Hello again readers, I know it's been far too long since I posted an update and I can only apologise profusely for leaving this story unfinished like I did. An awful lot has happened to me in the past five years but I won't bother you with all of the details.

I hadn't forgotten about my Fanfiction account in this time and often came on here to read other stories as a guest when one day I decided to search for my old stories and was surprised to see how many wonderful and supportive reviews they had received as well as more lately the number of sad or disappointed reviews because I'd left this one unfinished.

Your words struck a chord in me and I realised how selfish I'd been for not updating in such a long time. So, the very same day, I opened up my old notes and got to work writing the finale.

I had planned to do many more chapters in this fic, unfortunately so much time has passed that the plot I had planned has sadly slipped away from me. So instead I have opted for an epilogue in the hopes that you will all forgive me for cutting this short and accept this final instalment.

It has been some years since I wrote these characters so please forgive me for any out-of-characterness that may occur.

Thank you all so much for every review you have left me, your support – even after I had stopped updating – really touched me and has inspired me to begin writing here again.

I hope you enjoy this final instalment :)

Chapter twenty-three – Epilogue

"Stop fussing with it, it looks perfect!" Emma hissed irritably as I tugged at the lace gathered below my bust for the millionth time since I'd put on the dress.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous." I replied, forcing my hands to still. She met my gaze in the mirror that stood before us, a curious look in her eye.

"What are you nervous for? You can't be having second thoughts?" My expression morphed into horror and I quickly shook my head.

"God no! It's just…it's a big moment I suppose." I wasn't really lying to her, I just couldn't be completely truthful with her yet about my nerves. She flashed me a bright smile and ran her fingers over the delicate lace.

"It's going to be great Lils." Overcome with emotion I grabbed her in a tight hug.

"Love you Em." I said thickly. She squeezed me affectionately.

"Love you more." We broke apart and I focussed on blinking past the moisture that had pooled in my eyes.

"I'd better go sit down. We don't have long now." Nodding, I gave her one last quick hug before she left me alone.

I turned my attention back to the mirror, my eyes ghosting over the white dress to the room behind me. Turning I glanced around my old bedroom, smiling wistfully as I thought of all the memories it held. Today it had gained a new memory, one of me getting ready to marry Scorpius.

It was three years to the day since he'd proposed to me out in the garden of the burrow. We'd decided to wait a while before getting married. We were both still young and though I had no doubt that I would always want to spend my life with Scorpius there was no need to rush it. Instead we enjoyed our long engagement and waited for the dust to settle on all the drama that had happened that year. In truth it already felt like we were married, but today I would get to be Mrs Lily Malfoy for real.

A lot could happen in three years. My dad had settled into his position as the Minister for Magic, though for the rest of us it still didn't quite seem real. He wasn't the only one settling into a new career either. Al had finally got himself together and had secured himself a position on the Puddlemere United reserve team where he could put his well-honed Quidditch skills to good use. We all suspected that mum might've put in a good word for him but he was happy regardless and he'd proven he was good enough to play with the professionals.

My own career choice had been a trickier decision. With no real idea what I wanted to do with my life I'd started to despair. Until one day I was passing through town when a young boy no older than nine who was arguing with his friend unwittingly let loose some of his growing magic. One minute he'd been yelling at his friend to shut up and the next the other boy was unable to speak. Within minutes Ministry officials arrived to reverse the accidental spell and perform some damage control. I watched as they wiped the memory of the scene from the muggles minds and then vanished, everything returning to normal as if it had never happened. Seeing them maintain the balance between our worlds struck something inside of me and the next day I applied to the Ministry to begin training as an Obliviator.

A soft knock at the door brought my attention back to the present.

"Come in." I called and a few seconds later my mother and Astoria Malfoy stepped inside. They paused for a moment, eyes wide as they took in my appearance.

"Oh Lily." It was all my mum managed to say before her eyes filled with tears.

"You look beautiful." Astoria said, uttering the words my mum wasn't able to. I blushed at the compliment, smoothing the lace nervously.

"We've come to add the finishing touches." Mum held up the velvet box that held her delicate headdress and Astoria had a long veil draped over her arm. I'd wanted to wear something that belonged to each of them and though both had offered their own dresses that was something I wanted to pick for myself. So instead I'd chosen accessories.

"Thank you, both of you." My throat tightened as my own emotions threatened to get the better of me. Mum waved her hand dismissively as she took the headdress from the box.

"You don't need to thank us." She assured me, stepping closer to fix the beautiful silver accessory into my hair.

"It's an honour." Astoria agreed. She gave my arm a gentle squeeze and I smiled gratefully. I waited patiently, nerves fluttering in my stomach as they pinned the long elegant veil to the headdress and then smoothed it down. Carefully they wound the strips of thin ribbon that hung down into my hair, pinning it back until it looked like I was wearing a crown.

"There."

"It's perfect." They declared, stepping back to admire their handiwork.

I hardly recognised my reflection. My eyes were shining brighter than they ever had before, my cheeks flushed pink and it wasn't from the make-up. It was hard to believe that the beautiful, happy girl looking back was me.

"I'll go and let them know that we're ready to start." Astoria said, dropping a quick kiss on my cheek before leaving me and mum alone. She looked at me seriously for a moment before taking my hand in both of hers.

"I'm so proud of you Lily." Her declaration caught me off-guard.

"You were always a good kid, even when your brothers were pestering you and behaving like idiots." She paused and we both laughed. "But you've grown into such a wonderful woman. When I think of everything that's happened and how you've handled it all, I'm just so proud." Her voice faltered, her eyes filling with tears again and I felt my throat tighten.

"And I'm so happy for you today. All I ever wanted for my children was for you all to be happy, and Scorpius has done much more than that for you Lily. It's like he's transformed your life."

"He is my life mum." I managed to say. She smiled and gave my hands a gentle squeeze.

"I know. It was the same for me and your father. The first time I saw him I was already lost. I was too young at the time to really understand but I think he had my heart from that very first look. I never stood a chance." We shared a gentle laugh and I realised how true that was for me too. Ever since I first saw those shy grey eyes peering into my room, Scorpius Malfoy had held my heart.

"I know the feeling mum." She nodded knowingly and gave me one last kiss on the cheek.

"Enjoy today, you both deserve it." She walked away, pausing in the door to give me a parting smile.

Alone again I turned my gaze back to the mirror. I could hear the soft music starting outside and my nerves fluttered to life again. In response my hands fell to my stomach, my fingers settling gently over the small curve there that was hidden beneath the layers of lace and satin. A small smile crept onto my lips. The secret would be out soon, but first I had something very important to do.

As if on cue my father appeared in the doorway, knocking softly. His eyes look in my appearance and a tenderness filled them that made my heart tighten in my chest.

"Oh Lils. You look stunning." He crossed the room and hugged me gingerly, afraid of tugging something loose.

"You look so much like your mother did on our wedding day." His eyes settle on the headdress as he said it, a nostalgic smile spreading across his face. The music outside turned to something different and I met my dad's gaze.

"That's our cue." He said cheerily, offering me his arm. I swallowed the last of my nerves and hooked my arm through his.

The music grew louder as we passed through the hallway and down the stairs of my childhood home to where the guests were all seated and waiting outside. We'd opted for a small ceremony in our family garden. It felt more meaningful and fitting than some unfamiliar venue that held no special meaning to us.

We paused for a moment in the kitchen and I finally had a chance to take in all the decorations. The house had been decked out with little lights and white flowers. It looked like a fairy tale grotto.

When the music faded into something softer and the quiet chatter from outside fell into silence I knew it was our cue. My dad leaned over and pressed a kiss to my forehead while I worked on steadying my breathing.

"Ready Lils?" he asked softly. I took one last deep breath before nodding.

"Ready." He opened the back door and we took the first step outside. "Here's hoping I don't trip." I muttered. Dad chuckled softly and that little bit of humour helped banish the last of my nerves.

I heard the soft gasps and murmurings from the audience before I was brave enough to look up. For a moment I was stunned. The make-shift aisle was framed by pillars of greenery and white roses, connected by strings of little lights and lanterns that were dripping with lavish white ribbons. The neat rows of chairs were bound in beautiful satin and bows of lace.

My eyes eagerly swept the faces of our family and friends, blushing under their adoring gazes, until I saw the one person I wanted to see more than anything.

Scorpius waited for me beneath a towering arch of flowers. His grey suit matched that of my father and Albus who was serving as best man, yet somehow it looked completely different on him. His gaze met mine then and my breath caught in my throat. The depth of the emotion in his eyes was staggering. It gave way quickly to utter adoration as a breath-taking smile spread across his gorgeous face.

I hardly even noticed that we were still moving until I reached him. The minister was speaking but the words were lost on me as I gazed into those familiar grey eyes. A gentle movement broke the contact as my father took my hand and placed it gently into Scorpius's. Finally, I was home.

We chose to stick with the traditional vows. The same ones that had been spoken millions of times by couples throughout the year, yet as we said them to each other I felt as though they'd been written especially for us.

My hand trembled as Scorpius slid the thin glittering band onto my finger, sealing our declaration with the ultimate symbol. Then it was my turn. My voice shook as I uttered the words, my fingers still shaky as I slid on his own ring. He gripped my hand then, his smile almost blinding in its happiness and just as easily I was beaming back.

The minister finally declared us husband and wife and I thought that my heart might explode with joy. An eruption of cheers spread through the crowd and Al whooped excitedly beside us. It was so loud that we almost didn't hear those important six words.

"You may now kiss your bride." I had a brief flicker of embarrassment over the thought of kissing Scorpius so openly in front of our entire family but then his cool lips were on mine an all worries faded from my mind.

It started off tender, a soft and adoring kiss that showed how much he cherished me, but then I felt the floodgates open and a tidal wave of love slammed into me and swept me away. I threw my arms around him, slanting our mouths together like we'd done a million times before yet never as Mr & Mrs Malfoy.

When the cheers turned to catcalls and teasing wolf whistles we parted, panting and blushing. Our eyes met and I saw a deep joy swimming in the depths of his grey eyes that mirrored my own.

Taking my hand, he turned us to the crowd and our family and friends descended on us in celebration.

I didn't know who hugged me first. Arms wound around us, lips showered kisses on our faces, yet Scorpius's hand never left mine the whole time.

When the excitement died down the garden was transformed into the perfect dining setting. The sun had set, being replaced by the moon which bathed us in the most beautiful glow. The thousands of little lights and lanterns adding the soft lighting perfectly.

Once Scorpius and I were seated my father stood and tapped a spoon against his glass to gain everyone's attention. A light hush fell over the small crowd and he cleared his throat.

"Right, time for me to kick off the speeches I suppose. You'd think I'd be better at his after three years as Minister." He paused to sip his drink and a few murmured laughs rose from the onlookers.

"I've had more than a few shocks over the past twenty years at the hands of my children; James declaring that he wanted to be an Auror after being sent to the hospital wing at least once every few months for hexing himself by accident, Albus disappearing to Canada without word for months, but Lily coming home and announcing that she was dating a Malfoy had to be a winner." He paused, glancing across at Draco who had tensed slightly at the comment. The reassuring smile that my father cast him seemed to ease his fears that something bad was to follow and the blonde relaxed.

"After everything that happened, I never expected to hear from another Malfoy again, let alone welcome one into my family. Then one day, Al comes home raving about his new best friend and you can imagine my surprise when I found out who he was. I was worried, of course, who wouldn't be? But then Scorpius came along and I quickly realised that I'd feared over nothing." He stopped to give my new husband a genuine smile that he returned in kind.

"He became a loyal and supportive friend to Al and an extended member of our family, and since then he has also become a loving and devoted partner for my daughter." He turned to me now and I could already feel my throat tightening with emotion before he even spoke. "Lily, I used to watch you growing up and dread the day when I had to hand you over to someone else. I couldn't imagine that anyone would ever be deserving of you, my treasured girl, but how very wrong I was. So today, I was sad to pass on my role as your protector to Scorpius, but I knew you'd picked the right man. When I see you together, I see the kind of love in his eyes that I have always wished for you." Tears were readily trickling down my cheeks now as I smiled at him happily. His own eyes had grown moist but he was holding it back, his voice growing hoarser as he battled.

"I wish every bit of happiness for you both. To Lily and Scorpius!" the table erupted with our names and glasses clinked together so loud that I laughed, trying to cover my ears.

I was still drying my tears when Al stood up and cleared his throat, his face already red from embarrassment before he'd even spoken a word.

"Ok, time for the best man speech." He announced, clearing his throat a second time – more out of nerves than necessity. "Just to warn you all, I haven't written a word of this down or rehearsed it, so if it's shit then don't be too surprised." his words earned him a quick kick under the table from Emma, a slap on the back of the head from mum and a hissed "Language Albus!" from dad.

Shooting me and Scorpius a frustrated look he smoothed out his hair and continued. I tried to hide my laugh with my napkin.

"As I was saying. Growing up, James and I used to wonder whether anyone would ever dare date Lily. She used to be a terror as a kid, always trying to join in with whatever crazy schemes or games James and I had thought up. Nothing seemed to put her off, no matter how hard we tried. Lils would do it all. I think mum and dad used to worry she'd grow up gender confused, especially after that time Timmy Coldwell asked his mum if me and my two brothers could stay round his house for his birthday sleepover when I was seven years old. I can still see his mum's shocked face when dad said Lil was short for Lily and not little brother." A wave of snickers and snorts passed through the crowd and I narrowed my eyes at my brother. Beside me, Scorpius wasn't doing a great job of hiding his amused smile.

"Anyway, turns out we were all worried for nothing. She eventually hit puberty and everything sorted itself out from there." He smirked at me and I reached around Scorpius and shoved him irritably. "Then of course she hardly dated anyone at school and we were starting to wonder if maybe she was a lesbian."

"Al!" The fact that Emma and I said it at exactly the same time only seemed to earn us more amused laughs from our family and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't get prissy Lils, I'm supposed to embarrass you in my speech. Its tradition!" he replied, shrugging innocently.

"You're meant to embarrass the groom, idiot." James corrected. Al pulled a disapproving face.

"I know, but Scor's more boring than you Lils so I thought this would be funnier." I let out a frustrated growl but he just flashed me another unapologetic smile.

"Now shush, you're interrupting." He hissed, waving a hand at us dismissively. "Where was I?" he paused for a moment, tapping his chin before snapping his fingers happily. "Ah yes, a lesbian. Well, I was just starting to seriously consider this when she dropped the Malfoy bomb on me." I rolled my eyes at his dramatic tone.

"You all already know that I wasn't exactly on the supportive side at the beginning, which is silly really since I already knew that Scor was a great guy, but Lils made me see sense pretty quickly like she always does. Soon I could see how ridiculously sappy and mushy they were together and who could be opposed to that?" this time he smiled at me and my annoyance melted away in an instance. I smiled back, blushing a little at his words.

"I've done some stupid things in my life but Scor has always stood by me and supported me, so I know that he'll look after my little sister better than anyone. All I have to say is that you guys better never break up otherwise I'll have to kick my best friend's ass and I really don't want to have to take sides." This earned him another shove off Emma and a groan off James.

"Don't talk about them breaking up on their wedding day!" Rose chastised from across the table but Al just shrugged innocently.

"I'm just putting it out there!" he said hastily. I saw mum shaking her head but I just laughed. It was such an Albus comment, I wouldn't have expected anything different from him. It was perfect. Some of the others were still muttering disapproving comments or shaking their heads but Al shushed them.

"Alright don't mob me, it was a joke people! Merlin's beard!" he snatched up his glass and raised it. "Fine, congrats to both of you, may you be forever happy, blah, blah." He downed the drink in one and Scorpius and I burst out laughing, quickly followed by everyone else. After the chaos died down he waved for silence again and turned to us both.

"No seriously, you guys are perfect for each other. Welcome to the family brother-in-law." He slapped Scorpius on the back as our family toasted us a second time.

Everyone grew quiet once again and this time it was Scorpius who stood. My heart sped up and nerves fluttered in my stomach in anticipation.

"Firstly I'd like to say how grateful I am that you're all here to celebrate this with us. Some of us had a rocky start," he paused to glance briefly at Teddy who had the decency to look contrite. "But I hope in the time that has passed since then you've seen just how truly in love with Lily I am." He took a quick sip of his drink and I tried to swallow to moisten my dry throat.

"Everyone hopes to find that special someone in their lifetime. The one person that you can bare your soul to, who you can reveal every part of yourself to – the good and the bad – and who will accept you and love you regardless. Ten years ago I stumbled into the wrong room while looking for the bathroom and unknowingly met mine." He smiled at me lovingly and my eyes welled up again with fresh tears.

"That day something changed inside me, it only took me four years to realise that it was because I'd left my heart behind that day with a beautiful redhead who had her nose buried in a book." A wave of approving aw's passed through the crowd and Emma elbowed Al for sticking his fingers in his mouth and pretending to vomit.

"I could promise you all kinds of things Lily." Scorpius continued, undeterred by his best friend's teasing. "That I'll always love you. That I'll never hurt you or leave you. I could promise you the world, but promises are just words. So, instead, I'll show you every single day just how much I love you. I'll give you everything you want that's within my power and try to make up for the things that aren't. I'll devote my life to being everything that you deserve and making you happy." He reached out and took my hand, squeezing gently as I gave him a watery smile. I'd long given up on holding back the tears.

"So, I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful wife." He raised his glass and everyone mirrored the action. "No amount of words can describe how deeply I love you, so I'll just have to spend the rest of our lives showing you." He leaned down to catch my lips in a tender kiss as our friends and family toasted my name. Scorpius held my lips for a long moment, pouring all his affection into the gentle touch before pulling back taking my breath with him. He brushed away the traces of my tears with his thumbs before pressing another quick kiss to my mouth.

"Alright, I know it's your wedding but chill out with the PDA's. We haven't eaten yet!" I was surprised that the culprit this time wasn't the usual brother and even more surprised when it was Albus who was the first to chastise our eldest sibling.

"Like you weren't snogging Daph's face off when you two tied the knot. Hypocrite." James quickly turned a royal shade of red and a wave of laughter spread through us. To her credit, Daphne didn't look embarrassed, she just smiled and shrugged knowing that it was true.

The excitement died down as we ate. My grandma Molly had wanted to make everything herself but it turned out to be too big of a task for her and she finally conceded, accepting help from my mum and aunt Hermoine, muttering the entire time about how she wasn't as young as she used to be. Astoria had preferred to avoid the madness of the kitchen and opted instead to assist Lucy and Rose with the decorations and flowers. The men hadn't had much responsibility outside making sure they were dressed and stayed out of trouble but my uncle George had organised one of his signature WWW fireworks displays that culminated with the message 'Congratulations Lily & Scorpius' blazing across the sky in a combination of Gryffindor and Slytherin colours.

Once everyone was fed and on their way to getting merrily tipsy I slipped inside for a quick moment of quiet. I poured myself a glass of water and sipped it gratefully. The majority of the drinks on the tables had been alcoholic and I couldn't drink any of them right now so I was parched.

I was stood looking at the photographs lining the fireplace and feeling happily nostalgic when a pair of strong arms slid around my waist drawing me back into a firm chest. I inhaled the familiar scent as Scorpius feathered little kisses across my exposed shoulder.

"Are you ok, Mrs Malfoy?" as expected, I grinned like a fool at the name and turned my head to nuzzle his cheek.

"I'm wonderful thank you." He kissed me gently before noticing the empty glass in my hands.

"Ah, so this is why you snuck off." I nodded and put it down on the fireplace. His hands moved to frame the smooth curve of my stomach, caressing it adoringly.

"We'll have to tell them soon you know." He whispered, running his lips along the curve of my ear. I let my head fall back onto his shoulder.

"I know, but not yet. I want to enjoy a peaceful honeymoon without having to check in with them every day and getting bombarded with the do's and don'ts of pregnancy." He pulled back to smile at me.

"They'll be annoyed we waited this long." He pointed out. I knew he was right but I shrugged.

"They'll forgive us."

"I guess we'll finally see which hair colour they inherit." Scorpius joked. I laughed softly, remembering that conversation we'd had in the Slytherin common room all those years ago.

"I already told you, they can't avoid the Weasley curse." I reminded him. He chuckled, lifting a piece of my hair to press a kiss to it.

"And I already told you that I love the colour of your hair. I'd be happy with a house filled with our little red-haired children." I turned in his arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

"A house full, eh?" I repeated. He pulled me closer, grinning broadly.

"Oh yes. I expect a very large family, dear wife." I couldn't help but grin back.

"Why don't we see how we cope with this one first, dear husband?" he laughed and kissed me briefly.

"I've met your family, you can handle a house full." He added, kissing me again more deeply before I could argue again.

"There you two are!" Hugo's voice dragged us apart and I blushed profusely as I saw him hovering in the doorway with Lucy and Dean.

"Sorry to interrupt but they're waiting for your first dance." Lucy said, shooting us both an apologetic smile.

"Damn, I was hoping they'd forgotten about the dancing." I muttered. Scorpius laughed and grabbed my hand pulling me over to the door.

The chairs had all been pushed to the sides to make room for a large dancefloor that sat atop the grass. It was lit by hundreds of little candles that were enchanted so that they wouldn't burn down or blow out in the wind.

Scorpius led me out into the centre of the floor as our family and friends gathered around the edges. Nerves fluttered in my stomach again as he drew me into his arms. The music began to play and I instantly recognised the soft melody. It was the same song that we had danced to the first time in the room of requirement on our one month anniversary, the very day he first told me that he loved me. Knocked breathless by another wave of emotion I barely noticed when we began to dance to the song.

"You remembered." I whispered, burying my face against his neck as new tears threatened to spill over. I was far too emotional today and I could only blame some of it on my pregnancy hormones.

"Of course. How could I forget?" I looked up at his adoring smile and it was as if I fell in love with him all over again.

"I love you Scorpius." My voice trembled as I said it and his smile grew wider.

"I love you too." Then he leaned in and whispered "I've wanted to marry you since that day. I waited five years to make you my wife and it was worth every second." My heart swelled in my chest, overcome with happiness.

"Me too Scor. I wanted it too. We danced to this song and you told me it'd played at your parents wedding. I remember thinking then that I wanted it to be played at our wedding too. From that day on I knew I wanted to be your wife one day." He looked a little surprised at my declaration but I kissed it away, sighing against his lips as he deepened the embrace.

"Well now you are. My Mrs Malfoy, forever and always."

When the song finished and new one began other couples began to make their way onto the dancefloor. My parents danced close to Draco and Astoria, our two mothers chatting happily while my dad and Draco occasionally exchanged a polite sentence or two. They were far from being on friendly terms, too much had taken place between them for that, but they were happy to be civil when the families got together.

Hugo swept Rose out and she laughed merrily, happy that she hadn't missed out because of her lack of date. Al was spinning Emma round like crazy, ignoring her cries of protest until she tripped over his foot and they tumbled to the floor in a fit of dizzy laughter. James was leading Daphne around with practised skill thanks to the dancing lessons he'd taken before their own wedding. Off to the side where it was quieter, Lucy and Dean were swaying slowly, lost in their conversation and smiling happily at each other. True to his word, Dean hadn't left her side since that terrible night at the hospital. They'd recently bought a small flat together and last month Dean had come to me to ask for help in picking out an engagement ring for her. He was planning on asking her when they got home tonight.

As the night finally drew to a close, the music began to wind down and all the cake had been eaten – though Al and James were largely to thank for that – my parents pulled Scorpius and I aside into the house for a moment. They led us into the living room where they held out a long gold box to us.

"It's our wedding gift for you both." My father explained.

"We wanted to give it to you now so we can see you open it." Mum added when she saw I was about to protest. Scorpius and I exchanged a brief glance before I took it from them. I tore off the pretty wrapping to uncover a plain white box. Opening it curiously I was surprised to see a set of keys and a wooden sign that said 'Malfoy Cottage'.

"What is this?" I asked, confused. My parents exchanged a smile.

"It's the keys to this house and a new plaque for the door." My mum explained. My confusion quickly morphed into shock.

"What?" I spluttered.

"With all you kids moved out now, your mother and I don't need all this room anymore." My father explained.

"And we always wanted to keep the house in the family." Mum added hastily. I blinked at them, still reeling from the shock.

"But, James is the oldest, he got married first. He should get the house!" I said in a rush, the words spilling out before I could realise how ungrateful I sounded. Thankfully they didn't look offended. My mum took my hand in hers.

"James and Daphne have their own place already and you always loved this house the most." She assured me. I turned to look at Scorpius who looked just as stunned as I did.

"This is too much!" I breathed, shaking my head as I traced the letters on the plaque. Those damn tears were back, pricking at my eyes and trying to force their way out.

"We won't be far Lils. We're going to move into the burrow. Molly could use some help around that big place now that her legs are getting worse." Dad told me, smiling gently as if to ease my fears.

"Besides, you're going to be needing more space soon, won't you?" As she said it, my mum's hand slipped from mine to my dress where she pressed against my hidden bump. My eyes flew open in shock. How could she know already? We'd been so careful not to reveal any hints.

"Mum!" I was already forming a rushed apology for keeping it a secret when she pressed a finger to her lips.

"Please accept it, it would mean the world to both of us." She urged, looking from me to Scorpius hopefully. Giving up on my protests I flung my arms around her and hugged her fiercely.

"Thank you so much! I promise we'll love this place as much as you did!" I gushed joyfully. She patted my back gently.

"We know you will." I moved to hug my dad and mum pulled Scorpius in, kissing him gently on the cheek.

"Thank you Mr & Mrs Potter, this is an incredible gift." He said and my mum laughed.

"I think we can drop the formalities now that you're family Scorpius, its Ginny and Harry." She told him, smoothing down the side of his hair where it had gotten mussed from the hug.

"And you'd better take good care of both of them." My dad added, shaking his hand firmly.

"Dad!" I protested. Now wasn't the time for him to be better all protective parent on me.

"I will, don't worry." Scorpius assured him, shooting me a proud grin. My dad gave him a look that said he wasn't really worried at all.

We stood awkwardly for a moment and I toyed with the decision to just announce my pregnancy properly then and there. It felt strange not to speak about it when they already knew. I wasn't quite sure how they'd figured it out, but then again there was a lot that could be said about a mother's instincts.

"Guys, a few people are going to head home. They wanted to say goodbye before you disappear off on your honeymoon." Emma called from outside.

"Oh, come on, let's re-join the others before they get suspicious." Mum ushered us towards the door, taking the box from me and stowing it in the kitchen drawer for safekeeping until we got back.

Outside a small group had formed and we exchanged final hugs and well wishes. Teddy and Victoire were just about to go when Emma let out a panicked gasp.

"Wait!" she cried, throwing up her hands. "You haven't thrown your bouquet yet!" she darted across the garden to get it while we all breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't anything more serious.

She returned quickly and thrust the flowers into my hands as the women all gathered in a crowd to the side. I rolled my eyes at Scorpius who just laughed and then took my place a few metres away from them.

"Ready?" I called, poised and ready to throw.

"Yes!" came the chorus of replies. I laughed and tossed it as hard as I could. Spinning quickly I was just in time to see it land into the hands of a very surprised Emma. She blinked at it in shock for a moment before breaking out into a huge smile. I looked over at Albus at the same time as everyone else did and saw the look of panic on his face.

"Oh god, how am I ever going to find a ring that she likes?" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in defeat. A roar of laughter erupted throughout the crowd and I felt my chest swell with love for every single person standing around me. Whatever drama the next year was likely to bring, I would be able to face it all because of the wonderful family and friends I had.