For Kaia.
.
Wringing her hands, Lily stands in front of the door which opens onto one of the Burrow's staircases. In just a few minutes, she will descend those stairs and walk down the make-shift aisle to give herself to Scorpius. And she can't help but feel nervous.
"Not getting cold feet, are you?"
Lily turns around, her flowing dress moving with her. She sees her cousin standing there in his dress robes, his hair combed back and a smile gracing his features. She smiles. "Not a chance," she replies.
He brushes back a stray strand of her vibrant hair. "It's alright to be nervous, you know?" he informs her. "This is one of the most important days of your life."
"I know." She looks over her shoulder at the closed door. "I love him. So much more than I thought I ever would." Turning back towards Louis, she adds, "But sometimes I think that marriage is a bit of a hard promise to keep. It's such a long time."
At this, Louis smiles. "Remember you used to tell me that you would never get married?" She nods and he carries on, "But someone has to be blind not to see how much you two love each other. And honestly, Lily, that's all that matters. Everything else will fall into place."
"I really needed to hear that," she says, lightening up with a smile.
He pulls her into a hug. "I know," he whispers. "Now, come on, you have a man waiting for you at the end of the aisle." He pulls away.
Louis knocks on the door, and Lily's mother opens it slightly. "Is she ready?"
"Yeah," he whispers. He takes her hand in his and gives it a squeeze.
Her mother, who's wearing a silver dress with her fiery locks pulled back, swings the door open. "Everyone's in their place. Your father will meet you at the bottom of the stairs. Louis, you need to be with the others."
Louis squeezes her hand again before dropping it and slipping out the room. Ginny pulls Lily into a hug. "I can't believe this. My baby girl's getting married," she murmurs.
Ginny pulls away and allows Lily to pass. With her dress in her hands, Lily slowly makes her way down the stairs, careful not to slip. As promised, her father is waiting at the bottom of the stairs, in his own dress robes.
He holds his hand out for her to take. "You look beautiful," he says, smiling.
Lily grins back at him. "Come on. We'll be late to my own wedding if we're not careful."
Harry laughs. "You've been late your whole life. I doubt Scorpius would mind, as long as you show up eventually."
Looping her arm around her father's and grabbing her bouquet off the table, the pair makes their way out the kitchen and into the backyard. There are rows of family and friends on either side of the aisle, and they are all looking at her.
Her eyes find Louis first, who smiles and gives her a thumbs up. And then she turns her attention to Scorpius. Immediately, she feels all the nerves and worries drain out of her, because there's Scorpius, looking at her like she's his entire world.
Louis was definitely right. Their love for each other is the only thing that matters. With it, they can conquer whatever life brings to them.
Scorpius stares up at the Burrow as everyone takes their seats. Their friends and acquaintances are sitting in from of him, and Louis has just come to stand in his position as Lily's Man of Honor, while Rose and Alice are standing as her other bridesmaids.
His groomsmen are standing behind him. The only thing that is missing is her. He balls up this hand and flexes it methodically, trying to calm his nerves.
"She's not going to stand you up," a voice from his side says. Turning, Scorpius faces his best friend – Albus. Albus claps his hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "She might be late, but she's going to walk down the aisle."
He smiles. "I know. It's just the nerves."
Albus nods. "They go away when you see her in the dress. Trust me."
Scorpius knows Albus understands. He had just married Alice last year. And Merlin, sometimes, Scorpius can't help but think that they are growing up and growing apart.
Scorpius is about to answer when the music plays. He barely recognizes Albus' hand falling from his shoulder as he turns to see her at the end of the aisle.
She looks beautiful in her white flowing dress and her vibrant hair mostly pulled back. And Albus is right; the moment he meets her dark blue eyes, every emotion is replaced with bliss and happiness.
He can't take his eyes off her.
Harry leads her down the aisle, and stops to place a kiss on her cheek. She passes the bouquet in her hands to Louis and places her hands in Scorpius'. He squeezes her hands once, making sure that he's not dreaming.
The ceremony is quick, which pleases the couple greatly. Scorpius pulls her close and places a firm kiss on her lips. They turn to face the crowd, and he sees his mother's happy tears and his father is actually smiling. But nothing matters, expect for the girl next to him.
They make their way back down the aisle, towards the area for the reception, for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Just the thought makes Scorpius smile.
He stops. Using her hands to pull her close, he kisses her. He knows that he'll never get tired of kissing her. "I love you, Mrs. Malfoy," he murmurs against her lips.
"And I love you, Mr. Malfoy," she replies with a giggle. She tugs at his hand impatiently. "Come on. The quicker we get this reception over, the quicker we can be alone!"
Scorpius allows himself to be dragged inside the tent that was set up earlier without making a fuss. As she pulls him along, he can't believe it has happened, that he married the girl who always said that she wouldn't get married.
But he wouldn't change it for the world.
A/n – so many thanks to Deb for beta-ing this for me!