“Who's getting married?” Harry demanded again. He recognized the ornaments and the ritual areas from his classes in school. The only ceremony that used the strange square and circle shape on the floor was the ceremony for a wedding.

Bellatrix and Severus exchanged looks and engaged in a silent battle of wills. Neither one of them wanted to be the one to explain to their son what was going to happen. They were too frightened that he would reject them and stop loving them.

But Severus had the better glare and Bellatrix looked down. Her pride didn't let it stay down for long, her gaze snapped to Harry and she couched down beside him. She looked carefully into his beautiful green eyes.

“I am Harry. And so is Severus. We're getting married to each other.” She said, somehow saying it out loud made it actually seem real, it was real and within two hours the entire world could know.

“Really?” Harry asked, slightly surprised. “Oh.”

Severus winced mentally. He'd been very worried about how the boy would take it. He wouldn't ruin their family for anything. But Bellatrix wanted a wedding, he also wanted the marriage. But now she wanted another child too. Muggles might be able to help her. So that they could have a child to continue their bloodlines. Another Snape, another Black.

“It will be the same. Almost nothing will change.” He told his son. “There will be an empty room in our quarters and Bellatrix has decided to change her name. But everything else won't change a bit.” He promised. “You'll keep your name. We don't want students picking on you because they can't get along wit your mother and I.”

Harry nodded. “Wow. I. . .don't know what to say.”

“Don't worry. Now if you'll excuse me. . .” Bellatrix looked meaningfully at Severus. “I have things to get ready.”

“Of course. As do I.” Severus led his son to the front room and woke up the ageing wizard slumbering at his desk. “Wake up!”

“Can I help you?” He smothered a yawn. “Do you got an appointment?”

“Yes! Snape/Black for the afternoon. We're almost ready!” He barked at the wizard. “Now excuse me while I get ready.” He smiled at Harry. “Wait here. I'll be right back.” He hurried off into one of the small rooms that opened onto the side walls.

The ageing wizard looked down at Harry. His thick glasses and thinning hair made him look rather owlish. He blinked and readjusted his glasses before removing three small boxes from the drawer of his desk. “Come with me. We'll get everything set up.” He told Harry before heading back into the ceremony room.

Harry was familiar with the wizarding wedding ritual. His parents ceremony wasn't an official or legal one, just a simple hand-fasting. It couldn't be since Bellatrix was technically still married to Rodolphus LeStrange. But he'd be given a life sentence in Azkaban and allowances had to be made. She could remarry, but it was considered rude to flaunt it.

“Is anyone else coming?” Harry asked the wizard. He didn't expect very many people to come. His parents weren't popular at they had very few friends.

“Both of your parents have a guest.” The wizard told him. “Stand here.” He pointed to a spot on the edge of the ritual drawing. “Don't move. You could destroy the entire ceremony.”

Harry nodded. He'd read about things like that. Marriages where the people ended up switching bodies or travelling into the future, sometimes they both died. “I won't move.” He promised.

“Harry!” Narcissa Malfoy came into the room and hugged him. She was wearing dress robes made out of a beautiful, dark blue, velvet material. “It's nice to see you. Draco is looking forward to having you over.”

Harry sighed mentally at the thought of the stuck up boy. Draco is an annoying brat. 

What does she mean, having me over?

“Um. . .Aunt Narcissa? When are you having me over?” He asked.

Narcissa's smile faded a fraction. “You mean you don't know?” She didn't wait for Harry's answer. “Bellatrix and Severus have plans to take a three day trip after the ceremony. You'll stay with us.” She smiled. “I'm sure you and Draco will have great fun together.”

Harry didn't get a chance to answer because a man with long, blond hair like Narcissa's had entered the room. It was his Uncle Lucius. His robes matched his wife, except for the colour which was so dark it appeared black at first. Only when he entered the bright light in front of the alter did Harry see that his robes were actually navy blue.

“Is everything ready Narcissa?” He asked. A smirk was playing on face, barely hidden by his unemotional mask.

“Yes! We're ready!” The ageing wizard said as he took his place just in front of the alter. “Mr. Malfoy, if you'd take your place?”

Lucius stepped into his place. There was only two empty places. Both were right in front of the alter and the ritual wizard.

“We will begin.” The wizard said. He used a staff to draw a symbol toward each wall. They glowed red and hung in the air. After swinging the staff forward with a crack the wizard started the ceremony.

“Wizard.” He flung the staff to the right. “Witch.” He swung the staff towards the left. “I call you to me. And to each other.” There was a loud popping sound as both Severus and Bellatrix apparated into their places in front of the alter.

They were dressed in traditional wedding robes. Bellatrix was majestic and beautiful in her robes of deep red. The red symbolized fertility and the blood of birth and children that would come from the union and continue the pureblood lines. Severus was in white, for purity and strength. His body would add to the children, making them strong and of pureblood.

“Do you come of your own free will?” The wizard asked. Harry could hear magic crackling in the air. If anyone lied they would all know and the ceremony would be over.

“Yes.” Severus placed his right arm chest high.

“Yes.” Bellatrix answered and crossed her arm with Severus's.

The wizard looked at their faces before opening the first box. He took a sharp, ritual knife from it. The blade was carved with runes and soaked in special potions to make it able to perform it's task. “Do you wish to be bound together? In blood and life forever?”

They spoke the word together. So quiet that it might have simply been a breath of air. “Yes.”

“Do you swear it?” The wizard's staff whipped around making the air seem to burn around the three of them.

“I swear to it.” Severus said. His palm was cut with a shallow, short stroke of the knife. Blood began to well up from the injury.

“I swear to it.” Bellatrix watched as the blood came from her hand and pressed it to Severus's. Their blood mixed and bubbled and frothed well it did.

“You will make the unbreakable vow.” The wizard told them. He turned to the Malfoy's. “Do you speak for your friends power, passion and pureblood?”

Narcissa's smiled was gone. “Bellatrix is powerful and pure. She has great passion and love for Severus. I speak for her.” She bowed her head.

“Severus is powerful. His mother was Eileen Prince. He can love strongly and work hard. I speak for him.” Lucius glossed over the fact of Severus's half-blood parentage. He couldn't lie, but misdirection wasn't lying.

“I make the unbreakable vow. I will give you an heir. I will be water over stone. Nothing will damage out relationship. There will be rocks in the road, but our walk will not slow or stop.” Bellatrix spoke her vows. She'd written them before the ceremony and memorized them well. Her blood rose out of the two's clasped hands and circled around them.

“I make the unbreakable vow. I will provide for our heir. I will be a solid stone for you to rest upon. Nothing will hurt what is between us. When we come to rocks we will pass through them and come though unharmed.” Severus swore and the air seemed as if it would crack from the power in it. His blood also wrapped around their clasped hands.

The wizard rested his staff on their hands and spoke again. “You will have a new life. But you will not forget the old. That life will also continue.”

Bellatrix and Severus spoke the next part of their vow together. “We will have an heir. But we will also care for our son. He will never need anything or find our love falter.” A third band of their combined blood ran around their hands and all the blood vanished into nothingness.

“Bellatrix and Severus.” The wizard opened the last two boxes and removed rings of gold metal from them. “Your gifts to each other will protect you. You will always know when you are close at hand and never thirst for each other. Let your hearts be your guides!” He slipped the rings onto their fingers.

Bellatrix and Severus had to release their tightly clasped hands to put on the rings. Once the rings were on they looked deeply into each other's eyes and held both of their hands together. They almost looked as if they were about to break into dance.

“You are a union of one. Your family will grow and prosper on the solid base of your love.” The wizard used his staff to dispel the magic in the air and in the end smashed his staff into the ground. “Two are now one! You new lives have begun!”

Severus grabbed Bellatrix's shoulders and pulled her to him. He kissed her deeply and she kissed him back. In the middle of the kiss there was a pop and both of them disappeared.

The wizard sighed deeply and drank from a cask of potion in his pocket. “You can leave now.” He waved out the Malfoy's and Harry. His voice that had seemed so powerful during the ceremony was now feeble and ancient sounding. It was like the energy the ceremony had require leached his ability live.

Narcissa took Harry's end in hers. “Congratulations!” She smiled sweetly. “Lucius, don;t you think we should head back now?”

“Of course.” Lucius lead his wife and nephew out of the ritual performer's shop and office. “We can have a celebratory dinner at home.” He walked them to a line of people waiting to use the apparation area to leave. Unfortunately, the Malfoy name didn't get them the first place in line. It was rush hour and they had to wait like everyone else.

They finally reached the front of the line. Lucius handed over the money and took the two into one of the booths. “Ready?”

“Ready.” Narcissa clung to his arm and made sure that Harry was securely held between them. Narcissa could help Lucius and the travel would be much easier on Harry if he was between them.

Everything around them whirled and Harry squeezed his eyes shut tightly. The day had spun out of his control, so much had happened. Was it really just this morning that he'd changed his appearance and had the surgery on his scar? It seemed like so long ago.

“Dobby!” Lucius Malfoy snapped his fingers and the house elf appeared in front of them. “Put our cloaks away and show Harry Black to his room. He'll be staying in the guest wing.”

The ugly house elf bowed. “Dobby is going as master is saying. Dobby would rather spit in Master's face, but Dobby will be a good elf.”

Lucius flicked his wand at the elf, who screamed. “No talking Dobby. And make a wedding celebration dinner.” He dropped his cloak on the floor and strode off to his office on the second floor. Narcissa slipped out of her light jacket over-robe and dropped it to the floor before heading up to her own office.

Harry rolled his eyes at their imperial behaviour. Sometimes it was hard to believe that his mother and Aunt Narcissa were sisters. They couldn't have been more different. He didn't have an outer robe so once Dobby had put away the two cloaks he took Harry to the guest room that he always used. His trunk had been sent there with a few sets of clothing and a few books and toys to keep him busy.

There was still two hours before dinner at Malfoy Manor began. Harry pulled out a book on potion making. He'd been making potions with his father for longer than he could remember. This book was particularly interesting. It was his Da's copy of the first year text. Definitely a good idea to start studying ahead. Especially since very good marks were expected of him.

In an hour and thirty minutes a house elf appeared and told him to dress for dinner before popping out again. Harry wore dress robes. There wasn't much of his clothing in the trunk and he couldn't think of anything else appropriate to wear for dinner with the Malfoy's.

The rest of the family was already sitting around the table when he came down. Like him, they were all in dress robes suitable for the occasion. The table was set with beautiful dishes that had most likely been passed down through the family for ages. The utensils were made of precious metals and the goblets had emeralds and diamonds embeded in them.

“Good evening Harry.” Mr. Malfoy nodded in his direction. “Glad to see you found the way here. Take a seat.” He gestured to a chair and it pulled itself out.

Harry swept the robes around him, but before he could sit down a loud voice rang throughout the house.

“Open the doors. This the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Open the doors. You have thirty seconds.”