Draco and I arrived back at Malfoy Manor around 9 o'clock. We didn't eat dinner, which I would have been fine with. We ate so many of those sugary delicious snacks at the park, that I was okay with skipping the last meal. But, Draco had managed to have a fancy, romantic, candlelit dinner laid out when we got back.
"Draco, you didn't have to," I said, although I was so happy that he did. I'm sure that Draco could tell that I was. He pulled out the chair, which I sat in.
I should have noticed that the table in the small dining room was set up differently. Instead of the whole table getting a view of the lake, my chair's back was to the lake. I didn't notice, though. Draco was counting on that.
The dinner was really nice, three courses, with each one being even more delicious than the one before. The first course was a light kale salad with a sweet dressing. The second was filet mignon with roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed carrots. Dessert was a vanilla soufflé. I was very happy that Draco kept from anything chocolate. He knew me that well.
Near the end of the dinner, there was something a little off about Draco. Was it just me, or did he seem a little anxious? I would have said something, but I didn't want to make him more uncomfortable. Also, I was curious to find out why he was anxious, and I knew that actually asking him would get me nowhere. He would deny that he was, and whatever he was anxious about wouldn't happen. I am so glad that I didn't ask. What came next was beautiful.
"Tori, I think I just saw a mermaid in the lake!" Draco exclaimed when I was almost done with the dessert. I had to turn all the way around to see the lake, which was just a little bit of genius on Draco's part. Then, I realized that there weren't any mermaids in the lake. I would have noticed yesterday if there were.
I turned around to a sight that would change my life forever. Draco was on one knee, a small velvet crimson box holding a ring in his hand. "Victoria, will you marry me?" he asked. Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD. HE PROPOSED TO ME. I couldn't believe it. I pinched myself really hard to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
I didn't know what to say. I mean, I was, in no way, suspecting this. I mean, I wasn't even sixteen yet. What kind of person got engaged, at least nowadays, at fifteen? "Um, can I have a little while to think about that?" I squeaked.
"Of course. Take as long as you need," Draco said, getting up to leave, and taking the ring with him.
I stopped him before he was out of the room; I needed to ask him a few questions. "If I say no, we'll still be together, right?" I asked him.
"Of course," Draco said, like it was one of the most obvious things in the world.
"And, if I say yes, what will that mean for us?" I asked him.
"It'll mean that there is no way in hell that I am ever letting you go. It'll mean that we made the biggest commitment that there is. We will have done all that we can to show to the world that it can't break us up," Draco said.
"Okay, I just needed to know. Thanks," I said.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I'll understand whatever your choice is," he said. I nodded, and he left, saying he would be in his room.
I had so many things swirling through my mind at that point. What was I supposed to say? Social suicide would be getting engaged at 15. Can you imagine what everyone would think of me? They would go back to calling me a slut, or a whore. I didn't want that. It was so terrible the last time it happened.
But, was that the only thing keeping me from saying yes? Did I really care that much about what people thought of me? I couldn't find another reason to say no. Was the disappointment, the hatred, the thought of others enough to say no?
I realized that I really really wanted to say yes. My heart kept screaming yes a thousand times a minute. But my head told me that it was a terrible idea. Draco was a Death Eater, and saying yes might not only get me some petty disapproval from people, but also could get me arrested. I didn't really know what happened to those people who married Death Eaters, or helped them out. I guess it had never really been done by anyone who wasn't a Death Eater themselves. That comforted me a lot-NOT.
Gosh, if I said yes, though, I wouldn't just be saying yes to Draco. I would be saying yes to a Death Eater. I would be engaged, knowing that I was getting engaged to someone who worked for the person who killed my parents. Draco was working for a serial killer. Harry would see that as the biggest form of betrayal in the world.
But, it wasn't as if I was going to be engaged to Voldemort himself. (Thank God for that) It wasn't even Draco's fault that he had to work for the Dark Lord, he had no choice. It was either that, or die and be responsible for the death of both of his parents, and me. I didn't know what Harry would think if he found out that my life was on the line, too. He'd still probably say that it was a dumb idea getting engaged.
I was sixteen, after all. Actually, at that time, I wasn't even sixteen yet. Granted, my birthday was like a week away. Still, what kind of person got engaged at sixteen? How was I to know that it wouldn't be a huge mistake? How was I supposed to know that we wouldn't get divorced in a year or less? God, divorce, that word scared the living day lights out of me. It was so grown up, so mature.
What was I doing? If the word divorce sounded too mature for me, that clearly meant I wasn't grown up enough to make this huge decision. I felt like I had to grow up too fast, but I had never been thrust out into the real world, the world of grownups. I mean, was I even ready to have sex yet? Teenagers craved intimacy, and I didn't even know if I wanted that. Well, I knew I wanted that (eventually), but was I ready?
This decision wasn't only whether or not I wanted to get married. Making this decision would decide whether or not I was ready to step out into the real world, the world full of scary grownups and everything. Of course, it wouldn't be quite like that. Not yet, anyway. Saying yes would put so much maturity and responsibility on my shoulders. Did I really want that at fifteen?
Then, I chose not to think about all of that. All the bad was pushed to the side for half a minute. I thought of Draco, and how much I truly loved him. I knew Draco loved me, and I knew that he had been tested and proven that. I had to think if I was tested at all. I mean, there was obviously the whole thing with the Draco/Death Eater situation. Before that, there was the whole first year. Hiding our relationship because we were so scared what others would think.
When Pansy beat me up, I almost considered, for just half a second, breaking up with Draco. I didn't want to have to deal with anything like that ever again, and I almost took the easy way out. Every single time something like that had happened, I realized how much I'm glad that I didn't take the easy way out. Draco never disappoints me with being just amazing and him.
In the end, I didn't listen with both my head and heart. I chose one thing that I hadn't led me wrong so far. So what, the part I listened to wasn't always practical, but it always had my best interests at hand. And it was always right, even if I didn't see how at first.
I walked to Draco's room, shaking pretty hard. Decisions are hard to make, no matter what you choose. There's a very rare time when you can please everyone. But, whatever you choose, make sure you're at least thinking for yourself. Don't ever make a decision because you think that it will be what everyone else wants, especially if you don't agree with it yourself.
"Draco," I said, coming in the door. Draco was lying on his bed, staring up at the high ceiling. He got up immediately after I came in and hurried over to me. "I've made my decision." God, getting out what I was about to say was so difficult, because I could barely believe myself, but at the same time it felt so right. "Yes."
Oh, you should have seen Draco's face light up. He was like, "Oh my god, really?" He couldn't believe it any more than I could. It was the craziest, but most wonderful thing I ever said. I nodded, starting to smile. "This is amazing!" he exclaimed, and he lifted me up by my waist and twirled me around, like they do in the movies. And, of course, like the movies require, he gave me a kiss after he set me down. Of course, at least I wasn't wearing a big hoop skirt. That would have made the moment just a little too sappy.
Draco slipped the diamond ring onto my finger, and I spent the next couple seconds just staring at it. It's a beautiful ring, I'll tell you that. It's made of white gold, and the band is encrusted with little square diamonds. The main cluster of diamonds is in the center, with two smaller diamonds on either side of the larger one. "You must have spent a fortune on this," I murmured.
"If you're going to be my wife, you have to realize that money is not an issue around here. No more eating rats for you. From now on, I promise you will have good food, jewels, clothes, whatever you want," Draco promised.
"I don't want all that. Just you. That's all I want," I said, truly meaning it. Then, I kissed him. Of course, it turned into making out. Making out turned into more than that, if you know what I mean. Let's just say that I did worse than just get engaged that night. I have no regrets whatsoever. Nothing anyone could ever say would get me to say that I am ashamed for that night. It was one of the best nights of my entire life.