A Little Emerald Box

A Little Emerald Box

Christmas Eve morning dawned bright and cold. Snow had fallen during the night and had covered the ground in a glistening blanket of snow. Ron Weasley awoke around midmorning and looked out the window. He watched the gentle snow flakes falling from the clouds as he pondered the past few days.

Ron had spent ages trying to figure out what to get Hermione for Christmas. After wracking his brains for hours he had finally come up with a gift that he hoped would be well received. Ron had enlisted his best friend Harry to help pick out Hermione's present. They had found a beautiful white gold ring. It had impossibly thin strands of the precious metal winding around each other to form the band. The strands then formed a pretty wreath in the center or the ring, surrounding an amazing diamond, with as many facets as Hermione's complex mind. It was perfect for her. Ron had then bought a festive green box, with a pattern in silver foil and small emerald rhinestones set into the design.

Ron went over his plan for tonight in his mind once more before he left the window. He was going to take Hermione on a walk in a picturesque little park near his house. He figured it was as romantic as he could make it and decided that thinking about it too much would make him even more nervous, so he went downstairs to eat breakfast. He got dressed and got his suitcase before apparating into his childhood home, the Burrow.

When he appeared in the living room of the Burrow, he was instantly drawn in by the tantalizing aroma of Mrs. Weasley's cooking, which was coming from the kitchen. Suddenly he heard a shuffling of footsteps before...

"RON!" Mrs. Weasley screamed. She rushed to her son and embraced him fiercely. Even though Ron visited his mother and father often, Mrs. Weasley still acted as though she were seeing her son for the first time in years. It never ceased to amaze him.

"Hi, Mum," Ron said with a grin on his face. He was trying very hard to keep his laughter at bay. The whole scene really was quite funny.

--Pop--

Hermione materialized in the living room a few feet from Ron. They managed to smile broadly at each other before Mrs. Weasley took Hermione into a motherly hug just like the one Ron had just received.

"And Hermione, dear! It's so good to see you again! How was your trip with your parents?" Hermione had just returned from a ski trip in the Rocky Mountains in America with her family. They had taken a vacation together since Hermione was spending Christmas at the Burrow.

"It was wonderful! Thank you for asking. By the way, where's Mr. Weasley? My parents thought he might like to have an old pair of skis we found in our closet at the resort."

"Oh, I'm sure he will love those. He's not here at the moment though. He went out this morning to get a tree. It's been a bit busy at the Ministry lately and he hasn't had the opportunity to get one yet. Anyhow, he should be back soon. Ginny, Fred and George are already here, and Harry owled me and said that he would show up around 11:00. Bill, Fleur and Charlie are coming later this afternoon."

"Ok. Me and Hermione are gonna go talk to the others. Talk to you later Mum."

"Alright sweetie. I'll need all of you down here when Arthur gets back home though. You kids get to decorate the tree," Mrs. Weasley informed them. Ron and Hermione had left the room with their bags and began to ascend the winding staircase before Mrs. Weasley left to continue her cooking.

Ron and Hermione climbed to the topmost room of the house to deposit Ron's bags. Ron took Hermione into his arms for a proper greeting. They shared a long kiss before they went back downstairs.

Ron and Hermione found the other three Weasley children in Ginny's bedroom. Even though Ginny had changed and matured in the past few years, her room was still the same as it had been in her school days. It was a bright pink with purple accents and a bedspread to match. It was a bit of a childish room, but for some reason Ginny hadn't wanted to change it. The three were deep in conversation about something when Ron and Hermione entered, but they stopped abruptly when they saw them.

"Hey guys!" Ginny said. She had the guilty look on her face of someone who had just been talking about someone else when that someone entered.

"Hey," Ron eyed his sister suspiciously. He knew that, because Harry and Ginny were dating, Ginny had information passed to her from Harry regarding Ron's personal life. He also knew, however, that Ginny could keep a secret, so he wasn't too worried.

Harry joined them after a little while and the six young wizards sat in Ginny's room for hours, talking about everything from Quidditch, to work, to the upcoming holiday celebrations. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying their time off from responsibility, and they enjoyed conversing with each other after a long time apart. Harry arrived upstairs around 11:15 and he joined in the conversation.

Around noon, Mrs. Weasley called them down for lunch, where they were joined by Charlie, Bill, and Bill's wife Fleur. They then spent the rest of the afternoon putting a hodge-podge of tinsel, popcorn and berry strands, and glass baubles on the tree and around the living room. Hermione gave an ecstatic Mr. Weasley his early present of skis, and he immediately went outside and up a path to the big hill that sat near the Burrow. It was about the equivalent of a bunny slope, but it was nonetheless amusing watching Mr. Weasley try to maneuver the strips of wood gracefully. He returned an hour later with a sprained wrist and a few bumps and bruises, which Mrs. Weasley mended in a minute. After an afternoon of fun and laughter, the Weasleys and their guests sat down to Christmas Eve dinner. Mrs. Weasley had once again prepared a stupendous meal of turkey, vegetables, fruit, sides, and a delicious dessert similar to chocolate cream pie.

Once their bellies were full to bursting, everyone headed into the living room to enjoy each others company. Ron remained in the kitchen. He told them he would be out in a few minutes; he was just going to wash the dishes for his Mum, who had worked hard all day. As he worked, he thought about the impending walk in the park with Hermione. His pulse was rapidly increasing and he was beginning to tremble slightly. He decided that if he didn't leave now, his nerves would consume him and he would be incapable of walking, much less coherent speech. Just as he had made up his mind to go and get Hermione, the object of his affections walked into the kitchen.

"You have been in here a while. Haven't you finished the dishes yet," she asked.

"Yeah. I, uh...just finished. Um...Hermione?" Ron's heart rate was still climbing to an alarming pace. "Would you...um...would you please go for a walk with me?

"Of course. Why are you so nervous? I haven't seen you like this since we first started dating." She looked at him curiously.

"Oh...um...I'm fine. I am just a bit out of breath...uh...washing up can sure take it out of you!" Ron pathetically tried to cover for himself. His voice had gone up slightly in pitch.

***********

A few minutes later the two had retrieved their coats and cast a warming charm on themselves and headed out the door. They walked in silence. Ron was, of course, going through his plan one more time. Hermione said nothing to disrupt his thoughts. Finally, after what seemed like hours (to Ron at least), the two had reached the park.

"Why don't we sit over here? My feet are starting to ache a bit." Ron gestured toward a small gazebo, which was strewn with evergreen and mistletoe for the holiday season. Hermione sat facing the lake and Ron followed suit. They sat in silence for a few minutes, looking out over the placid frozen lake at the setting sun. Ron noticed the first few stars starting to sprinkle the night sky. Just as he was thanking God for the perfect night, he saw a star streak across the heavens. He remembered back to his school days in Divination. He never quite grasped the art, but one thing he remembered. Shooting stars were supposed to be good omens. Somewhat reassured, Ron breathed deeply and took out the little emerald box from his coat pocket.

"Hermione?" Ron asked croakily.

"Yes Ron?"

Ron took one more deep breath.

"Um...I have something I want to ask you."

"Yes?" Hermione's cheeks were pink from the wind and she had flecks of the falling snow in her hair. Ron stared at her for a moment before responding. He was calmed by the vision in front of him. She was so beautiful and poised compared to him, and yet her picture-perfection only gave him confidence. He knew she loved him. And he certainly knew that he loved her. Suddenly his nerves abated and his next four words came out steadily and with strength.

"Will you marry me?"

He held out the opened ring box with its little token inside it and waited for an answer.

"Ron"

Hermione's voice was the faintest of whispers and her eyes were as big as saucers. Ron was not sure if this was good or bad. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill out at any moment.

"...Well?" Ron's nerves had returned.

In response, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth. It was soft, but full of a passion and a love Ron did not realize she possessed.

He took this as a sign of her consent and slowly disentangled himself from her embrace. He took her delicate hand gently in his own and slid the ring onto her finger. She sighed as she took in its beauty.

"Be mine Hermione. I want to be with you for the rest of my life and longer." Ron whispered softly in her ear.

"Of course..." came her reply, no louder than his own.

They sat on the bench for another 15 minutes in each other's arms, again in absolute silence, as they contemplated their future together.

**********

Ron and Hermione returned to the Burrow, excited and nervous about telling their family and friends about the engagement.

When they arrived however, it became apparent that they did not need to tell anyone. They were greeted with cheers and hugs and kisses from everyone the moment they walked through the door. It seemed that Harry had told Ginny of Ron's plan to propose to Hermione. She had told Fred and George, who had told everyone else while the lovebirds were out. Everyone was just as enthusiastic and excited about the engagement as Ron and his fiancé. They spent the rest of the evening and the following Christmas Day celebrating and planning for the wedding. When Ron and Hermione went to bed late Christmas night, they already had half of their wedding party decided. Harry would, of course, be Ron's best man, and Ginny was to be Hermione's maid of honour. The wedding was going to be held in late spring. Ron and Hermione left the next day in a dream state, imagining the next few months and after the wedding.