Disclaimer: Not mine.

Five years later

"Very nice, Adela," I said, to the third year who had just hit her friend with a well placed Cheering Charm. "Ten points to Hufflepuff."

There was a knock at the door and everyone looked up at the face that was pressed against the window. I grinned, despite the interruption. "Alright, wands away. The bell will be ringing in any minute. For homework, I want you all to practice Cheering Charms."

The bell echoed and the door opened as there was a clatter as my third years got their stuff together to leave.

I cried out as I was lifted off my feet, students stopping to look at me. Blushing, I swatted the offender in the shoulder. "Put me down, Cedric!"

He did so, grinning and waving at students. "Nothing to see here. Go on with your day."

Hesitantly, the kids did so moving out the door. Some of them were laughing, sending me knowing glances while someone else gave a little wolf whistle. Still blushing, I moved over to the door and closed it, turning to face my boyfriend. "Not that I'm not ecstatic to see you, but what are you even doing here?" I asked him.

"Came to see my best girl of course," Cedric said, pressing a soft kiss against my lips. "I wrote McGonagall and she said it was alright. Oh, and to fulfill my promise."

"Promise?" I said, confused.

But Cedric didn't respond. He was busy walking through the rows of desk. Finally he sat down at my desk, opening the drawers. Smiling he said, "So you made it."

I smiled back. "I made it."

"How are you enjoying it so far? I mean, youngest Charms Professor ever at Hogwarts, youngest head of the Ravenclaw House, which I'm sure you love."

Flitwick had told me at the end of my training that he was too old to be doing this anymore. So while most of the older Professors, McGonagall, Sprout, and Slughorn stayed on, I began a new career. The only other person here who was as young as me (just older by two years), was the Muggle Studies teacher, Alexandra Topples.

"I do love it and I love teaching." I moved over to my desk. "The kids are great, funny. And my seventh years are off the wall but I think they're my favorite class. So . . . this promise?"

"Oh right." Cedric's grin, if possible, widened. "Six months ago, you taught me how to drive a car, remember?"

I rolled my eyes. "How could I forget?"

"Yes well, for the past six months, I've been trying to figure out a way to make it up to you and today, I just figured it out. What are you doing right now?"

"It's Lunch, so nothing."

"Great."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the office, running through the corridors as if we were nothing but students who still attended the school.

I stumbled slightly as we ran down the stairs at the front of the castle, out onto the grounds. "Where in the world are you taking me?" I called to him.

"It's a surprise," he called back.

But soon, I realized what was going on as he opened the gate to the Quidditch Pitch. "Oh no. Oh no, Cedric Diggory, you have absolutely lost your mind."

"You taught me how to drive, so I'm going to teach you how to fly." Cedric grinned at me as if he thought this was the greatest idea.

So not a good idea.

"I hate flying," I said as he moved to the broom closet. "You know I hate flying!"

"Come on, Evie," Cedric practically whined. "I want to do this for you because you taught me something. . . . Please?"

I crossed my arms, looking away from this guy I had fallen in love with. There was no way, no matter how much I love him, I was going to let him get me on a broom. First year when we had flying lessons was enough. I would never get back on a broom, I had told myself.

Cedric moved over in front of me, staring up at me with his wide eyes, lip poked out. My first years didn't even act this way. But I couldn't resist the look and he knew I couldn't. "Fine. Fine."

Grinning, Cedric handed me the second broom. "Alright now, swing your leg over like this. . . . There you go."

"This is insane," I muttered.

"It's alright," Cedric said. "I'll be right here next to you and I won't let anything happen to you. . . . Now, we'll count to three and then I want you to push up, from your knees, alright? Ready?"

"No."

"One . . ."

"This is crazy."

"Two . . ."

"I can't do this."

"Three!"

Despite my protesting, I pushed up from my knees like he had told me too, squeezing my eyes shut. I felt my hair, still too long drifted about me as air rushed around me.

"You're doing it!" I heard Cedric shout.

I went to open my eyes and saw that I was quickly rising and was at least thirty five feet in the air now. "Oh, wow. Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow! Cedric –"

But something wasn't right.

Why was I still rising?

The fact that something was wrong showed on Cedric's face. "Evie –"

My broom jerked and I screamed. It dropped suddenly, my stomach plummeting with it before it swerved to the left and back to the right. "I'm going to be sick!"

"Hang on, Evie!" Cedric cried, racing up to meet me.

But, obviously, my broom had other plans. Another jerk up, and it shot off like a rocket and I screamed again. I knew this was a bad idea! I had told him this was a horrible idea!

I could do nothing but hang on as my broom spiraled through one of the golden hoops. It pulled another swerve and the next thing I knew, I was zooming past Hagrid's hut. The broom, still traveling faster than anything, lowered slightly and I could feel my toes skimming the tops of the trees.

"Evie!" Cedric yelled behind me.

I clung onto my broom as hard as I could, my knuckles turning white. The broom dipped, hurtling me right into the forest. Branches and leaves slapped against my face and tore at my robes. The broom spun upside down for a moment before righting itself. I opened my eyes again and screamed. I didn't care then about the things that might be hidden in the forest at that moment.

All I was worried about was the giant tree looming in front of me and the fact that I was speeding right towards it.

I closed my eyes, bracing myself for impact. I hoped it wouldn't hurt too much.

I felt myself jerk forward, my hair flying into my face.

Was I okay?

Slowly, I opened my eyes, surprised to find that I was inches away from the tree, the tip of my broom almost touching the bark. Behind me, Cedric was panting and gripping onto the back of the broom. "You okay?" he asked through breaths.

And for some reason, I found that hilarious. I started laughing, hard, almost falling from my broom. Tears spilt from my eyes and I looked over my shoulder at Cedric who was watching me amused. I was still laughing when he lowered us the few feet to the ground. I slid from my broom, collapsing to the ground. Cedric threw the brooms off to the side before sitting down beside me. "So maybe this wasn't the best idea," he said.

I smiled, reaching up to brush the leaves from his hair. "It was a good idea. Despite the mind-blowing terror and constant threat of death, I had a lot of fun."

Cedric laughed. "You're really weird you know."

"I thought you knew that already."

We sat there in silence for a minute, our hands interlocked. Cedric started playing with my fingers in a random sort of way that indicated he was nervous about something. "There was another reason I came here today."

"Besides just coming to see me?" I asked, grinning.

He chuckled lightly. "Yes besides that. . . . It's been nearly seven years now, hasn't it, since we started going out."

"Seven years," I agreed, amazed at the realization. Had it really been so long?

"And, it doesn't seem like I'm going to leave any time soon," he said.

"Same here."

"So why don't we make it official?"

I looked at him in surprise. "Cedric . . . are you trying to ask me what I think you're trying to ask me?"

"I suppose so, if you're willing to be bound to me for the rest of however long," he said, grinning.

I laughed lightly. This wasn't exactly how I thought someone would propose to me but it didn't matter coming from Cedric. "I think I can live with that," I told him.

Cedric reached up to place his hand on my cheek, his fingers lightly tangling in my hair. I met him halfway, our lips meeting.

I had everything I could wish for. A good job, a loving fiancé. . . .

A proposal in the forbidden forest. . . .

Yes.

Life was good.

A/N: So that's the end of that. I want to thank everyone who read this story and the prequel. You guys are great and I will see you next time.