A/N: I can't believe this is the very last chapter. I've had this written for months - long before I wrote a lot of the actual chapters - but it's hard to believe that I'm finally posting it. I've absolutely loved writing this story, and I can't thank you all enough for reading and reviewing and favouriting and following. You guys have been my motivation to keep writing and to follow Scorp, Al and Rose right to the very end.

Particular thanks to RainWillow7, Kjelfalconer, owlgirlie387, glowyrm and everyone else who has reviewed regularly and been reading this story from near the beginning. There are too many of you to thank individually, but you're all amazing and I'm not sure I'd have bothered to write this for as long as I did without you.

Lots of you had some very imaginative ideas about what might happen after the last chapter, and I have to admit I'd never even considered most of them, but I hope you enjoy my version of events.

Epilogue

It was a gorgeous day in August. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the sun beamed down on the crowd of people walking slowly through the grounds of Malfoy Manor, and being shown to their places in long rows of white seats. There was a fairly even distribution of both redheads, and the familiar blonde that was a trademark of the Malfoy family, with a smattering of other colours. Every Hogwarts house was represented, as well as members of both the oldest pureblood families in Britain and muggleborns with no magical heritage whatsoever. The conversation was a little awkward due to the unusual mixture of people, but the general atmosphere was one of excitement and hope. Excitement about the wedding soon to take place, and hope for the changes and the new way of life that it promised. This marriage marked a turning point in the history of wizard kind, and represented the unity and peace that the wizarding world were striving for, after the disastrous wars of the past.

Scorpius Malfoy, standing by the altar with his best friend, soon-to-be cousin and best man, Albus Potter, was blissfully unaware of the enormous responsibility that rested on his shoulders, and it was a good thing he was. As it was, he was so nervous his hands were shaking uncontrollably and he felt a constant urge to throw up, or simply to run away and hide somewhere, preferably very far away. Not that he didn't want to get married – on the contrary, he had never wanted anything more – but he was absolutely terrified.

In a room inside Malfoy Manor, the bride was, if possible, even more nervous than the groom. Pacing up and down the room, which was a pretty impressive feat in itself, in a long, white dress and very, very high heels, she was muttering fretfully to herself and wringing her hands. Anxiously, her mum begged her to stand still so she could have her hair done. She obeyed, though she continued to fidget nervously, and Lily – who was one of her bridesmaids – expertly pinned her hair up, while Hermione and the other two bridesmaids – Molly and Sarah – began to apply her make up. Not too much, because Rose despised make up, but enough to highlight her high cheekbones and stunning eyes. Then Lily slipped Aunt Muriel's old tiara, which had been passed down to Molly when Aunt Muriel died, and worn at every Weasley's wedding since, onto her head and stepped back to examine her handiwork.

It was at this moment that Narcissa walked in. Rose turned to see who it was, and Narcissa stopped in her tracks.

"Oh my," she said, "I though Scorpius was exaggerating, but you're even more beautiful than he described you as being, and that's saying something!" Rose blushed.

"You must be Scorpius' grandma," she said, smiling.

"I am," the old woman replied, "And I must say, it's wonderful to finally meet the gorgeous, talented, intelligent, wonderful Rose Weasley whom my grandson has been in love with since he was fourteen. I've heard so much about you."

"I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not quite as wonderful as Scorpius seems to think," Rose replied, and Narcissa laughed.

"In my experience, Scorpius is never wrong about people. If he says you're wonderful then who are we to argue?" This time it was Rose's turn to laugh. She could see why Scorpius was so close to this down-to-earth, warm hearted and, despite her age, beautiful woman. She was the sort of person you just couldn't help trusting, and before she could even think about it, Rose found herself spilling all her worries.

"I'm really, really nervous about this," she confessed, "Is that wrong? Do I not love Scorpius enough? Or maybe I'm just not the wedding type. Maybe I'm not ready to get married. I mean, I'm only twenty-three. Is that too young to get married? Maybe we should have waited until –"

"Calm down," Narcissa said, breaking into Rose's babbling, "It doesn't mean anything, except that you're a completely normal human being. Everyone gets nervous before his or her wedding. I know for a fact that Scorpius is scared stiff, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you enough. Having heard him talk about you, I know that is far from the case. And he's definitely ready. Twenty-three is a perfectly reasonable age to get married, especially if, like the two of you, you've been in love for years. Now stop fretting and go and marry my grandson." Rose looked at her for a moment, nerves subsiding.

"You're right," she said, and was relieved to hear that her voice was steady, "Thanks."

"That's okay, my dear. Now, I'd better be going. Good luck!" She turned and walked out of the room, and Hermione threw her a grateful glance as she left. She'd had no idea how to deal with a hysterical Rose, and was thankful to Narcissa for taking it out of her hands. Rose turned to look at herself in the mirror. Even she had to admit she looked quite pretty. Lily had worked wonders with her hair, and the dress was stunning.

"Okay," she said, "I'm ready."

Outside, people were beginning to get impatient. Ginny, who was sitting awkwardly between Draco and Harry and trying to make polite conversation, which the men made no attempt to help her with, providing only one-word answers to her endless questions, glanced up at the house, hoping the ceremony would begin soon. Molly and Astoria, who had put an enormous amount of effort into this wedding, and who had the proceedings perfectly planned, to the second, looked nervously at their watches, noting that Rose was three and a half minutes late already. Albus, seeing the state his best friend was in, and knowing Scorpius wouldn't last much longer, silently pleaded Rose to hurry up. And Scorpius himself, for whom throwing up was now a very real possibility, closed his eyes and wished desperately that his bride would appear.

And then she did. Hearing a gasp from the entire congregation, Scorpius' eyes flew open and he lifted his head, and there she was. Her arm resting lightly on her father's, she stood at the end of the aisle, smiling radiantly at him. Her long, white dress clung gracefully to her body and flowed out behind her, and the gossamer-thin veil that covered her face did nothing to mask the beauty behind it. The tiara sparkled in the sunlight, and a single red curl hung down over her face. Scorpius held his breath as she walked slowly towards him. The nerves vanished, and he forgot all about the people watching him, and the pressure on him to do this right. Nothing existed but the incredible woman walking towards him; nothing mattered except that she was there, and that she loved him.

As Rose reached Scorpius, the congregation sighed collectively, all differences and divides momentarily forgotten in their wonder at the perfection of the couple. Apart, Rose was gorgeous and Scorpius was very handsome, but together they were more than that. Together they were flawless. Together they were breathtaking. Even Ron and Draco, catching one another's eyes as Ron turned to sit down, simply shared a look of wonder, all enmity gone in the face of such perfect love.

"We are gathered here today in the face of this company, to join together Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy and Rose Weasley in matrimony; which is an honourable and solemn estate and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly. Into this estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If anyone can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace." The man paused, and the silence was so complete you could have heard a pin drop. For a moment, the scene seemed frozen, Rose and Scorpius gazing at one another, the guests waiting with bated breath for the ceremony to continue, the rustling of the trees the only indication that time was still moving forward.

And then, "Scorpius, do you take Rose for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honour, comfort and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?" Keeping his eyes fixed on Rose's, Scorpius smiled.

"I do."

"And Rose, do you take Scorpius for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honour, comfort and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

Rose gazed up at the man she had known for twelve years, the man who had been there for her through everything, and who had loved her long before she had realised she loved him. There was nobody else she could imagine wanting to spend the rest of her life with, and nobody else who could complete her the way he did.

"I do."