Summary – Ron loves Hermione, he hopes that she will pick him.
Christmas at the Granger's
The flat was situated above Diagon Alley; the Alley held many special memories for both men. The times they had shopped for their school supplies and Harry's first wonderment at the Wizarding World could be found in Diagon Alley. Their flat looked down on Flourish and Botts mostly.
Ron Weasely was whistling a muggle tune as he tried on the muggle suite he and Harry had bought just the week before. It consisted of black slacks, a blazer, a white dress shirt and a red tie. If there had been any gold in the tie, Harry could have sword that Ron was still at Hogwarts. But they had skipped their seventh year and hadn't seen a point in going back.
Instead, Harry had taken up writing and Ron had taken up a post in the Muggle Artifact Department where his Dad had worked. Mr. Weasely had been promoted and the department got more funding, which meant a higher paycheck; which meant that Ron could start thinking about settling down.
The marriage thing had been a problem between Ron and his mother for near five months now. Ron just wanted to get acclimated to work, but Molly wanted him to start thinking about marriage and children. That was when he asked Harry for help; Harry suggested that he ask Hermione since they were friends and all the things they had gone through.
There wouldn't be much for them to learn about each other since they had basically spent all seven years of Hogwarts together. Ron then went in search of three presents. They had all been books, for Hermione loved books, and she had received them well. Ron had sent them sporadically all that week, and after the final book, Hermione had invited him to Christmas dinner at her house.
He and Harry had gone to see the house. It was an old Victorian house of blue and grey. The front windows had white lace curtains and there was a sort of tower that Ron surmised must be Hermione's room. He wondered if it ever reminded her of Hogwarts. With this site in mind, Ron knew he could Apparate there on Christmas Eve.
Harry had helped by picking out a muggle suite with his friend and a tie that was an exact red of Gryffindor. They had decided to omit the red and gold one, for obvious reasons.
Ron turned to face Harry who was lounging on the bed; "What do you think?"
"I think Hermione is going to be surprised," Harry said.
"Or she'll be expecting it," Ron sighed.
"Don't worry about it, she wants you there," Harry shrugged.
"Right, Mum was really happy when I told her where I'd be Christmas Eve. We usually get together and have a big party and we get to open one present before Christmas morning,"
"I know, your Mum's asked me to stay the night. Still seems to think that I'm the little boy she helped to get onto Platform 9 ¾" Harry replied.
"Of course she does! You weird-oh!"
"I'm weird? You were the one who though a sweater vest was cool!" Harry objected.
"Whatever mate, your only saying that because Remus used to wear one,"
"It looked better on him though," Harry replied. Ron gave him a rude gesture with his hand, but Harry just laughed.
"Anyway, you have fun, all right?"
"Yeah, I will," Ron grinned.
"Dear, just put that over there," Genesis said to her only daughter. Hermione took the vase of yellow roses to the table that was also dressed in yellow's and browns. The house was said to be too big for a family of three. But Hermione had grown up there and she loved the house dearly. The dinning room was across the foyer from the parlor where her cousins had gathered.
Rosalina was the oldest of the kids, she was twenty two. She had long dark brown hair and blue eyes. She was prim and proper and tended to look down on others. Sometimes she reminded Hermione of Draco Malfoy; but this she kept to herself.
Next was Jacob – he was in all respects a nerd. He also had brown hair and blue eyes for he was Rosalina's younger brother. He wore glasses with very thick lenses and he had a computer manual with him at all times. He won the science fair twice at his school in London. He agreed with everything that Rosalina said which made Hermione just want to hex them both.
Gertrude was the third after Jacob, she played with doll has blond curly hair and was spoilt rotten. Nothing much to her to even make her at all interesting and so Hermione didn't bother to talk to her. Even Lavender Brown was more interesting than Gertrude. After that was the two youngest, Gideon and Gilbert were twins, they were the youngest after Hermione and Gertrude. Gideon and Gilbert weren't like George and Fred or even Sirius and James. They were just as boring as any twins could be and that was saying something.
Hermione always ignored her cousin's – it was mostly a nightmare when they came over. Rosalina thinking she was the bell of the ball and the others taking her side over Hermione's. Once, Hermione locked herself in the downstairs bathroom just so that she could be left alone. Genesis and Hayden weren't exactly sure why the kids didn't get along with their Hermione. But she had told them several times that she hardly cared.
"Hermione, what on earth are you wearing?" Rosaline asked as she wondered into the dinning room where Hermione was fixing the table settings. Hermione wore a white dress, it was strapless with a jacket of netting. She wore pearls and the pink earrings from the Yule Ball she had attended at Hogwarts.
"There is nothing wrong with my outfit," Hermione replied as she brushed quickly past her older Cousin. Rosaline gave Hermione a look.
"It's right dating that's what it is," Rosaline said with a sniff as she went to see what her mother was doing. Hermione made herself be calm, she wanted to give a rude hand gesture, but ladies didn't do that. Especially Hermione who had found out she was a relation of King Arthur. The potion had been simple, just bats wings and the heart of an earth worm, two drops of your blood and it told you everything. She was a direct ascendant of King Arthur while her mother was of Morgana Le Fay. Her Father was an ascendant Alexander the Great.
Hermione decided that royalty didn't act like snobs and so she let her cousin go without a word or a rude hand gesture. It just wasn't worth it.
The door bell rang and Hermione smiled, that had to be Ronald! She rushed to the door, checking her hair in the mirror for a moment before she opened the door.
"Ron!" she smiled and hugged him on a whim.
"Hermione! How are you?" Ron asked as she led him inside.
"I'm fine, I'm glad you can come, you can rescue me from my miserable cousins," she said.
"Can I turn them into toads?" Ron asked.
"They don't even know," Hermione said.
"Know what?" it was the twins Gideon and Gilbert.
"I was saying that you don't know that tress make oxygen," Hermione replied smoothly. The twins gave her a look before they stuck their tongues out and ran off.
"My cousins are so darling," she muttered.
"Er – yes," Ron agreed.
"Come on, my parents know you but my Aunt's and Uncle don't," Hermione said as she led Ron to the kitchen where the grown ups had decided to linger.
Aunt Hattie and Uncle Richard were prunes, at least to Ron they looked like prunes and reminded him of Harry's relatives the Dursley's. Hattie had dark brown hair while her husband had blond, they were the parents of Gertrude, Gideon and Gilbert. Aunt Lucy and Uncle Heath were skinnier than Hattie and Richard. They were also very tall and Ron had to look up to greet them.
"Ron! I'm so glad to see you," Genesis said as she hugged the young man. "How are Molly and Arthur doing?" she asked.
"Fine, fine, Mum sends her love," Ron replied.
"And you're brothers, Gred and Fordge?"
"Er – well, Fred died last year and…George went into business with a friend from school," Ron said.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," Genesis said.
"It's all right," Ron said.
"Mum, is the turkey burning?" Hermione asked. Genesis turned to the oven and opened it, saving the turkey just in time. Two more minutes and Hermione was sure it would have caught fire.
Rosaline scuttled up to Ron and smiled; "Hello, my name is Rosaline," she said.
"Good evening," Ron nodded, he turned to Hermione to say something but Rosaline grabbed his hand, brown eyes went black with jealousy (but no one noticed it).
"Come, Ronald, let us adjourn to the parlor," and with that she dragged Ron away.
"What?" Hermione completely missed it and wondered why her cousin was dragging poor Ron away. Then she glared at the back of them. Ronald had come to spend time with her – not with her cousin! Her hand itched as she was tempted by the idea of turning her cousin into a toad. It would deffinantly serve her right!
Ron decided that Muggles were very odd; he hadn't met many, just Harry's relatives and Hermione's Mum and Dad when they went to Diagon Alley with their daughter. Rosalina wasn't like her cousin, Hermione, she was more like a Malfoy, Ron decided. She would deffinantly make a good wife for Draco if his family accepted muggles.
"Ronald," she used his whole name, no one but his mother and Hermione used it.
"Yes?"
"Won't you take a seat?" she asked.
"Er – thank you," Ron said. Rosaline pushed him into the love seat before pouring a cup of tea for the both of them. She handed one to him and sat down gently on the other side of Ron.
"So, tell me about yourself…" she said with a simpering smile.
"Er…." Ron suddenly felt like Harry when they were in school and Harry was trying to ask a girl out.
"Rosaline, your mother wants you," Hermione said as she walked into the parlor. Rosaline didn't look at all happy, but she quickly masked it and left with a glare at Hermione as she went.
"Sorry about her, Ron," Hermione said.
"You weren't kidding when you described them in your letter," Ron said.
"No, I think she likes you. Or she's playing to keep your attention from me. She always did that," Hermione sighed.
"Er – I don't know anything about muggles…but…"
"She was flirting with you, but being proper about it," she sat down on the couch.
"Did her Mum really need her?"
"Not really," and with that Rosalina stomped into the room. Looking like a very enraged bull.
"Hermione, come to me," she said with a hiss. Hermione raised an eyebrow. Ron shrugged at her and she stood.
"I'll be back," she said softly as she and her cousin went upstairs.
The tower of which Ron had wondered was Hermione's was actually a library. A wall to wall library that Hermione had spent most of her childhood in. Rosalina shut the door before rounding on Hermione.
"YOU WITCH!"
"Rosaline, don't be insulting,"
"You like him, don't you?"
"And if I do? At least I am not a jealous green monster,"
"You're just trying to ruin my fun," Rosalina pouted.
"Don't be daft, you know nothing about us. We went to school together, I know him better than you and your practically throwing yourself at him!"
"So what? It's a game," Rosaline simpered.
"Well, I shant stand for it!" Hermione decided. Rosaline gave her a look; "You just leave me and him alone," and with that she turned on a heel to leave Hermione alone.
Hermione snickered as her cousin left. Then she waited a few moments before she returned down stairs. Now the adults were in the dinning room and her mother had come to get the children. They would all sit at the table. Thankfully, Genesis had Ron and Hermione sit along side each other. She probably had an inkling as to what was going on.
Rosaline looked very mad that she could not take Hermione's place, and Hermione didn't miss the look of which she was receiving. Underneath that table, she pulled out her wand, she had kept it in a leg holster that she had used some during the year she, Ron and Harry had searched for the Horcruxes.
"Capistrum," she whispered. The way Rosaline had been declaring how cute Ron was suddenly cut off. Hermione put her wand away as Ron gave her a look. Suddenly, Rosaline could only talk about the weather. How nice the weather was, why did it not snow? What was Christmas without snow?
Ron snickered a little but a pinch on the leg from Hermione shut him up.
After this little bout of magic, things had settled down and Hermione could finally enjoy the idea that her crush was having Christmas Eve Dinner with her family. After a while Hayden got up to go get some more wine. Ron excused himself and followed the other man into the kitchen.
"Sir?" Ron called out.
"Ron, no need to call me sir!" Hayden smiled.
"I wanted to ask you something…." Ron said.
"Oh?"
"Yes, I would like to have Hermione's hand in marriage,"
"What…?"
"Look, I have the ring and a deed to a house! You won't have to worry were we'll live and I'm sure I can get our floo's connected so Hermione could visit whenever she wanted and…."
Hayden promptly fell over.
Ron wasn't sure exactly what to do but he went and got Hermione's mother. He asked her if she could show him and Hayden where exactly the pumpkin stock was.
"I didn't know I had….Hayden!" Genesis knelt down besides her husband as he came too. He looked at Ron and then said: "Are you wanting to marry our daughter?"
"Well, yes, Wizarding tradition states that I must ask the father of the bride before asking the bride,"
"Oh, that's not a bad tradition," Genesis said. Hayden smiled as Ron and his wife helped him up.
"Well, why not? Hermione's had a crush on you since….what year was it dear?"
"I don't know, I think it was the Tri-something or other," Genesis replied with a smile. Ron blanched: he didn't know Hermione was crushing on him in fourth year!
"Well, would it be all right?" Ron asked.
"Yes, she loves you!" Genesis said.
"Thank you!" Ron smiled. They both missed Hayden walking into the dinning room. But when they heard lots of gasps and Rosalina basically screaming at the unfairness of it all – they rushed to the room.
Hermione was blinking as if she couldn't believe what her father had said. She was getting married but then that would mean that the books was…actually….pre-engagement gifts!
"Ronald?" She stood. Ron made his way around the table to stand in front of her.
"Hermione, I've loved you forever, I just didn't know it. You're the smartest witch in our year and I was just being stupid half the time, but, that time that I took you for the flight around the Quidditch pitch opened my eyes. You are beautiful inside and out and I would be honored if you would consent to become Mrs. Hermione Jane Granger Weasely," Ron said.
Hermione smiled, she kissed him gently on the lips before nodding; "Yes, I will," she said accepting the ring and her future husband.
THE END
A/N – Okay, this totally sucks! Not to mention that Word decided to be stupid because my sister wanted me to download a cd to her player but it wouldn't work. Blah! Hate other mp3 players!
Anyway, please feel free to tell me how stupid this was.
