One Year Later
Ron quietly slipped out of the room, out of the house, to his best friend's house for advice. He opened the door slightly ajar and saw her making a strawberry-banana smoothie for breakfast.
"Hi Ron, what are you doing up so early?" Elizabeth asked, blending the ingredients together. She was still in her pajamas, her hair was tousled, but she was smiling all the same.
"I need your help. Can you come to New York City with me today around noon to Tiffany's?" Ron asked, fidgeting. He watched as Elizabeth's eyes grew wide and she dropped the banana she was holding. He smiled silently to himself. She was too smart of a witch to know what he was planning to do.
"Ronald Weasley, are you planning to propose to Hermione?" Elizabeth squealed, her voice an octave higher. Ron just nodded.
She literally jumped across the counter and met him with a tight hug. She was bouncing up and down like a little kid. Ron couldn't help but laugh along. "Oh, of course I'll come. I need to help you pick a ring!!! Wow, Hermione and you are going to get married!!!" Elizabeth exclaimed with zest.
"Wait a minute, how do you know she'll say yes?" Ron asked testily. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm.
"Of course she'll say yes, you dimwit. You guys are meant for each other, you're...you're like Trumpeter Swans." She said out of nowhere, a sort of faraway look in her eyes. Ron frowned.
"What do you mean trumpeter swans?"
"You know, Trumpeter Swans nest and mate for life. They never break apart. In fact, in Canada, people always see Trumpeter Swans flying north to lay their eggs each spring, years and years later, they're still together, laying their eggs. They never break apart and live to be very old. That's how you and Hermione are like. You guys will never break apart and will live forever." Elizabeth had tears glistening in her eyes. Ron did too. He thought it was very emotional how his friend described him and Hermione in an animal perspective. Weird, but very emotional. Ron squeezed her hand and gave her a glowing smile.
"I'm going to marry Hermione." He whispered.
Hermione turned over in her bed, laying her hand where Ron's chest should have been. But it wasn't there. She blinked. Ron wasn't there. She felt her heart pump with anxiety and nervousness. Then she saw a note. She quickly flipped the note opened and read it, her eyes blurring. When she finished, she let out an enormous sigh of relief. Ron was just going shopping with Elizabeth today. "Good," She said to herself before rolling out of bed, and into the showers.
"Do you like this ring? It's a sapphire with four diamonds surrounding it. It's very delicate." The ring clerk laid out the black velvet box with the single ring enclosed. Ron frowned.
"No, no, it's not what I want." Ron sighed again for the twentieth time. Elizabeth groaned with frustration and shoved the ring under his nose.
"Ron, it's a perfectly fine ring. Why won't you take it? We've been at this for hours! It's almost dinnertime!"
Ron looked at her, raising his eyebrows to give a look of superiority. However, Elizabeth was never one to be intimidated easily so she just put her hands on her hips and glared right back, until the clerk finally got tired of them both and coughed loudly. They looked rudely to the clerk, but relaxed.
"Look Elizabeth, I love Hermione and I'm willing to give her anything. I want this proposal to be perfect, and in order to make it perfect, I have to have THE ring. Not just any ring, but the ring that will bond us together for life, the ring that she'll wake up every morning with it on, and the ring that she'll die with. Picking the ring is not an easy task. When I see THE ring, I'll know. Don't worry." Ron looked back towards the clerk. "Do you have any others?"
The clerk looked through the glass panned counters, his eyes flickering over the selections. Finally, his eyes settled on a beautiful one that most people couldn't even afford. It was a dazzling 1920s princess cut diamond ring. He looked at it, pondering for moment whether or not to give it to this man. But his instinct took over and he reached for it, half- debating with himself. He set it before Ron and Elizabeth, both who stopped arguing and instinctively gazed at the ring as though mesmerized by it. Ron picked it up slowly, examining the ring and for once, he felt sudden rushes of various emotions, mostly full of elation and love, passion and desire, utmost longing and aspiration, and yet also full of amorous romance. He gazed at Elizabeth, who smiled, nodding. He nodded back, felt it stirring in his soul, waking up at last. He turned back to the clerk and smiled, "We'll have this one please."
Ron quietly slipped out of the room, out of the house, to his best friend's house for advice. He opened the door slightly ajar and saw her making a strawberry-banana smoothie for breakfast.
"Hi Ron, what are you doing up so early?" Elizabeth asked, blending the ingredients together. She was still in her pajamas, her hair was tousled, but she was smiling all the same.
"I need your help. Can you come to New York City with me today around noon to Tiffany's?" Ron asked, fidgeting. He watched as Elizabeth's eyes grew wide and she dropped the banana she was holding. He smiled silently to himself. She was too smart of a witch to know what he was planning to do.
"Ronald Weasley, are you planning to propose to Hermione?" Elizabeth squealed, her voice an octave higher. Ron just nodded.
She literally jumped across the counter and met him with a tight hug. She was bouncing up and down like a little kid. Ron couldn't help but laugh along. "Oh, of course I'll come. I need to help you pick a ring!!! Wow, Hermione and you are going to get married!!!" Elizabeth exclaimed with zest.
"Wait a minute, how do you know she'll say yes?" Ron asked testily. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm.
"Of course she'll say yes, you dimwit. You guys are meant for each other, you're...you're like Trumpeter Swans." She said out of nowhere, a sort of faraway look in her eyes. Ron frowned.
"What do you mean trumpeter swans?"
"You know, Trumpeter Swans nest and mate for life. They never break apart. In fact, in Canada, people always see Trumpeter Swans flying north to lay their eggs each spring, years and years later, they're still together, laying their eggs. They never break apart and live to be very old. That's how you and Hermione are like. You guys will never break apart and will live forever." Elizabeth had tears glistening in her eyes. Ron did too. He thought it was very emotional how his friend described him and Hermione in an animal perspective. Weird, but very emotional. Ron squeezed her hand and gave her a glowing smile.
"I'm going to marry Hermione." He whispered.
Hermione turned over in her bed, laying her hand where Ron's chest should have been. But it wasn't there. She blinked. Ron wasn't there. She felt her heart pump with anxiety and nervousness. Then she saw a note. She quickly flipped the note opened and read it, her eyes blurring. When she finished, she let out an enormous sigh of relief. Ron was just going shopping with Elizabeth today. "Good," She said to herself before rolling out of bed, and into the showers.
"Do you like this ring? It's a sapphire with four diamonds surrounding it. It's very delicate." The ring clerk laid out the black velvet box with the single ring enclosed. Ron frowned.
"No, no, it's not what I want." Ron sighed again for the twentieth time. Elizabeth groaned with frustration and shoved the ring under his nose.
"Ron, it's a perfectly fine ring. Why won't you take it? We've been at this for hours! It's almost dinnertime!"
Ron looked at her, raising his eyebrows to give a look of superiority. However, Elizabeth was never one to be intimidated easily so she just put her hands on her hips and glared right back, until the clerk finally got tired of them both and coughed loudly. They looked rudely to the clerk, but relaxed.
"Look Elizabeth, I love Hermione and I'm willing to give her anything. I want this proposal to be perfect, and in order to make it perfect, I have to have THE ring. Not just any ring, but the ring that will bond us together for life, the ring that she'll wake up every morning with it on, and the ring that she'll die with. Picking the ring is not an easy task. When I see THE ring, I'll know. Don't worry." Ron looked back towards the clerk. "Do you have any others?"
The clerk looked through the glass panned counters, his eyes flickering over the selections. Finally, his eyes settled on a beautiful one that most people couldn't even afford. It was a dazzling 1920s princess cut diamond ring. He looked at it, pondering for moment whether or not to give it to this man. But his instinct took over and he reached for it, half- debating with himself. He set it before Ron and Elizabeth, both who stopped arguing and instinctively gazed at the ring as though mesmerized by it. Ron picked it up slowly, examining the ring and for once, he felt sudden rushes of various emotions, mostly full of elation and love, passion and desire, utmost longing and aspiration, and yet also full of amorous romance. He gazed at Elizabeth, who smiled, nodding. He nodded back, felt it stirring in his soul, waking up at last. He turned back to the clerk and smiled, "We'll have this one please."