Spending Time At The Beach

Word Count: 648

"Stop staring at me," Hermione warned, her eyes still closed behind her sunglasses and her head tilted back to catch more of the sun rays on her neck and chest. Charlie Weasley stood to the side of her, grinning like an idiot and dripping seawater all over the sand and their towels. "If you get me wet," she started, "I will castrate you and you will be sleeping on the couch. For a month."

"Spoilsport," he grumbled good-naturedly. He sat himself down and looked out to the ocean, watching everyone enjoying themselves, splashing around and making noise - children squealing and giggling whilst parents either shouted at their children for going too far in the water or just conversed quietly to themselves. "I really want to kiss you."

"I really don't want to get wet," she countered and he smirked. "Don't," she warned without opening her eyes and he kept the dirty comment to himself though the smirk didn't disappear. "Merlin, are you five?"

He chuckled and laid down, elbows supporting him so that he could still look out to the water. "So i'm not allowed to get you wet?" She shook her head, almost knocking her glasses off her face. "What about someone else?"

"MUMMY!" a little girl exclaimed, jumping onto Hermione and covering her with the seawater that the little girl was soaked in. He heard Hermione sigh with annoyance but he noticed the happy smile that graced her lips - one that he sported many times when his daughter did something delightful. "Daddy told me not to get you wet but you looked like you wanted a cuddle," his little Alice chattered. "Did you like my cuddle?"

"I did indeed sweetie," Hermione answered, sitting herself up and shoving the glasses onto her head. "Where's your brother?"

"Right here Mum," Alfie answered, walking up to them, carrying four ice cream cones. "Alice complained that she was hungry and what else is there to eat other than ice cream?" Hermione glared at her teenage son who grinned back and handed his little sister a vanilla one, sprinkles and chocolate sauce loaded on the top and topped with a flake. "Mint for you Mum and strawberry for you Dad." They thanked him and all sat down quietly to enjoy their snack, Alice making a right mess of hers whilst Hermione giggled.

"Can we go back into the sea please Mummy?" Alice asked with a mouthful of ice cream cone, her face sporting a very fetching vanilla ice cream beard and moustache. "I've finished my ice cream."

"Not until you've let it go down," Hermione told her, wiping her daughter's face with a wipe and turning to do the same to Alfie whilst he tried to shove her arm away. He pouted the whole time she cleaned him up. "Why don't you play with the sand?" Alice looked sceptical.

"You can build yourself a castle princess," Charlie said eagerly, his fingers itching to help her create such a structure and his face trying and failing to contain his glee. "Daddy will help you." Alice still looked sceptical.

"We can decorate it with shells and seaweed. Make it have a moat and towers," Alfie added, dragging his attention away from some of the girls on the beach to his little sister. "I'll even help you!" That seemed to sway Alice over and the two siblings set off on finding suitable seaweed, pretty shells and an ideal location. Hermione watched them go with a small frown.

"He's doing it so he looks good for the chicks," Charlie murmured, nuzzling her neck. She'd given up trying to push him away. "Partly because he loves her but partly because he wants a snog." Hermione slapped her husband on the leg. "What?" He chuckled. "He takes after his father."

"You're an ass."