The weekend of Valentine's was again a Hogsmeade weekend. Despite the holiday technically being the day after, the students took the opportunity to celebrate the day of lovers in Hogsmeade. Severus, who Harry had hoped to spend the day wandering the village with, even if they did nothing more than exchange conversation, was trapped in his dungeons under a mountainous request for Pepper-Up from the Infirmary, following a terrible secondary outbreak of colds amongst the younger Years.

With Severus busy, Harry had decided to spend the day with his favorite ginger and her best friend. Ginny was feeling bereft, without Dean to celebrate the holiday with, and Harry held some small hope for lightening her mood. They had visited Zonko's (still holding out against Fred and George's continued attempts to buy their location), and Honeyduke's, where Harry had splurged in both shops and had found some marginal success in brightening his friend's pretty features. Technically, he wasn't supposed to give gifts to students, but he'd followed Hagrid's example and did it anyway. They were enjoying a light lunch in The Three Broomsticks when they were interrupted.

"Ginny Weasley!"

Dean's distinctive voice echoed and bounced jauntily off the walls of Hogsmeade's buildings, including within the tavern where the girl in question sat. Harry shrugged when Ginny looked up at him sharply, apparently expecting some answer. Luna only smiled mysteriously when they both turned to her. With sudden quickness, Harry stood with Ginny and they made their way out of the pub, Luna following along at a skip. Harry watched as Ginny stepped into the middle of the street and looked up the boulevard. He looked as well, and saw Dean standing a few shops up, Fred and George on either side of him. As if by magic, the crowd of students between the two lovers parted as one, clearing the street to stand bundled together against the shops. Dean walked down the street, his cloak flapping in the wind behind him, as Fred and George walked slightly behind, conjured trumpets blaring.

When Dean had reached Ginny, who stood completely frozen in the middle of the street, he took her hand. Harry noted that his friend's hand was trembling as he reached for his girlfriend, and he suddenly realized what was happening. He grinned, watching the duo as Dean went down on one knee, in the middle of the street.

"Bit slow on the uptake, Harry," Luna mumbled beside him, giggling.

Harry chuckled appreciatively and nodded, but didn't take his eyes off the couple standing a few feet in front of him.

"Ginny We-!" Harry winced with his friends and the gathered students at Dean's failure to cancel his sonorous spell. Fred cleared his throat and flicked his wand, and Harry listened intently as Dean continued in a softer, but firm tone of voice. "Sorry. Er…Ginny Weasley, I have come here today with only one intent. I love you, Ginevra, and I want the world to know it. I would shout it from the tops of mountains, if I thought anyone would hear."

"Please don't do that," Ginny replied, smiling endearingly. A chuckle moved through the assorted crowd.

Dean cleared his throat. "As it is, I have come here to declare my love for you in front of your friends and peers. I love you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, and you would make me the happiest man alive if you would consent to marrying me. Will you, Ginny, do me the great honor of joining with me in holy matrimony?"

Ginny sniffled, and Harry looked at her. He realized a little belatedly that she was crying. She nodded profusely.

"Yes!" She cried.

Dean grinned and rose to his feet to pull his freshly betrothed into an ardent kiss. Fred and George, still standing by, shot their wands into the air. Multi-colored sparks shot from the ends to rain harmlessly down onto the students and happy couple, as well as several wizarding fireworks Harry guessed they'd taken the time to sporadically place throughout the village. Harry drew his own wand and nudged the Fifth Year Ravenclaw boy standing next to him before shooting his own sparks into the air. The Fifth Year grinned and did the same. Soon, all of the students were shooting off sparks from their wands as Dean and Ginny continued to kiss. Harry saw that there were even some Slytherin-green sparks in the mix. Eventually, once the sparks, fireworks, and cheers had worn thin, George tapped his soon-to-be brother-in-law on the shoulder.

"The ring?" Harry heard him remind Dean gently, pulling a box from his own pocket and passing it over.

Harry grinned as Ginny swooned slightly as soon as the ring was revealed. He understood now why Fred and George were here. They'd probably swung the invite by presenting Dean with the Weasley heirloom ring. Harry remembered when the Weasley Matriarch had hesitantly passed the ring to her twin sons a couple summers back, with a warning that it was intended only for the person one or the other knew they would spend the rest of their life with. It had been her way of showing acceptance of their homosexuality, and it had made both of the twins tear up at being given such a huge responsibility. Harry couldn't imagine how hard the decision must have been to pass the ring off to their baby sister.

Soon, the crowd of students began to disperse. Ginny and Dean still had eyes only for each other, and Harry had grown tired of watching them moon over each other in the middle of the street. He turned and went back into The Three Broomsticks, where his lunch had cooled in his absence. He felt unbelievably happy for his two friends. He had hoped, since it had become clear in his Sixth Year that their relationship was there for keeps, that they would someday come to this crossroads, and he was doubly glad that he'd been there to witness it.

Briefly, Harry wondered how he might propose someday, if the mood arose. He was unsurprised to find he had absolutely no idea of how he would go about it. Always assuming his would-be betrothed was Severus, and the man didn't grow bored with him in the interim, he had no idea of how he might ask such a thing of the man. He couldn't even work up the courage to ask Severus to his bed, how the hell was he going to ask the stoic Potions Master something that would decide the rest of their lives?