"What about this one?" Ron asked, showing Harry yet another ring.

"How is that any different from the last five rings you showed me?" Harry yawned, resting his chin on his hand as he leaned against the jewelry counter.

"It's bigger," Ron pointed out. "And it looks shinier."

"Then get that one."

"Or what about one like that?" Ron asked, looking at another ring. "It's got a big diamond in the middle and a bunch of small ones around the-Harry!"

"Huh?" Harry sputtered, his eyes flying open.

"You fell asleep!"

"Sorry, sorry," Harry said. "I was watching Teddy all night…bugger wouldn't go to sleep until three in the morning and then he woke me up at seven to mend his toy broomstick."

"I can see why his grandmother needed the break," Ron said. "Ah well, we can do this another time if you want. You can go back to your flat and-"

"No, if I do that you'll just wind up postponing this for another month," Harry said.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Ron nodded. "It's just nerve-wracking. Girls luck out in this department; they don't have to deal with the pressure."

"What about that one?" Harry said, pointing to a beautiful diamond surrounded by a series of sapphires.

"Nah, too showy," Ron said. "You know Hermione, she likes simple things, but it's also got to be really, really nice…Wait a minute, what about that one?"

He was pointing to a simple diamond ring with an elegant finish that seemed to make it shine more than any of the other rings.

"Looks good, mate," Harry nodded.

"Hey!" Ron called to the drowsy saleslady behind the counter. "Can I see that ring right there?"

Looking at the two men indignantly for making her get up from her seat, the saleslady slammed the ring on the counter and shuffled away mumbling under her breath.

"Yeah, I think this just may be it," Ron said, examining the ring closely. "Alright, I'm going to need you to practice with me."

"Excuse me?" Harry frowned. "What do you mean by 'practice with you'?"

"Take the ring," Ron said. "And ask me to marry you; I need to see how it looks during the moment."

"You're joking, right?"

"Just do it, will you?" Ron said, rolling his eyes. "You don't need to get down on one knee or anything, just ask the question."

Harry sighed and snatched the ring from Ron. "Fine. But you owe me for this."

"Thanks a lot," Ron said. "Okay…get on with it."

"Can't believe I'm doing this," Harry muttered. "Alright…Ronald Weasley? Will you…marry me?"

Ron stared thoughtfully at the ring. "Okay, I think that settles it," he said after a moment. "This is the ring."

"It better be, after I did that," Harry said.

"Oi!" Ron said, getting the saleslady's attention again. "I want to buy this!"

"And you couldn't have come to that decision five minutes ago when I was over there?" she snapped as she heaved her massive body from her seat once more. She took the ring and put it in a small velvet box. "That'll be 430 galleons," she said.

"Saved for ages for this," Ron said as he handed her a large sack of gold.

"When are you going to do it?" Harry asked Ron as the two headed out of the shop.

"Tonight," Ron said. "We're going to dinner and I'm going to ask her then."

Harry glanced at his best friend and saw that his face was pale and her was nervously playing with the ends of his scarf. "You-You think she'll say yes?"

"Course I do," Harry said at once. "Just relax; everything will go fine."

"But if she does say no-"

"She won't," Harry said firmly. "I can guarantee you that."

"Alright," Ron nodded, still looking like a nervous wreck. "I'm going for it then."

….

"-And I think I'm really close to getting Chainsley from Control of Magical Creatures to sign off on that bill I drew up about House Elves reserving the right to refuse to do any task for their masters that could potentially endanger their lives," Hermione said, cutting her chicken. "I know it's not exactly elf freedom, but it's a start, don't you think?"

"Um, yeah, definitely," Ron said, shifting restlessly in his seat.

"Aren't you hungry, Ron?" she frowned, looking at Ron's untouched lamb.

"What? Oh, yeah, um, mum made me taste a bunch of new recipes she's been trying out," he said quickly. "I'm pretty stuffed."

"Don't think I've ever heard you utter those words," Hermione said, smiling. "So, what were you and Harry up to all morning?"

"We, er, just hung around Diagon Alley," Ron said. "Picked up a birthday present for Charlie; that's all."

"That's nice. What did you get him?"

"I, er, forgot," Ron said.

"You forgot? But how could you-"

"Excuse me," Ron said quickly to the passing waitress. "I-I think we're done with our plates here."

"Can I get you a doggy bag?" the waitress asked, levitating Hermione's empty plate from the table.

"No, no, that's okay, just take it," Ron said, handing her his untouched dinner.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, concerned as the waitress walked away. "You love the lamb here; you don't even want it for lunch tomorrow?"

"Um, no," Ron said, sliding his hand in his jacket pocket and feeling the small velvet box. "But hey, how about desert?"

"I thought you weren't hungry?"

"I'm starving for some chocolate crème cake, thought," Ron said. After placing his order with the waitress he knew that the time had come.

"Mum and dad have been dying to see you again," Hermione told him, taking a sip of her wine. "So I was thinking next weekend we go apperate over to their house and stay for a couple of nights."

"Yeah, sounds fun," Ron said, his heart hammering. "Listen, Hermione? I-I need to ask you something important. Really important."

"Oh," Hermione said, blinking. "Okay. What is it, Ron?"

"You-You know we've been…together for three years now," he started.
"Right," Hermione nodded, looking rather confused.

"And-And it's been, well, great," Ron continued. "We've-we've had a lot of good times…like when we spent that week in Italy, and when you finally went to a Cannons game with me…I could name a bunch more, but that would take hours."

"Ron, why are you bringing all of that up?" Hermione asked.

"Because-Because I just wanted to make sure you knew," Ron went on. "That-that I-I love you."

"Ron," Hermione said, smiling. "I know that, and you know that I love you too."

"Yes, um, I-I know," Ron nodded, still grasping the velvet box in his pocket. "But, when I say I love you…Hermione, you're the most important thing to me in the world. I don't know what I would do if I wasn't with you. That's why," he took a deep breath, trying hard to remember the rest of this speech that he had spent hours rehearsing with Harry. "That's why I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I couldn't imagine having to go on not having you there with me at every turn…What-What I'm trying to say is," and then he got down on one knee and Hermione's eyes widened as he finally pulled out the velvet box to reveal the ring that he had purchased earlier that day. "Hermione Jean Granger," he said, his heart beating so hard against his chest he was sure he was going to pass out. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione breathed, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "I-I don't believe…Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"

"You-You will?" Ron asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Yes," Hermione said again, tears now falling down her cheeks as she threw her arms around him.

Beaming, Ron slid the ring onto her finger.

"It's beautiful," Hermione said, looking at it. "Ron, it's just…thank you." She stood on her toes and kissed her new fiancé.

….

One Year Later

"You're really doing it then?" Ron asked as Harry tried unsuccessfully to get his hair to lie flat on his head.

"I'm really doing it," he nodded.

"Oh."

"Oh?" Harry frowned. "What do you mean 'Oh?'"

"Nothing," Ron said quickly. "It's just…Ginny's my little sister. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that you're finally going to do it, but, well…don't screw it up, okay? And never, ever do anything to her that would hurt her. You're my best mate, but if you so anything to my sister…"

"Ron," Harry sighed. "I've already gotten this chat from every one of your brothers. And your dad."

"Really?" Ron asked. "Oh, well alright then, looks like we're covered here. Good thing, too, because it was beginning to get a little awkward."

"Yeah, well, when Bill was talking to me I was pretty sure I was going to be slugged in the face," Harry said.

"He's a pretty protective guy," Ron agreed. "Did you see the way he looked at Teddy when he held Victoire's hand when they were playing at the park last week? They're only little kids for crying out loud; it's not like Teddy's going wind up snogging her."

"Of course not, he's convinced every girl but Ginny and his grandmother are covered in cooties," Harry laughed.

"That's a fair philosophy, mate," Ron laughed. "Anyway, when are you planning on popping the question?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight?" Ron exclaimed. "Do you even have a ring?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, opening his sock drawer and pulling out a tiny, old fashioned looking velvet box. He opened it and showed Ron a sophisticated diamond right with an emerald on either side of the diamond.

"When'd you buy that?" Ron asked.

"I didn't buy it," Harry said, closing the box and sliding it into his pocket. "I-I found it at Sirius's old place, when I was going through his room there. It-It was my mum's. My dad proposed to her with it. Sirius must've taken it when he arrived right after Voldemort had gone…when Hagrid was getting ready to take me to the Dursley's. He-He left this note with it too." Harry handed Ron a small scrap of parchment.

Harry, it read, this ring belonged to your mother; it was her engagement ring. I spent hours with James trying to find the perfect one when he was getting ready to propose to her. I know that both of your parents would want you to use it when you're ready to marry whatever girl you decide to. As much as I hope that I will be standing by your side when you are reading this letter right after I've given you the ring, I realize that might not be the case. If I have left you by the time you are reading this, I just want to say how happy I am that you have managed to find someone you care about in such a troubled world. Wherever I am, whether it be getting ready to throw you one heck of a bachelor party, or watching you from another world, I want to wish you the best of luck.

"Wow," Ron said as he finished reading.

"Must've been hard for him to write something so serious," Harry smiled. "You think Ginny will like the ring?"

"Yeah, she'll think it's real romantic," Ron nodded. "Very clever, Harry, she can't say no to you when you're proposing with your mum's ring."

"Good thing," Harry grinned. "I have everything planned out; I just need it to be perfect. Hey, you've done this before…do you ever stop feeling like you're stomach's about to fall out?"

"Nope," Ron said. "That feeling won't go away until she says yes. I told you; girls have got it easy when it comes to this; all they've got to do is say 'yes' or 'no'."

"Right, well," Harry said, anxiously straightening his robes. "Let's just hope it's a yes."

….

"I'm just saying," Ginny laughed as her and Harry finished the last of their desert. "If Ron's going to insist on taking my Honeydukes candy, he really shouldn't be upset when he finds out that I put a tongue-rash curse of the toffees."

"I still can't believe you did that," Harry grinned.

"George was impressed," Ginny said. "Said he might consider taking that idea and putting it into a new gag candy for the shop."

"Sounds like it would sell well," Harry said.

"Eh, not nearly as well as that Bloating Bubble Gum," Ginny shrugged. She leaned back in her chair. "It's such a warm night; it's such a nice change not having to be bundled up in five layers of coats."

"I know," Harry nodded. "So come on."

"Where are we going?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll see when we get there," Harry told her, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Harry Potter," Ginny smiled. "Are you being spontaneous?"

"If you'll come on, then yeah, I am."

"Fine," she laughed. "Lead to way."

Harry led her to a small field next to the restaurant they had been eating at. It was far off from any muggle towns, so Harry was able to freely pull out his wand and give it a wave. A moment later, his Firebolt and Ginny's Comet Two Eighty Seven came rushing to each of their owners.

"We're," Harry said. "Going to have a race."

"A race?" Ginny repeated, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "You do know I'm a professional Quidditch player."

"Still haven't to beat me though, have you?" Harry pointed out, grinning.

"Only because I'd hate to see your face after I crushed you," she said playfully. "Alright, where are we going to race to?"

"Castanella Park," he said promptly. "We can get there without passing any muggle areas, so we can fly low."

"Hmm, and how romantic that it just happens to be the park where we went on our first real official date," Ginny smiled.

"Happy coincidence," Harry said, mounting his broom. "On your go then?"

"Alright," Ginny said, mounting her broom as well. "On three. One…two…three!"

Harry and Ginny both soared up into the air with great speed. They were right next to each other, neck and neck. Harry couldn't help but look over at her, her long, red hair flying freely behind her…she looked beautiful, stunning. And while he had been so distracted, he hadn't even realized that Ginny was now ahead of him.

"That," Ginny said, crossing her arms triumphantly as Harry landed a moment after her in the park. "Was absolutely pathetic, Potter. Has all that Auror work completely diminished your ability to fly?"

"I suppose it has," Harry chuckled, pulling Ginny against his body. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she quickly found his lips.

"You know," Ginny said softly when they broke apart. "It really is a beautiful night. Look at those stars; I haven't seen them so clearly in months."

"Uh-huh," Harry nodded, the nervous feeling in his stomach getting stronger now as he tried to clear his thoughts.

"And the moon," Ginny continued, not noticing Harry's anxiety. "It's so bright; it almost doesn't feel like night."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Hey, er, come-come over here."

He led her to a small field nearby. The couple had been in this field many times, sometimes for picnic lunches, other times just to be alone with one another. A plethora of gardenia bushes were planted all around, giving the area a luxurious aroma.

"I love this spot," Ginny said softly, resting her head on Harry's shoulder as the couple stood in the middle of the field.

"I know you do," Harry nodded. "That's why I brought you here."

"Always the romantic, aren't you?" Ginny chuckled.

"You look beautiful," Harry blurted out.

"Wow, you really are spontaneous tonight," Ginny smiled, her cheeks turning a pale crimson color to match her hair. "But thanks."

"Ginny," Harry started. He could feel small beads of sweat trickling down his hands and he felt as though he were about to collapse from nerves. Heck, he couldn't even remember feeling this uneasy before his final duel with Voldemort. "Do you-Do you remember back when we were first dating?"

"After the war?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "At Hogwarts. During my sixth year and your fifth year."

"That was for such a short time," Ginny commented. "Too short…but yeah, I remember it."

"Voldemort was finally back in the open," Harry said. "And every time you opened the paper you'd see a fresh list of deaths. It was an awful time. But for those few weeks…you-you made me feel, for the first time in a long time, normal. Like it didn't even matter what was going on around us because I had you."

"But then you left," Ginny said, looking at the ground. "I know you had to, and I've never, ever held that against you, but it was hard."

"It was hard for me too," Harry nodded. "There were times when we were looking for the Horcruxes that I would just take out the Marurder's Map and just stare at your name; got me through the night a fair amount of times."

"Why are you bringing this up?" Ginny frowned. "You haven't said anything about Horcux hunting in years."

"I-I just wanted you to know what a big part of my life you've always been," Harry told her. "Before, back at school and when…everything was happening, and now. You've always been there, Gin. Always. And I can't ever imagine you not being there."

"I always will be," Ginny said. "Harry, why are you-"

"But I want to be there for you," Harry continued. "For the rest of our lives, I want to be at your side. Going through anything, even just a simple day, but knowing you're with me, even if it's not physically with me, would be the hardest thing I could think of. I never want to experience that."

His insides now clenched, Harry lowered himself to one knee and pulled out the ring.

Ginny gasped.

"Ginervia Molly Weasley," Harry said, holding out the ring to Ginny. "Will you marry me?"

Ginny put her hand over her mouth. "Harry…you-I-Yes! Yes, of course I'll marry you!"

At once the feeling of trepidation that had taken over Harry's body was replaced with an overwhelming feeling of joy as he got to his feet and embraced her.

"I love you," Ginny whispered, still holding tight to Harry.

"I love you too," Harry whispered back. "And I always will."