Summary: It's Draco's wedding day, and Harry can't quite keep away.
Disclaimer: Don't own them :) Also, this is a smidge short, apologies!
The next day, I go to your wedding. The weather is perfect – stunning sunlight beams softly through the windows of the packed church and cotton clouds drift across a cornflour-blue sky. It's an imposing place, huge but beautiful, with stained-glass windows that stretch, sparkling, all the way up to the arched roof.
I arrive late on purpose and stand at the back of the church, awkwardly fingering the sleeve of my black suit. You are standing at the front beside her. Anyone else would think you look happy, but I know you better than that. You look exhausted, or maybe I've just lost the ability to read you. I wonder how long that takes.
The wizard priest who will marry you reads from one of the old spell books. I stare absently at all the guests, musing that I never quite understood Wizard religion as I pick out old faces from school, noting how beautiful the language is as I avoid looking too closely because I'm scared of what I'll see. All too soon, though, I fix my eyes on you; I can't draw them away. That always was my problem.
Your bride is beautiful – perfect like you are, like I will never be. She is small and blonde and lithe, not tall and brown-haired and gawky. She smiles at you, dressed in some ridiculous frilly garment that I know perfectly well would be beautiful if I weren't too angry to admit it. You smile back. You are wearing a grey suit that matches your eyes and a green shirt that matches mine; I wonder if you did that on purpose and want to cry.
At that moment, the wizard – a small, imposing man swathed in red robes - intones, "If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace!" I bring my hand up to my mouth, tears that I swore not to cry brimming in my eyes until you look up, straight to where I am. You don't even look surprised, just sad and resigned and sorry. The tears spill down my cheeks as your eyes lock with mine, and because it's you I wipe them away and smile at you, knowing my entire body is shaking, seeing your eyes fill with tears as well. Smiling is more of an effort at this moment than anything else, but I owe you that. I suddenly understand that I can't refuse to make this easy.
All at once, I realise again what the wizard is saying. "Draco Lucionis Malfoy, do you take this women to be your wife, to have, hold, love and cherish, for better and for worse, in riches and poverty, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?" You are staring at me, still, and your lower lip is trembling. You're whispering something, the movement almost imperceptable, but I know that you're saying "I'm sorry."
For just a moment you move towards me and my heart stops beating - I wonder, just one instant of wild hope, if you will choose me above this. Then you lean back again and I come crashing down to Earth. I should have known better than to suppose.
The next pause seems to last an eternity; I close my eyes as fresh tears stream down my cheeks, forcing myself not to sob. "I do." You say at last, and my heart shatters, my eyes snapping open to stare at you for just a second before I turn to leave. I think "You may kiss the bride" is a couple of steps further than I could stand.
As I stumble out of the Church and down the road, I spare no thoughts for my destination but that I want to be as far away from you as I can possibly go. Wiping the tears sharply away, I realise that's nothing's ever hurt me like this does.
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