AN: Surprise! I know it's Sunday and not Tuesday, but I decided to share the last ever chapter of Lego House with you all today, as I know this week in work is going to be busy. I'm sad this story is over, but while I finish posting the last few chapters of Change Your Mind, I'm already three chapters in to a new Muggle AU story so you won't have long to wait for another original story from me.

My hugest thanks goes out to QuickSilverFox3, Adenei9, cheesyficwriter and be11atrixthestrange for being the best betas throughout this process, along with everyone who has reviewed this story. When I started writing it, I couldn't even imagine how successful it might have been, so thank you for your kind words. They certainly kept me going.

I hope the ending does this story justice. If you enjoy it, as always, please let me know. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, I hope it's as sunny and warm as it is here! xxx

Hermione and Ron prepare for the next stage of their lives, together.

Ron traversed the maze of corridors that led around the backstage area of the O2, his fingers trailing against the grainy, grey walls. The steady thrum of pop music mixed with the cheers from the crowd filled his ears, putting a massive smile on his face. Out of every venue they'd visited, he would miss this place the most.

The whole arena was full of memories.

He chuckled to himself as he remembered the ferociousness in which Hermione threw Rita Skeeter out of the press conference on that fateful day all those months ago. Nobody could have known that that argument and the following break-in at the house would have set the ball rolling on one of the best things to have ever happened to him.

Today's concert was the fifth at the venue and yet another sold-out house. Hermione had pushed for another two dates—a week's run at the venue was unheard of, and Harry had been excited to break the record—but unfortunately, Taylor Swift's UK tour was due to kick off tomorrow. Ron was more than a bit gutted; he loved her music and was desperate to meet her but still hadn't the chance. He didn't even care that the others teased him about it. He constantly nagged Harry to collaborate with her, and Ron just had to have faith that his friend would do it for him one day.

Usually, he would have just pushed Sirius to get them VIP tickets, but the end of Harry's tour signalled a chance for Hermione and Ron to get a real break. Tomorrow, they were jetting out to the Bahamas for a fortnight in the sun with Harry and Ginny, but for now, they had work to do.

Tonight also marked his last date working exclusively as Harry's bodyguard. On their return from their holiday, things were going to change drastically.

As Ron continued to walk towards the Green Room, he marvelled about the series of meetings that had taken place over that Monday morning six weeks ago and how everything had transformed since.

⁂

It had been hard enough for him to comprehend Hermione's news, and he hadn't even considered that Sirius might have wanted to have a similar conversation with Ron. It wasn't until he was standing outside his boss's office that Ron had a sudden panic that maybe he'd done something wrong, and Sirius was calling him down to fire him.

Ron hesitated as he lifted his hand to knock on the office door, gulping down a tangle of nerves. He liked his job. Scrunching his eyes up, he tried to push all of his fears out of his mind and focus on Hermione. If she could be brave about doing something new, then maybe he could too. As long as he had her, they could build things up again, and he knew he'd be okay.

Letting out a long breath, Ron opened his eyes and rapped against the door. He took a step back as he waited for Sirius to welcome Ron in.

"Yep?" Sirius' voice was accompanied by the tapping of his fingers against his keyboard. Ron waited for further instruction, but nothing came, so with a shaking hand, Ron pushed the door open and crept into the room. "Ah, brilliant. Come in, Ronald, and take a seat."

He did as his boss told him, settling on the chair in front of the desk. It was still warm, and the faint scent of Hermione's perfume lingered in the room, reassuring Ron somewhat.

"Hermione said you wanted to speak to me?" He tried to hold his voice steady. "Is everything okay?"

Sirius lifted his head from his computer and chuckled at Ron's twitchy demeanour. "You can relax. You're not in trouble. I asked you down here to tell you how impressed I've been with your performance over the past few months. Considering that you made a fuss when I hired an assistant and punched someone on our first night on tour. You've turned things around."

"Yeah." Ron rubbed the back of his neck. "Things have changed, haven't they?"

"I think we can both agree that they have. Did Hermione tell you how my meeting with her went?"

"Yeah, a little. She was babbling, but she seemed excited."

"That's okay. I wanted to speak to you straight after her because I didn't want you to think I was neglecting you or leaving you out of any plans. I have to say, I was impressed with how you dealt with the kidnapping and everything that happened in the lead-up. You know your stuff."

"Well, I guess I've got a lot of experience now." Ron pulled at a loose thread on his sweats, wishing he'd put something a little more business-like when he got dressed this morning. But there was no dress code when you were working with a famous musician.

Sirius picked his tablet up from his desk and flicked through it before passing it to Ron. "Tell me more about this…."

Displayed on the screen was the first page of Ron's business plan. Ron's stomach lurched, and for a moment, he worried he might be sick. How the hell did Sirius get hold of it? Did his employer think he'd betrayed him by considering other options? Ron tried to arrange his face into a look of contemplation as he flicked through the tablet, although the words did not sink in. He needed to come up with a plan of action, and fast.

Clearing his throat, Ron set the tablet down. "I wrote this at the end of last year. It was kind of a throwaway thing. I don't know. It was just a thought I had. I've had so many different experiences working with you, and as much as I enjoy it, eventually, I have to think about what I might want to do in the future. How did you get hold of it?"

"Percy sent it to me a couple of weeks ago. He thought it showed promise, and I have to agree. For a Civil Servant, your brother has a good eye for business."

"He's good at procedures and policies." Ron couldn't help but laugh. "Although, I spoke to him about it in confidence."

"Who else knows about it?" Sirius took the tablet back and flicked through a couple of pages.

"Only Hermione."

"I see. And what are her thoughts on it?"

"She thinks I should go for it. I was seriously considering it, but then Kingsley offered to mentor me through the police academy."

"He's trying to steal my staff, is he?" Sirius smiled. "I'll have to have a strong word with him."

Ron smiled. "He just mentioned it in passing on Friday."

Sirius sat back in his seat, looking thoughtful for a moment. The seconds ticked over, marked by the old grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Ron searched for the words that might break the silence, but nothing would come, so he resorted to waiting until Sirius spoke again, his palms growing sweaty with nerves.

"Like Hermione, I don't particularly want to lose you from my team. Please know that I've been considering this since I read the plan a week or so ago. My conversation with her has had no impact on what I'm about to say. You got here on your own accord."

Ron sat upright, a frown on his face. He wished Sirius would just spit out what he wanted to say.

"If you decide to continue with starting up your own business," his boss continued, "then I'd like for your first booking to be the protection of Harry. We'd have to negotiate rates, but the offer is there, should you want it. I'm pretty sure a lot of your team would rather work for you than me, anyway."

"Blimey!" Ron blinked at Sirius, his pulse throbbing in his neck. It was exhilarating, hearing that someone else had faith in his ideas, someone who wasn't obliged to support him like Hermione or Percy. "Well, that… It changes everything."

A smug smile crossed Sirius' face. "I thought it might. It's a purely selfish investment. Your plan is brilliant, and if you have to go, I'd rather keep you still involved in the protection of Harry somehow. And I've already spoken to our little starlet, and he agrees."

"You've spoken to Harry about this? He hasn't said anything to me about it."

"Of course. It was a risk, given how much he likes to gossip with the three of you, but he was excited."

"Well, I guess Hermione and I have a lot to think about. Can I let you know?"

"Sure, take as long as you need. Your job is still safe, and I want to be clear about that, Ron. You've worked hard for us over the years, so maybe it's time for Harry and me to do something for you."

⁂

The sound of Hermione's voice in his ear brought him back to the corridors of the O2. Hearing it over his walkie talkie still sent a shiver down his spine.

"Weasley to channel five, over."

He laughed and found the walkie on his belt, switching over to their private channel, the same one they'd been using since the press conference back at the O2 months ago. It had stayed the same throughout the tour, and the rest of the team knew not to venture onto it for fear of what they might overhear.

"Weasley here, go ahead, Granger. Over."

Hermione laughed. "Hey handsome, where are you?"

"You didn't say over. Over."

"Oh, shut up. Listen, do you think you can meet me in meeting room C? I've had an email."

"Off the school?" Ron felt his heartbeat quicken. "Have you opened it yet?"

"No. I want to do it with you."

He checked his surroundings, trying to work out where he was in relation to the meeting room. "Alright, I'm not that far away. I'll be there soon."

Switching back to the public channel, Ron changed direction and began to make his way towards Hermione. "Cedric, I'm taking a break. It won't be too long, but I'll be back in time for the pre-show meeting. You have everything in hand, anyway."

As soon as Ron announced that he was starting Weasley Security, all of his team agreed to move with him. However, none of them had enough experience to head up Harry's team, and with other clients already desperate for Ron's help, he was forced to recruit from outside. Ron found the perfect match in Cedric Diggory, an experienced bodyguard who came well-recommended within the industry.

"Cheers, boss. I'll speak to you in a bit." Cedric's voice was calming, immediately reassuring Ron that nothing would go wrong under the man's watch. Nor would he have to worry about Cedric punching someone or getting into trouble. He was prompt, precise, and reliable, and he had proved all of this during his first two weeks on the job.

Turning his walkie off, Ron pushed open the door to the meeting room and was assaulted by his bushy-haired girlfriend. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

He returned it with a moan, sliding his hands to her bare back. Under Ginny's gentle persuasion, Hermione had worn a party dress to the show tonight, and the result had been breathtaking. It had taken a lot of self-control for him to not pull her back into the bedroom instead of leaving the house that afternoon.

Pulling away, Ron rubbed his nose against hers. "Hey, beautiful. What have I done to deserve this?"

"Is it not okay for me to snog my boyfriend?"

"On work's time, though? Who are you, and what have you done to Hermione Granger?"

As he talked, Ron walked them back until she hit the wall, kicking the door closed behind them. He planted a hand on either side of her petite body, caging her in. Casting his eyes down, he got an eyeful of her cleavage and immediately felt himself growing hard.

"It's my last shift. I can do what I want," she whimpered, although the hesitance in her eyes gave her away. She hated breaking the rules, but Ron wanted to see how far he could push her.

"Sure you can," Ron teased. "But I don't believe that you will."

The muscles on his arms rippled as he tightened his grip on her, and Ron smirked as Hermione's gaze slipped to them before meeting his eyes again. Slowly, she eased herself onto her tiptoes then licked her lips. His grin growing, he lowered his mouth towards hers, intent on snogging her silly.

As their faces got closer, Hermione's breath began to come a little faster, her legs squirming in anticipation. Ron's lips twisted into a grin as he watched her, leaning even closer until he stopped just a hairsbreadth from her mouth.

And then he waited.

"Oh fuck it," Hermione swore.

Her hand slid to the back of his neck, closing the distance between their lips. She crushed her mouth against his as she devoured him. Ron felt the familiar stirrings of lust as he reciprocated. For as long as he could handle it, he kept the kiss simple, lips on lips, before finally, his tongue flicked out to beg entrance at the seam of her mouth.

Opening her mouth willingly to him, Hermione fisted the front of his shirt with a moan. Ron kissed her hard, their tongues dancing together. He licked, nipped, and suckled at her lips, and it took a whole load of self-control not to claim her there and then. They still had ties to Sirius and work to do, as well as needing to maintain their good working relationships to continue into the following stages of their careers.

When they finally broke for air, Ron trailed a line of kisses along the curve of her jaw and to the sweet spot below her ear. He could feel the heat between their bodies and was desperate for the evening to be over so he could have his way with her.

"Thank you for breaking the rules with me." Ron rubbed his nose against hers again as he gasped for breath.

"Should I open the email now?" Hermione's chest heaved. She looked stunned, and he delighted in the fact that he could still do that to her.

"Yes! I'm excited."

"I can tell," she quipped, then fumbled in her dress pocket for her phone. Eventually, she located it and unlocked it, her hands shaking as she tried to access the right app. Was it from nerves or the after-effects of Ron's kisses? If only he could see into her brilliant mind and find out.

The only noise in the room was their deep breaths, and the low thud of the music as Hermione opened the email and started to read.

"Out loud, love. I can't see the screen."

"Sorry." She flashed him an apologetic smile before dropping her head and reading out loud. "Dear Miss Granger, thank you for your application to City Law School. We were impressed by your professional statement and your high BCAT scores and are delighted to offer you a position on our twenty twenty-one Bar vocational studies course."

"You got in?" Ron gazed at her in wonder.

"I got in!" The hand holding her phone dropped to her side as Hermione looked up at Ron. Tears shimmered in her eyes, and a huge grin appeared on her face.

"You're so fucking amazing!"

Gathering Hermione back up in his arms, Ron started to shower her face with kisses. A surge of pride filled his heart as she wrapped her arms and legs around his body, responding to his praise with a laugh. Finally, they fell into another kiss, this time slow and loving. It felt like nothing in the world could stop them.

⁂

After calling Hermione's parents to tell them the good news, she and Ron walked hand in hand towards the backstage area. As they got closer, he remembered to turn his walkie-talkie back on.

"Weasley reporting back in. Over."

"I'm glad you're back, boss. We've got a problem at the left-hand stage door. Could you come here?"

Ron responded in the affirmative, then threw a frown at Hermione.

"I'll come with you." She kissed him on the cheek and tightened her grip on his hand.

It didn't take long for them to reach the left side stage door. Cedric was there, along with Flint, Sloper, and Kirke. Over the top of the crowd of fans who were desperate to get in and have their chance at meeting Harry, they could hear a loud booming voice. At the front of the group stood a large, wire-haired man. He would probably be quite handsome looking if his face wasn't so red with anger.

"I'm telling you, I'm friends with Hermione Granger. She will vouch for me. I deserve to be let in. I'm a photographer. Harry would love to work with me."

"Oh, shit." Hermione stopped in her tracks, and Ron turned towards her, his frown growing.

"Do you know that guy?" He regarded his girlfriend with narrowed eyes.

"Hermione! Hermione! Over here!" the man continued to yell. "Me and her have history. She invited me here."

Ron's eyes widened. "That's Cormac?"

Hermione nodded, a panicked look on her face. "I swear to you I haven't spoken to him since we broke up. There is no way I'd invite him here. This is just how he is."

"It's okay. I believe you." Placing both hands on her shoulders, Ron leaned in for a firm kiss. "I'll go and deal with him."

"Ron, be careful."

Letting go of her without responding, Ron weaved through the crew members who had stopped to watch the spectacle, his hands clenched at his fists. Although he'd never met the man causing a fuss, his blood coursed with hatred for him. He was the man who'd broken Hermione, and he deserved to pay.

Pushing past Cedric, Ron grabbed hold of Cormac's collar. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"W...w...who are you?" Cormac stuttered.

"I'm the Head of Security here."

"Well, can you find Hermione Granger? She's my girlfriend."

"Your ex-girlfriend," Ron spat.

Cormac's face grew even redder as the realisation hit him. "You're the guy she's fucking."

Ron's breathing grew heavy as he struggled to remain composed. He wanted nothing more than to punch this guy for everything he'd done to Hermione, especially the crude way he'd spoken about her in front of her colleagues.

Then the realisation hit him. He didn't need to resort to violence. Hermione had already proved she was better than him, and Ron was on his way to doing the same. He tightened his grip on Cormac's shirt and pushed him through the group of fans and out into the rain, dropping him onto the floor. The man let out a satisfying grunt.

"Hermione's not fucking anyone. Who she decides to sleep with is none of your business. I suggest you leave her alone, or next time I won't be as nice."

Cormac continued to shout his indignation at not being allowed into the concert as Ron walked back into the venue, but he couldn't make any sense of his words, and neither did he want to. His whole body shook with adrenaline as he sought out Hermione, and it was all he could do not to turn around and have it out with Cormac, just to shut him up.

Hermione was beaming at him as he got back to her, and she rewarded him with a firm kiss. "Well done, love. I'm so proud of you."

Ron let out a slight laugh and returned her kiss, his body finally relaxing. "Thank you. I wanted to punch him, but I knew I didn't need to. I didn't want to leave this job on a low."

"Damn right, you didn't need to. Now come on, let's go and find Harry and Ginny."

⁂

They didn't have far to go. Harry and Ginny were watching the drama from the sitting area close to the stage, smug grins on both of their faces.

"Nice of you to show up," Harry spoke first. "Sirius is about to start his big pre-concert speech, and I was worried you'd miss your last one."

It had been difficult telling Harry that they would no longer be working directly for him, especially for Ron, who had known nothing different since they were sixteen. Fortunately, after a few moments of upset, Harry had accepted that both Ron and Hermione leaving was good news, helped along with a promise that they would spend as much of their spare time with him as possible.

He would forever be their third wheel, but Ron and Hermione didn't mind.

Next to Harry, Ginny rolled her eyes. "Where have you two been anyway? Apart from dealing with Cormac, the creep? I assume that's who that bellend was since he was yelling about being Hermione's girlfriend?"

"Yeah, unfortunately, that was my ex."

Ginny shuddered. "Ew. Anyway, we overheard that you'd disappeared onto your private channel. What's going on? Did you propose, or were you just doing something creepy like having walkie talkie sex?"

Harry gasped. "You got engaged?"

"No!" Hermione and Ron shouted in unison, then erupted into a fit of giggles.

"Don't you think I would tell you straight away if I did propose, Harry?" Ron laughed.

"I guess." Harry pouted. "You two are leaving me now. I don't want to be kept out of the loop."

Somewhere along the line, Ron and Hermione had turned into Harry's parents instead of his friends. Not that Ron was complaining. They'd been responsible for looking after him, making sure he didn't get into any trouble and was well fed and watered. Now that they weren't directly being paid for it, Ron couldn't wait for the day when Harry became Ginny's problem officially.

"I promise you that we will keep you updated with everything going on in our lives." Hermione smiled. "I just received news that I got into my first choice of Law school!"

"That's amazing!"

Harry leapt to his feet and showered her with hugs and kisses and exclamations of 'we knew you could'. Ginny soon joined in, and Ron watched on with a proud smile as the group around them got bigger, and the celebration grew in size. Over the years and the countless tours, the crew had turned into a small family. He felt a slight tug at his heart—he would miss this, even though he knew he was moving on to bigger and better things.

⁂

"You're going to watch from the VIP area tonight, right?" Harry asked a little later as he got himself set up with the first guitar he'd play that evening, a brand new red Les Gibson. Not wanting to use his parent's guitar after everything it had been through, Harry had retired it once the police had returned it, and he had hung the guitar on the wall of his music room. As an early birthday present, Ginny had gifted him with a new one, with a unique engraving of his parents on it. It was his pride and joy.

"I don't know, mate, it'll be weird," Ron replied as he helped his friend. "Anyway, this isn't the last time we'll be at one of your concerts. I expect free tickets for every single one of them. Otherwise, I'll demote Cedric and put Flint in charge."

"You wouldn't?" Harry frowned at him.

"I could." Ron smirked in return then patted his friend on the head. "But you're safe with Cedric for now."

"I kind of like him. He's all broody, just like me. And he's a lot less annoying than you. I will miss you, though." Harry's face grew grave, and Ron felt another pang of regret in his heart.

"Oh man, please don't make me cry." He let out a small laugh. "This is the end of an era, but it's not like I'm dying. I'll still be around all the time. The house Hermione and I Iooked at is only a twenty-minute drive away. And who knows, once Goyle and Crabbe are locked away, you might even be able to get yourself over. Plus, you're practically a Weasley anyway. And we're going on holiday all together tomorrow."

"I know, but the girls will be there."

"The girls wouldn't let us go alone."

"You're right there!" Harry sighed.

Regarding his best friend for a moment longer, Ron decided to pull him into a huge hug. He would miss working with Harry.

"Alright, break it up, boys." Ginny's voice cut through Harry and Ron's tender moment.

Hermione flashed the pair a brilliant smile as she stepped up to the side of the stage with Ron's sister. "The stage is set, Harry. They're ready for you. And that will be the last time I tell you that."

Harry let go of Ron and let out a long breath. "I guess it's finally time to finish this tour."

"Good luck Harry," Hermione said.

Ron tangled his fingers with Hermione's and pulled her back into their usual spot at the side of the stage. He smiled as she leaned into him, and the couple let the intro music fill their ears, excitement pumping through their bodies.

⁂

As always, the concert was a huge success, and the crowd loved every note of Harry's songs. As the uptempo music stopped and Harry moved into the first section of ballads, Ron wrapped his arms around Hermione and started to sway with her. She looped her arms around his neck and placed a firm kiss against his lips.

"Does it not annoy you?" she smiled, tucking her head under his chin once they'd stopped kissing.

"What's that, love?"

"That Harry was probably thinking of your sister as he wrote this song and the rest of them."

Just at that moment, the chorus picked up, and Harry's voice crooned over the speakers:

"And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got you to keep me warm. If you're broken, I will mend ya, And I keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now."

Ron pushed Hermione away as she let out a cackle. He felt sick. He'd never noticed the link between Harry's lyrics and Ginny before, and now suddenly, all of his best friend's music had been ruined for him. He didn't want to think about how Harry and Ginny had been keeping warm.

"You're plain evil. You know that?" He wrinkled his nose up.

"Oh, I know. It's a good job you won't be supervising his next tour, 'eh?"

"No, I'll be far too busy running my own business."

Hermione let out a content sigh and pulled him back to her as the crowd erupted into cheers. "That's my handsome, successful man."

Another surge of pride filled Ron's heart as he slid his hand into Hermione's curls and held her close to him. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We did good, didn't we?"

"We did so well. And I am so proud of you."

He rested his head on top of hers, letting his spare hand drift to the small of her back. The other fumbled in his pocket, digging out the small piece of jewellery he'd been carrying around with him for a few days.

"I'm proud of you too." He gulped down his nerves. "Now I know you didn't want a big fuss, so I'm not going to get down on one knee or drag you out onto the stage, even though you know that Harry would love that," Ron continued, dropping his voice to a whisper, barely heard over Harry's crooning. The shocked look on Hermione's face showed that she fully understood every word.

"I know that we discussed it, and you said eventually, but I don't want to wait for eventually. It seems stupid, given everything we've been through. And I know we're young, and we haven't even been together all that long, but I don't care. I love you, and there won't be anyone else for me."

Ron held the ring up; a simple rose gold band with a small opal on it. It was nothing flash, but as soon he'd seen it in the store, he knew it was the one for her. It had an understated beauty to it.

"So will you marry me?" he questioned with a low voice, gazing into her eyes. They were already filling with tears as she nodded her response. "Oh, thank fuck."

Hermione laughed as he slipped the ring onto her finger and pulled her close again. It was exhilarating, sharing a little secret of success, tucked away in front of Harry and his thousands of fans, but it felt right. It had been a whirlwind of a day, but Ron wouldn't change it for the world.

Falling into a hungry kiss with Hermione, he slipped his hand to her backside, giving it a firm squeeze. The next stage of their lives was about to begin, and he couldn't wait to face it with the love of his life.

Ron moaned as Hermione pulled her lips from his. The tears had finally escaped her eyes as they kissed, and he reached up to wipe them away.

"I love you." She gave him a watery grin.

"I love you too."