"Draco! Draco!" Hermione shook his shoulder violently. "Wake up!" Draco mumbled a nonsensical phrase and rubbed his eyes.
"Whutizit?" He yawned and squinted against the bright light coming through the windows. He felt the hard couch underneath him. "Whereamianyways?" He started to sit up, but was stopped by a weight on his chest. Ashley was still fast asleep, curled on top of him.
"We should have woken her first- remember we're leaving today? She still has to pack." Hermione reached down to wake Ashley. Ashley shifted and sat up, blinking hard.
"Where- what-?" She looked up at Draco. "Oh. Good morning." She managed a smile and pushed herself off of the couch.
"Ashley, you have to change and pack up- you're coming home with us, remember?" Hermione reminded. Ashley yawned and shuffled out of the room.
"Yeah, be back in a few." As she slowly went out of sight, Hermione threw Draco a surprised glance.
"Is there something that happened last night that I should know about?" She inquired, folding her arms.
"What? Oh. No, come on Hermione, really, we just fell asleep, I mean…" Hermione held up her hand.
"I thought so. Just making sure." She leaned against the back of the couch as Draco pushed himself to his feet and stretched. "When are you going to see her again, though?" Draco sighed and let his arms drop.
"I…" He paused. After stopping at the Burrow with the Weasleys', Ashley was planning on visiting Baltimore again. She had never mentioned if she was coming back after her visit home.
"Exactly. Are you really going to let her get away so easily?" Hermione said cryptically and walked out of the room, letting Draco stop and think. Was he really going to let her leave?
"Ready in record time." Ashley dragged a battered suitcase into the foyer, a squawking owl cage balanced precariously one on palm.
"The others are waiting outside, then." Draco followed the pair out the door and went through the formal good-byes to the Weasley family.
"I don't like the idea of you being so un-social, all alone in this large house." Mrs. Weasley glanced towards Ashley, then smiled. "So write often. I'm sure all of us would be happy to hear from you." Mr. Weasley stepped up.
"We'll let you know when the weddings are, trust me. Thank you again for letting us into your magnificent home." He nodded.
"Anytime, Mr. Weasley." Draco shook his hand, then glanced over at Ashley.
"Hey." Ashley looked down at the grass. "When am I going to see you again?" He put a hand on her cheek. Ashley shrugged and sniffed. Draco stepped forward to hug her. "It's not like we're never going to see each other again."
"I know." Ashley's choked words were barely audible. Draco let go of her and kissed her cheek lightly. "Write often. Let me know when you're coming back onto the continent, all right?" She nodded and smiled through her tears.
"Well, er, best be off." Mr. Weasley called out uncomfortably. Draco took a step back, fighting back the urge to punch himself as he watched Ashley stand next to Hermione for the Apparition. He cannot believe he was letting her go. He couldn't. Not now. Not after that night. But she couldn't stay. Doesn't matter, he argued in his mind. She would stay anyway. You know she would. He took a breath
"Ashley, wait!" He called out the words before he could shove them down again. Ashley looked up. "Come here for a minute." She slowly edged forward as Draco disappeared through the doorway. "Just for a second!" He shouted from inside the house.
"What is he doing?" Hermione wondered aloud as Ashley receded through the doorway. Minutes later, a figure appeared on the roof. Mrs. Weasley gasped.
"My goodness, the boy's going to kill himself!" She exclaimed, taking hold of Mr. Weasley's arm. "Stop him, Arthur, stop him!"
"Draco, what are we doing up here now?" Ashley clambered up to the familiar spot on the roof where Draco now stood, looking anxious.
"Well, um…" He started, then sighed. "Actually, I wanted to…" No, that wasn't right.
"What?" Ashley folded her arms. He was almost never like this around her. "What's wrong?" Draco fingered something in his pocket.
"Will- will you look down there?" His trembling arm pointed down towards the backyard.
"Why?" Ashley stalled, afraid to look. Draco seemed to grow more nervous by the second.
"Just- please, will you?" He seemed about to jump up and down. Ashley sighed and turned her head down to the grass. "Really, I don't see why…"
Hermione scowled. "What is Malfoy doing now?" She watched as Ashley came up beside Draco on the edge of the roof. Harry grinned.
"I don't believe it. He's actually going to do it. He told me he might, but I never thought he would…" Ron scoffed.
"He might? Of course he would! I was surprised that he took this long." Mrs. Weasley sobbed into a handkerchief.
"Oh, now they're going to commit suicide together!" She moaned. Mr. Weasley rolled his eyes.
"Molly, look! Does it look like they're about to jump?" Mr. Weasley pointed up on the roof. Ashley had now folded her arms and was looked funny at Draco, who seemed jumpier than normal. He pointed towards the ground once, again. Ashley turned her head.
"What? What is it? What's she- oh my gosh." Hermione's hand flew up to her mouth. Draco had bent down on one knee, shakily holding a miniscule black box he had drawn out of his pocket.
Ashley stared down at the grass for a second, letting the image sink in. There, in silver letters shining against the perfectly manicured green, was the phrase:
ASHLEY, WILL YOU MARRY ME?
"I-I didn't want to let you leave again without knowing that you would someday come back and marry me." Draco stuttered, his heart thumping madly. Ashley turned slowly around, and he could see tears flowing freely down her face.
"Draco…who said anything about leaving?"