A few hours later, Ron was standing upstairs in the bedroom he shared with Hermione; or rather, he was pacing up and down nervously. He could not explain, even to himself, why he was so nervous. It was not as if he was even going to be proposing that evening. Still, everything just had to go perfectly tonight, it had to. He would give Hermione the best evening she had experienced in a long time. They had not really had many chances for romantic evenings lately, but tonight would be the perfect opportunity for both of them to spend time together and relax. Ron had even had the entire afternoon to prepare. He ran through everything again quickly, muttering to himself, just in case he had forgotten anything. A second later, he swore.

"The candles!" Ron yelled as he sprinted downstairs to make the final preparation, which completed the perfect atmosphere he had created in the room. When he was satisfied, Ron ran back upstairs as fast as he could, back into their bedroom, resuming his pacing.

A second later, however, Ron jumped as he jumped when he heard the front door open, and Hermione's voice say, "Ron?"

Ron quickly headed downstairs again to see his girlfriend standing in the doorway, looking slightly tired after having used Muggle transport as she was going to see her parents, but nonetheless, beautiful. With a smile, he walked up to Hermione and hugged her, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. She squealed and giggled until he put her down, and kissed her. After a long time, they broke apart, and Ron beamed at his girlfriend.

"How are your parents?" he asked.

"Oh, they're fine," she replied. "They were sorry you couldn't make it, though."

"So was I," he said, "but I survived." She giggled again, and he grinned.

"You seem to be in a very good mood," Hermione said with an amused look, but slightly suspicious. "What have you got in store for me, I wonder?"

Ron tried, and failed, to look innocent. He placed a hand around her shoulders and steered her into the dining room.

"Oh Ron!" she exclaimed, delightedly.

She had to hand it to him. It was very romantic indeed. The room was beautifully lit by hovering candles, and there was a single rose in a vase on the table, which was set for two. Ron even had soft music playing in the background, which Hermione suspected had been borrowed from Molly as she recognised the voice of Celestina Warbeck, Molly's favourite singer.

"Ron, it's... it's beautiful," she said, leaning up and kissing him gently.

"Thank you." He smiled, and sat her down in one of the chairs, before he sat in the one opposite.

The rest of the evening passed in something of a haze for Hermione. After dinner, she sat on the sofa with Ron, kissing him for what seemed like hours, and then they went upstairs. Ron ran her a hot bubble bath, adding some floating candles to the bathroom, too, and Hermione soaked for a long time. Ron even charmed the water so it did not get cold. After that, they retreated to their bedroom, and, sometime later curled up together to go to sleep.

Unfortunately Ron could not sleep, so preoccupied he was with what he was planning for the next day. Hermione could sense that he was anxious about something. He did not say anything, and she could not exactly read the expression on his face whilst her head was buried in his chest as he held her close to him. Still, she could sense that something was on his mind.

"You OK, Ron?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine," Ron answered with a sigh.

"What is it?" she asked, lifting her head up to look into his brilliantly blue eyes. "Tell me."

"I was just... thinking," he said, vaguely.

"I was wondering what that strange noise was," Hermione said cheekily. Ron laughed.

"I love you, Mione," Ron said once he stopped laughing.

Hermione had heard these words from him several times before, but this time it seemed different somehow. She felt the truth of the words reverberate in the way he spoke them, and they echoed softly in her heart. At that moment, she knew just how much Ron needed her, and how much she depended on him. They could not live without each other. At that moment, she realised that she loved Ron more than anything and would have been content to lie there with him for the rest of her life. Ron was all she would ever want, all she would ever need. What's more, she knew that he felt exactly the same about her. She knew exactly what she wanted now. Hermione knew that they belonged together and that they would be together forever. Most importantly of all, she knew that Ron felt the same way about her; that he wanted her and only her and that he always wanted to be with her. Best of all, Ron would never, ever leave her.

"I love you too, Ron", she said, leaning forwards to kiss him.

He took her in his arms again, kissing her with such passion and need that she never wanted to let go. Hermione just wanted to stay there, kissing Ron, needing him, forever. As she kissed him, Hermione thought of her future with Ron. She thought of marriage followed by the long years, decades even, that they would have together, and the possibility of children. Enjoying the kiss, she imagined them as a family living in a small cottage in the countryside, her, Ron, and their children. She broke away from Ron, smiling. She liked that thought very much.

"What?" he asked.

"I was thinking, too," she replied.

"I knew it wasn't just me making the noise," he said, and she giggled. Only he could make her giggle like that. She was not exactly the giggly type. No-one could make her feel the way that Ron could. It was also fair to say that no-one could make him feel the way that she could, and that was that. She loved Ron, and he loved her. With his strong arms around her, caressing her lovingly, Hermione gradually drifted off to sleep, in a feeling of pure bliss.