Astoria shouldn't have come. She realized it the moment they arrived, taking in the soft, romantic atmosphere with a hitch in her breathing.
Back home, she'd be planning a ceremony of her own, choosing flowers and trying on wedding gowns, deliberating with Draco over which vows they wanted to use, or maybe they could write their own... She couldn't think about it, couldn't stand it, and seeing other people playing out the scene she'd dreamt of left her with a knot of cold despair weighing down her stomach, hollowing out her eyes behind her smooth, polite smile.
"Gorgeous," she agreed, mild and sweet and just a little too collected, meeting Ernie's eyes, but not quite connecting. "They looked very happy."