July 29, 1999, Southampton Harbor.
A passenger ship from Stockholm had docked at the harbor, and travelers poured down from it in a steady flood.
Among the crowd, a strange man in a yellow-and-black cloak drew attention far too easily. He held several tarot cards in one hand, with a crystal ball hanging at his waist, giving him an air of deliberate mystery.
That strange man's name was Zacharias Smith.
By all rights, having graduated from Hogwarts two months earlier, he should have been undergoing special Divination training at Durmstrang Wizarding School.
But he had appeared in London for one reason, and one reason only.
To attend a grand wedding.
…
Zacharias paid no attention to the looks from passersby. He stared at the note in his hand and muttered to himself.
"Hampshire, Southampton, Eastleigh Road, Number 86… This should be the place!"
With his head lowered, Zacharias failed to watch where he was going and crashed hard into someone else.
"Ow!" Zacharias clutched his forehead.
The person he had bumped into looked even more pained, because the crystal ball hanging from Zacharias's waist seemed to have struck him somewhere rather unfortunate.
"Are you all right, sir?" Zacharias quickly reached out a hand, his voice full of concern.
Then his hand froze in midair.
So did the rest of him.
"You're… you're… Professor Lockhart?" he cried in surprise.
"Shh!" The man on the ground sprang up in one swift motion and pressed a finger to his lips.
"It's been ages, Professor Lockhart!" Zacharias said excitedly. "Are you here for the wedding too?"
"Of course…" Gilderoy Lockhart nodded, then lowered his voice. "Keep your voice down. I'm still a wanted man, you know…"
"Jon actually invited you?" Zacharias asked, rather curious.
"I get along splendidly with the entire family!" Lockhart said, looking extremely pleased with himself.
Then he strode grandly into Number 86 Eastleigh Road.
Mr. Zacharias Smith watched Lockhart's back and fell into thought.
"I really ought to think carefully," he muttered. "How much was the bounty on Gilderoy Lockhart again?"
…
In the end, though, Zacharias gave up on the idea. Today was his best friend Jon's wedding, after all. He should not cause trouble for him.
Besides, Gilderoy Lockhart was probably one of the guests Jon had invited.
In the courtyard of Number 86 Eastleigh Road, a huge white tent had already been set up.
Inside, many musicians in white robes had arrived at the wedding venue an hour earlier, carrying all kinds of golden instruments.
Zacharias saw dreamlike blue smoke drifting through the air, making the whole place feel almost enchanted.
Behind him, from the entrance of the tent, he could see row after row of delicate golden chairs arranged neatly on both sides of a long purple carpet.
The tent poles had been wrapped in fresh flowers of every color, brightening the entire space.
A large cluster of golden balloons decorated the deepest part of the tent, right above the place where the newlyweds would exchange their vows.
Outside the venue, bees and butterflies drifted lazily in twos and threes, circling over the lawn and shrubs. Everything looked impossibly peaceful and harmonious.
Zacharias saw plenty of familiar faces, including many Hogwarts graduates.
They came from every House: Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw. Harry Potter stood hand in hand with Ginny Weasley, with several Weasley boys beside him. Malfoy and Parkinson were there too, as well as Madeline and Selwyn. All familiar faces.
Zacharias also saw Hermione Granger. Her complexion looked terrible, and her clothes were far from presentable, even a little dirty and disheveled. It seemed the rumors that she was working to liberate house-elves, eating and living alongside them all this time, might actually be true.
"Hannah!" Zacharias finally spotted his Hufflepuff friends.
Hannah Abbott waved at him, with Neville Longbottom following behind her.
Ernie Macmillan still looked as smug as ever. Cedric Diggory was there too, still handsome and dashing, standing together with Ravenclaw's Cho Chang.
…
Aside from Hogwarts graduates, the tent was also filled with the faces of many middle-aged and elderly wizards.
For example, the members of the Order of the Phoenix were almost all present, gathered around Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt.
There were also many high-ranking Ministry officials, including Minister Amelia Bones and Director Rufus Scrimgeour.
And the Hogwarts professors, of course, hardly needed mentioning.
In addition, there were the families of the bride and groom: Eric and Judy Hart, Mrs. Diana Greengrass, and the bride's sister, Daphne Greengrass.
In the most prominent seats inside the tent sat two peculiar old men.
For some reason, apart from the bald one, Zacharias kept feeling that the other white-haired old man looked somewhat familiar.
But they were too far away for him to see clearly.
…
Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress Professor Minerva McGonagall approached the white-haired old man, hardly daring to believe her own eyes.
"You… you… you are…" Professor McGonagall said, her voice trembling.
"It has been a long time, Minerva," Albus Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Merlin's beard… You're actually still…"
"Yes. I'm sorry I never told any of you," Albus Dumbledore said gently. "I wanted to cut myself off completely from my past. I didn't die back then. Jon saved me at the very last moment…"
"…I originally had no intention of ever appearing before you again. Unfortunately, Jon insisted on inviting me to his wedding, and even asked me and my friend to serve as his witnesses."
Dumbledore seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, Minerva… I should introduce you. This is Gellert…"
The bald old man gave Professor McGonagall a refined little bow.
"Gel… Gellert…" Minerva McGonagall nearly jumped in shock.
Her hands trembled slightly.
Because she had recognized him.
This harmless-looking old man's true identity was the Dark Lord whose hands had once been stained with an unknown number of lives.
Gellert Grindelwald!
…
The wedding officially began, and Zacharias stopped chatting with his friends.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a deep, magnetic voice rang out. It belonged to the old man Zacharias had found somewhat familiar earlier. "Please rise."
Everyone present, wizards and Muggles alike, stood.
The white-haired old man walked before Jon and Astoria.
"Today, we gather here to witness the heaven-sent union of these two newlyweds…"
"The bride is so beautiful," Hannah whispered.
"Now, Jon Eric Hart, please take Astoria Alice Greengrass by the hand…" the white-haired old man continued.
In the front row, Mrs. Hart's and Mrs. Greengrass's handkerchiefs were already soaked with tears of happiness.
The bride's sister, Daphne Greengrass, was sobbing too hard to speak.
From the back row came a trumpet-like sniffle. There was no need to ask. Professor Hagrid, the future Head of Gryffindor House, had already taken out his signature tablecloth-sized handkerchief and begun to cry.
Many of the girls' eyes had filled with tears as well.
"…And now, I declare you officially husband and wife!" the white-haired old man announced at last.
Beside him, the bald old man waved his wand over Jon and Astoria's heads. Tiny golden and silver stars rose into the air and swirled around them.
As applause broke out, the golden balloons above them burst one after another, transforming into cheerful birds and golden hanging clocks that drifted through the air. Beautiful music began to play.
The applause rolled on like thunder, endless and bright.
The white-haired old man and the bald old man waved their wands at the same time.
A wondrous sight unfolded. The white tent vanished instantly, and the chairs everyone had been sitting on rose into the air.
They flew high overhead, changing into a magnificent golden dome so beautiful it stole the breath from the crowd.
Then a point of golden light spread outward from the center of the former tent. Beneath their feet, the ground began to shift and transform.
At last, it became an enormous dance floor.
House-elves suddenly appeared from every direction, carrying silver trays filled with pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and Coca-Cola.
The bride and groom walked onto the dance floor arm in arm.
But they did not hurry to lead the first dance. Instead, they held each other tightly.
"Jon, I love you," Astoria whispered.
"Me too," Jon said with a nod.
The end.