Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. Nor do I own a million dollars. Nor do I own my own chain of grocery stores. Nor do I own my own publishing company. Nor do I own a poodle. Nor do I own a pool. Nor do I own Tom Felton. Nor do I own a wedding ring from Tom Felton. This could go on forever… There many things I do not own.
So, as my way of saying sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long for that last chapter, I wrote another one! It's time we get this story moving again. The end is quickly coming upon us. I do think I'll cry when I change the status of this story from In-Progress to Complete. No, I don't think, I know I'll cry like a baby. This story has been part of me for so long.
I'd like to thank all of you guys for the reviews on that last chapter. I got thirteen within a day! That was awesome you guys. Hope to see such a response this time round ;D Keep 'em coming guys! Love y'all!
This is dedicated to my sister and her best friend. Without them, this chapter would not exist. Gotta love blackmail. Have fun reading!
Without further ado…
Chapter 55
Ginny POV
"I can't believe they're moving so fast," I said with a laugh as Draco zipped the back of my light blue dress. Turning around in his arms, I kissed him. "It's hard to believe they're getting married." I let out a sigh and lay my head on his chest. The past four months with him here had been like heaven. Each and every day I was so glad to have him beside me. I would have gone crazy if he'd continued to be gone like before.
"You said that last week too," Draco laughed in my ear, bringing me out of my thoughts.
I let out another sigh and nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's still hard to believe." It was less than a month ago that Fred and George announced their plans to marry Katie and Chelsea. As soon as that had happened, Mum moved the girls into the Burrow, saying that they shouldn't be living unsupervised with Fred and George. She could be very strict sometimes.
About this time last week I had been getting ready for Fred and Katie's wedding. It had been a beautiful ceremony, small and happy. We couldn't have too large a gathering in such time, especially after what happened at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Nobody wanted to take chances again. And now, here I was, getting ready for George and Chelsea's wedding.
They had planned to wait another month after Fred's wedding but once the ceremony had actually taken place, they didn't want to wait. They waited just long enough for Fred and Katie to come back from their honeymoon. The honeymoon, like the wedding, was restricted because of the war. Their honeymoon had simply been going back to their flat above the shop and kicking George out for the week. He'd been staying here at the Burrow instead helping with his wedding plans.
Closing my eyes, I relaxed in Draco's arms. Seeing Fred and George getting married made me really think about my future. When would Draco and I get married? I knew he wanted to wait till the war was over, not wanting to start a family when the future was so uncertain. He didn't want to have to hide our wedding from the whole world. As far as his family knew, or anyone on that side of the war, he'd disappeared. We'd been able to keep his presence at the Burrow a secret from them. He felt helpless at times, not being able to help because he couldn't be seen. But, if he was found out everyone here would be in danger.
A knock on the door made me look up from Draco's chest. "Are you ready for me to do your hair, Ginny?" Fleur asked from the doorway. I smiled at my sister-in-law and nodded, slipping from Draco's arms. Little Vicky was propped on Fleur's hip, looking around with curious eyes.
"Just let me grab my shoes," I said, turning to look for them. "Draco, do you remember where they went?" I asked, looking under my dresser.
Both he and Fleur laughed, earning a delightful giggle from Vicky, as Draco pointed to the bed. "Maybe on the pillow?" he said with a grin.
Shaking my head, I grabbed the silver heels off my pillow and stuck my tongue out at Draco with a smile before following Fleur out of the room and down to Mum and Dad's room. Draco's deep laughed followed us down the stairs. It was good to see him in such a good mood, even if it was at my expense. I shook my head with a smile.
Walking in the room I saw Chelsea sitting on the bed with Mum behind her, her long brown hair getting put into an elaborate hairdo. Katie sat near her, her red-blond hair already fixed into a cute bun with ringlets hanging down in places. "Hey Ginny," Katie chimed with a smile, smoothing her dark blue knee length dress down.
"Hey," I replied, climbing up on the bed with the other girls.
Fleur came over to the bed too and sat Vicky down in my lap. "Hold her please," she said before brushing my hair out. I smiled down at my niece and tickled her. The delighted giggle that filled the room made everyone smile. This little girl had been a beacon of joy since the day she was born. So untouched by the war, nothing marred her happiness. I hugged her too me as her mother did my hair.
"I was thinking curls," I said when she finished brushing the tangles out and dried my still damp hair.
"Yes, that was what I thought too," Fleur agreed.
"So how was your honeymoon?" I asked Katie with a laugh as Fleur started on my hair.
The blush that colored her face gave me the answer. "Good," she said, her face on fire. Everyone laughed her shyness, Chelsea laughing the hardest with a blush of her own. She'd be on her honeymoon in just a handful of hours.
"I remember my honeymoon," Fleur said with her wind chime laugh. "It was defiantly 'good.' Just wait till you get pregnant, it gets even better."
I tried to block out bad mental images as Mum nodded her head with a knowing smile. Oh I did not want to think about that. "Okay, change of subject please," I pleaded with them. Enough talk of sex. Nobody wanted to think about their parents having sex.
"So, how does that dress feel?" Mum asked me, agreeing to my subject change.
I let out a sigh of relief before replying. "It's good. Not too tight. I've never worn a strapless though. I hope it stays up," I said, tugging up the bodice of the dress self-consciously.
"Oh, you have plenty there to hold that dress up," Katie said with a laugh, tugging her own bodice up.
I laughed and stopped myself from nodding my head just in time. Fleur was still working on my hair, the curls being made one by one until my face was framed by the soft curls. Our conversation turned from sex to chest size. Well, that was better I guess. The next half hour flew by and before we knew it Chelsea was slipping into her long, flowing wedding gown. She looked stunning.
A knock on the door announced that it was time to begin. "Let's go girls," Mum said, picking her granddaughter up off the bed and shooing everyone but Chelsea out. Outside the door her father was waiting. Mr. Locklear was standing outside the door waiting for us to be done getting ready. Smiling at us, he went in the room to see his daughter.
Mum went over one last time what Katie and I were going to do, being bridesmaids, before she and Fleur went to take their seats for the ceremony. From the living room I could hear the music outside begin and looked toward the stairs. Chelsea was descending them on the arm of her father. She gave us a huge smile before turning into the kitchen to go outside. Katie and I followed them out.
Outside was a huge tent covering the area that the wedding was taking place at. There were seats filled with people on both sides of the aisle. Standing next to a kind, portly wizard at the altar in his best black dress robes was George, proudly beaming. Katie began down the aisle first and I soon followed. Sitting among my family was Draco and I smiled over at him as I took my spot beside Katie. The music changed then and the entire crowed turned to watch Chelsea walk down the aisle.
She looked stunning and she was glowing with happiness. When she reached the altar, her eyes were filled with tears. Placing his daughter's hands into George's, Mr. Locklear took his seat next to his wife. The minister at the altar, the same one that had performed Bill and Fred's weddings, smiled brightly as he began. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he began in his singsong voice. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls."
The voice, the age old words, brought back memories of the last wedding, Bill and Fleur's disastrous wedding. I had been heartbroken and trying not to show it. That day I became even surer of my love for Draco, even after he'd plotted Dumbledore's death and I didn't know why. When the Death Eaters attacked, I was terrified but part of me couldn't help but wonder if Draco was among those attacking. I was scared not only for my family that day, but for the boy I thought hated me.
Clearing my mind, I looked over at Draco. That day seemed so long ago. So much had happened since. If I could have seen what I saw now back then, I wouldn't have believed it. He sat so casually among my family members. He even had a smile on his face as he sat next to Ron. Thing that seemed so unlikely were happening. Who could have ever known?
Looking at George, I couldn't help but smile. "Do you, George Weasley, take Chelsea Locklear," the minister was saying, going through the vows. George nodded at every word, impatiently waited for the moment he could say 'I do.'
"I do," he finally got to say. He squeezed Chelsea's hands in his, a smile on his face.
"Do you, Chelsea Locklear, take George Weasley," he began the vows again. Looking around the crowd, I saw Mum and Mrs. Locklear were both in tears, dabbing lightly at their eyes with handkerchiefs. I couldn't help but smile. Mum had been so emotional lately, crying about her babies were all getting married and leaving her. Now only Charlie, Percy, Ron and I weren't married. I would be soon though, God willing. But first the war had to finally come to a good end or if I could just talk Draco into it sooner. I was sick of this war standing in the way of hour happiness.
"I do," I heard Chelsea say in a teary voice barely above a whisper.
"Then I declare you bonded for life!" The minister finished with a smile and a wave of his wand, sending silver confetti to fall spiraling all around the couple. The silver balloons that hung all around the tent burst at the same moment, silver bells and pigmepuffs flying out. I couldn't help but burst into laughter. Fred had replaced the birds of paradise with pigmepuffs enchanted to fly! May others joined in my laugher, including the newlywed couple, as the chairs and walls of the tent disappeared and the dance floor appeared.
"Party favors!" Fred cried, indicating the free flying pigmepuffs. More than one person reached to grab themselves a pigmepuff. I contemplated grabbing one for Arnold could have a friend. Instead I shook my head, laughing, as I made my way over to Draco.
His arms wrapped around me as he pulled me to him, a smile on his face. "You look stunning," he told me over the din of people and music.
"Thanks," I said with a laugh, leaning into his chest. We watched as everyone drifted away from the dance floor and George led Chelsea out. After a few moments of the couple dancing by themselves Mum and Dad joined them on the dance floor as did Mr. and Mrs. Locklear. I looked at Draco and he took my hand in his and pulled me out onto the dance floor.
He easily fell into step with the music, obviously well trained in dancing. I let him lead and before I knew it we were spinning around the dance floor. He was perfectly at ease out on the dance floor. It really showed some of his background at such a moment. He had been raised to do this, learning from an early age to dance perfectly. I felt like a princess at a ball in his arms. The rest of the world seemed to melt away as he spun me around the floor with the elegance of a prince.
The rest of the day flew by in a blur of happiness. Why couldn't every day be like this? There were no worries of war praying on the mind, no fear of what was to come. Everyone was just living in the moment and enjoying themselves. All too soon it would be over though and the war would continue on. There was another raid the Order had gotten wind of in two days' time that everyone needed to prepare for. The war would go on, even if we didn't want it too. Such was the way of life.
As I lay in bed that night, I couldn't help but think about what my life with Draco would be like once we too got married. Where would we live? Would we have many children? Would our home be cluttered and homey like the Burrow or would be more like what he had growing up? Would we have pets other than Amour? Would we host parties like his parents did? There were so many questions floating around in my head.
Sitting up, I put my head in my hands. I just wished the war would go away and let Draco and I live our lives together. Pushing the blankest back, I climbed out of bed. I made sure Amour was still asleep before slipping out of my room. Out in the hall I could Ron's snores coming from the room he and Harry shared. Shaking my head, I made my way down the stairs one floor and stopped in front of Draco's door.
In the silence of the night, I could hear his breathing on the other side of the door, a light snore that he denied he had. "I don't snore," he told me once. "I breathe heavy when I sleep." I smiled at the memory as I opened his door and slipped inside. He lay on the bed, covers bunched around his waist. In the moonlight filtering into the room the scars on his chest were almost invisible. He looked so peaceful, as if none of the bad things ever happened to him.
I lifted the covers up enough to slip under them. Curling against his side, I let out a happy sigh. His light snores stopped abruptly and I felt his arms pull me close to him. "Couldn't sleep," he asked in a tired voice.
"I can now," I replied, snuggling against him.
He relaxed against me and settled back down. "I love you," he whispered in my ear sleepily.
"Love you too," I murmured, my eyes slipping closed of their own accord. Within moments, I was fast asleep in his arms.
Well, I know it was only a little filler chapter but how'd you guys like it? I hope you enjoyed it. Keep your eyes peeled for another sooner or later. If you have any ideas for the next chapter or the end of the story (i.e. how the war ends) then feel free to tell me in your review or shoot me a PM. I'll be glad to hear any ideas you guys have!
Keep them review coming in for BJ! Our little boy is getting so big!
And never forget to remember that a happy author writes better and faster! So review and make me happy!