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"Rosie? Oh, sorry. Didn't realize you weren't dressed."

Rose laughs and shakes her head. "I have a robe on, Dad," she assures him.

"Yes, but you're… Well… I can come back, if you'd like."

Rose can't help but smile. Her dad has always been awkward in his own way. According to her mum, he was like that when they were kids too. She climbs to her feet and approaches him, adjusting the sash of her robe. "Don't go. It seems important. I'll get dressed."

He gives her a look, something between sadness and joy. Rose understands. It's her wedding day, after all. What father wouldn't be emotional on such a big day? Rose thinks it must be especially difficult for him. She's his only daughter, his baby girl, and Rose has definitely always been a total and complete Daddy's girl. She loves her mum, of course, but she never understood Rose quite the way her dad does.

Without waiting for an answer, she turns to where her gown is hanging. Just the sight of it is enough to make her heart flutter. By now, she's had plenty of time to get used to the fact that she's getting married. She spent a year just planning the wedding, never mind actually putting it together. Even so, there's something so strangely real about seeing her gown now. Rose knows it's hers, but it somehow feels like it belongs to someone else.

Taking a deep breath, she reaches out. "Oh!" She giggles as a small spider jumps out from where it was hiding beneath a layer of lace.

"That is horrifying."

Rose shoots her dad a look. Thankfully, she didn't inherit his fear of spiders. "I think it's cute," she counters with a shrug. "Besides, it's supposed to be good luck to find a spider in your wedding dress."

"How the hell can spiders be lucky?" he asks, like very thought is the most offensive thing he's ever heard. "They're wicked little things."

Rose decides it's best not to answer that. She and her dad will never agree about spiders, and she doesn't want to spend the next hour explaining the benefits of spiders. Truthfully, though, that sounds like an amazing idea. It seems much less anxiety-inducing than getting ready for her wedding.

She shakes her head, mentally scolding herself. Nervous as she might be, that's no excuse to procrastinate the way she is. She takes her gown and slips behind the changing curtain. It would be wonderful if her heart would stop pounding so painfully within her chest. She's afraid it might explode.

Putting the gown on proves to be easier than she'd expected. She's really spent so much time psyching herself up, that every little task feels like it requires Herculean effort.

"You look beautiful," her dad says when she steps out again. "You're one of a kind, Rosie."

She smiles at that and adds the finishing touch to her gown: a red rose tucked into the area where the material forms an elegant knot at her chest. Roses are not her favorite flower, but she knows how much Scorpius loves them, and so she humors him. The two agreed to wear matching roses today.

"Lucy will be here in the next half hour to do my hair and makeup," Rose says, not that he asked.

"You look nervous," her dad notes.

Once upon a time, she thinks her dad might have been happy for her to be nervous, like it would give him the opportunity to tell her told you so. She doesn't know exactly when he became okay with the idea of her being with Scorpius, but, by the time the two were engaged, her dad didn't even make a sour face about it. He's a stubborn man, but Rose knows how much he tries for her.

"I am," she admits. "I… Dad, before the day is over, I will be Rose Malfoy."

"I'm never getting used to that." Her dad chuckles and shakes his head. "My daughter, a Malfoy."

"Don't you start, Dad," Rose warns.

He holds his hands up, palms facing outward, as a way to show he means no harm. "I'm just saying." He shrugs. "Your mum says his dad has come around. I guess there's that."

Rose doesn't know much about the tension between her family and Scorpius'. All she knows is it's much calmer now, but she can sometimes still see glimpses of it… whatever it is… whenever their fathers are near one another.

His expression softens, and he reaches out, gently brushing his fingers over her freckled cheek. "It's normal to be nervous. I almost threw up when I was getting ready for my wedding."

Rose raises her brows, intrigued. Her father isn't the most calm and collected person she knows, but he usually seems pretty carefree. The fact that he could let his nerves get the best of him is comforting. She knows how much he loves her mother; if he felt the way she does now, then maybe it really is normal.

"Scorpius really loves you," he adds.

Maybe those are the words she's been waiting to hear. Rose doesn't exactly want her father's approval, per se, but the validation makes her eyes wet with tears.

"And I know you love him. You two are good for each other, and I know he's going to make you so happy."

"You don't think I'm making a mistake?" she asks, and her voice trembles ever so slightly.

"Not at all." He shakes his head and pulls her into a warm, loving hug. "You're a smart girl, and I know you know what's best for you. Now, if you asked me this when you were still at Hogwarts…"

Rose laughs. She still remembers that day on the platform and her father's warning not to get too close to the Malfoy boy. Really, she had tried to take her father's advice, but it didn't work out in the end. Somehow, Scorpius was always there. By fifth year, she had grown quite fond of him, and accepting his invitation for butterbeer had been as easy as breathing. The rest, as they say, was history.

And now here she was, six years after that first date, dressed in white and ready to spend the rest of her life with that beautiful boy. Best of all, she has her father's blessing.

"Thanks, Dad," she whispers, kissing his cheek.

He ruffles her hair affectionately, smiling down at her. "Nothing to thank me for. This is what fathers do."

There's a knock at the door, followed by Lucy and Roxanne hurting inside, both chattering away and laughing.

"Hi, Uncle Ron!" Roxanne calls, beaming as she playfully punches him in the shoulder. "Mind if we steal our cousin away? We won't be too long. Promise."

"She's all yours." He offers Rose one last smile. "I'll be back soon to walk you down the aisle, sweet girl."

And with that, he leaves, and Rose is swarmed by her two favorite cousins who immediately break out makeup and hair accessories.

Rose knows she's making the right decision. She knows she loves Scorpius with her whole heart. While she still feels that creeping nervousness hanging over her, after talking to her dad, she just knows she's going to be okay.