Aurelia had never been so awkwardly organized in all her life; all this wedding stuff, with babes in tow, had turned her usual disorder order into a systematic living. She made appointments, had lists, and it all really did help. She sometimes wondered how she had survived all these years without keeping records of anything.

With her bag of wedding things in tow, the red head made fast work of the streets of Diagon Alley. She was almost running late for her lunch date with Jennifer. She, Chase, and Hugh had gone over a few things important to the wedding; their topic lingering on the bridesmaids that Aurelia was having trouble rounding up.

After Hogwarts, the once social butterfly had become something of a recluse. Her separation from Hugh at that time made conversations with friends really exceedingly awkward, so she avoided them all. If she never saw familiar people, they couldn’t ask about him, and that had just been easier for the red head to deal with.

But like most things in her life, it all ended rather well. She and Hugh were one again an item, and then some. They were getting married on her birthday, and the fact remained; she needed bridesmaids.

Aurelia ducked into the Red Hawk. She greeted the hostess, who asked about her planning, and the baby (babies possibly). The red head kept from gushing, taking a seat at the bar as she waited for Jen.

The letter from Aurelia asking to meet with her about something to do with her upcoming wedding was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Although she and Aurelia were no longer antagonists, she rarely saw her except for a couple of lunches and an art gallery walk-through a long time ago. However, Jenn had always admired the girl, and was more than willing to help in any way, and quickly replied that she’d meet her.

She had been to the restaurant a few times since her home wasn’t all that far from the Red Hawk, but only now when she wasn't overseas had she spent any time in Lond. She got out her hat and coat, and apparated to a square near the pub and restaurant a little before the appointed time. She hadn’t seen Aurelia in a while, although she’d been helping out with some IMMF business, and had seen Hugh briefly a couple of times in the office. But there she was, chatting with the hostess.

"Auri, hi!" she said excitedly, and she meant it. Jennifer had heard about the engagement through the Ministry grapevine, and had been extremely happy to hear that her two old school friends were tying the knot.

"It was so good to hear from you," she said, and hugged the red-haired girl, who looked very happy and stylish as always. “Oh, God, contgratulations! Where’s the ring?" she asked, excited as if it was her own wedding.

Aurelia and the hostess had a little time before Jennifer had showed up; so they talked about this and that. The red head had even showed her a few things in her wedding book.

When Jennifer arrived, Aurelia packed her book back into her bag, shifting in her seat to greet her. She accepted the hug and gave a genuine grin.

“I’m glad you could make it!” She stood and adjusted her shirt a little; this whole pregnancy was getting the best of her paranoia. Until a week ago, she hadn’t noticed any noteable change in her appearance. But now, there was a definite little baby bump. She knew she was going to get something of a tummy, but she’d always been so petite and tiny. The whole thing was a tad scary.

At Jennifer’s request to see the ring, Aurelia held out her hand. She blushed a little and smiled, “Lets get a booth, I have so much to show you. And I’m famished. Impending children take a toll on my appetite. I swear I never ate so much in my life.”

She wondered if Damian would be lurking around the kitchen; certainly if he was, he would show up and perhaps take a few moments to join them. Any input on the menu would help greatly.

The blonde examined the ring for a moment, and marveled at it, and made some appreciative comments at its size and color. Then she allowed herself to be led to a booth where they could sit, and look at the menus. What Aurelia had said about childen, though, had startled her. She had no idea that they had started! So she was eating for two, no wonder she was hungry!

"So, you're - youre expecting?" said Jenn, a little in awe. She came from a large family herself, and growing up in a house with seven children had been a bit chaotic at times, and Jennifer was the youngest. However, she was happy for her friend, who seemed happy, too. She'd never doubted that Hugh and Aurelia were lovely together in all kinds of ways, so while the wedding wasn't a complete surprise, the news of a baby was.

"Well, whatever I can do to help, my goodness! Wait -- blonde moment -- did you say, children?" One eyebrow went up.

Once seated with Jennifer, Aurelia was ready to gush all her details and news. It had been ages when she could just sit around and chatter. Chase was always busy with the ministry; and unless Hugh had a real need for her – ie: a mission they were going on – she was left to the confines of herself or lurking around St. Mungo’s picking up stray shifts here and there. But with all the wedding planning, and the concern about her impending children, Aurelia had been too tied up with things to tell anyone much of anything.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, not realizing that Jennifer hadn’t been told anything. Well, this was a little awkward. “Yes.. After the engagement we were traveling so much.. I mean, it’s not excuse; but we’re not engaged because of it..” the thought had never crossed her mind before that moment. She really hoped people didn’t see it like that; that this fella had decided to just ‘do the right thing’. Her cheery grin faltered for a moment, until she decided it was silly to get worked up.

Jennifer’s question of multiple children made Aurelia laugh a little. “I mean. I won’t know for certain for about another month or so, but Mildred swears up and down it’s twins.” She sighed and picked up a menu. Not that she really needed it; she was certain there was only one thing she ordered from the Red Hawk these days; broccoli and chicken alfredo. Today, she thought she’d add shrimp, for good measure.

“Have you any idea what you’re ordering? I’ve eaten the entire menu; Damian was my personal chef when I worked at the hospital full time.. It’s a lovely thing; having a cook live across the street.”

Once all the details had been made clear to Jenn, she smiled and leaned back in her seat. She knew the pair too well to think any ugly thoughts about the engagement.

"Auri, I'd never think it anything but providence that you're engaged and pregnant, dear one, accidents happen," she said cheerfully. "Lucky, I'd say, even if it does seem like awkward timing. And twins? Gosh, instant family!"

She laughed her little waterfall laugh, and touched Aurelia's hand in a comforting way before picking up the menu. She'd just been here a few weeks ago, and she was ready to try anything.

"I think I'll have the salmon," she said. "I like Damian's sauces."

She looked around for Damian or a waitress while she gave her full attention to Auri.

"Now, then, what did you want to see me about? Obviously you could use some help getting things ready for the big day, and I'm used to pushing paper around, so..."

Aurelia knew that Jennifer wouldn’t think ill of their engagement; but it was a little startling from an outside point of view. She smiled and nod along to the blonde. Lucky, indeed, that she was going to get the whole kit and caboodle right off the bat. But there was a lurking terror. A feeling of sometimes complete uncertainty that stirred in her head.

What if she ended up like her mother?

Aurelia decided that it wasn’t the time, place, or exactly the person that she wanted to have that conversation with. She and Hugh had touched briefly, but she hadn’t even expressed her complete concern with him. It wasn’t the actual thought of death that frightened her; it was that she would be leaving him alone. He was a grown man and could handle it, but she didn’t want to go back on a promise she’d made him make her.

“That salmon is superb; one of my favorites during the lent season.” And it was also true that Damian had the most magnificent sauces. There was just something about his cooking that she so loved.

Aurelia pulled out her big folder, digging through the pages she and Chase had gone over a few days prior. The red head tilt her head to the side until she found a particular clipping. Pulling it from her bag, she showed Jennifer the picture of what she’d decided her bridesmaid dresses would be. Though the event was going to be in February, they were witches and could perform a simple warming spell to keep from catching cold.

“I wanted to see you because I wanted to know if you’re not too busy, if you’d help Chase out a little, and be one of my bridesmaids.” She drew in a breath and grinned.

“Listen, I know we weren’t always the best of friends; and I know that we don’t currently keep up or spend much time with one another. But you’re a bout a close a girlfriend as I have besides Chase or Abbigale. And Hugh’s list of groomsmen is outstanding compared to who I’ve managed to get to agree to be a bridesmaid. Plus, you’ve always been a good friend to Hugh, to which I’ll always be grateful."

A waiter arrived and Jenn ordered the salmon on Auri's recommendation. While she watched Auri trying to decide on something, she looked at the picture of the bridesmaide dresses that she had decided on, and a smile lit her face.

"Lovely," she murmured.

The girl had taste, Jenn had always known that. The choices were beautiful, classic and simple, but very elegant and flattering for almost anyone. But then the red-head floored her with the next request to be actually in the wedding. Jenn looked at Aurelia, almost uncomprehending, but she listened carefully to her friend relate her reason. Jenn could feel the tears coming up into her eyes and for a full ten seconds she didn't say anything. Then she spoke.

"Auri, I would be honored to be a bridesmaid for you," she said, and she got out of her seat and moved around to the other side of the booth to give her an awkward but very warm hug. She fought down the impulse to get a big handkerchief from her bag, and smiled through the tears. She also fought down the idea of pulling out a notebook and quill.

"Whatever you need done, I'll do. I'm handy with hair, and makeup and things," she laughed, "but you knew that already" She wiped her eyes with her sleeve in a very uncharacteristic way, for she was that touched and happy. "What the first thing we need to do? Do you have the others lined up, too?"

Aurelia made a fast choice of her favorite dish; thought she had to admit, she considered changing up the order when Jennifer had mentioned the salmon. Her stomach grumbled in protest though, and she chose to stick to her favorite, with an order of some fresh shrimp to munch on while they waited for their actual meal. The waiter made fast with placing their order and bringing them drinks as everything else was prepared.

The redhead had been idly fussing with a lock of her hair, which seemed to be dry, when Jennifer finally caught what she had asked. She was a little shocked at her floored response; was it really that obtuse to assume? Aurelia mustered a small laugh when Jennifer got up to hug her. Well, she was glad to have made the blonde’s day with her request. She did seem exponentially excited about the whole affair now.

“Well. Chase is my maid of honor, and I have you, Samantha Brown, Gretta Morris, and Abbigale Thompson.. Hugh has Jake for his best man, Trevor Jennings, Cabot Forbes, James Higgby, and his cousin Thomas Brune..” She rifled through another folder quickly, pulling out a sheet of paper with names and pictures of each of her bridesmaids and groomsmen.

“We tried to make it visually appealing when we matched everyone up. Well, besides Trevor and Sam, but I did that because I’m going to kill over if those two don’t get their heads out of the dirt and just date already!” She laughed and sat back, smiling as the waiter brought the cup of shrimp and her cocktail sauce.

“Jake with Chase, of course. Higgby with Gretta, you and Forbes, Trevor and Sam, and Thomas and Abby. I know we’re all busy people these days, so I set it up that we don’t necessarily have to be at the dress shop the same day.. if you send over your measurements, I’ll fill out the paperwork and they’ll get ahold of you when the dress is ready to be tried.. I’m not sure on jewelry or shoes yet, but I figured if I don’t get all the invitations done with, I could get all the girls together to help me.. Though, I’m sure I’ll get them done this weekend.. Apparently Hugh and Jake have a man-date or something..”

He was trying to hide something from her, and Aurelia knew it. It wasn’t anything bad, or she would have confronted him about it already. Still, as she was so wrapped up in wedding plans, she hadn’t pressed the issue with him.

As Auri rattled off the names of her fellow bridesmaids, she smiled. She knew them all, Gretta and Abbigale were a little older than Jenn, but they'd been in the same house. Samantha she knew slightly, a very smart and pretty Ravenclaw girl with a bad crush on Trevor even in those days. So she stifled a giggle at Auri’s plans to put them together in the lineup. Chase of course, had been an advocate of hers for Prefect, and although they weren’t close, either, they’d always been on friendly terms. Walking with Cabot would be great, as he was the husband of one of her best friends, Kristy.

“Oh, that’s great that Cabot is a groomsman, and Kristy will be glad it’s me and not some other girl! Jewelry, hmmm, well based on these dresses, I’ll probably limit my jewelry, after all we don’t want to blind the priest with flashy stuff and he drops the prayer book,” she said smiling. “But I know a few places for accessories you could try for you,”

Now the notebook came out, and a quill. Between gentle sips from her root beer float, she wrote down a few addresses for them to shop at and look around. Most were very upscale, fashionable muggle stores in London, and she also suggested some lingerie stores as well for things to wear under the dresses and….for the HONEYMOON. She offered to go with Auri on any shopping trips for any of the accessories, or go and buy anything she needed, but didn’t have time to get. On separate piece of paper she gave Auri her complete measurements, and handed it to her. Jenn was always a fashion-plate, so she had them in her head. Besides, if the dress still didn’t fit, she could use spells to alter it.

“There, that ought to do. I’ll be glad to help with the invitations, I’m used to paperwork in the Ministry. Let me know if you want me to winkle any secrets out of Jake; as I know how to make him talk.”

She paused a moment.

“Oh, where’s the wedding, the reception and so forth?”

The red head and the blonde sat in wedding commotion. They enjoyed the appetizer and their drinks as they waited for their main courses.

“Eragny-sur-Oise, outside Paris. Silly really. We don’t have any real connection there; but the painting of the church there is why Hugh and I even became friends.. We were having awkward conversations all those years ago on the train to school, and from there we just sort of hit things off..” Because of that painting, the girl had met a boy that had, in many ways, completed her. Perhaps it was silly to some, but the place did hold a special meaning to them.

“I have a friend coming from over seas to help me; apparently Hugh and Jake have some business north, so I’ll have a free day to get a bulk of everything done.”

Aurelia smiled and sipped at her tea, going over the endless clippings and pictures. She showed her the dress she had in mind, taking a breath.

“I might have to get a size bigger than I’m accustomed to; but the wedding is close enough as it is, and I don’t see me popping out of it, so I think we’ll be fine.. I can’t believe you hadn’t heard though; oh well, I suppose Hugh has been pretty busy, he’s got his plate full I guess..”

The redhead wondered when their food would be arriving; there was a lurch in her stomach and she was a bit hungry. For a moment, she wondered if perhaps Damian were in. If so, she knew it would only be a matter of time before he reared his pretty little face. Besides, she had a few things to pass along; Chase, Hugh, and Jake had been discussing the menu for the wedding. Aurelia didn’t so much care, as long as she had some alfredo and chocolate, her day would be superb.

Auri looked a little hungry while they waited, so Jenn passed the garlic bread over to her friend to still the pangs. France was a romantic place, and she 'd never heard the story about the painting and such. It all made sense now, since she'd seen some of Auri's mothers art.

"It must be a beautiful place," she said, "I can't wait to see it. No, Hugh hasn't said anything about the location, but I only see him around the office once in a while. So, pick the day and I'll help you carry stuff you shop for. Bring your friends, we'll make a day of it."

A trip to France was something Jenn had wanted to do, without the burden of business. Paris was nearby, if she remembered her geography correctly.

"Why don't we all go shopping in Paris?Best place I'd say.What's the plan for a ladies night?And the bridal shower and the baby shower? I''d be willing to do any of that for you. My parents have a big flat inLondon."

As if on cue, Damian came reeling out of the kitchen, carrying hot plates of food and doing his best to not drop it. He had been busy in the kitchens that day and honestly didn't have any sorts of plans to rear his head in the front end of the restaurant. He was just a in bad mood today - Vera credited it to his lack of sleep, which he supposed he may needed more of. He had been up coming up with ideas for the dishes that he may use at Hugh and Aurelia's wedding and he certainly wasn't blaming them. He lived for food and this was something he offered to do himself. What was so frustrating was that he couldn't seem to come up with something that he thought would be perfect for the two.

So when he had recieved the order for a salmon with his special fixings and an order alfredo, Damian hurried to cook them and waced Rose off when they were done. "I'll take them to the table if that's alright, Rose." The girl nodded and set off to take another order to their awaiting patrons and Damian took his apron off and made the journey through the kitchens to where he knew his friends were sitting.

His hunches had been correct of course and just spotting Auri's red and Jen's blonde hair from across the gastropub was enough to make him smile a bit. "Sorry for the wait," Damian spoke with a clearing of his throat as he slid the plates in front of them. "I didn't keep you two lovely ladies waiting long, did I?"

The talk of shopping certainly perked Aurelia’s interest. It was a lost hobby to her; it had been ages since she really bought anything new for herself, there was no need since prior to her reunion with Hugh, her entire wardrobe consisted of smocks and sweats. Now though; with the transfer to the IMMF, she did need a few new outfits to romp around in. Besides, she would need a few maternity outfits soon, for her stomach wasn’t going to keep its flat shape forever.

“I was there recently with Hugh, and there were a few places I would have liked to stop but didn’t. There was so much to do when we were there that I didn’t really have the chance to do it all.. I don’t know anything about a baby or bridal shower.. That I guess would be left up to Chase and you ladies. I was thinking of having a big get-together soon though; so all my ladies can be well met, not that you all aren’t.”

Aurelia silently wondered what Gretta or Abby would think of her having Jenn in the party; as her girls had never had strong feelings for the blonde. Still, if she could let the past rest, she didn’t see why they couldn’t as well. Besides, it was her big day, not theirs.

She went to open her mouth to say more about Paris, but a stunning man who held the most delicious food in the joint arrived with plates for them. Her cheer seemed to double, if not triple.

“My love! I mean the chicken alfredo, not you.” She laughed and gave a playful wink. The redhead got up from her seat to give Damian a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Jen and I were just saying how lousy service was.” Again she laughed and shook her head. Far from the truth actually, they were always the best at the Hawk. Aurelia sat again, and gave the empty seat at their table a tap.

“Actually. I do have some papers to hand off.. Chase and Hugh have been working on ideas for the food aspect, mister chef.” She turned to Jenn and smiled.

“Damian has been oh so gracious to agree to cater my shin-dig of a wedding.. And I’m paying him, regardless of what he says..” She nod and dug out a few stapled papers, handing them over to him quickly so she could have a few bites of her food.

“Then I think a shopping junket to Paris for all the women is in order,” said Jenn, who got out her little appointment book she kept everything in. “Why not Saturday? We can all pop over on the zepp, and be back, well, whenever. If we go by air, the packages won’t trouble us as much as floo travel.” Suddenly, the idea took hold in her mind. She needed some things, too. Maybe something she could actually wear if she and Preston stayed in France afterwards. So much to do now!

It wasn’t long before, with impeccable timing, Damian Mitchell arrived with their food, and it smelled delicious. Auri seemed very excited, and it brought a smile to her own face as well to see her so – animated. Most of the time in Jenn’s presence she seemed happy, but usually more reserved; but her energy today was bubbling over. Damian presented the plates with a flourish.

“Hello Damian, we were just wondering when you would turn up,” said Jenn. “I’m looking forward to the menu for the wedding, and I quite agree with Auri, if you’re going to cater, you must be paid. Can’t do things on charity. I hope you have a dessert menu? I know you have an awesome one here!”

"I'm sure that's what you meant as well, Auri," Damian replied with a playful roll of his eyes although a smile wasn't far from his lips as Auri eagerly dove into the food he had just brought.

"Bad service?" he asked with an offended tone. He knew that the redhead was joking of course. He was a bit of a drill sergent when it came to service; it was just as important as the food. Everyone got proper service, even the cads who seemed to want to find a problem with every little thing, but Damian would be lying if he said that personal friends of his didn't get some of the best service. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to dock my own pay, hmm?"

When the papers were handed off to him he gave Jen a wave and a smile in return. "Ah, sorry about that. It's been busier today than usual. If it hadn't been the tip off of your previous waitress, I wouldn't have come out of the kitchen." He couldn't help but smile a bit at the flattery. It was true that it was odd of him to insist that catering the rehersal dinner was going to be free, but Hugh and Aurelia were a pair of his dearest friends. He waved away the idea as if it were silly. "How about you pay me in happy memories and the safe birth of those twins, hm? They're sure to get a great feast after they eat the line up we have for the rehersal dinner."

As he leafed through the pages, Damian couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. This would take massive amounts of pressure on his part, and the ideas were always appreciated. When Jenn mentioned dessert however, Damian looked up and grinned. "Of course I do. The blushing bride here loves chocolate so I can garuntee that there will plently of that avaliable." He motioned to the papers in his hands, "I have no objections to other suggestions though."

Aurelia was delighted at the additional company. And she hadn’t just meant the sentiment about her food; she did love Damian too. They had had so many conversations that carried that topic. Perhaps in another lifetime though; for once the red head had found Hugh, her days of being overly flirty with other guys had long passed. But Damian was an important person to Aurelia; he had been a lifelong friend of hers, for they lived just across the street from one another.

“Bonnie and Clyde will be fine. Mildred said I was going to be okay, so I’m choosing to be optimistic.” She dug into her plate again for a moment before looking up. “Oh.. Those are code names for the buggers.. I’d never really name my children that..” She laughed and dug into the plate again. Eat, eat, eat. It felt like that’s all she ever did anymore.

"For deseert, just make it chocolate, any form you like," she said to the chef and the chocolate lover. "I saw some of those cakes you've got in the display case, Damian. When are you going to publish a cookbook."

While the topic was on desserts, Jenn turned back to her food. It was terrific as always, and it was nice to catch up with Damian, and make him get off his feet for a while, as he was always running...running, every time Jenn visited the Red Hawk. She munched for a while while Auri talked with him, and she nearly choked on the names that Auri had chosen, but managed not to. Now she remembered her Aunt, the Divination teacher. What a thing that would be! To have your family expect that you were expecting!

"I didn't know any Bonnies or Clydes at school," said Jenn. "But you two are pretty creative, I'm sure you can come up with some names, unless you think Hugh is picky about using family names or something. Lord, my family is. What about middle names from relatives? Mine's Marie, somewhat French, I suppose."

"A cookbook?" Damian couldn't even count anymore about how many people had asked him about that. It wasn't that he didn't like cookbooks, it was just that cooking wasn't meant to be something restrained to a set reciepe and besides which, he didn't exactly have the time to publish one let alone write one. "Not any time soon I'm afraid. If you do want a reciepe for one the dishes though, I'd be more than happy to write one up for you, Jenn," Damian said with a smile and a playful wink. "No charge too."

Damian supposed it wouldn't be too bad to sit down for a while. His staff were usually on top of things and the rush looked like it had slowed down. After all, if he was needed, he could always just jump right back into action. A glass of water with a lemon wedge appeared as he waved at the bartender on duty who gave him a thumbs up in return. Just as he was about to take a sip though, he had very much the same reaction Jenn had upon hearing Aurelia mention the supposed names of her babies.

"...I wouldn't put it past you to do it," he smirked good naturedly after he wiped his mouth of the water. The chef couldn't help but laugh as the conversation edged into names. "My mum was apparently dead set on naming me 'Alfred' after a late uncle or something like that. My old man talked her out of though and just made me middle name 'Luke' after a great grandfather of his. Can you imagine me as an Alfred?" He shook his head at the thought. "Vera got my mum's aunt's name though."

Aurelia was quick to agree with Jennifer with her idea of there being chocolate. What was better than the best comfort food in the world? Sharing it will everyone she loved. There was little the red head actually had to do with the actual menu, which was a godsend given she had her plate full of every other wedding plan. Her only request was that there would be alfredo and chocolate, and it was being delivered by the best chef in London – okay, maybe she was a little biased.

“Oh really. I’m not naming them Bonnie and Clyde.” The red head laughed a little, shaking her head. Setting her glass down, she looked between the two of them as they talked about children names. Perhaps her and Hugh should sit down and have a talk.

There were a few names that ran through her mind. If it were a boy, she was fond of the name Alexander. Hugh would be tickled; in history there was an ‘Alexander the great’, and Aurelia sometimes thought it was pretty clever. If it were a girl, she’d been partial to Amelia. Some time ago there had once been a woman pilot who concurred the skies named Amelia, she had been phenomenal. Middle names were hard for Aurelia, as she wasn’t even sure where hers came from.

“Hey. I like Vera’s name..” She raised her eyebrows in interest.

Jennifer had mentioned a cook book and Aurelia had always thought it was a great idea. She certainly had enough of his recipes jotted down. He would hardly even have to do any work.

“That’d be a fabulous idea.. If only Damian would hire a wagon of sous chefs so he could leave the Hawk for more than seven hours to go home and sleep every night..” Clearing her throat, Aurelia smiled at Damian. “I’m just sayin…”

"You really ought to get more help, Damian. You must come to the wedding just for the wedding and reception, not just to work."

Jenn was used to busy schedules, and the chef should relax at the reception, since he and Auri were such good friends. He'd have to dance...at least a little. Or maybe he couldn't dance? She was looking forward to the wedding now, and a chance to dance with Preston.

"I've seen Auri and Hugh on the dance floor, and they're good. I'm not worried about them. If you come, you have to dance! I'll teach you, if you need lessons. In fact, Auri, I could help anyone in the party that needs to to brush up. If I could teach Jake Darney to shuffle about, I can teach anybody."

"Thinking about adding Vera's name to the list of possibilites?" Damian asked curiously when Aurelia commented on his sister. "She'll be tickled that you're even considering it."

"You know what they say. Too many hands spoil the potion," Damian replied with a shrug and a grin. It was true that he worked more hours than he should, but this gastropub was something that he'd worked on for such a long time. 'Course if anyone had told him when he was younger that he was going to working 7+ hours a day working non-stop, he would have laughed it off. "I did just hire a new chef though. A bit clumsy, but we'll get that worked out of him in no time."

He winced as Jenn piped up. "Not you too. I will be there at the reception though. Auri would have killed me if I wasn't and I wouldn't miss it for the world." He grinned. "That's why she insisted that I only cater for the rehersal dinner and not the actual wedding. And even after I offered to make only the wedding cake."

To be truthful, Damian hadn't really ever gone dancing in his life. Any one of his friends knew he was a qudditch man through and through, and well, imagining himself try to dance was like a disaster waiting to happen. "I might make you incapable of dancing ever again if you tried to teach me, Jenn."

Aurelia grinned at Damian’s comment about names for her children. Vera would be tickled for sure, but the redhead wasn’t going to really name her children that. She had names picked out. She even threw out the idea of actually naming one of her future kids after her mother.

“When I do the name change, I’m dropping my legal first name.. So maybe I can bestow it on another child of mine.. Cordelia is a lovely name, after all.. But it just wasn’t my name, yanno?”

She shrugged and listened to talk of dancing. Aurelia had always been lucky to be half decent at that art form. At the end of the day, it was about expression and just having fun. Aurelia grabbed a notebook from her bag and jotted down ‘practice proper dances for reception’ under her ToDo list. She needed a quick refresher on steps, it’d been awhile since she really danced.

“Jennifer is tops. I do believe a little birdie told me she even helped Hugh once or twice..” She wrinkled her nose in a grin and gave a little laugh.

It wasnt unusual for men to be awkward about whetherthey could dance, so Damian's response was expected. Jenn's feeling was that everyone could dance, it was just their confidence that was lacking. She'd learned at a very young age, before she could become too self conscious. It was also possible that Damian hadn't had any time to learn. She didn't remember him from dances, just the food.

"I don't know if you'll have time, Damian," she said, "but I'll be glad to teach you. As Auri said, I can claim to have taught Hugh long ago, although he's not rusty. But if you want some pointers, Auri, I can certainly help you too. Or anybody else that needs it."

She mentioned shopping for good shoes, too, to the red-haired girl, and offered some tips on some pretty shoes that could double as dance shoes for the reception.

"What color is your gown, and what length, Auri?"

"Well if it means that I won't be hurting anyone at the wedding, then I'd be more than happy to take some lessons. I'll pay you back in some form of food, I promise."

Damian leaned back in his seat and took another sip of his drink as the conversation shifted into dresses. Being a typical guy, Damian didn't have a huge interest in clothing, but he knew he had to show up looking slightly presentable. In his opinion, Aurelia would look gorgeous in anything she wore.

Aurelia was thoroughly excited about the headway of all the plans. She slipped out from her fixation on her food for the talk of her dress. It was a meticulous search for such a beautiful thing, but her dress had been the one thing that the redhead had the most pride in. Her dress had been a quick find, and it was utterly flawless – in her most biased opinion at least.

“Oh. Look at it. But don’t think ill of it, the picture doesn’t do it justice..”

The redhead fished out the picture, slipping it between the two of them so they could see it. She smiled and dove back into her plate. She was almost done with her meal.. How sad it was going to be when it was all done with. But alas, there was always desert!

The picture of the wedding gown that Auri showed them was classic Aurelia Murdir: Beautiful, simple, clean-lined and yet elegant. It was unfussy, and would show off all of the older girl's many great features, and not detract.

"Oh, my, I love it!" she exclaimed, in a sort of hush. "I can see you in that, for sure. It'll show off your beautiful hair so well, too, and it's perfect for your skin color."

She secretly thought that she would wear something like that at her own wedding - someday. She detested some of the dresses she saw at most of them: They were often huge things, unwieldy, and always out of character with what she believed was the true meaning of a wedding gown: Something that spoke who you were, and made you beautiful without effort.

"Hugh will love that. So, we have to get some cute shoes and somethnig for you hair. Do you have a veil? How about soemthing borrowed, something blue, and so forth."

Jenn noticed that she'd been doing most of the talking, and Aurelia had certainly been enjoying her food. Well, that was all to the good if she had babies on the way. She dug back into her food while Aurelia finished her own, and she tossed the next question to Damian.

"What's for dessert? I think all this planning and stuff needs dessert!"

Damian let out a low whistle when Aurelia slid the picture of the dress she was supposed to wear between he and Jen. He figured that was all that he needed to say because, really, what did he know about these kinds of things? Despite that, even Damian could tell that it would suit Aurelia very nicely; he hadn't any doubt in his mind that she knew what would look good on her and what didn't.

He snapped back to attention when Jen spoke and asked him about dessert and he grinned. "That is true. I wouldn't want two lovely ladies working on an empty stomach." Drainging the rest of his drink, Damian was ready to get back to work. Any special requests? I know that we have some vanilla cake with chocolate filling waiting in the back just waiting to be eaten."

Aurelia was pleased that the pair seemed to like her dress. She personally couldn't wait to try it on. In two days she would take a quick aperating trip to Manchester to a small little shop that had the very dress on hold for her. From there, she would have her initial fitting and any alterations would be made by a muggle woman. It was going to be nice to take a day from the wizarding world to be amongst muggles; it gave the whole trip a nice feeling that she'd be doing something the old fashioned way.

The questions from Jennifer prompted an odd look from Aurealia. She hadn't even thought about her veil yet! Or shoes! Oh boy! There was another set of things to jot down on her 'to do' list. She further eyed the blonde with a look of shock, borrowed, blue, old and new! She had none of those things.

"I haven't any of those things.. I'm no good at all this wedding planning. Perhaps I should have hired a professional." She jested. As if she would have even considered it! The redhead had her mind set on going about this wedding business on her own accord. There were friends to help where she needed it, but a lot of it really had been planned in her head for years.

Damian and Jennifer chatted about desert for a moment, and this peaked the redhead's interest quite a bit. Her sweet tooth could always use a good dose of chocolate.

"I'm certainly game." Aurelia agreed to the idea of his choice. It sounded delightful!

"A slice of cake for me, and a mimosa to toast with, please," said Jenn. Then she turned bakc to Aurelia's concerns.

"Don’t worry about those details, we’ll get all of it on the shopping trip, Auri," said Jenn soothingly. "I’m getting be an expert with six brothers and sisters that are either married or engaged. No to mention my cousins, too."

She didn’t have a brides magazine handy, as she’d just been recruited, but Jenn mentioned a few things that were traditional about the gown, and accessories that would give her ideas for when she did her final shopping. She wrote a couple of them down for Aurelia to take with her if she also went looking for things with Chase Lang. Jenn recalled her sister Julia’s wedding, and how she’d had a borrowed veil.

Well, let’s see. They’re all supposed to be good luck charms. Your dress is new, and you’ll have new shoes. Done. Something old could be anything, like a favorite pair of earrings or a significant piece of jewelry that goes with the dress? Some people put a silver coin with the year they were born inside their shoe for good luck too. I’m sure you could find a sickle for that."

She put her head to one side, and scribbled down a few ideas.

"As far as something borrowed, your Aunt might have something, or you can borrow something from Hugh’s mother, too. Maybe she has her veil? Something blue, let’s see. It comes from the ancient tradition of wearing blue for weddings, but it could be an accent, or maybe just the garter."

She looked at Damian.

"What did your family do for these things?"

"Coming right up!" Damian extracted a note pad scribbling in his signature handwriting that every one of his staff had grudgingly got used to reading. Trying to figure out what he wrote became something like a game for everyone that worked at the Red Hawk and Damian sometimes wrote out random messages just to amuse them all. Tapping it with his wand, the note paper folded obidiently into a paper airplane and glided into the direction of the kitchens.

When he turned back to the conversation, the two girls were back into their wedding talk and while Damian couldn't exactly sympathize with them, he had been around when Vera had been preparing for her wedding so everything sounded vaugely familiar to what Vera's aggrivations were during that time. He blinked his blue eyes when Jenn addressed him and he pointed a finger at himself. "Me?" He leaned back into his seat and thought about that before answering.

"Ah, well I was around there to keep Vera sane and fed while she was going through all this business. She was all about following traditions so she did basically the same things. My gran on my Dad's side had an old veil passed down from the generations so Vera got to use that and she had blue flowers in her bouquet or something like that." He shrugged and grinned a bit sheepishly. "Sorry if I'm not any more help. I was trying to get past that whole part of wedding preparation without too much damage done to myself."