Chapter 52 - Will You?
GN
"Let's go!" I laughed as I pulled Cedric towards the clear blue ocean. But Cedric pulled my arm and when I collided with him, he picked me up and ran towards the water with me in his arms. A large smile on his face and his eyes shined brightly as he looked at me. My own smile widened from the carefree happy look on his face. I was so fixed on that happy smile that I didn't notice we reached the water until the water splashed against my legs. Cedric was walking us slower now, further into the ocean. We found a secluded beach, not far from The Bassin, we were the only two people there.
We left Africa two months ago, right after new year's. It was hard to leave. Hard to leave the people, the village, the animals. And of course, Abbo and Kai. We made a promise to come back as soon as we could and left for Australia after a tearful goodbye. A week before Christmas, Cedric's story had been published by a muggle magazine, National Geographic. Since it was about the muggle world, none of the wizarding magazines were interested in his story. But it didn't matter. His story was a massive success in the muggle world, and they already asked Cedric for more stories. He was now working on the wildfires that were becoming more frequent in Australia.
I worked at different local animal hospitals and rescue centres. Working with kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, Tasmanian devils, and even platypuses, which had a great resemblance of a niffler. A few weeks ago, another large fire broke out and as Cedric went with the firefighters to try and save as much wildlife and nature as possible, I helped the animal in the clinic and rescue centre. There was a baby koala, who lost its mother to the fire, who had large burns across its little body. I cared for the little one day and night. Feeding it, cleaning its wounds, naming it (Notto), everything. I had made a special salve which helped heal the wounds much quicker. The muggles I worked with all looked shocked at the progress and wanted to know where it came from. I told them I made it myself, not telling the part where you had to use magical plants for it to work, but they didn't ask, they were just happy that the animals they cared for didn't need to suffer. I already made them a large tin of salve that would take over two years before it was empty.
But today the firefighters and the rescue workers practically forced us to take a break. The fire had dwindled down and there was enough helping hands at the centre, so we reluctantly gave in and apparated to the secluded beach. Cedric suddenly slipped and we both fell in the water. My head was completely submerged under the water, and I opened my eyes. A little further away from us, a tortoise was swimming smoothly under the water. I smiled as I looked for Cedric, and when I turned, I already saw him looking at me, with a look that made my heart skip a beat. I pushed my arms through the water and swam to him. When I reached him, he placed his hands on my hips and pulled us up, out of the water. My arms circled around his neck, while my legs did the same around his hips.
"Hi." I beamed up at him.
"Hi." He kissed the top of my nose.
"Gods, I love you." I whispered as my fingers grabbed his hair gently. Cedric's smile went even larger as he leaned his head against mine, his grip on me tight.
"Marry me." He whispered back. I pulled my head back and looked at him wide-eyed.
"W-what?" I choked out.
"Marry me." He repeated.
"Yes." I said before my lips crashed against his. I didn't know it was possible, but Cedric pulled me even closer against him, his hand going in my hair as we kissed. When we finally broke the kiss, we were both grinning widely. Cedric opened his mouth to say something else, but a deep blue sapphire egg was floating next to us. Cedric gave me a nod with a smile on his face, and I looked back at the egg, Cedric gave me over a year ago. I reached my hand out, and when my hand grazed the top of the egg, the egg transformed. The egg transformed in all kinds of shapes as a golden ray surrounded the egg. Then the egg was gone, and a ring floated softly in my hand. No, not a just a ring, and engagement ring. An engagement ring with a deep blue sapphire stone and a gold band. I recognized the ring in a second and my mouth dropped open.
"Ced..." I took in a deep breath. "It's your mother's ring." I knew it, I loved it for the first moment I saw it on Olive's hand. I gazed at it when I was sitting on the other side of the room at night, when the fire reflected on the stone. And for the last few years, I thought about Cedric giving this ring to me.
"Yes. My great-grandmother's ring actually." He smiled as he slid the ring on my finger slowly. "And now it's yours."
"But..." I looked from the ring to Cedric and back. "I saw your mother wearing it this summer."
"A fake." He shrugged with a silly grin.
A fake. I mouthed as I looked at the sun's reflection on the new ring on my finger. And then something hit me. "You gave me the egg before we got together, when I was dating George." I looked back to him.
"I loved you for forever, Winnie. And I knew one day, we'd be together. If it's now, last year or even twenty years from now... I would always wait for you." He breathed. My heart was pounding so hard from these words, I thought it was visible from the outside... but maybe it was. "Marry me." He repeated.
"I already said I would." I grinned and wiggled my hand with the ring in front of him.
"I know." He chuckled and leaned forward to give me sweet kiss. "Marry me, tonight."
"Tonight? But what your family and friends? And I remember you wanted a big wedding. You always said you wanted to show of your bride." I chuckled, still slightly shocked.
"All I need is you." He kissed the corner of my mouth. "I don't need a fancy wedding." He kissed the other side. "Just you." He kissed a sensitive spot on my neck. "But..." He pulled back with a serious look. "We can invite your brother and Charlie. I know you don't want a wedding without them."
"See that's why I'm going to marry you, because you know me so well." I smiled broadly. "But will they have the time to come over? It's too late to apply for a portkey."
"It is." He said as his hand slides down my arm, sending shivers down my spine, his fingers wound around my wrist, and he lifted it, so my bracelet was hanging between us. A little blue dragon's egg hung on my charm bracelet. "But I went to Bash and Charlie to ask for permission to marry you a few days ago when you were caring for Notto. They have a portkey at the ready and are waiting for my Patronus." My eyes lingered on the charm for a long moment as I tried to process everything that happened the last few minutes, the effort Cedric had put in it, long before there was an us. "So, will you?" His voice was soft and sounded like he was afraid of the answer.
"I'll marry you... tonight." Cedric's smile grew again and leaned forward, but I placed my finger on his lips. "If... you can get your parents here."
"You're amazing." He kissed my finger. Without letting me go, he grabbed his wand from the inside pocket of his trunks and conjured his Labrador Patronus. "She said yes. Wedding is tonight, activate the portkey to come over in three hours. Send this to my parents and to Bash and Charlie." He said to the dog, the dog barked once before he dove in the sea, disappearing from view. "The upside of your dad working in the ministry, he always has an emergency portkey at home.
I weaved my fingers through his hair as I leaned my head against his. "We're getting married." I whispered with a silly, happy smile.
"We're getting married." He echoed. "Finally."
I barked out a laugh as I pulled back. "Finally? We're nineteen."
"You know what I mean." He rolled his eyes.
"I do." I leaned forward and gave him a searing kiss. Then I wiggled with great difficultly out of his arms and started to turn to the beach. "Where are you going, fiancé of mine?"
"Need something that resembles a wedding dress." I called over my shoulder as I wade through the waves. I heard the water splashing behind me and when I looked back, I saw Cedric running towards me, trying to leap his long legs over the waves. When he reached my he tackled me to the white sand and hovered over me.
"Already thought of that, love." He winked before he leaned down to kiss me.
GN
An hour later, after we finally stopped snogging on the beach, we were back at our little cottage near the sea. It had 2-bedrooms, a bathroom and a small open kitchen. From the large windows of the living room, you could see the blue sea just above the small dunes. Cedric was cleaning up the books that were scattered on the couch, coffee table, floor, literally everywhere. I walked past him and let my hand graze his bare back.
"I'm going to take a shower." I leaned closer and kissed his cheek.
"Want me to join?" He looked over his shoulder to me, with a smirk.
"Better not, to many distractions. And you don't want Charlie catching us again, do you?"
"Hm." He turned and sat on the coffee table. He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me closer, so I was standing between his legs. "I don't but you're so hard to resist."
I placed my hands on his shoulders and smiled down at him. He still had sand in his hair, his cheeks were flushed from the soaring sun, the freckles evident on his nose. He looked good, he had a tan that suited him perfectly. I ran my hand through his hair and grains of sand fell on his shoulders.
"I'm going to hop in... alone." I gave him a chaste kiss, with earned me a pout. "Then you can take one." I said and ruffled his hair again, letting more sand fall out.
"But if we shower together, we safe water." He tried.
"You know that's not true, because our showers together take at least twice as long." I patted his broad shoulders, my fingers grazing over his skin. I shook my head internally as I tried to clear my head with the thoughts of my fingers going lower, and lower... Cedric must know what I was thinking because he smirked at me. "Right." I cleared my throat and stepped out of his legs. "See you in ten, soon-to-be-husband."
"Very, very soon to be husband." He called after me as I walked towards the bathroom. I smiled when I entered the bathroom. I closed the door and leaned against it, my eyes closed as I breathed it and out slowly. I'm getting married. I'm getting married to CEDRIC. I'm getting married to Cedric in a few hours! I opened my eyes and glanced at the new ring on my finger, my thumb turned the ring around my finger. My heart was thudding fast as I smiled at the ring. I really should shower. I took off my bathing suit and leaned in to turn on the shower. I waved my wand over the ring to protect it from the water and soap and stepped in the tepid water. I felt the sand slide down my body, coming out every nook and cranny. When the water was clear again, I stepped out and put on the bathrobe that hung on the door. Just when I knotted the bathrobe, Cedric peaked his head in.
"You can hop in." I said as he stepped fully in, already taking of his dark blue swimming shorts.
"Before I do, there is something for you in the bedroom." He kissed my cheek before hopping in the shower. My eyes lingered on his bare bum before they travelled up, and I cocked my head curiously. "Just go look, love." He chuckled.
"I'm going, I'm going." I said waving my hands. "I was just enjoying the view." I licked my lips with a grin before I walked out of the room.