Part One
"I'm going to miss you so much!"
"Me too. Two weeks seems like an eternity to be apart."
"We'll manage. We've been doing it for years now, you know.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"Are you going to do this until Mum gets here? Because if you are, Harry and I will be more than happy to get back on the train."
"Sod off, Ginny."
Hermione laughed, not knowing who was funnier, Ron or his sister. She pushed Ron's chin back to face her with the tip of her finger. "Now where were we?" she said, kissing him sweetly on the lips.
It was wonderful knowing that she was finally able to let her hair down again. Especially after all they had gone through the last few months, including the final defeat of Voldemort. But they had made it through their seventh year of Hogwarts. She had graduated at the top of her year, and now the Ministry of Magic was now begging her to come and work for them.
And in two more weeks, I'll be with Ron again. She thought to herself.
Hermione continued to snog a bit with Ron until their parents arrived at Kings Cross Station, and even then it was torture to tear them apart.
"Two weeks?"
"The Burrow."
"I'll be there darling. I love you so much!"
"I love you too. See ya soon!"
* * *
"I'm gonna ask her to marry me." Ron said happily as he took a slice of bread and added it to his dinner plate.
Everyone at the table was silent, except for his Mum, who shrieked with joy.
"Oh Ron dear, that's so wonderful! First Bill and Fleur, and Percy and Penelope last summer, now you and Hermione."
"Yeah," Fred heckled, nudging his twin, George in the arm. "Who'd ever expect that she would've kept you around for so long?"
Mum gave Fred a harsh glare, but George quickly saved the remark as Fred choked down his food. "What he meant to say were congratulations, Ron."
"Now Ron dear," his Mum said, fixing her attention back at him. "When will you be asking her?"
"When she comes to stay here in a couple of weeks. Please don't say anything to her Mum. That means all of you,"
Ron turned to his little sister Ginny, "Especially you Gin, not even a hint. I mean it!"
Being best girlfriends, Ginny and Hermione were never very good at keeping secrets from each other, and he knew that better than anyone.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Ginny said, smiling innocently as she grabbed for her glass of milk. "Just don't take all week. I wouldn't want to keep any Grandchildren away from Mum any longer than you have to."
"Not to worry dear, I always have you and Harry for that." Mum said sweetly.
Ginny swiftly raised her napkin to her mouth just in time, so as not to spit her milk all over the table.
* * *
Two weeks seemed to drag on forever, but Ron had written to Hermione every day since they had parted. She always loved his letters. Somehow she was always surprised by how wonderful his letters made her feel.
Her parents had given her a car for a commencement gift, so she was more than anxious to break it in by driving up to Ottery St. Catchpole to spend a week at the burrow.
She had arrived in the late afternoon, just as Ron was finishing up the degnoming of the gardens.
"Nice wheels." He said, as he leaned in through the window fo the car door to kiss her.
"Well, I was in the neighborhood." She said smiling.
"I missed that smile" Ron said, helping her out of the car. "Well, hello Crookshanks. I still have a few gnomes in the garden. I saved them just for you."
At that, Hermione's giant ginger cat sprang from her car and into the gardens, immediately chasing the gnomes about.
Ron helped her with her bags into the house, up to Ginny's room where she would be sleeping. "Are you sure that you don't want to stay in my room?" he asked jokingly.
"Nah. " Hermione kidded back. "I'd never get to sleep with all that orange Cannon memorabilia all over your room."
"Who said anything about sleeping?" Ron said, giving her a wink.
Hermione playfully slapped him in the arm as she burst into giggles.
Mrs. Weasley had prepared a huge supper for them all to welcome her, while Fred and George showed the family their newest joke inventions. After supper, Ron took her for a stroll through the gardens, where they ended up sitting up on the garden wall, talking as they watched the gnomes try to make their way past Crookshanks, and back into the garden.
"I've decided to go with the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
Ron grinned. "Why doesn't that surprise me? You're not going to start up S.P.E.W. again will ya?"
Hermione laughed, slapping his leg as she remembered back to their fourth year. "No, of course not. But being in the D.R.C.M. will give me a chance to do some really intensive research on Werewolves, especially now that Lupin might be taking the Headmaster position at Hogwarts. He'll be needing all the help he can get."
"That's for sure." Ron said in agreement, moving his hand to her waist, hugging her at his side. "You know that Harry is still really broken up about Dumbledore's death. Ginny says it's worse than when Cedric died, he can't seem to get over it. He's never going to become an Auror if he can't work his way past this."
Hermione noticed Ron's worry of his best friend and took his other hand. "Don't worry, darling. Sirius will help him work through it. Besides, I don't think Harry wants to work for the ministry quite yet."
"What else is he going to do?"
"Well really, he doesn't have to do anything. He could just live off his inheritance for a while until everything has sunk in and he sorts everything out." She said, brushing his hair away from his face.
"I know," Ron said frowning. "Must be nice. But still, he just can't do anything with his time. I know him, he has to something or it'll just make it worse."
"Harry has to take some time off. At least for a while, to mourn, to relax and to just move on with his life." Hermione reasoned. "You just can't expect him to just start a job as serious as an Auror now, he needs to be able to focus, and he's just not ready yet."
"You're right." Ron said, with a sudden glimmer in his hazel eyes. "But that's enough about Harry. I'd much rather talk about our future."
"Our future?" Hermione said, quite surprised. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, " Ron started, but leaned in to kiss the nape of her neck. "that we are here," kiss, "now," kiss, "and we should talk about–"
"Talking's overrated," Hermione said softly, her eyes rolling back in delight from his kisses, giving her shivers down her spine. "Now kiss me."
* * *
Hermione tiptoed quietly back up to Ginny's room. When she opened the door, she found her best friend was still up, writing in her diary. Ginny took one look at her and could barely contain her laughter as she pointed out that Hermione's hair was an utter mess and her blouse was buttoned up inside out.
"Hey, I've seen you and Harry after a few interesting dates with each other." She said in defense. "It was dark out okay."
Ginny looked at her hand. It was still bare. "Is that all you did? Snogging?"
"We talked too." Hermione said, changing her clothes. "What were we supposed to do?"
"Not 'we' stupid." Ginny said rolling her eyes. "'him'. He was supposed to ask you something . . . "
Hermione got the hint, her eyes widened in disbelief. "You're kidding. He was?"
"He's got the ring and everything."
Hermione sat down, not knowing what to think. "How long have you known?"
Ginny grinned. "Since we came home. He told Mum, me, Fred and George that night at dinner. That stupid prat, I can't believe he didn't ask you, he's been talking about it all week."
"Do you think he changed his mind?"
"Are you kidding? My brother? No, once he's got his mind made up, he'll go to the end of the earth to see it through." Ginny assured her. "He's probably waiting for the right time to do it, that's all."
Hermione pulled up the sheets to her chin, with the tiniest anxiety growing in the back of her mind. But she gave in the thought of the most wonderful fantasies of being Ron's wife, as Ginny turned out the light and said goodnight.
"Gin?"
"Yeah?"
"What does the ring look like?"