Author's Note: Thank you so, so much for the reviews! They're wonderful, I really do enjoy reading them. So, it's finally the wedding! Now, I have a suggestion/would love if you would do this: I underlined a set of the stars that seperate the sections of the chapter so that would cue you into playing a song that would match the moment perfectly (well, to me at least). When you get to the underlined stars, please play the song "Reflecting Light" by Sam Phillips. The song is gorgeous, and I'm sure you could find it on youtube or playlist or something. You don't have to do it, but I would strongly recommend it. Just for something to set the mood. I played the song over and over as I was writing that part. Anyway, I'm hoping to get one more chapter out before I go back to school (ugh...) and then, the updates won't be quite as frequent. I truly am sorry, and will try to update as often as I possibly can. I really hope you enjoy this chapter! Please, please leave a review!! Thanks so much!!! :)

The day of the wedding had finally arrived, and Fleur was even more of a wreck than she had been over the past few days. Hermione, Ginny, Raynea and Gabrielle helped her do her hair and make-up as they tried to calm her down. Her anxiety was definitely understandable, but all the bridesmaids were still desperate to make her relax a bit. Raynea felt horribly for Fleur. A girl's wedding day was one of the most important days in her life. It would actually be strange if Fleur hadn't been nervous. Raynea was a bit tightly wound, herself. The idea of having to walk down the aisle in front of hundreds of people still made her sick to her stomach. Though, she could only imagine how freaked out Fleur must've been. She was the one getting married, after all.

By noon, everything was set up for the ceremony itself, but Fleur's bridal makeover still hadn't been completed. Raynea decided to leave it to her fellow bridesmaids to help out Fleur, while she checked to make sure that Harry and Ron didn't need anything. She entered Ron's bedroom and found that Harry, Ron and Draco were all lounging out on their beds, not dressed or anywhere near ready for the wedding. They couldn't even excuse it by saying they were helping out downstairs or on the lawn. Raynea's jaw dropped as she discovered the boys' lazy states, and immediately took control of the situation.

"What're you all doing up here?" she demanded with a hint of hysteria in her voice. Her nerves were really getting to her that day, so she supposed she came off as being a little high-strung.

"Uh…staying out of the way," Ron suggested sheepishly, looking to Harry for a more official excuse. Harry's eyes simply widened before he cleared his throat and shrugged.

"Yeah…what Ron said. There's so many people rushing around, we'd just get in the way," he rationalized.

Raynea grinned ironically at their reasoning as she treaded over to Ron's closet and began to rummage through it.

"What're you doing?" Ron asked.

"You all should be getting ready," Raynea told them anxiously. She didn't know why she was so desperate to have them all dressed and ready to go, but she suspected that it could've been because she didn't want to get ready herself. When she put the dress on, she would officially be a bridesmaid. Then, it would only be a matter of time before she would make a complete fool of herself.

"The wedding's not for hours," Harry pointed out.

"Still…you all should be dressed," Raynea insisted as she fished Ron's dress robes out of his closet and tossed them onto his bed.

"Oy…I forgot we had to get all fancied up for this…" Ron groaned, collapsing backwards onto his pillow.

Raynea scurried over to Harry's trunk and started to search through it for his formal clothes. He eventually got up off his cot and crouched down beside her with a chuckle.

"I've got it under control, Rayne," he assured her, "Why're you acting so mad?"

"I'm not…" Raynea said defensively as she straightened up, "I just think you all should be dressed already."

"It's not like you're all set and ready to go," Ron reminded her amusedly.

"Yeah…well…I've been helping out the bride all morning," she reasoned.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you're a bridesmaid," Harry stated with a smile.

"Ugh…don't remind me," Raynea said tensely, "Now, you two better start getting ready."

"Sure thing, mum," Ron teased as he and Harry headed out into the hallway. Raynea sighed in relief once she knew that they had begun preparing, then turned to Draco, who hadn't said a word since she entered the room. She approached his cot frantically and suddenly started to pressure him.

"You ought to get ready, too," Raynea told him. He shrugged.

"I'm not worried about it," Draco responded smoothly, "With me, it's come as you are."

"Well, what're you going to wear? It's not like you have any dress robes here," she reminded him fretfully.

"I've got it covered," Draco said, smirking at her erratic behavior, "A bit tense today, are we?"

"Tense?…I'm not tense," Raynea returned shakily as her eyes widened.

"I can see that," he stated sarcastically, standing up from his seat on his cot, "Stop worrying so much about everyone else, and get yourself dressed. You look like a bloody mess right now."

"Thanks, that makes me feel loads better," she shot back bitingly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're welcome," Draco replied smugly, "Now, go…run a ruddy brush through your hair or something…"

"Okay, your opinion is no longer required, here," Raynea snapped, rolling her eyes and heading towards the door.

She felt Draco's eyes trail after her as she entered the hallway. His last few comments didn't exactly make her feel better about things. Raynea stroked her head insecurely before glancing up at her hairline with a dreadful look upon her face. She supposed it was finally time to get ready.

***

Almost everyone was gathered outside, waiting for the wedding to commence. Fleur was doing the final touches on her appearance upstairs along with her bridesmaids, Bill was checking on things outside, Harry and Ron were waiting by the door with Charlie, who happened to be Bill's best man, and Draco was standing at the foot of the stairs. There was no way he was going outside without Raynea. In the end, she was the only reason he agreed to come to the wedding at all. He was going to give her hell for making him show up. The event hadn't even begun, and he was already annoyed. There were too many cheerful people around for his taste. Not to mention, he hardly knew anyone there—and he didn't really care to, either.

Draco felt as though he had been waiting by the stairs for an eternity. He didn't know what was taking the girls so long, but he was about to storm up there and give them a piece of his mind. He just wanted to get the evening over with. Finally, Ginny came racing down the stairs and joined Harry and Ron by the door. Draco listened to see if she would give any word on how much longer they'd have to wait.

"Fleur wants to come out alone, so we can leave once Hermione, Raynea and Gabrielle get down here."

"Good," Draco mused bitterly, "I can't take this any bloody longer…"

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps, and Gabrielle descended the stairs before joining Ginny by the door. Following that, Hermione and Raynea slowly traveled down the winding steps. As Draco looked upon Raynea, he actually felt his stomach tighten. She was wearing the same, gold bridesmaids' dress as the rest of the girls, but it looked different on her for some reason—well, to him, anyway. The dress didn't do much for her chest considering it was nearly flat, but it emphasized her skinny waist quite nicely. Plus, it was short, so it showed off her long, thin legs. Draco eyes slowly trailed up to her face and he saw that she was literally beaming. He hadn't seen her look so happy in a long time.

Her mahogany eyes appeared especially bright in contrast with the gold of the dress, and her hair, which was usually in loose curls, was in vaguely tighter curls that still flattered her nicely. She wore a wreath of small, golden flowers on her head, which seemed to be a personal touch. None of the other girls had one. Draco was taken aback by how stunning she looked. She always looked hot to him, but this was different. Tonight, she wasn't hot; she was beautiful. He shook his head and tried to appear unfazed by her as she approached him with a smile.

"You look nice," Raynea told him kindly, gazing at his black suit then fixing her eyes upon his face. Draco smirked as he looked her up and down, causing her to roll her eyes.

"…you look like a ruddy Christmas ornament," he informed her roughly.

Raynea's face fell slightly, and she leaned her head forward to glance down at her flashy, gold dress. After a moment, she brought herself upright and sighed.

"Thanks," she stated acidly, "You better get outside…its about to start."

"Merlin, this is gonna be boring," Draco grumbled as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Go," Raynea ordered with a chuckle, shoving him towards the door.

"Ooh, I always have liked it rough," he shot back mockingly.

"Just go outside," she insisted, unable to hold back a smile.

Draco smirked as he finally abided by her wishes and went out onto the lawn. The evening sure would turn out to be interesting. He just hoped he the ceremony wouldn't bore him to tears.

***

Raynea clutched her bouquet of flowers frantically as she swallowed a lump in her throat. She was standing in line behind Hermione, waiting to be cued onto the aisle. She would be the last bridesmaid to walk to the front of the lawn, and this only added to her stress. Her eyes darted around nervously as she searched for something—anything to make herself feel more at ease. Finally, the sound of music spread out across the lawn, indicating that the wedding was just about to begin. Raynea felt her heartbeat quicken as she held her head up high and prepared to take the anticipated stroll.

Gabrielle was leading the line, and she took off down the pathway gracefully, followed by Ginny, Hermione and Raynea. Raynea felt her knees quake as she moved along after her fellow bridesmaids, but she had yet to fall. She only wished she could feel more relaxed. Everyone was watching her…everyone was staring at her…it was incredibly unnerving. Raynea allowed her eyes to trail over the sea of faces before her.

She caught a glimpse of Harry, Ron and the twins almost immediately, each of them wearing broad grins on their faces. This helped her a little, but not by much. Then, unfortunately, she passed by Emmett, who merely gazed at her lustfully. Raynea inhaled to maintain her composure and keep from grimacing. After a few more paces, she was blessed with a sudden feeling of calm. As soon as she glanced at the back of Draco's head, she was instantly relaxed. She was taken aback by the fact that he had this affect on her, but decided not to question it. Raynea caught his eye as she walked by him, and he offered her a smirk and a wink. She smiled at the gesture, and continued on down the aisle. Once she reached the front of the lawn, everything was okay. She could finally breathe.

Everyone turned around once Fleur had made her way down the path. She looked absolutely gorgeous, as usual. Raynea beamed as she looked from Fleur to Bill and saw them gaze at each other with longing. She couldn't even explain the overwhelming feeling of happiness she was experiencing. It was so amazing to witness love with her own eyes.

Abruptly, as if she wasn't able to control her own movements, Raynea fixed her stare upon Draco, and found that he had never taken his eyes off of her. The two shared a long, intense look, and simply smiled at one another. Well, Draco was smirking, but it was still nice, nonetheless. Raynea didn't direct her glance elsewhere throughout the entire ceremony…and neither did he.

***

The reception ended up being more wild than Raynea even imagined. There were people everywhere—and almost everyone had been drinking. It was quite hilarious to watch, actually. At first, Raynea was congregated with Hermione and Ginny, but decided to take a look around after awhile. She weaved through the hordes of friends and family members and made a huge circle around the dance floor. She definitely did not want to get caught up in all that. Raynea was just about to join up with Hermione and Ginny again, when she accidentally bumped right into Emmett.

He was staggering around with a half empty bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand, and wore a twisted smile on his face. Raynea hated herself for being so clumsy as she forced a grin. Emmett took a few steps closer to her and his smile only grew.

"You're looking pretty, pretty tonight," he uttered sloppily.

"Thanks, Emmett," Raynea replied with feigned appreciation.

"You were definitely my favorite bridesmaid," he continued drunkenly.

"That's…nice to know…" she trailed off uncomfortably, "Well, I better go—"

"Drink?" Emmett offered, holding out the bottle towards her.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," Raynea told him, "Anyway, I really have to be going—"

"Aw, you can't leave," Emmett insisted with a chuckle, "We haven't even danced yet.

"Dance? You wanna dance…with me…" she repeated as her eyes widened fearfully.

"Of course. I have to have a dance with the prettiest girl here."

"Well, I don't think Bill would be okay with you dancing with his wife," Raynea stated, averting his advance.

"Come on," he urged as he took another unsteady step towards her. Raynea cringed at the thought of having to dance with him, and was even more concerned with trying to come up with a proper excuse not to. She desperately needed a savior. Suddenly, as if her musings had been stated aloud, Raynea felt an arm slide around the back of her neck. She furrowed her brow before glancing to the side to see that Draco had been the one to put his arm around her. As she was overcome with confusion, he jerked her against the side of his body and peered forward to stare at Emmett.

"I've been looking for you everywhere, love," Draco told her smoothly.

Raynea looked up at him doubtfully, then flickered her eyes over to Emmett. She was able to piece everything together in an instant. Raynea had never been so glad to see Draco Malfoy in her entire life.

"Oh…right. Sorry, I was just looking around for a bit," she responded.

Emmett appeared to be extremely puzzled as he glanced from Raynea to Draco with squinted eyes. He took a swig from his bottle of Firewhiskey, as if it would help him figure things out, and stared at them more closely.

"Wait…so…you're with…him?" Emmett questioned.

"Uh…"

"Yes, she is," Draco verified coldly, "and next time you even think about looking at my girl…don't."

Emmett furrowed his brow and shrugged before preparing to take his leave.

"All right…you can just dance with me later, then…"

"I wouldn't count on that happening," Draco chimed in as he raised his eyebrows.

"Uh…okay…bye…"

After that, Emmett disappeared into the crowd, seeming more terrified of Draco than disappointed that he didn't have a chance with Raynea. Once he was out of sight, Draco removed his arm from Raynea's body as she turned to face him with a look consisting of both gratitude and shock.

"You saved me…" she stated with a grin, "How did you do that?"

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he reminded her cockily. The question didn't seem to need any further explanation. Raynea narrowed her eyes at him good naturedly.

"I'm sorry…but did you really call me your 'girl'?" she questioned in amusement.

"I thought it would seal the deal," Draco informed her arrogantly as he shrugged.

Raynea offered him an even bigger smile.

"Well, thank you…really, thank you."

"Don't get all sentimental on me, McCoy," he said conceitedly, "That ponce needed to be put in his place."

"No arguments there," Raynea agreed as she shuddered.

They merely gazed at each other for a moment, each of them seeming a bit uncomfortable. Finally, Raynea cleared her throat loudly and started to back away.

"I should probably go find—"

"Yeah…knock yourself out," Draco interrupted harshly before turning his back on her and pushing past people in the crowd. Raynea furrowed her brow and sighed at the irony. Anytime she and Draco had any sort of nice moment, it always got ruined by something. She rolled her eyes before searching for one of her friends. Though, it would prove to be difficult in such an expansive, yet crowded area.

***

About an hour went by, and Hermione, Raynea and Ginny hadn't gone to the dance floor once. Ginny was extremely anxious to get an offer to dance, but it hadn't happened yet. Hermione and Raynea were simply too nervous to dance in front of everyone, anyway. Honestly, Raynea was quite content just standing there with her friends. She didn't feel the need to put herself in any sort of awkward situation. It's not that she couldn't dance, she just wasn't comfortable doing so with so many people around. However, Ginny couldn't bear it any longer.

"Ugh…of course I'm at a wedding with a bunch of family all around. No one's going to ask me to dance," she complained.

"Why don't you ask someone, then?" Raynea suggested optimistically.

"Yeah, my choices are either one of my cousins or one of my brothers," Ginny replied with a sigh, "They aren't exactly ideal candidates."

Raynea's eyes shot over to the other side of the lawn. Her gaze fell upon Harry, and she smiled. He did say that he wanted to make things right with Ginny. Perhaps, she could help him in that capacity.

"Ask Harry to dance," Raynea stated eagerly.

Both Hermione and Ginny offered her confused looks. Raynea's smile simply grew.

"Are you sure I should?" Ginny asked uncomfortably.

"Do it," Raynea ordered in an effort to be encouraging.

Ginny suddenly started to grin as she nodded resolutely.

"All right…wish me luck."

After another second, Ginny had strolled across to where Harry was. Hermione and Raynea watched her with excitement, and giggled as Ginny started to lead Harry towards the dance floor by the hand. Raynea was glad for making the suggestion. Things seemed to be working out rather well.

"I guess we're the only ones without dance partners now," Hermione pointed out. Raynea could detect some remorse in her voice, and fixed her eyes to the side as she pondered something. Abruptly, she turned completely around to face Hermione and grinned.

"Why don't you ask Ron to dance?" she offered enthusiastically.

Hermione's eyes widened before she chuckled nervously. This only added to Raynea's amusement as she glanced over to look at Ron.

"He's standing all alone now…what could it hurt?"

"No…it's all right," Hermione said anxiously, "Really, I'm sure the last thing Ron would want to do is dance with me."

"Are you mad? I think he'd love it."

"No…" Hermione repeated, backing away slowly.

A smirk covered Raynea's face as she suddenly scurried over to Ron's location, leaving Hermione stunned behind her.

"Raynea! What're you doing?...Raynea!"

Raynea ignored Hermione's pleas as she approached Ron with a firm look on her face.

"Come with me," she ordered, grabbing Ron's wrist and leading him towards Hermione.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing?" Ron questioned uneasily.

Raynea didn't answer him, and detached herself from his arm as they came up to Hermione. Hermione and Ron simply glanced at each other awkwardly, causing Raynea to laugh. She took each of their arms and laced them together before stepping back and smiling.

"You two…go dance…now."

Hermione and Ron exchanged another look, when Raynea playfully shoved them towards the dance floor.

"Come on, you guys. Go!"

The pair finally gave into her orders and treaded to the area with the other dancers. Raynea watched them expectantly as they started to sway to the music unsteadily. She chuckled when they finally grew more comfortable with one another and got closer. After the initial joy she felt for her friends, Raynea began to feel out of place. She allowed her eyes to trail all throughout the lawn, and she suddenly realized that she was one of the only people not dancing. Her face turned pink from embarrassment before she inhaled deeply. Everything was fine…she was fine…sort of…

Raynea folded her arms across her chest as she tried to enjoy watching the dancers. A slow song had just come on, and everyone was seeming to feel especially romantic all of a sudden. She folded her lips and prepared to take a seat at one of the tables set up, when she felt a presence beside her. Raynea whipped her head to the side to see Draco standing next to her. He had an intense look on his face, and fixed his eyes upon her after another minute.

"I see you're all by your lonesome," Draco stated mockingly, "Why is it that you never have a date to these things? Can't keep a fellow happy?"

"I keep them happy," Raynea responded defensively, narrowing her eyes, "…I think…"

"No need to get all insecure," he said conceitedly, "I was only joking."

"Well, forgive me for not laughing," she told him sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

He just smirked as the two stood there quietly. They both seemed to be looking at everyone dancing for a short period of time, then Draco abruptly began to speak.

"Would you wanna…I dunno…dance or something?" he inquired roughly.

Raynea raised her eyebrows in surprise before staring at him suspiciously. Was he seriously offering to dance with her? Draco really didn't seem like the dancing type, so she was quite stunned by the invitation.

"Are you…actually asking to dance…with me?" she demanded as a grin formed on her face.

"Well, we're the only people in this ruddy place not dancing," Draco rationalized impatiently, "We look like a bunch of bleeding wankers."

"Since when do you care what these people think of you?" Raynea asked.

"I don't…" he jeered, "Dammit…why do I have to explain myself to you? Do you wanna dance or not?"

"Fine," she gave in, "But if you're doing this just so you can cop a feel…I'll kick your ass."

"Hey, you're only making the idea more appealing now," Draco informed her arrogantly.

Raynea narrowed her eyes at him and smiled as he held out his arm. She stared down at it, still feeling a bit shocked, before glancing back up at his face.

"I'm growing a beard here, McCoy…" Draco snapped, "Can we just get a bloody move on?"

"You're exhausting," she shot back with an annoyed sigh.

A perverted smile covered Draco's face as he raised his eyebrows.

"You have no idea how true that is, love."

"Ugh…" Raynea answered, latching onto his arm, "Let's just get this over with…and don't get used to calling me 'love.'"

Draco just shrugged as he led Raynea towards the dance floor. They found an empty space in between a few other couples, and simply stood there and faced each other for a second. Raynea bit her lip uncomfortably as she got a little closer. Draco rolled his eyes before slowly placing his hand onto her waist. Raynea felt her stomach clench as he did so, and gulped. He brought her against him and snatched up her hand. She rested her other hand on his shoulder and started to sway. It was a bit strange at first, especially since Draco was actually holding her in a tender way. Raynea liked it…though she was still freaked out by it. After some more time went by, the two became more at ease and moved less awkwardly. Raynea started to smile as they continued on. It was nice to dance—more specifically, it was nice to dance with Draco. She couldn't hide the grin that had graced her face as they moved to the music. Another minute went by, and, suddenly, Draco was smiling, too. He wasn't smirking. He was actually smiling.

Raynea laughed as they stared at each other intensely. She was so overwhelmed by her happiness, that she couldn't help it. He raised his eyebrows at her expectantly, waiting for her to explain the reason for her laughter. She didn't offer one, so he spoke instead.

"You're actually graceful…if a man is leading you, that is," he pointed out smugly.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Raynea responded with a nod. Draco shrugged.

"I guess that Blackwell git didn't know what he was missing."

Raynea beamed and cast her eyes downwards. He was almost being…nice. He added his own brutish flair to his commentary, but she wasn't quite as annoyed by it as usual. Neither one spoke for a minute, then Raynea gazed back up at him curiously.

"Do you really think I look like a Christmas ornament?" she questioned insecurely.

"Truthfully?" Draco began smoothly, "…no."

Raynea's smile broadened—if that was even possible. The pair continued to dance without speaking, and just enjoyed the music. Raynea found it very calming to be in such a close proximity with Draco, especially since he was acting like a human, for once. She was purely and completely content. After a little more time had passed, Raynea aimed her face upwards to look at him. He was still smiling and he seemed somewhat pensive. He suddenly gave her a questioning look, which prompted Raynea to furrow her brow. Draco raised his eyebrows before slowly easing his face closer to hers. She didn't stop him, nor did she push away. Now, his face was only centimeters from hers. Raynea felt her stomach jolt.

Abruptly, a loud noise broke her away from her thoughts and caused her to whip her head to the side. The music cut out as black clouds of smoke surrounded everyone. Raynea's eyes widened in realization while the rest of her body froze. She detached herself from Draco and looked around as she spotted a few sharp, unfamiliar faces at the head of the lawn.

"It's not a party till someone crashes it," shouted an instantly recognizable voice. Raynea felt her blood run cold.

"No…"