The Marriage Decree

Chapter 127: You May Be Seated

Draco runs down the stairs, Scorpius in his arms, a loose tie around his neck, and his wand attempting to cast the tying charm. He opens the front door, sighing in relief at the sight of his Uncle Hyperion.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to this," he hands his son over.

"It's no problem at all Draco, I love my little great-nephew," he tickles Scorpius stomach. "I did think you would be ready though; you're leaving in twenty minutes."

"I know, I know," Draco sighs, ushering Hyperion through to the kitchen, filling and turning the kettle on with a flick of his wand. "We slept in." He admits.

Hermione races down the stairs, her champagne-coloured strappy heels in her hands as she stumbles into the kitchen. "Morning Hyperion," she grins, sitting on the couch to fasten her shoes.

"Morning," Hyperion chuckles. "You look lovely."

Hermione smiles, walking over to help Draco with his tie since the charm wasn't working. They were both wearing burgundy outfits, with champagne-coloured accessories.

"Do you want me to take some pictures of you both?" Hyperion offers, placing Scorpius in his highchair.

"Do we have time?" Hermione looks up to Draco.

"We'll make time, come on," he pulls her over to the fireplace.

Hyperion picks the camera up from the kitchen table, snapping a few different options for them, as the couple pose, staring lovingly into each other's eyes, smiling effortlessly.

"You're beautiful," Draco whispers into her ear.

Hermione laughs, turning to embrace him, "You can't talk, absolutely stunning." She returns the compliment.

"Alright, that's enough," he blushes. "We're definitely going to be late now."

The two parents kiss and hug their son goodbye.

"We'll probably be back early tomorrow morning," Hermione explains while Draco fetches their coats. "The bride thinks we're driving down, so she booked us into the hotel the wedding party are staying in."

Hyperion nods, "I've packed for the night, so don't worry about us. We're going to have lots of fun." He tells them.

"You know she'll worry anyway," Draco teases his wife, handing her jacket over. "We'll see you tomorrow." He bids his uncle goodbye, pulling Hermione towards the floo fireplace.

They floo to The Ministry, then take a taxi from down the road from the Muggle entrance to the church where Blaise and Cara were due to get married at eleven o'clock.

"We've got plenty of time," Draco comments. "It's only half-past ten."

Benjamin is sat beside Blaise's mother and step-father, Pandora on his lap, happily playing with his tie. He's lost in his own thought, absentmindedly staring at the altar. He's a nervous wreck inside. When Blaise and Cara started dating, Benjamin assumed she was just a rebound girlfriend, after his marriage to Luna fell through. Then Blaise had announced their engagement, and Benjamin had promised himself he would tell Blaise how he felt, in the hopes of getting him to change his mind. Benjamin knew Blaise better than Cara ever would, and they had so much in common. He hadn't intended on waiting until the day of the wedding, but here he was, trying to build up the courage to tell his best friend how he feels. It was incredibly selfish of him, but it was something he needed to do. Blaise deserves to know.

He raises to his feet, Pandora on his hip as he walks down the side aisle towards the two rooms either side of the aisle at the back of the church. The two on the left were reserved for the groom's side of the wedding party, and one door has a sign that reads 'groom'. He knocks on the door and enters.