The Regretful Proposal

"Hey Harry," Ron said questionably to the person sitting next to him in the half deserted common room.

"What," Harry said looking at Ron.

"I think I'm going to ask Hermione to marry me, do you think I should go for it?"

"Yeah definitely, you two would be great for each other," Harry replied reassuringly.

"Thanks mate."

Just then Hermione walked in through the portrait hole. Ron stood up and the imaginary Harry disappeared.

"Hermione I need to talk to you," Ron said with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"What is it Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Come sit down," he said.

They both went over to the sofa in front of the blazing fire. Ron looked very anxious. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a beautiful heart shaped diamond ring.

"Hermione . . . Will you marry me?"

"Oh Ron, this is so . . ." Hermione searched for the right word, "so unexpected, let me think about it for a while."

She looked at him quickly and went back out through the portrait hole, the real Harry under his invisibility cloak, right behind her. Ron sat there dumfounded, what did I do wrong he thought, I shouldn't have asked so soon, we only went on a few dates. I'm so stupid. He hit himself on the head and slumped up to his dormitory.

Hermione and Harry walked back to the room of requirement. Harry pulled off his invisibility cloak and they both sat down on the same comfy sofa that had been there just a half hour before.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said putting her face in her hands. Harry put an arm around her back. She started to think about the last time they had been here. They didn't want to have to deal with gossip around school so they showed their affection for each other in private. She remembered how she was passionately kissing Harry, for the sixth time this year. She pulled away to look him in the eyes and that's when Harry took the opportunity. He looked back into her deep brown eyes and whispered "Hermione, I love you." Hermione ginned broadly back at him. "You don't know how long I have waited to hear those words," she had told him in reply. Hermione snapped back to the present as Harry removed his arm from around her.

"What are we going to do Harry? Should I tell him that I'm in love with you?"

"I think you should. Ron deserves to know the truth."

"I feel so bad Harry, we should have told him ages ago, that ring probably cost him his whole life savings."

Hermione and Harry went back to the Gryffindor common room, and noticed Ron was no longer sitting where they saw him last. Harry said he would go check in the dorm first.

And sure enough he was there lying on his bed.

"Hey Ron, Hermione is down stairs, she wants to talk to you."

At first Ron just looked at him with a blank expression, and then slowly got out of his four poster bed and he walked back down the stairs with Harry. Ron felt like his heart was beating a thousand times per minute. What was she going to say? She's probably going to say no, why did I even bother, he told him self.

Hermione looked up hearing footsteps on the stairs. She prevented her self from almost crying, this was so hard, she didn't want to hurt Ron's feelings but she knew she had to reject his proposal.

Ron sat down on the couch to the right of Hermione and Harry sat on and arm chair to her left.

"I am so sorry Ron but I can not accept your proposal." She told him sadly. "I'm in love with someone else, and a half hour before you proposed to me he told me that he loved me too. I still want to be your friend, I can't imagine living with out you, but I just don't fell the same way you feel about me. I am so sorry."

Ron looked like he was on the verge of tears,

"Then why did you go on dates with me?"

"I had a lot of fun going with you but I never imagined you would propose to me."

Ron looked solemn, "So who is this other person, is it Krum?"

"Oh . . . no, its—er—" Hermione glanced nervously at Harry. "It's Harry."

Ron's jaw dropped in surprise. "WHAT! Why didn't you ever tell me you loved Hermione?" Ron said looking astonished at Harry.

"I don't know, I didn't think she liked me, she kept on going on dates with you so I tried to stop liking her. But at start of term I found out that she did like me. I'm really sorry mate, we should have told you sooner."

"Yeah you should have, do you know how much this ring cost me! Are you to going to be going around holding hands and kissing all the time now?"

"No, we don't want to have to deal with gossip." Hermione told him.

"Well I hope you two are happy together," and with that Ron walked out of the common room.