Future
By: OurLoveIsForever
"Are you sure about this, my dear?" I turned slightly to look at my father's face. He smiled lightly, tears sparkling in his eyes. Never, in my twenty-one years, had I ever seen my father shed tears for anything. Daphne gave birth to twins, but there were no tears. Uncle Jeremy passed on and still, no tears. Now, as I stood in my off-white gown readying to proceed down the aisle, my father allowed his emotions to get the better of him.
Slowly, I lifted my hand to his cheek. "I'm very sure, Da."
"You don't have to be married, darling. That was just your mother blowing hot air." He whispered, holding me from going through the door and subsequently dragging him into the chapel with me. "I have plenty of money to support all of us."
"Daphne was married years ago." I murmured, patting his arm.
"She ran off and married Theodore." Ah, so father was still somewhat upset about that whole ordeal. That didn't shock me one bit. My father held grudges like no one else. It could be fifty years later and he would still be bringing the subject up at family gatherings. "You don't have to do this."
"I want to, Da. I love him."
Da's eyes gazed into my own as if searching for the truth of my statement. I had said it so nonchalantly that I suppose it did seem a bit false. Even though it was the truth, it always seemed as though I lied about my feelings. Perhaps it was the even mask I wore all the time. I couldn't be troubled by it now regardless. "We need to get moving."
"But, darling…"
"Please, Da, I love him and this is my choice."
He sized me up, taking hold of both of my hands in doing so. I heard the music begin. I half expected that my fiancé started the small orchestra simply to get things moving along and as a sign that I needed to speed things up. Yes, there was an impatient man waiting for me at that alter. "I remember when you were only six. You were so convinced you would marry little Blaise Zabini."
"He was hardly little." I smiled. With the emotion in my father's words, I felt my own eyes fill with tears. Why? Merlin knows I forgot to place a waterproofing charm on my make-up.
"You were in love with him for half your life, my dear. Don't think I didn't know it. Blaise would walk in the room and you would all but swoon. He knew as well—"
"Of course, he knew, Da." I had to admit that I was in love with Blaise for most of my formative years. Throughout my Hogwarts schooling and perhaps a few months beyond, it was one of those one-sided deep loves, a love that I couldn't bear to bring forward from the shadows for fear of ruining what friendship I had. "He knew."
"Why, after all of that, are you marrying—"
"Because I love him, Da! He's always been the one for me. We just never saw it until I finally saw past my childhood fantasies. He had always been there, in the shadows." My knight was in a black cape and carried an heirloom cane instead of a sword. What could I say? What would make my father believe my words? "Draco is my soul mate. He's my other half. Yes, I loved Blaise. I still love him with all of my heart, but Draco…Draco I love with all of my soul. Everything that I am belongs to him. Blaise told me once that I would have to learn to see past him." I let the tears fall down my cheeks. "He told me that at the Battle. He said that he knew there was someone out there better for me than even him. I didn't believe him at the time. How could I? I was watching my boyfriend die, but you know what happened, Da. I found Draco."
"You don't get along well."
"We get along just fine. If we're two halves of one soul, you can't expect the two of us to get along perfectly. We get along well enough for us. That's all that matters." I reached my gloved hand up to place upon his cheek. "Da, please, walk me down to my husband. I've made him wait long enough."
A moment later, my father nodded, placing my hand upon his upper forearm, near the crook of his elbow. "You've grown up so much."
I simply smiled in response as the doors opened. Soft music met my ears as we started forward. I saw through the light fabric of my veil the man who was to become my husband. I kept my eyes on his, on those stormy gray eyes. He had an almost impatient look on his face, which didn't surprise me all that much. I knew that he would be frustrated with the wait.
There was truly nothing else in that cathedral, not one other person. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought I felt a hand at the lower of my back, pushing me forward slightly. The tears came a little harder than before, fresh droplets starting down my cheeks. It was almost as though Blaise was giving his approval, his blessing. I would always love Blaise, my Blaise. He was callous sometimes, cold and demeaning, but to me, he was the bright light in my life with the courage of twenty Gryffindors. Even so, even if he knew that, he was encouraging me from beyond the grave, easing me toward the man that held my future.
Draco stepped forward, nodding toward my father as Da slipping my hand into his future son-in-law's. "This is my daughter and I give her to you."
"Take good care of her." I thought I heard behind me. A baritone. I turned my head slightly behind to see no one there.
Draco pulled my hand slightly, drawing me closer to him before we started toward the altar. "I heard it, too." I smiled as his hands slipped onto my veil. Slowly, he pulled it up and smirked down at me. "What took you so long, Astoria?" There's that attitude I'd come to know and love.
"Moving on from the past." I laughed. "You're my future now."
"That's funny, I was going to say the same thing." His eyebrow quirked up as it did when he lied or made a smart comment. "Besides, I would rather prefer Blaise keep his nose out of our affairs from here on out."
"For some reason, I think that he is quite alright with this arrangement."
A/N: I have no idea where this came from. I was working on something else and decided I wanted to write this. The end is meant to be that sudden. The whole thing is sort of…stream of consciousness. I wanted to try my hand at it…Anyway, please leave me some thoughts.