9 months later
"Guys, what am I going to where?" Hermione asks as she hastily rummages through her closet.
"Calm down, Hermione. I'm sure what ever you wear, he'll think you're beautiful," Ginny consoles.
"I'm sure if you went naked, he wouldn't mind," Ron pipes up. Harry gabs him sharply in the ribs. "Well, he wouldn't." Hermione rolls her eyes at him.
"To my dearest Hermione, I request you be dressed appropriately for a special night when I arrive at 7 pm this evening and not one moment later. With love, Severus," Ginny reads from the letter that arrived only an hour before.
"I wonder where he's taking you," Harry states.
"Haven't I been asking that since I read the letter?" Hermione asks hysterically. She turns back around to her closet. "I have absolutely nothing to wear!"
"Here, how about his?" Ginny questions as she transfigures an ordinary red blouse into a sleek looking black dress.
"Ahhh, Ginny, you're a genius!" Hermione takes the dress and shoos Ron and Harry from the room.
With only a few minutes to spare before 7, Hermione and Ginny immerge from the room. Harry and Ron, having been deeply involved in a conversation about Quidditch, suddenly stop and look up at their friend. Hermione stands before them wearing her black dress; her brown hair having been put up with a few tight curls hanging down and a touch of blush and lipstick to accent her natural beauty.
"Wow…," is all Ron can say.
"You look great," comments Harry.
"Are you guys sure I look ok?" Hermione asks becoming nervous.
"You look perfect!" Ginny insists. Just as she is about to say something else to calm her friend down, the door bell rings. The gang says good-bye to Hermione, leaving her to answer the door. Severus, clad in a black suit, stands on the other side of the door fidgeting with his deep blue tie. He stops when he sees her and gives her a smile.
"You look absolutely stunning," he states.
"Thank you," she says as she gives him a gentle kiss. "Muggle attire?" she teases lightly.
"Let's just say that this is a night of surprises," he says with a smirk. Severus takes her hand and apparates then to the middle of Hogsmeade. He leads her down the less crowded side streets and to the edge of town.
"Severus, where are we going?" Hermione questions.
"You'll see," he responds back, pulling her a little closer to him. After a few more minutes of walking, they stop in front of a field.
"Severus, this is just a weed infested field."
"Is it?" he asks with a smile on his face. She raises an eyebrow at him, then looks back towards the field.
Instead of seeing the ugly over grown weeds she saw before, a beautiful courtyard materializes before her eyes. Stone pillars are positioned at each corner and have green vines with white flowers wrapped around them. The unmistakable sound of trickling water can be heard from the back of the courtyard as it flows across a small waterfall and into an oblong pond that is surrounded by a mound of moss and spring flowers. Soft music catches her ears as she studies the table that sits in the middle. A white pillar candle is placed in front of each dinner plate and a beautiful red rose stands in the center. Hermione looks over at him with a smile on her face. He smiles back and gives her his arm to take her to the table where he helps her sit. He clicks his fingers and within seconds their plates and glasses are filled.
"Severus, this is so beautiful. Thank you."
"You're welcome, my dear."
"So what's the special occasion? Our anniversary isn't for another three months."
"Can't I just do something romantic for the woman I love?" he responds back in a silky voice as he reaches for his glass of wine. She smiles and goes back to eating. Half way through dinner, Hermione begins to feel nauseous. She plays it off, not wanting to ruin the evening by having Severus worry about her.
"Dance with me?" he asks standing up from the table and extending his hand to her after dinner.
"It would be my pleasure," she says with a smile and takes his hand. With the snap of his fingers, the table disappears and a small dance floor replaces it. He gently wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"Are you enjoying our evening?" he whispers in her ear.
"Yes, of course."
"Do you know why I decided to bring you here, out to this field, instead of holding our night at Hogwarts?"
"No, I don't."
"It was right here in this field that I realized what I fool I had been for not believing that you loved me. It was right here where I asked you for a second chance." She smiles into his neck despite having her nausea return, this time worse than the time before. "These last nine months have been the best of my life. I never want to go back to the time where I couldn't have you in my arms." He pulls back slightly to look her in the eyes. She looks at him, trying to hide the fact that she feels like she's going to be sick. "I love you, Hermione Fiona Granger." Severus reaches into his jacket to pull out a small box. He opens it up to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?" Hermione puts a hand to her mouth and races to the edge of the courtyard where she becomes sick.