slither - dm

Year 7.

Tw - Blood

Laurel

August 1st, 1997

I always loved the idea of a big wedding. It's one of the very few days a woman can feel beautiful surrounded by many of her loved ones, and that one special person she is spending her life with.

Draco and I didn't have time for a huge wedding, and I'm not at all sure that we ever will, so I'll just have to settle for the small union we did have.

I was robbed of one of the few memories I was looking forward to creating. Walking down the aisle and seeing my groom at the opposite end shed a tear when he saw me in my white gown and sheer veil, tossing the bouquet to the eligible women who were eager to beg their significant other to propose.

Those were just a few things I've missed out on.

Fuck, I hope Harry has a plan to vanquish the Dark Lord, and soon. I don't know how much longer I can go without seeing Draco. It's already been just over a month, and I'm going insane.

I miss everything a girl could miss about him. Everything from his scent, to his touch, his lips. Hell, I even missed how toxic his behavior can be.

If I'm being honest with myself, I don't know what about this arrangement is worse. Not being able to see him every day, or not knowing he's okay.

I hope he's okay.

When school let out, I came back to the Burrow with Ron and Ginny. Harry and Hermione went home to take care of their muggle families before we departed into the unknown together.

I hadn't gained the courage to tell them Draco and I were married either. In my defense, the subject never came up. The last time Harry saw me with Draco, I was attacking him for Dumbledore's murder.

That scenario played out in my favor. I had to continue the charade of lying to Harry about Draco too, so he spent the entire train ride home going on about how he knew Draco would hurt me again, and how untrustworthy he was.

If I weren't a wizard, I certainly would consider a career in acting seeing as my spontaneous tears I always seemed to break out in had him and the others convinced my heart was scarred by the blonde. I did grow up in Los Angeles though. The city was crawling with actors.

One day, I'll tell him the truth, but for now, we need to get this wedding over with. After all, it's someone's special day. They don't deserve to have their day ruined by my consistent moping around all the time.

"Laurel," Ginny said when I entered the kitchen. "I would like for you to meet my brother, Charlie." She said gesturing to the freckle-faced redhead that sat at the table sipping coffee from a cracked mug.

"Oh, hello," I said politely. "Did you just get here? You weren't here last night when the others from the Order arrived."

His lips curled into a brief smile. He nodded and placed the mug onto the white and gold-colored chipped saucer. "Yes," He said quietly. "Ginny," he said without removing his eyes from me. "You didn't tell me your friend was an American girl."

"That's not the part I thought mattered." She said nervously. She fidgeted with the buttons on her cardigan before sitting down next to her brother. "She comes from a horrible family. Sorry, Lo. I meant no offense. You're probably the best product from that family."

I briefly smiled and pulled out one of the mismatched chairs and sat at the table. Charlie waved his wand and a mug, and cookies landed in front of me, followed by a tea kettle that poured warm water into the empty mug.

I grabbed one of the teabags out of the box that was placed in the center of the table, and a cube of sugar and stirred the mug.

"Like mum and dad always said, it doesn't matter where you come from." He replied cheekily. "Milk?" He asked.