Chapter Text
Hermione’s fork slid easily through their shared slice of tiramisu. “I can’t believe it’s already been a year.”
“Then may this be the first of many anniversaries,” Draco returned with a smile that made her fall just a little deeper each time it showed.
A small conjured box appeared in front of Hermione, elegantly wrapped in gold parchment.
“Draco! We said—”
“Yes, yes, no gifts.” His smile was inescapable. “But I couldn’t help myself.”
Hermione should refuse to open it. Stand her ground for the terms they agreed upon. But her insatiable curiosity pulled too hard at her desire to know what the box contained.
Her hand had hardly touched the ribbon when a familiar sensation hooked behind her navel and yanked her away from the restaurant. The world became a blur until she landed roughly on a patch of grass.
“Oh, I’ll Avada him before we reach one year and a day of dating!” Hermione cried right before the crack of Apparition sounded behind her. She was about to berate him until her hazy annoyance settled and she recognised where they were. “This… This is where—”
Draco captured her lips, reigniting the sparks she had first experienced in this very spot.
“Regent’s Park. Where we had our first kiss,” he said once they broke from one another. “Merlin, that kiss took my breath away. I spent the whole next week thinking about how good it was.”
Hermione felt herself blush. “Really?”
Draco laughed. “I even told my therapist about it. Had to let her know about the kiss I was sure changed my life.”
Her blush deepened as Draco took her hand. With another crack, they Disapparated, landing elsewhere in London.
“Columbia Road. Where the flower market is,” Hermione said.
Draco grinned. “Also where I first told you I love you.” He tucked a curl behind her ear. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”
“Only about ten times.”
“Then I’ll tell you again. I love you more than anything else on this planet, Hermione.”
She couldn’t conceal her matching grin. “I love you, too, Draco.”
He Apparated them again, only this time, Hermione didn’t recognise their surroundings. She furrowed her brow, confused, but simultaneously awestruck by the view of the star-studded night sky.
“What is this place?” Hermione asked.
“The place where I give you your actual present.”
He opened the box to reveal a brilliant diamond necklace illuminated by the stars’ glow.
“It’s a Malfoy family heirloom.” Draco unlocked the clasp and secured the chain around Hermione’s neck. “Family legend says the diamonds were made with actual stardust and giving it to someone signifies a Malfoy’s desire to be with their partner as long as it takes for the universe’s farthest starlight to reach Earth.”
Hermione placed her hand over the diamond pendant. “It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.”
They kissed beneath the stars in the spot where they returned every anniversary after that, sealing their love for decades to come.