A/N: I used some Gaelic words in this fic, their definitions are right after, in parenthesis. I would like to thank Amber Greene who helped me a lot with this story, because English is not my first language.

Happy Birthday Mione

September 9th, 2001

Ronald Weasley - or Ron as he preferred to be called - stepped out of Hermione Granger's shower. He took the just-too-neatly-folded towel she got out for him and headed directly to her bedroom in all his glory. There she was, in her bed - he rolled his eyes - reading! Ron looked at her while drying his blazing hair. Damn! He knew the day would come when she would ignore his, er, charms - his dad had warned him - but he expected it would happen so much later in their life. In fact, he hoped that day would never come, but there he was, gloriously naked, his 21 year-old, magnificent Auror body chiseled, honed and in its prime, and she didn't even raise her eyes from her book!

"How humiliating!"

"What's that, honey?" she said, her eyes still on the book.

"Well, I'm standing bare naked in the middle of your bedroom, and I can't even make you look at me."

Hermione looked up from her book, closed it, raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"Oh, sorry, Ron. It's just that this book is so good!"

He lay down next to her and caressed her arm with his fingers.

"What is it, anyway? Don't tell me you're reading Hogwarts: A History again!" he said, teasing her.

"No, it is not Hogwarts: A History. But I wouldn't mind reading it again 'cause it is, without a doubt, the most useful book I've ever read in my entire life. In fact, I'm seriously thinking about making all of my classes read it as an assignment ."

"Mione! You teach Transfiguration, not History of Magic!" he said laughing. "Anyway… so what is it then? How to become the most unpopular teacher by giving your students endless homework?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

"No, actually it's a novel called Outlander, written by a Muggle, Diana Gabaldon," answered Hermione. "And the main character is quite yummy in fact…" she added, just to tease him.

"Hmm, let me guess? He's tall, dark, and duck-footed?"

She rolled her eyes, trying not to giggle. "Nooo, actually he's a warrior, noble and brave, loving and caring, strong, tall, muscled and…" She was looking very seriously at him as she continued speaking, "blue-eyed and so red-haired…" she finished dreamily.

"Ok, Mione, you can stop teasing me. I won't be jealous of a character from a novel…".

"I'm not teasing you! I swear it's true! The guy is a Scottish Highlander and he happens to be red-haired. And the fact that he is so much like you is what's making the book so interesting to me. You have nothing to be jealous of, because I love you Ron, you know that, don't you?" [she] said sincerely.

He smiled.

"Though, I would have loved to see personally if what they say about men wearing kilts is true…" she added, smiling playfully.

"Hem, hem!" Ron said, perfectly imitating Professor Umbridge. "I'm here, and I'm not wearing anything…"

"I've noticed, you know."

"Then what are you waiting for? Don't you want to shag me senseless?" he asked as he took her in his arms.

"Oh, I see! You only came here to shag me!" she cried, trying to look offended, but failing miserably.

"Why, Hermione, whatever gave you that idea? Is it so hard to believe that I came here to see your beautiful face because I had a hard day at work?" Seeing the skeptical look on her face, he continued, "all right, all right, Harry sent me an owl to tell me he had invited Ginny over for the night. I don't fancy hearing them moan and scream all night... I'd much rather prefer to hear those sounds coming from you. So yeah, I came here mainly to shag you."

"You're impossible!"

"But you love me anyway."

Her answer got lost in his kiss.

When they graduated from Hogwarts four years ago, he was disappointed that she had refused to come and live with Harry and him. She had preferred to rent her own flat, a few streets away from theirs, so she wouldn't have to pick up after them. Pretty smart move, that… but today, he was really glad she had made that choice as they could have all the privacy they wanted in her flat.

He made love to her several times until their bodies begged for some rest. He made her scream his name, asking for more, and she made him scream her name as well. He watched her as she slept in his arms, looking just like an angel, when he got his brilliant idea: he now knew exactly what to give her for her birthday. It was in less than two weeks, so he would have to do some research and plan everything perfectly. It had to be perfect for her. It had to be her most unforgettable birthday. He kissed the top of her head and fell asleep a very happy man.

September 15th, 2001

"Hey mate, how was your day?" Harry greeted him as he entered their flat.

Ron growled.

"Awful! Shacklebolt sent me on a mission: some blokes we have our eyes on were supposed to show up. They didn't and I had to stand still for 12 straight hours! I'm exhausted!"

He let himself sink into a couch.

"And you? Didn't have too much trouble with your little folks, I hope? Any sign of your job being jinxed yet?"

"No Ron, no sign. Not for the last four years! Even Snape doesn't seem to want the job anymore. As for my classes, you know I never have trouble with them…"

"They're much too impressed by who you are to make any trouble, anyway…"

"Guess so…"

Ron suddenly felt nervous as he remembered he had some things to ask his best friend and almost brother.

"Er…Harry?"

"Hmm?" Harry murmured without raising his eyes from the essay he was correcting.

"Well… er… you know Hermione's birthday's coming, well, it's in four days to be exact, and I was wondering if you could help me with some details…"

Harry looked at him and smiled.

"What kind of details?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really. I would just like you to check if the Room of Requirement is still there and I would also like to borrow your invisibility cloak for that night."

"You know you can take my cloak whenever you want, and as for the Room of Requirement…" he suddenly turned bright red, "er…yes, it was still there at lunch time…"

"Hmm… sounds like you had a surprise visit from my baby sister! Didn't she have classes?"

"Er… her Bone Injuries class had been cancelled, so she decided to drop by to…say hi."

"Yeah, right… and they say training to be a Healer is supposed to be the toughest..."

"So, what did you get Hermione for her birthday?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject.

It was Ron's turn to blush a deep shade of crimson.

"Er, that was the other thing I wanted to ask you about…"

He searched the pockets of his robes and handed his intended gift to Harry, whose eyes widened upon seeing what it was.

"Ron! Wow! This is just... perfect. She'll love it!"

"D'you really think she'll…"

"Of course she will, you big git!"

Harry looked at the gift again before giving it back to Ron.

"Thank you," he said seriously.

"For what?" said Ron puzzled.

"For helping me with something that's on my mind for quite a while now and because I just figured out what to give Hermione for her birthday."

Ron was too tired to ask what he meant by that, so he just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said.

"If you're hungry after, there's some shepherd's pie left in the fridge," added Harry before resuming correcting his classes homework.

Ron laughed. They were just like an old married couple!

September 19th, 2001

Hermione Granger was teaching her first class that morning, a double one, to a bunch of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw fifth years. Though today was her birthday, it didn't make any difference in her teaching as she was not the kind of person who gets all excited for a day that came regularly once a year. So, she was repeating the theory behind the vanishing spell again, as they were ready to start vanishing mammals today. She had a silent audience, as she had established, since her first teaching day, that she was not going to tolerate any foolish talking while she was explaining. In fact, she had already taken more house points than any of the other teachers. Ron didn't know that of course, he would not appreciate it. He didn't approve of the strict way she was teaching, he thought she should be more like Professor Lupin, Hagrid or even like Barty Crouch Jr. when he impersonated Mad-Eye Moody. Not that she didn't like those teachers, but she was more like Professor McGonagall used to be. After all, teaching was a serious matter! And being strict had not kept Professor McGonagall from becoming Hogwarts' Headmistress after Professor Dumbledore's death. He had saved Harry's life, allowing him to finally destroy Lord Voldemort, but he didn't survive the curse he took instead of her best friend. She may be a strict teacher, but she was also a very generous one as she also gave the most points for good work and good answers.

So, she was telling them for the tenth time at least that this spell was of utmost importance for their OWLs, when a squeaky noise interrupted her. She looked towards the door, where the noise came from, and she saw Dobby the house-elf, struggling to hold up a large box and an even larger bouquet of wildflowers.

"Dobby is sorry to interrupt Miss-er-Professor Granger, but Dobby has something to give Miss-er-Professor Granger for her birthday."

Hermione raised her eyes and sighed as her class suddenly began to talk excitedly. The air grew thick with exchanges of "Ooh, it's her birthday!" "What's in the box?" and "Who's it from?"

"It's alright, Dobby, but I think you could have waited until the end of my class."

"Oh no, Miss-er-Professor! Mr. Whisky has insisted that Dobby come in during your class."

Ron, of course! Oh, she should have known something like this would happen…

"It's Mr. Weasley, Dobby. And you don't have to do everything he asks you to, you know…"

"Weasley? The Weasley?"

"Yeah, didn't you know?"

"Would you please stop talking and practice your vanishing spells!"

"Yes, Professor." The class echoed.

She took the flowers and the box from Dobby's small arms and put them on her desk.

"Thanks, Dobby. You may go."

"Er…It's because Mr. Wistily asked something else from Dobby…"

His eyes were twitching and he was squeezing his hands really hard.

"What is it, Dobby?" she asked, a bit suspicious.

"First, Miss-er-Professor Granger must promise not to be angry with Dobby."

"I promise. What is it?" she asked, getting impatient.

"Dobby didn't want to, but Mr. Weasel insisted… he promised Dobby a lifetime supply of jumpers…"

"Dobby!"

Dobby closed his eyes.

"Mr. Weezee wants me to tell this class that they are homework-free for tonight," he said really fast with a high pitched voice, well, higher than usual anyway.

As soon as he ended his sentence, he grabbed the copy of Hogwarts: A History that was on her desk, and was about to hit himself, when…

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Hermione grabbed her book with one hand and Dobby with the other. "Dobby, you don't have to punish yourself anymore! Stop it! Anyway, you did what Mr. Weasley told you to. You may go now."

"Miss-er-Professor Granger is not angry? Dobby thought…"

"Don't worry, Dobby. I'm going to sort this out with Mr. Weasley. Now, please, go. I have a class to finish."

"Goodbye, Miss-er-Professor Granger."

And Dobby left, not sure if he should be proud or ashamed, but at least without hitting himself.

"Now, where were we? Ah! As I said, the Ministry examiners don't know you. They won't know if you were able to do it in class or most of the time: they want you to do it right in front of them, so you must…"

A girl had raised her hand while she was talking and was waving it to get her attention, as she used to do. She refrained a smile as she answered her.

"Yes Mlle Caron."

"Er, well, I was wondering… is it true we are going to be homework-free for tonight?"

"Of course we will!" said the girl next to her. "She's not going to contradict her boyfriend, right, Professor Granger?"

"Miss Greene, you didn't raise your hand. And, as you may know, Mr. Weasley is not a Hogwarts' teacher and because of that, doesn't know what is good for you."

The class groaned in disappointment. Damn it! She hated being viewed as the evil bitch! Argh, Ron would pay for this! But then again, her birthday only came once a year. She smiled.

"Ok, let's make a deal: if you can all vanish your mice before the end of the class, you'll be homework-free. But don't think I'll do this all the time!"

The class cheered and they all began to sing "Happy Birthday" to her. She blushed but became serious again when the song was over.

"Ok, ok…Quiet now. Thank you, but now you'll have to work hard if you want to be homework-free. You can start vanishing your mice."

"Er, Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Greene."

"Aren't you going to open your present?"

Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Miss Greene, I would really appreciate it if you showed more interest in my class than my personal life…"

"But…"

"Yes Mlle Caron," she said in an exasperated tone.

"Well Professor, I think that if Mr. Weasley sent it to you during a class, it's because he wanted you to open it…"

Hermione didn't know what to do: she wasn't what one would consider a popular girl when she was a student, and having all this attention turned on her thrilled her. And not to mention that she was really curious…

"Oh, you better all succeed into vanishing your mice, or else…" She said, giving in to her curiosity.

She opened the box to discover a superb red dress. But it didn't look like any kind of dress in fashion today. It looked like the kind of dress women wore in the eighteenth century at a king's court. Why would Ron give her such a dress?

"It's beautiful!" Said Miss Greene.

"Gorgeous!" Said Mlle Caron. "But it looks like a costume. Isn't it a bit soon for Halloween?"

"Argh! You girls can be so clueless sometimes!" said a boy seated in one of the back rows of the classroom. "There must be a note or something…"

"Er… of course. Thank you Mr. Phillips."

Hermione found a note inside the box, just beneath the dress.

Dear Mione,

Meet me tonight at 8 o'clock in the place where we first kissed. Wear the dress. You'll understand later.

Love,

Ron

XXX

PS - You better not give any homework to this class or to any of your other classes for today!

She smiled. That was so Ron.

"So, what does it say?"

She started. She forgot she was right in the middle of a class!

"Pardon me, Miss Greene?"

"I said: what does it say?"

"You're way too curious for your own good. It's a rendez-vous and that's all you'll know. Mice now!"

She had never seen anything like it before: they wanted so badly not to have any homework, that in less 30 minutes, all of her students had vanished their mice. Unbelievable! Maybe she should do this more often. The bell rang and the students rushed out of the classroom as fast as they could, as though they dreaded giving her an opportunity to change her mind about the homework. She smiled while gathering up her things.

"Wow! That was a fast exit! What did you do to them, Professor Granger?"

Hermione turned around.

"Oh Harry, it's you. I didn't do anything to them. I think they were just scared I would change my mind about not giving them any homework for tonight…"

"No homework? Are you all right, Hermione?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's Ron's fault, but it's a long story…"

"Then, you'll tell me while we eat, but first: Happy Birthday Hermione."

Harry kissed her on the cheeks while hugging her.

"Thanks Harry…"

"And this is for you."

He got a small box out of his robes and handed it to her.

"Oh Harry, thank you, but you know you shouldn't have…"

"Shush, just open it!"

She opened her present and gasped: it was a double row pearl necklace with pearl earrings.

"Oh Harry! Thank--"

She stopped in the mid-sentence as her attention was caught by something written on the cover.

To our Sweet Lily,

Congratulations to our beloved daughter for her seven years of hard work. We wish you a great life, full of all the great things we know you can achieve and of all the things you love. We are really proud of you,

Mum and Dad

XXX

"Harry! This was your mum's! I can't accept this -- it's too much. This should be Ginny's…"

Harry shushed her again.

"Hermione, my mum got that when she graduated from Hogwarts. I should have given it to you when we left school, but I forgot, with everything that was going on back then. And don't worry about Ginny, my mum had loads of other jewels. This necklace is perfect for you and I really want you, my best friend, to have it. Please, accept it."

Hermione bit her lip, not sure about what she should do. But then, she saw Harry's face and decided that she could not refuse it. She hugged him.

"Thanks, Harry. I'll take good care of it. And maybe Aunt Hermione will give it to your daughter someday…"

"We'll see about that… Anyway, I think it will look lovely tonight with your dress."

"Oh Merlin, you know what Ron's planning!"

"Yep, but I swore I would bring the secret to the grave, so don't even try to learn anything from me…Oh, I almost forgot…" He got something out of another pocket of his robes and handed it to her. " Don't open this one now. I want you to wait for tonight, after Ron gives his present to you, ok?"

"Ok, but what…"

"Don't even try! Now come on, I'm starving. And I want to know how come oh-so-strict-Professor Granger didn't give any homework to her class this morning."

Later that day

Hermione walked back to her flat with all of her birthday gifts floating by her side. She had thanked God for being a witch as Ron and Harry were not the only ones who thought about her today. In fact, Hagrid had given her an enormous bottle of his home-made wine, which, by the way, she was really not impatient to taste. Professor McGonagall, who had become a great friend, gave her the latest book on Transfiguration. The other teachers had gathered to offer her a fancy set of correcting quills; Ginny had sent her a sexy night-gown; Mrs Weasley, a nice crocheted blanket; and there was a lot more from all of her other friends. She entered her flat and smiled. That feeling of coming home every evening was just so wonderful. She placed Ron's flowers into a vase, Hagrid's wine with her other bottles, the teachers' quills in her study, Mrs Weasley's blanket on her favourite armchair, Ginny's night-gown in a drawer, Professor McGonagall's book on her nightstand next to her novel and, finally, the dress and Harry's gifts on her bed. Ah! Now everything was neat and perfect. She looked at the dress, it was so gorgeous, she couldn't wait to put it on, but she had to: it was way too early. Hungry, she headed to the kitchen and grabbed an apple, which she ate while starting to read the first pages of Modern Principles of Transfiguration - The Latest Discoveries. She finished her fruit and closed her book: this would have to wait, tonight she was meeting her man. She had to prepare herself: she was not going to disappoint him.

She stepped out of the shower and dried her skin and hair. She applied the perfume Ron gave her long ago - the bottle kept refilling itself - and headed to her room. She put on her dressing gown and looked at the dress again. What was she supposed to wear underneath this? And what about her shoes? And her hair? A book, she must have a book about this. She ran to her study and scanned her bookshelf, desperately looking for the book that would contain all of the answers she needed. She took one of the biggest volumes, a Muggle encyclopaedia, and soon found what she was looking for. Ew! A corset, those baggy pantalets and an uncountable number of petticoats! And powdered hair! Double ew! Fortunately, the shoes were not that bad: classic high heels with a bow on the top. She went back to her room and transfigured some of her underwear and a pair of her shoes into what she needed. Then she looked at herself in a mirror. No, there was just no way she was going to wear a powdered wig! She started putting on the underwear, swearing a bit because she did not have four servants to help her, but she finally succeeded in dressing herself, bewitching the corset to tighten itself without strangling her. Oh, that was just horrible! She sincerely hoped that Ron was not expecting fine lingerie. This was all his fault! He hadn't sent anything else with the dress. But then again, it would be quite odd if he knew a lot about women's underwear. Well then, she would do this her way! She took off all the petticoats, slackened the corset a bit - after all, she really didn't need it - and transfigured it so it was really pretty and sexy. She shortened the pantalets considerably so she could wear the high socks to the middle of her thighs. Ah! That was much better! She put her dressing gown back on and sat at her dressing table to do her hair. She arranged her hair into a complicated bun, letting some of her curls fall from it and placed a red bow on the back of her head. Perfect! She put on a bit of make up and smiled at the result.

She got up, grabbed her novel and headed for her living room as it was still too early to dress. She lit a fire and sat in her armchair, covering herself with Molly's blanket. Soon, she was lost in Dragonfly in Amber, the sequel of Outlander, and she was wishing she could be Claire and live all those adventures with magnificent Jamie. Jamie, who reminded her so much of Ron… Of course, this novel was amazing, but she wouldn't change her Ron, even for all the Galleons in the world. All the things Jamie did and was for Claire, Ron did and was for her… a thousand times more. She loved him so much. She wondered what he had planned for tonight… She smiled and returned to her book. Soon, she was crying as she ended it. Oh, it was so sad! She stood up and went to her study where she returned the book to its shelf and took the sequel: Voyager. Hey! Wait a second! Where was Outlander? She could have sworn she had returned it to this shelf when she finished reading it a few days ago. Anyway, she would look for it another day: it was time to dress now.

She went back to her room, unpuffed her eyes with a flick of her wand and put on the dress. Wow! It suited her perfectly. The top was really tight and low-cut so she looked like she had bigger breasts. The front was made of a gold fabric, gathered in a rich pattern, while the sides and the back were made of a different fabric, a deep shade of scarlet with hints of gold like the rest of the dress. The sleeves were tight from her shoulders to her elbows and then opened in many flounces to the middle of her forearms. The skirt was puffed up with flounces and petticoats and even had a train. There was no other word: she looked like a princess. She put on the necklace and earrings that Harry gave her earlier. She brought along Harry's other gift, which was in an envelope, wrapped herself in a large cloak, pulled up the hood and walked back to the castle, as the place where she and Ron first kissed was the Room of Requirement. She smiled as she recalled the events leading up to it. They had stayed to clean the room after one of the DA meetings and they were talking about courage. She was saying that he and Harry were probably the most courageous wizards she had met in her whole life, but Ron didn't seem to agree.

"I'm not that courageous," he had said.

"Oh please Ron, after all you did with Harry…"

"That wasn't really courage, as we didn't really have time to realise it was scary and dangerous. I'm scared of a lot of things, you know…"

"Such as?"

"Such as spiders, and just saying V-Voldemort, and… and... I can't even tell the girl I've loved for years how I feel about her, because I'm scared to death that she'll reject me…"

Her heart had made a summersault. Why the hell was he talking about this to her, of all people? Didn't he know how she felt about him? Well, of course not… she had done everything to hide it from him, didn't she?

"I know what you mean as I can't tell the boy I love how I feel as well."

They had stared at each other for a while.

"It should be so easy though," had said Ron. "I could have kissed her so many times…"

"Yeah… me too…"

"I… I could kiss her right now in fact, but… but I wonder what she would say…"

Then, her heart had stopped beating: Oh, Merlin, he was talking about her!

"I think she would be pleased, as she is way too scared to kiss you first…"

And Ron had leaned closer and kissed her tenderly on the lips. It was perfect, soft and sweet, just as she had dreamed it would be… It had been five years since that first kiss, and every other one they shared was just as wonderful. He definitely was the man of her life…

She reached the castle and took all the secret passages she knew to the Room of Requirement, as she didn't want to explain what she was doing in the school corridors at this hour, dressed the way she was. Especially since she didn't know herself… She reached the corridor where the Room was located. The door was already visible, so she entered carefully. The room still had those high stone walls but all the Defence Against the Dark Arts books and dark magic detectors were gone, replaced by some ancient tapestries. A table full of food stood at one end of the room. A fire was burning in a large fireplace at the other end. Animal furs were placed on the floor and, in the middle of the room, stood Ron… in a kilt! Oh Merlin, he was so handsome! His hair was longer, almost touching his shoulders and he had not shaved for a couple of days. He looked so virile. In fact, he looked just like Jamie… Oh Morgana! He did steal her book!

"Good evening, mo duinne ("My brown-haired" in Gaelic). Happy Birthday," he said, handing her a glass containing an amber liquid and kissing her on the lips. He helped her take off her cloak, gently brushing her neck with his fingers.

"Hello, Ron. You look great. The kilt looks really nice on you…"

"Thanks. Haven't I told you? Mum's maiden name is MacKenzie." (Name of a very powerful Scottish clan.)

"Oh…"

She took a sip of her drink and almost spit it out.

He chuckled. "Not used to whisky, mo chridhe? ("My heart".) You better drink slowly, it's strong you know."

"Yeah, I've noticed, thanks…" Said Hermione still coughing. "By the way, what have you done to your hair? I love it."

"I'm glad you do. My hair-growing potion got me top marks in Concealment and Disguise classes after all…"

He smiled, took her hand and kissed it.

"You look absolutely gorgeous yourself Sassenach. ("Stranger") This dress is spectacular on you…" he said, his eyes looking so obviously at her breasts.

She smiled.

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving. And by the way, you can't call me Sassenach, I'm not a stranger!"

"Well I know," he said leading her to the table. "But, in a way you are: you're coming from a Muggle background…I'll stick to mo duinne if you prefer…"

"No, it's ok. You can call me whatever you want. It sounds lovely when you say it."

Ron helped her with large servings or meat pie, stew and haggis and poured her a glass of wine. She was really impressed; he really did his research.

"Ron, when did you steal my novel?"

"Borrowed, not steal! And it was for a good reason: I wanted to surprise you, mo ruin ("My love"). I think it was two or three days after I saw you reading it: I was sneaking in your flat to see when you would finish it and the day it wasn't on your nightstand anymore, I took it. And I must say it was an awesome book. You're really like Claire, you know, looks and all…"

"Well, thank you. I'm really touched you did all this for me. I love you, Ron."

"Love you too Mione."

When they finished eating - her corset was about to explode - Ron led her in front of the fireplace. She wanted to sit on the furs, but Ron took hold of her hands.

"I think it's time I gave you your real birthday gift," he said caressing her cheek with his large hand.

"Ron! You got me something else! You shouldn't have, …"

"Oh, come on Mione, I couldn't just offer you the chance to see what's under an absolutely handsome and virile man's kilt, could I?"

She smiled at him and involuntarily looked at his…virility.

"Well, I wouldn't have complained, but if you say I can have more…"

"You're such a scarlet woman, I hope you know that," he whispered in her ear.

She blushed and started to giggle. Merlin, she had too much wine...

"So, what is it?" she asked in an excited voice.

Ron opened his sporran (Little bag worn at the belt over a kilt.) and gave her a small box, the small box every little girl dreams of. Her eyes widened as she opened it to discover two plain golden rings intertwined with each other: a yellow one and a pink one.

"Oh, bloody hell," she whispered.

Ron took her hands and knelt in front of her.

"Hermione, I've loved you from the day I met you. You have no idea how terrified I was at eleven, constantly dreaming about kissing the most intelligent, bossy and beautiful witch in Hogwarts. No wonder I called you a nightmare. I held all of this inside, slowly going insane, until the day we first kissed, right here. Harry was tired of hearing me whisper your name in my sleep so, he threatened to tell you everything if I didn't make a move soon. I was so scared, but I did it and I never regretted it. Every day I spent with you, every kiss we shared, every time we made love, brought me closer to Heaven. I love you so much… I don't have a lot to offer you, but I swear I will give you everything I have, everything I am. I would give my life for you… Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"

"Oh, bloody hell! Yes!"

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him as she fell on her knees. They were both crying as he took the ring and slipped it on her finger. They looked at each other and started laughing.

"Did you just answer my proposal, swearing?"

"I think I just did…"

Hermione blushed and giggled as they kissed again.

"Oh, Ron, I love you so much…"

He laid her on the furs and brushed his lips on hers.

"I love you too, mo chridhe…"

He kissed her passionately, almost roughly, his beard scratching her skin, but she couldn't care less.

"Merlin! I want you so much, mo duinne…"

"Then make love to me…" said Hermione, sliding her hands under his kilt.

Oh God! His thighs were so strong and warm…And his butt…She could feel the little hairs on his skin prickling as she ran her hands over him. He groaned in her neck as she got bolder, caressing every inch of him.

"Mione... stop, please… it's your birthday…"

"Yeah, and I'm currently exploring one of my presents, so shut up and kiss me."

Ron growled again but obeyed and kissed her. However, it seemed he'd had enough as his hand was now running up her thigh. He grabbed her pantalets and tore them off. Hermione gasped as he started to caress her. Oh Merlin! He knew just what to do to drive her crazy… touching her exactly where and how she needed to be touched… he was so skilful… this teasing was just too much…

"Ron, please…"

"What is it, mo ruin?"

"You know what I want… I want you… I need you… now!"

"Anything you want, mo duine."

He pulled up her skirts and slid into her, hard. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he thrust against her, making her moan harder each time. He was holding her hips, bringing her closer, plunging deeper inside her. It wasn't long until pleasure overtook her and she uttered his name as she came. His name blended with hers as his climax came soon after hers and he collapsed on top of her, out of breath.

Ron looked at his future wife exhausted but totally happy. She was just so beautiful as she lay in his arms. He kissed her left hand and smiled. She smiled back, then winced.

"Are you alright, mo ruin?"

"No, you're crushing me. Well, it's not you so much as this stupid corset…"

"Oh, sorry… wait, you're really wearing a corset?" he said, moving aside.

"Well, I had to…with that dress…"

"Wanna take it off?"

"I'd love to!"

"Then let me help…"

Hermione sat up and he started to slowly undo the back of her dress, making it slide off her shoulders. So, that was a corset… it looked rather sexy on her. He kissed her neck and shoulders as he slowly began to slacken its laces. Hermione was moaning as his tongue caressed her skin and she heaved a sigh of relief when he finally removed the constricting garment. Still facing her back, he caressed her tummy and cupped her breasts as she relaxed into his arms. The way she was slowly caressing his thigh told him she wanted him again. She turned around and kissed him tenderly while untying the fastening of his ancient-styled white shirt. She pulled it out of his kilt and ran her hands across his torso, teasing his nipples on her way. Oh, that felt so good… but he wanted so much to feel her skin against his. He broke the kiss just long enough to take off his shirt and then, he took her back in his arms to feel her with all his body, to kiss her with all his love. Soon, his mouth was leaving hers to explore her neck, then her breasts, taking each of her nipples in turn between his lips, sucking gently on them. Hermione was softly moaning with pleasure, looking like a Veela. He laid her down once again on the furs and gently pulled her dress to her feet, leaving her wearing only her shoes and high socks. Merlin, she looked so erotic! He let his hands caress her legs, from her calves to her inner thighs before he lowered his mouth to her centre, holding her hips firmly. She invoked a couple of saints and wizards as his tongue started to dance along her folds. Her breath hitched as his tongue sensually glided in and out of her.

"Harder, Ron, please…" she said, opening her legs a bit more.

Her voice was husky, full of the pleasure he was giving her. She was caressing his long hair, almost pulling on it to bring him closer. He did as she wished and hoped he was not hurting her with his rough beard, though she didn't seem to complain. As he felt her climax get closer, he slid two fingers inside of her and thrust them hard as he sucked on her most sensitive area. He felt her explode: he felt all her muscles tightening, felt shivers running down her spine and felt her breathe his name like the most beautiful incantation. All of this was driving him crazy: he needed to be inside her now! She seemed to need it as badly as he did, because as soon as she had regained her strength, she pulled him inside her. She untied his sporran and unfastened his kilt, and tossed them aside so she could bring him closer to her. He was groaning with pleasure as their rough thrusts met each other in a perfect rhythm. There was no other coherent thought in his mind but 'harder' and 'faster.' He kissed her and before too long, they were both shaking as pleasure washed over them again. Ron rolled to his side and closed his eyes, as he was sure he was going to pass out. He felt his fiancée kiss him on his forehead, smoothly brushing the hair from his face.

"Are you alright love?"

"Yes Sassenach… I just need… some rest…"

She smiled mischievously.

" May I remind you that you started it!"

He frowned.

"I know… I just think I overestimated myself…"

"You always do…"

"I know, it will kill me someday… but it's all your fault, if you'd stop looking like a Veela…"

"Oh, it's my fault now?"

That smile… her smile was just worth everything to him…

"Oh, just come here, mo chridhe…"

He took her in his arms and kissed her tenderly as he played with her hair.

"I love you, Mione, and now, I'm the happiest man on Earth."

"I love you too, Ron, and I'll be the happiest woman on Earth as long as you're with me…"

She laid her head on his shoulder and caressed his torso. He looked around, grabbed his sporran, took out his wand still was, and summoned his plaid (Large piece of fabric, usually wool, that the Scottish Highlanders used to tie around themselves as a cloak. It usually matches the kilt, having the same familial tartan.) to cover them.

" Tha ghoal agam ort mo duinne, mo ruin, mo chridhe…" he said, kissing the top of her head.

"What?"

"Tha ghoal agam ort mo duinne, mo ruin, mo chridhe… Tha ghoal agam ort means I love you."

"Oh, say it again: it's so lovely!"

"Tha ghoal agam ort. Look at your ring…"

"Why?"

Ron smiled.

"Why do you always have to argue? Give me your hand…" He took off her ring and gave it to her. "There, look inside…"

In the pink one, the words 'Tha ghoal agam ort mo duinne, mo ruin, mo chridhe' were engraved, mirrored by the words 'I love you my Mione, my love, my heart' on the yellow one.

"Oh Ron, it's so beautiful…" She said, kissing him softly.

He took the ring and slipped it back on her finger again before kissing her hand. They were peacefully dozing off, Hermione caressing his torso, him caressing her back, when she started.

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

And before he knew what was happening, she was on her feet, rummaging her cloak, obviously looking for something.

Hermione found what she was looking for and smiled.

"What the hell is that?"

She turned around to see a very puzzled look on her fiancé's face.

"Oh, it's nothing sweetheart, I'm sorry! It's just a gift Harry gave me today, but he said he wanted me to wait until you gave me your gift before I open it. Can I open it now?"

Ron frowned.

"Is there a problem, Ron? We can wait till later, if you prefer…"

"No, it's ok, open it… It's just that Harry knew I was going to propose… I have a bad feeling about this..."

"Relax, Ron, it's Harry, not the twins. I'm sure there won't be any explosions when I open this."

She sat between his legs and he hugged her while she opened the envelope. Inside was a single picture of two houses: two small cottages that were probably very pretty 10 or 20 years ago, but which definitely needed some repairs and a fresh coat of paint now…Why did Harry give her that picture? He watched as she turned the picture around and found a message at the back.

Dear Ron and Hermione,

Let me be the first to congratulate you on your engagement! I've been your friend since we were eleven, and after all we've been through together, I must say that our friendship was meant to be, as you two were meant to be. I wish you a long and very happy life together, full of laughter and joy, full of kisses and love, full of bickering and making up - Yep, I hear you when you "make up," you're too disgustingly sweet! - and full of little Weasleys! Now, you must be wondering what's the point of writing this at the back of a picture. Well, the house on the left now belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Weasley and the one on the right to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Potter - this must remain a secret though, as I'm only going to propose to Ginny on Christmas. Now, I know you will not want to accept this wedding gift, as you'll think it's too much, but I'd like you to think about it as a way for me to thank you for all you did for me, for being such good friends, for being my family. I care about you guys the most, aside from Ginny, and this may be selfish, but I'd really like you to always be around.

I love you both,

Harry

xxx

"I knew it! Oh, that son of a b…"

"Ron!"

Oh, Merlin! He was burning with rage.

"Is he crazy or what? I earn more than he does and he buys us a house! What's he trying to prove? We can't accept this!"

"Ron please, calm down. We can't refuse it either… it would break his heart. Although you may earn more than he does, you don't have his Gringott's vault."

"That's not the point! How can you expect me to live with my wife in a house my best mate paid for?"

"But look at the picture Ron. This house is far from perfect. We'll have a lot of work to do and a lot of money to put in it, but once we're done, I swear it'll feel like home… our home. Besides, I'd love to live next to Harry and Ginny. And look at the garden… I can already see a vegetable patch right here, and a swing there, and maybe a pool…"

"And here we could put the goal posts to train my future Quidditch team…" he said as he caressed her abdomen.

She smiled.

"So that's a yes?"

"Only if I can find a way to pay for all of our renovations, as well as his.

"Of course you will, you're the master of strategy. And by the way, you're going to have to share a Quidditch team with Harry, 'cause there's no way I'm having seven children…"

"Oh." He made a disappointed pout against her neck. "Less than seven… so that means?"

"That means only the Chasers, and maybe a Keeper, if you're nice…"

"I'm always nice…" he said, kissing her neck.

Hermione turned around and kissed his lips.

"I know you are, and I'm sure you'll be an amazing dad. I love you, Ron."

"Love you too, mo duinne."

He kissed her and made love to her again, slowly, tasting and caressing every part of her body, sending her over the edge again and again and again. She would never forget that night…

On June 2nd 2002, Hermione Granger walked down the aisle and took Ronald Weasley to be her beloved husband until death do them part.

Today, March 1st 2003, she was waiting impatiently for him to come back from work. She had a big surprise for him. He would remember his 23rd birthday quite a while. She smiled thinking about the two cribs she had placed in their bedroom. Oh yes, he would remember this day for a long time…

- The End -