A/N: You guys are awesome, thank you for all the support with this story! And to ease your worries, this is not the last chapter; there's still two more to go. In the meantime, I hope you're all having a wonderful week!

Tallyho!

Chapter 27:

It was the five year anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts and the end of the Second Wizarding War. There would be a large gala party held in Harry's and the other war heroes honor and in honor of those who sadly did not survive the battle.

Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Pansy were all getting ready together at Malfoy Manor while the boys (Draco and Blaise included) were killing time at the Burrow until it was time to get the girls. Over the years, the four girls and guys had grown quite close. Ron and Pansy had started dating shortly after that night Hermione had caught them talking and the two had been inseparable ever since. They were so crazy about each other, it was hard to believe that they once hated one another. As for Blaise and Luna, they had fallen madly in love with each other. Blaise had grown to appreciate Luna's quirkiness and Luna brought out the best in him. They got engaged a couple weeks ago and were hoping to get married in August, next year. Ginny and Harry had gotten married last year in a small and private wedding; they saw Teddy frequently throughout each week and both simply adored the tyke. A couple days ago, Ginny had just discovered that she was pregnant and planned on telling Harry at the party tonight. Hermione squealed with joy when she heard the news and continued to smile as she got ready. As for Hermione and Draco, they were living together in a modest apartment (they had moved shortly after getting their jobs) and were doing very well. Both worked long hours, as they had worked their ways up to the top of their respective careers, but they always made time for each other and hardly ever fought. Narcissa and Hermione still got along famously and the Grangers loved Draco like their own. Needless to say, they were very happy together.

As for Theo, he wouldn't be attending the party as he had chosen to travel for a few years after the war. He was currently in New York with a young half-blood witch named Greer that he had met in Quebec. They seemed to be very happy together.

The girls were sharing many stories and laughs as they got ready. Pansy would be wearing a silver strapless dress that had a sparkly beaded bodice that continued all the way down the dress until they spread out and eventually stopped halfway down the bottom of the dress. Her long hair was teased to give it more volume and held up in a ponytail with some strands of hair falling loose around her face. Luna was wearing a black hi-lo dress. It had capped sleeves and had a small tie in the front of the dress and had pockets which made her very happy. She had a large braid that wrapped around the crown of her head then led to an intricate bun on the back, courtesy of Ginny.

Speaking of Ginny, the redhead was wearing a spaghetti strap gown that was a dark beige color and was beaded all along the bodice and bottom part of the dress with a small dark brown strap that acted as a belt right across her rib cage. Her hair had been curled into small ringlets and half of it was held up with some small clips. Last, was Hermione. She was wearing a blush colored gown with capped sleeves that was covered head to toe in sequins. Her curly hair (which had calmed down over the years and gone from bushy curls to cascading waves) was pulled back into a messy bun with some strands of hair falling loosely around her face. Each woman had done their own makeup and shared pieces of jewelry that they thought would work for each other's dresses.

As Hermione was helping Pansy put a pearl necklace on, Narcissa came into the room. "The boys are here," she said as she got a good look at all four girls. "Wow. You all look stunning! I think the boys are going to have a hard time picking their jaws up from the floor."

Ginny and Pansy laughed at that idea while Luna just smiled dreamily. Hermione, however, began to get a nervous knot in her stomach. She had been against the party in the first place since she felt it was just a big propaganda stunt by the Ministry but Ginny had convinced her to go and enjoy herself anyway. Just after she had agreed to go, however, she had been asked by Kingsley himself to make a speech at the party. Harry would be making one as well (Ron had declined the offer) but that didn't ease her nerves. She had a speech prepared in her clutch but she was still dreading the idea of making it. Now that the day was here, she just wanted to apparate back home and hide in her closet until it was all over. Narcissa seemed to sense Hermione's apprehension and grabbed her hands to comfort the girl.

"You look beautiful," the blonde said. Hermione smiled weakly at her. Narcissa chuckled. "You have nothing to be worried about. I've heard your speech and it's wonderful." She pulled Hermione in for a hug. "You're going to be great," she whispered in her ear before pulling back and smiling at her. Hermione returned the smile, her nerves quieted for the time being.

She took a deep breath, grabbed her bag and followed the rest of the girls out to meet the guys. Narcissa threw her arm around Hermione's shoulder and she wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist as they walked into the foyer. They were talking quietly about what Narcissa planned on planting in the garden this upcoming summer when Hermione saw Draco. Her breath hitched in her throat as she looked at him: he was wearing a very nice black muggle suit (the dress code for men allowed them to wear robes or muggle suits, whichever they preferred), a white dress shirt and a black tie. Hermione had seen him dressed up before (at Harry and Ginny's wedding to be exact) but something about seeing him dressed up in a muggle suit made her heart flutter.

Draco grinned when he saw her and began to walk towards her. Narcissa smiled and patted Hermione's shoulder before leaving the couple alone and walking over to Andromeda. "Hi," Hermione said shyly.

"Hi," he replied, still grinning. "You… you look beautiful."

She bit her lip and smiled. "Thank you. You look very handsome, yourself."

He chuckled and leaned in to kiss her but it was short lived a small "Ew" came from the other side of the room. The couple looked to find little Teddy in Ginny's arms, covering his eyes as he witnessed his godmother kiss her boyfriend.

"What do you mean 'ew?'" Hermione asked, laughing as she walked to her godson and took him into her arms.

"Kissing is gwoss!" the five year old said.

"You never say 'ew' when you kiss me or Ginny, though," Hermione argued.

Teddy shrugged. "That's diffwent!"

The adults laughed. "Whatever you say, sweetie," Hermione said. She kissed Teddy goodbye as did Harry and Ginny before leaving him with Andromeda and Narcissa would be watching him for the night. The four couples then piled into the carriages that would be taking them to the party all the while enjoying the company of their friends.

The party was in full swing. Many people were out on the dancefloor while others were socializing at various tables. Hermione and Draco were dancing to a melodic love song and were currently in their own little world. Neither had stopped smiling and they were constantly laughing and sharing little inside jokes with each other. Pansy had joked that if she didn't know exactly what they were feeling, she'd have been making some bad jokes about romance which gained a chuckle from Ron before he kissed her.

At one point, Hermione and Draco were pulled out of their world as they heard a loud whoop come from Harry before he spun Ginny around on the dancefloor and kissing her for everyone (including the reporters who had gotten access to the party) to see. Hermione giggled and looked back at Draco who seemed confused. "What's that about?" he asked.

Hermione grinned. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else until Ginny says it's okay." He promised. Hermione could hardly contain her excitement. "Ginny's pregnant," she squealed.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Wow! That's exciting."

"I know!" she said. "I'm probably far more excited about it than I should be but I'm just so happy for them. They deserve it."

Draco nodded. "Yeah, they do." The next song that came on was a slow dance and Hermione rested her head against Draco's chest and sighed contentedly. He kissed the top of her head and furrowed his brows as he thought about Ginny's news. He and Hermione had been together for almost six years and had lived together for a majority of that time as well. They hadn't talked about marriage but they both knew it would happen eventually (both of their mothers would kill them if they didn't). However, seeing Harry and Ginny be a family with Teddy and now their new baby and seeing Luna and Blaise get engaged made him start to think about marriage more seriously. He loved Hermione, he knew that, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. So why hadn't he proposed yet?

His brows furrowed further as he thought about that. Why hadn't he proposed yet? Now that he thought about it, he realized he didn't have a good enough answer for that question. He decided then and there that he would change that question. Tonight.

When the song ended, he excused himself to the restroom. When he entered there, he quickly apparated to Grant and Elizabeth Granger's house. When he arrived on the doorstep, he knocked on the door, trying to steady his breathing as the gravity of what he was about to do hit him. Liz, Hermione's mother, answered the door. "Draco? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the party with Hermione?"

He nodded. "I was but then I realized that there's something I want to do. But I wanted to talk to you two about it first. Is now a good time?"

She nodded and opened the door wider to let him in. He followed her to the living room where Grant was watching the evening news on the television. When he saw Draco, he smiled but frowned quickly as he wondered why Draco was here instead of with Hermione. Draco took a deep breath as he sat in a chair across from Liz and Grant. "Um…" he began. "I probably should have thought through what I was going to say before coming over here," he chuckled. He looked to her parents. "As you know, Hermione and I literally went through hell and back during the war. But we stuck together through all of it and in the end, we not only survived but we came out together. She saved my life and brought me out of this very bad tailspin downwards and allowed me to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Little did I know at the time that that light was her." He paused before continuing. "What I'm trying to say is that I love her more than I will ever be able to put into words and until my dying day, I will do anything and everything I can to make her happy. So, what I'm asking is… may I have your blessing to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage?"

Liz had tears in her eyes and Grant was fighting a grin, trying to seem stern but gave up and smiled at Draco. "Of course, you have our blessing, Draco," he said. Draco's eyes lit up. Grant stood up at the same time Draco did and pulled him into a hug. "It's about time, if you ask me," he joked causing Draco to laugh. He gave Liz a hug and ushered them many thank yous as he left the Grangers and apparated back to the manor. Narcissa and Andromeda furrowed their brows as they saw the blonde appear in the kitchen.

"Draco? What are you doing here?" his mom asked.

Draco was beaming. "I'm going to ask Hermione to marry me!"

A huge grin broke out onto Narcissa and Andromeda's faces at the news. Draco gave them both quick hugs and then asked his mother for the ring she had been saving for him for his future wife. It was a Malfoy heirloom that had been in the family for generations and Narcissa was more than excited to give it to Draco. He put the small box in his pocket, kissed his mom and aunt before apparating back to the building where the party was being held. Ironically, he made it back into the bathrooms and nearly scared the living daylights out of Blaise who was washing his hands.

"Dude! What the hell are you doing?" Blaise asked.

Draco laughed. "Sorry, mate."

Blaise shook his head. "Where have you been? Hermione said you went to the restroom but that was twenty minutes ago. We were starting to get worried."

"I went to get this," Draco said pulling the small box out of his pocket and opening it up for Blaise to see. His best friend's eyes widened. "Woah! Is that-"

"The Malfoy heirloom? Yeah. I went to ask Hermione's parents first before getting the ring from mum."

"When are you going to ask her?"

"As soon as possible. Tonight, if I can, but not here. I know she wouldn't want the attention. Maybe after the party."

Blaise nodded and walked with Draco out of the bathroom. "What are you going to tell her why you took so long?"

"I'll just make something up. Say I forgot to feed the cat or something."

Blaise thought about it for a moment and nodded. Draco smiled at Hermione as he approached her and Blaise walked off to talk to Luna. "What happened to you?" Hermione asked. "That was a long bathroom break!"

Draco chuckled. "I realized that I forgot my watch at home and I wanted to go get it."

She raised an eyebrow. "You went home just to get your watch?"

He nodded. "I've been wearing it so often, I feel naked without it."

She chuckled and nodded in understanding. She felt the same way about her locket, which she was wearing underneath her dress. Just then, a loud tapping sound appeared and everyone looked to the podium where Kingsley was now standing. "Hello everyone and welcome. If you would all take your seats, please, we will begin shortly." Everyone sat down at their respective tables, the four couples all at the same table. As everyone was settled, Kingsley spoke again. "As you all know, today is the fifth anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts and the end of the war. We are here to celebrate the end of that war and to remember those that fought valiantly but sadly lost their battle. We have a couple of speakers here today to speak on the battle and the world we live in now. First up is Miss Hermione Granger."

There was loud applause as Hermione took a deep breath before taking her speech out of her clutch and walking up to the podium. She shook hands with Kingsley and then faced the audience. She paused for a moment before beginning and looked out into the crowd. Her eyes met Draco's and he gave her an encouraging smile and nod. Pushing down the last of her nerves, she began to speak.

"Thank you," she said. "Like Kingsley said, we are here to honor those that we lost on this day five years ago. Before I continue, I'd like it if we all bowed our heads in a moment of silence out of respect for those who cannot be with us today." The audience complied. Hermione allowed it to last for a few moments as she steadied her breathing before speaking again. "Thank you. When I was first asked to make a speech, my first reaction was that there was nothing that I could say that hadn't already been said about the war. But then I sat down with my mum, a muggle, and talked to her about the war. We compared it to the wars the muggles had, more specifically World War II. It may sound familiar to you as some of our kind fought in that war. Adolf Hitler and Lord Voldemort had very similar views: they believed that there was a race that was far more inferior than them and those like them and the only way to make the world 'pure' was to obliterate that inferior race. But, just like WWII, unlikely allies banded together and won the war and, in turn, made the world a better place."

Hermione paused and glanced at Draco. He had heard the first nine rough drafts of her speech and what she was about to say was one of the things that had stayed consistent through every single one. He had asked her not to mention him by name and she complied. Even if everyone knew who she would be talking about, it made him feel more comfortable knowing his name would not be thrown into the speech. He smiled at her and Hermione swallowed. "Before the war, many people - myself included - believed that the world was black and white: there were the good guys and there were the bad guys. The good guys fought for the Order and and the bad guys fought for Voldemort. Until, one day, one of the bad guys became one of the good guys. From that moment on, the entire world flipped upside down. The world was no longer black and white; it was full of every color imaginable. We learned about someone we had always made assumptions about and we learned about a group we had only heard rumors about. We learned that sometimes people don't have a choice and that they do what they have to in order to survive. We learned how to work with unlikely allies. We learned how to forgive and how to trust. We learned how to love each other and to find peace. We learned that a house at Hogwarts doesn't define a person and neither does blood status. We've learned many things and each of them shaped us as people and as a community. But we also learned that life is short and precious. So when you go home tonight, be sure you cherish your loved ones and your friends. Be sure to smile and laugh everyday, and know that, even though they can't be with us, the ones that we lost would be so happy to know that the world they died fighting for is the one we now get to wake up to everyday. Thank you."

The moment she finished speaking, the audience broke out into thunderous applause and a standing ovation. Kingsley wrapped her in a large hug before she walked back to her table only to be enraptured by the passionate kiss Draco gave her as soon as she got into his arms. There were a couple of loud whoops in approval at their PDA and Hermione giggled and blushed as she sat back down, entwining Draco's fingers with hers.

Kingsley clapped along with everyone else and then quieted them down. When he had the attention of the room again, he began to speak. "Thank you, Hermione, for that inspiring speech. And now, our next speaker needs no introduction. Please welcome Mr. Harry Potter to the stage."

Harry gave Ginny a quick peck on the cheek before walking up to the podium and shaking Kingsley's hand. As Kingsley sat down, Harry turned and smiled at the audience. "Give it up one more time for Hermione Granger, ladies and gentlemen, please!" The audience applauded and cheered for her and she just blushed and smiled at them hoping Harry would take the attention off her soon. Her wish was answered as the applause died down and Harry had the spotlight again. "That, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition of a tough act to follow." There was some quiet chuckling among the audience while Hermione shrugged innocently and mouthed "sorry" to Harry. He just smiled and winked at her.

Harry's speech was much shorter than Hermione's and mostly consisted of thanking many of the people who had fought by his side in the war. He also talked about cherishing life and the world they lived in. He cracked a couple of jokes and then closed his speech. He shook Kingsley's hand and also received a standing ovation. After Harry sat back down at the table, Kingsley made another small speech and then dinner was served. There were many laughs shared during dinner and dessert. After the meal was more dancing and some drinking. The party lasted into the early hours of the morning and it was well after 3am when Hermione and Draco decided to return home.

Hermione groaned as she walked through the front door, kicking off her heels and beginning to take the millions of bobby pins out of her hair. Draco chuckled as he followed her upstairs to their bedroom and helped her take out any last pins that were in her hair. She threw the pins onto the bathroom counter and ran her fingers through her hair while Draco began to undress. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smirked.

"I'm going to take a shower," she said.

Draco looked at her and smirked. "Okay."

"You're joining me," she said mischievously.

"Okay," he replied, chuckling.

An hour later, they were cuddled together in bed in their pajamas. Their clothes from earlier in the evening were strewn all over the floor and both of them had damp hair from the water. Draco was rubbing Hermione's back soothingly as she peppered him with soft kisses along his neck and collarbone, frustrated when she would kiss his shirt instead of his skin. He chuckled and turned his head to her so his lips would meet hers. She smiled at him when they pulled out of the kiss and nuzzled his nose. He smiled.

"Hermione," he said quietly.

"Hm?"

"How do you feel about Venice?"

She pulled back from him slightly and pursed her lips as she pondered his question. "I've never been but I'd love to see the city. Why? Are you planning another vacation for us?"

"Actually, I was planning our honeymoon."

She furrowed her brows at him as he turned around to grab something off his bedside table. "Honeymoon? What honeymoon? We're not even enga-"

She dropped the word as she was momentarily stunned by what Draco was showing her. He was holding a small box with a ring inside. But it wasn't just any ring; it was the most magnificent ring Hermione had ever seen. It was white gold with a wide band that led to a large square and a cushion cut diamond in the middle with smaller diamonds surrounding it and lining both sides of the band. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand as she sat up trying to fight the tears in her eyes. Draco sat up and took the ring out of the box.

"It's a Malfoy heirloom; been in the family for generations. My mum's been keeping it for me out of hope that I'd give it to the woman I'd eventually marry. And as for your parents, I already asked for their blessing and they gave it to me. This is why I disappeared for such a long time during the party tonight. I didn't see a point in waiting anymore. I love you and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you and be the father of your children and be able to wake up next to you everyday for the rest of my life. I am by no means perfect but I will do everything in my power to make you happy and make you proud. So, Hermione Jean Granger, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

The tears began to spill over as Hermione nodded yes, unable to find her voice at the moment. A grin appeared on Draco's face as he slid the ring onto her finger. As soon as it was on her hand, Hermione threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Finally finding her voice, she squealed "yes" before peppering him in kisses once more.

P.S. The links for the dresses and the ring are on my profile if you'd like to see them.

Stay Golden!