A/N: Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me this far. There were some critical reviews about Hermione in the last chapter but I really wanted Ron to have his moment. Hermione can't be right about everything all of the time! She's back to her old ways in this one.

I did some research about Harry and Ginny's wedding but didn't find any specifics. I'm sorry if people were expecting more detail but I have to save my best ideas for Ron and Hermione's big day!

This is a long chapter but I hope everyone likes it!

Chapter 45: The Dream Realized

"This has truly been a magical evening," sighed Hermione. She was sprawled across Ron's lap dangling a champagne glass from her hand. Her other hand was drifting through his ginger locks. "Ouch Ron, move your knee! It's going right up my bum!"

Ron shifted his leg so it was resting with the other one on the chair in front of him. "Sorry love. Now this would be perfect if I could just reach my glass of firewhiskey." He looked at Hermione pleadingly.

"So lazy!" she replied. She flourished her wand and the glass floated right into Ron's hands. He took a sip but not before placing a kiss at the base of her throat.

Seamus shook his head in disbelief. "I don't think I'll ever get over the two of you together."

Neville laughed. "Really mate, we've been out of school for four years now!"

"What I can't get over is this beautiful wedding," said Hannah. "How did Ginny every find out about this place?"

Hermione sat up slightly, smoothing out her periwinkle bridesmaid dress. "She was reading one of those Muggle bride magazines and saw a picture of it."

Seamus' eyebrows shot up. "This is a Muggle establishment? How did they work it out?"

Ron finished his firewhiskey and said, "Harry bought them off. He paid in pounds and told them he was bringing in all of his own people for the wedding: caterer, band, waiters, everything." Ron chuckled. "They were probably scratching their heads trying to figure out who the hell Harry was but as the saying goes, money talks."

Everyone at the table laughed. Harry and Ginny's wedding had truly been a magical event. After a ceremony at the little church in Ottery St. Catchpole, the guests were whisked away by the Knight Bus to a posh townhouse in London. The reception took place on the garden roof which had a magnificent view of the city. Everything had been superb but the night had finally come to an end. Harry and Ginny had already departed on their honeymoon to southern Spain.

"Anyone seen Dean?" asked Seamus. "We're sharing one of the suites downstairs."

Ron smirked, "The last time I saw him he was getting really friendly with one of Ginny's teammates. I have a feeling you'll be in that suite all by your lonesome tonight Seamus!"

"Bloody hell," Seamus muttered. "How many single girls were here tonight anyway? I'm the only one by myself for the night!"

Hermione smiled and took a sip from her glass. "There were loads of girls here Seamus but you have to actually approach them, not stand by the bar all night!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Seamus. "Easier said than done."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," said Hannah. "You're a wonderful catch and I'm sure your dream girl will come along any day now!"

"How is your business Seamus?" asked Hermione. "George said the products you sold him are flying of the shelf!"

Seamus sat up straighter in his seat and loosened the tie of his dress robes. "Business is great. The Weird Sisters will be here in the city all week and they hired me for their show. They didn't like the pyrotechnics company they were using and I was able to sign on with them."

"That's awesome!" exclaimed Ron. "I heard a rumor that you're going to be doing some work for the Ministry. Any truth to that?"

Seamus smiled and nodded his head. "Yes there is mate. The Ministry hired me to do some work at the Auror Academy. They want me to make some improvements on the obstacle courses they have the candidates run through."

Neville whistled. "Impressive Seamus. Who knew that you would be able to turn blowing things up into a career!"

"Well," said Hannah, "I don't mean to break up this party but I'm positively beat. I don't think I've ever danced so much in my life! Ready to turn in sweetie?"

Neville had jumped to his feet and was already pulling out Hannah's chair for her. "Ready when you say milady! Sorry about your feet but I've never had such a wonderful dance partner! My own feet just got carried away!"

Hannah reached a hand up to caress Neville's cheek and kissed him on the tip of his nose. "Now that made it all worth it. Goodnight everyone!"

Those remaining at the table watched as Neville tucked Hannah's arm into his own and lead her down the staircase to the inside of the townhouse. Seamus sighed again. "Blimey; I've got to stop spending so much time at the bar." He drank the rest of his whiskey and looked over at Ron and Hermione. "I'll be turning in then too. See you in the morning at the breakfast!"

"Goodnight!" both Ron and Hermione said.

"It really was a great night, wasn't it?" said Ron. He had put down his glass and was trailing his hands up and down Hermione's bare arms. "The bride was beautiful, the groom was appropriately nervous; everything was perfect!"

Hermione leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips but then jumped off his lap. She walked over to the balcony and looked out at the sparkling lights of the city. "Did you ever think we would make it this far?" she asked.

Ron stood and joined her. "What do you mean?"

Hermione turned around and Ron was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry if I'm acting weepy; champagne always does that to me. I just meant, those years ago in that smelly tent did you ever imagine that we could be as happy as we are now?"

Ron looked down into her beautiful brown eyes, the same eyes that he made roll constantly, the same eyes he had seen fill with anger only to fill with desire moments later. He brushed a curl off of her face and said, "Yes. Even in that smelly tent I knew we would get here. Love always wins, remember?"

Hermione smiled, "You're right. And you're brilliant." She reached up and kissed him again on the lips.

This could be the moment, thought Ron. He could feel the box in the pocket of his dress robes, its weight oddly comforting throughout the day. Ron had made the final payment to the jeweler two weeks earlier. The ring was beautiful: a square diamond that was in a goblin made setting surrounded by smaller diamonds and sapphires, Hermione's birthstone. It looked like an antique and he knew she would love it. Ron just wasn't sure when to ask her and had decided that he would just carry it around with him so that he would be prepared if the right moment presented itself.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowed with concern. "You look so serious all of a sudden!"

Well, blew that moment, he thought. "Not a thing," he said. "I was just worried that you're getting cold although I'd be lying if I told you I wanted you to have more clothing on. You looked beautiful tonight, did I tell you that?"

"About a dozen times," she replied, "but I never get tired of hearing it."

"I'll be honest though," he said, "I can't make a fair appraisal of your beauty unless I see you totally naked."

Hermione threw her head back and laughed. "So typical. Well, I think the best place for that type of evaluation would be in that huge four-poster bed waiting for us in our suite downstairs."

"So smart," said Ron as he led her down the stairs. "I knew there was a reason why I'm so madly in love with you!"


"This is so awesome!" shouted Ron. He was jumping up and down to the music, not caring that he almost landed on the small blonde girl next to him.

Hermione looked up at him and laughed. "I'm dying of thirst," she shouted. "Let's get a drink."

Ron nodded and took her by the shoulders guiding her off the dance floor and towards the bar. After a minute of trying to get the bartender's attention, Ron was finally able to get a couple of butterbeers. He handed a bottle over to Hermione and then took a long gulp out of his own.

"Have you seen Seamus anywhere?" asked Hermione. "I want to thank him for getting us the tickets."

Ron shook his head. "No. He's probably backstage somewhere getting ready for them to do their final set." A few days after Harry and Ginny's wedding, Ron had received an owl from Seamus with two backstage passes for the Weird Sisters concert for later on that week.

"C'mon," said Hermione. "They haven't played 'Magic Works' yet and I don't want to miss it."

Ron finished his butterbeer and put it on the bar. "Let's go! I hope we didn't lose our spot up front!"

Hermione grabbed onto the back of Ron's shirt so she wouldn't lose him as they immersed themselves back onto the dance floor. She almost tripped, however, when Ron suddenly stopped short.

"What's wrong?" she shouted, a look of concern on her face.

Ron leaned in closer to her. "You're not going to believe this but I think I just saw Hampton."

Hermione's eyes grew large. "What! Where?"

"Don't look," warned Ron, " but I think I just saw him over by the stage."

"But why would he come here?" asked Hermione. "It doesn't make any sense!"

Ron looked for a moment, scanning the crowd. He snapped his fingers and said, "There! It's Shacklebolt's twin girls. And over there is the head of the Department of Magical Transportation. He's with two young kids; they must be his children. This place is packed too. Whatever he has planned, I'm sure it involves taking out as many people as possible."

Hermione looked around at all of the people who were oblivious to the danger they were in. "What should we do? Can you contact your team in time?"

In time for what, thought Ron but before he could answer her Seamus appeared. "Hey guys! How are you liking the show?" he asked. "I hope you're not leaving before the big finale."

Ron turned slowly to look at him. "You're big pyrotechnic display, right?"

"Yeah," said Seamus, "it's going to be bloody awesome!"

Ron looked at Hermione. "That's it," he said. "He's going to detonate something." He turned back to Seamus and asked, "Do you have anyone new working for you tonight?"

Seamus looked surprised. "How'd you know that mate? The band sprung him on me last minute. He's a total goon. Names' Springer and he's been a pain in the ass."

"Hampton must have used the Imperius curse on one of the band members," said Hermione.

"Seamus, I need to get backstage. Something bad is about to go down here and me, you, and Hermione are the only one's here to make sure it doesn't happen."

Seamus nodded so hard that Hermione was convinced a few freckles fell off his face from the force of his movement. "Whatever you need. Just come with me; I'll tell them your extra help. What about Hermione?"

Ron felt his stomach knot as he looked into Hermione's face. She was still flushed from all of the dancing they had done earlier and her curls were slightly out of control. He didn't want to put her in danger but he needed her if they had any chance at stopping Hampton. Ron still couldn't believe the risk he had taken in showing up at the club and planning a bombing. "Hermione, I need you to distract this Springer guy from what he's doing. Can you get her backstage too Seamus?"

"Not a problem," he replied. "Springer is on the left side of the stage. He's in charge of setting off the first set of explosives."

"Alright," said Ron. He turned to Hermione and pulled her closer. "I need you to distract him and stun him. When he doesn't do what he's supposed to, it will draw Hampton out. I'll take it from there."

Hermione nodded. "What should I do after I stun him?"

Run as far away from here as possible, thought Ron. "Just stay where you are. Once I have Hampton, I'll come get you." He grabbed her and kissed her fiercely on the lips. "Please be careful."

Hermione reached up and touched his cheek. "You too."

Ron reached down and squeezed her hand. He then turned to Seamus and said, "Take me to where the grand finale is set up. Hampton will most likely pop up there when Springer doesn't do what he's supposed to."

Seamus pressed a backstage pass into Hermione's hand and then took off towards the stage, Ron close on his heels. Hermione made her way to the left side of the stage and flashed the pass to the security guard. She made her way towards the back of the stage and realized that she hadn't asked Seamus what Springer looked like. She was just about to turn around and ask the security guard when she saw and a man who could only be described as shifty standing by a large black box.

Hermione walked unsteadily towards him, doing her best drunk girl imitation. "Hey," she slurred as she approached Springer, "do you know if this is the way to the bathroom?"

Springer smiled at her. "Right this way darlin'," he said as he put his arm Hermione. "I'll show you the special entrance."

"Sounds good," drawled Hermione. "Lead the way." She let go of Springer so he was in front of her and quickly withdrew her wand and muttered "Stupefy" under her breath. She watched with satisfaction as Springer hit the ground. Hermione shook her head and considered the stupidity of men and their underestimation of women. She hooked her hands under Springer's arms and dragged him towards the back of the stage where he wouldn't be seen.

Hermione moved towards the side of the stage. The Weird Sisters were gearing up towards their grand finale. She peeked out from the curtains and saw that the crowd was going wild. She looked over all of the faces but didn't see a sign of Ron or Hampton anywhere. She tried not to let her imagination get the best of her. Ron was an excellent Auror and would be able to handle anything that came his way, she told herself.

From where he was standing Ron could see Hermione's face by the curtain and a wave of relief surged through him. He didn't have time to dwell on her, however, as he looked up and saw Hampton scurrying across the scaffolding over the stage. At the same time Hampton caught his eye and Ron knew that he had lost the element of surprise. He made his way to the back of the stage, perpinduclar from the direction Hampton had been heading. When he could go no further, he switched directions and ran towards where he knew Hampton would be descending from the scaffolding. At that exact moment, the first of the fireworks went off and Ron froze. He knew these shows could go on for a minimum of fifteen minutes but he had a gut feeling that Hampton wouldn't want to wait that long for his own private grand finale.

Seamus had told Ron that the fuses were actually under the stage. He caught another glance of Hampton opening a hatch on the bottom of the floor. Just then, Seamus came up to Ron saying, "How's it going? What do you need me to do?"

"Is there another way underneath the stage besides that hatch?" asked Ron pointing to where Hampton had just disappeared.

"The only other way is to go outside and go down through a cellar door," replied Seamus.

Ron nodded and said, "I want you to find Hermione and have her stand guard at the other door."

"No problem," he said. "I just saw her on the other side of the stage and no sign of Springer. She got him out of the way quick!"

Ron smiled. Every fiber of his being wanted to tell Seamus to take Hermione and get the hell out of the club but he knew neither of them would allow that to happen. "I never doubted she would," he said. "I know this is hard Seamus but you just need to carry on as if nothing is happening. If we were to try to evacuate the club now it would be total chaos and people would get hurt. I was able to send a Patronus to my team; they should be here any minute now."

"Alright," said Seamus. "I'll get Hermione and then I'm needed down in the front of the stage."

Ron watched as Seamus left and then headed to the outside door. He stepped out into an alley; the cellar door was directly to his left. He swung it open and descended the stairs. The basement was a maze of electrical equipment and set decorations. It was also pitch black. Ron decided against lighting his wand and instead waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. A shadow moved to the far left and Ron quietly walked in that direction.

A noise caught his attention but before he could do anything, he felt his legs go out from under him as chains wrapped around his body. He looked up to see Hampton standing above him, his wand pointed directly at his face. "Weasley, you are like a bad penny, do you know that?" he said.

Ron squirmed in the chains but knew that it was useless. He could only hope that his team arrived in time. Before he could respond, he felt his body float through the air briefly only to land with a hard thud on the concrete floor. He turned over and saw what was most likely the fuses for Seamus' show but with another lead going into a silver case.

Hampton knelt down next to Ron. "You know, it took me and my guys awhile to plan that Ministry bombing and then you had to go and ruin our fun. Well, I think I'm going to have even more fun blowing this place up with you sitting right on top of the bomb."

Before Ron could say anything, Hampton muttered a spell which rendered his voice useless. A wave of panic hit him and then Ron felt himself float up in the air once again this time landing on what felt like a pile of bricks but what he knew to be the fireworks from Seamus' show. Ron's mind raced as he tried to calculate how long he had been down in the basement; his team would be arriving soon. He just hoped it wouldn't be too late.

Hampton was tinkering with the silver suitcase and muttering to himself. Ron supposed that Springer's disappearance had thrown a slight wrench in his plan. It was then that the saw a quick shaft of light, so quick that Hampton hadn't noticed it. He squinted into the darkness to see where it came from and caught what he thought was a glimpse of a head of curly brown hair.

Hermione peered through some boxes and saw where Ron was suspended over what appeared to be a pile of cans. She stepped back though when Hampton turned suddenly. She tried not to gasp aloud and then waited ten seconds before looking again. She could still see Ron but Hampton was out of her line of vision. She crept forward a few feet and saw that he was no longer by Ron. Cursing to herself, she took a deep breath and ran over to Ron.

"I don't know where he went," she said to him. "Your team just arrived; they're evacuating the club. We have to get out of here before all of this blows!"

Ron was shaking his head and Hermione could see him mouthing the word "Go" but she just rolled her eyes at him. Taking out her wand she said several spells before finally being able to release Ron from his bonds as well as returning his voice. He softly hit the ground and then rolled standing up. He grabbed Hermione and kissed her before saying "Run!"

Suddenly they heard Hampton behind them but didn't stop to wait for him as they took off making their way around the boxes and sets. He was desperately firing spells at them and things were flying left and right. They finally made their way to the door, bursting into the alley.

"They've evacuated everyone at least 50 yards from the club," said Hermione. "They're hoping that is far enough away from the blast zone."

Grabbing her hand, Ron said, "Then we still have a few more feet to run. Let's go!"

As they reached the end of the alley, they heard the cellar door open and both of them turned to see Hampton emerge. Even from their distance, Ron could see the panic in his eyes and knew that they probably had less time than they thought. When they turned the corner at the end of the alley, he could see where the Aurors had cordoned off the street and corralled the people from the club.

Just as they were about to reach the area, the bomb went off throwing Ron and Hermione forward with the force of its blast. Ron sat up to see the flames shooting in the sky and he thought about what a shitstorm was going to come down as a result and he didn't mean debris. The Ministry was going to have a long night ahead of them doing damage control with the Muggle's government. But before he could think on it any further, he was on his feet heading towards a figure that was staggering away from the inferno.

"Jumped the gun, didn't you Hampton?" asked Ron as he shot a Binding Curse at the man. "I heard that gets to be a problem with men your age."

Hampton didn't reply, just hung his head down as members of Ron's team came and lead him away. Ron smiled, though, and headed back to where Hermione was standing. She rushed forward into his open arms and he pressed a kiss onto her forehead when she looked up at him.

"You honestly didn't think I would stand by while you went down there by yourself, did you?" she asked arching her brow up at him.

Ron sighed, "I had hoped you wouldn't. I told Seamus not to let you come down."

"You thought Seamus would be able to stop me?" she asked incredulously.

Ron smiled. "Let's just say that in this instance, I'm glad that he wasn't able to." He bent down and kissed her.

Hermione scrunched up her nose at him. "I guess this means you'll be working tonight."

"Yeah, I guess so," replied Ron. "But we got him. We got him!"

Hermione smiled, "Yes we did."


Shelby turned her face towards the warm sun. It was close to July now and the summer was upon them. It was her last summer before she would go to university and she planned to enjoy every minute of it starting with the annual summer fair. Her family ran the lemonade booth every year for as long as she could remember and it was her day to work. She didn't mind at all; it was fun to see all the local families out enjoying the day as well as some out-of-towners who came in just for the fair.

"C'mon Shelby! What's the big deal? Just close shop for an hour, that's it!"

Shelby turned from where she was leaning against the counter to look at her boyfriend Nate. Apparently a group of teenagers from her school were having a party in the woods past the village and he was pestering her to ditch the booth to go.

"I told you it's my day to work," she said, "if you want to go so bad, just go without me!" She sighed and turned her back on him. He had let himself in the back of the booth and was slouched against the temporary slop sink they had set up to make the lemonade. Shelby rolled her eyes at the pout he was wearing. They had been dating for about three months and she was starting to grow tired of his neediness. She had thought they might have a nice summer together but now she was starting to think she could have more fun without him.

"Fine," he said. "Maybe I'll see if Nicole wants to come along; I'm sure she'll have no problem ditching her job to go."

"Have fun," Shelby muttered but Nate had already stormed out of the booth and was on his way across the grounds to where Nicole Kenny and her family were selling cotton candy. Good riddance, Shelby thought as she continued people watching. It was then that she saw the couple, the same couple she had seen four years earlier while she was working the same booth.

They had matured; they weren't teenagers anymore but still had a youthful glow about them. If anything, they looked younger now or at least more at ease. When Shelby had seen them the first time she couldn't help but feel as if they were trying to forget about something. Either way, they were still a striking couple. The guy was more muscular and his hair was a little shorter but it was still a striking shade of red. Shelby could see his twinkling blue eyes from where she was. The girl still had a terrific head of curls although they seemed to be slightly tamer. They were holding hands, going from booth to booth playing some of the games. She watched as they went on one of the amusement rides but lost them when they headed in the direction of the popcorn stand.

Sighing in frustration, Shelby found the "Be Right Back" sign she usually posted for lunch and put it on the counter. She let herself out the back and started looking around for the couple. She was about to give up when she heard it—the music from the pavilion. Making her way over, she found them on the dance floor, dancing to the same song they had danced to four years earlier. Shelby smiled and watched as they kissed. She had thought about the couple often. She wondered if they were still together and still as madly in love as they had seemed to be. It appeared so.

Shelby had been lost in thought and had missed where they had exited the dance floor. She moved through the crowd, searching for them but to no avail. It was like they had just disappeared into thin air. Oh well, she thought, maybe they would be back in another four years.


Hermione was still smiling as she and Ron reached the woods at the edge of the village. It was a few weeks after the club explosion and Ron had finally gotten some time off. He had told her he had a special day planned for her but was uncharacteristically tight-lipped about what they would be doing. When they had Disapparated and landed at the Burrow, she thought they would be spending some time with his parents but instead of leading her inside, he had led her around the back of the house to the shed. He had gone inside only to emerge a moment later with a broomstick.

"Do you know what today is?" he had asked.

Hermione tried not to smile. Of course she knew what today was, it was the four-year anniversary of their first date. "Yes," she slowly. "It's our anniversary."

Ron had smiled broadly, "I thought it would be fun to relive that day. We can go to that same fair we went to that day. How does that sound?"

Hermione was touched that he had planned such a romantic date for them. It had been wonderful day. They had recreated every moment of their original date even down to the dance on the pavilion. She was curious as to where they were going now though.

Before she could ask, Ron said, "I have one more place I thought we would go. We'll Disapparate there, though, and then come back later for the broomstick. Ready?"

Ron held out his hand and Hermione took it. When they arrived, Hermione dropped Ron's hand and took a few steps away from him. They were in a clearing. It was beautiful with large weeping willows and a small babbling brook. It had a wide view of the valley below and Hermione felt as if they were close to the Burrow.

"What is the place?" she asked, a puzzled look on her face. "It's beautiful!"

Ron smiled. "This is place is about a young man. Do you want to hear about him?"

Hermione looked at him curiously but nodded. "Yes, I think I do."

"Good," said Ron. "This place is about a young man who grew up in a loud house feeling slightly overshadowed by his siblings although equally loved by his parents. The young man had an uncle on his mum's side. He had never married but enjoyed watching the young man's mum grow a family of her own. He always had a special place in his heart for her youngest son and would spend extra time with him; he also knew what it was like to be overshadowed. The young man loved being with his uncle and became an excellent chess player under his guidance." Ron looked over at Hermione and grinned. "It was a skill he was proud of when he went off to Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled back. She was enjoying Ron's story but was still clueless as to where he was going with it.

"Anyway," he continued, "he was lucky when he went to Hogwarts. Lucky because while he was there he learned the value of true friendship, not from one best friend but from two best friends. The three of them had many adventures and many good times. But over the years his relationship with one of his best friends began to change. She had always infuriated him, even when they were younger but as they became teenagers it reached new heights. It wasn't until his sixth year of school that he realized what had changed—he was in love with her."

"But before he could do anything about it, the three of them were swept into an adventure that would have enough danger and excitement to last a lifetime. Their friendships were tested. And love was tested. But both miraculously survived. The young man and his friends lived through their adventure to make the world safe once more and their lives began. The young man finally had the chance to proclaim his love for the girl and to his ultimate surprise, she loved him back. He still questions why she loves him and if he really deserves her love at all. And the next few years were spent loving each other and fighting with each other, and loving each other some more. That is until now."

Hermione had tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why until now?"

Ron moved to stand closer to her. "Because now things are going to change for them again. The young man found out a while ago that this beautiful piece of land is his. His beloved uncle left it to him when he died and ever since the day that the land was turned over to him, the young man has done nothing but dream of building a house on the land and filling that house with the love and happiness and babies and he can think of no one he would rather do it with then the girl he loves."

Hermione gasped as Ron dropped down to one knee in front of her, pulling a box out of his pocket. "Hermione, I love you with all of my heart. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Ron opened the box to reveal what Hermione believed to be the most beautiful ring in the world. She was crying outright as she said, "Yes, yes! I love you so much!"

Ron took the ring out of the box and slid it onto Hermione's finger, almost sighing in relief that it fit. He didn't have time to dwell on it though as Hermione threw herself into his arms. Ron crushed her to him and felt tears streaming down his own cheeks as well. He pulled back slightly and kissed her, their tears mixing in. He cupped her face in his hands, pressing his forehead against hers. "I promise to make you happy for the rest of our lives," he whispered.

"I don't know if I can be any happier than I am at this moment," Hermione replied. This time when their lips met it was with a passion that left them both breathless.

"I think they'll be plenty of time for that later," said Ron wagging his eyebrows. "We have to be going now though."

Hermione's face looked crestfallen. "But why?" she asked. "I wanted to walk around a little bit."

"Well," he said, "because your parents are at the Burrow along with my parents, Harry, Ginny, and the rest of family waiting to congratulate us."

Ron didn't think he had ever seen Hermione look more surprised. "They know?"

"Of course they know!" said Ron. "Do you think I was going to ask you to marry me without talking to your parents first!"

Hermione smiled and kissed him again. "You really amaze me, do you know that?"

"I'm glad," said Ron, "because I plan do it a lot over the next fifty years or so." He grabbed her hand and walked over to where the clearing overlooked the valley. Although he had just said they should leave, the two lingered for a few minutes longer, savoring the moment. When they finally were ready to go, Hermione said, "You left one thing out of the story you told me."

Ron's eyebrows went up. "I did? What was it?"

"You left out how incredibly brave and strong the young man is and how lucky the girl is to have him," Hermione said.

"I didn't leave that out," said Ron, "I was just saving it for a more opportune moment!"

Hermione punched him lightly then held his hand as they Disapparated to the Burrow where they were welcomed with shouts of love and happiness.