A/N: One of the few things that Rowling has said that legit bothered me was that if she went back she would pair Harry and Hermione instead of Ron and Hermione. First, I love Harry/Ginny, and think his relationship with Hermione was perfect as a psuedo-sibling one. Second, yes, Ron and Hermione would probably need counseling, but I think that Ron was obviously changing for the better in the last book and really growing up. I always thought he was only going to get better and even so... every couple needs counseling at some point!

So here is my attempt at Ron/Hermione! This first chapter begins 3 years after the war, but the rest will be later in their marriage. Please review! If you are logged in while reviewing I do reply!

Engaged

Hermione narrowed her eyes as Ron worried and moved his lips back and forth, pressing them at odd angles so that his nose twitched as he moved his spoon through his soup, not picking any up.

"Alright?" Hermione asked.

Ron stopped, his top lip between his teeth. He released it and swallowed, putting on a forced grin, his eyes wider than when he smiled normally. "Er, yeah, yeah, what would be wrong?" he asked. "I mean, everything's good right? For you I mean? Your dinner."

"Yes, it's great," Hermione said with a chuckle. "Just like five minutes ago."

"Oh, right, right," Ron replied. "I forgot. How's… work? Been?"

"Fine," Hermione smiled wider. Ron had something on his mind and he nodded mindlessly as he looked away. She smiled to herself waiting until Ron decided to make small talk with her, discussing work and checking that she would be able to make family dinner at the Burrow that weekend.

"I was thinking maybe we could invite your parents," Ron added. Their entrees had just arrived.

Hermione finished chewing her bite of salmon.

"Why?" she asked. "I mean, why this weekend?"

"I don't know, I just thought it would be nice," Ron said.

"I'll check with them."

They had been dating for over three years by now. The first was spent apart as Ron started working for the Ministry and Hermione decided to go back to Hogwarts to finish out her final year and take the N.E.W.T.s. There was no discussion about where they were or what they were pursuing. The month following the war Ron went with Hermione to Australia as the two made a frantic effort to find where her parents had started a practice and found the best way to set their memories straight and fill them in on what had happened over the past year.

Ron had explained a lot of it. Hermione was a blubbering mess and he stood awkwardly to the side as the Grangers enveloped her and asked questions that he would then find a delicate way to answer. Finally they asked one that completely stumped him.

"And you're one of Hermione's friends?" Mrs. Granger asked.

Ron froze, looking to Hermione. She had anticipated that some of the details would be fuzzy, even though they remembered her right away. They would remember their lives up until her. The big events should be cleared. People they had met in passing, like Harry or the Weasleys, were a secondary return.

"This is Ron Weasley," she replied. "You've met him before. He's in my year at school and… he's my boyfriend."

Ron gave her the same blissfully dopey smile now across the table as he'd had when she made that declaration.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," Ron laughed.

"You're acting strange tonight. Your mind on some game or another?"

"No" Ron said, reaching out for her hand. She stretched her own across the table. "It's just been a busy week. And it's good to finally get away from it with you."

Hermione loved this version of Ron. She had been surprised after everything settled in that he continued to grow more sweet and thoughtful. Except when he was moody. They never did well when either was moody, instead they would go into the office at the flat and do their own thing if they needed an hour or two to decompress after a long day. Hermione figured if they always kept that extra room they should do just fine.

After dinner, Ron wrapped his fingers in Hermione's, his palms more clammy than they had been in a long time. She raised their entwined fists and kissed the back of his hand, smiling as they walked quietly through Diagon Alley, most of the shops closing up and the street lights twinkling above them. They passed by Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and George waved out the front window. He unlocked the door popping his head out.

"That man bothering you, Miss?" George asked with a mischievous grin.

"Not tonight," Ron muttered as Hermione laughed.

"I'm alright," Hermione said.

"Mum wanted to know what your favorite dessert is, by the way," George said.

Hermione tilted her head. "What for?"

"Nothing," George replied, that innocent expression that meant he was up to something clear, even with the darkening sky. "She just wanted to know. You know, for… your birthday or whatever. She's making a calendar."

Ron's hand tightened on hers and Hermione looked back. He was glaring at George, then stopped when he saw her. Smiling down. He nudged his head towards George and Hermione turned back.

"Strawberry trifle," Hermione replied.

"Right, I'll let her know," George said. "You make my little brother work before you give him any."

"Oi! That's enough," Ron said and George's smile only grew as he waved and closed the door. "What a git."

"What was that all about?"

"Nothing," Ron said. "Did you get around to reading that new book?"

About once a month, Ron would bring home a random book. Early on, he would send them by owl with a simple note: Thinking of You. Over the last year he was starting to understand which ones were just okay and which she would love. It was fast becoming her favorite thing about Ron. Once in awhile he would even read them with her. Unless they were about law and politics. He steered clear of those, saying he had enough of those. The latest title was a novelized book about a fifth century wizarding rebellion in France.

"I haven't been able to look yet," Hermione admitted. "I think I should be able to start it tomorrow."

"You think?" Ron asked. "Don't you have the day off?"

"No," Hermione sighed. "I have to go in to file some paperwork in the morning."

"You'll get a senior position in no time," Ron said.

Hermione grinned at him. They both knew it could be years. She had to pay her dues. She was offered a spot in the auror department, like many of the others close to Harry, but Hermione didn't want to fight. And she didn't want to chase down people like those they had fought in the war. Not that way. She wanted to change the laws. That was the only way for widespread change. It was the only way to change attitudes in the long term. On the side, she was researching House Elf policies since they officially began in the fifteenth century, tracing the sentiment and laws. They became slaves by the seventeenth century on a more formal level, with the inheritance laws that allowed wizarding families to pass along their house elves to their children. What she couldn't figure out is how the House Elves agreed to these policies in the first place. The final aspect of each elevation to their interment was enacted by the House Elves themselves. She figured out early on to not say anything if she wanted to stay in the Department of Law at the Ministry. In five years, she should be in a position to make things happen. Five years to get a platform and policy to get the public to rally behind. And she wasn't going to force people to buy pins this time. She was going to show them how equitable policies would benefit the wizards.

"Hey look," Ron said, pointing to Flourish and Blotts.

"What?" Hermione asked. The inside lights were off as was the storefront sign.

"Look, the alley door is open."

"We should close that," Hermione said, wondering how someone could have forgotten that one.

"Let's go have a look around," Ron suggested.

"We can't do that," Hermione gasped as Ron tugged on her hand. "Ron, we can't go in there when it's closed."

"Oh come on," Ron said, pulling harder. "We'll just look and see if they have anything new."

"It's not like we can buy it anyway."

"Then you can say you've snuck in a shop," Ron said. Hermione stayed put, so he let go of her hand, walking ahead with his hands in his pocket looking back at her with a grin that looked more like George's than she had seen before.

"Ron," she said, eyes wide.

He nodded his head towards the inside, disappearing into the dark of the building. Hermione's heart raced as she rushed towards the door.

"Ronald!" she said in a loud, harsh whisper. "Ronald Weasley, this isn't funny."

"Come on," his voice came from up the staircase just on the inside of the door. Hermione pulled out her wand.

"Lumos," Hermione whispered. She started biting the insides of her cheek, wondering why, after such a nice evening out, Ron would pull an immature, cheap, irresponsible stunt like this. He could get fired if they were caught. She could get fired if they were caught. She should go right out the door and leave him alone. Instead she moved up the steps, loading up in her mind an entire lecture for Ron.

She got to the top and froze. They were in an old attic, filled with bookshelves and lots of books. Strings of light were strung all around, glittering against the dark wood. In the center was a pedestal with a large, leatherbound book on top of it. She lowered her wand, walking over slowly. In a loopy writing lined in gold were the words "The Story of Us."

Hermione turned the cover. Inside was a picture of her and Ron. He was tickling her side and her nose was scrunched up, her front teeth prominent as he kissed her neck and looked out. She turned the page. One after the other Ron had written out stories. The good stories. She stopped and read slowly over the moment Ron claimed he knew how much he loved Hermione. He wrote that after he arrived at Bill's, after he had left Hermione and Harry, in the moments he wasn't feeling guilty, Ron would try and remember what her hand felt like in his and that's when he knew he couldn't be without her. On the next page, he wrote their first anniversary.

Hermione's eyes were already filled with tears when she looked up and found Ron smiling down at her.

"We shouldn't be here," was all she thought to say. Ron's grin grew.

"We're okay," he said. "I rented out the place."

"What?"

"They were a little skeptical about doing it at first," Ron said. "Apparently they don't get the request often. But when I told them it was to propose to their best customer…"

Hermione couldn't find words. They didn't exist. Ron reached over, flipping the book open to the middle. There was a long red ribbon marking the page hanging over the edge. Hermione hadn't noticed the ring tied to it before. On the right side of the page, were written the words Will you marry me?

"Yes!" Hermione shouted. Her hand shook as Ron took the ring, untying it and trying to put it on her finger. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Ron's smile split his face as he lined her jaw with his hands, kissing her over and over, the pedestal between them. Hermione closed her eyes and he kissed each of her eyelids, the tip of her nose, and her lips once more.

"So Sunday's dinner?" Hermione asked, the rest of the night finally making sense.

"Engagement party," Ron said. "You know, assuming tonight had gone well.

Hermione laughed as Ron grabbed the book, leading her over to where pillows were piled up. They sat tucked up together and Hermione turned each page, reading more carefully, reminiscing for the next several hours.

"Are they even up still?" Hermione asked as Ron knocked on the door to Harry's flat.

Ginny had started her second season with the Harpies, but was home for several weeks. Ron cleaned up the attic and then told Hermione he had promised Ginny to bring her by after. Hermione looked at her watch. It was past one in the morning.

"They better be," Ron said. "I told them to have some champagne ready."

"What if I'd said no?" Hermione asked.

"They better damn well have had some firewhiskey."

The door opened and Ginny's face was already etched with delight. "Let me see! Let me see the ring!"

They had been through this six months before, when Harry had asked Ginny. Ron had probed Hermione when Harry did that about whether or not she was expecting them to have gotten to this point yet. She was fine where they were at, she said. She figured when it was right, he would know it. And she had been right. That night had been perfect. She held out her hand to Ginny as Ron's sister held it up to her eye, doing something of a prancing in place with excitement.

"I officially have a sister!" Ginny declared.

"What about Fleur?" Harry asked from behind her.

Ginny didn't reply, but rolled her eyes, then turned to Ron, throwing her arms around his neck as Hermione moved inside, Harry giving her a hug, then inviting them into the living room. As Ron had said, there was champagne ready with four glasses.

"Sit down, I want to hear all about it," Ginny said.

Ron had told them about his plans. Ginny had come up with the making a book, though Ron had put it together on his own. The whole Weasley clan seemed to know about the potential engagement party that weekend as well, which came out when they began talking about when Ron mentioned running into him on the way to Flourish and Blotts.

"He was going to blow everything," Ron complained. "A month of planning and he was about to ruin it."

"He didn't ruin it," Hermione replied.

They moved on to wedding talk, plans for potential dates and how Ginny and Hermione were going to work out being one another's bride's maids.

"Well, one of us will just end up being a matron," Hermione concluded. "Unless…"

Ginny nodded, reading her mind.

"Unless what?" Ron asked.

"Double wedding?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded.

"No," Ron said. "No, you know how crazy Mum would be with that?"

"Why not?" Ginny said, reaching over and topping off each of the glasses. "We're going to practically have the same guest list."

"The Grangers—"

"Won't be that big an addition. We're going to have to settle the half muggle event anyway and it's not like Harry's going to have a large list," Ginny said.

"Ouch," Harry said.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Ginny said. "Everyone you would invite, our family would invite anyway. It's basically like two guest lists, all said and done."

"It would save your mum from two sets of planning," Hermione said.

"Come on," Ron said. "Really? You want to share your wedding day?"

"If it were Harry and Ginny, I wouldn't mind," Hermione said. "But if you don't want to, we can do our own."

Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and he took a deep breath. No, he wanted his own thing. Hermione should have thought that would be obvious. Ron was better than he used to be, but he still struggled with not feeling special among his half dozen brothers. George came to him more now. After Fred died, George struggled to find his own place in the family without his twin and Ron was easily the best person to help him navigate. Still, a shared moment like his wedding would be a lot to ask of Ron, and Hermione wouldn't.

"So, have you started practicing signing your name as Weasley yet?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, I not changing my last name," Hermione said. Ron's hand stiffened in hers.

"You aren't?" Ron asked.

She turned towards him. His brow was knit, his lip slightly curled in disgust.

"No, I'm not," Hermione said. "I always knew I would keep my last name."

"You didn't tell me that," Ron said.

"Why? Did I need to? It changes things?" Hermione snapped back.

"No, but it just would have been nice to wrap my head around the fact that my future wife hates my last name."

"I never said I hated your name, Ron," Hermione said. She let go of his hand and turned more fully towards him.

"Then why wouldn't you? Ginny's changing her name," Ron said, throwing a hand towards his sister.

"Yes, well she has half a dozen brothers that are passing on her maiden name. My parents only have me," Hermione said. Her voice was heightening and her face was burning as Ron's face was twisting in more anger.

"But it's tradition!"

"It's an arbitrary system which requires women to give up a part of their own identity to be with someone, while the man has to change nothing! No offense, Ginny."

"Oh, no, it's… it's okay," Ginny stammered.

"There are many cultures in which the wife doesn't change her name," Hermione added.

"Well, we aren't in those cultures, are we?" Ron shouted back.

"I'm not just going to change my name because of some archaic tradition!"

"But you didn't seem to mind the archaic tradition where the man buys you a bloody expensive diamond ring!" Ron retorted. "You're just fine with that one, are you?"

Hermione's mouth tightened as she stood, picking up her purse. She looked over where Ginny and Harry were sitting uncomfortably, looking between the two of them. Hermione stiffened and Ron stood as well.

"Thank you for having us over," Hermione said. "See you later."

"Hermione—" Ron said, but she had turned, going back to their flat.

Hermione stood in the darkened living room for several minutes. A loud pop and Ron was there too. Rather than the yelling resuming, Ron turned on his heels and moved to their spare room, slamming the door behind him. Hermione dropped her purse where she was and stormed into their bedroom. She slammed drawers as she pulled out her night clothes, brushed her teeth, and splashed her face with water. She stood at the sink, taking off her ring, then putting it back on, then off again. She rubbed lotion on her arms and then finally put the ring back on.

Turning off all the lights, she crawled into the bed, pulling the covers over her and faced the window, digging her face into the pillow. Once she stopped moving, the tears came. She cried, wondering how she could know why he wouldn't want to share his wedding day, but that he couldn't seem to understand why she wouldn't want to change her name. That he would take it so personally. The bedroom door opened and she stifled a sob, though it became choked blubber. She didn't move, even as Ron's weight shifted the mattress.

He moved, the covers lifting and falling, his body coming right behind her. His body spooned hers as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. Hermione sniffed. "Sorry I was being a prat. I don't care what your last name is, I just want to be your husband. If I haven't completely screwed that up."

Hermione turned in his arms. The faint light coming through the window made his face just visible above hers.

"You mean that?" Hermione asked.

"One hundred percent," Ron said. "Although, I was thinking we could change your first name."

His grin had returned.

"My first name?"

"Yeah, it's too easy to say," Ron said. "We should give people a real tongue twister."

"Does that mean we're both changing our first names?"

"Sure," Ron replied. "Even better, we can come up with some kind of suitable set. Like Sunshine and Rainbow."

Hermione laughed, raising a hand to his neck. "Which are you?"

"Sunshine, of course," Ron said.

Hermione laughed, biting her bottom lip as she moved her other hand up, cupping Ron's face in her hands. "I love you."

"I love you too, Hermione Granger," Ron said, moving so his nose brushed hers.