Summary – Harry loves Ginny, however, how is he going to ask her?
Harry Potter and the Question of Doom
The meaning of life is to give life meaning…
Harry James Potter paced the length of the living room. Outside the bay windows the sun was just beginning to rise, giving light to the otherwise dark morning. He sighed as he sat down on the couch. It had been another long, long, long, long, night. He hadn't had those in the longest time – well, not since he had decided to ask her.
Ginny Weasely was the love of his life and they had been dating for over a year now. Harry had wanted to wait till she had gotten out of school before they got serious again and Ginny had agreed. She was top of her class by the time she got out of Hogwarts and she was ready to jump back into the relationship.
Harry, for his part, had spent the time writing; Setting the older history books right and he had even helped Hermione with an updated version of "Hogwarts a History". All of the books sold well. Probably, he thought, because it had his name on it, even though Hermione always told him that it was good. She was his editor and so she would know good writing when she saw it.
They had been dating for a year now and Harry thought that it was about time to go all the way and ask her…THAT question…the question of which he referred to as 'doom'. However, the first thing he had to do was get the ring. The ring that would mean his commitment to her. Yes, indeed, that was the only thing he had to get.
"Now, how to go about it…" he muttered. He sighed and sat back. At least he had a place for them to live after the wedding (if they got married that is). The house was located in a small muggle community. Apparently, his grandparents had been very close to muggles and so had raised their son to embrace muggles and their oddities.
Harry wasn't sure if that was what had his father going after his mother or what, but it did explain some things about his father. The house had been closed up for the longest time when he moved in, but with some help from the Hogwarts house elves and his friends, the house soon became livable. The rooms most used was the kitchen, living room, his bedroom and the study.
The fire place roared green before someone tumbled out. Harry was only slightly surprised – but the red hair was a dead giveaway.
"Ron, what are you doing here?" Harry asked.
"Harry, we want to know when your going to ask her," Ron said.
"What?" Harry wasn't sure if Ron was talking about his newest book or about his sister.
"Ginny! Don't be a dork!"
"Oh, right…well….you support it?" Harry asked.
"I supported it in school didn't I?"
"Well, I wasn't very sure…even when we started dating," Harry sighed.
"Mate, I'd rather she date you than any of those other guy's she dated during Hogwarts years," Ron replied, he took a seat in a red, winged back chair. It was just as old as the house, but had been spelled to stay together at the seams. Harry gave him a look before standing and going to the kitchen.
He set the pot on the stove as Ron followed him.
"I want to propose," Harry informed his best friend.
"You want to propose to my sister?"
"You don't agree?" Harry turned.
"No, I mean...Yes…I mean, go for it. I know she loves you and I've heard her talk to Mum and Dad a lot about being married to you. I think she loves the idea," Ron shrugged.
"Great!" Harry lit up like a candle.
"Are you going to ask Dad though?"
"What? Of course I will! Why wouldn't I?" Harry gave him a puzzled look.
"Doesn't seem to be done now-a-days. Mr. Granger was surprised when I asked him for Hermione's hand in marriage," Ron said.
Harry remembered those days, Ron and Hermione had all ready been married for a bout a month and a half. Still going through those growing pains. But Hermione said that their school days had helped her with Ron. However, they did get along much better than they did.
"Right, and then he went and announced it to the family, and you had to produce the ring right then and there. Great timing," Harry smirked.
"Oh, shut up!" Ron glared.
Harry laughed as the tea kettle rang and he made two cups of black tea for them. They sat at the kitchen table in friendly silence. Ron usually came around at seven in the morning for their usual chat with tea. Black was his favorite and Harry always made black. Harry himself now preferred green, but it hardly mattered. What mattered was that they had a break from the women.
"Hermione and Ginny are going to go shopping later today, maybe we should go and look at some rings, that way you have that if my Dad decides to tell the family," Ron said.
"Why not, I think that's a good idea," Harry gladly agreed.
If you were a man, you probably wouldn't understand the significance of shopping among women with women. This outing was special because the women got to talk about things that they wouldn't be able to do in other company. Mostly about the guy's they liked, the sort of music they wanted to get or a movie they were planning to see. Hermione and Ginny are rightly girls in this light, and as such, Harry and Ron didn't really understand this.
Ginny held some jeans up to her waist to see how long they were.
"I wonder what Harry is doing about now…" she said.
"Writing, most likely, the book is due in over a month," Hermione shrugged.
"To you, but won't it come out next year?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, it's his first try at fantasy delegated towards muggles. He wants it to be perfect," Hermione shrugged.
"He's told me a lot about it, and he's using one of my idea's," Ginny grinned.
"That's nice of him,"
"Do you think he'll ask me soon?" Ginny asked.
"Ask what?"
"For me to marry him!?"
"I don't know…." Hermione looked perplexed, "But, I think he will, some time," Hermione said to put Ginny's nerves to rest.
"Of course, he has to ask Dad first," Ginny said.
"My Dad flipped out, announced it before Ron could give me the ring. So, Ron proposed right there in the middle of Christmas dinner," Hermione said.
"Yes, with all your aunts and cousins there. But they liked him," Ginny pointed out.
"Yes, now…what do you think of this?" Hermione asked, holding up a pink, button down shirt.
"I like it, the pink earrings Mum got you for your birthday would go brilliantly with that," Ginny supplied.
Of course, this is also what happens when girls go shopping and so we will skip to Harry and Ron. Who were currently standing in a shop of Jewelry. Kendels shop of Jewelrystood at the end of a long lane of Wizarding shops. It was Harry's first visit, but apparently, Ron had been there before.
"I bought Hermione's wedding jewelry here. It was the least expensive, but at least I can say that I got it from a real jeweler," Ron said as they walked into the store. However, Harry was not regaled by glittering diamonds or laces of gold necklaces. Instead, he was greeted with a very nice sitting room. It was decorated in an oriental theme. There were umbrella's on the ceiling, only four. One to a corner. Huge fans had been hung on the wall. There was a shadow box with a full kimono hung in it.
"Konichiwa, I am Kendel, what can I do for you?" the lady who greeted them was also dressed in a kimono. Her black hair was pulled back into a braid and she bowed to them.
"I'm looking for an engagement ring," Harry said.
"Kendel-san, this is my friend Harry," Ron said, giving Harry a look.
"Sorry, I'm slightly nervous," Harry said.
"Ron-kun, Harry-san, please have a seat," Kendel-san said as she slipped into the back room. Another girl in a kimono, she had to be about fifteen years old, came out with some tea. It was green, then Kendel-san came back with two other girls following her. She had three tray's of rings.
"What do you think Ginny would like?" Harry asked.
"Er – she likes the oriental stuff," Ron shrugged, "She liked that fan you gave her, anyway," he said.
"Howlite would be a gift worthy of an Empress," Kendel-san said, handing Harry a ring. The stone was in fact howlite, set with two small rubies and with a gold frame.
"Howlite, the stone of Memory and knowledge," Ron said.
"How did you know that?" Harry asked.
"Hermione is gathering materials for metals and gems for your book," Ron shrugged.
"Right, I forgot about that,"
"Looks like you need the howlite more than Ginny!" Ron laughed.
"That's not very nice!" Harry glared.
"What? It's true," Ron replied bluntly.
"Oh fine," Harry took a closer look at the ring. It was white with spider webs of black running around it. Offset by the rubies, it looked regal.
"I like it…" Harry said.
"Would you like to look at the others?" Kendel-san asked. Harry figured he had too since he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted.
Meanwhile, back at the muggle shopping center, Hermione and Ginny made a side trip to a book store. Ginny showed her friend the Manga section. She grinned as she showed Hermione that you read these particular books backwards.
"One of my friends at Hogwarts showed me, I borrowed all his manga over the summer," Ginny said.
"Wow, this is new," Hermione replied.
"Yup, I think you'd like Rurouni Kenshin the best! Made me want to research the history of Japan," Ginny said. Of course, this was followed by the run down of the manga plot and who was hot next to whom. Hermione wasn't so sure about this manga thing, but Ginny bought her the first three in the series.
"If I don't like it, I'll just give the books back to you," Hermione said.
"Whatever you want to do, trust me, they are good!"
It had taken Harry less than ten minutes to know that the Howlite ring was the one he wanted. The other jewels, though good quality, didn't have the attributes he had wanted in a jewel. Therefore, he bought the howlite.
"Thank you for coming, Harry-kun, I hope your fiancé loves it," Kendel-san said as she saw the two boys out. Harry sighed in relief.
"I'm glad that's over!" Harry muttered.
"It ain't, yet, you still have to ask Dad. And Saturday night dinner would be the best time to do it," Ron replied.
"Oh, great,"
That was three days away…
When she got home, Hermione found Ron lazing around on the sofa with the Wizard net on. She smiled at him as she closed the door.
"So, how was your day?" she asked.
"Great, Harry got the ring for Ginny," Ron replied.
"Oh?"
"Howlite, he couldn't take looking for long, though, I picked the first one I saw," Ron said. Hermione looked at the simple diamond she wore.
"I like it," she shrugged and put down her shopping bags.
"So, what did you get?" Ron asked.
"I got some new work clothes, though Ginny talked me into jeans and some books," Hermione said.
"What sort of books?"
"Manga, they are illustrated,"
"Can I see?" Ron asked.
Hermione showed him and was able to show him how to read them.
"Backwards! This is weird!" Ron proclaimed. Hermione just laughed at him.
A/N – Hi! This will only be three chapters long. It's a very short fic, but I don't care. It's a prequel to the married life of Harry and Ginny. It's part of my Family Saga Series. The first part to this was The cold room, Can I call you Dad? And A Family Summer.
Note -- I added Japanese suffixes on the ends of some names because I love manga and Anime and Kendel-san was supposed to be Japanese. That is why her jewlery house is oriental and her kids wear kimono.
