It was official.

This time tomorrow, Aurelia Murdir would no longer be Aurelia Murdir. She would be married and have a new last name. By the end of the day, she would be part of the Kenrick family. Married and with child. It was something that frightened her less and less with each passing day. When she had first heard, it was terrifying. But now, she was ready to start her own little family with the man she loved. They would have their own life to build and flourish in.

It was later afternoon when the group had managed to finish going over the basics at the church. They had run through the ceremony a few times to get out any kinks, not that there had been many; but you could never practice something enough. Besides, tomorrow had to be flawless.

Aurelia stood outside of the Red Hawk, bundled in a pea coat and a pair of jeans. She had worn a cute dress for the church, but had stopped quickly at home to change. The red head had on a lace tank top blouse and a crop jacket, both ivory in color and a pair of dark jeans with ivory boots. Her pea coat was green and keeping her bundled against the light wind that happened to blow here and there.

Inside were a slew of family and friends, waiting to continue the merriment of the oncoming day. There were still a few people missing from the party though; the reason she hadn’t gone in yet. She had been inside for awhile, but had promised to meet Chase outside before they all gathered inside to eat. Besides, there had been something she wanted to speak with her maid of honor about.

The crisp early spring air still held just the slightest hint of a bite, reminiscent of the darkest winter nights to which Chase was so averse that she had under-dressed, it seemed, not for the occasion but for the great winter's thaw. In any case, she emerged from Charing Cross street and through the courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron in a simple black shift under her trusty belted trench, wishing more than anything that she had bothered to slip on a pair of dark tights at least. The twinkling lights of the Red Hawk approached, to her great relief, and she hugged her quilted leather handbag closer to her side as the wind picked up.

The sun hadn't yet dipped below the horizon at this hour, and beyond the meandering crowds that still lingered, completing final transactions at Gringott's or coming away with an assortment of jars from the Apothecary, stood a lone figure wrapped in an emerald peacoat that Chase easily recognized as her dear friend. What was she doing out here in the cold?

Her steps quickened as she neared, before finally she crossed the final cobblestones and greeted her friend with a quick peck to the cheek and a warm embrace, holding her out at arms' length as though to examine her. "Alright, darling? It's awfully brisk out here all of a sudden. I do hope I'm not tremendously late. Darren said he'd be here shortly, had to take care of a few things at the Ministry. You look smashing by the way, dear." Having said all this in a single breath, her mischievous eyes twinkled in the reflection of the lamp post nearby that had illuminated itself a minute ago.

"I'm so happy for you!"

The banquet room was slowly filling with the wedding party as this person and that returned from France and the rehearsal from earlier in the day. The warm glow of the lamps in the Red Hawk made the tableware and china sparkle. Damian had gone all out to make this ‘final breath before the plunge’ a relaxing and fun evening for those involved. Hugh was standing at the door re-greeting people as they arrived, and making sure they all had drinks, or at least something warm to drink against the cool weather outside. His parents were already seated and chatting away with Higgs and Cabot . He greeted Mildy when she came in, and led her to her chair near the center of the table where she could either talk to Aurelia or the other guests. He also caught sight through the window of Aurelia looking out for the rest, and then he returned to greeting guests. He was dressed in a navy sport jacket, jeans for comfort, and a sweater. He’d gone home to change up clothing for the evening, and go over a few final details, such as transport back to France. The entire wedding party would be whisked back to their accommodations in France by one of the little packet airships that he’d managed to charter for the occasion. That way, no one had to worry about luggage or soiled clothes from floo travel.

The weather in France had been good, if not exactly spring-like, and the rehearsal had been fun, and people were in good spirits; even when a small dog had wandered into the church and barked during Aiden O’Neil’s song. He got himself a glass of champagne, and temporarily detached from the crowd to order a hot drink for Aurelia for when she came in, and then stood sentinel near the door, greeting all and sundry.

It had been nothing but a flurry of activity the past few days for Damian. The build up for the rehersal dinner had Damian working on less sleep than usual, but he knew the pay off would be nothing short of amazing. He had pulled out all the stops for Auri and Hugh and he had to admit, looking at his gastropub now, it looked pretty damn amazing.

He had been working up until the guests started to trickle in and he shed his apron to reveal the nice pair of dark jeans he wore and a dark blue dress shirt with light blue stripes running down it. Spotting Hugh standing by the door he walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Everything running smoothly, Hugh?"

For the last few days, Hugh's existence was a tapestry of fine emotions, for life at the moment was showing its wonderful and beautiful side, and he had no real doubts or second thoughts. To be with Aurelia was a perpetual delight. She always astonished him with a thousand and one feminine niceties and witty banter. She was one of the only women who could make him smile with a word, or with the light in her green eyes. Today at the rehearsal, she'd followed along, clearly feeling what he was, but the light in her eyes came from her heart, and he had been proud to be in her company. He was in this deep thought, not seeing and not hearing much other than the sound of the voices in the nearby banquet room. He was a little startled when Damian clapped him on the shoulder, but he smiled nd chuckled at his own jumpiness. His friend was beaming at him, and Hugh could do no less, because of the beautiful hosting job he'd done so far.

"Wow, look at me jump, ha!" said Hugh, laughing. "It's going very smoothly here, Damian. Thanks to you and your staff. I can't wait until we eat. I hope you'll be able to sit down with everyone, even for a few minutes. However, if you can't spare the time, please come in, so I can announce you to everyone that you don't know, my parents, Father Villeneuve, and so forth. I trust you'll be able to relax for the wedding at at least part of the reception? We've got ten house elves to help out on the reception, so no excuses. I will brook no denial, and Aurelia won't be pleased if you don't have a great time!"

The redhead spotted Chase at once, grinning widely as she closed the distance and lingered at the door with Aurelia. She greeted a few people who arrived shortly after, and gave Gretta’s son a good scruffing of his hair as they brute wandered in.

Turning to Chase, her lovely dressed friend, Aurelia wondered if perhaps she should be inside with Hugh. She would be in shortly, but she wanted a few moments to collect her thoughts and talk to Chase.

“You think it went well? Is it weird I’m not nervous?” She had a million other things running through her head, but for the time being she kept her inquiries to a minimum. It had been a long few months and everything boiled down to tomorrow.

Aurelia drew in a breath, it was chilly but it felt rather good against her flushed cheeks. Chase mentioned how nice she looked and the redhead looked down.

“Oh this. I thought it was okay to dress a little more casual. My sweater is prettier than this petticoat.” Her eyes lingered a moment and her hand instinctively ran itself over her stomach before she shoved them into her pockets.

The day was almost coming to a close, the last of the light over the city seemed as if it were trying to hold on to what time it could. “You look fabulous though. Really. I wish Darren would just get his priorities in perspective..”

Being in the rehearsal had felt strange to Jenn. There she had stood, on an altar in the church, and not with Preston. She had stood straight, and smiled, even when someone had been out of place, or walked too fast to the music, and had tried to play her part well. The bride and groom had looked cool, and confident. If they were nervous they didn’t show it too badly. No one fell down or dropped a bouquet, or a ring and the priest seemed very nice. The setting was really beautiful in the old church, so she could now see why Auri and Hugh had chosen this place. It was going to be a wonderful weekend.

She and Preston had a little hotel room in the town to stay at for the weekend, but the rehearsal dinner was back at the Red Hawk. She was going to have to go by herself, and Preston would stay in Eragny until she could apparate back to the hotel. She kissed him goodbye, and changed into a black dress for the evening, a faux spotted mink coat, and some very tall heels. When she arrived at the gastropub, quite a few people were either there, or walking in. She passed Auri and Chase, who were talking – and gave them a small wave and a smile -- and went inside. She announced herself to the hostess ‘part of the Kenrick-Murdir party’, and was led to the room where everyone was gathered. Hugh was at the door, chatting with Damian, so she said hello to them both, and then went to find where she was going to sit.

Jake had never been one for this type of gathering. He hated whenever the league held their balls or even when he had a dance at school. His saving grace was the fact that he always had a date and he always had Hugh around. This time around, he only had Hugh, who had Auri. Instead of sulking, Jake treated himself to the chance to watch old friends gather. It felt like a fancy version of a Hufflepuff house party with the exceptions of a few faces like Chase. He had forgotten how much he missed being surrounded by the group present with all of his time being distracted by games, practices and Maggie.

After getting himself a glass of champagne, Jake was on his way to return to Hugh and Damian, who were chatting by the door. In never-fails style, his eyes followed a certain blond who walked in looking stunning before sighing. He waved to her with and stuffed his free hand in his pocket. The man was well aware that his long face made him look like a sulking teen but he did not care.

“Relax, I can see you’re tense from across the room,” Jake told Hugh with a grin.

Having tucked her small satchel securely under one arm, Chase ran her free hand through her hair, thanking Merlin that she had bothered with a half-hearted curling charm that hadn't produced entirely shabby results, though it seemed that her hair was perpetually in rebellion these days in its unruliness. Despite the distraction, she greeted the figures who walked by on their way inside, winking at Gretta's son, before turning her attention to her soon-to-be newlywed friend.

"Weird that you're not nervous? I wouldn't have expected anything less from you - it feels like the wedding's been in the making since our Hogwarts days," she remarked offhandedly, tone as cheery as ever. Her molasses gaze, intensely observant, caught Auri's lingering touch on her midsection and she silently wondered if all their guests know. Certainly her friend hadn't been terribly vocal about her 'delicate' condition, and Chase surmised that Trevor and Darren could have guessed already, given their proximity to the redhead. Still, she'd allow her friends to offer any details they wished on that topic before broaching it herself, at least with those not usually in Auri's inner circles.

"Thank you my dear, but I'd be lying if I said that I had the time to ponder this ensemble seriously. You'd be surprised at how many menial tasks crop up when you're not on call at the Ministry 24/7," she remarked wryly, shooting her friend a somewhat dark glance. Her friend couldn't have forgotten the conversation they had had with Minister Rostron a mere week ago at St. Mungo's. Not wanting to remind her friend of heavier times, however, she lightly linked her arm through Auri's as the pair edged back towards the entrance.

"Darren'll just have to catch up," she murmured with a smile in her tone. The gas streetlamps buzzed to life.

It struck Aurelia funny that Chase would mention her wedding having been planned for years. She had had the very conversation with Aiden some months back, when it all first started. It made her happy that she could oblidge her friends and make such a dream so true. The redhead had managed to avoid any pre-wedding jitters, for merlin's sake, he was going to be the father of her children some day soon. Besides, she wasn't afraid of making any sort of mistake; all she had ever really wanted was to spend her life with Hugh. The concept that someone would feel scared of commitment to such a thing had once been a big thing to her, but now seemed rather foolish.

"I know!" She exclamed in retort to the mention of those thoughtless tasks that seemed so time consuming. It was something she could relate to. At the hospital, she was so drawn into her work, that sometimes Aurelia missed a shower or two (never anything more than that though!) and she hardly cared what she looked like. Now though, it was nice to have a sense of normalcy back; to have a routein and care about her appearance again. She had even gone through her wardrobe and upgraded a bit.

"We'll have to go shopping when I get home from my honeymoon. You can help me find cute maternity things, and I'll single handedly turn you into a fashion diva again." She laughed a little, contemplating the idea of the pair of them, bags in tow.

Aurelia linked arms with Chase and nod. The lack in warmth from standing outside prompted a quick agreement with the idea of Darren catching up later. Besides, it had been exactly ten minutes too long since she'd looked at or even kissed Hugh; and that had to be fixed!

Hugh had spent a few moments with Damian, and then had migrated over towards the table again, where Father Villeneuve was telling some kind of story about how the bells for the church were recast from old bronze guns from the Henry of Navarre days. He listened, fascinated for a little while, and grabbed a breadstick from the table to munch on while he caught up with some of the other members of the wedding party. After a few minutes, as he'd seen Jake come in, Hugh moved over to him when the man chided him for being tense. Hugh smiled.

"Tense? No, this is the easy part. Remembering my lines will be tense."

He sat next to Jake, and ticked off the list with his Best Man one more time. It was all taken care of, and there had only been a few minor shuffles of guests at the accomodations. Cabot Forbes, being an accountant, had smoothed that all out, and then Hugh explained that the singer for the reception was actually in London, but would stay in the wedding party hotel. This was Su-Lin Yu, a former classmate of theirs from Hogwarts. The rings for the ceremony were ready, and he pulled them out of his pocket.

"I had the rings for the exchange sized, and the one Aurelia gets will graft onto the engagement ring she already has, so it will be easy to tell them apart. The rest of the arrangements are made. Feel sorry for me, yet?"

He grimaced a little when Hugh insisted again that he enjoy himself at the wedding reception with the house elves in charge of preparing the food. "Well, I wouldn't want the bride and groom angry at me for not enjoying myself." The chef had been so used to running things by himself for the most part that he found it hard to not stop working. He supposed it was about time that he started to settle down and let things go with the flow.

Damian raised a hand of greeting as first Jennifer then Jake entered. Once Jake approached he excused himself to check on the rest of the preparations and left Hugh and his best man to go over the check list of things that he assumed were needed for the wedding. He figured he could catch up with everyone else once the food was served and what not, so he tied on his apron again before pushing through the crowd of people and back into the kitchens.

It had been years since Jenn had seen some of the people who made up the wedding party. Jenn watched from her seat as people continued to come into the Red Hawk banquet room, and Damian had to go into the kitchen to make sure things were under control.

The ‘boys’ were nearby; Jake and Hugh, and they were mostly talking about the wedding day, and making sure everything was organized. They had been strangely silent when she had inquired about the honeymoon that day. Obviously they were going to go somewhere. But that silence from Jake and Hugh was interesting. None of the other bridesmaids seemed to know anything about it. Although she hadn’t asked Chase yet, and she was Auri’s chief confidante. She must know. So she sat and listened to Hugh’s parents talking, and little Marguerite and the young boy that was to be the Ringbearer were there. They were cute kids, both of them. She wished Preston had been a member of the wedding so he could be here, but that wasn’t the point of the party So she ordered up some white wine, and she sat quietly, while she added or listened to people’s conversations.

She leaned over to Reverdy Kenrick, Hugh’s mother, and asked after her own little daughter. It was funny to think that Hugh’s own children would have an Aunt that wasn’t much older than they were.

"Who’s taking care of Olivia?" she asked Hugh’s mother. "Are you bringing her to the ceremony?"

Rather exhausted from a long and unavoidable day at work - he had been unable to attend the wedding rehearsal, much to his chagrin - Trevor strolled casually down the cobblestones towards Damien's well-known and well-respected gastropub. He had overworked himself yet again, in the lab until well into the wee hours most of the nights this past week, trying to work out some kinks in his most recent strains. The plants had developed nicely, but the changes in leaf chemistry had altered the per plant yield, and he had spent hours trying to figure out what had gone wrong. The inescapable roadblock at work wouldn't slow his step tonight, though; he was more than ready for a large glass of wine and a sumptuous meal with friends, even if he wouldn't know many of the guests very well.

Pulling the zip on his fitted leather jacket as high as it would go and snapping the collar buttons, Trevor stifled a shiver. The chill was greater than he had hoped or expected, and the red button-v sweater and thin grey circle scarf just weren't doing the trick. His favorite pair of black jeans weren't helping much either, too skinny and thin to provide any real warmth. Quickening his step noticeably, Trevor rounded a corner and spotted two of his favorite witches as he drew near his destination. One, an appealing silhouette of red hair and green coat, and the other, framed flatteringly in a classy trench, were loitering outside the pub in what appeared to be more than first greeting. Curiosity piqued beside a wash of warm amity and contentment, he addressed them as he drew close.

"What's this? Do I see some last-minute nerve-fortifications? For the unflappable Little Red?" Hugging both deeply and giving a kiss on the cheek to each freely, Trevor smiled genially and gave a small laugh, half at seeing Auri so glowing and half at himself. Here he was acting the Frenchman, and he hadn't even had a sip of wine yet.

Reverdy Kenrick was sitting and listening to people trade stories about their families, and a rather funny story by Father Villeneuve. It was about a kite-flying contest in the muggle portion of Eragny that ended up hanging up a dozen kids kites on the (invisble) steeple of the church. Some quick conjuration of a flock of birds tuggin on the lines had averted any suspicion about the churches location, and the delighted children was amazed to see wrens, crows and ravens flying along with kite strings in their beaks, and then dropping them over the field below where they could be recovered. The adults had been a little baffled at the birds behavior, but as the kites were not harmed, they quickly ushered the children awa from the top of the hill where the birds seemed to congregate on the trees there.

She was laughing at this when a young woman leaned over to ask about her own baby, Olivia. It was Jennifer Sloane-Underwood, one of the big clan that had mostly been Hufflepuffs. Clifford Sloane-Underwood was a contemporary of Garnet and Reverdy. Relations had been minimal for years because of the Kenrick 'problem'; but since the cure, they had thawed out. The Sloane-Underwoods were also supporters of Hugh's projects for the Ministry, so Reverdy had quite forgiven them for any cold shoulder treatment they might have received in the past. Their daughter was a friend of Hugh's, too, and she was a pretty young thing.

"Oh, she's with my brother James and his family right now, but we'll all be there tomorrow. Olivia's burbling, but she's not terribly fussy. I'll use a silence charm on her if we need to keep her from distracting from the main event. How are you doing these days, Jennifer? I only hear occasional reports from Hugh that you're in the Ministry of International Magical Cooperation, and travel a lot."

With the signal of a 'pop', Abbigale apparated not far from the Red Hawk. She had just gotten off work and had decided that a change of wardrobe was in order. Stopping by her flat first, she had thrown on a pink and black dress with a pinstripe jacket over top before rushing out the door again.

Her heels klacked against the cobblestone as the gastropub of her old classmate's cmae into view and also the figures of a familiar red head. By the time she reached her friend, a few whisps of her hair had slipped out of it's updo but she blew them aside reasoning she could deal with it later. Right now what mattered most was the marriage of her best friend and her old friend. Upon closer inspection the figures outside of the gastropub were Chase Lang and Trevor Jennings. She waited until Trevor was done with his greetings before swooping in for a big hug for the red head and a wave and a smile for the other two.

"Oh, Auri, I'm not late am I? I'm sorry, you wouldn't believe how many people came in with this or that. Of all days for St. Mungo's to be flooded with silly accidents."

"Oh, she's with my brother James and his family right now, but we'll all be there tomorrow. Olivia's burbling, but she's not terribly fussy. I'll use a silence charm on her if we need to keep her from distracting from the main event. How are you doing these days, Jennifer? I only hear occasional reports from Hugh that you're in the Ministry of International Magical Cooperation, and travel a lot."

Jenn smiled at the idea of the little baby, and thought how remarkable it was that Hugh's family was growing so fast. Reverdy would be mother and grandmother again. Coming from a big family herself, Jenn knew what it was like, but it was surely a new experience for a woman much older than herself to have such a young child. She'd have to be prepared for the jokes when Olivia was older, although Reverdy Kenrick was still youthful looking. She listened carefully. A silence charm - ha!

"Those silence charms never worked on me, I'd find other ways to get noticed in a big family. Always fighting for attention, and I guess I was successful, for I'm terribly spoiled. But I'm doing well, Mrs. Kenrick, thank you. I'm home now, at least for the time being. I've been in three countries in the last year, and I liked the travel to distant lands, but this is an event not to be missed. Have you had to stop working? Or are you being a superwitch?"

As the pair had just linked arms and turned from the chilly night's air, Chase caught a glimpse of a leather-jacket-grey-scarf clad figure crossing the pavement on his way towards them, but it wasn't until Trevor stepped into the dim glow of the gas lamp that she confirmed his identity and returned his embrace with similarly quick bisoux to his cheeks. She hadn't seen her friend since her stint at St. Mungo's two short weeks ago; Chase hadn't explicitly told him of her reunion of sorts with Darren, but one look around her recovery room had been more than telling to her observant friend.

Cheered by the thought of what awaited them beyond the warmth of the gastropub's entrance, Chase linked her other arm through Trevor's, pausing long enough to offer a nod and a smile at Abbigale as she joined them before nodding towards the door.

"Shall we?" she offered, figure already halfway rotated towards the entrance before awaiting a response. Auri looked as though she missed the company of her husband-to-be, and if she stood there any longer, Chase would've had to cast a Warming Charm on herself to prevent her legs from turning a delicate shade of purple.

The doors swung open gently to reveal the soft din of the guests already present and seated. With Damian nowhere in sight, she offered Hugh and Jake a wink and a grin before selecting the seat before which lay a placard emblazoned with her moniker, greeting guests that she recognized here and there. The goblets arranged prettily in front of her filled themselves with water, wine, and a sparkling white wine, and she caught Reverdy's eyes across the way with an appreciate smile.

"Leave it up to the Kenricks to play such gracious hosts, hm?" she intoned in a whisper to Trevor before taking a brief sip of her sparkling aperitif.

I wonder where that fiend Damian is; have to remember to thank him for that lovely honey cake he sent over to St. Mungo's a few weeks ago... Her steely gaze scanned the counter for the Red Hawk's owner over the rim of her flute.

Hugh saw a few of the party making their way in, including Aurelia, Chase, Abbigale, and Trevor Jennings. He counted heads and empty chairs, but nearly everyone was in now, and he'd soon rise to clink a glass and thank everybody. He caught Aurelia and Chase's glance, and smiled back to them, and all of thm as they took their seats. He indicated the arrivals to Jake, and he caught his dad's attention, too. Higgs wa just settling into his chair, but he didn't see Samantha, yet. His young cousin Tom Brune was sitting near Cabot Forbes.

So, they only needed Gretta and a couple of the others that had been at the rehearsal earlier, they could get the thank yous started, and then eat! It had been a long afternoon for some of the party, working with the musicians and covering all the minor details that would make the actual ceremony come off well. He caught sight of his mother talking with Jenn nearby. He then got up, and pulled out a chair for Aurelia as she approached.

=================


Reverdy Kenrick spent a few minutes catching up with Jennifer about her travels, and inquiring after the countries, and what she was doing there, and then more people started streaming into the banquest room. She laughed merrily at Jennifer's appellation of 'superwitch', although having a child and running a business, and a household was taxing and a lot of work. She imagined she handled it all right.

"A superwitch?" Hugh's mother laughed. "No Jennifer, I'm hardly that. I still run the shoe store, and we opened another one in Sunken London. Between that and the baby it's about all the time I have. Having magical powers to help do it all is pretty handy sometimes. When I was without magic, it was pretty tough for us, as you know."

Reverdy saw the rest of the wedding party arriving, dressed in some fine things. By now she'd met them all, even the ones that weren't working with her son every day at the Ministry. She remembered Abbigale and waved to Chase and Auri.

So, he was late. Personally, he was blaming Deckard for his work hours conflicting with Auri's requirements, and he was running around like a maniac between the Ministry, Auri's place for the purpose of wedding preparations (and sleep, damnit) and Chase's place just because he wanted to. He was a busy man, but he was all about being there for Auri, so he'd suck it up. They were so close to S-Day (Special Day) that it wasn't even funny, and that had definitely fueled his speed in arriving at the location given. The Red Hawk Pub, which had a nice, warm impression to it that he was looking forward to after the chill in the air. Think he was smart enough to dress appropriately for the weather?

Helllllll, no!

He was given a dress code for the different social effects leading up to and including the wedding, and when they said 'casual', he was taking them up on it. He wasn't going to show up in sweatpants or anything like that (partially because he hardly owned any anymore), but he'd gone with jeans that were actually on the higher end of quality where his were concerned, but still had the knees ripped out and some other points that looked like they'd seen better days, including a fraying hole near his calf from a stray curse. All of his clothes got USED at some point, with the exception being the tuxedo he'd be wearing for the wedding. It was new, just to ensure that it hadn't been treated badly on any occasion. His boots were more worn than the jeans, but they were designed to take it a little better, as was the brown leather jacket that he'd definitely dragged through dirt, mud and pretty much everything nasty that the world had to offer at some point. He'd bled in it, and the only thing it had going for it was that it belonged to a wizard, and he'd been able to magically clean it as much as was possible. The long-sleeved, dark green tee was probably the newest thing on his person right then, and even that was well-worn and softened by washes and many days and nights of use. All in all, he looked comfortable, and that mattered. Maybe not high-class and sophisticated, but it had been a very long time since he'd cared about being crisp and well-dressed.

Auri had been pushing that he be crisp and well-dressed for the wedding, and that he shower. She said it like he was a dirty, stinky dude, which he openly objected to, but he had promised to shower for each and every outing that she had planned. It was an unnecessary promise, but he'd been pretty gross after the duel with Asimov, and that seemed to have encouraged her making him promise. She didn't seem to want to know what he'd be doing at work between wedding activities, so he promised and left it at that. For today, he had showered that morning, and his clothes were clean. He'd done his part.

He'd also shown up at the doors to the Red Hawk, which was also doing his part. He slipped inside, shutting the door to keep the cold out, and quickly scanned the tables for his place so that he wouldn't interrupt anything about to happen. Everyone still looked like they were doing their own thing, but he got the impression he was JUST in time to not look like a total jerk for being late. He caught a glimpse of bright red hair and grinned, then headed in that general direction, glancing at the placards in front of the open seats for his. It wasn't all that hard to find, so he settled into his place without incident, and only THEN did he look up to see who he was joining.

Trevor and Chase. Damn, someone had been paying attention when they planned that. That grin that had shown up upon seeing Auri only widened, glancing Chase over and winking at Trevor. It was almost surreal being around all these people again, like a Twilight Zone episode where the poor victim that happened to be the main character went back in time and got to see all the people they used to know. It seemed to make him realize how much he'd changed even more with each face he saw again, but if it bothered him, he was covering it up admirably. This wasn't about him, anyway. It was Auri's S-Day.

"Sooo, let's pretend I'm not a total ass and late, okay?" he asked quietly. "Trev, awesome to see you. Chase, you look amazing, and now I feel really underdressed."

Giving a wistfully knowing and empathetic look to Abby, Trevor let Chase guide him into the Red Hawk proper, but not before shrewdly looking her up and down. Something was different about her tonight, he had no doubt. He also had no doubt as to the source of the change. But that would wait for later, he supposed. Tonight was only intended to celebrate one romance, he thought in mock ruefulness.

As they entered, Trevor caught Hugh's eye and nodded acknowledgingly - he made a mental note to properly congratulate the man later. Greeting most already present with a few waves and smiles, he followed Chase slowly to his seat next to her. There were two conspicuous absences to his eye: one, a man he almost half-expected to blow the doors in with an overly grandiose entrance; the other, a petite girl he hadn't seen in years and was more than slightly afraid of meeting tonight. No, not afraid, he reflected. Hesitant - chary at revealing more than he would ever intend to about what she had done to him. That wasn't entirely fair, he knew, but the thought came nonetheless. He would deal with that when he had to, he finished, and pushed her back into the recesses of his mind.

Taking his seat smoothly, Trevor grabbed a fluted goblet and downed half the glass as it was still filling. Glancing appreciatively at the glass in his hand, he tasted the pleasant bubbly white on his tongue once more before setting the glass back on the table. "Indeed," he replied softly to Chase. It would be a long night, and the wine would probably do more harm than good, in retrospect.

Pulling himself out of a self-contemplation that was head down High Dour Lane, he noticed Chase covertly surveying the guests. Before he could make a falsely taunting aside, though, one of the absentees slipped through the door, quite unnoticed by most. Perhaps his observations from St. Mungo's hadn't been entirely off the mark; Darren had changed. Not so perceptibly that he seemed a different man, but certainly enough for Trevor to wonder what he had been up to in the past six or seven years. The two sat calmly, watching him approach, Chase no doubt trying to avoid a verbal slip up before Trevor confronted her on the issue. At Darren's wink, though, Trevor couldn't help but feel like a seventh-year again, and he grinned roguishly in return. "Glad to see you could make it," he returned warmly. Perhaps this rehearsal dinner would be enjoyable after all.

As she chatted with Reverdy Kenrick, Jenn saw the arrival of a few more people, and Chase Lang came in with Auri and Abbigale. Then she spotted Trevor Jennings and Darren Liten. She rarely saw Trevor, and she hadn't seen Darren since the mission to Italy to track Asimov. She'd read the pepers, and heard the reports about the killing, but he seemed much the same as he always was. He was more casual than most of the party, but that was his style. She waved over at Abbigale and smiled in Trevor and Darren.

"I need to go by your store, Reverdy. I do need more shoes. I bought a couple for the wedding and the trip, but I need some comfortable heels that I can wear in the office but won't wear my feet off."

She ordered another glass of white, and sat twirling it in her hand as the guests started sitting in their seats. She let the sweet-tart liquid wash over her throat and ease her tensions.

"We have all the summer things coming in now," said Mrs. Kenrick. "This isn't the time or place, but if you come by the store -- we have two now -- I'll set you up with my designer. We do everything custom. The fitting and the design. In fact, we did some designs for Auri in the past. But do come by: There's two stores. The little one in Diagon Alley, and the new one in Sunken London. We're even thinking of trying to market a few of the more popular types through some muggle designers. But now I'm thinking more about kids shoes with all the kids expected around here!"

------------------------

It made Hugh smile to see his mother happy. She'd endured some many years of stress and worry, including the dark years when Voldemort had held the world in his grip. But now, the sun had come out from behind the clouds for her, and her whole family. It was largely because of the redheaded girl that came into view with Chase and Darren and Trevor. His mother had seemingly become more youthful over the past few years, and certainly having a child at her age had done something for her psyche. It would be a very different world that little Olivia would grow up in; as well as his own children.

Aurelia had looked relaxed up on the altar today -- in practice -- and she had enough on her mind, and he'd tried to ease it by taking on a lot of the load of the final few weeks of planning. In fact, everyone had done splendidly on their tasks to help. She would worry more about the birth now, though. He had talked about this with his own mother, because she was a high risk case. No one at St. Mungo's classed Aurelia as high risk, to his knowledge. Everything was all right so far. Aurelia was young and healthy, and he knew she'd be all right: He'd told himself many times over the last few weeks. He'd reassured her whenever the subject came up, and after every positive visit to St. Mungos. She also had healer friends that would help, too.

No, that was the next hurdle, for now it was all fun and games. He smiled quietly and watched people chatting back and forth. It was remarkable how they all fit together, and each contributed to the enjoyment of their upcoming big day without anyone really planning it that way. Mildy had said once that in the midst of chaos there is order. That was true enough. Hogwarts years ago was a mass of chaos, and out of it came bonds and friendships that remained.

Yes, it was about a wedding tomorrow, but it was also about those invisible bonds -- some tentative and new -- and some strong and everlasting.

Trevor's furtive scrutiny hadn't escaped her; Chase had merely chosen to ignore that expression on his face that, over the years, she had learned to mean 'I know you're hiding something and I'm about to poke fun at you for it' as she guided him inside the gastropub. There'd be much time to endure his teasing later, she mused with a wry grin. As they took their seats, she also hadn't missed the placards of the empty places across from her, beyond the lovely mini centerpieces that dotted the setting.

Chase hadn't so much as taken her first sip before a casual sidelong glance at Trevor almost sent her initial sip of the bubbly back up in a fit of giggles. Choking back the laugh, she nudged him silently with raised eyebrows. Looks like she'd get her jab in before he did, though the night was young.

"Take it easy there tiger," she muttered, not tearing her gaze from its measured dart across the chamber, though the mirth in her tone was unmistakable. It was common knowledge - at least amongst their friends - that Chase's tolerance to alcohol was complete rubbish compared to the likes of Trevor and Hugh, not merely because of the difference in gender but also because most types of the stuff made her stomach churn in a terribly unpleasant way. Still, for the special occasion, she reminded herself to pace the sipping accordingly and pad her insides well with actual sustenance, and so set down her goblet until Hugh picked his up for the official toast in a few.

She found herself immediately regretting that decision with the arrival of their latest tablemate, however, and quite suddenly found the bubbly on her tongue once more. Thank goodness the goblet was wide enough to conceal the flush of color in her cheeks at Darren's remark; it was certainly flattering and her reaction wasn't quite as steely as it would ordinarily have been.

"Since when have you cared about being 'underdressed'?" she countered with the sort of cheek that Chase generally reserved for their good-natured back-and-forth, setting down her half-empty goblet finally with a smile, trying as best as she could to avoid glancing the companion across from her more than once. Or twice.

The wedding rehearsal had gone very smoothly from Aiden’s end of things. It was the first time she had run her song with the string ensemble and from where she was standing it sounded excellent. It was strange to be singing with someone other than then band, but it was oddly refreshing in a way. Fans and critics always liked to assume that she could only sing the type of music that Andronicus performed. Little did they know that she was a woman of many talents, kind of. Some of the first songs that she learned when she was young were Celtic lullabies and soft, floaty songs like the one she was singing in the wedding. She didn’t get to revisit these things very often, at least not in front of audiences. So she was enjoying this.

She and Ike had made plans to attend the rehearsal dinner, but Cal and Dakota were going to be staying at their hotel in France; Cal was looking forward to some time in his home country and Dakota wanted to explore. Of course, the spazzy girl had kept them occupied after the rehearsal ceremony and had now made Ike and Aiden late. She just loved to talk and it was far too difficult to get her to stop. Even after Aiden freshened up her hair and makeup, Dakota kept chattering. The band had decided to spend a few extra days in France after the wedding and she was so excited and making all kinds of plans; she had a giant list of things she wanted to see and do. It was going to be an interesting couple of days.

After what seemed like forever, the couple was finally on their way to the Red Hawk. Aiden was wearing a pair of black stretchy leggings with a stripped dress. For a splash of colour she wore a headband with a purple flower in her hair.

When they entered the Red Hawk everyone was already mingling and talking. Just from glancing around it felt like they were back at Hogwarts again, milling around in the halls or something. There was Chase, Darren, Trevor, Abbigale… Everyone who was anyone at school, it seemed. For a split second Aiden felt out of place. She knew them all at school but this hadn’t been her social circle so to speak. But the feeling passed as soon as it arrived. She squeezed Ike’s hand and smiled at him before glancing around for one of the soon to be newlyweds to apologize for their lateness.

Aurelia had been a little caught off guard by the sudden arrival of everyone at once; along with just everything in general, the wedding was really happening tomorrow and all the preperations were taking a toll on the usually energetic redhead.

She greeted Trevor with a grand hug before Abbigale managed her way in. The small group hustled into the doorway and even further into the Red Hawk when Darren finally appeared. He had managed rather well, and Aurelia was quite proud of his attempts to at least try to blend into acceptable society.

"Glad your busy schedule allotted you time to join us." Aurelia jested at Darren with a wink. She quickly excused herself from her friends to have a moment to greet Hugh.

She approached him with a smile, slipping an arm around him as she pulled herself close to him. "Hello love." Her voice was a tad small in comparison to the hustle and bustle of the pub, but she was close enough that he could hear her. "How is everything going in here? I think I've rallied a few of the troops.."

----------

At a table a little toward the middle of the room sat a blonde wearing pretty blue dress with golden straps, and her hair was tucked back from its natural ringlette curls. She had been conversing with her husband about the excitement of the following day's events, their children, and even pointing out the occasional person who managed into the pub.

With a quick peck on the cheek to her husband, she got from her seat and shuffled over toward the group who'd entered most recently. Gretta gave a smile to Chase and the fella's with her before addressing the brunette she hadn't seen in ages.

"Abbigale! You simply must come sit with us. Tom and I have room at the table, and it's right next to Auri and Hugh's." She grinned and moved in to give her friend a hug. There was so much to chat about.

Abbigale was soon hustled in with the group and couldn't quite believe all the familiar faces in the room. She knew that there would be old faces from school making an appearance, but not this many. It took her a minute to take it all in, but she was soon distracted by a familiar blonde entering her field of vision.

"Gretta, darling! Don't you look absolutely stunning; Tom is a lucky man." Her arms wrapped around her best friend and a warm smile bloomed onto her face before allowing herself to be led to where the blonde and her husband were sitting. Abbigale greeted Tom before seating herself on the other side of Gretta as a drink appeared before her. Well, Damian had certainly pulled out all the stops; but the brunette expected nothing less, the boy was practically made to be a chef after all. "So tell me what you two love birds have been up to. God knows I've missed out on so much while I'm stuck in St. Mungo's half the time. I might as well live there."

Hugh surveyed the room again with an insouciant air until the final few friends made their way to their chairs, and at the same time he spied Aiden O’Neil and Ike and waved to them as well. The song had come off well after a couple of false starts, and he was glad they'd added the music into the service A couple of the entrants hadn’t been able to make it because of work schedules, but their proxies could fill them in on where to stand. Not to worry. It’s not like it was that difficult to look good standing at an altar. Not with this attractive bunch.

Chase was talking confidentially to Trevor and Darren she looked relaxed as she ever was, a pleasing sight. Gretta and Tom sat down next and were busily engaged with Abby, and the noise level spiraled up until Hugh was sure the rest of the restaurant was wondering what was going on in there. It was like a Hogwarts reunion, and in the back of his mind Hugh thought it might also be the last one for a while as their busy lives drew them inevitably in different directions. But for now he still thought fondly of the many times this scene had been repeated, and with whom. However, as he observed and greeted newcomers, mostly his eyes were on one person in particular. Her face and voice always so familiar, and the dimpled smile, with her red locks perfumed and fragrant as he helped her settle into her chair next to him and she sat close. He kissed her cheek in greeting, and rubbed her hands lovingly, which were a little cold.

“Hello, lovely” he said, smiling. “All good here, just chatting, and, yes, you do know how to draw a crowd, it’s true.” He smiled at her and then said to her in an equally low voice to her as he surveyed the crowd. “What in the world are we doing here?” It was a rhetorical question, of course. “Look at this, isn’t this great? We do like our parties,” he said with a quiet, mirthful tone. “How are you holding up? You want to thank everyone, or shall I? Then we can eat, and just -- fall apart for a while.”

As Gretta led the way back to her and Tom's section of the table, she let out a small laugh. She extended a hand to the seat next to her, inviting Abbigale to join them.

"Oh, you know. I've been so busy with the children since we got out of school that I hardly have time to even think." Gretta explained to Abbigale that she and Tom were even expecting their third about the time Aurelia was due for her twins.

"Actually, I think she might be due a week or so after me. But my first was early, and she has twins. I'm so thrilled at the prospect of our kids going to Hogwarts together down the line.."

Gretta greeted her husband with a kiss before settling down in her own seat. She eyed the room for a moment before turning back to Abbigale, her sparkling juice in hand.

"It's a lovely gathering,. I wish we could do this more often; instead of just for big events. It's so great to see everyone together again. It's been almost ten years since we were all little witches and wizards, running around school like we were going to rule the world." She laughed again, shaking her head. Oh, how the years flew.

-----------

Aurelia was quick to pick up her seat next to Hugh; though instead of her ritual spot on his left, she'd been put on his right. It was going to take a little getting used to, this swap in spots. Still, she smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder as he spoke to her softly.

A small smile had taken up residency on her lips, and she looked up at Hugh with a slight sigh; one of complete content. "You know, I was going to ask you the very same." The red head jested, sitting up straight.

His concern was met with a shake of her head. "I'm fine. Really. I'm just glad all this planning is over, and we can get on with this grand aventure of ours."

To his question of thanking everyone, she decided she would let him do the honors. Besides, she wanted a few minutes to prep herself before everyone started giving toasts and making her cry from all their sweet stories and high praises.

"You're already on your third!? Darling, you're going to end up populating pretty much all of Great Britian at this rate!" Abbigale spluttered, her eyes widening at the thought. She knew that Gretta had always loved children, and once she had met Tom, it was pretty much all the blonde could speak of. It wasn't that Abby disliked children, she just couldn't imagine her being the age she was now and having children. And here her two best friends were, one with her third on the way and one expecting twins. She wanted children, but in her own time.

She couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy when Gretta expressed how their children would more or less be attending school at the same time. She scolded herself for feeling that way quickly though and replaced her surprise with a grin. "My own will just have great role modles to look forward to then, hmm? But that leaves the whole issue of actually finding a poor sap to settle down with and marry first."

Grabbing her drink, Abbigale nodded in reply to Gretta's remark. "I can't imagine being that tiny anymore," she paused before taking a sip of the white wine, "Not that I'd want to go back to my first year of course." That was one year she'd much rather forget if she could.

He should have expected to take some sass out of everyone involved just for showing up, but he certainly thought that they were all exaggerating, and the comically indignant look on his face explained that pretty well. "Hey, you guys should be happy that I found time in my busy schedule to shower and change clothes!" he shot at Auri's retreating back, then rolled his eyes towards Trevor and grinned.

Actually, they were lucky, because if he'd shown up the way he'd looked the night before? HA! Aiden probably would have been the only one who recognized him, and she probably would have freaked out. He hadn't exactly been advertising that he was 'Darren Liten, Auror Extraordinaire' while he'd been lurking around the clubs for information. The auror offices knew that someone had to have an idea what was going on, and there weren't as many young aurors as Darren would have liked. Older dudes were NOT going to fit in like he was, especially with the way Connor had taught him to blend into a crowd. He'd been decked out in eyeliner, a mesh shirt and leather the night before, definitely not his usual, and it made him appreciate the jeans and normal clothes even more today. They still should have counted themselves lucky.

Actually, maybe not. He was pretty sure that all three of them would have paid to see it, which was why he definitely wasn't going to be mentioning it. The only way he could have been caught would have been if Nolan recognized him, and that guy had been WAY too involved in his teammates, the women with them, and liquor for any recognition, or anyone who'd ended up backstage after the bands had finished. He was pretty sure one of them had been called Andronicus, but he didn't really get anything out of them or about them, so he hadn't been paying a whole lot of attention. Frankly, he was pretty confident that nobody would ever know, which was totally fine with him. Trevor, Chase and Auri could live without knowing it.

He lifted his own goblet, deciding already that he wasn't drinking much because wine gave him massive headaches, but he sipped at it and then grinned into the glass at Chase. "Maybe I care now? I don't usually hang out with people prettier than me, and we're in a room full of them," he teased, looking pointedly at Chase again. It was definitely a joke, just in case anyone was wondering. He'd never been spectacularly vain or egotistical, and any remnants of that had been left in the desert somewhere.

Trevor smiled ruefully. Something about Darren's comportment had always been able to make him do so, and it certainly wasn't a fountain of witty repartee. Sure, Darren had his moments, but there was something else - something unrestrained, perhaps - a defiance, that Trevor had always appreciated. That had much to do with the trouble the two of them had gotten into in their school days, he had no doubt. But he enjoyed it, nonetheless. Trevor did wonder at that 'busy schedule,' though. Earlier, Darren had mentioned much the same, citing it as the main reason he couldn't catch a brew with Trevor before tonight. At the time, Trevor had wondered if it was an excuse; it had been a long time since they had spoken, after all. But the ease with which he had said it then, and something about the set of his eyes just now made Trevor reject that possibility. He would have to dig some more with Chase to find out what was occupying Darren's time so importantly. It certainly had to be related to whatever the Minister had urged upon them; and if that was the case, then Chase had to be able to fill him in.

He wasn't exactly sure why he was so hung up on this mission of theirs. He had been interested in Chase's work before, often because it sounded exciting in summary - she continually professed that the boring paperwork and gumshoeing easily outweighed that, besides the danger often involved - but this was different somehow. Possibly because two people he was attached to were involved? Or maybe because it was of national importance? It must be, if the Minister was involved. And for Chase to pick up the case so quickly after nearly dying from her last, albeit rogue, one? Something was afoot, for sure. Regardless the reason why, Trevor wanted to know, and he thought he saw an opening.

"What's this?" he asked playfully, leaning forward onto his fists. "Do I see a thread of pride? In the Auror Extraordinaire, Darren Liten?" Wide-eyed in feigned innocence, he pushed Darren's buttons on purpose. "Perhaps his busy schedule really was so worldly-significant," he mused to Chase. Finding that opening, he added, "What exactly did it consist of, I wonder?"

If he was lucky, Trevor might just get some more clues here, without having to painfully dig them out of either companion later… Or be completely stumped by stubborn refusal. Both friends were unfortunately good at that, sometimes.

Darren had managed to be swarthy and self-deprecating in one fell swoop, and Chase managed to snicker into her napkin, lest their mirthful conversation disturb their table-mates. Then again, she mused, most if not all of the other guests appeared to be thoroughly preoccupied as well: Auri and Hugh were lovingly engaged in conversation, the merry banter continued between the Friar and the other French visitors, and was that a furtive glance exchanged between Jake and Jenn? Try as she might to keep one eye on Hugh's goblet for any indications of the impending toast and other proceedings, Darren's pointed gaze drew her attention again, much more quickly than she liked to admit.

It was Trevor's very subtle remark, however, that refocused her thoughts, and a dark look passed between the two even as a grin eased itself onto her lips. Naturally, she'd catch Trevor up on what she could before the day's events were done, and certainly before the actual ceremony itself, but the bad taste of being asked to leave her own department hadn't left Chase just yet. Running a hand nonchalantly through her black strands in a subconscious effort to smooth her own distaste for the current limbo in which she had been placed by her superiors, Chase nonetheless interjected before Darren had a chance to.

"Knowing him, loads of explosions and such. Y'know, the subtle stuff," she replied easily, turning her blatantly teasing smile on the emerald eyes seated across from her. Chase was teasing, of course; Darren was nothing if not subtle, if a bit reckless, in action, much like she was herself. She wouldn't even venture a guess at what he had been up to the night before, as he hadn't made the usual detour to her place, and could only guess by the hints he had dropped here and there that Deckard had him on some reconaissance missions locally.

"But seriously," she added, dropping her tone just a few notches, "Whatever Darren's been up to, I'm sure you - and I - will find out in due time." And she meant it. She had had some idea of what Minister Rostron had requested of Darren, though the specifics wouldn't be available until she and Darren had a chance to speak privately. Being sequestered away at her townhouse wasn't much comfort when she knew what lay in store for the entire department; the sensation was akin to sitting on an active volcano or ticking bomb, and the knowledge that she was essentially helpless was more than just a little unsettling. Trevor wouldn't have to do much probing later on to draw any information from her.

I am no Superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero
Oh, that's for sure
But I do know one thing
Is where you are is where I belong
I do know where you go
Is where I want to be

-----------


"I'm fine. Really. I'm just glad all this planning is over, and we can get on with this grand adventure of ours."

It was another truth that she spoke, which he acknowledged with a smile, and a nod. The glitter of the plates, cups and glasses, as well as the attire of those at the table held his attention for a moment longer. He had just the one champagne flute, and that was going to be his limit for today.

He couldn’t deny that their quiet talk he led him to thinking of the day tomorrow, but he knew it would be a perfect day, as sure as his mind fancied Aurelia. She had a wealth of mirth by nature, and her glance was as soft as light. How beautiful she had grown in her happiness, and he wondered to see it happen. He caught the sound of her pensive enthusiasm in her voice and the light of the sparkling tableware in her eyes, and it was time. He touched her hand again lightly at her reassurance that she was feeling well, and he had touched her only to assure himself that she was really there; which of course, she was.

"Good," he replied to Aurelia, "well it looks like everyone has some kind of glass in hand or near, so let’s get this party started. Where’s Damian?"

Hugh looked around once and saw Damian come through the doorway on some errand, so Hugh signaled to him by that unconscious look of eye and smile, that he wanted him to ‘hold up’ a moment. When their host had stopped, Hugh grasped his champagne flute in his right hand, and left his other hand in Aurelia’s as he rose to address their company.

He cleared his throat and waited as the various corners of the table saw him rise. He raised his glass a little, to watch it sparkle in the light. He wanted to savor the moment, so that it wouldn’t mock him afterward. Hugh was not a speech maker except by necessity, and it was only in protestations and confessions of love to one splendid girl that he’d ever found his true voice, and he worried lest the words he said here and now be forced, or seem inappropriate. He decided to keep it very brief, for as Aurelia had always known, he had a tendency to babble on. Harmlessly of course, but still, it was time to ‘get on with this grand adventure’.

When it was silent, he began, and the faces glowed in the light, and he was smiling without effort.

"It’s been a long day for all of us, whether we’ve been at the rehearsal or at our jobs, but we wanted to take just a moment before we get to see what Damian’s got for us all. We wanted to thank him for the fine hosting, as some small reward for all the people in this room that have given of themselves to help us in our planning for tomorrow.... Mildy, my parents, everyone knows how much we thank them."

The glass in his hand shook the tiniest bit with the nervousness he felt, and yet a few moments before he’d been relaxed. He needn’t be nervous in front of these people, but he was, because it was deeply felt: The gratitude, the lack of ability to truly thank everyone properly in a few words, but he glanced at Aurelia and he found the words as he saw her, and spoke again.

"I can sum it up like this. I believe we have two lives. The life we learn with; and the life we live with afterward. I thank you, Aurelia, my love, and all of you here we thank for making both our lives so complete.”

He raised his glass and smiled at the assembly.

Once Damian entered the kitchen, he was fully engrossed in what he was doing. Making sure that everything was being prepared, or the preparations of being made; going over the menu list one last time to see what went out and to who even though he had done it numerous times over the past weeks. It was practically engrained in his head and at one point he had even had a dream about the dishes for Merlin's sake.

He had been so engrossed that when Amber tapped him on the shoulder to inform him that it was almost time for the dinner to start, Damian bolted up right and thanked her before clearing his throat over the bustle of the kitchen. Everyone who worked for him was on hand tonight because it was a rather large event. Set up alone had practically taken everyone and service, well, they just had to see how service went. He had no doubt he'd be here until the wee morning cleaning up though; at least he had promised everyone double time for staying. "Everyone! We'll be starting soon, so get ready. Prep whatever you have to finish prepping. I want prep done in 15 minutes or when I get back, so no excuses, yeah?"

With that he stepped back out kind of shocked at how many people had arrived while he had been in the kitchens. He saw so many familiar faces and it sort of made him giddy at the fact that they were all together under one roof like it was old times. He paused mid-stride when he caught Hugh's eye and he picked up a glass of champange from a nearby table when he realized that his friend was about to make a speech as did everyone else in the room.

Gretta and Tom eyed one another at Abbigale's question slash statement about them being on their third child. The pair smiled at one another and Tom reached for Gretta's hand, giving it a light squeeze. The blonde turned back to her dear friend and grinned.

"Yes. We know. But both of us come from a big family, so it's only natural we keep with tradition." She jested. "Besides, if I don't have a handful of them, who is going to listen to my attempts at singing." It was that moment that Gretta caught sight of Aiden and grinned, giving the girl a small wave. She absolutely adored the work that the girl did; and it had even inspired her own love for music. Of course, she didn't think she was nearly as talented; sure she'd been in the school chorus, but so had a lot of other awful singers.

Gretta eyed Abbigale as she spoke about her own future children and her eyes seemed to sparkle with an idea. She and Tom were due for a dinner party soon, and Tom had a bunch of associates from work that would perhaps be fine candidates for her friend. If anything, it would save her from double or tripple overtime at the hospital. Thank Merlin Hugh had returned to her friend, otherwise she was certain both her darlings would be lost to St. Mungo's rediculous schedules.

She was going to say something to Abbigale about it when she saw Hugh out of the corner of her eye. "I guess it's time to get this dinner party started." Tom added, handing a glass of juice to his wife. They turned their attention to the bride to be and her soon to be husband.

Aurelia had thought about rising up with Hugh, but decided that her poor feet needed a break. She'd been standing and running around all day with last minute wedding preperations and it was almost just as bad as running around the hospital. Besides, her stomach was starting to poke out a little - not really enough to take away from her wedding dress, but enough to make standing a little more awkward than usual.

She held onto his hand as he rose though, looking up at Hugh as the words so eloquently flowed. It was funny that he had kept things so short; as she was half expecting him to do that cute babbling he did when often she had the chance to overhear him talking about her.

Though he kept on so well, Aurelia could tell he was a tad nervous. She gave his hand a small squeeze, her own silent way of providing the realization that it was going to be fine and he was doing marvelously.

When he raised his glass, the redhead picked her own sparkling lemonade up with her free hand, raising it like many of the other were. She mouthed an 'I love you' to Hugh and grinned.

The scene reminded Jenn of a painting she'd seen once in a muggle museum. What was the artist? She couldn't remember, but it had been pretty, like this. The blonde girl was sitting quietly, listening to talk of people around her, and the weddings they'd been to.Even minor disasters that had occurred, although they had been mostly funny. One of her own sisters had accidentally applied a shrinking charm to the wrong ring, and her husband hadn't been able to get it on his finger. She didn't expect that to happen tomorrow, and with one veteran (Gretta), they had plenty of smarts when it came to avoiding slips. She would be like the mom to the rest of them. She was about to ask her a question when Hugh rose and the table fell silent.

She had seen Hugh in many situations like this, and she’d always thought he was an excellent speaker. (Though he always denied it) Whether it was pep talks to the team in the school days, or around a briefing table at the Ministry, he was well spoken. However, he certainly brought a small tear to her eye with the little thank you he gave. She smiled, and raised her own glass, and clinked it with her neighbors to either side and across the table.

It was a relief to have Aurelia right there, mouthing encouraging and lovely words at him, but the little speech seemed to have gone well, and after the party had toasted he sat down; somewhat relieved. His father was nodding at him in an approving sort of way, and then began talking to Father Villeneuve.

"You know something," he said quietly to his companion on the left, "when we start out our lives, we don't know where we're going to end up, do we? But I have no complaints. I wanted it to be an extraordinary journey for you. It is for me, and that's why I'm always thanking you. I have a couple of surprises planned for tomorrow, but don't be alarmed, it won't be during the ceremony. That's untouchable. It's all for fun, plus I - uh, gave a song to Aiden to sing at the reception after the first dance that I think you might like. Sort of sums up how I feel. But --" he put his fingers to his lips. "Shhh for now."

The room became a blur. The girl next to him was all he saw for the moment, anyway.