ALWAYS (Harry Potter fanfiction) (Snape fanfiction)

Chapter 46

"So... why did you bring me here?" Arabella asked Cedric. They were under a big willow tree in the island where Altan had been buried.

"Do you have your birthday gift?" Cedric asked seriously. From her pocket, Arabella grabbed the small parcel he had given her earlier. He took it in his hand and took the small white ribbon off, then he opened the little yellow box and grabbed something from the inside. Arabella looked quizzically at him, had he really just opened her birthday present which he had given her? Yes.

"Ced, what are you doing?" Arabella asked him.

He took her hand in his and stepped closed to her, their bodies brushing against each other, their breaths becoming one, he smiled and kissed her  forehead before looking down at her. He looked at those big Hazel eyes, framed by beautiful thick lashes, and thought about all those times he had seen her eyes. Cedric wanted to take everything in, from her small callous hands, her pink and slightly chapped lips, her ears with multiple earrings, which he knew she could move, her eyebrows arched confusion, and her face.

He loved her face, and he could still vividly remember the first time he saw her in the Hogwarts Express, the way she looked at him in confusion as he stepped into her compartment with an inkbolt on his cheek, and how she smiled at him when she told him he could sit with her and the twins. At that time, her face had some roundness she didn't have now, and more freckles had appeared across her nose. She had a small scar on her upper lip, where a bludger had hit her on her first game.

Cedric didn't know what he'd do after Hogwarts, he had at first wanted to follow a career in Law Enforcement, probably as an Auror, but he was also attracted by healing magic, and most recently, Arabella had shown him the beauty and magic in Magical Creatures, which made him consider following his father's footsteps in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, he was not sure of what he'd choose or how well he'd do in the third task, but there was one thing he was sure of, the only thing he was sure of: Arabella. He knew he loved Arabella, if he knew anything at all, he knew that. For him, there was no question, no hesitation, and if this tournament had taught him anything at all, it was that the thing he loved most was her, he could not lose her, and he could not live without her. He'd die for Arabella, no questions asked, and most importantly, he'd live for her, every day of his life, no matter how long or how short his life might be, every day, he'd live for her, because she deserved it, she was worth it.

"Cedric, are you okay?" Arabella asked worriedly, looking up at him, and placed her hand on his cheek.

Cedric smiled and nodded, then got closer to Arabella, placing one of his hands on the small of her back and the other on her face, their faces got closer and their lips softly touched, Arabella smiled into the kiss, and she felt herself melting into Cedric's arms. He held her close, afraid of her vanishing into thin air if he let go.

"I love you so much" Cedric muttered, their foreheads touching and their breaths mixing.

"I love you too, Cedric" Arabella told him.

"Arabella" Cedric said, standing up straight, she looked at him with interest, her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail but a few rogue strands fell into her face. Cedric looked at her up and down, from her Converse, her oversized jeans and her new Queen t-shirt, she looked perfect, "you know me better than anyone in the world, probably better than I know myself"

"That's true" Arabella chucked.

"You are probably the best part of my day, the best part of my life" he felt tears threatening to fall down, "my parents love you" he smiled and a couple tears fell, she used her thumbs to wipe away his tears, his voice broke a little.

"Cedric-"

"Let me finish" he laughed, "I love you, every part of you, Arabella. I will never stop loving you, and I want to remind you that every day of my life" he sighed, he had started crying, his voice was breaking, "You have my heart, and my life, but I want to give you one more thing"

Cedric put his hand in his pocket and took something out. Time seemed to slow down. Arabella watched as he got down in one knee, and showed her something. Arabella didn't really see what he was holding, she could only watch his warm eyes looking up at her, he had some small tears in his eyes, and he had the biggest smile Arabella had ever seen.

"Cedric..." Arabella said softly, she, too, felt tears building up in her eyes.

"Arabella, I don't know what the future holds, but as long as you are by my side, I don't care, because if you are with me, everything will be fine, and I know we are only seventeen, but I haven't been more sure of anything, will you marry me?" Cedric looked at her in the eye, she hadn't broken eye contact the entire time, she hadn't looked at the ring once.  Arabella nodded profusely, crying.

"Yes" She said first softly, "YES!" She said once more, crying with excitement.

Cedric put the ring on her left ring finger and stood up. Arabella jumped into his arms and they both fell to the ground. Arabella landed on top of him and couldn't stop kissing him all over the face. She then laid next to him and put one arm around his waist. Only then did she have a look at the ring, it was a gold band shaped like a vine, with a hexagonal zaphire in the middle.

"Do you like it?" Cedric asked her, looking at the ring too.

"It's beautiful, where did you get it?" Arabella.asked softly.

"It was my grandmother's, now it's yours" Cedric kissed Arabella on the tip of her head, and she hugged him tightly, wishing that moment could last forever.

"Cedric, I know it's out moment, but I want to talkabout Harry" Arabella said after a while of comfortable silence.

"Harry?"

"Yeah, I had been planning it for a while, but since now we'll be married, this concerns you too" Arabella started.

"Okay, I'm listening"

"Harry lives with our Aunt and Uncle, and their son, all his life, Harry has been abused by them, he lived in a cupboard under the stairs for years, and he deserves a family. I planned to ask for his guardianship, I am legally an adult and I'll get a place, get a job, and he will finally live with someone that loves him-" Arabella looked at Cedric, who was smiling.

"You won't do it alone, Arabella" Cedric smiled.

Arabella looked at Cedric, her fiancé, and wondered if he could be any more perfect than he already was. They'd have a long life together, Arabella thought, they'd have a family and grow old together.