A/N: Here's the final chapter you guys!! I hope you like it because I've been sitting here for the past two hours trying to figure out an ending to this challenge. I think that I've kept to the rules okay. Oh and by the way, a number of you didn't like Harry's speech in the previous chapter so I took out a chunk of it, and corrected a few errors that I spotted. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! neni =)
-Harry and Hermione are living together. [Ron, or some other random roommate(s), can live with them too, if you want. It doesn't really matter, as long as Harry and Hermione are living together.]
-Harry comes home after a day of work, and realizes that he left his keys inside when he left that morning. Of course, the door is locked. And the door has locking charms that Alohomora doesn't work on.
-It starts raining. It can be a torrential downpour if you want it to be, but it can't be any piddly drizzle.
-Harry must get semi-soaked, if you don't want to make him so wet that he's soaked to the bone.
-Hermione comes home, and sees Harry sitting outside their front door.
-If they have other roommates, they have to be out of town, or can't find Harry before Hermione does.
-It must end in H/Hr. Obviously.
"Hermione Jane Granger, will you marry me?"
`I can't believe that he's actually asking me to marry him!' Hermione thought as her hands began to tremble. `Remember to breathe.' She had gone through all kinds of scenarios that Harry could have done, but of course being Harry Potter meant he wouldn't have gone for the most obvious answer. Of course she was overjoyed at the prospect of being Mrs. Harry James Potter, yet she didn't, in reality, grasp the fact of what was happening quite yet. Through bright, shining eyes and trembling hands she tried to assemble her thoughts that seemed to be in a jumble in her mind.
"Uhh, Hermione?" Harry asked with a hint of worry in his voice, "I don't want to rush you into answering but the floor is murder for my knee," he told her teasingly, trying to lighten the mood. Hermione couldn't help it when an involuntary sob got caught in her throat, yet she smiled at his attempt at humour.
"Oh Harry! Do you honestly want me to answer now?" she asked him earnestly, her eyes telling him that she would do anything he asked.
"Hermione, I want you to do whatever you want. You want to answer now, answer now. You want a few days, take a few days! I'll be waiting because I'll be damned if I lose you again," he told her sincerely. She stood up straight, wiping her tears on the sleeve of her shirt and tucked a loose strand behind her ear.
"Harry… you know that I love you," she started, "but I can't marry you," she informed him.
"I'm sorry. What?" he asked perplexed.
"I can't… marry… you," she told him slowly and deliberately. Harry felt as if his heart was shattered into a million pieces. He could have sworn that he heard the pieces fall onto the floor. `I can't believe this is happening,' he thought, `this is definitely not happening!' `Believe it mate! She just refused your marriage proposal!' a voice that sounded eerily like Ron's told him. `Harry…' another voice which he could swear was Dumbledore's `I don't think that you told her what she really wanted to hear,' `What are you talking about? I just proposed to her and she let me fall flat on my face!' `Think about it Harry…'
He had to admit, there was a loophole here. One that he couldn't quite catch. `And I'm supposed to be the best Auror there is!' he thought to himself sadly. He got up from his pose of being down on one knee and started pacing in front of Hermione, who in turn stood opposite him, hands akimbo.
"Harry, can you please stop pacing?" she asked him exasperatedly when she realized that he wasn't going to stop anytime soon. He merely stopped to look at her, and then with a slight shake of his head, continued. She threw her hands up in frustration and went to sit on the couch. Leaning back on the couch, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited.
Harry suddenly stopped pacing and looked at her directly into her eyes. She was shocked when she saw a sudden twinkle in his emerald eyes and a wicked grin was plastered on his face. With colossal strides he made it to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.
"What just happened here?" Hermione wondered to herself aloud, sighing as she grasped the fact that she would never understand men. `God I'm so tired,' she thought and let her eyelids fall shut.
Hermione awoke to the doorbell being ringed. She looked at her watch and noticed that it was 6:30. Getting up, she passed the mirror and paused to fix her hair.
"It's fine dear,' the mirror told her, and she replied with a grateful smile. The doorbell rang again, making her pick up her pace and reached the door. `Wonder who that could be.'
Before she even had time to finish that thought, 3 people came inside wearing red robes, each carrying a dozen roses.
"Hermione Granger?" a short man with sand-kissed hair asked. She nodded slowly.
"Where would you want these?" the tallest one of the three inquired. He was really tall, 1.90m she imagined, with crystal blue eyes and smooth skin, and a boyish grin to go with the whole look.
"Umm… on the table will be just fine thanks," she told them, pointing over to the wooden table with stainless steel legs. They placed them on it, and as they were about to leave Hermione asked,
"Excuse me, but can you tell me who sent these?" although she had a nagging suspicion who it could be.
"I'm sorry, we're not allowed to do that, and even if we were I couldn't because they didn't leave a name. However, they must really love you! They asked for the freshest flowers we had, even if it meant we were to go outside 2 minutes before delivering. And mind you, there has been torrential rain for the past 3 hours! Enjoy!" the same man told her and left with the other two.
"I wonder…" she thought out loud, and went over to the table to see if there was any card. On closer inspection, she saw that they were red roses, only the magical kind. You see, when the sender truly loves the person that they are sending these flowers to, they open and give off a wonderful smell. Needless to say, the room was already filled with an amazing scent. Hermione smiled to herself and let her finger outline the roses. A white card caught her attention and she immediately took it off and tore off the envelope. A single word was written on it.
YOU
"You?" she said, "What does that mean?" However, being the intelligent Hermione that we all know and love, she figured out that there should be cards accompanying the other two vases. Getting excited, she quickly found them and read the cards.
LOVE I
Hermione giggled to herself when she realized what it was saying.
"I love you," she whispered, feeling butterflies in her stomach. She felt like a schoolgirl who had been asked out on a date by her crush for a year. She hadn't felt this way since she began to notice Harry in a different way. When they were alone in the Hogwarts library, she would accidentally brush her arm against his, her heart going at overdrive at his touch while her stomach was doing flip-flops! A second ring of the doorbell brought her out of her daydream, and she rushed to open the front door.
Expecting more flowers, she opened the front door with a wide, toothy grin. Instead however, stood a man of about 24 years of age. He was wearing dark blue jeans with a green shirt on top, and black shoes to goes with it. His hair, messy as always, was jet-black and his emerald green eyes were behind black-rimmed glasses, matching his clothing perfectly. In front of his chest was a single white rose, clutched in his left hand. With a smile that could only be described as a Colgate smile, he offered it to her.
"Harry," she began, but found that words had failed her yet again! Her eyes began to water, and a lonely tear flowed down her face.
"I love you," he simply said, causing her to break into more sobs as she flung her arms around his neck and pulled him closely, the rose being held in her hand. "I figured that I didn't make any sense before," he started as he held her close. "I've been such a fool!" she snorted at that, though it sounded more like a weird cough as it was a mixture of laughter and crying, "But I realized it only moments ago what it took. I've been scared, yes; but I also knew that I needed you so bad. Please forgive me?" he told her with a sudden interest in the ground. She pulled away from him before answering,
"There's nothing to forgive," she told him with a wink, "Love me?"
"Love you," her answered, and gave her a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. Looking at her seriously, he brought his hands down to her hips as she brought her arms around his neck. He slowly bent down and captured her lips into a full kiss. He sighed with content as he felt her tongue run over his bottom lip and granted her entrance. Their tongues battled, and both were satisfied with the moans that the other was producing. Finally breaking the kiss, Harry rested his forehead on hers. He broke the silence after a moment,
"Come," and led her over to the couch. He sat down, bringing Hermione with him to sit in between his legs, resting her head on his shoulder. He toyed with her hair as she locked her left with his, and with her free hand drew shapes on the top of his.
"You know what?" she asked, "I don't think Ron and Luna will be coming home anytime soon," she informed him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I believe you're right Miss Granger," he replied just as teasingly. "I don't think that there is anything better to do on a rainy day, than to spend it alone with your girlfriend."
"Fiancée," she informed him. Harry turned her face around, shocked at her sudden announcement. "Fiancée," she repeated once more with a smile that could light up an entire room. Harry's face resembled a child on Christmas day whist opening its presents. Kissing her lightly on the lips he whispered,
"Race you to the bedroom?" As soon as the words left his mouth, they both flung from the couch and raced to his bedroom without a second thought!
A/N: well did you like it? Hope to hear from you guys soon! neni =)
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