Chapter Fourteen: Remembering It Forever

Today was a very cold day and very cloudy. This year was different in a few ways. This is the first year since school that I have not spent with Ron. This is also the first year I will spend Valentine's Day with the boy I have been dreaming about for half my life. I never thought that this would ever happen, but here I am.

I didn't know what we were doing today, but I knew that whatever it was I would love it. We both agreed that we wouldn't worry about doing anything in the morning, so when I got up I went to the bathroom to take a nice warm bath.

I lowered myself into the warm water. After finding a rather comfortable seat I began to examine the ring on my finger for about the trillionth time. I still didn't quite know why he gave it to me, but I had an idea. And it would be one of the things that I would treasure for the rest of my life.

I woke up to a very quiet and very still room. It was so quiet and so still that I almost thought time had stopped. I rolled over expecting him to be lying next to me, but found myself to be alone. I normally wouldn't think about why I was alone in the morning. But lately I have gotten used to waking up with him right by my side. It wasn't just me being use to him being there that make me wonder, it was also the fact that today was Christmas. I crawled as slowly as I could out of bed, trying not to disturb the perfect silence.

There was ruby red robe sitting on the chair by the window with a note atop it.

Hermione,

To start you Christmas morning, I hope you will accept this new robe.

Draco

I pulled the robe over my shoulders and smiled, I knew one day he would be a sweet man, I thought as I put the note back down on the chair.

I exited the room in search of the man who had changed since school. He was no longer the mean Slytherin that teased me because of my family, my looks, or my attitude. Although he didn't complement me on these things, it was a step closer to a big change.

I pushed open the doors of the library. It was the first room I thought of going to even though I didn't think he would be here.

"Hermione," a voice echoed from somewhere in the room.

I looked around for the owner of the voice.

"Hermione," it said again.

I walked through the aisles of books.

"Hermione," this time the voice was coming from directly behind me.

I turned to face the owner of the voice, "Draco," I said after realizing it was him, "I wanted to thank you for this."

I motioned to the robe I was wearing over my night gown.

A slight smile appeared on his mouth but quickly disappeared. He stood with his hands in his pockets. For a few moments he said nothing.

"Draco are you-"

"Just shut up for a few seconds," he said as he pulled his hands out of his pockets.

One of his hands was closed tightly around something. I had the feeling that whatever was in his hand was why he was even more short tempered than normal.

"Hermione," he said slowly, "I know that this isn't how you imagined your life to be unfolding, but I thought that this would make it a little more bearable," he said as he opened his hand to reveal a small black box, "you know, more like a normal marriage."

He opened the box, and a small ring was nestled inside. The ring was what you would expect for a Slytherin bride, but being from Gryffindor, it was not the ring I would have chosen.

The ring was silver; a large diamond was positioned in the center framed with two emerald stones, followed by another set of diamonds and more emeralds. A serpent was lining the jewels along the edge of the silver band, its head wrapped around the main diamond.

"My mother helped pick it out," he said, "that is why the snake is on it, I told her you wouldn't like the snake, but she wouldn't listen. I would understand if you didn't want to wear it."

"Thank you," I said as I pulled the ring out of the box and placed it on my finger.

There was a knock on the bathroom door that brought me back to the present.

"Yes?" I said to the door.

The door opened slowly, "Hermione, are you almost ready?"

"Almost," I said back to the man who entered the room, "is he here yet?"

"Any moment," he said, "I'm just glad that they told us he is coming. After what happened yesterday, I'm just glad that they warned us he would be coming today."

"I'm glad too," I said to him.

I got out of the tub and pulled a towel around my slender body. I pulled a brush through my hair and pulled it back with a single rubber band. I swept a light green eye shadow over my eye lids. And a fresh layer of color over my lips. I picked up my ring from the counter and smiled as I pushed it onto my finger.

I left the room and entered the bedroom. I had picked out dress before taking a bath, it lay across the bed. I pulled the dress on and tried to reach for the zipper that went up my back. My fingertips tickled the end of the zipper pull.

"Let me help you sweetie."

I felt him squeeze my hips before pulling the zipper of my dress closed. He kissed my neck softly.

"Draco," I said to him, "we should go get ready for our guests."

I turned around and kissed him gently on his lips.

"Whenever you are ready," he said with a smile.

He pulled his dark green dress robes on and led me out of the room.