The world suddenly seemed cold, and the unforgiving rain began to pour down from the dark clouds above as if they were taunting the man who might have just lost the love of his life forever.

Draco Malfoy only looked down at his black leather shoes, watching the clear droplets splatter against them sullenly, wondering if any of those were his own tears that had started to leak from his eyes.

It only occurred to him after the rain had stopped, thirty minutes later, and he was alone in the gloomy park where she had arranged for them to meet on an unexpectedly short last date, for which he had bought a bouquet of red roses, and donned his best dress robes, that he should probably be chasing after her, begging for their relationship to continue.

He didn't want to lose her. Of course not. Merlin, the past two years had been filled with smiles and laughter and love. The best two years of his life.

In fact, he loved her so much that he had that brilliant plan of his set up already, and there was a tiny leather box waiting to be uncovered at home. The rose petals had been strewn about and he lit twenty scented candles, no matter how much he hated the smell, because he knew it was her favorite flavor. She liked romantic things.

So why hadn't he chased after her?

He was too busy being a foolish brokenhearted man, drowning himself in his own pity, to realize that the reason she had broken up with him was that he had never thought about permanent bonds and what she wanted and only wanted to focus on the present, going off to drink and party all night long.

She was the stay-at-home girlfriend, he realized. He had expected her to be all happy about not needing to work and only needing to cook meals for when she came over to his house, which was all the time. Heck, they practically lived together.

But he remembered her telling him the day before they graduated that she didn't want to be unproductive. She wanted to work in the Ministry and earn as much money as she could, whether she needed it or not. She didn't want to feel useless and have a lot of spare time all the while having money practically being thrown at her to spend.

Draco had thought that she would have liked it this way. Galleons and galleons stored in a Gringotts vault she was given permission to open whenever she liked.

He plopped himself unceremoniously onto the wet bench behind him, his bottom instantly warming up because of the water soaking into his pants. He rested his head on his hands, craning his neck upwards to look up at the angry grey clouds that seemed to not take the hint and leave.

He supposed it was all his fault, really, that his girlfriend wanted to leave him.

He finally stood up to leave, instantly feeling a cool breeze on his bum, and reached for his wand in his robe to dry himself up, cast a warming spell, and Apparate back home. Back to his girlfriendless home.

He finally arrived in the pumpkin spice scented bedroom he had shared with his girlfriend for so long, closing his eyes painfully when he saw the rose petals already beginning to lose their colour and turn a pitiful shade of dry brown.

Something was wrong, he realized faintly in the back of his head.

He heard a sound coming from the bathroom and turned, instantly alert with his wand at the ready just like Professor Snape had so proudly demonstrated during the duel with Harry Potter in their second year at Hogwarts, in the dueling club back when Lockhart was actually believed to be a hero by millions across the wizarding world.

Saint Potter. She had probably run off to share news of their breakup with her good friend Potter. His thoughts momentarily distracted him until he heard a cabinet door slam closed and the rattle of pills in a medicine bottle from behind the white door that had been decorated with his love's handprints in different colours.

A frown met Draco's lips when he heard the sound of the sink running. He had never used any medicine. She had also only kept them around for headaches and such. He grew angry at the thought of somebody else touching his beloved's possessions, and muttered an angry "Alohamora" before barging into the bathroom.

"Stupe—"

What greeted him made him stop mid-spell and stare in disbelief and shock as he watched the lovely brunette in front of him brushing her teeth with her purple toothbrush. He could smell the mint from where he was standing, which was about six feet away.

Draco's eyes started to blink furiously, as if the image of his angel would disappear so that he would stop thinking about her and feeling guilty. She didn't leave. In fact, she seemed even more beautiful dressed in one of his old Slytherin Quidditch shirts and a pair of his silver boxers, her feet snuggled in her pink bunny slippers.

He looked around and noticed her spare clothes hanging on the other side of the door.

He was acutely aware of her rinsing her mouth out with water and putting her things away, and he watched her face in the mirror from the doorway, her long lashes almost hiding her red eyes. Almost. Her Cupid's bow lips were pursed ever so slightly as she reached for her hairbrush and began her detangling of her curls.

It was almost as if she was trying to ignore him, he thought. He couldn't make another mistake again and let her leave when she was through.

"Hermione." His voice sounded scratchy and it hurt to speak. Probably because he was screaming for an entire half hour in the rain.

"Draco." Her voice was curt. Maybe not as angry as she was from this afternoon, but it was enough to let him know how much he cared for her.

His heart shattered when he saw her hot pink makeup bag filled to the brim with her cosmetics and looked around to see her products all cleaned out and ready to be taken away.

"Please don't leave," he pleaded weakly, "I'm sorry. Don't do this. I can't live without you, I—"

She swiveled her head around to face him angrily. "You what? Want to pay me more galleons in exchange for my imprisonment in this house?"

His eyes squeezed shut tightly and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wait here. Please. I'll be back in a minute."

He began the seemingly endless trek to his desk and pulled the mahogany drawer out, emptying its contents before revealing the hidden velvet box he had been waiting to present to Hermione since last month.

He opened it and smiled sadly when he saw the carefully cut diamonds and eyeing his distorted reflection in the white gold band. He had one last chance.

He heard a gasp from behind him and turned to see Hermione's hazel eyes wide open, her hair still messy even after being brushed, and held it up higher for her to see more clearly. He proceeded to bend down on one knee.

"I've loved you since we first started going out. Remember when we met in the bar and you had to help me get home because I would have gotten killed if I tried to drive? I still sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if it weren't for you, love.

"My world brightens whenever you're around. It's cheesy, I know, but it's true. I fall for you all over again whenever I see your smile first thing in the morning and your arms give me my good morning hug. I ask myself all the time how I managed to get somebody as amazing as you for a girlfriend.

Whenever you were crying because you thought you weren't good enough to keep me happy and be loved, my heart breaks. Hermione, I know I haven't been a good boyfriend because that was the one thing you told me before we graduated; that you didn't want to stay at home all day and just spend money from a limitless bank account. I'm sorry that I was too selfish to realize that."

By this time, Hermione was already crying, her lips curled up into that smile he hadn't seen at all today.

"Hermione, I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our children. I want to grow old with you and be able to watch you smile every single day. I want to be able to help you when you cry and make you laugh.

"Will you marry me, Hermione Granger?"

He stared up at the love of his life with hopeful eyes and was promptly attacked by her hug, then was peppered with delicate kisses.

"Is that a yes?" Draco Malfoy kissed his girlfriend back excitedly.

"What color should my dress be?" Hermione Granger soon-to-be Malfoy smiled teasingly back at her fiancée.

"White. Definitely. To show the world that you're my angel."