Wish Upon A Star (Cont.)

The Wedding 1

Ashlyn heaved a sigh and buried her face in her hands. 

Time seemed to have suddenly taken to moving extremely fast. 

She had thought that there was still time. Apparently not.

She sighed again and went back to the file on her desk. All it seemed to do was give her a headache. She would have usually looked forward to leaving work early, but not that day. 

She was to meet Pansy, Hermione, her mother, Mrs Malfoy, and Mrs Wealsey to go for the dress fitting. 

She would have done a mental tally and cross-checked all the various situations and any possible solutions, but this was simply difficult. Her mother and Mrs Malfoy, those two would act a bit too extra around each other and add Mrs Wealsey to the crowd, and it would be simply wonderful, wouldn't it?
Ashlyn had begged Hermione and Ginny to come along because she didn't think she could handle all that. But Ginny was taking care of James, and hence she sent her mother. Oh, dear...

Ashlyn sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. 

She had no idea how the time had passed so quickly. Usually, it seemed to drag itself by.

She was standing on a raised platform, as Pansy walked around her talking, a bit to the others, but mostly herself.

"No...No, no...I want it long, really long," she was saying.

"Pansy," Ashlyn said patiently. "For the hundredth time, I'm the one wearing it,"

"Exactly! That's why it has to be long. The veil too. I want it dragging behind you at least three feet,"

Ashlyn closed her eyes. 

"I would have gone for an open back, but...no, no..." she trailed off, muttering away. "The dress should be perfect. I want it on the first page of the Witch Weekly, and it should be voted the best wedding dress of the year,"

They were in Pansy's newly integrated store. Ashlyn was quite impressed by the place. White marble tiled floors and stairs glimmered in the light cast by the crystal chandeliers on the high ceilings. Huge mirrors and lines and lines of dresses and robes stood on the sides.

Hermione was picking the dresses for her and Ginny, with Mrs Weasley's help, who was carrying the two-way mirror, and Ginny was talking to them from the other side. She had just put James to sleep and wanted to help pick her outfit.

Mrs Malfoy, and Mrs Clarke, quite contrary to what she had expected, were getting along well and were discussing the other decorations. Mrs Clarke had a sketching pad in front of her as she designed what looked like a necklace, or maybe it was tiara and Ashlyn was just seeing it upside down.

"The veil should be longer than the dress," Pansy said. "I would have made it resemble a ball gown, but I like the idea of it trailing behind you,"

She shook her hair back and let out a small huff.

"I thought to go for a princess aspect, but Ashlyn, you are hardly a princess,"

Ashlyn wasn't' sure if she was to be offended by that comment or if she should feel pleased.

"It is something that suits Hermione more,"

Hermione smiled at Pansy, who beamed back.

"The bold statement is more of Ginny's," she continued. 

"Pansy, thanks," Ginny said through the mirror.

"I'm just saying it as it is," Pansy said simply.