The Moon Has Spoken

Arthur nearly dropped the tray. Molly lost her knit. Ron’s jaw dropped. Harry almost drowned. They heard Tonks choke and Lupin gasp. Moody’s soaked eye flew down to the floor. Fred and George wailed in disbelief. Ginny giggled nervously and Hermione stepped out of the pool to offer them her polite and down-to-earth congratulations and best wishes.
Molly recovered quickly enough, and fixing the loose knit, she babbled excitedly about the upcoming Handfasting.
“The what?”, Fiddler asked.
And she was enlightened about the sacred Wiccan rite, in which the Old Gods were meant to bless and hallow a Union between two people. She learned that tradition held Handfasted couples should last together for a year and one day, then deciding if they wanted to renew their vows or part ways. She felt her heart flutter in fear at that, but Severus made it plain that they would be Handfasted for life for all he cared. She felt like crying again, but she only tossed an arm around his shoulders, much to everyone else’s amazement.
“So what do we need for a Handfasting, anyway?”, Fiddler asked once the bewildered exclamations, the cheery congratulations, and the somewhat disbelieving giggles had weakened a little.
“Oh, it is fairly simple”, said Molly Weasley beaming happily at her whilst her hands were still busy knitting the tiny Weasley jumper for one of the babies. “We’ll need a High Priest. But of course, Dumbledore will be wanting to Handfast you two personally, so he’ll be doing that; we also need a High Priestess, which is usually someone from the Bride’s family… So I was thinking, Fiddler… would you like to ask Minerva? I am sure she will be delighted. Let’s see, so we have the Pri, th, the Bride, the Groom, of course… Oh, and the Four Callers… And the Maiden of the Broom”.
Fiddler gave Mrs. Weasley an inquiring glance, but surprisingly enough, Severus answered for her:
“The Four Callers represent the Elementals of Life, which will bear witness to the Handfasting, and they will each stand at North, South, West and East of the Bride and Groom. Usually, the Bride and Groom chose two each, thus meaning that they are usually two males and two females. But that of course can be changed…”, he eyed the remaining males in the terrace, shivering at the mere thought of any of them becoming a Caller. Fiddler laughed openly, and he continued: “As for the Maiden of the Broom, tradition holds that, before the Handfasting begins, the area chosen to perform it is traditionally swept free of debris and negativity by her”.
“You seem very familiar with the traditions”, Fiddler said, and he couldn’t help but grin proudly at the marvel in her voice.
“My mother was a Wicca Priestess”, he replied silkily.
She held up her index finger and nodded slightly, in a very personal gesture of hers that said: “that explains it”.
“Oh, I think you should pick your Callers now”, said Tonks cheerfully. “After all, they’ll have a lot of words to learn and there are many preparations to be made. I can be the Broom girl if you want. After all, I don’t think I will wreck anything with an innocent broom…”
“Yeah, trust Tonks to do that”, said George shivering in his very own mocking way.
“Tonks, you could manage to kill someone with a butter knife”, growled Moody, and the terrace roared with laughter as they remembered Tonks’ last upheaval involving Moody and a certain butter knife that had suspiciously flown directly towards his magic eye, plucking it out and thus having everyone on all fours looking for the blasted thing for half an hour.
“We’re not marrying tomorrow”, Severus said repressively before he could think better of it. He felt Fiddler’s glance surveying him with another one of her gestures, this one saying: “Oh, sooorry, Professor”, with her best sarcastic voice, so he amended: “But then again, I guess there will be no harm in being… prepared”.
“Of course not”, Mrs. Weasley said. “And, Severus, if you think for one moment that Albus will let you put a delay on this, I am sorry to say you’re very much mistaken. He’d be Handfasting you right know, he he been here and even if he’d had to petrify you to the spot to do it”.
They all laughed at the image (except for Severus, obviously), and valiantly coping with his defeat he said:
“Well, go on then, Fiddler. You go first. Chose your Callers”.
“Thank you, Severus”, she said, and he was certain that he was the only one who spotted the tender irony in her voice. “Well, I don’t think it is a difficult choice… Ginny, Hermione… I would be thrilled”.
The younger women giggled and clapped happily and Severus closed his eyes in a long-suffering expression.
“So I believe it’s your turn now, my dear”, she said, and he jumped at the endearment, moreover when he felt everyone’s gaze on him. He was starting to feel paranoid. Were they all conspiring to make him feel ridiculous? Surely…
Oh, Bugger. He surveyed the males once again. Fred and George Weasley. His insides clenched, although the part of his brain that had always listened to his mother suddenly reminded him that redhead twins were considered a good omen. But redhead Weasley twins… Then, his gaze fell on Potter. His insides clenched twice. Next to him, Ron Weasley. Bugger. And then, Lupin and Moody; and not too far along, Arthur and Molly.
Blast, why couldn’t Fiddler have a brother? Or two. That would have been easy enough, apart from the fact that it would have endeared him to her for choosing her siblings, his Slytherin mind told him … But there was no use in daydreaming. She had no family but Minerva… and very soon… himself.
Oh, Merlin. I am really marrying this woman. Please have mercy.
And then his very Slytherin ability to spot what was convenient provided him the answer. A Family. Mother and Father figures… The sensation of belonging… He knew she craved that, because he craved it as well, so he finally drew in a deep breath and spoke:
“Arthur, Molly… It would be my honor if you’d stand by my side that day”.
No one spoke for a moment, but Molly recovered quickly enough and expressed her profuse thanks to Severus. The Weasley siblings, Harry and Hermione, all seemed thunderstruck by their former teacher’s choice, but delighted all the same, and Moody decided to cheer things up and uncork a bottle of his very own and surely not poisoned red wine. With that, they moved onto other topics. Severus risked a quick glance towards Fiddler and realised she had seen right through him, but she didn’t seem mad in the least. She gave him the thumbs-up and mouthed “Nice move”, before focusing on Hermione’s enthusiastic chatter, and Severus sighed with relief.
It was good to be understood.
~§~§~§~
Molly was right.
Albus most certainly did not let Severus delay things and in no time they had all set for the Handfasting. The Headmaster brought along the claddagh wedding bands and the ribbon with him, explaining rather vaguely that they were highly magic items that just happened to had come across him on his way to Elvenpath. Hermione examined them carefully and then disappeared to her bedroom, coming out later in the night telling anyone who’d listen that the bands and the ribbon had indeed belonged to an exiled Druidess named Ceo… And Severus’ heart skipped a beat. He had almost forgotten about that dream.
He promised himself he’d had to tell Fiddler about that odd connection, but in the mayhem that followed, he quickly forgot.
The archways had been profusely decorated with flower crowns and aromatic vines that had the malevolent tendency to try and strangle passersby; Moody said they could be Transfigured Death Eaters and had spent a whole afternoon trying to extricate dark wizards out of the homicidal trailing plants to no results whatsoever. He finally pronounced them Voldemort-free and allowed them to stay, saying ominously he only hoped they wouldn’t murder anyone at the Handfasting.
Tonks had speno dao days searching for a beautiful broom, and since she couldn’t find one, she had bought a plain one and decorated it with Celtic symbols and Wiccan herbs. She was sweeping along joyfully, nearly knocking Hermione out, who was kneeling on the grass giving the last touches to the petal-made pentacle with her wand.
“I thought we’re not to use magic”, Tonks said.
“Oh, tonight we will make an exception”, Hermione replied swiftly.
“And wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Yes, but mag magical binding of Fiddler and Prof—Severus is more important to us all than a little danger. Besides”, she eyed Tonks thoughtfully. “I thought you’d be used to danger by now”.
“Oh, I am. I just don’t think I want Voldemort to ruin everything”.
“He won’t”, Hermione assured and kept on with her Pentacle, making the petals gleam softly in the dim light of twilight.
The Sun had set, Full Moon was up, and everyone had taken their respective places by then. Tonks put the broom away and composed her robes, then took her place alongside Lupin. She had changed her appearance especially for the Night and she looked oddly like a younger, female version of Dumbledore, without the beard. Hermione took her place to the Southern side of the pentacle and smiled when Ginny gave her the thumbs up from the East. Arthur and Molly, standing each at North and West, grinned when Severus made his appearance, wearing a rather elegant deep blue robe with arcane symbols embroidered. His hair had been smoothed back from his face, and although he wasn’t smiling, his usual scowl was nowhere to be seen either. He seemed peaceful. He walked slowly on bare feet towards the centre of the glimmering petal pentacle and stopped, body slightly turned waiting for Fiddler to join him.
The soft murmur in the garden lowered suddenly when she walked out of the summerhouse, flanked by Harry, Ron, Fred and George. An enchanted uillean pipe and two violins floated before them playing a traditional Celtic ballad as they advanced, but Severus only had eyes for Fiddler. She was dressed in vaporous layers of greenish blue silk with a band of Celtic knot-work along the hem and the sleeves. She had parted her hair at the middle, and then braided a thin strand in each side, twisting them to meet in the back of her head, letting the rest to cascade heavily all the way to her waist. His lips twitched up when he saw her hair arrangement: apparently Ginny and Hermione had managed to fasten practically all the shamrocks from the lawn to her dark head. The effect was not what one would call fashionable, but it gave her an air of a fair Celtic damsel. The soft fabric of her robes outlined her pregnant belly all too well and enhanced her Earth-Fairy appearance. It was breathtaking.
The four boys escorted her as she walked towards the Pentacle with a furious blush but a wide smile, and stopped next to Severus. He just couldn’t meet her gaze right now, so he focused his attention on the pale toes wiggling on the grass.
“You had your way, didn’t you?” he whispered to her.
“I couldn’t let them out”, was her reply.
And then Minerva, imposing with her tartan robes, took hold of the sword and, starting at North, circled the parameter of the circle three times, chanting the traditional words:
\"Three times round, once for the Daughter, twice for the Crone, Thrice for the Mother, who sits on the throne.\"
“I humbly ask the attendance of the Elementals of life!”, said Dumbledore in a strong voice.
Ginny cleared her throat, whilst pouring water into a bowl, and called from the East:
\"Welcome, O\'powers of Water! Bless this couple with a love as deep as any ocean! May richness of body, of soul and of spirit be theirs ever more!”
She placed the bowl at eastern point of the star, and bowed, walking back to her spot. Then Hermione took a step forward, holding a red candle in her right hand:
\"Welcome, O\'powers of Fire! Ignite the Passion and the Love for this blespairpair. Ever burning, yet never consuming one or the other!\"
She placed the lit candle at southern point of the Pentacle, and bowed as well.
Molly scrubbed frantically at her tearful eyes and ignited the incense from the West:
\"Welcome, O\'powers of Air!” she said with trembling voice. “With clever fingers weave tiy thy the bonds of Heart, Spirit and Love between these two! Let none undo the fabric of their love!”
She walked to place the censer at western point of circle, bowed and gave the couple in the middle a bright smile. She walked back to her own place and gave Arthur a signal.
\"Welcome, O\'powers of Earth!”, he spoke with a thunderous voice that startled everyone. He kneeled rather graciously to fill his bowl with soil, and finished: “Bless this man, this woman with thy strength and wisdom. To be theirs as long as love lasts!\"
Fiddler felt her skin curl as she watched Arthur place the bowl in the northern point of the Pentacle. With a courteous bow, he retreated and became good old Arthur again.
Anen, en, in unison, the Four callers spoke firmly and strongly:
\"Gracious Goddess, Gentle God, Grant this blessed pair thy love and protection.\"
\"Blessed Be!\"
Dumbledore asked then:
\"Who comes forth at this time to petition the Lord and Lady\'s Attention?\"
Ginny stepped forward, drawing Fiddler into the Circle:
\"This Lady,\" she said.
\"And this Man”, said Arthur, doing the same with Severus.
\"And their reason?\" asked Minerva.
For a moment, all that could be heard was silence. Fiddler and Severusred red at each other, both incredibly red in the face, and then he heard her in his head: you know we have to say it, don’t you, so he nodded imperceptibly and they both spoke in unison:
\"For the beauty of love!\"
Severus tensed unwillingly after that. He could feel the smiles of the others pricking in the back of his head. But his attention was drawn from those feelings, as Dumbledore clasped his right hand and Fiddler’s left.
\"We gather here this Night in a ritual of love. You, Fiddler McGonagall and Thee, Severus Snape, stand here before your friends, the Elements, the Lord and Lady to join together as the beginning of a family. For before there can be three, there must be two.\"
Severus had to fought very hard not to laugh when he heard Fiddler mutter:
“Oops”.
Apparently, Minerva had heard her too, for she was smiling when she reached for their hands to join them together, making Severus and Fiddler to face each other.
\"Severus”, she said, “what do you have to offer this woman for her love?\"
What, indeed, Severus thought suddenly, but he got down on one knee as tradition commanded and said the time-honored words:
\"I present to her my love and my pledge. May I never knowingly or willingly do such a thing to harm, nor grieve, her in any form or fashion. Accept this, my athame, as a token of my trust. Like its blade, may my love be as strong. Like its metal may our love be enduring. Accept it my love, for that which is mine is yours.\"
“My Love, I accept your pledge”, Fiddler said, and he was startled to hear her voice tremble. “And your love, as I accept thy blade. Know what is in my heart, as I know what is in thine. The magic of my will, of my love, shall ever be thine”.
She blinked away what unmistakably were tears and smiled at him.
Please, let her not cry, Severus thought somewhat desperately. Because if she cries, I will cry, and I cannot cry in front of POTTER!
\"Fiddler, and what do offer in return for the love of this man?\" asked Dumbledore then.
And then she broke the protocol by kneeling next to him, crying rather openly now.
“I present to him my love and this pledge. May I never…” she breathed deeply as if trying to get a grip, but failing. “Oh, God, I am sorry… I’m just…” she waved her hand helplessly and inhaled yet again. “All right, here it goes… May I never knowingly or willingly do such a thing to harm, nor grieve, him in any form or fashion. Accept this, my jewel, my treasure—” her voice failed her yet again. “… as a token of my trust. Just as its bright gleam, may our love glow. Like the stone that it is its essence, may our love be as enduring. Accept it my love, for that which is mine is yours”.
“My Love, I accept your pledge and your love, as I accept thy jewel”, Severus spoke, looking into her eyes intently, watching a tear dangling from her eyelashes. “Know what is in my heart, as I know what is in thine. The magic of my will, of my love, shall ever be thine”.
He held himself rather proudly, because he had managed to say the words without stuttering nor crying. The corner of his lip quirked up and then he heard Fiddler’s voice:
“Show off”, she was smiling, and that was enough to make him ache to hold her. First the tremulously spoken vows, then that mocking phrase that showed both her sense of humor and her delightful sarcasm… He felt oddly reassured, finally giving into the knowledge that he was doing the right thing.
Dumbledore had plucked a green ribbon from his robes and he was binding both their right hands together, touching the knot with the tip of his wand.
\"With this binding I tie you, heart to heart”, he touched his wand to both their chests, “together as one. With this knot you are joined in sacred union. May the Lord and Lady smile upon thee, and bless you with health and prosperity!\"
“May neither take advantage of the other”, admonished Minerva, “For remember what one may not provide, the other may!”
Arthur came forward then holding the claddagh wedding bands. He handed them over to Dumbledore, and he indicated for the couple kneeling before him to extend their hands. He placed the rings on each other’s fingers and said:
\"Your Vows have now been heard by all. These rings, like your vows, are without beginning or end. Now placed, they represent a seal of your love and respect for each other.\"
He then offered them the goblet and the bread, their first meal together as Husband and Wife, and then Tonks hurried forward with the broom, nearly tripping with Fiddler’s feet, and gave it to Dumbledore, who positioned it along with the sword in front of the couple. Then he extended a hand to indicate them to rise, and smiled as Severus helped Fiddler to her feet. She immediately took her hand to the small of her back and grunted. Severus wondered if she was all right.
\"This will be your first act of working together as Husband and Wife”, Albus said. “May the sword cut all ties with the old and the besom sweep them away\".
Severus somehow felt that phrase was directed solely at him. He straightened his spine when Dumbledore took his hand, and watched Minerva do the same with Fiddler. The elder wizards nodded and made Fiddler and Severus step forward, releasing their hands afterwards. The Handfasted couple jumped the sword and the broom in unison, and then Dumbledore approached them to remove the bindings. He held them over their heads and spoke with undeniable pride:
\"I present to you Mrs. Fiddler McGonagall Snape, and her Husband, Mr. Severus Snape”.
“We thank the elementals of life for their attendance this Night and ask they go forth and herald this union”, said Minerva.
And then the Four Callers stepped forward to collect their offers, and said in unison:
\"Hail o\'powers of water! Hail o’powers of fire! Hail o’powers of air! Hail o’powers of earth! Thank thee for thy attention! Sally forth and announce to all this union!”
Minerva grabbed the sword once more, and then, starting at north, she circled widdershin the parameter of the circle three times:
“Three Times Round, Once for the daughter, Twice for the crone, Thrice for the mother who sits upon the throne!” she said, beholding her just married niece with distinctive delight.
“Oh, of course!” Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together. “Severus, you may kiss your Bride”.
Fiddler could see him tense right away, and she felt her own blush spreading quickly on her face. None of them were comfortable with public displays of affection, and this would be indeed the first time they’d actually kiss in front of others. Well, if you didn’t count the times when Fred and George had sneaked up on them… She smiled at the memory as she watched Severus take a step forward.
“I can’t do this, Fiddler”, he whispered, cupping her face with both hands.
“Yeah you can”, she murmured back. “If you don’t, Albus will put us under Imperius to get away with it”.
“I wouldn’t doubt it”, he drawled, and with a resigned sigh Severus bent his head to press his lips to her forehead, then gliding them to both her temples, her cheeks and chin, kissing the shape of a pentacle on her face. Protection. He drew back, with the certainty that he’d see the star shining on her face. And for a minute there, he actually saw it.
“Dilecta mea”, he whispered harshly and that was enough for Fiddler to send her restraints packing because her arms came around him crushing hima sua surprisingly strong embrace. He returned it, holding her head to his chest.
“Oh, screw them”, she muttered against the fabric of his robes in a very Fiddler-ish way. She straightened up to full height, drew in a deep breath and moved her left hand languidly towards the floating instruments. They started a quick, rather bloodcurdling melody and then they all heard her sing, somewhat hoarsely at first:
“I knew you never before,
I see you never more,
But the love, the pain, the hope, O beautiful one,
Have made you mine, \'till all my years are done\"

Everything went silent for a breathtaking instant, no one daring to even breath. Fiddler held out her arms out wide, and the wind blew, making her hair fly around her. She inhaled deeply and her high-pitched Banshee voice came out, loud and clear for once, because being laughed at was the last thing on her mind:
”Without you, the poetry within me is dead”.
She let her head fall, chin resting on her chest, and the music came to a halt. Severus was utterly moved for he knew how much it had cost her to do that, so damned be he if he couldn’t kiss her in front of everybody. A natural blackmailer… Quite the Slytherin, my dear, he thought affectionately before pulling her close to him once more, and he smiled as he watched her eyes close of their own accord as their mouths sought each other’s, moving together in a sweet feather-like dance.
Dumbledore smiled and waved his wand, sending light green and blue sparks to the night sky, whilst the Order of the Phoenix broke in thunderous applause.


A/N.
They finally got through it!!!
Please, R & R!!


Disclaimer: All characters and HP universe belong to J.K. Rowling, except for the ones you don’t recognize. The plot as well is mine and solely mine!! No profit is being made!!!!