She never told him, but it was his eyes that first attracted her. They could turn from his usual deep aquamarine to a glinting sea-green. She had only seen them turn that colour once before, when he had killed Nagini, but under those circumstances, she had only made a passing observation.
***
The second time she noticed his eyes, they had pierced her, even though his usual gentle, shy voice had apologized for causing a scene and had asked if he could make amends with dinner the following evening.
He had noticed that the drunken McLaggen was pestering her at the Ministry Ball and had come to her rescue. She had had a hex ready, if McLaggen were to step out of line, but Cormac made the mistake of taunting Neville with the hated nickname that Cormac and his bully cronies had given him, Nevillie Shortweenie, and had ended up skidding across the dance floor on his butt. At first, she thought that Neville had punched Cormac, but she later discovered it was due to the force of his anger as he threw the hex, which turned Cormac's hair a brilliant orange. Susan was working as Assistant Healer that night, when he had arrived at St. Mungo's in a panic. Between fits of giggling, Susan had shared that all of his body hair had turned orange, and it seemed, at later encounters, that the hex had been permanent for Cormac had dyed his golden locks brown and kept a safe distance from Neville.
***
She noticed his eyes for the third time during dinner the evening after the Ministry Ball, when he became animated describing the successful hybrid he was growing in the greenhouse at Hogwarts. He was the youngest Professor on staff.
***
Those same sea-green eyes were now staring intently into hers as he took a box from his pocket and said,
"If you're willing to have it, I want to give you my soul for safekeeping. My heart I'll keep because I need it to show you how much I love you."
He opened the box. Tucked within was a beautiful aquamarine ring.