Cosette took a step forward, her hands smoothing out the sides of her dress as she stared at her figure in the full length mirror. While she had always dreamt of the day that she would be wearing all-white, she couldn't deny that something felt off. Something was missing.
Or someone.
A knock on the door caught her attention, but not enough for her to make any move towards it. She knew that Hermione was standing right outside it, making sure that no one bothered her before it was time to leave.
Which is why she wasn't surprised when the door opened and Hermione came into view through the mirror. She took a second to admire the dress, as if she hadn't helped zipped it a few minutes ago, before meeting her eyes in the reflection.
Hermione cleared her throat, "You have a guest."
Cosette smiled to herself, "Tell George he's just going to have to wait."
"No it's-" Hermione chuckled, "It's Ginny and Harry."
Cosette really didn't want to see anyone. She wanted the first person she laid eyes on after stepping out of this room to be George, but she had to admit, the curiosity was getting the best of her. She could understand why Ginny would want to see her but couldn't even begin to guess why Harry of all people would be wanting to check in with her before the ceremony.
"Okay," Cosette nodded, turning around slowly so as to not wrinkle the material. She adjusted the strap on her shoulder and watched as Hermione backed up so Harry and Ginny could step into the room.
Similar to Hermione, Harry took a moment to look at Cosette, a gentle smile spreading across his face as the door shut behind him. This was the first time he had seen her in the dress, "Setty, you are absolutely stunning."
"It really is the perfect dress," Ginny added.
A blush crept up to Cosette's cheeks, "Thank you."
Cosette knew how she appeared. Fleur helped her with her makeup, ensuring that her skin looked flawless. Hermione and Ginny both worked on her hair. Cosette's only request was that it was down for the wedding and not pinned back as to not bring attention to the scar on her face and even though George loved every detail about Cosette, including the mark over her eye, he respected her preferences and didn't fight her on the hairstyle.
"We have something for you," Harry said, crossing the floor of the powder room. He reached into his jacket pocket, "A few things actually."
Cosette raised her eyebrows, "A wedding gift?"
"Sort of," Harry chuckled. "I do want one of them back eventually."
"Then how is it a gift?" She looked towards Ginny for some assistance, but this was all Harry.
"Well for starters," He handed over a small black box, similar to one that would carry a ring. Cosette held it delicately in her fingers, again, not able to ponder a guess as to what would be inside.
She flipped open the lid and an audible gasp escaped her lips.
An emerald stone stared up at her, with a golden, twisted, vine-like backing. Cosette knew immediately what this was, but it was altered.
"Fred's ring," she breathed out, tracing her fingers over the gemstone.
"Yes- I mean, no," Ginny intervened, "It's, um, it's a hair pin now. We had it altered so you would be able to wear it today. We can understand why you wouldn't want to wear a ring, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a piece of him with you."
Cosette could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she pulled the piece of jewelry out of the box. For so long, this ring had sat in her bedside drawer. It didn't feel right to put it on her finger, but she couldn't bear to ever get rid of it.
Ginny stepped forward, carefully taking the item from her. Cosette stood still as she pushed a strand of hair out of her face and held it back with the pin. She turned around to look at it for herself in the mirror, telling herself that she wasn't going to cry. Not yet at least. Fleur already told her to try and keep her emotions in check otherwise her makeup would be ruined.
"I love it," Cosette smiled. The emerald didn't stand out dramatically in her dark hair, but it was a simple touch that meant the world to her. She turned around again and if she wasn't worried about damaging her dress, she would have engulfed them both in a hug, "I don't have the words. Thank you for this. I love it. I don't think any wedding gift could ever top it."
Ginny was beaming. Harry also looked pleased with himself, but there was still something else. He reached into his pocket again, this time he was hesitant before pulling out a very similar box. Cosette watched as his smile faded, flipping the box between his fingers.
"You don't need to use this if you don't want to," Harry told her. "In fact, I'm not sure if I expect you, but if anyone deserves it, it's you."
"What is it?" Cosette asked with a hint of laughter. She was a little concerned with how serious he had gotten in a matter of seconds.
"It's a chance to connect with the ones you've lost," Harry licked his lips as he handed it over. "Every day for a month I went into the Forbidden Forest to try and find it. I haven't used it. I wanted to give you that opportunity first."
When she heard the words Forbidden Forest, Cosette knew exactly what was inside this box.
Harry had found the Resurrection Stone and it was now in the palm of her hands.
She could see Fred again after five years.
She could see her brother.
Her emotions became the best of her as she thought about seeing them and Cosette stumbled back until she found a chair to sit on. She couldn't tell if this was something she wanted or if this was a horrible thing to have come across on today of all days.
"You don't have to use it," Ginny repeated. "It can be a lot, Setty. No one will blame you for keeping it in the box. No one even has to know."
"What do you think they would even say?" Cosette asked, her hands starting to tremble. She looked up at Harry, wanting his advice on the matter because he was the only other person who had ever held it in his hands.
He took a breath, "Fred would tell you that you are the most beautiful bride and that George is one lucky man." He smiled to himself before continuing, "He would tell you that he's happy for you and he'd remind you that you should also be happy."
Cosette could picture Fred saying all of those things. She would be worried that he wouldn't approve of her marrying George, but deep down, she knew that Fred would want nothing more than for his two favorite people to live the lives they deserved.
"He would tell you to take care of George," Ginny added with a faint chuckle. Her smile faltered for a second and as she looked up, her eyes painfully reminded Cosette of Fred's deep brown ones. "He would tell you he loves you."
"I love him," Cosette said quietly. Harry handed them both a tissue from a nearby box, "I always will."
"He knows that," Ginny nodded, glancing at Harry. "We all do."
Cosette glanced down at the item in her hand, still unable to bring herself to open the lid, "And Nick?"
Ginny and Harry didn't know Nick very well, having only spent a short while with him. Neither of them got to know who he truly was, they couldn't speak on behalf of him like they could for Fred.
But one thing was for certain, "He would tell you that he never once blamed you," Harry took a heavy breath. "And that you shouldn't blame yourself either."
Hearing those words come out of Harry's mouth was difficult for Cosette. For so long she had put the blame of Fred's death solely on his shoulders. Her friendship with Harry was tainted because she couldn't move on. And now, instead of being a hypocrite, instead of letting another death hang over them, he was telling her that she shouldn't blame herself for any of it.
It didn't matter that it didn't come directly from Nick, it was what she needed to hear.
"Thank you," her voice was faint. She dropped her eyes to the box again, but instead of reaching for the lid, she placed it on the vanity behind her, keeping it closed and untouched.
Bringing back an elusive image of them wasn't going to change anything. As wonderful as it would have been to hear their voices again, it would have been equally as painful.
She had moved on. It took time, but Cosette had accepted their deaths and she had learned to live with the loss.
She didn't need closure anymore nor did she want to risk becoming attached to their resurrected selves because at the end of the day, they weren't real. Those who came back with the Resurrection Stone were only shades of the people they once were, not even solid enough to touch.
And if she couldn't hold onto them physically, there was no reason for Cosette to hold onto them mentally either. She couldn't cling to what was gone.
Cosette told herself that she was making the right choice.
"Can I ask you something?" Harry broke her train of thought. Cosette looked up at him and nodded, waiting for him to continue. She could sense the hesitancy in his tone, "Why do you think Nick didn't just kill Lottie himself?"
She wondered that herself. Since that day, that question had been heavily on her mind, but Cosette didn't have an answer. Nick's wand was in his hand, he had every opportunity to use the killing curse, but he didn't. All Cosette could do was guess as to why he made that choice.
"Because he's not a killer," Cosette shrugged his shoulders, telling Harry the conclusion that she had drawn up herself. "I couldn't have expected him to be someone he wasn't. It's not easy to use Dark Magic, it's not easy to take a life."
She could have asked him herself. The stone sat behind her in the box, untouched.
But that was a hole she didn't want to go down. There were some questions in life that were better unanswered.
"I'm not a horrible person, right?" She asked needing clarification that she wasn't making a mistake as she looked between Ginny and Harry. Neither of them seemed surprised that she chose to put it away instead of using the stone.
"Not at all," Harry assured her. "It's not easy to see your loved ones after so long, after coming to terms that you would never see them again, and it's even harder to let them go for a second time." He took a step forward, minding the train of her dress and grabbed hold of her hand. "Keep it for now, Setty, and whatever you choose to do, just know that you don't need a stone to remind you that they're always with you, every step of the way."
Cosette nodded in response and Ginny stepped forward, careful not to step on her train as she leaned down and hugged her soon to be sister-in-law. After pressing a kiss to her cheek, Ginny dabbed the corner of Cosette's eye to rid the last sign of any tears.
"I love you," Cosette told her, reaching for her hand to give it a quick squeeze before she headed back outside with Harry. Just as Ginny was about to close the door after them, Cosette stopped her, "Wait, can you do me a favor?"
"Of course," Ginny smiled.
"Can you get George?"
Ginny paused for a moment and looked over her shoulder to where Hermione was still standing in the hallway. They muttered a few words to each other before Hermione poked her head into the room, "That's bad luck, Setty. Letting the groom see you in your dress before the ceremony."
"I don't believe that," Cosette grinned, "Besides, George and I have loads of practice dealing with bad luck."
Hermione wasn't going to deny Cosette this request so she sent Ginny off to go find George.
It didn't take long for there to be another knock on the door, but instead of waiting for a response, it swung open. George popped his head in, but he had one hand covering his eyes. Hermione must have told him the same thing she told her.
"You can open your eyes," Cosette laughed and George slowly let his hand fall to his side.
His jaw dropped at the sight of Cosette in her dress. He stood half in the doorway, speechless and enamored with every part of her. He couldn't even find the words to tell her how beautiful she looked.
Maybe it was smart that he had seen her now instead of waiting until the altar. George would have frozen up and forgotten his vows if he saw Cosette walking towards her looking like that.
What brought him out of his trance was a high-pitched squeal coming from his side. Because he had yet to fully step into the room, Cosette wasn't even aware that he had their four-month old daughter balancing on his side until she heard her.
"Hi, my darling," Cosette beamed as soon as she saw her, reaching her arms out so George could place her in her lap. She was craning her neck around the room, looking at everything that was new to her before her gaze traveled to Cosette.
Cosette stared into the gentle brown eyes of her daughter, instantly feeling every single worry wash away. She briefly glanced up at George who was scanning over the details of her dress, wondering how it was possible for her to look even more breathtaking than she already was.
"How's she been?" Cosette asked, not having held her since this morning.
"An angel," George answered. "Hasn't cried once, hasn't even made a scene. I'm starting to think we made a mistake by naming her after your brother. She's absolutely nothing like him."
"You say that now but just wait ten and a half years and I bet you Nicole will get placed in Slytherin," Cosette teased.
"She's Gryffindor," George retorted, not even giving the slightest thought to the other houses. "No doubt about it. There's no way she's not Gryffindor."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Cosette said, speaking in a soft voice to her daughter. She leaned down, pressing a kiss to her small forehead and whispered quietly, "Don't tell daddy, but I think you're definitely going to be Slytherin."
Cosette sat up again, smiling as George made another comment about the house she'll one day be sorted into. Nicole's big brown eyes stared up at her, as if she could understand everything they were saying.
Obviously, Nicole's Hogwarts days were far in the future, but Cosette couldn't help but often think about it. She wouldn't be upset if their daughter were to be placed in Slytherin, it made sense. Cosette herself came from a line of Slytherin's, she was the only one who was sorted otherwise.
And she would forever be grateful for the sorting hat's decision because that's how she met the first love of her life and her last. Cosette had so many memories, just from her school days alone and she couldn't wait to share all of them.
She wanted to tell Nicole everything.
"One day," Cosette started off quietly as Nicole wrapped her tiny hand around one of her fingers, "I am going to tell you an incredible story about love and loss and everything in between. I will tell you all about your uncles who would have absolutely loved you. I know for a fact you would have been the most important girl in my brother's life and Fred would have given you the world if you asked for it, no matter what house you're placed in."
The thought of using the stone at this very moment crossed her mind. She could have introduced Fred and Nick to her daughter.
But only the person who holds the stone in their hand can make contact with the deceased. Nicole wouldn't have been able to see them and it wasn't as though they could hold her either and that wasn't fair.
Nicole would know all about her uncles one day. She would hear every story, learn absolutely everything about them, they would be a part of her life, regardless of them being gone. And if the stone remained in the family, it would be Nicole's decision to use it or not if she wanted to meet them. Cosette wouldn't decide for her.
A tear slipped from Cosette's eye, landing on the blanket that was loosely draped over Nicole. She wiped her cheek right as she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder. Cosette tilted her chin up in time for George to press a kiss to her forehead before leaning down and doing the same to his daughter.
George pulled over a chair to sit down next to her and Cosette carefully handed Nicole over to him, smiling to herself as he cradled her in his arms. Her eyes widened when she recognized her father again and she squealed with laughter.
"She looks more and more like you every day," George said, brushing a few thin strands of hair over the top of her head.
"I think her hair will turn red eventually," Cosette tilted her head, placing her hand on Nicole's small chest and watching as she grabbed her finger again. Cosette could feel the indent of her nails digging into her skin. For only being four months old, she had quite the strong grip.
Nicole noticed the emerald in Cosette's hair and even though it was far out of her reach, she still lifted her hand up to try and inspect the new shiny object. A few babbling sounds escaped her mouth as she just ended up patting Cosette's hand instead.
All of her focus was on their daughter, but out of the corner of her eye, Cosette could see George eyeing the pin in her hair as well. He noticed it when he first looked at her and recognized it immediately, but he really was too stunned to say anything.
"Fred's ring?"
Cosette nodded, "A gift from Harry and Ginny."
George pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, taking a closer look at the delicate piece, "It's beautiful." Almost directly after saying that, Nicole let out a high pitched squeal and George chuckled, looking down at her again, "Don't worry love, nothing and no one will ever compare to your beauty."
"I thought I was your love," Cosette smirked when he had used her nickname on their daughter. She looked up at George, at her soon to be husband.
"You, Cosette," George took a heavy breath, pausing for a moment as his eyes darted all over her face. He placed his free hand on her thigh, his fingers trailing over the ivory dress, "You are absolutely everything to me. You are my heart, my soul, my every thought and every breath. You are my first love, you have given me my second love and so much more and I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life being everything that you need."
Cosette leaned forward and kissed him soft and slow. She could feel the smile on his lips, but their daughter in his lap demanding attention had them pulling apart. As Cosette started to speak quietly to Nicole, George rested his forehead against her temple, kissing her hairline gently.
"I love you," George whispered.
Cosette knew she would never get tired of hearing those words. She turned her head again and her nose nudged against his. Her lips brushed softly against his own and George's heart skipped a beat, holding his breath at her next words.
"And that, George Weasley, is all I need."
He kissed her once more and as he pulled back, his eyes landed on the small black box on the vanity, "What's that?"
Cosette's lips parted slightly, but as his eyes met hers again, Cosette lost her train of thought. She shook her head faintly, not at all caring about what that box offered because all she desired was right in front of her.
"The past."
"Well in that case," George stood up, keeping Nicole held against his chest and with his other hand, he held it out to help his bride stand up, "Are you ready to start our future?"
Cosette slid her hand into his and she smoothed out her dress as she stood. She looked at Nicole, who was playfully tugging on the tie and George didn't bother trying to stop her, and then Cosette looked up at him, her love.
This was her family, her heart, her home.
She couldn't have been more ready for the rest of their lives to begin.
The end.
.
Thank you for allowing me to write this story and for inviting Cosette and George into all of your lives. Whether you've been here from the start or if you're finding it long after it's been completed, I will forever be grateful for the love and support. Elusive means so much to me and it always will.
There will be one last update coming. I will let you know when the story is up on AO3 and when I have the PDF Version available for download. I am aiming to get this up on Feb 14th because that marks a year since the first chapter was published. All of your questions will be answered in that update too, Quite a few have been sent in on instagram so I'll make sure to respond to all of them. If you still have any questions after the epilogue, please leave them in this section and again I'll be sure to answer!
Please feel free to check out Burn - Charlie Weasley. It's my newest fic and writing it is a priority on my list, after homework of course.
I love all of you so much. Thank you.
-em