Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena POV.
"Family, friends, loved ones, and all the witnesses present. You have heard their vows, offered your blessings, and witnessed how their lives became intertwined."
"The elements have heard their names, the ancestors have borne witness, the gods have bestowed their blessings, and this circle, and magic itself, have acknowledged their union." Freya stopped and stared at us.
"Serena and Bellatrix, you came here as two separate souls and now you leave this circle as companions; you came as lovers, and you leave as wives. May the world receive you together, as you belong, and may the path you begin this dawn be long and happy."
"And I, as your officiant, am fortunate to be the first to congratulate you both. Congratulations on your marriage and your union!" Freya said, bowing slightly with a broad smile. "All witnesses present, please give your blessings to the newlyweds!" Freya exclaimed loudly, raising her hand. A small golden light emanated from her hand and slowly rose.
After her, dozens, hundreds, thousands of wands rose at the same time, the tips of their wands glowing slightly, barely noticeable in the light of the dawn sun that was beginning to illuminate the entire hill, yet they all raised their wands to the sky and began to throw multicolored sparks, along with them, I could hear dozens of shouts and exclamations while others began to applaud loudly.
I could only look on with a wide smile as I held Bella tightly.
"Perfect," Freya said with a broad smile after several minutes. "Now, there's just one last step." Turning around, she picked up a loaf of bread and held it slightly aloft. "A home isn't built solely with magic; it's also built with small things, shared meals, repeated laughter, comfortable silences, and the simple joy of returning to someone's side in your home, your refuge."
"Share the food of your new home," Freya said, handing us the loaf of bread. I took it with one hand; neither Bella nor I wanted to let go of each other's hands, so I held the loaf firmly and offered half to Bella. She understood quickly, took the other half, and together we broke the loaf in two.
Bella carefully held her half before extending it towards my mouth. I did the same with my half. We stared at each other before we each took a bite of the bread in front of our mouths at the same time.
We both swallowed and smiled at each other before handing the bread back to Freya; she took it gently and nodded.
"The bread has been shared, and with this, the last of the rites is complete." Freya sighed. "To the elements, thank you for your presence, to the ancestors, thank you for your memory, to the gods, thank you for your blessings, and to the magic, thank you for this union." Freya bowed slightly before guiding us toward the exit of the circle, exactly through the eastern altar, where we had entered.
We left both circles, and I could feel the magic leaving the ritual, though it still lingered in the air. I could sense the remnants of the ritual all over Glastonbury Tor. Once we had all left, Freya remained inside the circle and then began walking around it, in the opposite direction from where the ritual had started.
"This circle welcomed you completely open, and you filled it with your love. Now, the world awaits you. Go together, build together, and may every step you take from this dawn onward bring you even closer to one another."
"This night will be remembered, not only for the promises made, but for the love that gave them life." Freya finished her circuit, and the magic finally left the entire ritual circle. Freya simply smiled before raising her hands. "The ceremony is over! The brides are married and united! Let the celebration begin!!" Freya exclaimed loudly.
And that was enough to break the spell that kept everyone at bay. I could feel someone hug us tightly before the others joined in.
"Oh, congratulations, Sera, Bella, it was a beautiful ceremony!!" Squealed Enid as she shook us from side to side.
"Congratulations to both of you," Narcissa said with a tearful smile. Then the others began to congratulate them joyfully, and Bella and I couldn't stop smiling broadly. When we finally separated from everyone, we walked a little ways away, and more people approached us—this time, Bella's mother, Druella, who hugged her daughter tightly.
"Congratulations, my daughter," Druella said lovingly.
"Thank you, Mother," Bella said with a wide smile. Druella finally pulled away from her and looked at me, smiling.
"Please, take care of my daughter." Druella pleaded, and I just nodded.
"I will." I promised her, Druella nodded, and finally took a step back.
"Congratulations to both of you," Cygnus said with a proud look. He approached and kissed Bella on the forehead, then extended his hand—luckily, the one I didn't have—to take Bella's. I returned the handshake firmly. "It was a wonderful ceremony," he added.
"Thank you, Father." Bella smiled. "And it really was." Bella sighed, almost dreamily.
"Bellatrix, Lady Prince," Lord Black said as he approached. "Congratulations to you both," he said stoically, though his eyes shone brightly. "It was... momentous to witness a marriage rite in life," Lord Black said, nodding in my direction. "Good work," he added with a nod, and I smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Lord Black. And I couldn't prepare anything less than my best for Bella," I said honestly, feeling Bella's grip tighten on my hand. Lord Black nodded.
"See you at Malfoy Manor," Lord Black finally said before nodding one last time and then disappearing.
"We'll be going too," Druella said cheerfully. Bella nodded, and then her parents disappeared. Bella sighed contentedly. Finally, Bella and I approached Freya, who had a huge, wide grin full of love.
"Congratulations to you both," Freya said with a huge, loving smile. "It was an honor to officiate your ceremony. Thank you for granting me this honor," Freya said softly. I chuckled.
I reached out and pulled Freya into a hug; I could feel Bella huffing, but she hugged Freya too.
"Thank you, Freya, I really appreciate it." I whispered in her ear as I spoke loudly to her. Freya just laughed and returned my hug.
"I already said it, it was an honor, my Odr. I hope you find a good officiant for our wedding." Freya laughed flirtatiously, and I just smiled amusedly while Bella snorted. Freya laughed once more before turning away. "Come on, we still have things to sign," Freya said gently. We nodded and followed her to the Minister of Magic.
"Mr. Minister, if you would accompany us, please," Freya said politely.
"Of course, Miss Flova," the minister said quickly, then led the three of us to the central altar. I could see him take several scrolls from the table and spread them out on the altar. "Even though the union has been confirmed by magic itself, unfortunately, you cannot escape the paperwork." Freya laughed as she handed us a quill. I snorted.
"How anticlimactic," I said curtly, but still, I took the quill and began signing all the appropriate places. Then I handed the quill to Bellatrix, who quickly signed right next to my name. Finally, the Minister of Magic signed the papers.
"Thank you for your time, Minister," Freya said gently.
"It's no problem at all," the minister said, nodding before looking at us. "It was a pleasure and an honor to be part of the first union rite after so many centuries since the last recorded one. Congratulations, Lady Prince and... Lady Prince." The minister said playfully as he looked at both of us.
"Thank you for participating," I said gently. "I hope to see you at the reception at Malfoy Manor," I added with a smile.
"I'll be there." The minister said, nodding before looking gently at Freya.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Flova. It's... the first time I've met a priestess, especially one of the goddess Freya and the god Miach," the minister said, almost questioningly. Freya just laughed slightly.
"It was a pleasure to officiate this rite of union," Freya said playfully. "And I must admit, I'm only following the wishes of the goddess Freya, but I know some of the children who follow Miach, and they've given me permission and the honor of officiating in the name of the god Miach. Besides, Sera and Bella are close friends; I wouldn't miss this for anything," Freya said gently. The minister nodded.
"Even so, the goddess Freya and the god Miach? Is there... any particular reason? " the minister asked again. At that moment, Dumbledore approached, laughing.
"Don't you think it's obvious, Minister?" Dumbledore asked, amusedly. "Miss Flova herself mentioned it—goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, and magic. I think that really does correspond to both Lady Princes quite accurately, if I may say so."
"And the god Miach, god of healing, medicine, and medicinal herbs—I think we both know which one Miach truly blessed." Dumbledore said, looking at me. I almost snorted loudly. If Miach was blessing either of them, it would obviously be Bella, but I didn't actually correct him.
"Yes... I suppose so." The minister murmured before nodding. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Flova. Congratulations to you both once again." The minister greeted her. "Albus." He nodded toward the headmaster, who laughed and nodded.
"See you later, Harold," Dumbledore said with a nod, then Harold Apparated in the direction of Malfoy's Manor. Finally, Dumbledore looked at us and smiled.
"It was a wonderful ceremony, congratulations to you both, I'm truly honored to have been allowed to participate," said Dumbledore, bowing slightly. I snorted.
"Believe me, I didn't even know you were participating." I said dryly. Dumbledore just laughed and looked at Bella, who shrank slightly.
"Dumbledore perfectly fulfilled the role of including the 'community,' and in this way, the other magical governments and certain magical families wouldn't bother us, since we had his 'approval,'" Bella said easily. Dumbledore just smiled.
"I'm glad to be of help." Dumbledore chuckled. "Although, I was certainly prepared to be the center of attention with my blessing, I really didn't expect the blessing of the gods from Miss Flova. That was... truly interesting." Dumbledore said, his eyes sparkling with curiosity as he looked at Freya, who simply smiled.
"The gods were generous in bestowing their blessings," Freya said neutrally. Dumbledore laughed.
"I see that will be the only answer I get," Dumbledore said as he gave up, still looking at Freya curiously, but finally he looked away and met my gaze. "And I hope that the... concern I mentioned to you hasn't had any negative effects," Dumbledore said, sounding genuinely worried, and I understood immediately.
The merging of our souls and sharing our gifts. Oh, I had definitely felt it, but it wasn't the time or place to experiment with the changes in my soul, and indeed, there were many.
My Origin and Affinity were still Magic/Mystery, so nothing had happened to my Reality Marble; I still had access to it and everything inside. But, just as changes in my soul and my powers changed my Reality Marble, the presence of Bella's soul had changed my Reality Marble.
I had only taken a look, and it was easy to discern Bella's influence; after all, it was very difficult to ignore a waterfall of blood that formed a lake, with souls screaming on the surface, trying to escape.
Yes, it was better to leave it for later, but the implications of being able to access Bella's soul were too intriguing to ignore. But it was my wedding, and for once, I didn't want to immerse myself in my research and experimentation, so I just smiled at Dumbledore.
"What had to happen, happened, but everything is fine and right, there's nothing wrong with our union." I told Dumbledore honestly, and he sighed with almost relief.
"Well, I'm happy for you both. As I mentioned, if you need any help, just come find me." Dumbledore said, nodding. "Once again, congratulations on your union. I'll see you at the celebration." He smiled gently before disappearing, and I sighed.
"Shall we celebrate our union, my wife?" I asked Bella with a wide smile. Bella laughed.
"Come on, wife." Bella said playfully. I chuckled before looking at Freya, who just nodded.
"You go ahead, I'll take care of finishing everything here," Freya said while nodding. I shook my head.
"It's not necessary, let me put up a defense on the hill, we'll clean it up later." I told Freya, who just smiled and handed me my wand. I smiled and put up more defenses all over Glastonbury Tor.
I could see the crowd talking animatedly; the commotion was really loud, and many of them would disappear now and then, only to reappear at Malfoy Manor. Even so, I set up defenses around the hill, allowing exit but preventing entry once they were gone, and then placed an even stronger one around the ritual circle.
The magic in the air still buzzed strongly; it would take days, or even weeks, to return to normal, so it would be best to maintain defenses until the magic levels decreased, but I would have to talk to the ministry about it… that will have to wait for another day.
"Let's go," I finally said to Freya when she finished. She nodded, smiling. Then I called the other girls so we could go to Malfoy Manor, and they all agreed happily. I waited for Andromeda to leave with Tonks and Nymphadora before discreetly creating a portal to the manor.
I had created it inside the mansion, so the girls moved quickly and went outside. Bella and I were about to do the same when Aria appeared in her Cloak form and looked at me almost anxiously. I chuckled and nodded.
I could feel Aria enveloping me as she devoured my clothes almost furiously, then shifted back to her previous form. I chuckled as I gently hit Aria. Bella and I, still dressed in our light clothing, stepped outside the mansion.
Once we arrived, we were greeted by a crowd still settling in. The party was being held in Lucius's truly expansive courtyard; it would be a waste not to take advantage of the Imbolc sunrise sunlight. Besides, an indoor party after a bonding ritual felt really wrong.
So, with all the decorations and everything else set up across Malfoy's vast estate, there was practically an army of house-elves trying to keep everything stocked and spotless. Oddly enough, some services offered to hire house-elves for events like this—who would have thought?
The crowd saw us and quickly began to shout. Bella and I walked around as people enthusiastically congratulated us. Bella and I practically plastered fake smiles on our faces as we moved.
Luckily, after the union ritual, both Bella and I decided to ignore the more formal parts of the reception, such as speeches and all that, so the rounds of greetings didn't last long before the music started playing.
"Will you dance with me, my wife?" I asked Bella, and she just snorted.
"I see you'll say that for absolutely anything, won't you, my wife?" Bella teased, and I just smiled.
"I can't stop smiling every time I mention that you're my wife, my wife," I said to Bella playfully; she just giggled.
"I understand." Bella sighed with pleasure before nodding. "Let's dance, my wife, I'm not ready to let you go yet." Bella sighed, and I nodded.
"Neither will I, and I never will." I said softly as we walked toward the center of the area, near the musicians. Bella leaned forward and pressed herself against me, beginning to sway gently. This wasn't really dancing, but I definitely wasn't going to complain. Feeling Bella against me was truly pleasurable and intimate.
I could feel her soul intertwine with mine, and now her body is as close to mine as it can be, almost as if she, too, wants to merge into one.
"I love you." I can't help but tell her.
"I love you," she repeated without hesitation. I smiled and just hugged Bella tighter and closed my eyes as I rocked back and forth with her.
Simply… enjoy the moment.
Author's Notes: And with this, the wedding arc and what would be the world of Harry Potter, ends. The next chapter is R18. I decided to include it as a full chapter because it was simply a continuation of this, Serena and Bella's honeymoon, but it's pure smut.
After that, a few POVs will begin, before starting with DxD again.
Author's Notes 2: Now, some other important news: I will be taking a week off the first week of August. I wanted to mention this in advance before I forgot, and I will mention it again the week before as usual.
To be more specific, posts will be published as usual on July 31st, I won't be posting anything on August 7th, and I'll resume normal posting on August 14th. Thanks for understanding!
A/N: If you liked the story, join my patreon, patreon.com/Camellya_Addams, there are up to 10 chapters in advance, thank you. Or you can also visit my Ko-Fi, ko-fi.com/camellya_addams.