Standard disclaimers apply!
I do not own Harry Potter. I have nothing to do with Scholastic, Warner Bros or Bloomsbury. I'm not JKR and I am certainly not making any profit out of this.
Giddy
Ginny grinned and sat next to her friend on the lounge, toeing off her shoes and letting them drop to the floor next to Hermione's. "I feel like I haven't seen you all night."
"Don't exaggerate," Hermione smiled. "We saw each other at least twice!"
They waved to Professor McGonagall, but didn't rise from their seats, as she called out a cheerful "Merry Christmas!" and disappeared into the floo.
"I think it went well, don't you?" Ron flopped down on Hermione's other side and took her hand. "Hi Ginny. Where's Harry?"
"Seeing off Hagrid and Madam Maxime," Ginny yawned. "I'm not looking forward to cleaning this all up."
"It's the sign of a good night," Bill said from behind them, chuckling when they jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. "We're making a move soon, I think" he motioned to Fleur and her parents, who were talking to Molly and Andromeda. "Budge over. Where did George and Angelina disappear to?"
"Do you have to ask?" Ron sniggered. "Apparently they were tired. They scarped not long after Luna and Xeno went home."
"Ah."
oOo
"But I inseeest!" Apolline said firmly. "It eez ze least we can do after your great 'ospitality!"
Guillaume nodded vigorously, clutching his wife's arm to steady himself.
"Insist on what?" Arthur asked vaguely as he put out the lights on the Christmas tree.
"They're debating about the clean up," Kingsley yawned.
"And rightly so," Andromeda blinked to clear her vision. "It'll go much faster if we all chip in."
"Oh, all right then," Molly finally acquiesced, "I would like a few hours sleep before it all starts again." Smiling gently, she glanced over to the lounge suit. "We'll send them home, though, I think."
oOo
"Your first party, Harry," Ron laughed as they sat around the kitchen table with a pot of hot tea. "Do you feel like a grown up now?"
"Haha." Harry rubbed his face and suppressed a yawn. "I think it was our first party, Ron ... and right now I feel like an old man with a little bit of a hang-over."
"Not too much of one, I hope," Ginny said lightly.
"No, not too much," Harry bit back a laugh at Ron's resigned expression. "Sorry mate."
"'S fine." Ron rolled his eyes. "I know that you're just going to be in Ginny's room talking."
"Yeah, that's it exactly," Harry agreed. "Talking. Exactly like you and Hermione will be doing in your room right?"
"I dunno," Ron pulled Hermione, who was half asleep with her head resting on his shoulder, a little closer and planted a kiss on her temple. "Do you feel like talking 'Mione?"
"Definitely," Hermione smiled, "if that's what we're going to call it."
"So didn't need to hear that," Harry mumbled into his mug of tea.
"Now you know how I feel," Ron snorted.
oOo
Ron heaved a sigh of relief as they closed and sealed the door.
Finally.
It had been a long night. A good night – no, a great one! But long.
Watching Hermione mingle with their friends, talking to everyone she came across and making sure they knew she was genuinely interested in what they had to say. She really listened. It had hit him like a blow to the head; when she'd crossed the room with that silly bottle of champagne she'd snuck away from Uncle Lancelot, and come straight to him. Straight to his arms and leaned against him. He loved her. Well, obviously he knew that already – how could he not? But at that moment it had surged through him and left him breathless. He really, really loved her.
He wondered what it was he did in his life to be this lucky. He wondered if it would always be like this.
As he fumbled a bit with the fiddly little buttons on the back of her dress he couldn't help smiling.
"What?" She was all eyes as she looked at his reflection in the mirror, a smile at the corners of her mouth.
"I love you," he said simply. "That's all."
"What a coincidence," she bit her lip, in that way that sent him just a little mad. "I love you too."
"Works out well," he pushed the shoulders of her dress down her arms and then held her hand as it dropped to the floor and she stepped out of it. "I was thinking about tonight."
"What about it?" She helped him shrug out of his shirt.
"It was really good." His pants were gone now and he wondered if he should feel a little ridiculous standing in his underwear with his socks still on.
"Yes, it was," she was watching him curiously now, and his breath caught a little when she rested her hand lightly on his bare chest. "And?"
"And ..." he hesitated, gazing down at her, losing himself in her eyes. Suddenly he knew it was the right thing to do. "I don't want to wait." Taking both her hands in his, he held them tightly. "Say you'll marry me, before Christmas next year? Please?"
"Are you sure?" When he nodded, she pulled her hands from his and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh Ron! Yes!"
"You will?" He laughed happily. "Really?"
"Of course I will!" She laughed too, and shot him a wry look. "Did you really think I'd say no?"
"Well, you never know? Merlin ..." he cupped her face in his hands and their foreheads bumped together, making them laugh all over again. "This is bloody brilliant! Say it again!"
She kissed him firmly on the mouth. "We're getting married."
How's the blood sugar going? :-P
There are these strange voices around here, and they're all saying "Mum, are you nearly finished? Mum, can I have go on the computer? Muuuuuuum!" so I'm off for a bit.