"Today, we are gathered together to celebrate love," Albus Dumbledore said, and he raised his palms to indicate James and Lily, who stood facing one another, eyes wide and locked, lit by the glow of a hundred flickering lanterns. A large, unlit candle stood on a squat table before Dumbldore and he lifted it now and held it aloft. "A precious and precarious thing is love; unpredictable, fierce, and wild... a flame... a light..." Dumbledore waved his fingers over the top of the candle and a flame burst forth on the wick.

He held out the candle before him. "It comes with a price, as do all good things... for love is patient, love does not give up. Love protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres through the darkest night."

Lily blinked, recognizing the words, and glanced at Albus as he recited words that could be found on the pages of the Magique Amore books, written in the ancient runes that Remus had helped her to translate. How much did Dumbledore know about Magique Amore? Had he studied it, too?

James couldn't take his eyes from her, even when she looked away, all he did was notice that she had on that old necklace he'd given her a thousand days ago, the one shaped like the head of a stag.

"Love - true love - sacrifices and gives of itself to others, building others up with encouragement, gentleness, peace, kindness, hope... When things seem to be impossible, love holds on and finds a way through, so that when one says that they love another, and they mean it with their full heart and soul, they form not two people but one. The heart of them strives for the happiness of the other and when one is happy so is the second... there is never any lack or any need for what one gives the other receives and gives back to the first. Together, this strand is not easily broken, but it is strengthened through trust and trial, through thick and thin... And it is just such a love to which we bear testimony tonight." Dumbledore paused, then asked, "Do you, Lily Evans, intend tonight to take upon yourself an unbreakable vow to love and cherish James Potter with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind?"

Lily nodded and whispered, "Yes, I do."

 Dumbledore asked, "And you freely enter into this vow, without reservations or force, intending to uphold your end of the promise being made?"

"Yes," Lily answered.

Dumbledore held out the candle and Lily put her hands on the pillar.

He turned to James. "And you, James Potter, likewise tonight take upon yourself an unbreakable vow to love and cherish Lily Evans with all of your heart, soul, strength, and life?"

James's voice was low and thick. "Yes sir."

"You enter into this vow freely, without reservations or force, intending to up hold your end of the promise being made?"

"Yes sir," James said and he, too, put his hands on the candle so that his hands were cupped around Lily's and their eyes met up again, her green eyes meeting his brown ones, and she could feel the rush of emotions in him as his skin touched hers.

The flame on the candle burned higher and brighter upon his touch.

Dumbledore looked about the chapel. "Are there any whom object to this union being made? The time to speak has come - and will soon be gone... If silence is kept now, then silence shall be kept always."

Not a twich could be seen in the room. Not a single move was made.

"Very well," Dumbledore mused, and he nodded. "Then the vows shall be made."

Dumbledore raised his wand and rapped the place where their hands touched and from his wand there wove a bright golden thread that wrapped itself around and around their hands, over their fingers, around the candle. It ran up their wrists and into their forearms, glowing, and trailing back to Dumbledore's wand.

"When you speak in love," Dumbledore said, "Speak only in truth... for all that you say is binding by the unbreakable thread that now ties the pair of you together... You may speak your vows." He looked to Lily first.

All eyes turned to Lily Evans and she took a deep breath that came out with a slight shake. She closed her eyes, remembering how she'd practiced for the girls just a few short hours ago, and she plunged into it. 

"James, my deer..." she paused because she heard Sirius hiss "yessss" under his breath and she had to compose herself. She glanced down at their hands, then back up into his eyes and started again. "James, my deer, I love you... and I am so happy to be standing in the woods, looking into your eyes, and promising my entire life to you. I feel safe when I am with you. I feel joyful when you are near. Your voice gives me butterflies and the sight of you takes my breath away. I promise that I'll always be in your section, cheering you on at every go. Whatever life gives us, I'm so glad I'll get to do it with you by my side... And when you feel small, remember that you're - you're everything, James... Everything I never knew I always wanted... Everything that I'll need for the rest of my whole life, however many days and weeks and years that is... and beyond life, too, for eternity. James, I promise to honor this vow to my last breath: I love you, baby, and I always will."

James's eyes were wet and he wished he could wipe them, but with his hands caught up in the vow, he couldn't do, so the tears spilled over and slipped silently over his cheeks. The golden strands on her wrists  glowed white-hot and beautiful, throbbing, and the candle's flame grew brighter than ever before.

Dumbldore let the words hang in the air for a long moment, and then he said quietly, "And James?"

James felt the lump in his throat tighten, then finally, he said, "Most blokes are scared of getting married, worrying about being tied down and stuck with one woman. And I don't get it. I don't understand it at all. The second I laid eyes on you on that train I was hooked and there wasn't any going back..." he laughed and shook his head, and his lip caught on his tooth. "You know what I'm most scared about with this whole thing? You know what the thing that makes me most worried is? Of everything to do with this wedding, with these vows, with this night? It's this -- I literally don't know that I've ever called you anything other than Evans in the entire time I've known you. I mean I've called you love a load of times, but that's different. I mean your actual name. And the thing that scares me most of everything is that you won't be Evans anymore..." He stared at her a moment - some of the people in the seats chuckled, including Remus, but James didn't seem to hear them. "So let it be known that these are... technically... my first words addressing you prop-per-ly," he said. 

Long pause.

"Lily - I love you. Lily - I promise to take care of you when you're sick and to hold your hand when we're walking through the grocery store. Lily, I promise I'll be your date to every movie at the cinema. I'll let you hold the remote control when we watch telly, and I'll be the one who makes you hot tea when you have nightmares and I'll check for spiders in the shower so you don't have to scream and throw things at them. Lily, I'll be the one who keeps you warm at night."

It was Lily's turn to be crying. 

"Lily, there's just one thing that I have got to say... that I've just had on my chest for a really long time that I've just got to get out... and I have to do it now, before this thing is over and I don't ever get the chance to say it."

"What's that, James?"

"Do you see all this? Do you see what this is?" He looked around at the wedding - at the chapel, the flowers, the people, the lanterns and everything, and then turned back to look into her eyes... stared so long and hard and deep, that Lily felt as though she would smolder beneath the intensity of his gaze. "It's our wedding!"

"Yes it is," she said, her head tilting slightly, wondering what his point may be.

"Well... it's just that..."

He paused again.

"I told you so."

Lily burst into laughter. As did many of the others who had known them all along, and Sirius Black let out a bark of laughter and clapped his hands and Remus shook his head in disbelief, but James grinned as hard as he ever had before in his life, his eyes sparkling, and his lip hung up on his tooth.

"Seriously, though, Lily, I promise that I'll kiss you and tell you I love you every morning and that I'll kiss you and tell you I love you every night. Lily, I won't ever take you for granted... never, ever, ever.... Because I know just how bloody lucky I am to have you in my life... and I don't care what the future holds - I will never, ever, ever stop loving you. In fact, every day that goes by, Lily, I promise to love you even more than I do right this moment."

The words hung between them and the strand around James's wrist seared bright as Lily's, the flame grew larger in the candle.

Dumbledore tapped his wand to their bound hands once - twice - three times... and with each tap the stands grew thicker, stronger, until you almost couldn't tell where his arm ended and hers began because of the strands wrapping 'round them. Then the strands glowed so bright that they seemed to be made of nothing but purest light... and they crept back, getting smaller and smaller until one end of each wrapped itself around their ring fingers and the strand blazed bright... then cooled... and dulled... and there, where the light had been, was a ring of pure gold.

Dumbledore took the candle and set it on the table between them, and they were simply holding hands now, staring at one another, the weight of the vows settling upon them in the best way possible...

"Lily Jane Evans," Dumbledore said --

"Jane!" Sirius said, smacking his forehead, "What a bleedin' idiot I am -- that's what the J stands for?"

"Shhh!" Remus hissed. 

But Lily was biting her lip to keep from laughing, as was James.

"Lily Jame Evans," Dumbledore started again, "Do you in all of your right wits and clearest mind, agree to love and treasure James Charlus Fleamont Potter for all of the days which you shall share together, in good days and in bad, with dedication, patience, and faithfulness - until one day a death parts you?"

"I do," Lily said, and she nodded.

Dumbledore turned to James.

"And do you, James Charlus Fleamont Potter, in all of your right wits and clearest mind, a gree to love and treasure Lily Jane Evans for all of the days which you shall share together, in good days and in bad, with dedication, patience, and faithfulness - until one day a death parts you?"

"Yes," James said quickly, "I do."

Dumbledore smiled. "Then I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbldore, as Grand Sorcerer, Supreme Mugwump, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamont, with the power of the Order of Merlin First Class vested upon myself by the British Ministry of Magic, do ask for you to take one another's hands, and begin your lives together, in holy matrimony. James Potter... you may kiss your bride."

There was not a breath of hesitation. Their fingers laced, James lifted her hands up and pulled her into him and their lips met and the entire chapel of people exploded into cheers, standing up and raising their lit wands above their heads so that the space below the canopy of trees glowed as bright as daylight.

Dumbledore shouted over the din, "Ladies and gentlemen -- I present to you... Mr. and Mrs. James Potter!"