DISCLAIMER: I do not, in any way, own any part of the Harry Potter series nor do I own any of the characters. I'm just an avid fan who hopes to finish her story some time in the near future. :)

Chapter Three

Ron flopped into the seat across the table Hermione sat at. She straightened herself in her chair as Ron rested his forearms on the table, leaning over them slightly.

"You wanna dance with me, Hermione?" he asked, a hopeful, half-drunken smile on his face.

"No, thank you, Ron," Hermione said, picking up her champagne glass and emptying its contents down her throat. Her glass refilled itself with her favorite white wine.

"Ah, come on, babe. I look like a fool out there dancing by myself," he whined. "You haven't danced with me all night except for the first bridal party dance, and I have a feeling that was only because Ginny weaseled you into it."

"I'm just tired right now, is all, Ron." Hermione took another sip of her wine.

"You've been a bit distant the few days. We haven't even spoken since Thursday. What's wrong, Hermione? Is it…you know: that time of the month?" he asked, causing Hermione to choke on the wine she was drinking.

"Excuse me? Of course it's not! And even if it was, it really would have nothing to do with whether or not I've spoken to you in a few days' time!"

"Oh. I just thought… Never mind then." The silence grew between them as the remaining party guests continued to dance together. Hermione was fairly certain Neville had had a few too many to drink. She laughed as he and Luna danced together. Luna looked as though she were trying to teach Neville the mating dance of the long-nosed pygmy pixie.

The seconds flew by, turning into minutes, and Hermione bit her bottom lip, knowing she had to speak fast before Ron decided getting her to dance was a lost cause.

"Ron, have you ever thought about getting married?" she asked, folding her hands together on the table.

"To you? Or to just anyone in general?"

"Either one really. I was just thinking about how long we've been dating, and we have yet to even discuss anything in the direction of marriage." Ron looked up at her.

"To be honest, Hermione, I have given it a great deal of thought." This surprised Hermione. "I've thought about it a lot lately, whether or not I wanted to ask you to marry me. And I've come to a huge realization about that, as a matter of fact."

Hermione's excitement got the better of herself when she noticed Ron sit up a bit straighter. Was this really it? Hermione was so sure Ron was finally going to ask her the big question that Hermione was quite literally on the edge of her seat, her hands spread out on the table in anticipation.

Hermione watched Ron as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box, inside which Hermione knew was a ring.

"I even went and bought this a couple of weeks ago. I've had it in my pocket, mulling over whether or not to give it to you." Hermione's heart sank just a bit at the tone behind his words. Ron slid the box across the table to her. Hermione opened the box to find an explicit diamond engagement ring.

She looked up at Ron, a sympathetic look in his eyes. "I can't ask you to marry me, Hermione. Not because I don't love you. I do love you, in a way. Just not in the way you deserve to be loved, Hermione."

"So it's one of those it's-not-you-it's-me things?" Hermione's tone was full of sarcasm. She slid the box back to Ron. And looked down at her hands.

"Hermione," he said softly. Hermione looked at him, annoyance written all over her face. "I'm gay."

Hermione's face fell fast, and she was sure the color had drained from it. Her hand instinctively shot up to her mouth, and she let out a small gasp of surprise.

"I've had these…feelings for quite some time now, and I thought I was going mad, honestly. So I pushed them away, but the feelings just kept coming back. And then as Harry and Ginny's wedding started drawing near, I figured it would be a pretty good time to get things together to ask you to marry me. But then I was in the store, and I was looking at the rings, and something was just off about the whole thing. But I bought the ring anyways. I've been wanting to talk to someone about how I feel for so long. I guess I'm finally drunk enough to let my guard down, huh?"

Hermione smiled. "You must not be if you can consciously comprehend letting your guard down." Hermione reached across the table and rested one of her hands on Ron's. "It's okay, you know… being gay. We're your friends, and we'll love you no matter what. And your mum and dad aren't going to care about whether you're gay or not."

"Thanks, Hermione. It means a ton that you're being so good about this. I was afraid you'd have taken it personally. You know, being one of those girls who 'turned a guy gay'."

"Oh, god! I am one of those girls, aren't I? I've turned you gay!" Ron laughed at her words.

"It's okay Hermione. That's sort of what helped me realize who I really was: if I couldn't love a woman as amazing as you, I wasn't going to love any woman." Hermione smiled at him. Ron stood and extended his hand to her. "Now come one. Let's dance."

Her spirits lifted along with the weight from her shoulders, Hermione took Ron's hand and followed him out onto the dance floor with the others. Together, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Luna, and Neville danced together throughout the night.

The sun was peeking over the hills behind the Burrow when at last everyone was gone and the decorations taken down. The backyard was transformed back into nothing more than a vast, open field surrounded by tall weeds. The gnomes were scrambling back into the vegetable garden, sinking beneath the ground before the sun could reach them.

Hermione wished Harry and Ginny one last bit of happiness, said how wonderful it was to catch up with the Weasley's and their extended family, and gave Ron a hug for courage, knowing he would try to tell Arthur and Molly his news when all was completely quiet. Turning on the spot, Hermione apparated back to her apartment to find Hercules awaiting her return, his face peering out the window.

Hermione's head ached and her body screamed at her to sleep, so, giving in to herself, she took a sip of a hangover-curing potion she kept in her bathroom cupboard and fell into her bed still wearing her bridesmaid's dress and shoes.

Sleep fell upon Hermione quickly, and she dreamed of nothing that day, waking just as the sun was setting. Her headache was gone, and she was wide awake. Unfortunately, her sleep pattern would be thrown way off now, which meant Monday would be hell at work for her.

A/N: I seem to be flying through this! Thanks to those who have reviewed. I'd like to give a special shout-out to Every-Rose-Has-A-Thorn for pointing out a few typos for me. My spell check isn't working the way it should be for some reason, even though I have these names in my AutoCorrect!

Bridesmaid's Dresses (in canary yellow):

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Hermione's Earrings:

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Ginny's Wedding Dress:

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