Well, who would have thought I actually had time to write another chapter. :P


Lucius was still recalling the last date, he loved seeing the surprised and embarrassed expression on her face. He knew for certain she was the person he loved, and needed. With her on his side, he felt…comfortable and warm. It had been years since he felt this way.

He was determined to make a third date, a surprising one. He felt it was the right time, though looking at the calendar, it was just not long ago he knew her. He had bought and kept the special gift in his cupboard since the first date. Now examining it, he could see the sparkles he had long awaited.

He left the office early and decided that he should spend the afternoon and evening planning visiting the sites. First he went to the florist, buying all the purple flowers that the florist could offer and ordered to have the bouquet sent to his company by noon the next day. Then he went to the ice rink. It was an outdoor ice rink, just right in front of Royal Pavillon. He approached the staff and told them his plan. The staff were more than happy to hear of his plan, and promised to help as much as he wished. Everything was on the go.

"A bouquet for Ms. Hermione Granger!" said the delivery man.

Hermione, surprised, went to the man and received the heavy bouquet. She took a sniff and indulged herself in the sweet scent. Kath immediately went towards Hermione and whispered, "Is is from him?"

"Him who?" said Hermione, blushing as she read the card that was delivered along with the bouquet.

"Oh…You-know-who," said Kath and she winked.

Hermione giggled and gently nudged Kath out of embarrassment. Putting down the card, she took a glance at Lucius, who was working in his room. Apparently Lucius was unaffected by the excitement outside his office. His eyes were fixed on the papers on the table, not looking up at all.

When everyone left for the day, Hermione went to Lucius' door and knocked. It took a while for him to allow her to go in.

"Thank you for the flowers," said Hermione. "I love it."

Lucius looked up and smiled at her. As he left the chair, he took Hermione's hand and led her outside. Soon as he ushered her into his car, he drove onto the highway. Hermione asked,

"Are we going somewhere?"

"I'll show you when we get there."

Hermione sank into her seat and looked outside. Though it was merely midday, Hermione felt exhausted, as though her energy had drained out in the morning. So she took a nap as Lucius drove.

Lucius, of course, could also tell Hermione was tired. She never had a proper break from life. He knew throughout Hermione's life, she had helping her sister, paying debts and rent for her, not to mention she had to send money to her parents. She had been working very hard at work, though Lucius and Hermione usually stayed in their respective rooms, he could see her diligence.

Hermione woke up as the car engine stopped. She jolted up and looked around. She was at a train station. Lucius asked,

"Want some fresh air?"

Hermione nodded and they got out of the car. Lucius held her hand tight as they strolled along the endless straight pavement. It was a small quaint town, and a faint smell of the sea was in the air. Plump seagulls waddled past them, occasionally flew up and rest on the lamppost.

They stopped at a majestic which looked almost like Taj Mahal, with domes on top and minarets standing beside each other. Hermione noticed an ice rink was right in front of the building. Couples holding hands and glided across the rink while children, holding the penguin skating aid, slowing moving themselves along the edge.

"Ice rink…" read Hermione, then she turned to Lucius. "…But I don't know how to—"

"And wouldn't this be a good chance for you to learn?"

Since childhood, Hermione was an avid learner of all sorts of things, from climbing trees and book knowledge, she wished to master everything, but ice-skating was one of those which she would not dare to do, despite how jealous she was when she saw her friends on their blades, skating around freely. Her parents would encourage her, but the idea of breaking her limbs made her shudder and walk away.

"I don't think I can—" began Hermione.

"—not until you try," said Lucius. "Besides, I will hold your hand."

Before Hermione could linger in hesitation, Lucius pulled her inside and asked for two pairs of ice skates. After ushering Hermione to sit down, he bent down and took off her shoes, then carefully put the ice skates on and made sure they were tight enough.

"Thank you," Hermione said, with a pink flush rose to her cheeks. Her ears were red and she felt as though they were set on fire.

Once Lucius finished wearing his skates, he led Hermione outdoors to the rink. A lot of people had left to dine, with only around four people were gliding across the rink, and one little boy holding the penguin skating aid tight, while the lady behind him slowly navigating him towards the other side of the rink.

Though it looked very safe, the moment when Hermione placed her skates on the ice, she feared. The sudden fear was so overwhelming that she began to lose balance, struggling to stand on her feet. Lucius quickly wrapped his arm round her waist and pulled her close. Hermione could smell the faint herbal and wood fragrance. It was so aromatic that she wished she could indulge in the smell forever.

"Move your legs," whispered Lucius to her ear.

It took a while before Hermione could gain back her sense. She slowly slid the blade a few inches forward. She struggled to balance, but Lucius' strong arms were holding her, giving her confidence to move forward. Her left hand reached for the rail while her right hand finger dug into Lucius' arm. They went around the rink and soon she felt she could manage to glide without any support. So she signalled Lucius that she was ready. She began to gain speed, feeling the cold wind gliding past her face, with Lucius behind her.

Perhaps she thought she could handle the speed, or perhaps she forgot how dangerous ice skating could be, when she realised the scenery around her was shifting quickly, she began to fret and tried to reach for the rail to take a break. But when she bent down to stretch her arm, she lost balance and her legs were out of her control. Lucius swiftly glided to her side and propped her up. Hermione was so relived, she clung onto Lucius and hugged him tightly. She could feel her heart pounding heavily on her chest and against his. It took her a while to calm down. Lucius propped her across the rink and let her sit down on the ottoman. Lucius quickly took off his shoes, then knelt down and looked up at Hermione, then asked,

"Feeling better?"

Hermione nodded and said, "Ice skating is really not my thing. I thought I would really love it. "

Lucius seemed not listening, nor was he helping her to take off the shoes. He was holding something in his palm. Suddenly, one of the ice skating rink staff walked towards them and gave her a box, and said, "A present for Miss Hermione Granger."

Hermione had never been so confused. Soon as the staff walked off, she opened the box and gawked at the purple sapphire swan pendant. She then looked at Lucius and said,

"I…I don't understand."

Lucius took the pendant and put the pendant round her neck. Then he said, "We need one more thing to make things better."

"What thing?" asked Hermione, getting more and more confused.

Lucius pulled out a black velvet box from his pocket. He looked at Hermione and said, "I have been waiting for this moment for too long."

Instantly, Hermione knew what he was referring to.

"From the day you first came to my office, I knew you are the one I am looking for. You have opened my heart and cleared my worries. The time I spend with you…is priceless, and I want to spend every day, every moment of my life with you. And I will take care of you and be with you for the rest of my life."

He opened the box and held the diamond ring between his thumb and index finger.

"Will you accept my proposal?"

People gathered round them, holding their phones out and recording the moment. Normally Hermione would hate it, but this time she was enjoying the moment. Though surprised, she too had been waiting for this. Yet, she did not expect it to come so fast, she had only gone on two dates with him, and this one was the third. How many dates did people usually have before they proposed? Hermione had no idea. Everything went so quickly that she never had a chance to stop and think about it.

But she was eager, she wanted it so much. So she took a deep breath to calm her voice, and said, "I will."

Lucius seemed not to understand her. So she held his hand and said, "Yes."

People around them cheered and clapped their hand, as Lucius gently slid the ring onto her finger. The two hugged tightly while people around congratulated them.

Hermione would have never guessed, the proposal video was put online. Narcissa stared at the screen of her phone while the video kept replaying.