Hi :) So it's me again, haha I actually kinda had writers block but it's all good now. Like I said in the last chapter, there's a huge jump between then and now. In this chapter; it's their wedding. Yeah, huge I know; sorry if it doesn't suit you. Well, what happens is that Draco is getting married to Astoria (duhh) and as the minister (i don't who they use for wizard wedding so i just used him) is reading about their vows and such, Draco remembers back to the time where he first noticed Astoria. In this story, they were childhood friends but drifted apart later. Now, he sees her in a different life. Okay; now READ
"Are you ready?"
Narcissa Malfoy walked up the stone pathway to the gazebo which held her son.
Draco Malfoy had his back turned to his mother, looking over the clear, bright day as he grasped the railing in front of him.
"Yes Mother, I'm ready"
He swiftly gazed over the scene before him one last time and turned around to face his mother.
"Come then" she gestured for him to walk beside him as she made her way over to the big wedding tent, "We're waiting for you"
This was it. Draco Malfoy was finally settling down with none other than his long time girlfriend, Astoria Greengrass.
They had been together since his fifth year and her third, she was his anchor that saved him from drowning during his sixth year and he had been her protecter during his seventh.
They had then escalated into 2 years of dating and Draco finally popped the question 5 months ago in his family's gardens. He couldn't have been more happier in his life.
Draco had looked up from his musings and saw that they had reached the front of the tent, right where he was supposed to stand. Draco hugged his mother as she went to go sit down with Valerie Greengrass who was already beginning to cry already.
Mr and Mrs. Greengrass hadn't been so approving of their relationship in the early years but as they had slowly come to realize that yes, Draco had changed for the better and that they were both deeply in love with each other; they had given him permission to marry her and that was all that Draco wanted.
Looking over the crowd again, Draco found the Potter's right smack dab in the middle along with the Weasly's. It turned out that Draco and Harry - when they weren't being gits - could get along pretty well. This was discovered at the memorable dinner at the Burrow much to Ginny and Astoria's delight. Ron had taken a bit of time to get used to but Draco rather enjoyed seeing Granger - ahem, sorry Weasly - scold him countlessly. But Ron had come around soon enough when they both found out that their girlfriends could be down-right bloody scary when they wanted to be. They had eagerly began talking about what scared them the most, ignoring the death glares being sent their way from Hermione and Astoria.
Ginny - who was now heavily pregnant - and Hermione waved from their seats and smiled at him reassuringly while Harry and Ron both shot him grins as they could tell who was a mess of the jitters.
Although, the three couples maintained a nice friendship if you will, they weren't the best of friends. Ginny and Hermione weren't included in the bridal party and Astoria hadn't in either one of their wedding which suited every one perfectly.
Suddenly, the back entrance of the Malfoy Manor flew open and all eyes towards the back. First appeared the maid of honor and the best man, Daphne Greengrass who was escorted by none other that Blaise Zabini glided down the carpet towards the front. Secondly, came Theodore Nott and Tracey Davis. After a few more of mixtures between Astoria's and Draco's friends; it was the bride's turn.
Draco withheld a grin as he watched his bride-to-be walk down with her father, beaming as she went down the aisle; only focusing her eyes on Draco. Her dress was a beautiful strapless number with soft ruffles starting at her hip and reaching all the way down to the end of the dress. When she reached the front, she kissed her father on the cheek and stepped up across Draco.
Draco took in the image of her wanting to remember this day forever as they clasped both of her tiny, dainty hands in his big and strong ones. He looked at her smiling face and went back to when he had really noticed her.
"Drakey, let's dance!" cried out Pansy as she latched herself onto Draco's arm and started to pull them away from their table.
"Pansy, I told you; not now"
Draco rubbed his temples and wondered for the 100th time that night, why he came with Pansy
"Oh that's right, because I forgot to pursue a girl worth my time!" he thought bitterly as he looked over Pansy with an air of distaste. He had been so caught up in those Potter Stinks badges that he had forgotten all about the ball. Pansy was the one Slytherin girl left that he could ask and she had accepted right away.
Pansy huffed and sat down again, looking ridiculous in her hideous frilly pink dress; staring wistfully at the dancing couples on the floor. Draco laughed at the thought that some one else might have asked Pansy before did, knowing full well that Pansy's attitude drove most of the Slytherins' up the wall - Draco included.
He skimmed his eyes over the Hall and took in the scene, Potter and Weasley were sitting down each glaring daggers at different people - Diggory and Krum respectively - and Draco laughed.
"Oooh, some Gryffindoor drama" he thought humorously and he almost burst out laughing when the Patil twins both left the table when offered to dance by Durmstrang boys. He looked over to the floor and saw Krum and Granger dancing much to the annoyance of fore-mentioned Weasley Draco noticed in glee. He almost gagged at the scene of Hagrid and the Headmistress of Beaxbutons acting all lovey-dovey. He looked away quickly, when his eyes turned to her.
"She's beautiful" he thought shamelessly as he took in the girl now caught up in his interests. The nameless girl was dressed in a simple, strapless sea green dress with silver high heels that made her quite taller than he supposed she was. Her brown hair was up in an elegant twist sitting at the nape of her neck with a few loose curls hanging around her face. She smiled and Draco found his breath catch in his throat at the sheer radiance she was emitting and was suddenly filled with a demand to know who exactly this girl was.
"Pansy" he exclaimed reluctantly pulling his eyes off of the mystery girl
"Yes?" a hopeful voice answered him back
"Who's that girl? The one in the green dress?" Draco asked, annoyed that she thought he was seriously going to ask her to dance.
Pansy looked a bit deflated but turned her head towards the floor and looked for the girl.
"Oh you mean her?" she asked, pointing to the exact girl Draco had been staring shameslessy at before.
"Yes, yes, her" he replied wanting an answer straight away.
"Why, that's Daphne's little sister; Astoria Greengrass - Slytherin. What's she doing here?"
"That's ASTORIA?" he yelped looking towards the girl again; but Pansy was correct, he recognized her from her icy blue eyes.
"Yes, why?" Pansy looked bewildered at Draco's reaction
"Nothing, nothing" he replied hastily, trying to cover up his earlier outburst. He put on his cool and calm demeanor and looked up towards the ceiling.
But inside he was freaking out. Astoria was the daughter of Victor Greengrass, Lucius Malfoy's long time friend. Draco had spent his time looking at HER? Draco, Astoria and Daphne had in a sense, grown up together. He distinctly remembered when they were children that he had always seen Astoria as the little tag-along to him and Daphne. Surprisingly , they were pretty good friends as children but they had drifted apart ever since Draco and Daphne first entered Hogwarts.
He would have never thought that she would look like this when they got older.
"She looks pretty" said Pansy
Draco snorted
"Not just pretty, she's bloody gorgeous" he thought as he looked over Astoria again before casting his eyes downwards to his cup.
"Oh, lucky girl; she's with Michael Corner" Pansy said in an approving manner.
"What?" he asked testily, glancing over at his date
"She's with Michael Corner, as her date" she explained as she pointed once again to the dancing couple.
Draco almost snapped his neck as he turned abruptly towards Astoria and indeed, she was held by none other that Michael Corner.
He was filled with an immense feeling of rage as he watched them glide across the floor, narrowed his eyes when his eyes drifted to see that Corner's hands were wrapped around her tiny waist and he felt like punching the guy when Michael kissed Astoria on the cheek.
"Aww, they're so cute! They dance so well too" squealed Pansy as she gazed up towards Draco with a hopeful look on her face once again.
"Yeah, yeah" he dismissed with a wave of his hand cooly
But inside he was anything but cool. He pondered the consequences of cursing the boy right now.
"What's your problem?" Pansy scoffed and left him by himself as she stormed out of the Great Hall but Draco hardly noticed as he fixted his gaze and the young Greengrass once again.
"I'll make her mine by next year" he thought as he swigged a big gulp of punch and grimaced when he identified Firewhisky in the brew.
"Probably those damned Weasley twins" he thought bitterly as he strode over to the exit of the Hall.
Draco came to his senses just as the Minister recited
"Do you, Draconis Lucius Malfoy, take Astoria Renée Greengrass to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
Draco smiled and glanced down at Astoria who was beaming,
"I do"
"And do you, Astoria Renée Greengrass, take Draconis Lucius Malfoy to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Astoria smiled brightly once again
"I do"
There was a burst of tears and everyone turned to look at Ginny Potter who was not so silently crying in to her handkerchief while Harry shook his head and muttered about "those damned hormones" as he slowly rubbed his wife's back.
Draco chuckled slightly and nodded to the minister to continue.
"Then, by the power invested in me; I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride" the minister finished with a flourish of his hand and there was a golden light that flamed over the newlyweds, forever bonding them.
Draco gently took Astoria's hands and pulled her towards him and kissed her softly, ignoring the cheers and happy cries in the background.
Later, after they had shared their first dance and whatnot, it was well into the evening and Draco and Astoria had retreated to the far corner of the tent as drunken friends were now dancing much to the amusement of everyone. Astoria smiled up at her husband for what seemed like the 1000th time that night. She leaned into him as he wrapped his hands around her and sighed in contempt.
"Astoria?"
She gazed upwards at Draco,
"Yes?"
He wriggled out of the embrace and took her hands in his and looked into her eyes.
"You know, there are two moments in my life that I'm grateful for" he said very seriously, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Which moments?" she asked curiously
"The Yule Ball, when I first saw you truly, you were dancing with Michael Corner and I was so angry. That's the night I really noticed you, the night that I wanted you to be mine" he said gently, kissing her hand.
Astoria stared at him in shock, he had never told her this before. She snapped out of it and smiled warmly,
"And the second?"
Draco took a deep breath and continued,
"That time I found you in Hogwarts, when I thought you were dead"
Astoria once again was found speechless,
"That night, I realized that if anything happened to you; I would break. I'm grateful for that memory because it showed me how much I love you"
Draco brushed away tears that were streaming down Astoria's cheeks as she looked at him with adoration in her eyes.
"If, if anything happened to you that night, I don't - I don't think I could have ever moved on" Draco went on, almost on the verge of insanity when Astoria put a finger on his lips. He quieted immediately and looked at her.
"Shush, what happened that night is in the past; it's over. All that matters now is that we're here. Together, and nothing is ever going to tear us apart" she exclaimed softly.
Draco grinned and leaned over to kiss her, softly grasping her face in his strong, calloused hands.
They were together and happy, and nothing could ever tear them apart.
So, what did you think? love it? hate it? let me know!
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