The Devil in Me
Our Dreams Aren't Made, They're Won
The chapter title is from the song:
City of Angels by Thirty Seconds to Mars.
March 20th 1998
Ostara ~ The Spring Equinox
The sun was shining down on Peverell Court – it wasn't a hot summers day, but the frost and the cold breeze of winter were gone – replaced by sunshine and mild air. Flowers had sprouted in the beautifully maintained gardens as children raced around the hedges or dipped their feet into the pond, under close watch from their parents.
Midsummer would always hold a special place in Harry's heart because it was when he was introduced to this life and to Daphne Greengrass. But he suspected that Ostara would always be a close second – it was all about life, and it was a time that children, in particular, enjoyed because they had been cooped up inside all winter and were now finally free to run and play once more.
Fittingly enough, Ostara symbolised the balance between light and dark. In these early days after their victory, that was more important than ever.
"Deep in thought?"
Harry looked away from the kids to smile at Daphne, "Reflecting, I suppose."
"Well, Ostara is a time to think about how you have blossomed as a person, and you have certainly grown into yourself this last year," Daphne mused, taking his hand absentmindedly.
"I suppose I have," Harry said, chuckling as Rhea peered into Amalthea's pram.
"Baby," She was saying, "Mama, baby!"
Lydia picked Rhea up and said, "It is a baby, that's right, sweetheart."
"Want!" Rhea exclaimed, reaching for the pram.
Lily, who had been the one pushing it, laughed.
Lydia shook her head, "No, you are not getting a baby anytime soon."
"You will need to marry at some point," Lily pointed out, "You're a Nott now, the last of them."
"And worst-case scenario, Rhea can be my heir," Lydia said pointedly, "I know male heirs are preferred, but I've done the whole falling in love and getting married thing, and I'm not a fan of it."
"Well, I can't blame you for that," Lily mused.
Lydia smiled sadly and made an excuse to leave, mainly so Rhea would stop having a temper tantrum about the baby.
Daphne shook her head in amusement and looked sideways at Harry, "Do you think she will remarry?"
"Yeah," Harry confessed, "Just not for love, for convenience. She'll find someone she likes as a person."
"Like Uncle Julian did," Daphne mused, finding her Uncle across the garden.
Harry nodded and cocked his head at the man in question. He was talking to Gus, and he had his arm around a pretty blonde woman. She was called Charis, and she was Cassius Warrington's older sister.
"Is Hermione still weirded out by her Dad remarrying someone whose only seven years older than her?" Harry asked.
"Oh, totally," Daphne said, grinning at Harry, "I knew a week before she did, and her reaction was just as hilarious as I had pictured."
Harry snorted at that, "You're a wicked woman, Daphne Greengrass."
Daphne just laughed and, like Harry, went back to watching the families occupying the garden.
"That'll be the next one," Daphne said, her eyes on two people who were talking.
Harry followed her line of sight. The former Death Eater, Thorfinn Rowle, laughed about something with Corban Yaxley's daughter, Vera.
"You think so?" Harry asked, "There's a big age difference there as well, isn't there?"
"Bigger than the one between Uncle Julian and Charis," Daphne agreed, "Thorfinn just turned 40 this year, Vera's only 28, but look."
Harry smiled – two kids were playing together close to Thorfinn and Vera – the girl, Regina, was eight, and she was Thorfinn's daughter from his first marriage. His wife had died a few years ago when Regina was only a toddler. The boy, Alaric, was five, and he was Vera's son, whose father had remained a secret to this day. Everyone speculated that it was a fellow Death Eater, but Daphne's theory that it was a muggle or a muggle-born who Corban had then disposed of seemed more likely.
"Hm," Harry agreed, "Yeah, you might be right there. You could do this for a job if the Curse Breaker thing doesn't work out - professional matchmaker."
Daphne shot him an amused look. Then they were distracted by Bill and Fleur walking into the garden.
"Look, she's had the twins!" Daphne said excitedly – two little bundles were wrapped up, one in Fleur's arms and another in Bill's.
"Come on then," Harry said with a chuckle, "Let's go over and congratulate them."
They headed over to where Bill and Fleur now stood with the rest of the Weasley family, and Harry smiled broadly, "Congratulations."
Bill smiled back, "Thanks, Harry. We owe a lot to you. For the protection you gave us for our wedding and every day since then."
Harry felt a little honoured by that, but he didn't let on, "Oh, don't worry about it, Bill," he said offhandedly.
"When were they born?" Daphne asked curiously.
"Two days ago," Fleur replied.
"Two days ago?" Ginny asked in disbelief, "You look like you just stepped off a catwalk!"
Fleur smiled slyly, "I am French, Ginevra – I do not sloth simply because I am a mother now."
Ginny rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to insult Fleur, but Neville had placed his hand over her mouth before she could.
Harry snorted as Ginny pulled it away and signed to Neville, "Do that again, and I'll bite you."
To which Neville signed back, "Maybe I'd enjoy that," and grinned at the blush that rose in Ginny's cheeks.
"What are their names?" Daphne asked – she was such a closet baby lover, and Harry found it hilarious – ice queen, my arse.
"This is Manon Apolline Delacour Weasley," Fleur said, her accent thicker as she pronounced their French names, "And this is Marcellus Arthur Delacour Weasley."
"You didn't double-barrel their surnames, did you?" Charlie asked distastefully.
"No," Bill said, giving his brother an amused look, "Delacour is one of their middle names."
Arthur smiled, "I am still honoured that you named this little lad after me, son."
"Hey Dad, it's the least we could do after this last year," Bill said, putting his hand on Arthur's shoulder, "It wasn't easy. At times it was bloody hard, but you were always there."
"For all of us," Percy agreed, "Even when some of us acted like idiots."
"You acted like a Slytherin, not an idiot," Caroline said from Percy's side, "There's a difference."
Percy smiled at that, and Charlie rolled his eyes, "Could you two not do the big sappy eyes at each other in public? I've just eaten, and now I think I'm gonna puke."
"Don't be so dramatic, Charlie," Felix drawled from where he was lying on the grass next to Lennox behind the small group.
Charlie made a face at his family as Felix spoke.
"Or so immature, I can tell that you're mocking me," Felix added.
The others snorted or sniggered at that, and Harry grinned, "You're like an old married couple."
"Tell me about it," Charlie said with a roll of his eyes.
Daphne was still swooning over the newborn babies, so Harry took that as an opportunity to mutter to Bill, "Guessing Fleur chose the names?"
"You think?" Bill retorted.
Harry sniggered.
"Luckily, they can be shortened. That was the compromise," Bill muttered under his breath, "Mae and Marc to all of us that can't say their names in a beautifully musical French accent."
Harry chuckled at that but then shut his mouth the moment Fleur looked up at him.
"What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing," Harry and Bill replied in unison.
Daphne chuckled as she took Harry's hand and dragged him away from the Weasley's, "All the things you have faced, and you are still terrified of French women."
"Do you blame me? French women are terrifying, particularly part-Veela ones," Harry retorted.
Daphne shot him an amused look, "I'm going to go and see my sister. I think Tom might want a word with you."
Harry looked over to Tom, who was striding in his direction, "I'll meet up with you for the bonfire later," he said, giving her a quick kiss before they parted ways.
"Enjoying yourself, I see?" Tom asked when he reached Harry.
"It's spring, the world is awakening, and I feel better than I have in years," Harry said brightly, "Of course I'm enjoying myself. Why do you look like someone's hit you in the balls with a punching curse?"
"Oh Harry, you really do have a way with words," Tom drawled as they fell into step together.
Impulsively they walked towards the graveyard at the bottom of the hill, which was odd because it wasn't like it was a place where they had bonded. But it was where they had first met as adults, Harry supposed, and when they tended to walk and talk, they always gravitated towards it.
Harry looked sideways at Tom, "Seriously, is something wrong?"
"Nothing of any great importance," Tom promised, "The Americans are simply dipping their toes in where they do not belong."
Harry frowned, "They are questioning your authority?"
"They are questioning the legality of my take-over," Tom explained, "Once I explained to their ambassador that it is perfectly legal to perform a coup to take control in this country and has been since ancient times, they were relatively satisfied. I gave the ambassador a tour of the ministry and sent him away with a copy of our statue of wizarding rights to prove that I was not lying about the law on that being ancient either."
"Sounds like you dealt with the situation perfectly," Harry admitted, "So why are you so irritated?"
"Because it made me late for Ostara," Tom explained, "The first festival day that I should have been observing with my daughter."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, your daughter has spent the day sleeping, crying because she's hungry and making people broody by being so damn cute," Harry said, shoving his hands into his pockets as they stepped into the graveyard, "So you haven't missed much."
Tom didn't respond straight away.
"Still, it's a bit inconsiderate," Harry added thoughtfully, "Sending their ambassador on Ostara."
"The Americans are heathens, Harry – they do not celebrate the ancient festivals such as we do," Tom said offhandedly.
"They aren't heathens," Harry said, mainly in Sadie's defence even though she was only half-American through her father, "They have just lost sight of who they were when they first emigrated there. It's a melting pot of cultures over there; that's why they call it the New World. They still celebrate the festivals in their own way, just not as traditionally as we do."
"What an impassioned defence," Tom said sarcastically, "I do not suppose it has anything to do with Draco's rumoured proposal?"
Harry chuckled, "He won't propose to her yet. On Beltane, maybe. I think if he proposed today, she'd say no. Come to think of it, Sadie might still say no on Beltane."
Tom smiled in amusement, "They are an odd couple."
"They are," Harry agreed, "But they work in their own way. Just like you and Lily."
Tom paused by his father's grave and looked over at Harry.
"Oh," Harry realised, "That's the real reason you brought me down here away from the party. You're going to propose to her?"
"Perhaps," Tom said evasively, "The thought has been on my mind, and it is irritating me because I cannot seem to rid myself of it. I try to concentrate on work, on important matters, and all I can think about is this darned question."
"Love's a bitch," Harry said, grinning at the man he considered as a father.
Tom gave him a long-suffering look, "Life was far simpler without it."
"But it's better for it," Harry said.
And Tom didn't deny it.
"What is your opinion?" Tom asked.
"On whether you should propose to her?" Harry asked.
Tom nodded in response.
Harry sat down on a bench and conjured up some flowers. He levitated them onto the grave behind Tom, "Well, firstly, I think if we're going to have a conversation of this magnitude in front of your father, it would be polite to give him flowers."
"He is dead and has been for more than 40 years, all we are doing is discussing it in front of his desiccated corpse," Tom said dryly.
"Wow, what a way with words you have, Tom," Harry said, a play on words of what Tom had sat to him earlier.
"Stop skirting around the subject and tell me your opinion," Tom said irritably.
"I know she would say yes," Harry admitted, "She doesn't expect marriage of you, but that's not to say she wouldn't be delighted if you proposed it. So I suppose it's more about whether it's really something that you want or something that you feel obliged to do."
"I considered the same thing," Tom confessed. He sat down next to Harry on the bench and looked up at the house on the hill, which was vibrant and colourful now with its white walls and green stone window sills. The beautiful gardens were full of flowers and life, the sound of laughter floating down the hill on the air so that they could hear it in the quiet little graveyard.
"Lily's injury prompted the discussion about children," Tom explained, "The Healer feared that the extent of it might have had an impact on her ability to have them. She said that sometimes you do not realise that you want something until you are faced with the possibility that you may not be able to have it."
Harry nodded thoughtfully.
"She also said that Amalthea would always be enough for her, which I found noble," Tom admitted, "Amalthea not being her child after all."
"She's a noble person," Harry said with a smile, "And although she did not give birth to Amalthea, she will always consider her to be her daughter, I believe."
Tom nodded, his eyes still on the hill, "All the same, she was given the all-clear by her Healer last week. She will be able to have children if that is something she desires, and although she has not said it so plainly, I know that it is."
"Do you want more children?" Harry asked calmly.
Tom didn't answer for a long moment. When he did, his reply was unexpected.
"Yes, I believe that I do."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure that Healer checked you over right? I definitely didn't rewire your brain when I was inside it?"
Tom gave him an exasperated look, and Harry laughed, "I was kidding Tom, but that's good, isn't it? If you both want kids, then you're on the same page."
"Hm," Tom mused.
Harry wasn't sure if he was going to say any more on the subject. He was just about to suggest that they head back up to the party when Tom spoke again.
"If I am to have more children, I would like them to be legitimate," Tom said eventually, "Which is why the topic of marriage has been praying on my mind."
"Then propose to her," Harry said simply.
"Today?" Tom asked.
"Tonight," Harry finished, "When the bonfire is lit, and everyone is relaxing because the kids have gone home. I doubt you would do it publicly anyway because you aren't about grand gestures of affection, but also Lily would prefer something private."
Tom nodded slowly, "Perhaps, I should bring her here."
"No, don't propose to her in a graveyard in front of the corpse of your father, who you murdered more than 35 years before she was even born, that would be one of your more terrible ideas," Harry said, shooting Tom an amused look.
"Where would you suggest then?" Tom asked irritably.
Harry looked up at the house too, then he smiled, "The maze. It was where you first walked and got to know each other at Malfoy Manor, so take her into the maze and propose to her. You have a ring, I suppose?"
"Of course I do," Tom drawled, "I am not a fool. I know how a proposal works."
He reached into his robe pocket, "I do not have any family members who I am proud of or who have any real wealth, so I bought one instead. Do you think it will be sufficient?"
He popped the box open, and Harry snorted, "A diamond that size? Yeah, I'm pretty sure that it'll be sufficient," he said, smiling proudly up at the older man.
"Look at us, getting engaged, having civilised conversations, no torture at all. Haven't we grown up?"
Tom rose to his feet and bit back a smile as he gave Harry a long-suffering look, "You are an idiot."
"Yeah, but I'm your idiot until Amalthea comes of age or you have a male heir," Harry said, grinning cheekily at Tom as they began to climb back towards the house together.
"Sweet Salazar, help me," Tom muttered in response.
The party got going at nightfall when house elves took the kids home, and the adults were free to enjoy themselves. Azriel and Estella had gone home with the kids. Although he was doing better, Azriel was now wheelchair-bound and found himself getting tired out pretty quickly.
It had been over a month, and he wasn't back at work yet. Gus had promised that he would be though, he'd told Az that as soon as he felt up to it, his job awaited him and that he'd be just as much of an asset, just as capable, even bound to a magical wheelchair. The biggest struggle for Az was the mental one, but with a great wife and three good kids behind him, Harry had faith he'd pull through that soon enough.
As everyone drank or danced around the bonfire, Lydia shied away from it. She was still living at Crouch House with her Uncle Julian, which was about to get awkward soon. Julian was going to be marrying Charis Warrington soon enough, and Charis had been a Ravenclaw prefect when Lydia had been sorted into that house which made the whole thing weird.
With a sigh, Lydia sat down in the grass next to a slumbering dragon.
"Hey," She said softly, holding out her hands palm side up to show that she was unarmed, "Sniff me, I'm friendly – I promise."
The dragon sniffed and then looked into Lydia's eyes. She maintained the eye contact until the dragon nodded and dropped its head back onto the grass, giving her permission to touch it.
Lydia ran her hand over its snout, "You are beautiful," she murmured, "I've never seen an albino horntail before – you're like something from an Arthurian legend."
"Know your dragons, huh?"
Lydia looked over her shoulder at Charlie Weasley, "I don't know them, per se, but I do like them. People think they are scary, but dragons are such gentle creatures."
"When you treat them right," Charlie agreed, dropping down next to her in the grass, "I'm Charlie Weasley, by the way."
"I know," Lydia said. She rolled onto her stomach and looked into the dragon's eyes, "I've heard Harry mention you. I'm Lydia Jo – Greengrass."
"Forgotten your own name?" Charlie teased.
"No," Lydia sighed as the dragon cocked its head at her, "My husband just died."
"Oh," Charlie said sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I didn't realise. You seem too young to have been married."
"I suppose I was," Lydia agreed, "Is she always this gentle?"
"No, she just senses that you're in pain, and she wants to heal it," Charlie said as the dragon rubbed its snout against Lydia's cheek, "She's called Sarris."
Lydia smiled, "Beautiful name, for a beautiful creature."
"She is, isn't she?" Charlie said proudly, "I raised her from a hatchling. Found her abandoned in the Romanian mountains, the mother thought she was the runt of the litter, her being an albino. But she's so strong, and because she's smaller, it makes her a perfect tracking dragon."
Lydia smiled slightly, "You talk about her like I talk about my daughter."
Charlie chuckled, "You have a daughter? Jeez, you definitely look too young for that."
"I definitely was too young for that," Lydia agreed, "But life happens to all of us, doesn't it? I mean, here I am, Ostara, a time for new life when I should be celebrating with my family, but I can't be a part of it. I feel so removed from all of it, married, widowed, and a single mother at the ripe old age of 20."
"You're 20?" Charlie asked in disbelief.
Lydia shot him an amused look, and then another voice said, "Sorry, Lydia, subtlety has never been Charlie's strong point."
With a chuckle, Lydia looked up, "Hey Felix. How are you?"
"Ah, can't complain," Felix said, dropping down next to her, "I see you've met Sarris."
"I think she's fallen in love with Sarris," Charlie said with a smile, "How come you two know each other then?"
"Through my father," Lydia replied, "Felix saved his life in Peru, he nearly got killed by a Peruvian Vipertooth. It wasn't her fault, mind you, she was only a baby, and she was injured, so she was lashing out. My father was out there on business, and Felix saved his life."
Charlie chuckled, "No kidding, so that Peruvian Vipertooth didn't happen to be Lennox, did it?"
Felix smiled, "Course it was – that's her, over there," he said, pointing Lennox out to Lydia.
"She's feeling anti-social today, too much noise with the little kids around," Charlie explained.
Lydia smiled, "I'm glad you managed to save them both. A lot of people would have saved the high-profile businessman, but you saved the dragon too."
Felix nodded, "I took her home after that, nursed her back to health, and she hasn't left me since. Everywhere I go, she follows like a bloody puppy."
Lydia smiled and sat up, not bothered about the grass stains on her dress, "You two are an interesting pair."
"How'd you know we're together?" Charlie asked.
"I can feel it in the air between you," Lydia confessed, "And in the way you look at each other, so fondly. That was how Lee and I looked at each other when we first fell in love."
Felix was too polite to ask, but Charlie wasn't.
"So, what was the deal with you two?"
Lydia didn't mind. She shrugged and said, "Whirlwind romance. We fell in love at the start of our final year of school. By the end of that year, I was pregnant, so we had a shotgun wedding, and Rhea was born in December of the same year. She was just over a year old when Lee died."
"I'm sorry, Lydia," Felix said solemnly.
Lydia sighed and shook her head, "That's the thing. I'm not sad because I miss him. I feel guilty because I don't. I loved him, and it went to hell because he cared more about the cause than he did about his wife or his daughter."
Sarris nuzzled against her once more, and Lydia sighed, shutting her eyes, "Things weren't very nice towards the end."
"Well, I doubt that had anything to do with you," Charlie said, "You seem like a very nice person."
"You've only known me five minutes," Lydia said, smiling at Charlie in amusement.
"I've known you a whole lot longer than five minutes, and I concur," Felix said, "You're a very nice person."
"In that case, why do nice people fall in love with the wrong people?" Lydia quipped.
Charlie smiled sadly, "We accept the love we think we deserve."
Felix shared that half-hearted smile, "You did for too damn long, anyway."
"Yeah," Charlie agreed, his eyes meeting Felix's, "I did."
Lydia leant against an old tree and said, "Well, all the same, I'm out of prospects now. My father has disowned because he's not my father-"
Felix's eyes widened.
"I know," Lydia muttered, "Plot twist, I'm the Nott heir, not a Greengrass, which also means at some point I'll have to remarry and have a legitimate male heir, which isn't high on my to-do list because right now, I hate love."
She shook her head, "And I'll end up marrying another Muggle-born anyway, through this Marriage Law."
"Why?" Charlie asked.
Lydia looked at him in disbelief, "Because no pureblood in their right mind is going to marry a girl with baggage."
Felix scoffed, "Don't you dare call that beautiful little girl of yours baggage."
"As far as pureblood society is concerned, she is," Lydia said honestly.
Felix looked at Charlie, and Charlie looked back.
Then Felix turned to Lydia, "Why don't you marry me?"
Charlie choked on thin air, "What?"
"Yeah, I second that," Lydia said, frowning at Felix, "You're gay, aren't you?"
"I am," Felix replied, "And I am also totally in love with that idiot, but legally, that's not good enough for pureblood society. You are done with love, and you worry that no pureblood will take on your 'baggage', but I would be happy to help you raise Rhea, and I know Charlie would be too."
Lydia was still watching him in disbelief, but Charlie was nodding now that he had caught up with his boyfriend.
"And we both need an heir," Felix said, "A couple of heirs technically, one to carry on the Rosier line and another to carry on the Nott line."
Lydia shook her head in disbelief, "You can't be serious, Felix. The Rosier family is an influential, financially well off one. If you marry a widow, with a daughter from a previous marriage…the scandal would be huge, and I don't have a dowry-"
"Lydia," Felix cut in, "I do not care about disgracing the family name. As you said, the Rosier family is financially well off. I don't care about the lack of a dowry. If anyone does question me about it, I'll say that I'm merging the Rosier and Nott families, which will appease anyone. You know how much property the Nott family has."
Lydia nodded, "True, but still,…are you sure?"
She looked between the two men. Felix seemed pretty sure, but she wasn't so sure about Charlie.
"I'm okay with it," Charlie confessed, "I always knew Felix was going to have to marry and have an heir. If his wife is into dragons, then that's just a bonus, as far as I'm concerned. And your kid? She's not a problem."
Lydia was stunned by the nature of the conversation and how quickly it had all come about.
"Tell you the only thing I do wanna know," Charlie said, leaning back against the tree and giving them both a boyish grin.
Felix looked at him warily, "Yes?"
"Me, I've slept with girls, guys, a vampire on that one job in Transylvania," Charlie remarked casually, "But you – Felix – you're so gay. How the hell are you going to do the deed twice to get a couple of heirs?"
"There are potions for that," Felix and Lydia echoed.
Charlie looked between them as they caught each other's eyes and the entire trio burst out laughing.
"You're watching Tom and Lily creepily," Daphne whispered.
Harry looked away as Tom led Lily into the maze, his hand resting on the small of her back, "What? No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are," Daphne said in an undertone, "What do you know?"
"Nothing," Harry lied.
Daphne rolled her eyes, "You're such a terrible liar," she remarked as Lydia walked over to them.
"Happy Ostara, Lydia," Cygnus said politely.
Lydia nodded and kissed her mother on the cheek, then signed while speaking, "I just got proposed to."
Lareina's eyes widened, and Cygnus looked over hopefully.
Harry choked, "What?"
"By who?" Daphne asked eagerly as Astoria crept forward to get in on the gossip.
"Felix," Lydia replied.
"Rosier?" Cygnus asked eagerly.
"A very respectable family," Lareina signed with an excited nod.
Lydia nodded.
"And he would take you?" Cygnus continued, "Even with your baggage?"
Lydia glared at him, "Don't call your granddaughter baggage."
She was well aware she was a hypocrite because she had called Rhea 'baggage' earlier that evening.
"But…" Daphne cut in, "Isn't Felix gay?"
"Oh, yeah," Lydia said absentmindedly, "He's gay, but he needs an heir, and I need an heir. So it seems like a convenient agreement, the Rosier and Nott lines carry on, which as you said Mother, is what my father would have wanted."
Lareina nodded.
Having had a drink or two, Daphne decided to get back at Lydia for exposing her and Harry's ritual to their parents after Imbolc.
"Hm," She mused, cocking her head in Charlie and Felix's direction, "Definitely a convenient arrangement since Charlie swings both ways. You get money, status, a title and security for your daughter from your husband and then when you need it, sex from your husband's boyfriend."
"Daphne!" Cygnus objected in disgust.
Lareina watched on with a frown while Lydia shook her head. Meanwhile, Harry and Astoria giggled in the corner like a pair of children.
"What are we doing, hunting for the Easter Bunny?" Lily quipped as Tom led her into the moonlit maze.
"Do not be absurd, Lilith. There is no such thing as the Easter Bunny."
"How do you know?" Lily teased.
"I have never seen any evidence to support that there is," Tom replied.
"Well, just because you haven't seen something, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist, you know," Lily said, an old Ravenclaw logic argument that she liked to fall back on.
"I do understand your point," Tom mused, "I have never seen a zebra, but that does not mean that it does not exist."
Lily frowned, "You've never seen a zebra?"
"No," Tom replied.
"So you've never been to a zoo then?" Lily quipped, "Or Africa for that matter."
"I have never been to Africa," Tom confirmed, "And I never understood zoos. Why do Muggles pay money to look at animals? If I wanted to see such an animal, I would simply apparate to Africa in jumps and see it for free."
Lily smiled in amusement, "I love the way your brain works, you know?" she said as they as down on a bench together at the centre of the maze.
"Really? In what way?" Tom asked curiously.
"I love the literal way that you look at everything," Lily replied with a fond smile, "You don't have time for bullshit, you know? You just say things as they are."
"Strange that you ought to say that," Tom mused, "Because I do have something to ask you, and as you pointed out, I do not tend to skirt around the edges of a topic or give meaningful speeches as Harry does."
"Harry does love a good speech," Lily agreed.
"Yes, he does," Tom said. He looked away from Lily to the moon hanging in the sky, "Ostara seems like an appropriate time to ask you this question. We are celebrating new life and new beginnings after all."
"Yes," Lily agreed, frowning over at him, "So what do you want to ask me, exactly?"
Tom looked from the moon to Lily, "If you wish to marry me?"
Lily didn't say anything. She just stared at him.
"I understand that one is supposed to kneel before the woman when the question is asked," Tom said with a wave of his hand, "But as a former Dark Lord, I do not kneel to anyone – even you."
Lily's eyes widened.
"I do have a ring, of course," Tom added, "I am not a heathen."
Eventually, Lily managed to get some words out, "You're proposing to me? Like…marriage?"
"I did think I made myself clear, Lilith," Tom pointed out.
"Lilith," She said with a small smile, "You're pissed off with me, then? You only call me that when you are."
"No, I call you that when you say something brainless, which you just did," Tom pointed out.
Lily still seemed stunned.
"You have not given me an answer yet," Tom pointed out calmly.
Lily snapped herself back into the present, "Well, I mean, yes, obviously – of course, I'll marry you. I kind of thought that went without saying, but I had no idea that you wanted to marry me."
"Why would I not want to marry you, Lily?" Tom asked, his voice softer, "You saw the good in me when there was none, and you have shown love and kindness to my daughter even though she is not your own. I owe much to you, and the things we have shared have changed me as a person."
Lily smiled warmly at that, "Wow. Well, okay. This is not how I expected this evening to go. I knew there would be proposals, but I thought it would be Sadie getting proposed to, not me."
Tom reached into his pocket and handed her a small black box.
Lily took it a little nervously.
"It is a gift, Lilith. People are generally expected to open them," Tom remarked sarcastically.
Lily rolled her eyes and then opened the box.
"No…way."
"Harry assured me that it would be sufficient-"
"Tom, this could probably have bought the flat that I grew up in," Lily said in disbelief, "Scratch that, it could probably buy the whole bloody building."
Tom raised a hand to silence her, "We both came from nothing, Lily. I know how it feels to grow up with nothing nice to call your own – when I came into possession of the Gaunt ring and Salazar Slytherins locket, I cherished them. You are a Black – the heir to the most noble and ancient house. You are intelligent, graceful and beautiful – you deserve to be treated as such."
Lily swallowed and gave him a slight nod. It was pretty apparent that Tom's words had moved her.
"Do you think you could…"
Lily held the box out to him, so Tom took the ring and slide it onto her finger, magically adjusting it so that it fitted perfectly.
Breathing out a shaky breath, Lily grabbed Tom's hand and kissed him softly. No more words were exchanged between them because they did not need to be.
When Tom and Lily walked out of the maze together, Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the diamond glittering on Lily's finger.
"She said yes, thank Merlin."
"What?" Daphne asked in disbelief.
"Tom proposed to Lily," Harry said, nudging his head in their direction, "And she said yes, which I'm really glad about because I told him she'd definitely say yes, so he should go for it and ask her. So if she'd said no, he probably would have killed me."
"Did I just hear that right?" Draco asked, stepping up behind Harry.
"Yes," Daphne said, watching the couple in the distance, "Tom and Lily are engaged and oh my lord, look at the size of that diamond."
"Yours is more expensive, and it has emotional value," Harry pointed out.
Daphne shot him an amused look, "I was just admiring it. I'm not jealous."
"Uh-huh," Harry said, clearly unconvinced.
He looked over his shoulder at Draco, "If the former Dark Lord can do it, you can pull your finger out of your arse and propose to Sadie."
"I'm literally right here," Sadie pointed out, "When are you guys going to stop talking about me like I don't exist?"
"When you stop reacting," Draco said, giving her an amused look, "They only do it because it irritates you."
Sadie rolled her eyes, "If you had proposed to me, I would have said no."
"I know you would have," Draco responded, "That's why I haven't done it yet."
"Yet?" Sadie asked, crossing her arms over her chest, "You're so confident that I'll say yes one day?"
"I'm so confident I've put money on the fact we'll be married this time next year," Draco smirked.
Daphne rolled her eyes and looked at Harry, "Oh, here we go again."
"Want me to bodybind her and chuck her in the graveyard overnight?" Harry whispered.
Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, "Tad morbid, don't you think?"
Harry snorted, "You do realise that you're marrying a reformed murderer, right?"
Daphne shook her head in amusement, "No murder or bodybinding or general torture on Ostara. It's a festival of life, Harry, not death."
"I'll bear that in mind," Harry said thoughtfully, "I'll kill her on Samhain instead."
"Who are you killing?" Draco asked.
"Nobody," Harry replied airily, "You two done with the lovers' quarrel?"
"We are not lovers!" Sadie said, her cheeks flushing red.
Draco smirked but said nothing.
Daphne and Harry shared an amused grin.
"Like hell you aren't," Harry said at the same time as Daphne said, "Yeah, right."
They all burst out laughing, and as the moon shone down and the firewhiskey flowed, they all felt at peace.
~ TBC ~