.

"You knew…when I told you I'd met a girl all those months ago. You knew who she was." It was part question, part accusation, but the man didn't even need to speak the answer. A sly grin worked its way onto the wrinkles of his face, and Harry shook his head.

"You could have told me you know; might have saved me a bit of shock." Harry's voice was full of warmth and the man gave him a knowing chuckle.

"Your love was written in the stars, who was I to interfere. Now if I'm not mistaken, we are about to begin." He winked once more at Harry, with a brilliant twinkle in his eye just as the band began to play a sweet song orchestral piece.

Lady Susan and Ron began to make their way down the aisle, and he gave Harry a warm smile when he parted with her to stand by his side. Everyone stood as Queen Helen made her way to the aisle. She was a vision of mature beauty, her long brown hair pulled up into an elaborate updo held together by a series of spectacular diamond pins. On her head, she wore a matching gold and ruby crown that complimented the rich red gown she wore.

Once she was arrived at the end of the path, Queen Helen gave Harry a kiss on each cheek before standing in front of the thrones that were set closest to the front for the King and Queen. The band completed their movement and began to play the bridal march, and Harry felt his heart stop. He first noticed the King approaching, as he was a rather tall man wearing a crown, but the next thing his eyes landing on took his breath away.

Hermione was wearing a long flowing white gown with gold and red embroidery and full length sleeves. Her long bushy chestnut hair had been braided and wrapped up in a similar way to her mother's. A golden tiara rested on the top of her head, weaving into her curly hair as it sprung free from her meticulously crafted style. From the back of her crown, a long white veil flowed behind her, catching the wind as she walked.

Harry hadn't realized he hadn't been breathing until she arrived next to him, and her father stood in front of him, holding his hand out for a handshake. This was the first moment in the ceremony; the moment where her father gave him his blessing to provide for his daughter and to love her for the rest of her life. Inhaling sharply to fill the space that his lungs needed, Harry grabbed the man's hand and shook it strongly.

Her small hand reached out for his, and he happily let her rest it on top of his. Ron and Susan each took a piece of white ribbon and wrapped their now entwined hands. Dumbledore began speaking, and the world was silent except for the chirping of birds and his voice.

"We gather here to celebrate a concept as old as time. Love. Few people understand just how powerful a love can be. Harry James Potter and Hermione Jean Victoria Elizabeth are here before you to express their everlasting love for one another." The older man grabbed the ends of the ribbons, tying them together. "This ribbon represents the lives of these two young people, who are now tied together in every way. I believe it was their desire to express their feelings to each other and all of you in their own words." Hermione nodded her head quietly, turning towards Harry.

"Harry. When we first met in the Hogwarts library, I felt a warmth fill my heart and I now realize that was my love for you growing. You didn't know who I was; didn't care about my crown or my title. All you saw of me was who I truly was beneath the weight of all of this. And in that moment I knew that I would love you, and I would love you like I'd never loved anyone before. When you left the night of my birthday ball, I was resigned to the fact that I would have to live my life without you, and thus without love. I am so very blessed to be standing next to you here today and to be asking you to join me on this journey of life. I loved you then, I love you now, and I will love you with all I have for the rest of my days." Both she and Harry were fighting tears after her words, and Harry squeezed her hand lightly before clearing his throat.

"I had no ambitions or desires when I met you. I was sadly content with my life, having understood that I was not destined for more. My mother and father, from what I remember of them, were the very personification of love. They lived their lives so full of love, and I was so sure that I was not ever going to be loved like that. And then I met you, and slowly but all at once, my world began to change." Harry couldn't fight the tears anymore and felt their warm sting in the corners of his eyes. A sniffling to his left caught his attention, and he chuckled briefly to find Sirius sobbing.

"You are my world, you are my life, you are my everything, and I am honored to call you my wife. I will love you with all I am, and all I can be, until the end of time." By the time he had finished his vow, a chorus of sniffling and whimpers fell through the crowd as many cried. Hermione had begun to cry as well, although she smiled brightly through the tears.

Dumbledore allowed them a moment of eye contact before continuing with he handfasting. The ribbon had been tied, but now it was time to remove the ribbon to allow for the exchange of rings. Ron stepped up to place the delicately carved golden bands onto a velvet pillow now held in the older man's hands.

"Harry, you shall go first. Take her hand." Harry did as he was instructed, grabbing hold of Hermione's left hand. "Now repeat after me. I, Harry James Potter,"

"I, Harry James Potter,"

"Take you, Hermione Jean Victoria Elizabeth,"

"Take you, Hermione Jean Victoria Elizabeth,"

"To have, to hold and to cherish,"

"To have, to hold and to cherish,"

"Until death do us part."

"Until death do us part." Harry finished; the ring placed firmly on her hand. They shared an excited smile before she took his ring and turned back to him.

"Now Princess Hermione, I, Hermione Jean Victoria Elizabeth,"

"I, Hermione Jean Victoria Elizabeth,"

"Take you, Harry James Potter,"

"Take you, Harry James Potter,"

"To have, to hold and to cherish,"

"To have, to hold and to cherish,"

"Until death do us part."

"Until death do us part."

She placed her ring on his finger, and he could feel a fire beneath his skin as her fingers touched him. His heart was pounding as her beautiful honey eyes and their golden flecks met his. Dumbledore said something else, but Harry didn't register anything until he heard the words he had been waiting all this time for.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride." Harry didn't need to be told twice as he closed the distance between him and Hermione immediately. Her lips tasted slightly of strawberry, and they were as soft as he remembered. She deepened the kiss after a moment, wrapping her arms around him. The world began to come back to him as the loud cheers erupted in the crowd. Separating from his new wife, he smiled brightly out towards the crowd.

There was one more thing they had to do, and Harry turned back towards where Dumbledore had been standing. The older man had been replaced by the King and Queen, each holding a crown in their hands. Hermione and Harry knelt before them, as Lady Susan removed Hermione's tiara from her carefully crafted updo.

The King raised his hand, and all those present quickly quieted and sat. "Ever since the day of my daughter's birth, I have wondered what form her husband might take. It is my honor to bestow upon this man the title of Prince Consort. May you rule by her side with a just heart and a life of love." The Queen placed Hermione's crown on her head and soon after, her husband placed a crown on Harry's head. It was strange for him how light it was, for holding the weight of the world. One look at Hermione though, and he knew that it was all worth it.

"Rise now for the first time as Husband and Wife, Princess Hermione and Prince Harry." They stood and waved as another round of applause exploded in the crowd. Harry smiled brightly and gazed down lovingly at the woman by his side. Finally breathing fully, he kissed her again.

The world was full of love, and all was well.