As it turned out, with mere days before the full moon in May, the scheduled speaker apologetically canceled, and George was the only person Chessie could get to come speak for her during her werewolf recovery. Thus, George entered the Great Hall the morning after the full moon, while Chessie was still sleeping off the transformations in her quarters. He arrived in a bright mood, and small talked the professors at the Head Table until Chessie showed up for supper, having been woken up and nagged by the Cenopathy boys. She wasn't sure why they were excited, but she was so sore yet so amused at their intrusive politeness that she threw on some clothes and let herself be dragged away from bed.
"My love!" George said loudly, throwing his arms wide and taking steps towards where Chessie was entering from the Grand Hall. He had on his best brown and gold suit, and Chessie was in what she called her 'public pajamas' outfit of black tights and a black sweater tunic. The Great Hall suddenly grew silent and watched. This was mortifying. She approached him anyway, her hair in full afro and skin sallow yet glowing a healthy dark brown from medical care and half a pound of chocolate.
"Er, yes?" she said bluntly. George chuckled and continued.
"I wanted this date to be remarkable," he said jovially, "And Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout gave me exactly the assistance I needed to make this memorable," he said happily. Chessie really wanted to scowl at her colleagues but was utterly distracted by her boyfriend.
"You are stubborn, cynical, sometimes ruthless, and fiercely protective of those who you consider your 'people'," George said. "But that fighting spirit is part of why I love you. I knew it from the first time you tripped me into a puddle in Diagon Alley." he pulled a battered, weatherworn case from his pocket and dropped to one knee, right there in the center of the Great Hall with almost a thousand pairs of eyes watching.
"Would you marry me?" he proposed.
Chessie didn't faint no matter how much she wanted to. What came out instead was a sort of squeak, in front of the entire student body. The kiss, though, would influence the children for years. They barely separated long enough for George to place the modest yet elaborate ring upon her third finger. George eventually released her from his embrace, adjusted his formal suit, and took a seat at the Head Table amidst the celebrations of Chessie's peers.
"How lovely!" Sprout gushed, wrapping her arms around both of them. "You must have your wedding here at the school!"
"Talk about a dramatic streak," Flitwick teased Chessie, still happily in George's arms staring at the surprisingly large ring on her finger.
"I'll get my revenge on both of you," she said absently, turning her hand in the candlelight. It didn't look like any of the rings in style at the moment, and once the hubbub dialed down, she intended to ask about it. But for now, Hogwarts was elated with the idea of the first post-war wedding on site.
It was weird seeing George in her office. He sprawled casually across one of the two guest chairs she had arranged to face her desk. Given the situation, though, she had opted to get together not at her own desk, but in his lap, perching across George's thighs as though that wasn't completely inappropriate work behavior.
"In front of everybody, really," Chessie started to chastise until George interrupted her.
"I didn't buy this ring," he said, laying the bait.
"...What?" Chessie asked, seated steadily on George's lap. He pulled her hands in close, grasped firmly in his own. She took a moment to appreciate the juxtaposition of her dark hands captured in his larger page freckled hands.
"The ring I proposed to you with is a family heirloom," he said gently, massaging Chessie's hands and arms, "And it took me months to get this planned."
"How so?" Chessie murmured, temporarily complacent upon her love's lap even if it was in her own office.
"I knew you needed something special," George said, "and Mum forced me to ask her to help. This ring," he pulled her left hand with the surprisingly sparkling ring upon it, "is an heirloom."
Chessie scooted off George's lap into the other chair in her office for guests, yet not releasing her beloved's hands.
"My grandfather Septimus Weasley," George continued, kissing Chessie's knuckles, "searched long and hard for the perfect ring for his hopeful betrothed, Cedrella Black. She was a Slytherin, and he was completely in love with her despite being a Gryffindor himself. Much like I am with you. Well, I was able to locate the ring and my uncle gave it over once I explained-." George hestitated, and kneeled down in front of Chessie once more.
"My grandfather, a pureblood Weasley, found what he thought was the perfect ring for his beloved, a Slytherin woman from the House of Black. They lived their whole lives happily together, having three children and seven biological grandchildren," George explained. "And I wanted to propose with this ring as an extension of that. I was in Gryffindor, you were in Slytherin. I want to grow a family with you, Chessie," he said, "Even if it isn't meant to happen the standard way. I want us to be together forever. I love you."
Chessie reconsidered the ring on her finger. It had a central diamond surrounded by tiny diamonds, and the band had two metal heart shapes on either end of the gems. The rest of the band was simple gold. She loved the understated elegance.
"I love you too," she whispered happily and had no issues bursting into tears in front of her favorite person.
Eventually they moved from the two uncomfortable chairs in her office to her bed, but before anything naughty could happen Chessie passed out. Transforming into a wolf and back and then getting engaged finally exhausted her. Once she was asleep, George kissed her cheek, adjusted her blankets around her, and left to go speak for her classes.
When she woke up a few hours later, Chessie would discover that he had charmed her sheets to adhere to the bed and that she was trapped there until he returned.
She was almost late for a staff meeting the week before the end-of-year exams. Just as the staff door was closing, she threw herself through it and nearly collided with Hagrid. Glancing surreptitiously around to judge if anyone had seen her, she straightened her robes and took a seat at the table next to Sprout.
McGonagall began discussing how they were going to go about sitting and scheduling the examinations, especially with the second years in the situation of being tested for two years' worth of knowledge in one. Chessie felt a kick on her leg and glanced over at Sprout.
"We need to start discussing wedding plans," she whispered. Chessie glared at her discreetly and kicked her back.
"Ow," Sprout whispered, pretending to take a note on some parchment she had brought to the meeting.
"You're going to have to fight Molly Weasley on that one. That woman is wedding crazy."
"I thought it looked like you were getting a ridiculous amount of mail lately."
"Pomona," McGonagall interrupted them, "how are you conducting your exams this year?"
The conversation was dropped for the time being. Truthfully, she had been determinedly ignoring real life concerns and was focusing completely on academic issues. The tests she was going to give had been finished and sitting in stacks on her desk for weeks now.
It wasn't fair to George or Rose that she was dreading going home. She loved them both dearly. No, it was the freshly-rennovated room that no longer held any traces of Fred, but had a new bunk bed and bedroom furniture crammed into it. They had even repainted the walls so the room would seem a little more welcoming. It was the 30-something-year-old woman lying in a hospice bed at St. Mungo's who was expected to die at any time now and orphan her children. It was when they were planning to go to the Burrow and announce the engagement and be congratulated by what seemed like thousands of redheaded soon-to-be-in-laws. It was that Absolom and Ambrose would be going with them. For such a happy year, there had been a surprising amount of heartbreak.
So for now, Chessie focused on preparing her students for exams.