I Saw My Lady Weep

Chapter 13: Carries On And On And On And On

"So... have you... you know?" Harry asked Ron. It had been two days since the purchase of the ring, and as there had been no sudden explosion of happiness from Molly, Harry figured the question had yet to be popped. He was merely looking for confirmation of this from Ron.

"Not yet. Haven't had the chance, really," Ron replied, looking a bit sheepish.

"Haven't had the chance? What sort of rubbish is that? You've had all sorts of chances!" Harry laughed. As always, Harry found his best mate's inability to deal with romance amusing. "A full forty-eight hours of chances, in fact."

Ron stared at Harry with a gimlet eye. "Oh yeah? When, then? While Mum's busy making plans for Ginny's birthday? Or when the entire bloody family is all gathered together making jokes about how 'Mione and I will be all by our lonesome in some foreign country without a chaperone? Or maybe when we're up to our arms in packing?" The young man seemed to deflate. "Yeah, that's romantic. All I want is five minutes alone with her and I can't even get that right."

Harry stopped laughing. "I'm sure you'll find it, mate. It'll work out."

"What will work out?" Hermione asked, coming down the stairs with Ginny. As was usual these days, she was carrying her lists. She had lists of things to be done before they left for Australia, a list of things to be done once they got there, a list of things to be packed, a list of things to be purchased... Ron told Harry he was going spare with all the lists, but Harry had merely shrugged. "It's the price of being with Hermione, Ron. She likes to be prepared," he had said.

But this morning, Harry knew that Ron wanted to surprise her. "Oh... Er... the trip. Ron's a bit nervous. Never been that far from home without the entire family... doesn't want to act like a prat in front of the Aussies... things like that."

"Ronald, I'm sure..." Hermione began.

"Mail's here!" From the kitchen came the voice of Molly Weasley, interrupting.

"Thanks Mum. Let us know if the Hogwarts letters get here!" Ginny called back. She turned to Hermione and shrugged. The two girls sat, each with their respective boyfriends.

"As I was saying, Ronald... I'm sure you'll do fine. We're only going to be in Australia for a week, and then we'll be back. Kingsley says the Australian Ministry has my parents under surveillance... It's not like we have to hunt around the Outback for them."

Ginny leaned into Harry. "Think of it as a holiday, Ron."

"Um... yeah, well... I just..." Ron shrugged, not sure how to carry on the deception. "Actually I... um... I'd already started thinking of it that way, Ginny. It's a big place, is all, and neither of us has ever been. And I was sort of hoping we might get a chance... just the two of us... To, you know... look around a little before coming back.

"I think that's a brilliant idea." Harry interjected. "It's not like the two of you haven't earned a bit of time off. We all have." Ginny was nodding as he spoke. "So if you need to take an extra week to have some fun, you should. Go to a beach. Go dancing... just enjoy the time together."

Ron looked to Hermione. Hermione looked at Ron. Ron shrugged and smiled. Harry marveled at their capacity to hold an entire conversation in a look and a gesture.

"Good. I'm glad that's settled. Someone ought to have a decent sense of fun around here," Ginny said. "Bring me back a t-shirt!"

"A decent sense of fun? " Harry scoffed in mock offense. "A decent sense of fun? This from the girl who let me call her Virginia all during her first year of Hogwarts without once informing me that her name was actually Ginevra and not Virginia at all?"

"Oh Ginny, you didn't!" Hermione giggled.

"Yeah, she did. I was the one who had to correct him. Ginny was having too much fun with it, stringing him along." Ron smiled. "I reckon if I hadn't told him he'd still be calling her that.

"Cruel and inhumane, that was." Harry laughed. She turned as slapped him on the shoulder as he hugged him to her.

"Oh, I see. If that's how you're going to be..." She kissed him deeply. "We'll just have to see..."

The squeal from the kitchen had them all on their feet, wands out, looking for the threat. After the previous year, it had become an ingrained behavior. But there wasn't a threat. Tears in her eyes, a wide smile on her face, Molly Weasley rushed into the parlor. She enveloped Harry and Ginny in a crushing hug. "Oh my dears... my children... I am so happy for you!"

The four exchanged puzzled glances. The hug continued for a long while until finally Molly released them. She sat in Arthur's chair and leaned forward. "Oh Ginny...this is wonderful!"

"Um... thanks, Mum. What... What is wonderful, precisely?" Ginny looked at Harry for a moment, then back at her mother.

"Oh... OH! Um... Oh my... I've ruined it, haven't I? He hasn't asked you yet and I let the cat... Oh my..." Molly looked suddenly sheepish. "It's just when I saw the article, I just assumed...

"What article, Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked.

"Here. This." She thrust a rolled up magazine at Hermione.

Hermione opened the magazine up and her eyes went wide. "This is the new Witch Weekly?" she asked Molly.

"Just came in today, yes." Molly wiped at the tears in her eyes.

"I see." Hermione looked at the two page article. In the accompanying picture, Harry and Ron were both clearly examining something, and then Harry was purchasing it. She looked up at Harry and grinned. She recognized the name "Tiffany's". She began to read:

BRITAIN'S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR NO LONGER ELIGIBLE?

Has the Savior Of The Wizarding World Found Love?

By Alisa Northwood, Society Columnist

It seems that Harry Potter may be taking himself off of the market soon! The young man most of Britain knows as the Savior of the Wizarding World was spotted with best-mate and fellow Hero-of-Hogwarts Ronald Weasley at Tiffany's of London, a posh Muggle jewelers. This reported was told by a source inside the store that the Boy-Who-Lived, who in addition to topping Witch Weekly's Most Eligible Bachelor list also lands squarely on the Top 10 Wealthiest Wizards list, spent a whopping seven thousand Muggle pounds, or twenty-five hundred galleons, on a beautiful platinum engagement ring and a pair of matching wedding bands!

Speculation on the identity of Potter's soon-to-be-bride has begun. Alas, speculation is all we have to go on. Other than his recent appearance to accept the Order of Merlin, First Class from the Minister of Magic, Harry Potter has been keeping a very low profile since his triumphant defeat over You-Know-Who last May. But never fear, Alisa is on the case, and she won't rest until we find out which lucky witch has taken the Hero of the Wizarding World off the market!

As Hermione finished reading, Harry looked aghast. He was staring at Ron, whose own face had grown cloudy. He didn't have any time to say anything, though, as Ginny hurled herself at him. She kissed him furiously; hugging him so tight he had trouble breathing.

"Erm. Ginny... Hold... Gin... C'mon... Ginny." Harry kissed her back... he wasn't about to miss an opportunity to kiss her... but was trying to disentangle himself at the same time. "Hold... Gin..."

"Oh Harry! Yes! Of course! Of course I will!" Ginny kissed him one last time, and then hugged him. "Of course I'll marry you!" Molly Weasley was crying all out. She once again gathered Harry and Ginny into a tight hug.

"But..." Harry began, but Ginny kept going.

"I know, you were waiting for the perfect moment to ask me, but it doesn't matter! I love you, and yes... I'll marry you!"

"That's great, Ginny... I'm really, really happy you say that... but..." Harry tried to say. Neither Ginny nor Molly seemed to be listening.

"This is so wonderful," Hermione said. She wiped an errant tear from her eye and turned to Ron with a beatific smile on her face. The smile slipped, but only just when she saw Ron's expression. "Ron? Oh do come on... you're not going to go into that protective older brother sulk, are you?" Ron didn't say anything. He simply stared at Harry, with a guarded and offended look in his eye.

"Ginny..." Harry finally managed to get out. "Mrs. Weasley... Molly.... MUM!" His squawk finally ended the hug. "I love Ginny with all my heart, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and I never want to be apart from her again. But... as much as I'd love to say the article was correct... and as fantastic as it is to be engaged... if we are engaged..."

"What do you mean, if?" Ginny leaned back suddenly, as if someone had thrust a snake into her face. "I just said yes!"

"Well..." Harry looked over to Ron, who was still brooding. "I..." He shrugged to Ron, whose eyes narrowed.

"Go on, Harry. Tell them." Ron's voice was brittle. "Tell them about the dirty little trick you pulled on me."

"Now, Ronald, don't be like that..." Hermione began.

"Twenty-five hundred galleons? You said it was only around thirty!" Ron's stare was accusing. "Bloody hell, Harry... What was that about? There's no way I can ever pay back twenty-five hundred..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "How am I supposed to pay you back for that, Harry?"

Harry was silent for a moment. He looked at the women, who were all staring at Ron as if his mate had suddenly sprouted eagle feathers from his ears. "Ron... you don't have to..."

"You... All I... At little help... But... Merlin's eyes... Twenty..." Ron was sputtering, and angry. Next to him, Harry could see Hermione's eyes getting wider and wider. She's not called the brightest witch of her generation anyone's ever met for nothing. She's put it together already. Harry thought to himself. Looks like the idea of the surprise is over.

"I DIDN'T WANT YOUR BLOODY CHARITY!" Ron yelled, standing.

Harry shot to his feet also. He was tired of this sort of rot. "What good is my having all that bloody money if I can't use it to help my family out, Ron? Huh? What good is it? You don't! Have! To pay! Me! Back! I don't care if it was twenty-five thousand! I was glad to do it and I'd do it again, you stubborn ass!"

The two young men glared at each other. For a moment it began to look as if one of them would actually take a swing at the other.

"Ahem" Ginny coughed. "Well... Hermione... Looks like congratulations are in order, then. That's assuming of course that Ron and Harry stop fighting long enough for Ron to actually propose."

Ron turned to Ginny, confused. "What?" And that was all it took. Ginny and Harry burst out laughing. Harry collapsed back onto the couch. The absurdity of the situation struck him again and he roared with laughter. It was infectious. Soon Molly and Hermione joined in. Ron sat back down, utterly flummoxed, but soon even he was chuckling.

"You're a total prat, Potter. Have I told you that?" Ron smiled at his friend. "You didn't have to lie to me, mate."

"Would you have let me do this for you if I hadn't?" He was still laughing, but injected enough seriousness into his voice to end the subject.

Ron just shook his head. When the laughter died down, he turned to Hermione, who was still smiling. "So... what do you think?"

Hermione's jaw dropped in mock indignation. She was still laughing. "What do I think? Oh, no, Ronald... you're going to have to do much better than that if you expect me to accept your proposal. What do I think... indeed!"

Ron blushed all the way to the roots of his hair. "Sorry, Hermione." Feeling self-conscious, doing this in front of his mother and his sister and his best mate, he slowly pulled a small white box from his pocket. He swallowed, opened the box, and presented it to her. Molly and Ginny both gasped at the sight of the ring, and the sound caused Ron to jump. It was clear to everyone that he was on the verge of losing his nerve entirely.

"Hermione, I love you. Would you... Could you do...? " Ron swallowed again. He took a deep breath and said, simply, "Marry me."

"Of course I will, Ron. Of course I will." Hermione held out her left hand, and Ron slipped the ring onto her finger. Her eyes were tearing up as she leaned forward and kissed him, fully and deeply on the lips. She pulled back just enough to speak. "It's a good thing you asked, Ron."

Ron blinked. "Why's that?"

"If you hadn't by the time we got back from Australia, I was going to ask you." Hermione's eyes twinkled at him. And then suddenly it was their turn to be enveloped in one of Molly's hugs.

Harry sat back as he watched his best friends share their moment. He looked at Ginny. She was smiling as well, but there was wistfulness to it. "Ginny..." he said quietly. "Are you all right?"

"I suppose." She sighed. "For a moment, I was engaged to the man of my dreams." She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. "I can wait, I suppose."

Thoughts whirled around Harry's head. "I'm sorry, Ginny... I didn't think it would... I didn't expect." He gave up. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You love me, right?"

"Of course." Harry kissed her on the top of her head.

"Then it's fine... I can wait." She sighed again.

"Yeah," he said, vaguely. The whirling thoughts finally coalesced. "Ginny... wait here. Do not move from this spot." He stood and ran upstairs.

Ron was puzzled. "Where's he off to?"

"I don't have the first clue." Ginny frowned. She was a bit out of sorts by being abruptly shoved off of Harry's chest.

"He probably feels embarrassed. Ginny... you should go after him. He probably thinks he let you down somehow." Hermione said. She was holding her hand out so Molly could study the ring, Ginny stood, but by the time she had reached the bottom of the stairway, Harry had returned.

"Good. You're here," he said. Harry put his hands on Ginny's waist and lifted her, spinning to put her on the third step. She experienced a moment of childish delight in the thought that she was momentarily taller than he was. And then he did the last thing she expected.

He dropped to one knee.

"Ginevra Weasley, I love you, and I think I've always loved you, even when I was too self-absorbed not to notice you. I want to spend my entire life making you happy. I want to grow old with you, and be the father of your children. Would you do me the eternal honor of becoming my wife?" Ginny recognized the ring box Harry held immediately. She was being presented with his mother's engagement ring.

Without thinking, Ginny took the ring from the box and looked at it. The oval diamond gleamed in the light, but what caught her eye was the inscription. James and Lily, Always.

"Will you, Ginny?" Harry asked again, sounding slightly desperate. "We don't have to get married right away... we can wait until..."

"Shut up, Harry. Of course I will marry you. I already said yes." She smiled down at him as the tears started. She looked at the ring again, marveling at it. And as she moved to put it on her finger, she watched the inscription wriggle and change until it read Harry and Ginevra, Always.