Ch 49: Salem Part 3
Back in their room, Ron kicked off his shoes and watched Hermione rummage through her suitcase for her nightclothes. Smiling, he walked up behind her, placing his hands on her hips and slowly sliding them around to her stomach. She gave an exasperated laugh as he pulled her back towards him.
"I don't think you need pajamas with that nightie from last night still floating around here somewhere," he said.
"Hmm," she said giggled. "What makes you so sure I was looking for pajamas?"
"Call it an auror's instinct," he chuckled.
"Well, my love, I hate to tell you that your time away from your former profession definitely seems to be impacting that auror's instinct. Here, help me with this zipper and maybe you'll see what I am talking about."
She lifted up her hair to allow him access, but instead of feeling his hands on the back of her dress she soon felt his mouth on her neck and ear. She gasped at the unexpected contact, and his hands roamed the front of her dress. First she felt one hand cover her breast while the other began to stroke her core while pulling her to him. Instinctively she reached around and grasped his thigh, pulling him to her, eliciting a groan from him. His mouth continued to kiss and nip her neck and collarbone as he slowly moved his hands back to the zipper on her dress, gently pulling it down. Turning in his arms, she faced him as she let the dress drop from her frame, revealing the sexiest set of knickers and bra she had ever owned. She had felt absurd buying them, but now that she could see and feel his reaction, she felt incredibly sexy. The knickers were deep red satin and lace that wrapped her hips, accentuating her curves. The bra matched with the satin and lace contrasting against the pale skin of her chest. As her dress dropped, Ron instantly whimpered a groan through his lopsided grin as he took her in.
"Holy fuck, Hermione," he gasped as he openly gawked at her.
She blushed slightly under his stare, but it felt somehow empowering to watch him come unhinged at her sight. "I can be full of surprises," she said coyly.
"Shite, you are so fucking hot" he said as he took a step back to see her more fully.
She laughed at his eloquence. "But I can go find those pajamas if you think that would be better." He made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a whimper as he reached for her.
"Sod the pajamas," he muttered as he crushed her lips with his own. While one hand was in her hair, the other was flat against her back, holding her tight to him. She instinctively arched her back, which raised her chest closer to him. Soon, his lips were on her breasts, slowly running his tongue across the lace trimmed edge causing goose flesh to erupt. She leaned her head back to allow him access, and she whimpered at his touch, moving her hands up to rake her fingers through his hair and across his scalp. He continued to kiss and nip at her bare skin as he ran his hands over her.
She could feel the heat growing between them, and decided he was far too clothed. She quickly began unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it out from his pants. Once he had shed the shirt, she peeled his undershirt off over his head and ran her hands over his toned chest. Soon her mouth was on his nipples causing him to hiss as he threw his head back in a mix of pleasure and pain. She dragged her tongue and teeth across his chest, around his flank and was soon behind him where she kissed down the length of his spine while roving her hands across the front of his chest. As she stood behind him, his long and strong arms reached behind him, grabbing her hips and pulling her to him. She found the sensation of rubbing her breasts clad in the satin and lace against his back to be incredibly arousing for herself, not realizing she was tormenting him as well. Continuing to rub herself against his back, she moved her hands around to his waist, unbuckling his belt and unfastening his fly as she reached into his pants to grasp him.
She heard him mutter a slur of unintelligible curse words as she stroked him from behind. Finally he couldn't wait anymore and turned back around to her. She smiled and eased his trousers and pants down as he kissed her neck. As he stepped out of his trousers, he lifted her up, causing her to squeak in surprise and then laugh at her own reaction as he carried her to the bed.
"Merlin I love you, Hermione," he whispered as gently lay her on the bed.
"God, I love you too, Ron," she sighed as he knelt above her stroking her curls.
He moved his mouth down to her chest and then to her stomach as he traced his fingertips over her nipples. She arched her back in pleasure realizing that the silky material somehow accentuated the sensation for her as his fingernails traced across her breasts.
Arching her back in pleasure at the sensation she whimpered, "Ooh, do that again with your fingernails it feels so amazing with the satin."
He grinned at her instruction, as she so rarely told him how to make her feel amazing when they were making love. Slowly dragging his fingernails across the fabric, torturing her diamond hard nipples he watched as she squirmed in pleasurable agony beneath him. Then he kissed her stomach, darting back up to drag his teeth and nose across the fabric too causing gasps from her Hermione. He continued his kisses down her stomach, caressing her creamy skin. Reaching the lacy knickers, he grinned knowing how far out of her comfort zone she had gone for him in purchasing and wearing them. He traced his fingers over her mound, covered by the red satin and already found them wet. As he looked up at her, he was again overcome by how gorgeous she was – wild curls spread across the pillow, ivory skin that was softer than the silky fabric she wore but was flushed with desire.
She saw him staring at her but could not fully read his expression. She saw love, adoration and desire but thought there was something else too that she could not place. Reaching her fingertips to his thighs, she caressed him softly.
Holding the gaze between them, she slowly sat up, reaching gently for his erection and stroking it with one hand as she traced her fingers slowly over his stomach and side. She tenderly pushed him back to the bed, moving down to gently fondle him. She kissed his stomach, dragging her lips across his stomach, nipping against his skin as his groaned in response to her touch. She continued to kiss him, running her tongue along his length. While the sensation was incredible, Ron loved to watch her smile at him as she looked up at him. She had taken him in her mouth, and as she took a breath, she caught his eye and smiled. Before she could take him back in her mouth, he reached for her, pulling her up to his torso.
"Come here," he whispered. "Let me," he said as he reached back to unclasp her sexy bra. She glanced at him, slightly surprised as she thought he would want her to leave it on as they made love. Reading her confusion, he simply said, "you look incredible, but I love you – not the fancy wrapping."
She felt her eyes well with emotion as he peeled the sexy satin from her chest. She watched him as he went to pull down her knickers as well. She lifted her bum so he could tenderly remove them, watching as he returned to look at her again, his soft eyes taking her in while still full of desire. With a tender touch, he reached out to caress the skin that had been concealed by the satin and lace. He took her breasts in his mouth, kissing and stroking as he went. Her mind felt dazed, bouncing between the pleasure fog from the exquisite torture he was pouring upon her and the emotional overload from the crystal clear understanding that she was with a man who loved her fully. She felt him move to nestle between her legs, moving his tongue to swirl around her most sensitive center. Her panting breaths increased as he inserted two fingers, curved up to reach the center she had never been able to reach on her own. Between his tongue and his fingers, she soon found herself arching and whimpering as his pace increased. Before she knew it, he mind was swirling in pleasure overload as she gasped and panted, finally screaming out as she melted into the bed feeling as if her body had turned to jelly. As she came out of her fog, she found him still kissing her tenderly, gently kissing her thighs and stomach as she brought her breathing back to normal.
"I need you in me, Ron," she said.
He smiled softly as he leaned back on the balls of his feet, softly drawing his hand down her leg. She sat up, kissed him and then turned her back to him.
"Let's try this," she said as she bent forward. He entered her, but then reached down to pull her up so he could fondle her breasts. She sighed, leaning her head back against his chest letting his touch and thrusts carry her to another place. As Hermione recovered, she pulled his arms tighter around her. She breathed in his scent, willing it to permanently cement the memory in her mind so she could always recall how safe, loved and adored she felt in his embrace.
Ron woke up at some point in the night and reached for a blanket to cover them with. As he pulled the blanket up over Hermione, his hand brushed against her thigh and stomach. She stirred gently, but didn't wake. He gently moved his hand back to lay against her skin, amazed at how soft and silky it felt to his large, calloused hands. He kissed her shoulder tenderly, brushing some of her curls away from her face as he nestled his head into the crook between her shoulder and neck. Even now that he was approaching a year into his new life, he still had these moments where he was overcome with how lucky he was to have found her. He closed his eyes again, listening to the familiar rhythm of her breath as she slept.
The following morning they were both up early, still not fully adjusted to the time change. But as it was their last full day in Salem Hermione insisted they get up and have a good breakfast so they could plan their day out and be at the first museum as it opened. Ron chuckled to himself, recognizing that this was Hermione in her natural environment and settled in for a day of educational tours. As he tucked into pancakes covered in the most amazing maple syrup he could ever have imagined, she started planning out their day. She was jotting down notes about what things she wanted to see at which place as she noticed him run his finger across his plate and then suck the syrup off his finger.
"Ron!" she chastised. "You can't lick the plate!"
"I didn't lick the plate," he protested. "I licked my finger which I had possibly dragged across the plate so I wouldn't have to lick the plate itself."
"Ron! What are you – four years old?"
"No. At four I would have absolutely licked the plate directly. I mean seriously, what is this? It is like the nectar of the gods or something!"
"It's maple syrup, Ron."
"Nah. I've had maple syrup back home. This tastes nothing like that."
"Ron," she said laughing. "You've had the fake stuff which is more or less corn syrup with flavoring added. In this part of the world you get the real thing. They tap it from the trees not far from here."
"This grows on a tree?"
"No, you goof. It is from inside the tree. They pound these little taps in and the syrup runs out of the tree at certain times of the year when it's cold. It is rather expensive, so in the stores most folks buy the fake stuff. But up here in New England they pride themselves in using the real deal."
"Wow. That is amazing. We need to eat more of this. And maybe buy a couple of gallons worth to take home." She just laughed at him, shaking her head as he proceeded to lick his spoon.
Once they had gotten cleaned up from breakfast and Hermione ensured Ron had washed all the sticky stuff from his hands, they headed out to a museum across town to learn about magic in the colonial days. It was pouring down rain, so a morning in a museum seemed like a good plan.
The museum was small but full of history on the many magical families that had been persecuted back in England and had come to the Americas looking for a fresh start. Ironically they tended to start their own towns away from the religious communities that settled in Massachusetts so the Salem Witch Trials the areas was famous for hadn't actually found any magical people. But the fear of being found out was only heightened by the experiences, driving the magical community further into isolation in the British colonies at the time.
When they arrived, Hermione asked someone at the front desk if Sally Sparrow's friend was in that day, and soon Stephanie Kippinger came out from the office area to meet them. Stephanie and Hermione quickly hit it off, and before they knew it she was giving them a personal tour of some of the collections that were kept in the back. Ron smiled, as Hermione was clearly in heaven. She and Sally's friend were soon in a deep discussion about the impact of the British Civil War on magical colonists. Ron had no idea what they were talking about, but enjoyed seeing Hermione so animated. Far too soon, Stephanie had to leave for some meetings, but exchanged contact information with Hermione and they promised to stay in touch. They mentioned to her the other friend Sally had said they should look up, but were disappointed to learn she was away on vacation that week. Stephanie encouraged them to come back again, and that she would set up a lovely get together for all of them. Ron was sure they would see more of her and Sally Sparrow in the years ahead.
They wandered the regular museum on their own for a while. Ron was interested in the different displays, but soon found himself done with the museum when Hermione was just getting warmed up. So, he wandered back to the lobby and smiled when he found a bench to sit on. It was angled so he could see Hermione every now and then as she wandered between the exhibits, reading every word on the displays.
Still feeling a bit drowsy from the time change, long history lectures and probably from the sugar crash after all the syrup at breakfast, Ron let himself close his eyes a bit and lean his head back against the wall as he waited for her. Soon he heard a bit of a commotion right in front of him. He opened his eyes to see a beautiful young woman with several bags. She had dropped a few on the floor and was looking frantically through some others only a meter in front of where he sat.
"Are you alright?" he asked the distressed woman.
"Yes, no, well, oh, I am so sorry," she muttered in what he thought was a southern American accent. "I was fiddlin' with my ring, which I know I shouldn't do but I do out of a bad habit. Anyway, I must have dropped it. I just can't lose it. I've only been engaged a few weeks. This ring has been in Harley's family for generations. It was his grandmamma's great grandmamma's ring and there is just no way I could tell him I lost it already! He might not kill me but his mama totally would. That woman is lookin for any excuse to hate me already and this would just seal the deal. I am hopin' it fell in one of my bags."
"When was the last time you saw it?" he asked.
"Just a few moments ago. I know it's here somewhere," she said as she set several bags on the bench next to him so she could look more easily. She started pulling things out of her bags. Unlike Hermione's shopping bags, this woman's purchases seemed to include shirts, scarves, jewelry and sweaters instead of the millions of books he knew he's be taking home. And soon, they were all spread across the bench, but no ring was to be found.
Ron glanced at her, and then scanned the ground around them. He thought he saw something glisten on the floor near the window and crouched down for a closer look. Crawling on his hands and knees he was able to reach behind a potted plant and get the ring. Sitting up on his knees he smiled and held it up.
"Found it!" he said as he handed it to her.
She covered her mouth with mouth hands, squealing in delight. "Thank you so much! Oh my goodness. I can't tell you how devastated I would have been if I had lost this. You are the absolute best."
"It's no problem. Bad luck to lose it; good luck to find it I suppose."
"Well if you aren't just my British good luck charm today!" she crooned.
She put it back on her left hand and proceeded to hug him tightly. Ron was a bit caught off guard at her sudden affection, but reasoned he'd heard Americans were more open with things like that than the Brits were.
"Right. Well, maybe you should get that ring sized to fit you better so it doesn't fall off again," he suggested, pulling back from her embrace.
"I know. I totally need to. Harley told me the same thing. I just haven't had a minute to go to a jeweler yet what with the weddin' plannin' and everything."
"You don't need a jeweler," he said. "Here, let me see your hand."
She held out her left hand, showing him the ring. He held it lightly as he reached into his pocket for his wand, cast a quick spell, and the ring sized instantly to her finger.
"Wow. They must teach ya'll much better in England. We never had a class on jewelry charms! I would have definitely paid attention in that one."
He laughed at this character in front of him. "No – didn't learn it in school. My sister showed me one time and it has come in helpful a few times over the years."
"Anyway – cheers," he said going to return to his spot on the bench to wait for Hermione.
"Cheers. Well ain't that just the cutest thing. I'll have to remember that one. Thanks again for bein' my knight in shinin' armor this mornin'. Just don't know what I wouldda done without you. Bye!" she said, adding about 5 syllables in the middle of her last word as she gathered up her purchases and left the lobby.
He chuckled to himself and shook his head, thinking of this lady's fiancé and deciding that poor Harley had some rough times ahead of him. Just then Hermione came out from the exhibits and found him laughing.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
He laughed, and proceeded to launch into a dramatic retelling of the whole bizarre tale of the ditzy southern woman and her missing ring as they both walked into the gift shop. He entertained Hermione with his attempt at the woman's accent trying to remember some of her odd phrases as she browsed through more books, finally selecting the eight she had to have. Once they picked those and selected a few small things to take home to the kids they paid for their purchases and left the museum.
The rain had cleared up while they were inside. And while it was still damp and overcast, that was nothing unusual to the English pair. They decided to take advantage of the break in the rain and visit the Salem Witch Trials Memorial on the muggle side of town, stopping on the way to purchase some flowers. They walked around the stone memorial quietly hand in hand stopping at each bench that protruded from the wall with a name etched in it, placing a long stem rose on each of the twenty markers. After they had visited each, they walked towards the center of the walled square and leaned against the tree there, taking in the whole place.
"It's just so sad on so many levels," Hermione said quietly. "They were killed because someone accused them of being like us. And they obviously shouldn't have been killed even if they were like us, but they weren't even that."
Ron just gently rubbed his thumb across the knuckles of her hand and didn't say anything.
Hermione felt tears in her eyes momentarily, but took a few deep breaths and was able to keep them from falling. Finally she said, "You know when I first learned about magic I wasn't quite ready to forgive Dennis for never saying anything. But I get it now. Being here. Seeing this. I understand the secrecy laws in my heart now more than my head could have ever understood before. I just wish I could tell him myself."
Ron looked at her with a sad smile and hugged her. They stood there quietly embracing under the tree as the rain started falling slowly around them. Eventually they started to get too wet, so they headed back to the car. Deciding to spend the rest of the afternoon in a muggle museum, they drove to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. Ron wasn't sure he could spend much more time reading about American colonists, and was delighted to find the museum wasn't really a history museum at all. Instead its airy and light halls were filled with "curiosities" that colonial and early American sea captains had found from all around the world. Building on that, the museum had added interesting collections of art from different parts of the world, Chinese treasures, things that looked like Native American art and a really cool display about boats that Ron enjoyed strolling through. There was even an art collection of muggle cinema posters about horror and alien pictures that Ron liked. As the rain let up again they were able to wander outside and enjoy a display made by an artist who wove houses and other structures from sticks. It was beautiful and reminded Ron of a cross between Hagrid's house and a fairy house so much that he had to remind himself that it was actually muggle art.
For once, Ron ended up spending more in the gift shop than Hermione, buying some early Christmas gifts for his family. He knew his father would get a kick out of anything from a muggle museum, but he thought his mum and numerous sisters in law might actually like some of the jewelry and scarves from there as well. They remained there until the museum closed. They decided to find a muggle restaurant that evening and found a wonderful little place on a side street in Salem that someone at the museum had recommended. After enjoying a delicious meal together, they finally headed back to the inn.
"Strange to think we've only been here a few days," Hermione said as she packed up her books and purchases so they would be ready for their portkey in the morning. "It feels like we've been away for much longer than that."
"So true," agreed Ron. "It's strange. I am not sure if it's being in another country that makes it feel so different or if it's just us being together alone for once or what. Whatever it is, I bloody well love it."
She chuckled at him. "It's been a perfect birthday present, Ron. Thank you so much."
"Well, you were full of a few surprises yourself, you know."
She blushed at the memory.
"Really," he laughed as he reached for her, "when I am old and grey you are going to have to give me some warning before letting me find you in some of those sexy knickers and such. I'm liable to die of a heart attack at the mere thought of such beauty."
"Ron, when we are old and grey I can't imagine you would want to see me in some of those get ups. It's a stretch as it is with my middle aged lumpy suburban mum body."
"Hey," he said softly as he turned her face to his. "You don't really think that do you?"
She looked down to avoid his eyes and muttered, "Well, I've was never one of those sexy model types even in my twenties. But now I'm in my late thirties. And then you add the crazy hair, the lumpy cellulite on my bum, my squishy tummy and my small breasts, well, I just – I guess the lace and such helps hide certain things and accentuate certain things maybe. I don't know."
"Hermione," he said gently. "Look at me."
She wouldn't catch his eye and moved nervously as if to return to her packing, "It's ok, Ron. Really. It is. I am at peace with who I am. I just know what I am and what I am not. And I bought those things for a little fun to surprise you. But I know it isn't the same as one of those Victoria Secret models."
"What? I don't think I know anyone named Victoria," he muttered, caught off guard.
"Oh, right – muggle thing. Never mind."
"No, it's clearly an issue. We shouldn't just ignore it. Who is Victoria? What is her secret you are so upset about?"
She laughed and reached for her phone to pull it up on google. "Victoria's Secret is a muggle store for ladies' underwear," she explained. "And they are known, at least in muggle America anyway, for sending these catalogs out to people's houses with pictures full of these sexy women wearing the bras and knickers." She held up the website for Ron to see and laughed as his eyes betrayed him and went wide.
"They just dress like that and put their picture on the internet for anyone to see?"
"Oh come on, Ron. Even without the internet, I can't possibly believe that teenage wizards never see muggle magazines of naked ladies growing up."
"Well, yeah, of course there were magazines under the bed and such that got passed around the dorms. But to just be on the internet where someone can look at it at a touch of a few buttons. That is so weird."
"Oh goodness, Ron. There is a whole world out there you don't even know about it, isn't there. I can't believe I am even asking you this. But, have you ever heard of internet porn?"
His face was blank. So, as she shook her head she pulled up some pages online to show him the immediate selection of sex videos that were out there.
His jaw dropped. "I don't get it. Why would people put that out there for people to see?"
Hermione was fascinated with his reaction. "Well, I guess I can't say for sure. The old laws of supply and demand I suppose. Where there is a demand for it, there is a supply. Sex certainly sells. They say prostitution is the world's oldest profession. I am sure there are magical prostitutes too, aren't there?"
Ron shrugged. "Yes, I certainly encountered multiple several murdered ones over my years working as an auror. But they were usually desperate women who had no other way to make money or they were trapped in some sort of abusive situation that made them feel they had no way out."
"Well, I think the porn industry arose as a way to meet a similar need – let people take pictures of you naked. You get the money, feel desired and what not. But then that evolved into movies, and then that evolved into the internet clips you see now. Some people make these and get paid for them. Then there are people that film themselves having sex – some couples and some just together for the act I suppose. And then there are a lot of creeps who film them having sex with people without the other person's knowledge."
"What?"
"Well, they hide a camera or phone in the room and tape the interaction without the other – usually the woman – knowing about it at all."
"That's horrible. Surely that's illegal?"
"Illegal, yes. But very difficult to track and prosecute."
"Fuck, that's awful."
"And then there is the really awful stuff where there are women who are forced into sex work and forced into these videos where they are treated so horribly – basically raped by groups of men on tape and it is put out there for all to see. And worse – then there are the kids."
Ron was getting worked up into protective auror mode now. "They do that to kids on tape?!"
"Yeah. They do," she said sadly. "I've worked with refugee families who married their daughters off young to avoid having them fall into the hands of these type of people. So to avoid this hell, they end up in another one."
"We have to do something about that, Hermione. We can't just let that happen."
"Ron. I love that you want to fix this. I really do. But even with all the money you have in the bank-"
"-the money we have in the bank, remember?" he corrected.
"Ok. You're right. Sorry. I'm learning. Even with the money we have, it is still only a drop in the bucket compared to the trillions of pounds in the international sex trade. And so much of that is online. No one needs a lot of money to start making these videos. They just need a child or a scared, powerless person of any kind, a smartphone and an internet connection."
"But, but that's…." Ron couldn't find the words to finish his sentence as his mind worked through what he'd just learned. Finally he said, "Look, I worked with a lot of fucked up lowlifes in my years as an auror. And don't get me wrong, I have had to face cases where children were raped and people were abused or held captive in really horrible ways. But, the magical world never had anything like the internet to just put those images in the literal back pocket of every person. I mean – what- it took you less than half a minute to pull those up."
She looked at him sadly. "It may not exactly be dark magic or dark arts or whatever you call it, but it is definitely dark and evil. But the internet is one of those open tools that some use for incredible good and others use for incredible evil. And it is so young that the world hasn't quite figured out how to manage it."
He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, processing all he had learned in the few minutes of conversation.
She reached for his hand, "I feel like I just had to tell you there isn't really a Father Christmas."
"No, no," he said sweetly as he squeezed her hand. "Trust me. I was under no pretense the muggle world – or the magical world for that matter – was all sweetness and light. This is just a very different lense to see it through. I guess I need to learn more about it to figure out what I need to do about it – or if there is anything I can do about it."
"Ron, you and Harry pretty much saved the world when you were teenagers. If anyone can make a dent in the big problems humans face today, I am confident it can be you. But it won't happen overnight."
"Oh, I know that," he said with a sad smile. "Just add it to the list of things I need to learn about I suppose."
She smiled back at him and kept holding his hand, watching him as he continued to think.
"But wait," he said. "Don't a lot of kids have smartphones like this. What keeps them from seeing this stuff?"
"Nothing really," she said with a disgusted face. "I mean, there are some filters parents can put on smartphones and their laptops and such. But, not every parent does. So – there is always some kid out there who has access to it and can show it to others. That's part of the problem – kids now are growing up with this really distorted view of what love and sex are because they watch some porn video on the internet and think that's what they are supposed to do. That girls should give boys blow jobs before they even kiss."
"WHAT?" Ron said in disbelief.
Hermione just nodded.
"Well, think about it. Pretend you were fifteen and horny and trying to figure out what to do with your hormones and feelings and urges. You didn't ask your dad what to do did you?"
"Uh, no – definitely not. But, I did happen to have six older brothers and live in a boy's dorm, so there was plenty of informal education floating about."
"Right, but you were too embarrassed to ever ask anything, right?"
"Of course."
"But if you'd had one of these in your pocket," she said holding up her phone, "you probably would have googled your anonymous, innocent and not totally inappropriate questions to get your information. And instead of someone really talking to you about what it meant to become a man, or to fall in love or to be with a woman and how to make each other feel pleasure you would get these videos of multiple men having sex with some woman with giant fake boobs screaming out ridiculous nonsense that no one says in real life. Except now people think that is real life, so teens are growing up with this as their education instead of the girlie magazines and hushed conversations with trusted older brothers or friends that happened in the generations before us."
"Huh," sighed Ron, still processing. Suddenly his eyes popped up and he looked at her with concern, "but Rose has a phone, doesn't she. I mean – not at Hogwarts but didn't she have an epad or whatever that thing is called?"
Smiling at his concern, she explained gently how she had put filters on all the devices in her home, as well as on Hugo's things. And she told him how she and Rose had some difficult but good discussions about being safe on the internet, good touching and such. And, she explained that she had thought she'd explain a little more each year as seemed appropriate to her age, but she wasn't really sure how to integrate that all in now that she was off at boarding school. Ron nodded as he thought, and then thanked her for looking out for Rose and Hugo in ways he couldn't have thought to even do.
They sat in the quiet a while, simply holding hands. Eventually Ron turned to Hermione again. "Wait a minute. We started this whole discussion because you made some comments about yourself that were just not on. Can we go back to that for a minute?"
She looked up at him in a mix of dread and gratitude but didn't say anything.
"Look, I don't remember exactly what you said. But I know the general gist was that you don't think you are anywhere as sexy as I think you are."
She started to interrupt, but he cut her off. "No, please let me say this, ok?" She nodded and listened as he turned to face her directly, still not releasing her hand. "I may not know about muggle porn videos or muggle knicker catalogs. But, I know enough to know that they aren't real. I mean, sure, those are actual people in there. But they are probably between the ages of 17 and 22, and I would bet half of them have fake boobs or whatever else muggles make fake. And while they may be able to sell videos or bras, that isn't what a real woman is, Hermione. And even before I met you, I always wanted a real woman. Sure, I wanked to a few girlie magazines when I was a teenager. But, the few times I allowed myself to picture a future, it was a future with a real woman. And then I met you and realized I had set the bar far too low. Because in reality, you are the most incredible, the most beautiful, the most sexy woman I have ever met. And I know being with that bloke when you were younger who was pretending he wasn't gay messed up how you thought of yourself, and if I ever get the chance to smack him upside the head for that I probably will. But you really need to understand that you are a stunningly beautiful and incredibly sexy woman. Not beautiful for your age. Not sexy for a solicitor or a mum. You are beautiful and sexy, end of story."
She shook her head to disagree with him, and he lifted her chin up so he could look her in the eye as he spoke. "No, Hermione. I mean it. Sexy isn't just standing in a picture wearing lace and such. It's how your eyes swirls with a mix of gold flecks and dark desire when I look at you." She started to feel the flush creep up her neck as he continued speaking. "It's how soft your skin is – it's like touching smooth silk but softer somehow. It's how you are both strong and delicate at the same time. It's how you can be the toughest person I know, but somehow melt if I touch you just the right way. It's how your breasts are the exact right size to fit in my hands. It's how your hips curve just the right amount to rest my hand over as we sleep, or how we fit together perfectly when we make love. It's how there is a freckle right at the top of your arse that I am probably the only one who has ever seen it, and I kiss it every chance I get. It's how you can be the most prim and proper solicitor, and yet your hair refuses to stay tamed, and a few curls escape just to remind me there is a voracious lover underneath those formal muggle suits you wear. It's how you can put on a sexy black ball gown and then still march up to muggle politicians and brow beat them into submission and then glide out on the dance floor like nothing happened at all. It's how I can find you with wet knickers as your body reacts to just the thought of mine inside of it. That, Hermione. All of that together is what makes you the most gorgeous, most sexy woman I have ever known. And I don't care if your hair goes grey, or your stomach becomes bigger or squishier or those amazing toned arms you have start to flap like batwings. Because even when everything else changes, I know I can look in your eyes and still see the sexiest person in the world."
She smiled at him and reached for his face. "I don't deserve you, Ron Weasley."
"Well if that's what you think, then you missed the entire sodding point of my little speech just then," he said in frustration. "Look, Hermione. I get that we both feel like we are lucky to have found the other. And by some miracle, you seem to think I am too good for you while I see it the other way round. And maybe that's just the way men and women are in the end, who knows. But, what I do need you to understand is that I love you. The real you. And I love that you want to keep things fun, exciting and unexpected with sexy nighties and such. And if it helps you feel a little more randy on the inside, then great. But if you are wearing that stuff because you worry I don't find you sexy, then please don't wear it. Trust me, all you have to do is say when, and I am pretty much ready to have sex with you at any given moment. I am already completely enraptured. I am yours, utterly and fully. I don't want you to try to be like those sad women in those internet videos. Don't try to be those fake, sad women, Hermione. Especially don't try to be that for me, it would crush me to think that. I am in love with you. The real, amazing, strong, vulnerable, delicate, soft, curvy, silken, feisty, sexy you. I don't want anyone else. Can you promise me that? Please?"
She simply looked deep in his eyes. She knew her own were brimming with emotion and saw his do the same. She nodded and simple said, "I promise."
He smiled a relieved, almost teary smile and kissed her tenderly. "I love you, Hermione."
She nuzzled up to him, tucking her head in the space between his chin and chest reveling in the safety of him. "I love you too, Ron. So much."
They sat there for quite a long time, just holding each other. It wasn't sexual, it wasn't sad. It was just what they each needed. Finally, they decided to get ready for bed, and eventually spooned up together under the covers, holding each again in a tight embrace.
