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Ron Weasley sat nervously at the kitchen table in the Burrow. His hands were sweaty and his face was panicked. He had been planning this moment for months, and everything had to go perfectly! Especially since it was her birthday.

Ron and Hermione Granger had been dating for five years, and he still hadn't plucked up the courage to propose. This was mainly because he knew that he would mess it up. He had always found it hard to express his feelings, and a proposal was all about doing just that!

However, he knew that if he waited much longer, he would eventually miss his chance. So he had recovered the ring (that he had bought more than a year ago) hidden in his wardrobe and put it in his pocket, finally ready to pop the question.

But being ready did nothing to lessen Ron's nerves. Hermione was going to arrive any moment, and when she did, he wanted to be sitting in front of the fireplace, waiting for her. When the fire finally lit up bright green, he dried his hands on his pants, took a deep breath, and stood up.

He was enormously disappointed when he saw that it was only Harry. Harry must have noticed his displeasure, because he sarcastically remarked, "Blimey Ron, way to be welcoming!"

Ron's ears turned characteristically pink, and he smiled apologetically. "Sorry mate," he said. "I was expecting Hermione."

Harry's mouth turned up in a grin when he saw Ron fiddling with something in his pocket. "Wait, don't tell me that you're finally proposing!" he said. Ron looked at Harry sheepishly and nodded his head. "Does anyone else know?" Harry inquired. Ron shook his head this time, and Harry chuckled happily. He told Ron, "Don't worry, I won't say a word!" He proceeded to walk into the backyard where all of the preparations for Hermione's party were being carried out by the rest of the Weasley family. He was in a rather cheerful mood because of the secret he was now a part of.

Ron sat back down, his encounter with Harry having done nothing to improve his nervous countenance. He watched the fireplace for another ten minutes, although it felt like hours. All of this time alone with his thoughts was making him lose every ounce of confidence he possessed. He might have given up on his plan altogether, when the fireplace burned green for the second time. Knowing that it had to be Hermione, he stood up and prepared himself once again to greet her.

~*~*~*~

Hermione Granger was not having a good day. Work at the Ministry had been almost unbearable, mainly because of the memos that had been flying in and out of her office all day long. She couldn't think of a day when she'd had so many questions thrown at her, many of which she had no answer to. It was made all the worse with today being her birthday.

She couldn't wait to get to the Burrow and be surrounded by her friends and family; not to mention Ron. She cheered noticeably at the thought of her red-headed boyfriend. He had told her that they were planning a party, but she had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, it was finally time to go home, and she was taking the lift back up to the main floor. It took all of her dignity not to start running towards one of the fireplaces lining the Ministry's walls as fast as she could. She managed somehow, and she gracefully stepped inside the fireplace, took her handful of Floo powder, and clearly said, "The Burrow."

She automatically felt herself being whisked away towards her destination, and she eventually arrived in the Burrow's fireplace. The first thing she saw was Ron smiling at her. She wondered how long he had been waiting, and she felt slightly guilty for being so late. He stepped towards her and grabbed her hand to help her climb out of the hearth and onto the floor. She felt herself get warmer at his touch on her hand, and she almost forgot about her awful day.

"Happy birthday, Hermione! How was your day?" Ron said cheerfully.

Hermione smiled for the first time all day when she saw how happy he was. It was nearly impossible for her to be in a bad mood around him when he was like this. She didn't want to lie though, so she admitted, "Not very good, unfortunately."

Ron gave her a sympathetic look and said, "I'm so sorry, Hermione! But..." His face brightened slightly and he continued, "I think there's something in the backyard you should see!"

Ron tightened his hold on Hermione's hand and led her out into the yard. There was nothing unusual about it, but that was before they went around the corner of the house and there was a great yell of, "Happy birthday!" Hermione beamed at the scene before her. Almost everyone she knew was standing there: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley; Bill, Fleur and their daughter Victoire; Charlie standing next to Hagrid; Percy, Audrey and their daughter Molly; George, Angelina, and their son Fred; Harry and Ginny (who was pregnant); Andromeda Tonks with her grandson Teddy; and, of course, Hermione's parents.

Hermione let go of Ron's hand and darted forward to greet her family and friends. She hugged and thanked everyone within reach. When she had seen everybody, she stopped to look around. The whole yard had been decked out for her party. There were strings of multi-colored lights as well as streamers hanging from the trees. There was a large circle of grass in the center of the yard ringed by lots of small tables. Behind this circle was one long table filled with food and another smaller one with presents covering it. On the other side of the ring of tables there was a small, live band.

She could have spent all day looking around at everything, but she was distracted by Ron reclaiming her hand. She turned to smile at him and said, "Ron, thank you for all of this."

Ron's ears turned pink (for the second time that day) and he replied, "It wasn't just me. Everyone helped! Especially Mum." Hermione smiled knowingly, imagining Mrs. Weasley bustling around the backyard making sure everything looked perfect.

Ron and Hermione walked over to the food-laden table and started picking out their favorites. Naturally, Ron's plate was full within seconds. As the couple sat down at one of the tables, the band started to play. Hermione noticed Fleur dragging Bill into the center of the tables and starting to dance with him. Victoire blushed at the sight of her parents and hurried over to see Teddy, as if to avoid further embarrassment. Other couples, including Harry and Ginny along with George and Angelina, began to dance as well.

Just as Ron and Hermione finished their food, the band began to play a slower song. Ron stood up, held his hand out to Hermione, and said, "May I have this dance?"

Hermione smiled and grabbed Ron's hand. Together, they walked into the center of the circle along with all of the other couples who had come to the party. Hermione noticed Hagrid still sitting at his table, apparently a bit drunk. He was swaying back and forth to the music and humming slightly.

Hermione stepped closer to Ron and laid her head on his shoulder. He held her tightly and gently kissed the top of her head. Both of them were terribly disappointed when the song had finished.

Hermione hoped that Ron would ask her to dance again, but instead he asked her, "Hermione, can you come with me for a minute? I need to ask you something." Hermione nodded, wondering what was so important that he couldn't ask her right there. As Ron led her away from the party, she noticed Harry watching them with a smile on his face. Hermione was getting suspicious, but she continued to follow Ron anyway.

~*~*~*~

Ron led Hermione to the other side of the house, as far away from the party as possible. The last thing he needed was an interruption. When he finally stopped, he turned to face Hermione, who looked visibly confused and curious.

This is it, he told himself. It's now or never. He took a deep breath, grabbed both of Hermione's hands in his own, and began to speak.

"Hermione, we've known each other for twelve years. We've been through so much together, from school to camping to war. And throughout most of that I've been a real prat. I've made fun of you, broken your heart at least a dozen times, and it took me seven years to even kiss you! But despite everything I've put you through, you've stuck with me, through all the heartache and bickering. I don't deserve you, and I know that. But I'll spend every day for the rest of my life trying to. Hermione..."

Ron got down on one knee, still holding Hermione's hands. He let go of one of them to reach into his pocket. As he pulled out the ring box, he noticed that she was smiling through tears. He opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. Looking deeply into Hermione's eyes, Ron asked, "...will you marry me?"

Hermione's smile doubled, and without a moment of hesitation, she replied, "Yes, yes of course, Ron!" He grinned from ear to ear and slipped the ring on her finger. When he stood up, he gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks. Then, he pulled her towards him for a kiss. She threw her arms around his neck and he held her tightly against him.

When they eventually broke apart, Ron smiled at Hermione and thought to himself, Well that was easy! Then, to Hermione, he said in a teasing tone, "Why don't we go show everyone that wedding ring, Mrs. Weasley?"

THE END

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