Umm, this took a little long. the problem was that my List Stories page wasn't opening, so which meant i couldn't post any more stories on this id. i made a new id, but there is a three day deloy for new finfiction users. so i had to wait. but neanwhile, the page got corrected itself! so yaay! two chapters at once. hope you like them...

Dear 'Mione,

Happy birthday love! May all your wishes come true and may you be the happiest daughter on earth. Everything is fine here. Daddy bought a new car- a Toyota Camry. Michelot is not well, so she's not coming for work since the past few days. I hope everything is the same and normal at your end. Baby, write to me and tell me if you want to come home for Holidays or you prefer staying at school. We are planning to go to Spain and I'll book your tickets if you want to go.

I am enclosing your present. I thought cash would do much better than something useless, but Daddy insisted on a little gift. So you get both!

Love

Take care,

Mom

Inside was a beautiful pair of rose shaped earrings and 100 galleons cash. Thank you mom and dad. She looked proudly at the studs and put them on. Yaay! It's my birthday! I am now 18. Hermione hugged herself tightly as she digested the fact that she was legally an adult in muggle terms. But she felt no different. I still am the same Hermione, but now more mature. She grinned ear to ear and looked at Maria, who was sleeping like a baby. Over the week she had learnt that Maria was a very sweet girl, just a little crude on the uptake and a little infatuated with Ron. Hermione was not a possessive girl.

She looked at her heap of presents and started to unwrap them. Harry's present was a quill which wrote in any color. All you had to do was to lick the nib and say the color. It didn't need any ink at all. Ginny had given her a bed sheet- one with wands and cauldrons drawn on it. Mrs. Wealsey had made mince pies for her and had also sent a little ring with 'H' embossed on it. Tonks and Lupin had given her a wizard joke book and on the cover flap she could recognize the handwriting which had marked her third year Defence against the Dark Arts homework saying 'To lighten the Bookworm Beauty'. Fred and George had sent her new supplies of their tricks and treats from their joke shop which included an array of belching bubblegum, pimple powder and other things which Hermione planned to throw away. Hagrid sent her a perfume which Hermione was too scared to smell. She already knew how eccentric he was. However, she cautiously opened the vial and smelt it. The smell was so powerful and repelling that it woke Maria up and she exclaimed in a nasty tone, "'Mione, what waz zat?" she slapped the air around her, clearing it of any odor. "Oh, 'Appy Birthday darling! 'ave you seen my present?" Hermione opened hers. It was a black leather case with Gibson Wizards written in gold. When she opened it she saw a whole make up set complete with brushes and nail paints. "Oh, so pretty!" she exclaimed. I'll never wear it, but it is beautiful.

"Ah, the very best," Maria remarked carelessly. "An' now, trouble me not. Je couche some more." Dramatically she went back to sleep.

Hermione looked under her bed, in case she had forgotten any presents. Then she freshened up and walked down to the common room.

Ron was sitting on the couch facing the steps, almost as he was waiting for the sun to arise. For him, that is. As soon as Hermione descended, he ran up to her and gave her a big hug.

"Happy birthday, love," he said, his voice sounding muffled. Then he opened up a purple case and took out a beautiful, worth dying for necklace. It was a red heart on a silver chain. Hermione's heart leapt. Oh my Gosh. This is so pretty. I can't believe this. Ron, put it on my neck please!

Slowly he clasped the locket around Hermione's pale and creamy throat.

"Th…thank you, Ron," Hermione admired the pendant, and staggered at its beauty. "Oh I love it!" She threw herself on the warm and secure body of Ron and he toppled over by the impact on the sofa and there the lay, kissing each other passionately till eternity. That is, until some one coughed and their third mate's cheeky voice echoed in the faded background.

"I say, ain't this a public place? Some of us have just woken up from our sleep."

Ginny giggled and Hermione and Ron got up, embarrassed and they straightened their clothes. Both faces were comparable in shade of bright crimson.

"Did you lovers by any chance spend the night out here?" Ginny raised her eyebrow, looking at both of them in their nightclothes.

"No, I was waiting for her to give her the present." Ron whined.

Ginny rolled her eyes and dropped down on the couch next to Ron and then remembered that it was her friend's birthday and excitedly she and Hermione started discussing the bed sheet she had bought for Hermione.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hogsmeade is a picturesque village, but its beauty multiplies three fold if it's your birthday and if you have a date like Ron Wealsey walking by your side. Harry and Ginny had whisked away Maria, who was clinging to Ron determined to stay with them throughout the visit.

"Maria, how about going to the Three Broomsticks. We'll treat you to butterbeer," Harry pointedly said.

"Ah, non. I do not like anything zat has butter."

"Oh well, let's go either ways. I think Madame Rosemerta might find something fat free for you," Ginny nearly snarled.

Maria, supremely unconcerned, shook her head in disagreement, "Zis is so beau. I am here!" It seemed like a declaration.

"Oh well how about Gibson Wizards Face Cosmetics? They have a branch here."

That did it. Maria strutted off with Ginny and a totally depressed and grumbling Harry tagging behind.

Suddenly the couple were all alone in this beautiful land which was lover's paradise.

"So where do you want to go?" Ron asked.

"Anywhere. How about L'aime Personal? I've never been there, but Ginny has."

Ron had a feeling that it was one of those places where the couples eternal kissing sort of set a high standard for you, but he was with the love of his life and he just nodded.

L'aime Personal was almost like Madam Puddifoot's, except that it was more expensive and elite. The entered the warm atmosphere of the teashop and the first thing they saw was…Luna and Neville. Not that it was unexpected, but that they didn't now till now.

Redhead indeed. So Luna's dating the squib. Talk for yourself freako. Hermione felt bad thinking such a thing about Neville who was a helpless darling, but considering what Luna had said about Ron…

They took a seat at the back corner of the teashop in front of the portrait of a wizard who remarked "I am blind. So fell free." And then he winked.

Ron picked up the menu which had confetti all over it and liberally he said. "Choose."

In truth Hermione was not hungry. All that she wanted was to keep on looking at Ron and kissing him. That was her food. But she chose Chocolate Mousse out of curtsey. A young girl wearing a bright red frock bowed to them and Ron placed his order. He felt proud to be the 'man'.

The hot cake was placed before them; but no one took notice. Both were painting pictures of their love. Within five minutes the couple was kissing passionately across the table and Hermione could feel Ron's soft and silky hair between her fingers.

"I love you, Ron."

"Me too."

They ate the cake but paid little attention to its rich flavor or the creamy chocolate that was loaded on it. Neither did they notice the waitress who was peeking at the couples regularly. And neither did they notice Luna who was wearing a bright orange robe and troll l earrings. I mean that the earrings weren't troll sized; it's just that the studs had TROLLS on them.

After paying the bill they walked out into the village and looked around at the shops. But more than the shops they looked at each other, digesting the fact that they were on their first date and both of them loved each other.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The date ended too early. Both of them complained in their mind that it was too short. Harry met them at the Three Broomsticks at 4 in the evening with a grumpy Ginny and an equally mad Maria. Apparently both of them had had a ferocious fight about the Broomsticks. Maria thought it was too lowly for wizards to go and Ginny blasted her off. They ended up being chucked out of the pub.

"Personally, I loved the tussle," Harry smirked to Ron when no one was listening.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dear diary,

Today was the best day of my life.

…she wrote into her journal while admiring the little heart around her neck.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: Like it? Please tell me people. I'm not telling the story to my monitor you know!

Je couche: I sleep

Beau: beautiful

Please ladies and gentlemen if you read this story don't just go 'hmm' over it. Say something. That's how I'll improve.

Shayeri