Ron liked to think he wasn't a complete imbecile.
If he was going to have sex with Hermione – and he hoped to think in his wildest dreams, that could be a possibility in the near future – it would be in his best interest to be open and honest with her about his thoughts and feelings on the topic.
It was one thing to be a guy – anything…everything – Hermione would want to do with him would feel good. But he was past blundering around when it came to their relationship. He had almost lost her, she was finally his, they were finally together…and being honest with each other, not holding anything back, had only made their relationship that much better.
Ron was sure it wouldn't do him any benefit to fumble through pleasing Hermione sexually without proper communication – or finding out what her expectations and desires were – at least that's what the book suggested. And he had to agree, it made sense.
So, he wasn't going to hide anything from her…especially when it came to the topic of sex. He figured she was always straight forward and had the lowest bullshit tolerance of anyone he knew – and that included his mother. Ron knew Hermione was driven by logic and planning, anticipating the unknown would only trigger her anxiety, and that was last thing he wanted to do. He'd said she was in control, and he meant it.
After they had put their shirts back on to ward against the chill that was settling in the late afternoon, Ron pulled the book Charlie had given him out of his rucksack and handed it to Hermione. She read the cover and her eyes went wide. She looked to him, then back down to the cover, then back to him. They both blushed.
Ron figured she could take a look at the book and let him know what she thought. He wasn't going to follow the instructions of some random book unless Hermione thought he should.
"What do you think?" he asked sheepishly, shrugging.
Hermione cleared her throat nervously and continued to stare at the book. "Actually Ronald, I think this is a great idea. Where did you get this?"
Ron felt his ears grow hot. "Apparently, this is some sort of Weasley Brother tradition." He rolled his eyes. "Whatever that means. Uh, Charlie gave it to me the other night for my birthday."
Hermione smirked and flipped through the pages quickly, "Actually…" she mumbled, lost in thought. She turned quickly and reached behind her for her beaded bag. She extracted a much thicker book, and handed it to Ron, while looking down coyly.
What Your Mother Never Told You About S-e-x
by Hilda Hutcherson, M.D.
Co-Director, New York Center for Women's Sexual Health,
Columbia Presbyerian Medical Center
Ron felt his eyes bug out of his head. His girlfriend certainly kept him on his toes. Though if he thought about it, was it really surprising for Hermione to be carrying around a huge Muggle tome with all the information one would need to educate themselves on the topic of sexual intercourse? Since that was their current topic of discovery…no, no it was not surprising at all.
Ron looked over at Hermione and noticed she had the cutest pink cheeks and was biting at her bottom lip nervously.
"We could switch books and make notes for each other. Even though it would be easier to write in the margins in pencil, I would never defile a book like that. I do have a muggle office supply that could work…" Hermione pulled out a little, light yellow notepad the size of her palm and handed it to Ron, while she continued her nervous rambling.
"You peel off the top sheet and there is a sticky strip on the back. If you stuck it to the page that interested you and made a note for me, and I do the same for you…then we could figure out what each other's interested in or what we want more information on…I've tried sticking charms with scraps of paper, but sticking charms can be tricky with variability in sticking strength and can often times cause damage to books if the paper is a lower grade pulp ratio…" she trailed off nervously.
Hermione continued to finger the pages of the book that Ron had given her. She seemed nervous, curious, and eager to start reading and taking notes.
Ron chuckled at the jumpy enthusiasm his girlfriend exhibited. It was certainly on par with how he was feeling. He couldn't believe it was possible, but it was things like this, sharing similar emotions and their continued connections that made him fall more and more in love with her.
Thinking that Ron was laughing at her, Hermione frowned and looked away, but he gently took her chin in his hand and turned her face back to his. He leaned forward and brushed his lips to hers with the ghost of a kiss.
"Whatever you want. I'll read whatever you want me to," he whispered against her lips. "Sounds like a brilliant plan, love."
Ron saw Hermione's pupils grow with desire and her cheeks flush a beautiful pink. She bit at her lips nervously and looked down.
"I've been thinking this over more, trying to figure out logistics. We really should have a plan. Magical versus Muggle contraception. Privacy and location. I mean…" Hermione rambled, "not choreographing the actual act of ma–" Hermione let out a heavy breath and looked into Ron's eyes. "I know I'm over-thinking this, I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's supposed to be loving and fun and I'm making it clinical and business-like." Ron saw a flash of sadness in her eyes before Hermione buried her face in her hands and groaned in what he knew was embarrassment.
Ron encircled her wrists and gently pulled her hands away from her face. He wrapped her in a hug and felt her tremble in his arms as she let out a sigh, releasing some of the tension in her shoulders.
"It's all just a bit overwhelming still," she whispered into his neck as she clutched at his shirt. "I need to figure out birth control. I want to be prepared enough that it won't be too painful for me, and I obviously want it to feel good for you too. I want to please you."
He didn't think it was possible, but her voice grew even more quiet. If she hadn't been pressed right up against him, he wouldn't have caught the next words she breathed into his shirt, "I don't want to disappoint you."
Ron squeezed her tighter, then pulled back. He gripped her upper arms and waited until she looked into his eyes. "You could never disappoint me," he said fiercely. "I think that whatever you want to do, however you want to do it, whenever you want to do it, it will be great…because it will be me and you. And we'll be figuring this all out together."
The fact that Hermione wanted to be with him like this, that she had thought about it, was planning it…was an incredible turn on for him. It didn't matter that neither of them knew what they were doing, because they would discover everything with each other.
She smiled shyly and surged on. "Of course, there is a natural progression. The Americans I believe use a sports analogy…I've seen it in Muggle movies, but it's pretty simple to follow: kissing, French kissing, petting above the waist -over the clothes, petting above the waist -no clothes…well actually, I think we may have skipped ahead with the outercourse this afternoon, but it just felt right…" she trailed off, blushing.
Ron grabbed her hard and hauled her back on to his lap to stop her anxious rambling. He nuzzled his face into her hair, and she giggled.
"All you have to do is tell me what you want, whenever you want…and I'll make it happen," he purred in her ear and trailed kisses down her jaw. She gasped when he reached a sensitive spot on her neck. Hermione stroked his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair.
"Well I also want to know what you want to do," she murmured before kissing his cheek.
"I want to do everything," he blurted hastily. Feeling like an idiot, he cleared his throat. Nervously, he ran his fingers through her hair and tried again. "What I mean is, anything. Anything you want to do is fine by me. Even just snogging you has my wildest dreams becoming a reality."
"You've thought about us being intimate?" she asked shyly into his shoulder.
Ron continued petting her hair in a soothing gesture. "Well yeah, of course, I'm a randy git aren't I?" He chuckled. "Probably since, hhmmm…fourth year," he thought out loud. "Yeah, for sure. You looked so gorgeous in that dress. And in the summer, any time we went swimming at the pond. The smartest, bravest, sexiest girl I knew, in a bathing suit…I didn't stand a chance." Hermione giggled and Ron felt the heat from her cheeks warm his neck. "And definitely anytime you took a shower when we were in that bloody tent," he chuckled again. "The highlight of my day…for about a year there."
"Yeah," she sighed thoughtfully, "I used to think about it a bit too when we were in the tent. Especially at night when I could hear you snoring from your bed."
"What?!" Ron asked, pulling back with an incredulous look on his face.
"What? Just because I'm a woman, you don't think I have sexual fantasies?" Hermione scowled. Her posture became rigid and she tried to pull out from his embrace.
"No, you barmy witch! Why in Merlin's name would you be thinking like that while I'm snoring? And probably drooling all over the place." Ron snorted, rolling his eyes, and then quickly gave her a smacking kiss on the lips to try and wipe the frown off her face.
Hermione smirked and settled back against him, nuzzling her nose into the crook of his neck. "Well, I would hear you snoring. Really, it's more like heavy breathing. And I would think about how nice it would be, to be in the same bed as you. Cuddled up, under the same blanket, wrapped in your sexy, strong arms. My head on your chest…how it would be if we were together. Naked, post-coital." She sighed wistfully and Ron felt her breath fan across his skin like a sexual caress.
Ron's heart thudded in his chest. His breathing became heavier as he'd listened to Hermione describe her fantasy, her voice stirring his arousal back to attention. He needed to get them back on track, back to the clinical talk, or he'd take her right here and damn all the planning.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So uh, besides studying, uh, I mean reading, the uh, books and taking notes, which I'm actually looking forward to," he chuckled and cleared his throat again, then adjusted his legs and rubbed his hands down her back clumsily, "is there anything else I can do to help ease your worries?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd given any thought to the sleeping arrangements for Australia? Because, well you see, I have. And I… I think it's the perfect opportunity to share a bed, have privacy, and make love for the first time." Hermione placed a small kiss on Ron's throat. "There's not much privacy here, or in your room. No offense. And I do want my first time to be in a bed. With no interruptions. And so, I've been thinking that we should take advantage of being alone for the few days before we retrieve my parents."
Ron felt as if he'd taken a bludger to the face and been stupefied all at once. Sure, all her planning was cute and endearing, and her fantasy talk was a turn-on…but he felt gob smacked. Hermione was giving him an exact time and place in which she wished to have sex with him. In less than two weeks they would take a portkey to Australia, arrive as virgins and then she wanted to share a bed and make love. Holy shit! He had thirteen days to study both books cover to cover and learn everything he could to make this good for her. He felt his body break out in a nervous sweat.
"Ron? You're awfully quiet. If it's too soon for you, or too much pressure, we don't have to plan anything for Australia. We can wait. I'm sorry if I assumed –"
Ron hugged her tighter to his chest, quietly shushing her to try and ease her nervousness. He took a deep breath and kissed her temple. He thought back to the words he had told her and tried to internalize them himself. It was just the two of them, and they would figure it out together. Nothing to stress about. He trailed kisses down her cheek and lingered over her lips. He slowly and softly nibbled at her mouth. Against her lips, he whispered, "I love you. And I would love to share a bed with you in Australia and be with you like that."
Hermione hugged him back fiercely. "I love you too Ron."
A/N: So sorry for the delay everyone! Life and work have been CRAZY! Thank you so much for sticking with me!
This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest (though I may combine it with the previous chapter in the future), but have no fear! ...the next chapter is extra long, already done, and VERY steamy! I'll be posting that one SOON.
Feedback and reviews are very much appreciated!