(Apologies for the wait. Started studying again.)

New Years Eve.

My Wedding day.

My Wedding day.

It still didn't feel real. As if I was about to dream the whole day and wake up to realise it was all just make believe. The best dream I could have ever come up with.

I couldn't help but feel deeply reminiscent as I sat down in front of my vanity mirror to start styling my hair.

I was about to be married.

Married to a man I have known since he was a boy. A boy that always made sure I had a space to sit at his table and the first person to ever reach out and write to me (despite me not ever receiving them.)

My legs felt restless with nervous jitters. More adrenaline and excitement provoking than anxious. My fingers almost trembled as I began to unbutton the back of my wedding dress; afraid of stumbling into it because of my unsteady stance, I took my time.

I felt the silky fabric slide effortlessly over my body, hugging me tightly in all the right places as if the dress was a second skin. My hands slowly brushed down my frame, top to bottom, making sure any creases were pushed out.

I looked at myself. Stared.

I recognised myself but in the way you recognise an old friend who was lost to time. A familiarity in an image, a body that I hadn't had the privilege of meeting.

I saw a vision of the woman I was becoming. A version of myself that I did not know yet, but wanted so desperately to be introduced to; an urge to connect for it didn't look like me.

It looked like her.

Artemis Lupin.

And I couldn't wait to explore and meet the new version of myself that stood before me as a mirrored reflection of potential.

We had booked the local church. A tiny stone building with a large graveyard of the village folk before us. A building where the local choirs voices could be heard echoed through the streets on Sundays and where every holiday festival was held.

The snow was still thick, though beginning to thin as layers compacted with time and began to slowly melt with the short spurts of sun in the afternoons. Small snowflakes still frequently fell from the sky, however.

The day was bright, quiet. Everyone confined to their homes, planning for their New Years parties one way or another. All you could hear was the slight wind and a chorus of tiny brown birds flying between the trees of each garden.

"Artemis Lupin." I said to myself in a hushed voice, still staring at the mirror.

"Artemis Lupin." I repeated. Trying to familiarise the name as part of my identity.

My mind was ready for the change but to my mouth it felt foreign. Unusual. Very new.

"Hi I'm Arty," I mumbled to myself.
"Arty Lupin."
"- yeah, Remus is my husband!"

I felt a wave of excitement burn through my body saying it out loud, though it wasn't true just yet.

I glanced down at the clock that sat on my bedside table. It was time.

We had planned to have our first looks at each other in our own home, instead of the church. As we were doing this alone, we wanted to travel together.

Before I went to open the door, I took one last look at myself to make sure I made the best first impression as the new me.

As I did, someone crossed my mind and I found myself smiling at the words I remembered.

In some way Narcissa was going to be walking me down the aisle. She was right and I felt her with me suddenly.

I touched the dress again, feeling the creamy fabric against my skin. Knowing that she felt the same feeling on her wedding day.

"Thanks Cissy." I whispered and with a deep intake of breath, I opened the bedroom door.

The click of the door latch sounded around our echoing house, followed by the sound of my small heels touching the wooden floorboards as I began to descend the stairs.

I hesitated on the bottom step, so close to the living room door, that always remained open.

I could hear Remus stand up from his seated position. A small cough escaping his throat, as if he was preparing to talk after the length of our waiting in silence.

"Remus?" I said softly, awaiting approval to come into the room he stood.

"Arty." He said in a similar way back, with the exception of questioning.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment as I took the last step to reveal myself to him. Opening my eyes with a deep breath as I now stood in the living room.

Remus' eyebrows raised ever so slightly, arching together as his lopsided smile appeared. A glisten in his eyes that appeared when he had to take a moment after finishing a good book. A glisten that meant he was stuck in a moment of overwhelming emotion, a look I had often seen him express when he had read something "so beautiful, how could I enjoy reading anything else?".

He wore a new suit. Good quality woven materials that I recognised from our local tailor, who dressed many of the farmers for when they went off to trade. The brown rich and warm against his complexion, his bright white shirt peaking out at the bottom of the sleeves and a dark green tie beautifully constructed around his neck.

His chestnut coloured hair was brushed and pushed out of his face, falling a little floppy around his ears. He quickly tucked the strands behind them once again as I admired him.

He looked perfect.

"You look perfect." He said, stealing the words from my mouth. He said the words in a tone of whimsical surprise; his blushing face seeming bashful at the exclamation.

"You look so handsome." I said back, beginning to grin from ear to ear.

I started to approach him, move closer, as he appeared frozen to the other side of the room. As I moved closer, his frozen position began to melt and he reached out his hand for me to hold to pull me closer.

Remus enveloped me in a warm embrace, the scratchy sensation of his suit against the silk of my dress creating a friction like Velcro. A hug that even our clothes didn't want us to end.

He pulled away, holding his hands against each side of my face in a gentle caress, looking deeply into my eyes.

"Wow," he mumbled.

I laughed with a mixture of light hearted embarrassment and joy.

"We're going to be late for the church!" I said with a smile, though I couldn't care less. I was drawn into the moment, our energies feeling magnetically attracted and attuned to each other. It almost felt as if the church could wait for us.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Remus asked, his eyes radiating a warmth that suggested he couldn't believe today was the day.

"I don't want anything more than to marry you." I said leaning in for a slow kiss, attempting to save the words I do wished to speak for the vows.

Slowly, we began making the short journey to the church. Hand in hand.

As we entered, the priest had just finished lighting a row of candles that provided extra warmth from the chill of outside and the scent of melting wax that complimented the old walls well.

"Ah," the old priest said as he acknowledged our arrival.
"Will you walk down the aisle together?" He asked.

I glanced to Remus and he left the question for me to answer.

I took a second.

"Did you keep the package I gave you?" I asked the priest and he nodded.
"Then, I'd like for you to gift that to Remus and...I'll take a moment before walking down the aisle. Alone." I smiled, the priest nodded and headed off to retrieve the brown paper package I had delivered only a few days ago.

Remus looked confused, as I had not mentioned any package.

"Trust me." I smiled, squeezed his hand and began walking to the designated room where brides would wait before their big moment.

I had told James I couldn't afford a Christmas present for Remus and that if he could help me collect something small that would remind Remus of good times with his friends. James loved the idea and went all into it.

In a wooden box there were a number of objects, all with tags of his friends names.

James gifted a green thread wrapped around a stag Christmas ornament. A memory was written on the tag that also wrapped around the ornament, signed off with his name. The green thread came from the jumper James stole from Remus to give to me over one Halloween break. The jumper itself eventually unravelled after getting caught on a tree branch in the forbidden forest. James accounted that Remus angrily threw it away and James went through the bin to retrieve some of the jumper with the intention of fixing it, knowing it's meaning to us as a couple. Remus still didn't know that, to this day. Until he opens the package.

Lily placed a bottle of suncream in the box with a tiny wool hat fitted onto the lid, a joke between the friends that their freckles meant they could burn in winter and her obsessive reminders to Remus to look after his skin.

Peter placed a mixtape into the box, I hadn't listened to it but it was labelled,
'The songs from night one' and was created from their memory of moving in with each other.

Alice gifted a jar with an origami swan inside. The tag coming with the story that Alice had always kept the origami swan Remus left on the dining room table of their first summer at her lake house. Remus had absentmindedly made it with a receipt of the groups shopping trip that summer and didn't think much about leaving it behind. Alice thought it was worth keeping however and kept it safe in a sealed jar to remember their first holiday as a group.

Frank put in a framed torn piece of paper that he had kept unframed as a bookmark in one of his old school books that he hadn't disregarded. On the piece of paper was a comedic sketch signed by Remus. The drawing was of Remus and Frank dramatically towering above the rest of the group with crowns gracing upon their heads, whilst the rest were drawn scrawny and angry. It was paired with the caption,
'God level vs crab shit' which I gathered was probably an old inside joke.

Marlene gifted a crusty bottle of nail varnish and book glued together by that same coloured varnish. The note on it read,
'Really I just wanted to give this back to you and say...it was me.'
James further explained to me when I asked, that in last year Remus received a library fine for a book he swore was stolen but was deemed lost. Marlene had used the book as something to paint her nails on and spilled it, she hid it out of embarrassment and denied any knowledge of said book. Marlene was the one who stole Remus' book in last year that caused him to have an argument with Library staff.
Sticking up inside the book was the money that Remus originally had to pay.

James looked for Sirius as he hasn't been around to contribute. I told James how important it was that Sirius was part of the memory box too. I couldn't help but think that if Sirius hadn't run off, hadn't ignored Remus for months...our wedding wouldn't have been just us two alone. Remus wanted Sirius as a best man. With Sirius gone and out of the picture, not contacting any of us; Remus' plans for what he wanted our wedding to look like changed.

James has a spare key to his flat and wasn't entirely thrilled that I begged him to find something that could have some significance to Remus. He did anyway. I waited outside for what felt like two hours and James came out looking unbelievably stressed.

"That'll do." He sighed and chucked the object in the box.

James added a glove. Too small to fit on any of our hands. I asked him what significance that had and James scribbled it down briefly on the tag.
'Returning the glove you gave Sirius in first year. Maybe you'll have the pair again.'

"Sirius forgot a pair of gloves in first year. Didn't want to ask home for them. It snowed and we all went out to have a snowball fight." James had explained to me.
"Sirius was quite shy back then. He didn't get involved or talk to any of us and wouldn't touch the snow with his bare hands."

"How does that relate to Remus?" I remember asking.

"It's Remus' glove. He gave up one of his so that Sirius could join in. That night Sirius finally spoke to us for the first time. He didn't speak before that for weeks. The glove was Remus' peace offering, I guess."

"Perfect." I remember replying.

The truth is, I had decided to make Remus a pair of socks and a portrait at that point already for Christmas. I had asked James to help me with this box of memories because... I just wanted a way for his friends to be there with him on his big day. Despite the fact he wanted it to be just us.

Now there was a part of them all here in this room with us, the same was a part of Narcissa was here through my dress- which meant everything to me.

Suddenly I could hear the church organ begin. My arrival was being demanded and the walk down the aisle was about to finally happen.

As I walked down to the sound of the music, I could see Remus was already holding in his emotions from receiving his wedding gift from me that one of the church boys quickly took out of his grasp and placed on a front seat in the pews.

"I love you." He mouthed to me in amazement as I approached him. A clear thank you for my act of thoughtfulness.

It was the least I could have done for him and I felt a wave of relief wash over me that it was received so well.

The priest cleared his throat as I positioned myself in place.

"We are gathered here today for this intimate ceremony of celebration, to begin the next chapter of your lives." He said to both of us.

He began talking about the sanctity of marriage and the joy and responsibility of matrimony before addressing us both again.

"I believe you have both prepared your own vows?" He checked. We nodded.
"I, Remus John Lupin?" he aided.

"I, Remus John Lupin," Remus began, his hands holding mine tightly.
"Promise to love you beyond my dying day. From the moment I met you, something inside me changed and everyday since, in your presence, I feel closer to myself and a life I can feel proud of. You help me find the meaning and significance in everything you touch and truly have opened my eyes and expanded my understanding of love. I now look for you in everything I do and I promise to continue thinking of you when I witness the beauty of the world around me."

I felt myself welling up, tears beginning to roll down my cheek whilst a smile graced upon my face.

I laughed as I brushed them away and mumbled a thank you to him. Taken aback by words I have heard before, though held so much more meaning.

"I, Artemis Black?" the priest aided again.

"I, Artemis Black," I began and gulped down my emotional voice that threatened to push through.
"Never understood what it meant to go home until I found my way back to you. You have provided me the peace and security I had only dreamt of. You have been my friend, my lover and my teacher. You have taught me how to love not only others, but myself and I'm so grateful for that. I promise to stay open minded and pick you, always...and we both already know I'm here for you in sickness and in health. Let's hope for more health!" I joked at the end, tears streaming from my eyes.

Tears that were reciprocated by Remus as he laughed at the ending too.

"I love you." Remus laughed, wiping the tears that had happily rolled from his face.

"I love you too." I smiled.

"And with all that being said," The priest smiled.
"You May now kiss the bride."

Remus leant in for a passionate, deep kiss that we pulled away from with laughter.

"I now pronounce you Mr and Mrs Lupin. Man and Wife."