Her response may have been positive, but it was unfamiliar ground for him; it made him a little less certain about what came next. Not about the end result, of course, but about the path to get there. They did have marigolds, though (another plant native to this part of the world, and his parents had always encouraged the garden to look more natural than was entirely fashionable), so he nodded and steered her in that direction. They walked quietly, punctuated by one occurrence where her foot had caught on one of the cobblestones and Oz had muttered graceless under his breath.

When they reached the marigolds he let go of her arm. He moved to pick one of the flowers, but didn't offer it to her. Instead he considered it briefly between his fingers before turning his attention back to Miss Pomfrey. "I've made a decision," he announced. "I want to marry you."

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