A/N: So this takes place in the Harry Potter universe but with no cannon characters. I'm special like that. :P
'This is it; this is really it. I'm getting married.'
The softly thought words imprinted themselves in Ashlynn's mind, bold in print, as she looked herself in the mirror for the final time. White satin-like material hugged her torso like a corset while the bottom "poofed" outwards just slightly. The design was simplistic and perfect. Ash's black hair was finely curled but left down, the raven locks easily visible through the lacy veil. Her sparkling blue eyes shined, the happiness and excitement reflecting themselves in the near-flawless mirror. The only flaw was the small crack in the upper left-hand corner. It went unnoticed by Ashlynn, who was too consumed in making sure everything was absolutely perfect.
"You look beautiful," an easily recognizable voice whispered behind Ashlynn.
Ash turned around, a smile on her lips as tears coursed down her cheeks, leaving watermarks through the light blush she had applied not too long ago. Walking over to hear aunt, Ashlynn pulled Evie into a a hug. For once, Evie did not mind hugging Ashlynn back. As she gripped her niece closer to her, tears were, too, streaming down Evie's cheeks. Her niece, her Ashlynn, was going off to have her own life. She was going to be starting her own family, in her own house, and eventually having her own children. Evie knew she needed to let Ashlynn go; she knew it was time, but it was still difficult. Releasing her from the hug, Evie cradled Ash's face in her hands.
"You have grown to be such a beautiful woman, and one day, you will be a wonderful mother. And then, you will have to deal with a brat, just like yourself."
Evie smiled at Ashlynn for a second before releasing her face, brushing away her own tears.
"Everyone is here and ready. The bridesmaids and groomsmen are just outside the doors, and Edward is probably just finishing fussing over Ethan's suit. Why you two chose muggle clothing, I don't know. Our robes are so much more comfortable. I mean those bridesmaid dress looks so restricting and-"
"Aunt Evie," Ashlynn whispered, a smile on her face. "It's okay. I'm ready."
Ash smiled reassuringly at her Aunt. After a second, Evie nodded her head, knowing that she just needed to listen to her niece (this time, at least). It was time.
"Alright Ashlynn. I...I'll go get Edward. See you down the aisle."
The look on Evie's face was filled with all different types of emotions, many of them conflicting. After all, Ashlynn was like a daughter to her, and even though getting married was such a joy, the thought of losing her niece hurt. Evie turned to leave, but hesitated a step, looking back at Ash who wore a sad smile on her face.
"I love you, Ashlynn."
With that, Evie had disappeared. Ashlynn took a few deep breaths, preparing herself for the event about to happen. She was ready, she knew that, but that didn't make her any less nervous. A short knock at the door, and Edward walked in, holding the bouquet of flowers Ash was to carry.
"C'mon already! I look like the bride standing here holding these damned flowers."
Ashlynn smiled, appreciating Edward's sense of humor; it always seemed to lighten the mood. Taking the flowers from hin, Ash gave him a hug. Ever since Edward and her Aunt had become an item, Edward had been like a father to Ashlynn, which is why he was the one walking her down the aisle. Pulling back from the hug, Ashlynn looked Edward in the eyes, wanting to say one last thing to him.
"Thank you, Edward, for everything you have done. I have not seen my Aunt so happy before. Please, don't hurt her; take care of her. Don't let her be too serious, and make sure she goes out. She stays inside way too much for her own good. Never let her think she is old. Ever. Not even as a joke. And most importantly...cherish and lover her for the rest of your lives together. She deserves nothing short of the absolute best; never forget that."
Ashlynn felt a fresh batch of tears starting down her cheeks again as Edward pulled her into another hug.
"I promise to do all of that for Evie. I will always love her," he whispered softly. Edward wasn't one to get emotional usually, but Ashlynn's wedding was enough to get a few tears out of him.
"Now c'mon!" he said pulling away. "Pull yourself together! It's time to get your hitched!"
Linking his arm through hers, Edward escorted Ashlynn out of the room that had been acting as a dressing room to the Entrance Hall. From within the reat Hall, the dull wave of voices was muted by the orchestral quartet that started playing, indicating the start of the wedding. Ash watched as couple by couple, the bridesmaids and groomsmen pained off, walking down the aisle.
"Edward," Ashlynn whispered right before it was their turn. "Promise me one thing?"
"Only one thing, huh?"
"Don't let me trip."
Ashlynn looked into Edward's eyes briefly, showing just how serious she was. There was a slight rustling from within the Great Hall as everyone stood up. With one retreating glance at the "dressing room," Ashlynn and Edward walked down the aisle. Ash knew that there was noise: music from the quartet, the soft whispers of people murmuring; however, all of it was lost to her. The only thing, or rather person, [i]not[/i] lost was Ethan. He looked so handsome in his simple black tux, and Ashlynn could feel her breath catch at the site of him. After that moment, it seemed like walking down that aisle was taking an eternity. Finally, though, Ashlynn had reached Ethan. Edward gave her a fatherly kiss on the cheek before taking his seat next to Evie (who had tears in her eyes).
Ethan smiled at Ashlynn, the two of them locking eyes. Ash felt memorized by his gorgeous brown irises. If she could, Ashlynn was pretty sure that she could stare into them all day long and not get tired of them. Ethan led her up the few steps so that they were standing on the stage that had a lovely velvet, red carpet on it. The minister that was holding the ceremony started talking, but Ashlynn didn't hear a word. She mouthed the words "I love you" to Ethan, and he smiled, mouthing the same back. However, her eyebrow crunched together slightly as his eyes quickly glanced at one of the guests. Ethan's eyes turned back to hers though, and he gave her a reassuring smile, so Ash forgot about it. After all, it was her wedding day. 'I'm just being paranoid.'
The minister continued until it was time to say their "I do's". Ethan was first, and he repeated the words the minister was saying. The smile on both of their faces grew more and more as he continued saying the words. Ashlynn still didn't hear any of the words being said until it's time for her to say the words she had been dying to say since Ethan had proposed to her. As Ash began, the smile on her face stayed in place, but at the "through sickness and through health" part, the smile quickly dropped into a frown. Ethan had glanced to the guests again, this time his gaze resting there longer. Ashlynn's turned her head, her eyes following where his gaze was. She froze, realizing just who she was looking at. Ursula. Ashlynn turned back to Ethan, her mouth hanging ajar slightly in hurt. For a second, she just stared at Ethan, confusion mixing in with the hurt. The look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know, though. 'I can't believe I just figured this out now.' Ash didn't know what to do. She knew what she wanted to do, but she didn't...couldn't do that, could she? Ashlynn glanced at Ursula again and then back at Ethan. 'I have to.'
Ashlynn felt the tears coming so she bit her lip to keep them from actually falling. Leaning in, she whispered into Ethan's ear, "I know you still love her. I'm not going to keep you from her. You deserve to be with the one you truly love. Follow your heart." Kissing him on the cheek, Ash pulled away and turned toward the guests.
"Everyone, the wedding has been canceled."
Before anyone could stop her, Ashlynn ran out of the Great Hall, away from everyone else. She didn't need anyone to see her crying, to be in such a weakened state. No one except for Ethan would have known what was going on. She kept running, up the stairs, taking as many short-cuts as she could until, finally, Ash had reached her Aunt's office, her only sanctuary. The second she entered, she flung herself onto her Aunt's bed, crying her eyes out. Black mascara streamed down her face. 'How could this have happened? Everything was supposed to be so perfect. This can't be happening.' Ashlynn wrapped her arm across her stomach, rubbing it gently.
Suddenly, there was a comforting arm wrapping itself around her. Looking up through tear streaked eyes, Ashlynn saw that Dean had "come to the rescue" and was already starting to try and wipe away her tears. His eyes held questions that Ash knew she wasn't ready to ask her, but Dean seemed ready to just let her cry, at least for a little bit. She buried her head into his chest, staining his tux. Fortunately, he didn't seem to mind because he only drew her closer. After a good fifteen minutes of her eyes flooding, Ashlynn pulled back and used her hands to wipe away whatever remaining tears their were. Looking at Dean, she answered his unspoken questions.
"He's still in love with Ursula. I could see it in his eyes. While we were at the alter, he kept glancing at her...I couldn't make him...I couldn't make him him marry me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. We...I...I love him. And...and now we're all alone."
Dean pulled Ashlynn closer and tried to soothe her. He had a bad feeling that Ethan was still in love with Ursula, but when he confronted his brother, well, it hadn't exactly turned out that great. As in, there had been a few spells thrown at each other as well as some fists. Suddenly, though, Dean's eyes knit together in confusion and he pulled back from Ashlynn, trying to looking her in the eyes.
"What do you mean 'we?'"
Ashlynn closed her eyes, trying to keep a fresh batch of tears from spilling over. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked into Dean's, fear clouding the emerald irises.
"I'm pregnant."
ELEVEN YEARS LATER
Ashlynn sat alert in her seat at the head table next to Dean as Professor Freitag led the first years into the Great Hall. Most of them wore expressions of fear mixed with some confusion and excitement. There were also the few that didn't seem to be any of those; they were just filled with confidence. Ash's eyes were only concentrated on one student, however. Dean squeezed her hand reassuringly, and she gave him a quick smile before turning her attention back to the sorting. All of the names were lost on her until the one name she had been waiting to hear was called out.
"Rose, Tyler!"
A young boy with blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a stutter walked forward slowly, looking very nervous indeed. He kept glancing up at Ashlynn who seemed to be concentrating very hard on him. Ash tried to crack a small smile, but it didn't seem to do much. The boy seemed just as nervous. The sorting hat was placed on his head, and it seemed to be contemplating where to put the boy. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Ashlynn, it called out the house.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Ashlynn sank back into her chair, her eyes starting to cloud over. Fortunately, Tyler seemed to be too excited to even notice or care. Ash glanced over to Dean, and he seemed to be able to guess what she's thinking, for he squeezed her hand again and whispered, "It's not so bad. You knew there was a chance at that."
Ashlynn nodded her head, but she didn't seem to believe herself in the slightest. A glance at Evie, and she saw that she was looking at Ash with a concerned look. Ashlynn quickly looked away, not wanting to have to look her Aunt in the eyes. Throughout the rest of the ceremony, Ashlynn basically ignored everyone and everything that was going on, only eating because it kept her from having to interact with others. Finally, Evie dismissed everyone to their rooms, and Ash bolted from the Great Hall, using the passageway in the back so that she didn't have to deal with all of the students. She was halfway to her quarters when a voice from behind her shouted out her name. Ashlynn halted automatically, recognizing that voice from anywhere. She still dreamed about that voice, about that man coming back to her. Ash dropped her head for a second before turning around, plastering a smile on her face.
"Ethan, hello. Is there something I can help you with?"
Ethan seemed to be marching over to her, anger seeping through is pores. Ashlynn definitely did not like that look; she knew that that meant something was wrong.
"Ashlynn, Tyler Rose?" Ethan said, the anger being confirmed. "All this time, all this time, and you never told me? You never told me I had a son?"
Ashlynn looked away from Ethan's eyes, unable to tell him the truth. She wouldn't tell him the truth. It would only hurt him more, and besides that, it would just cause her more pain. She had to lie; she had no other options.
"Ethan, he's not yours," Ash whispered quietly.
"What do you mean he's not mine!? He looks just like me! How could you-"
"He's not yours!" Ashlynn shouted, tears threatening to spill over. "He's Dean's."
Ethan's anger seemed to have disappeared and been taking over with hurt. Ash willed herself not to look into his eyes, but she did, and she sorely regretted doing so. She knew that Ethan saw the tears in her eyes, and she knew that he must have guessed that she was lying. He seemed to be on the verge of pressing the matter further, and Ash knew she needed to get out of the situation.
"Ethan, I...I need to go. Just...don't cause either of us anymore pain than needed."
"Ashlynn, wait! I want to be a part of his life! I want to be there to see him grow up, to start dating. I want to be his father! I want-"
"He has a father, Ethan. He doesn't need another. Just leave us alone."
Ashlynn tried hiding her sadness, but Ethan knew her too well, and it was obvious from the look he gave her, that Ethan knew Ash was lying. She sighed, knowing there was nothing more she could do to try and convince him that Tyler was not his. Much like their almost-wedding day, Ashlynn leaned up and kissed his cheek gently before pulling away, silent tears finally spilling over. Ash started walking away, but she couldn't keep herself from looking back one more time. The hurt on Ethan's face made her feel as if she was losing the last thing her heart had held onto.
"Goodbye Ethan."
Ashlynn left him standing there, finally letting go of the past. It was time.