Chapter One

Slight Proposals

"HERMIONE!" screamed Ginny as she rushed out of the backdoor and headed down the garden towards the gate to greet her. It was mid summer and Hermione and Harry had agreed to come to the Burrow for a while. Hermione smiled and rushed towards Ginny with a huge smile on her face. As they enveloped each other in a hug the gate opened again and Harry strolled in. Ginny saw him over Hermione's shoulder and let go of her and ran to Harry. She flung her arms around his neck and started to sob happy tears. She let go after a few seconds and smiled looking deeply into his eyes.

"Hello," she sighed with a deep breath and she held onto his arms. Harry laughed silently as he tried to get over her instant welcome. Hermione wasn't aware of their rekindled romance as she was gazing up at Ron's bedroom with a wide smile planted across her face. She saw him appear soon after and he opened the window and hung his head out to greet her.

"Hello stranger," he said faintly but loud enough for only Hermione too hear. She laughed excitingly and ran as fast as she could in the house and up a few stairs to his bedroom. Before she got the chance to knock, the door opened to Ron's nervous though happy face. Hermione unfortunately didn't get the message that he was pleased to see her so she ignored his timid expression and walked in to his tiny room.

"So…," Hermione shrugged as she waited for the big yet drastic reason why Ron was sulking. Ron shrugged too and turned his attentions to his window. Hermione hated this side of Ron. It was if he planned it for every time they met. Like he didn't want to see her.

"Ron? Aren't you pleased to see me?" she asked looking for a straight answer from him. Ron nodded weakly and sighed as he turned back to Hermione's concerned face.

"Yeah," he said with a slight sigh in his tired voice. Hermione looked down, his hands were trembling and he was moving them over the other as they shook. Then coming back to his face she could see tears forming but not falling. She let out a long sigh and walked up to him. She let her warm hand glide across his very cold and pale face. As she ran her fingers over to the side of his head she got a sense that he was worried and nervous about something. He chocked back a few tears and brought his hand up to her face and held onto it tightly. She smiled.

"Ron?" she whispered.

"Hermione…I'm sorry about all this…," Ron sighed again, still gripping her hand within his. Hermione shook her head with a sympathetic look on her face.

"What have you got to be sorry for?" she asked still with a very quiet voice as she held onto his other hand that was resting against his side.

"…You don't deserve to be here with me…with any of us," he whispered as he brought his head closer to hers. Hermione brought her finger up to his lips as she let go of his hand.

"Shh…don't speak, you have nothing to be ashamed of, you hear, nothing," she said now herself choking back the tears only hers were silently falling down her face. Ron wiped them away with his free hand. Hermione wanted a repeat of what had happened when they had first kissed and shared their love for one another. Both their heads manoeuvred around the others trying to keep their lips apart. They couldn't resist. Hermione lifted her head to try and be level with Ron's. In the end he bent down and clapped his lips over hers. Hermione let her hand out of Ron's grasp and held onto his neck and he did the same and let his had dropped to her side and up her back. The stood moments in each others embrace. After pulling their faces away, Hermione dropped her head onto his shoulder and they started to sway from side to side in each others company. After a few minutes, which seemed like years and years, Hermione finally spoke in a happy but teary way.

"Ron, I've missed you so much, since the battle and everything, the trauma we all went through together was unbearable. I only wanted you," she whispered. Ron scoffed a little as she brought her head back up to look into his tearing eyes.

"Is that why you're so cut up? You miss your brother don't you," she said trying to sound as sympathetic as she possibly could. Ron let a tiny tear fall down his face but Hermione stopped it quickly with her finger lightly running against his now very red and flushed cheek. Ron nodded. Hermione let him have his moment as she flung her arms around him. She too was crying at their loss. She never suspected this too happen and it had right in front of her. She felt awful, and she felt what the others were feeling about it.

"He loved you all Ron, don't let anyone tell you any different, ok no one…" she reassured him as she tugged at the back of his top. Ron sniffled as he gripped her back tightly.

"I know" he whispered in her ear as another tear fell down his cheeks. The afternoon flew past without them even noticing.

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The sun was setting and the Weasley's clan were all gathering for dinner. Mrs Weasley had set the table along with Harry and Ginny who to no one else's surprise hadn't kept their eyes off of each other all day. George hadn't moved from his room all day. Infact no one had seen him. Harry was starting to wonder if he was even in the house with them, but the awful memory of his great loos came back to his mind at the thought of George's disappearance.

"Ginny dear will you go up and fetch Ron and Hermione for me, there's a good girl" Mrs Weasley's asked kindly but tearfully as the rest of the Weasley family were. Ginny rolled her eyes and grabbed Harry hands as they slummed up the wooden staircase.

"Why does she still treat me like a child, I'm grown up now, ooh she does my head in!" Ginny whispered to Harry. Harry couldn't help but laugh at her complaint. Ginny sighed as they reached Ron's room. She knocked lightly on the door and waited for it to slowly open. It did. Hermione unlocked the door and wiped a few tears away from her face and smiled at the two.

"Hello again," Hermione crocked as she let the door open a little more to let Harry and Ginny come in. Ginny refused to come in as she could see that they were catching up on things.

"No, no…you come down when you're ready, we'll tell mum what's going on and you can come down when you feel like it" Ginny said kindly as she rubbed Harry's shoulder soothingly. Hermione nodded and closed the door behind them.

As Ginny and Harry clambered down to the next level of the Burrow they came to an abrupt holt infront of George's room. Harry shook his head at his crazy girlfriend's suggestion to tell him about dinner. Ginny ignored him and walked slowly up to the door.

"George, George?" Ginny whispered through the door as she placed her ear against it. It was silent, not the usual sound coming from his room. The door opened slightly ad Ginny walked in leaving an understanding Harry stranded outside. To Ginny's surprise it was perfectly clean and tidy. The beds were made, all their clothes were neatly put back in the dresser and all the windows were open for fresh air. Being his sister, Ginny thought it best to speak to George face to face.

"Erm… dinners ready," she said slowly trying to keep George from flying off the handle. He hadn't been the same since the family lost Fred but who would?

"I'm not hungry" he moaned.

"C'mon don't kick me out again, we're all in this together, we need to stick together as a family not hiding away…it's not doing any of us any good, and you know it," Ginny said sternly as she crossed her arms and stood very still. George shrugged it all off with a sigh and stayed put in his position by the window looking out on the Burrows back yard.

"Come down whenever you're ready," Ginny gave up as she turned and headed towards the door. As she walked out onto the candlelit landing, Harry was waiting patiently for her on the small stool that stood on the crooked, wooden floor.

"No luck?" Harry asked as he stood in front of her. Ginny started to sob and as she did Harry embraced her in a loving and comforting hug. She sobbed loudly into his shoulder hoping that George would here her. Unfortunately he didn't, or rather he did he just wasn't in the mood for anymore tears except his own.

Harry rubbed her back soothingly, just as she did for him a few moments ago. Ginny let out a huge cry and buried her head further into him.

"Shh, shh…hey stop the tears," Harry said as he brought her head up with his hands and wiped her tears away softly.

"We've tried everything, Dad, Percy, Charlie and I but we can't seem to do anything to get Ron, George and mum out of this terrible loss and grieving, it's like they only want to cry and be miserable," Ginny sighed as she leant her forehead against Harry's.

"Well, tell me," Harry urged her. Ginny led Harry into her tiny room and sat him down to talk. After she had told him a very long and emotional story, Harry cradled her in his arms and kept her safe.

"GINNY!" Ginny and Harry both jumped in fright and headed back down the stairs together hand in hand. Mrs Weasley had everybody seated at the table (except George of course) and eating.

"Y…yes," Ginny said timidly as she swayed on the spot.

"I told you to fetch Hermione and Ronald, I didn't however tell you to talk to George, don't you ever disobey my rules again do you hear me!?" Mrs Weasley said sternly as she pointed her wand at the two who seemed to be quite frightened at her latest emotional blow.

"S…sorry mum, I just wondered if…," Ginny could see that her mother was in no mood for an explanation so she and Harry went across the kitchen to the end of the table to get out her way.

"Right…well eat up everybody, don't want to start the summer with a empty stomach do we now," Mrs Weasley said urging them to continue with their dinner.

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Night had fallen and Hermione was too concerned about Ron to sleep. She took her wand and wondered across the hall way to Ron's tiny attic room. As she approached it, she saw the door wide open and an almost empty room. She walked up the steps that led up to the attic and walked in. Over in the corner was Harry sleeping peacefully as usual but there was no sign of Ron. She wondered if Harry knew of his whereabouts. She tip toed over to his bed trying not to make a single floorboard to creak. As she watched him sleep and breath silently she decided it best not to wake him. She put down the candle she was holding onto Harry's tiny dressing table and walked over to the wide open window to try and spot Ron out in the back yard. Out in the far distance of the yard she saw a moving figure slowly run up on the small hill at the back of the garden. She smiled with high hopes that it may be Ron and was soon galloping down the stairs and put into the yards to see him. As she approached the moonlit hill he spotted her in the distance and smiled.

"Why are you out here?" Ron asked as she sat beside him. Hermione could barley speak the moonlight was upon them both, the small stars in sky were twinkling making their eyes sparkle in the darkness. Hermione huddled up to him and he put an arm around her shoulder.

"I might ask you the same question," she said at last. Ron looked at her and smiled lightly.

"I…I come here to remember the good times we had together as a family, you know all of us, it'd be nice to do it again someday," Ron whispered. Hermione felt the hurt and loneliness in Ron's heart as he said those words.

"I can imagine what you must feel like right now, but you must move on, it's not going to get you very far," Hermione smiled sympathetically trying to sound kind. Ron nodded and agreed.

"Yeah…I know," he told her as he looked back at the night sky.

"If I could give you what you want I would," she sighed.

Ron's head shot up immediately at her comment. She wondered at first if she had upset him in some sort of way, but when he smiled acceptingly she sighed in relief.

"Hermione…I've never said this but, err… I really love you, more than you could possibly imagine and now that you say this I'm starting to get more confident in asking… no forget it it's nothing," Ron stopped and wiped his face with his hands. Hermione gasped in shock.

"What?" she asked eagerly wanting his to carry on. Ron shook his head as if to say 'Don't worry' and continued to star gaze.

"It'd just be nice to have a family of my own… our own" Ron said slowly. Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing; she turned her position so that she was looking at him and urged him to keep talking. Ron smiled down at her and leant forward to kiss her. Hermione deepened the kiss and brought his head closer and tangled her fingers within his red hair. Pulling apart, they looked at each other and Ron traced his fingers over her lips in a loving gesture.

"I love you Hermione Granger, even though you are a nutter…but you're perfect," he whispered softly. He's ears flushed a scarlet shade of red and burned much Hermione's satisfaction.

"You think I'm perfect?" Hermione asked after all she had waited for him to say that for a while. Ron laughed and then his face turned a little stern but still smiled.

"I think you're mad…but you're perfect for me," he told her before kissing her one last time. Hermione stood up and slowly walked back inside.

"Hermione!" Ron called from the top of the hill as he waved his hands to her and rushed back down the grassy slope and down to her.

"Yes?" she asked looking very excited.

"What I was saying about…the family…I just want you to know…I meant every word…I love you enough to start a family and marry you Hermione," Ron said a little out of breath and gasping for air. Hermione looked shocked and nodded slowly before placing her hand up on his face again and stroking it softly.

"One day," she whispered and with that she headed up the steps and into the kitchen before rushing up the stairs to Ginny's room.

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