A/N: This story is for the Hogwarts Games: Men's Beach Volleyball. This was a partnered challenge. Owluvr and I wrote this together.
Please let us know what you think! Your opinion means a lot to us. (:
Ron paced in and out of his room. His nerves were getting the best of him, causing his palms to sweat and his face to burn. His red hair was gathering sweat, becoming a shade of brown. It was nearly nightfall. In his pocket he carried a ring.
A diamond one.
George and Angelina arrived to the Burrow that evening nearly an hour before the sun set. Angelina stepped inside first, nearly squealing as she made eye contact with Molly.
"Mum!" George placed his long arms around his petite mother, wrapping her in them.
"George!" She still carried a ladle in her hand from the things she was cooking in the kitchen. George gave his smiling father a hug, and walked upstairs to the room, briefcase in hand.
"Ron?" He walked into his youngest brother's room, a smile plastered upon his bright face.
"George," Ron said, desperation dripping from his words. "I need help."
"What is it?" George set his briefcase on Ron's bed. Ron silently reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring.
George smirked. "Oh finally! Of course I'll wed you, Ronald. It's been a dream of mine since I first laid eyes upon you!"
"Not for you, George," he said. "I want to ask Hermione to marry me."
"I figured that much."
"What do I do?" Ron asked.
"Well, you ask her to marry you of course!"
"How?"
"Find something romantic to do, and then do it!"
"How did you do it then?" Ron set the ring back into his pocket.
"I'll do it for you!" Fred said.
"Excuse me?" George replied.
"I'll do it. If you can't handle the pressure of it, then I will," Fred shot back.
"No, Fred! Absolutely not!" George responded, horrified.
"What? It's not like I'm going to be the one marrying her. I'm just helping a brother out," he said, seeing the look on his twin's face.
"No," George said.
"It would work! She can't tell the difference between us if she tried!" Fred exclaimed.
"No. It's me and her moment. I want the memory..." George replied.
"If you insist!" Fred levitated a box of trick candy and placed it on the aisle in which it belonged.
"That doesn't mean you can't help though." George shared a smirk and a wink with his twin, and continued the work in their store.
"So Fred proposed to Angelina for you!" Ron interrupted. He kept his voice at a whisper, realizing that his sister-in-law was just downstairs.
"No. I'm getting there!" George said. He continued.
"George, are you sure you want to do this?" Fred asked.
"Yes," George said immediately, "But I'll have to wait until after the War."
"Okay," Fred said, although he looked as though he didn't believe him, "I want you to have this, though." He pulled out the first make of the Aviatomobile.
George's eyes widened in realization of what he was being given. "I didn't know you kept this," George said. "Are you sure?" he asked, staring at it in awe, "This was the first product we ever made!"
"You'll need it for luck, mate," Fred replied, "So how exactly are you planning to do it?" George grinned sheepishly.
"That's the problem. I have no idea," he admitted.
"Right," Fred said thoughtfully, staring off into space for a few moments. Then he had his epiphany.
"What?" George asked, excited.
"What if we use the fireworks that we set off in the end of seventh year?" Fred replied.
"That would be perfect!" George replied, and the two of them continued conversing about it in hushed tones, although there was no one was around to hear.
"George, Ron," Molly called from downstairs, "Harry and Ginny are back from their honeymoon! Come downstairs and say hello!" Both men made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Harry and Ginny were indeed sitting.
"Harry!" Ron said and hugged his best friend.
"No hug for me?" Ginny teased.
"Nope," Ron replied, moving to sit down next to Hermione.
"It's okay Ginny," George said, hugging her, "I'll give you a hug."
"George, that's a death squeeze, not a hug!" she yelled. There was a sudden clatter. Molly's spoon fell to the floor, hitting Ron's shoes.
"Oh!" Molly exclaimed. "Would you get that for me, Ronald?" Ron leaned down and picked it up. He handed it to his mother.
"Mum, Ron and I need to finish-er-cleaning and I think we'll need Harry to come help us," George said and dragged them both upstairs. Molly and Angelina stared at them, astonished.
"Since when does George clean?" They asked in unison. They shook their heads and continued conversing amongst themselves.
"How was the honeymoon?" George asked when they arived upstairs, winking.
"Oh," Harry smiled. "Like I dreamed it would be."
"Ok, Mr. Feminism," George said in a humorous tone. "Care to illuminate young Ronald on how he should propose to Hermione?" George smirked. Ron gave his older brother a small shove, to which George only found more humorous.
"Proposing?" Harry smiled. "Just do it! Bend down on a knee and pull out the ring."
"No, I want to do it more creative," Ron said, his head resting in his hands.
"Have a picnic?" Harry suggested. The two Weasleys turned their heads to stare at Harry.
"Are you sure you're not a witch?" George said, his eyebrows raised. The three of them laughed.
"Well, do you have a better idea?" Harry asked.
"How about I finish my story and then we'll see?" George said. He clasped his hands together, and continued, "So, after the war ended..."
"Angelina," George said one night. They were out on a date, star gazing in an empty prairie near the Burrow.
"Yes, George?" she asked distractedly.
"I have to talk to you," he said.
"About what?"
"Not here," he protested, "Come on." She looked skeptical, but nonetheless followed him.
"Now, I'm going to put this on you, and you are not going to murder me," he said, pulling out a blindfold and putting it over her eyes.
"What's going on?" she asked sharply.
"Don't you trust me?" he teased.
"Not in the least, George Weasley," she snapped.
"Full names! We are mad, aren't we?" he scolded.
"I have every right to be so. You've blindfolded me and are taking me to…where are we going?" George rolled his eyes.
"Relax," he said and then Apparated her away. They reached a hillside.
"George, where are we?" she asked. George took a deep breath and checked to make sure that the fireworks were still in place where he set them that morning.
After the war, he made an edit to the old fireworks to make these go off with just a flick of his wrist. He didn't have Fred to help him set them off this time.
He took the blindfold off of Angelina.
"Sit down," he said and she uncertainly sat down next to him. As soon as she sat, he pulled out his wand, and flicked his wrist toward the fireworks.
"George, what-" she started. She was sharply interrupted by the popping of the dynamite in the sky. They were beautiful. Her favorite colors, green and blue, lit up the cloudless black atmosphere. They suddenly began to merge to form the words, "Marry me?" Angelina turned and saw George sitting on one knee, a ring in his fingers.
"Yes," she said.
George finished his story. He walked to his briefcase, and pulled out a flying toy car. "For luck." At that, George took his briefcase, and walked downstairs to the rest of the family.
Ron held the toy between his fingers, sighing. He cleared his throat, remembering that Harry was sitting beside him.
"So how was the honeymoon?" Ron asked awkwardly.
"Great," he said, smirking. Harry hardly opened his mouth before he heard Ron interrupt him.
"Oi! I don't want to hear the details!" Ron shouted. "That's my sister!" Harry rolled his eyes.
"Ron, did I look like I was going to tell you the details?" he asked, shaking his head.
"You can never be too cautious," Ron said proudly.
"That's sounds like something Hermione would say," Harry said suspiciously. When Ron began to blush, Harry added, "Did Hermione say that to you?"
"Maybe she did, maybe she didn't, you're not getting it out of me mate," he replied.
"Speaking of Hermione, when exactly do you intend to propose?" Harry asked.
"Tonight," Ron said.
"And you've already got the ring?" Harry asked.
"Yes, it's right…" he started, but never finished because there was nothing in the pocket the ring had been in. He gasped, shot up from where he was sitting, and scanned the floor with his eyes.
"You lost it?" Harry asked. His eyes danced with as much amusement as it did with concern.
"Help me find it," he whispered. His fingers were trembling and his knees began to feel week. "Don't be too obvious or Hermione will catch on."
Ron and tiptoed the Burrow, searching for that precious piece of jewelry.
Harry chuckled, shaking his head as he double-checked Ron's room.
They looked through the entire Burrow, trying to keep out of the ladies' view from the kitchen table.
Harry tried to "Accio ring," but no ring came to him.
"You can't find it?" Ron asked his friend. Harry shook his head and began to feel sorry for him. Ron spent nearly a month's worth of work to pay for that ring, only to find that it is missing. Harry shared with him a sorry look, and gave him a pat on his shoulder. They could hear Arthur Weasley telling family stories from the kitchen.
The two of them walked to the table where the rest of the Weasleys were sitting and pulled up chairs beside them. Harry sat next to his wife, placing his arm around her, and Ron sat next to Hermione, still hesitant to touch her. They listened to stories, occasionally laughing at them, and sometimes sniffling at those mentioning Fred.
"I found something," Hermione whispered into Ron's ear. She took his hand and held it. "I found something that I think belongs to you." Ron's ears turned crimson and his eyes were opened wide. Ron attempted to make eye contact with Harry from across the table. After a few seconds, Ron's bulged eyes met with Harry's confused ones. He mouthed to his friend, "she has it," several times before Harry's eyes widened as well.
The family continued to talk about a list of topics before Percy and Audrey stood up, hugged their family and Apparated away. Slowly, the large Weasley family left the house, two by two, until only the two Potters, Arthur and Molly, and Hermione and Ron were left.
Arthur began to clean the mess of trash on the floor and the table of the Burrow, while Molly started on the dishes in the kitchen. Both Harry and Ron were staring in each other's eyes, apprehensive on what next move Ron should take.
"What is it you found then?" Ron played off. She smirked, dug into her pocket, and held out the ring. He felt relief flood through his system. He was happy that all the money he put into it hadn't gone to waste, but this was not at all how he was planning on proposing. What if it wasn't romantic enough? What if she doesn't say yes because it's not as creative as everyone else's?
"When were you planning on doing it, then?" She handed the ring back to Ron, whose ears went a deep shade of crimson. His palms began to sweat. Harry gaped at this turn of events, and nudged his wife to pay attention to what was happening.
Ron bent down on his left knee, holding the ring in his hand. "Hermione Jean Granger."
"Oh!" Molly Weasley heard the beginning of the proposal from the sink, and rushed over to watch. Arthur stopped sweeping the floor, and gaped as he watched his son turn into a man.
"Marry me?"