Ron stared out the high window of Gryffindor tower. From this vantage point he could see across Hogwart's grounds to the Black Lake and the outskirts of the forbidden forest. If he pressed up against the glass looking west, he could just about see one set of Quidditch goals in the distance. The castle and grounds were empty, silent. It's the 31st of August 2000. Tomorrow the castle will welcome students back again, delivered safely by the Hogwart's express. Today though it was only accommodating professors, house elves, resident ghosts and two visitors. One here on business with the headmistress the other…purely for pleasure. He smirked to himself.
He turned back to appraise the room. The last of the summer sun streamed in the windows lighting it up, the fire was lit as always but burning low. He'd made sure to light every candle, just for effect, he liked how their glow made the room more welcoming. He'd brought a bunch of roses which were sitting on one of the tables they'd spent so many hours doing homework.
Was he making the right choice doing it here? Yeah…yeah he was. This was definitely the place. He couldn't get the smile to leave his face. He checked it was still in his pocket. Checked his watch. She'd be here any moment. McGonagall would have given her his note by now, unless the meeting overran. Knowing Hermione, it most definitely would, she'd talk the ear off anyone willing to listen about Elf rights. He wondered if she'd any idea what's about to happen?
Had it been long enough? Another question that'd plagued him for weeks. It's only been 2 years since…everything. Fuck it, for him there's never going to be another. Deep down he knows it's the same for her but bloody hell he can only hope he's got this right.
The portrait swung open and he watched as she clambered in. He'd seen her come through that hole a million times. The image of her at the age of 11 bursting through, much shorter and bushy haired popped into his mind. He realised that when he was in this room he was always searching for her. If she wasn't with him he'd always turn to see who was entering, he might have been playing chess, ignoring his homework, talking Quidditch but if she wasn't home yet he'd have watched that portrait hole until she appeared.
Today, obviously she wasn't wearing a uniform, although he fucking loved it when she put that on to play the odd evening. Today she was wearing a fitted dark maroon work dress, black heels and dark open robes. Her hair was falling around her shoulders and she had that flush on her face that she got when talking about her legislation passionately. She looked beautiful.
"Ron?" She smiled but raised an eyebrow questioning him.
"Hey you." He felt remarkably calm and happy.
"What are you doing here?"
"When you said you were visiting McGonagall I just took the chance to visit our special place."
"Our special place?" She repeated, clearly confused.
"Yeah sure…course it is." He walked over to join her by the entrance and gave her a soft lingering kiss. He wanted to stick his lips on her hard and passionately, she smelled bloody wonderful, but he was on a mission and couldn't lose focus. "Let me give you the tour…" He grinned at her.
Hermione giggled. "What in Merlin are you up to Ronald?"
He placed his hands on her shoulders and shuffled her slightly to his right.
"You were standing right here, waiting for me and Harry that night after the troll debacle. When we got back to the common room on Halloween night…you gave me a massive hug. That's the moment we became friends." His eyes twinkled as he gave her his signature lopsided grin.
He backed away from her and opened his arms wide indicating a space on the floor. "Here is where Neville landed when you Petrificus Totalus'd him." She gasped and hands flew to her mouth at the memory before giggling wildly. "It all made sense to me then. Why you were in Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw…cause I'd kinda been wondering up to that point, you know. That's when I knew you were a badass. We were best friends before we left here in first year."
He searched her face and found her beaming back at him, maybe even a bit misty eyed. Good, she's enjoying this, he thought. Relieved, he took her hand and walked her over to the fireplace.
"We were sitting here, crossed legged on this rug when you told me I'd the emotional range of a teaspoon. Thought about that a lot over the years. I'd like to think I'm almost the full cutlery set now…umm…maybe still short a dessert spoon but I promise I'm still working on it." He chuckled and pulled her over to the armchairs.
"This was my favourite place to play chess. I'd sit right here so I could watch you in-between moves. You'd be studying or doing homework or knitting those daft hats at the table just there." He'd landed heavily in the chair and lifted his hands to frame an imaginary picture for her. "And I loved it when you played me. It's still the only thing I can beat you at! Well, chess and quidditch. But we sat here so many times while I annihilated you over and over again." He gave her a cheeky wink. "But you never give up." She opened her mouth to retort but he cut her off. Moving to sit at another table.
"I sat on this seat and accidentally said 'I love you, Hermione' in 6th year, when that stupid spell check quill screwed me over and you fixed my whole essay. It just slipped out…at the time I wanted a dragon to land and swallow me whole! I tried to pretend it didn't happen but I remember my face burning red. What…a…prat!" He emphasised the last words and laughed.
"But then sixth year got good…in this far corner, on this seat." He dragged her over to the farthest nook of the room and sat down on the solitary armchair. "I very nearly got up the nerve to kiss you…that night we had the party for winning the Quidditch house cup. I dunno why it felt so hard back then, it feels as easy as breathing now."
He pulled her down onto his lap and reached his hand up to the side of her face. One arm wound around her waist, the other cradled her cheek and he ran his thumb over her lower lip before guiding her down into a kiss. It was slow and soft, he wasn't in a hurry, he poured all his love for her into the gentle open mouthed kiss, tongues gently massaging one another. When he pulled back he proceeded to kiss across her cheek and nibbled her ear before kissing down her neck and placing a final peck on her collarbone. She gave an appreciative moan and it snapped him to attention. Fuck he could so easily get lost in her. Focus Ron…
He stood up suddenly, lifting her with him and carrying her bridal style. She gave a little shriek.
"Come sit here." He placed her on the sofa beside him. "I'd say these were our favourite spots." She nodded but didn't interrupt. "Sitting here…sometimes we talked, sometimes we laughed…so hard it bloody well hurt…sometimes we fought. I don't mean when we properly fought, we did that too and it was totally shit but I mean when our discussions sometimes got heated, sometimes it was really fun…I've always loved winding you up. You're so hot when you're in one of your passionate rants. Hate to admit it but more than once I picked a fight just because…" She laughed and swotted his arm.
"Sorry…yeah so where was I? This sofa, we cuddled on here, do you remember that night I rubbed your sore tummy? I think that was the night I admitted to myself that there was a real danger I was in love with you." He watched her face as she smiled and raised her eyebrows but didn't wait for her to speak. "I'm pretty sure I'd felt it before then but I hadn't really worked out what it was. That night was some kind of weird intimacy and something kind of clicked in me." She was definitely looking a bit happy weepy now, he loved that she was enjoying this trip down memory lane. "And that neck rub you gave me…fuck that was really fucking hot. I'd have died happy that night" He laughed again and took a deep breath, it was time to get serious.
"Before the hunt, we held each other right here and admitted we wanted more together but had to wait until after. I actually stupidly thought that was the hardest thing I'd ever have to do." He laughed sadly. "Wasn't that silly of me!" She reached over and squeezed his hand but didn't say anything.
"Ok…so after the battle it's where I got the courage to give you a proper kiss. Not our first kiss but the first I gave you. I was all sorts of fucked up but you reminded me we were alive and that happiness would come again. You told me you loved me, you called me your hero." He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.
Ron slid off the sofa and knelt on one knee before her.
"Well…Hermione…I love you. I love you so bloody much. And I know we're young and we've only been properly together for 2 years but what does that matter? You're my person. I've known for a really really long time, way longer than just 2 years. I wish I'd figured it all out in 1st year and we could have been together for longer."
He laughed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. She gasped.
"But I guess…I'd settle for spending the rest of my life with you. If you'll have me?" He took a deep steadying breath. "Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?"
She looked utterly shocked, her mouth was hanging open, obviously completely lost for words. Well at least I surprised her, he thought mischievously. But as the seconds started to tick by his cockiness was diminishing rapidly. She's going to say no, that ugly voice that was normally locked safely away broke into his thoughts. The one that made him question everything and everyone good in his life. He tried to push it down. The proposal had gone the way he'd planned it….he'd said all he had to say…it was time to shut up and wait.
Finally, she spoke.
"But…but Ron. Are you sure?" She sounded almost pained.
Shit that wasn't the reaction he'd been hoping for, but she always needed to think things through and it wasn't a no.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Hermione." He said with complete sincerity.
"But, you know I can't…" Her voice trailed off as if choking back a sob. Realisation suddenly dawned on him. She was worried about giving him babies. Hadn't they been through all of this? Hadn't he told her it didn't matter? Of course after the wedding…if she ever says yes for fucks sake…they would try, with the help if that healer from St Mungo's. And from what he'd heard in the appointments the earlier in their lives they started the better, so yeah, maybe it has motivated him to ask her sooner rather than later but this was always the way his life was going to go. It was her, it was always going to be her.
"I know…and by the way we don't know that for sure...we've talked about it. Nothing has changed."
"Ron, are you sure?" She pressed again.
"Yes…I'm sure. I'm so completely sure. It's you and me, Hermione. You're all I want in this world. Anything else that may happen would be a bonus...but if it doesn't happen then that's just how it's meant to be for us. As long as it's us, that's all I could ever want."
"Yes!"
"Yes?"
He was caught off guard by her sudden answer. Before he could process, she was on her knees on the floor too. Her arms around his neck placing kisses all over his face.
"Yes I'll have you!" Kiss on the lips.
"Yes." Kiss on his cheek.
"I'll" Kiss on his nose.
"Marry" Kiss on the other cheek.
"You" Kiss the forehead.
"You wonderful man. You know you're my person too, Ron! There's never been anyone else."
"Wicked." He grinned. "Thank you for finally answering! You had me worried there for a moment."
"I'm so sorry you just caught me by surprise and I want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into." she said shyly.
"Hermione, we had this discussion over two years ago. I made my feelings very clear then. Nothing has changed, nothing will change. I want you to be my wife."
"Oh Ron!" She kissed him again. It was a long, proper kiss. Her hands were in his hair and stroking his face. Then she buried her head into his neck and they held each other. "I want to be your wife." She whispered against his skin. It gave him goose bumps…'wife'...Bloody Hell…he was going to have a wife! He pulled her tight to him, wrapping his arms completely around her tiny body. After a long thoughtful pause, she spoke again. "Umm did you have an actual ring?"
"Oh Merlin yeah!" He said excitedly, suddenly remembering he was still holding it behind her back. But then suddenly worried. "Before I show you…if you don't like it I swear we'll go straight to Diagon Alley and you can pick any ring you like?"
"Ok…can I umm see it?" His ears were flushed red as he pulled out of the tight embrace and held up the ring in between them. He took a deep breath. Praying he made the right choice. He had agonised over it…for ages…alone. He hadn't even asked Harry or Ginny for help. Shit maybe that was a mistake. Truthfully a bit of him would be gutted if he'd got this wrong for her.
"Oh Ron." She said again a bit weepy. He watched her face intently as he raised the ring, looking for any trace of disgust or unhappiness. Fuck he thought, he couldn't read her expression at all and that in itself was unnerving.
"This dark blue one is a Sapphire and the light blue one is an aquamarine. Dunno if you know but they're our birthstones…and I kind of liked the way the band twisted them together like it was you and me…together. But yeah…I'm more than happy to let you pick whatever ring you like…I'll buy you the biggest diamond they have. Honestly I won't be offended…but this is what I came up with…so…yeah…Hermione please say something so I can stop talking."
"Ron…" She whispered. "It's the most special, beautiful, incredible ring I've ever seen. I love it so much. I love that you know me well enough to pick such a perfect ring…Put it on me?" She held out her hand.
He gave a sigh of relief and felt his heart flush with what he could only assume was total and complete happiness. He took the hand she'd extended and pushed the ring slowly onto her left hand. "Just wait a second." He held her still. The ring glowed slightly and then resized itself to fit her perfectly. "There you go…it's all yours now love."
"Oh Ron. I can't believe you planned all this. I had no idea."
"Are you happy?"
"I don't think I could be any happier. Are you happy?"
"Fuck yeah!"
