Chapter 33

Ron looked despairingly into the Gringotts bank account he and Hermione had set up when they'd moved in together. It had been easier that way — paying all the funds as one, such as rent for the flat and withdrawing Galleons when they were going out. At the time, earning his own money and now on a level playing field with Hermione, he'd been okay about it. But now… well, now was more challenging.

Money was going into it on a weekly basis, but money was also coming out every time he took the payment for the ring out. And someone like Hermione, who was good at keeping track of all that kind of stuff, would eventually notice. Surprisingly, she hadn't yet. Or, if she had, she hadn't said anything. Perhaps she thought he was just using it to buy other things for himself and didn't think anything of it.

That was good in a way, but it bothered him, too. As the weeks wore on, as everyone was still talking about Percy and Audrey's wedding, he was beginning to think this whole plan had been the wrong plan. He should have just gone with what he could afford and gotten it over with. What did a ring really matter in the scheme of things? Hermione didn't care about that kind of stuff. She would have agreed to marry him regardless of what he offered in return. He knew that, and yet… he'd let his desire to do it 'right' take over. And it had been very, very wrong.

He frowned. That was what came with growing up poor, he realised. He finally had the money to buy something nice and so he went all out.

And now look where he was. With a debt to pay and nothing to show for it in return — not even the ability to call Hermione his fiance.

"How much this week, Mr Weasley?" the goblin asked, snapping Ron from his thoughts.

Ron looked down at the goblin, then back into the vault. "Er, ten I suppose. As usual."

"And send eight of it via owl to Hogsmeade?" the goblin continued.

"Yes," Ron said.

The goblin gathered ten Galleons from the vault and stuck eight into a small bag. She passed the other two to Ron. He placed them into his pocket.

"Is that all?" the goblin then asked.

Ron nodded. "Thanks," he said, and he watched as the goblin closed the door. It was a small vault compared to the Lestrange one they'd broken into once, or even Harry's, but it still contained more gold than the Weasley family ever had.

And it was theirs.

He and Hermione were doing alright, he supposed. Maybe just not good enough to be taking ten Galleons a week out of it without one of them noticing.

"The money will be sent via owl this evening, Mr Weasley," the goblin said. "As per usual."

"Thanks," Ron said again, and he jumped back into the cart that would take him back to the surface. Their vault wasn't too far underground, but it was still a decent journey back to the entrance. And no matter how short it was, it was unpleasant.

Once he reached it, climbing out of the cart, Ron had to stop for a moment for his eyes to readjust to the light.

There were a few hours of daylight left, which meant that the shops in Diagon Alley were still open. He had a few Galleons to spare, so he may as well make the most of spending some of it. At least he would have an excuse if Hermione found out about the money this week.

He strolled past the goblin guards, some of them wishing him a good evening. Ever since the war had ended, he found them far more pleasant than he ever remembered them being, which was surprising considering he'd contributed to the near destruction of the place. Perhaps it was his new outlook on magical creatures thanks to Hermione, or perhaps the goblins were much happier now that their lives weren't being threatened every day. He couldn't really tell, but either way, he didn't hate the visit to the bank as much as he once had.

Tucked into a little corner near the entrance via the Leaky Cauldron was a florist. From the front door to the back of the shop, the tiny space was decorated in so many bouquets and bunches and designs that Ron had difficulty even entering.

And the moment he did, he was greeted by a young woman who reminded him very much of Madam Rosmerta in her younger days. But she spoke with the mystical voice of Professor Trelawney, which really ruined her good looks for Ron.

"Can I help you?" she asked, smiling.

"Yes, I want the biggest bouquet, or whatever you have, for two Galleons. The nicest ones, too."

"Of course," the woman said, and she swept to the back of her shop, disappearing amongst the flowers.

"Is it for someone you love or someone you wish to scare?" she asked.

Ron stared for a moment. Then shaking his head, said, "My girlfriend."

"You didn't answer my question."

Ron stared for another moment, opened his mouth, closed it, and then said, "Something nice."

"Of course." The woman then swept in and out of vines, elaborate chain bouquets, picking this, plucking that. Ron decided he was safest waiting at the counter. Last time he'd been in here, this woman hadn't been there. In fact, on the multiple occasions he'd thought to buy Hermione flowers, they had been put together by a kind, normal witch.

After about five minutes, she came to the counter where she laid a bunch of unrecognisable flowers on a bunch of red paper. With her wand, she cut a piece of white ribbon and then waved her wand again. The flowers were immediately bunched and wrapped, and then tied.

"Two Galleons, Sir," the woman said.

Ron dug into his pocket and passed over two Galleons.

"Have a good day, Sir."

"Thanks," Ron replied. "Er, you too." He left quickly, hurrying down Diagon Alley with the flowers clutched in his hand to the entrance to their flat. Hermione would be home from work by now.

He made his way up the stairs with an aroma of smells making the short journey pleasant. Those who lived in the neighbouring flats always cooked something nice and it made his stomach growl in anticipation. Unless they went to the Burrow for dinner, he and Hermione didn't eat as well as the neighbours ever did.

He used his wand to unlock the door and was immediately greeted by Hermione's beaming face right in front of him. She was so close, he was forced to take a step back through the door.

"I was beginning to wonder where you'd gotten to," she said, and her eyes fell on the bunch of flowers still in Ron's hands.

He passed them to her. "I got you these. I thought you might like them."

Hermione accepted the flowers with a small smile on her face. She then looked back up at him. "What are these for?"

"Because I love you, and I wanted to," Ron said. "Though, the lady in the shop today was really odd. Probably won't be going back if she's there."

"They're beautiful," Hermione said, and then placed them on the table, almost discarding them. Ron might have been upset had he not bought them for her because he was feeling guilty to begin with.

Instead, he said, "What's got you in a good mood?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, though there was no hiding her apparent excitement over something.

"Well, you almost knocked me over when I came in, and you just threw those flowers to the side like they were nothing. You seem happy about something, and I don't think it's just because I came home."

Hermione watched him for a moment, as if contemplating something. A smile still played on her lips, though her expression had turned serious.

"Out with it!" Ron demanded. "Did you get made Minister for Magic or something?"

"Of course not," Hermione said, and she led him over to the breakfast table. "I just… I have a proposal for you."

"A what?" Ron asked, his head snapping to her as she all but pushed him into the chair.

"A proposition. An idea. A thought. Whatever you want to call it." Hermione sat in the opposite chair, though Ron now watched her warily.

He didn't think she meant the word proposal literally, but it was all that was on his mind these days. He couldn't really see what else she might have meant. Had he waited too long? Was she becoming frustrated with not getting married? After their unexpected talk at Percy's wedding, had she decided to take matters into her own hands?

"Well?" Ron asked after she didn't speak. "What do you want to say?"

"I've been thinking," Hermione began, "ever since we talked about it at Percy's wedding."

Dammit.

"What about that?" Ron asked, feeling his chest tighten a little. If she got too far into things, maybe he should just blurt it out over top of her. He wanted to do it.

"Big decisions," Hermione said. "The next step. I have been thinking about the first one."

"Oh?"

"Why don't we get a house together?"

Ron paused. His eyes scanned the flat they were sitting in, with the bedroom off to the side, the living space, the kitchen… he looked back at her, not sure whether he felt relieved or disappointed that she hadn't suggested marriage.

"But… we have a house." It was a dumb comment, because he knew what she meant, but…

"Not one that's ours," Hermione said. "Not one we've bought, not one with a garden, lots of rooms… not one for the future."

The future.

The words sounded good to his ears. A confirmation that everything he was doing, everything he had planned, really was worth it. Even if he had to wait a little bit longer, they still had a future. A long future, he hoped.

"I've been thinking about it a lot," Hermione continued, and she seemed delightfully happy that Ron couldn't help but smile. "Even before we discussed it a few weeks back. This place is cramped — even for the two of us — and… well, I really like the idea of planning the future with you, and I think this is a good first step."

"A big decision," Ron said.

"But a smaller, big decision."

They were silent for a moment. The idea of living in a bigger place with Hermione was greatly appealing. They'd always known that this flat wouldn't be forever, and if he was being honest, he'd always imagined getting a place somewhere secluded, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. A bit like the Burrow or Shell Cottage.

They could do magic freely without the risk of Muggles seeing, and, well… it would be a good place to raise children, and he was extremely confident that that was one of the things Hermione was alluding to when she spoke of the future.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked. "I know it's convenient here — it's close to everything, but we can Apparate, Floo, all that kind of stuff. Wherever we live, we'd arrange connections to everywhere important via the fireplace."

"Yeah…" Ron said. "That would be nice." He smiled at her, suddenly feeling delusionally happy. He loved living with Hermione. Waking up next to her everyday, or stumbling into the kitchen on weekends after she'd already been up for an hour, seeing her messy, unbrushed hair, in her pyjamas… cuddling her at night before they fell asleep…

There was nothing more calming than knowing she was always there.

It seemed like the next step, naturally.

"Let's do it!" he said after a moment. "A house of our own. One we can add our own touches to."

Hermione's smile widened. "This is so exciting!" She then flushed, sheepishly taking out her wand. "I've, um… been looking already. Just a little bit." And before them appeared some newspapers — reminding Ron from when he was back in Grimmauld Place and they were looking for this flat.

Ron liked the sense of normalcy to it all. Three years ago, he had been convinced they'd all be dead, so to be sitting at a table talking about something as simple as a house was the best feeling.

"You wouldn't be the Hermione I know and love if you hadn't already researched this," Ron said, drawing some of the newspapers towards him. He paused at the first one, his smile faltering for the first time.

"What?" Hermione asked. "I know it's in a Muggle area, but I thought —"

Ron shook his head. "It's not that. Wherever you go, I go. It's just..." It hadn't occurred to him until he saw the large number in the advertisement. This was going to cost money. Money he was already spending on an engagement ring.

"We can afford it," Hermione said gently, seeming to understand his hesitation. "It's alright."

Ron looked up from the paper to her. Why was it that whenever he thought something wasn't going to work, he could just look at her and it didn't matter anymore?

Wherever you go, I go.

"It's going to be tough until training's finished," Ron said.

"But we can manage. I've done the calculations. It's okay."

Ron nodded, and Hermione reached out to grab his hands. He squeezed hers tightly. "Then let's do this," he said.

How could he say no? Even if it meant he had to take another look at the ring repayments to ensure that they really could afford it. And what if he couldn't? What was he supposed to say to Hermione then?

She smiled at him again and suddenly, his decision was easy. Who needed to be married? He had everything he wanted sitting at the table with him.

And it was just about to get a million times better with their first big decision.

I promise, they will get engaged (it's canon compliant after all). But I also think Ron being insecure about money is an important part of his character that couldn't go unaddressed.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :D