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-ITALY WAS BEAUTIFUL. Hermione loved every single thing about it.
The soft, golden rays of the setting sun bathed the Italian coast in a warm, ethereal glow. The waves lapped gently at the shore, their rhythm soothing and constant, as if the sea itself were humming a tender lullaby. The beach was quiet, the tourists having retreated to their villas, leaving the sands pristine and untouched.
It was the perfect moment.
Adhara Black-Malfoy stood at the edge of the water, her bare feet sinking into the cool, wet sand. She took a deep breath, her heart racing, though she had faced far more daunting challenges in her life.
This, however, was different. This was Hermione.
Hermione walked up beside her.
Adhara turned to look at her, and for a moment, she was lost in the sight—Hermione, standing there, hair slightly tousled by the sea breeze, her expression serene yet curious.
"This place is beautiful," Hermione murmured, her voice sincere and in awe.
Adhara smiled, her usual confidence tinged with a rare vulnerability. "It is," she agreed, though her gaze never left Hermione. "But it's not the place that makes this moment beautiful."
Hermione's brow furrowed slightly in that adorable way she did when something didn't quite add up. "What do you mean?"
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Adhara reached into her pocket, feeling the cool metal of the object she'd carried with her all day.
With a soft smile, she slowly got down on one knee, the movement deliberate, her eyes never leaving Hermione's.
Hermione gasped softly, her hands flying to her mouth, her eyes widening in surprise. "Adhara..."
"Let me say this," Adhara interrupted gently, her voice steady now that she was committed to the moment. She held out the small, intricately designed ring, its surface catching the last rays of the sun, casting a tiny rainbow onto the sand. "Hermione Jean Granger, you are the most extraordinary woman I have ever met. Back when we were teenagers, I did not know what love was, having never felt it before. But when you came into my life, you showed me exactly what love was and what it meant. Hermione, I don't think I can ever live without waking up next to you, with your arms around me. I have faced many things in my life, but nothing has ever felt as right as this moment."
Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes. Happy tears. Her breath got caught in her throat as she looked at Adhara, then at the ring in the box. She seemed at a loss for words.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," continued Adhara in a whisper, her eyes showing the vulnerablity she felt at that moment. "Will you marry me, Mia?"
"Yes," breathed out Hermione with a nod, a tear falling from her eye, down her cheek. "Yes, I will marry you, Addie."
Adhara's face immediately broke into a smile. She stood up and slipped the ring onto Hermione's ring finger, then embraced the girl in a tight hug, and capturing her lips in a kiss.
Nothing really did feel as right as it did in that moment.
And as they stood there together, on the beach of Italy, the sun set over the water. It was a promise from the world to the couple that their ending would always be beautiful as long as they were in each other's arms.
