96. "I know something you don't know. I know something you don't know."

The couple were enjoying a lazy Saturday in each other's company in the Black Manor. Harry was comfortably leaning back on his soft couch as he watched something on the TV. Meanwhile, Death rested her head on his lap as she worked through a crossword.

While focusing on the puzzle, she would twist her expression in manners that he found adorable. His fingers mindlessly nestled into her hair and brushed through them. A pleasant hum rumbled in his throat.

"Something on your mind?" she questioned lightly, the majority of her attention still on the crossword unbothered by his fingers.

"Nothing really," he said after a moment of contemplation with his eyes lingering on her ring finger. Harry shot her a boyish smile and used a voice he thought was particularly suave, "I was thinking about how beautiful you are."

A soft smile graced her lips at his words, "Thank you. I can't take all the credit. Your handsomeness can't be questioned."

"We are the woe of all couples in the world. We are just too beautiful," Harry continued.

Death snorted, "It is not our fault that we're so aesthetically pleasing."

They shared a soft chuckle.

Death stretched unreservedly on his lap, "So are you excited for your last year of Hogwarts?"

"I'm feeling more nostalgic than anything. Despite the headaches with the student body, Hogwarts was an important part of my life for so long and I'll be sad to leave it behind," he admitted after a moment of thought. Harry wondered if this was what homesickness should've felt like.

"Change doesn't have to be a bad thing," she assured.

Change, at least for him, was an apt description of their relationship through the years. Going from friendship to romance was worth every bit of nerves he had to go through. Perhaps future change wouldn't hurt?

"Do you like change?" he asked.

She lolled her head to the side, "Some I've learned to accept, and others I bask in." With that last word she looked him in the eyes with unbelievable warmth that pleased his heart utterly.

Harry coughed to hide the growing awkwardness and anxiety in his words, "Do you have any plans for the future?"

She shrugged, "I don't have anything special in mind. It would be helpful if you could tell me what exactly you want to know." Death's smile grew coy.

Embarrassment flushed sharply through him, "What do you see for our future together? I can't help but think about it sometimes." He paused wondering if he was acting a fool.

"Come now, don't be bashful. It's only me here," she encouraged him to continue.

"Right," he said with a casualness he didn't truly feel as he slightly shifted the direction of the conversation, "Does your family have any traditions you follow? I mean your family has to have some expectations for different aspects of life, right? You know for things like celebrations, dress codes… unions."

Death rose from her position and snuggled close him, leaning her head on his shoulder, "Well aren't you inquisitive today. Just what are you planning Mr. Potter?"

He wrapped his arm around her in response. Once again his eyes fell to her ring finger, "I just want things to run smoothly between us going forward. I know a lot less than I would like. If it isn't too much trouble, I would like to hear about it from you."

Death tapped her chin in mock thought, "Well, I don't just tell everyone, but for you I'll make an exception. After all, I can't say no to such a sweet gesture."

Harry listened with rapt attention to all she had to say.