It was white. It was all white. It was a welcoming sight from all the dark colors she had been around the last week. Cream, ivory, champagne, blush, diamond, and of course pure white. It was like stepping into an alternative world where everything was brighter and happier than what one was used to.

This alternative universe had appeared in center London, in a luxurious wedding dress shop. The moment they had entered the boutique, the two adults had all but left Cassie standing at the entrance while they immediately started surveying the shop and looking at the dresses.

While Cerys was studying some mermaid dresses, Walburga looked at the big ball gowns or the ones one would call a princess dress. It seemed to Cassie that they had forgotten about the person whose main opinion counted the most, namely hers.

"Remember, the dress must be grand, more than beautiful, beyond breathtaking."

"I'm pretty sure if you go beyond breathtaking, you'll kill someone," Cassie mumbled lowly to herself. Whether they heard her or not, she wasn't sure, but her mother continued on her ramble before she concluded in.

"It must be the most magical thing they have ever seen. Cerys, can you imagine? We're planning the wedding all of the other wives are going to be talking about for years in jealousy," Walburga said as she clasped her hands together. "Everything can not be anything less than perfect."

"Hello, how can I help you?" A perky voice filled the room as a blonde woman appeared in front of Cassie.

"I- we have an appointment here today," Cassie said uncertainly as she shifted her sight between the blonde, Cerys and her mother. "Cassiopeia Black."

A smile spread across the woman's face. "You must be Cassiopeia, I assume. I'm Holly, and I'm your consultant for the day." She reached out a hand and shook Cassie's. "Why don't we find you someplace comfortable to sit, so we can find out what it is you're looking for." Holly Suggested.

"Sure." She quickly threw her mother a glance. "Mother."

Hearing her daughter, Walburga turned her gaze from the feather-filled dress and noticed the blonde woman with her. "You must be the consultant." Her heels clicked on the floor as she made her way over to the two. "I'm Cassiopeia's mother."

"I'm Holly. Nice to meet you." Holly smiled and offered her hand for the older woman to shake, only to receive a slightly distasteful glance. Retreating her hand, Holly turned to Cassie. "Well, let's find you somewhere to sit." She guided the girl through the boutique, with Walburga and Cerys following closely behind.

When the three females sat down on a couch, Holly turned to an assistant. "Would you mind fetching us a bottle of Champagne and some glasses?"

From the corner of her eyes, Cassie noticed her mother seemed slightly impressed, as she obviously hadn't thought they'd be serving something like that here.

"So." Holly turned to the trio, though her gaze was primarily set on Cassie. "Tell me about the wedding."

"It's at the start of August, so it's a summer wedding. The wedding will take place in a rented castle in Scotland, and well.. it is a big event."

Cassie couldn't mask the shocked expression that appeared as she heard her mother. A castle.. they rented a bloody castle. What in merlin's name are they doing?! Cassie thought to herself. There hadn't been any talk about the wedding around her since the summer, though considering she was away at school, she had no way to know just what the two women have planed.

"Do you have anything in mind?" Holly asked Cassie.

Now that was a good question.. she thought, though quickly remembering the several wedding magazines Cerys had given her the day before the ball. And considering she had nothing better to do, Cassie had spent a few hours flipping through the magazines studying the different dresses."Something timeless, not too over the top, and not too puffy."

Her mother nodded approvingly at first. Then, however, when her daughter mentioned not puffy or over the top, she couldn't help but open her mouth. "I would very much like to see her in a ball gown, something that makes a statement. She is, after all, only getting married once."

"I think she would look wonderful in a mermaid dress." Cerys chipped in, smiling.

"Why don't we pull a few different dresses for you to try on, and we'll see which one you like best. Do you have a price range you'd like to keep in?"

Walburga shook her head. "We're looking for the best, whatever the cost is."

Holly nodded apprehensively, uncertain whether that would make her job easier or a bit harder."Okay. Why don't you come with me, and we'll find something for you."

As Cassie was being guided past several dresses by Holly, she couldn't help but glance at some, hoping to see something that would satisfy her. Though she wasn't entirely sure about what she wanted, she was pretty determent about what she didn't want.

"I'm sorry about my mother." Cassie apologized the moment Holly closed the door to the medium-sized fitting room.

"It is no big deal. If you only knew half of the mothers I've met working here. I can handle more than a glare." Holly responded. "So we know what your mother likes, and the other woman.. is that your future mother-in-law?"

Cassie nodded, causing Holly to continue. "Well, we know what they like and would prefer you in, and that's great. But the most important thing is you. When you envision yourself on your wedding day, getting married to the person you love, wearing the dress of your dreams. What do you see? How does it look like?"

As she closed her eyes, she imagined not the wedding but the hours before. She imagined Lily running around with Alice making sure that everything was perfect. She imagined Dorcas with a glass of champagne in her hand and a grin on her face listening to her girlfriend trying to calm down Cassie's nerves, only to end up crying as her best friend was getting married. Peter and James making sure that she was absolutely sure about this, and if not, they'd apparate her or somehow find a car and get her away from there.

Remus would be sitting in a chair, he too, with a glass of champagne, smiling though trying to keep himself from laughing as he listened to his two friends. And Sirius.. well, he would be crying his eyes out over the fact his baby sister was getting married. While comforted by Andromeda, who had wrapped her arms around her cousin, telling him that Cassie would still be his sister even though she'd be married.

Though her heart warmed with joy as she envisioned it, a weighing sadness quickly overtook it causing her heart to ache. She wanted them there. She wanted all of them there. She wanted her brother to walk her down the aisle and to make his stupid speech along with Peter, Remus, and James. She wanted to have Lily as her maid of honor and Alice, Marlene and Dorcas as her bridesmaids. She didn't want castles or extravagant dresses or the wedding people would talk about for years. Cassie just wanted her family, but they weren't here.

As she tried to tear her focus away from the people and to her dress, a white silhouette appeared in her mind.

Opening her eyes, she filled Holly in with the details, fabric, and silhouette she had envisioned herself wearing. The older woman smiled happily as she told the girl she would be back shortly with a couple of dresses. For the next minutes, Cassie sat fiddling with her fingers as she waited patiently for Holly to return,

"Let's see what we have here." Holly started the moment she opened the door and entered the fitting room. Her hand was filled with a couple of hangers bearing beautiful dresses on, one by one; she hung them up. "Oh, and before you look at me strangely, your mother insisted you'd try on this dress she found. Do you see anything that you want to try?"

Cassie took notice of a ballgown and a mermaid dress at the courtesy of the two mothers before she landed on two dresses with an a-line silhouette. They were both beautiful and quite different, where one was of satin with beading on, the other was with lace.

"I do." She smiled. "But I'd rather start with the two other, just to minimize the risk of having them whining about waiting."

Holly snapped her fingers as a grin spread across her face. "Good call."

"What's taking them so long?" Walburga craned her neck to get a better look around the boutique as her eyes scanned every human being she saw in search of her daughter.

"This wine is really good." Cerys mused before taking another sip from her glass. Walburga threw her a look taking note of her nearly empty glass that was full just a few moments ago. "Besides, you can't rush perfection. After all, look at that."

As she turned her head towards where Cerys's eyes were set, she saw her daughter walking towards them, wearing a mermaid dress. No wonder Cerys was so happy, Walburga thought to herself as her daughter went up on the pedestal in front of them and took a good look in the mirror before turning around.

"You look absolutely beautiful." Cerys beamed.

The dress was made of satin. It was quite simple with a beaded top that went out in a cap sleeve. Since the beading didn't go further down than just over her bosom, it wasn't too much, but the lack of anything from the bosom and down made Cassie feel as if the dress was a bit plain and simple. Beautiful, but not quite her.

"You don't like it?" Cassie asked her mother who's face had scrunched up in clear dislike.

"I think it's too plain for you. The beading at the top is nice, but I'd rather see you in a ball gown."

"What do you think?" Cerys asked the girl.

"I think it's lovely," Cassie responded as she tried to mask the surprise on her face. "Though maybe a bit plain from here and down." she gestured with her hands.

"I see what you mean," Cerys commented after studying the dress for a moment longer. "It's beautiful, and it gives you a wonderful shape, but you're right. Something is missing."

Holly, who had kept quiet since they entered the room, glanced at the two mothers before turning to Cassie. "Shall we try another?"

Cassie nodded as they made their way back to the changing room.

"I don't mean to pry, but I couldn't help but notice you seemed slightly surprised when your mother-in-law asked what you thought about the dress." The blonde noted as she helped the younger girl out of her dress.

"I guess I was a bit surprised she wanted my opinion."

"Why?"

"Well… since the engagement was announced, those two have become somewhat similar to bridezillas. They have planned everything down to the tiniest little microscopical thing. Usually, it's the bride and the groom that stands for the planning, but with those two... I don't have to do anything other than show up to the wedding." Cassie explained.

Holly nodded understandingly. "So if they wanted you to wear a dress you didn't love. Would you do it?"

Cassie's eyes widen slightly as she couldn't help but feel a bit taken by surprise, not by the question, but by the part of her, that was rather quick to deny that question. "No. No, I wouldn't. If I so have to buy the dress myself." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not leaving here today with a dress unless I picked it myself."

The consultant couldn't help but look a bit proud of the words she heard. In her years of working as a wedding dress consultant, there had been many similar situations she had faced where the mother or some other member of the family was so adamant on what the bride should wear that the poor bride couldn't manage to find anything because they wanted to please that person but at the same time themselves.

"Well, it's certainly big. I'll give you that." The dark-haired girl stated as she moved the big skirt with her hands. "I could probably manage to hide a person or two under here." She chuckled, causing Holly to laugh.

"At least you have a sense of humor around it. That's good." After finish lacing up the back, Holly met Cassie's gaze in the mirror as the younger was studying the dress. "Are you ready to show them?"

Cassie nodded as she lifted the massive front a few inches, so she didn't trip on it. As she walked out of the fitting room and down the store corridor, the only thing running through her mind was the fact that she looked completely ridiculous. Sure the dress was pretty for those who love ball gowns or princess dresses, but Cassie wasn't one of them, at least not like this.

The moment they entered the main store, she had to fight herself not to roll her eyes as she saw her mother's face light up the moment she laid eyes on her daughter. The girl hadn't even gotten to the pedestal before her mother erupted.

"It looks perfect! This is exactly what I had in mind when picturing you in a wedding dress." Walburga spoke pridefully as her eyes roamed over the dress. Cassie raised a questionable brow at her mother as she leaned forward to gather the fabric that had slipped out of her hands. She raised the hemp further up as she stepped up to the pedestal and let go of the fabric, causing it to cascade around her.

"This is the one. I'm telling you." Walburga persisted as she sat upright and crossed one leg over the other, sipping her wine.

Cassie clenched her fist and took a deep breath, trying to calm the overwhelming urge she had to scrunch her face in distaste. "Mother." She started, and if her mother knew her as well as she would have liked, Walburga would have heard the small ounce of annoyance laced within her voice. "There are feathers on this dress... Feathers." Cassie gave her mother a deadpan glance as she turned around to face the two mothers, who had both two very different facial expressions.

"Oh hush.. feathers are in, aren't they?"

Cerys gave her friend an uncertain side glance. "It's pretty."

"You don't think it's too much?" Cassie asked.

"Oh, not at all." Her voice pitched slightly as she spoke, and Cassie couldn't help but be reminded by Rabastan, that time at Slughorns Christmas party when the host himself had wondered what they thought of Blue Delight. "It's just enough."

Cassie bit down on her lower lip to keep her face straight, but with the face Cerys herself was making, it wasn't the easiest task she had been given. But, she had to give it to her mother though, the dress she had found had been the most expensive out of the ones Holly had brought in.

The dress was filled with small beautiful white flower decorations on the bodice. Then, from the waist, it went out in a big tulle skirt with a train that was at least one or two feet long. The skirt was filled with the same white flowers as the bodice; there were just a few flowers at the top, though the further down the skirt you went, the more they appeared. At the bottom of the dress, the flowers transformed into layers of feathers, feathers that decorated more than half of the train.

"It will certainly make a statement."

"That's the meaning. It's a dress fit for a queen." Walburga responded to her daughter's remark.

"Do you like the dress?" Holly cut in, and for a moment, Cassie was almost tempted to say yes, just to let her mother have her way. But before she could, Holly's words appeared in her mind, and all she could imagine was standing next to a crying Sirius as Peter was doing his best to take photos of the two. Of course, if Sirius could have seen her at the moment, he would have burst out laughing and kept on until he started getting teary. Not quite the tears she was hoping for.

"Uh.. honestly, it is a beautiful dress. But it's not quite what I pictured myself in." Her eyes were set on her mother the entire time she spoke, watching as her face drew into a satisfied smirk before her eyes widened and the smirk disappeared from her face.

"What do you mean it's not what you pictured yourself in?! It's perfect." Walburga wailed at her daughter.

Cassie gently rubbed her temple as she placed one hand on her hip and took a breath. "Mother.. It's not. It's not perfect. For you, maybe, but not for me. I respect that you love this dress, I do, but I need you to respect my opinion." She took a deep breath as a burst of courage filled her, making the words come rather easy.

"You planned this. You both planned this huge wedding. A wedding in a castle that I didn't even know about until today. Every single thing, the guests, the food, the cake, the reception, all of it, you've planned it. And I was okay with that. But this.. this is mine. This is my wedding dress, and since you so perfectly pointed out earlier, I'm only getting married once, so I'm fine with you going all bridezilla over my wedding as long as you leave the dress alone. It is my wedding dress. It's my only wedding dress, and I'd like to pick it myself. So if you don't like it, then that's okay, but it is my dress, and it is my choice."

Walburga was stunned. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, having trouble gathering proper sentences. Cerys was also taken back, but a small smile slowly appeared on her face as she couldn't help but feel a bit proud of the girl. Though the proudest had to be Holly, who was so used to brides that always wanted to please everyone, that each time one of them stood up for what they wanted, she couldn't help but feel a bit accomplished.

Walburga cleared her throat as she laced her fingers together and rested them on her lap. She stared hard at her daughter for a moment, who, with the burst of courage still burning inside of her, held her mother's stare and narrowed her eyes slightly, causing Walburga to be slightly surprised.

"You.. you certainly feel strongly about this. Given the circumstances, I suppose I can see why." Walburga said hesitatingly as she gazed around uncomfortably before continuing. "If there is something I don't like, don't expect me to keep quiet. I will make it known."

"I wouldn't expect it any other way."

"Are you okay?" Holly let a grin appear on her face as she asked, a grin that she had been fighting for a while to keep contained, at least in front of the mother, whose facial expression had been sour-looking since her daughter's outburst.

"Oh god.. did I really say that to her?" Cassie's voice shook with disbelief as she tried to wrap her mind around what had just happened. Though the girl seemed to be slightly shocked, there was an overwhelming sensation of pride that filled her, pride of the fact she stood up to her mother and spoke her mind. They had separated her from her brother, made her enter an arranged marriage, and planned a wedding where non of her friends were invited. What more could they possibly do to her.

"You did!" Holly said happily. "I'm proud of you. I know some brides that struggle with standing up for what they want."

After a few moments where Holly helped loosen the back of the dress, Cassie stepped out of the ball gown and into a satin a-line dress. She was immensely quiet as she studied it, and her face was the voice of any emotions making it hard to read her.

"Do you like it?" the blonde asked hopefully.

"I do"

"But is it the one?"

Cassie eyed the dress thoughtfully before letting out a soft, almost defeated sigh. "No, it is not. I don't know. There is just something that's missing."

"Do you still want to show them?"

Cassie nodded her head as she turned towards the woman."Yes, I think it might soften them up to the idea of an a-line dress."

As Cassie entered the boutique again, it was clear as day that her mother didn't approve of the dress. In fact, the dislike was rather obvious, from the way she scrunched her nose to the downward turn of her dark red lips. Finally, the young girl stepped on the pedestal, threw the dress a rather quick glance before turning around to face her entourage, who were both deadly quiet.

"I can already see that you don't like the dress, mother." She quickly informed them before turning towards her future mother-in-law. "What do you think?"

Cerys's face was filled with uncertainty as she tilted her head slightly while observing the dress thoroughly. For quite some time, she didn't say anything, just sat and looked at the dress up until the point her friend started to get rather impatient as she cleared her throat rather loudly, causing a few people to look their way.

Honestly, Cassie didn't even need Cerys to answer her, just the silence and the way it seemed as if she was trying out different scenarios in her head to find out what to say said enough.

"I truly don't know.." Cerys started. "The dress is beautiful, surely. But there's just... I can't exactly point it out, but there's just something that doesn't sit right with me."

"Well, I certainly don't like it."Walburga erupted. "There's far too little embellishment on it and far too simple. And again, I think a ball gown would have fitted you better."

Cassie retained herself from rolling her eyes at her mother as she turned towards the mirror and thought about what Cerys had said. She had been right, there was something even Cassie herself didn't know, but there was just something about this dress that didn't... well, it wasn't the one to put it simply.

"Okay." She breathed out. "Time to go back in." lifting her skirt, Cassie stepped off the pedestal as she made her way back to the fitting room with her consultant hot on her heels. Before she even managed to exit the main boutique, she overheard her mother's comment.

"Don't worry. It won't be long until my daughter realizes that I was right and that she's going to find a ball gown that looks like royalty."

Looking over her shoulder, she saw Cerys, who was giving her friend a look. As Walburga closed her eyes while drinking her champagne, Cerys shook her head in disapproval before a cheery smile appeared on her face as Walburga lowered her drink and opened her eyes.

Cassie sat down on a chair in the fitting room as she drew her fingers through her hair and let out a sigh. "You know, for a moment, I thought that what I had said had actually.. you know, done something. But she's still on about ball gowns," she said frustratedly as she leaned back in her seat.

"Apparently, this won't be an easy-won battle."

"That's for sure."

Holly eyed the remaining dress and ultimately decided that if this didn't score, she would bring the girl with her to see if they could find her dream dress. "Shall we try this?" She held up the dress in front of Cassie, whose face lit up when she studied it.

"We should get our dresses soon," Cerys suggested, though her eyes lingered on some of the wedding dresses that hung not too far from where they were sitting.

Walburga, who had leaned back in her seat while sitting with one leg over the other, looked up from her glass as she thought for a moment. "You're right. It takes time to make them too... So why don't we schedule an appointment next week? Though maybe someplace else.." She remarked, giving a small group of muggles a sour glance.

"Oh!" Cerys erupted as she just suddenly remembered something. "I heard at the ball that there's a new dress shop in France. Apparently, it's a big favorite of the Beauxbaton's headmistress."

Walburga gave her friend an uncertain look. "Is it magical?"

"As far as I know, then yes."

A hum filled the air between the two as Walburga tapped a finger gently against her chin. "Well.." she started. "I suppose we have to try it then. I just wish there was some way for us to get there, so we didn't have to be in the same space as those muggles." She all but spat.

"Imagine if we could apparate where ever we wanted to in the world." Cerys sighed. "I've always wanted to see-" She didn't get to say much more as the sound of footsteps made her turn her head, and immediately a smile graced her features.

Cassie gathered some of the fabric in her hands as she lifted the hemp slightly before stepping on the pedestal, letting go of the fabric, making it cascade around her. As she turned to the mirror, there was a small moment where she didn't even recognize herself. After all, when was the last time she had been smiling like this anywhere near her mother. However, the smile on her face was infectious, causing both Holly and Cerys to smile as well.

"So, what do you think?" Holly questioned smugly, already having gotten her response in the fitting room.

Cassie's entire face was lit up with both excitement and awe, her eyes shone brightly, and it almost seemed as if she wanted to cry. "I-I- Oh god..." She struggled as her eyes danced over every single detail. The dress was just as she had pictured it in her imagination.

" I love it." She beamed.

"Are you sure about that?"

A wave of disappointment washed over Cassie as she turned around, facing her mother, who, like before, sat with something similar to a scowl, as her narrowed eyes viewed the dress with clear distaste.

Swallowing her pride, she met her mother's glare. "What do you think?" she asked.

Pursing her lips, Walburga once again studied the dress, though it was a waste of time since she had already formed her opinion. "Well, I'd be lying if I said that I liked it. Though it is not entirely bad, I'm still holding with that a ball gown would look much better on you."

"Cerys?" Cassie breathed out as she moved her gaze just a little. What she then saw was something entirely different than her mothers disapproving glare. Unlike her mother, Cerys Lestrange was gazing up at her smiling while her eyes were brimming with tears.

"Oh, Cassie.." She cooed. "That's it. That's the one." She clapped her hands together.

"Here you go." Holly offered a box of tissues to Cerys, whose tears had started to fall.

Sharing her mother's surprise, Cassie had to bite down on her lower lip as she noticed the almost betrayed expression the woman was giving Cerys. Though as she was caught off guard, she couldn't help but ask just to be sure."Really?"

"Yes, you look so beautiful." Her voice wavered as she dried some of her tears with a tissue. "I wasn't planning on crying today. But oh merlin.." She wept as she pulled another tissue.

Cassie smiled happily at the older woman, and for the first time, she couldn't help but feel somewhat excited as she turned and looked at the mirror again. The dress was beautiful, but the most important thing of all, she felt beautiful.

"This is the one," Cassie stated happily.

"No." Walburga protested loudly as she stood up and placed both hands on her waist. "I don't approve. I most certainly don't approve of this dress."

"Mother.." Cassie sighed as she rubbed her temple.

Walburga gave her daughter a hard cold stare as she added. "I'm not paying for you to wear something like that on your wedding day."

Of course, it would come to this... She wasn't the least bit surprised by her mother's threat and had, in fact, come prepared. When she had been to Gringotts a few days ago with her brother and Rabastan, Cassie had gotten a bit more muggle money than needed, or rather, a significantly larger number, in case this would happen.

The dark-haired mother stared at her daughter, almost as if daring her to even respond. It was clear to all of them that Walburga would not be happy and would not pay for a single dress that wasn't a ball gown or approved of her.

Cerys's teary gaze switched between the two before she ultimately settled on Cassie as her lips curled up in a brilliant smile. "Oh, no worries." she started causing the two to lift their eyes from each other to the brunette. "If Walburga won't pay for the dress, then I will."

Walburga's eyes doubled their size as she stared at her friend in disbelief, not understanding why on earth she would do that.

"Oh no... I appreciate it. I really do, but you don't have to. I can buy it myself." Cassie pleaded. She was as surprised as she was thankful, but honestly, given the glare Cerys was currently receiving from her mother, she almost didn't want to say yes.

"Oh, nonsense." Cerys waved her hand dismissively as she continued. "How can we not buy this?" She stood up and made her way to the pedestal stopping in front of Cassie. Her eyes trailed over every detail of the dress before she looked up at the girl. "You look so beautiful. You know... I've always wanted a daughter of my own. When Rodolphus got married, Bellatrix insisted they just wore dark cloaks, as she couldn't care less, so I never got to be a part of this with her. But now that Rabastan is getting married, my last son, and I'm here with you, I just feel so-" She choked on her words as her eyes got teary, and a sob rose in her throat.

Though Cassie felt immensely happy and flattered, she was glad she managed to hide the surprise and the slight awkwardness she felt. Truth be told, not for a second had she thought she would ever hear words like that come out of a person like her. Though that being said, Cerys wasn't a terrible person, she wasn't as strict as her mother, but from what she had heard from Rabastan, their tempers could be quite alike sometimes. Though Cerys was, like Walburga, incredibly stubborn, Cassie knew that this was ultimately a fight she would lose. So to save herself from a rather long argument involving a dress that she really wanted. She caved.