Planning and organisation had never been Ron’s strong point, and he was certainly not known for his big romantic gestures. He usually managed the odd bunch of flowers or an occasional meal, but generally, Hermione had come to realise that she should not expect too much from her boyfriend and was instead just grateful for the small things he did do.
This meant that deciding he was going to propose left Ron with a serious problem. He knew that, for all her talk of not minding his lack of big gestures, Hermione was really a closet romantic, and she would almost certainly have had the perfect proposal planned in her mind since she was old enough to know what the word meant. He was determined that this was one time when he was not going to let her down. He wanted the moment to be everything she had ever dreamed of and even though she would probably still say yes if he just clumsily blurted out the question one evening, he didn’t want that to be the way it happened.
So, one Saturday afternoon, Ron found himself meeting Harry for a drink to get his advice. His sister and best friend had been engaged for just less than six months, though with no immediate plans to get married, thanks to both of them having to put everything into their new careers. Ron hoped that if anyone would be able to advise him it would be his best mate. Certainly, Ginny had seemed happy with however he had proposed.
The two met outside the Leaky Cauldron and after a quick greeting, they went inside to find themselves a table. Once Harry had bought them both a drink, Ron cleared his throat nervously.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said.
Harry laughed. “Well, there’s a first time for everything!”
Ron hit him playfully on the arm. “Shut up! I wanted to say that I’ve decidedtoaskHermionetomarryme,” he said very quickly, without pausing for breath. Having said the words, he suddenly felt very nervous. Up until then, marrying Hermione was just something he had thought about to himself. Now that he had actually voiced his intentions, they felt very real and he was terrified. Was he really ready to get married? Yes, they had been dating for over a year, though it should have been longer if they hadn’t both been acting like idiots, and he certainly couldn’t imagine ever not being with her. But marriage?
Harry, however, was grinning. “That’s brilliant, Ron! I’m really happy for you.”
“Th-thanks,” stuttered Ron. “I was wondering if you could help me, actually. I’m not really sure how to propose. I want it to be special and something that she’ll remember forever but I haven’t got a clue where to start.”
“Well,” replied Harry. “I wouldn’t exactly win any prizes for romantic of the year!”
“You managed to get Ginny didn’t you? How did you do that?”
“Are you sure you want to hear the intimate details of the relationship between me and your sister?” asked Harry, raising his eyebrows.
Ron blushed furiously. “Of course not! Just how you proposed. I assume there’s nothing ‘intimate’ about that.”
“Well…” Harry trailed off, unable to keep a straight face. “No, you’re right. It was perfectly innocent. It was just after she learnt she’d passed her trial with the Harpies. I bought her new broom as a present for making the team. She made a terrible fuss about accepting it “ she’s worse than you are at taking gifts!”
Ron opened his mouth to protest but quickly thought better of it.
“Anyway, so I took her some deserted moors where I thought we’d have the chance to do a bit of flying in peace “ it would have only required one or two memory charms if anyone saw us. After we had been flying for a while, I drew level with her and asked her to marry me.”
“While you were still in the air?”
“Yep. Kissing in mid-air while attempting to keep two broomsticks straight is not easy, believe me. Anyway, she said yes so I suppose I did something right.”
“That’s no use for me “ Hermione hates flying.”
“It wasn’t about the flying; it was the fact that we were doing something together that we both enjoy and that is special to us and to our relationship. After all, it was after a Quidditch match that we first-”
“Stop!” interrupted Ron loudly. “I do not need to hear about that.”
“I was only going to say kissed, Ron; after all it’s hardly a surprise for you “ you were there!”
“Yes, I suppose. But what special thing do Hermione and I share? The first time we kissed was right in the middle of the Battle, when neither of us had slept, showered or eaten in who knows how long and we’d just had to go down to the Chamber of Secrets to take the fangs from a dead snake. It’s not exactly the most romantic of memories!”
“No, so maybe that’s not the best idea then. Well, what about Bill?”
“What about Bill?”
“He proposed to Fleur in France didn’t he? Because that was somewhere that was important to Fleur. Is there anywhere important to Hermione?”
“Well, the holiday to Australia was kind of special, I think. But it’s a bit much to go all the way back there to propose.”
“Maybe you don’t literally have to go back to Australia. Think; what was it that made that holiday so special?”
“Well, I suppose it was the fact that we were alone. I mean, no offence, mate, but sometimes, when the three of us were always together, it was hard to really talk to her or to show how I felt about her.”
“I think you can safely say I won’t be there when you propose, so you’ll be alone then,” Harry cut in with a grin.
“And when we were away, there was no fear, no worrying, no constantly checking over our shoulders. Yes, there was the initial anxiety of finding her parents but once we were done with that and everything was sorted between them all, it was like we were completely free of everything. Now that we’re back home, we’re still free of the fear, but there’s so much more responsibility placed on us in England. We can’t just go out and have fun or enjoy ourselves. There are people following us or approaching us all the time. I guess it would be nice to have that sense of freedom back. In Australia, no one knew who we were and it didn’t matter to them what we had done or what we planned to do.”
Harry was silent for a moment and Ron watched a sad look pass over his face.
“It’s not your fault, Harry,” he added. “We knew all of this would happen and I’m not complaining “ I’m just saying that’s why that holiday was so good for us.”
“So you need somewhere to be alone then,” Harry said slowly, a thoughtful look on his face.
“Yes, but where? Our jobs don’t exactly allow us to just take time out for a holiday.” Ron was already a year into the Auror training course, which he balanced with helping George at the shop, while Hermione had finished her seventh year and had almost immediately started work at the Ministry.
“Well what about Hogwarts then? It’s not quite Australia but it is somewhere special to you both.”
“I don’t know if you’d noticed, mate, but Hogwarts tends to be quite busy; it’s not the best place to go to be alone.”
“Not in term time, but it’s the summer holidays now “ there’d be almost no one there so I’m sure you’d be able to find time to be alone. And it wouldn’t matter where you went in the castle, it would be special.”
Ron was grinning. “I think you’re right,” he said. “I’ve just got figure out exactly how now. Thanks, mate.”
“It’s no problem,” replied Harry, a smile on his face. “Just let me know how you get on!
A week later, after much planning and organisation, Ron told Hermione that he wanted to take her out. Surprised by his seeming spontaneity she readily agreed. When he Side-alonged them to Hogsmeade however, she was less than impressed.
“Ron, why on earth have we come here?” she asked. “I can go to Hogsmeade any time I want to.”
Ron felt immediately worried. He hadn’t thought she would object to coming to Hogsmeade. His plan depended on it. “I just thought it would be nice to relive some of our old memories,” he replied quickly. “We had such great times here during our Hogwarts’ days, and when you were still at school last year, the only time I got to see you was on Hogsmeade weekends.”
She laughed a little. “Honestly, Ron, I only finished school a few weeks ago. It’s not really been long enough to be able to reminisce. But I suppose you’re right - we did have some nice trips here when we were younger. She took his hand and they started walking casually along the high street. He felt relief run through him as she cheered up.
They ran a few errands and visited some of their old favourite places. Ron couldn’t resist buying a special offer bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and they spent a good twenty minutes trying them out. Ron went rather green when he found himself tasting a mouldy cheese flavoured one, while Hermione was quick to spit out her tentative bite of a pale pink one which turned out be toenail flavoured.
Early in the afternoon, Ron suggested they go and have lunch in the Three Broomsticks.
“And then I though we could go up to Hogwarts,” he added. “It’s the holidays now and Professor McGonagall said it would be all right to pay a visit.”
Hermione looked at him in surprise. “You’ve already asked her?”
“Well, I thought it couldn’t hurt to be prepared,” Ron answered, suddenly thinking he was being very obvious. He could tell she was going to guess what was happening. “After all, it’s not like you’ve ever turned down the chance to visit the castle!”
“True,” she replied, smiling.
They had a light lunch at the pub, with Madam Rosmerta providing free Butterbeer for her ‘two favourite old pupils’. Hermione chatted about her work, saying how exciting it was to be starting in such an advanced position so soon after graduating, while Ron talked about his progress on the Auror training programme and his fear about the upcoming exams.
“We really have to do to well in these,” he explained, “or they don’t let us carry on to the next year. My practical is improving but I’m still worried about the written exams.”
“I’ll help you,” Hermione reassured him. “I know you’re clever enough to pass them “ you just need to find the best way to revise.”
“Thanks,” he said, draining his Butterbeer. “We should probably get going. I told Professor McGonagall we’d be there by three.”
They gave a quick farewell to Madam Rosmerta and started the walk to Hogwarts. Ron began to feel more and more nervous as they walked. Every few minutes, his hand would go to his pocket and he would check that the small jewellery box he had put so much effort in to acquiring was still there. Part of him just wanted to turn back and go home. He was terrified that he was going to do something wrong. And there was still the question of whether she would even say yes.
Eventually, they reached the grounds. Up ahead they saw the grand castle doors opening and a cloaked figure emerged, walking down to meet them. As the couple got closer, they realised it was Professor McGonagall, who was positively beaming to see them. Ron knew why, of course “ he had let her in on his plan when he asked permission to visit the castle, but he really wished she would not be so obvious.
“Good afternoon,” she said when they met. “How are you both?”
“Fine, thank you, Professor,” replied Hermione. “Thank you so much for allowing us to visit the castle.”
“It’s no bother, Hermione. I was going to be here anyway, doing some preparations for next year. I saw you coming from my office window and decided to take a break to come and meet you. You’re free to visit any part of the castle you wish. The current password to the Gryffindor tower is ‘Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak'.’” Ron and Hermione smiled at the use of the words they remembered from their first year at the school.
“The library is also open if you wish, Hermione,” added the Professor.
“Thank you, Professor, though I’m not sure whether we’ll have time today “ it’s more of a social visit,” said Ron, not wanting to encourage Hermione to start visiting the library “ he would never to get to carry out his plan otherwise!
“Oh yes, of course,” said McGonagall. “Sorry!”
“That’s all right,” said Hermione, looking confused. “It would be nice to visit the library. It wouldn’t be a problem, would it Ron?”
“Er, no, I suppose not, but maybe we could go up to the tower first. I’d like a sit down after that walk.”
They had reached the castle doors by this point and paused.
“Well, I’ll let you be off then,” said McGonagall. “I’m sure you still remember the way to the common room! You may stay as long as you want. Just come and see me in my office before you go.”
They both agreed and made their way through the entrance hall and up the staircase to the portrait of the Fat Lady where they delivered the password and entered the familiar common room.
A fire had been lit in the grate, making the room cosy and shielding it from the slight wind that had picked up as they walked up to the castle. Ron and Hermione settled themselves on the sofa closest to the fire. Hermione rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her.
“It’s strange,” she said after a while.
“What is?”
“Well, no matter where we go or what we do, there has always been something so special about this place. Harry used to say this was where he felt most at home and in some ways, I feel the same. As much as I love my parents, Hogwarts has always felt like a kind of home to me since I’ve been part of this world.”
“There’s certainly something about this place,” replied Ron. “I suppose I learnt a lot here “ not just from classes, but outside of them too. To find friends like you and Harry was the best thing that ever happened to me, and even though we argued, I can’t imagine how my life would have been if we hadn’t been friends. And then, to realise that you were something more to me, even if it took me a while was, well, amazing. I suppose my point is, Hermione, that I love you.”
“I love you, too, Ron,” she replied.
He shifted in his seat, reaching into his pocket to find the small box he knew was there. His heart began to beat faster as he slipped off the sofa and knelt in front of her. He could not believe the time had come. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking hands.
“The thing is, Hermione, that my years here have taught me so much and one of them is that I can never be without you. So, Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?”
She had sat up straighter on the sofa when she had seen him kneel in front of her and at his final words, she let out a little gasp. Her eyes were shining and she was beaming. In that moment, to Ron, she looked more beautiful than she ever had before. And in the seconds she took to reply, his heart beating so fast he thought he would explode, it was all he could do not to grab her in his arms and kiss her.
The wait, however, was less than a minute, before she replied, “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.” Her voice was overflowing with joy and she looked as if she was about to cry. His hand shaking, Ron removed the ring from the box and took her hand. When she saw the ring, she gasped again. “But that’s “”
“Your grandmother’s ring,” he finished. “I know you once spoke of how beautiful it was and that you knew you nan wanted you to have it so I went to see see your parents to ask for it. Your mum was thrilled “ it was all I could do to stop her contacting you immediately with congratulations. I wanted so much for today to be a surprise.”
“Oh, it has been,” she replied. “I had no idea that you were planning anything. And I suppose Professor McGonagall knows?”
“Yes she was more than happy to offer Hogwarts services for the occasion. I just wanted this to be perfect. And all the stuff I said before was true. This place will always be special because it’s where I realised I loved you.”
She kissed him. “I meant what I said too. This day could not have been any better. Thank you so much.”
“So,” he said cheekily, “do you still want to visit the library?”
She laughed. “No, I’ve got a wedding to organise now! Just think of how much there is to do. Who else knows about today?”
“Only Harry. I thought you would want to tell the rest yourself.
She beamed. “Well, I suppose we ought to get going! I want to see everyone.”
He took her hand and they headed to McGonagall’s office. She took only one look at their faces and let out an exclamation of delight, immediately knowing that Ron’s plan must have been a success.
“Congratulations! I’m so pleased for you both. I hope that you will be very happy together.”
“Thank you, Professor,” said Ron. “And thank you so much for letting me use the Castle for this. I couldn’t think of anywhere more appropriate. I hope it is all right that this has been a short visit. Hermione is anxious to tell our families!”
“Of course. Good luck with everything. It has been wonderful to see you both again.”
The said goodbye and left the castle. As they walked through the grounds Ron put his arm around his fiancé’s waist and she smiled.
“I can’t believe we’re getting married!”
"I can't believe we have to go home and tell Mum!"
Hermione laughed. "Not to mention the rest of your family."
Ron paled at thought of his brothers' teasing. "Well, no time like the presence, I suppose," he said, taking her hand in his and continuing down the hill towards Hogsmeade.
Forever Yours by coolh5000
Chapter Notes: Thank you so much to Treacle_Heart for being a wonderful and speedy beta!
Chapter Endnotes: Reviews are my one true love, so it would be great to know what you thought. Constructive criticism is especially welcome!