I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and I would love reviews! In about a week it will be the year anniversary of this story. I can' tell you how much I have loved writing this story over the past year (especially a year that was so difficult for the whole world). It has been a wonderful outlet. I have fallen in love with these two so much, and can't wait for the next chapter, which will be...you guessed it...the wedding! Finally!

Thank you all for reading this past year!

It only took Aria two more long days of working in Oxford for her to complete her archival task. She was immensely proud of herself as she looked at at the neatly organized rows of books in the shelves and the perfectly documented scrolls that would be able to tell witches and wizards quite easily what was in the bookshelves and where each item could be found. She had organized the English and French texts without issue, and the past two days before she finished were focused on organizing the Latin and the miscellaneous texts that the library had that needed to be archived. They would never know that one of those miscellaneous texts was the special little journal that she had found. That would forever remain with her and Lucius in their own library, where it rightfully belonged.

As the late day sun shone through the beautiful room in which she had been working in for the past week and a half, she knew she would definitely miss the wondrous city of Oxford. Despite the intense issues which had arisen with Sebastian, and the horror she had felt that one night where Lucius had almost ripped the young man to pieces, Aria had greatly enjoyed her time in the historic city, and she felt even more special that she would now be apart of the rich tapestry of Oxford's history, by making a difference for the Wizarding Library.

As her thoughts floated around the times that had involved Sebastian, she became sad that things turned out the way they had. Val had been very kind, but had obviously heard about the incident with Sebastian and Lucius, and so because of that, Aria had seen very little of Val anymore either. She felt as if she had missed an opportunity to have two really great, new friends; friends that she would be able to keep with her for the rest of her life….however things had just gotten too intense for all involved. Aria cursed her Veela blood in that moment, the same blood that often automatically drew men in to her, and often complicated things for her in terms of relationships.

As those frustrating thoughts faded, Aria took one last look at the newly, beautifully organized room, took her phone out for a quick picture of her work and headed out of the library. She left a quick note on the table inside for Sebastian and Val, thanking them for the opportunity, and she would also go check back with the Minister at the Ministry to let him know her job was complete. Unlike her first project in Scotland, when she helped fund and restore Midhope Castle, she wasn't sure if there would be a celebration or a ceremony of any kind acknowledging her archival work in the library.

Although Aria was sad to be leaving her work at Oxford, she was deeply grateful that she had gotten this opportunity; because without this job she never would have found the little journal from Lucius' past self, and that was worth everything to her. Although deep down, she had a feeling that the little book somehow ended up in Oxford at the most opportune time for her to find it. Almost as if the book, or someone, knew she would be there during that time. Very curious indeed.

It seemed that Aria was right in her assumption that there would be no big opening ceremony for her archival work on the one section of the library, however she did receive some amazing accolades from the Minister of Magic himself, who had called her into his own, personal office in the Ministry to present her with not only a rather nice paycheck for her work, but also an official certificate which certified her as one of the Wizarding World's top archivists, with a five star rating. With this document and this credential, she knew she would never have any problems for the rest of her career garnering some top notch clients and projects. There were very few 5-star rated archivists in the Wizarding World in the UK area and never any so young, and so she felt immensely grateful.

She hadn't expected to hear from Val and Seb, but was rather surprised when she received by owl the next day, a small little parcel that said it was addressed from The Bodleian Library at Oxford.

The small note inside read:

Thank you for helping us with this greatly important archival work. Your hard work and dedication is already paying off, and the academics of the Wizarding library here at Oxford are already making use of the newly organized area, with books and texts now being checked out more than ever before. Thank you for making a difference, and wishing you the best.

Signed Val and Seb.

Aria smiled, as she was finally at peace with the whole situation that had arisen out of her time at Oxford. Although the note was clearly written in Val's writing, Aria knew she could take away nothing but good feelings from it all.

Her heart lightened even more when she saw that included with the note was a beautiful little gold pin. It was in the shape of a crest and Aria knew it to be the Coat of Arms of the University of Oxford as it was an open book with the motto Dominus Illuminatio Mea, and three golden crowns surrounding it. On the back of the pin it read, To Aria; our honorary archivist of The University of Oxford.

Aria welled up with pride and maybe a tear or two at the beautiful and meaningful little gift. Along with the certificate from the Minister, this little gold pin really meant so much to her, and she truly felt as if she was making a difference in the Wizarding World.

In the two weeks that followed, Aria mainly spent her time relaxing at the Manor and enjoying her time with her Lucius before their big day. It was approaching ever closer and every day Aria began feeling more and more jittery, buzzing with excitement. All of the last minute details had been sorted, such as catering, servers and music. The whole Manor was going to transform into a magical little world, fit to celebrate the amazing love between Aria and Lucius. It would be a grand affair, very similar to the vibe of the Masquerade Ball at the Malfoy Manor when Aria first arrived in the UK. Aria knew this was definitely going to be the wedding of the century, written about all over the Wizarding World, however, none of that mattered to her. The only thing that mattered, was that her and Lucius would be married and forever linked together as a couple in all ways that mattered.

Aria couldn't believe how soon it approached, but it was then only two days before the big day, and she had invited over all of her closest female friends for a sort of classy and tame bachelorette party. Aria and Lucius had both agreed that neither of them needed to have a wild night out as a means of celebrating their impending nuptials; that wasn't their style and neither of them felt the need to grasp for one last hoorah of being single. They couldn't be more ready to be a married couple, and so Aria had decided she just wanted to have a fun girls night in at the Manor.

Lucius would occupy himself. He would head to Diagon Alley for the day, visit some of his old haunts, perhaps go to the pub and grab a drink with some of his fellow associates, or even Draco, if the mood was right, and then at night he would stick to their room so as not to disturb the ladies.

And so one by one, Aria's closet female friends arrived, which included Hermione, Pepper, her two German friends from the Ambassadors' Program at the Ministry and even her Mother, who had arrived just the night before, so she could be there a few days ahead of the wedding to help Aria with any last minute needs.

Lucius had surprised Aria and the ladies by catering a beautiful tapas and cocktails evening out on the terrace which overlooked the sprawling Manor grounds. Aria was so thankful for her thoughtful fiancé, as her and her friends and her mother enjoyed some amazing drinks and food and walked around the gardens enjoying the warm, Spring evening.

Aria's mom, Diana, came up to her daughter and put her arm around her. "So…this is to be all yours? You truly are my real life Princess," her Mom smiled with joy as she looked out over the sprawling palatial grounds and then behind her at the towering, grand Manor.

"It really is a fairytale Mom," Aria said as she leaned her head against her Mom's shoulder, taking another sip of her cocktail.

Diana shed a few tears at her daughter's complete happiness. It was everything she could have ever wanted for her child. Her only child. "My baby…I am so happy for you."

Aria got a bit teary-eyed as well. She was so happy her Mom was here with her in this moment, and got to see for herself the amazing and privileged life she would lead, in complete happiness with the man she loved.

As the night grew darker and the air more chilly, the ladies all went inside and Aria led them upstairs into her favorite room in the Manor, the beautiful, feminine room where she stored her many gorgeous gowns, and her wedding dress, to which she showed off as she unzipped the white bag. Many "oohs" and "aahs" erupted from her group of girls and Aria beamed with happiness and excitement as she, herself, admired the magical dress in which she would wear in two days time, as she walked down the aisle to marry the love of her life.

After that, Aria and the girls sat all around the large room, as they pampered themselves; painting their nails, wearing face-masks and eating some delicious sweets. Everyone was having a lovely time, and Aria was enjoying just relaxing and having fun; Pepper was currently painting her toenails a gentle, very pale shade of baby pink and Aria's Mom was enjoying talking with the German girls. As Aria looked around the room she noticed Hermione had gotten up a while back to use the restroom but hadn't returned.

Aria hoped everything was okay and as soon as Pepper was finished with the last coat of paint on her nails, Aria got up and discretely made her way out of the room in search of Hermione. Aria checked the many bathrooms of the Manor to discover that all of them were unoccupied. She checked in the library, and then on the other side of the Manor in some of the empty rooms. She then ventured downstairs into the kitchens and even poked her head out of one of the grand French doors to peak outside briefly, but saw no trace of Hermione. As it turned out, Hermione was in the last room Aria had expected her to be in; The Drawing Room.

Aria knew Hermione had a dark past with this room, as this is where she had been tortured by Lucius' deranged ex-sister-in-law, Bellatrix Lestrange. The mad woman and those dark times had long since gone, but Aria knew that the scars of that time still lingered with Hermione.

"Hermione…" Aria said very quietly, so as not to startle Hermione who seemed to be staring out of the large, gilded window, her back facing Aria who was still standing meekly in the doorway. "Are you okay…?" she asked timidly.

Hermione turned around to face Aria, an odd look of nothingness mixed with peace on her face. "I think so, actually," Hermione answered back. As she began crossing the room walking back towards where Aria was standing. "You know, I was so nervous to come here tonight, despite wanting to be there for you and celebrating with you, I was struggling….it was Harry, actually, who convinced me that of course I should go," Hermione revealed.

Aria felt slight guilt at being the cause of any discomfort for Hermione. She looked down at the floor, slightly embarrassed. "Oh…I'm so sorry Hermione..if you want to leave I completely understand."

"No, not at all actually!" Hermione said as she stepped close to Aria and put her hand on her shoulder in reassurance. "I thought I would feel so many things coming back to the Manor…even though this time I am a welcome guest. I know you said Lucius was a changed man, but I guess I never realized how much I could believe that until I came here tonight. I had to be sure though…which is why I wanted to come here, in this room, where I was…"
"I know," said Aria quickly, not wanting Hermione to have to relive her past or finish that sentence.

"Aria…I am so glad Harry pushed me into coming. As much as I hate to admit it sometimes, he is always right…and his heart is so big, I sometimes can't believe he is still able to love so much after everything that has happened to him in his life," Hermione sighed, as she thought about Harry and her love for him. "I could never imagine not celebrating with you and being there for you on your big day….and I have to say, being in this room doesn't feel dark at all; if anything it feels like you…light and happy. I think you have had a positive influence on this place."

Aria was so touched at Hermione's speech that she couldn't help but hug her friend warmly.
"That means so much to me Hermione…and it means so much to me that you are here. You were the first person to help me when I arrived, so lost and confused, at the Ministry my first day and I feel so honored that I have you as a friend, the most brilliant witch of our age!" Aria smiled.

Hermione chuckled and blushed a bit at Aria's use of her title she had been given during her Hogwarts years.

"I hate to take you away from your evening. Shall we go back upstairs and finish off that bottle of champagne then?" Hermione said as she began leading Aria back out of the room so that they could return to the party.

"Are you sure? We can stay here if you'd like a bit more quiet time," Aria offered.

Hermione looked around the room one last time, a small content smile forming on her lips. "I am sure. I feel…at peace…" she said thoughtfully. "Everything is good. This place, Lucius himself, all good."

Aria smiled, her heart full to bursting as she heard Hermione finally accept Lucius as a true and good man. She grabbed Hermione's hand sweetly in her own and led them back upstairs to join the rest of the women in a night full of celebration and friendship and love.

The morning of the next day, Aria awoke in bed and her heart beat faster with happiness to discover Lucius had come home late in the night. After the ladies had all gone home last night, (except her Mom who was staying in one of the many guest rooms in the Manor with her Dad), Aria had gone to bed quite a bit tipsy from her night of champagne drinking and having fun, although missing Lucius terribly. Lucius had gotten home after a night out at the pub, giving Aria her bachelorette time with her ladies. He had slipped into bed next to Aria and had quickly fallen asleep; the two of them sleeping very deeply and contentedly all night.

Lucius stirred as he felt Aria cuddle up into him, and he instinctually wrapped his strong, comforting arms around her petit body and drew her in close. He breathed in her scent that he loved so much, sunshine and roses, and moaned out a satisfied groan. Aria groaned a blissful sound as well as she stretched her legs, and cuddled up even more closely into Lucius.

"One more day," she whispered against his chest as her body almost shivered with anticipation. She really couldn't believe that tomorrow was their wedding. It felt like it had been such a long time coming, and yet somehow not a longtime at all.

Lucius smiled at the thought; yes…tomorrow he would be wedded to the love of his life…of his many lifetimes. It truly would be the start of a whole new chapter for him. A chapter that he had been waiting for his entire life.

"I can't wait to marry you my angel," Lucius said romantically, causing Aria to shiver in delight again.

She loved his romanticism and she leaned her head up to kiss him so passionately it felt as if they were one soul in that moment. She deepened the kiss and soon she was instinctually rubbing herself up against Lucius' rather strong morning wood, something he could never quite control, especially when he had someone like Aria to wake up to.

"Want you so bad," Aria practically moaned out as she came up for air from their heavy kissing. "So bad my love."

Lucius answered not with words, but by grinding his hips against her, causing his stiff manhood to rub tantalizingly over her slick, wet folds.

The two of them hadn't been able to make love as often as they normally did. Not while they had guests, Aria's parents, staying with them. Aria and Lucius were so used to having the whole, grand Manor to themselves, where they often made love on practically every available surface; in the sitting room, the library, Lucius' office, the stairs, any guest room that they were near, in the showers and bathtubs, literally everywhere. But they had been way more controlled of their sexual desires, so as not to disturb their guests, and it was driving the two of them practically insane having to control their urges. The passed few days Aria's parents were there, they had been confined to making love in the late hours of the evening as they went off to bed, quietly in their room. Not that there was anything wrong with that, it was romantic and lovely as always, but Aria was used to being rather loud about her pleasure, and while the Manor was huge, and her parents probably wouldn't truly be able to hear her cries of orgasmic bliss, she had still wanted to be mindful.

"I know my love…and I know just the place," Lucius said as he kissed her once more.

Aria looked up into his eyes with curiosity. What did he mean? Lucius could tell she didn't understand and so with a smirk he untangled himself from their embrace, much to Aria's dismay, and went to one of their wardrobes to fetch a pair of robes for them to put on.

"Think of it as an early wedding gift of sorts," Lucius said, which made Aria's eyes open wide with wonder and excitement.

"But my love…" she began to protest.

"Shhhh," he said as he put his finger up to his lips as he grabbed her hand gently in his and led her quietly out of their room, down the staircase and towards the back of the Manor, as he then led her out into the early morning sun of the sprawling Malfoy Manor gardens. It was already a beautiful and warm day and Aria followed Lucius happily as he led her to his intended surprise. As they walked down from the first area of the gardens and towards the large centerpiece fountain, Aria noticed the two swans Lucius had gotten her for Christmas, and all of a sudden trailing behind the female swan, a pack of four adorable little swanlings! They were grey and fuzzy and simply precious and Aria practically squealed in delight at the sight of them.

"Lucius! They had their babies! Just like you said, springtime hatchlings!" Aria said as she hurried over to the fountain and sat on the edge of it, admiring the gorgeous family of swans. Her heart swelled at the sight of so much love and perfection.

Lucius followed Aria over to the fountain, quite happy indeed at the sight as well. "How marvelous!" He enthused. "They are a beautiful family, just like we will be," he said dreamily.

"Was this the surprise you wanted to show me?" She asked him.
"While this would have also been a very good surprise, no, I have something else for you my love. Somewhere more…secret…and somewhere where I can have you more privately. I do still intend to ravish you this morning, as promised," he smirked deliciously.

Aria flushed with arousal and got up from where she sat and grabbed Lucius' hand once more, ready for him to show her his surprise. She did admire the cute little swanlings though for a few more seconds before she followed Lucius further into the maze of the garden.

A few minutes walk and Lucius had led Aria straight into the dense part of the gardens and a bit off to the left. Despite having been in these lovely gardens many times, Aria felt as if each time she came outside into the space, there was always more to discover and find in the endless acres of natural beauty.

"I don't think I have ever been to this part before," Aria said with wonder as she took in the very vibrant, tall green trees which towered over them, creating a calming canopy that blocked out a fair amount of the sunlight.

"You will soon be very familiar with it I am sure," Lucius said with a glint in his eye as he stopped them at a little alcove amongst the trees.

Aria looked to the alcove where he had stopped and saw the cutest little wooden gate, about as tall as she was. Red roses crawled and grew around the gate, as if it had been there for years and years and engraved in the wood gate it read, Aria's Secret Garden. Aria looked at Lucius with wide eyes, filled with so much love; had he really made her her own special garden and place? How had he done this without her knowing?

"Lucius," she said as her hand reached for the latch on the gate as if wanting to open it and explore, although she was hesitant.

"Yes, my love, go on…open it," he said softly as he put his left hand on the small of her back, encouraging her to go ahead and open the gate.

Aria opened the gate slowly and stepped inside to what could only be described as her own personal Eden or Wonderland. The light in the space was ethereal, almost as if the sun was breaking through the dark spot of the garden. It was a circular space and lined all along on the perimeter was a gorgeous French style trellis in which white flowers and green vines grew, again, like this place had been here for ages. Alcoves lined the circular garden, where peaceful benches were placed so that one could sit and enjoy the scenery, read a book, or in Aria and Lucius' case, naughtier activities. In the middle of the garden a beautiful, large fountain sat; in the middle a golden angel statue was placed, the reflection of the water casting off of it causing gorgeous rainbow beams of light to shoot out all over the place, as the sound of flowing water was the only sound to be heard. Lucius had placed hundreds of roses and peonies all around, Aria's two favorite flowers, in various shades of pinks and whites and butterflies were fluttering about, attracted to all of the flowers and plants. It truly was heaven on Earth, and it was all for Aria, her own secret garden.

"How…" Aria said as she faced Lucius, her eyes full of love and appreciation for him, her perfect man.

"It was very easy my love, I actually made this whole garden for you myself. It is made purely from my own magic and my own, deep love for you…I only had to sneak out here a few times to complete it" he said stepping closer to her and wiping her tears away with his thumb as he smiled at her warmly.

"It is the most beautiful thing I have ever received…" Aria said looking around her mini-Wonderland. "Thank you so much my love. I never want to leave this beautiful garden."

"And you can come here whenever your heart desires. It is all yours. Of course I know you love the Manor and the Manor equally loves your light you have brought to it, but I wanted you to truly have something here that was entirely and completely yours. Even after our time, generations to come will know that this was Aria Malfoy's Secret Garden."

Aria's skin prickled in delight at hearing Lucius call her Aria Malfoy. She couldn't wait to be a Malfoy and she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her days enjoying this gorgeous space. Aria embraced Lucius and simply held him close as she closed her eyes and breathed in his scent and listened to the calming sound of the golden fountain flow through her.

After a bit she heard Lucius whisper in her ear. "I believed I promised you that you would be ravished, didn't I?"

With a small smile and a faint blush to her cheeks, Aria looked up at Lucius, into his shining silver eyes, and said, "Why yes…I believe you did."

"Well in that case," he said urgently as he suddenly scooped her up into his arms bridal style and placed her in front of a bench in one of the alcoves. His hands instantly found the tie that kept her robe around her and he undid it in lightening speed, causing her robe to fall open at the sides to reveal her bare, supple breasts. Her light pink nipples hardening at the rush of fresh air, and a soft sigh escaping her lips.

Lucius took in her beautiful breasts and his right hand instantly came up to cup one in his hand, squeezing it firmly and then the other. His other hand joined in so that he could pleasure both of her breasts, squeezing, caressing, slightly pinching her nipples, hardening them even further. As her nipples hardened at his touch, his cock hardened on its own accord and soon it was rather apparent how aroused he had become as the silk of his robe tented up where his cock was growing. As he continued to massage her breasts in his hands, Aria reached her own hands down to untie his robe, causing it to open so that his cock could spring out. He quickly stopped his massaging of her breasts to shrug out of his robe, and then reached back over to Aria to completely remove her robe from her body as well.

With a look of intensity in his eyes, he brought her body flush up against his own so that every part of them was touching, almost melting together, as he reached his head down to begin kissing every square inch of her. He truly was ravishing her with his kisses, especially when he got to her neck in which he licked and sucked her delicate skin there, causing a few love nip marks to begin to show. As he kissed her passionately, his left hand reached down to cup her bottom and he squeezed it and pressed her in close against him, his cock rubbing and teasing her wet folds, like it had earlier when they were in bed.

Lucius felt so good against Aria's desirous body and she soon couldn't take it anymore; she needed to have him inside of her. Noticing the bench in which they stood in front of, Aria looked into Lucius eyes with a fire in her green ones and said "Sit," as she looked over at the bench, indicating she wanted Lucius to sit down.

With a smirk, Lucius obeyed her command and sat on the bench, his muscled gorgeous body and his hard cock waiting for her. Aria positioned herself so that she was straddling him, her hands gripping his shoulders to steady herself before she lowered onto him.

"And here I thought I would be doing the ravishing…" Lucius drawled out with a husky voice as he looked at his gorgeous woman about to take him.

"I have to show you how thankful I am for this beautiful secret garden," Aria said with a sweet yet seductive smile. And with that she sank down onto Lucius' iron-hard shaft, and threw her head back in absolute heaven at the feel of him inside of her in this perfect place. It was almost as if this had to happen here and now, they needed to Christen the place, as they did with every other place in the Manor.

She began riding him as she moved her head back up to look at Lucius lovingly, his eyes were locked on her own, almost as if he was so completely mesmerized with her as she made love to him tenderly and surely.
Truth be told, he was rather mesmerized with the sight of his beautiful girl riding him so perfectly in this place he had made from his heart's feelings for her. The gold from the angel in the fountain reflected sun rays and golden beams of light all around the ethereal garden and Aria's blond hair shined like the light of the sun. Lucius thought she, herself, was a golden angel in this moment, and that is why he couldn't take his eyes off of her, couldn't blink at all, for fear he would miss every beautiful moment.

Aria was feeling so many amazing sensations from his hard cock up inside of her. It felt so right and so perfect and with every pump up and down, he seemed to grow bigger and bigger. Aria leaned her forehead against his own and closed her eyes, concentrating on the feelings and sensations she felt; his musky, masculine scent mixed with the scent of the flowers in the garden; the sound of the fountain mixed with the sound of their blissful moans of love; and the feeling of his hands gripping her waist as she rode him. She felt his hands rove up from her waist, one hand supporting her back while the other hand came up to grab her behind the neck so he could bring her in to him to kiss her passionately again. As he kissed her, his tongue danced with hers and he slightly bit at her lower lip, not able to control his urges. He kissed her jaw, her cheeks and then as she continued fucking him, she leaned her head back to give him access to her neck again, so that he could ravish that part of her with his lips as well.
Aria continued to ride him for what seemed like an age, and Lucius' eyes shut tight briefly as he struggled to concentrate on anything else but his quickly approaching orgasm. Without warning he grabbed her by the bum with both hands and stood up quickly, as he walked over to the side of the trellis so that her back was supported by it, while his hands supported her by the bum as he began fucking her hard and unbridled.

"Lucius!" Aria cried out at the sudden intense fucking she was receiving. It felt so incredibly good and she didn't try and tame or hide her loud cries of pleasure. Out here, in her secret garden, no one else besides the two of them would hear their intense love making and it felt so good to finally be free after a few days of trying to be on her best behavior while her parents were visiting.

"Aria!" Lucius moaned back, his voice deep and manly in his chest as he exerted all of his strength and power into loving her.

He fucked her so hard and good that it took them mere minutes to both reach the point of mutual orgasm. With one final, hard thrust into her they both came together, so hard in fact, that the shuddering and shaking of their two bodies against the trellis caused some of the flowers that grew there to fall and the petals to become lose as they floated all around the couple, some getting caught in their long heads of hair.

After both of their bodies somewhat calmed down from the incredible high of their love making session, Lucius set Aria gently down and brought her into his body to simply embrace her. After a while he drew back and looked at his naked lover, so perfect and gorgeous in the natural light of the place. The white petals and flower pieces in her hair made her look like some sort of fairytale creature; completely fitting for this secret garden.

"You look like a woodland nymph," he said, smiling at his sweet girl, as he handed her back her robe, as he put his back on as well.

"Thank you for properly ravishing me my love, and for this amazing gift that I will cherish forever," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him once more. "You may have to drag me out of here to get me to come back in the Manor every once in a while," she giggled. She knew she could spend all of her afternoons just relaxing in this beautiful place. It would be hard to ever leave; especially with the memory they had just made in the garden.

Lucius smiled warmly at her and brushed his fingers lightly across her cheek in a loving gesture and then up to her head to pick out some of the flower petals. His face then turned a bit more serious, as he looked into her eyes. "It is I who should thank you…for giving me this new life, for becoming my wife tomorrow. It is the greatest gift in the world. Even this garden can't compare to that."

Aria felt as if she could simply melt at his beautiful words. He was right. No gift on the face of the Earth could compare to the joy she would feel tomorrow becoming Mrs. Malfoy, and being forever bound in love to her soulmate.

And so the couple exited out of the new and beautiful garden and made their way back towards the Manor for their last breakfast as fiancé's. Only one more day before they became husband and wife.