Monday 24th May 1999

Madam Rosmerta was like a woman possessed. She rushed around the kitchen waving her wand this way and that; pots flew around wildly; spoons stirred carefully at simmering soups and sauces; and cleaning equipment whizzed around haphazardly cleaning up the various messes that had occurred. Every single fibre of her being was concentrated at the task at hand; by her choice alone of course. She was in the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, and she was cooking for an entire wedding reception; arguably the biggest wedding in over a century. She had been requested personally by the bride, and to refuse would have brought down the wrath of the entire wizarding world upon her shoulders, and so she had accepted.

For such a huge undertaking she would normally have hired at least five elves along with professional chefs to help her prepare everything, but she couldn't, because if she did that then she would have had time to think about the groom; the man whom she loved with all of her being. She wanted to be angry with him; she wanted to know how he broke through his oath to her; and she wanted above all else to be the one who would in less than an hour be standing on the altar staring deep into his emotional green eyes which meant so much to her. She wanted it so much that it hurt, so the only way to do what she had been asked to do was to was to do it all herself, and to not allow her emotions to overcome her. The moment she thought about it for more than a few seconds she knew that she would break down into tears and lose all concentration on the task at hand, and so she worked.

Her hands were raw from peeling and grating ingredients too fast; sweat glistened across her brow as she rushed to and fro across the kitchen; and her feet were aching in a way that threatened to bring up memories of her last night with Harry. She whipped her hand across her eyes and wiped the resulting moisture on her apron – but froze when a hand caught her own. Every single instrument in the room froze in the middle of their movements, and she turned slowly around with her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She saw the large but smooth hand which held hers; the white-cuff which disappeared under the dark black suit jacket, and her eyes followed it upwards until she found herself looking into the face of the groom. Anger swirled in her gut, and he stumbled back when she shoved him away from her; tears already coursing down her cheeks as she collapsed to the ground and buried her head in her hands. Harry winced in pain as his hand touched down on a stovetop to steady himself, but he healed it with a mere thought and then crouched quickly down to the sobbing woman; self-loathing and love in his eyes.

"Rosie, please look at me, please!"

"You left me!" she yelled, and he winced before lowering his eyes and nodding.

"I did," he whispered, "but not for the reasons you think."

She snapped her eyes up to look at him with a glare, and she snarled angrily at him, "So you're not here to marry the woman who you've been seeing for over a year; you're not here to say 'I do' and put a ring on her finger; you're not here to taunt me?"

His eyes dulled at her accusations, and he shuffled to rest his back against a cupboard opposite her; waving his hand vaguely to start the kitchen back to its bustling. "No, I'm not."

"What the hell do you mean you're not? You're dressed as a groom, and your fiancé," she spat the word, "is upstairs with your soon-to-be mother-in-law getting pampered up for a wedding!"

"And where's Sirius?"

She frowned for a moment, her tirade caught in her throat. It was common knowledge that Harry's chaperone for the day was his godfather, and indeed if that was true then why wasn't he keeping an eye on Harry…let alone preventing a meeting with another woman before a wedding. "You tied him up then, so what?"

She was shocked out of her wits when, just a moment later, a head appeared at the door to the kitchen, uncharacteristically unsmiling, and Sirius Black shook his head. "I'm right here running interference for Harry."

A moment later he popped back out of view, and she looked to Harry in complete and utter confusion. Her emotions were in turmoil; she had finally let out her anger at the man who she had so trusted and whom she thought had betrayed her, and yet it seemed like there was far more to what was happening than she thought. "Ginny dosed me with Amortentia." She gaped at Harry, and he ran a hand through his messy hair, not meeting her eyes. "She started in fourth year, and I realized what was happening during fifth. The feelings I held for you were far more than what I felt for her, but I wondered why I was having feelings for her at all."

He reached into his pocket and handed her a piece of paper which she took apprehensively. "I visited Madam Pomfrey and asked her to scan me for any compulsion spells, and she discovered far more than I had previously anticipated. I had been dosed with Amortentia since fourth year; I had more than fifty compulsion charms on my person to the same effect in regards Ginny, and there were also several darker variations of control curses on me. She removed them immediately, and then we worked to emulate them so that whoever it was would think I was still under their influence and reveal themselves."

He gave a humourless chuckle, "Turns out it was my best friend's sister, and that her mother had been helping her ensnare me. Suffice to say that I was more than a little pissed off." She peered over the sheet in her hands, and her eyes widened at some of the dark classifications of the spells. By all counts he shouldn't have been able to even breathe without Ginny's say so, and yet he had not only done just that, but had also continued his relationship with her during that time. Her anger was slowly morphing into forgiveness, but she waited for the entire story to emerge before making her verdict. "So I kept a very close eye on her; gathered evidence and the like in order to blackmail her with it – but then when I talked to my attorney about what was happening he informed me that everything was inadmissible in court because I had stolen the evidence. The only thing that I could legally submit was the report from Poppy, and it had no ties to Ginny."

He closed his eyes, and she could see the strain in his expression. "I thought so hard about what I could do to stop it; to prevent her from not only snagging me but anybody else and every option was illegal but one." He cracked open his eyes, and she could see the raw pain that resided there, "And that meant hurting both you and me. I had to leave you; I had to leave without you knowing what I was going to do, or else it would have been conspiracy and the last thing I wanted to do was get you thrown in Azkaban."

"That was why you cried…"

He nodded, "I could barely stand it, and it took every ounce of will power that I had to not show her that I knew and run back to you. I knew that if I did then she wouldn't stop, and you'd likely be in danger from her seeking revenge."

She searched him, not speaking for several long minutes before the first tear slid down her cheek. Before it could drop from her chin she leapt at him and buried herself in his embrace; sobbing heavily into his jacket without even the slightest restraint; clutching desperately at his shirt as if he would disappear at any moment. He ran his hands through her hair and cried silently himself; drawing in the feel and smell of the woman in his arms once more. He hadn't been able to contact her once for an entire year to that day and it felt as if almost instantly he was healing from just holding her in his arms. She finally pulled away slightly, and he looked down at her wondering what was wrong until her lips met his. It was like being deprived of oxygen and then suddenly being able to breathe again; and both of them pushed deeper into the kiss as if their lives depended on it. Her tongue tentatively reached out into his mouth, and she moaned into him when he immediately met it with his own; delving deep into her mouth and tasting her in desperation; trying to take in every single piece of her in an instant.

They pulled away, panting and blushing deeply, but with matching smiles of complete and utter joy on their faces as they stared into each other's eyes. Harry caught a movement out the corner of his eye and nodded to Sirius who was now grinning like a madman. The ex-convict disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, and Harry turned back to the Love of his life with complete sincerity as he reached into his pocket. When he pulled the two velvet cases from its depths she took in a deep breath and snapped her eyes to his in search of even the slightest hint of deceit. Her jaw slackened when she found absolutely none. He took in a deep breath, and then smiled brilliantly at her as he opened the lid. She didn't even look at what she was being shown; her eyes too fixed on his to notice anything else. "Rosie Marie Pericaliya, will you marry me?"

Her answer was to push him backwards and force her lips to his; her hands buried deep in his hair in an attempt to draw him even closer to her. He was more than happy to oblige, and immediately deepened the kiss as he slipped his hand under the rear of her shirt and traced his fingers over her bare back. She groaned in complete elation as she felt his touch bring forth the same fire it once had to her skin, and her tongue warred with his as she poured an entire year of restrained love for him into her actions. Likewise Harry pushed forth all of his emotion, and both of them sagged against each other with the passion coursing through them. It took nearly an entire minute of throat-clearing for the pair to separate, and Rosmerta blushed a deep red before burying her head deep into Harry's chest when she saw Sirius and an old man looking at them with amused expressions.

"I was not expecting this Mister Potter."

Harry smiled down at the head of hair visible to him and kissed the crown of her head before giving his attention to the older man by the door with a joyful shrug, "True love is something that cannot be denied."

"You know what you claim?"

His eyes sharpened and he shook his head, "I don't claim Great Druid; I know."

Rosie's head snapped upwards at the title, and she gawped at the man standing beside the very well-dressed Sirius. "G-Great Druid?" she squeaked, and the man smiled kindly at her.

"Indeed young one and I believe that I have been called here today to witness and precede over a bonding ritual between you and Mister Potter here today." He raised an amused eyebrow, "I have been told by Mister Black that the wedding between Mister Potter and Miss Weasley will continue however…I believe that the purity ritual will cause quite a ruckus."

Harry smirked deviously, and Rosie looked up at him in shock. "It will quite forcefully reject me my Love, especially after the Great Druid here weds us."

"We're getting married now?"

Harry smiled down at her, "Yes, we are. I never wanted a frivolous wedding like the one the Weasleys have prepared; I just wanted one that was small and meaningful to me. Both of us have probably spent more time in a kitchen than the majority of all other witches and wizards alive, so I find this to be fitting, unless you have any objection?"

She shook her head mutely, but the mile-wide grin on her face belied her true feelings on the matter. Harry picked up the ring-box off the floor and handed it to Sirius, who grinned and winked at them both, and the Great Druid took a step forward and smiled at them as if conducting a wedding ceremony in the middle of a magically bustling kitchen was everyday business. "Today we are here to witness the marriage of Harry James Potter and Rosie Marie Pericaliya - is this correct?"

Harry shook his head in the negative and then drew a rune in the air in front of him which glimmered for a second before disappearing in a flash of white. The Druid's eyebrows shot up underneath his fringe and he stared at the pair in shock, "I see. Well then I shall only be witnessing then."

Rosie looked up at Harry in confusion, but relaxed when she saw his beaming smile down at her. She found out why a moment later. "Today we are here to witness the eternal marriage and soul bonding of Harry James Potter and Rosie Marie Pericaliya." She stared up at him in shock, and he sent her a wink before turning back to the Druid; her hand held tightly but comfortably in his. "The holy blessing of a union is rare; so rare in fact that the last recorded case was with the Founders of Hogwarts, and so it is my honour today to be leading the ceremony alongside the powers that be." The two felt a warmth around their joined hands, and peered down before promptly dropping their jaws when they saw the twin tendrils of white magic curling around their fingers. "In life, in death, in mind and body and soul, the pair before us today has agreed and is gifted with The Union which will bind them together for eternity." He turned to Harry, "Do you, Harry James Potter, promise to love and cherish your bonded for all of time? To never betray her or let her go and to fight for what you hold between you?"

He nodded, and then stared right into her eyes as he smiled lovingly down at her. "I do promise, so mote it be." A flash of magic accepted his oath, and the ring disappeared from the box in Sirius' hand to appear on his left ring finger where the runes in it pulsed with an ethereal light.

The Druid then turned to Rosie, and his face crinkled into a smile. "Young one, do you promise to love and cherish your bonded for all of time? To never betray him or let him go and to fight for what you hold between you?"

She hadn't broken eye contact with Harry since he had established it, and she smiled brilliantly up at him. "I do, forever, so mote it be."

Another flash, this time brighter, and the tendrils crept further up their arms as the ring appeared on her finger. The Druid's eyes lit up happily, and he spread his arms out wide, "Then the powers that be and the magical world congratulate you on your eternal union; you may solidify the bond Mister and Missus Potter."

Harry leant down and met his wife in the middle, and both of them clutched at one another as magic burst forth around them and rocked through their very souls; connecting them in the most intimate of ways. Both Sirius and the elderly mage shielded their eyes and hurriedly erected magic suppression wards around the room to prevent discovery by the supposed-bride upstairs. It was several minutes before the glow subsided, and when it did both Sirius and the Druid's eyes widened. "Good Merlin I never expected this!"

Harry pulled away from his bonded's lips, and then beamed brightly down at her when he saw what had happened. He conjured a mirror with a flick of his hand, and then wrapped an arm around her waist before turning to that she could see herself. When she did she gaped, and raised a hand to touch her face. The beautiful young woman in the mirror did the same; not looking a day over twenty, and the image of her standing next to her beaming husband with his arm wrapped around her would be forever burned in their memories. She looked at the strapless white wedding gown that flowed over her torso for a few moments before grabbing Harry by the hair and pulling him back down into a soul-searing kiss.

He most certainly wasn't complaining.

It was another seven minutes before the couple broke apart, and Harry's eyes for the first time in his entire life were completely contented. Never before had either felt the level of completion that they were feeling at that moment, and they both instinctively knew that it was because their souls were now bonded directly to each other. The feeling was indescribable, and both of them shivered at the thought of not having it in their lives. They stared deep into each other's eyes for several moments in silent communication before Harry pulled away from her and smiled over at Sirius, who was looking at the pair with barely concealed shock. "Close it fleabag or else you'll end up catching a fly." His mouth snapped shut, and Rosie let out a musical giggle which lifted everybody's spirits – especially Harry's. He peered at his watch, the watch Rosie had given him for his eighteenth birthday, and then nodded to Sirius. "We need to get a move on to the venue. I'll apparate through the wards and drop my wife off in the wings beside the altar, and then pop back here so that we can stroll in together."

Without waiting for an answer he pulled Rosie into a very enjoyable embrace and then popped away with an almost silent crack. A moment later they reappeared in near-darkness, and he immediately kissed her. She kissed him right back, and clutched at his shirt once more. When he pulled away he smiled devotedly at her and shook his head before running his hand over the still-faintly glowing ring on her finger. "I will never leave you; never be afraid of that ever again. I'll be back in a minute or two, but wait for my signal before coming out, okay?"

She nodded happily and then kissed him one last time before he crackled away back to Sirius' house. The man himself was waiting in the kitchen…along with Molly Weasley who was looking rather upset. Harry nearly groaned. "Harry! Where have you been, you need to be at the wedding! Where were you?"

"Vaults to get the rings," he held up the empty velvet box in explanation, and before she could question him further he rolled his eyes with a forced smile. "Molly, you expect me to trust Sirius with looking after the rings before more than five minutes before the ceremony?"

A slight grin twitched at the corners of her lips and she nodded slightly. "I suppose not my dear, but please hurry! Ginny and you need to be away on your honeymoon almost as soon as the ceremony finishes; the portkey leaves at six!"

Harry nodded, and then after handing the rings to Sirius under the watchful eye of the master controller, popped away. The two landed easily outside the church, but inside the wards, and Harry stared at the media circus in shock as he shook his head, "Really Padfoot, what are they expecting?" After a moment the pair got a glimmer of mischief in their eyes, and both surreptitiously pulled their wands before, under the ruse of making last minute adjustments to each other's suits, flinging their wands outwards and casting as the assembled crowd. The first person to notice the two wizards casting in their direction ducked, but considering that both of the troublemakers had based it off a crowd control charm that really didn't matter. An instant later everybody's hair turned electric pink; their feet grew nearly twenty sizes; and their clothing turned into a rather fabulous pair of Bozo pants and suspenders.

Harry and Sirius cackled at the shocked expressions, and then roars of outrage, and walked into the church side by side down the aisle. Many of the guests were twisting around trying to see out the door to see what the ruckus was, and so Harry had the good fortune of making it to the altar without being accosted by somebody. He caught sight of Rosie's stunning blonde hair in the darkness of the curtains and very carefully mouthed 'I love you' to her before turning to look out over the audience. He winked at Poppy, who widened her eyes comically at him, and then gave several of his friends happy nods – and a wink to Luna and Neville who had always been convinced of foul play where Harry's love life had been concerned.

As he glanced at Ron and Hermione he truly hoped that they would be on his side for the approaching chaos, but when he saw Ron and caught some surface thoughts his face saddened; he was convinced well and truly that Ginny was meant for him and that was it. Checking that his ring was still hidden under a glamour he glanced around nervously and cast a few silent but very, very powerful wards around where he was standing. Without any warning the wedding march broke out in the church and Harry looked to Sirius with a nervous sigh. As he watched Ginny walk down the aisle with a forced smile Sirius leant to his ear, "Easy cub; you've already tied yourself to the person you really love so this, in all honesty, shouldn't be that big of a deal."

"Keep telling yourself that," Harry snapped quietly, "I'm just worried that I'm going to have to blast my way out of here."

"Aurors are on the roof, and you've given them enough evidence to have them on your side. They've got your back, I've got your back, and your wife's got your back as well."

Harry peered over into the shadows and grinned when he saw his wife scowling at the redhead beaming away as she walked down the aisle. Ginny however, thought that this grin was directed at her, and beamed even brighter at him. He was sure that there was a spell somewhere which made it look so dazzling, and so dispelled it automatically. The redhead's smile stiffened when she realized just what had happened, but managed to keep up the happy façade until she reached the altar where Arthur handed her off to Harry. He dropped her hand almost immediately, and raised his eyebrow when she leant over to him so that her bridesmaid Hannah Abbot couldn't hear her and hissed, "Why did you go and do that? It was working perfectly and you just had to go and dispel it, didn't you?"

He shrugged, "You know my thoughts on spells which alter people's views Ginny; I thought you of all people would understand that after your first year."

She stiffened at both the mention of mind-altering spells and Tom Riddle, and then turned stiffly to face the Druid when he stepped up onto the altar with them. Sirius tapped out a piece of code on Harry's elbow, 'Oh you can see the old man's enjoying this', and then winked at the elderly mage who returned the look with a secret smirk. "We are gathered here today to witness the marriage between Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley. Are there any people that object to this union?"

Harry spared a glance at the shadows and could see his wife's wand-tip glowing with pent-up magic and shook his head with a disarming smile. He saw the disappointment in her eyes, but then sent a wave of reassurance over their soul bond and saw her smile lovingly at him. He returned his gaze to the druid, and saw the smirk even more pronounced as he put together what had just occurred. "But, or course, for a marriage of this calibre and importance, protocol must be observed; the purity ritual. Ginevra Molly Weasley, please step forwards." She did so, and watched with a serene look on her face as the bearded man waved his wand in complicated patterns across her body. After several minutes she pulsed white and glowed silver for a moment, and the Druid took a step back with a nod. "You are free of other bonds."

The redhead stepped back with a look of satisfaction on her face, and Harry stepped forwards without prompt. The Druid immediately began waving his wand in the same pattern, but after he finished a rather different result presented itself. Harry was lifted bodily into the air as magic buffeted around him before releasing him gently onto the ground where he pulsed a deep gold as the tendrils of white receded from his body. The Druid looked genuinely shocked, as did the rest of the guests, before looking at Harry with a new measure of respect. "You, Harry James Potter, are this age's Archmage – you are pure in spirit and soul, but you are not free of bonds."

Harry grinned at the shocked look on Ginny's face and shrugged, "Not a big surprise there Head Druid."

The man smirked, "Indeed Mister Potter; perhaps calling out your bonded would be prudent at the current time while those who would maim are too shocked?"

He smiled and then turned to the shadows with a nod, and a moment later the beautiful blonde stepped out; much to the gaping shock of the entire wedding audience. What really ruffled their view of the entire ceremony however, was how she walked confidently to Harry, entered his waiting embrace, and then kissed him full on the lips with a passion that rivalled any that anybody present had ever seen. "My husband," she whispered against his lips as she pulled away, and he brushed his against hers a moment later with a mumbled but joyous, "My wife."

All beautiful moments however, had to come to an end. That end, in this case, was one very upset Molly Weasley. "WHO THE BLOODY MERLIN IS THAT SLAG?"

The Druid smiled widely and held out his arm, "May I present to you all, Mister Harry James and Missus Rosie Marie Potter!"

The announcement didn't bring forth any applause whatsoever, in fact the silence deepened, and Ginny's ears were turning an even darker shade of red; the tell-tale signs of an impending blow-up. That was until Poppy Pomfrey stood up from her chair, tears rolling down her cheeks, with a huge grin on her face as she clapped her hands together in delight. After a moment or two Neville and Luna joined in, and then more clapping ensued until everybody saves the bride's family was applauding and whistling. In a last ditch attempt to bind Harry Ginny tore the ring box from Sirius, intending to forcefully place the ring on Harry's finger, but froze when both Harry and Rosie held up their left hands with mile-wide grins on their faces.

He leant down and smirked widely, "Don't try and play with the big leagues Gin-gin, because we're stronger, smarter, and more devious than you ever could be." He straightened himself; Rosie hugging herself to his arm, and then nodded to the ceiling. With a series of pops over twenty Aurors appeared before the altar, and all applause halted immediately. Harry pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, cleared his throat, and then began reading. "I, Harry James Potter, do so accuse Ginevra Molly Weasley of attempted line theft, assault on the Head of an Ancient and Noble House, possession of a class-A love potion, administration of said love potion to the Head of an Ancient and Noble House, use of dark magic, and use of illegal compulsion magic. Proof has been submitted to the DMLE, and has been approved as valid and admissible in court, so mote it be."

A flash followed his declaration, and then he flipped the piece of paper before speaking once more. "I, Harry James Potter, do so accuse Molly Weasley of attempted line theft, possession and brewing of a class-A drug, tutoring Dark Magic to a minor, tutoring Dark Magic, tutoring illegal spells to a minor, and tutoring illegal spells. Proof has also been submitted to the DMLE and has been approved as valid and admissible in court, so mote it be." Another flash signalled his claim, and Molly let out a yell of frustration as she tried to leap at him. She was immediately restrained by several aurors, as was Ginny when she pulled her wand and fired off a spell at Harry, and with a series of muted pops the hall was silent once more. Harry conjured a couple of chairs and motioned kindly for the Druid to take the leather one, before taking his own before Rosie sat on his lap.

"Good afternoon all; as I'm sure you're all wondering just who is this beautiful lady sitting on my lap?" She blushed at the praise, but intertwined her fingers with his around her stomach all the same. Some nods came from various people, and Harry noted that Ron looked particularly sour about the situation while the twins were on the verge of bowing down to Harry as the prank master of the century. Sirius had returned to beside Amelia Bones in the front pew, the woman who, ironically being an ex-convict and all, he was dating, and he was smiling up at him with a reassuring nod. "I just wish the Head Druid here to confirm that our marriage is completely legal and unbreakable?" The old man nodded with a twinkle in his eye, and Harry twinkled back as he turned to the crowd with a slight smirk. He felt around with his magic and then grinned ear-to-ear when he felt the presence of three individuals. "Seamus, Dean and Ernie, please stand up." The three did so, looking decidedly quite nervous, and Harry grinned at them. "I expect your high-school crushes on my wonderful wife to cease immediately; coveting another man's wife and all that jazz."

The three fainted dead away when they realized just who the woman sitting on his lap was, and a moment later a few more followed. Hermione, ever the academic, shook her head. "That is not Madam Rosmerta; Madam Rosmerta is thirty eight years old this year Harry."

Harry turned to the Druid with a grin, "Head Druid, could you please confirm the identity of my wife?"

"Of course Archmage Potter, your wife's name is Rosie Marie Pericaliya; also known as Madam Rosmerta."

Gasps met the man's statement, and wide eyes turned to the young woman in disbelief. Harry shrugged with a grin, "We soul bonded and it brought her age to meet mine. I suppose that it's normal, but since we're the first in a couple of thousand years I really cannot be sure."

"Mister Potter!"

He turned to see a reporter in the back waving her hand wildly about and he rolled his eyes with a slight growl. "This is the only question that the press will be allowed, so for the love of Merlin make it worth it. After this both myself and my wife will be out of contact for some time."

The question which that particular reporter thought best served the Wizarding World's interest was something Harry was sure she would be getting complaints about until he resurfaced again. "Why would you choose to marry a woman eighteen years older than you who just runs an inn?"

He stood from his chair beaming and wrapped an arm around Rosie's waist. "Thank you for the short answer question." He turned to Padfoot and winked, "We'll be where I discussed, and I suggest you don't pop in anytime soon else I'll be forced to charge you with perversion." Amelia rapped him over the head with her knuckles when he grinned lecherously, and Harry rolled his eyes with a smile before turning back to the reporter. "Five words Miss…"

"Skeeter."

"Any relation to Rita Skeeter?"

"I'm her niece."

Harry groaned, much to the chuckles of a few in the audience, "Good Merlin, another one? As I said Miss Skeeter, five words: I'm in love with her!" and with a crack he disappeared. The two popped back into existence in the middle of her small living room, and she lowered her eyes slightly in shame. Harry noted it immediately and hugged her from behind while rocking side-to-side slightly. "You're ashamed of your house?"

"You're Harry Potter, of course I feel it's inadequate! I always have since we started seeing each other."

"It's not; it's home." She turned around in confusion and he took her hand in his before pointing to the worn, ragged mat in front of the fire. "What does that mean to you?"

Her eyes softened with emotion, and she smiled gently. "I remember you kissing me on my birthday two years ago."

He smiled and nodded, and then pointed to the small, rickety dining table by the kitchen. "And what does that mean to you?"

Her smile warmed, "It reminds me of the times you apparated from the Dursleys every holiday night and cooked me dinner and we ate it while holding hands." She looked up at him and smiled before drifting her lips across his, "I always loved that."

He smiled and kissed her more deeply, "Well now you can look forward to me cooking for you every night."

He pointed to the couch and she answered without his question. "It's where we always drunk our glass of Firewhiskey when we had the time; where we'd just sit and talk about nothing and everything."

He nodded and then kissed her again before pecking her nose lightly with a warm, loving smile. "I've been to Potter Manor, Number 12 Grimmauld, Gryffindor Manor, the Potter Flat in London, the beach-house in the Bahamas, the villa in southern France, and yet none of them mean anything to me compared to here. I have no memories of those paces; they all seem so grand and impersonal, but here is different; here I have memories of where our relationship started, where I confessed my love to you, where I first kissed you, where we held hands, the time I accidentally walked in on your showering in my fourth year after the Second Task." She blushed slightly, and he pulled her down onto the soft leather with a wide grin. "This is our home now, if you want it to be. I feel more than happy here; I feel as if it means something to me, which is more than I can say for the grand manors that I have visited."

She wiped her eyes of tears and then smiled wetly up at him with a nod, "I want this to be our home."

He smiled and then kissed her again, "Then it will be, and if we ever need to make it bigger then I'll do just that; it's just a spell or two if we really need it."

She smiled warmly up at him, but then frowned. "What are you going to do for a job?"

He smiled and nodded in the direction of the castle in the distance, "I've been offered the Defence of the Dark Arts post as a professor, and now that I've broken the curse I've gladly taken it. They offered me quarters there, but I held off answering until I knew whether or not you'd marry me."

Her eyes widened in joy, but then, after several moments, darkened almost imperceptibly. She leant up and buried her hand in his hair as she pulled him down into her kiss, and felt her body rush through with heat when he returned the kiss and delved deep into her mouth with his tongue. She pulled away, panting, and then dragged him over to the bed, "Good, because if you had taken the offer then the first year students would be scared out of their wits."

He had the fleeting thought of asking what she meant by that, but lost all coherence when she tore off her shirt and wandlessly banished his in a whirl of passion. Nearly three hours and multiple orgasms later Harry Potter fell back on to the sheets with his wife and cast a quick cleaning and drying charm over them both as she collapsed onto his chest; still shuddering as the aftershocks of her latest rush of pleasure coursed through her. She could feel him still pulsing deep within her, and squeezed him gently with her muscles, drawing a groan from his lips as she milked the last of his seed from him and pulled it deep into herself.

He peered down at her; looking over her panting, tired and youthful body with his all-seeing green eyes, and kissed her lips gently; reminding her of his love. She smiled at his actions and returned his kiss before curling up and pulling the sheets over them both as she breathed in his scent and delighted in the feel of her entire body pressed bare up against his.

"I see what you mean about scaring the first years," he murmured after several long moments of comfortable silence, "they'd think I was torturing you in there if they heard you screaming like that."

She swatted his arm playfully, but the mischievous glint in her eye promised an idea in the near future. Several moments later he was graced with hearing her plan, and he chuckled before bathing the room in darkness with a wave of his hand.

"Minerva is so going to sack me."

And so we come to the end of this story! I wrote it all in about four hours and spent two proofing it, and I must say that I'm quite happy with how it turned out. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review; it's all us authors get.