A/N: Chapter Thirty-One!

But remember when I moved in you

And the holy dove was moving, too

And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

No one, apart from myself and my roommate, knew what happened that night. I'm sure Astoria and Draco had an idea, but the details belonged to us. Going into that holiday, there was tension and uncertainty and a whirlwind of miscommunication, but things changed within that one moment outside the cabin; the moment I found him and the moment he let me.

It was everything.

It was one of those surreal moments: one breath and time stands still; two breaths and the world around you begins to fade; three breaths and his touch is the closest you've ever come to believing in God.

It was like that, being with Theodore Nott.

Four Months Later

I reached that last hour at the Auror Office, the one that ticks and tocks in the back of your mind. It was like a battle between my Quill and the minute hand. I glanced at the clock every three or so seconds, hoping, praying, begging for time to pass at a rate that didn't make me clench my arse cheeks with anticipation.

But the moment that happened, was the moment there was a knock on my door.

"Ron —" I voiced, more than a little taken aback. "What are you doing here?"

He glanced at me, and then down. "Erm — I was wondering if we could talk."

"Of — Of course."

The young man entered my office and closed the door, looking rather dishevelled if I had to be honest. His hair was messier than usual and his clothes were wrinkled and untucked, as though he were a teenager all over again. But he wasn't. He was a grown man, with grown man problems, as I would soon discover.

I motioned for him to sit down, after which he proceeded to fidget with both hands; nervous about something.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked, rising to pour myself some wine. It was a bottle I had leftover from the Ministry Christmas party; elvish and red, quite a unique taste. It probably wasn't wise to drink on any empty stomach, but I could tell he needed a drink — maybe three. "There you go."

"Cheers," he thanked me, taking a rather large sip, as I found my seat. "I — I know it's strange that I'm here but I erm — I need your help on something."

"My help?"

He cleared his throat. "It's about Daphne."

"Is she okay?"

"She's great," he answered quickly, realizing I had misunderstood. "I just — I tried asking for Ginny's help, but she was finishing up the Quidditch season, and now she's pregnant and —"

"Ron," I interjected, catching his attention. "There's no need to explain. You know my door is always open to you, and to Daphne."

He smiled weakly at me; tired but relieved. "Thank you, Hermione. I'm — I know we haven't talked much over the years but you're still one of my best friends. You know that, right?"

I returned his smile. "That means a lot."

"Good…good…" he nodded, running both hands through his hair, regaining some control over the situation. "We're both in serious relationships and…and I know my problems are minuscule in comparison to yours, but I was wondering if you could help me."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I need you to try something on."

"Try something on?" I repeated, twisting my face into a curious expression only to raise both eyebrows, as he set something on the desk. It was a tiny velvet box, with an engagement ring in it — princess cut and damn expensive. "Merlin's tits! Ron!? You're getting engaged!? Congratulations!"

He motioned for me to lower my tone. "It — It's not official yet. I haven't asked. I — I was actually wondering if you could try that on and tell me if the fit is right. Daph mentioned something ages ago, about you two being the same ring size, and I know it would have been wiser to bring you to the ring shop with me and then buy one, but work has been insane and — and — yeah."

I couldn't help but laugh at his discomfort. "This is beyond hilarious."

"What — What do you mean?" he quickly asked, watching as I lifted the ring from the box. "Did I get the wrong one? Should I go back? Shit…shit…shit…"

"No, no, no — " I assured him, suppressing the laughter. "I'm just amazed that you, Ronald Bilius Weasley, wandered into a ring shop all on your own and managed to choose something this gorgeous!"

It was visible, the relief that passed over him. "Thank fuck."

"Bloody hell…" I mouthed, holding the ring to the light, captivated by the glimmer and the shine. "This must have cost a fortune."

"It did," he confirmed, sound rather pleased with himself. " — about three times as much as Bill's ring to Fleur."

I smiled, distantly reminded of Ron and his siblings, and their lighthearted, playful, competitive spirits. "Well, if you want my help, then you're going to have to tell me how you plan on proposing."

His face screwed. "Er — isn't there only one way? Will-you-marry-me."

"Ron…" I sighed, giving him a knowing look. "You need a plan. You can't just go in there with a ring and expect her to be blown away. I mean, she will be, I can assure you, but this is going to be one of the most pivotal moments in her life, as well as yours. It's important that you cater this moment to your relationship and everything you've shared thus far. Does any of that make sense?"

He scratched the back of his head. "I guess…but…what do I do?"

"Take her somewhere special, somewhere significant to both of you," I advised. "— and as far as words go, speak from your heart. Be yourself and be honest. The rest should fall into place." I made it sound simple, but proposing marriage to anyone was a difficult, emotionally overwhelming thing to do. "Here — give it a go right now."

"Now?" Ron asked, as though he'd been called up to do an oral presentation in the middle of class. "Er — okay. Don't laugh."

I dragged an invisible zipper between my lips and stood with him, meeting him at the centre of my office, where he pocketed the ring. I'll admit, it was a little surreal having him there, with me, alone, doing this, but so much time had passed since we were together that there was no tension between us — not an ounce.

"Daphne Greengrass," he started, looking straight into my eyes, grown up, mature, inspiring. "I'll be honest. I'm nervous. I'm shaking, not because I don't think this is right, but because this is finally happening. I'm standing right here, with you, and the world is right. I feel happy and so irreversibly in love with you, and at the same time, I also feel guilty, because I know I don't deserve someone as generous and as brilliant as you, Daphne, but I can't carry on a moment longer, without asking you something…"

Three Hours Later

It was around nine o'clock that I returned from work, exhausted beyond words and comprehension, spread across the loveseat, with a novel in my hands and my head resting on his lap. I glanced up every now and then, just to look at him, at his eyes as they moved left to right, absorbed in the words that made up his favourite novel (Great Expectations) for the umpteenth time.

"Tired?" he asked me, brushing through my hair with his free hand.

I didn't respond. I opted instead to finger-mark the novel before me (A Tale of Two Cities) and bring his hand to my lips, grazing the skin over his pulse, consumed by the rhythm and the beat. It was something I often did, usually to remind myself he was still there, with me, where I could out and touch him, and hear his voice and in turn, fall even deeper.

For some reason, what happened with Ron was fresh in my mind. I told Theo about it the moment I came home, and he was as ecstatic as I had been, about our friends finally tying the knot, but there was a trace of emptiness in his eyes that didn't go unnoticed, no matter how bad he wanted it to.

I knew, right then, that we were thinking the same thoughts, held back by the same fears.

Just like that, he set down Charles Dickens' classic novel and looked down, at me, drowning me in the oceans he had for eyes. "What's on your mind?"

"Just thinking," I told him, breathing in as a light breeze tickled my skin, absorbed in what possibilities remained. "Let's go somewhere."

"Go somewhere?" he repeated.

I nodded, moving upright, holding his hands in mine. "Just for a couple nights. I — I already cleared it with your Healer and he said you're more than healthy to take a weekend. I was thinking Paris, close enough but far enough. What do you think?"

Nott smiled. "If you wanted me to French kiss you, all you had to do was ask."

"Shut up," I laughed, moments before he put action to those words and brushed his lips over mine, coaxing them apart with one slide of his tongue. "You're so bad…" I told him, smiling against his lips, running my hands through his hair as his moved along my sides, caught in my blouse.

"I'm Slytherin," he reminded me, winking, as we separated to catch some air.

I breathed in and out, chest rising and falling, aware that the top few buttons on my blouse were undone. "So, is that a yes?"

"Yes, to going away for a couple nights," he answered, placing another kiss on my lips, and then down my neck, causing my eyes to flutter shut. "But I think I have a better idea, in terms of locale."

"Oh?" I managed to ask, open-mouthed and feverish. "Wh — Where?"

"It's a secret."

From there, he traced the tip of his tongue along the column of my throat, sending vibrations through me, as our bodies lowered onto the sofa. He was on top, kissing me, whilst working the other buttons on my blouse, exposing the black bra I had on underneath. It was strapless and lace — and thin enough to wipe that smooth smile from his face.

I looked up at him. "Tell me where we're going, and I'll let you take it off with your teeth."

"Granger," he vocalized, biting his bottom lip and running a hand through his hair, looking like a damned Calvin Klein advert without even trying. "Play fair."

"You may be Slytherin," I told him, tracing a finger over his lips. " — but I'm also Gryffindor, which means I'm used to winning."

For a moment, he didn't saying anything, surprised and turned on, and without one ounce of protest left in him. "Hogwarts," he murmured, sweeping me into another one of those delectable kisses, whilst I pulled the shirt off from over his head. " — we're going to Hogwarts."

A/N: Thoughts?

Oh, and the song for the last portion of this chapter is "Bed Peace" by Jhene Aiko feat. Childish Gambino. Give it a listen!

Cheers

xo.