Thanks to my readers!
Chapter 5: Many Names, One Rose
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
–William Shakespeare
"Oh, Rose. I'm so excited for you!" Lily squeals, hugging the soon-to-be Malfoy.
Rose smiles back at her bridesmaid, but inside her stomach is churning.
Mrs. Rose Malfoy.
She imagines it on scented stationery, printed in swirling gold across the top.
Mrs. Rose Malfoy.
She imagines writing her name like that for the rest of her life.
Mrs. Rose Malfoy.
She feels excited and scared and nervous and exhilarated all at the same time.
True to tradition, she and Scorpius come to the church separately. He won't see her cotton candy confection of a dress until she comes down the aisle.
She is hustled into a small room in the church for last minute preparations.
The only time she has seen her mother even halfway to being this excited is when she got her Head Girl badge.
"You look beautiful," Hermione says, straightening Rose's tiara, which used to belong to her Great-Great-Aunt Muriel.
Gabrielle, Teddy and Victoire's five-year-old daughter, is dancing around in a fluffy pale gold dress. Her hair is bright green, and Lily is trying to convince her to change it to brown just for the ceremony. ("Don't you want to look pretty like Rose?")
Scorpius is presumably in another room with Albus, his best man, and the other groomsmen.
Julie, Rose's best friend and Maid of Honor keeps ordering her to relax and enjoy her big day, but Rose doesn't absorb any of it.
And then it's time.
Hermione kisses Rose on the cheek one last time before hurrying into the church.
Gabrielle is in front, her hair now a dark brown, with a rebellious tint of green to it.
"You don't have to do this," Ron tells her, as they wait to go down the aisle.
The idea is tempting, but she knows she has already made a final decision.
"I've given it a lot of thought," she assures her father. "You know me."
He smiles at his little girl, who is no longer so little, and suddenly wants nothing more than to hold her, to play peek-a-boo with her, to keep her sheltered from the world.
He tries not to cry as he tells her, "I wanted to tell you something. Actually, your mother wanted to tell you, too. It took me a long time to accept it, but I finally have. We both want you to know… We want you to know that whether you're a Malfoy or a Weasley, you'll always be our little Rosie."
It takes five seconds to review and bring some sunshine into my life.