𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫 | n. tonks

xxxix

A few months had passed since the war, and Voldemort was gone for good. The weeks following the battle were spent rounding up Death Eaters, rebuilding everything that had been destroyed, and attending funerals for those who had lost their lives during the Battle of Hogwarts.

When the day of Tonks and Hadley's wedding arrived, Hadley insisted that they save seats for everyone that they'd lost during the war: Sirius, Mad-Eye, Remus, Fred, Tonks's father Ted, and even one for Dobby.

Hadley stood in front of the mirror, her fingertips gently brushing down the fabric of the pantsuit dress she finally got her mum to agree to – not that it really mattered what she wore since Tonks was gonna rip it off of her as soon as they were alone.

"Wow, you look beautiful."

Hadley's eyes went wide with fear, and she whipped around to see Tonks standing in the doorway. "Dora, you're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding! That...That's bad luck!"

"Do you really believe in that Muggle superstition?" Tonks asked, chuckling a little as she walked into the room.

Hadley shrugged. "Maybe just a little bit? Now get out! I don't want any bad luck!" She walked up to her and tried to shove her out of the room, only for Tonks to grab her wrists and push her back.

"Haddie, listen to me." Tonks took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "First of all, that superstition is about the bride not being able to see the groom before the wedding, and second..." she pecked her lips gently, "we don't need luck."

"Actually, we do." Hadley smiled sheepishly. "I-I...might have invited Narcissa and Draco Malfoy without telling your mum, a-and they might try to kill each other...But maybe they won't! Narcissa always seemed like the nicer one compared to Bellatrix."

"You..." Tonks's brows furrowed for a moment before she sighed. She knew that Hadley meant well, and she'd be lying if she said that there wasn't a part of her that wanted her aunt and cousin to be a part of their lives now that the war was over. "Don't worry about them. I'm sure it's gonna be fine."

"You're not mad?" Hadley asked, worried.

Tonks smiled softly and shook her head. "I could never be mad at you."

"I dunno...You were mad that time I called you Nymphadora...And when I–"

Tonks cut her off with a kiss. "Don't be a smart-ass, Ley," she whispered, her hands gripping the back of her thighs and pulling her closer.

"Why not?" Hadley challenged. "So you'll have to swallow your pride and do something about it? I don't really see why that would be such a bad thing."

"Tempting..." Tonks kissed her neck, nipping her skin gently. "But I'd rather take you when no one else is around to hear or walk in on us. I don't know if you knew this, but I don't like sharing."

"Well, then I guess we should get out there so we can hurry up and get to the fun part." Hadley kissed Tonks's cheek, accidentally brushing her fingers against her thigh as she walked towards the door.

Tonks grabbed Hadley's arm and pushed her back against the door, pressing her lips to hers in a somewhat aggressive way. "You know better than to start something you can't finish, hen," she growled softly.

But before things could escalate further, there was a knock on the door, and George's voice spoke from the other side, "Hurry up, Haddie! Everyone's waiting, and I want to walk my little sister down the aisle!"

"One minute!" Hadley called back. She looked up at her soon-to-be wife, who smirked a little and kissed her lips.

"I have something for you before we go out there." Tonks pulled out her wand and waved it. A bouquet of different coloured poppies appeared out of thin air. "I know that roses are more traditional, but I did some research and decided on poppies instead. The red is to honour your brother and my dad, white to symbolize peace and life without conflict, yellow for optimism and the ability to look on the bright side as well as positive memories of people who have died." She waved her wand again, and a single blue poppy appeared. "And then blue..." she placed the poppy in Hadley's hair, "​​to represent imagination."

Hadley smiled and took the bouquet, delicately brushing her fingers across the soft petals. "Thank you, Dora." She leaned up and kissed her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Hadley." Tonks smiled and laced their fingers together. "Now let's get out there so I can make you my wife."