The Half-Blood Princess

Epilogue

One year later...

"You're wearing black. Why am I not surprised?" Harry laughed when he and Draco entered Harley's room.

"The day I wear white is the day you can snap my wand and send me to St. Mungo's," she replied, but she wasn't really into the banter. She was so nervous, her butterflies had butterflies in their stomachs.

"You look stunning," Draco commented, giving her a quick hug. "All ready?"

"No. This was a mistake. You should go and tell him--"

"They'll tell him nothing," Hermione said calmly, adjusting the delicate plait she had made in Harley's greasy black hair. Using magic, she weaved small white rosebuds through it.

Harley looked at the bouquet of lilies that lay next to her and wanted to vomit. This was wrong. It didn't matter what Fred had told her, it was still wrong.

"Fred would be happy, you know," Harry said. "When you were happy, he was happy. Period."

She ran her hand over the plait that Hermione had just perfected and sighed, "How's George doing?"

"He's stuck listening to Oliver babble nervously. How do you think he is?" Harry replied. "Draco and I should get back in there, we just wanted to stop in and wish you the best personally."

He held his arms out and Harley accepted his hug, though she was too numb to feel it. Her base instinct was to Apparate out of there, but she knew she wouldn't. It was the final piece of the puzzle of her life, and she needed to put it into place in order to fully move on from the past. It was what both Fred and Lily had said they wanted for her, and who was she to deny them?

Draco gave her another hug and he and Harry both went back to calm the apparently worried Oliver when Severus stepped into the doorway, knocking lightly to alert the ladies to his presence.

Molly had just finished sewing some lace that had come undone at the bottom of Harley's dress and she stood up, a needle in her mouth. "Severus, doesn't she look lovely?" she asked, gesturing for Harley to stand up and show off her ridiculously expensive dress robes.

Harley felt herself blush, unused to being the centre of attention. Anyone looking at Severus might think how cold he was that his usual expression didn't change as he looked at his only child in her wedding gown, but Harley saw the telltale softening of his eyes when he looked at her.

"Molly, Arthur says he's ready for everyone," Severus said, walking into the room. "What is it Muggles say? Showtime?" Harley nodded.

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna squealed, as Hermione grabbed little Lily Luna and Lavender's hands and said, "Got your basket?"

"Yes, Aunt Hermione." Lily Luna went up to Harley and hugged her around her waist. "Good luck!"

"I've got mine." Lavender smiled over at Harley. "Dad's really happy, you know. Even if he is scared."

The ladies exited the room that had once belonged to Ginny (who had since forgiven Harry for the reason behind the divorce and was still as big a part of the group as she always had been), leaving Harley and Severus alone for a moment. Harley thought about the moment that brought her here.

Oliver had proposed at the Christmas party held at Grimmauld place, and Harley had been too surprised to do anything but agree. Immediately, Molly pulled her aside.

"I want you to have the wedding at the Burrow, just like we were planning," she said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Molly...no. I couldn't..." Harley trailed off, looking down at the new ring on her finger and the one she wore around her throat.