the summer after the sixth book

It was a bright and sunny day at the Burrow. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were out de-gnomeing the garden. While Hermione went in to get a pitcher of lemonade from Mrs. Weasley, Harry went over to Ron.

"You didn't get bitten by a gnome again, did you?" asked an annoyed Ron. They had been out there all morning and they still hadn't finished. Partly because the gnomes had gotten into the tea that had lots of sugar (because Harry, Hermione, and Ron were still very tired when they got up and weren't quite awake) and now they were all running around like crazy, and partly because they kept biting the trio and they had to keep going inside for band-aids.

"No, I just wanted some advice," said Harry. "I - er – well – I have a crush on Hermione –"

"I knew you had a crush on Hermione!" exclaimed Ron.

"How?"

"It was kinda obvious. You're always staring at her dreamily whenever you're with her." Said Ron, imitating what Harry does when he's around Hermione.

"Well, I was wondering what the best way to ask her out is."

"And you're asking me because –"

"Because you've had so much experience asking Lavender out!" said Harry, now annoyed because Ron was acting so stupid, as usual.

"Well," said Ron, blushing, as usual. "I've always been comfortable with asking Lavender out because I knew for sure that she liked me back. But if I was asking someone I wasn't so sure about, I'd first ask her to go out with me for something simple, for example, ice-cream, or maybe to a movie if I was feeling confident enough."

"Shhh," whispered Harry. "Here she comes."

Hermione was walking back to them with a large pitcher of lemonade. "Sorry I took so long," said Hermione. "We had to mend the pitcher and refill it because Crookshanks knocked it over while he was chasing Pig. So, what were you two whispering about?"

"Oh, er, we were plotting on what we were going to do to the next gnome that bites one of us," said Harry quickly. "Right Ron?"

"Sure," said Ron, not quite sure why Harry was acting so nervously. "Whatever."

Hermione, though, was unconvinced. "Right," she said smiling at Harry.

So, the trio went back to de-gnomeing the garden. They didn't finish until lunchtime. They had the sandwiches that Mrs. Weasley had made them. After that, Harry asked Hermione if she wanted to go for a little walk with him.

"Sure," she said when he asked her, a little confused on why he hadn't asked Ron to come.

Harry had no idea where to walk to with Hermione. He decided just to walk along the street that led into the Burrow's driveway.

"Er, Hermione," he asked when they were a little ways from the Burrow. "I don't know how to ask you this, but, will you go out with me?"

Right at that moment Hermione planted a kiss on Harry's cheek. "I've been waiting for you to ask me out!" exclaimed Hermione. "At first, when you started staring at me, I thought that maybe I had something on my face or in my hair! But then I realized that you had a crush on me! And then," Hermione talked a little quieter at this point. "And then I started liking you."

Harry's heart swelled. He couldn't have been happier! He took Hermione in his arms and looked into her beautiful brown eyes. Then, he bent his head and kissed her forhead. The whole way back to the Burrow, they held hands.

"So," asked Ron, once he and Harry were alone. "What did she say?"

"Well, I asked, and then, well, the moment I asked her, she kissed me." Harry was still in a very good mood from not being rejected by Hermione."

"She did?" asked Ron, wide-eyed. "Why the hell would she kiss you?"

"Well, she told me that she had been waiting for me me out because she figured out that I liked her, and that she fell in love with me while she was waiting."

"It's not like Hermione to fall in love with someone like that. I guess she must really really like you."

"I know."

It was a starry sky that night. The Weasley family, Harry, and Hermione were all roasting marshmallows over a bonfire in the back garden. Harry and Hermione sat side by side the entire time. When it was about 11:00, everyone went inside. Everyone said good-night to each other and went into seperate bedrooms. Harry didn't sleep with Ron because Ron had lots of dust in his room in the attic, and Harry got bad allergies when he was around lots of dust. So he slept with the Weasley twins.

Just as Harry was falling asleep, he heard a blood-curdling scream from the room above his - Ron's. He and the Weasley twins tore up the stairs and met a dreadful sight - a gigantic spider, about the size of Ron's bed, afoot away from Ron, pale and bloody on the floor. Blood was dripping from the spider's pinchers. And with a small crack, it vanished. In it's place, a note layed on the ground. It read:

Dear Ron,

I hope you like my little present for you. That's what you get when you mess with Lord Voldemort and become friends with he arch ememy, Harry Potter.

Lord Voldemort

The Weasley family, Harry, Hermione, and everyone else that Ron was close to, arrived at the semitary. All of them came with flowers to put on Ron's grave. It had beenone year since his death. Fred and George hadn't madeany jokes that day. Percyhadn't toldanyone that he wasnowDumbledore's assistant.Charlie hadn't said a thing aboutdragons that day.Dumbledore's eyes didn't twinklelike the usually did. And Mrs. Weasley hadn't said a single thing all day. Allof them paid their respects toRon that day.

10 years later

Harry and Hermione were now both 28. Hermione was in labor and in the hospital. Harry was waiting impatiently in the waiting room. Then, one the of the healers came out of the room that Hermione was in. "It's almost out, Harry. You should come in, quickly now, you don't want to miss this now, do you?" She rushed him into the room. Just as they entered, Harry heard a baby's cry. He rushed over to Hermione and kissed her forehead. "It's over now, honey, it's out." he whispered in her ear. He went over to where the healers were standing with his newborn baby. "It's a boy." They told him when he took his baby in his arms. "What are you going to name him?" Harry looked over at Hermione and she whispered "James, we'll name him James." Harry carried James over to Hermione and placed him in her arms. And cherished the moment with his new family.