Author's Note: This is definitely an M Chapter. If you are a young person (think young enough to be in high school and still live with your parents and would be embarrassed if your they found a graphically romantic fanfic scene on your screen) or if you are uncomfortable with explicit scenes, this chapter isn't for you - please skip ahead...thanks...carrytheotter
Chapter 24: The Gift of Time
Hugo and Rose were bouncing around Hermione's kitchen in excitement Saturday morning after Ron had just told them they'd been invited to spend the afternoon and evening at the Potters. They would go to the cinema, play with Al and Lilly and get to stay for dinner, and Ron and Hermione would pick them up later.
"What a fun afternoon you two will have!" Hermione said while biting her cheek to try and keep her grin from being too obvious.
"Maybe we can all play exploding snap too," said Hugo. "We are going to have such a good day!"
Soon the kids were packed up, and Ron was flooing them over to the Potter's house. The four kids were instantly off with Al and Lilly showing them around the house. Harry chased after them trying to round everyone up to head to the cinema. Ginny gave Ron a knowing look.
"Thanks, Gin. I really appreciate this. The kids think it's all your idea, but – well, Hermione and I both appreciate having some time together."
"Oh Ron, you know I want this to work out for you two. Just don't expect me to refrain from snarky comments much longer."
"I don't. Just not in earshot of the kids, alright? We are trying to figure things out on our end before they know. It is just a complicated dynamic, you know?"
"I do. Don't forget Harry more or less had a baby when we started dating. Of course Teddy was too young to understand things then, but I do understand more than you give me credit for. Now give me a hug and go shag your girl."
"Gin! I am confident that will not happen today. I really just need to tell her about the war and everything today. Not easy to do with an audience."
"Oh alright, but don't be too much of a prude, yeah? We'll see you around 10 unless you let us know you want them to spend the night."
"No overnights yet. Hermione's reaction aside, I don't think Hugo's up for it yet. He still has nightmares pretty much every night. I don't think he'd want to wake up screaming and in tears in front of his new friends."
"You forget who I am married to. I am more or less a nightmare expert, you know. But, I get it. Now go – have a great time. And remember who your favorite sister is."
"You're the best, Gin," Ron said as he kissed her cheek before flooing back to Hermione's house.
As he stepped back through the fireplace in Hermione's living room, he looked around and didn't see the witch. He wandered into the kitchen and found her at the kitchen sink washing up the lunch dishes. He walked up behind her, and began rubbing her shoulders and back. Feeling her begin to melt at his touch, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
"The kids were so excited they didn't even stick around long enough to see me leave," he laughed.
She dried her hands and turned around in his arms to face him. "I think we are all going to have a great day," she said smiling. She put her arms around his waist and asked, "Do you have a game plan for the day?"
"No, agendas are more your area of expertise I think," said Ron. "I did make dinner reservations for 730 though, but we can cancel that easily if we don't want to go."
"Thanks for getting us time together, Ron."
"It wasn't exactly a selfless act, you know."
"I know. But I appreciate it anyway," she said tilting her head up to kiss him. They kissed slowly, and Ron held her close to him. He was stooping to reach her, and he finally put his hands around her hips and lifted her gently to sit on the counter so they would be at the same height. Without breaking their contact, she soon wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved his lips from her mouth down to her neck and collarbone while she moved her attention to his ear.
While part of her mind was swooning at his touch, part of Hermione's mind was screaming at her to slow the hell down. She had no idea what he was expecting today, and she needed to make sure he understood where she was coming from. But oh God she didn't want him to stop.
"I need to tell you something," she gasped as she pulled back slightly. "Sorry, I just need to say this before we go much farther," Hermione mumbled.
Ron tried to slow his breathing and re-engage his brain at her words. He left his one hand on her leg, but moved the other to tuck a curl behind her ear. He didn't say anything, but simply let Hermione continue.
"I, ugh, I am so embarrassed I don't know where to start," Hermione said, clenching her eyes shut and leaning against Ron's shoulder.
"You don't need to be embarrassed, Hermione. You can tell me anything. What is it?" Ron said encouragingly as he gently rubbed her back.
Still tucked into his shoulder and not looking Ron in the eyes, Hermione sighed and started talking nervously. "Um. Well. I know I am technically a mum, but obviously that was through adoption and not being pregnant. And, well, at 37 I'm not exactly a spring chicken or anything, but well, I don't really have much experience at this," she said gesturing between she and Ron. "I, well, I haven't dated really since Rose came along, and even before that I didn't really date much, except for the one guy in university who I dated for years, but then after years of thinking he was really religious and didn't want to do anything before marriage, I eventually finally woke up to the fact that the real reason was that he was trying to convince himself and his family that he wasn't gay when he really was. And, anyway, I, I guess I am trying to say that, well, uh, I'm still a virgin - an actual virgin mother if you can believe it. It's just so unbelievably absurd when I say it out loud, and I can't believe I'm saying this at all. And now I'm just rambling because I feel so ridiculous, but I don't know what I'm doing. And I don't know what you expect from today, but I needed to let you know, and I don't even know what you're thinking right now, but I had to tell you so, oh God, Ron, would you please say something?"
"Being a virgin is what you were nervous to tell me?" he asked in a confused tone. She nodded meekly into his shoulder, still not looking at him.
"Hermione, come on, look at me, ok?" he said gently putting his hand around her face and moving it so he could see her eyes. She looked so embarrassed and nervous that it broke Ron's heart. "Oh Hermione, come on. That's not a bad thing. Please know, I have no expectations about today. I really didn't think we'd be having sex this afternoon, alright?"
"You didn't?"
"No. I didn't. We're still figuring things out. And sex only complicates things, so I didn't think we were there yet either." Hermione looked visibly calmer as he said this, so he continued. "And, well, I guess I need to tell you about my, uh, background too."
"You don't have to do that Ron," she cut in.
"Actually I do. You see, in school I dated this one girl, and it was pretty bad. We broke up and then after all the stuff I'll tell you about later today with Harry, Lavender, that was her name, she needled her way back into my life. And, well, I was blind to what was going on and let her use me pretty badly. Luckily I overheard her setting something up that exposed her manipulation, and I ended it then. That was when I still trying to deal with Fred's death and everything else, and unfortunately made some poor decisions about how to handle that grief and anger. A number of things were going on and people had this idea of who I was that was pretty different than the real me. But, they wanted a piece of that idea, and I was lonely. So, I dated a lot of women there for a while and slept with too many of them, which I later regretted, but never more so than right this very moment. Eventually I snapped out of it and realized that being content and alone was better than being lonely while with the wrong person. I wanted what my parents had, what Ginny and Harry had and what Fi and Dennis had. And so I pretty much checked out of dating at that point. As fate would have it, right around that time I went to this wedding and met this incredible woman who I was so attracted to, that I really haven't wanted another woman since then. So, I guess that's a really long way to try and tell you that while I may have a lot more sexual experience if you will, since the day I met you, Hermione, it has only been you that I have wanted. And it has been a long time since I had sex at all, because no one I met ever lived up to who I was actually dreaming of. And that was you."
He realized Hermione had a tear coming down her cheek and quickly wiped it away. "Don't cry, Hermione. The last thing I wanted to do was make you cry."
"These are good tears, Ron."
"They are?"
"Yes," she said as she reached up and touched his face gently. "I just don't know how I got lucky enough to find you."
"I am rather sure I am the lucky one here," he said.
"Thank you, Ron. I had been so nervous to tell you this. It just – well, anyway, thanks. Thanks for being so wonderful. And while I may not be ready to have sex right now, I am not exactly wanting to spend the day just holding hands either," she said blushing.
"No?" said Ron as he picked up her hand and brought it up to his lips to gently kiss it.
"No," she said assuredly as she moved her head so she could kiss a spot on his neck behind his ear.
Moaning, Ron steadied himself against the counter. "How about we move to the couch?" he said huskily. Before she could respond he moved his hands under her, picked her up, legs still wrapped around his waist as she kissed him and carried her to the other room. His hands were supporting her under her bum, and the contact sent sparks through both of them. By the time they reached the sofa, the heat had intensified between them, and when he sat down, she was straddling him. Their hands were everywhere, trying to absorb as much of each other as possible. She was whimpering in pleasure as he kissed a spot on her neck as her hands roamed his muscular chest. Her skirt had ridden up, and his hand was stroking her upper thigh as he held her to his lap. She was dizzy with the sensation of wanting more and more of him. Soon she found herself laying back on the couch and pulling him atop of her, still in between her legs. The pressure of him right there was incredible, and she found herself instinctively bucking against him.
The two of them were lost in each other. Before she realized it, she was tugging at his jumper and shirt trying to get her hands against the skin of his chest. He looked at her as if asking permission, and she nodded and smiled as she moved her hands to start unbuttoning her own shirt as he pulled off his top layers. She was desperately nervous but found herself lost in the sight of him taking her in. His eyes were a mix of lust, love and tenderness, which made her feel so safe with him. With only her bra still on above her waist, she pulled back to try and see him as well, and was caught off guard by the multitude of scars covering his upper body. There were purple scars across his shoulder, a long straight scar at the base of his neck and long, curvy scars meandering down the lengths of both muscular arms. She tenderly traced his shoulder scar with her fingers and then kissed it.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I should have warned you."
"It's ok," she said as she kissed him again.
Ron was overwhelmed by the unconditional acceptance Hermione continued to give him. He could only imagine what she must think of him so marred with scars, yet she seemed to simply take him as he was. They stayed entwined in each other for quite a while, kissing and touching what had been unreachable until today. But, neither tried to move things further physically, instead simply cherishing this new level of intimacy between them. After a while, Ron was laying on his back, holding the half-naked Hermione in his arms, stroking her bare arms. She was faintly tracing his arm scars with her fingers as she listened to his heart beat through his chest.
Finally, Ron said, "do you want to know about the scars?"
"Only if you want to tell me," she said.
"As much as I don't want to talk about all of this, I really want you to know," he admitted, still moving his hands against her arms.
She turned up her head so she could see his face clearer and said, "I'm ready to hear whatever it is you want me to know, Ron." She kissed him, and then settled her cheek back against his bare chest to listen knowing difficult conversations were often easier when you weren't looking each other in the eye.
Ron took a deep breath and let it out slowly, summoning his Gryffindor courage. "To understand everything I have to start with the first wizarding war that was just around the time we were born." He explained about his family's involvement, Harry's parents and Voldemort. Then he went on to explain about the events during his years at Hogwarts, including the Battle at the Ministry when he was attacked by the brains causing his arm scars. He told her about the time in the tent and how lost he had been. He told her how he had briefly abandoned Harry but had eventually found his way back to him and had been so grateful for his forgiveness and friendship. He told her about being captured and tortured by Bellatrix and being rescued by Harry and Dobby, but that it cost Dobby his life. He spoke of the final battle, telling her about how Collin really died, and seeing his brother's body still with a laugh on his face. He told her how devastated he was when he thought Harry was dead in Hagrid's arms, and how astonished he was to see his mum become a fierce warrior in battle. And he told her about how shocked he had been to realize he survived it all, and how difficult it was to learn to live again when so many he loved were gone. He tried to explain how guilty he had felt to survive when so many people who had been less involved were killed. He spoke about how traumatized his whole family had been afterwards and how hard it had been to recover. Then he talked about reopening the shop with George, and how once Fred's dreams had been relaunched he felt free to pursue his dream of being an auror.
Hermione let his story wash over her. She listened carefully, asking questions when she didn't understand or needed to clarify important details. It was such an incredible story, and she finally had to force her brain to suspend all disbelief to follow the tale. While the magic was still foreign to her, what she could feel and understand in her core was the heartache held within the man in her arms. He had continually volunteered to be the second, to be the sacrificial lamb. And then he survived, and those he deemed innocents were lost, and she could sense he had never fully recovered from that. To think he had been that selfless at an age only slightly older than Rose was now. And then after it was all done, he became an auror to keep protecting the innocents. Hermione was reminded of Dennis' words just a few months ago noting how Ron jumped in front of Fi and took what was meant for her. Clearly the instincts of the eleven year old had not changed dramatically in twenty five years.
He had stopped talking, but continued to twirl her hair distractedly around his fingers as if his thoughts were still in another time. She listened to his heart beat and slowly ran her hands over his chest and side.
"Please say something," he whispered, terrified of what she may be thinking.
She finally said, "What I am trying to figure out in my head is how in the hell the person from your story who has been traumatized and broken, and then had his heart crushed by a woman he trusted could somehow be the loving, nurturing, gentle man I know you are." Pausing, she propped herself up so she could look him in the eye. "I mean, Ron, how did this not turn your heart into stone? By all logic you should be an angry, bitter man. No one would blame you. But, I watch you with Hugo. I watch you with Rose. I see you with me – you're a kind, gentle, funny, loving, selfless man. How can you have looked evil in the eye so intimately and come out as loving as you are? I really don't understand."
He went to answer, but was shocked to find the emotion choked him. He felt his eyes damp with tears. Aside from a handful of breakdowns he'd allowed himself the summer of '98, he had never cried about this journey. Not trusting his own ability to speak, all he could do was shake his head and close his eyes. Doing so forced out a few tears, which Hermione quickly wiped aside. She tenderly kissed his forehead and his cheeks as he tried to fight off the impending wave of long buried grief.
"You haven't fully grieved this have you?" she whispered as she stroked his bangs away from his face.
Shakily exhaling a breath he said, "I thought I had. I – I haven't cried about this in almost twenty years. I am not sure what's come over me." He closed his eyes, frustrated with himself for becoming so emotional now of all times. But soon he felt her lips kissing his tears gently.
"Don't fight it, Ron. Let it out. I'm here. It's ok," she whispered next to his face. Her words were somehow like balm to him, and the tears fell. It wasn't the sobs of agony as it had been decades before. But they were tears of grief and sorrow long ignored. She held him, stroking his face and wiping his tears as she tenderly encouraged him to feel each emotion and assured him of her presence. They lay there together, the tears falling between them as she gently wiped them away.
"I am so sorry," he finally sniffed, embarrassed at his outburst.
"Don't apologize, Ron. God knows you have earned every emotion you are feeling. Maybe it's long enough in the past that you can finally feel safe enough to really feel them."
He considered this for a while in the quiet. But finally he tenderly said, "I don't think that's it. I think it's you. Maybe my heart was never safe enough to feel them until I found you."
She looked at him cradled in her arms. He had shared so much of himself, she couldn't imagine he had ever been so vulnerable with his heart. Tracing his eyebrows gently with her finger she finally said, "You do know I love you, right Ron?"
"I had hoped so," he said as he gazed into her chocolate eyes, "because I am so in love with you, Hermione."
With that he sat up, engulfing her in his embrace and kissing her passionately. She kissed him back with a hunger she had not known was in her. As he moved his lips down her neck, she kept repeating, "I love you Ron," which seemed to urge his passion on with greater fervor. Soon he was over her, and she could feel his arousal throbbing against her. She simply moved on instinct, holding him tighter to her with her legs locked around him. She found herself grinding against him and loving the weight of him on her. Relishing the sensation, she moved her hands around to her back and unhooked her bra, peeling it off of her. Ron quickly moved his attention to her breasts, taking one in hand, and the other with his lips. The jolts of pleasure that shot through her caused her to gasp and arch her back, pressing her chest further towards him. They both were lost in the sensation of skin against skin. She kissed him all over, finding a spot on his neck that seemed to undo him. He was drunk on the sound of her moans, the scent of her, the sight of her hair, the tickle of her curls on his face, the feel of her soft skin against his rough hands, the taste of her on his tongue and the warm touch of her lips against his skin.
Remembering his earlier words assuring her they were not ready for sex, he knew he had to slow things down. He leaned his forehead against hers, trying to slow his breath. "I love you Hermione. So, uh, I think we should slow down before we go farther than we mean to, you know?" He was cursing himself as he said it, as he was absolutely not ready to slow down. He felt her nod into his neck, and try to slow her breathing as well. They both silently held on to the other for dear life as they slowed their heartbeats and breathing. She could feel how hard he still was against her, and she could only imagine how difficult it had been for him to stop them, which only made her love him more. Wrapped in his arms with her ear to his chest, she was so grateful to have found Ron, and that he had not only survived the trauma of his youth, but that he had somehow become this tender soul in her arms.
Eventually she said, "Thank you for stopping us, even if I didn't want to hear it at the moment." She laughed at this, causing him to chuckle as well, and she could feel him smile against her skin as he kissed her forehead.
After laying in his arms for a while, she finally placed her hand on his bare chest and said softly, "Ron, I promise your heart is safe with me. Thank you for trusting me with it."
"That goes both ways you know," he responded softly
"I think I'm figuring that out."
While part of her wanted to stay on the couch entwined in his arms forever, she knew they had limited time until they had to pick up the kids later that night. With that in mind, she finally said, "As much as I do not want to move at all, I am thinking that I should put my clothes back on and go make us some tea while you get dressed and go to the loo and take care of, well - you go to the loo," Ron laughed and felt his ears turn red. She chuckled as she kept talking, "and then we'll meet in the kitchen and figure out what we want to do before dinner, alright?"
"I had to fall for an organized and efficient witch, didn't I?" he teased.
"I just want to make the most of our time together," she said earnestly.
"Me too," he said as he kissed her again. Now it was her turn to laugh as he pretended to pout while she put her bra back on, followed by her shirt.
"Oh come on, it's not like you'll never see them again."
"Promise?" he said coyly.
"Oh, absolutely," she assured him.
"So, I guess I need to go, uh, handle things, and I will see you shortly," he said.
"Enjoy it," she said as she leaned to whisper in his ear, "because it won't be long before I am the one handling those things for you." And with that she kissed his stunned face and sauntered out of the room, quietly chuckling, and rather shocked at her own boldness as she left him groaning on the couch.
A little while later he came into the kitchen and found she had made tea.
"You play dirty," he laughed coming up behind her, wrapping his hands around her waist until they met on her stomach.
"And don't you forget it," she chuckled as she turned for a kiss.
"Oh believe me, I won't," he declared. "Do you still want to go to dinner later, or should I call and cancel the reservation?"
"Let's keep it. I am thrilled to go to dinner and not have to find a place that has kid-friendly food. As long as we don't eat chicken nuggets or pizza I am perfectly happy."
"Sorted," he agreed. "So we have some time then. What would you like to do?"
"I was thinking maybe we could do some magic practice."
"Sure. Would love to. Anything in particular that you've read about, or teacher's choice so to speak?"
"Well, maybe something I could use around the house. Not really cooking stuff, but maybe some of the things in that household charms book. Some of them looked like they could be real time savers."
Declaring he knew just where to start, he opened one of the kitchen cabinets. She was quite cross when he smashed one of her plates onto the floor, but was quickly thrilled to learn the reparo charm. Soon the two of them broke more than a few things around the house, and she enjoyed putting them back together again. She was quicker to catch on when he poured some tea on the counter, and soon she had practiced evanesco and scourgify charms to both vanish messes and clean surfaces. They laughed and joked as they trashed her house and repaired each piece and then sent them flying through the home. After more than an hour of this destruction, they collapsed in exhausted laughter. Not one to let them waste their limited time together, Hermione quickly shoo'd him out of the house so they could both change for dinner.
Ron had made reservations at a restaurant he'd seen multiple times but had never been to. It specialized in French and Southeast Asian cuisine, and he thought it might appeal to Hermione's more adventuresome tastes but could still have something he would like to eat. And, as a muggle restaurant he hoped it would offer them some privacy. He returned to Hermione's house in khakis and a navy blazer over his collared shirt and was waiting in the hall when Hermione came down the stairs in a deep blue dress that looked like it had been made for her body. The v neck showed off her toned arms while the a-line skirt flared out from her tiny waist and hit just at her knees. She carried a silk shawl with her that Ron guessed she had picked up in Pakistan from its intricate design.
"You look stunning," he said as she reached the bottom step. He kissed her cheek as she blushed.
"Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself. Look at us all dressed up with somewhere to go."
"Let's go," he grinned. Soon he apparated them to a spot around the block from the restaurant.
They held hands as they made their way into the restaurant and to their table. It was a romantic spot, and Ron was pleased when they were given a table in a back corner as decades of auror work had trained him to never have his back to the door.
The conversation flowed easily, and soon they were discussing the different countries Hermione had visited and lived in. Having lived in both the US and the UK and then spending extended time in Rwanda, Pakistan and Thailand, Hermione's experiences fascinated Ron.
"I've visited my brothers when they worked overseas in Egypt and Romania. But, other than that I have only traveled internationally a few times for work, and that was to Canada and France. And even though they could hardly be called exotic destinations I still struggled with culture shock. How did you constantly adapt?"
"I don't know," she reflected. "I mean, I was raised in America, but I always felt British. But then when we were in England I somehow felt American. And, somehow I fit everywhere and nowhere at the same time. There is this whole international community out there – ex-patriots who live abroad, and in many ways that society has its own culture. There are subsets of that culture - diplomats, military, business families, missionaries, non-profit workers and a lot of adventurers who are all living away from what they consider their home. Maybe that culture is comfortable to me because everyone fits in everywhere and nowhere, just like me. On top of not really being fully British or American, I also just always understood there was something different about me. Of course now I know it was my magic, but at the time I just knew I wasn't the same as everyone else and I needed to hide it. The international expat culture just allowed a slightly odd misfit to fit in, I suppose. It's an interesting group, you know. They all speak tons of languages and have this ability to change how they interact with people almost instantly."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, one time I was in Venezuela visiting a British friend who lived there. We went to a bank and ran into a Finnish family she knew from school. There was a little boy in the family, maybe 5 years old, and he was speaking in Finnish to his mum, spoke in English to my friend, and somehow just knew to speak Spanish to this other little child who was playing in the lobby. How does a 5 year old figure that out? I still don't know, but they do. They have this ability to watch interactions and pick up what is the same between everyone and what is different. I don't know. Maybe that is why I became so comfortable with refugees. But, I enjoy the interactions of all the different cultures where the differences are just accepted as part of the background noise, and we all focus on the parts that are the same."
"How many languages do you speak? I was shocked when I heard you and Fleur the other week."
"Well, fluently I only speak English and French, but I can function in maybe half a dozen languages. Spanish and Portuguese are both so similar to French that once you figure out the pronunciation they are simple. And then I am pretty functional in Farsi and Pushto, and I can muddle along in Urdu, Thai and Khmer."
"I've never even heard of some of those languages. Wow, Hermione, that's really incredible. How does your brain keep track of all of it? I mean, do you dream in other languages?"
"It's not that dramatic. Now I have been in England for so long that I mostly deal in English unless my clients speak one of those languages. But when I travel I slip into it pretty easily. When I lived in the refugee camps I would often dream in the language I was working in. I guess that's just how my brain was functioning at that time."
"Does Rose speak other languages?"
"Not like I wish she did," Hermione grimaced. "I really wanted to try and raise her to be bilingual, and I had every intention of doing that when I arrived back here with her. But, I found that speaking to her in the languages she had heard in the refugee camp made the transition to England much harder on her. She didn't sleep a lot as a baby, or even a toddler. But, I found that once I made the clean cut to English it somehow allowed her to stop living in both worlds. She just did better. So, the language piece just slipped away. She's learned a little French at school, but she's definitely not fluent."
Their conversation flowed comfortably around Hermione's travels, characters she had met along the way and crazy individuals Ron had met as well. Ron was so amazed at Hermione's fearlessness in embracing the adventures that stood between her and what she thought needed to be done. With each story she told, he was astounded at how nonchalantly she had faced intimidating obstacles.
"You know. When I first met you I thought you would probably have been sorted into Ravenclaw because you're so bloody brilliant. But the more you tell me about your adventures, I am increasingly convinced you would have been Gryffindor. You are ridiculously brave, Hermione."
"Well, you're one to talk," she retorted. "I didn't ignore convention – or personal safety for that matter - until I was out of university. You were embracing danger at what, eleven?"
"Well, that was a little different. I didn't really understand what I was getting into. I just knew I had to help Harry when I was that young. He didn't have anyone else who cared about him, you know? It wasn't until I was 16 or so that I really realized how serious it was. And that was when I made a conscious decision about what I was willing to give up for it."
"Weren't you scared?"
"Of course. I was terrified. But, it almost was easier because I was equally terrified of not doing it. All of my options were awful, but at least I had the option to do something, so I did."
"So, when it was over, did it feel like hitting a brick wall, or did you sort of gradually emerge from the fog of war so to speak? I just have this vague memory of seeing you at Collin's funeral, and you were, I don't know – it was like you were shell shocked. That's partly why I was so surprised when I saw you at the wedding, you looked like a resurrected person or something."
"Oh, I don't know. That first month was a blur, and I honestly don't remember much of it. There were so many funerals, and I kept thinking we would end up having to bury George and my mum too as they were in terrible shape. Harry's godson Teddy – his parents had both died in the final battle. Teddy probably saved us all. When none of us could handle the emotions we had, he would just start cooing and clapping and reminding us all of life instead of death. Unfortunately the press was around us like vultures then, so we were practically prisoners at The Burrow. But at least Teddy was there with us for much of the time."
"The press?"
"Yeah. Harry and I were sort of known as the 'Golden Duo,' and dubbed as heroes. So, we were basically fresh meat for the reporters. The Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly, even a number of the international publications. It was awful. It was almost harder on Ginny then, as once word got out that she and Harry were dating they followed her around too. Then when she went and became a damn good professional quidditch player, it just added fuel to the fire since she was famous in her own right. But, all of that led up to what I alluded to earlier."
"I don't follow you."
"Lavender – the girl I had dated in school– she was quite injured in the final battle, and I felt so guilty that I was ok and here she was in St. Mungos. And then when she got better, I didn't understand that when she wanted to get back together, she wasn't really wanting me, but was really wanting the fame and fortune that she thought would come with me. What I stumbled across was her telling some photographers where we were going to be so they could 'accidentally' show up and get pictures of us."
"Oh my God. That is awful."
"Yup. I was devastated, and obviously felt betrayed in every way, but I am so grateful I found out when I did. Life with her would have been – well, it would have been a living hell."
Hermione just reached out and held his hand. "I am so sorry. What an awful thing to go through at any time, but who does that to someone when they have been through what you had just been through? She's like a villain from a movie or something."
Ron chuckled. "Well, if she got to be famous from being in the movie, she probably would sign herself up. I stopped trying to understand her a long time ago. I had wasted way too much time on her already. Last I heard she was off trying to work her way into husband after husband jumping from one city to the next all over the world. I am just grateful I got out when I could."
"Did the press let it go once she was gone?"
Ron sighed and took a sip of his wine. "No. They didn't." He paused again, and moved his hand to Hermione's leg. "I have to be honest with you. The press still find me annoyingly interesting from time to time. It isn't nearly as bad as it was there at the beginning. But, I am still somewhat of a public figure in the magical world, as is Harry. It isn't so bad right now, but I am sure next year when the twentieth anniversary rolls around they will be all over me again."
"What do you mean?"
"You want the funny part first?"
"Please."
"Well, you are currently out to dinner with a five time Most Eligible Wizard in Britain according to Witch Weekly."
Hermione had unfortunately taken a sip of water just as he spoke, and upon hearing this announcement actually spit the water out all over the table in shock and laughter. As she shrieked in embarrassment for her guffaw she also gawked at him. "That's a real thing?"
"Unfortunately yes," he cringed in a resigned voice.
"Are you saying I am going to have all of these witches jealous of me once word gets out about us?" she asked in an amused tone. She was expecting him to joke back, and was caught off guard by his silence and nervously guilty expression.
"You're not serious."
"Well, I am not saying it will happen. But, it would not be out of character for the press to print something about us eventually. Hence the fact that we are eating in a muggle restaurant far, far away from the prying eyes of the magical press."
"Oh my God, you are serious."
"I'm so sorry. I should have told you earlier, but I didn't know how to explain it without all of the backstory I told you today. And honestly, I've never been with anyone who didn't have all of these preconceptions about me. And all of a sudden here you were, and you cared about me for who I was, and you didn't see me through the lens of all of that bullshit. You saw me not as Ron Weasley, Most Eligible Wizard, but as Ron Weasley, idiot godfather who can't drive a car or use an iPhone but who you didn't give up on since you could tell I loved Hugo desperately and would do anything for him."
"Did the press get on you after Fiona and Dennis died? Have they messed with Hugo?"
"No. Not at all. After everything happened in the late 90s they changed the laws so that the press can't talk about minors at all. So, the kids are strictly off limits to the press. Harry's kids only know a little bit about what's happened. James knows, as Harry explained things before he left for school. But, Al and Lilly think they are famous because their dad's head auror, their mum was a great quidditch player and their Uncle George runs a fabulous joke shop."
"Does Hugo know?"
"I thought Fi had told him more than she did. And, well – do you remember the chocolate frogs that Hugo loved at Honeydukes?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"The day of the funeral when we were off flying, I had stashed some chocolate frog cards in my knapsack and gave him one. And of all damn days, he opens his and the famous wizard on his chocolate card frog was me."
"You're on chocolate frog cards?"
"Um, yeah," Ron said sheepishly. "Anyway, Hugo had no idea until he saw that. So, I just said that twenty years ago I helped Harry take down a really bad wizard, and so people made a big deal about it. He asked if I was a hero, and I told him I thought Collin and Fred were actually more heroic than I was. But for reasons I still don't understand people wanted to put Harry and I on the chocolate frog cards and not Collin and Fred."
"How did he react?"
"He took it in stride. And he hasn't brought it up since."
Hermione was quiet for a moment, clearly working through something in her mind.
"What? I can see the gears churning in your brain."
"That day we went to Diagon Alley – when we walked into the lunch place and everyone looked at us. Rose and I both thought we must have stuck out like sore thumbs or something and somehow people could tell we were new at this. But – they were looking at you, weren't they?"
"Yes. I had no idea that is how you two interpreted it! I hate that it made you both feel out of place. I am so sorry."
"No. Don't be sorry. It's not your fault you did great things and helped people out and are now paying the price for being a great human. I am just piecing it all together in my head." She paused again, clearly thinking. "Do you really think my picture will end up in some wizard paper? That is just so bizarre."
"I don't know. I hope not for both of our sakes. But, it is very likely that at some point it will."
Hermione just sat thoughtfully and ate a few bites of her dinner. Finally, Ron added nervously, "are you regretting this?"
"No," she said quickly, touching his face gently as she spoke. "No. Not at all. Ron, I told you earlier that I loved you. It was true, and it isn't something I have ever said to any man before. And to be frank, it's not something I necessarily have any control over. I have never felt like this about anyone ever. And what some other people think about things you did twenty years ago shouldn't impact that. I am just surprised. Really surprised. And, I am just trying to be sure I understand what it means for me, and for the kids. But, realistically I think I fell for you before I knew you were a wizard, and I adjusted to that news. So, adjusting to the fact that you are a famous wizard shouldn't be any harder, right?"
"You are incredible, Hermione. I am so lucky to have you. And I am so in love with you too. I promise I will do all I can to minimize the impact this nonsense has on our lives."
"So, when you say famous, I am trying to get my head around this. Is it like a muggle rock star or something? I mean did girls follow you around and throw their knickers at you and stuff?" she joked.
He grimaced.
"Oh my God! They did! People really do that? I guess I always thought that was just in movies. But they really did? Really?"
"For a while, yeah. For the first few years after the war it was pretty bad. But, that hasn't happened in a long, long time. I am not exactly 25 anymore, I guess. I assume a lot of the people who are in the right age demographic to stalk famous people and throw their knickers at them have no idea who I am. I am desperately hoping to be a middle-aged-has-been soon."
"What did Fiona think of all of this?"
"Oh, rest assured. She thought it was hilarious and took every opportunity to take the mickey out of me for it. She made it her life's mission – well, in conjunction with Ginny and maybe my mum – to be sure that my ego was not at all tempted to believe any of it. Between Fi and Gin they both reminded me of my place in the universe on a daily basis, and it was clearly several rungs below wherever they were."
"I'm so relieved to hear that," laughed Hermione. "Oh how I wish I could get the real dirt from her now. But, maybe I will take up this part of her mission and make sure to keep you in your proper place from here on out."
Ron laughed, "Oh, if my memory of this afternoon is accurate, Love – you already are."
Hermione blushed and cringed in embarrassment while she covered her face with her hands. "I still can't believe I said that to you. I am not sure what came over me."
He slid his hand up her thigh under her skirt and said quietly, "I loved it, and you know it."
"I do," she confessed turning to look at him. "But I still couldn't believe it when it came out of my mouth."
As Harry and Ginny crawled into bed later that night, Ginny said, "Did you see how comfortable they were with each other?"
"You mean Ron and Hermione?"
"Obviously – did you notice?"
"Yeah," smiled Harry. "It was like they couldn't not touch each other. Maybe not obvious enough for Hugo and Rose to notice, but yeah – they are definitely a couple."
"I hope Ron doesn't screw it up."
"Nice, Gin."
"Well, his track record isn't strong."
"His track record was Lavender, who he was brilliant enough to get rid of, followed by a lot of first dates and one night stands with lots girls who were wrong for him. But then again he was at least smart enough to not go out with them again."
"You think they'll pull it off? I mean, I think I like Hermione a lot. But, she only just found out she was a witch, and they are trying to raise two kids. It's a lot to handle."
"You know, I think they will be great. I finally think he's found his match."
"Rose and Hugo are great kids. They really do act like siblings already."
"Absolutely. I know it will be hard when Rose leaves for Hogwarts. But, Lilly and Hugo seemed to get along really well. Maybe they'll be able to keep each other company. He doesn't seem like a quidditch kind of kid like James and Al, you know? He struck me as someone who could go and be creative with Lilly doing art and what not and be perfectly happy."
"I hope you're right. She's going to be miserable once Al leaves. Maybe they'll be good for each other."
"Here's hoping. But you know what"
"Hmm?"
"I am so glad I found you when I did. I am happy for Ron, but I wouldn't have traded these past 19 years with you for anything."
"Well, Harry Potter, who knew you were such a romantic?" she laughed as she kissed him goodnight.
(Author's Note: Love scenes seem easy to write and hard to publish. I have edited and re-edited this a million times trying to find the right balance that wasn't too graphic but was true to the characters and their story. Hoping I got close to hitting the right balance. Thanks for reading & I would love to hear your feedback...carrytheotter)
