Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, though I would love to. Does anyone have a spare Hermione Granger or Draco Malfoy for me? I also don't mind a Luna Lovegood to be nonsensical with- I bet 3am conversations with her are fun.

A/n: HOLY HIPPOGRIFF, GUYS. TEN. Ask Batta, this is a milestone for me. We're forty percent into TaT, which means we have about fifteen more chapters to go before the *sniff* epilogue. I'm very, very excited to hear what you guys think of this chapter, so please review!

Chapter Ten:

19th April 2005

Jane was slowly coming to terms with the fact that her boyfriend could do magic. Not the lame American illusionists that were always shown on the telly- real, actual magic. She reassured Luc, Hermione, and Draco that their secrets were safe with her.

Now that she's been working in Tesco for almost a year, her father decided that she deserved a promotion. Since Maggie stepped down in order to spend more time with her grandkids, Jane filled in her shoes. Her new title was 'Cashier Supervisor', also known as a cashier who makes sure all other cashiers were doing their jobs.

A very irritated Hermione stalked towards Jane's counter, her frizzy hair crackling. Must be the magic.

"Hi, Hermione," she said carefully. "Is everything alright? Where's Draco?"

"Don't ask me about that selfish little ferret," Hermione growled. Jane's eyes widened.

"Are you having a row?" she asked. This has never happened before, and it was slightly unnerving.

"Yes," she huffed. "Ron asked me to go have lunch with him this week. He said he wanted to be friends again, or at least be civil towards each other. I told Draco about it, and he flipped. He doesn't understand that Ron has been there with me for more than half of my life. He was my best friend once, and I highly doubt we would be best friends again, but I don't want to be estranged from him."

Before Jane could respond, a tall figure stepped up behind Hermione, his hands in his pockets.

"Granger," he acknowledged her with a slight coldness. "Haven't talked to you for awhile now."

"Malfoy," her eyes flitted over to him quickly before handing over a few bills towards Jane. He frowned, evidently wounded by her tone.

"Hermione," his voice was much softer this time. She whipped around, her index finger poking his chest.

"You don't get to call me that when I'm pissed at you," she punctuated each word with a jab. He took hold of her hand and gently kissed the back of it, lessening her anger.

"It's a harmless lunch, Malfoy," she sighed, defeated. "Nothing's going to happen."

"That's how we started, too," he fiddled with her fingers. "I- I guess I'm afraid that you're going to realise how much of a fuck up I am compared to him and leave me."

"Is that what you think?" Hermione pulled her hand away from him, clearly hurt. "Honestly, Draco, does my 'I love you' mean nothing to you?"

"It meant the world to me," his eyes were like pools of silver as he spoke to Hermione. "You can't even imagine how happy I was to hear you say it."

"Then trust me," she clenched her fists. "Ron can do whatever the hell he wants, but trust me enough to know that, if he's trying to win me back, he won't be successful. Trust me enough to know that I will keep my distance if he wants more than friendship."

The silence was deafening, so Jane shut the cash register gently. When Draco's eyes passed by her, she mouthed the word 'apologise'.

"I'm sorry, Granger," he mumbled. Jane raised an eyebrow at his unsatisfactory apology, but it was sufficient for Hermione. She brushed her thumb against his jaw line affectionately while sighing.

"One, you are not a fuck up," she quickly went on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Two, even if you are, I still wouldn't leave you because I love you."

Draco's cheeks stained pink at Hermione's words, and he kissed her forehead.

"You two are so nauseatingly cute around each other," Jane gave Hermione her receipt and change. "I'm glad you worked that out."

"I don't want to lose her," Draco said resolutely. Hermione wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder, smiling softly.

"I'll hurry this along so you two can get out of here and have a reconciliation shag," Jane smirked at the two. Draco raised an eyebrow and smirked at Hermione, causing her to blush. She scanned Draco's groceries as fast as she could.

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you telling my cousin to do that, ma cherie," a voice her heart recognised chimed in. Jane looked up from the till to see her boyfriend grinning at her mischievously.

"Luc!" Hermione vaulted from Draco's hold and threw herself into Luc's open arms.

"Family always comes first, doesn't it?" Jane smirked at a grumpy Draco.

"What brings you here?" Hermione asked Luc as she reached over to hold Draco's hand. He immediately brightened up.

"I wanted to see Jane," he smiled. "But it looks like I have to play protective older brother tonight," he glared at Draco.

"Merlin, Granger," Draco scowled. "How many pseudo-older brothers do you have?"

"Quite a few," she laughed.

"I swear you have too many bodyguards hovering around you all the time," he continued. "No wonder you didn't have a boyfriend before the Weasel."

"I was concentrated on my studies, thank you very much," Hermione swatted at his chest.

"Good riddance to Weasley, though," Luc sneered. "Have you met him yet, Jane?"

"He once followed Hermione around the store like a lost puppy, begging her to take him back," Jane said as she printed out Draco's receipt. Good riddance, indeed.

"I saved her from him," Draco said proudly. "That's when she fell in love with me, I think."

"I didn't need saving," Hermione rolled her eyes. "I could have easily hexed him to oblivion."

"True on both accounts, but let's pretend I'm your Prince Charming," Draco took the receipt and change from Jane. "Shall we go, love, and have that reconciliation shag that Jane oh-so-kindly suggested?" he asked, tucking a lock of Hermione's curly hair behind one ear.

"I really don't need to know what you do with my cousin, Malfoy," Luc stepped away from the couple to let them walk past him, wrinkling his nose in revulsion.

"I would also prefer it, Prince Charming, if what happens in the bedroom, stays in the bedroom," Hermione gathered her purchases. He grinned in response, following her lead.

"What about in your kitchen, Granger?" he said. She turned bright red and walked away without a word.

Both Jane and Luc released cries of disgust at the implication. Draco winked at them before falling into step with Hermione.

"I did not need to know that," Luc grumbled. Jane laughed and patted his hand.

"They let us know too many things about them," she shook her head.

"So," Luc leaned into Jane, the counter separating them. "The kitchen, huh?"

"Don't even think about it, Alexandre," she pushed him away. "Why did you need to see me?"

"Meet me at the coffee shop in half an hour," he ducked his head and planted a swift kiss on her lips.

"I have work to do, Luc," she protested. He was already walking away.

"Get someone to cover for you!" he called out one final time before exiting the store.

Jane knew that if she didn't go, he would wait for her until she caves in and shows up. She also knew that if she did go, he would be there, waiting for her with a cup of mocha chocolate chip frappuccino and a chocolate cupcake. She grinned and flipped the bar so it says 'closed' instead of 'next customer'. It was a slow Tuesday night and Maggie would be coming in for her shift any second, anyway. Oh, the things one does for love.

10th May 2005

"When are you going to propose?" Jane asked Draco with a raised eyebrow. She rang up the bouquet of purple peonies and hyacinths he bought, which were obviously for Hermione. For weeks, every chance she had, she asked him the same question. He always had the same infuriatingly vague answer- 'soon'.

"Tonight, actually," he grinned widely as he handed the payment to her. She let his hand hover in the air as she looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Seriously," she breathed. He nodded, the wide grin still on his face. "If you said 'soon' again, I would've slapped you, no joke."

"Well then, it's good that Minerva invited us for dinner tonight," he said.

"Minerva?" Jane took the money. "Isn't that Hermione's favourite teacher?"

"Yeah," he carefully placed the bouquet on the counter. "She wanted us to speak to the students about house unity," he scoffed, but Jane knew he was flattered by the twinkle in his eyes. "But before that, Granger and I are going for a walk around Black Lake. When we get to the exact spot where I kissed her senseless on Halloween night, I'm getting down on one knee, open this box up," he held up an exquisitely-designed silver box. "And ask her the four-word question that will make all her dreams come true."

Jane rolled her eyes at his vanity, which only made him laugh. She held out her palm and he placed the box on it gently. The box was an antique, and from what she has learned about their world from Luc, it was possibly made by goblins…or was it the elves who made things like these? Regardless, the silver box was beautiful, and Jane traced the Malfoy crest which adorned the lid. Serpentine creatures surrounded the letter 'M', and after she was done tracing the letter itself, a few words appeared. How the- ah, yes, magic.

"Sanctimonia Vincet Semper," she read. "Purity will always conquer?" She cast a sideways glance towards Draco.

"You know your Latin," he said, visibly impressed.

"My father didn't mind paying for tutors, and I like languages," she shrugged. "Are you sure you should be proposing to Hermione using this box?" Luc also told her about the brutal methods that purebloods resorted to for generations, to keep their bloodlines 'clean'.

"There's no jinx on it, if that's what you're thinking. Besides, I will be the first Malfoy to marry a Muggle-born in more than a thousand years," he said. "The moment Hermione becomes my wife, sanctimonia will pertain to heart, not blood. Because despite all of my wrongdoings, she forgave me. Screw a thousand years of battling for blood purity; I love her and that's all that matters."

"May I?" Jane asked, hand poised to open the box. After he nodded, she opened the box. Her hand flew to her parted mouth as she gasped.

"It's perfect for her, isn't it," he peered at the ring nestled in the black velvet interior of the box.

Reduced to speechlessness, Jane nodded. The ring itself was even more beautiful than the exterior she previously admired. Set in a platinum band, a three-carat princess cut diamond was flanked by two one-carat trillion cut blue sapphires. It was definitely expensive, but its simplicity would capture Hermione's heart for sure.

"I chose sapphire because it's her birthstone," he said. "And the ring is goblin-made, so it's unquestionably staying in the family for generations to come."

"She is one lucky girl," Jane clicked the box close and returned it to Draco. "Not because you spend money on her, but because you're not afraid to show her how much you care in everything you do for her."

"The war made me realise that most everything is fleeting," he held the ring box in his hand, a cloud passing over his eyes. "Riches, power, and fame amount to nothing if there's no love. That's why Voldemort was so fucked up, you know. He was born under the influence of a love potion. He isn't capable of love."

"Why propose now?" Jane wondered aloud.

"Weasley spoke to me after his lunch with Granger," he looked thoughtfully at the box. "He told me to get my act together and ask her to spend the rest of her life with me, because what she feels for me is a hundredfold of what she ever felt for him."

"What are you still doing here, then?" Jane shook her head, giving his change and receipt. "Go make all her dreams come true, as you said."

He grinned in response and was about to pocket the box, when his eyes drifted behind Jane, towards the entrance of the store. His smile fell instantaneously and he almost dropped it.

"Draco, be careful with that," she scolded, but then she noticed his expression. Oh, fuck.

"Draco?" a voice, which sounded suspiciously like Hermione's, piped up. "I thought you were at work?"

"Uh," he stammered, racking his head for a plausible answer.

"I needed to stop by for Crookshank's dinner," she paused. "What's that?" Hermione nodded towards his left hand clutching onto the ring box for dear life. Jane and Draco shared alarmed looks. How is he going to wheedle his way out of this?

He took a deep, calming breath and walked over to Hermione as Jane watched closely. He stopped in front of the brunette, maintaining eye contact.

"I was supposed to do this when we go for a walk around the Black Lake," he explained. "You know, where I first gathered enough guts to snog the living daylights out of you?"

Hermione had an amused smile on her face and her eyebrows rose, but she nodded anyway.

"A few minutes ago, I thought that's the place where it all started for the two of us," he took her left hand in his right, while he continued to hold onto the silver box. "But, really, it started here. At Tesco, a Muggle supermarket, of all places."

He chuckled, and Hermione's eyes quickly filled up with happy tears as she laughed along with him.

"When you walked through those doors just now, I felt the same thing as when my trolley first bumped into your arse," he grinned widely as Hermione laughed again. "You give me hope, Hermione. And I'm sure that what I offer you cannot equate the amount of happiness you readily bestow upon me, time and time again, but I do know one thing," he cleared his throat and went down on one knee. The few shoppers that were in the store stopped what they were doing and shamelessly watched the young couple. Jane was grinning from ear to ear, her heart swelling with pride, cheering Draco on silently.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up every single morning with your untameable hair tickling my face. I want to grow old with you. I want to have children who inherit your bushy hair, massive brain, and kind eyes. Most of all, I want them to have your heart. Because if you didn't have your loving heart, I would never have known a love like this," he swallowed nervously, pouring all he felt into words for the world to hear. He opened the silver box, eliciting a delighted gasp from Hermione. "I've already asked Michael, and even my father gave me his approval. What I'm saying is, will you-"

"Yes!" she didn't even let him finish the sentence. There's the insufferable know-it-all we know and love.

Tears spilled from her eyes as she nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I will, Draco."

Light applause came from the watching crowd, startling the couple. They were in their own little world until that moment. Draco stood up as he slid the ring onto Hermione's finger, and she immediately flung her arms around his neck when it was in place. He held onto her waist, brought her closer, and kissed her smiling lips. When he pulled away, he turned to Jane, looking a bit puzzled as he searched for the bouquet.

"Oh!" she hopped off her stool behind the cash register and brought the flowers over. "He got these, too, by the way."

"Thank you," Hermione sniffed, wiping away her tears with a watery smile. "These are lovely."

"Congratulations!" Jane shrieked excitedly. Hermione laughed and hugged her. Jane winked at Draco over Hermione's shoulder, which he responded to with a boyish grin.

"You two should go," she said once the observing crowd dissipated. "I heard you had a speaking engagement. Ha, see what I did there?"

"Wow, you're so funny, Jane," Draco said sarcastically, wrapping his arms from behind Hermione. "Now stop hogging my fiancée." He kissed the top of her head.

"You'll have to stop calling her Granger soon," she jeered.

"Who said I was dropping my last name?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you hated being a Granger," Draco frowned.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean that I can chuck it in the bin just because I'm getting married," she escaped from his arms. "I'm an only child, Draco, and I'm the last Granger. There is no way I'm taking your last name."

"We'll hyphenate it," he said.

"Maybe," she gave him a look that meant she's going to get her way, regardless of what he says. Draco glanced at his watch.

"The portkey's leaving in fifteen," Draco said, grateful for the shift in topic. "We can't miss it."

"Thanks, Jane!" they called out together, exiting the store hand in hand.

"Bye," she waved before returning to her till, smiling at the turn of events.

This time around, she didn't comment on the disturbing nature of their chorused farewell. Their annoying habit grew on her, much like Draco's snide remarks and Hermione's innate nosiness. It was quite fortunate that the two would reconnect in the Muggle world, where no prying eyes watched their every move, because if Draco attempted that stunt in Wizarding London, chaos would ensue. Two well-known public figures, who fought for opposite sides during the war, announcing their relationship was one thing, but the aforementioned public figures announcing their engagement? That's an entirely different situation, which will surely result in oppositions. Even if Draco and Hermione were obviously smitten with one another, there would still be close-minded individuals who haven't moved on from the past. Jane sighed. Let's just hope the Wizarding World gets their head out of their arse for this one.

A/n: Did Draco propose well, d'you think? Thank you for all the kinds reviews on the last chapter- leave some for this one, too, so I can cheer up after Batta leaves for the UK this Monday. Hello to all the new followers, and a big thanks to the favouriters, too! x, Jellie