Unlike Hogwarts, which stands on a cliff overlooking a lake, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is nestled deep within a mountain.
Unlike Hogwarts ' Gothic spires, Ilvermorny's architecture is more reminiscent of colonial-era stone manor houses.
The wide stone steps, arched doors and windows, and roof covered with bluish-gray slate tiles give the whole structure a more square and solid appearance.
Four enormous statues stood before the castle: Horned Serpent, Thunderbird, Wampus Cat, and Gnome, each guarding one of the four directions of the academy. Sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone upon the statues.
From the foot of the mountain to the school gate, one needs to pass through a dense forest of black pine trees, whose trunks are straight as pillars and whose branches and leaves intertwine to form a natural dome, with sunlight only able to filter through the gaps in the branches, creating dappled patches of light.
The path beneath our feet was an unpaved stone path, with glowing moss growing on both sides, emitting a pale green light.
The air was filled with the scent of pine resin, and occasionally the chirping of unknown birds came from deep within the tree canopy. The two walked forward.
"The buildings here are more... open Hogwarts." Hermione looked around, scanning the vegetation. "Look at those trees over there, their leaves are silvery-grey, and those vines—I've never seen these kinds of plants around Hogwarts."
"After all, this is North America; the climate and geography are different. The gloomy atmosphere of Hogwarts doesn't really apply here."
Hermione suddenly stopped and said, seemingly out of the blue, "What were you saying that I didn't understand?"
Draco was taken aback. He said he and Trillian? He hadn't expected Minmin to have noticed and still retain the right to make trouble.
Draco composed himself and prepared an explanation. "It's nothing, it's just that when we were watching the sunrise this morning, Trillian came upstairs. To make sure she didn't wake you, I promised to give her some Wizarding World items."
Hermione stared at him for a few seconds, half-believing, half-doubting, but what she really cared about wasn't this. She said with dissatisfaction, "Then why did you give her a gift, and I didn't?"
Seeing Hermione's pouting lips, Draco smiled indulgently, "Yes, we already prepared one for our Miss Granger, but we were worried Miss Granger might find it hard to accept."
What's so hard about receiving a gift?
"Really?" Draco smiled and pulled a small box from his pocket. It was made of deep blue velvet and had silver trim around the edges.
I opened the box, and inside lay a ring.
The ring band is made of platinum, and upon closer inspection, you can see a pale silver-blue luster flowing across the surface, as if moonlight has been condensed into the metal.
The main stone is a teardrop-shaped aquamarine, so clear and bright as a drop of solidified seawater, surrounded by a ring of tiny diamonds that refract light like stars in the sunlight.
What's most special is that fine runes are faintly visible inside the gemstone, and these runes flow slightly as the angle of light changes.
Draco, carrying the ring box, approached Hermione, all his playful banter gone, and solemnly said to her, " Hermione Granger."
"Will you marry me?"
Hermione's brain went blank for a moment.
A marriage proposal? At the foot of a mountain in the middle of nowhere? We were just discussing Trillian's wristband, and suddenly it's a marriage proposal?
But then her heart started pounding and her cheeks flushed.
She had imagined countless possibilities: Draco might propose to her after a candlelight dinner, on a terrace under the stars, or even in front of the fountain at the Ministry of Magic.
But she never imagined she would be on the edge of a forest in the Mount Greylock, with fallen leaves under her feet and the North America summer sun overhead.
It was so sudden, yet it didn't seem sudden at all.
Draco, seeing her dazed expression, gently stroked her cheek and teased her affectionately, "Look, you're being silly again."
Hermione snapped back to reality, and said softly, "Who's being silly... You were so sudden! You didn't give me any warning."
"Isn't that what a proposal is all about? If everything is prepared, there's no surprise," Draco chuckled, taking out a ring as he spoke and solemnly asking her again, "So, Miss Granger, will you become Mrs. Malfoy?"
Hermione was overjoyed inside, but she still complained haughtily, "Who proposes on a mountain path? They could at least pick a more romantic spot. It's so perfunctory."
She still held up her finger as she spoke.
Draco understood immediately, knowing she had agreed. He smiled, took Hermione's hand, and slowly slipped the ring onto her ring finger. "Traveling all the way across the ocean to this magical town at the foot of Ilvermorny School —isn't that romantic enough?"
"Just imagine, two Hogwarts students secretly pledging their lives to each other in the back alley of North America's oldest magic school—that's another kind of 'international romance'."
"Besides, I was thinking of finding a romantic place, but Miss Granger is jealous of someone, and she's so jealous over just a wristband... so I had to move up the date."
Draco chuckled mischievously. The ring was a bit too big and easily slipped off Hermione's knuckles, but once it was fully on, the band automatically began to shrink, fitting her finger perfectly.
Hermione mumbled something indistinctly, "... Who's jealous... I just think those wristbands are a bit of an eyesore..."
"So—are you satisfied now, Miss Granger? Is this ring good enough to outshine that bracer?"
Instead of answering, she retorted with dissatisfaction, "Where's your ring? What kind of nonsense is it for me to be the only one wearing it?"
Draco then took a small box from his pocket, opened it to find an identical ring inside, handed it to her, and asked, " Miss Granger, would you like me to put this on?"
Hermione grabbed his hand and quickly slipped the ring on, her movements as swift and decisive as if she were completing an academic task.
Draco glanced at the ring that had been quickly slipped on and clicked his tongue. " Miss Granger, this is what you call unromantic. Unlike when I put one on, I hold your hand and slowly push it in—"
Hermione blushed and retorted confidently, "It's just a ring, why be so fussy? I put it on your finger myself, you should be grateful, don't be so picky."
Draco smiled, inwardly shaking his head: his little wife was always so hypocritical. When he put it on her, he thought it wasn't romantic enough, but when it was her turn, she became a pragmatist.
"Honey, now that we're legally married, can't we do some things... that real married couples do?" Draco whispered in her ear in an ambiguous tone.
"Haven't you done enough?" Hermione pouted. "You've only just begun to break the ice! Don't push your luck."
"What I mean is, can we do it more frequently and more recklessly from now on?" Draco explained.