Ron knew he was in trouble. He was the mastermind behind the madness behind him and Hermione was going to hex him when she finally figured it out. Today was her birthday and he had decided to do something different, but he NEVER should have listened to Harry. "Make her a treasure map. Let her figure out the clues and have the party as the final surprise," he said. "She'll love it."
Ron should have know better. Hermione had been the love of his life for more than ten years now and she HATED surprises, especially ones that put her in the spotlight. But, he was stupid. He listened to Harry and was now standing in the door to the Leaky Cauldron. He was waiting for Ginny to lead her through the clues and small presents he had left in different places between their house and Diagon Alley. A book on House Elves in the garage under a picture of his Dad's Anglia, a pair of tickets to the next London Ballet performance of Swan Lake in a teacup in her office, and a feather charm for her bracelet hidden in the Bertie Botts display at SugarPlums were all part of the surprise. "Ron, come help me hang this banner," Ron turned to see Neville and Harry trying to levitate a "Happy 30th Birthday, Hermione!" banner up to the rafters of the Leaky Cauldron. She was going to kill him when she got there.
Hermione knew something was up. Ronald was nervous as a goblin in a gold vault this morning and Ginny kept bothering her to come to lunch with her. All she really wanted to do was curl up with a good book and pretend like she was not turning thirty today. He had talked about having a party with friends tonight, but Hermione did not want to be the center of attention most days. Her husband was a sweet man, but he did not always listen. "Mione, love, just a small gathering of friends from school. Nothing fancy. Just food, cake, and friends." That is what Ronald said, but what he said and what ended up happening were never the same thing.
Hermione should have known better. Ginny was now knocking on her door and threatening to blackmail her by showing pictures from her sixth year to her children when they were older if she did not open the door. Hermione did not want to go anywhere. She wanted a quiet night at home. But she had a feeling, Ronald was behind this. Hermione let Ginny in to the front room. Ginny handed her a small bag. "Happy Birthday, Mione," Ginny giggled as she kissed Hermione's cheek. "Ron took the kids to Mum so we have the rest of the day for some fun. Open it. I want to see what he got you for your birthday." The bag held a silver key chain with a book charm and a note. The book looked just like her first Muggle Studies book. "Oh Ronald," she whispered as she looked at the charm, "What have you done?" With shaking fingers, Hermione opened the scrap of paper covered in Ron's scrawl. "Happy birthday, love. Muggles and magic can mix and old cars can carry us to new places. Every adventure begins with transportation. Your next clue is waiting where old cars still hang around," Hermione was going to kill him before the day was over, but first she had to get to the Burrow.
Ron was nervous. He had not heard from Ginny since she gave Hermione the first gift and it was getting close to time for the food to be served. Not like he felt like eating right now, but Harry and Neville had worked up a thirst "decorating." Ron thought it was just an excuse for Neville to ask Hannah to break out his special, new brew. The back room was full of school friends and noise, but Ron was standing by the bar waiting for his wife to arrive. "Ron, old man, come join us for a toast to the birthday girl," Harry slurred as he leaned out of the doorway. He had not touched Neville's experiment and he had no plans of tasting it in the near future based on Harry's behavior. Ron was in enough trouble for planning this thing, he did not need to add victim of Neville decision to cross herbology with bartending to his list of regrets
Ron was tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Hermione and Ginny should be here in a few minutes and her final gift was sitting heavy in his pocket. Mum had Floo'd earlier to let him know the girls had left the garage and Hermione only stopped by long enough to say hello and kiss the kids. It was too late to worry about her approval. His wife would either love every gift and the adventure that she had had with her friends or he would be hexed to the next century when she got here. Ron jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Hannah looking up at him. "Don't worry, Ron. Mione will be here soon and she will still love you. I have hidden the rest of Neville's new brew and the food will be ready when she gets here." Ron hoped Hannah was right. One way or the other, this would be a birthday that neither one of them would forget.
Hermione was nervous. Ginny was bouncing around worse than a First Year waiting to be sorted and she was still trying to figure out the next clue. The book sitting under the picture of the Anglia at the Burrow had been a good surprise. The note on the other hand was giving her fits. "Mione, my love. Books are good for knowledge, but they are not everything. Sometimes you need to take a minute to breath and sip some tea. No life is perfect and the best tea is tasted from a cup that has been on the adventure with you." What in blazes did he mean? "Ginny, what is your brother up to? The only place I have an old tea cup is … I'm going to hex him if he moved anything on my desk …" Ginny struggled to catch Hermione before she apparated to her office. This was even more fun than all their adventures at school, at least for Ginny.
Hermione was waiting for the other shoe to drop. The gifts and notes from Ron were tucked away in her beaded bag and she was now being followed by Ginny and Luna. She was part of the surprise waiting for her in her office. Luna and tickets to the ballet. Her husband hated the ballet, but he had still gotten her tickets to her favorite. Maybe she would not hex him too badly when this wild dragon chase was over. "My beautiful and brilliant wife," Ginny was reading the next clue, "'No adventure is complete without something sweet. But along with the sweet comes the bitter. Picking through the pile was always an adventure I could talk you into. Dig in.' What does my darling and deranged brother mean by that?" Ginny asked as she handed the note to Luna. Hermione just walked out of her office and headed for the nearest floo. "Come on girls. Time to get some sweets... SugarPlums" In a puff of green smoke, Hermione followed the clue.
Ron was still staring at the door. He was sitting in a chair but he could only stare at the door. Luna had sent a quick owl as they had left Hermione's office so he knew they were close. Hermione was either going to hug him or hex him when she got there. "Ron, come try some of Hannah's pumpkin pasties. We are going to play Bean Roulette next," Harry's voice carried from the back room. He really wanted this to go well, but the longer it took her to get there, the more his nerves got to him. This was just like it had always been for them. Harry finding the adventure, Hermione figuring out the clues and he was along for the ride. Except, this time, he had planned her adventure and Harry was having fun with the ride. Now all he needed was for his wife to walk through the door. Maybe he would take Neville up on that offer of a drink.
Hermione was staring at the door. She had not been in SurgarPlums since before Hugo was born. But then again, they had not really had a date since Hugo had been born. Between Ron's work with his brother and her work at the Ministry, they barely had time to be parents to their two little ones much less, a date night. Every date night had ended with a trip to SugarPlums and the Bertie Bott display since their first official date. "What are you hiding here, my knight in tarnished armour?" Hermione whispered as she walked to the colorful display of boxes of every flavor beans. One box didn't look quite right. It sparkled and floated inches from the table top. Most people would think it was a little magic to draw the little ones to the display. But to Hermione it screamed of her husband's magic. As Hermione reached for the floating box, it opened and a silver feather floated out of the box. Hermione wrapped her fingers around the charm and waited. Her husband's voice filled her ears.
"Mione, my love. Our first fight happened before our first kiss and you have been telling me how to cast spells ever since. My heart still feels light as a feather every time you look at me. Put the charm on your bracelet and follow your heart. Love you."
Hermione looked at the charm closer. "Wingardium Leviosa" was etched in the vein of the feather. "My sweet man. What have you done now?" Hermione added the charm to the bracelet on her wrist and watched a silver spark leave the feather a create a trail out the door and down Diagon Alley. Hermione put the box in her bag and grabbed Ginny and Luna's hands. Maybe a party with friends wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Ron watched the silver spark fly towards the back room. Hermione had found her final clue and was on her way to the Leaky Cauldron. He still had to get the crowd back there to quiet down and wait. All that was left, after that, was to stand in the darkened doorway and wait for her to hex him for this surprise. As Ron walked in the room, Hannah was setting the last of the food on the table. Harry herded all their friends behind the tables full of food and gifts. Neville pulled out his wand and whispered "Nox". When the room was dark, Ron fumbled with the small box in his pocket. The last gift he had to give her was the most important one. Standing in the doorway of the darkened room, Ron waited for Hermione, again.
Hermione was not surprised when the spark she had been following lead to the Leaky Cauldron. It seemed like every trip to Diagon Alley with Ron ended here. Not that she minded. She loved visiting with Neville and Hannah when they did stopped by. If Ron had planned something with there friends, this was the place she would have picked. Ginny opened the door and pushed Hermione through it. "Come on scaredy witch. I can hear my brother's knees knocking from here. Go to the back and put him out of his misery." Luna giggled and helped Ginny push. Hermione started moving toward the back. Hermione ran to Ron, again.
Ron had to catch himself on the doorframe as he was run over by his wife. "Hello, Mione. Fancy meeting you here," Ron whispered as he wrapped his arms around his wife.
"You know what I came here for, Ronald. Where is my present?" Hermione replied. She reached up to hold his face in her hands and kissed him.
""Wasn't your treasure hunt with my sister enough of a present, my love?" Ron asked as he walked her into the darkened back room.
Candles flickered to life around the room. Hermione and Ron were greeted with a chorus of "Surprise!" and "Happy Birthday, Hermione!"
"Ronald Bilius Weasley, what have you done? All I wanted was a quiet dinner with you but what have you gone and done?" Hermione fussed as she peppered kisses along his jaw. "You sent me on a wild dragon chase with your sister and Luna and then gave me a heart attack with a surprise party."
Ron untangled himself from his beaming wife and got down on one knee. "Hermione Jean Granger-Weasley. I love you more today than I did yesterday and I will love you more tomorrow. You have made my life an amazing adventure and I can't imagine sharing it with anyone else. Will you marry me?" He opened up the small box he had been carrying around in his pocket and pulled out a tiny rose.
Hermione bent down to kiss Ron as he held the rose up to her wedding band. The stem of the rose twined around the bands already her finger as the rose opened around a tear shaped sapphire. "Ronald, my dear. I married you years ago. But I guess you can stay around a little longer."
Ron stood up and took Hermione's face in his hands. Ron slowly lowered his forehead to hers. "Happy birthday, love," Ron whispered against her lips before he kissed her and the party disappeared.