AN: You'll be glad to know we have this and another chapter of pure Hermione & Ron fluff before we get back to house-elves and Auror training and all of that stuff. I've almost completely finished writing this fic now (although I have around 10 or so chapters to post) and I'm excited to see what you all think so don't forget to continue leaving reviews - they really brighten my day! 3 xxx
Hermione and Ron finally reunite after a week apart; can they keep their hands off each other long enough to say a proper goodbye to her parents?!
A couple of days later. Hermione found herself sat in the back seat of her parent's hire car as her dad drove them the short journey from Primrose Cottage in Ottery St. Catchpole to Exeter. Once they got there, her and her mum left him to deal with the paperwork in the hire office to wait outside and admire the city one last time. Hermione took advantage of the early hour to shrink down her parents' suitcases and slide them into her mum's handbag.
"Once we get to Heathrow, I can make them bigger so you can check them in. Otherwise, you might get a few strange questions at security…" Hermione gave her mum a wry smile.
Jean shook her head. "I still can't get over how easier your life is with magic!"
"Easy sometimes, but at least muggles aren't aware of the mortal peril they're under…" Hermione cursed herself as she saw her mum's scared look. "And neither do we, most of the time…" She linked her arm with her mum's as they waited for Malcolm to join them.
Instead of taking a taxi the family walked through the old city, making the most of the winter sun. It was cold and all three of them were wrapped up warm, but it was still quite early in the morning and the streets were quiet.
They didn't have long to wait before their train to London pulled into the station. They boarded the first-class carriage and easily located their seats. The train was quiet and by the time they were speeding through the country, they'd already been served breakfast.
Hermione much preferred to travel the muggle way; although it took longer, it was less likely to make her feel ill. Once breakfast was cleared away, she dug her book out of her bag, planning on taking advantage of the journey to finish it but before she'd even finished the second page, she had fallen asleep. She was woken two hours later by her mum shaking her shoulder.
"Hermione, love – we're getting close to Paddington…"
Hermione gave her mum a sleepy smile as she stretched out. She had been up quite late the night before talking to Ron; they had been far too excited about finally getting to see each other again. At first glance, the time spent apart physically had strengthened their relationship or so Hermione thought and she really couldn't wait to start building their future together. She felt her stomach flip in excitement as she pictured him stood waiting for her train to come in. She longed to kiss him, to run her fingers through his hair, to hear the rasp of his stubble as it scratched against her skin. She hoped he was wearing that nice grey wool coat she had bought him; she thought he looked really handsome in it. She quickly shoved the last of her things into her bag, before turning to watch the scenery as they entered London.
Ron had volunteered to apparate to Devon so that he could accompany Hermione and her parents all the way to London, but after a quick discussion, they'd agreed that it didn't make sense for him to leave London only to pay for a ticket to travel back there. By meeting them at Paddington, he would be able to stay in bed longer and given how hard he'd been working over the holiday, he wasn't going to turn that down.
Despite the opportunity to get a lie in that morning, Ron had woken up early anyway; he was far too excited to see Hermione again. He made himself breakfast and showered, singing to himself as he did. He debated shaving but remembered how much she had fussed over his stubble at the Christmas party. Maybe he should try and grow a beard? That would give him an extra 10 minutes in bed before work every morning, so sounded like a brilliant idea to him.
Ron dressed quickly before tidying up the flat. He wasn't sure what their plans were for after the airport, but he wanted to be prepared in case they came back to his. It made sense since they were going to be in London anyway. When he was finally happy with both his appearance and the flat, he locked up and apparated within the vicinity of Paddington Train Station. He was almost half an hour early, but he didn't want to risk the chance of not being there when she arrived. He felt so nervous, his stomach was like a bag of flobberworms and he regretted the extra slice of toast he'd stuffed into his face before leaving. He half-wished it was later in the day so he could have a beer to calm his nerves but instead, he settled on a takeaway coffee before finding a spot to wait where he could easily see her.
Hermione was at the front of the queue of passengers waiting at the train doors when it pulled into the station. One it had stopped against the station buffers and the doors had been unlocked, she was the first person off the train. She pulled her bag over her shoulder, forgetting about her parents momentarily as she walked so fast she was almost running towards the train station concourse. Her heart pounded as she tried to spot Ron amongst the sea of commuters and for a moment she worried he hadn't shown up or that he was running late. He'd promised her he'd be there to meet her.
Ron smirked as he finally caught sight of Hermione. She was looking around wildly and he laughed to himself as he saw a flash of annoyance cross her face. She was probably thinking he was running late. He may have been annoyed about it, but he was far too excited to see her again to really care. He thought about calling out her name, but before he could open his mouth all of the wind was suddenly pushed out of his lungs and his line of sight was obscured by her mess of curly hair. She had thrown herself at him so hard, he had been forced to take a couple of steps back to regain his balance. He buried his head into her curls as he wrapped his arms around her so tight, he was worried he might squash her.
Hermione let Ron hold her for a moment before she lifted her head from against his chest, seeking out his lips for a hungry kiss. She needed to show him just how much she'd missed him over the past week.
He laughed as he reacted, kissing Hermione back with a little more force. He felt one of his hands sliding up to tangle in her curls as he held her tightly to him, his heart pounding so hard, he was surprised it hadn't beaten right out of his chest. He didn't want to break apart from her, but he was painfully aware that they were in a public place and he was soon desperate for breath.
"If this is the reception I get every time we're apart, I'm going to insist we take regular breaks!" He rubbed his nose against hers.
"No way…" Hermione replied breathlessly, running her fingers along the collar of his wool coat. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again. There's bound to be a charm that will attach you to me for the rest of our lives…"
"And if there isn't I'm sure you'd be able to invent one," Ron smirked at his brilliant girlfriend. "I'd have to quit the Auror Academy…"
"Fine by me…"
Hermione was distracted by his lips. They were swollen and bruised from her latest assault. She ran the side of her finger along his stubble as she was eventually rewarded with a slower kiss. She tried to make it last for as long as she could, unbothered by the commuters trying to get past them.
Ron remembered a time when Hermione hated public displays of affection, although maybe that was just when she was stuck watching Lavender trying to mount him in the common room. Thinking back, even he would have been grossed out by that. Either way, he wasn't complaining about how eagerly she was kissing him now in full sight of what felt like all of London.
Once again, he forced his lips away and pressed his forehead to hers; trying hard to catch his breath. If this was how they were going to spend their day, it was fine by him. Their reunion had been much better than he'd imagined it, although they'd definitely have to get out of the public eye if the rest of what he'd dreamt of was going to happen.
"Hey, you…" He was still breathless when he spoke.
"Hello. I missed you…" Hermione gave him one last kiss before reluctantly letting go of him, taking a tight hold of his hand as they waited for her parents to catch up with them.
She laughed as her mum got to them first and wrapped an arm around Ron.
"It's so nice to see you again Ronald – even though it's just a brief visit…"
Ron blushed slightly, suddenly taking a great interest in his feet. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. George's shop is important to him. You'll be glad to know that it's ready for opening on Monday – although luckily I'll be back at Auror training by then! I'd rather that than the onslaught of Hogwarts students!"
Hermione smiled as Ron slipped into an easy conversation with her parents and they walked together to the ticket office. A short argument ensued between Hermione and her dad over who should pay for the train tickets but eventually, Malcolm stepped up to the cashier and bought four one-way tickets to Heathrow. On their way to the platform, Hermione got her own back by treating everyone to a round of tea and pastries.
They didn't have long to wait for the express train to the airport and soon they were sat around a table seat, eating their second breakfasts. In the jumble of boarding, Hermione found herself sat opposite Ron and she watched him fondly as he discussed chess tactics with her dad. Unable to resist, she slipped down in her seat a little bit and pressed her foot against his calf, stroking it softly. She saw the tip of his ears go pink and he caught her eye with a smirk. It was going to be hard for them to keep themselves decent whilst still with her parents and in public.
Soon enough, the Granger family and Ron found themselves making their way through the airport to the security gate. Check-in was quick; they had been one of the first groups in the queue as the desk had opened. Just like Hermione, Malcolm preferred to turn up at airports hours early 'just in case'. It was a concept Ron mostly couldn't comprehend. Why spend hours waiting around when there could be more fun things to be getting up to?
Hermione pouted at her parents as they got to security. She untangled her fingers from Ron's and stepped forward, letting them both pull her into a hug.
Ron felt a little like an outsider; he wanted so badly to be a part of the family like Hermione was for him but he recognised it was still early days. The Grangers hadn't spent a lot of time with him yet, although he was keen to change that. He waited patiently for her to be released and held his arms out for her as her parents walked through the security gate and disappeared from view.
He heard her sniffle against his chest and he sighed softly, kissing the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"We'll see them again soon Hermione…" He stroked her hair softly. "Maybe after I graduate, if we have the money, I'll let you take me on a plane to Australia and we'll go and stay with them for a bit yeah?" He felt her nod against his chest and smiled fondly. He marvelled how much easier he found it to say the right thing to comfort her these days and how little he put his foot in it or upset her. There would still be days when he didn't get it right, of course, but he always made sure to make a note of what he thought he'd done wrong so that he wouldn't do it again.
He stood holding her for as long as she needed and gave her a quick kiss when she finally pulled away.
"What now?" He gave her his patented Weasley smile, getting the desired smile from her.
Hermione took his hand again tightly and started to walk slowly back down to the main airport concourse.
They took their time, neither of them was in any rush to be anywhere; although Ron would not have protested if she'd apparated them straight to his flat from the middle of the airport so they could continue their reunion in his bedroom. He thought he was going to get his wish when instead of heading back down to the train station, she led him out of the main entrance and to a quiet corner away from the travellers and security cameras.
"I need cheering up…" Hermione gave him a weak smile. "Do you fancy spending the day with me in London?"
"At the flat?" Ron looked down at her in anticipation and pouted when Hermione shook her head.
"There's a place I want to take you. Do you trust me?"
"110%" Ron grinned at her and gave her another kiss.
"Right answer…" Hermione gave him a bigger smile and tightened her grip on his hand. Ron soon felt the familiar pull of side-along apparition and tried to make his body relax into it.