Chapter 1134: The Wedding
Chapter 1134: The Wedding
Many guests were shocked when they saw the elderly man standing there as the wedding officiant. Even though they had heard the news, seeing these two centenarians in person still stirred their emotions. They all understood the significance of this occasion.
Nicolas Flamel cleared his throat, and the noisy crowd gradually quieted down as people turned their heads towards the entrance of the tent.
Having taken the Felix Felicis, neither Albert nor George felt nervous under the gaze of the guests. Instead, they smiled and made their way through the crowd, hand in hand, towards Nicolas Flamel, who was officiating the wedding.
As Albert turned to look back, his heart skipped a beat.
Everything else seemed to fade from his vision, leaving only the beautiful figure before him.
It felt like a dream.
Isabelle was breathtaking in her wedding dress, holding a bouquet of flowers in her fair hands. The white gown accentuated her curvaceous figure, and the delicate fairy accessories enhanced her radiant beauty. The long train of her dress trailed behind her as she gracefully walked down the red carpet.
When Hagrid handed Isabelle over to Albert, the wizards in the tent couldn't help but marvel at the handsome couple.
At that moment, Nicolas stood before Albert and Isabelle, his eyes filled with warmth as he looked at the newlyweds. "Today, we gather here to celebrate the union of two devoted souls..."
Albert barely heard what Nicolas was saying. He smiled at Isabelle, and in her eyes, he saw a depth of love that warmed his heart.
"Albert Anderson, do you take Isabelle McDougall to be your wife?" Nicolas asked with a smile.
"I do," Albert said solemnly. He gently squeezed Isabelle's hand, slipped the ring onto her finger, and made the most important promise of his life: "We will be together forever."
"Isabelle McDougall, do you take Albert Anderson to be your husband?"
"I do," Isabelle replied, her eyes shining with passion as she looked at Albert. She placed the ring on her beloved's finger, and even though this bond was merely a formality for the two of them, the young woman still relished the moment, whispering, "I want to spend my life with you and face death together."
"I now pronounce you lifelong partners," Nicolas said to Albert with a smile. "You may kiss the bride."
Albert leaned down and kissed her, and Isabelle responded with equal fervor.
The couple embraced in a passionate kiss, immersed in the happiest moment of their lives, as if the world had paused for them.
Nicolas waved his wand gently, and the golden balloons above them burst open. Magnificent birds and tiny golden bells flew out, along with a shower of silver stars that twirled around the tightly embraced couple.
Fred and George led the applause and cheers, and soon the tent was filled with jubilant voices as everyone offered their blessings to the young couple.
Hagrid looked on with contentment as the newlyweds kissed, then raised his wand and waved it gently. The neatly arranged rows of chairs instantly transformed into a pool of molten gold that spread across the tent, forming a glittering dance floor, with Albert and Isabelle standing right in the middle. Soon, they were surrounded by well-wishers.
Albert smiled as he received the guests' blessings, and together with Isabelle, he held a knife and cut the wedding cake that the house-elves had prepared. They even fed each other sweet bites of the cake.
After the wedding ceremony, the guests returned to their respective tables to enjoy the wedding feast.
However, the gleaming golden plates were still empty, but each person had a small menu in front of them.
Albert looked over his menu and then clearly stated his choice to the plate: "Steak!"
A steak immediately appeared on the golden plate.
Anyone who had attended the Triwizard Tournament's Christmas ball was familiar with this, and they were more interested in the delicious options on the menu.
Many guests were focused on eating, as the food provided was exceptionally tasty.
Although the portions were not large, most people were eager to sample all twenty-four dishes on the menu.
Nia stared at the golden plates, which looked as if they had just been washed, and asked curiously, "How is this done? Is it magic?"
"Yes, it's a kind of magic," Albert explained with a smile as he swallowed a sweet shrimp. "The house-elves transmit the food onto the plates. Of course, it's not as easy as you might think. If it weren't for Dumbledore borrowing the house-elves from Hogwarts, this would be a challenging process."
"I thought you would hire waiters," Nia commented.
"That could easily be exploited and is unsafe," Albert said softly. "House-elves are much more reliable. We owe them a lot. It wouldn't have been easy to ensure both security and secrecy without their help."
"So, where do you plan to go for your honeymoon?" Daisy asked.
"France," Albert and Isabelle replied simultaneously, sharing a look.
"I suggest Hawaii," Luke interjected. "After all, if you honeymoon in France, you might attract the attention of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Don't worry," Albert reassured them. "We've prepared for this a long time ago. I'll have the house-elves bring out a ship, and we'll spend our honeymoon in international waters off the coast of France. Even the Death Eaters won't be able to find us, thanks to the Fidelius Charm cast on the entire ship."
"Don't worry about us," Nicolas said, holding Perenelle's hand and smiling at the couple. "We're just happy to see you two get married."
Katrina ate quietly, occasionally sneaking glances at the newlyweds who were whispering to each other, and then at her mother, who was chatting with Mrs. Daisy. She then returned to her food.
The food at the wedding feast was indeed excellent.
Compared to the quiet at this table, the other tables were much livelier.
The Hogwarts professors were discussing the wedding and marveling at the delicious food on their plates.
Well, except for Hagrid, who had a special menu and was enjoying a massive plate of seafood fried rice.
However, he didn't seem to mind and was engaged in a conversation with Madame Maxime.
"Speaking of which, where's Snape?" Slughorn asked. He had been wanting to bring up this topic since earlier. All the Hogwarts professors were present except for the Head of Slytherin House.
"He's the only professor in the school who didn't receive an invitation," Hagrid mumbled. After noticing Dumbledore's gaze, he promptly returned to his food.
"That is odd," Slughorn remarked.
He didn't think Albert would intentionally leave out Snape.
"My old friend, what do you think of my proposal?" Dumbledore changed the subject, intending to invite Slughorn back to teach Potions.
After Umbridge's deeds became known in the wizarding world, no professor was willing to take up the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts.
Everyone considered the position jinxed and didn't want to risk their lives.
"Never mind, I'm getting on in years, and I've been retired for quite some time now." Slughorn politely declined.
"Why didn't Albert invite Snape?" one of the students asked.
The Hogwarts students' table was close enough that they had clearly overheard Hagrid's comment.
"It's simple," said Lee Jordan matter-of-factly. "It's because Albert doesn't trust Snape!"
"What are you thinking about?" Angelina Johnson asked Fred.
"I was thinking about what our wedding would be like," Fred said cheekily.
"I'm not even thinking about getting married yet, and..." Angelina huffed, "I just joined the Quidditch Club for trials."
"But you can't play Quidditch forever, can you?" Fred reminded her.
"They look so happy," said Penelope Clearwater, gazing enviously at Albert and Isabelle.
"How are things with you and Percy?" Truman Claridge asked.
"We hardly talk anymore," Penelope said helplessly. "Percy always says he's too busy with work."
"Percy's an idiot. You should give him a good whack with your wand; only then will that fool come to his senses," Fred scoffed.
"What are you thinking about?" Cedric Diggory asked Cho Chang.
"I was thinking about when we'll be like them," Cho murmured, knowing why Cedric was avoiding the topic.
"If you're looking for a job at the Ministry of Magic, you can ask Albert for help. He's quite close with Scrimgeour," George suddenly interjected, addressing Cedric. "Although I don't think it's a good idea to go to the Ministry right now, if you want to, that might be the fastest way. Or you could come work at Dad's office as an assistant, handling the Ministry of Magic orders that come our way. It's always better to have someone we know handling those things."
"Are your Dark Magic Defense products selling well?" Cedric had heard some rumors.
"Yes, they're quite popular, and they will be for at least the next few years. If you don't want to go to the Ministry, you can come help out at the store. The pay will definitely be enough to support you, and Albert is rarely around, so I'm usually the one running things there," Lee Jordan said, glancing at Fred and George. He couldn't help but complain, "It's hard to manage everything alone."
"As for you, Cho, if you haven't found a job yet, you might consider helping out at the beauty shop. I remember you were quite good at Potions and Herbology, so you won't have to worry about being jobless after you get married," Penelope suggested, gesturing for the group to look at another table.
"I heard it's a very famous international beauty shop, a joint venture, I believe," someone added.
Everyone turned to look, and indeed, there were many captivating young ladies at that table. However, the atmosphere seemed somewhat oppressive for reasons unknown.
At that moment, Krum was feeling glum. He noticed that the beautiful girls around him seemed to be in low spirits, and even Hermione, who was usually quite cheerful, seemed affected. She kept her head down as she ate, barely acknowledging Krum's presence.
As a woman, Pavati Patil was more perceptive than the boys, and she vaguely sensed the reason for the somber mood. After they had mostly finished eating and waltz music began to play, she pulled Bill up and suggested they go dance.
Albert and Isabelle had already left their seats and were the first to step into the dance floor, their graceful and elegant dance earning applause and cheers from the crowd.
Soon after, Herbert and Mrs. McDougall, followed by Daisy and Maugrey, made their way to the dance floor, and more couples joined them, embracing each other in the rhythm of the music.
"Hermione, let's dance," Krum said, turning to her with a smile.
"I'm sorry, Viktor, I'm not really in the mood to dance tonight," Hermione said, her eyes lingering on the dancing couples before returning to her plate. She didn't know why, but she felt rather down that day.
Krum was perplexed, but he soon noticed that the other girls at the table also declined invitations to dance, all giving the same excuse—they didn't feel like dancing.
After the music ended, Albert and Isabelle left the dance floor to greet their old friends who had come to the wedding.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you," Albert said to Dumbledore as they walked out of the tent. "What you're looking for might be with a house-elf, and it's related to a wizard named R.A.B., the sea, and a cave."
"R.A.B.?" Dumbledore furrowed his brow.
"Probably an acronym for their name," Albert speculated.
"Thank you."
"No, I should be the one thanking you. We couldn't have pulled off this wedding without your help," Albert said with a smile.
Dumbledore shook his head, indicating that it was of no concern.
"By the way, there's something else you should be aware of," Albert suddenly said.
"What is it?" Dumbledore asked, curious.
"Don't tell Harry about the Horcrux. Let him return to Hogwarts and face the Dark Lord without that knowledge," Albert advised. "Either I or one of the school's ghosts will tell him about it later."
"Also, your plans for the upcoming summer may be dangerous. I foresee you suffering a severe injury," Albert warned. "If I were you, I'd be extra cautious."
"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," Dumbledore nodded. "I should get back now; they must be waiting for us."
When Albert returned to the tent, the dance floor was empty.
Apparently, the guests weren't in the mood for dancing.
"Time for some photos!"
Lee Jordan, holding a professional camera, suggested to Albert.
"Do you know how to use that?" Fred asked skeptically.
"Of course, I've spent a lot of time learning how to use this. Now move aside and stop bothering us," Lee Jordan waved his hand dismissively. He then turned to Albert and said, "Let's start with a photo of you two cutting the cake."
Indeed, Lee Jordan had put in a lot of effort, and many beautiful moments were captured: the couple cutting the cake, feeding each other, kissing, exchanging rings, dancing, and passionately embracing. He took photos of them with their families and the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and finally, a group photo with all the guests.
Before the wedding banquet officially ended, Fred and George set off the fireworks they had spent a long time making. With two loud bangs, two giant phoenixes soared over the manor, intertwining in the air above the guests' heads.
"How beautiful,"
Isabelle said, holding Albert's hand as they looked up at the fireworks. She turned to him and softly said, "Thank you, and well done."
Before Albert could respond, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
The two phoenixes finally exploded in the sky, creating a dazzling display of fireworks that brought the wedding to a perfect close.
(End of Chapter)
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