A cool breeze lingered over Malfoy Manner as its new inhabitants mingled with the dusty items of the house. Draco sat in his old bedroom, smiling wistfully as he remembered some of the happier times of his childhood. The bed still had its usual dark green sheets, with its always clean white pillows thrown (somehow in an orderly fashion) at the head board. I used to love jumping on this thing, he thought, using his legs to bounce him slightly. He sighed. Well, at least until I hit myself on that. He looked towards the head board, at a chipped portion that he had caused while jumping.

A dark wooden snake was carved all around the outline of the board, as if slithering across a tree in the deadest of night. Draco used to look up at that snake as a child, wondering why something so scary was adorned on his bed. He remembered his mother telling him the story of Salazar Slytherin, and his snakes. He smiled. A happy memory where his mother had held him in her arms, brushing away his blonde hair from his forehead. He loved his mother so much; he didn’t even mind that she was babying him.

That is, until his father came thunder-storming into the room, barking out angrily and ruining the happy moment. Draco shook his head. His father had always done that during his childhood, and he even tried to now.

He stood up from the bed, and walked over to his dark wooden nightstand that he had used for so many years. A small picture frame, dusty and breaking from neglect, fought its old age and tried to remain standing tall. Draco reached out to it, and wiped the dust off the glass. A small young boy was being thrown into the air, a giggling fury in his wake. Pale, strong, and feminine arms would catch him as he fell with speed, just in the nick of time. The giggling little boy’s hair would flip and rise around his face, his cheeks rosy from mirth. The beautiful woman’s long blonde hair fell over her shoulders and back into the air as she made whooshing noises at her son, twirling and tossing him.

Draco’s heart reached out to the two. He could barely believe it was him and his mother; it seemed like a lifetime ago. He hadn’t been that happy and carefree in ages. He reached deep into his mind to find the memory, and shook it away when he recalled the ending. His father had walked into the room, muttering in dislike about the proper way to raise children. Narcissa had nearly dropped him. To this day, he had no idea how the picture was taken.

He dropped the picture on his bed with distaste, falling down with it. Why was it that his father always ruined his happy memories? His rounded his fists and locked his jaw. No longer would that man ruin his happy memories, he would make sure of it. Never ever again would he –

“Draco?� a feminine voice lifted the stairs and entered his room, breaking Draco from the anger that wrapped around him. His expression softened, and his silver eyes took on happier tone.

“Yes, darling?� He smirked to himself. He knew that pet names did not suit his voice, but he insisted on using them anyway, even if only to bring a smile to her face.

Her flowery scent slithered into the room before she did. Once she finally appeared in the room, leaning into the doorway as her brown curls vigorously swung behind her, Draco was forced to smile. Dust and other unidentified grey objects were patted on her face, in her hair, and on her clothing. He beckoned her over to the bed before she could say anything.

She smiled and delicately made her way to him, as if afraid to disturb the vibe drifting through the room. She sat down next to him, and he draped his arms around her midsection. She sighed in relaxation and melted into his arms, the impact of all the unpacking finally taking its toll. He kissed her cheek with a quick peck, quietly inhaling her flower-scented hair. She was the flower in his life, no doubt about it.

“As much as I enjoy being smelled, darling,� she emphasized the last word, signaling to him that she had picked up on his pet name, “we still have work to do.�

“But why?� Draco protested, pulling her closer and kissing her neck slightly. “We have our whole lives to get settled!� he murmured his complaint against her ear, trying to seduce her into submission.

“Oh, come on, Draco!� A smile graced her lips as he huffed and sat up, scooting away from her. She pecked him on the cheek and stood up. “Can you take care of that strange rumbling sound in the library? It’s coming from one of the desks. I think it’s a Boggart, but I can’t be sure.� She threw him a twinkling smile, daring him to challenge her request. And, of course, he did.

“Now, tell me Hermione, why can’t a big strong girl like yourself handle an itty bitty Boggart?�

“Draco, dearest, seeing as you’ve been lying on your lazy arse for nearly half an hour, I think it’s about time you do something!� She threw her hands up into the air in exasperation, though a hint of a smirk touched her face.

“Fine!� he huffed in mock-anger.

Draco stood and trudged his way across the room, though taking his sweet time. He forcefully bumped into Hermione’s shoulder as he passed her in the doorway, to which she mumbled an “Ouch! That hurt, Draco!�

He continued walking down the hallway, cocking his head to the side to tell her, “Get over it!�

Draco smiled triumphantly when he heard her chuckle slightly. What a strange, yet beautiful relationship they had.

Draco descended the large marble staircase, admiring the green and silver rug that comforted each step. He rolled his eyes. His family used to be so obsessed with the Slytherin colors, but not anymore – not while he was going to live there with his new fiancee.

His hand grazed the dark wooden hand rail, laughing about the time he had slid down them in his pajamas. Draco winced, remembering how he fell flat on his face at the very end, only to be yelled at by his father for his immaturity. His grip tightened on the hand rail. Yet again, a good memory gone bad.

Once Draco finally reached the library, he paused and listened intently for the rumbling sound that disturbed the thick silence around the books. It wasn’t that hard to find.

Only one person in the family would actually have a Boggart in his desk: Lucius. So it didn’t surprise him when he saw a drawer shifting around in its place, dying to break out.

Draco rounded the drawer and prepared himself. He unlocked the small latch and stepped back as the Boggart shot out, suddenly taking the form of Lucius Malfoy. Draco felt his anger trickle through his body as Lucius took on a sneer and superior stance.

“My, my, little Draco? Trying to be a man?� Boggart-Lucius took out a wand and aimed it at Draco.

Draco shook his head and fought off the feeling of familiarity at the situation. He pulled out his wand and aimed a well placed “Ridikulus!�

In a flash of light, Lucius transformed from his normal condescending form to a ferret. Draco chuckled as the white ferret bounced across the room, and suddenly disappeared into a mist.

“Ferret!� his subconscious yelled at him, reminding him of the beautiful woman who was unpacking upstairs. Hermione. How many times had she called him ferret in their childhood years? Draco laughed and scratched the back of his neck, closing his eyes as he envisioned her.

Hermione was probably the best thing that had happened in his life. Ever since he had joined the Order after sixth year (instead of running to Voldemort and ensuring his death for betrayal), they had become close. It did take a hell of a while, though, he thought, remembering the times that she, Harry and Ron would glare at him during meetings. But eventually, they had come around – after many bottles of Veritaserum to make sure I was telling the truth. Draco smirked and shook his head. He jerked his head toward the staircase.

Pulling out his wand once more, he cleared his mind in order to make a Patronus, to send a message to Hermione. It was something he had learned from the Order. Draco rounded the desk and sat on it, wondering what memory he should conjure to produce the Patronus. He had, of course, produced a Patronus before – a stunning panther every time. After the first time the unfamiliar Muggle creature had formed out of his wand, he researched it in the Library best as he could. He had learned that panthers were solitary creatures, living their lives basically alone. Draco had always thought that fit him, seeing as the majority of his life had been lived in steely solitude. He also learned that male panthers tended to be aggressive with other competing males. Draco smirked; that was true about him as well. Panthers also matured early, and they were very strong creatures. Draco admired the power that they gave off, the strut of their step, and the fear caused by their roars.

As proud as his Patronus-panther made him, it wasn’t always simple to select the right memory to produce it with. He always had to choose a different memory. Nothing ever kept him happy long enough, because there was always a darker side to it. Draco tapped his cheek with his wand for a few moments. What to choose, what to choose…

Draco knew he didn’t have very many happy memories to select from, until very recently. He smiled, picking the perfect memory to use. Even thinking about her made him smile. He took a deep breathe, memory in mind…

“Hmm, you clean up well!� Hermione joked with him, rising to her tip toes to give him a peck on the lips. She brushed imaginary dust off his shoulders, now covered by a padded suit jacket. The contrast between Draco’s pale skin and hair against the all black suit was stunning. He smirked at her, admiring her outfit as well.

“Back at you,� he said, motioning to her red dress. It was silk and glittered in the light, sparkling just as much as her smile. He put his arm around her waist and they walked together into the restaurant. After a nod from the host, they were seated immediately in a slightly secluded area. Draco pulled out Hermione’s chair, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

“What a gentleman!� She smiled, scooting closer to the table.

Draco took the seat across from her and handed Hermione a menu off of the table. She quickly took it and began reading. Draco stared at her for a few seconds, waiting for the moment that she would realize –

“Draco, umm, this is all in Italian.�

“Davvero?� Draco smirked at her, speaking in Italian.

She stared at him questioningly, then suddenly murmured, “I don’t even want to know.�

He laughed and called a waiter to them, speaking to him in Italian. He could tell that it irritated Hermione not to know what they were saying. He glanced at her and smiled teasingly, as if to tell her to have patience. She dropped the menu and bit back her comments.

Draco reached into his pocket, and for the first time in weeks, felt it empty. He had just, very secretively, slid the velvety box containing the ring to the waiter. This was the night. He was going to do it. He had just told the waiter to bring the ring back, under a silver casing, so Hermione would think it was desert. He wanted to see the look of surprise on her face.

Hermione cocked at eyebrow at Draco as he smiled at her. He could tell, she was trying her hardest to stay angry. But eventually, after some serious eyebrow wagging, she was laughing again. He reached across the table for her hand, cleverly clasping the left one. Her brown eyes met his silver ones, and he felt so ready to ask her.

The waiter returned, and placed the dish in the middle of the table. He nodded once at Draco, who gave his thanks and suddenly pulled the top off of the dish.

Hermione gasped, her eyes settling on the large diamond. Her gaze flickered between Draco and the beautiful ring, searching his eyes for answers.

“Um, d- did we order this?� Hermione chocked out, stuttering as she almost reached out to the plate. Draco lifted his other hand, picked up the ring, and pulled it to their intertwined fingers. He pulled his hand away and pedestalled her hand above his.

“Hermione,� he started, clearing his throat, “will you…?�

“Will I what?� she asked, a smirk forming on her features.

He scoffed. Draco was the one who had taught her how to smirk, and now she used it against him!

“Will you marry me?� Draco’s eyes smiled in question.

“Well, let me think about it,� Hermione said teasingly, pulling her other hand to her chin. She tapped it a few times, and Draco stared at her incredulously.

She leaned over the table and kissed him, sliding the ring onto her finger in the process.

“I take that as a yes,� he whispered, and kissed her back....

“Expecto Patronum!�

What would’ve been a black panther formed through the silver whips in the air, swirling and twirling until it became a full fledged Patronus. The silver feline, in all her silver glory, crawled in the air for a moment, stretching her muscles, before she pounced glanced at Draco. Draco wrote a message in the air with his wand, said Hermione’s name, and cocked his head towards the second floor. The panther gave a roar and a nod, crawling off towards the stairs.

Draco waited for a moment, holding his breath to ensure silence. A smirk cracked his face when a shriek resounded in the house, closely followed by a chuckle. Hermione had gotten his message.

He smiled, and made his way upstairs. Another happy moment to slide into his memories.