Chapter 1: The Proposal


Hermione smiled as she watered the roses in her backyard. They were in full bloom: beautiful, bright red roses. She walked through the quiet house toward the front door. "Bye Luna, don't forget to feed Crookshanks please!" She shouted as she went out the door.

"I won't. Can you please grab some of that tingle pop gum if you see it?" She asked airily.

"I will!"

Hermione waved to her elderly neighbor sitting in a rocking chair across the street. "Bonjour Madam Arielle!"

"Bonjour Mademoiselle" the blond older witch replied. The witch had moved in a little after Hermione had. She spoke mainly French so, ever the studious witch, Hermione decided to try to speak a little bit every day. She grinned brightly at her new friend before waving her wand and apparating to Diagon Alley. It was a new year, and the regular hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley remained. She had a crooked grin as she watched first years and their frantic parents navigate through the crowds. People still whispered about her as she shifted through the streets.

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The last few years she had practically dropped off the face of the wizarding world, living in Muggle London.

"Is that Hermione Granger?" "THE Hermione Granger?"

"I remember more hair and teeth."

"How strange, I thought she'd left for good."

"Smile for the camera!" A paparazzi called. She obliged and grinned before hexing his camera. "Batty witch" he murmured as he tried to restore it.

"Beautiful though, even with a scowl" an old witch at the flower shop laughed.

"Still no ring? Thought she married Harry's friend."

"When will she settle down and marry a nice wizard?" "I hear the Potter's are pregnant with their second child." Hermione rolled her eyes. Each day was the same in the wizarding world, that's why she rarely left her home outside of work hours. Even after saving the world, she seemed to stick out.

She dropped some sickles in a boy's hand for the paper and opened it up while she walked toward the Joke Shop. She grabbed the package of the gum and rang it up onto the counter, shoving it in her bag and hustling toward the door. Hermione paused and furrowed her brows. Her head flicked left and right. She dug into her bag when she felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned around.

"Forgotten something?" George asked as he pulled the paper out from behind his back.

"Thank You."

"No problem, good luck today." He wished with a dip of his bizarre tattered nodded her head and went back to reading about the ministry.

She dodged bags, people, broomsticks, and new pets without batting an eye. She walked blindly to a small library seemingly hidden from the chaos. The bells rang as she strode into the building straight to the back shelf. She glided her finger across their edges and picked up one of her favorite wizarding books: "The Founders of Hogwarts".

The old man behind the desk chuckled lightly when she came up to check it out. "You my dear, are the only one who checks out that book," he said pushing up his round glasses.

Hermione shrugged shyly. "Their stories are amazing, they lived riveting lives and the bookshops here don't sell it." He examined her closely, his mouth curving into a grin. "You know I think I have an extra copy in the back somewhere…you can keep that one if you'd like."

"But sir-

"I insist"

She shook with glee and smiled brightly. "Thank you, thank you so much have an amazing day!" He nodded and waved goodbye. Not wanting to waste any more time she apparated to the front of the ministry and hurried up the steps and into the elevator.


"Good morning," she greeted as the doors opened.

"He's not going to be here for another twenty minutes." The assistant drawled.

"That's fine I'll just wait in my spot." She pulled out her book and walked around the roundabout to a white loveseat positioned outside a large office. The minister's personal assistant brought her tea and set down a plate of cookies on the seat by her. A few minutes later she heard the scuffling of feet and a large presence above her. She glanced up from her book once they cleared her throat.

"Hey 'Mione ya busy?"

"Oh, hi Ronald" she acknowledged as she returned to her book. Being used to her behavior he lifted the plate of cookies and sat down. He munched on the cookies loudly as he waited for her to finish the section.

When she turned the page, Ron stopped chewing and looked at her curiously. "Mione what are you doing here? Didn't Kingsley already agree to look over your case on house-elves?"

She sighed and set her book down on her lap. "Yes, Ron he already agreed and sent it to the board months ago. I just wanted an update."

Ron's eyebrows furrowed. "Couldn't you send an owl?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed to slits as she watched crumbs fall onto his Auror uniform jacket and shook her head. "He hasn't returned my owls."

He nodded and leaned back in the seat, which made the light reflect off some of his small golden medals. "Ya know Hermione they'll all come around one day, you need to just relax and focus on something else."

She arched a brow and humored him. "Like what?"

"Like I dunno," he started as he looked up at the ceiling, "what you're gonna do after this…a life."

"A life?"

"Yeah you know life, things that people have outside of work."

She shut her book aggressively and turned toward him. "I do have a life! This is just part of it."

"Really," he asked giving her a pointed look. "When was the last time you hung out with friends?" She opened her mouth to reply but he added on. "Besides the one you live with," which made her snap her mouth closed. "Mmhm. See Hermione don't you want to I dunno relax? Maybe date or settle down a bit? Get married, have a few children… Or even just something more than just your bookstore and studies… Even mum's worried about you."

She stood up off the couch and folded her arms defensively. "Well, honestly Ronald, I understand that I may not be as sociable as before, but that hardly constitutes for the need for me to get hitched right away. Let alone have your mother be concerned about my biological clock!" She heard a ding and turned toward the elevator doors expectantly. "We'll have to finish this later."

He frowned and went back to the plate of cooks on his lap as she huffed and stood up. "I wa-jush trying to helph-" he gargled between bites.

She walked toward the man in front of the elevator purposefully. The minute he saw her he tried to turn around and go back down. The doors behind him had closed and he sighed. "Hello, Hermione."

"Kingsley" she greeted.

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They walked to his office where he let the witch talk about her latest concern. He dropped his bag to the side of his desk and started stacking papers as she continued. He didn't bat an eyelash when she dropped a folder on his desk, only put it in the drawer of his desk labeled "Granger" that was filled with similar folders. When she paused to breathe he looked up and lowered his reading glasses.

"Hermione, we've had this conversation before. You know I'm doing everything I can, but the wizarding world is still recovering. I'm afraid I can't put harsher punishments on witches and wizards who use house-elves until our other priorities are attended to first." She exhaled and opened her mouth to speak. "—I will send you an owl when I receive an update by the board. Goodbye Miss Granger".

She pouted and turned on her heels to the door. Her shoulders sagged as she swished her wand and appeared in the office of her bookshop. As she walked out, she was greeted by Luna and tossed her the package of gum.

"Don't worry Hermione, I'm sure he's trying his best."

She groaned and made her way to the cash register. "I know he's trying his best Luna, but his best just isn't good enough!" She slumped into the seat behind the desk with a resigned sigh. Luna shook her head and took the seat next to her, pulling out a book on rare nargles. Hermione soon followed and they were both reclined reading books as they waited for customers.

It was a quaint little store in muggle London. Most of the books that filled the shop were a muggle, except for some harmless wizarding books she had put in the fiction section like The Tale of Beetle and Bard. She even had a rack filled with copies of The Quibbler. She found out that those were always the most popular, "they are described so realistically, yet silly" most say. The shop had been doing well. All their customers commented on how "magical" it seemed, which had her smirking internally. She had even begun writing a few books—which was smart on her part. She could work on reports for S.P.E.W. and magical creature rights and claim they were for her stories. She sighed peacefully as she flipped the page of her book.

Hermione sat straight when she heard the store chimes ring. "Hello, how can I help you?" she said in her customer service voice.

"I've told you before not to use that voice on me." Ginny teased as she stepped into the store.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she put the book on the small shelf under the counter, "I thought you were a customer".

She shrugged and put her elbows on the counter to rest her head. "Maybe next time, I was gonna ask if Ron's been through here yet?"

Hermione's forehead creased as she shook her head. "No why would he? He's hasn't been here since the day I opened it."

Ginny's brows shot up at that admission. "I-I thought…You haven't seen him?"

"I saw him when I stopped by the ministry earlier, but he just went on about how I should drop my efforts with the magical creature's department."

Ginny straightened her back and scratched her hair. "What has that boy gotten himself into?" She mumbled to herself. The wheels started turning in her head as she studied Hermione. "Hey 'Mione…How often do you speak to my brother?"

"Other than Sundays at the Burrow?" She asked. Ginny nodded. "He sends me an owl every now and then. Truthfully, I've hardly spoken to him since I bought 'The Book Nook'. He's just always busy with Aurora raining and duties, and then I got busy with the store…our friendship just took a back seat." She explained while she reopened her book.

Ginny rubbed the palms of her hands against her jeans and exhaled heavily. "This is going to be a train wreck," she thought to herself. "Hey, Mione, the outside of your shop is a bit messy, I'll help you clean it. Come on."

Hermione set her book on the counter and left with Ginny, summoning the broom in tow. She handed Ginny the broom and started wiping the windows with a squeegee. Ginny's wand vibrated and she excused herself to go back inside the store. A Patronus appeared in front of her. "Hey Gin, is she there?" Ron asked in a crowded room.

"What's with all the commotion? And yes, she's right outside the store window" Ginny replied flatly.

"What's wrong Ginny?" Harry asked.

Ginny raised her brows. "I'll tell you when you get her Harry. Ron if by some miracle this goes well, I will be completely surprised and owe you a galleon."

"Fantastic!" He exclaimed. "I'll take that galleon in a few, bye."

"Bye" Ginny replied when the call ended.


After Hermione had left for her meeting with Kingsley, Ron sighed and seemed to shrink in his clothing. He flicked his wand and sent a call to Harry to meet at the Three Broomsticks.

He trudged into the crowded restaurant and onto a barstool. A few minutes after his butterbeer came, Harry came in and sat beside him. "What's wrong mate?" he asked, seeing his friend dejected. Ron gulped some of his drink and sighed.

"The proposal, I don't think she's gonna say yes."

Harry quirked a brow and patted him on his shoulder. "Look I know your mum was really the one that pushed you, but I think you and Hermione are gonna make an amazing couple! I'm sure you're just nervous."

Ron squirmed a bit and drank more of his butterbeer. Harry set his lips into a tight line and looked around the room. "Oy! Dean, Seamus come here!"

Surprised, they came from a table and pulled up seats next to them. "What's up?" Dean asked. Harry pointed to Ron. They nodded— they had heard the howler his mother sent after training yesterday. Seamus slapped him on the back.

"Chin up Ron, Hermione would be lucky to have you! Why you're a catch!" Seamus turned to the people filled in the tavern, many were friends from Hogwarts with younger siblings just enrolling. He raised his hands up, motioning them to join.

Some other auroras entered and joined in on the cheers. "Ronald you're the youngest Aurora to join!"

"The best Aurora on your team!" "No one leads like you Ron!" They commented while nudging him. "No one hexes like our Ron!" someone said while waving their wand. "Who else would've taken down Dolohov but our Ron!"

"Alright" he chuckled, "I guess I'm a bloody good Aurora?"

Everyone cheered and lifted their glasses. "You know that's not all" Harry smirked as he took a sip of his drink. The admissions ended up taking a sort of tune, as Dean began playing the piano. Seamus danced over to Demelza Robins, Jimmy Peakes, and Ritchie Coote. He put his arms around them and asked, "and in Quidditch?"

"No one stopped quaffles like our Ron" "Protected the posts like our Ron"

"Ended up being as well built as our Ron" a pretty passing girl winked. Ron straightened and smirked.

"I mean it's true I'm nowhere near straggly…In fact, I'm a bit intimidating" he bragged. Parvati, Lavender, and Patil heard the commission and came in.

"It's true you filled quite some much." "He is handsome"

"A pure paragon" Lavender squealed.

"My what a guy!" Harry commented as he pretended to swoon. "Good ol' Ronnikins!" Everyone laughed at the joke.

Seamus and Harry Picked him up as further compliments ensued. They brought him to a chair and transformed a cup into a crown.

"Who helped take down the rest of the death eaters," one of the Aurora asked.

"I did"

"Who helped me throughout Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"I did," he answered louder.

"And who helped bring down Voldemort!" Someone in the crowd shouted.

Another person handed him a cup of fire whiskey as harry and a few others lifted the chair. "I DID" He shouted. Every one in three broomsticks cheered as he raised his glass and chugged it. Dean changed the notes, and everyone recognized the tune.

"Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King" all the former Hogwarts kids sung.

As the song ended Ron raised his glass and voice "A round of drinks on me! I'm about to get married!"

Everyone clapped and cheered again and set his chair down. Ron fixed his crown and swished his wand.

"Hey Gin, is she there?" He beamed.

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As Hermione finished wiping the last panel of the large window, she wiped a bit of sweat off her face and turned her head. She saw Ron marching through the street with some of their former classmates following. "What on earth," she thought.

"Hermione Granger!" Ron called as he continued forward. Hermione looked around cautiously and thanked the heavens for the lack of people out Monday morning. "Will you do you the honor—". Her eyebrows shot up and she folded her arms. "—I mean to do me the honor, well both of us really,"
he tried to correct.

Harry grimaced and patted him on the back to step in front. Ron, grinning like a fool, knelt on one knee and took out a small box. Hermione gasped and stepped back. "Of becoming—" he opened the box and lifted up to her— "Mrs. Hermione Weasley, my wife."


A/N: OOOOOOoo A proposal? sorry about the cliffhanger originally I was going to have the answer but I'm trying to keep each chapter to a little more than 2000 words. Let me know if it feels too short or too long :) don't forget to follow for more and please leave a comment on the story! I love reading them. Okay byeee