We woke up late the next morning, scrambling to put on some clothes and get to breakfast. We had the day to ourselves today since the wedding was tomorrow, so fred and i decided to go out and explore the town.
I pulled on two layers of thick socks before shoving my feet into a pair of boots. Fred stood waiting for me at the door, watching in amusement as I failed to zip up the sides. He walked over and kneeled down, pulling the zipper up with ease.
"Thanks baby," i said and kissed him softly. Merlin, was I obsessed with him. He smiled into the kiss, giving me one final peck before standing up and extending his gloved hand to me. I gladly took it and we left the hotel.
The wedding was taking place in a small town on the outskirts of the main city. The mountain and tree tops were covered in snow, giving the town a Christmas-y vibe. Decor was up on a couple of small houses and buildings as the end of the year grew nearer. We visited a couple of shops and took loads of pictures before sitting down in a family owned cafe to have lunch.
"What can I get for you?" A teenage girl came up to us and asked.
I skimmed through the menu, but since it was written in bulgarian, we had to make do with pictures. I pointed at a picture of chocolate covered waffles and a warm vanilla latte. She nodded her head and looked at fred. He motioned to one of the sandwiches the had on display at the counter so she wrote it down and left.
"Do you like it so far?" I asked fred. I knew he was a little uncomfortable being here at my exes wedding, and i appreciated the fact that he still came with me, but didnt want to make him feel left out in any way.
"I quite like it actually. Its my first time not at home or hogwarts during the winter. And, im enjoying it even more cause of the company," he said, slipping one of my gloves off and kissing the back of my hand. I blushed at his gesture. He was so sweet. He kept his hand entwined with mine as we conversed about the rest of the week.
"So i wont see you until the wedding starts tomorrow? Thats insane. Ill sneek into the bridesmaids room before anyone notices," fred said, a small frown on his face. I giggled.
"Oh please, as if you can go unnoticed. We'll be together during the ceremony, its not like im a bridesmaid. Louise extended the invite because of Jasper. I dont even know anyone on the bridal side."
"You can always decline. Spend the morning with me, im sure we would be a lot more productive," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. I laughed, smacking his chest. The girl brought us our food and I asked her to snap a couple pictures of us.
She handed me back my phone and i thanked her. I dug into my food, starving since breakfast. It was late into the afternoon now since we lost track of time. A soft moan escaped my lips when i tasted the waffles. Fred whipped his head up and turned red. I resisted the urge to laugh since there was food in my mouth.
We finished our meal, paid and tipped the girl. She gave us a small smile as we left, back into the cold.
We were walking back to the hotel when i saw a small shop out of the corner of my eye. It wasnt decorated, but the snow resting on the roof gave it a soft touch. I pulled fred towards it, walking in. A little bell chimed as we entered, causing an old woman to walk out from the back. She didnt say anything as we browsed the store.
"We need to get them a wedding gift, fred," i said, looking around for anything useful. It was an antique store, a bunch of gorgeous pieces filled the space, but i couldnt decide on anything.
"How about this?"
I turned around and fred was holding a jewelry box. It was carved around the sides,a beautiful design etched into the wood. It was an oksy size, suitable for a gift. I nodded, "awesome."
We took it to the till and the lady opened it up. There was a pair of stud earrings and cufflinks inside.
"Woah," I breathed out, not expecting to see it. She pointed at it and then to herself. I raised my eyebrows. "Are these yours?"
She nodded her head at me. Then from under the till she pulled out an old photograph and handed it to fred. "What in the world..." he trailed off and showed me the picture.
It was a young man and woman, laughing at one another. The picture had been taken candidly, so neither of them were looking at the camera, but it was clear as day. The man as tall and lanky, like fred, leaning over the girl who was only slightly shorter. Her hair fell over her shoulder nicely, just like mine. It looked like us in the picture, the only difference the shimmering rings on their fingers.
"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, looking back at the old woman. She gave me a soft smile as a tear trailed down her face. I moved around the counter and gave her a hug. Fred watched me with soft eyes before looking back down at the picture. It was uncanny. It really looked like us.
She handed me back the jewelry box, tightening my hand around it. She gave me a hard nod, before letting go. I looked at the box and then back at her. Blinking away tears, I shook my head back softly. Turning to Fred, I handed the box to him and grabbed a wooden tray from a table.
"Let's keep the box," I said and bought the tray as the wedding gift. The lady refused to take any money from me, but I made sure to leave it for her on the counter. Fred slung his arm around my shoulders as we left, giving them a squeeze. I looked up at him and stopped. Pulling him down by his neck, I kissed him fiercely. He held me tight by the waist, pressing me against his chest. He pulled away to breath and black crept up the sides of my vision, and I fell into the snow.
