"Where have you been?" Hermione asked angrily once Alexandra returned. Her face softened when she noticed Alexandra had been crying. "What happened?"

First, Alexandra sighed in relief when she noticed everything was exactly as she'd left it; her trip was successful. Then, Alexandra slowly pulled the time turner out from where it hung under her shirt, and both Hermione and Ginny knew exactly where she'd been.

"How long?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Only a couple of hours," Alexandra answered. "I needed to do something."

"Did you see Tom? Or Dumbledore?"

"Just Tom," she explained, wiping under her eyes. "Nothing happened. We just spoke for a moment and he left."

"Something must have happened to make you cry," Hermione pointed out. "What did he say?"

"I asked if he loved me," Alexandra admitted. Hermione and Ginny audibly gasped. "I needed to know!"

"And?"

"I think he did. He asked me if I'm happy, and obviously still sent me home after I said yes," she told them. "He softened up, too, when I told him I loved him."

"You told him what!?" Hermione asked.

"He wasn't supposed to see me! He was angry! I needed to make sure everything still happened the way it was supposed to and keep him from asking questions about the future!"

"Well, you're bloody lucky it worked," Hermione sighed.

"Have you changed your mind about the wedding?" Ginny asked. "Is that why you're upset?"

"Of course not," Alexandra protested. "It just hurts to remember, that's all."

"Then where's your ring?"

"Couldn't let Tom see it, could I?" Alexandra asked, taking the ring out of her pocket and putting it back on her finger.

"What you did was incredibly reckless. What was your plan?" Hermione asked, still angry.

"I thought that it would be easier to move on with my life if I got the answers I needed about my past," Alexandra admitted. "Everyone that knows anything is dead."

"Alex," Hermione sighed.

"When I got there I realized it was an awful idea. I didn't want to see Dumbledore at all," Alexandra continued. "I was in Dumbledore's office, about to replace the old, altered memories with my new ones when Tom found me. Talking to him somehow made me realize that my life isn't as horrible as I once thought it was. In fact, if it wasn't for him, I don't think I would be as happy as I am now."

"So, your memories..."

"I kept them the same," Alexandra told them. "I didn't see a point in changing them now. I'd suffer all over again if it meant this day would come as a result. I think I finally got the closure I needed."

Hermione and Ginny smiled, hugging their friend and being able to feel her relief through the way she hugged them back.

"I'd like you to hold on to this. Keep it at the Ministry. Whatever you have to do," Alexandra insisted, handing her time turner to Hermione.

"But your studies-"

"I can't truly study the effects of traveling through time without altering the timeline, and I won't risk that. At least until I know for sure that I can change it back," Alexandra explained, sitting on her bed. "And I can't risk seeing Tom again. It's too dangerous. I risked everything seeing him tonight, and I was lucky nothing changed. I may not be so lucky next time."

"I understand," Hermione smiled lightly, taking the time turner and placing it with her luggage and sitting beside Alexandra on the bed.

"I also stopped by the joke shop," Alexandra smiled, resting her head on Hermione's shoulder and yawning. "Fred's agreed to give me away."

"Oh, that's perfect!" Hermione grinned. "This is going to be so wonderful."

"You'd think you're getting married all over again," Ginny laughed. "You've definitely got enough energy for the both of you."

Ginny pointed at Alexandra whose head still rested on Hermione's shoulder. Her eyes were closed, indicating that she had fallen asleep.

"I suppose she's technically been awake hours longer than us," Hermione stated, slowly moving Alexandra so she was lying down on her bed. Surprisingly, she slept through the night. Hermione and Ginny, however, didn't. They stayed up late and woke up early, working for hours to ensure that Alexandra's wedding would be perfect because a perfect day is what Alexandra deserved.

"Am I the only one that finds this strange?" Harry asked, walking towards Draco and Alexandra's house with Ron beside him.

"That Hermione is making us babysit Malfoy? Or that Malfoy is marrying our best friend?" Ron asked.

"Both," Harry answered, knocking on the door and being quickly greeted by Hermione.

"No green?" Ron asked, peeking through the door and seeing strictly white and silver decorations.

"I'm under strict orders not to allude to Slytherin in any way," Hermione explained, quickly closing the door. "I had to fight for the silver."

"Who knew Alexandra would be such a crazy bride?" Ron laughed.

"It was Draco who insisted we stay away from the green," Ginny corrected. "He said he doesn't want to think about houses because he wants us all to celebrate together and our houses have been known to divide us."

"Too much white will take the attention away from her dress," Hermione mumbled to herself, looking around at all the white. "I think we're going to sneak in some red. It'll have to be dark, though."

Still mumbling to herself, Hermione quickly made her way back outside to work on the decorations while Ginny waited for Alexandra to arrive.

"You look dashing," she smiled, greeting Harry.

"You look beautiful," he responded, smiling as well.

"Why, thank you," Ron grinned, standing between the two. "I was afraid the jacket wasn't going to fit, but it slid right on. A miracle, really."

"Haven't you got somewhere to be?" Ginny asked, annoyed with her brother.

"You're right, Harry and I do have somewhere to be," Ron stated smugly. Ginny rolled her eyes as Ron dragged Harry upstairs, but she chuckled when she heard Ron's voice echo through the house.

"Bloody hell, how many rooms do two people need?"