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Worth the Wait	By : Dazzlious Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 8359 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from J K Rowling's fantastic books or films, I'm just borrowing and playing with them for a little while and get no monetary reward for doing so.

Chapter List
- 1-Prologue
- 2-One
- 3-Two
- 4-Three
- 5-Four
- 6-Five
- 7-Six
- 8-Seven
- 9-Eight
- 10-Nine
- 9
- 10
A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read this story. Congratulations for making it to the final chapter. I really appreciate you sticking with it. Dx

Penny hardly even looked at Percy as he handed her the suitcase he had carried downstairs for her. There was nothing more to say and no fond farewells to be made. He watched as she Disapparated, then stood in the cold night air for a few minutes as he tried to decide what to do next.
He really needed to talk to Hermione, to finally say all those things she hadn’t let him say before; to tell her just how much he loved her, how much he had always loved her now he considered it properly. Then he would ask her to marry him, certain that even though their relationship was only just starting she would accept, understanding like him just how right they were for each other.
The ring! He had to get the ring, and then he had to get Hermione alone.
Percy would have liked to propose to her in front of his family, but as half of them didn’t yet know anything about him and Hermione being a couple it wasn’t a great idea. It was going to be hard enough explaining to his parents what had happened tomorrow, when everyone would be winding down from Christmas, and he still didn’t know exactly what he was going to say. Trying to do so tonight would be a disaster and needed to be avoided at all costs.
He went back indoors and made his way quickly to his bedroom to collect the small box containing the precious ring he had bought only a few weeks before. He put it in his jeans pocket and began to descend the stairs slowly, calming his breathing as he went.
As Percy re-entered the lounge he was aware of several pairs of eyes watching him carefully and he was certain he could feel the tension in the air – stronger, if anything, than it had been before. Coolly, he wandered over to join the watchers.
‘Penny’s gone home. She’s not feeling too good,’ he announced blandly to the group.
‘Nothing serious, I hope?’ Ginny said, not disguising the smirk on her face. Hermione gave her a small frown, but she just shrugged.
‘She’ll get over it,’ Percy said. He looked at Hermione. ‘Hermione, will you go for a walk with me?’
Hermione stared back for a moment, then smiled. ‘Yes, why not? It’s nice evening for a stroll.’
‘Are you mental? It’s freezing out there,’ Fred supplied.
Hermione turned to look at him. Sweetly she said, ‘Don’t worry, Fred, I’ve got a thick coat and some gloves.’
She heard George and Ginny snickering as Fred elbowed his twin, although he was laughing, too.
Hermione followed Percy to the door.
‘Won’t everyone wonder where we’ve gone?’ she asked worriedly.
‘Unlikely. Mum and dad are listening to Celestina still and the others are all playing Exploding Snap. They won’t care what we’re up to. Everyone else knows.’
‘I won’t be a minute,’ Hermione told him as she dashed upstairs to get her coat and boots.
Percy slowly pulled his coat from the pile by the door and began to put it on, his mind suddenly playing overtime with anxiety. What if Hermione had changed her mind? What if she had got so fed up with his prevarication that she no longer wanted to have anything to do with him and her refusal to discuss it until Penny had gone was just an excuse to not have to tell him the truth?
It wouldn’t change his mind on anything that had happened. He had been absolutely correct in what he had told Penny; he had changed far too much for them ever to remain a couple. But the idea of facing this new life alone without Hermione at his side suddenly didn’t seem anywhere near as appealing as it had when he was telling Penny about it.
Of course, he would never go and work for Fred and George; there was more chance of him becoming the Minister for Magic and, as he had told Penny that was firmly off his agenda. But there were other jobs outside the Ministry that he might one day consider, if he had Hermione’s love and support.
The rest of his entire life hinged on the upcoming conversation. No wonder he was so nervous.
‘Are you ready?’ Hermione asked. She touched Percy’s arm, pulling him out of his reverie.
He smiled at her and led her into the kitchen, reaching for the back door.
‘Fred’s right, it’s absolutely bloody freezing out there. Do you want to go to the barn?’
Hermione considered for a moment, then nodded her agreement. ‘All right.’
They walked towards the barn, the icy grass crackling beneath them as they walked. The anxiety that was like a tight band across his chest eased a little as Percy took Hermione’s hand and she didn’t try to pull away. That was a hopeful sign, surely?
Hermione shivered once they were in the barn.
‘Brrr. You were right. It’s freezing out there. It would be okay if it wasn’t for that wind.’
Percy smiled and pulled her towards him, his arm wrapping around her waist and holding her close.
‘I’ll keep you warm,’ he promised, and then he kissed her.
Hermione wrapped her arms around him in return, the tension that had built up inside her slowly draining away as the kiss continued. Penny was gone and now she and Percy could be together at last. She realised with a feeling of exhilaration that they were now both single and could do exactly as they pleased without having to worry about what anyone else thought. It was total bliss!
The kissing went on for several long minutes but eventually they broke apart, although they stood facing each other, still holding hands.
‘Penny’s finally gone,’ Percy confirmed with a smile, needing to say it so it would be a truth that would set up everything that came after.
Hermione smiled back, although there was a cautionary look about it. ‘I know, you said before. Was she okay? I mean, I know she’s upset; of course she would be under the circumstances, but—’ She broke off as Percy shook his head.
‘She took it pretty hard,’ he admitted quietly. ‘I never realised that she had planned the wedding and everything. She never mentioned it to me, no more than the odd occasional wistful mention of weddings that I assumed all women did. I tried to explain to her but she really doesn’t understand that I’ve changed. She thinks it’s just me rebelling against my parents for what happened before the war.
‘I had to be pretty brutal with her in the end. I have to admit it didn’t make me feel good. To be honest, I don’t think it would have made much difference when I told her, she would still have reacted the same and I think it would still have ruined her Christmas even if I had told her weeks ago. I get the feeling it’s going to take her a long time to regain a true perspective on the world. But she’s gone now and I really don’t want to think about her anymore.
‘Hermione, I wasn’t lying when I told you that I knew during that night we spent together that I wanted to be with you. Far from it. Actually, I’ve known for far longer than that, years probably.’ Percy shook his head ruefully. ‘I should have split up with Penny and asked you out a long time ago but I was—’
‘An idiot,’ Hermione suggested, although she was smiling as she said it.
Percy nodded again. ‘I was an idiot. To think I wasted all that time with her when I could have been with you. I could kick myself.’
She squeezed his hand. ‘There’s no point lamenting over what’s gone. There’s nothing we can do about that. It’s the future that’s important now, isn’t it?’
He smiled. ‘You’re right, of course, and I really hope we’ll have a great future together. If you’ll have me.’
‘Of course I will,’ Hermione told him. ‘That was what all this was about, wasn’t it? I told you that night I was yours and I meant it, although I don’t know what the rest of your family will think when they find out.’
Percy pulled her towards him and gave her a small kiss on the lips.
‘I’m fully expecting them to be like Ginny and the twins. They didn’t think Penny and I were suited and there’s no reason to think any of the others did, either. I have a feeling some of the other revelations might be more shocking, for my mother at least.’
Hermione giggled. ‘Does this mean you’re finally going to tell them about the piercings and the tattoos?’
‘Yes, I think it’s time. I don’t want to keep them hidden any longer, not now that I don’t have to. I assume you have no objection to me revealing their existence?’
He poked out his tongue, showing the newly revealed stud.
‘You know I love your piercings . . . and your tattoos. Are you going to be sharing them all?’ She grinned wickedly.
‘I think showing the Chinese Fireball on my leg will be safe enough and, obviously, the tongue stud, and they’ll see the nipple bars the next time I’m topless, although I will mention them in passing. I don’t mind them knowing about the skull, too, although obviously I’m not going to be whipping down my pants to show anyone. The P.A. can remain our little secret, I think.’
‘Your mum is going to have a fit,’ Hermione said. ‘The fact that you and I are a couple might slip by almost completely undetected after that.’
‘Not if we’ve got a wedding to arrange,’ Percy suggested insouciantly, ‘although I completely understand if you want to leave it a few years before planning anything. After all, we have only just got together.’
Hermione could feel her heart beating faster. Percy was talking about marriage. Oh god, was this really happening to her? She almost couldn’t believe it despite knowing he had an engagement ring for her.
He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out the small black box, then sank to one knee.
‘Hermione, will you marry me?’ Percy asked hopefully.
Hermione stared at him for several very long seconds, not entirely sure that her heart hadn’t stopped beating, then she nodded her head.
‘Yes! Yes, Percy. I will marry you . . . as soon as you want me to.’
Relieved, he let out the breath he had been holding and opened the ring box to reveal a platinum v-shaped bezel-set solitaire diamond ring.
‘It’s beautiful!’ Hermione exclaimed happily.
In fact, her breath was completely taken away at quite how amazing the ring was. It was much more beautiful and far more graceful than anything she had imagined in the hours since she had discovered the ring was for her, and it was so obviously an engagement ring that there was no way Penny could have possibly mistaken it for anything else.
For a moment Hermione felt a pang of sympathy for the other woman, understanding totally how elated she must have felt on discovery of the beautiful ring; the final tangible proof of Percy’s love for her and the realisation of all those dreams of weddings and fairy-tale marriages that she had been cherishing and planning for so long.
She felt, too, the pain the poor woman would have felt at having her dreams torn away so completely and the horror of knowing that she had lost both them and Percy forever. It was almost unbearable.
‘You’re more beautiful,’ Percy said, pulling her thoughts away from Penny and back to the barn as he slid the ring onto her finger. It wasn’t quite a perfect fit, but it was close.
Hermione stared at her hand and he could see tears in her eyes. He stood up and moved towards her.
‘I love you so much, Hermione. Merry Christmas, my love.’
‘I love you, too,’ she whispered. ‘Merry Christmas, Percy.’
Percy wrapped his arms around her. ‘We don’t need any mistletoe this time.’
‘We got it anyway,’ Hermione said sounding resigned. She pointed above them to the clump that had just appeared over their heads.
‘Just snog the girl, for Merlin’s sake,’ Fred announced loudly.
Hermione and Percy both rolled their eyes.
‘Best advice he’s given all day,’ Percy said with a smile as his mouth moved to capture hers.
Around them came the sounds of whistles and catcalls from the twins and Ginny but Hermione and Percy didn’t notice, wrapped in each other’s arms caring about nothing but each other.
- 9
- 10
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Worth the Wait