Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Series is not mine.
A/N: This, obviously, takes place sometime between Book 6 and the end of Book 7. I'm not bringing Fred back, since that just screws up some of my other one-shots. Sorry. He is still dead. :(
Spiders and Rings
Angelina was stepping out the door of her home. Fred said he'd come around and pick her up for dinner at seven, but he was nowhere in… Ah, that must be him.
Her boyfriend had rented some kind of Muggle contraption to take her to dinner in. It was longer than a broom, had four wheels, and was quite a shiny red. She could see her reflection, even from a few feet away. Leaning closer, she peered at herself in a tinted window and cursed. Must her hair always stick up like that? She started running her hand through her hair, before remembering she was a witch. Angelina fished her wand from her purse and summoned the special potion that Hermione Granger had managed to make her. Dabbing a bit on her hands, she began to smooth over the lump of hair near her ear.
Suddenly, Angelina paused. What was that noise? Was it the odd Muggle transportation Fred had come to pick her up in? Tilting her head, Angelina listened more closely. It was coming from the other side of the red 'carriage'. Walking to the opposite side, she was met with a very strange sight indeed.
Fred was on his hands and knees, muttering and cursing. "Fred?" Angelina asked curiously. All she got in reply was, "Where did it go? Blast, it can't have gone that far!" What was he looking for? Why was it so important?
"Fred d'you-" Angelina's offer of help was cut off as Fred cried out, "Aha! I got you now, you little bugger!" What was wrong with him? Who was he talking to? Had her boyfriend finally cracked and gone mad?
Angelina tried once more. "Fred, what are you doing?"
"Eh? Oh. Spider." He lied easily. He was still kneeling on the ground. Yes, his plan had been working beautifully…Until he dropped the ring. Wait until he told George how well it went. He hoped.
"Oh, Angelina? Hold this a second, would you?" Fred asked before his girlfriend could reply. "I think the stupid thing is still twitching…"
Angelina was baffled. She was accustomed to Fred and his odd behaviors, but this…This wasn't the 'normal strange.'
She looked down in her open palm to see what Fred had given her and gasped softly. It was a ring. Side by side were a diamond and a sapphire. They were about the same size, and surrounding them both was a circle of gold. It was a ring! It was an engagement ring!
Angelina was stunned. By the time she was done analyzing the ring, Fred had stood up, apparently having disposed of the spider. He gently took the ring, and pointed at his birthstone, the diamond.
"See here," he began, "is a diamond, representing purity, eternal love, and invincibility. Next to it we have" –Fred pointed to her September birthstone, the sapphire—"truth, commitment, and loyalty. Together they would make a pretty sound marriage, don't you think?" Fred finished, and looked down at her. It was the most sincere Angelina had ever seen him, but she could tell he was quite proud of his choice in rings.
"Yes. Yes, I believe you're right, Fred." She replied softly. With that, he slipped the ring onto her still outstretched hand saying, "Excellent!" Angelina smiled and gave him a gentle kiss.
Fred let a pleased grin spread across his face.
He couldn't wait to tell George.
Angelina was still smiling when Fred parked the car, as he had informed her it was called, in front of an exquisite Muggle restaurant. Then she suddenly thought of something.
"Fred?" She asked, and he turned to her, beaming. It had worked magnificently, he thought. His plan had gone without a hitch (other than him almost losing the ring, but he wasn't about to admit that).
"What was with the spider? I mean, you're not afraid of them, as Ron is. And it didn't seem to be a particularly large spider, so why did you kill it?"
Fred winced. And there was—another—hitch. This was why he loved Angelina. She was so curious, loved his pranks and jokes, and didn't mind in the least how out of control and wild things could get when he was experimenting. But everything had been so perfect and so splendid, and now he'd have to tell her that there was no spider, he had actually dropped the ring? It had been so serious and romantic. The only reason it had all worked out so well was because he was a brilliant quick-thinker. And everything had gone swimmingly. Everything had been peachy-keen.
Until now.
Should he take the blow to his pride? He sighed. He'd make the sacrifice for Angelina.
She was worth it.
But…he'd tell her later. He wasn't quite sure how she'd react, as women were, after all, as much of an enigma to him as the next wizard. Though he'd never admit that, either.
"All part of the plan, m'dear. All part of the plan."
A/N: Hope you liked it! :) I've never written Fred/Angelina before, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. But I think it's all right. I always pictured Fred proposing in an untraditional, clever way, while still being romantic. About the ring: The diamond is for April (Remember, April 1st?), and the sapphire is for September. I just chose September for Angelina's birthday since the meaning of its birthstone fit in well with April's birthstone. :)