Even though the streets of it weren't covered in snow anymore, Hogsmeade still seemed to be as beautiful and magical as ever – at least in Mia's eyes. Maybe it was because of the gentle breeze and sunshine, or perhaps it was because of James' presence. She was fine with either one of those possibilities.
Spring break was almost over, but James insisted on them going on a date before they had to return to the castle, so that is what they were doing.
"Where are we going?" Mia asked for the third time in the span of a few minutes, but to no avail.
"You'll see in a minute." James squeezed her hand.
"Surely not Madam Puddifoot's, right?" She raised an eyebrow slowly. "You can't be that cheesy."
Grinning, James said nothing as he guided her down the streets of Hogsmeade.
As they continued walking, Mia glanced up at the sky. It was a stunning shade of baby blue, with only a few clouds visible, but she knew it would get dark soon. Probably in an hour, or two.
A few more steps and seconds later, Mia finally realized where they were headed. "Are you –"
"Yes, I'm serious." James nodded with a big smile.
Before Mia could make any further comments, he pulled her inside the Hog's Head. Instead of going up to the bartender, James just greeted the old man quickly, then went straight for the stairs.
When they arrived upstairs and stopped in front of a specific door, Mia's jaw dropped. "Room number five?"
James pressed a quick, gentle kiss on her forehead. "Exactly." He nodded, then grabbed the handle and pushed it down, opening the door and gesturing for her to enter.
All of the curtains were drawn, but room number five was illuminated and given a soft glow by the candles that James had previously set up. The two familiar beds were pushed together in the middle of the room and had a bunch of white, pink and red flower petals on top, which covered parts of the floor as well.
After nudging her to step inside, he closed and locked the door behind them, hanging the key up on a little hook on the wall.
Mouth hanging slightly open, Mia was rendered speechless by the sight.
James stood behind her and snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her as close to his body as it was physically possible. "Welcome back, love," he rasped into her ear.
She shivered. "James –"
He let out a low, pleased chuckle. "Ah, I still can't quite believe that you don't call me by my surname anymore." Keeping his hands on her waist, he turned her around. "I should thank Isaac for his stupid dare again. Maybe I'll keep thanking him for years."
Raising an eyebrow, Mia smiled up at him. "Shouldn't you be thanking me for not leaving you out to freeze instead?"
Humming, James leaned down and pecked her lips so softly, she got goosebumps. "Thank you," he murmured against her lips. "Thank you so much, mi amor."
She was disappointed to see him step away from her, but James walked over to a corner of the room where an old-looking record player sat on top of a dresser, his back muscles visibly moving under his shirt as he leaned over the machine.
Upon hearing Elvis' voice, Mia's features softened. Smiling charmingly, James started walking back towards her, the song "Can't Help Falling in Love" playing in the background.
"May I?" He bowed slightly, reaching his hand out.
Shaking her head in disbelief, Mia let out a small laugh, but placed her hand in his anyway. "Yes, you may."
James pulled her in with a swift move, his other hand finding its place around her waist once more.
Smiling to herself, Mia closed her eyes and let James sway her along to the same song they had danced to at the Mi Amor Ball.
She was conflicted back then. Unsure about her feelings, and about what she wanted. Not anymore, though. Not when she was in his presence, hearing his steady heartbeat and melodious humming as he soothingly drew patterns on her waist with his thumb.
Maybe it was a sin, but in the end, she truly couldn't help falling in love with him. No matter how hard she had tried to avoid it, she inevitably ended up in his arms.
"If I tell you once again that we were meant to be," James muttered into her ear adoringly, "will you believe me?"
Placing a hand on his chest, Mia pushed him away, so she could look up at his face. "I just might."
Warm, brown eyes glinting in the dim candlelight, James didn't hesitate to close the small distance between them and connected their lips. He kissed her slowly, yet passionately, but somehow gently at the same time, as if the girl of his dreams was simply that – a dream, a mirage, and would disappear in the fraction of a second if he wasn't careful enough.
Sensing her need for air, he broke their kiss, then pecked her lips repeatedly, one little kiss for every stupid thing he'd done over the years, for every day they had spent apart from each other, when they could've been together if he wasn't such a... fool.
"I love you," he whispered, stroking her cheek tenderly. "I love you so much, Mia."
Her heart feeling fuzzy, she smiled and was about to say those three words back to him when he leaned away a bit.
"Can you please close your eyes for a moment?" James asked.
Mia frowned, but gave him a small nod and did as he asked. She trusted him.
Sounds of him moving around were all she heard, except for the music that was still playing softly in the background.
"Okay, you can look."
Opening her eyes, Mia's entire body froze. James was kneeling before her, a tiny box in his left hand and sparkles in his eyes as he stared up at her.
"You're not about to propose to me, are you?" Mia asked quietly. "We haven't even finished school yet."
"Nah, I'm not." James let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. He opened the tiny box, revealing a minimalistic-looking golden ring with a tiny sapphire gem on it.
"Are you sure?" She frowned, glancing between the ring and him.
Still on his knee, James broke out in a lazy grin. "It's a promise ring."
Mia's eyebrows shot up. "A promise ring?"
"Yes." He nodded. "I promise that I will be a fool for you for the rest of my life. Your personal idiot, lover, and number one fan. If you accept, that is," he added, smiling up at her in that playful way of his she grew to like so much.
"James..."
"Love," he mimicked her tone, his smile never fading. "No pressure, of course. You can dump me any time, if you feel like it, although I would become extremely miserable if you did. But again, no pressure," he joked.
Glancing away from him for a second, Mia snorted. "I hate you," she mumbled, trying to stop her eyes from tearing up.
James grinned. "Does that mean 'I'm so happy right now, I want to scream that I accept, but I'm also kind of embarrassed that I ended up falling for you, and therefore trying to stay composed' in Mia language?"
One corner of her mouth turned upwards slightly. "Might be."
"Thank Merlin there's no one here to stop you from doing so, then."
Mia did something that felt strange, yet good at the same time: she giggled. Without saying a word, she reached her left hand out towards James.
Smirking, he grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss on the back of it, then turned her hand around and kissed the middle of her palm as well. Caught up in the moment, he kissed her hand repeatedly, working his way up to her wrist.
"James," Mia breathed, her cheeks heating up.
He continued placing soft kisses on her hand. "Hmm?"
She shifted on her legs. "Put it on before I change my mind, will you?"
Chuckling, he pressed one last kiss on her wrist before looking up into her blue eyes. "All right, boss."
Mia rolled her eyes, yet she couldn't help but smile. She watched as he took the ring out of the tiny box, then grabbed her hand in his and put in on her finger.
"So gorgeous..." James murmured as he stared at her hand. He grabbed the back of her thigh and squeezed it as he glanced up at her. "Just like its owner. My owner."
"I don't own you, James."
"Oh, but you do..." His hand started roaming the back of her leg. "I'm nothing without you, love."
"That's not true, don't say that." Mia scowled. "Stand up."
"I don't want to," James replied stubbornly, dragging his fingertips along the back of her leg gently. "This is where I belong, mi amor. Right here, at your feet."
Tilting her head to the side, Mia hummed. After a few seconds of staring down at him in silence, she moved her right hand and placed it in his hair, running her fingers through his messy, dark locks slowly.
His eyes closed at her touch. Grabbing onto her leg, he let out a content sigh. "This must be Heaven," he mumbled.
"I'm no angel, James." Mia fisted his hair, tugging gently.
He glanced up at her again, his eyes hazy. "You're everything, Mia. You're my everything. You mean the world to me."
"You better treat me right, then."
"Oh, I will." He nodded weakly. "Trust me, I've learned my lesson."