There wasn't much time to waste sitting around, so Hermione and Ron packed up and after checking the house was livable one more time, they set off. Hermione wanted to book a flight from Heathrow Airport and so she and Ron apparated to a discreet corner Hermione remembered stumbling upon a few years back when she was trying to locate the toilet. Unfortunately they were in the wrong terminal so they had to ride the shuttle to the correct one. Once there, Hermione handled booking the tickets, Ron was silent and staring about him numbly. Hermione had gotten Ron's passport from Mrs. Weasley before they left. It was outdated, but Mr. Weasley fixed it with magic – it probably wasn't real in the first place. Hermione pulled out their passports and a muggle credit card and booked their flights. They had to connect in Abu Dhabi and the total trip time was over 22 hours.

Hermione looked at Ron to see his reaction to the idea of being on jets for so long, but his face looked blank. She thanked the attendant and took Ron to the security queue. While queuing, Hermione whispered, "Ron, what is the matter…I mean, I know what's wrong, but…"

Ron's eyes looked into hers, and softened. Warmth returned to them as he said, "I just feel odd about it. I think…"

"What?" Hermione clutched his arm, her expression asking him to continue.

"We can talk more later," he said quietly, "But this morning…I think I finally accepted it."

Hermione didn't need to ask what "it" was. Ron meant he was finally accepting not only that Fred was dead, but also what that really meant for him and for his family. Hermione was silent and took his hand. He gripped hers firmly in return.

As they got nearer to the security section, Ron's face grew more and more unsure.

"What's all this then?" Ron whispered.

"It's just a security thing, you just walk through a metal detector so they know you don't have muggle weapons." Hermione whispered back.

"Ahh okay," Ron said, "will it…can we feel it when we go through?"

"No, it doesn't feel any different."

"Huh. Okay."

As this was before the age of commercial jet terrorism, security was simple for them and after going through the metal detectors they were free to move on to their gate. Ron helped Hermione find some seats and he sat with the rucksack while she popped off to the toilet. When she returned she was holding some magazines and two Dairy Milk bars. She handed him a magazine and a chocolate bar and informed him they had to wait for about an hour for boarding. Ron groaned but leafed through the magazine with some interest. He pushed down the foil of the Dairy Milk bar and bit off three bricks. He let the chocolate melt in his mouth instead of chewing it as he looked at pictures of different muggles in strange outfits. He checked the cover of the magazine again and read "Vanity Fair" as the title. He glanced at the magazine Hermione was reading and it read, "Reader's Digest." After reading about 110 hair styles for the season and which clothes suited which body types, Ron started to grow bored. He folded the foil over the remaining half of his chocolate bar and pocketed it.

"Can I look in the shops?" Ron said as he stood up.

"Sure, want me to come, too?" Hermione looked up from her magazine.

"No, you can stay here…do you have some muggle money? I want a drink." Ron didn't look pleased to be asking for money, but the fact that it was not the money he grew up with made it easier somehow.

"Yeah, use this," Hermione gave him the credit card, "Just say 'it's credit' when the cashier asks."

"Okay." Ron walked off toward the shops while keeping an eye on the clock. He had at least 30 minutes. He looked at the coolers and chose an orange fizzy drink. He picked one up for Hermione, too. For about ten minutes he wandered around the shop, looking at the post cards and cheesy souvenirs. Finally he paid for the drinks and walked back to Hermione.

"Thanks," she said when he handed her the soda. He sat down next to her again. He opened his soda and took some long gulps.

"Here, I picked up this magazine because it has an article on grief," Hermione said, handing him the magazine open to the page with the article. Ron groaned, not because of the topic, but because of the usual way he felt about Hermione's reading assignments. Hermione's mouth twitched and he began reading to avoid a lecture.

By the time the plane was boarding, Ron had read the article on grief and it actually did make him feel better. At least, it helped him understand his feelings in a way he couldn't quite get before. He now knew that he couldn't just "get over it" and that every day was going to be it's own day – good or bad. He liked that. He felt like he would be able to try, that he could endure.

"We are now boarding Zone 4," the airport attendant at the gate said over the intercom.

"That's us," said Hermione, stuffing the magazines into the rucksack. Ron stood with her and took her hand to walk toward the gate. With her other hand Hermione held their tickets and she passed one to Ron. They boarded and put their rucksack in the overhead compartment and sat down next to each other. For the first time that day, Ron looked truly nervous.

"Hermione," Ron began, "Hermione how safe are these jets again?"

"It's going to be fine, Ron." Hermione assured him. She took his hand and whispered, "You can squeeze as hard as you want when you get scared."

"Sc-scared? ME?" Ron's voice cracked. He tried to laugh, but it sounded forced. The jet started to taxi and Ron's hand was twitching. When the jet took off, Ron held his breath and squeezed Hermione's hand so hard she thought he might break her fingers. Hermione hugged him to her and whispered that everything was alright and Ron slowly came around.

"It's like a giant broom," Hermione soothed.

"No, no…it's unnatural," Ron whined.

"And flying on a broom isn't?"

"It's…different." Ron pouted until the flight attendant came by with snacks and drinks. Suddenly flying looked like more fun to Ron. He got extra snacks and two cans of coke. Every other hour the attendants brought more snacks and soon Ron was needing the toilet. When he came back he was terribly red in the face.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked. Ron wobbled into his seat and said, "I uh…walked in on quite the scene…"

"What was it?" Hermione was smirking now.

"Well, I chose a toilet that seemed unlocked, but there were people in there."

"People?"

Ron didn't answer but just looked at Hermione. Realization of what he was trying to say hit her. She burst into giggles, but quickly quieted herself and said, "I'm sorry, that's not funny, I don't know why I laughed."

"Yeah, alright." Ron smirked himself.

"The mile-high club is so silly!" Hermione went on as if to prove that she didn't find it funny, "It's just asking to get into trouble!"

"Mile-high club?" Ron frowned.

"Oh…" Hermione bit her lip, "It's what they call it…you know. People who have sex on planes are in the 'mile-high club' supposedly." To her surprise, Ron didn't answer. He just looked pensive and picked at his snacks.

"Don't YOU get any ideas, Ronald!" Hermione snapped.

Ron choked on his food. "W-what? Why would I get any…I swear…blimey…" Ron muttered, trailing off while looking extremely guilty.

Six hours later they landed in Abu Dhabi. After scrambling to find their connection gate, they sat down and Ron finished his chocolate bar and read more of the "Vanity Fair" magazine Hermione got him. Hermione fell asleep with her head on his shoulder, and he woke her when their next flight was boarding. The flight to Sydney was 14 hours and after having been up for so long already, Ron and Hermione fell asleep for at least half of the journey. The rest of the journey they spent reading the rest of their magazines and whispering.

When they finally reached a hotel room they collapsed on the bed and heaved giant sighs of exhaustion.

"I haven't been this tired since the war," Hermione mumbled.

"I just want to shower and get some sleep!" Ron groaned.

They both just lay there for a moment, unable to move. Finally Hermione peeled herself from the bed cover and loped off the to toilet. A moment later she popped her head outside the door and said, "Ron!"

"What?!" Ron's head snapped up and he looked around frantically, he had fallen asleep within seconds.

"Ron, come here," Hermione's fondness was showing in her voice.

Ron heaved himself from the bed, yawning. He made his way to the toilet and stopped in the doorway.

"Wow," Ron nodded appreciatively, "That's a big bath tub!"

Hermione had arranged for a suite in case Ron wanted some privacy or her parents ended up joining her for some reason, and the suite had come with a 2-person Jacuzzi bathtub. Hermione looked at Ron with a twinkle in her eye despite her exhaustion. Ron blushed a dark crimson and said, "So uh, want to take a bath?"

Hermione nodded, her own cheeks flooding with red. Ron cringed under the bright lights and Hermione moved to the wall to locate the dimmer. She dimmed the lights and started the bathtub, pouring in an entire bottle of a complimentary shower gel to make bubbles. While the tub was filling they turned slightly away from each other and undressed. Hermione couldn't resist the groan of relief as her bra slid from her breasts and she scratched the skin softly where the straps had been digging into her. Ron felt a similar relief as he stepped out of his boxers and was completely naked after journeying for over a day. Hermione climbed into the bathtub first and Ron followed her. They both hissed with pleasure and relaxed into the warm soapy water.

"I know," Ron said after a minute, "that we had it so much rougher during the wartime, but I have gotten used to the luxuries of life since then…this journey really wore me out."

"Mmmm," Hermione seemed too exhausted to respond. Ron found his last bit of strength and pulled Hermione against him in the tub. She wrapped her arm around him and rested her head against the tub next to his. Cheek against cheek, Ron and Hermione dozed off together in the tub.

Hermione awoke sometime later, shivering with cold. The bathwater had gone cold during their nap and now they were freezing. She shook Ron awake and pulled the plug in the tub. As he was blinking and rubbing his eyes, Hermione clambered out of the tub and walked dripping all over the floor to the shower. She turned it to the hottest setting and jumped in. Ron moaned most miserably and followed, slipping on the puddles Hermione left. They were silent in the shower, just letting the hot water warm them up. Hermione looked at her hands and smiled at the wrinkles there from falling asleep in the water. After they were warm they dried off and put on the first comfy clothes they saw in their rucksack. They climbed into the big cushy bed, not even bothering to pretend they had separate sleeping arrangements in mind, and fell into the most welcome sleep.

Ron awoke to an empty bed, which made his heart sink. Before he could start thinking about the war, his family, or Fred, Ron pushed himself out of bed to clean his teeth. He had the worst taste in his mouth from the funny foods on the jet and falling asleep without cleaning his teeth the previous evening. He found his toothbrush in the rucksack and shuffled to the toilet. Loading up the toothbrush with paste, he glanced down to the counter to see Hermione's toothbrush already lying there. He looked around, then quickly turned to the toilet and flipped down the band of his sleep-trousers to do his business. He cleaned his teeth with his free hand, grimacing for a moment when he realized he left the seat down. When he was done he bit down on his toothbrush to keep it in his mouth and cleaned the toilet seat while flushing. He then washed his hands and finished cleaning his teeth. Walking back to the bedroom, he then heard Hermione's voice.

"Yes that will be all, thank you," she was saying.

"What?" Ron called. When she didn't answer he followed the sound of her voice and found her sitting in the living room, speaking on a muggle device he knew was a telephone. She looked so adorable in a big T-shirt and little shorts, her hair a giant messy mane. When he walked into her line of vision she smiled.

"Okay, bye," Hermione said and she hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Ron said in a throaty voice – his vocal cords hadn't quite woken up yet.

"Room service," Hermione said, "I ordered us breakfast."

"You're amazing," Ron grinned and lunged for her, picking her up into his arms and carrying her toward the bedroom. Hermione giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down with her as he put her in the bed. They nestled under the blankets once more and held each other.

"Did you have a nice sleep?" Hermione cooed.

"The most perfect sleep," Ron said with a squeeze, "What did you order for breakfast?"

"Eggs, bacon, toast…the usual."

"Wicked." Ron's mouth watered just thinking of the meal. It had been a while since they ate.

"We are finally here…" Hermione whispered.

"…What?"

"I mean," Hermione smiled, "I'm finally going to get my parents back. I'm going to see them again!" Her eyes shone a little.

"Yes," Ron pulled her close to him and rubbed her back, "you'll have them back, now, Hermione." As he looked over her shoulder he thought of how important this time was for Hermione. He couldn't imagine going so long without seeing his parents, or even putting a spell on them that would make them forget him. He knew Hermione was a strong person, but now he reflected on her strength with renewed admiration. She really was a true Gryffindor.

Hermione shifted in his arms and he felt his loins spark as her breasts, soft and braless under the t-shirt, moved against his chest. He could almost feel her hardened nipples against his skin and his hand moved of its own accord down her side, over her hip, down her thigh and back up again. Goosebumps formed on his flesh as Hermione sighed against his neck, quietly appreciating his touch. He let his hand slide over her bum, then hook under her knee as he pulled her leg over his hip. Ron almost hissed with pleasure as Hermione's hot crotch came into contact with his now throbbing erection. How quickly she could ignite him…he wasn't even trying to go this direction with her, he just wanted to give her some comfort.

"Ronald," Hermione's voice was low, soft, and tender. The way she said his name just then make his heart skip a beat. He knew somehow in the way she said his name that today was different. Today was going to be one of the most important days in his life. He pulled away from her to look at her seriously. He found her with the same expression, her eyes communicating affection.

"Hermione," Ron breathed, and he was astonished at how he voice imitated the tone Hermione had used when uttering his name a moment ago. "I know we said…" he couldn't figure out how to finish the sentence.

"It's okay," Hermione assured him gently. Her hand cupped his face and after looking into each other's eyes for a moment, he turned and kissed her open palm, with slow and sensual kisses. His heart felt soothed during the action of kissing Hermione, and he found he didn't want to fight what his body wanted him to do. While he felt before like his motives were wrong, he now knew that regardless, he loved Hermione to his core, and that is all that mattered. They needed each other.

He moved his kisses up her arm and then her face, finally finding her lips. His heart pounded as he kissed her deeply, the kiss expressing the physical love that would soon follow. He found he was trembling, as emotion was swelling inside him so ardently that he could barely contain it.

A knock at the door jolted them from each other.

"Room service!" A voice called. Ron looked at Hermione, whose skin was flushed and lips were swollen. Ron moved from the bed quickly, opening the door just enough to slide the trolley through and thank the attendant. He stared at it briefly before returning to the bedroom.

What he found there would forever be ingrained in his memory. Hermione lay naked and uncovered on the bed, her arms open to him. Ron froze for half a second, then ripped off his sleep trousers and joined her on the bed. He kissed her, then broke away before he got carried away. He couldn't ignore the chances now presented to him, and he moved so that he was on his knees beside her. Looking into her eyes he placed a hand on one of her knees and pulled it away from the other, opening her legs. He moved between them and lowered himself down so that he was propped just above her. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, bringing him down to a half-lying position atop her. They wasted no time in kissing passionately. The timing couldn't be more perfect. Here they were in a lush, beautiful hotel suite that they had all to themselves, and there were no friends or family to interrupt them. They didn't even need to cast mufflato.

As Ron kissed Hermione, he thanked his lucky stars he had let Harry teach him that birth control spell. He didn't like to think about why Harry knew about it, but did remember a time when his brothers told him about it. After casting the spell on himself, any wizard could have sex without producing children for up to one month. He had done before they left "just in case" anything were to happen. Little did he know, his predictions were not so outlandish after all.

"Ron," Hermione suddenly broke the kiss, "I want you to know that…I have taken proper precaution." Ron stared at her blankly at first, then almost laughed when he realized that he and Hermione had been thinking the same thing.

"What?" Hermione frowned.

"Me too," Ron said with a dopey grin.

"Really?" Hermione's face lit up.

"Yeah, really." Ron gave her a sloppy kiss to silence her praise and soon she surrendered to him. Hermione's enthusiasm seemed to increase after their duel confessions and Ron was soon having trouble keeping up. Her small hands cupped his bottom, pressing him against her warm wetness. Ron moaned aloud, the sound only muffled by Hermione's mouth on his. She worked her tongue into his mouth, battling his for domination. Ron reacted, pushed her into the soft mattress, grinding his pelvis against hers. He moved his mouth along her neck, kissing so sensually he knew he was sucking on her, leaving marks. Finally, he reached her breasts and he teased her for such a time that at the end, she was begging for him to penetrate her.

"Please?" Hermione whimpered.

"Not yet," Ron said as he kissed her lower and lower. Hermione spread her legs wide now, petting his head as he licked and kissed her inner thighs. Ron found himself facing directly the part of Hermione that he had only recently come to know as one of his favorite parts. So beautifully exquisite to him, he admired her for just a second before planting his mouth there. He ran his tongue in one thick, broad stroke from her opening to her peak, enveloped in the sound of Hermione's moans. She tasted…the only way to describe it was arousing. With every mouthful he got he felt his erection jump. He buried his face in her, loving every moment, every sound she made. He could feel her legs trembling, and he stroked her softly as his mouth continued. In this moment he reflected on his journey through life with Hermione – their rows, their hugs, the awkward stares, the hurt, the jealousy, the love – he had come so far with Hermione. She had always been there for him, and he vowed to himself he would always be there for her.

The thought that the current part of their journey was himself licking out Hermione Jean Granger gave him a surge of pride and excitement. After all these years of being together and not being able to do things like this, Ron was finally getting his chance. Here in the hotel room he felt it was such a milestone, it was almost akin to a wedding night. The thought of wedding Hermione suddenly entered his mind and he was astounded to feel warmth and longing. He never thought he would be the kind of young man to want to marry young, but war changed the way he thought. He allowed himself to imagine her here in something white, as his bride. A joy so intense filled him that he knew someday it had to happen.

Hermione's moans had risen in volume and her hands were practically ripping out his hair. Ron paused and looked up at her, the expression on her face desperate. He climbed back up to his position atop her and her face pleaded with him. Her hand found its way to his shaft and she stroked him, causing him to close his eyes briefly and groan. She guided him to her opening and she tilted her pelvis, trying to urge him inside. Ron gasped and choked out his verbal need for consent, "Now?"

"Yes!" was Hermione's enthusiastic confirmation. They both panted as he worked his way in. Hermione tensed, and Ron kissed her gently, encouraging her to relax. He grew quite serious as he entered her, trying to adjust to the feeling and not knowing how to know if he was hurting her. Hermione whimpered below him and he glanced at her worriedly, only to find that she was lost in pleasure. She murmured, "I love you, Ron," and he could swear he felt his heart break into a thousand pieces and rebuild itself in a nano-second, reborn and bolder than ever. His pain and sorrow shattered to be replaced with red-blooded Gryffindor strength, as his Hermione loved him and made him better. He thrust himself deep inside her, and could not stop the moan of satisfaction that burst from his throat. He grunted and pulled out slowly to do it again, Hermione continued to make mewing sounds against his neck.

Instinctually he wanted to thrust harder and faster, but he feared hurting Hermione. He continued slow and deliberately, trying to soothe any ache he created. He shook and broke out in a sweat, he wanted so badly to come. He didn't know how much longer he could last – he knew that the first time for men was always quick. Still, he wanted Hermione to get there first.

He didn't have to wait long. Shortly Hermione was moving with him, encouraging a faster pace. Ron panicked, the new pace threatened to break him. Hermione opened herself wider, bringing her legs up so Ron's thrusts would go deeper. Ron lost control of his steady resolve and began thrusting harder and faster, consumed with pleasure so sweet it almost brought tears to his eyes. Hermione moaned his name as she finally came, loud and long. Ron choked and grunted as her muscles clenched him, he was at the brink. He buried his face against her neck, groaning and gasping out "I love you" and who knows what else as he came deep inside her. Hermione had come first, but her orgasm was long, and they both came down together, shaking and panting. Ron had collapsed on Hermione, and she wrapped her legs around his sweaty torso. She still moaned softly, and as he was still inside her, he could feel her muscles convulsing now and then, growing softer and more distant as the seconds marched by.

Ron was so exhausted suddenly, but he was the happiest he had ever been. Tears of joy filled his eyes and he found some strength to kiss Hermione once more, giving her his heart.