And here we are again, yet another Chapter in. This Chapter was inspired by TheSillyReader who suggested the announcement of Harry and Ginny's engagement! So I think this Chapter turned out pretty well but I'll leave you to decide for yourselves. :)

Chapter 24 – Brunch

Ron's POV

It was the middle of November, 1999. I was attending Sunday morning brunch with my family at the Burrow. Today we were joined by Bill, Fleur, George, Angelina, Percy, Audrey, Harry, Ginny, and, of course, Hermione. It was a surprisingly large attendance, only Charlie absent. Usually not as many of the family made it to the meal. Hermione and I frequently attended (due to the result of a row in which she'd made it very clear how she felt about staying close to family). Harry, Ginny, and George also counted as constant members.

But there was something different about the brunch; like some sort of static in the air. I didn't quite understand it but wasn't paying attention as I shoved a large bite of pancake into my mouth, successfully smearing a bit of whipped cream on my nose. Hermione giggled beside me and I frowned, trying to seem offended. I glanced at her, giving her my best innocent expression. "What?" I asked.

Hermione watched me, her beautiful brown eyes perfectly matching and improving the happy atmosphere of the room. It took all I had not to smile back down at her. She laughed lightly. "You have cream on your nose, by the way, did you know?" she pointed to the tip of her own nose. "Right there."

I snorted, using a napkin to wipe the substance away. "Clever little witch," I commented, now unable to keep the grin off my face. "Back in the day, I didn't like you because of your smug little comments."

She shrugged. "I've got you now, though, so it doesn't matter."

I didn't reply, fearing if I said anymore I would put my ego in jeopardy.

Once the meal was finished, I was sure something was wrong. Hermione didn't smack my arm when I took my fourth serving of bacon but instead smiled affectionately. Audrey didn't react strongly to George's crude and rather inappropriate jokes as she usually would have and instead rolled her eyes but continued to eat. Angelina was flirting with George like she was an ordinary Gryffindor and he was the best Beater of the century. Harry and Ginny kept casting sly glances at each other with Harry winking far too often and Ginny blushing more than usual. The biggest hint, though, was when Ginny and I didn't get into our random weekly row.

What was going on?

After the kitchen was cleaned, the family got comfortable in the living room. Hermione and I took to the floor, letting the elder siblings have the chairs. "What's going on?" I whispered in Hermione's ear. "The girls are acting barmy today. Did I miss something?"

Hermione looked up at me in surprise. "You mean you don't know?" she asked.

"Well, no, I don't," I said, quickly becoming irritated. "So why don't you tell me what I don't know?"

"Just wait, you'll find out soon enough."

I glanced around the room again, looking for something that might've escaped my notice. Nothing. Everything was normal apart from the girls. "I still don't get it," I complained.

Without speaking, Hermione leaned closer to me, cuddling into my side. That was curious; she usually wasn't too much for public displays of affection. The most we did in front of family was hand holding and a few kisses. Nonetheless, I wrapped my arm around her and held her against me, enjoying her closeness.

We were silent for a few moments, listening to the chatter of other conversations in the room, before one voice stood out slightly more than the others. "Uh, excuse me? Yeah… can I talk? I mean, if you want to listen…"

"OI, SHUT IT!"

Ginny's method turned out much more effective than Harry's. The room went silent, all eyes turning to where Harry and Ginny stood hand-in-hand in front of the chair where they'd been sitting. Harry looked as awkward as a hippogriff trying to walk on two legs. "Er, thanks," he said, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. "Ginny and I have an announcement to make." He cast a shy grin at her.

The tension in the room thickened. Hermione was frozen to my side, so still I wondered if she was even breathing. I would have compared her to a bomb that was about to go off. She seemed to know what was coming and was drowning in anticipation. Harry's words had had the same effect on the other girls in the room, all of which looked about ready to strike on a moments notice.

"We're engaged!"

BAM! It took a full second for his words to sink in. My best friend was in love and engaged to my sister. Well, I guess I could live with that. I had given them my blessing, after all. The small part of me that felt disgusted was immediately disintegrated by a sense of happiness for Harry and Ginny. They were getting married!

Applause broke out, followed by congratulations and a ridiculously loud whistle that had to come from George. Harry glanced at me, almost warily. He loosened when he saw my reaction. Hermione and I stood up. She gave Ginny a huge hug while I gave Harry a hug with a pat on the back. "Congrats, mate!" I laughed.

"Thanks," Harry chuckled. He glanced over at Ginny and Hermione who were gushing on about how excited they both were. "Tell me if I'm wrong, but I reckon you've been considering taking it to the next level with Hermione, yeah?"

I felt my face heating up in embarrassment. I would never really admit how much I'd thought about it. "Well, 'course I have, but I'm not sure how she'd feel about it yet. I mean, we're young and she's Hermione and we know Ms. Proper Hermione Granger is busy with her job-"

"Listen to yourself," Harry laughed. "You really shouldn't be thinking that much! It's you and Hermione, after all. It's not like she'd be able to reject you even if she wanted to."

I shrugged, keeping my eyes on Hermione. The announcement must have brought out her most girly side as she was already talking to Ginny about the wedding itself. Her eyes met mine and she smiled that special smile that she always kept for me. Our gaze was broken when George moved in to give our sister a monstrous hug and a few jokes about keeping Harry in line.

The day seemed to go by fast after that. Drinks were served, followed by more wedding talk and a lot of tears (mostly from Mum). The brunch hour faded and before we knew it, the evening was upon us, foreshadowing a week of work to come. Bill and Fleur left first, Percy and Audrey quickly following their lead. Angelina left and George followed an hour or two after until only my parents, Harry, Ginny, Hermione and I remained. Harry and Ginny's departure signaled the end of the festivities, so Hermione and I gave our final congratulations and goodbye's before Apparating home.

"Wow," I sighed, wasting no time to find my way to the kitchen. "What a day!"

Hermione nodded her agreement and joined me. "You hungry?" I asked. "I can fix us some ice cream if you'd like."

"That'd be great, Ron, thanks," she said and exited the room. I heard the unmistakable sound as she turned on the wretched Muggle device known as the telly. I scowled. It would probably take me years before I could understand that thing! She'd banned me from using it after I'd accidentally broken it with some spell or another (it had taken her several hours to repair it). I didn't know how she expected me to get better if I couldn't practice.

Making two big bowls full of vanilla ice cream, I grabbed a few spoons and went to join her. She was watching a Muggle show of some sort that I didn't understand. "Here," I said, plopping down on the couch and not hesitating to shove a huge chunk of ice cream into my mouth. I was rewarded with brain freeze.

"Thank you, Ron," she said as she dug into her bowl. "While this isn't really the healthiest option, I'm sure it will taste delicious."

We watched the telly and ate in silence, recounting the day. It was only then did I remember what Hermione had told me earlier. How had she known about Harry and Ginny? I voiced my question out loud for her as we finished eating.

"Oh, I just knew," she answered.

"And so did the other girls. But how did you know?"

Hermione shrugged. "Well, the engagement rings they were wearing were a giveaway, and the way Harry and Ginny kept looking at each other. I'm not quite sure how you missed it, in all honesty."

Well, of course I hadn't noticed anything as subtle as that! I fought the instinct that told me I should reply with a sarcastic and possibly offending comment and set my bowl on the coffee table so I could wrap my free arm around Hermione. She leaned into my side, resting her head on my shoulder while continuing to watch the telly. I had given up on trying to follow the show and settled on watching her.

As I watched her falling asleep while cuddling into my side, the engagement announcement still fresh on my mind, I was never more positive that Hermione was the girl I wanted to marry. I stroked her wild hair behind her ear and was reward by a heavy, sleepy sigh from her as she snuggled closer.

In that moment, everything seemed perfect. I could remember all the years I'd sat on the couch beside Hermione, getting distracted from my homework by her long, curly locks and intent gaze as she concentrated deeply on the paper in front of her and wishing that she would look at me with such absorption and emotion. I grinned, recalling how she looked at me now. The affection and lust she so commonly directed toward me was like basking in the warmth of the sun.

It was then I started planning what I was sure was going to be the best proposal ever.

Not half bad? I hope!

I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews since the last update, they were extremely inspiring! If you enjoyed this Chapter, all reviews are appreciated! And that's all I have to say for now, so see you next time!