AN: The clock on the wall reads "2 a.m." One lone figure sits at the dark desk, the only light coming from the computer screen. Typing sounds could be heard. Something snaps somewhere in the dark house. The figure jumps, apprehensively looking around. Nothing. Continues typing.

*scene break* Now the clock reads "9 a.m.". The house is bright and filled with sunshine and noise. But the figure still types on, a mug of hot, steaming coffee beside her. Finally… "OHMYGOD! I FINSIHED THE DAMN THING!" rings out through the house, startling children and small animals. The happy figure clicks on an icon on her Desktop, and the familiar sounds of logging on to the Net can be heard. Suddenly, a box pops up on her screen, and the message causes the girl to shriek with anger and pitiful despair. It seems Archangela's prepaid Internet account has run dry.

Okay, so if you really want to keep your nose hair unharmed, REVIEW!

Disclaimer: All things bright and beautiful and recognizable belongs to J.K. Rowling, who is worthy of all our praise. All creatures great and small… (no, wait, wrong!) Anything you don't think was originally in the HP books most probably belongs to me. Including OOC behavior, and any other mistakes. (I changed Hermione's birthday for a reason, okay?!)

Dedications: To CharmedHpfanatic, take care out there! Sum41, the wonderfully hyperactive Canadian band that probably won't read this but I still want to acknowledge because 'twas their new album that inspired me to write this chap, and to Japorms Pogi, the terrifically wonked-out clique of which I am the Glamorous Founder!

Chapter Two: When The Wind Is Still

When he reached Medea,

it seemed as if her heart left her to go to him,

and a dark mist clouded her eyes

and she had no strength to move.

The two stood still, face to face,

as lofty pine trees when the wind is still.

Then again when the wind stirs they murmur,

so these two also, stirred by the breath of love,

were fated to tell out all their tales to each other.

- Greek Mythology, Quest Of The Golden Fleece

***June 15, 2007***

"Penny for your thoughts, Draco." Hermione tossed a wet dishtowel at her boyfriend, who, at that moment, was staring out the window of their cozy apartment in Godric's Hollow. Draco blinked incredulously at her. "Okay, where's the penny?" Hermione laughed. "Oh, tell me for free. Malfoys are too rich to care about pennies." Draco shook his head teasingly. "Nope. Not when it's our thoughts we're selling." Hermione reached across the table to swat him. "Oh come on!"

Draco smiled at her, catching her hand in his. "Tell me, would you like me to propose to you?"

~*~

"And then he asked me if I wanted him to propose to me! I mean, this is so… unusual!" Hermione frowned at the smoky Parvati figure standing in her room. The Parvati Com replied, it's translucent lips moving along with the words that drifted through the room. "Draco's unusual, Hermione… but he also has this uncanny ability to know exactly what a woman wants. So, if he's ever going to propose to you, I'll bet my wand that you wont' be disappointed at all."

Hermione looked out her window, losing herself in thoughts of the past. "When I was a child… I'd entertain dreams and hopes… flights of fancy, you might say. I'd grow up, meet a wonderfully charming and handsome man… who'd love me with all his heart, then he'd propose to me in a whirl of romance, and we'd live a life full of bliss and happiness…" She turned back to the Parvati Com, which was examining her nails. "Was that incredibly stupid?"

"Parvati" clucked. "No! You've got two down, two to go…" Hermione sat down on her bed and waved a hand in the direction of her desk. "I wrote all of my 'pipe dreams' down once… maybe they're still there." The Parvati Com smiled at her, and Hermione stared at the ring on the translucent hand. "Wait a minute… Ron proposed to you already?!"

The Parvati laughed. "I was wondering when you'd notice!" Hermione squealed happily. "Oh! How did he?" Parvati Com rolled her beautiful brown eyes. "Typically Ron. We were in the outback, beside some Murray River… then he secretly hypnotized a crocodile to sneak up behind me. When I screamed, the crocodile opened its tremendous jaws, and the ring rolled out. He proposed to me right then and there, beside the silent crocodile."

Hermione smiled wistfully. "Sounds exactly like Ron… I'd prefer a romantic proposal, but a funny one wouldn't be so bad." She shrugged at the Parvati Com. "But I doubt if Draco would do that." The Parvati Com looked over her shoulder at someone Hermione couldn't see.

"Yes, Mummy. Another one?! The Persian one, you say? No, no, I'll handle it. Don't touch the Harry, he'll get mad…" The Parvati Com glanced back at Hermione and smiled apologetically. "Sorry darling. Ron broke another one of Mummy's prized vases with his antique Mini-Harry. I've got to go and stop Mummy from cursing Ronniekins with another one of her special Sound Spells. I can't stand it when Ron makes the floorboards creak with one touch! Goodbye, sweetie!"

Hermione waved goodbye as the Com faded away. She then sighed and turned away from the window. "Propose to me? What am I supposed to do?" She sat down at her desk and pulled out a little black book and her quill. "What did I start writing a journal for, then?"

***June 18, 2007***

"Poliar Flipinde!"

"Contradictum!"

"Tarantellegra!"

"Contra- ohmygod! Stop it!"

Again, the gym was filled with noise. Shouts of the incantation for the Contradict Spell, which they were practicing that day. Ricochets when hexes bounced off the walls. ("Duck, Weasley! Watch out for that Confun- augh!") Curses when curses weren't properly Contradicted. ("Damnit! Get me down from here! And go pick up my nose!") And the booming instructions of Moody, who was presiding over it all. ("Poter! Watch it! Ha, that's got to look ugly!")

Again, the long-awaited "Withdraw!"

In the line-up, Hermione couldn't help but gasp when she saw Harry.

"Ohmygod! Harry, your skin…"

"What? Leave it."

Hermione shrunk away from Harry, partly because he was never the same after the "incident", and partly because his skin, after being hit with the Reptilius Hex, was disgustingly green and mottled.

"Harry, if you just let me-"

"I said, leave it."

"Fine!"

Moody walked down the line, shouting out remarks.

"You keep on forgetting your incantations, and see if you last three minutes on the battlefield!"

"It's Misodrety, NOT Misidreti! Do you really want pink body hair?!"

"Good work, Potter. Get on over to the nurse to get rid of that. Unless you want to keep on looking like my pet iguanadon."

Hermione looked up expectantly when Moody paused in front of her. Without blinking, he growled "What are you doing for your birthday? I expect a piece of the cake, mind you, or I'll hex you to Hades." Hermione blinked. "Ye- yes sir…" Moody chuckled strangely. "Good."

~*~

Draco walked leisurely up the stairs to their room, sipping his coffee. He stopped in front of Hermione's desk, staring down at the intriguing diary. "Well, well, well…" He reached out a hand to pick it up, then very promptly, dropped it again, accompanied with a well-placed curse.

"Ouch." He glared contemptuously down at the innocent book, now lying on the floor. "I should have known she'd protect it… I just didn't think she'd use an Electrify Charm." Draco shook his head, smiling, and knelt down on the floor beside the book. "Clever girl."

~*~

"Harry, did you hear? Ron and Parvati are engaged!" Hermione tried to engage Harry in conversation for one last time, and this worked. Harry looked up, a mix of surprise and withheld happiness in his face. "Really?" Hermione sighed with relief. Thank God he isn't ignoring me anymore… "Yes, Parvati told me a few days ago. Isn't this just adorable?" Harry grinned. "No, considering Ron, it's a wonder Parvati and her mum haven't gone mad already."

"Hey! I've lived with Ron for the past twenty or so years, and I haven't gone mad… I think." Ginny came up behind them, laughing. Hermione smiled at her. Ginny grinned back, sweeping her riot of red curls up into a messy ponytail. "So, Hermione… what will you be doing for your twenty-third birthday, then?"

Harry stared at Hermione. "Oh god… I almost forgot again!" Hermione glared at him. "You did?! Why you-" Harry raised his hand, stopping her mid-sentence. "Actually, no. I didn't forget. I couldn't forget, what with the little Draco thing back in seventh year…"

"So… against Berna's wishes, I got you… this." Harry held out his hand. He was holding a picture frame. Hermione took it from him, a puzzled expression on her face. "I didn't get to wrap it, sorry…" When Hermione turned over the frame, her face lit up, and she jumped up, smiling for all the world.

"Harry, it's wonderful!"

Harry blushed slightly. "You think so? Berna thought otherwise…" Hermione glanced up at him questioningly, but as if she was called, Berna suddenly strolled into the gym, turning heads left and right, especially Harry's.

She walked over to Harry, Hermione and Ginny, and took Harry's arm possessively, sky-blue eyes on the picture in Hermione's hands. "Hello, Harry dear." She tugged him to her level for a kiss, then she nodded coolly at Hermione and Ginny. "Hermione. Virginia."

~*~

"Okay, I can't risk getting my fingers burned again…" Draco stared down at the black book, lying innocuously on the carpet. Draco took another sip of his coffee. "What's the password, damnit…" He childishly stuck out his tongue at the book. "You think you're so damn smart-" He broke off. Damn smart…

Draco suddenly stood up, spilling coffee on the rug. "I got it!" He rushed to the massive bookcase and began scanning the titles, pulling down various books form the shelf and reading the title page, only to throw it back onto the floor.

~*~

"Good afternoon, Berna!" Hermione smiled warmly. Berna simply nodded again. Behind Hermione, Ginny gave a little huff of annoyance. Berna glanced back at the picture frame. "Harry dear, I told you not to give her that anymore…" She turned to Hermione, eyes still cold. "I suggested this rather pretty necklace from Bauble Boudoir, but he said no. He said it was too expensive, something or another, and he said that you already had Draco to give you jewelry."

Hermione stared at her, astonished. Did she mean to make Harry sound like he didn't care about Hermione anymore, or was she simply tactless? Berna suddenly smiled, and Hermione was even more surprised at how pretty she really was. "So, he gave you that instead. If you want, I can take you over to Bauble Boudoir someday, and you can pick out your own birthday gift."

"It's okay, Berna. Hermione can pick her own jewelry. And she's got Draco to help her, so we don't really need your help…" Ginny began, but Hermione cut her off. "No, no, it's okay. Thanks Berna, that's kind of you." Berna smiled again, touched Harry's arm, and walked away.

Harry looked back to Hermione, red in the face. "Hermione, I'm so sorry… I just thought that the picture might…" Hermione smiled at him. "I love this gift. It means more to me than any ring, necklace, or bangle you might have given me. Thanks, Harry." She stood on her tiptoes, the frame in her hand, and kissed him on the cheek.

Harry smiled back weakly. "Okay… you're welcome. Happy birthday, Hermione." He turned to Ginny. "Moody's calling us back, lets go."

Hermione set the frame down carefully on the bench, whispering a quick Unbreakable Charm. As she ran off, one could see the picture clearly. It was of two teenagers in black Hogwarts robes, out on the sunny grounds. The boy with the scar and messy hair had a laughing Hermione by the hands, and they were twirling around blissfully. The moving picture conveyed the perfect meaning of friendship, and as Hermione began to set up her body shields, she glanced back to the picture and wondered We were the perfect group of friends… are we still?

~*~

"Found it!" Draco sat down beside the diary on the floor, clutching another, dustier and heavier book in his hands. The title read, in slightly faded red and gold letters: The Diary of Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts Headmistress. Draco chuckled softly. "Should have thought of this earlier. I mean, she is Hermione's idol."

He opened it to the first page, and scanned it quickly.

The Diary of Minerva McGonagall

by Minerva McGonagall

Foreword by: Albus Dumbledore

Second Foreword by: Hermione Anne Granger

*Long you live and high you fly, and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry,

and all you touch and all you'll see is all your life will ever be.*

Draco reread the last line. "Got it." Glancing at the small book on the floor, he read the line out loud. The book on the floor shuddered, and then fell open to its last entry.

Draco put down the heavy tome and picked up Hermione's diary. "She'll forgive me." He glanced out the window, then up at the clock, talking quietly to himself. "Draco, you know what to say to make a woman melt into your arms. You know exactly what to do to get some pretty woman into bed with you. But you have absolutely no bloody idea what to do about proposing to Hermione." He looked down at the neatly written lines. "Just goes to show she's the best witch you've ever met."

He flipped a page or two. "I hope this helps… I want nothing more than her happiness, so what's the best way to ask for her hand in marriage?" He snorted. "Lame excuse to go flipping through her diary, then."

~*~

"Draco?" Hermione pushed open the door, tucking a small gold key with a red ribbon wrapped around it back into her pocket. She walked through the quiet house, touching the matching key on the mantel, but it was silver, with a green ribbon. "Draco? Where are you?"

Up the stairs, past the framed pictures on the table. Hermione smiled and added Harry's birthday gift to that. She opened the door to their bedroom, and frowned.

Draco lay on the bed, fast asleep, the covers wrapped around him. Books were scattered all over the floor, and her own diary lay on the ground, locked tight. Hermione glanced at it suspiciously, then she looked back at the sleeping Draco, and the wary look on her face faded away.

Moving quietly, she waved her wand at the books, Restoring them back to their shelves with a Silenced charm. She sat down on the bed, eyes dancing.

"Hey, Draco?"

"Mm-fm…"

"Draco…" Her hand moved slowly under the covers.

"Mm…"

"Draco." Closer moved her hand.

"Mm… ohmygod! Hermione!"

~*~

***June 21, 2007***

"Well, that was rather satisfactory." Draco's tone of voice was humorously dry. Hermione laughed, and waved Harry and Berna out the door. "Goodbye! Thanks for coming!" Draco flicked his wand, and the door swung shut, but not before Harry had time to yell "Happy birthday, 'Mione!" over his shoulder.

"So, what now, blond cow?" Hermione collapsed onto a chair, staring at the birthday mess on the floor. Draco's silvery-grey eyes traveled from the spills on the carpet to the pile of wrapping paper in the corner. "First of all, I am no cow. Second, I'd much rather take a nice, cool walk through Godric's Hollow than clean up this… *ahem* farrago…" Hermione laughed. "Sounds good to me."

~*~

They had no need of coats as they walked down the cobbled street, because it was a warm, June night, with the occasional cool breeze. They had no need of conversation, for they perfectly understood each other without spoken words. And they had no need of company, for they had each other, and that was enough.

But when conversation seemed required, it was comfortably friendly and smooth.

"Hermione, if someone was to propose to you, how would you-"

"Draco, please don't start that again."

"As long as you're with me, I could live without saying anything."

They continued to walk along the banks of the peaceful lake. The wind blew softly, carrying the scent of the night along with gentle fingers. Draco suddenly stopped, and pulled Hermione closer to him, as they looked out over the lake and began to count the stars above them.

"It's a beautiful night, don't you think?" Hermione smiled softly up at Draco. He touched her lips gently, his lips curving slightly upward. "You're more beautiful to me. Your eyes shine far more than the brightest star, and the glow on your face surpasses the moon's." He broke off, laughing.

"Oh, god, isn't that just about the stupidest thing you've ever heard?" Hermione laughed with him. "No, it was pretty good." Draco grinned. "Ah, I just love making cheesy poetry up. It's my way of expressing myself when the most beautiful woman in the world has left me dumbstruck."

Hermione leaned forward and kissed him gently, murmuring, "I know you can do much better..." Draco took her face in his hands and covered her mouth with his. When they pulled apart, Draco wrapped his arms around her neck, nestling his chin in her soft hair. "How's this? 'When he reached Medea, it seemed as if her heart left her to go to him, and a dark mist clouded her eyes and she had no strength to move. The two stood still, face to face, as lofty pine trees when the wind is still. Then again when the wind stirs they murmur, so these two also, stirred by the breath of love, were fated to tell out all their tales to each other.'"

Hermione looked up at him, eyes shining. "That was beautiful! What was that?" Draco grinned, the faintest tinge of pink in his cheeks. "Muggle literature. It's from the Greek myth, The Quest for the Golden Fleece. Hermione, your ancestors wrote some pretty weird stuff." She ran her fingers through his silky hair, and his eyes closed. "I take that as a compliment."

"You once told me you're a romantic. That was the night I drew you a two-hour bath and scattered rose petals on our bed… only to find out that the water was too cold and that roses make my eyes itch…" Hermione giggled. "So, tell me, Hermione… are you still a romantic?" Draco whispered into her ear.

Hermione smiled, looking up at the stars. "You could say that. Why?" Draco pulled out his wand and smiled softly. "Faerie Amoristo" he intoned, and a thousand glittering faires suddenly appeared in a cloud around him. He flicked his wand and said again "Faerie Ledina." The tiny, multi-colored spots of light swirled arund them in a dazzling array, throwing shimmers of light onto Hermione's surprised face.

Draco moved closer to where she stood, taking her in his arms. "If someone were to propose to you, how would you like him to do it?" he said, his face inches from her own. Hermione looked up at him, and her eyes were bright. "I have always dreamed that the perfect man would propose to me under a full moon, beside a shining lake, and a thousand shimmering multi-colored diamonds scattered around us…" She touched Draco's cheek. "I wanted to be carried off in a whirl of romance and fairy lights… Draco, this is so… perfect." Draco smiled to himself.

They broke apart, and the fairy light dimmed slightly, and Hermione could now see the moon, resplendent over the lake. She whirled around, and the fairies followed her, creating a splendid helix of luminescent beauty. Draco watched her, then moving quickly, whispered a special charm.

Something – a shining something that held a powerful blessing – floated towards Hermione, and as it drew closer, she reached out, wondering, and it dropped onto her palm.

Draco walked nearer, a smile playing upon his dawn-tinted lips. He reached out and pulled her nearer to him. "A man gives a woman a bottomless gift, to put flesh, blood and bone into. She is so overjoyed she can't speak… what was it?"

Hermione was silent. Then she held up the shining circlet of silver, her eyes just as bright. "It was an engagement ring." Draco nodded, touching his lips ton her forehead. "Smart girl."

Then a silence. A silence unbroken by the hushed tones of the crickets. Unbroken by the gentle hum of fairy wings. Undistracted by the splendid play of pastel lights.

A split second. A time for tears and laughter, for joy and pain, for hearts to touch, for hearts to rejoice.

One beautiful night. One love-struck man. One overjoyed woman. One question. One answer. One heart.

"Draco..."

"Please, Hermione."

*Please...*

"Yes."

And he took her in his arms, amid the shining of a thousand fairies, beside the moonlit lake, beneath a million stars, each a reason for why he loved her, and why she loved him back.