Author's Note: This story takes a few months after my other story, Wedding Invitation, for those of you who are wondering.

"So I'm trying to get my hands on any baby book names so that I can find a really good name before Harry thinks of something really terrible," Ginny laughed. "I mean, he wants to name the baby after his dad, and I want to too, but I'm afraid that if we do that, if we ever have a girl I'm afraid he'll want to name her Lily and I think that would just be a little…odd. And any other children we may have might feel left out if they weren't named after their grandparents. What do you think, Hermione? Hermione?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, Ginny. I was just….lost in thought I guess," Hermione tried to smile. In all reality, she'd been staring at the ring on Ginny's left hand and wondering why she didn't have one yet.

"I'm rambling again, aren't I? Harry says I've been rambling a lot lately and Mum says that it's just the hormones because she rambled a lot when she was pregnant with Bill, Percy, Ron, and me, but with Charlie and the twins….."

"Yes, Ginny," Hermione cut her off. "You are."

"Oh, sorry," Ginny grinned, but frowned when she saw that Hermione didn't looked as amused. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Ginny replied. "Did Ron do something again?" she asked sympathetically.

"No, Ron didn't do anything. He's done absolutely nothing," Hermione replied, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She sighed. "Why won't he propose? Just why? I mean, things have been going so well and everyone else is getting married and settling down so why can't we? What's he afraid of?"

"If he won't propose, why don't you?" Ginny asked. "This is the twenty-first century, Hermione and you are a strong, confident, intelligent young woman!" Ginny stopped what she was saying and stared at the floor. "That sounded like something out of a greeting card. Aurgh, I can't wait till this baby gets here," she patted her swollen belly.

But that was clearly the wrong thing to say. "You think I should propose? Me?"

"Why not? I was going to propose to Harry."

"And did you?"

"No, he beat me to it, but…."

"Exactly. Ginny, let me remind you. Who kissed who first?"

"You kissed Ron. So why don't you…"

"Right. I kissed Ron. I made the first move. I am the reason we're not still just friends. Now, let me ask you this. Who kissed who first, you or Harry?"

"Harry, the first time, but…."

"And when you got back together?"

"Technically me."

"Technically?"

"But he said that he wanted to get back together first…..sort of. You know how he is with words and he fumbled a lot when he was trying to ask me," Ginny smiled fondly, but Hermione wasn't in the mood to reminisce.

"Exactly. Harry did. Harry is the reason that you two got in a relationship both times you went out. Harry made the first move. Harry proposed. Harry initiated all the milestones."

"Well, not all the milestones," Ginny grinned.

Hermione glared at her. "But Ron? No! Sometimes I feel like I'm dragging him kicking and screaming into this relationship. And if I proposed, that would only make it official!"

"I'd hardly describe him as kicking and screaming," Ginny said dryly. "I'd say that he's jumping in headfirst."

"Then why hasn't he proposed yet?"

"Because what if you said no? Or worse, what if you said yes when you didn't really want to? Then after twenty years of wedded bliss for Ron, you finally get it out of your system that you don't actually love him and it'd absolutely crush him and other such nonsense," Ginny replied.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked.

"I'm merely telling you what I'm sure my brother is thinking right now. You know how insecure he is and how his nerves get to him."

Hermione sat down (she'd been pacing for quite some time. "Why did Harry propose, but Ron won't?"

Ginny scowled, but her expression softened quickly. "It's because Harry is Harry. After living with the Dursleys for sixteen years, the idea of a happy nuclear family is quite amazing to him. All he's ever wanted was a family who loved him. And while Mum and Dad think of him as their seventh son, they'll never quite replace his real parents so he wants to have a traditional family of his own. Because that is something he can help. Besides, he's a chivalrous Gryffindor, through and through. So obviously he didn't want me to think that he was leading me on. Even though I never was to begin with….."

"And Ron?" Hermione asked, bitterly. "What's his excuse?"

"He's Ron. And the most cowardly Gryffindor I've ever met in my entire life. Death Eaters, no problem. Playing Quidditch in front of a large crowd, spiders, or anything involving you? Forget about it," Ginny laughed.

"You know he faced all of the spiders in the Forbidden Forest in our second year?"

"Yeah, and he threw up all over Hagrid's pumpkin patch," Ginny said. "Didn't Harry tell you the whole story?"

Hermione just continued to rant and grumble about how Ron wouldn't propose.

XXX

"You really need to get on it, mate," Harry patted Ron on the shoulder and took a sip of his Butter Beer.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked.

"Proposing to Hermione," Harry took another sip. "You're ruining my life, mate."

"How is not proposing to Hermione ruining your life?"

"Because she's ranting so much to Ginny that Ginny's started ranting to me," Harry grimaced. "And with the pregnancy hormones," he shook his head.

"Hermione's been ranting about it?" Ron grinned slightly.

"Horribly. It's like when you guys thought Crookshanks ate Scabbars all over again." The three of them had agreed that mentioning Ron's relationship with Lavender was simply not a good plan.

Ron grinned and ordered himself another Butter Beer.

XXX

"Ron, where are we going?" Hermione asked. He planned out a romantic dinner at a very fancy, very expensive restaurant, but he hadn't told her where they were going.

"You'll see," he grinned and removed her blindfold.

She gasped when she saw where they were. "Oh, Ron."

"After you," he put out a hand, but she frowned.

"Ron, there's something we need to talk about."

"Can't it wait? I mean, I have something I need to say, but…"

"No, Ron, I really need to get it off my chest," she sighed. "Why haven't you proposed yet?"

"Hermione-"

"Just listen! All of our friends are getting married. Hell, Harry and Ginny are having a baby! But you and I, we're still just dating. And I…I….Oh, just say something!" Hermione blinked a tear out of her eye.

Ron scowled, and sighed. "Fine." He removed a small black box from his pocket and handed it to her.

Hermione gasped and put her hand to her mouth.

"I was going to ask you when the dessert arrived, but I guess that plan's a bust. You see, I had it planned out that the waiter would bring an entire cake out even though we hadn't ordered one and it was say, 'WILL YOU MARRY ME, HERMIONE?' and it'd be very romantic and all, but you just couldn't wait. You…."

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione flung her arms around him, sobbing.

He patted her on the back, still thoroughly annoyed that his plan didn't work out.

"Yes!" she shouted and kissed him full on the mouth. She pulled away, half laughing, half sobbing. "We're getting married!"

Ron however, was still grumbling about how he had tried to be romantic, but Hermione had to go and ruin it.

"Put the ring on already!" she shouted.

Ron opened the small box and slipped the silver band with the simple diamond on her finger. "It fits alright? And you like it?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, it's perfect!" she kissed him again. "I think I'd love it even if it was ugly."

"Good, because I think it's too late for me to return it," Ron grinned sheepishly.

Hermione looked puzzled. "Don't most stores give you two months for a full refund?"

"Yeah, so did this one," Ron's face slowly became redder.

"When did you buy it then?"

"About a year ago."

"A year ago?"

"Maybe closer to nine months!" Ron defended himself.

"And it took you that long to propose!" she cried, still admiring her knew ring.

"I got nervous!" he said defensively. "Now let's get in there before they give our table away."

He lead Hermione, who was still admiring her ring, into the restaurant and the two of them had a most delicious dinner and a cake which, while romantic, they really didn't need at this point (but it only made them laugh).

"Okay," Ron said as they were finishing the cake, "if anyone asks, especially one of my brothers, I did propose right? And it was really romantic? I don't think I could take it if any of them found out what really happened."

Hermione just laughed.