Chapter Three: Happily Ever After?
Trinity had a familiar, close feeling toward Alec...the way he looked at her made her feel more safe and protected than she ever had before, as if she knew without really knowing the blood and love that bonded them together.
Alec smiled as he carried Trinity in the upstairs nursery of The Burrow. He sat down on the shaggy carpet and let Trinity crawl around, occasionally playing little games with her. Doing everything his parents never did for him as a young child.
"So he's with her now?" Molly Weasley inquired as she and Bailee stood outside on the back lawn.
"Yeah." Bailee smiled as she began to take her clothing off the clothesline and folding them in a wooden basket.
"I'm going to check on supper, you'll be alright yeah?" Molly wanted to know.
"I'm fine Grandma."
Molly nodded and walked back inside the house leaving Bailee to fold the entire load of laundry herself. But Bailee didn't mind since most of the laundry was hers, Alec's, and Trinity's.
Bailee ran a hand against Alec's clean black cloak and felt something lumpy in the pocket. Bailee removed the cloak from the line and sat down on one of the nearby benches. She nearly gasped when she pulled out a black velvet box and opened it to find a golden diamond ring. How long had Alec been holding on to that ring? As Bailee recalled it was the same ring he used to propose to her when they were just seventeen. It was also the same cloak Alec was wearing when he was found in Scotland. Had he been holding on to the ring for that long?
Bailee stared at the beautiful ring with mixed emotions. She was happy that he had kept the ring after all those years, and hadn't given the ring away to his first wife. At the same time, she was pondering why it had taken him so long to propose to her.
"Bailee?"
"Ahh!" Bailee exclaimed jumping to her feet.
Her grandmother looked at her quire and then shook her head. "Dinner's ready."
"Alright, I'll be in there in a second." Bailee responded, quickly hiding the ring in her cloak pocket.
During dinner, Bailee would stare at Alec occasionally and then look away when he'd catch her looking at him. He smiled as he spoon fed Trinity some mashed peas, and then wiped her mouth with a napkin. Bailee smiled, knowing how much he already loved their daughter.
She looked down at her own plate and took a small bite of chicken with one hand while she ran her other hand over the velvet box in her pocket. She stared blankly at the table while Arthur tried to get her attention.
"Bailee?"
"Huh?"
"Bailee?"
"I don't have it!" Bailee looked up.
The entire table turned and stared at her questionably. Bailee adjusted herself in her seat and felt her cheeks turning bright red. She stood up and excused herself from the table and went upstairs.
She went into the room Alec had been residing in and placed the jewelry box in a drawer with his dress shirts. Then she wandered back downstairs to help clear off the table. Alec smiled, cleaning up Trinity and then carried her upstairs to her crib. While Bailee helped Molly wash off everyone's plates.
"Are you alright Bailee?" Molly inquired.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Bailee responded.
Bailee smiled slightly and then walked up the stairs to join Alec. She leaned against the doorway and watched Alec kiss the top of Trinity's blond head, before tucking her in for the evening.
"She's so beautiful." Alec whispered, as Bailee walked closer towards him.
"Yeah, she is." Bailee agreed, wrapped her arms around Alec's waist and staring down at the sleeping baby.
Alec turned and looked down at Bailee, "are you sleeping here tonight?"
"If you want me to." Bailee replied.
"Of course I do." Alec spoke, kissing the top of Bailee's own head.
They walked downstairs to Alec's room and sat down on the bed. Alec smiled taking Bailee's hand in his.
"I was thinking."
"Yeah?"
"We should find a home together. I know you don't want to live in the Burrow, and that flat isn't the right place to raise Trinity. I sold my cottage and I have enough money in Gringott's, plus your father got my job back at the Ministry, so we have enough for an actual home."
"We should find a home." Bailee agreed, placing her head on his shoulder.
Alec nodded and kissed Bailee's cheek. Bailee kissed him in return and then went downstairs to change into her pj's in the Ginny's old room.
Alec opened the drawer and begin to pull out his own pj's when he noticed the black velvet box sitting on top of his clean shirts. He assumed that Molly must have put in it the drawer she was doing his laundry. He smiled as he ran his hand over the top of the box. He knew that it would be the right thing to do to propose to Bailee soon, after all there was nothing to keep them apart. As Alec changed into a white t-shirt he decided, he'd better get Harry's blessing first, just in case. He knew how weird it would be for Harry to have his daughter take the last name, of 'Malfoy'. Although Alec was willing to change his last name for Bailee, it wasn't as common for the man to take the woman's last name.
...
Alec nervously adjusted his dark green tie as he walked towards Harry's office. He cautiously knocked on the door twice and was about to turn around when Harry answered the door.
"Hello Alec, come in!" Harry greeted, clearing off a wooden chair so Alec could sit down.
Alec fixed his black dress shirt and sat down across from Harry, staring past him to the many pictures hanging on the wall. There were pictures of Harry when he was at Hogwarts, Trent playing Quidditch, Bailee and her younger sister Brooklynn, and many of just Harry and Ginny.
"I...well I don't know how to begin..." Alec trailed off, while Harry sat across from him and adjusted his glasses.
Alec drew in a deep breath, and felt his cheeks turn bright red before he even began to speak.
"I know I went about things a little backwards, and I apologize deeply... but I feel it's only right to get your blessing first", Alec looked up at Harry, "Sir I wonder if I may ask your daughter's hand in marriage?"
Harry chuckled slightly and placed his arm on Alec's shoulder, "I was wondering when you were going to come around! Of course, I'd expect you to marry Bailee and nothing less. I know you two have been in love with each other for many years, and it is the right thing to do."
Alec smiled, chuckling himself as relief began to wash over him. He stood up and shook Harry's hand, "thank you Mr. Potter."
"Now of course you have to find the right time. Perhaps I can arrange for a family dinner and you could do it then?" Harry suggested.
"Again, thank you Sir." Alec bowed graciously, and stepped out of Harry's office.
...
Alec was relieved to find that when Harry had made plans for dinner, he didn't mean the entire Weasley clan. It was just a few of Harry's closest relatives. Bailee's younger sister was even there. Brooklynn had recently graduated from Hogwarts and worked at Saint Mungo's training to be a mediwitch.
Bailee smiled kissing the top of Trinity's head and then fixed her light pink summer dress. She fixed her curly hair (done by Jamie) and then disapparated to the outside lawn. She looked up at the all bright Chinese lanterns and then turned towards Jamie.
"What are we celebrating?"
"Uh..." Jamie paused, "Brooklynn's return home."
"Oh," Bailee nodded.
Bailee sat down at the table beside her friend and stared up at the starry sky. Jamie and Alec shared a private smile as Alec sat at the picnic bench beside Bailee. The only people that knew Alec was planning on proposing to Bailee were Harry, Trent and Jamie. Harry insisted that it be kept a secret from his wife, because he was afraid if Ginny knew, she'd spill the beans to Bailee.
"I'm glad you could make it to The Burrow." Molly told Brooklynn, "we know how busy it can get at Saint Mungo's."
Brooklynn smiled, brushing back her lengthy red hair, "I'll always make time for my family Grandma."
Molly smiled in return and used her wand to conjure the delicious food from the kitchen to the few picnic tables that laid outside. With all the people eating dinner that evening the food didn't last long. Alec began to feel slightly nervous when the dessert began to disappear from the table. He took a sip of wine and then looked in Bailee's direction. She smiled at him and her green hues lit up like two fire flies in the night, and all of Alec's nervousness melted away.
Once Molly had conjured the dishes back to the kitchen sink, Alec stood up raising his wine glass.
"I have an announcement to make."
He took a sip of wine and then placed his glass back on the table. Then he turned and stood facing The Potter family.
"I just wanted to tell you all how grateful I am for all of you," Alec began. "You've given me so much help, but more importantly, so much love, these past seven years. And you didn't have to, because of who my family is, I would have understood. I just want you all to know that, through all my years of Hogwarts, while I was forced to marry Raven, and even when I was chained in a dark dungeon, almost at death's door, my love for Bailee never once wavered. I have just recently discovered Trinity, and have grown to love her more and more within each passing day. Bailee and Trinity are the two best things about my entire existence." Alec turned to Bailee, taking the ring from his pocket and bending on one knee.
"Bailee Virginia Potter, will you be my wife?"
Bailee didn't know how to react at first, for days she had thought the ring had gone missing. She was so relieved to see the ring had been alright that she briefly forgot Alec was even proposing to her.
Alec cleared his throat as Bailee snapped back into reality. Everyone at the table was staring at her curiously... her mother was clutching the table so hard her knuckles had turned white.
"Yes, yes of course." She nodded, smiling, "of course I'll be your wife."
Alec smiled, for an honest moment he felt she were going to turn him down. He took her hand and easily slid the ring on her finger, before kissing her. The entire table began to cheer as they broke apart from each other.
Bailee giggled, her cheeks turning red while Alec stood up again.
"I have another announcement. I know I could never ask a Potter to take the last time Malfoy, so I went to the Ministry and legally changed my last name to Black. Although it was my grandmother's maiden name, it is also the name of her cousin Sirius. Who we all know was a great friend and father figure of Mr. Potter."
Alec turned towards Harry, and noticed tears glistening in his bright green eyes. Ginny squeezed his hand underneath the table... Harry had never felt so proud before in his life.
Sirius Black was Harry's only father figure growing up. When Harry was fifteen there was a scary moment when he thought Sirius to be dead, but fortunately Sirius hadn't died... at least not until Harry had become a grown man. But then Sirius had died of heart complications and not of dark wizards.
...
Bailee smiled as she cupped her hands around Alec's chin and gently kissed his lips. He took her hand and twirled her around to the beat of the music. Then he dipped her and bent down to kiss her lips before bringing her back up.
They smiled, as they stepped out of the living room and sat down in the old forgotten library. Bailee sat on his lap and kissed his cheek before staring into his light blue eyes, "I am so happy I get to share all of this with you..."
He laid his head on her shoulder and began to run his fingers through her long black hair. "I love you Bailee."
"I love you Alec." Bailee replied touching the top of his head, "but I would have taken your real last name."
Alec smiled sitting back in the chair, "I wouldn't have let you. Do you know what my last name means?"
Bailee shook her head.
"In French it means bad faith... and well... it's the name of dark wizards. Now I know there were a few dark wizards with the last name Black... but I took that name for your father. Sirius was a good man." Alec responded.
"And I know he appreciates it... did you see him at the dinner table? He had tears in his eyes."
"I know." Alec replied before kissing Bailee's cheek.