Distant Memories; A Draco Malfoy love story.

Year Seven.

Today was Bill and Fleur's wedding, and yesterday was Harry's birthday.

Harry had been escorted to the Burrow by the Order a day before his seventeenth birthday, but someone had betrayed them and informed the Death Eaters when he would be moved. They ambushed them, which resulted in the deaths of Mad-Eye Moody and Hedwig, George lost an ear, and Harry had almost been killed by Voldemort.

It seemed silly to still have a wedding after all of that, but perhaps we needed a day of happiness to keep us all sane. Moreover, the trio would soon be leaving on their quest for Horcruxes, and this would be my last chance to see them beforehand.

I arrived to the Burrow a few hours earlier than the other guests to give Harry his birthday present and to get ready with Hermione and Ginny.

"Happy belated birthday, Harry!" I squeezed him in a tight hug and gave him his gift, a small framed moving photo of the four of us together at Hogwarts. Ron looked extremely dissatisfied at having to take the picture, and the three of us were laughing at him before turning to pose for the camera.

He grinned fondly at it before hugging me a second time. "I love it."

"I figured you could take it with you... you know."

When he pulled back, his eyes were glistening with tears. He nodded and disappeared upstairs to stow it in his belongings. I followed him up to search for the girls, who were getting dressed in Ginny's room.

"Sloane!" Hermione greeted, in the middle of struggling to pull her red dress over her head. Once she got situated she wrapped her arms around me, holding on longer than usual. We knew we'd have to say goodbye after today, a fact that kept a bittersweet cloud hovering over the celebratory atmosphere in anticipation for the wedding.

"You look beautiful," I smiled, taking a look at her. "Ginny, flawless as always."

Ginny blushed, attempting to zip her dress on her own.

"Here let me," I went to zip it for her, but she stopped me.

"Actually," She wore a mischievous smirk, "I'll be back."

After she ran out of the room, I tilted my head at Hermione, who answered my unspoken question, "She's probably going to get Harry to zip her. They've been itching for some alone time together."

"Oooooooo," I shimmied and waggled my eyebrows suggestively. We laughed and I started to dress while Hermione fought with her hair, ultimately deciding on a beauty spell when she was defeated.

My dress was two pieces, a black velvet top, cropped with long sleeves and a plunging neckline. The black skirt started at my waist and flowed in an a-line shape to the floor, small black and silver appliqué flowers adorned the mesh overlay, and there was a high slit that ended in the middle of my thigh. My shoes were black and strappy, but the high heels were thick since the wedding would be outside and I didn't want to be sinking into the grass.

I put loose waves in my long auburn hair, adding two purposefully messy fishtail braids that pulled back the sides and I pinned them together in the back. I preferred to keep my makeup simple and dewy, so I just added enough to make my blue-green eyes pop, and decided on a lipstick that was just a shade or two darker than my natural lip color.

Hermione could wear Dobby's pillowcase gown and still look gorgeous. She didn't even need makeup with her dark eyebrows and lashes, her only real struggle was her uncontrollable curls which required a smoothing spell most days.