~For those of you who have read my other Ron/ Hermione stories, I know this is out of order, but I will almost always write things out of order. At least for which story I post when. I try to keep a timeline going, because I don't want to have a thousand different stories with a bunch of different story lines. It confuses me, and I don't like it, cause I think of them following one path, not many. This is after Hermione's parents Christmas party, way after first glance, (that was like September), and about a week before Trina's wedding. I hope you guys like it!
*Disclaimer* I do not own Harry Potter.
On May 31, 1999, I woke up in my absolute favorite way. I was on my back, naked, with the most beautiful woman in the world cuddled on top of my chest, naked, her curls spread everywhere, tickling my nose. I wanted to keep quiet, so I could observe her sleeping longer, but the urge to sneeze overcame me. Since I cannot sneeze quietly, Hermione was woken up. She turned her face so her nose was pressed into my chest, and sniffed. I felt myself become... interested. I felt my love smile against me, and I leaned up to kiss her hair.
"Good morning Ron." My love sleepily greeted me, kissing my lips in a close mouthed way.
"Good morning love." I responded, kissing her back, still with a closed mouth, but letting my lips linger longer that she had. Eventually she broke away, pushing her body off of mine, and getting up to shower. I watched her saunter to the door leading to the hallway, where she would be able to get to the bathroom. I had just resigned myself to a sexually frustrated morning, when Hermione looked over her shoulder coyly.
"Aren't you coming, Ronald?" I was out of that bed as quick as possible, chasing my girl to the bathroom, hearing her laughter. Half an hour later, when we emerged, I went to make us breakfast. My lady love watched me with interest, chatting with me about inanities, and picking at and eating blueberries that had been saved from being in the waffle batter. My love knew how to cook, but I had already told her that today was my turn to cook. When breakfast was done and eaten, we lounged in the living room for a bit, Hermione reading the newspaper, me flipping through a work briefing. I hadn't told Hermione quite what it said yet, and I was hoping it wouldn't make her too mad. After just short of an hour, I brought it up.
"Mione?" I asked, using the nickname that was mine, and mine alone for her.
"Yes, love?" She asked not looking up from the book she had picked up when she had finished both the profit, and the muggle paper. I took a moment to watch the woman I loved above all other, and braced myself for the justifiable anger that I knew was going to come from this announcement.
"Love, I have a mission on Monday." She glanced up, surprised. I usually only had hours of notice before a raid. This much notice meant it was more than a raid. I could see the realization in her eyes, with the anger nipping at it's heels.
"What?" She whispered with deathly quiet. Uh oh. It was worse than I thought. She didn't want the Wick's to hear and come running. That did not bode well for me.
"I know, I should have told you-" She cut me off, still talking quietly.
"Damn right you should have told me! How long will you be gone? Where are you going?" She paused for a minute, then seemed to put a few other pieces that I had slipped in over the last six months. "No." She shook her head emphatically.
"Love, it has to be done. They could make a move at any time. Our intel says that they have enough power to kill thousands." I was talking about a cell of dark wizard that we had been gathering intelligence on for the last six months. Hermione got up and started to pace at this point, shaking her head and muttering no, quietly. I just talked over her, knowing that she needed to hear this. "Hermione, Harry will be going too, along with others-"
"So my boyfriend and best friend are going to risk their lives, again, to take down another horrible wizard, almost a year to the day after we defeated Voldemort?" Hermione was hysterical by this point, and I pulled her into my arms, rubbing her back to calm her down. She shuddered in my arms, and I felt tears wet my shirt. I kissed her head and whispered sweet nothings to her. After a few minutes she seemed to get a hold of herself, but one question still seemed to bother her. She tried to voice it several times, failing each time.
"What is it, Mione?" I finally asked.
"What if you don't come back this time?" She whispered to me. I felt my heart break, knowing that she would worry about my safety the entire time I was gone.
"Hermione Jane Granger." My girl pulled back to look me in the eye. "I promise to always come back. I will never, ever leave you again." I kissed her softly, and I knew that now was the right time. I pulled the box I had been carrying around in my pocket for nearly two months. I opened it, showing her the ring that I had had custom made by a specialty wizard jeweler. Not a goblin, of course, but someone who was nearly as good. I sank down to one knee, and held out the ring. "I know I've messed up before, and Merlin knows I'll mess up again," Hermione laughed despite the tears, "but I would be the most grateful man in the world if you would marry me, and let me be your husband." I swallowed and waited for the only one I ever loved to answer.