"Ow!" Harry exclaimed in pain. He was eating his breakfast in the Great Hall along with Ron, Hermione, and Ron's younger sister Ginny.

"Oh, Hedwig, it's you!" Having been slightly distracted by Ginny's story she was telling everyone, and Ginny's amazingly blue eyes, and the freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, and her red hair flowing down her back, Harry had failed to notice that his owl, a week later, was back from her journey. Hedwig had impatiently nipped at his finger rather hard to get a hold of his attention. Tearing his eyes away from Ginny, her face animated while telling her story, Harry slowly opened the letter sent from "Sir Draco S. Malfoy," and, as discreetly as he could, began to read.

Dear Harry,

I must admit, I was rather shocked (in a disgusted sort of way, of course) when I read your disgraceful attempt at groveling. I suppose I must have made a racket rolling on the floor in laughter, but that is not the point. Why I am even dignifying your existence to the extent of writing you a letter and considering your offer is almost beyond my reckoning. However, what is of interest to me may not please you, but it is the only way I will acquiesce to your proposition. If you fail to pay the loan on a negotiated date, I will hand you straight to the Dark Lord on a silver platter , and he will have his way with you. If the loan is paid, full and proper, then you may go on with your pitiful sliver of a life. It is your choice.

Signed,

Malfoy

"Who's written you?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, er -" stumbled Harry, looking at Ron. "It's - er - it's only Hagrid. He was just suggesting that I come visit him sometime soon to catch up." Hermione raised an eyebrow. Harry smiled nervously. "On things," he added pathetically.

Quizzically, she looked at Ron, and then back to Harry. "But didn't you already -"

"Oh, Hermione!" Ginny interrupted conveniently. "I forgot to tell you about what Professor Flitwick caught Sophie Rochester doing in Charms this morning!"

Thankful that Hermione was stopped before she had the chance to interrogate him, Harry thought about what he had just read. He would be insane to agree to Malfoy's conditions. If he was not able to pay the loan in time and was taken to Voldemort, he knew he would die in a terrible, painful way. But why would he not be able to pay the money? Besides the curse, Harry had never had any problems with his savings. He also knew that Ron wished to give Hermione an exquisite engagement ring, to represent his love for her. Watching Ron watch Hermione, a smile lingering on his face as she bubbled up with laughter, Harry realized he could not let his friend down. This meant everything to Ron, and Harry wasn't going to get in the way and ruin it all.

As the girls continued to gossip, Harry, his mind made up, caught Ron's eye (which proved to be rather difficult to draw his attention away from the girl of his dreams) and nodded. Ron casually nodded back to him, but Harry could tell that he was actually suppressing his excitement for the event that was going to change his life forever.

Stepping into the last corridor of the school that she had to check that night, Hermione quickly scanned it up and down to check for any students out of their common rooms. It was nearly midnight, and Hermione, being the responsible Head Girl that she was, had volunteered to patrol that night. She did not know why exactly. It was her very last day at Hogwarts and they had had their last end of the year feast earlier that evening. All of the Gryffindors had insisted that she attend the party in the Gryffindor common room, rather than "exercising her Head Girl duties," but she did not heed to their advice. She supposed that spending another night watching numerous girls throw themselves all over Ron as if he had put a love spell on each and everyone of them was not what she had in mind of "partying." But then again, Ron had mentioned to her that it would be "nice" if she showed her face sometime during the night. Hermione could have sworn that he had sounded different, or looked different; she knew something was different about him when he had spoken to her, she just could not place what it was. It was probably her imagination running wild, like it had done many times before. She had loved him for so many years now, but she knew that what her heart desired most would never come to be. Nevertheless, Hermione was very curious as to why Ron detested Viktor with such a passion, for it had forever puzzled her. She never really had feelings for him. She had humored him for a time, yes, but now they were strictly friends, except for the fact that Viktor did not seem to want to accept it. If Ron hadn't been such an insufferable prat a couple of weeks ago, Hermione would have explained to him that she was in the middle of writing Viktor his last letter, and that she was breaking off their correspondence.

Hermione sighed as she climbed up a flight of stairs leading to the Gryffindor Tower. Somewhere hidden inside her, Hermione had always known that she had a lingering flicker of hope that she and Ron would get together. Back when she was a naive fourteen-year-old, she never would have thought that she would leave Hogwarts without the man of her dreams. Some things, she guessed, just aren't meant to be.

Lost in her thoughts, Hermione suddenly found herself facing a vast painting of a snoozing fat lady dressed in all pink. She had to yell the password ("Humperdink") several times before the fat lady awoke from her slumber and let Hermione pass into the common room. When she involuntarily glanced at her surroundings, instead of filled with kids celebrating the end of another year, she was surprised to discover that the room was decorated with rose petals and alit with various floating candles. Confused, Hermione spun around, and found Ron standing by the staircase leading toward the boy's and girl's dormitories. For all that she could tell they were alone.

"Ron, what happened to the party?" she asked. "I was certain that everyone would still be awake when I got back. And who arranged the petals and floating candles?"

Ron took a step toward her. "I did."

"But," Hermione began, astonished that he went to such efforts to make the common room look so wonderful, "What on earth for?"

Coming closer still, Ron took her in his gaze, a look on his face she could not read. "For you," he said simply.

Her mind instantly going blank, Hermione's feet were glued to the floor in shock. "N-now Ron," she stuttered, "don't - don't be silly - I know that -" she was cut off by Ron's finger pressed against her lips.

"'Mione," he said, grinning (That Weasley grin, she thought vaguely). "You're babbling." She gave him a weak smile. Ron continued, now very close to Hermione. "I need you to listen to me. I've been thinking a lot about what you said to me two weeks ago, that night here in front of the fire. You asked me what I would do if you..." Ron hesitated. "If you were to marry," he finished. "I know I was a prat and neglected to answer you at the time. But I've been thinking, and I know now what I would do." Ron, fiddling with something in his pocket, pulled out a small black box. Hermione's breath caught in her throat. The box slowly opened before her eyes. It was a ring.

"Amber," explained Ron timidly. "To match your eyes."

"Ron..." she whispered.

Awkwardly, Ron got down on one knee. "Hermione, I love you. I know this is sudden, but I always have. I love the way you bite your lip when read a book. I love how your hair frizzes out every which way. I love that you are the only person who can get under my skin the way you do, and I love that when I look at you, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

"Oh Ron," said Hermione, tears streaming down her face. "Yes."

"You'll marry me?" Ron said tentatively.

"Yes!"

They both burst into laughter, and as Ron slipped the ring onto her finger, a loud noise erupted from the depths of the room. They were suddenly surrounded by a small crowd of people cheering at the top of their lungs, including the tear streaked faces of Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan whooping with joy, and even Professor McGonagall, tissue in hand. Overwhelmed by all of people who had appeared from behind chairs, under tables, and inside the fireplace, Hermione spotted Harry who was standing side by side with Ginny and glowing with happiness for her and Ron. From the throng of Gryffindors, someone yelled, "So kiss her already!"

And so Ron did.