Renewed Beginnings

The following weeks turned into a blur of activity. Though they decided to keep the ceremony itself fairly small, there was still much to be done. Flowers had to be chosen, invitations made and sent, and there was the matter of attire for the wedding party to be attended to. After much discussion, Catherine had managed to convince Hagrid to finally part with that horrid hairy suit, in exchange for a handsome set of black velvet dress robes.

Not wanting to hurt the feelings of any of her friends, Catherine had made the decision to ask Katherine Snape, wife of Severus Snape and someone she had become quite close with during her stay, despite the animosity evident between Hagrid and Severus, to be her Maid of Honour. Hagrid, to the surprise of none, had asked Harry to be his Best Man.

The location of the ceremony was, perhaps, the easiest decision to be made. Everyone involved in the planning agreed that the huge front lawn of Hogwarts, the very grounds where their friendship and love had grown, was the perfect setting for it to take place. The date, as well, was a simple decision. In order to both accommodate Harry being a part of the ceremony, and to give enough time for the planning, the wedding was set for the last Saturday before the end of term.

As head of the Wizengamot, Professor Dumbledore had agreed to perform the ceremony for them, much to the delight of Hagrid. After much grumbling, Severus Snape had agreed to stand in for Catherine's father to escort her down the aisle.

The morning of the wedding dawned as clear and bright as one could ever hope for. Hogwarts lawn was littered with witches and wizards making last minute checks and adjustments to the flowers and seating arrangements. Had anyone cared to pass the kitchens that morning, they surely would have heard the same bustle coming from there as the house elves bustled about putting the finishing touches on the refreshments for the reception, which was to be held in the Great Hall following the ceremony. A room in Gryffindor Tower, which had been set up just for this occasion, was no less hectic, as Catherine's friends helped her with her dress and hair.

Just after lunch had been served for the students in the Great Hall, guests began arriving. Students, friends, and colleagues began to make their way to the front lawn and take their seats. Before they knew it, Professor Dumbledore had stepped up to the altar. Leading Hagrid and Harry to their places, just as the processional music began to play. All heads turned towards the front entrance as Katherine Snape made her way down the aisle to take her position. Once she had arrived, Dumbledore asked for the congregation to rise as, with a wave of his hand, the music changed to the traditional bridal march. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, as well as many murmurings, as Catherine emerged from the castle, on the arm of Severus Snape, and they made their way to stand before the altar. At this point, Dumbledore motioned for the crowd to take their seats, and addressed them all.

"Friends, we have been invited here today to share with Rubeus Hagrid and Catherine Flaherty a very important moment in their lives. In the years they have known one another, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife."

At this point, Dumbledore turned to face Severus fully. "Who supports this couple in their marriage?"

Though his face said otherwise, Severus, knowing what was expected and required of him, replied, "In lieu of her mother or father, her friends and I do, sir."

With a smile and a nod, Dumbledore dismissed Severus to take his seat, and motioned for Catherine and Hagrid to join hands, before he spoke again.

"As is traditional, I should like to share with you all a small reading that, in the eyes of many, symbolizes what love is. This particular reading comes from "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Muggle author Margery Williams.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

With a smile, he turned to Catherine. "Catherine, please repeat these vows after me - I, Catherine Flaherty, take you, Rubeus Hagrid to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live."

After she had done so, he turned to Hagrid, asking him to repeat the same vow to Catherine, then turned once more to the assembled guests. "And now, please indulge me as I read another passage to symbolize the importance of this day, and, indeed, of love itself. This passage is also my a Muggle author, by the name of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and is from her Gift From the Sea."

When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity - in freedom, in the sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern.

The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. Relationships must be like islands, one must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits - islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides.

After the reading, Dumbledore asked for the rings, and, handing them to Catherine and Hagrid, spoke again. "These rings symbolize the circle of love, having no beginning and no end. Please place them on one another's ring finger of the left hand while reciting to each other 'I give you this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you.'"

Once it was done, Dumbledore smiled once more. "By the power vested in me by the Wizengamot, it is with great honour that I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now share your first kiss of this marriage."

There were several whoops from the audience, mainly from students, as Hagrid, rather shyly, took his new bride into his arms and gave her a lingering kiss. Then Dumbledore spoke again. "Catherine, Hagrid, please turn and face the audience." When they had done so, he raised his arms, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Rubeus Hagrid. And now, we would like to invite you all to attend the reception in the Great Hall to celebrate this union today."

This announcement was met with great applause, as Hagrid and Catherine made their way up the aisle and into the castle, with the guests following behind them.

Epilogue

Ten months later

"I don't think pacing is going to help much, nor make time go any quicker, Hagrid," said Harry.

"Per'aps," said Hagrid. "But it gives me somethin' ter do."

Just at that moment, one of the St. Mungo's nurses came through the waiting room door. "Mr. Hagrid?"

The huge man started at the sound of his name. "Yes? Tha's me."

The nurse gave him a kind smile. "Congratulations, sir. It's a daughter. Your wife is resting, but you can see the baby, if you'd like." She noticed him look at the boy waiting with him, and added, "Your friend, too, if he wants."

They followed the nurse into the small nursery area, and as they looked at the tiny child before them, Hagrid's face held an expression of awe. "Can yeh b'lieve it, Harry? I'm a dad. A real dad. I s'pose innerdctions are in order. Harry, meet my daughter, Seana Rose Hagrid." A tear slipped down his cheek as he delicately touched the tiny hand of his daughter.

Harry smiled. "You'll be a great father, Hagrid. I just know it."