CHAPTER 31: Surprises with a Dash of Bad News
"Happy Birthday!" Hermione, Ron, Draco, Ginny, Mr. and Miss. Granger, Mr. and Miss. Weasley, Fred, George, Hagrid and McGonagall yelled. Harry and the five kids walked into Godric Manor after going for a long walk to the small town around ten minutes away from there house to buy food and floo powder. The kids squealed, and ran straight for the cake. Harry laughed, as he handed the bag of groceries to Hermione, who walked up to grab them. She did not have to take them far because a house elf appeared and had them out of her hand before she even knew what was happening. Draco and Ron were busy trying to keep the kids away from the cake, but five against two was not very good odds. Five toddlers against two adults, for the most part the only thing that remotely saved the cake was the fact that it was on a tall table, one in which Miss. Weasley was raising slightly higher, as the kids climbed onto the chairs to try and reach it. The two boys smiled there thanks to the beaming Molly as the kids finally gave up, and found other things to look at. Julie found her blocks, and started to play in a corner. John saw her playing and walked over to her, and grabbed the blocks away from her and started to play himself. Julies cry could be heard through out the room. Ron, walked over to them.
"John, did you take the blocks away from Julie?"
"Yes, me did."
"You know that is a no-no. Give them back."
"No!"
"Do you want to sit in time-out?"
"No."
"Well then give them back."
"Okay."
"Good boy, now go get your own blocks." John walked away, while Julie quickly started playing again. Daniel and Souroch ventured into the kitchen, where they found pots and pans sitting on low tables. (So that the elves reach use them.) The boys smiled, and quickly grabbed as many pot's and pans as they could before dragging them out to the living room they started clinging them together, yelling words only they knew, to the tune of there own song. Everyone stopped and looked at the boys and started laughing. Harry and Hermione placed their heads in their hands and groaned. Harry ran up the stairs to a room they were keeping as storage and grabbed a large empty boy and pulled it down stairs. All the kids quickly abandoned their toys and pans to play in the box. Harry smiled at the quiet and helped Hermione pick the pots back up and take them to the kitchen. Ron stopped Hermione before she left the kitchen, and pulled her to another room, while Ginny did the same thing, going to a closet.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked. Ron looked incredibly nervous, as he bent down on one knee. Hermiones mouth dropped open. Was he about to do what she thought he was going to do?
"Hermione, we have been best friends and dating for along time now, of all the people you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Hermione, will you marry me?" Hermiones mouth hung open for a full minute, as she gathered her thoughts together. It did happen, he proposed!
"Y-Yes! Of course I will, Ron!" Ron smiled more in relief then anything. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at her finger, a gold ring appeared on her ring finger. Hermione stared at it in awe, before the two stepped out of the room, holding hands, both grinning from ear to ear.
***
Meanwhile in the closet, Ginny pulled Harry down on top of her with a grin.
"Kiss me, Mr. Potter." She stated. Harry grinned and gave her gentle kiss.
'I should do this now, it's the perfect time.' Harry thought. 'Ron should be doing it right about now also.' Harry got down on one knee, and helped a very confused Ginny stand up. Harry grinned, and began to speak softly. "Ginny Weasley, we did not quiet hit it off from the moment we saw each other, but as time went by, you became a great friend that could always count on to be there, now we are in love and are both adults. I would love it, if you would be my wife. Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?" Ginny had not been expecting this by a long shot. This had been her dream since moment she laid eyes on to him, when he was asking her mum, how to get on to platform nine and three quarters. She had not even known him then. Now he was on one knee asking her to marry him. There was no doubt in her mind.
"Yes, of course!" They hugged, and began to kiss passionately. They were interrupted by Mrs. Granger who opened the closet trying to figure out who was making all that racket in there. The two teens blushed, as they got up, wiped themselves off, and stepped out of the closet. The blushing Miss. Granger shut the door behind them, smiling a large smile of her own. None of the newly engaged teens could take the massive smiles on their faces off. Harry pulled Ginny to a corner, and placed a ring on her finger, the way Muggles did it, this only made Ginny smile bigger.
"What are the four of you smiling for?" Draco smiled at them, knowingly. Hermione and Ginny put there hands out, with the rings on them, for Draco to admire. At seeing each other's rings the two girls squilled and hugged, tears running down their faces. Dracos smiled widened, as he turned around and tapped his glass like McGonagall did so many times, at Hogwarts, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the group of young adults, the only sound coming from the kids laughing in the box. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny snuggled close together, as they turned to face the group. "Lady's and gentlemen, these two couples have announcements to make." Draco bowed to the teens and backed away.
"Ginny and I..." Harry started.
"And Hermione and I would like to announce..." Ron added
"Our engagement!" Hermione and Ginny interrupted them bouncing up and down. The girls disappeared into the crowed, as they hugged everyone. The males in the room shook hands with the to be married men.
"Congratulations, you two." Mr. Weasley walked up holding a muggle video camera. The red light on the front told the group that it was recording.
"Thank you, I just wish Sirius, Lumpin and Dumbledore could be here to see this."
"I'm recording, when they came back we will be able to show them, so they won't miss anything." Mr. Weasley smiled. Harry laughed, and turned to Draco who shook his hand.
The house elves appeared ten minutes later to tell them to get to the large table outside dinner was about to be served. The group walked outside, the five teens each grabbing a random child, and taking them, much to the kids disappointment; outside to eat. The dinner was massive, it could easily be compared to the great feasts they had at Hogwarts. Much to the toddler's delight, cake was served immediately after dinner. The toddlers ran away from the group dragging their new toys with them after opening presents. It was not until nine that night did people start to leave, mainly via floo powder. The teens thanked them all for coming again, as they watched the last person leave. The group surveyed the disaster area the party had left. In the middle of it slept the toddlers, each with a toy in hand. The group smiled down at them, before carefully picking them up and taking them to the kids own rooms.
The next morning come to soon, each teen could be seen stumbling half asleep down the stairs to the dinning room, only to met by five hyper-active children, already eating. The teens were to tired to even contemplate how they got in to their high chairs. A brown owl flew in with their copy of the Daily Prophet and dropped it into Harry's waiting hands. Harry gave the bird a sickle then watched the bird fly away before unrolling the paper, while taking a bite of oatmeal, Harry immediately choked on his food as he read the front page article. The other teens looked at him in alarm, ready to help him if needed, but Harry quickly got the food down, a look of disbelief on his face. Moaning he read the article aloud:
"Lucius Malfoy Escapes Azkaban; Is he going to take You-Know-Who's Place?"
"Happy Birthday!" Hermione, Ron, Draco, Ginny, Mr. and Miss. Granger, Mr. and Miss. Weasley, Fred, George, Hagrid and McGonagall yelled. Harry and the five kids walked into Godric Manor after going for a long walk to the small town around ten minutes away from there house to buy food and floo powder. The kids squealed, and ran straight for the cake. Harry laughed, as he handed the bag of groceries to Hermione, who walked up to grab them. She did not have to take them far because a house elf appeared and had them out of her hand before she even knew what was happening. Draco and Ron were busy trying to keep the kids away from the cake, but five against two was not very good odds. Five toddlers against two adults, for the most part the only thing that remotely saved the cake was the fact that it was on a tall table, one in which Miss. Weasley was raising slightly higher, as the kids climbed onto the chairs to try and reach it. The two boys smiled there thanks to the beaming Molly as the kids finally gave up, and found other things to look at. Julie found her blocks, and started to play in a corner. John saw her playing and walked over to her, and grabbed the blocks away from her and started to play himself. Julies cry could be heard through out the room. Ron, walked over to them.
"John, did you take the blocks away from Julie?"
"Yes, me did."
"You know that is a no-no. Give them back."
"No!"
"Do you want to sit in time-out?"
"No."
"Well then give them back."
"Okay."
"Good boy, now go get your own blocks." John walked away, while Julie quickly started playing again. Daniel and Souroch ventured into the kitchen, where they found pots and pans sitting on low tables. (So that the elves reach use them.) The boys smiled, and quickly grabbed as many pot's and pans as they could before dragging them out to the living room they started clinging them together, yelling words only they knew, to the tune of there own song. Everyone stopped and looked at the boys and started laughing. Harry and Hermione placed their heads in their hands and groaned. Harry ran up the stairs to a room they were keeping as storage and grabbed a large empty boy and pulled it down stairs. All the kids quickly abandoned their toys and pans to play in the box. Harry smiled at the quiet and helped Hermione pick the pots back up and take them to the kitchen. Ron stopped Hermione before she left the kitchen, and pulled her to another room, while Ginny did the same thing, going to a closet.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked. Ron looked incredibly nervous, as he bent down on one knee. Hermiones mouth dropped open. Was he about to do what she thought he was going to do?
"Hermione, we have been best friends and dating for along time now, of all the people you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Hermione, will you marry me?" Hermiones mouth hung open for a full minute, as she gathered her thoughts together. It did happen, he proposed!
"Y-Yes! Of course I will, Ron!" Ron smiled more in relief then anything. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at her finger, a gold ring appeared on her ring finger. Hermione stared at it in awe, before the two stepped out of the room, holding hands, both grinning from ear to ear.
***
Meanwhile in the closet, Ginny pulled Harry down on top of her with a grin.
"Kiss me, Mr. Potter." She stated. Harry grinned and gave her gentle kiss.
'I should do this now, it's the perfect time.' Harry thought. 'Ron should be doing it right about now also.' Harry got down on one knee, and helped a very confused Ginny stand up. Harry grinned, and began to speak softly. "Ginny Weasley, we did not quiet hit it off from the moment we saw each other, but as time went by, you became a great friend that could always count on to be there, now we are in love and are both adults. I would love it, if you would be my wife. Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?" Ginny had not been expecting this by a long shot. This had been her dream since moment she laid eyes on to him, when he was asking her mum, how to get on to platform nine and three quarters. She had not even known him then. Now he was on one knee asking her to marry him. There was no doubt in her mind.
"Yes, of course!" They hugged, and began to kiss passionately. They were interrupted by Mrs. Granger who opened the closet trying to figure out who was making all that racket in there. The two teens blushed, as they got up, wiped themselves off, and stepped out of the closet. The blushing Miss. Granger shut the door behind them, smiling a large smile of her own. None of the newly engaged teens could take the massive smiles on their faces off. Harry pulled Ginny to a corner, and placed a ring on her finger, the way Muggles did it, this only made Ginny smile bigger.
"What are the four of you smiling for?" Draco smiled at them, knowingly. Hermione and Ginny put there hands out, with the rings on them, for Draco to admire. At seeing each other's rings the two girls squilled and hugged, tears running down their faces. Dracos smiled widened, as he turned around and tapped his glass like McGonagall did so many times, at Hogwarts, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the group of young adults, the only sound coming from the kids laughing in the box. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny snuggled close together, as they turned to face the group. "Lady's and gentlemen, these two couples have announcements to make." Draco bowed to the teens and backed away.
"Ginny and I..." Harry started.
"And Hermione and I would like to announce..." Ron added
"Our engagement!" Hermione and Ginny interrupted them bouncing up and down. The girls disappeared into the crowed, as they hugged everyone. The males in the room shook hands with the to be married men.
"Congratulations, you two." Mr. Weasley walked up holding a muggle video camera. The red light on the front told the group that it was recording.
"Thank you, I just wish Sirius, Lumpin and Dumbledore could be here to see this."
"I'm recording, when they came back we will be able to show them, so they won't miss anything." Mr. Weasley smiled. Harry laughed, and turned to Draco who shook his hand.
The house elves appeared ten minutes later to tell them to get to the large table outside dinner was about to be served. The group walked outside, the five teens each grabbing a random child, and taking them, much to the kids disappointment; outside to eat. The dinner was massive, it could easily be compared to the great feasts they had at Hogwarts. Much to the toddler's delight, cake was served immediately after dinner. The toddlers ran away from the group dragging their new toys with them after opening presents. It was not until nine that night did people start to leave, mainly via floo powder. The teens thanked them all for coming again, as they watched the last person leave. The group surveyed the disaster area the party had left. In the middle of it slept the toddlers, each with a toy in hand. The group smiled down at them, before carefully picking them up and taking them to the kids own rooms.
The next morning come to soon, each teen could be seen stumbling half asleep down the stairs to the dinning room, only to met by five hyper-active children, already eating. The teens were to tired to even contemplate how they got in to their high chairs. A brown owl flew in with their copy of the Daily Prophet and dropped it into Harry's waiting hands. Harry gave the bird a sickle then watched the bird fly away before unrolling the paper, while taking a bite of oatmeal, Harry immediately choked on his food as he read the front page article. The other teens looked at him in alarm, ready to help him if needed, but Harry quickly got the food down, a look of disbelief on his face. Moaning he read the article aloud:
"Lucius Malfoy Escapes Azkaban; Is he going to take You-Know-Who's Place?"
