A/N: Okay, so…
I know I said the epilogue will be my last chapter, but I felt as if Theo, Harry, and Narcissa deserve more than a brief mention in Hermione and Draco's happy ending.
But because of this, I'm about 110 KB into the epilogue. That's why I'm going to divide it into three parts that I'll be posting over the next week. Maybe I'll even finish polishing the other two chapters over the weekend.

The three parts will be:
1. Harry and Theo
2. Narcissa
3. Hermione and Draco

Now, I know that a lot of readers don't like a first-person narrative, but I had a difficult time writing this chapter in third-person. It just didn't come out right.
Please note that this chapter contains some explicit sexual content between Theo and Harry.

Songs to listen to:
Niall Horan – Heaven
Ellie Goulding – Still Falling For You
Daisy Gray - Wicked Game

Chapter 28:

Theo and Harry: A surprise proposal

TPOV

"This is painful to watch," I grimace and turn to Draco. "Whose brilliant idea was this again?"

Right now, Malik and Bailey are having a sex talk with the older students as punishment for getting caught having sex in an abandoned classroom after curfew. And as Draco and Hermione should have predicted, every single student is making jokes and laughing like immature idiots every time the head boy or head girl uses the word sex.

But worse than that…Bailey is currently demonstrating how to use a condom. On a banana.

Bailey's hand slips on the condom and punches the banana straight through the latex. "Whoops," he says, flushing crimson. "That's not supposed to happen. But the tip of the banana is much sharper than an actual…p-penis."

Gods, I can't take any more of this disaster. Can someone just put the head boy out of his misery so this whole ordeal can be over and done with?

"I'm going to go ahead and give Granger all the credit for this idea," Draco says and grins. "It's rather obvious that Bailey is inexperienced with condoms."

"Shouldn't he know how to use them?" I ask Draco. "I thought his mother is a muggle-born?"

"The point is," Hermione joins in, "It's clear that everyone needs a lot of practice, because the way things are going right now, half of the school's witches will be pregnant in a month if they have to rely on muggle methods of contraception." She nudges her head toward the students where Levi Holder and Quinn Fawley are practising on their own bananas to cheers from the crowd of teenagers.

A collective hiss sounds when they, too, break their condoms.

It's a good thing Draco and I aren't leading the demonstration. We wouldn't have done a good job either.

Draco wraps a hand around Hermione's shoulder and asks her, "Why can't they just use their wands to cast a contraceptive charm?"

Hermione rolls her eyes, but she indulgently humours Draco. "Because a lot of them aren't of age yet, and if they find themselves in a position to have sex while they're not in school, they aren't allowed to use magic. And I'm sure most of the girls aren't on the potion."

"Right," Draco says with a nod and chews his cheek. "Makes sense, I guess."

"What did you do when you weren't of age yet and school was out for the holidays?" she asks Draco. "Because I'm pretty sure you didn't abstain."

"He pulled out," I pitch in with an explanation. "You know…right before coming. He's always been very careful not to get a witch pregnant."

Hermione pulls a face. "I wish I could say I'm used to the way you and Draco overshare about everything, but I'm not. It's weird."

"It's not weird," I disagree with a chuckle. "It's like having debriefing sessions with your best mate. No pun intended."

Hermione shakes her head and Draco laughs.

Draco and I are very open with each other. Always have been.

"It's educational; a good way to learn from each other's mistakes," Draco explains.

"But…Theo's gay," Hermione points out and frowns. "How on earth does that help you?"

"He's had sex with a witch or two before he embraced his sexual orientation," Draco states. "Besides, the do's and don'ts when trying to pick up a witch or a wizard for a one-night stand are basically the same. Discussing our sexual encounters helps build experience."

I agree with a nod. This topic hasn't come up with Hermione before, and her confusion is understandable. "There was a point, before I met Harry, when I was still figuring out what I liked and didn't like. And I was scared of my father finding out that I preferred men. So, I tried to see if I could make myself fall in love with a witch instead."

"That's terrible," Hermione gasps with sympathy and reaches out to squeeze my shoulder in support.

Always fighting for the underdog.

I think that's one of my absolute favourite things about her—her beautiful heart.

"It is what it is," I shrug casually.

But I'm incredibly relieved that my father is locked up in Azkaban for life, because I'm pretty sure he would have killed me for falling in love with a wizard had he still been around to witness it. For planning to propose to Harry.

xxx

After a successful solo tutoring session (Draco and Hermione had a couples counselling appointment tonight), I head back to my room to take a shower. I'm not looking forward to grading essays tonight, but Harry and I are leaving on our safari trip tomorrow.

Harry has been distant for the past week, and I'm starting to worry that something is wrong. That he is withdrawing again.

Things have been great lately, and that's why I've felt confident about proposing to him for what would hopefully be the last time. Until now…

An entire week of silence doesn't exactly leave me feeling complacent.

I suppose I'll see how this weekend away with Harry and our friends turns out. Hopefully, I'll be able to gauge how he's feeling about getting married. And if I have to wait another month, another year while we continue our therapy sessions, I'll do just that. There is never going to be anyone else for me.

Harry is the love of my life and I'll wait an eternity if it means he'll agree to marry me.

But it doesn't mean I'm going to let him off the hook for ignoring me for an entire week without some proper grovelling.

So, when I walk into my quarters to find the wizard in question waiting for me on the couch, it's game on.

Let the grovelling begin…

"Hi love," Harry says as if nothing's amiss and gets up from the couch to greet me. He's still in his Auror robes and fuuuck! He looks extremely handsome right now.

Stay strong Nott!

I dodge his kiss and say, "You look familiar." I eye him up and down and cock a brow. "You're that Potter bloke, right?" And then I turn away to pour myself a drink.

"Oh, come on, love. Don't be like this. I'm sorry I haven't owled or visited you this week."

"Didn't even notice," I grumble and tip back the contents of my glass with a gasp.

"Sure…" He chuckles and walks up to me. "I suppose that's why you're not pouting right now." Without waiting for a reply, he wraps me in a tight embrace.

"Don't know what you mean," I hedge, but my resolve is crumbling. I shouldn't be so easily swayed.

"Look, I know I've been a terrible boyfriend this week. I've neglected you, and I'm sorry." He turns me around in his arms to face him. "I've been swamped at work trying to make up for the shifts I'll be missing this weekend. But I came by tonight because I miss you too much to go another night without seeing you."

"I suppose I understand," I sigh and a traitorous smile hitches up at one corner of my mouth.

"Is it okay if I stay over tonight?" he asks.

"I guess McGonagall wouldn't mind having the Golden Boy join us for breakfast tomorrow morning."

"Yeah…about that," he grimaces. "I have to get up very early to finish up some last-minute paperwork tomorrow before we leave for the weekend."

I reach out and push his hair out of his eyes, my stomach swooping from the raw intensity of his gaze as he watches me. "Okay. I guess that's fine since I'm getting you all to myself this weekend." I lean in and press a kiss to his lips, whispering, "Come take a shower with me?"

"Absolutely," He grins against my mouth and nips at my bottom lip. "I hope you weren't planning on getting much sleep tonight. I've got a whole week to make up for and very little time to do it."

"Nothing a Pepperup Potion and a Vitamin Vial can't fix," I say and reach for his belt buckle.

The essays will have to wait…

xxx

"Have you heard anything from Draco and Hermione?" I ask Harry on Friday evening from my chair on the deck outside our tent suite.

The sun has already set, and while I can no longer see the wild animals roaming around, the sounds confirm that the nightlife is active and thriving all around us.

Thanks to the light of the fire, I catch the reflection of small round eyes every now and then. And even though Harry explained to me that this is a muggle safari lodge and that I'm not, under any circumstances allowed to use magic, I cast a set of wards earlier when Harry wasn't paying attention, just to keep the animals from paying us a visit during the night.

Our suite is an open-concept, luxury canvas tent with a massive canopy bed draped in sheer linen, fluffy pillows and a thick duvet that we are absolutely not planning to sleep under tonight.

Because it's just so fucking hot here!

Thank Merlin Harry made me pack cooler clothes for the trip.

It completely slipped my mind that it's summer in Africa right now, with January and February being some of the hottest months.

And because of this, there are critters everywhere…

Every now and then, a blue lamp (Harry calls it a bug zapper) cracks and sizzles as some kind of bug makes its acquaintance with the lamp. So far, it's mostly been mosquitos.

It's satisfying and gross all at the same time.

Harry, however, doesn't even bat an eye when the lamp cracks unexpectedly. His muggle upbringing has desensitized him to these kinds of things.

"No. Not a word," Harry says and takes a mouthful of beer. "If they haven't arrived by morning, I'll send an owl to find out what's going on. But, for tonight, how about we forget about everyone else and just enjoy our little breakaway?"

Luckily, there's no one close by. The suites are scattered far enough apart that guests feel as if they are alone out here, and the only prying eyes are the wild animals that hunt and graze in the dark. The last game drive was at sunset—Harry and I had gone on that tour—and now, the two of us are truly alone for the first time since our arrival earlier.

Good thing too, because if anyone had walked or driven by an hour ago, they would have been treated to one hell of a show as Harry had well and truly fucked my brains out when he'd insisted the two of us 'christen' our bed.

When we arrived here by Portkey around five o'clock, we'd gone for a couples massage, enjoyed some champagne, and then, relaxed and slightly buzzed from the alcohol, joined a bunch of khaki-clad tourists to go on the sunset safari drive.

So far, I'm enjoying myself immensely. This safari breakaway is something completely different to any place my friends and I have been to before, and perhaps I'll bring Harry back here to propose in a few weeks.

I suppose I could take Harry to a spa or to a Mediterranean island to propose. We could even use Blaise's holiday home in Greece, but something about the way Harry's eyes had lit up when he'd spotted the lions, wildebeests, giraffes and elephants during the sunset drive through the Bushveld, the way he'd gushed about the whole African aesthetic upon our arrival and the way he's looking more relaxed right now than I've seen him in a long time, makes me feel confident that this is where I want to propose. Too bad I didn't bring the ring along.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks from his chair beside me and reaches out to twine our fingers together.

Harry's hair is still damp from our recent shower, a few dark strands clinging to his temples and the back of his neck. But with this overwhelming heat, even at ten in the evening, we might need another shower again soon.

"I love it here. This has been the best day I've had in a long time."

"I can think of something to make it even better," Harry smirks and sets his beer down on the coffee table. He releases my hand, pushes out of his chair and kneels in front of me, nudging my knees apart.

Oh gods, yes…

I groan wantonly when Harry grips my thighs and yanks me forward on the chair. And when he reaches for the buckle on my trousers, I'm already half-hard with anticipation.

My blood whooshes deafeningly in my ears while Harry slips my belt from its loops, unzips my trousers and frees my cock with sure, steady hands.

He gives me a lascivious grin, those emerald eyes hot and penetrating, before he slips my cock into his mouth with a hum of appreciation that makes my stomach clench, taking me as deep as he can.

"Fuck, love. That's it!" I gasp and my hips buck involuntarily, forcing myself deeper down his throat. "Don't stop."

I can feel his answering groan resonate all the way in the marrow of my bones, and it makes my cock throb and my balls tighten in a warning. And Merlin, how the fuck can I already be so close to coming after the vigorous sex we had earlier?

But nothing…nothing comes close to how greedy Harry gets whenever he wraps his lips around my cock. It feels like the rawest kind of magic! He's so good at this—so singularly focused on making my toes curl, my jaw clench and my back arch every time he coaxes a climax from my body—that he makes me feel as if there's nothing else he'd rather be doing in the moment. As if I'm the only thing he needs.

I fist my hands in Harry's unruly hair, clench my jaw and take over, forcing my cock even deeper until he gags and his throat spasms around me in response.

A strangled cry tears from my mouth and I feel delirious. Out of control. Greedy.

Because, Merlin, this feels so fucking good.

When Harry slips his hand to my balls and then massages two fingers against my taint, my head tips back and a string of curses tumble over my lips.

I don't even know what I'm saying right now or if my words make any sense.

When Harry adds his teeth to scrape gently against my shaft as he swallows me deeper, heat unexpectedly curls deep in my belly, my muscles contract and a burst of white light explodes behind my lids before my dick throbs once. Twice. And then I climax with a growl, ramming my cock as deep as possible with turbulent bucks of my hips.

My cum spurts hot and thick down Harry's throat, over and over until there's nothing left of me but a boneless, trembling mess, my head spinning from the intensity of my orgasm.

"Fuck, Potter," I sigh and drag a heavy hand down my face in hopes of regaining my composure.

Harry smirks up at me from where he's still kneeling between my legs, looking so smug and sexy and dishevelled that I'm already feeling my blood starting to simmer again. I pull him into my lap and capture his lips, drowning in his heat.

I lose myself in the feeling of his body pressed so tightly against mine.

My gods, I'm so in love with this man…

With slow, languid kisses, I plunder Harry's mouth, devouring the mixture of my cum and his signature spicy taste. I could die a happy man just like this, right now without any regrets, because life simply cannot get better than this.

When I cup Harry's cock through his trousers, he groans in response and whispers against my lips, "Please, Nott… I need you to make love to me."

xxx

I carried Harry to our bed last night after that spectacular blowjob out on the deck and kept him busy for hours. I worshipped every inch of his skin that my lips and hands could find, clung to his mouth, and lost myself inside him until we were both sore and utterly exhausted.

And while I'd been convinced last night that life couldn't possibly get better than it already had, seeing Harry on bended knee before me right now shows me how very wrong I'd been.

With the sun rising in pinks and peaches behind him, and a ring box clutched in his hand as he kneels next to a massive hot air balloon is putting all our past experiences to shame.

"Theo…love…" he says and ruffles his hair with one hand, the other firmly curled around the ring box. "I know our relationship has had a lot of ups and downs over the years. I know I've been hesitant to commit. And I'm so sorry for all the times I pushed you away."

My eyes sting with sudden tears and, overwhelmed by this moment, I wrap a palm over my eyes to stop myself from crying. Not in a million years did I expect Harry to propose to me.

A couple of seconds later, I feel Harry wrap his arms around me and then he squeezes me tightly. "I promise I'll never push you away again if I'm scared or overwhelmed. Because I'd rather spend the time we have enjoying and loving each other, instead of living a single day without you in my life. I want kids, no matter how that looks. I want to build a life with you, a family. And I want to spend every day of forever showing you how much I love you. How grateful I am for your patience and commitment."

He pulls out of our embrace and pops open the ring box to reveal the most beautiful tungsten ring with an Orion nebula inlay that proves he knows exactly what I like. That he's been listening to every offhanded comment I've made over the years about my ring preferences.

It's perfect in every way.

"I'm so in love with you, Nott. That much has never changed. And I swear I'll never break your heart again. I'll do everything in my power to make you happy. Just please, say you'll marry me?"

"Of course, I'll fucking marry you," I laugh and wipe away the tears with the back of my hand. "I've been waiting years for this day. Even if I thought I'd be the one proposing."

"You deserve to know that I'm serious about us, love. After everything you've done to fight for our relationship, you deserve a man who is willing to fight for your heart in return. And I'll be damned if I'm not the man who gets to spend forever showing you I'm worth the trouble."

xxx

Seeing the sun rise over the Bushveld from high up in the African sky while Harry and I drink mimosas and savour a delicious spread of croissants, cold meats, cheeses and fruit is the perfect way to bask in our recent engagement.

I couldn't have asked for a better surprise.

Usually, not a single detail or secret slips my notice, but somehow, Harry has managed to throw me off completely with his surprise proposal.

And I have my suspicions as to how it happened.

Draco and Hermione…

They must have had a hand in all of this. And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

Hermione suddenly cancelling our brainstorming coffee date.

Draco suggesting that Harry and I join Hermione and him for a weekend getaway. His insistence that they take a separate portkey, and then never showing up.

Harry's distance this week.

"Draco and Hermione knew about this, didn't they?" I ask Harry and press a kiss to his lips.

He offers me a sheepish grin and shrugs, "I needed help with the perfect proposal. I wanted to show you how much I love you and how serious I am about us."

"I wish I could have been there to witness Draco's reaction."

"Believe me, it was one for the books. I accidentally interrupted them right as they were about to have sex. After months of waiting…"

I bark a laugh because I can totally picture Draco's reaction. "Bet he wasn't very happy about the cock block."

"I think he was ready to wring my neck if I'm being honest," Harry admits, smirking. "But the moment I told him of my plans, it was like seeing a whole different side to him. I can see how much he cares about you. And he wants only the best for you."

"I'm lucky to have a best friend like him," I agree. "We've been through hell and back together. And there are some things in life that you cannot experience together without forming a lifelong friendship."

"I get it," Harry nods solemnly and tips the last of his mimosa into his mouth. "It's the same for Hermione and me. After the troll incident in our first year, we became inseparable. She was there for me when I lost Sirius, Dumbledore, and Lupin. She modified her parents' memories and stood by me through the Horcrux hunt even when Ron walked away. She didn't judge me when I told her Ginny and I weren't getting back together. That you and I had sex. That I prefer men."

"They'll always have our loyalty and our love," I declare.

"And if you're okay with it, I want them to be best man and maid of honour at our wedding," Harry says and takes my hand, lifting it to his lips to press a kiss against my skin. And the way he's looking at me, his eyes warm and his expression open, almost takes my breath away.

No more walls. No more barriers. No more hesitance whatsoever.

"Absolutely. There's no one else I'd want standing beside us at our wedding than the two of them."

"How does a June wedding sound?" he asks me with a twinkle in his eyes. "I don't want to wait too long to make you my husband, but I suppose it's only fair to wait until after Pansy and Astoria's wedding in April."

"I'll marry you whenever you want, Potter. You just name the time and place."

A/N: I hope you liked this little breakaway with Harry and Theo.
I can't guarantee exactly when Narcissa's chapter will be posted, but I'm aiming for Friday.
Fingers crossed.
x
See you soon