She felt like she was dreaming, certain that in moments she would wake up to the familiar smell of coffee and burnt toast.
She had been startled when Cedric had informed her that their weekly dinner would be held not at the local pub in which they frequented, but at a fancy muggle restaurant in downtown London. She was even more surprised to find a lovely black dress lying out on the bed when she came out of the shower. Cedric had left for work, leaving the surprise sitting neatly on top of the bed that they shared. A simple note told her to wear the dress to dinner that evening, and that he was looking forward to seeing her at 7 pm.
The day continued on quite slowly due to the fact that her mind was preoccupied with the dinner date and the fancy dress. Their last dinner had been at the Irish pub, which was owned by Seamus Finnegan. It was nothing special, but it was their place and she couldn't help but wonder why Cedric had chosen such a fancy place. She had compiled a list when she first got to work that morning of all the dates that were important to their relationship. From what she came up with, it wasn't an anniversary of anything, or anyone's birthday, so she was truly at a loss as to what the occasion was.
As the day finally wound down to five, Hermione was more then anxious to get back to her flat. She was hoping that Cedric would be home when she got there and was slightly disappointed when he wasn't. She took her time getting ready, and because she had taken a shower that morning, she had no need to do it again. She made sure that the holding spell she put on her hair would last at least through the evening and added the jewelry Cedric had given her for their three year anniversary.
She had just slipped on the dress when she glanced up at the clock.
"Oh my" she said to herself out loud. It five to seven and Cedric would be there at any moment. She started frantically running about trying to collect shoes to wear, a clutch, and a wrap to protect her from the early fall chill. She was startled out of her rush when she heard a small "a hem" from the door. She quickly glanced up to see Cedric standing there, looking quite dashing in a black tuxedo.
"I see you got a little help from Harry." She said with a smile, running a hand along his arm. The tuxedo really did suit him.
"Well, yeah." He said with a blush. "I had no idea what to wear to a muggle restaurant." He added quietly.
"Speaking of muggle restaurant, why are we going to one?" She asked him. The question had been burning in her mind all day.
"I wanted to do something special." He said, pulling a bouquet of roses out from behind his back. She let out a little yelp of surprise as she took them from his hands, inhaling the sweet fragrance. He had never gotten her flowers before.
"Well, shall we?" He said, extending his arm to her.
"Let me put these in a vase and I'll be ready." She said, rushing past him to the kitchen. To her dismay, she couldn't find a single vase, so she had to make due with an empty pitcher. She made a mental note to purchase a vase the next time she went to the market.
Dinner had gone wonderfully. The meal was delicious, the atmosphere very romantic, and the restaurant more fancy then any other she'd been to. She glanced over at Cedric, who appeared very uncomfortable in his seat. He almost looked nervous.
"Cedric, are you okay?" She asked, concerned.
"Hermione…" He said, fumbling for something in his pocket. "I've loved you since the first day I met you. You're beautiful, intelligent, brave, charming. You're everything a bloke could ever want in a girl. You are the most amazing woman I've ever met. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
She looked at him in shock as he got down on one knee in front of her.
"Hermione Jane Granger, will you marry me?"
At that point, everyone in the restaurant was watching the couple, and Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but she was almost too shocked to speak. She certainly hadn't been expecting this!
"I…oh my. Yes! Yes, of course I will!" She almost yelled.
And as Cedric slid the ring onto her finger, she knew it wasn't all a dream.