The Perfect Question
The string quartet were playing by the fire. The candlelight glistened off their glasses. The sweet scent of the roses floated across the table. It's perfect, thought Ron, his hands started to sweat.
"It's very lovely here," Hermione said smiling across at him, "very... romantic."
"Yeah," Ron said stupidly.
He pressed his hands between his legs to stop the shaking. Then quickly thought better and rested them on the arm chairs, but that felt too forced. He finally settled on clenching them in his lap.
"I've read about this place, they say it's really difficult to get a table. Is tonight a special occasion?" she asked.
Here it is, he thought, my moment. His mouth suddenly felt very dry, he reached for his water glass and took a sip. Hermione, he rehearsed, we've been friends too long. Idiot! That sounds like you want to break up with her. The weight in his pocket pressed him down into the chair. He was sure breathing was usually easier than this.
"Nope," he croaked out, "nothing special. I'm mean obviously it's special, any time spent with you is special. Just not anything ... extra special."
Hermione's smile didn't falter but Ron thought it looked much more forced than it had a moment ago. It'll be better to do it when we get drinks, he thought, we'll be able to clink glasses and toast 'to us'. Yes, that sounds perfect.
Breathing under control, he asked Hermione how her day had gone. As she went into detail about the new research project the Auror department had her working on they settled into a comfortable rhythm. Their rhythm. Hermione doing most of the talking, him butting in occasionally to show that he was indeed listening. Hermione huffing and glaring in annoyance when he made inappropriate comments. Ron loved every second of it, until the waiter came over and filled their glasses with champagne.
Right, here goes.
"Hermione," he began, " you look so beautiful tonight."
An adorable shade of pink spread across her cheeks , "Thank you Ron," she said.
Good opening, Ron thought congratulating himself. "Really, you look absolutely ravishing. I mean you haven't looked this gorgeous since four year with the Yule ball. Not that you normally look ugly or anything. Far from it, you normally look amazing. In fact when we go out I need to make an effort to keep my hands to myself. Not that I only like you for your looks. I like you for your brain too. You know 'cause your smart."
Grabbing his glass he drain the champagne in one gulp. Idiot, he couldn't do it know, not after that fumble of a beginning. He'll wait till desert. It'll be much more romantic when there's desert. It'll be perfect then.
Looking up across the table he was surprised to see Hermione smiling, eyes shining at him. She leaned over the table and covered his hand with hers.
"Ron," she said, "You have absolutely no reason to be nervous."
Easy for her to say, he thought, she doesn't know I'm trying to propose.
Hermione prided herself on being an independent women. She never though she was the sort of girl who would get all silly about marriage. But when Ginny had told her how Harry had gone with Ron to help pick out an engagement ring, well she was embarrassed to admit that there had been lots of jumping up and down.
After Ron said he had booked a table at a fancy place, she and Ginny had gone shopping. Ginny had said they had to get her 'the perfect dress'. It had all been a bit too much fuss for Hermione. Of course this was a big occasion but it wasn't like they were actually getting married tonight.
When she had first sat down at the restaurant she had been a bit overwhelmed. The bouquet of roses he'd given her, all the candles around the room, strings playing slow music, it was all very romantic and sweet and ...not them. They were people who curled up on the sofa wearing comfortable old jeans, not people who went out for champagne in fancy clothes. But Ron had obviously put a lot of effort into making this night special, so she had tried to fully embrace the evening. After all it wasn't every day someone asked you to marry them.
Seeing how nervous he was she'd tried to make him feel at ease. Giving subtle hints that she knew what was coming, and that she wanted it. Three failed proposal attempts later and it was all getting a bit tedious. She knew she could be intimidating at times, but was it really that hard to ask her one silly little question.
Their desserts had just been cleared away when Ron picked up his water glass, gulped it down, leaned across the table and none too gently took her hands.
"Hermione, " he said in desperate determination.
For the fourth time that night her breath hitched. This was it. "Yes, Ron?"
He stared gazing into her eyes. He opened his mouth, let it hang there a moment before promptly closing it again. Then he silently sat there, stupidly staring at her.
"For goodness sack it's not like I'm going to say no," Hermione snapped.
"What?" he asked dropping her hands.
Hermione took a deep breath, "I know."
"Know what?"
"I know why you bought me here. I know what you want to ask me," she looked down at her lap, "what you seem to be having great difficulty asking me."
"I am not having diff - wait a minute. How do you know?" Ron asked looking at her suspiciously, "Did you go through my things?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Ginny told me."
"Ginny! How does she know?"
"How do you think? She got Harry to confess about your trip to Diagon Alley."
Ron slumped back in his chair with a sigh, "I knew there was a downside to my best mate shacking up with my sister."
Hermione spent a few unbearable moments watching as Ron sulked and fiddled with his napkin.
"Well?" She finally asked when she couldn't take it anymore.
Ron looked up at her, "What?"
She looked at him pointedly, "Isn't there something you want to ask me?"
"I can't ask you now."
"What? Why not?"
"The moment's ruined. Harry had to spill the beans to Ginny who blabbed her mouth to you. Now you've got these huge expectations of this perfect evening that I just can't live up to. I'll probably never ask you now, not after the way tonight's gone. Bloody disaster."
Bitting her lip Hermione refused to look at Ron as she blinked away the sting at the back of her eyes. She wasn't the one who went out and bought a ring. She hadn't booked the fancy restaurant and fussed over every detail. She had been perfectly content with how life was going. She didn't need a husband. Marriage was such a silly tradition anyway and damn it she was not crying. Not in front of him.
She grabbed her bag and stood up.
"Hermione?"
"You can be very cruel sometimes Ronald," she said quietly before walking away.
Ron sat staring at the table after Hermione had left. Stupid Harry, he'd ruined everything. What was he doing telling Ginny he went and bought a ring. Obviously she was going to tell Hermione, and then what did Harry think would happen. He couldn't propose under that kind of pressure. His loyalty should have been to me, Ron thought, not Ginny. I'm his best friend, Ginny was just... well, she was Harry's Hermione.
Putting his elbows on the table he dropped his face into his hands. What was he doing? Sitting here alone, when Hermione was out there upset. He knew he'd made a mess of things. It was a big commitment, marriage. Not that he wasn't ready, he had no doubts that Hermione was the only person for him. He'd been so excited when he bought the ring. He couldn't wait to show it to her. He'd been so sure of everything, he was going to get up early and make her breakfast in bed. When she was just losing the fuzziness of sleep he was going to show it to her. They would have spent all day in bed. That would have been a great way to propose. But he had to go and over think things. He had just wanted to show Hermione and the world that they were meant to be. He'd never planned to go this over board, the whole thing had just spiralled out of control. In his need to for every detail and word to be perfect he'd forgotten the big picture. He and Hermione, starting a life together.
Glancing around at the room he shook his head. It didn't matter where he proposed. Pulling the ring out he held it in his hand. Looking at it caused a flutter in his chest. He'd bought it because he hadn't wanted to go one more day without her knowing exactly how much she meant to him. And he still didn't.
As soon as Hermione reached the bedroom she took off her dress and let it crumple to the floor. Avoiding Ron's side of the room she found the plainest clothes she could and quickly changed. Ron and his ridiculous insecurities, she thought in exasperation as she yanked a top over her head.
She staked into the living room, grabbed her notes and dropped them onto the table. Nothing like work to take you mind off things, she thought. She picked up her quill, pressed it to the parchment, and promptly threw it down again. Did he really think that she was that superficial? That she needed an expensive restaurant and flawless evening before she'd say yes. Didn't he know her better than that?
She didn't understand why he was making such a fuss about it anyway. She'd always assumed that they would get married one day. Ron proposing should just have been an acknowledgment of that, a simple formality really. He shouldn't have found it that difficult. Or maybe, a small voice inside her whispered, he's not as sure about you as you are about him. There was a big difference between buying a ring and actually committing yourself to someone. Maybe when it came to making that final step he just couldn't do it.
She knocked over her chair as she stood up and hurriedly walked to the kitchen. She pressed her lips tight as she filled the kettle and placed it on the stove. Holding herself still she waited for the water to start boiling. It was only then that she let her emotions free, the whirling kettle hiding the sound of her tears.
Gingerly walking into their apartment Ron heard sounds coming from the kitchen. Standing in the doorway he saw Hermione facing the bench, wearing faded jeans and an old red sweater. She looked more beautiful than she had all night.
"Hey," he said breaking the silence.
She turned and his heart clenched at the sight of her red, puffy eyes. I caused that, he thought, now it's time to make things right.
"I'm making tea," Hermione said softly, "Would you like one?"
He walked forward and paused in front of her. When she showed no objections he slowly wrapped his arms around her. She let out a shaking breath as he bent down and leaned his forehead against hers.
"I'm an idiot," He stated.
"That's hardly news."
Smiling he gave her temple a soft kiss before he reached into his top pocket and pulled out her ring. He felt her go still as he held it in front of her.
"I don't know your favourite flower. I went to the store and said I needed flowers to propose to my girlfriend, she asked me what was your favourite. I didn't know so I just bought roses. Do you like roses?"
Hermione didn't take her eyes off the ring in his hands, "They're okay."
He nodded his head, "I thought it was a sign that we weren't meant to be. Then I thought if everything else was just right, it would prove that we do belong together, and that it didn't matter that I hadn't known what flowers you like."
He reached for her hand and held the ring just above her finger. He could feel the small tremors running through her hand.
"I knew as soon as I saw this, that it was your ring. There was another one that Harry wanted me to get. It was beautiful, but it was really big and glittery and I thought, that's not my Hermione," He slowly started to slide the simple elegant ring onto her finger.
"This one is an old ring that had been given to the store. Harry thought you wouldn't be too impressed that I bought you a used ring, but I knew. You wouldn't say it was second hand. You'd say it had history. This one belonged to an old women who had worn it for 70 years. She and her husband met at school, fell in love and lived happily ever after." The ring slide into place, a perfect fit, "What better way to start our lives than with 70 years of love."
Hermione lifted her eyes to lock with his and bought her hand to her heart, "It's perfect," she whispered.
"Hermione Granger, " He began, his heartbeat calm and steady, "Will you spend your life with me?"
A brilliant smile spread across her face, the light shining off the water in her eyes. She reached up with both hands and threaded her fingers through his hair.
"There was never any doubt," she replied as she bought his mouth down to meet hers.