Will you marry me?

21st October, 2023, 3.45 PM, Peverell Park

The silence between them was unusual. Though they had only been together for a year, they had known each other since they were just kids, and usually, they would be chattering away by now. Yet now, even as they walked along the lake, Scorpius was unusually silent. Albus could see that he was nervous, and that he was hiding something. As he walked, he kept kicking pebbles along the path, and he kept running his hands through his hair, something that his father had told him never to do while they were kids.

Albus had known this was coming since the day Scorpius had asked him to be his. He knew he could never be good enough for Scorpius Malfoy. Ever since they were children, Albus had been known only as "Harry Potter's son", and though he had achieved many things as well, he would always be compared to his father, and he had been told countless times that he was not good enough. Scorpius, on the other hand, seemed perfect: he was good-looking, smart, witty, funny, and underneath it all, Albus knew he had a good heart. He had known it the day Scorpius Malfoy decided to befriend the scrawny outcast from Slytherin, even though he had no good reason to.

Scorpius stopped him as they were nearing an oak tree, and cleared his throat nervously, suddenly unsure of himself. The beautiful red and golden leaves of the trees swayed slightly in the breeze, and a sudden strong gust of wind dislodged the leaves and brought them floating across the park to land in the middle of the lake. Albus had to keep himself from giggling out loud: it was like those cheesy romance movies they had recently started to like.

Yet, it was in this romantic setting that the love of his life was going to leave him.

Albus' heart sank as Scorpius started to speak. "Al...how do I put this? We've known each other for a long time now, and well...I just want you to be happy, see, and, erm...argh, this is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life! Al, I just wanted to ask you..."

Albus smiled sadly, his heart breaking as he heard Scorpius' words. "I understand, Scorpius." He said softly.

Scorpius blinked at him. "You do?"

Albus tried not to let the tears he could feel coming fall. "Yes, Scorpius. I just want you to be happy, and I understand if I'm not the one who can give you that. You were too good for me anyway, and I guess some part of me has expected this since the day you asked me out. Thanks for everything, Scorpius. I love you, but I understand if you don't feel the same way anymore."

Scorpius blinked again, and then shook his head vigorously. "Wait, no, that's not what I meant, Albus! No, you've got it all wrong!"

He suddenly knelt down on one knee, taking Albus completely by surprise, before producing a box out of nowhere and opening it to reveal a gold and silver ring, with the letters "A&S" engraved on the bottom just below the small emerald on the top.

Albus lifted his shocked green eyes to meet Scorpius' beautiful silver ones, and Scorpius' next words made the tears Albus had been trying so hard to hide fall.

"I love you, Albus. Will you marry me?"

OoOoOo

21st October, 2023, 4.15 PM, Grimmauld Place

"How are we going to tell Dad and Mr Malfoy? They were enemies for so long; what if they don't agree to the marriage?" As soon as Scorpius had proposed, they had Apparated to Grimmauld Place to tell Albus' Dad and Mr Malfoy about their engagement, and now, Albus was a bundle of nerves.

"Relax, Albus, it's not like they don't know of our relationship. They practically gave us their blessings when we told them!" Scorpius patted Albus' back comfortingly.

"But they seemed uncomfortable when we told them we were going out; I don't know how to tell Dad something as big as this!" Albus wailed.

"Tell me what?" Albus felt his heart sink as Mr Malfoy and his Dad walked into the room. They had been together a lot recently, and it puzzled Albus why two people who used to be such bitter rivals would be so close now. When had his Dad and Scorpius' Dad managed to set aside their differences and become friends?

"Oh, hey Dad!" Albus' voice came out in a squeak.

"Tell me what?" Albus' Dad repeated as he seated himself on the couch next to Mr Malfoy.

"Oh, well...you see, Dad, Scorpius and I wanted to tell you...I mean, I just wanted to tell you that, well..."

Scorpius smoothly cut across Albus' stuttering. "We just wanted to tell you that we're getting married!"

The sound of a pin dropping would be audible in the silence that followed. Albus glanced up from the floor to see Mr Malfoy smirking at his Dad, while his poor Dad seemed to have been frozen on the spot in horror. His eyes were wide, his mouth gaping at Albus, and he was gripping the armrest of the couch tightly.

"Told you." Mr Malfoy nudged Albus' Dad lightly with his elbow, and that seemed to bring him out of his shock.

The words he blurted out next made Albus' mouth drop in shock as well.

"You too?"

OoOoOo

21st October, 2023, 3.45 PM, Grimmauld Park

The silence between them was unusual. Though they had only been together for a year, they had known each other since they were just kids, and though they had been bitter childhood rivals as kids, they had somehow managed to set aside their differences a few years after Albus and Scorpius both got sorted into Slytherin and became good friends. Over the years, the friendship between them had even evolved into love. Yet now, even as they walked along the lake, Harry was unusually silent. Draco could see that he was nervous, and that he was hiding something. As he walked, he kept kicking pebbles along the path, and he kept running his hands through his hair, a habit Draco recognised after years of stalking Harry.

Draco had known this was coming since the day Harry had asked him to be his. He knew he could never be good enough for Harry Potter. He was, after all, the Saviour of the Wizarding World, brave, noble, kind, and good-looking on top of that, worshipped by most of the Wizarding world, while he was an ex-Death Eater, a murderer who had killed people in the battle, with numerous crimes to his name, scorned by most of the Wizarding world. How could someone like him ever be with someone like Harry?

Harry stopped him as they were nearing an oak tree, and cleared his throat nervously, suddenly unsure of himself. The beautiful red and golden leaves of the trees swayed slightly in the breeze, and a sudden strong gust of wind dislodged the leaves and brought them floating across the park to land in the middle of the lake. Draco had to keep himself from giggling out loud: it was like those cheesy romance movies Albus and Scorpius had recently started to like.

Yet, it was in this romantic setting that the love of his life was going to leave him.

Draco's heart sank as Harry started to speak. "Draco...how do I put this? We've known each other for a long time now, and well...I just want you to be happy, see, and, erm...argh this is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life! Draco, I just wanted to ask you..."

Draco smiled sadly, his heart breaking as he heard Harry's words. "I understand, Harry." He said softly.

Harry blinked at him. "You do?"

Draco tried not to let the tears he could feel coming fall. He was a Malfoy, after all, and Malfoys do not cry in public, not even when their boyfriend was breaking up with them. "Yes, Harry. I just want you to be happy, and I understand if I'm not the one who can give you that. You were too good for me anyway, and I guess some part of me has expected this since the day you asked me out. Thanks for everything, Harry. I love you, but I understand if you don't feel the same way anymore."

Harry blinked again, and then shook his head vigorously. "Wait, no, that's not what I meant, Draco! No, you've got it all wrong!"

He suddenly knelt down on one knee, taking Draco completely by surprise, before producing a box out of nowhere and opening it to reveal a gold and silver ring, with the letters "H&D" engraved on the bottom just below the small emerald on the top.

Draco lifted his shocked silver eyes to meet Harry's beautiful green ones, and Harry's next words made the tears Draco had been trying so hard to hide fall. Screw what Malfoys did or did not do!

"I love you, Draco. Will you marry me?"

Fin