Chapter 8 – Engagement ring

'Harry! Guess what!' Ginny exclaimed giddy with excitement.
She had just got back, Sunrise was sleeping in her bed and Harry, seeing Ginny's smile felt better already. He had spent the last hour wishing for her return and couldn't wait to get to bed to hold her.
'What, my love?' he asked as she unbuttoned her jacket and throw it on the armchair hastily.
'You will never believe it!' she continued climbing on the sofa to his side, hugging his neck and smacking a kiss on his cheek 'I can't wait to talk to Hermione about it.'
'What happened?' Harry asked starting to grow interested.
'Luna is getting married!'
Harry was baffled 'What?! With whom?'
'You know the guy she is hanging out with' she said her eyes glittering.
'Who? Do you mean the Aussie?'
'Yes of course! Who else?'
Harry stammered 'But… Isn't it like two months they have been hanging out?'
'Four.' she waved her hand insouciantly 'Apparently, he is head to toe in love with her and proposed yesterday! Isn't that amazing?'
Harry was puzzled by this unexpected news. Luna had never been the kind of person who married. She had always changed her partners quite often and they never lasted more than two or three months at most.
He couldn't picture her as a wife, like at all. It is true that the guy in question was as bizarre as her, but all her boyfriends had been so.
'Isn't he a muggle? Does he know about her being a witch?' he asked trying to get a grasp of the new notion.
'Apparently, he does. He had always known' she said shrugging without letting hold of Harry. She was flushed by the excitement and speaking very fast eager to say everything in the least amount of time 'She always tell straight away; she doesn't like to keep that secret and…'
Harry looked at her bewildered 'But what if they break up?' he interrupted her chattering.
'Nobody would believe them' she answered matter of fact 'Anyway! He proposed yesterday! They were on the beach, looking at the sunset and…'
'On the beach where?' he interrupted again.
'Portugal, you know he does that thing muggles do with a board on the sea…'
'Surf do you mean?'
'Whatever!' she answered slightly annoyed to be interrupted 'Well and then, they were talking about some kind of muggle things I didn't get' she waved her hand again like to ward off a fly 'and then when the sun was going down, they were in silence, and he actually kneeled down and…'
'Isn't he like twentyish or something?' Harry interjected again still struggling to put the pieces together of this extraordinary revelation.
'Twenty-five. And it doesn't matter. Don't interrupt me.' She snapped vexed 'Well he kneeled down and took her hand and, you know, she kind of knew what was going to happen and she told me she was so excited she almost cried' and here Harry knew Ginny was adding some of her own feelings in it, knowing Luna probably she had received the whole thing as if it were the most normal thing in the world 'and then he took out a ring and put it on her finger and then he asked her if she wanted to be his wife and kissed her!' she finished almost out of breath as she had scarcely allowed herself a pause in this long tirade 'And she said yes!' her eyes sparkled so much the room was suddenly brighter. She then looked at Harry expectant.
'I'm happy for her' he said arching his eyebrows sceptical but keeping for himself his thoughts on the matter.
Ginny seemed a bit disappointed by his lukewarm reception and she piped up 'I'm going to call Hermione! She knows as well! Luna called her this afternoon'
'No!' Harry gushed grasping her before she could escape to the kitchen. He knew for experience that if she had got close ten feet from the fire, he would have lost her for the rest of the evening.
'You'll call her tomorrow!' he said keeping her close forbidding her escape, and knowing that the only way to have her stay willingly was to feign interest in detail, asked 'When are they going to be married?'
She, who had seemed very eager to get to the kitchen at first, now that had the chance to talk about it some more seemed suddenly very keen to stay and explained 'Very soon actually! One or two months! They are going to have a party, everybody is invited! The venue is on the beach. Something simple, you know Luna. But she wants yellow flowers all around… Maybe sunflowers or Tulips. She is really undecided…' she was continuing with a speed undiminished and scarcely less enthusiasm, but her words had struck Harry.
'Wait a sec.' he interjected to stop Ginny 'Did you say on the beach?'
'Yes, on the beach, I think in Australia. Not sure, she still needs to make up her mind. But surely is going to be on the beach, she is actually planning some bonfires and…'
'And you said yellow flowers' he interrupted again.
'Yes, Harry' she answered irritated 'You know she likes yellow in this kind of celebration.'
Harry was speechless 'When did you find out about all this?' he asked before she could plunge again in her tale.
'Tonight, I told you. She told me tonight.'
'Didn't you know it this morning?'
'Of course not. She wanted to recount me everything in person. Why?'
Harry's brain was working furiously. He had been reminded of Sunrise's dream and was bewildered. How could Sunrise know about it? Was it a coincidence? She had described so well it seemed almost as if somebody told her. But it was impossible.
Ginny was looking at him enquiringly but then she gasped putting a hand on her mouth as if having a brainwave.
'What?' Harry asked wondering if Sunrise had shared her dream with her too.
'Now I know why in the kindergarten they thought I was single!'
No, it isn't Sunrise.
'Luna told me muggles give a ring when they propose, and they exchange another one when they marry. It's kept on the fourth finger of the left hand.'
She paused looking at her bare hand pensively 'I haven't got it.'
Harry felt suddenly uncomfortable 'Witch and wizard don't do it, right?'
'No, they don't' she admitted sitting back on the sofa and rising her hand in front of her eyes like if any ring should pop up magically only by staring 'But it's a nice tradition…'
Harry was at loss for what to say.
'You didn't give me one when you proposed…' she murmured.
'Well, I'm not a muggle…'
'But you grow up with them…' she said pointing her golden eyes on him.
He shrugged 'I don't know, I didn't think of it. I didn't know I was going to propose until I did' he explained. He didn't actually plan it beforehand; it just felt the right thing to do at that moment. They were in the Burrow's garden after having made love for the first time and she looked so beautiful, so pale and delicate on the grass, and he was so blissful. He hadn't kneeled down; he hadn't given anything besides himself.
'I can get you one now if you want though' he said getting her hand to kiss it.
She smiled and shrugged 'It's not important' she said pecking him 'I just thought it was nice, that's all. We are going to go, are we?'
'Ginny, it's not easy…' he sighed weary 'You know I cannot get time off right now.'
'But it's not right now! It's in a month or two!' she said pleadingly 'We must go! It's Luna! We cannot miss it!'
'Is Ron gonna be there?' he asked suspiciously.
'Yes Harry, of course he is going to be there. Don't be stubborn. It's about time you start to talk to him again. You don't have to marry him! Just a polite British exchange about the weather would be enough!' she snapped irritated.
Actually, the situation Ron wise had improved quite a lot under Harry's point of view. In these three years he had entreated himself in bearing his company yielding to Ginny and Molly steady coaxing.
The first Christmas after Lily's death had been dreadful. Nobody knew if to celebrate or not, where to encounter, nor what to do in respect of their grief.
Ginny was doing her best, but Harry had spotted her quite a few times with red eyes going in and out of the bathroom just before the boys getting back, but firm in his purpose to be a sustain and not abandoning her with her sorrow, he had railed ambushing her outside the loo for a confrontation and her, admitting the obvious, had broken down in his arms. Although hearth breaking, Ginny's outburst had helped them both to quieten their minds and, as a consequence, to keep up their spirit. They welcomed the boys on the platform with a smile and not to be the mean of general gloom, they invited everybody over and, with a great endeavour of bravery and forgiveness on Harry's part, he had accepted to include Ron in the scheme. Thankfully, probably with still a sense of guilt, he hadn't showed up and Harry had been relieved even though that meant Hermione hadn't been there either. Only Hugo and Rose had been of the party accompanied by Molly and Arthur.
Harry did his best to channel in a cheerful mood and not brood over Lily but at the same time he couldn't help himself thinking about Hermione and the sure dismal Christmas she was having through no fault of her own. Those two considerations didn't help him much in reconciliating himself to Ron.
Although after then, none of the two had been avoiding family gatherings anymore. Harry could tolerate to be in the same room as Ron and even occasionally managing to enjoy himself (when forgetting he was there) but he still wouldn't talk to him.
Ron, after a few failed attempts to get in speaking terms, got the message and let him be but Ginny didn't like this barrier of coldness and more than once left them alone hoping they would start to talk. Harry always left the room.
Initially, it had been distressing and he felt irritation creeping every time Ron was present.
Although, after a time, the irritation withered away, leaving only uneasiness first and then that too disappeared. And now he thought to be ready to make another effort. He was Ginny's family after all, and he had been his best mate for years. He owed to him the most important things in his life. Without him he would have never met the Weasley's, probably never married Ginny. And then, despite it was difficult to accept, he had missed him. He knew how impossible was to get back to the same friendship but was willing to strive for at least a chat. Nothing of it had been revealed to Ginny. He didn't want to rise expectations; he was determinate to go with his own pace and only if he felt comfortable in doing so.
Therefore, he didn't answer to her affirmation and forgetting completely about Sunrise's dream, started to cuddle Ginny enquiring further in boring minutiae only to keep her there and to hear the soothing sound of her voice. She relaxed in his arms retrieving her happy talk only occasionally glimpsing to her bare left hand.