hey guys... guess what...i am updating...again! yay! so i really hope you like this chapter. it is actually a large part of a story that i wrote but never published. the story was going to be my take on the 7th book but i decided to do this story after DH came out. Although...just a little fact, my story had several similarities to DH, including the marriage and death of Tonks and Lupin. I also said that they would have had a child and Harry and Ginny would raise the baby. Sound familiar? well... in my first story, the baby was a girl...but anyway... once DH came out, i decided that this story would be better...so here we are. But as i was saying, this is a large part of the proposal from the other story. i hope you like it. please review!!!!!

Kris

chapter 14-Preparation and Proposals

Before Harry knew it, it was Christmas Eve. It was the night that the whole family was coming for dinner. But more importantly, it was the night that Harry was going to propose to Ginny. He had never been more nervous in his entire life. He knew that Ginny loved him, but he couldn't help but be nervous.

Harry sat at the kitchen table fully immersed in his thoughts as he absently sipped from a cup of tea. He sat knew exactly how he was going to propose, and he was glad that he already had the one of the hard parts of the proposal done with. Harry was thrilled that the Weasley brothers and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had so readily agreed. Harry had even asked Hermione. He had known that she would support him but it hadn't felt right not to officially ask her, and as he had predicted, Hermione backed him up fully.

Harry looked up from his thoughts when he began to get the feeling that someone was watching him. He smiled when he saw Hermione smiling down at him.

"You aren't nervous are you?" she asked sitting down at the table in front of him.

"Just a little," Harry replied truthfully as he looked down at his hands.

"Harry, look at me. Hey, why are you nervous? If she didn't love you and plan on marrying you then she wouldn't be so active in helping you raise Teddy. Harry, when she looks at you she has that same look in her eyes that you have in yours when you look at her. She has been yours since before you met. Back then, she was in love with a legend, a myth, a story book hero, the boy-who-lived. But now, she is in love with you. She is in love with Harry James Potter. And you have to admit that ever since you pulled her out of that chamber all those years ago, you have held a soft spot for her," she said with a knowing grin. She laughed when Harry nodded, but she continued. "Harry, do you not find it a bit funny that you have faced and killed the darkest wizard known to man and you suffered through years of being at the top of his hit list, but when it comes to asking the woman that you love, who you know loves you back, to marry you, you are more nervous than me during finals!" Hermione laughed with her friend. "Come on, Harry. Relax. You have nothing to worry about."

Harry smiled brightly at Hermione. "You are an amazing friend Hermione! I don't know what I would do without you. I feel so much better."

"Good, I'm glad," Hermione said with a bright smile. "And thanks to you too Harry. I can't imagine my life without you either."

Harry smiled, got up and kissed Hermione's cheek. "I'm going to go take a walk by the lake. And thanks, Mione. You are the greatest." With that Harry grabbed his coat and walked out the door.

HPGWHPGW

Harry checked his reflection in the mirror one last time ask he walked out of his room. It was time.

He then walked into Ron's room, where he took Teddy from Hermione who was sitting on Ron's bed. He smiled brightly at his friends and received a reassuring nod from Ron and a wink from Hermione. Grinning, he walked out of the room, and his only thought was: "This is going to be good!"

HPGWHPGW

Everyone sat around in a circle in the living room waiting chatting with each other happily. Finally Mr. Weasley spoke up. "Ok, Teddy can go first and then Harry, and around the circle 'til we end with Ginny." Mr. Weasley smiled at everyone but gave a small wink in Harry's direction.

"Alright mate," Harry said to Teddy "Let's see what Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur got you."

HPGWHPGW

So for the next hour, everyone went around the circle opening their presents in turn and thanking the giver. Finally it was Ginny's turn. Ginny unwrapped many gifts until there was just one left. This present was from Harry. She began to pull the paper off the heavy box. When all the wrapping paper was gone, she looked down at a small old trunk with the initials LEP on it. Ginny gently lifted up the latch and opened the trunk. She looked at Harry as a tear fell down her cheek. She then bent down and carefully lifted up a white silk gown. From the inside the folds of the gown fell a note. Ginny gently picked it up and looked at the beautiful writing. She cleared her throat and began to read aloud.

"My Dearest Harry, This was my wedding dress that I married the love of my life in. I always knew he was the right one for me, even when I wasn't so willing to admit it to myself. I jut knew by the way that he made my heart skip when he said my name or looked at me. I also knew because I wanted to make him a better person just like he made me want to be a better person. Harry, I know at times it will seem like love will never come, but when you finally do find it, don't ever let it go. Who ever you fall in love with should make you complete, and you should complete her too. And once you have that complete love, it can never die. My dearest Harry, I love you so much. All my love, Mom."

Ginny looked at Harry as tears fell down her cheeks, but she continued to unpack the trunk. Next there was a picture of a man with dark unruly hair on one knee in front of a beautiful red-headed woman. The woman said something to the man and he stood up and hugged her, spinning her around. Ginny flipped the picture to read the writing on the back. Again she read the beautiful writing aloud.

"This was James' proposal. This was the beginning of the happiest days of my life."

Ginny gently laid the picture on top of the dress. Finally she pulled out a very large, old photo album. Opening it to the first page, she saw a picture of two people at their wedding. Underneath the picture was another picture of their left hands. The woman's hand was lying over her husbands so you could see both rings. Ginny looked at the bottom of the page and gasped. "Richard and Elizabeth Potter. May 22nd, 1523." She looked at Harry and flipped to the last page. There she found a picture of a red-head in the white gown that lay next to her. She was smiling at a dark haired man. Ginny looked down at the picture of their hands. The woman was wearing a dazzling diamond and emerald engagement ring set in platinum, with a plain platinum band underneath. The man was wearing a plain platinum band as well. Her voice caught in her throat as she read the names. "James and Lily Potter. July 27, 1978."

She stared at the page until she realized that someone had moved in front of her, and she gasped when she saw that it was Harry on one knee.

Taking Ginny's hand in his, Harry began, "Ginny, that photo album has a photo of every Potter wedding since 1523. Gin, I love you with all of my heart. I want to marry you. I want you to be the one next to me in that album. Ginny, my mom said that the woman I fell in love with should complete me, and you do. Everyday I am with you I realize more and more that you are the love of my life. So, Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you marry me?" Harry then opened the box in his hand. The beautiful ring had a large square emerald in the middle with two smaller square diamonds on each side. Ginny's hand went over her mouth and new tears began to cascade down her cheeks as she looked at the ring. That was because she recognized the ring. It was the ring that she had seen in the picture. This was Lily Potter's ring. This was Harry's mother's ring.

"Yes," she finally whispered. "Yes!"

Harry smiled brightly and slipped the ring onto Ginny's left hand. He stood up and pulled Ginny tightly to him. He then leaned down and kissed her, and at the same time, he picked her up and spun her around, just as his father had done to his mother years before. They laughed when they saw a flash and Ron giving them thumbs up with a camera in his hand. This really had been the best Christmas Eve imaginable.

I just wanted to take a second and give out a special thanks to PASSION4WRITING4EVER. Thanks so much for your encouragement and also your advise. I appreciate it more than you know! Thanks!