A/N: you guys have been making our days happier with the reviews and love that you have shown. During this chapter, our song recommendation is 'Only One In Color' - TRAPT
"What do you say? We get some air before dinner? It's a beautiful day." Draco requested.
"Alright, let me grab my coat." Hermione stepped forward to the coat closet.
The cuts and gashes they had worn only moments before were now but faded scars.
The couple descended the stairs from their flat with four sets of watchful eyes not far behind them.
Stepping out into the late-afternoon autumn sun, Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and led her up the street.
As they walked, she began speaking animatedly about her day and about what creatures she was working to save at work. Draco loved her passion and usually would listen intently and cheer on her daily accomplishments with fervor.
Today was different. He just couldn't focus on what she was saying no matter how hard he tried. At this moment he was absolutely enamored by her and entranced by the way her lips curled with each word; beautiful and unplanned, like the crashing waves of the sea.
"So that's what she was talking about...She couldn't go a day without talking about those bloody house-elves." chuckled Draco.
"So what is it that you do then?" The younger Malfoy inquired.
"I'm a Healer."
"And a damn good'n too!" Theo said with a wink.
"Really? A Healer?" He asked gobsmacked.
Draco ignored his question yet again whilst gesturing for him to pay attention.
"Do you think that's a good idea?...Draco? Draco!" Hermione pressed.
He quickly snapped out of his trance. "Shit." he thought.
"You're not even listening are you?! You are hopeless Draco Malfoy." She said with increasing annoyance.
"What? Wait...no! Please don't be mad! I'm sorry. I just... just...have a lot on my mind."
"And what may I ask is so taxing?" She demanded.
Without warning Draco dropped down to one knee and flourished a small box from his pocket. "Hermione. Will you marry me?"
"Wha—YES!" She squealed before leaping onto him.
He slipped the oval-cut moonstone ring onto her left ring-finger with ease despite his shaking hands. She looked down upon it with tears shining in her eyes. It was absolutely beautiful.
"How in the world did you manage to get mother to give that up?" Demanded young Draco
"She's got a soft spot for Hermione, now shut up, mate." Replied the elder Theo. "I'm coming up next."
"You'll have to read about the magic behind that kind of stone." Draco said with a wink. "I spent months trying to find this in the Malfoy vaults. It belonged to my great, great, great-grandmother. It ended up being in one of my mother's jewelry boxes at the Manor but that's another story entirely."
"It's absolutely breathtaking!" Hermione gasped.
"As are you, my love."
"Merlin, I can't wait to marry you, Draco Malfoy." she said breathily before planting a kiss upon his lips.
"Shall we head toward dinner now?" he asked with a smile. "Oh and I'm not in trouble anymore am I? What do the muggles say? I'm...'off the hook'?"
She giggled and simply said "Dinner." With a nod, before taking his hand once more and leading him toward the restaurant where he had set a reservation.
They were almost to the door when they noticed Theo leaning against the wall of the restaurant looking nervous.
"It's about time! Did you bloody ask her or not?!"
She excitedly raised her left hand in front of Theo's face and wiggled her fingers before wrapping him in a big hug.
"And what if I hadn't asked her yet!" Asked Draco
"Then I would have!"
Suddenly the back of Draco's hand met the back of Theo's head in a swift motion.
"Oi! I'm just joking mate! I just couldn't wait any longer in there." He said while gesturing toward the door.
"I'll have you know, I wasn't actually joking, mate." The elder Theo said with a wink in Draco's direction, who simply grunted in response.
"Shall we head in?" Giggled Hermione.
Draco and Theo each nodded before following her in. Hermione stood frozen in shock just inside the door.
The restaurant had been filled with all of their friends and family asking to see her ring and offering congratulations. Hermione made her way around the room to each person.
Potter, Weasel, Weaselette, the rest of the Weasels, her parents, all the way down to his mother, who greeted Hermione with a warm embrace before fawning over the ring on her finger and spouting out wedding plans.
Draco watched her as people came up to shake his hand. She was absolutely radiant with happiness and he wanted to remember every detail of this day forever.
When she made her way back to him she had a mischievous look in her eye. "A bit confident were we? Whatever would you have done with all these people if I hadn't said yes?"
"Are you implying there was a chance you wouldn't have?" Smirked Draco.
She then leaned forward and whispered into his ear.
"Not in the slightest, love. I would have said yes a million times in a million different lifetimes."
She pulled back and looked into his eyes while holding his face in her hands before continuing "If only I could turn back time. I'd find you sooner so I could love you even longer."
XXX
Just like the memories before it, the vision of the restaurant crumbled away.
"We need to take a break." Draco said before they whirled into a different memory."
The four men fell to their bottoms once they had pulled out of the memories.
Draco needed a moment to himself after he had watched as Hermione drifted away from him. He was quite surprised at how well he had been handling the situation.
It still didn't hide the fact that he so badly wanted to hold her, revel in her scent, kiss her rose-petal lips.
Now standing in a small circle, the younger Draco looked at his elder self in semi-admiration. "I...I'm sorry for your loss." He said hesitantly. Draco swallowed the younger man's words. What he wanted to say was, don't be.
'I'm sorry for your loss.' 'My condolences.' 'It'll get better.' 'This too shall pass.' Gods he was so tired of hearing all of that, it only made his sorrows that much worse.
Every time someone stated their offerings, it felt as if he'd get hit with venom in his veins, and it was killing him slowly, painfully.
Instead he aspired, "We can save her. You can save her."
The younger Draco nodded and looked back to the pensieve. Oddly enough, he wanted to know what happened next. As strange as all as it had become, he almost felt as if it were he in those memories. But he still couldn't grasp his mind around the fact that he, was so infatuated with Granger. He shrugged to himself. Maybe she was just really good in bed. That had to of been it.
"You want to get back to it, Mate?" Elder Theo asked as he clasped Draco's shoulder.
He nodded hesitantly, "Yeah, let's get on."
The four men stepped back around the pensieve to dive back in.
"So are you ready to be a ball on a chain, Mate?" Theo asked Draco as he was tugging his tie into proper position.
"I am." He said with a self-satisfied smirk.
"Here, how 'bout a bit of a party start, yeah?" Theo handed over a flask of firewhisky to the groom.
The spring breeze echoed the smell of fresh flowers in bloom. The sun shined bright over the fields that the Burrow sat upon.
Chairs were lined in rows, every seat filled with family and friends; smiles perched upon their faces.
Draco stood at the front, before everyone with Theo at his side. A little nervous, a bit ecstatic, overwhelmed with happiness, and his heart fluttered making him feel lightheaded.
The crowd rose to their feet when Hermione edged in at the end of the aisle. Draco was staring nervously at the ground. "Mate." Draco leaned back toward Theo to hear what he had to say. "Look." he pointed out before them.
Draco held his head up toward the aisle where Hermione stood and a smile widened across his face. Hermione giggled as she started to walk to him.
They never lost eye contact.
She was so fiercely and radiantly beautiful. And she was his.
When Hermione finally made it to him, Draco held out his shaking hand for her to stand beside him.
He mouthed to her 'I love you' in return she said 'I love you too'
"We are gathered here today to bring together..." Kingsley Shacklebolt began.
"...And now your vows?"
"Ah. Where do I even begin?" Draco chuckled, as did the crowd. "Well we definitely had a rough start in our relationship."
Hermione crinkled her nose, happily. "The day you had showed me compassion, when I didn't deserve it, led me to believe there was good in the darkest of times. You were the light in the world of black, Hermione, and you still are. All that I have, all that I am, all that I'll ever be is yours. I love you. Thank you for teaching me to be a better man, for challenging me in many ways. I promise to listen, well. You know to an extent." Hermione laughed, as tears were drawing down her cheeks. "I want all of you, just you and me, forever."
Hermione sighed, "Goodness. How do I compare to that?" The crowd grew in laughter once more.
"I promise to comfort you when the Chudley Cannons lose and to drink firewhisky with you when they win." Glee filled the air. Draco merely shook his head, smiling.
"I love you, Draco. I appreciate you, and all of your quirks. I look up to you, and not just because you're tall. I promise to be the best wife and friend that I can be. Even with all my silly muggle antics, you seem to never give up on me, and you always push me to strive harder. And I thank you for that."
Elder Draco was now standing beside himself, gazing into Hermione's amber, tear-filled eyes, just as he had that very day.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife, Mister and Missus Draco Malfoy. You may kiss the bride." Kingsley stated, Draco never taking his eyes from hers.
XXX
The crowd had settled down around tables, ready to begin the feast, when Theo had stood up from the Bride and Groom's.
"Excuse me, everyone!" He started, taking in the attention of the guest, "Well, what can I tell you about the groom? I've know him for about, actually, I've known him my whole life. He's handsome, intelligent, witty, charismatic.. Wait. Wait. Sorry wrong wedding. You just remember this speech when you attend mine." Theo winked as he and everyone else cheered and hollered with laughter.
"Gods I crack myself up." Theo said as he leaned back onto his heels.
"I love the two of you. I'm really happy that you found one another." - "The day Draco told me, he acted as if it were some big secret. And I was like, mate. You stare at her hard, sometimes you have a bit of drool dribbling down your chin when you do." Theo continued. Draco rolled his eyes.
"I do hope that Draco and Hermione enjoy their honeymoon in Wales. I assume that's where they're going anyway…"
He turned toward the crowd with a very serious face.
"When I asked Draco what he was doing after the wedding... he said he was going to Bangor for a fortnight…"
Every person in the room stood up cheering, and whistling. Even Hermione's father laughed.
Hermione's mouth dropped at that, smiling, bringing her hands to cover her laughter.
"Alright alright." Theo said, waving his hands for the crowd to quiet down.
"And Hermione, whenever you get tired of Draco here, I'll be your knight in shining armor." Theo winked with a cheeky smile.
"But really, the two of you, I'm glad to have been apart of this journey all the while. Merlin some of the arguments we've been through, just makes this, right here, worth it."
Hermione held up her champagne shoot, nodding in gratitude, as did Draco.
"When you're ready to have little Malfoys, it will be such an honor that they'll be named Theo one, two and three."
"That was lovely." The younger Theo said to his older self. "We're really good with words."
"Right you are, chap."
Draco looked over to his adolescent face. His eyes were squinted, as if he were in deep thought.