It was almost midnight, but 19 year old Harry was still wide awake. He wasn't able to sleep, as he was worrying about what he was going to do the next day... He looked up at the sky and at the perfectly round, shiny moon, the full moon..
'Dad' he whispered softly, 'dad, I'm going to purpose to Ginny tomorrow, and I'm scared... What if she says no to me, what it I get down on my knees and can't get the words out, what if I make a fool of myself?', his voice rose slightly as he trailed off..'Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, help me out here guys, please, I'm a complete mess and I really need help, Hermione doesn't really get what I'm going through, and Ron said he didn't want anything to do with whatever I was planning to do to purpose, he said his job ended when he gave his blessing'...
Suddenly, inexplicably, he got a vision of his father, on one knee, in front of his mother, his voice shaking slightly, and sounding a bit nervous, he said, 'Lily, I love you with all my heart, more, much much more than I've ever felt about anyone else. You, Lily are like a flashlight-yes I know what a flashlight is- you came into my life and you were like a ray of light guiding me through the darkest of times. The day you finally agreed to go out with me was the happiest day of my life, second only to the day we first kissed. And it would be third to this day, if you would do me the great honor of being my wife.'...
The scene changed and he was then seeing Remus and Nymphadora, whose hair was a mousy shade of brown, Remus was holding Tonks's hands in his own, speaking very nervously, 'Dora, I have been the stupidest person alive, thinking that being with you would ruin your life and make you miserable, when in fact I've ruined your life and made you miserable because I was so stubborn, I was an idiot Dora, and I hope you can one day forgive me...' he said earnestly. 'And one more thing', he added as he got down on one knee, still holding her hands 'I should've done this a long time ago, but I hope I'm not too late, I can't offer you much in life Dora, I can't guarantee you a healthy social life, I can't even promise you big mansions, or fancy clothes, but I can promise you my heart, the whole of it, just for you, if you would say yes to say yes and I'm yours', his voice grew stronger as he spoke, and by the end he sounded a lot more confident than when he's begun.
The scene changed again and he was then seeing a 16 year old Sirius walking down a corridor at Hogwarts, smirking, and holding the marauder's map in which he watched a group of girls following him in what they thought was a stealthy manner, he rounded a corner and disappeared through a huge canvas behind which lay a hidden staircase that led straight to Gryffindor tower..
The scene changed once more and now he saw his mother as she flung her arms around James's neck and kissed him excitedly, she then pulled away and let him slide the ring down her finger, apparantely too emotional to speak...
He didn't understand how he was seeing this or where the visions had come from, but his confusion didn't last long; the scene changed one last time, and now he was seeing the familiar sight of Dumbledore's study and Dumbledore himself who said 'you think the dead we love ever truly leave us? You think we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?'
The scene dissolved, and he understood. As he got up and headed inside, the wind blew gently, ruffling his hair as it passed, and he heard the distant howl of a wolf, the familiar rough bark of a dog and the faint sound of great hooves as they hit the ground. He walked inside, feeling more confident then he'd felt in days, and, more importantly, feeling happier then he'd done in a long time..
Harry went to bed, next to his girlfriend and, hopefully, soon-to-be fiance. He slept peacefully, dreaming of the following day and of his plans, with the hope that they would work out perfectly..
Even though he did feel relaxed and confident after what he saw of his father and his best friends, he still felt a slight twinge in his stomach and he couldn't sleep for long...
When he woke up, it was just after dawn, the sun was shining softly, illuminating the world below with its golden rays.. Harry got dressed and walked out onto the porch, where he sat waiting for Ginny to wake up..
He thought a bit more of how he was going to purpose and he tried to visualize Ginny's reaction. As he thought about those things, the tension he was feeling intensified, and he could feel his stomach lurching. The only thing he could do to calm himself was thinking of what he had seen the previous night; he thought of his parents and how their relationship started and how it blossomed so beautifully, he thought of Remus and Tonks and all the obstacles they faced and how their love surmounted everything, then he thought of Sirius trying to dodge some admirers so he can get on with his trouble-making, the thought of which brought a grin to his face...
He didn't know when he was simply thinking, and when his thoughts turned into a dream, but he didn't feel anything else until someone nudged him in the shoulder and he heard Ginny's voice. 'Helloo, I thought you said we were supposed to get up early today for "the big day" she said, making mock quotations with her hands in the air. 'Yes,' he said, getting up hastily 'it's just that I got up early and I didn't want to wake you so I came out here, I think I must've dozed off'. 'Okay then, can we go now, I'm starving, AND I'm ready so you won't have to wait' said Ginny.
'Wow' Harry breathed softly, only just taking in the sunflower-yellow knee-length dress Ginny was wearing, the way she had neatly braided her hair, and just how her looks were both simple and extremely elegant.. 'You look beautiful' he whispered, breathlessly.. She blushed slightly, before she said 'I still don't understand why we can't have breakfast here'.
'I told you this is a big day and I want it to be special in every way.'
'Okay, fine, can we just go then?' said Ginny, sounding a bit impatient.
'Please,' he replied as he took her hand and they apparated.
It took Ginny a few seconds to realize that the scene in front of her was real, 'The Burrow?!' she asked astounded..'That's just a stop on the way,' Harry said, grinning slyly. She looked at him for a second, thinking hard before she took his hand and went inside.
Breakfast at the Burrow was nothing special with only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and George in the house, as all the Weasleys had already moved out, except for George who moved back in when he realized that he couldn't bear living alone in the appartement he once shared with his brother. However, there were a few unusual things like how Mrs. Weasly was unable to keep a smile from her face, and how George seemed to have a long lost gleam in his eyes once more. Soon, they were done eating and were getting ready to leave when George caught Harry's eye and winked at him when Ginny was looking the other way.
'Where to now?' asked Ginny when they were outside the Burrow. 'We are going tom Hogsmead,' Harry declared cheerfully, only adding to Ginny's confusion..
They spent the whole day at Hogsmeade; went into shops and bought many things and spent a lot of money, they visited almost every shop in the village, with a few exceptions, one of which was Madam Puddifoot's...
They were in the three Broomsticks, when Harry stood up and took Ginny's hand in his and asked her to come with him. As soon as they were outside, Harry conjured a Patronus which, to Ginny's absolute confusion, headed towards Hogwarts..
They strolled together up the main street after the stag, and when they reached the huge gates of the ancient castle, they saw Hagrid waiting for them. As soon as he caught sight of them, the old game keeper beamed a and said 'got yer message, Harry', he let them in, and when he thought Ginny wasn't looking, he winked at him..Ginny, however, saw him wink, but pretended not to, just as she had pretended not to have seen her brother wink at Harry earlier in the day..
They went with Hagrid into his cabin where they had tea and did some catching up, before Harry got up and said that they had to get going..
'Did we come all this way to have a chat with Hagrid?' Ginny asked incredulously. 'Of course not,' replied Harry simply as he led her towards the Black Lake..
As they approached the Lake, Ginny saw the dim outline of a round table with two chairs , and fluttering around it were tiny little lights that Ginny was certain were real fairies..
Harry reached the table first and pulled out a chair, gesturing for Ginny to sit down, and taking the other seat after she did..
The sun started to set as they ate, and the sky was turning orange. Harry was staring at the Forest, contemplating, when, suddenly, he said, 'Did I ever tell you that when I went into the Forest 2 years ago, and Voldemort cast the killing curse, my last thought was you?' Ginny looked utterly surprised yet very deeply touched before she said breathlessly,' no, you never did.'
When they were done, Harry got up first and said, 'come on let's go'. 'That's it?' Ginny asked, astonished, apparantly she had been expecting something to happen that didn't. 'Did you want to do anything before we left?' Harry asked, doing his best to keep himself from laughing. 'Uh, no, let's go,' said Ginny, looking crestfallen.
They apparated once more, this time arriving at King's Cross station. 'Why did we come here?' Ginny asked, although she didn't really seem to care much what the answer was. 'Well, I thought you might miss travelling in the muggle style, and I thought you might want to go home on a train'.
At that point, Ginny seemed to have lost any shred of hope she had left that this day might turn into something more than what it seemed to be.
'Come on', said Harry as he took her hand and dragged her towards a ticket barrier. 'Can't we just apparate?' Ginny asked gloomily. 'Oh, come on, don't you remember how much fun we used to have on our way to Hogwarts on the train?' asked Harry. Only then did Ginny notice that they were standing between platforms nine and ten. She looked at Harry, bemused, before she asked, 'why exactly are we here?' 'Don't you remember what this place is ?' Harry asked, his eyes gleaming and sounding thoroughly amused, 'this is where we first met,' he went on when she looked totally clueless..
She turned around to look at the ticket barrier again, this time seeing it from a whole new perspective.
'Did you know,' Harry's voice came softly from behind her, 'that when I told Ron that I was going to ask you to move in with me, he made me swear that we were going to get married someday?' she turned around instantly, her hopes flaring maddeningly, to find Harry on one knee, holding a fancy, little black box which contained a magnificent ring, with a large diamond on top..
'Ginevra Molly Weasley, you are the light of my life. In the darkest of times, you were like a shining star in my sky, guiding me and giving me hope. In those awful months when I went hunting horcruxes, never knowing if I would ever come back, it was the thought of you that gave me strength and kept me going. Not knowing whether or not I would see you again was excruciating. The thought that I might die without even saying goodbye, that was pure torture. When I was about to die, it was an image of your face that crossed my mind. When I look into your eyes Ginny, I see everything I need and more. When I hold your hand, I know I am the luckiest person alive. And when I see you by my side, I know that I could ask for nothing more in life.. But now I ask you to grant me the wish no one but you can make come true. Now I ask you to honor me by giving me your hand in marriage Ginny. I ask you to make me the happiest man in this world simply by saying yes'
By the time he was done, a single tear was rolling down the cheek of the girl who never cries.. She looked as though something was constricting her throat, but still she managed to speak. 'es,' she whispered quietly, 'yes,' she repeated this time her voice was stronger, clearer, and more tears were streaming down her face, 'yes, yes, yes, a million times yes', she said as she kneeled down in front of him and kissed him like never before..
At that moment, Harry couldn't believe that he was ever actually worried about proposing, that he almost took Hermione's advice and was going to do something more than what he'd done, that he almost believed it when Hermione said that even Ginny would want something extremely romantic for a proposal. But then he looked at Ginny, and ,as their eyes met, he knew he'd done it perfectly..