He watched her pin up her hair and set the tiara into its place amid her loose curls. She was breathtaking. Her reflection smiled at him from the mirror.
"You aren't supposed to be here." Hermione shook her head slightly and set her curls to bouncing.
"Another moment with Potter, and, best friend or not, I was going to pull my wand and start the curses flying." Draco shook his head. "I doubt we'll ever get on the way you'd like."
"Ron was there?" Hermione turned toward him and smirked. "Because Harry doesn't drive you off anymore."
"Yes, the red headed menace showed up." Draco sneered. "I wound up defending this venue because he called you mental."
"He's had serious doubts about my mental health since we were eleven." Hermione stood up and walked across the thick carpet to him. "You've even been known to agree with him."
She tapped her finger against his sternum just above his heart and then against his chin.
"I was a but callow youth. I didn't know better." Draco grinned down at her. "What's his excuse?"
"Ronald doesn't do excuses." She pushed up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. "You should go back to the men. Tradition and all that."
"Bugger tradition." He pressed his lips to hers and trailed his fingers along her silk covered sides before leaning back and staring into her eyes. "We can be naughty. They can't really do this without us."
"Do you want Harry walking in on us again?" She stroked his cheek gently, teasing him. "Because that was so much fun last time."
He felt his lips curl up in an unwilling smile. Being with Granger had given him a true sense of humor, but laughing at his own expense would never come easy. She was well aware of that.
"After." She straightened his tie.
"Fine." He spun her around in a happy swirl of fairy silk. "Later. I never noticed this wildly out of control traditionalist streak before."
She giggled as he kept her swaying and dancing.
"In fact, I recall a time when you weren't so devoted to the rules quite fondly." Draco grinned at her pinkening cheeks.
"We all remember that." Harry stood in the doorway. "I couldn't get anyone else to come fetch you. They seem to want me to put my eyes out."
"Harry." Hermione shook her head.
"My son is pacing and your daughter is ready. Do you two lovebirds think we can move this along?" Harry glared at Draco. "Every wedding. Every bloody damn wedding. You two wind up delaying the whole thing with your antics, but my boy deserves better." Harry glared at them over the rims of his glasses. "At least, you hadn't managed to strip her down yet."
Hermione's hand flicked, and Harry started to fidget as his pants slowly shrunk. Draco followed him out, but stopped at the door to give his wife, the mother of the bride, a saucy wink. She blushed and waved him off.
"Fix my pants, mate?" Harry pulled at the tightening fabric.
"Why should I, mate?" Draco raised one brow and twisted his lips in a sneer he reserved solely to annoy Potter. "You're always interrupting my time with my wife."
"It's your daughter's wedding." Harry squeezed out as the pants pushed in on his bits.
"Still can't remove one of her hexes?" Draco shook his head and stalked off to see his daughter. He knew Longbottom would save Potter. That chore always fell to Hermione or Neville.
Pity he'd pissed Hermione off. It would be a painful walk back to the others. Draco's lips quirked up in amusement.
He took a deep breath and stepped into his daughter's tent. She was surrounded by her friends, but he could make out her blonde curls through the giggling mass. He cleared his throat and watched as they spun around in various states of panic.
"Ladies." He bowed.
"How is Mom?" Cassiopeia smiled at him. Her grey eyes twinkled as she approached him. "She marked you."
His daughter wiped at his cheek with a small cloth and showed him the remnants of lipstick.
"She hadn't set it with the charm yet." She shook her head and set her curls to bouncing. "She gets you every time."
Draco shrugged one shoulder. He didn't mind his wife's propensity for claiming him. It was one of the many charms she brought into his life.
"You look lovely, Princess." He held her hands and leaned back to examine her. "Are you sure about this? James Sirius Potter?"
"It was always Jamie for me." Cassie smiled. "It always will be."
"I'll never be free of Potters." Draco groused.
"Scorpius is going to ask Lily Luna soon enough." Cassie giggled. "I think he's waiting for her to graduate."
Draco nodded. He already knew about his oldest son's plans. They'd spent some time pawing through the vaults looking for the perfect ring.
"At least, Leo had the good sense to settle his heart on Alice Longbottom." She giggled. "Lynx and Lyra might surprise you."
Draco couldn't fight off the smile. His youngest children, born after all their siblings had left for Hogwarts, existed to keep him on his toes.
"I just want you all to be happy." Draco pulled a bracelet from his pocket. The sapphires sparkled. The protective runes carved into each one might be overkill, but she would always be his first child. The first being that had seen only good in him. "This was your grandmother's grandmother's. My mother wanted you to have it."
He secured the clasp and smiled down at her tear bright eyes.
"It's time." He glanced up to see Scorpius at the tent flap. "Had to get married by some carved white horse in the middle of winter, didn't you?"
Cassie stuck her tongue out at her brother, and Draco was lost in a thousand memories of similar encounters.
"It's not too late." Scorpius patted her shoulder. "We could make a run for it."
"Shut your mouth, Scorp." Cassie shoved her brother. Draco rolled his eyes. Her wedding day, but she was still his little girl. He took her arm and led her out to the assembled crowd. His daughter was lovely, but he looked toward Hermione and his breath caught. She was still the most beautiful witch in the world.
He was certain she always would be.
The ceremony passed in the usual way. Promises made, bonds set, and through it all his wife's warm hand resting in his, finger tracing the line of the ring she'd placed there. He loved her, loved the five children she'd given him, loved the feel of her body moving against him as they danced.
"She looks so beautiful and so happy." Hermione leaned against him as they watched their daughter depart from her ball with her new husband held close to her.
"She does." Draco nodded and kissed the curls on the side of her head. "She's your daughter. How could she be anything but perfect?"