Ch. 37

Draco's POV

"Draco, it's fine! The Weasleys aren't mad at you!"

Hermione had been trying to convince me all day yesterday and this morning to go to brunch with her, which I was definitely hesitant about doing after what happened. I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. "'Mione, love, I basically broke up with you in the middle of Ginny's party. Do they even know the details of what happened?"

"Are you kidding?" She raised an eyebrow. "With Ginny in the family, they stay very much up to date. They know what Ron did, and they don't blame you at all."

I groaned inwardly and looked up at the ceiling. "You're absolutely sure?"

"I promise." She stepped up onto her tip toes and gave me a quick kiss. "But, if on the off-chance they are actually upset with you, we can always apparate back here."

"We?" I asked. "No, you don't have to come back with me, I want you to stay and have a good time."

"Draco, we're engaged now," She smiled. "If you don't feel comfortable in a situation, I'm not going to stay there either. That's not fair to you."

I smiled at her and kissed her forehead. "I like hearing you say that we're engaged."

I heard her giggle and she squeezed my hand. "Come on, remember it's comfy clothes!"

Shaking my head, I went to grab my clothes from the closet and changed. "So have you told Ginny yet?"

There was silence for a few moments before I heard her sigh. "Not yet. I don't know if I'm ready to tell anyone."

"Why not?" I asked, pulling on a pair of sweatpants. "Do you not want anyone knowing about us?"

"No no, it's not that," She answered. "I'm just worried that they're going to tell me it's too soon to be engaged again."

"Well, that's not really for them to decide," I said. Grabbing a sweatshirt, I walked back out of the closet and leaned against the doorway, looking at her. "So what are you going to do with the ring? Are you going to leave it here so they don't find out?"

"Oh, I'm wearing it still," She smiled, looking down at it. "I might just turn it around so the diamonds aren't showing."

"Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts," I grinned. "Ginny is going to notice."

She rolled her eyes while smiling. "We'll see."

A few minutes later she apparated us to the Burrow, landing out in the field. I took her hand as she led us up to the front door, my stomach in knots. I really hoped she was right about them not blaming me...

Hermione's POV

I could feel Draco tense up behind me as we got to the door and I paused, turning back around to look at him.

"It's going to be alright, I promise," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He simply nodded, his jaw clenching and unclenching in anticipation for what was going to happen. I didn't want to admit it to him, but I was slightly nervous as well. I kept telling myself though that it was going to be alright, and took a deep breath before opening the door.

"It's about time you two got here!"

Ginny rushed over to us with a grin on her face. "I was starting to think you guys were going to stay locked up in her apartment for the entire weekend!"

I laughed and noticed that Draco had relaxed slightly as he said, "Well, I was trying to make up for things."

Ginny held up a hand. "Say no more. Anyways, come on, everyone's in the kitchen."

Draco hesitated slightly and Ginny raised an eyebrow at him, before a look of understanding came over her face. She smiled at him and said quietly, "Don't worry; they all know what happened and they aren't upset with you."

"Is it that obvious that it's bothering me?" Draco asked in surprise, looking at me.

I nodded. "You're not very good at hiding your expressions when something bothers you."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I just don't want anyone getting upset with me for breaking up with Hermione and calling her a...well, you know."

"They all know you were given a Hate Potion by Ron," Ginny explained. "They're mad at him, not you. Anything you said or did was out of your control and was influenced by an outside source. Now, they probably going to give you some extra attention to make sure you're alright..."

Draco grinned. "That I can deal with."

"Well come on then!" Ginny laughed, leading us both back into the kitchen.

Molly was busy watching over the breakfast that was cooking on the stove, while George and Harry were busy discussing something, both of them leaning against the counter. Arthur was at the table, reading the Prophet and frowning slightly. I was surprised that Bill and Fleur weren't there, but figured that with her pregnancy they decided to stay home.

"Good morning!" George greeted happily.

Molly and Arthur both looked up at us, and Molly rushed over. Instead of embracing me though, she immediately went to Draco and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"I'm sorry for what our son did," I heard her say quietly. "Please understand that none of us condone his actions and we hope you are okay!"

There was a tense silence as Draco stared at me in shock for a few moments. But then the tension dissolved as he returned her hug and smiled. Everyone relaxed and Molly pulled away, giving Draco a warm smile before walking back to the stove to oversee the cooking.

I took Draco's hand and gave him a kiss as I pulled him further into the kitchen. "Told you."

"Yeah, yeah," He laughed.

Arthur stood up from the table and held out a hand to Draco, giving him a firm shake. "It's good to see you back to your normal self!"

Draco grinned. "I couldn't agree more."

Ginny returned next to me, holding out a mimosa. When I reached for it, she pulled it back, staring at my hand and then looking up at me with a raised eyebrow.

I held a finger up to my mouth to silence her and her face lit up as she bounced up and down slightly, which made both George and Harry stare at us in confusion.

"What's up, Gin?" George asked.

Ginny looked back at him and shook her head. "Nothing, just really glad to see Hermione happy again!"

She looked back at me and handed the glass out again, nodding towards the door. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

I laughed and we linked arms as she led me to the front door, and I could tell she was excited by the way she was bouncing with nearly every step. I laughed and waited for the upcoming interrogation, which did not take long at all.

"Alright, spill," She started right after shutting the door. "What is that on your finger?"

"It's just a band, Gin," I laughed, walking away from the door and out towards the field. I wanted to play it off even though I knew she wasn't going to buy it.

And she didn't. She immediately grabbed my hand and turned it palm-side up, revealing the diamonds. "Just a band, huh?"

"Alright, alright," I sighed, grinning and looking forward as we kept walking slowly. "Just don't tell anyone, please!"

Her eyes lit up as she grinned from ear to ear. "How did he do it?"

I laughed. "It wasn't anything extravagant, but I still loved it. We were just on the couch together and he is telling me that he wants to make it up to me for his behavior, but I told him I didn't need anything. Then he just summons the ring and proposes!"

"Just like that?" Ginny asked. "I mean, obviously you said yes, but you weren't hoping for maybe a nicer proposal?"

"I loved it, it was a complete surprise," I smiled. "I thought it was sweet that he wanted to make up for something out of his control and that was the first thing that came to mind. I haven't even told you the best part, honestly."

She laughed. "Well, don't leave me hanging! Tell me!"

I looked down at the ground, smiling to myself. "He's had the ring since our last year at Hogwarts."

Ginny stopped in her tracks and stared at me, her mouth hanging open in shock. "Are you serious?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he had it custom made for me after I got him a couple gifts. Remember, I stayed back at Hogwarts that Christmas?"

"I do remember," She said before raising an eyebrow at me. "Did you stay because of him?"

"Not entirely, it was more of a happy coincidence," I said as we started walking again slowly. "My parents were off travelling and I sort of lost track of where they were for a bit, so I decided to take a break from it and spend time at Hogwarts."

"With Draco," She added, grinning. "But you were dating Ron at the time, why would he buy you a ring?"

I shrugged. "He didn't get me anything for Christmas and felt bad after I got him a few things, so he said he wanted to get me something and I told him it could be a New Year's gift. But Ron proposed before he could give it to me, and you know it would look bad if he gave me a ring right after getting engaged, even if it wasn't mean to be an engagement ring."

"Yeah, that would look bad..." Ginny agreed. "But still, a ring? We know he liked you back then, do you think he maybe was trying to propose before Ron could?"

"He said he considered it," I said. "But he knew I was with Ron, and just wanted to give it as a regular ring."

"Hell, I should've been friends with Draco back then if he just buys diamond rings for his friends," She muttered.

I laughed at that. "Should I hint to Harry that you want another diamond ring?"

"Nah, I can buy my own pretty things," She grinned. Then she lightly smacked my arm and asked, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I wasn't sure if you'd approve," I answered sheepishly. "I don't want to be judged for getting engaged not too long after the last engagement."

"Oh Merlin," She sighed. "I can understand that, but you should know that we all don't care! Harry and I completely support you, and you know that my family really likes Draco. Plus, your parents like him too!"

"I know, they're mainly the ones I'm worried about telling," I groaned. "They like him, yeah, but I don't think they'll be okay with me getting engaged to him so quickly, regardless of the fact that I've known him for years."

"Well, you can always keep it a secret for a few months and then tell them. Maybe like early next year, even," Ginny shrugged. "But I won't tell anyone, I promise! I'll keep my mouth shut, I won't even tell Harry."

"Thanks, Gin," I said, smiling at her.

She pulled me in for a side hug and grinned. "Can't you thought I wouldn't approve. Did you hit your head or something?"

We both laughed as we turned around and made our way back to the Burrow.