With you in my Arms

36. "Is there any other good news?"

It was early afternoon as Draco and Hermione apparated to St. Mungo's the next day. They arrived to the usual hustle and bustle and the young witch felt the bang of regret not having been able to carry on her training. It all looked so familiar to her, everything seemed just the same as before. She remembered the nights she had spent at his bedside, the worries that had kept her awake during the day when she had finished her shift and the secret trips to their room. She sighed. How silly it had all been. She should have known that he...

"Lea? You okay?"

She felt his arm around her shoulder. Looking up at him she found the grey in his eyes shining like liquid love. She sighed again and nodded. He kissed her hair.

"It's going to be just fine. Mother is really a very nice person. You don't need to worry."

She tried to smile, but didn't quite manage.

"Come." Draco let his hand slide over her back and then captured her hand in his own.

They were told to wait until the healer had finished talking to Narcissa Malfoy as it had to be decided, if she would be discharged the next day or not. They were directed to a small, comfy waiting area. As nobody else was in the room with them the young wizard stopped his witch from sitting down and held her close instead. A questioning gaze was directed at him. He took a deep breath and Hermione could see that he was struggling with himself. What was this about?

"Draco?"

"Hermione, I want to marry you. I've been thinking how to ask you for ages now. I wasn't sure, if I should take you for a walk through the gardens or maybe surprise you with a romantic diner and when I finally did it in our house in Edinburgh... I know, I didn't do it right. I should have swept you off your feet not just sort of joked about it. I love you. I always will, regardless, if you are going to say yes or if we are just going to co-habit. I don't really care. I just want to be with you."

His cheek was touching her temple. She felt his warm skin and found herself blushing.

'Time to own up, Hermione. Tell him what you are feeling for him.'

"I have been thinking about you and what you mean to me for a long time now. Ever since I spent the night with you actually. I have been fighting with my feelings and what they meant. It frightened me to no end that I found myself in love with you. How could I do that after all that had happened, but you were all I had missed in Ron." She hesitated. "When you kissed me in that court yard I knew, what I had been looking for all this time. I was scared witless when I woke up next to you. How could it be you that held the key to my happiness? And then I found out that I was pregnant. It felt as if my world was ending. Nothing could have prepared me for all of that." Her fingers gently caressed his cheek. "But the truth is that I love you. I love you like I have never thought possible. It feels like the stuff out off a Mills & Boons novel like Parvati was reading all the time. It was unearthly. You seemed unearthly in that new form I discovered. You were kind, considerate and unbelievably sexy..., " she blushed, "I couldn't help myself, I just wanted to stay with you for the rest of time."

"Will you marry me then?"

"Yes. Yes, I will marry you!"

Draco kissed her with all the passion that was threatening to overwhelm him. She would marry him! She would become his wife! He held her tightly against himself. His, she was finally his!

There was a apologetic cough. The young couple turned their heads to see an astonishingly old healer standing in the doorway with a rather surprised expression on his face.

"Sorry." Draco mumbled.

A clearing of throat by the healer followed and then they were informed that his mother was expecting them. Hermione thanked him with a deep blush.

"So, now I can tell everybody that you're officially my fiancée?"

She kissed him very lightly.

"Yes, you can."

He grinned happily at her.

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Harry sat together with George in the Leaky Cauldron and was nursing the third butterbeer. He sighed.

"I can't take it any longer, George. I just miss her too much."

The remaining Weasley twin was looking at him.

"You've had a thing for Ginny for a long time, haven't you?"

"Since sixth year. I should have noticed so much sooner, you know. She had a crush on me for ages before I finally caught on."

"At least you did." He wrapped his arm around his younger brother's friend. "Not like some of our family."

It was obvious that he was referring to Ron.

"Yeah, well... I'm just so used to having her around all the time. Even if she had gone back to school, I would've been able to see her in Hogsmead."

"About once a month."

"Yeah, but still."

There was a moment of silence between them.

"I'm going to quit the training and follow her to Europe."

"Harry, that's insane and you know it. She would hex you with things you can't even imagine, if you do that."

"Hm."

"She's really proud about you doing so well in the training. She would kill you, if you just threw it all away, mate."

"Yeah."

They sipped their butterbeers as a another silence ensued.

"How are you holding up? I mean without... Fred?"

There was a heavy sigh then nothing. Harry turned and saw a tear running down George's cheek.

"Sorry. I didn't mean..."

The tear was wiped away.

"No. It's okay. Don't worry. It's just that sometimes in the shop I feel like he's going to come round the corner any moment now. Alicia is a big help though."

"You two serious?"

"Yeah. She's been a big help the last year."

They ordered more butterbeer.

"What is going on with Malfoy and Hermione these days? They still both alive?"

"Surprisingly so. He was intending to take her on an extended holiday last time I spoke to him. Was a while back. Not sure, where they are right now."

"Hm." A sip of beer. "You serious about chucking it all in because of Ginny?"

"Yeah."

Another sip.

"She's going to kill me, but I think, she'll be back soon..."

Harry looked at him.

"Why?"

"Can't say."

"Why not?"

"She'd hex me."

"So what?"

"Okay, but you haven't heard it from me!"

"Sure."

A large sip.

"She owled mum, saying she'd be home next weekend."

Stunned silence.

"Did she say why?"

"No idea."

Harry sighed. A part of him was glad that he would see her again sooner than he had thought. Though there was the part of him wandering, why she was coming. Without telling him...