Surprise surprise to the world's shittiest epilogue!!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco stood in front of Ginny's aqua green door fixing his silky black, diamond trimmed bow tie. He smirked. Black suited him well. A beautiful velvet box prodded against his chest. He hid the bouquet of intricate red roses behind his back and prepared to apparate in when he decided against it and knocked for the first time in many weeks. Draco smiled foolishly.

As the door swung open, Draco faced the red head, but suddenly, his smile evaporated.

"No." Draco said.

"No?"

"Go back."

"What are you talking about? You asked ME on this date. You're canceling now?" She pushed heatedly.

"I'm not canceling. Go back and change."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing? Do I have a stain or something?"

Draco frowned. "No."

Ginny stared at Draco frustratingly. "I'm not moving until you tell me a reason."

"It's not formal enough."

"What do you mean, it's not formal enough?"

"You're wearing pants. Why are you wearing pants?"

"I always wear pants! You never objected!"

"But this is a DATE. You wear dresses or skirts maybe."

"We've been on plenty dates before and I wore pants and you never said anything."

"Well, I'm saying it now. Go put on a dress for once."

"No."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Look how I'm dressed… and look how you're dressed. I look like an overdressed fool." Draco persisted.

"It's not my fault you're practically gay with clothes"

"Come ON, you have plenty of dresses and even more skirts. Would it hurt to wear them?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Ginny! Can't you just wear a dress for once? For me? I'm wearing all silk and satin right now. And you come out in khakis."

"If I wear a dress, I have to fix my hair."

"It's okay, I can wait."

"Oh, I don't care if you wait, it's because I DON'T want to be fixing my hair. I'm tired."

"Tired of what? Unemployment?"

"Shut up."

"You haven't had a job for 3 weeks now! What are you thinking of doing? You're not even trying to go out and look for a job."

Ginny glared. "That's because I'm making the most out of the last big paycheck they gave me. You know that. You know I can go anywhere and get the job."

"Yeah- always calling me arrogant too." Draco muttered, just loudly enough.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"I heard something about arrogant. You shouldn't be talking about yourself too often. It's bad for you."

"There it goes again. Every single day, it always comes down to me being a bastard. I always win in the end, anyways. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"No. Because YOU don't always win. I do."

"Whatever. Just go back in there and change, I'll be waiting."

"Forget it."

"Come back out with that real pretty blue dress I brought you."

"What makes you so sure I'll be coming back out again?" Ginny spat.

Draco smirked. "Because, you always do."

Ginny huffed and slammed the door shut behind her. He smiled at sat down on the ground next to the door, reaching into his breast pocket and fingering the soft velvet box.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Draco?"

"Draco?" Ginny prodded his shoulder.

Draco jerked his head up, colliding with the wall behind him. "OW!"

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Draco wiped his eyes sleepily. He was still sitting on the cold floor next to Ginny's door.

"What time is it?"

"It's almost ten now."

"WHAT?"

"Get up. Have you been here the whole time?"

"Of course I have! Why didn't you… Why haven't you even changed?"

"I didn't think you'll stay. I showered and everything. Came outside to take the garbage out. I can't believe you were here the whole three hours."

Draco scowled and stood up. "I wouldn't have if I had known it'd take three hours."

Ginny smiled. "Of course. Wait here for a sec. Let me get changed and I'll take you out for coffee."

"Reservations… I had it all set out…" Draco moaned.

"Oh stop hissing. It'll be one second." Ginny said, rushing back in. She came out two minutes later, wearing the dark blue, silk dress that Draco had bought for her the week before.

"It's too cold for a dress now, Ginny. Let's just forget it. How's dinner tomorrow?" He asked with a hint of sadness.

"Don't be silly. I never get cold. I was craving some coffee anyways." Ginny locked the door and skipped down the hall, with Draco watching her from behind.

He smiled.

OOOOOOOOOO

By the time they arrived, Ginny was shaking under Draco's suit jacket and Madame Puddifoot (whatever her name was.) was closing up. Ginny ran in before the lady could do anything.

"Miss- I'm closing up already."

Ginny smiled sweetly. "I just really need coffee, please. That man sat on the cold floor waiting for me for three hours and I owe it to him.

Madame Puddifoot faced Draco and he could have sworn that he saw her eyelashes blinking faster than usual..

"Oh, I left some of my things back in the kitchen. I guess, while I'm there, I can fix you two something."

"Two coffees please." Ginny told the madame.

"Sure thing."

Ginny turned in her seat to face Draco. "I'm really impressed by you, Draco."

"You are, aren't you?"

She grinned. "You have to admit though, today, I won."

"And you have to admit, love and life aren't a game."

"Oh, stop it. Let me have some moments of pride. But, hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to stay so long."

"I would wait my whole life for you."

Ginny flinched. "Please- don't get so mushy on me. It's rather embarrassing."

"I know." He said, taking the coffee from the tray.

She rolled her eyes and drank her coffee. They sat for a few moments in calm, blissfully fulfilling their bodies with the rich, bitter taste.

"Hey, Ginny?"

"Mhm?"

"The reason why I didn't like you wearing pants earlier was because I wanted you to be wearing a dress on this occasion."

"What occasion is that?"

"This isn't the time and setting that I imagined but I'm afraid if I wait for tomorrow, I'll die."

"Then wait for tomorrow." She replied, sipping the coffee.

Draco retrieved the small, delicate velvet box and slid it to her side.

"Ginny, will you marry me?"

She stared at the box intensely. She could already see the ring, incrested with millions of diamond and rubies and sapphires and emeralds that were way too heavy for her frail fingers. Was this for real? Was Draco Malfoy really proposing to her in the restaurant that was ranked first for the 'most proposals?' Ever since she was a child, she imagined her true love confessing his desires for her. She imagined him holding her hand, laughing. She imagined their wedding with flowers and trees and she imagined this moment. Would it be at the beach? Would it be out in the street in front of the whole world? Or would it just be at a restaurant, as they eat?

"No."

"What?"

"No. This is too unoriginal."

"What?"

"Next time you want to propose, think of something creative so it'll be special. I expected better from you."

"What do you mean- better than what?"

"This. I liked you because you were different. I liked you because you were sporadic and original. I thought if you ever proposed to me, it would be something special. But look at this. Hundreds of women get proposed to like this. How cliché'd is this?"

Draco scoffed. "You're saying no because you think this is cliché? You wanted me to think of the most creative way to propose to you?"

"I didn't want you to. I expected you to."

"You amaze me. I've always known you were a stubborn- what I mean is, I always knew you were stubborn and egotistical, but wow- I didn't think you'll actually go this far. There's no other woman in this world who would say no because they don't like the way he proposed to her."

"I'm different."

"Yeah- I caught unto that, thank you."

"Look, Draco, I really like you. God forbid, I may even love you. But I've been imagining this moment my whole life and not once did I dream that it would be like this. I always wanted something else. I definitely don't want 'us' to be over- but right now, I have to think about this. I do want to marry you. But my greedy soul is begging… I'll see you tomorrow, Draco." She said, kissing him lightly on the cheek and walking away. Draco sat, watching from the corner of his eye until she was out of sight.

He smiled.

OOOOOOOOOO

Was I being too greedy? Was that probably the stupidest thing I have ever done? What has happened to me? Did I really reject virtually the sweetest man alive because of a stupid childish dream? Or was I just too hesitant and blurted out a no without meaning it? What does he think of me now? Are we really over? Am I that selfish? Should I go back and apologize?

Ginny stopped on the deserted Hogsmeade street. She could have sworn on her own grave that she heard a small noise coming from somewhere around her. Was it Draco? She left her deep thoughts briefly and looked around. There was nobody. She shivered and looked down and gasped.

-dun dun dun-

It wasn't blood but that's what first triggered into her mind. No, it was a bold, crimson rose petal, lying lonely on the street. She picked it up gingerly. She had never seen a rose so red like this before, it amazed her.

However, she only took a few more steps before coming across another petal, just as red and just as beautiful. She picked it up as well.

She looked ahead of her and dropped both petals. On the street was a long trail of rose petals, stretching out far past her view. Her walk grew faster and faster until she was running, following the line until she reached the headquarters of the Daily Prophet where a bouquet of roses lay at the door, on top of the next morning's papers. She gathered both in her arms, the sweet, intoxicating smell arising her senses. Her eyes caught onto the newspaper. It wasn't smart leaving the newspaper out early, for anybody can come out and see it beforehand.

Ginny sat down on the cement to read. It had been a while, since she really had unsubscribed. The first page seemed the same; more information about the new wizarding school they were building, death of Professor Sprout, special announcements…

Ginny flipped the page when a line of bold words on the bottom of the front page caught her eye. She turned it back.

It read:

Special announcements

Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?

From above, a silver ring fell on top. Ginny looked up to see Draco Malfoy grinning down at her.

"I went through a lot of trouble trying to get that on the newspaper. Had to go around to all the other people who had announcements and give them my autograph."

"You- newspaper… tomorrow… Everybody will- you… ring."

"I win."

She looked down the ring. It was plain and silver- real silver with intricate engravings of a rose- to when Ginny looked closer, it seemed to have twice as many thorns as what usual roses had- and a snake wrapped around. It was slightly gory- for the thorns went through the snake's body in several places but at the top, the snake's mouth was wide open, ready to consume the rosebud.

She loved it. She was the thorny rose and Draco was the poor, but hopeful snake.

"I thought- the box looked so expensive… I assumed the ring would be…"

Draco handed her the box and she opened it. It was completely empty. It was not a ring carrying box. It was merely a small cardboard box covered with rich velvet.

Ginny chuckled. "How did you know that I'd say no?"

"You always do."

"Am I really this predictable?"

"Yeah."

"When did you have time do all this?"

"You were too cold to notice. I dropped all this while we walked and when we passed this place, I gave you my jacket and put the flowers here while you put it on."

"You're too sweet for me."

"Yeah, I am."

Ginny stood up.

"Look, Draco, I was stupid and selfish. I really don't des-"

"If you're going to say no because you don't deserve me, I'll be really depressed. I wasn't sad when you left me at Madame Puddifoots. Okay, I was a little because I thought you were buying the coffee, but I planned it all out. This way, you'd realize how impossible you really are and…"

Smiling brightly, Ginny flung her arms around him molding her shivering lips with his warm ones. She sighed. Draco wrapped his strong arms around her waist, lifting her up in the air and twirling her, making her squeal like an utter child, and she loved it—she loved him.

If you asked her just six months ago if she would have seen herself like this, so completely in love with Draco Malfoy, buried in his arms, basking in his husky scent. She would have laughed and thrown coffee at your face.

But he had done it and broken her icy shields. And despite everything she stood for before she met him, the idol of all feminists, an intolerable bitch, an erratic redhead, she didn't mind giving her all to him.

Love—she could love freely.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Yeah, I have a secret. I actually had this chapter all written and hidden away for a very long time, I think even before I finished the last chapter of the story. But after rereading it, I kind of wanted to barf. It is immensely cheesy and it is immensely prosaic but I guess I'm in the mood right now. So yes, flame me, hate me for ruining a perfectly fine ending and making the characters all suddenly completely different (and no longer bitchy—sad…) but ah, I guess… love changes people. I really didn't want to put this epilogue up (and I really despise doing epilogues) but you know, this world just needs a bit more love right now.

So happy Valentines day (in a few weeks) and hope you're not too mad!