Mended

Eight

July has always been Danu's least favorite month. It is hot, humid, and miserable. The days seem to never end, and the month itself feels eternal. She would rather be at home, a cool glass of lemonade in her hand and Lorna on her knee while she read to her; or perhaps sitting beneath the large tree in the park, Lorna playing in the gross before her. Instead, though, she is stuffed into a fancy dress, sipping champagne beneath a crowded tent, a fake smile plastered to her overly powdered face, surrounded by a hoard of Weasley's, with a sweating and incredibly fussy baby in her arm. She hadn't wanted to come. Hadn't wanted to risk anyone who didn't already know that Severus had abandoned her to ask where he was, or worse, for Severus to actually show up, despite no one knowing where he was. Of course, she was thrilled for Harry and Ginny, they deserved all of the peace and happiness imaginable, yet, a piece of her was slightly jealous.

Twice now she had been married to the same man. The first was a fake, the second was real. Never did her court her, there was no proposal, no one even asked her how she felt about it either time. She never got to plan her wedding, didn't get to choose a dress with her mother, or walk down an aisle on her father's arm. A single signature was the extent of her wedding the second time, and she was already heavily pregnant by that point. The same man who had given her his name, his child, and his home, abandoned her and their child after less than four months. He left only Lorna, a couple thousand pounds in a Muggle bank account, a leather sack of gold, and his wedding ring on the kitchen table in the dead of night while she slept. There was no note, no explanation, no final goodbye. The sadness that consumed her was still raw. She poked at it occasionally, just to know that she could, in fact, still feel anything at all.

Danu stiffens at the memory of waking to find Severus gone, pushes back the tears, and makes her way to the far end of the tent to try to calm Lorna. She takes her seat at an empty, round table, and forces Lorna to lie down in her arms while she rocks her and pats her back. Before long, the tiny terror relents and drifts off into a fitful sleep as people laugh and smile around her. She didn't feel much like smiling and would have skipped the wedding entirely had she known it wouldn't break Molly's heart completely. Harry and Ginny would have understood, Molly would not have.

Danu studies her daughters sleeping face in awe. The love she felt for this small person was something she didn't know was even possible. It consumed her, filled her to the brim with hope, and terrified her all at once. She is perfect, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen or experienced. Lorna scrunches her brow in her sleep and opens her mouth slightly before bringing one arm up to cover her eyes. Exactly the way Severus slept. How could he know how perfect she is, and willingly leave her? She hopes the pain consumes him, keeps him up all night and eats his soul until he feels he might shatter completely; she hopes that he regrets it every waking moment of his life.

"Thank you for coming." A voice whispers behind her as a warm hand is placed on her shoulder. Danu turns to find a grinning Harry standing behind her, dressed immaculately in a lovely black tux with a pink rose pinned to his pocket, a golden handkerchief peeking out behind it.

"I wouldn't have missed it. Congratulations." Danu beams up at him. The first genuine smile she had had in months.

Harry's eyes travel from Lorna, then up into the crowd. Danu follows them to Ginny, who was making her rounds through the groups of people scattered throughout the tent. Her lovely red hair is half pinned up, the rest falls in tight spirals down her back. Small pink rosebuds are placed strategically throughout her hair, and a golden tiara pins a long, cathedral length veil to her head. The dress she chose was a disaster, in her mother's eyes, but looked truly breathtaking on her. The outer fabric is thin and lacey white, but the inner portion is a beautiful satin fabric colored pink, with golden roses that peak out from the white lace.