A/N: Hello, lovelies. I think that's how you spell it.
Well anywho, this is might just be my favorite chapter. Possibly. I don't know. I always write the A/N first because I can say things I will forget about if I write them after.
This story, again, won't be longer than 15 chapters. The longer H/G story will be longer, I'm aiming for like 30 to 35 on Not Giving Up, Just Giving In. It's gonna have a lot more drama than this one. Yes, this one will have drama, but as I stated in Chapter 8, it's setting up for my Next Generation Story. Hehehe.
Happy Reading!
So Harry had been procrastinating. But he honestly didn't know how to go about this. It's not as easy as it may seem. He had asked Bill what it had felt like when he did it, and he said, "It's different for everyone."
Yes, he had asked Bill. Well, really he told him, and then proceeded to ask for help. Bill laughed and walked away.
So really, he had no one to ask for advice.
Like really, how do you go about asking a father if you can marry his daughter?
Harry decided in late November that he was a pathetic person for waiting this long, because he had originally planned to ask her on Christmas –yeah, so original-, and it was almost December.
See most would think, "You have 25 days to ask and get a ring. That's plenty time.", but the complicated part is that Ginny will be back on the 12th, and he won't be able to leave her side. So really, he has less than 2 weeks to ask Mr. Weasley and get a ring and find a convenient hiding place for the ring because Harry has guaranteed himself that come time for her to be back, he'll be suspicious and she'll start searching every nook and cranny for something that explains why he's so nervous. Her first assumption would probably be Dark Magic. And Harry hoped her last assumption would be proposal. Hopefully she's more gullible than she looks.
So to make a long story short, Harry needed time. And he needed lots of it.
Unless of course he asked Mr. Weasley today.
What?
No.
Not a flipping chance.
Ah, crap. Guess there is.
Harry tip-toed down the stairs, careful not to make too much noise that could wake up Ron. He had a rough day yesterday. 3 Death Eaters in one day. Ron was whopped.
As Harry entered the Weasley's kitchen, he quickly noticed figure sitting outside on the porch.
Bingo.
Harry quietly snuck outside, trying again not to wake anyone else up. "Good Morning Mr. Weasley." He whispered quietly, sitting down softly next to him.
Mr. Weasley had on a thick jacket and Harry could tell the inside was lined with fur, the outside made of Dragon hide. He smiled over at Harry. "Good morning, Harry. Couldn't sleep?"
"No, I've had a lot on my mind lately. What about you?" He asked him, trying to keep himself calm, trying not to look obvious.
"Same as well." He laughed a hoarse laugh and said, "I've realized just how old I am. My last child is in her last year of school and my oldest is married."
"Sorry about that." He laughed. "You don't look much older than you did when I first met you, though, Mr. Weasley."
"You are very modest, Harry." Mr. Weasley then looked over at him with a knowing look. "And you are also very jittery. IS there something you'd like to talk to me about?"
Crap.
He'd been caught.
"Uhh…" Harry started, but Mr. Weasley laughed and waved his hand in the air.
"Don't worry about it, Harry. I give you permission."
Harry's jaw had to have dropped to ground. How in Merlin's Beard did he know?
Maybe he was shaking?
Nah, that's not it.
"You're uncanny nervousness gave it away, lad." He chuckled.
So here Harry was, sitting on his bed like an idiot the day Ginny was to get back.
He had no idea how to hide this ring. He had found the prefect ring, just not the perfect hiding spot.
Ginny was exactly like her mother in the department of suspicion. She would know something was up. She would then pull him away from everyone else and badger him until he told her.
So how was he to hide it? She would look in every nook and cranny to find the tiny box.
She would look in every corner to find it, in every hidden place.
So where was Harry to hide it, and hide it quickly for that matter?
Harry found the perfect place inside her bedroom, just as a quick pop told Harry that Ginny and Hermione were home.
Harry had just stashed the box and ran up to his bedroom before the door was swung open and a mane of long, flowery scented hair swept in, flinging itself at him.
"Ginny…" He whispered, wrapping himself around her, breathing in her scent. He wondered silently to himself if he was only dreaming. After months on end of never seeing her, he couldn't believe she was here again, in his arms.
His. Only his. No one else did she belong to, but him.
Ginny looked up at him, and he placed his hands gently in her cheeks, and cracked a smile.
"I missed you, love." He said before softly pressing his lips to hers.
"So please explain to me Mr. Potter why you told Hermione about this, and not me?" Ginny asked him, voice in mock accusation.
"Because if I had told you, I wouldn't have been able to surprise you." He said, laughing as he grabbed her hand, walking with her to the lake by the Burrow that was currently frozen. "You know only a few people knew about this, I tried to make it a surprise. Especially to you."
"But you're an Auror!" She exclaimed, "It's what you always wanted!" (*Hehe, see what I did there?*)
"There are other things I've wanted." Harry gave her a pointed look.
"Don't give me that crap, Harry James Potter, you used to think I was a pest!" Ginny said, laughing through her attempted glare.
"I resent that, Ginevra Molly Weasley." Harry smirked. She stuck her tongue out at him, and then rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead.
"I'm going to miss this after I return to school." She said under her breath.
"Me too, love." He whispered back to her.
A couple days later, he found himself in the grasps of Hermione Granger, who looked rather furious at something, or rather, someone.
"Harry why didn't you tell me?" She said, towing him away from everyone else and locking them inside Ron and his bedroom, proceeding to do a charm on it, which Harry decided it was probably so no one could hear them.
"Tell you what?" He raised his hands up in defense. She looked ready to claw his brains out, and Harry thought he'd rather like them intact.
"You're proposing to her –my two best friends you two are- AND YOU DON'T TELL ME?!" Hermione exclaimed.
"It's supposed to be as much a surprise to almost everyone else as it would be to her!" He said, "I only told Bill, Ron and Mr. Weasley."
"Well you still should've told me," She sighed, "These are the sort of things you tell me about."
"I'll try to remember that next time."
"So where is it?" She asked.
"Where's what?" He asked confused.
"The ring, you numpty (*Hehe, numpty…XD*), the ring!" She laughed.
"Oh, yeah." Harry retrieved it from its brilliant hiding spot and showed it to her.
"Oh, my Harry." She goggled at the box, "It's beautiful…"
The days were counting down as Harry becoming exceedingly nervous. This was the biggest moment of his life, and he was so afraid to blow it.
It was now Christmas Eve, and the whole Weasley family was celebrating in the paper decorated living room with the live Christmas tree –as well as a live gnome for an angel-.
Harry nerves had to be the worst they've ever been as dinner rolled around that evening. Every once in a while he would glance at the clock and see the hours counting down, and every time he did, his stomach would churn. He had never felt more nervous. Not even before he killed Voldemort. He was always prepared to fight him, whenever, where ever.
But he wasn't really prepared to propose.
As Harry walked Ginny up to her room, his hands were shaking.
"Are you alright Harry?" Ginny asked him, genuinely concerned. Alas, the girl had become suspicious.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He blurted out. "I'll see you in the morning, love." He kissed her one last time before hurriedly retreating to his bedroom.
"Mum!" Harry heard a voice yell. "We're here!"
"Bill, darling!" Mrs. Weasley ran to hug her oldest child and his dazzling wife as they entered to Burrow's doors around 3 p.m. on Christmas Day. "Fleur, oh how nice to see you!" She hugged the French woman tight.
"It iz very nize to zee you." Fleur smiled.
"Well come in, get out of the cold!" Mrs. Weasley urged the couple inside and took their coats.
"How was your family's house, Fleur?" Hermione asked, making conversation with her.
"It waz wonderful, we were going to ztay longer, but Bill told me we zhould get here as zoon az pozzible." Fleur winked at Harry.
"Ah, well it's nice to see you." Hermione hugged her.
Bill shook Harry's hand, then lead him into the kitchen where he wanted to talk to him alone. "So have we missed it?"
"No, she hasn't found it yet." Harry reassured him. He didn't feel nearly as nervous as he had yesterday. He felt rather excited now.
"You're making her go on a scavenger hunt?" Bill asked, laughing a little.
"No, I just haven't said anything about it yet. It's her Christmas present." He said. "When she doesn't get it, I'll have her look in her room."
"So where'd you hide it?" Bill asked. "Because she looks in every little spot for everything."
"Precisely." Harry said matter-of-factly. "That's why I hid it in…"
The day went by fast, there was a lot of talking and when the presents came around, Harry could see Ginny was a little sad when she didn't get one from him. He laughed quietly to himself at that.
The night came along, as did dinner. The excitement in Harry grew quite big in a little amount of time. He nervous, but as it came closer and closer to the time Harry knew she'd say yes, he became more eager. He became more sure she say yes by the minute. He just knew it. Because why would she say no?
"Well Happy Christmas, everyone." Charlie said closing, the conversation at dinner, cueing Harry to walk Ginny to her room.
As they walked, Harry could feel Ginny curiosity growing greater in her voice.
Harry stepped on egg shells to not get on the subject of her present. He couldn't let it out just yet.
Finally they had arrived at her door and Harry said nonchalantly, "So how'd you like the present?" She looked confused at him. Perfect. "Didn't you get it? I put it in your room."
"Really?" She entered her room in wonder. "Where?" She looked around the room for a few moments.
"Keep looking." Harry said, leaning against the door frame.
She looked around for a few more moments, rummaging through her trunk, before saying frustrated, "I give up." She blew out her breath. "You have to be lying-OH!" Harry heard a huge intake of breath from her as she seen it lying on her dresser, in plain sight. Slowly, her hand reached down to grab the perfect cube box colored scarlet, complete with golden strands embroidered around it.
Closing the door, Harry walked over to her, and said, "Open it."
And so the ginger did open the box, and inside of it held a ring made of a pure silver band, with an clear diamond in the middle. Around the diamond are tiny red rubies, making it look stunning.
"Harry…" She breathed, "It's… It's beautiful…" She turned to him, eyes still a little dazed, but Harry was already on one knee. Suddenly, it seemed to hit her. "You can't be…"
"Marry me?" He asked, taking the box from her hands.
Now, crying a little, Ginny nodded and said, "Yes…"
He slid the ring on her finger, praying that it'd fit. And when it did, she helped him up and smiled at him, reiterating, "Yes."
Feeling the best he had ever felt in his life, he bent down and kissed her softly in their little blissful oblivion.
A/N: *tear* So I love this chapter. I know the whole proposal thing was thrown out in one chapter, but I need to pick up the pace and keep it moving. The wedding is the next chapter, and then after that we'll be seeing Luna a lot more, plus pregnancy and birth.
Hope you liked it!
