Fourteen by iNagare
Summary: Ron Weasley wants to marry Hermione Granger, his friend for fourteen years, girlfriend for seven. One shot.
Hermione Granger was not a physically attractive girl. Yet, if you looked hard enough, you could see that she was lovely underneath all that layer of nerd.
This was probably the reason why it took me about four years- and a foreign student, to actually realize that Hermione was somebody that I could actually... like. Not 'like' like how a friend would, but 'like' as in romantic 'like'.
Eventually, Hermione and I became a couple seven years since I first met her in the Hogwarts Express. We've been in a romantic relationship for about seven years, and we've relatively remained the same, yet different as well.
Hermione now learned to finally tame her hair, and she tells me that I've finally matured. But our personalities still remained strong and contrasting, complimenting each other perfectly. We would constantly bicker, but never had a fight that lasted long.
I guess you could say that we were in love.
The prospect of marriage would be a topic for us once in a while, which she would usually dismiss by saying, "Oh, we'll never know what the future brings. Que sera, sera." And then turn to a book and immerse herself in it. I would dismiss it as well, but then the subject would haunt me again later, asking me "Why not?"
And if you thought about it, well, why the bloody hell not? We were a couple for seven years, and if you counted the time spent getting to know each other, fourteen! How could you just dismiss the thought? We weren't getting any younger. Time waited for no one. It was either you had to keep on moving or get behind.
Hermione and I couldn't stay in such a stagnant relationship for so long. Only two options were ahead of us now; either we get married or separate ways.
And somehow, I knew I loved Hermione enough to marry her. Something told me that what I wanted was just in front of my eyes, and all I had to do was grab it.
So I would debate with myself every night until I finally had the guts to make up my mind. I was going to marry Hermione Granger.
It wasn't easy to plan on how to propose to her. One of the main things that frightened me was if she wasn't prepared for that and went away. I wanted it to be perfect. A big event- but nothing extravagant. I wanted it to be as private as possible, with the moment for us, and only us, to share and bask in.
So I sneaked out one of Hermione's rings and used it to buy a ring from a new jewelry shop in Diagon Alley. It was a silver ring that cost me a small fortune, but I knew she would like the simple band. She liked simple things.
All I had to do now was find the perfect time to tell her. That was the only thing left. I was scared if I told anybody in my family or even Harry because they would slip it out and everything would be ruined. So I had been miserable the whole time I was waiting to give her the ring.
Somehow, the perfect moment just came. Mom invited Hermione to stay over for New Year's Eve, and she did- nothing new about that. Harry and Ginny also came over and brought their new born son, so everybody had an easy, enjoyable evening.
When supper was over, everyone was just waiting for twelve midnight, so Hermione and I stayed at the living room. She was busy reading, and I was pretending to read the day's newspaper, while my right hand fiddled with her ring in my right pocket.
Mom was cleaning up the dishes when Dad called her out. "Ron honey, the fireworks are going to start! Come on you two, you might miss them," she said as she rushed out of the kitchen and went out to the garden.
Hermione put her book down and slapped my arm. "Come on Ron," she laughed. "It's New Year's! Don't be a grouch."
I gulped and stood up. She laughed and held my left hand and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Happy New Year's. I love you."
She tried to tug me to the back door, where everyone else was, but I stayed rock still.
With a very audible gulp, I said, "Hermione, there's something I have to tell you."
And she looked at me, with a quizzical expression on her face.
I drew her close to me and continued, "We've been together for fourteen years, as friends, as lovers. And you've been very close to my heart.
"I know that sometimes we fight, and sometimes I make you sad and angry, but I know that I must have done something that makes you want to stay and work things out with a bloke like me. And what, we're going to enter now, well; it's going to be an adventure. We're going to make a whole library out of our stories.
"I know I'm not a perfect man. I won't guarantee you that I won't hurt you, that I won't disappoint you, but I do promise you that I will always love you, and care for you like no other man can."
Hermione blinked tears from her eyes and was about to say something when I kneeled down and held her left hand tightly in mine.
"I guess all I'm trying to say is," I said as I flashed her the silver ring, "will you marry me?"
When she saw that ring, she cried and nodded and covered her face. I quietly slipped the ring in her ring finger and hugged her tightly.
How did that end?
Well, let's just say that the New Year started with a kiss.
AUTHOR'S NOTE;; I hoped you liked it. Been making a lot of Harry Potter fanfiction. Gah, I'm so out of practice so I hope it's decent. T_T Please review what you think and give me out some constructive criticism! Reviews make me a happy writer ^u^