Currently Engaged Elsewhere

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Chapter 15 – Currently Engaged Elsewhere

The sunlight filtered in through the windows, passing the curtains that were draped around the bed through a gap. Stephen woke and stretched, heading for the shower and washing away the sleepiness. He dried himself off and dressed in something decent before going downstairs to where his house elf had made him breakfast. He smiled and thanked the elf, letting his mind wander to pleasant thoughts as he absently ate his meal.

Though it had not been long since he had met her, Stephen felt like he was falling in love. Julia had returned to teaching at Hogwarts and, while Hermione and Severus were unaware of it, he had been seeing her every second day when either of them had spare time. He had been considering over the past few weeks whether he should do the right thing and ask her to marry him and came to the conclusion that it would be worth it.

He had filed for a transfer in the company he worked for, to base his research and business in London, and then left for Diagon Alley with one thing on his mind – finding the perfect ring for Julia. He wasn't sure if she would say yes, but after knowing her for three months, he decided that it was worth a shot. She seemed to like him as much as he liked her. He arrived at the jewelers, and the old man who owned the shop approached him from the other side of the glass displays.

"How is it going today, my boy?" the old man asked politely.

"Good, thank you, sir," Stephen said, looking at a line of attractive gold rings.

"Are you searching for anything in particular?" he asked, giving him a warm smile.

"Yes, I am looking for a rather particular ring. Something for a woman whom I intend to engage myself for marriage," he replied, knowing that it would go easier if he had professional help.

"Ah, I see. Well, come and sit by the desk here, and we can discuss the lady, and maybe I can come up with something suitable for you," the old man offered, gesturing towards a desk with a chair on either side of it.

Stephen went willingly and sat on one side while the shopkeeper sat on the other with a notebook and a twinkle in his eyes. Did all old men have crazy twinkles in their eyes, or was he simply going insane? Shaking his head, Stephen sat and waited for the old man to ask him some questions.

"So, my boy, is there anything special about this particular witch? Does she do anything significantly different to anyone else?" he asked softly.

"She's a professor. She teaches Astronomy," he replied.

"Ah, so she is an intellectual. What is her eye colour?" he continued as he wrote notes.

"Her eye colour is crystal blue, and before you ask, her hair is of the fairest blonde," Stephen said with a smile on his face as he thought of her silky locks.

"She sounds like a fair catch to me," the man said with a chuckle at Stephen's sudden faraway look. "Now, can you tell me what her date of birth is so that I might be able to go from there? And what was her school house?"

"Ah, her birthday is in December, I believe. And she was a Ravenclaw, the Head of Ravenclaw house now," he replied, still not entirely with the old man.

"Good, good. Now, I believe with everything you have told me that this young woman is Julia Sinistra?" he asked with a smile that only widened when Stephen nodded. "Excellent, I thought she would never marry after losing her fiancé in the Dark Lord's first uprising."

"She was engaged before?" Stephen asked, suddenly more aware of his surroundings.

"Yes, to my young nephew, as it happens. She has been heartbroken for many years, and it is grand that a good young man like you is trying to bring happiness back into her life. She swore when Henry died that she would never see another man," he replied. "Whatever you did, thank you for doing it. She has finally let go."

Stephen thought for a moment on everything he was hearing. Julia had been engaged once before and she had sworn after he died, she would see no other man. What had he done that had been so deserving of her attention? She saw him regularly and wrote to him and he to her when they were unable to meet. Did this mean that what the shopkeeper said was true? Had Julia truly let go of a love she had twenty years before?

"I think I have the perfect ring for her, my boy," the shopkeeper said jovially, noting the surprise on his face.

Stephen snapped back into the present and followed the man who was beckoning him to the next room. They were now in a darker back area filled with glass cases of jewelry. They stopped before the smallest, most antique of cases, and the shopkeeper unlocked it and pulled a velvet box from within before closing it and locking it back up. They went back to the other room and sat down before he finally opened the box to view the ring.

"This is a very old piece of work that I began twenty years ago, when my nephew was still here with me," he said softly. "He designed this ring and was going to give it to Julia as her engagement ring. I made it, but before he could give it to her, he was taken by the Dark Lord and silenced. He was a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

Stephen admired the yellow and white gold ring. It was twisted and pressed together in an intricate pattern, with a beautiful ceylon sapphire twined in the middle of it, sparkling the colour of Julia's eyes on a good day. It was perfect. He picked it up and examined it more closely, running his fingers over the smooth finish.

"It's perfect, but are you sure you are willing to part with it?" he asked quietly.

"It was designed and made for Julia's hand," the man replied. "I want you to take it, put it on her finger, and make her happy."

"Thank you. This is a great honor," Stephen said, inclining his head to the man. "I am sure she will be delighted that you remember her so well and so kindly."

After a few more minutes of signing papers and paying for the ring, Stephen left the shop feeling a surge of inspiration. He didn't care that he had only just decided to propose; he was going to do it as soon as he could. He hurried home and made himself presentable before Apparating to the gates of Hogwarts and heading straight for Severus' rooms to tell him and Hermione what he was planning, before going to the woman he had fallen in love with, telling her what she meant to him, and then asking her to be his wife.

He finally reached the Dungeons around noon and knocked on the door to their chambers frantically, feeling his insides turn over and over. Hermione opened the door first, dressed in her teaching robes, and the first thing that he did was hug her and spin her around, not without noticing the slight swell where her baby was growing as he held her. Severus appeared at the doorway, giving him a look that said to put his wife down, and he did, as he wanted to live long enough to see Julia at least on last time.

"What is the meaning of this, Stephen?" he asked dryly.

"I'm going to ask Julia to marry me," he replied energetically with a huge grin.

"Then what are you doing down here?" Hermione exclaimed, hugging him again with a smile on her face. "Get your arse up to her and ask, you dolt."

Stephen smiled once more, and after kissing Hermione's cheek in his euphoric state, he bolted out of the dungeons and hurried to get to Julia's rooms. He finally reached the fourth floor and met the wood of Julia's office door. He took a deep breath and then knocked soundly three times.

"Come in," said her soft voice from the other side.

Steadying himself and checking that the ring was in his pocket, Stephen opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him and standing before her desk. "Surprise," he said softly, making her eyes fly up from the parchment before her to look at him.

She smiled widely at her lover. "Stephen, what are you doing here?" she asked, standing from her seat and going around the desk to greet him with a kiss.

He held onto her tightly, returning the kiss passionately, tongues mating and hands fisted in each others' hair as they relearned their touch, taste, and smell. He hadn't seen her for five days. Once they broke apart for some much-needed oxygen, he led her back to her chair and made her sit down.

"I came to discuss something important with you," he replied, kneeling down on the floor before her. "Julia, I know that we haven't been together a very long time, but I feel that time shouldn't be a concern in these matters," he began, sensing the tears well up in her eyes. She was still smiling. "I love you. And I never wish to be parted from you again. Please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Julia was speechless as he pulled a beautiful ring from his pocket, holding it up to her as he clutched one of her small hands in his, looking her in the eyes the entire time. She felt her heart swell with love and happiness, as she held her left hand out to him, allowing him to slip it onto the appropriate finger. He smiled and leaned up, capturing her lips in a kiss.

"Yes," she whispered to him when they broke apart. "Yes, and I love you too."

"Good," Stephen said happily.