28. Eyes

Harry and Ron looked up at the sign outside the shop, squinting in the sun.

Ron took a deep breath. "Are you ready, Harry?"

"Ron. We're buying engagement rings, not fighting some dark wizard."

"Yeah, but this is a big deal. You know what women are like. An engagement ring is a really big deal to them. Like, they've been dreaming about the perfect one since they were five years old."

"Really?" Harry looked sceptical. "How do you know that?"

"I read it in Witch Weekly."

Harry raised his eyebrows, with an amused grin on his face. "I wouldn't take you for the Witch Weekly type, Ron. Doesn't Hermione like to burn them whenever Fleur leaves one over at your flat?"

The pair had momentarily forgotten about their reason for being at Diagon Alley at this time, and impatient shoppers were pushing them out of their way.

"It was Mum's. She leaves them in the bathroom at the Burrow."

"Anyway," Harry began, walking over to the shop window. "Seen as you know everything about engagement rings, what are we supposed to be looking for? I don't want to go in there looking like a total novice."

"Aren't most people going to be a novice when they buy engagement rings, though?"

"Yeah, but some people at least know what to look for. Percy couldn't stop banging on about the cut, and the clarity of the ring he was going to buy Penelope. What does clarity even mean?"

"I'm really not the person to ask, mate."

"But you read Witch Weekly!"

"It was only the one time!" Ron protested.

Ron peered in the window and looked at the display of jewellery there, including engagement rings. "Look at that one," he said, stabbing at the glass. "That one's alright, isn't it? Hermione would like that one, wouldn't she?"

"Well. Yeah, I suppose. It just looks like all the rest to me," Harry replied doubtfully.

Ron sighed. "I knew we should've brought a girl along."

"Who? I'm proposing to your only sister, and you're proposing to our best friend. Who else is there?"

"Well…" Ron scratched his head and stroked his imaginary beard. "There's…Luna? She knows Hermione and Ginny pretty well."

"Luna would probably have tried to convince us to make them both one out of daisies or something. I think we're on our own for this."

Ron sighed again before looking back in to the window. Neither of them wanted to raise the subject of possibly going inside the shop itself.

"Have you given any thought to what Ginny might like, then?" asked Ron, wrinkling his nose at a ring with a bright yellow jewel, the size and shape of a snitch.

"Well, obviously nothing too big or flashy."

Ron nodded in agreement, as if that much was obvious. "Yeah, Hermione wouldn't want a big one either. I suppose that's a start?"

"So, we'll just go in and say 'one that's not too big, thanks'? I think we need more of an idea than that."

Ron thought for a moment. "Isn't there 4 Cs when you're buying diamonds or something?"

"Yeah. Cut and clarity must be two of them, like Percy said. I think the others are…colour? And carats?"

"Yeah, that's it!"

There was silence for a moment.

"Well…what do they all mean?" asked Ron.

"Colour's pretty obvious, I suppose. What colour do you want to get Hermione?"

Ron looked stumped. "I was just thinking…dunno, normal diamond colour? Clear?"

Harry nodded. "Me too. But I know Ginny likes emerald green, so maybe two emeralds either side of a diamond – "

"That is the most horrific thing ever, by the way. That Ginny's favourite colour is the colour of your eyes."

Harry carried on as if he hadn't heard him. "I wonder if they have one like that."

"One way to find out," said Ron grimly.

He put his hand on the brass door handle and pushed it open. A tinkle ran through the shop, and a male shop assistant walked over to them. "Can I help you?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, hoping the other would speak first. Ron looked down at his feet, and Harry put his hands in his pockets.

"Well, yes please," Harry began, after it was clear Ron wasn't going to speak. "We're both looking for engagement rings."

"Ahh. What do you have in mind?"

"Just…well, if we're honest, we have almost no idea."

The man smiled. "We can fix that. I'm Harrison Mitchell. It's an honour to meet you both," he said, nodding courteously.

Harry and Ron both nodded their heads in return humbly, as was their custom when somebody said something about 'the honour' or what 'great men' they thought they were.

"Great to meet you too, Mr Mitchell," said Ron, shaking his hand. Harry did the same, and he directed them over to a display of engagement rings.

"Now, Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, I presume you're looking for diamond rings?"

"Yes, I think so," replied Harry, glad to be able to reply to a question with something other than 'not sure'. Ron also nodded.

"Okay, great. Can I ask what you're looking to spend?"

"Well, not a ridiculous amount, but I don't have that much of a limit." Mr Mitchell grinned and unsubtly steered them over to the more expensive rings.

"Take a look at these, I'll just be over here. Let me know if you need anything, anything at all."

"Smarmy git," muttered Ron in Harry's ear as Mr Mitchell walked away.

"He's only trying to help us find a good ring."

"The most expensive, more like. But still, I suppose they are quite – "

Ron broke off, and grabbed his arm. "Doesn't that ring just scream Hermione to you?"

Harry looked down at the ring Ron was pointing at. It was a thin silver band, and a princess cut clear diamond was set into it. It was beautiful, but simple, not flashy; Hermione exactly.

Ron didn't wait for Harry's answer. "It's beautiful. I'll take it!"

Harry continued to look for a ring for Ginny as Ron purchased Hermione's. He walked back over to Harry, the little red velvet box in his jacket pocket, beaming. "I thought that'd take way longer to find the right one! He spent longer talking to me about the 'wonderful clarity' and the number of carats, and all that mumbo jumbo, than I did finding it." He clapped Harry on the back. "Found anything?"

Harry shook his head, frustrated. "Nothing. I really want one with emeralds…"

"Why don't you have a look at the cheaper ones? You know Ginny won't care about the price," Ron suggested. Harry knew he was right – what did the price, and number of carats matter, if he knew Ginny would love it?

He walked over to some other rings, and looked down – and then he saw it. It was perfect. The band was silver, like Hermione's, but the diamond was a thin oval shape, and smaller than Hermione's. Set in to the band on either side of the diamond were two tiny emeralds; Harry knew Ginny would love it, and he instantly knew it was the one. He was surprised as he looked down at the price – it was half of the price of the ring Ron had bought.

Mr Mitchell walked towards him and looked down at the ring Harry was enthralled in, unimpressed. "Yes, that's a pretty one Mr Potter. But just over here, we have some lovely diamonds, they're much – "

"I'll just take this one, please. My girlfriend will love it," Harry said, with such an air of finality that Mr Mitchell didn't try to persuade him otherwise.

He took Harry over to the counter with much less enthusiasm than he did Ron. However, when Harry asked him to not tell anyone he and Ron had been purchasing engagement rings, he agreed immediately, and Harry knew he could trust him.

He was planning to propose to Ginny that evening, and he knew Ron was planning on proposing to Hermione a few days later. He could hardly wait; and Ginny had been hinting hard enough over the past couple of months. Harry knew he needed to propose before Ginny would do it herself.

He couldn't wait.

A/N Not any Ginny in this one, but I just thought the idea of a clueless Harry and Ron trying to buy engagement rings would make a rather nice little oneshot. Your thoughts? This really didn't fit any of the prompts, but hopefully you made the connection between eyes, and the ring.

And yes, before you ask, I will be writing about Harry's proposal very soon :)