Hello guys. Here comes Chapter 5. This will be a major chapter, so I hope you like it.
You will finally get the identity of the mysterious item left for Harry by his parents that I've mentioned in Chapters 2 and 4. I'm guessing many of you are by now guessing correctly what this object correctly.
Well, enough with the chit-chat. Let's get moving with the chapter.. (Again, sorry if the chapter title isn't the best.)
Chapter 5- Surprise
Harry looked out the window of the Burrow. It had been two days day since the Weasleys, accompanied by Harry and Hermione, had returned to the Burrow. It was late in the afternoon. Most of the family was sitting around the house. The only one not in the house was George, who was inspecting the joke shop, seeing if any damage had been done to the shop since he was last there.
Harry looked out the window. The sun was starting to set, and the sky was starting to turn orange instead of just blue. It had been an absolutely beautiful day, without hardly a cloud in the sky.
Harry took a deep breath as he helped himself to a bowl of of soup Mrs. Weasley had made up for everyone to snack on if they were hungry. He couldn't wait any longer. He had to do this before the funeral for those who died in the Battle of Hogwarts. It would give him something to be happy about.
After he finished his soup, he put the bowl in the sink so it could be washed, then walked into the living room. Ron and Hermione were sitting on the couch, holding hands and talking softly. Percy was sitting in an armchair, going through some papers for the joke shop. And Ginny was sitting in another armchair, looking into the fire.
"Hey, Ginny, can you come with me for a second?" Harry asked. Ginny looked at him, then shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sure." She got up and walked over to him. Ron and Hermione were too engrossed with each other to really notice. But Percy looked up at him. He smiled and gave a quick nod of the head. He had found out what Harry was planning, but had agreed to keep it secret.
Harry led Ginny outside. When they got outside, Ginny asked him, "Why did you want me to come out with you?" Harry grinned. "I just wanted to take a walk with the girl I love," he responded. Ginny smiled, then took his hand when he offered it.
Together, they walked into the apple orchard. They walked among trees, occasionally saying something, but mostly just staying quiet and being content to just be in each other's presence.
After they had been walking for a few minutes, Harry said, "Do you want to meet my parents?" Ginny looked at him, confused. "They're dead, Harry. How am I going to meet them?" Harry just smiled, "You won't. In person." Ginny felt a little confused, then she started to get it. "Ohhh," she said as she realized what he was saying. "Sure, why not?" she said.
Harry grasped her hand, then Disapparated. A moment later, they were standing outside the graveyard in Godric's Hollow. Compared to the first time Harry visited it at Christmas, Godric's Hollow was nice and warm, and just as pretty in late spring as it was in mid-winter. The setting sun cast a reddish-orange glow over the houses lining the streets.
"Wow," Ginny said in a quiet voice, "This place is amazing." She looked around at the buildings. "Wow, I would love to live here," she said. Harry grinned. Maybe you will someday,he thought to himself.
"Follow me," he told her, and led her into the graveyard.
Since he had already been there once, he knew how to get to his parents' grave without searching grave by grave. It didn't take very long before he found the marble headstone.
When Ginny saw the headstone, she stopped short as soon as she saw the names. She stepped closer to Harry, entwining her arm with his. She held him tightly, and they just stood in silence.
"You know, the last time I was here, with Hermione, she was leaning on me kind of like you are now. Except, she wasn't holding my arm, and I didn't like it as much," said Harry. Ginny smiled.
They stood there for another minute. Then, Harry thought to himself, It's time. I can't wait any longer.He took a deep breath, knowing what was about to happen could change his life forever. He took another deep breath, then pulled his arm out of Ginny's, grasping her hand instead, and said, "Ginny?" in a soft voice.
She looked him right in the eyes. She could see something in his eyes she had never seen before, and she couldn't tell what it was. "Yes, Harry?" she said in a questioning tone.
(Insert romantic music here)
Harry took a tiny step back, still holding onto Ginny's hand. "Ginny, you're the most beautiful, amazing girl I've ever known. You make me more happy than I've ever been. All last year, I could not stop thinking about you. It broke my heart to leave you like I did. And I never want to do that again. I want you to mine. I want you in my life forever."
Ginny looked so pleased when he started to speak. But, as he finished, she looked more surprised. Then, Harry let go of her hand. She looked more surprised, then shocked when Harry slowly knelt down on one knee, then reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out a small velvet box. Once he was down on his knee, he opened the box.
Sitting there in the white cushioning was a beautiful ring. The band was gold and inset with tiny rubies. The top of the ring was set with a large diamond, with another small diamond on each side.
This was the special object that his parents had left behind for him. It was his mother's engagement ring. Dumbledore said his parents, just in case, had left it for him to give to his wife whenever he proposed to her. The rubies, he had said, were put in by James after buying the ring to symbolize them both being in Gryffindor.
Ginny instantly felt her legs turn to jelly. She put her hands to her mouth with a gasp, hardly able to breathe. She could not believe what was happening.
Harry looked Ginny right in the eyes, holding the ring box with both hands. Then, with all the sincerity he could muster up, he asked that magical question.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you make me the happiest man in the world, and marry me?"
Ginny stood there for a moment, unable to talk. Then, she lowered her hands, and, with tears pouring down her face, she whispered, "Yes!"
She nodded her head and repeated, "Yes!" in a slightly louder voice. Harry smiled, removed the ring from the box, and slid it onto Ginny's left ring finger. He then stood up as he stowed the box in his pocket. As soon as he stood up, Ginny threw her arms around him and kissed him more passionately than she ever had in her life.
When they separated, Ginny looked at him, with tears flowing down her cheeks. Harry said, "We don't have to get married right away. We can wait till next summer, or longer if you want." Ginny smiled, "I can't wait any longer than next summer. Then is perfect." She then kissed him again.
When she pulled away, she held up her hand a little bit and asked, "Where did you get this ring?" "It was my mom's," he said. Ginny looked at him, shocked. "Your mom's?" she asked. "Yes," he said, "Dumbledore's portrait told me my parents had left it for me. So, the night after we returned to the Burrow, I went to go get it from where they had hidden it, which was actually the garden from the house where they died."
Ginny felt more tears come to her eyes. "You would use your mom's engagement ring on me?" "Of course," said Harry, "That's why they left it for me. Plus, nobody deserves a ring like that more than you." That statement earned him another kiss.
When they separated, Harry said, "Let's head back to the Burrow. Your family will want to know about this." Ginny smiled, then was pulled into the crushing darkness as Harry Disapparated.
The next moment, they were standing in front of the door to the Burrow. They steeled themselves for the family's reactions, then walked in, heading for the dining room.
Everyone was there, just getting ready to eat a delicious dinner cooked up by Mrs. Weasley. When Harry and Ginny walked in, there was a chorus of "There you are"s and "Where were you"s. Harry said, "We went out for a walk, then I took Ginny to see my parents grave." Everyone looked a little solemn, while Fleur said, "That is so romantic."
Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley screamed, drawing everyone's attention. She was pointing a shaking finger at Ginny's left hand, the one she wasn't using to hold Harry's hand. Everyone followed the finger, and multiple pairs of eyes widened. Ginny grinned, then held up her hand so everyone could see the ring, saying, "Me and Harry are engaged."
The dining room exploded. People were screaming and shouting. Mrs. Weasley jumped up and almost flew over the table to wrap her arms around Harry and Ginny. Fleur got to them next, so excited she was speaking in French. Then came Hermione, followed by Bill and Percy, and then George and Charlie.
Once everyone else had taken their turns, Harry and Ginny found themselves face to face with Ron. Harry gulped silently. It was one thing to expect Ron's reaction to them getting back together, and another to look for his reaction to them getting engaged two days later.
Then he grinned. "I assume you won't listen to me if I tell you you don't have my blessing. Luckily, you don't need to go through that. Because my best mate is going to be my brother in law." He embraced Harry, who was thrilled he hadn't freaked out.
He pulled back, put on a serious expression, then said, "You better not hurt my sister, or I'll hurt you, you hear?" Harry laughed and said, "Yes, Ron."
Ron laughed, then threw his arm around Harry's shoulder and led him to the table.
As they all sat down, Fleur asked, "Harry, where did you get the ring." Harry smiled a little and said, "It was my mum's."
The room went very quiet. Harry explained about the ring, how his parents had left it for him, then told the story of the proposal. A chorus of "Awww"s filled the room when he finished.
"Why didn't I know about this beforehand?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "I would like to know the same," said Mr. Weasley.
Harry grinned. "I didn't even know I wanted to do this until the day after the battle. After I got back together with Ginny, I knew I couldn't let her go. Dumbledore had already told me about the ring, so, at that time, I knew I wanted to ask Ginny to marry me, and soon. So I didn't tell any of you. Percy was the only one who knew."
Everyone turned towards Percy, who immediately threw up his hands. "Hey, I didn't know until about four hours ago, when I happened to spot Harry looking at the ring. He made me promise not to tell, after he admitted he was going to propose." Mr. and Mrs. Weasley rolled their eyes, then turned their attention back to Harry and Ginny.
The whole night was spent in celebration of the couple's engagement. As he went to bed that night, Harry knew he could take on anything, even the sorrow that would come the next day at the funeral and memorial. Because Ginny Weasley was going to be his wife.
I think I'll end there for now. I hope you guys didn't mind Ron's reaction. I think there are enough stories where he doesn't take it too well, I wanted to make this one a story where he did take it well. Ron will be pretty chill with Harry and Ginny's relationship in this story.
I'm guessing a few of you saw this coming. And yes, the wedding will not be taking place until after the coming Hogwarts school year.
For those of you who are interested, the link to a picture of the ring design is in my bio. The ring I pictured in my mind for this story for Ginny's ring is pretty much exactly like the ring in the picture in my bio, except the tiny diamonds ringing the ring in the picture are rubies in this story.
I have to stop writing here, as it's late at night, and I have work in the morning, so I will ask you to please review, and wish you all a great summer.
Raptor2216 out.
To be continued in "The Memorial"
