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"Whatdichaye?" Ron swallowed his enormous mouthful of sandwich in one painful gulp. Hermione lifted her tea to her lips and took a dainty sip.
"Honestly, Ron. You heard me perfectly well." She cupped the small mug in her hand and continued, ignoring Ron's heated glare. "As I was saying, in the muggle world it's perfectly acceptable for woman to keep her surname. I've been doing some research and though it's quite rare in the wizarding world, it's not completely unheard of."
"Ginny changed her name," Ron accused. Hermione knew this was coming. She and Ron could never talk about anything important without it tumbling into a quarrel.
"Well, Ron, I'm not Ginny." Ron scoffed and pushed his plate away from him, disgusted. Losing his appetite was never a good sign.
"Listen. When I was younger I used to dream about being called Professor Granger. I always dreamt of a plaque with Granger outside my office.
"Look, I'm not saying I've made up my mind about it. I'm just thinking about it. And like we've talked about, I want to keep you constantly apprised of my situation." Hermione stood up and started clearing their lunch plates from the table as Ron was refusing to eat anymore.
"Well, love, excuse me for being concerned but 'thinking' has never just been thinking when it comes to you." Ron stood to join her by the sink. He swished his wand and the small table and chairs folded themselves against the wall. Their first apartment was small and modest. They were determined to pay for this place on their own, and did, only after saving for a whole year. Saving the world, it turned out, didn't come with handsome royalty checks.
"I know things at work are stressful. How was I to know my brilliant girlfriend was going to get promoted two days after she became my brilliant fiancée?" Ron wrapped his freckly arm around Hermione's waist and set his chin on her shoulder. She remained tense.
"Ron this isn't something boiling up from stress at work. I've been thinking about this for a long time. Even before you asked me." Ron's arm dropped from her waist and he ran his newly free hand through his hair in frustration.
"Oi, I understand," Ron spat. "Girls dream of being Mrs. Potter or Mrs. Krum, not Mrs. Weasley."
"Ronald! Hear me out! Why are you so angry about this! I'm trying to have a rational conversation about us, Ron, this is about US!"
"No, Hermione, this is about you. How you obviously don't want anyone to know you're my wife." Before Hermione's lips could form into words Ron had stormed to their bedroom and slammed the door. She did not immediately follow him. Hermione had known Ron long enough that when his temper got the best of him she could give him space to decompress or all hope for a semblance of a sane conversation would be lost. The cramped kitchen felt suffocating without Ron in it so Hermione grabbed a book and sat on their sofa. She thought of flooing Ginny for a chat but quickly decided against it. Ginny had not been in the mood to hear anyone, other than herself, complain for months. Ginny and Harry's recent wedding had been the event of the century. As Molly's only daughter, Ginny was informed early in her engagement that her wedding was as much about her parents as it was about her and Harry. And with the entire wizarding world clamoring to cover the wedding of "The Boy Who Lived," any hopes the two had about a small affair had gone out the window. As the date of their wedding approached, it had become a nightly tradition for Ginny to floo and exorcise her frustrations to Hermione. As far as Ginny was concerned, Hermione was actually getting to plan her wedding and thus had nothing to complain about.
With a flourish, Crookshanks landed in her lap.
"And how about you, huh?" Hermione buried her fingers in his tangled mass of fur. "You don't care what I call you as long as you are fed and brushed, right?" Crookshanks pelted his tail against her arm in agreement. Hermione was soon so lost in thought methodically brushing her cat's fur that she didn't noticed the bedroom door open and a tall redhead walk sheepishly towards her.
"Hey," Ron said softly. Hermione looked up and smiled but said nothing as she referred her attention the cat in her lap. "Okay, talk. I'm listening."
Thousands of reasons bubbled to the front of her brain and unable to quell the deluge, she blurted, "Ronald, you are not marrying the type of girl who covered her textbooks with hearts containing 'Mrs. Weasley.'" Ron looked startled at her proclamation, but recovered quickly.
"If you had," Ron smirked, "you would've gotten your books confused with Lavender's." Hermione's glare made Ron catch his laugh in his throat. When he looked thoroughly embarrassed, she continued.
"What I mean is I want to embrace it: my whole muggle heritage. I don't think sending our kids to a muggle primary school or teaching them how to use a microwave is enough because that's about them. This is about me."
"I told you it was about you."
"Yes, Ron. You were right." Ron sat down on the sofa next to her.
"Can I get that in writing please, love?" Hermione cracked a smile. Although Ron had grown up enormously these last few years, he still kept what Hermione thought was the perfect amount of cheekiness. "So let me get this straight," Ron turned to face Hermione and crossed his lanky legs beneath him. "You want to always be Hermione Granger because you want everyone to know you are muggle born?" Hermione nodded. "We're best friends with Harry Potter, so everyone one already knows you are muggle born because everyone already knows your name," Ron reasoned.
"We still called Tonks, Tonks, even after she married Lupin. It's the same thing, Ron. After everything we fought for…"
"I know what we fought for. She's sitting right in front of me." Hermione felt her cheeks burn. "But what about me? I know that the world doesn't need anymore Mrs. Weasleys, but what if I said I always dreamed about you having my name. What if I was the one that drew hearts with Mrs. Weasley in them?" Hermione laughed so forcefully Crookshanks was catapulted off her lap. Hermione tried to still her laughter as Ron mumbled unintelligibly under his breath, "jus an example…s'not true." After a few measured breathes, Hermione regained her composure. She looked at Ron. He looked like a puppy that had just been scolded for messing the floor because it was too excited. She sighed.
"Alright. Compromise? I'm keeping my name, BUT," she held up a finger to still Ron's open mouth, "I'm also taking yours." Ron's mouth closed in confusion. Hermione could almost see the thoughts being mulled over in his head.
"So you'll be Hermione Granger…?"
"Weasley," Hermione finished optimistically. Ron frowned.
"Not to be annoying, but that would make you Mrs…" Ron smiled hopefully. Hermione suppressed a giggle.
"Mrs. Granger-Weasley. Are you going to be okay with that Ron?" Ron played with a rouge curl from Hermione's hair, twisting it around his finger.
"How could I not be? Finally after seven years everyone will know you are with me. Everyone will know you're my wife." Hermione smiled and kissed Ron on the cheek before snuggling against his side.
"So now that we have that settled, have you thought more about what you are going to wear for our wedding," Hermione asked.
"Not really, though I have imagined many outfits for you to wear on our honeymoon."
"RONALD WEASLEY!!!!"
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