It had been nearly a year since their forced marriage. Little Neville was six months old now. They had gotten through the first anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Zacharias had even recently made amends with Colin Creevey, who was now the Gryffindor ghost. In another year, he will have completed the accelerated Auror program. Surprisingly, Zach had fit right in, not only with the Aurors, but the training itself, pleasantly taken by surprise that he enjoyed his new career choice so much. His parents had bought a large house for him and Megan as an anniversary gift. Six bedrooms. Merlin, who would ever need six bedrooms? Who were they? The Weasleys?
"Good real estate," his father had said. That much was true, but still – six bedrooms. He and Megan were extremely grateful, but what were his parents thinking?
There was still something that was missing – his one regret. Well, perhaps not his only regret, but the one he was most displeased with. He slipped his hand into his trouser pocket and let his finger slide through the center of the ring. He hadn't been able to give it to her before Neville was born. The second time he meant to give it to her was on the anniversary of the Battle, but she was too distraught remembering her brother. There would be no memorial to him. He had chosen the wrong side, but she mourned the boy she had grown up with. There was also the lingering memory of Wayne and Morag. Their deaths had hit them both especially hard. In all of the wedding planning they had managed before Zach walked out on the DA, Wayne would have been his best man that summer and Morag would have been Megan's maid of honor, a title the four of them snickered about.
He twisted the ring around his finger – much too small for his thick fingers of course. He didn't hear the door to the training room open or close until her hands were on him. He didn't have time to realize that they were small and soft and her finger traced the line of his hair behind his ear before grasping his shoulder. He jumped up, drawing his wand amazingly fast, just like they had practiced that morning. He was halfway through the Stupefy spell before realizing it was Megan and jerking his wand away from her before he could complete the incantation.
"Don't do that," he said venomously. He took a deep breath, ready to shout about Death Eaters and being on high alert, but pausing when he saw the look on her face. He took one hesitant step forward. "I'm sorry, Meggie. You startled me," he admitted with a low chuckle.
"I can see that."
They stood and looked at each other for a moment, deciding if this was worth a row or if they would just leave it in the moment and move on. They had been doing a lot of moving on instead of rowing, and Zacharias took that as a good sign for their future together. He felt the metal against his hand again when he put his hand back into his pocket. He glanced behind where Megan was standing. "Where's the baby? Where's Neville," he asked, suddenly realizing that she had come in alone.
She laughed with a shake of her head. He was distracted watching her hair fall back into place and he smiled as she finished her answer. "I ran into your father on the way over. You know how he is. For such a sedate and serious man, he turns to complete mush when that child is around."
Zacharias laughed. "So do I," he said in a quiet voice. He closed the distance, sheathing his wand while he stepped towards her. He smiled as he ran his hand down her arm, squeezing her hand. His voice remained quiet. "Can I ask you something?"
"Let me guess."
"Is the question that obvious?"
"You are transparent, Mr. Smith," she teased. She leaned in and kissed him, long and sweet, soft and slowly, but her enthusiasm building. Her hands grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. "Mmm. Does that door lock?" She nodded her head behind her to indicate the door, and Zach smiled.
"It does. We're not," he insisted with a smile, taking one step back away from her.
"You don't want to?" she asked in a low tone, taking two steps.
"I want to. I just don't want to get caught by Robards. Again." He met her eye and was surprised to see her blush at the memory of being caught on his desk. In the real world, it took about twenty minutes to clean up the paperwork. If they'd still been at Hogwarts, Professor Sprout would have made them pick it all up without magic.
She recovered quickly. "What's your question then?"
He swallowed, his mouth going dry, but in one swift motion, he pulled the ring from his pocket and pressed it into her hand, never taking his eyes from her face. "Will you marry me, Megan?"
Her mouth was open, but her face took on a look of shock. It took her a moment to speak. "Zach, we're already married. It will be one year next week. Have they been using you to practice memory charms on?"
"No, Meggie, my memory is fine. You married me because your father forced you to; not because you wanted to. I want to be your husband. I'm asking if you want to be my wife; if you would marry me."
"Oh, Zacharias." She spoke softly and touched his face with both her hands. She made his heart beat faster when she did that. She stepped deeper into his arms and kissed him. "I love you, Zacharias. I want to be your wife. Forever."
He took the ring from the hand she clutched it in, and slid it onto her third finger until it lay next to her wedding ring. "Today, you get the ring you should have gotten last year. One day, I'll give you the wedding."
