I know it has taken me ages to update this story, but now I am in a position where I can devote more time to my fan fiction. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, they have warmed my heart and kept me going. This chapter may be slightly "cheesy" for some, but you know what, it's my story, and I think it makes for a great, well you'll see!! :) Cheers!
"What about the ones in that case? Harry asked the short wizard jeweler behind the glass counter, pointing at the large, black , velvet box nestling over two dozen diamond rings. The impish wizard grinned and squeaked in a high pitched voice,
"Mr. Potter, there isn't a ring amongst them which cost less than 100 galleons." Harry let out a small chuckle and said,
"Nothing but the best for my girl. Let's have a look, shall we?" The jeweler nodded and pulled the box onto the counter, allowing Harry to thumb through the rings within.
After purchasing the most perfect ring possible, Harry left Crystaline Jewelry, and entered onto the snow covered street of Hogsmead. The town was covered in a gorgeous blanket of cottony white splendor, which only further lifted Harry's spirits as he strode down the crowded pathway whistling. Six months had passed since Harry's first date with Hermione on that enchanted lakeside. He had found complete happiness at long last, with her by his side, well, nearly complete. Harry wanted to make Hermione his wife more than anything else in this world. "Yes," Harry thought to himself as he smiled and thumbed the black box snuggled in his warm coat pocket, "She is going to make a beautiful bride. Mrs. Harry Potter." He really like the thought of that title being attached to Hermione. Now he just had to think of the perfect moment to pop the question, and it had to be soon.
Harry walked into The Three Broomsticks to buy a glass of fire whiskey to warm himself up before he headed home. As he crossed to the bar to order his drink, he caught the eyes of Ron and his girlfriend Angelina Johnson. Harry had met up with Angelina at a Quidditch Press release, and Ron was with him, and one thing led to another. They were sitting hand in hand, and Ron had that dopey grin on his face for whenever he was trying to be clever. Ron and Angelina had been dating for nearly three months, and Ron had confided to Harry that he and Angelina certainly were very happy indeed. They both waved to Harry, and signaled for him to come over. So, Harry paid the three Knuts for his fire whiskey and walked over to their booth to join them. As he slid in next to Angelina, glass in hand, Ron immediately piped in with a sly grin, "Did you get it mate?" Harry patted his coat pocket as he took a sip of his drink.
"I sure did," he replied, returning the boyish smile. Angelina look curiously from Ron to Harry.
"Get what?" she inquired. Ron chortled and said,
"A rock for Hermione!" Angelina gave a gasp as her mouth dropped. Her eyes were beaming as she threw her attention back to Harry.
"Oh, Harry!" she said in a hushed tone, "Harry, are you going to--" Harry's nod broke off her sentence. Angelina covered her mouth with bother her hands to suppress her squeal of delight, but she tapped her feet noisily under the table just the same. "Lets see it, lets see it, lets see it!" she commanded.
"Sweetheart, maybe he doesn't want us to see the ring just yet," Ron attempted to convey, "I mean after all, Hermione hasn't even--"
"Oh, come off it Ron," Angelina tutted with a light slap on Ron's arm. "Show us the ring, huh, Harry?" Harry smiled and pulled the tiny box from its warm hiding place in his pocket. When he cracked it open to show them, Angelina nearly wailed in awe. "Oh, Harry, it's positively stunning!" Harry beamed. Having a female's agreeing opinion assured him of his choice. A 24 karat pendent-cut diamond rested amongst eight tiny rubies that sparkled and shone with each captured ray of light. Ron looked thoroughly impressed as well.
"That thing much have cost you half your bloody fortune!" Ron said with a touch of jealousy in his tone.
"Ron!" cried Angelina, throwing him a shocked look of indignation.
"But he knows I think it's perfect!" Ron corrected defensively, "Well done, Harry, really. Hermione's gonna flip when she sees it."
"Thanks," said Harry with a smile, "I never really used any of my parents money for anything all too important other than Sirius's memorial service. This seemed like an appropriate time to spend some of it." Angelina patted his shoulder and managed a weak smile as she said,
"I know you've heard this a million time in your life Harry, but, I know that your parents would be VERY proud of you right now. Of everything you've done." A twinge of pain pinched Harry's stomach at the tender mention of him mum and dad. "I think they'd adore Hermione as well. I've heard people say how much Hermione, actually, reminded them of Lily. Odd huh?" The thought of this wamed over Harry's heart and allowed him to return her smile.
"Odd parallels, yeah, haven't really thought about that." he said as he put the ring back into his pocket. "I've got to run," he added sliding out from his side of the bench. "I'll see you both at the Burrow then tomorrow, for your mum and dad's surprise anniversary party, is it?"
"Yeah, that's right," Ron confirmed, "and maybe we'll all have more than one reason to celebrate, eh?" Ron gave Harry a sly wink and nodded to the hand that was holding Hermione's ring tightly in the pocket of his coat. Harry chortled as Ron continued, "You'll be lucky if she doesn't hex you out of shock!" Harry swalloed the last bit of his firewhisky and placed the empty glass on the table.
"I'll also keep my wand in hand when I present it to her. That'll look grand. Marry me or else!" The three exchanged a laugh as Harry walked out of the Three Broomsticks. Once he was sure the way was clear, Harry apparated himself back home to Grimmauld Place. After he removed his layers of warm clothing, he went to his closet and started rummaging through his clothes. "First thing Hermione's going to do when she moves in, is throw half this stuff out, I can see it already," he thought.
The next day at The Burrow, everyone had assembled merrily for the Weasley's anniversary. Charlie had taken his parents out shopping so everyone could arrive unnoticed, which in the Burrow is quite a feat. As the hours droned by, and there was no sign from Harry, Hermione began to pace the living room anxiously. Every now and then she would cast livid glares up at the clock. Ginny and Seamus were snuggling on one side of the couch with Ron and Angelina, practically snogging on one another. Neither couple seemd to be paying Hermione's exasperation much attention. Still, being Hermione's best friend, Ginny felt like she should say something, "Hermione--"
"What?!" Hermione shot back rapidly, probably with more agitation then she had intended.
"You are making yourself a nervous wreck. Harry will be here, now why don't you just sit down and--"
"But he's an hour late!" Hermione broke in, "We haven't spoken since yesterday, but he made sure I was going to be here because he had something very important....."Ginny pulled her foce back to Seamus and allowed Hermione to continue ranting.
"I tried," she mumbled to the group. Hermione continued to fire away, not skipping a beat to notice that not one of the four was listening any longer.
"Let her talk herself blue," Seamus said with a coy laugh as he began nuzzling Ginny's ear. Hermione continued to babble on at a furious pace, until she was interrupted by a loud crack from the kitchen which announced Harry's entrance.
"Hi there," Harry said, as he entered the living room. He smiled at seeing Hermione, and started to walk over to her, but she stopped him with a cold stare. He could tell by the frown on her face, she wasn't at all happy with his tardiness.
"Where have you been?" she asked dryly. Harry made a few advancing steps as Ron snapped,
"He doesn't really owe you any explanation, you know, Hermione." Some of the bite began to fade from Hermione's face, but in turn, she became slightly defensive.
"I just worry about him, Ron, he used to...."she broke off as Harry had caught her in his arms finally. He was smiling down at her, flattered by the look of concern in her eyes.
"You don't need to think like that anymore; it's not good to make yourself so upset when there's no need," Harry assured her. He knew exactly what she was meant. If he had been this late say even a year ago, it would have given cause for alarm. It warmed his heart in a twisted kind of way to think of how concerned she had been at the thought. Harry gave her a gentle kiss in gratitude of this. When he pulled away, he was pleased to see Hermione's expression had changed to one of satifaction.
"Just....just, don't make it an unhealthy habit, Harry," Hermione said playfully as she took his hand. She led him to the easy chair next to the couch where Hermione placed herself on his seated lap. As Hermione began to search for a comfortable position for them both, Harry thought of the box in his coat pocket which could easily be discovered if Hermione's hand found it's way. Harry sat up slightly and removed his jacket and tossed it over the coffee table.
"That's much more comforatble," Harry said, as he pulled Hermione close to him to join their friends in their snog fest. Hermione had just taken notice of how smashing Harry looked in his black turtleneck and white khaki pants. With a gleeful smile, she leaned in for Harry's lips. The couple had barely gotten through a few chaste kisses before Harry heard Ron howl with delight,
"Woah, what's this?" Harry cracked his right eye, as his other shot open widely when he saw that Ron was reading a letter which had apparently fallen out of his coat.
"Oh no, not now," he thought as his hand shot out for the letter, breaking his lips from Hermione. The jerking motion had been so sudden, that it had sent Hermione to the floor with a thud.
"No, Ron!" he cllaed, but it was all ready too late. Ron was howling louder than ever.
"You're goint to play Quidditch for Ireland?!" Harry's friends joined in with an excited chorus of delighted cries. Harry shut his eyes tightly and clenched his fist as he stood. Then he looked down at Hermione who was staring up at him from the ground with her large brown eyes. He blushed as he helped her to her feet. She remained painstakingly quiet. Harry was almost knocked off balance by Ginny and Angela's showeing of hugs and kisses while Seamus and Ron pounded his back jovially. The rounds of joyful congratulations could not tear Harry's gaze from Hermione's. The blood had drained from both of their faces, and what made it worse was that Harry could not think of a word to say. Gratefully, he didn't have to.
"This was the news you had?" Hermione said over the ruckus. Trying hard to keep the sob that was rising up in her throat, she went over to Harry and gave him a clinging kiss on the cheek. Afterwhich, she smiled, working up a supportive attitude, and said, "Congratulations, Harry. I'm so very proud of you. I know it's something....you've always wanted..." As the crowd started to removed themselves from Harry's body, Harry walked up to her closely and began,
"I just found out before getting here. It was why I was so late." Neither were aware that their friends had become completely quiet. "I wanted to tell you. When we were along, because, well, so that--"
"When do you leave?" Seamus asked, not taking the hint from everyone else's silence, that something was clearly wrong about the whole thing. Harry brielfy through Seamus a, 'shut up!' glance, and then touched Hermione's arm gently and tried to lead her from the room.
"Hermione, could we--" Hermione's eyes grew big as saucers. Why did he not want to answer this question in front of everyone?
"What do you leave, Harry?" she reitterated with a hint of fear behind her voice. Harry almost choked on the words.
"Tomorrow. Morning. Early," he said, not finding himself capable to say it to those eyes. Amost the deafening stillness, Harry heard Hermione inhale a choking gasp. Time seemed to move in slow motion for a few seconds, as Harry's pleading eyes transcended her own. Then everything thing came back up to speed as she shoved Harry aside, and bolted out of the room and through the back door.
"Hermione!" Harry called as he pursued her, leaving the others inside completely stunned.
Harry found her a few feet from the house, gazing out at the lake. Her arms were by her side, but he could see her fists clenching tightly from the small lights that were silhouetting her outline. He wrung with pain at the sight of her stricken form, wreathing from something he had done. Hermione could sense Harry's eyes on her. She always knew if he was there. As she heard him approach, she said without turning, "Please dont, Harry." The pace of the footsteps slowed but did not cease. When she turned to meet him, she found they were less than an inch apart. Hermione could feel his short, wamr breaths against her cheeks and saw that the brims of his eyes were wet. Yet the thought of him crying didn't cause sorrow in her. Instead, it infuriated her! "Don't you dare!" she snapped fiercly, pointing at his tears. Harry almost took an entire step back from shock. "How could you?!" she whispered ferociously as she countered him and began to head back to the house. Harry felt an angry heat begin to rise.
"Woah, woah, woah!" he bellowed, turning on his heel, and flinging his arms up. "How could I what?" A reaction like this was not what he had expected, and he was beginning to feel very put out. She didn't seem the least bit....
"How could you lead me to believ that you wanted to be with me, when all this time you were planning on leaving!" Hermione shot back as she turned from her pursuit into the house. Harry felt like his head was gonna explode, her entire behavior was just blowing his mind!
"I...I didn't....PLAN any of this!" he stammered, shaking his head, "A bunch of scouts were at the last match. They talked to Faulkner and found out I had always wanted to play for them, so he traded me. I can't relinquish it or I risk losing playing for any team! I just found this out a few hours ago, and you accuse me of conspiring to break your heart?!"
"What about us then, huh, Harry?!"
"I WANT YOU TO COME WITH ME!!" Harry cried with blazen anger. There was a tense pause. Harry's breathing came in short heaves, as his mind began to flood. He hadn't come here planning on getting into a fight over all this. He had planned on proposing.
"I can't," came Hermione's soft interruption of his thoughts. Harry's ears began to ring as his adam's apple seemed to choke his throat relentlessly. He thought he was going to pass out from not being able to breathe. He didn't know where his voice came from when he whispered back,
"What? Wha-why not?"
"You know I can't abandon my teaching job, especially in the middle of term," Hermione uttered, taking a few steps closer to him. She didn't want the entire household inside hearing EVERY last detail of their conversation. "I have to get hundereds of fifth years thought O.W.L.S. by the end of the month and N.E.W.T.S. are not much further off for the sixth years, plus--" she crossed her arms, and looked straight into his eyes, the first tiem since they had both stormed out of the Burrow, "Who knows, in a few more years, who's to say I won't become Head Mistress, huh?" Harry's eyes were beginning to harden at her words. They were now once again only inches apart as Hermione willed his emeral eyes to be understanding. "The first in nearly fifty years, Harry. It's my---"
"Dream?" Harry finished with a crack in his voice from forcing back his tears. Why wouldn't she cry? What was keeping her face so firm right now, did she not care about what he thought? What he dreamed? "Don't you?!" Harry said aloud. Hermione raised an eyebrow, but could now sense the coldness now in Harry's eyes and grew furious at the look of them. She pulled herself farther from his shadowing presence, and cried,
"Go then! Go and never come back!" Harry almost gasped as he saw the porch light illuminate her tear stained face. Hermione then turned from him completely and flew into the house. Almost like reliving a nightmare, the whole conversation played right in front of Harry in hyperspeed fast forward. His body began to shake, and he felt his knees go out from under him. After his limp body sank to the ground, he muttered to himself,
"Bloody hell, what have I done?"
The next morning, Hermione could hear everyone hustling and bustling downstairs to help Harry off. She had cried herself to sleep the night before, and was too weary to trudge down and face Harry at breakfast. No, she could not face Harry after all that last night. She could not force herself to say good-bye to him. She thought if she did, she would quite literally die from a broken heart. She sniffled back the tears that had begun to fall. "Stop it!" she thought to herself. "Stop it right now, don't cry over him!" Yet commanding herself to quit just seemed to make her cry harder.
Down below her bedroom, Harry was standing at the foot of the staircase, staring up at the darkened door to Hermione's room. He had been debating for the last three minutes whether or not to go upstairs and apologize before he left. Before he left....He really wanted to set things right with her, but she was just so infuriating at times! He loved her passion, but it sucked when that fire was directed at him. "Ready to go, then, Harry?" a soft, feminine voice asked him from the doorway at the end of the living room.
"Be there in a minute, Ginny, you go ahead and load in," Harry answered, not tearing his eyes from that door at the top of the stairs. He could hear Ginny's light footsteps coming toward him until they stopped right by his side. She whispered quietly,
"She loves you, Harry. She really does. You should do what you think is right, but don't forget that." Ginny then placed her hand on his shoulder, and stood on tiptoe to give him a brief kiss on the cheek before leaving though the fron door of the Burrow.
"I know she does," Harry whispered to himself and began to ascend up to Hermione's bedroom. He could see small hints of light illuminating the black hallway from the cracks in the door frame. It gave Harry a sense of eerie foreboding, like this could be the last thing he ever said to her. Merlin, that thought stung! Stung so much that Harry literally flinched. He rapped softly on her door. No answer. "Hermione?" he said lowly, "Hermione, I, um, I'm sorry about...what I mean is...I'm about to leave. Won't you at least come out and say good-bye?" He heard no response, though detected a faint sobbing sound. "She's still crying," Harry thought guiltily. "I can't leave you like this, Hermione," he said aloud. He then breathed a deep sigh, and finished, "Please, Hermione, you don't have to come out. Just, please don't cry." The weeping noises silenced momentarily.
"Please let me know when you've arrived safely in Ireland," Harry heard Hermione's voice say through the door.
"I will," he replied. He stood waiting. Waiting for something, anything, to happen. Hoping she would come out to him. The moment passed without a stir from within the room. With his head hanging almost natrually, Harry said, "Good-bye, 'Mione," and then mouthed for his own reassurance, "I love you." He then turned and began descending down the staircase.
Just as his foot was about to touch down on the last step, he heard the bedroom door open. Harry turned just in time to see Hermione come bounding down the steps toward him. They met in an explosively intense embrace, both with their arms and lips. Harry had never seen Hermione behave this way before. It was passionate, vulnerable, and desperate. Hermione knew precisely how desperate it was. She was screaming with every part of her body to beg him to stay. A thought crept into her head that forced her to pull from his kiss: 'he can't.' She gazed into those eyes, which so often brought happiness, but now only despair. She closed her eyes, not being able to bear the longing in Harry's eyes, as another tear fell down her cheek. Wiping it away, Harry began, "Hermione--" but she was quick to cut him off.
"Go," she said, as she shot her eyes open fiercely. "Leave, Harry, now." Hermione began to heard Harry out the door as he tried yet again to speak.
"But, 'Mione, listen--" Yet before he knew it, Hermione had successfully pushed him out the front door. A breif, heart wrenching moment passed as Harry stared at her opaque silhouette thought the glass of the windows. Hermione raised her hand and wiggled her fingers in a small wave as he slowly began to walk towards the blue Ford Angelina. His eyes were locked on hers, as his head craned spellbound over his shoulder. Finally, he reached the car doow, and after raising his gloved hand in a tiny acknowledgment of farewell, opened the door, and slid into the car next to George. He did not turn back to look at her through the back car window as the vehicle's motor roared and the car sputtered down the dirt road and finally out of sight.
After the car had disappeared, Hermione walked slowly into the living room as though she were in a daze. "He's gone," she thought to herself. The ancoring grief that encompassed these words seemed to weigh every part of her down as she allowed herself to sink into the couch. She looked around the area to see if there was a book or something she could try to immerse herself in to forget for a while. There was nothing. The muggle radio sitting on the desk next to her caught her eye. She wondered if Arthur had figured out how to hook one of these things up properly. "Only one way to find out," she thought as she flipped the power dial. The system lit up and immediately a slow balllad began to fill the room. Exhaling a very shaky sigh, Hermione flopped the rest of her body back onto the couch and buried her face in one of the pillows. Hermione's mind slowly sifted into the music and she began to become immersed in the lyrics of the song.
'I don't know why you're so far away
But I know that this much is true
We'll make it through
And I hope that you're the one I share my life with
And I wish that you could be the one I die with
I hope I love you all my life
I don't wann run away, but I can't take it
I don't understand
If I'm not made for you
Then why does my heard tell me that I am
Is there anyway that I could stay in your arms....?'
Hermione squeezed the pillow still against her and breathed Harry's name comberly as her thoughts dwelled on everything from the first day they met on the train, to their last kiss which they shared only moments ago....
'Cause I miss you body and soul
So strong that it takes my breath away
And I breathe you into my heart
And pray for the chance to stand today
'Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right
And though I can't be with you tonight
And know my heart is by your side.'
Then she knew. Hermione knew and reazlied she could not let him get on that train. She loved him, and there was nothing in heaven or hell that was going to stop them anymore. There had been too many years of everything.
'I dont' wanna run away but I can't take it
I don't understand
If I'm not made for you
Then why does my heart tell me that I am?'
Hermione looked up at the clock with a start. Harry's train left in less than five minutes.
'Is there anyway that I can stay in your arms?'
Quickly composing herself so she could concentraite, she she stood, and cleared her mind to perform the necessary spell. Within moments, Hermione had apparated into the central station of King's Cross.
Hermione found herself in the center of the train station as hundreds of Muggles were bustling about to their platforms. A few bumped against her and sped on by without an apology. Yet Hermione's mind was racing too fiercly to care. "Where do I go now?" she thought. Suddenly her eye caught the color of a black coated, red capped attendent walking her way. Hermione latched her hands around the chubby man's arm as he too almost clunked her to the floor. Ignoring the batty look he was giving her, she blurted out, "The 11 o'clock to Ireland." The man blinked and then flipped through his notebook.
"Um," he stuttered, turning the pages. Hermione's patience was thinning, she didn't have time for this.
"Please hurry!" she snapped.
"Hang on, miss, hand on," he scolded, "Crikey, I'm looking, all right." She rolled her eyes with displeasure as he landed on the page with an, "Ah," that made Hermione's heart jump. "Here we go then, Platform thirteen, I wager."
"Thank you," she sputtered hurriedly, and made a mad dash down the corridor.
"It leaves in one minute! You'll never made it!" she heard the attendent call after her. She looked up at the closest platform number above her head. Platform 9. It would be wouldn't it. She picked up her pace as she dodged madly between bystanders.
"I've got to make it!" she commanded herself. Platform 10. "Run!" she panted aloud to herself, beckoning her legs to move. She could literally feel the seconds ticking away. She pushed herself harder. Platform 11. Sweat had broken out on her forehead. "Faster!" she thought. Tears of fear and pain were forming in her eyes, she hadn't sprinted like this for years, despite her good shape. Platform 12. "Make it, Hermione, make it!" she urged herself. With her heart pounding, she dodged and weaved her way to the distant red number that hung above Platform 13. "Please be there, please be there," she prayed aloud.
When she ran in to the boarding area for the train, she saw....nothing. There was no sign of the train. No sign of any of the Weasleys. No sign of Harry. She stood there in tortuous disbelief, with her chest rising and falling madly. "I'm too late," she whispered, as disappointed tears began to cascade down her face. Her knees began to unbuckle beneath her and she was positive she would faint right there on the platform. A grievious pain of loss welled up inside her so tremendously, that it felt like she would explode. "NO!!!!" she cried aloud down the empty train track. "Ha-Ha-Harry..." she whimpered as she fell back against a nearby brick pillar. It kept her body up, but she had no desire to stand. No desire to even breathe. Harry was gone, and there was nothing now except the agonzing void she felt in the cases of her heart.
Then suddenly she heard someone with a deep, gentle voice call out from what seemd to be miles, "Marry me, Hermione!" No it was impossible. Her broken heart was playing tricks on her mind. Then the echoing voice called again, "Hermione!" Slowly, she maneuvered her weak body around the corner of the pillar, and gasped at what she saw standing merely feet from her. They were the only two on the platform, a detail she had not even taken notice of until then,
"Harry?!" she spoke softly, in stiffling shock. There he stood, immobile against the smog, just like in one of those old cheesy movies. His bags were on either side of him, as if he had just recently dropped each. Harry had not gone and....what was it he had just asked her? He began walking towards her faster now. She wasn't about to wait for those arms. Despire her exhaustion, and girlish pride at how ridiculously romantic this all seemed, she broke into the fastest run she could muster. Harry picked up his pace with the same desperate loning. When they reached each other, Hermione threw her arms around Harry's neck as he clung tightly to her waist. Hermione buried her face in Harry's warm, black sea bee coat to absorb her happy tears.
"I can't believe it," she muttered, "you're here." Harry held her close as he too began to laugh, and cry, and almost sing jovially. He just could not bring himself to get on that train. Not without Hermione. As he pulled away from her, he gently too her hands in his, and dropped to one knee.
"Hermione," Harry began, "I have never beein in love with anyone other than you since I was a child. You have always been the one for me and there is nothing I wouldn't do for you. I am nothing without you, and I want to share every waking moment with you from now until the day I die. I want to look across my bed and see you there every morning." His eyes were brimming with tears now to match the watery smile Hermione was now carrying. Breaking her gaze for a moment, Harry reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the black box containing the expensive ring. He opened it as Hermione gasped at the ring's brilliance. She was shaking now as her hands darted up to cover her gaping mouth. "Will you be my wife, Hermione? Will you marry me?" Harry asked with a hopeful smile. There was no pause as Hermione knelt in front of Harry and pulled him to her for the most magnetic kiss either had ever experience. She was laughing and crying all at once, but then she stopped herself and removed her lips from his.
"But Harry, I can't ask you to give you Ireland for me. It's what you've always wanted since you were young--"
"To hell with Quidditch, hermione!" Harry broke in.
"No, Harry," Hermione interrupted, determined to be hear. "I won't ask you to give up your dreams for me. I wouldn't really love you if I did. I cannot let you do that." Hermione's spirits began to fall. This was no what she had wanted to say at all.
"Do you expect me to believe all that? Hermione, I know the real reason you came here was to stop me from boarding that train."
"But--"
"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," Harry said shaking his head and putting a finger to her lips to silence her. "Let me finish, please." Hermione secretly hoped that he was going to come with a justifiable explanation. harry took her hands and brought them to their feet. "I realized on the way down here that what I was doing could have quite easily been the biggest mistake I could have ever made. It's ridiculous how we always fought being together, I'll never understand it. The only explanation is that we were afriad of other things, and of each other." Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her shoes. He was sounding just like her. "What I turly, honestly dreamed of having my whole life is a family of my own who would love me. And that, is right here in London....with you." He placed a tender hand on Hermione's cheek and smiled that same boysih grin that made Hermione's insides flutter. Hermione's cheek grew pink as she replied,
"I don't know what to say, Harry,"
"Say you will," Harry answered. He then removed the ring from it's black case and added, "I don't think I could bear it if your said no." That left Hermione with no other answer. Everything about this was right, so who was she to deny it?
"Yes, Harry, yes!" she replied shrilly. With a beaming grin, Harry slid the sparking ring onto Hermione's finger. She took a moment to examine the rings splendor, but then decided she liked to look at the emerald of Harry's eyes better as she concluded softly, "Of course I will marry you, Harry." The words had barely escaped her lips when she found herself in Harry's arms being lifted from the ground and spinning in joyous circles. Both were laughing and showering the other with thousands of pecking kisses between cried of giggling laughter!
"What about the ones in that case? Harry asked the short wizard jeweler behind the glass counter, pointing at the large, black , velvet box nestling over two dozen diamond rings. The impish wizard grinned and squeaked in a high pitched voice,
"Mr. Potter, there isn't a ring amongst them which cost less than 100 galleons." Harry let out a small chuckle and said,
"Nothing but the best for my girl. Let's have a look, shall we?" The jeweler nodded and pulled the box onto the counter, allowing Harry to thumb through the rings within.
After purchasing the most perfect ring possible, Harry left Crystaline Jewelry, and entered onto the snow covered street of Hogsmead. The town was covered in a gorgeous blanket of cottony white splendor, which only further lifted Harry's spirits as he strode down the crowded pathway whistling. Six months had passed since Harry's first date with Hermione on that enchanted lakeside. He had found complete happiness at long last, with her by his side, well, nearly complete. Harry wanted to make Hermione his wife more than anything else in this world. "Yes," Harry thought to himself as he smiled and thumbed the black box snuggled in his warm coat pocket, "She is going to make a beautiful bride. Mrs. Harry Potter." He really like the thought of that title being attached to Hermione. Now he just had to think of the perfect moment to pop the question, and it had to be soon.
Harry walked into The Three Broomsticks to buy a glass of fire whiskey to warm himself up before he headed home. As he crossed to the bar to order his drink, he caught the eyes of Ron and his girlfriend Angelina Johnson. Harry had met up with Angelina at a Quidditch Press release, and Ron was with him, and one thing led to another. They were sitting hand in hand, and Ron had that dopey grin on his face for whenever he was trying to be clever. Ron and Angelina had been dating for nearly three months, and Ron had confided to Harry that he and Angelina certainly were very happy indeed. They both waved to Harry, and signaled for him to come over. So, Harry paid the three Knuts for his fire whiskey and walked over to their booth to join them. As he slid in next to Angelina, glass in hand, Ron immediately piped in with a sly grin, "Did you get it mate?" Harry patted his coat pocket as he took a sip of his drink.
"I sure did," he replied, returning the boyish smile. Angelina look curiously from Ron to Harry.
"Get what?" she inquired. Ron chortled and said,
"A rock for Hermione!" Angelina gave a gasp as her mouth dropped. Her eyes were beaming as she threw her attention back to Harry.
"Oh, Harry!" she said in a hushed tone, "Harry, are you going to--" Harry's nod broke off her sentence. Angelina covered her mouth with bother her hands to suppress her squeal of delight, but she tapped her feet noisily under the table just the same. "Lets see it, lets see it, lets see it!" she commanded.
"Sweetheart, maybe he doesn't want us to see the ring just yet," Ron attempted to convey, "I mean after all, Hermione hasn't even--"
"Oh, come off it Ron," Angelina tutted with a light slap on Ron's arm. "Show us the ring, huh, Harry?" Harry smiled and pulled the tiny box from its warm hiding place in his pocket. When he cracked it open to show them, Angelina nearly wailed in awe. "Oh, Harry, it's positively stunning!" Harry beamed. Having a female's agreeing opinion assured him of his choice. A 24 karat pendent-cut diamond rested amongst eight tiny rubies that sparkled and shone with each captured ray of light. Ron looked thoroughly impressed as well.
"That thing much have cost you half your bloody fortune!" Ron said with a touch of jealousy in his tone.
"Ron!" cried Angelina, throwing him a shocked look of indignation.
"But he knows I think it's perfect!" Ron corrected defensively, "Well done, Harry, really. Hermione's gonna flip when she sees it."
"Thanks," said Harry with a smile, "I never really used any of my parents money for anything all too important other than Sirius's memorial service. This seemed like an appropriate time to spend some of it." Angelina patted his shoulder and managed a weak smile as she said,
"I know you've heard this a million time in your life Harry, but, I know that your parents would be VERY proud of you right now. Of everything you've done." A twinge of pain pinched Harry's stomach at the tender mention of him mum and dad. "I think they'd adore Hermione as well. I've heard people say how much Hermione, actually, reminded them of Lily. Odd huh?" The thought of this wamed over Harry's heart and allowed him to return her smile.
"Odd parallels, yeah, haven't really thought about that." he said as he put the ring back into his pocket. "I've got to run," he added sliding out from his side of the bench. "I'll see you both at the Burrow then tomorrow, for your mum and dad's surprise anniversary party, is it?"
"Yeah, that's right," Ron confirmed, "and maybe we'll all have more than one reason to celebrate, eh?" Ron gave Harry a sly wink and nodded to the hand that was holding Hermione's ring tightly in the pocket of his coat. Harry chortled as Ron continued, "You'll be lucky if she doesn't hex you out of shock!" Harry swalloed the last bit of his firewhisky and placed the empty glass on the table.
"I'll also keep my wand in hand when I present it to her. That'll look grand. Marry me or else!" The three exchanged a laugh as Harry walked out of the Three Broomsticks. Once he was sure the way was clear, Harry apparated himself back home to Grimmauld Place. After he removed his layers of warm clothing, he went to his closet and started rummaging through his clothes. "First thing Hermione's going to do when she moves in, is throw half this stuff out, I can see it already," he thought.
The next day at The Burrow, everyone had assembled merrily for the Weasley's anniversary. Charlie had taken his parents out shopping so everyone could arrive unnoticed, which in the Burrow is quite a feat. As the hours droned by, and there was no sign from Harry, Hermione began to pace the living room anxiously. Every now and then she would cast livid glares up at the clock. Ginny and Seamus were snuggling on one side of the couch with Ron and Angelina, practically snogging on one another. Neither couple seemd to be paying Hermione's exasperation much attention. Still, being Hermione's best friend, Ginny felt like she should say something, "Hermione--"
"What?!" Hermione shot back rapidly, probably with more agitation then she had intended.
"You are making yourself a nervous wreck. Harry will be here, now why don't you just sit down and--"
"But he's an hour late!" Hermione broke in, "We haven't spoken since yesterday, but he made sure I was going to be here because he had something very important....."Ginny pulled her foce back to Seamus and allowed Hermione to continue ranting.
"I tried," she mumbled to the group. Hermione continued to fire away, not skipping a beat to notice that not one of the four was listening any longer.
"Let her talk herself blue," Seamus said with a coy laugh as he began nuzzling Ginny's ear. Hermione continued to babble on at a furious pace, until she was interrupted by a loud crack from the kitchen which announced Harry's entrance.
"Hi there," Harry said, as he entered the living room. He smiled at seeing Hermione, and started to walk over to her, but she stopped him with a cold stare. He could tell by the frown on her face, she wasn't at all happy with his tardiness.
"Where have you been?" she asked dryly. Harry made a few advancing steps as Ron snapped,
"He doesn't really owe you any explanation, you know, Hermione." Some of the bite began to fade from Hermione's face, but in turn, she became slightly defensive.
"I just worry about him, Ron, he used to...."she broke off as Harry had caught her in his arms finally. He was smiling down at her, flattered by the look of concern in her eyes.
"You don't need to think like that anymore; it's not good to make yourself so upset when there's no need," Harry assured her. He knew exactly what she was meant. If he had been this late say even a year ago, it would have given cause for alarm. It warmed his heart in a twisted kind of way to think of how concerned she had been at the thought. Harry gave her a gentle kiss in gratitude of this. When he pulled away, he was pleased to see Hermione's expression had changed to one of satifaction.
"Just....just, don't make it an unhealthy habit, Harry," Hermione said playfully as she took his hand. She led him to the easy chair next to the couch where Hermione placed herself on his seated lap. As Hermione began to search for a comfortable position for them both, Harry thought of the box in his coat pocket which could easily be discovered if Hermione's hand found it's way. Harry sat up slightly and removed his jacket and tossed it over the coffee table.
"That's much more comforatble," Harry said, as he pulled Hermione close to him to join their friends in their snog fest. Hermione had just taken notice of how smashing Harry looked in his black turtleneck and white khaki pants. With a gleeful smile, she leaned in for Harry's lips. The couple had barely gotten through a few chaste kisses before Harry heard Ron howl with delight,
"Woah, what's this?" Harry cracked his right eye, as his other shot open widely when he saw that Ron was reading a letter which had apparently fallen out of his coat.
"Oh no, not now," he thought as his hand shot out for the letter, breaking his lips from Hermione. The jerking motion had been so sudden, that it had sent Hermione to the floor with a thud.
"No, Ron!" he cllaed, but it was all ready too late. Ron was howling louder than ever.
"You're goint to play Quidditch for Ireland?!" Harry's friends joined in with an excited chorus of delighted cries. Harry shut his eyes tightly and clenched his fist as he stood. Then he looked down at Hermione who was staring up at him from the ground with her large brown eyes. He blushed as he helped her to her feet. She remained painstakingly quiet. Harry was almost knocked off balance by Ginny and Angela's showeing of hugs and kisses while Seamus and Ron pounded his back jovially. The rounds of joyful congratulations could not tear Harry's gaze from Hermione's. The blood had drained from both of their faces, and what made it worse was that Harry could not think of a word to say. Gratefully, he didn't have to.
"This was the news you had?" Hermione said over the ruckus. Trying hard to keep the sob that was rising up in her throat, she went over to Harry and gave him a clinging kiss on the cheek. Afterwhich, she smiled, working up a supportive attitude, and said, "Congratulations, Harry. I'm so very proud of you. I know it's something....you've always wanted..." As the crowd started to removed themselves from Harry's body, Harry walked up to her closely and began,
"I just found out before getting here. It was why I was so late." Neither were aware that their friends had become completely quiet. "I wanted to tell you. When we were along, because, well, so that--"
"When do you leave?" Seamus asked, not taking the hint from everyone else's silence, that something was clearly wrong about the whole thing. Harry brielfy through Seamus a, 'shut up!' glance, and then touched Hermione's arm gently and tried to lead her from the room.
"Hermione, could we--" Hermione's eyes grew big as saucers. Why did he not want to answer this question in front of everyone?
"What do you leave, Harry?" she reitterated with a hint of fear behind her voice. Harry almost choked on the words.
"Tomorrow. Morning. Early," he said, not finding himself capable to say it to those eyes. Amost the deafening stillness, Harry heard Hermione inhale a choking gasp. Time seemed to move in slow motion for a few seconds, as Harry's pleading eyes transcended her own. Then everything thing came back up to speed as she shoved Harry aside, and bolted out of the room and through the back door.
"Hermione!" Harry called as he pursued her, leaving the others inside completely stunned.
Harry found her a few feet from the house, gazing out at the lake. Her arms were by her side, but he could see her fists clenching tightly from the small lights that were silhouetting her outline. He wrung with pain at the sight of her stricken form, wreathing from something he had done. Hermione could sense Harry's eyes on her. She always knew if he was there. As she heard him approach, she said without turning, "Please dont, Harry." The pace of the footsteps slowed but did not cease. When she turned to meet him, she found they were less than an inch apart. Hermione could feel his short, wamr breaths against her cheeks and saw that the brims of his eyes were wet. Yet the thought of him crying didn't cause sorrow in her. Instead, it infuriated her! "Don't you dare!" she snapped fiercly, pointing at his tears. Harry almost took an entire step back from shock. "How could you?!" she whispered ferociously as she countered him and began to head back to the house. Harry felt an angry heat begin to rise.
"Woah, woah, woah!" he bellowed, turning on his heel, and flinging his arms up. "How could I what?" A reaction like this was not what he had expected, and he was beginning to feel very put out. She didn't seem the least bit....
"How could you lead me to believ that you wanted to be with me, when all this time you were planning on leaving!" Hermione shot back as she turned from her pursuit into the house. Harry felt like his head was gonna explode, her entire behavior was just blowing his mind!
"I...I didn't....PLAN any of this!" he stammered, shaking his head, "A bunch of scouts were at the last match. They talked to Faulkner and found out I had always wanted to play for them, so he traded me. I can't relinquish it or I risk losing playing for any team! I just found this out a few hours ago, and you accuse me of conspiring to break your heart?!"
"What about us then, huh, Harry?!"
"I WANT YOU TO COME WITH ME!!" Harry cried with blazen anger. There was a tense pause. Harry's breathing came in short heaves, as his mind began to flood. He hadn't come here planning on getting into a fight over all this. He had planned on proposing.
"I can't," came Hermione's soft interruption of his thoughts. Harry's ears began to ring as his adam's apple seemed to choke his throat relentlessly. He thought he was going to pass out from not being able to breathe. He didn't know where his voice came from when he whispered back,
"What? Wha-why not?"
"You know I can't abandon my teaching job, especially in the middle of term," Hermione uttered, taking a few steps closer to him. She didn't want the entire household inside hearing EVERY last detail of their conversation. "I have to get hundereds of fifth years thought O.W.L.S. by the end of the month and N.E.W.T.S. are not much further off for the sixth years, plus--" she crossed her arms, and looked straight into his eyes, the first tiem since they had both stormed out of the Burrow, "Who knows, in a few more years, who's to say I won't become Head Mistress, huh?" Harry's eyes were beginning to harden at her words. They were now once again only inches apart as Hermione willed his emeral eyes to be understanding. "The first in nearly fifty years, Harry. It's my---"
"Dream?" Harry finished with a crack in his voice from forcing back his tears. Why wouldn't she cry? What was keeping her face so firm right now, did she not care about what he thought? What he dreamed? "Don't you?!" Harry said aloud. Hermione raised an eyebrow, but could now sense the coldness now in Harry's eyes and grew furious at the look of them. She pulled herself farther from his shadowing presence, and cried,
"Go then! Go and never come back!" Harry almost gasped as he saw the porch light illuminate her tear stained face. Hermione then turned from him completely and flew into the house. Almost like reliving a nightmare, the whole conversation played right in front of Harry in hyperspeed fast forward. His body began to shake, and he felt his knees go out from under him. After his limp body sank to the ground, he muttered to himself,
"Bloody hell, what have I done?"
The next morning, Hermione could hear everyone hustling and bustling downstairs to help Harry off. She had cried herself to sleep the night before, and was too weary to trudge down and face Harry at breakfast. No, she could not face Harry after all that last night. She could not force herself to say good-bye to him. She thought if she did, she would quite literally die from a broken heart. She sniffled back the tears that had begun to fall. "Stop it!" she thought to herself. "Stop it right now, don't cry over him!" Yet commanding herself to quit just seemed to make her cry harder.
Down below her bedroom, Harry was standing at the foot of the staircase, staring up at the darkened door to Hermione's room. He had been debating for the last three minutes whether or not to go upstairs and apologize before he left. Before he left....He really wanted to set things right with her, but she was just so infuriating at times! He loved her passion, but it sucked when that fire was directed at him. "Ready to go, then, Harry?" a soft, feminine voice asked him from the doorway at the end of the living room.
"Be there in a minute, Ginny, you go ahead and load in," Harry answered, not tearing his eyes from that door at the top of the stairs. He could hear Ginny's light footsteps coming toward him until they stopped right by his side. She whispered quietly,
"She loves you, Harry. She really does. You should do what you think is right, but don't forget that." Ginny then placed her hand on his shoulder, and stood on tiptoe to give him a brief kiss on the cheek before leaving though the fron door of the Burrow.
"I know she does," Harry whispered to himself and began to ascend up to Hermione's bedroom. He could see small hints of light illuminating the black hallway from the cracks in the door frame. It gave Harry a sense of eerie foreboding, like this could be the last thing he ever said to her. Merlin, that thought stung! Stung so much that Harry literally flinched. He rapped softly on her door. No answer. "Hermione?" he said lowly, "Hermione, I, um, I'm sorry about...what I mean is...I'm about to leave. Won't you at least come out and say good-bye?" He heard no response, though detected a faint sobbing sound. "She's still crying," Harry thought guiltily. "I can't leave you like this, Hermione," he said aloud. He then breathed a deep sigh, and finished, "Please, Hermione, you don't have to come out. Just, please don't cry." The weeping noises silenced momentarily.
"Please let me know when you've arrived safely in Ireland," Harry heard Hermione's voice say through the door.
"I will," he replied. He stood waiting. Waiting for something, anything, to happen. Hoping she would come out to him. The moment passed without a stir from within the room. With his head hanging almost natrually, Harry said, "Good-bye, 'Mione," and then mouthed for his own reassurance, "I love you." He then turned and began descending down the staircase.
Just as his foot was about to touch down on the last step, he heard the bedroom door open. Harry turned just in time to see Hermione come bounding down the steps toward him. They met in an explosively intense embrace, both with their arms and lips. Harry had never seen Hermione behave this way before. It was passionate, vulnerable, and desperate. Hermione knew precisely how desperate it was. She was screaming with every part of her body to beg him to stay. A thought crept into her head that forced her to pull from his kiss: 'he can't.' She gazed into those eyes, which so often brought happiness, but now only despair. She closed her eyes, not being able to bear the longing in Harry's eyes, as another tear fell down her cheek. Wiping it away, Harry began, "Hermione--" but she was quick to cut him off.
"Go," she said, as she shot her eyes open fiercely. "Leave, Harry, now." Hermione began to heard Harry out the door as he tried yet again to speak.
"But, 'Mione, listen--" Yet before he knew it, Hermione had successfully pushed him out the front door. A breif, heart wrenching moment passed as Harry stared at her opaque silhouette thought the glass of the windows. Hermione raised her hand and wiggled her fingers in a small wave as he slowly began to walk towards the blue Ford Angelina. His eyes were locked on hers, as his head craned spellbound over his shoulder. Finally, he reached the car doow, and after raising his gloved hand in a tiny acknowledgment of farewell, opened the door, and slid into the car next to George. He did not turn back to look at her through the back car window as the vehicle's motor roared and the car sputtered down the dirt road and finally out of sight.
After the car had disappeared, Hermione walked slowly into the living room as though she were in a daze. "He's gone," she thought to herself. The ancoring grief that encompassed these words seemed to weigh every part of her down as she allowed herself to sink into the couch. She looked around the area to see if there was a book or something she could try to immerse herself in to forget for a while. There was nothing. The muggle radio sitting on the desk next to her caught her eye. She wondered if Arthur had figured out how to hook one of these things up properly. "Only one way to find out," she thought as she flipped the power dial. The system lit up and immediately a slow balllad began to fill the room. Exhaling a very shaky sigh, Hermione flopped the rest of her body back onto the couch and buried her face in one of the pillows. Hermione's mind slowly sifted into the music and she began to become immersed in the lyrics of the song.
'I don't know why you're so far away
But I know that this much is true
We'll make it through
And I hope that you're the one I share my life with
And I wish that you could be the one I die with
I hope I love you all my life
I don't wann run away, but I can't take it
I don't understand
If I'm not made for you
Then why does my heard tell me that I am
Is there anyway that I could stay in your arms....?'
Hermione squeezed the pillow still against her and breathed Harry's name comberly as her thoughts dwelled on everything from the first day they met on the train, to their last kiss which they shared only moments ago....
'Cause I miss you body and soul
So strong that it takes my breath away
And I breathe you into my heart
And pray for the chance to stand today
'Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right
And though I can't be with you tonight
And know my heart is by your side.'
Then she knew. Hermione knew and reazlied she could not let him get on that train. She loved him, and there was nothing in heaven or hell that was going to stop them anymore. There had been too many years of everything.
'I dont' wanna run away but I can't take it
I don't understand
If I'm not made for you
Then why does my heart tell me that I am?'
Hermione looked up at the clock with a start. Harry's train left in less than five minutes.
'Is there anyway that I can stay in your arms?'
Quickly composing herself so she could concentraite, she she stood, and cleared her mind to perform the necessary spell. Within moments, Hermione had apparated into the central station of King's Cross.
Hermione found herself in the center of the train station as hundreds of Muggles were bustling about to their platforms. A few bumped against her and sped on by without an apology. Yet Hermione's mind was racing too fiercly to care. "Where do I go now?" she thought. Suddenly her eye caught the color of a black coated, red capped attendent walking her way. Hermione latched her hands around the chubby man's arm as he too almost clunked her to the floor. Ignoring the batty look he was giving her, she blurted out, "The 11 o'clock to Ireland." The man blinked and then flipped through his notebook.
"Um," he stuttered, turning the pages. Hermione's patience was thinning, she didn't have time for this.
"Please hurry!" she snapped.
"Hang on, miss, hand on," he scolded, "Crikey, I'm looking, all right." She rolled her eyes with displeasure as he landed on the page with an, "Ah," that made Hermione's heart jump. "Here we go then, Platform thirteen, I wager."
"Thank you," she sputtered hurriedly, and made a mad dash down the corridor.
"It leaves in one minute! You'll never made it!" she heard the attendent call after her. She looked up at the closest platform number above her head. Platform 9. It would be wouldn't it. She picked up her pace as she dodged madly between bystanders.
"I've got to make it!" she commanded herself. Platform 10. "Run!" she panted aloud to herself, beckoning her legs to move. She could literally feel the seconds ticking away. She pushed herself harder. Platform 11. Sweat had broken out on her forehead. "Faster!" she thought. Tears of fear and pain were forming in her eyes, she hadn't sprinted like this for years, despite her good shape. Platform 12. "Make it, Hermione, make it!" she urged herself. With her heart pounding, she dodged and weaved her way to the distant red number that hung above Platform 13. "Please be there, please be there," she prayed aloud.
When she ran in to the boarding area for the train, she saw....nothing. There was no sign of the train. No sign of any of the Weasleys. No sign of Harry. She stood there in tortuous disbelief, with her chest rising and falling madly. "I'm too late," she whispered, as disappointed tears began to cascade down her face. Her knees began to unbuckle beneath her and she was positive she would faint right there on the platform. A grievious pain of loss welled up inside her so tremendously, that it felt like she would explode. "NO!!!!" she cried aloud down the empty train track. "Ha-Ha-Harry..." she whimpered as she fell back against a nearby brick pillar. It kept her body up, but she had no desire to stand. No desire to even breathe. Harry was gone, and there was nothing now except the agonzing void she felt in the cases of her heart.
Then suddenly she heard someone with a deep, gentle voice call out from what seemd to be miles, "Marry me, Hermione!" No it was impossible. Her broken heart was playing tricks on her mind. Then the echoing voice called again, "Hermione!" Slowly, she maneuvered her weak body around the corner of the pillar, and gasped at what she saw standing merely feet from her. They were the only two on the platform, a detail she had not even taken notice of until then,
"Harry?!" she spoke softly, in stiffling shock. There he stood, immobile against the smog, just like in one of those old cheesy movies. His bags were on either side of him, as if he had just recently dropped each. Harry had not gone and....what was it he had just asked her? He began walking towards her faster now. She wasn't about to wait for those arms. Despire her exhaustion, and girlish pride at how ridiculously romantic this all seemed, she broke into the fastest run she could muster. Harry picked up his pace with the same desperate loning. When they reached each other, Hermione threw her arms around Harry's neck as he clung tightly to her waist. Hermione buried her face in Harry's warm, black sea bee coat to absorb her happy tears.
"I can't believe it," she muttered, "you're here." Harry held her close as he too began to laugh, and cry, and almost sing jovially. He just could not bring himself to get on that train. Not without Hermione. As he pulled away from her, he gently too her hands in his, and dropped to one knee.
"Hermione," Harry began, "I have never beein in love with anyone other than you since I was a child. You have always been the one for me and there is nothing I wouldn't do for you. I am nothing without you, and I want to share every waking moment with you from now until the day I die. I want to look across my bed and see you there every morning." His eyes were brimming with tears now to match the watery smile Hermione was now carrying. Breaking her gaze for a moment, Harry reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the black box containing the expensive ring. He opened it as Hermione gasped at the ring's brilliance. She was shaking now as her hands darted up to cover her gaping mouth. "Will you be my wife, Hermione? Will you marry me?" Harry asked with a hopeful smile. There was no pause as Hermione knelt in front of Harry and pulled him to her for the most magnetic kiss either had ever experience. She was laughing and crying all at once, but then she stopped herself and removed her lips from his.
"But Harry, I can't ask you to give you Ireland for me. It's what you've always wanted since you were young--"
"To hell with Quidditch, hermione!" Harry broke in.
"No, Harry," Hermione interrupted, determined to be hear. "I won't ask you to give up your dreams for me. I wouldn't really love you if I did. I cannot let you do that." Hermione's spirits began to fall. This was no what she had wanted to say at all.
"Do you expect me to believe all that? Hermione, I know the real reason you came here was to stop me from boarding that train."
"But--"
"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," Harry said shaking his head and putting a finger to her lips to silence her. "Let me finish, please." Hermione secretly hoped that he was going to come with a justifiable explanation. harry took her hands and brought them to their feet. "I realized on the way down here that what I was doing could have quite easily been the biggest mistake I could have ever made. It's ridiculous how we always fought being together, I'll never understand it. The only explanation is that we were afriad of other things, and of each other." Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her shoes. He was sounding just like her. "What I turly, honestly dreamed of having my whole life is a family of my own who would love me. And that, is right here in London....with you." He placed a tender hand on Hermione's cheek and smiled that same boysih grin that made Hermione's insides flutter. Hermione's cheek grew pink as she replied,
"I don't know what to say, Harry,"
"Say you will," Harry answered. He then removed the ring from it's black case and added, "I don't think I could bear it if your said no." That left Hermione with no other answer. Everything about this was right, so who was she to deny it?
"Yes, Harry, yes!" she replied shrilly. With a beaming grin, Harry slid the sparking ring onto Hermione's finger. She took a moment to examine the rings splendor, but then decided she liked to look at the emerald of Harry's eyes better as she concluded softly, "Of course I will marry you, Harry." The words had barely escaped her lips when she found herself in Harry's arms being lifted from the ground and spinning in joyous circles. Both were laughing and showering the other with thousands of pecking kisses between cried of giggling laughter!