Once upon a time, there was a girl.
She grew up as a muggle, not knowing that magic existed.
Once she was eleven and received her letter for Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she was shocked to say the least.
But a funny-looking woman came at her house later that day and changed herself into a cat and back again. The girl was amazed and begged her parents to let her go to Hogwash. "Hogwarts, Dear," corrected the teacher. She mumbled an apology and her parents agreed and the teacher took them to Diagon Ally.
There they proceeded to change muggle money into magical money, as she called it.
Their first stop, by demand of the little girl, was the bookstore. Her parents allowed her to get ten extra books, and only ten. She nodded and ran off. The teacher was shocked that they were letting her get so many books, but they said she'd understand once she taught their daughter.
She came back with eleven books and begged her parents to let her get the extra book; that she couldn't decided which of the one she would put back. Her parents said no. Sighing, she asked if they'd let her get it if she gave up sweet until she went to the school. Her parents were very impressed and said that if she kept her part, they'd come back the day before school and buy her a treat of five more. She hastily agreed to the offer and left the store. Soon after, they had all of the things she needed for school and left for home.
Before the end of the next day, she had finished one of her new favorite books.
She walked down to the kitchen to get something to eat and met here mom there.
"How was your reading?" she asked.
"Excellent," said the girl. After a pause, she said, "I'm going to marry Harry Potter."
"Who?" her mother asked.
"Harry Potter. He saved the whole world from this evil wizard, can't say his name, but everyone calls him he-who-must-not-be-named, when he was only one."
"Is that good enough of a reason to marry him? Just because of his ability to save the world when he was one?"
"No," she shook her head. "But I'm going to marry him. You'll see," she said to her mother. "I will be Hermione Potter."
After her first year of schooling, her mother asked againif she was still going to marry Harry Potter.
"Of course I am," she said, sure of herself. "We're friends. He saved me from a troll." She scrunched up her nose. "He smelt."
"Who? The troll or Harry?" her father asked.
"The troll," she said, like they should have known. "Then I helped him from a teacher trying to kill him. But we found out," she continued hastily at the look her parents gave her, "that he wasn't trying to kill him, just save him. We misunderstood."
"You and Harry?" her mother asked.
"And Ron," added Hermione. "Then we got past a three headed dog named Fluffy and I helped save the Sorcerer's Stone. Well, not really, I just gave Harry the right potion to go through the flames to get to the stone. I went back and took Ron to the hospital wing. Hewas knocked off his knight in the giant chess game before the potions," she said. "Harry ended up saving the stone."
"Good job?" he father asked, uncertainly.
"Yes, otherwise you-know-who would have come back to life."
The rest of the ride was spent in silence.
And all of her years at the school continued like this.
Fourth year she was ecstatic because she kissed Harry Potter. Sixth year, she was destroyed because she agreed to go out with Ron.
She didn't know, but she didn't want to marry Harry Potter anymore. She wanted to marry the man, yes man, whom she had grown close to over the years; the man whom she loved with all of her heart and more
So why not just tell him and get it over with?
He was popular and handsome and all the girls wanted him. She was just plain and ordinary… why would the Harry Potter want to marry a plain girl like her.
But they because closer and closer and closer friends yet. And then he made the slip-up of saying that he loved her. But then he ran away.
And here they are now.
She doesn't want to marry the Harry Potter, the one who saved the wizarding world. She wants to marry Harry Potter, the man who loves her. Loved her. Which one is it? Loves or loved? But he's scared she'll say no, but she still wants to marry him, oh hell yes she does! And if she doesn't ask him soon, she'll do it herself!
((… with that, Hermione ended her story …))
"Hermione Granger," he said, and went over to his bed-side table and pulled out a small, dusty black box.
"Hermione Granger," he said again, and put down the box.
He put the box down in front of her, on the bed.
"Hermione Granger," he said one last time, and opened the box slowly, "would you like to wear my mothers engagement ring?"
It was simple and plain, yet the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was a single diamond, with little emerald placed carefully around.
She picked it up and put it on slowly. "No," she said, and smiled sofry, "but Hermione Potter sure would."