8: Christmas! Part 1.
Hermione and Ginny apparated from King's Cross to the Burrow where they were bombarded with hugs from the many Weasley's and Hermione's parents, who were having dinner with the Weasley's that night and Christmas eve. Ginny ran over to Harry. "When do you want to tell them?" Ginny had her hands on his chest while she looked deep into his eyes.
"How about tonight, at dinner? Everyone will be there. It's perfect." Harry looked down at her while he stroked her hair.
"Sounds like a plan. Oh, I'm so excited! I wonder how they will react." Ginny smiled at the thought.
"Yeah, so do I." They rejoined the family and they all enjoyed a nice chat filled with stories about their week and George even brought up a fond memory he had about Fred. They all teared up a bit at the story, but they kept their emotions under control for the most part.
Before they knew it, it was time to eat. Mrs. Weasley put together a wonderful feast for the family. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were astonished at all the wonderful wizard foods which made Hermione laugh at her parent's reactions. Harry stood up and asked for everyone's attention. "First of all let me just say I'm so happy to be here with all of you and thank you Mrs. Weasley for this delightful meal. Now, I have an announcement to make and it may surprise some of you, or it may not. I would like to announce that Ginny and I are engaged." Looks of surprise filled the room. Ron turned bright red. Mrs. Weasley had her hands on her mouth. Mr. Weasley, George, and Charlie simply smiled.
"When did this happen?" Bill looked confused.
"Well, the day after the battle I woke up and realized I hadn't seen Ginny yet so I jumped out of the four-poster bed and searched for. I finally found her walking down a corridor and looking through the rubble. I ran over to her and hugged her. It was spur of the moment and when I let go of her I simply said 'Will you marry me?' I love her I really do and she knows it. So she accepted my proposal and we decided to wait to tell everyone so that we could get through the mourning of Fred's death and recover from the battle."
Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes. "Finally! You're actually going to be apart of the family!" She broke the silence that consumed the table after Harry's speech. Ginny stood up and thanked everyone for not being mad. Mrs. Weasley responded with a very heartfelt, "We could never be mad about this!"
When they sat back down Mrs. Weasley immediately started to plan the wedding. Harry and Ginny informed her that they would like to get married in the summer before Ginny starts her training and Mrs. Weasley agreed upon the idea. The rest of the dinner was filled with wedding plans.
After dinner, the Grangers left and the Weasley's all helped clear the table and put the dishes away, magically of course. When they were finished cleaning, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny went into the living room to simply talk like they always did. Ron turned to Hermione at one point and said, "Just think. That'll be us one day!" Hermione stared at him for a second adoringly before quickly snatching his hand and pulling him off the couch. She ran straight up the stairs dragging him behind her the whole way before stopping at Ron's room. "Hermione what are you-" His words were cut off by Hermione kissing him and pushing him into the room without breaking the kiss. Ron stumbled a bit as he backed in the room. Hermione pulled away from the kiss to shut the door. "Muffliato." Hermione performed the enchantment quickly before she and Ron fell onto the bed. Ron got his wish.
