Defend

Chapter Fifty-Two I'm Clumsy (part two)

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Eleven Years Later

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"I love you Sylvie." I tuck my adorable daughter's hair behind her ear, admiring the ecstatic smile she has watching the train, even though she won't board for another two years.

"I love you." She replies wrapping her arms around my waist, but yelps as her hair knots against the two lockets hanging around my neck that yank her back towards me. "Hold still, darling." I tell her, unwrapping her hair from my lockets.

"Thanks mum." She grins at me and sprints over to her best friend, Lily, Ginny's daughter. They're the same age, and they're already starting to mirror us. My hand is still clutched around my lockets.

I open the first one, the one that's hung around my neck for the last twenty-four years. A smiling picture of my best friend greets me, waving across to the other side of the metal heart towards a picture of a waving fourteen year old me. I glance up from the locket, snapping it shut and glancing at modern day Ginny. She's smiling and watching Sylvie and Lily tease their brothers. An arm wraps around my waist, and I glance up at Draco.

He smiles at me. "You alright?"

I take his hand, the one with the wedding band I slid onto his finger ten years ago.

"I am." He leaves my side to kneel down beside our son Scorpius, who's nervously twisting his hands around his jumper. He's the same age as Ginny's son Albus, and the two have already become friends. I love her son James, who's a few years older and reminds me of the twins' energy sometimes. I know I'll talk to Scorpius in a moment, but Draco seems to be doing a good job at reassuring him, and I turn my attention back to my other locket.

I slip my nail between the two thin plates of metal, prying it open. The picture taken on my wedding day greets me, and I smile at the memory. It's a moving shot of Draco pulling me towards him, him looking incredibly handsome in his black suit, his arm around me, my hands resting against his chest as our lips met, our smiles pressed against each other.

And my dress. I had the most gorgeous dress, hugged my waist perfectly, formed to my body just right, the veil complimented my hair length just right. And I had no one to thank for that but Ginny.

She had dragged me into that wedding dress store with the same air of someone plotting to overthrow a kingdom.

"Do you ladies need any help?" A storekeeper asked, and Ginny brushed her off elegantly.

"No thank you, we'll manage." She turned back to me. "I'm going to make you look so stunning, Malfoy's going to cry." Ginny smirked as she began shuffling through racks of dresses and creating a pile.

"Ginny, there's no way that'll fit me." I laughed, picking up a dress clearly designed for someone with a way larger chest than me.

"It's fine, you're going to pay for it, or more rather your fiancé's fortune is going to pay for it." She smirked again and shoved me towards the changing room.

"Why couldn't it have been like your Yule Ball dress where we didn't have to fuss because you fell in love with the first one you saw?" I had laughed at the memory, remembering the quaint shop in Hogsmeade and my first kiss with Draco.

"You already picked the first boy and stayed with him so we're not doing that with the dress." Ginny insisted as I laughed and struggled with the zip. "Need help?" She asked, participating in her classic best friend telepathy.

"Yes please." I opened the door and Ginny didn't even bother to help with the zip.

"Not that one. We can do better." She said sensibly, handing me another dress.