Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling

Sorry for not updating for a while. I've just had some personal things going on, and I haven't really been in the mood to write. I wanted to upload something to be fair to all of you. Sorry if this chapter isn't up to par. I'm not myself lately.

By the way, my username changed.

Title of the chapter comes from 'The High Road' by Broken Bells.

I groan in frustration as Simon gently pulls the covers away from my body. Sunlight hits me in the face. "You have to get out of bed," Simon tells me irritably.

"I'm not," I mutter back.

"Why not?"

"Not in the mood."

Simon sighs and kneels in front of the bed. I open my eyes. He's already dressed. "Do you want to talk?"

I shake my head. "I want to sleep."

"I know that much. But we have a lot to do today. You can't stay in bed."

I struggle to put the blankets back over me. Simon holds them. "I hate you."

Simon grins slightly. "No, you don't."

"Right now, I do. I don't need blankets to go to sleep." I shield my face with my arms so that Simon can't bother me anymore. I'm not in the mood to speak to him. Or anyone.

Simon pulls my arms away gently. "Leave me alone." I snap.

"Your hormones certainly aren't treating you well," Simon mumbles.

I roll my eyes. "It isn't that."

"What is it, then? Please tell me so that I can quit guessing."

I prop myself up on my arm so that I can look Simon in the face. How can he be so oblivious? "We're getting married in a week, and everything is going wrong!" I wail.

Simon's eyebrows wrinkle. "What do you mean everything?"

I groan. "I mean everything! Nina's robes don't fit, Rose refuses to wear any jewelry, Hugo won't get a haircut, the ballroom still isn't decorated, and I can't decide on which flowers I want!" I inform Simon. "Honestly, where have you been when this was happening?"

Simon takes my hand in his. "Isobelle, all those things can be fixed," he assures me. "And they will be."

"What if they aren't? Our wedding will be ruined!"

Simon strokes my hair and shushes me. "Don't worry yourself. It isn't good for you, and it isn't good for the baby."

Lately, Simon's been taking to telling me what I should and should not be doing and what is and isn't good for the baby. I love how concerned he is, but he's treating me like I'm made of glass. I'm not even showing yet.

"I can't help it. I haven't had time to relax and let my hair down in Merlin knows how long," I say quietly.

"One more week, and you'll have all the time in the world to relax. But for now, you need to get dressed. The architect's coming today so that we can begin the renovations."

"What time?" I ask.

"In an hour-and-a-half. That should give you plenty of time to be dressed and have breakfast."

"I'll just have tea. I'm not hungry."

Simon gives me a look. "You have to eat something. Going so long without isn't-"

"Good for the baby," I finish. "Fine. I swear, you're going to be the most overprotective father."

"Or the most caring," Simon tells me. I dearly hope so.

"Definitely."

Simon gives me a kiss on the forehead. "Will you get out of bed, now?" he questions.

I suppose I don't really have a choice. Moping about like a child isn't going to help anything.

I sit up and let my feet dangle over the edge of Simon's bed. I hate how dark the furnishing of his room is. It's rather extreme for someone his age. Hopefully, I'll be able to talk him into changing it.

"Why did we agree to wake up so early?" I question, rubbing my eyes.

Simon looks at me with confusion. "It's nearly ten-thirty."

"That isn't early to you?"

"Not at all. We've actually gotten a rather late start."

I shrug, feeling the urge coming from my bed to be back in it. "No use trying to make up for it now. Come to bed," I invite, moving over for Simon to get in bed beside me.

He shakes his head. "We have appointments today."

"We can reschedule for later. We can say that… I had some complications," I suggest.

Simon shakes his head at me again. "We can't say that. We can't tell anyone, remember?"

I nearly forgot. I put my hand to my forehead. "Right, I wasn't thinking. Are you excited to tell people?"

"That I'm going to have a son?" Simon questions.

"Yes."

"I suppose… people would be proud if the circumstances were different."

I purse my lips bitterly. "You mean if we were married and I wasn't so young?" Simon doesn't answer. He relents and climbs into bed beside me. I turn over to face him. "Are you proud of me?"

"Of course, I am. I don't think even if I searched the entire world I could find a wife as beautiful or as virtuous as you," he tells me.

I blow air out of my nose. "Virtuous? I'm unmarried and pregnant."

Simon smirks. "And with such a great sense of wit."

"And an air for doing things the traditional way."

"And sarcasm."

I laugh quietly. It's the first time I've done so in days. Simon gives me a small smile, and his blue eyes shine brightly. I like to think that I do genuinely make him happy. I hope to Merlin that's the actual truth.

Simon rests his fingers lightly on my stomach. He raises his eyebrows. "Our son is in there." I'm not sure if he's talking to me or himself, so I don't say anything back. Yet, one thought is still bothering me.

"Simon?" I ask in a small voice. Simon shakes himself out of his daze enough to look at me.

"Yes?"

"Why don't you have any children with Catherine? You were married…"

Simon's face goes slack, and I feel guilty for asking. But I'm curious. "We… were never really tried."

"We didn't, either."

Simon rolls his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Oh."

I bite my lip, and Simon notices. "What else is bothering you?"

I shake my head slightly. "I don't want people to hate me."

Simon turns to face me. "Who would hate you?"

"You know, because I'm not your first wife. What if people think I'm the reason you and Catherine separated? She was completely perfect for you, and now you have me."

Simon gives me an annoyed look. He hates it when I concern myself with what others think. "Then that's what they think you and I know it isn't the truth. It doesn't affect how much I love you, or how perfect I think you are, or the fact that I want to marry you."

"I know."

"You know, I had an ancestor that this happened to, centuries ago. It's quite a famous story."

Simon doesn't tell me much about his family line, and unlike many of the other pureblood families, I don't know much about him.

"What happened?"

"She married a muggle man. He was the king of England. He divorced his first wife just to marry her. It split the entire country apart."

Well, I know that my marriage to Simon isn't anywhere on that scale, but it's doing a pretty good job of ruining our families.

"Did it end well? I mean, did they stay in love and married?"

Simon shakes his head. That makes me nervous. "He cut her head off."

I gasp. "How the hell was that supposed to make me feel better?"

Simon shrugs. "In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea to tell you that."

"Oh, really?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"You have nothing to worry about."

I trace my finger on Simon's chest. "You won't have my head cut off, will you?"

Simon shakes his head. "Of course, not. You're giving me a son."

"I'm giving you a family. "

"And I love you for that."

Simon pulls me closer to him and kisses me passionately. I can't wait until we're finally married, and we can be together every single say. I'll be the happiest I've ever been in my life.

"How do I deserve you?" I ask.

Simon kisses me a final time.

"I ask myself the same question every day."

"Rose, you're getting a haircut! The lady is here, and I'm not going to be rude and make her wait!" I shout at my sister. Rose has constantly been fighting me tooth-and-nail about the entire thing. Anything she can make difficult about my getting married, she's found a way too.

Rose crosses her arms. "Why do I have to get a haircut? Your hair's longer than mine!" she argues.

"I don't have knots in my hair! I'm getting married in three days, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop fighting me about every little thing!"

"I'm not a doll. Just because you're getting married doesn't mean you can make me do whatever you want!"

"That's exactly what it means! Why can't you be like Nina and just do what I ask?"

Rose groans in frustration. "Because I'm not stupid like Nina! She thinks this entire thing is a game of dress-up!"

"Nina isn't stupid! She understands what's happening, but she's mature enough to deal with it! And she's six! What does that say about you?" Rose doesn't say anything to me. She turns around and stomps off. "If you want to stomp your feet, then stomp into the sitting room and go get your hair cut!"

"Shut up!" Rose yells angrily.

"Go do it!"

I don't have the time for Rose's pettiness. She's only being moody because she can be.

Two pairs of footsteps come into the room. "Belly! Look at me!" Nina says happily, wrapping her arms around my legs. She's finally come to better terms with me leaving, and that makes me happier.

I look down at my siblings. Hugo is with her. Both of them have had their haircuts, and they look adorable. Hugo's wild curls are gone, and his hair is combed back. Nina's hair comes barely past her shoulders. They're both wearing their robes for my wedding, as both pairs had to be hemmed up.

I smile at Nina and Hugo. "Oh, look at the two of you! I've never seen a more handsome boy or a more beautiful girl in my entire life!" I tell them excitedly.

Nina giggles. "My robes don't trip me now," she smiles.

"Thank Merlin. And what about you, Hugo? How do you feel?" Hugo's been the most agreeable so far, and I suppose it's just in his personality. As long as everyone else is happy, so is he.

"I feel like Christmas," Hugo tells me jokingly.

"What? Oh…" I smile as I realize what Hugo means. His red hair and the green accents on his robe do sort of clash. But he still looks handsome nonetheless.

"Are you excited, Belly?" Nina questions.

I nod. "Of course, I'm excited. I'm getting married. Are you excited?"

Nina has to think about it before she answers. "Yes, only because there's going to be lots of people and dancing and pretty robes-"

"And food," Hugo interjects. That's always one of his top priorities.

"Well, I'm glad the two of you are looking forward to it. Where's Scorpius?" I ask. Scorpius hasn't spoken to me a lot recently. However, he's done everything that I ask of him. I think he does it so he can keep out of my hair and not have to face me.

"Daisy's house," Nina answers, making a face.

I'm not exactly about having Daisy at my wedding. I don't want her causing any trouble. I have to invite her, because I really want Mr. Zabini and his wife there. It's just a shame that their daughter is such a cow.

"He's got his hair cut, then? And his robes fit?"

Hugo nods. "Yes and yes." Perfect. I suppose everything's going rather smoothly, then.

"I want to play," Nina announces. "Belly, can you play a game with me and Hugo?"

I'm busy and I have a lot to do, but I wouldn't feel right passing up a moment to spend time with Nina and Hugo. After all, I may not have many more of these moments.

"Sure, I will. Just change your robes, first."

Someone knocks on my door. "Come in," I call. Mum opens the door. She has a jaded look on her face, as if she's thinking of a million things at once. I wouldn't doubt it.

"Isobelle," Mum says, giving me a distracted smile.

"Has something happened?" I ask nervously. The last thing I need at this point is for anything to go wrong. My wedding is in two days. I couldn't afford it.

Mum shakes her head. "No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to talk to you."

"What about?"

Mum's about to answer, until she takes a look around my bedroom. It's nearly completely bare. I've been taking down the decorations, clearing out my closet and bathroom, and things of the like. The whole process is very emotional. It just reminds me that I'm letting go of a chapter of my life. Malfoy Manor is where I've spent most of my life and done most of my growing up. I haven't had all the best memories here, but I wouldn't trade that for anything.

I'm not even sure what to do with half of my things. Simon and I have already furnished my new bedroom. I've got a terrible habit of taking up unnecessary space, so we agreed on separate bedrooms, but I'll sleep in his bed. I just reminded him that we don't need another child any time soon.

"It's odd seeing your room like this," Mum says quietly. She looks a little heartbroken.

"Don't remind me. I don't think I can handle it."

Mum gives a small laugh. "Then how do you think I'm taking it? I never believed I'd even see you get married. The thought of it's just… unbearable."

I put my face in my hands for a count of three. My emotions can't handle this right now.

Mum sits down on my bed. "I know things have been rocky between us the past couple weeks, but ultimately, this is your decision, and I respect it. Simon's a very nice young man, and I know that he makes you happy."

Mum finally telling me that she approves of Simon and I means more to me than anything. "Thank you."

"I remember when you born. When I held you for the first time, I thought of every important moment of yours that I'd never get to see. I thought about you growing up into a beautiful young woman, and getting married, and how I'd never get to see that happen. But the fact that I do is unbelievable."

When Mum starts tearing up, I can't even handle it. It makes me tear up as well. "I couldn't imagine it any other way," I tell her, sniffling. "I always hoped you'd be at my wedding."

Isn't that what every little girl dreams of? That her mother will be there for all the important moments in her life, especially her wedding? I'm thankful every day that Mum has that opportunity for me.

I sigh. "Please stop crying," I plead. "If you cry, I'm going to cry."

Mum wipes her eyes. "If I'm crying now, I can't imagine how much of a mess I'm going to be on Saturday."

I nod in sympathy. "I know. Simon's probably frustrated with hearing how much I'm going to miss all of you. He just doesn't understand. His family isn't like ours."

"Well, he'll be a part of our family in two days, and we'll all treat him accordingly."

"What about Rose? She's been so difficult lately. I don't know what to do."

Mum shakes her head wistfully. "She doesn't want you to leave any more than the rest of us do."

"But that really isn't helping anything. I wish she'd speak to me. Nina did."

"You know how Rose is," Mum tells me.

"I know she is, but it's frustrating. They're all making me feel guilty about getting married."

Mum's shoulders tense. She's been doing the same thing for weeks, too. "I don't think it's intentional. Any transitions like this are hard to make, and especially harder to adapt to."

"But I'm still going to visit. I'm not going away forever," I remind Mum.

"Still, it will be very different from seeing you every day. And you'll have a husband, and soon a family of your own…"

Mum doesn't know just how soon that's going to be. I wish I could tell her. Simon and I agreed to wait at least a month until after the wedding, just so everything looks real.

"I know, and I'm happy for all those things, but I'm sad, too."

Mum beckons for me to sit down beside her. She puts her arms around me like I'm a child. I won't bring myself to admit how great that feels right now. "Believe me, I know. But a year from now, when you've finally settled in, you'll be happy you made the choice you did. Marriage really is wonderful, if you choose the right person of course."

There's no doubt in my mind that I'm right about choosing Simon. No one could care for me as much as he does.

I give Mum a reassuring smile. I don't want her to worry about me. With Holden and Teddy she had to worry. Things won't be that way with Simon.

"I know Mum, I did."

Sorry again. Thanks for reading, leave a review.