AN: On the day of posting this chapter (just in case it's not the 26th November when you're reading this) it's my birthday! It's a bit of a strange one, being in a pandemic so I've decided to fill it with some delightful Romione fluff. Also, at the posting of this chapter I've completed NaNoWriMo, hurrah! I've been using Hermione's Nook tracker which included a list of to-do tasks to help us write. One of the prompts was to 'bring a bit of your world into the fictional world'. At some point during my birthday week, I would have visited the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park but for obvious reasons, it's not on this year. So I decided to take Hermione and Ron instead. I also joined a discord chat about writing smut, so I hope you can notice a bit of an improvement later on in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy (and happy Turkey day if you're celebrating today - there's still a lot in the world to feel thankful for!) xxxx
Ron and Hermione continue their reunion with a day out at the Winter Wonderland and then an evening reuniting in the best way.
Ron felt his feet touch solid ground again and he cast his eyes around, trying to work out where Hermione had taken him. From the look of the buildings around them, they had landed in an upmarket area of London, far from the usual dingy alleyways they were used to apparating in to. He felt his skin tingle as Hermione slid her fingers against his and he took hold of her hand tightly. Ron watched her with an amused smile on his face as she started to pull him down the street. For such a small witch, she had a lot of strength.
"The good thing about this area of London is the side streets are always quiet; the tourists always stick to the main roads." She turned her head to give him a reassuring smile before leading him on to a busy London road. A quick glance at a nearby street sign told Ron they were now on Park Lane. They stopped at the curb and as he peered across the road, he could see Hyde Park and the glow of a fair further in the distance.
"What are we doing here?" Ron peered down at Hermione as they waited for the traffic lights to change.
"I thought a day at the Winter Wonderland would be a nice way to end our Christmas leave. My parents used to bring me here when I was younger and I thought if we really are going to start looking towards the future, maybe we should start creating some similar memories and new traditions. It could even be something we do with our own children eventually; if they're anything like you they'll love Christmas too!"
Ron felt his heart leap as Hermione started to discuss their future and his stomach plummet at the mention of their children. He never knew he could feel so many emotions all at the same time. Of course, they'd joked about having children; 10 in fact, but given the past week and the conversations they'd been having, the idea felt more serious now.
"Yeah, okay – in about 100 years…" He tightened his grip on her hand as they crossed the road. They joined the throngs of people heading towards the park, blending in well with the muggles. The crowds forced them closer to each other as they queued to get through the barrier.
"It's a bit busy though, love…" Ron tried his best to keep his grip on Hermione's hand as they were jostled around. He almost felt himself holding his breath. It wasn't that he was scared of the crowds, but the thought of being around all these muggles worried him a bit. Large groups of people always heightened his Auror senses and he wouldn't be able to use magic to protect them if it were needed. However, once they'd walked under the glowing archway that stood as an entrance to the market, the crowds started to disperse in various directions and Ron was grateful for the breathing space.
"Would I bring you somewhere where we'd be in danger?" Hermione gave him a wide smile and stopped in front of a signpost, pulling him to her to give him a quick kiss. "You'd hate it here before Christmas. It gets so busy you're shoulder to shoulder with everyone."
Ron returned her kiss then let the sensory overload steal his attention away from her. There were lights and noises everywhere; muggle Christmas songs blasting out of tall speakers, the shriek of the fairground rides and the sound of children laughing mixed with the tantalising smells of foods not known yet to Ron. He read the sign, trying to work out which way they should go first. He was in heaven.
Hermione laughed softly as she watched Ron's reactions. She tangled her fingers with his again and started to pull him towards the market first. They moved from stall to stall, Hermione waiting patiently for Ron as he picked up and examined every item. He couldn't believe how many different Christmas themed things muggles needed. Hermione had to shush him more than once; she was worried he was going to break the International Statute of Secrecy. They purchased a few trinkets for the family, most of them with Arthur in mind. Next year, they'd have to bring him; he would have a field day.
Ron and Hermione treated themselves to lunch from the Bierkeller and stood watching the carts rattle around the nearby rollercoaster as they ate German sausage. Hermione tried her best to explain the mechanics of the muggle rides and luckily, her description seemed to stop him from asking to ride one. She may have been sick if she'd had to force herself onto one of them; especially after the amount of food they'd eaten.
After lunch they wandered around for a bit longer until they started to feel cold. Although the day was bright and crisp, there was a chill in the wind and they stopped walking as Hermione let out a shiver.
"You cold, love?" Ron turned towards her, wrapping his arms around her. "Do you want to head home, or I could try and cast a warming charm?"
"I have a more muggle idea…" She reluctantly wriggled out of his grasp and led him back towards the main area of the fair, leaving him near to the ice-rink as she purchased two cups of mulled wine. She carried them back over to him, pushing one of the paper cups into his hand.
Ron took a sniff of it, almost coughing at the intoxicating fumes. "What's this?!"
"Mulled wine. It's like a red wine warmed up with a load of spices and orange in it…"
She leaned against the barrier of the ice rink and took a long drink, feeling the warmth from the wine course through her body. She wriggled her toes in her boots; willing the warm blood to travel down to them and thaw them a little. She smiled fondly as she watched Ron take a tentative sip of the wine before pulling a face.
"Don't like it?" She raised her eyebrows at him.
Ron shook his head and poured the remains of his cup into hers before throwing his rubbish in the bin. She turned around so she could watch the ice-skaters and she felt him move closer to her. She let out a happy sigh as he slid both arms around her waist and dropped his chin onto her shoulder. She rested her head against his as they stared out across the rink.
"You know, there are far better ways to get warm than drinking vile wine Hermione…"
Hermione grinned to herself, using the hand that wasn't holding her drink to pull him even tighter to her. She felt his entire weight press her into the barrier and she thanked the stars it was sturdy. She'd missed this; the way he held her and made her feel like everything would be okay, the way his body moulded to hers perfectly. It was like they were designed to be together, not that Hermione believed in that sort of thing.
The warmth of his body reached the extremities the wine hadn't yet thawed and Hermione turned her attention back to the ice; watching as a child and parent tentatively took their first strides with wobbly legs. This had been her favourite thing to do when she was younger; her parents would bring her into London yearly just after Christmas when the fair was quieter and they'd spend hours watching people on the rides and the skaters on the ice, laughing at the spectacular falls as they enjoyed eating their way around the market (strictly the savoury food of course). They'd never risk going out onto the ice themselves; her parents thought activities like that were far too reckless, but Hermione knew if Ron had wanted to skate she'd probably would have agreed to at least try it.
"So, what have you been doing whilst I've been with my parents?" He was standing so close to her she could feel his breath on the back of her neck and it was driving her crazy. She needed to get her head back on straight if she was going to survive the next few hours out in Muggle London with him.
"Mostly slave labour for George. I forgot how demanding he was. Every time we tried to rest; he'd just pull out the Fred card. 'Fred would want this shop to be a success, you know Fred is going to haunt you if you don't empty that box.'" Ron rolled his eyes. "I wonder when that will stop being a thing?"
"Probably never…" Hermione laughed softly.
"You're probably right. Aside from that, I just lazed around the flat. I polished my broom too…"
"Did you?" Hermione leaned her head back, a wicked smile on her face as the tips of Ron's ears went pink at the implication of what he said.
"That too…" He met her eye, his grin widening as they shared an understanding look.
Hermione maintained eye contact with him, keeping her voice low. "Well that seems unfair. I've been at home with my parents, missing you like crazy and there was nothing I could do about it…"
"About what?" He raised his eyebrows teasingly.
"You know…" She elbowed him in the stomach gently. "After some of those late night talks we had, I could have thrown myself into the fire at you…"
Hermione pouted up at him, trying her best to garner his sympathy. She let out an uncharacteristic squeal as Ron suddenly gripped her hip and pulled it back towards him with a low groan. Their barriers of coats and layers frustrated her; her fingertips craved to feel more than just his hand, they wanted to feel every inch of his skin, to trace patterns among his never-ending freckles.
Ron bit her lower earlobe softly. "Well that's your problem isn't it? I'd be happy to help you out as soon as I get you home though…"
Hermione gasped as she felt him press a trail of hot kisses from her ear and down her neck, lingering teasingly on her pulse point. He sucked softly at the skin and regarded the small bruise forming with a smile before moving lower. She heard him let out a small grumble under his breath as he got to barrier of her jumper and top and instead choose to slid his hand under the material and against the warm skin of her stomach.
"Fu-" Hermione bit back the swear that threatened to escape her lips. There was no way she'd give him the satisfaction of hearing it. "Your hand is so cold!"
"That's why it's under your jumper, it needs warming up! Apparently I'm not allowed to wear my mittens because someone wanted to hold my hand properly!"
"What? Who would do that?!" Hermione smirked to herself and turned her attention back to the skaters once more, still trying hard to stop her thoughts from gravitating towards what she really wanted to do to him as she felt his fingers dance along her skin.
"So, have you finished your wine yet? I think it's time we go back to mine, don't you think?"
Hermione rolled her eyes playfully but she gave his jawline a soft nip to show him she completely understood his intentions. She finished her wine with a flourish and passed the cup to Ron so he could put it in the bin then held her hand out for him, grinning as he immediately took it.
They started to make their way through the crowds and back towards Park Lane, in search of the quiet location they apparated in to. Eventually, the muggles started to thin out and, after checking their surroundings quickly, Hermione tightened her grip on him once more and apparated them to the landing outside his flat. She let her hand stroke against his back as she waited for him to unlock the door.
Ron kicked off his shoes as he stepped into the flat, starting to remove his layers. He tried his best to hang them up, not wanting to ruin the effort he'd put in to keeping the flat tidy whilst they were apart. He wanted to show Hermione that he was willing to take steps to do the things that kept her happy too. Once he was down to his jumper and jeans he moved to the thermostat, turning up the temperature in the room before throwing himself down on his sofa.
Hermione hung her coat and scarf by the door then turned to watch Ron for a moment. He picked up the TV remote and flicked through the channels until he found something they didn't have to pay attention to. Now that they were finally alone, she felt a small amount of awkwardness fall between them; something they'd never really experienced before. She headed into the living room quickly, keen to get talking to him and agree a way forward before anything else happened that evening.
Instead of sitting next to Ron on the sofa, she perched on the edge of the coffee table facing from him. From this spot, she could see him properly and would be able to gauge his reactions and feelings and she was immediately greeted with one of his warmest smiles that melted away all of her nervousness. She picked up one of his hands from where it rested on his knee, sliding her fingers over his palm and to his lower arm, dancing along the curves of the scars on his skin. It felt so good to be touching him again.
"I've missed you so much this past week. I know we've talked, but it hasn't been the same as having you sat with me and being able to touch you."
Ron's smile widened, the hairs on his arms standing up under the electricity of her touch. He loved the way her fingers knew the path of his scars without even having to look. He kept eye contact with her, gazing at her lovingly.
"I missed you too, especially New Years Eve. You would have loved the party. I do think the time apart was a good idea though; we've talked so much this past week!"
Hermione nodded. "I think so too, though I hate myself for turning into a girl who pines…" She wrinkled up her nose in distaste.
"You were pining for me?" Ron smirked.
"Don't tease me about it!" Hermione smiled. "I don't want anyone else knowing I'm that kind of girl…" She pouted across at him.
"Your secret is safe with me, I promise!" Ron shifted in his seat, leaning forward to get closer to her. "It feels good that we were able to discuss everything we did and neither of us were scared away. I was really worried you wouldn't want to see me, especially when we discussed what I saw in the locket…"
"That would never put me off Ron!" Hermione lifted her spare hand to push his fringe out of his eyes. "We all have our insecurities…" She blushed slightly as she remembered the night they finally dissected her feelings about him and Lavender.
"And have you thought more about how we're going to move this forward?" It was Ron's chance to feel nervous. He tightened his grip on her hand; despite the positive direction the rest of the conversation was taking. He sometimes wondered if those old insecurities the locket so cruelly shared ever really left him; or if they just got pushed aside until the most inconvenient moments.
Hermione took a deep breath. She had been practising what she wanted to say to Ron ever since her conversation with her Dad the other night.
"I'm ready to stop comparing our lives now to what it was before. Our friendship, the war, the abortion, me moving to Australia – they've helped us to mature and they've shaped our relationship but I'm not going to let them dictate us now. I don't want to dwell on any of it anymore. I want to focus on making new memories with you…
"I have been trying to think of how I could show you that I mean what I say, I didn't want it to just be words. I thought that… and I don't want you to feel pressured to say yes, it won't change how I feel about you… and it doesn't have to be mine or yours, we can compromise and find somewhere new and I promise I won't feel insulted…"
"Hermione, take a breath…" Ron laughed softly as Hermione started to babble, a sure sign she was feeling nervous. He gave her a reassuring smile and took her hand in both of his, giving it a tight squeeze.
"Willyoumoveinwithme?"
Ron raised his eyebrows, biting back the smile that threatened to spread across his face. It had obviously taken a lot of courage for Hermione to ask him, which was amusing in itself as he had also been planning to ask her exactly the same question. He felt that their time apart had just cemented the fact that they were ready to face the next step in their relationship.
"I'm sorry love… I think all the noise from the fair earlier messed with my hearing. What did you say?"
Hermione gave him a warning look; she could see the corners of his mouth twitched and could tell he was fighting the urge to grin. He was teasing her so she kicked him in the shin lightly.
"Ow!" Ron scowled and let go of her hand. "Stay there, vicious witch…" He got up suddenly and jogged lightly to his bedroom.
Hermione watched him go, feeling confused. She'd just asked one of the most important questions in her life and he had run off. She heard him rooting around in his bedroom drawers and swearing so he pushed herself up from the coffee table and wandered down the hallway, keen to find out what was going on.
"Do I not get an answer?" She leaned against the door frame, her eyebrows raised and her arms folded across her body.
Ron turned suddenly on the spot, a velvet jewellery box in his hand. He grinned as he spotted Hermione waiting for him and wandered over to her.
"I was going to give you this for Christmas and then we talked instead…" The tips of his ears turned pink as he remembered their conversation from Christmas night. He watched Hermione closely as she opened the box, revealing a long, delicate sliver chain with the emerald from her ring hanging from it, set into a new pendant.
"You turned my ring into a necklace?" She smiled up at him, tears in her eyes again.
"Yeah…" He carefully took the necklace out of the box and signalled for her to turn around so he could fasten it around her neck. "It was always my intention to give it back to you in some form. That's why I got so upset with you nagging me about it…" He laughed as Hermione turned back around and smiled down at it. He slid a finger under her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. "New experiences, new memories, right?"
Hermione chose not to respond. Instead she grabbed Ron by the back of the head and was pushing him towards her; not that Ron minded the sudden assault. Her lips were soft, he liked that about her and the fact that she didn't bother wearing lipstick or gloss or anything that would make the kiss sticky or gross. He felt her tongue brush against his lips and he parted them willingly for her; taking the opportunity to push the kiss deeper.
Ron slid his hands to her shoulder, pushing them painfully down her side. Hermione felt like every inch of her was on fire as she felt his touch through the light layer of clothing she still had on. This still wasn't enough. She broke away from the kiss long enough to pull her t-shirt over her head then started to tug at the hem of his.
She laughed as he held his arms up in the air for her and Hermione started to pull at the material, although she couldn't reach to finish the job. Ron grabbed her by the hips and pulled her towards the bed, sitting down as soon as the back of his legs hit the back of his mattress so that he was at a better height for her. As soon as the material was pulled over his head, he was rewarded by the sight of Hermione's white cotton bra at perfect eye level. He licked his lips before starting to press kisses over the material.
Hermione let out a happy sigh as she ran her fingers through his hair. This was her happy place; where she could be herself and not have to worry about what anyone thought about her. She arched her back as she reached back to unclasp her bra; inadvertently giving him better access to her chest.
"It's like you know what I want without me even asking…" Ron smirked and pulled her crashing down on to his lap. He moaned at the feeling of her skin against his and dropped his lips back to her chest, running his tongue against her nipple. He raised one hand, tugging at the other one and grinning as he heard Hermione groan his name. He slipped his spare hand down to her jeans, starting to pull at them.
He felt frustrated by their position and his lack of access to her body. In one swift move, he picked her up and lay her down on the bed, not being careful with his actions. He grinned as she laughed and placed his lips back on her breast. With her buttons now undone, he slid a hand under the waistband of her jeans and knickers.
Hermione let out a gasp as she felt his fingers slide along her and her hips involuntarily bucked against them.
"Fuck…" She bit down on her bottom lip. She didn't like to swear, so Ron knew she truly meant it when she did. Although it had only been a week apart, it felt like it had been even longer as he pressed his index finger into her. She felt the kisses move slowly from her chest and up her neck; the warmth of his breath on the column of her throat sending tingles all over her body. His stubble rasped against her skin and the myriad of sensations almost became too much for her.
It wasn't long before her pleasure started to build; Ron could sense it by the way she lifted her hips to meet his fingers. Cruelly, just as she started to feel the tension in her lower stomach start to uncoil, he removed his fingers from her knickers and started to pull off her jeans.
"That's really unfair…" She pouted up at him as she watched him pull the denim over her legs, taking her knickers and socks with them. He unceremoniously threw them across his bedroom. "I was so close Ron…"
"You know how much I love to tease you. Anyway, your jeans were in the way!"
Ron grinned down at her laying unabashedly naked on his bed, her new necklace sat in between her breasts. He'd heard her being referred to as a prude and stuffy before, but he knew differently. She was completely far from it, but he loved that it was a secret shared only between them. He raised one eyebrow as he watched her sneak a hand between her legs, letting out a groan as she started to pleasure herself.
"Now who's being a tease?!" He almost tripped over in his desperation to remove his own jeans and boxers.
Hermione laughed at his reaction as she slid a finger into herself, her laugh soon turning into a moan. It was okay for him; he'd been able to sort himself out over the past week but even with the ability to cast muffliato, she could not entertain the thought of masturbating with her parents in the bedroom next to hers.
"If you don't hurry up Ron, I'm going to sort myself out and then I won't have a need for you…" She threw a smirk at him as he climbed back onto the bed. He forced her hand away from herself, capturing her finger in his mouth and moaning at the taste. He positioned himself between her thighs and slid into her, the feel of her heat snug and slick around him almost pushing him straight over the edge. He hovered his lips over hers teasingly, grinning at her moan of frustration.
Hermione lifted her head, crashing her lips into his. Their teeth knocked together with the force, but instead of feeling mortified about it; the pair only laughed. She devoured him hungrily, the kiss lasting until they had to part and he breathlessly picked up the pace of his thrusts.
The week apart combined with the emotion of Hermione asking him to move in with her was almost too much for Ron to take. He tried his hardest to think of other things, but it was too hard with all the blood in his body pooling south. Despite his best attempts to put it off, he found himself groaning her name loud as he came hard, panting under the exertion.
He didn't give himself long to recover; as soon as his brain started processing normal thoughts again he shifted, forgoing the usual hot trail of kisses he liked to use as foreplay and wriggled down the bed until his head was between her thighs. Her scent was intoxicating and he lifted his head briefly as she swore again, giving her his patented Weasley smirk before dipping his head and pressing his tongue against her. He know it wouldn't take much to get her off now with the incredible way she was writing on the bed and the addition of his fingers curling into her soon pushed her over the edge. She came hard and he continued tasting their mixed pleasure until she pushed his head away firmly; too sensitive for him to continue.
Ron sat back on his haunches so he could admire her properly, looking very pleased with himself. "Well that was worth the wait!"
Hermione propped herself up on her elbows, laughing at him. "You're telling me. You know, you never did answer me…"
Ron frowned briefly, as if he was thinking before letting a huge grin erupt on his face. "Oh yeah, I guess I'll have to think about it!"
"Oy!" Hermione's face looked almost murderous as she frowned at Ron, causing him to flinch.
"Okay, okay… yes I'll move in with you! Not here though, my lease is almost up…"
Hermione laughed, pushing herself up and throwing herself at him. Ron crashed into the bed, letting Hermione get comfortable on top of him.
"Perfect! Primrose cottage it is then…" She kissed him, this time keeping it slow and loving. She marvelled at how perfectly everything worked out and how the two of them had managed to sort things out by talking instead of their usual shouting at each other.