Chapter 4

A/N: I do not own the Harry Potter universe, nor do I take any credit for the work of JK Rowling. No money was made by the posting of this story.

Harry-

"I like this," Harry murmured to her, toying with the fabric of her negligee. He ran his fingers down her stomach and around to her hip. He really did love it on her… Ginny had obviously wanted to impress him tonight. Well, he was impressed.

"Thanks," she murmured softly, obviously she was pleased that he liked it.

They were lying on the couch, with Ginny lying half on Harry and also pressed between him and the couch cushion. Her head rested on his shoulder and he'd every so often press kisses to the top of her head as he played with the fabric of the negligee.

"It looks really good on you," he mused, his fingers travelling back up to the straps. He slowly pushed one strap off her shoulder and played with the skin there.

"I spent a long time trying to find one that you'd like."

He chuckled softly. "Did you? How nice of you."

Ginny smiled as she turned over on top of him, crawled up and kissed him deeply. Harry responded quickly, tangling one hand in her hair, and the other around her waist to pull her against him as close as was possible. A low moan escaped Harry as Ginny unbuttoned his shirt and slid her hands greedily up his chest.

Soon, clothes were being shrugged off, and Harry, not wanting to risk hurting her or knocking over the wine, scooped her up and carried her back into her bedroom. He kicked the door shut and dropped her onto the bed. Ginny giggled as he came back down on top of her, pushing her higher up on the mattress. Harry was intent on proving to her once and for all how strong his feelings were for her.

A little later, when the world came back into focus and their breathing slowed, they were wrapped up in both the sheets and each other's arms. Harry had set his glasses aside earlier, and while he couldn't see well without them, he wasn't in any hurry to grab them to put them back on. He was pretty sure that Ginny liked him better without the glasses.

Tonight though, Ginny pressed one final kiss to his lips before reaching across him to get his glasses for him. She slid them on his face helpfully and then slid back under the sheets to be close to him. Harry smiled as he adjusted them on his nose.

"Thanks," he said. He did like being able to see her… Especially like this: completely exposed, comfortable, and relaxed against him.

"It's sweet that you're willing to be blind just for me," she said teasingly.

She then pulled herself up to lay on top of him, resting her head on her folded arms to see him better.

"I should think about contacts…" he said thoughtfully, lifting his arms to encircle her waist.

Harry knew no better activity than to hold Ginny against him. She just felt … right, in his arms. No one else fit like she did into his embrace, like she was meant to be there forever.

"Maybe… but I'd love you either way." She kissed him again, though this time with a little more energy. Harry congratulated himself that he'd effectively calmed and reassured her.

"So this is my idea," she told him thoughtfully. "We need to get better at submitting our availabilities so that we can make time for each other. At least once a week… if I can even see you for an hour, I don't think I'd start going crazy again."

Harry nodded in agreement. Not that he wouldn't enjoy reassuring her , especially like this, but he liked it better when he knew that Ginny wasn't upset and out of his reach. "I like your idea… if we see each other a little more it'll take the edge off."

Ginny kissed him again. "It will. I'm sorry I've been a bit crazy. It's just that we've been together for almost two years… we need to see each other more if this is going to work out."

Harry kissed her gently, one hand slowly rubbing her back. "It will work out as long as we both want it too." Harry briefly wondered what he'd ever do if she didn't want this anymore. He doubted he'd cope very well…

"I know… it's just… hard to see yourself with someone in the future if you barely see them in the present."

The truth of her words stung. She had trouble seeing herself with him in the future? Understandable, sure… but how could she not see them together? Didn't she think like he did? Didn't she ever wonder what would happen if they got married? Had kids? Had a normal, happy life? Harry didn't know whether she did or not, or how much detail if she did, but still… Harry knew that if nothing else, his life goal was to give his own kids the family he never had. Well that, and to teach his son how to do a Wronski Feint one day…

He gently eased her up into a sitting position and touched her cheek gently, wishing that she would see it how he did. "If you only understood that leaving you isn't an option."

Ginny sighed at those words, though this seemed to make her happy. Apparently there was no persuasion needed here; just a bit of reassurance. Maybe she did imagine their future, but she was scared to, and just needed to hear that he wanted one with her too?

"Are you hungry?" She asked abruptly, looking suddenly excited.

"Yeah, I could eat something," he agreed. He made to get up as he asked, "Want some help?"

"No," she told him sweetly. "Just stay here, I'll be back in a second."

She was about to hop off the bed, but she paused, before leaning in to kiss him briefly. He smiled at her, watching her pull on her robe before leaving the bedroom. Harry listened to her footsteps down the hall before he jumped out of the bed, deciding he probably had about a minute to get this right.

He grabbed his wand, and quickly summoned a few of the candles from the living room into the bedroom. He transfigured a couple random objects into more candles and set them around the room before lighting them. He then turned to the bed and then used a quick spell to scatter red rose pedals across the sheets.

He then found his pants and shirt, but had to sneak past Ginny in the kitchen to fetch his jacket where he kept the ring. He ducked behind the door when she emerged and headed back into the bedroom with two bowls in her hand. He followed silently, wondering what she was planning.

He paused a few feet behind her and he heard her shocked intake of breath when she walked into the room. He wished he could see her face right now; it was really too bad that she had beat him back to the bedroom. He glanced down at the Tiffany's box and took a deep breath. He was more nervous than he'd thought he'd be.

He stepped up behind her and slowly wrapped his arms around her middle. She jumped slightly at the touch, but relaxed, or as relaxed as a person could possibly be at this kind of moment. She turned her head slightly to look back at him and he simply smiled at her, and then kissed her cheek affectionately.

"I almost beat you back here," he told her teasingly.

"Harry… what…" she could barely get the words out. He noticed that her eyes were overly bright, and she looked like she was about to cry.

His own heart was beating quickly in his chest, and he was only half sure he could do this without blurting it out and making it turn into slurred sentence.

"I think I like my idea a little better," he told her with a smile, reminding himself that this was Ginny. And she loved him. And that even if it didn't come out the first time, she wouldn't ever say no because he'd flubbed it.

"And what's your idea?" She asked in a quivering voice, her eyes sliding around the room again.

Knowing that this was his moment to move around to face her as he was supposed to be, Harry stepped around, and pulled her a few steps more into the center of the room. As he held her hand and looked at her, nothing else made more sense. He smiled at her, praying to God that she said yes, as he slowly sank down to one knee.

The minute he started to go down to his knee, a strangled cry burst from Ginny's lips and she dropped his hand to clap both of them to her mouth and face in shock. He looked up at her, took a deep breath, a smile splitting across his face as he said the two words he'd been playing in his head over and over for weeks on end.

"Marry me."

Another strangled cry burst from her throat and the tears burst from her eyes. Harry lifted the ring box up and presented her with the beautiful ring. She gasped, and between tears and the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her face, she took his hand, clearly trying to stop crying enough to speak.

"I will never love anyone else as long as I live. There's no one else I could ever want as much as you. You're the most incredible woman I've ever known. And for all the waiting that I've done to find a place where I belong, with people who love me for me, I feel like it was worth waiting through just so I could end up with you in the end. Will you marry me?"

For one horrified second, he actually was scared that she was crying because the answer was no, but then she hastily wiped at her eyes, beaming from ear to ear as she nodded and managed to say, "Yes!"

Harry smiled, and took the ring from the box. He set it on the ground as Ginny held out her left hand, and he slid the ring onto her finger. He stood back up and immediately grabbed her and kissed her. Ginny kissed him back exuberantly, still half-crying. When he pulled back, she kissed again in two long kisses, before she again tried to wipe the tears away to get a better look at the ring.

"I love you so much," he told her, wiping her tears.

"I love you too, Harry" Ginny choked out, still smiling.

He held her as her tears subsided, probably ruining his shirt in the process but he couldn't care less. He was glad he hadn't waited any longer, or spent more time planning it. It had been the right time in the moment, and simply putting it together then and there had been perfect.

"Were you planning on this?" She asked ironically, her voice becoming more even.

Harry shook his head. "No… I just had the ring on me. I'm glad I did, though. I was already worried you wouldn't agree to marry me."

Ginny rolled her eyes and again wiped her cheeks. "Why or how could I ever say no to you? I've been in love with you since I was ten!" She chuckled at her own admission, and then hugged him tightly. "Ugh, I can't believe I was even worrying about anything. I feel so stupid," she added sadly.

Harry pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It wasn't stupid. But now… we have a definite reason to be together way more often. I need to see my fiancée!" The word still felt strange on his tongue, but it sounded so good to hear.

Ginny took a deep breath and then smiled at him. "I think your idea was definitely better, Harry." She looked down again at her finger, admiring the ring. "This is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, by the way. I love it."

He smiled at her and pulled her back to the bed. "And you are the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing, special woman I've ever known, Ginny Weasley."

"I'm glad you feel that way," she said happily, back to looking at the ring. "I just… I can't believe I'm engaged to Harry Potter!"

"I'm a little scared to know what kind of proposal you expected of me when you were ten," he replied in a mocking voice. "Was I romantic enough?"

"More so," Ginny laughed. "And anyway, marrying the-boy-who-lived has kind of lost its appeal. I get to marry Harry Potter- the man I want to be with."

They kissed then, Harry sliding his arms around her affectionately. When she buried her face in his neck, Harry rubbed her back, thinking of what she'd just said.

"Gin, I hate to tell you, but Harry Potter is the-boy-who-lived."

Ginny rolled her eyes, and pulled back with a laugh. "Your terrible joke is ruining the romantic mood you've set up here, Harry. Do you really want to do that? I just agreed to marry you… but I could still turn you down."

He widened his eyes in mock-horror and pulled her down onto the mattress with him, rolling her under him. "You wouldn't dare," he gasped, kissing her as she struggled to get free of him. "Can we just go back to where you think I'm wonderful and romantic, and not trying to run away from your fiancé?"

"I suppose," Ginny begrudged teasingly.

"Good," he said happily. "Now… before it's too late, did you want to go see Ron and Hermione? Tell them the good news?"

"Yes!" They both stood up to change into their clothes. Ginny laughed suddenly as she pulled on a pair of jeans. "You can tell Ron! I'm not taking that."

"Here's the best part, I already told Ron!" Harry told her with a grin.

Ginny paused and then shook her head. "I really am the luckiest woman alive to be marrying you. You've thought of everything!"

"Taking care of your strange, overly protective brother? Yeah, I am pretty thoughtful…"

Ginny pulled on her shirt and headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She paused in the bathroom doorway with a smile on her face. "Thanks, love. Now only four more overbearing brothers to go!"

She shut the door as Harry paused as that thought hit him. He chuckled under his breath at her comment, thankful that the Weasleys' liked him. Or at least… they liked him, and they liked him and Ginny as a couple, but he wasn't sure how they'd feel about him marrying Ginny.

Great, he thought amusedly. I get engaged, but I may not make it to my own wedding.

Ginny emerged from the bathroom and smiled at him. "Ready to go?"

"Gin, you'd protect me if one of your brothers tried to hurt me right?"

Ginny laughed at him as she moved closer to kiss him gently on the lips. "You're Harry Potter… you're not afraid of my brothers are you? With all the things you've done?"

"Voldemort wasn't a protective older brother," Harry muttered.

Ginny raised her eyebrows and then burst into laughter as she slid her hand into his and waved her free hand at the candles to extinguish them before they left. He squeezed her hand gently, his fingers toying with the ring now on her finger. Things were finally, finally working out for him. Harry didn't have a doubt that marrying Ginny was the best decision he'd ever made.