So, like I said this is going to be a collection of short stories based off Taylor Swift songs. I suppose if there are any characters or songs you want included, just tell me. Otherwise. . . this song/story is "Speak Now," and it is about Draco (sigh. . . ). Right, well here we go. . .
Disclaimer: As I am not JK or Taylor Swift, I do not own the song or the characters. . . but I do own the mysterious black-haired girl who appears at the wedding.
Draco stared at the mirror, lost in thought. Today was supposed to be the happiest of his life. Supposed to be . . .
In just a few hours he would be standing at the altar watching the girl he never wanted to marry walk down the aisle towards him. He sighed and glared at his reflection; straightening his tie, he left the room, slamming the door behind him.
Outside he found Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Zabini talking amongst themselves.
"Hey, guys," he said approaching them.
"Well," drawled Zabini, "if it isn't the groom himself. Looking forward to this afternoon, Draco? Or this evening?"
"Hmm. . . ," he replied trying to ignore Zabini. As he was talking to his friends, he thought he saw a black-haired girl out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look, no one was there. Of course no one was there, he told himself. Stop thinking about her; it's too late. She's gone, and you're going to marry someone else. It's too late; there's no point thinking about her. Nothing will change.
With an even heavier heart, he turned back to his friends only half-listening to what they were saying. Presently, high-pitched shrieks and giggles pierced the air. He groaned to himself; Astoria's family had arrived. Plastering a smile on his face, he went to greet them. Her mother, sister, and various female cousins were wearing pastel dresses adorned with lace, ribbons, and gaudy flowers. "Draco, my dear boy," Mrs. Greengrass gushed, "you must be so excited!" Behind her, Daphne and the other girls were giggling even harder; he spared them a second's scathing look before returning his attention to Mrs. Greengrass.
"Unbelievably excited," he replied. After a few moments he excused himself saying he needed to find his mother. Just as he was entering the manor, a long drawn-out scream pierced the air. Draco jumped, not expecting the noise, and then covered his ears wincing. After a moment he cautiously removed his hands from his ears and listened. "—you idiot! You could have ruined everything! Why do I even put up with you? . . ." Aah, his lovely bride-to-be had the temper of an angel.
He peered into the study looking for his mother as she hurried around the corner toward him. "Draco, there you are! You need to hurry. It's almost time. You can't be late to your own wedding!"
And that was how he found himself standing stiffly at the end of the aisle while everyone around him was standing chatting animatedly with one another. Finally, they seated themselves, and the organ began to play. For him, this was not a song of new beginnings, but a song of endings. This song was the death march to all the previous dreams he had had, dreams that had never included Astoria Greengrass, but rather a different girl.
The guests sighed as one, and Draco turned to see Astoria slowly making her way to him. There were so many ruffles on her white dress that Draco was rather reminded of the wedding cake sitting only a few feet away. Unbidden, his mind drifted away from what was happening to another time, another place where a different girl was gliding down the aisle toward him. Her long, black hair was shimmering in the sunlight, and her green eyes sparkled as she looked at him, a smile tugging at her lips.
A movement out of the corner of his eye brought him abruptly back to the present. He whipped his head around and stared at the curtain behind the Greengrasses. He swore he just saw it move. Was it the breeze or was someone hiding? A sharp jab in the ribs interrupted his thoughts. He glared at Zabini. "Pay attention," he whispered to Draco, "the bride is almost here."
When Astoria and her father reached them, Mr. Greengrass put Astoria's hand in Draco's then returned to his seat. Draco stared at their joined hands not paying attention to what the preacher was saying. Why was he going through with this? Why hadn't he told his father "no"? Why couldn't it have been her whose hand he was holding?
Draco's heart was slowly breaking as he forced himself to look into at Astoria and was met with blue eyes, not green. ". . . Speak now or forever hold your peace." Draco closed his eyes. This was the last chance, but no one there had any reason to stop the marriage, no one except him.
He heard the curtains rustle, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl with black hair stand up. Draco dropped Astoria's hand and stared. He hadn't imagined it earlier. She had come; she hadn't given up on him. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes darted around at the crowd staring at her with horrified looks. He wanted to comfort her, to help her feel strong, and face the abuse they would throw at her, but he was rooted to the spot.
She bit her lip then took a deep breath. "I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion." All around her guests were nodding, but Draco ignored them. He stared into the eyes of the girl he had just imagined walking down the aisle and drank in her every word. "But you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl." The guests were glaring now.
She took a breath before continuing stronger than before. Her voice rang out, and what she said was music to his ears. "Don't say yes; run away now. I'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back down. Don't wait or say a single vow. You need to hear me out." And then she added, a wry smile on her face, "And they said speak now."
Draco stared at her, and his heart that had been breaking during the wedding ceremony was being put back together piece by piece as he stared into her eyes. She bit her lip again, and noticing the glares she was receiving, her face fell, and she flushed as she turned to leave.
Her movement brought him back to life, and he called, "Wait!" He ran down the steps into the aisle and called above the crowd. "Let's run away now. I'll meet you when I'm out of my tux at the back door. Baby, I didn't say my vows, so glad you were around when they said speak now."
She beamed; no trace of sadness remained on her face as she waited for him to walk toward her. When he did, Draco stopped and put his arms around her. He whispered in her ear, "You're right; she was the wrong girl. Next time, I'll marry the right one."
A/N: I'll ask really nicely. If you enjoyed this extremely short story, please feel free to review (even if you didn't enjoy it, you should review anyway). I mean you don't even have to tell me if you liked it or not; you can give me a song/character suggestion.
Oh, and thought I'd mention it—for all of you who have a literary crush on Draco Malfoy like I do, I specifically made sure to not give the black-haired girl a name, so that girl could be you. But if you take a look at a different story of mine you could probably guess who she was in my mind.