CH 65: Aloha

She changed into the sundress and sandals Ron had put out on the bed for her, glanced around the room to be sure there wasn't anything she had forgotten and headed down to the living room to join Ron. She caught him standing in front of the floo with the bags looking at his wedding ring with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Not second guessing it already are you?" she said in a teasing tone.

"Not a chance," he grinned. "Just still absorbing it all I suppose."

"I know," she said. "I keep looking down at my hand too."

"I think we have everything. Here, let me shrink the bags down. I can put them in my pocket. Portkey should go off in about a minute."

"What is it?"

"This water bottle," Ron said, holding up a dented canteen.

They each put one hand on the canteen and held onto each other with the remaining hand, and soon they were off. Before she opened her eyes, the warm breeze, smell of salt air and waft of jasmine put a smile on her face. But when she opened her eyes to see a woman putting a floral lei over her head and welcoming her with "Aloha," she was ecstatic.

"Hawaii?" she said in shock. "We're in Hawaii?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "Aloha."

"How did you know I have always wanted to come here?"

"I may have done a little investigative research," he admitted. "So yeah – I totally talked to your mum and dad. And before you tell me that you'd wished you'd known so you could have read up on some things, just know that I packed up books on ancient Polynesians and the early history of magic here too. I promise we've got plenty of time to learn all kinds of things while we are here, but first we are spending a few days doing nothing at all. Well, barely leaving the room anyway, with a few possible exceptions to go down to the beach just outside of our room."

"You are incredible," she laughed as she hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Well, we have to recover from the jet lag, since while we got married at like 230 this afternoon, here it is only around 8 this morning. Not quite a time turner, but disorienting nonetheless."

They went through the arrival checkpoint at the magical tourism office and were able to floo to a location at the airport, where Ron had arranged for the hotel to pick them up. Soon they were walking into a gorgeous resort, where the guests were just starting to come down to the dining room for breakfast. Even before they could get to the front desk, the staff welcomed them.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley. Aloha. We've been expecting you. I trust you had a good trip?"

"Yeah. Thanks. We're just a bit jet lagged, but we're happy to be here."

"Well, do I understand that some congratulations are in order?"

"Yes, thank you," Hermione said blushing and reaching unconsciously for Ron's hand. "We've just been married."

"Well, that is simply wonderful. Brian here is your concierge for your stay here. He will show you to your villa and handle absolutely anything you may need or want while you are here at the Four Seasons Resort at Hualalai. We've already arranged for your bags to be sent over, and we took the liberty of setting up a congratulatory breakfast on your lanai. I know you took care of everything ahead of time, Mr. Weasley, which we appreciate. Simply sign here and we will get you're your keys and you will be all set."

"Wonderful. Thanks," said Ron.

Hermione watched him sign the forms. It was odd, she thought, seeing him step so comfortably into the role of the rich international traveler from the much contented, practical soul she knew at home. But, she loved that he could so seamlessly go from a five star dinner to ratty tent and truly never miss a beat. But then again, she thought, so could she.

They walked across the gorgeous property to a secluded villa on the edge of the resort. She was amazed to realize that they had the whole place to themselves. As they walked up the steps, she saw that they had a private, shaded lanai that overlooked the ocean. With their own hot tub and their own private section of the beach, she wondered if they would leave at all. Soon Brian had showed them to where the congratulatory breakfast was set up. There was champagne, fresh fruits and juices and an array of pastries, sausages, nuts and local coffee.

"Wow," was all she could say as she took it in.

"I will leave you now, but I am at your service for your entire stay. You can always call the desk, but here is my cell phone number. I am yours around the clock whether you need a dinner reservation, a car, a canoeing lesson or you just want me to bring over some cheeseburgers. Please don't hesitate to call. Making sure you have the most amazing holiday of your life is my job, and I really love doing it well," he grinned.

"Thanks, Brian."

"Absolutely Mr. Weasley."

"Please, call me Ron."

"And I'm Hermione," she added. "Thank you so much for everything. I think we'll just take today and tomorrow to recover a bit, but I love learning about the history and culture of places. So, we will definitely want to do that in a few days."

"Yes," Brian smiled glancing at Ron, "I was told to be prepared for a history buff. I took the liberty of stocking the shelves in the living room with some books you might enjoy on Hawaii. Let me know if you want me to bring lunch or dinner later."

"Thanks, Brian," Hermione said sitting down at the breakfast table next to Ron and taking his hand.

Once the concierge had walked back towards the resort Ron leaned over and kissed her. "So, did I do ok?"

"I would think so," she laughed. "I don't even want to know what this place costs. But I figure we threw a wedding for almost nothing, so splurging on our honeymoon seems somewhat permissible. And we only get to do this once, right?"

"Oh you better believe it," Ron said as he leaned to kiss her cheek.

"I am so disoriented. I know I had breakfast and lunch and dinner and now we are on breakfast again, and somewhere in there we got married and traveled half way across the world, right?"

"Right," he said reaching for some sausages. "But even if I don't know where on earth or in time I am, I tend to always be ready to eat."

She shook her head and laughed at him, and they settled back to enjoy the breakfast spread. They chatted a bit about the wedding and how different people had reacted, but mostly they just sat and enjoyed the view of the water and the sound of the waves. While Hermione stuck with some fruit and a few bites of pastries, Ron was determined to try all of the different food Brian had brought for them.

Popping some pineapple into his mouth he exclaimed, "Oh Merlin, that is the most amazing thing I have ever had." He picked up another piece and put it in Hermione's mouth.

"Ohmigod," Hermione moaned as she tasted the tropical fruit. "That's incredible. It tastes creamy – almost like ice cream or something. If that's what pineapple is supposed to taste like then what have I been eating all these years?"

"I dunno, but I can tell you we are going to eat a lot of that while we're here," he said reaching for another piece.

She laughed, leaning over and kissing him while he still had the pineapple in his mouth.

"Hey, no fair, you're just trying to steal my pineapple," he protested.

"Hmm," she smiled. "I distinctly remember that in our vows we said all you had was mine and vice versa. Ergo, that's my pineapple too," she murmured as she leaned back into his lips.

"I think it's time for me to make love to my swotty wife," he said in such a gravely voice that it almost sounded like a growl. She giggled, but then quickly yelped as he stood up and quickly picked her up bridal style. She laughed and put her arms around his neck, leaning in to kiss his ear as he carried her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. He placed her on the bed as she quickly started unbuttoning his shirt. After casting quick privacy, security and silencing charms he turned his full attention to ravishing his new bride.

While she had quickly removed his shirt, he noted that she was still regrettably fully clothed. As he put his arms around her to pull down the zipper to her dress, her lips were soon on his now bare torso, eliciting groans of pleasure from him. She was on her knees on the edge of the bed while he stood and finally managed to pull down the zipper. Letting the dress fall from her shoulders, she stilled to watch his reaction as he saw her clothed only in the bridal lingerie she had on. Groaning again, he ran his hands across the white lace stretched across her breasts that matched the white lace knickers gracing her hips. His eyes grew dark with lust as he let his fingers run across the edge of her bra. Soon he replaced his hands with his lips as he kissed her chest, breathing heavily as he felt her arch her breasts towards him. Her hands were soon on the button of his trousers, tugging to shed him of the garment. Soon they had dropped to the floor and he was kicking off his shoes and trousers. She shimmied his pants down, freeing his quickly growing erection. Her hands and lips were everywhere, rendering him momentarily frozen in pleasure. When he briefly cleared the haze in his head he worked to unclasp her bra, which soon fell to the side. He kissed her chest lavishly, working his way down to her stomach until he reached the top of her lacy knickers. Grinning at her he lay her back on the bad as he pulled them down, not wasting any opportunity to kiss her legs as he worked his way back to her mouth.

As driven by the passion of the moment that they were, they both found themselves taking their time, trying to allow this consummation of their marriage to last as long as possible. As she rolled him over to his back, the wetness of her core against his abdomen was like fire searing his skin. He groaned automatically as his hands quickly moved to her perfectly rounded hips and arse, holding her tightly to him as she rocked against his hard length. He loved watching her like this, eyes closed and simply giving herself over to the feel of their bodies together. She bit the side of her bottom lip as the pleasure built, and he took her rock hard nipple in his mouths, torturing it with his tongue, causing her to gasp and throw her head back. Shifting his attention to her other breast, he then rolled her onto her back and worked his lips down to her swollen center.

Slurring curses together, she reached for his hair as she let her knees fall open, revealing her sticky curls to him. He kissed her mound, letting his tongue work up under her hood and began to flick and suck her nub until he felt her groan under her breath. Smiling against her, he moved his finger to her opening, sliding it into to her wet center, turning his long finger up to work the other nerve center. He felt her respond quickly, moaning and feeling erratic twitches in her thighs as he added a second finger. He worked them in and out of her while he didn't let up his tongue, and after a few minutes he felt her start to lift her pelvis and clench her muscles tighter and tighter and tighter until finally she came up off the bed screaming his name as she came. He kept at it, pulsing into her and licking her juices, and she twitched and spasmed harder, slurring words together unintelligibly as she swam through the pleasure abyss.

Soon she was like jell-o beneath him, breathing beginning to slow as she slowly opened her eyes to see Ron smiling at her in a perfect combination of lust and adoration. He smiled at her lovingly, moving his mouth back up to her chest and then her mouth, where she could taste herself on his lips.

"I do believe I vowed to love you with my body," he said as he kissed her neck.

"As did I," she panted, "for the rest of my life."

"Fuck, I love you," he said as she reached down to grasp his erection and line it up with her opening.

"I need to feel my husband inside of me," she groaned, gripping his shoulders and dragging her nails over his skin.

He entered her, and began to thrust into her slowly. She moaned with each move and continued to move her nails over him, dragging her hands up to his hair. Locking her legs around him, pulling him even tighter to her as they moved together, sighing and moaning as one. As her gasps hit a higher pitch, he felt himself getting closer. And soon they both climaxed and collapsed into each other, but neither were willing to release their intimate connection. Eventually Ron rolled off of her, but she quickly tucked herself into his side, ensuring they were touching skin to skin wherever possible. He found he was twirling his finger across her gorgeous bare shoulder as she fell asleep in his arms. He could see her left hand on his chest, and moved his left hand to wrap around it. Staring at their entwined hands, each bearing the ring symbolizing their vows, he was overcome with emotions. Ranging from gratitude to disbelief to love to awe, he eventually drifted to sleep still amazed that the day actually happened.

Hermione woke up, deliciously comfortable in Ron's arms and the amazingly soft sheets against her bare skin. She could have lay there forever listening to the crashing waves of the Pacific coming through open window if not for one thing. She desperately had to use the loo. She tried to command her body to ignore it and go back to sleep, but soon she realized there was no way to ignore the situation. She absolutely had to get up and go find the bathroom. Considering the best way to extract herself from Ron's limbs without waking him up, she slowly tried to move Ron's arm that was across her body. She was sure there was probably a brilliant spell for just such a problem, but she most certainly didn't know what it could be. So, ever so slowly she held her breath and gently tried to move his arm. She felt him stir and froze, not wanting to wake him up. But he muttered some unintelligible word in his sleep, rolled over and managed to hold her tighter to his naked body. Biting her tongue she wanted to both laugh and curse at her predicament. But her bladder was now screaming at her to get out of bed and find the loo. So, again she tried to gently move his arm and slide out from under his grasp. In the most indelicate and ungraceful manner possible, she finally shimmied down towards the end of the bed, sliding a pillow into his arms to fill the space she had been in. But she now found herself under the sheets with her bum in the air as she slowly crawled down. When her feet and naked bum reached the end of the sheet, she could feel her bottom half up in the air while her head was still under the sheets. Trying desperately to be quiet in her quest for the loo, she froze in disbelief when she heard his voice.

"I'd ask what the hell you are doing, but it's really one of the more hilarious and yet strangely sexy things I have ever seen."

Mortified and defeated, she quickly popped up on her knees, grasping the sheet to her chest, cheeks ablaze.

"Oh, heavens. I was trying to get out of bed without waking you up," she said apologetically. "But clearly that didn't work. Sorry, but I have GOT to go find the loo!"

With that she hopped off the end of the bed, grabbing Ron's shirt that had been strewn across the floor and throwing it over her naked body as she headed out of the room.

"Since when do you need to get dressed to go the loo?" she heard him call after her with a laugh in his voice.

Good thing we're already married, she thought to herself with a laugh, because that could have scared lesser men away.

After blessedly using the toilet, she splashed some water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Her curls were everywhere, and she ran her fingers through her hair trying to tame them somewhat, and eventually gave it up as a lost cause. She looked again at her face, wondering if she somehow looked different now that she was a married woman. I'm a married woman! she thought to herself with a bit of a shock. She pulled Ron's shirt around her, inhaling his scent on the fabric with a smile. She looked again at her hand with her engagement and wedding rings on it, shaking her head in awed disbelief. She hadn't unpacked her suitcase yet so didn't have any of her things, but noticed there was toothpaste and toothbrushes next to the hotel soaps and shampoos.

She quickly brushed her teeth and as she placed the toothbrush down on the marble counter, she noticed the bracelet on her wrist. Something caught her eye, and suddenly it struck her - for the first time, her charmed charm bracelet had added a new charm. She fingered it delicately to examine the new addition. It was a beautiful miniature gold sculpture of two taller figures and two shorter figures standing in a circle with hands clasped together. She was in awe of several things. First she was distractedly impressed with the amazing magic that somehow knew not only what had happened but how to reflect it perfectly. But she was also amazed at how perfect that ceremony had been, both the marriage and the family blessings had been incredible. She was lost in thought, staring at her wrist when she heard a gentle rap at the door.

"You ok?" she heard him ask quietly.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I got distracted. Look, look at this," she said excitedly, opening the door and holding up her wrist for him to see. "The bracelet added a charm. It's perfect, isn't it?" He was standing there, having slipped on his pants but nothing else. She placed her left hand around his bare waist as he held her wrist to look at the jewelry, and he broke into that lopsided grin that melted her heart.

"That's bloody brilliant."

She smiled at him, leaning in to his torso and holding him snugly, and then gently brushed his fringe away from his eyes.

"You need to use the loo?"

"Actually I did and found a second one off the living room," he laughed.

"This place has two bathrooms?" she gawked.

"Double The Burrow."

"Right. So, we can sleep together and walk around practically naked but we don't have to share a bathroom. Hilarious actually. But, I think that I am a little slap happy and punchy from, well, everything. I am totally disoriented. I don't know what day it is, what time it is, if I should be hungry or tired or what," she confessed.

"Hmm. Well, yeah. I'm right there with you." He glanced at his watch. "It's just before four in the afternoon, and I think it's still Easter and still April 1st."

"So still our wedding day then," she said with a smile.

"Yes, I think so. And I think I am always hungry and pretty much always up for a kip."

"But if we let ourselves sleep now we'll never get our bodies adjusted to the time change. We should force ourselves to shower and go for a bit of a walk or something. Then we could find some dinner, head to bed early and have a chance of being on track by tomorrow."

"Do you ever get bored of being right?" he grumbled.

"Not yet, but you'll be the first to know if that changes," she assured him. "Now, let's find our bags so we can get cleaned up and go explore the resort."

She managed to convince him to get cleaned up and dressed, and then they walked along a variety of paths around the resort. There were areas of beaches, pools, old lava flows, golf courses, cultural centers, spas, fitness centers, tennis courts, shops, restaurants and gardens, and they were both blown away by the beauty of the place. Eventually they ended up at a beachside bar at the other end of the resort where they sought a shaded spot with a great view where they could order a simple dinner and look over some of the pamphlets of activities they had snagged as they walked.

"So, are there things you want to be sure we do while we are here?" she asked, flipping through some of the activity guides.

Ron grinned sheepishly. "Well, I may have reserved a few things. But nothing is fixed."

She looked up at him, laughing, "And what, pray tell, would these things be?"

"I figured you would pick which historical sites we needed to see while we were here. But I did scope out a few things I was pretty interested in. One of them we can do here at the resort – I would love to try a surfing lesson," he admitted. "And then when I heard they actually grow and make chocolate in Hawaii, that sounded rather delicious since I definitely consider myself a connoisseur. And then there were a few things that are popular tourist activities that we could do with a magical twist."

"I'm all for chocolate and surfing," she agreed. "What are the ones with a magical twist?"

"There is a national park around the volcanos and one has active lava flows where you can see all the orange fire and stuff, but there is a wizard who rents brooms near there so we could see it all from the sky with disillusionment charms. And then they say snorkeling and scuba diving is amazing here, but there are some magical tourist places where you can go out on a boat and they help you with the charms or potions to just be able to breathe underwater with magic as well as some guides to local fish and such. Another option is to go see Mauna Kea on an overnight camping thing. They say you can see the stars better from there than from anywhere. But if we didn't want to camp there is a magical tourism bit where we can floo up and back. I thought that sounded pretty fun."

"Those all sound amazing," she said. "My only edits would be adding a trip to that national park for the refuge place that seems like an odd combination of sanctuary and prison and learning some more about the history and culture here. Well, and lounging around reading and napping and what not too."

"Oh yes," he laughed, leaning over to kiss her. "I am counting on lots and lots of whatnot as well."

They'd enjoyed a full week in Hawaii so far. They'd spent several days lazing around the villa reading books and enjoying the beach. They'd taken surfing lessons, which Ron found very similar to flying in learning to hold your balance. He loved it. Hermione did not. They'd also spent days taking advantage of all that the island had to offer. They'd snorkeled and hiked and learned all about Hawaiian history and culture, and they'd both loved learning about chocolate and coffee. That day they'd explored Volcano's National Park, hiking around the lava flows during the day and then getting to rent a broom and fly over the area at sunset. As the sun dipped into the water, they were able to stay and fly over the areas where the lava was hitting the ocean. It had been fascinating to watch land be born right in front of their eyes. The hiss and steam of the molten lava being cooled instantly into rock was mesmerizing. Finally they had been able to fly out over the water a bit and watch as the stars began to appear. Reluctantly, they returned to the island, bringing the broom back to the wizard tourism shop before apparating back to the resort.

They landed on the porch, and instantly their lungs were relieved to be free of the sulfur-infused air they had breathed all day amidst the volcanos. The sulfuric smoke made the whole area smell of rotten eggs, but it also burned at their eyes and made them cough on and off all day. And while they had loved it, they hadn't realized how much they were both drained by the exposure to such extreme elements.

"We stink," she declared with a smile. "I don't even want to take our clothes in the room because they'll stink up everything else."

"Good thing we can cast privacy charms then," he laughed as he cast the disillusionment, muggle repelling and silencing charms around them. She looked at him with one eyebrow raised in question.

"Love, we have our own hot tub, and that sounds damn brilliant to me right now." With that, he pulled his shirt off over his head, and began to unbuckle his trousers. He caught her eye and noticed her blushing smile. "Join me?" he said with his lopsided grin.

She laughed again, and though she shook her head no, she dropped her bag at her feet and kicked off her shoes, beginning to shed her clothes as well. As her last garment hit the floor, he grinned wickedly and swooped over to pick her up, but not in the romantic bridal style he had done several times before. This time he picked her up like a sack of flour, throwing the shrieking, laughing squealing Hermione over his shoulder as he moved them to the hot tub. After immersing both of them in the water he finally released her, both slowly coming up for air after letting the sulfur smoke wash off of them.

"Your incorrigible," she laughed, running her hands through her wet hair.

"Well, you're naked, and that pretty much makes me encouraged at least," he teased.

She laughed again, sitting back against the seat in the hot tub, letting her tired muscles soak in the warmth. "Aren't you sore? My rear is not used to sitting on a broom like that for so long. Kind of reminds me of riding a horse, but less comfortable."

Ron threw his head back laughing deeply. "You know what? I have never actually ridden a horse. I've ridden brooms, hippogriffs, thestrals and dragons, but never a horse."

"Seriously?" she gawked.

"Seriously," he said, still grinning. "Just never had the opportunity I suppose."

"Huh," she mused. "Well, we may just have to go find an opportunity then."

"So," he said, lowering his face back to the level of the water and scooting towards her, "I should expect a sore arse, huh?"

"Well I don't know," she said, scooting down so that her mouth was just above water level, her eyes level with his. "You might have built up all those same muscles on those brooms."

Noses now touching, Ron was in heaven watching the spark in her eyes. "It's possible," he muttered quietly.

"Hmm," she hummed. "I am actually rather fond of this arse," she said as she let her fingers feel her way around to his toned backside. He sighed at her touch, letting his eyes flutter shut as her hands danced over his skin.

"And I'm rather keen on yours," he said against her cheek. "Can't have these muscles sore, as they are some of my favorite," he muttered as his hands gripped her arse.

She slowly kissed him, letting their naked bodies float against each other in the bubbling water as their tired muscles let go of the day. He pulled her against him as she let her legs part and wrap around his waist. He continued to work his fingers into her arse partly in passion, partly to massage the soreness from the body he loved so desperately. She groaned sighs of both relief and pleasure into his mouth, and then moved her lips down his neck to the spot below his ear that she knew drove him mad. His hands roved her wet skin, and they floated together in the bubbles, snogging like they had when they'd first started dating.

Eventually Hermione leaned back, saying, "Unless you know the magic to make me breathe under water, I think you should take me inside."

He grinned, and then stood, lifting her dripping naked body from the water and carried her gently into their bedroom. They made love slowly, lingering over each spot that they knew would fully satisfy the other. And eventually succumbed to sleep, wrapped up in each other.

When Ron awoke, his limbs felt empty as he reached for Hermione but didn't find her in the bed. He sat up, momentarily concerned, but realized when he heard the shower running. Shortly later she came out in a dressing gown, hair wrapped in a towel.

He smiled at her. "I panicked for a moment when I couldn't find you."

"Sorry. I could still smell that sulfur smoke in my hair and I just had to wash it. You really need to wash your hair too," she laughed, throwing him a towel.

"Now?" he grumbled.

"Yeah, now. What are you, ten years old?" she teased. "Go take a shower. I'll call and get room service sent over, and then we can eat outside and watch those amazing stars."

"OK," he said giddily, "you convinced me."

By midnight they were curled up together on a deck chair, watching the starry sky. Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. Ron tightened his arms that were wrapped around her, pulling her even closer to his chest.

"You ok, love?" he asked quietly.

"Just realizing we only have one more full day here. I'm not ready to go back to the real world. I mean – I miss Hugo and my parents and everything, but I'm not ready to face the rest of reality."

"I'd suggest we stay longer, but that wouldn't really solve the problem. We do need to go back eventually. But it has been amazing, having so much time just for ourselves. We've never had this before."

She chuckled. "I know. Most people spend all this one on one time together before they get married. Good thing we still like each other I suppose."

"Oh, if you didn't run away after living me with me at home I figured you'd be ok with me at a fancy resort," he laughed. Then his tone turned more serious, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said, kissing his cheek.

"I want you to be happy."

"Ron! I am happy! I can't remember being this happy ever in my whole life."

"You're not happy about going back to work."

"Oh," she sighed realizing he was right. "I can't really argue with that."

"So why are you going back at all?"

She lay there curled up against his side, tracing random patterns on his chest, but didn't speak.

When Ron thought he heard her sniff, he asked, "Hermione, are you crying?"

"No," she lied with a sniffle. "I'm stubbornly trying not to cry. It's completely different."

He couldn't help but chuckle as he rolled onto his side. He wiped a tear from her cheek and held her tightly but wanted to look her in the eye. "Hermione, we can fix this. I promise you. Whatever it is, we can make it right. What is making you so sad? Please share it with me."

She looked at him through her welling eyes. "I don't know, really, which is part of the problem," she admitted. "I know it's not the right job. But, well, I know I'm good at it, and it's really important. I'm needed by those families, and I am needed by Nicola. And she was my only real friend for so long. And part of me feels like when I walk away from that, I am walking away from the last hold-out of my muggle life. I don't know, like walking away from who I was before everything happened last year. Maybe it's a bit of mourning for that - which is absurd as I am ever so much happier now. But, that chapter is done nonetheless. Leaving that job – and maybe leaving muggle law – well, it would be walking away from years and years of hard work. But it no longer makes me happy. And I don't feel like I am making the difference I want to make – or need to make really. And it doesn't energize me and fuel me like it used to. Everything is different now. And I know we don't have to earn a ton of money, but it feels weird not to go after a good job. And, I guess I've spent the last month ignoring all of that while I daydreamed about the wedding. But now the wedding is over, and the honeymoon is almost over, and I have to go back to this elephant in the room."

As she spoke, Ron simply listened, running his fingers along her bare arms. He felt the pain coming off of her and felt utterly useless to be able to fix anything. After she finished, he pulled her tighter to his chest and finally said quietly, "How can I help?"

She made a sound that was a half laugh and half cry. "Who knows," she said. "But I know I feel calmer when I am in your arms than any other time. Maybe you could just come to work with me and you know, hold me all day?" she joked.

He kissed her forehead, nuzzling his nose against her face. "I feel better when you are in my arms too. However that may be, I am guessing we can come up with a slightly more practical solution to the problem."

"I don't know why this issue is so paralyzing for me," she admitted. "I've never felt this way before about anything. Being indecisive is a disorienting feeling for me. I guess I always had a clear sense of what the right decision was before this. But now I can't figure it out."

"Maybe it's not a question of one right decision this time. For once it's not about what's right for Rose or right for the plight of the world. This time, it's about you. And I think people like us have a hard time making decisions where we put ourselves first."

She stared at him for a moment, taking in his words. "True. Very true."

"You know, when I was trying to figure out what to do for my job situation I was given some amazing advice."

"Yeah? From who? Or maybe more importantly, what?"

"You, you ninny," he laughed, kissing her head again. "You told me to not get overwhelmed, to start with what I know and to go from there. And it was the exact right advice. Eighteen months ago if you had asked me what I wanted to do with my career, I would have said I wanted to be an auror until they dragged me into retirement. But then I lost Fi, and I gained Hugo and you and Rose and everything changed. And I miss knowing I can ensure people's safety. There was something really satisfying about just handling it myself and tracking down the bad guys. But then it wasn't worth the risk anymore so I had to find another way to impact the things that mattered to me."

"Didn't you feel lost?"

"Yeah. Remember last fall when I was cooking elaborate dinners every night because I was so desperate for something to do? And I know I was on you like a leech in the evenings because I was desperate for adult conversation. And that was not anything I was used to. But it was good for me too. And, eventually I had to figure out what mattered most. And then after that I had to figure out what else mattered and how to impact it without – well – without risking ending up in St Mungo's on a regular basis."

"And let me be first to thank you for that decision. I like you much better healthy and in my arms that unconscious in hospital."

"Right. Me too. But, let's get back to you. If it didn't impact Nicola or refugees or Rose or Hugo or me or anyone else you care about, do you have a sense of what would you do?"

"I'd move on," she admitted quietly, tucking her head further into his chest.

"Good, ok. Now we're getting somewhere. So, what is it about leaving that is impacting something or someone that is making you feel guilty or whatever it is that's keeping you in your job?"

"Well, guilt over abandoning these families as well as over abandoning Nicola to just take on more work for a start. But I would also really miss working with her. She was really my only friend for many years. Not necessarily a close friend, but a friend none the less. And then finally, I don't know that I am ready to walk away from all parts of my muggle life. And having a muggle job seems a big part of that."

"Alright. Let's break down the parts. What do we know? We know you want to help the families and help Nicola. Let's say you working there isn't a part of that. How else can we help them? Is it that the organization needs funding to pay for more solicitors, because as your totally unbiased husband I know it would take at least five or six people to replace you. Or is it that we need to make sure young or up and coming solicitors know about these kind of career choices or get trained in a certain way?"

"Huh. Ok. I like where you are going with this train of thought actually. Um – maybe both? Maybe we could figure out how to get an 'anonymous donor' to give money to fund some additional spots, and maybe we could offer to give some scholarship money to law students who are willing to intern or work with the organization. That might actually work."

"That seems very, very doable. I bet we could make all that happen within a few weeks of getting home."

"Wow. I think we could."

"So, then to work on the next part – how do we make sure you and Nicola can stay connected? And how do we figure out if you still want to keep a foot in the muggle world or not?"

"Not as sure on that one. You know, we've talked about setting up a foundation but haven't really had time to do that. What if I went to work, so to speak, for that organization. I could set everything up legally in the muggle world and then figure out how to do the same on the magical side. If anyone asked, I could simply say I was running a philanthropic organization funded by individuals who preferred to remain anonymous."

"Right. And the first thing after filing whatever forms had to happen to set it all up the first order of business would be to give the donations to fund your replacement. You could tell Nicola that it was part of the deal you cut when you were recruited, which is not untrue actually."

"Wow, you sound like a solicitor yourself when you say things like that," she laughed.

"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment," he teased. "But if you really felt Nic was ever in a bind or needed help with students or whatever, you could still step in and help out if need be. And you could still make a point to get together with her – go to lunch or whatever to stay connected."

"I could. And I could use this as an opportunity to learn all about the legal infrastructure in the magical world. Maybe Sally or McGonagall could set me up with a mentor of sorts."

"Kingsley could."

"I wouldn't want to bother the Minister of Magic, Ron. He doesn't even know who I am."

"He knows who you are, Hermione. And he may take the initial meeting because of me or Harry, but he would set you up professionally because you are amazing. He's not just a brilliant man, but he has mastered the struggles of having a foot in both muggle and magical worlds too. So, he would not only be really helpful knowing the right contacts, but he would damn impressed with how amazingly you have pulled it all off."

"He wasn't born a muggle was he?"

"No. But he was the auror assigned to the muggle Prime Minister for a long time. He was by his side at all times in the years leading up to the war. So, he definitely understands both worlds."

"Huh. Very interesting. Well, that and I never thought about the Prime Minister having an auror. Does she know about magic?"

"Oh yeah. The Minister of Magic tells each new muggle Prime Minister about our world. Mostly they never have to think about it, but back before and during the war muggles were being hurt."

"Still so much I don't know," she muttered, half to herself.

"So I don't want to get distracted by the muggle Prime Minister. But, does it sound like something that would make you happy? Would you be energized by the work?"

Hermione thought for a few minutes about what it would take, and she finally said, "You know, I think it would be. I could easily see myself getting so interested in it that I would overdo it and let myself work too much. But, on the other hand, just thinking about it has my brain firing up, getting excited thinking about what all I would need to do."

"I like you all fired up and excited," he said, wagging his eyebrows at her.

She laughed and playfully smacked his arm. "You can make anything sound kinky."

"Just one of the things you love about me."

"True. But there are so many things I love about you. That is one on a long, long list."

"We are so lucky," he said earnestly. "I still haven't managed to convince myself I'm not going to wake up and find this was all a dream."

"I know," she said. Then she slowly fingered the wedding band on his left hand. "But you are all mine, Ronald Weasley. Some days it will be a dream. I'm sure some days will be a nightmare. But either way, I'm here with you from here on out."

He tightened his fingers into hers, clasping her hand. Then he accioed a blanket from the room, and the two of them curled up under the amazing stars listening to the sound of the crashing waves, the ocean breeze and each other's hearts.

Finally she broke the quiet, asking, "Are you really ok with going home in a few days? Going back to everything?"

He thought about her question for a moment, tracing little circles over her hand still clasped in his. "Well, mostly yes. But it will be a hell of a lot better in a month."

"The 20th Anniversary," she said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yeah," he said flatly.

She didn't say anything, but began to trace small patterns over his skin as she waited for him to speak more.

"It's just going to be a circus. And I hate it every year, but somehow it seems more intrusive now that I have a family. When it was just me they told lies about it I didn't get too upset. But, well, when they start on you it just…"

His voice trailed off, giving the slightest hint of cracking at the end.

"Ron, I am a big girl. I can hold my own with the likes of Skeeter."

"It's not that," he said, a squeak still detectable in his voice. "It's just – I don't know – back then – during the war, well, there was so much out of my control. And it had been like that for years. And then that night at Malfoy Manor – with Bellatrix…." He sighed, trying to collect his thoughts. "I guess what I am trying to say is that Bellatrix knew enough about me to hurt me then. She knew I would have done anything to keep Harry alive. Anything. And she used that against me. And then when it was just me all those years, the press – well, it was as annoying as hell, but it didn't hurt me. It wasn't that there weren't people I loved…but it was different. But now – bloody hell, it's like my heart is now walking around with you, with Rose and with Hugo – just makes you so much more vulnerable to love this much. And I never understood that until now. And that makes facing this press crap and being traipsed out for speeches and photo opportunities – it just makes it ever so much more painful somehow. I must sound like I'm mad or something, but it is really such a different feeling for me. And there will be all these sodding articles, and fake news stories and ridiculous nonsense. And all of that seems to violate the memory of those we lost. And it never reflects what really happened as there are only a handful of people who really know the whole truth. I dunno. I'm rambling, and I must sound completely barmy."

"No you don't," she said gently, interrupting his spinning thoughts. "I think you make complete sense. The only thing I don't totally understand is how you made it this long without being utterly aggravated by the entire thing."

He gave a small laugh as he pulled her tighter to him, placing his chin on top of her head so she was tucked perfectly between his chin and chest.

"I know you have to do the media blitz when we get back. And I am sure that someone will notice your ring and that there will be all kinds of ridiculous articles. And then there will be ones saying I am cheating on you or you are cheating on me. That's just part of our story. It's the price of admission for this incredible life we get to live together. It's not fair or just or right but it just is. So I don't think we should waste any more time and energy on it than we have to. And if after this year you decide you only do memorials every five years or every ten or never again – then that's the decision you make. Because in the end it isn't about memorials. It is about the sacrifices that so many people were willing to make to make sure good won over evil. And you were willing to give everything but somehow made it through anyway. Fred, Collin, and so many others – well, they didn't. And whether you show up at a memorial or not won't change that. And, honestly, neither of them would care. What they would care about is that you keep making sure good wins. And that their amazing nephew and niece learn about them. Not necessarily how they died, but how they lived. Maybe we just spend the next month focusing on that, and ignore the Prophet completely."

He didn't say anything after she was done speaking. He just listened to the waves, his mind taking him back twenty years to the sound of the waves that woke him from that painful unconscious state at Shell Cottage. And yet now he felt like while there was less of the world at stake, there was more to lose in so many ways.

"I'm all for ignoring the Prophet," he finally said. "But you're right about the rest of it too, of course. And it will all be ever so much better once the anniversary is done."

"So we'll make the most of the time we have left here. When we get home we start working on the foundation stuff. And then we make the anniversary about remembering people we loved."

He kissed her, smiling as he released a deep breath into her mass of curls. "I love you," he whispered.

She grinned, snuggling into him. They both fell asleep under the stars, feeling both overwhelmed by challenges ahead and yet safe and grounded in each other.

Ron woke up sometime in the middle of the night. The ocean breeze was blowing Hermione's many curls into his face, waking him with a tickle to his nose. He smiled as he tucked her hair down. Her skin was glowing in the moonlight, and it reminded him of the first night they'd spent together when he awoke in her room to see her bathed in the moonlight. He was overcome by how much he loved her – how brilliant she was, how funny she was, how loving she was, how sexy she was – he was just so damn grateful to have her. She sighed and shifted a little, nestling her arse against him, eliciting a groan from Ron. He tried to shift back subtly, as not to awaken her with a stiffy in the middle of the night. He thought it would just be crass to wake her up to shag, even though it was what he desperately wanted to do. Instead he tried to regain a bit a control over himself. He even chuckled to himself thinking of how Hermione still had no bloody clue what she did to him. After a few minutes he thought he'd be alright to snuggle back into her again and gently draped his arm over her abdomen, nuzzling into her neck.

As the birds began their chorus before sunrise, Hermione awoke in the dark to the cacophony of birds, waves and Ron's snores on the lanai. Smiling at how tightly he was holding her to him, she simply snuggled into his warm embrace to enjoy the moment, trying to commit it to memory knowing she would need such a perfect memory to fall back on in the weeks ahead. Finally the sun rose completely, and Hermione realized she needed to wake Ron up before he started to burn.

Running her hand over his arm, she quietly said, "Good morning sleepy head."

He started to slowly stir, grumbling something that sounded like words but she couldn't quite make it out. "I think we should wake up. I don't want my husband to be burnt to a crisp before we even get back to England." she teased.

"What time is it?" he groaned.

"Time to get up," she quipped cheerfully, turning over in his arms to face him, kissing his cheek.

"Here I found the most perfect witch in the world and she had to be a sodding morning person."

"Yes, but you made the mistake of marrying me anyway," she laughed. "Hate to tell you, but you're stuck with a morning person for a wife for the rest of your life. So you might as well get used to it now."

Soon she had them up and ready to go. They decided to go snorkeling again that morning before doing a little last minute shopping for things to take back as gifts, and then they spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the beach in their own ways – Ron on a surfboard and Hermione under a shaded umbrella reading a book on the magical history of Hawaii.

As she finished a chapter on the interactions between the Polynesian and European magical communities in the 1800s, she marked her spot and closed her book. She looked out at Ron who had just caught a wave. She watched his toned torso as he managed to balance on the board, bending and swaying and bobbing with the sea. She loved watching him like this – fully engulfed in the thrill of the moment, focused in body and mind but also allowing himself to simply enjoy the pure joy of the moment. He finally fell off into the surf, and came up laughing between the waves, brushing his wet ginger locks away from his eyes. He didn't see her watching him, and she was enjoying ogling his toned torso and his board shorts hanging so low on his hips. She shook her head, laughing at herself. She was sure he had no idea how ridiculously turned on she was just by watching him play in the surf.

She took a sip of her drink and watched him jump back onto the surfboard to paddle back out to catch another wave. She watched him, still slightly in awe of the fact that he was now her husband. She continued to watch him in the water while she let herself slip into a mix of daydream and contemplation. She knew he had said he was physically attracted to her. And while she didn't think he was lying about that, she still had a really hard time comprehending and believing it. She looked down at her legs, crinkling her nose at the lumpy cellulite on her thighs. She sighed and covered them with the floral scarf she'd picked up. Better to have him think I'm better looking than I think I am than having him think I am not as good looking as I think I am I suppose, she mused. Then she berated herself for letting her mind get caught up in a vortex of negative self-talk while she was on her honeymoon with the man she'd fantasized about for years on the tropical island she always wanted to visit. Really, Hermione, she chastised herself, time to focus on gratitude for a moment! She refocused her thoughts and looked back out to her ridiculously good looking, amazingly kind and wonderfully brilliant in his own way husband as he played in the surf and smiled. She was so very lucky.

As the sun started to dip into the west, they headed back in to get cleaned up before going to one of the resort's restaurants for dinner. Over fresh seafood and great wine, their conversation bounced between adventures they'd had on the trip, Hermione sharing some of the history she had read that day and talking about what part of the world could be their next destination.

"Top moment of the trip?" Ron asked as they walked back slowly along the beach, holding hands and carrying their shoes as the surf lapped over their feet.

"That's too easy," she laughed. "Waking up wrapped in my husband's arms for the first time. Quite naked if I recall correctly."

"Hmm," he said leaning down to kiss her. "You're right. That was too easy. Though getting you that naked could up there for me too."

"But, honeymoon bliss aside, Hawaii was incredible. Even more amazing than I had imagined, really. And I am so glad we got to have a balance of beach bum time with adventure tourist time."

"I was surprised to discover I really like surfing!" he said. "Who knew a British bloke could do that?"

"Well, I pretty much think you can do anything," she said.

He looked at her for a moment, letting her love for him wash over him. "No one has ever believed in me like you do," he said quietly.

"As much as I claim to be your number one fan, there are a lot of people who believe in you and have believed in you for a long time. Harry, Fiona – my God, you saved each of their lives so many times, Ron."

"I know. And they trusted me utterly in certain situations. But, you – I dunno, it's different. You trust me with things that not only has no one else ever done, but you make me trust myself more, too."

She leaned into him, nuzzling his neck as they walked. Then she said quietly, "I think I've said it before, but you make me trust parts of myself that I never could before either."

He looked at her with a confused expression. "But you are the most amazing and confident person – man or woman, magical or muggle – that I have ever known. What part of yourself weren't you trusting?"

She blushed, looking down at the sand washing away beneath her feet as the wave receded back into the blackness of the sea at night. "Well," she said with a voice barely above a whisper, "it is still hard for me to feel sexy or beautiful, but you are helping me try to beat back old assumptions I had about myself. It's not easy, which sounds so absurd when I say it out loud. But, then, sometimes, I can almost see a glimpse of what you say you see. And that alone helps me believe that maybe one day I can really believe it or feel beautiful in my own skin or whatever it is I am supposed to feel."

Ron shook his head. "I know you've said that before, but I really can't comprehend what you are saying, love. I'm sorry if that doesn't make me supportive, but you are so bloody gorgeous. You really have no idea how many times a day I just look at you – or bloody hell, I just have to think about you, really, and my body responds. Like I'm a randy teenage boy again or something the way I feel around you."

"Really?" she said, her voice slightly disbelieving.

"Hermione! You really don't know? Fuck, Hermione, just last night I woke up, and you're there in my arms and it was all I could do not to wake you up and ravish you right then and there."

"So why didn't you?"

"Wha?"

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Cause I never do in that kind of moment. You would never get enough sleep," he said with an exasperated laugh as they reached the steps to their villa. He unlocked the door and they dropped their sandy shoes by the door as Ron vanished the sand from their feet.

"You're serious? That's happened a lot? Just at night?"

"No, I mean yes, I mean...yes I'm serious. Yes, it happens a lot, and no, not just at night. I don't know how to get it into your head. I am so fucking attracted to you. All hours of the day and night. And sexy lingerie aside, you look so hot when you come down the stairs in pajamas and crazy hair and my jumpers and woolen socks it's insane."

"Insane sounds about right to me if you think I look sexy in that get up," she said walking into the villa.

"It's you, Hermione. Don't you see?" he said as he walked over to her. "It's not your hair, or your stomach or your legs or your arse or any one part of you – it's how you have all of it. All of the time. You have this thing about you where you just radiate sexiness. You're happy and confident and loving and soft, and when you smile I can feel the joy washing off of you and onto me. You fight these curls," he said running his fingers through her hair lovingly, "but they are so amazing. They frame your face and give away your mood. And then there is the perfect curve of your perfect lips," he said as he moved his fingers across her lips gently. "You have no fucking idea how gorgeous your curves are. Not just this one, but this one, too," he added as he shifted his hand to the small of her back where her spine met her arse. "Or these," he said with a heavy breathe as his hands moved up to her breasts. "It's like they were made to be the exact size of my hands so I could do this," he added as he moved both of his thumbs across her nipples at the same time causing her to gasp. "And I love how your skin is this pristine milky porcelain color. I know you couldn't possibly know this, but your skin glows in the moonlight. It's stunning. And I wake up in the middle of the night and just watch you glow and can't believe how lucky I am. And while I didn't know it at first, you do have a few freckles. My favorite is right here," he said, moving his lips to a place on her neck under her right ear as she swooned at the unexpected contact of his wet lips. "And I can't tell you how much I love that there are parts of your body that only I know," he said, his voice dropping to a deeper, more raspy tone. "Do you have any idea how fucking amazing it is to reach into your knickers and find them soaking wet because you've been thinking about me?"

"Yes," she finally squeaked out in a breathy, shaky voice. "I would think it's rather a lot like how sexy it is when I can feel you get hard from just a kiss or a hug or a glance. I watch your body react to mine and it is what helps me believe I am beautiful. And just watching you, or feeling you," she said, her hand brushing across his rapidly growing erection trapped in his trousers, "I can feel my body opening for yours. I don't know how my body knows, but it does. And just thinking of having any part of you on me and I am suddenly slick in anticipation. So, yeah, I think I at least understand that part."

"I promise to spend the rest of my life convincing you how fucking gorgeous you are," he said as his hands reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. He went to his knees in front of her as she sat on the couch. He kissed her stomach while wrapping one arm around her arse and the other reaching up to knead her breast. He went as slowly as he could stand, trying to pull as much pleasure out of every part of Hermione's body. He reached around to unclasp her bra, quickly moving his mouth to tease her nipples causing Hermione to gasp in pleasure. She reached for him, but he stopped her.

"Let me. Please, Hermione. Let me love you right now. I need to show you how gorgeous and sexy you are." She said nothing, but let her hands slip from his hips as she looked back at his dark, swirling eyes. Hermione felt several emotions surge through her, both tremendous arousal at what she was about to experience, while at the same time nerves at knowing that Ron would be only focused on her body and not the pleasure she could provide to him. He smiled at her, sensing her hesitation and her excitement, and just his lopsided grin eased any anxiety she felt.

"I don't want our honeymoon to end," he said, standing up and scooping her up bridal style, "without you understanding just how sexy you are, and how bloody beautiful you are, and how my wife is so fucking fit that I can't go more than a few hours without thinking of how your bare skin feels against mine."

With that he carried her, now only in a floral skirt and knickers back to their bedroom. He lay her gently on the bed, kissing her passionately and then slowly dragging his lips along her jaw line, down her neck, across her collarbone and then down her chest to her breasts. Pausing briefly to shed his shirt, he pulled her skirt and knickers off, and lavished his attention on her bare skin. He ran his hands over her curves, showering kisses and attention on the rounding of her arse, the curve at the base of her spine, the cellulite Hermione hated, the stretch marks she wished weren't there, the belly she would try to hold in for pictures, the arms she actually liked, the hips that carried Rose as an infant, the eyes that had read so many legal papers, the lips that had argued to help the lives of so many, and the hands that had comforted him as he grieved. Between kisses he whispered why he adored each speck of her body, and she was overcome to tears at some points, but then his lips would kiss them away before he continued bestowing love and lust across her whole body. Once he had kissed almost every inch of her skin, he turned his attention back to bringing her to the very grips of pleasure. He rolled her onto her back, and gently pried her knees apart as he sat back on his haunches between her legs, slowly trailing his fingers across her thighs, working up toward the crease between her hips and legs, and then turning in toward her center.

Hermione had tried to keep her eyes open to watch Ron loving her and to commit that look of adoration in his eyes to her memory. But soon the physical sensations became so overwhelming she felt her eyelids flutter shut, which only seemed to heighten the sounds of his whispered words of love, the gasps of his breath and the sound of his moans of lust as he worked his way across her body. When she felt him settle between her legs, she could feel herself dripping in anticipation of what was coming. She heard herself gasp and felt her hips flinch of their own accord as his tongue found her swollen nerves. She knew how wet she already was, but she groaned at the sensation of Ron's fingers sliding between her slick folds and into her opening. She was so aroused that she knew she would come quickly, but Ron knew her body as well or better than she did. As he sensed her close to orgasm, he moved his attention slightly, priming her for an explosion but stopping just short as if he was coiling a wire into a spring. He moved his long, nimble fingers in her, pumping in and out and curving up to her inner core, causing her to gasp and arch her back in pleasure. She could feel him grin against her skin before returning his tongue to tracing shapes over her clitoris. Finally he worked his tongue and fingers at the same pace and she felt herself falling over the cliff into waves of pleasure, her body spasming and quivering in response to his touches.

She heard herself scream out and gasp as she grabbed the sheets in her fists and then collapsed back onto the bed, panting and gasping as her body calmed back down. She let her eyes flutter open, and saw him looking at her with love and awe and adoration and lust, but he grinned at her, licked his fingers slowly and then and without letting her fully recover, began again to tantalize her core with his tongue and his talented fingers once again. She came twice more before she actually felt herself begin to be at the edge of consciousness. She wasn't sure if it was pleasure or exhaustion or pure overload of hormones and nerves in her body, but she knew her body had never felt so relaxed or exhausted or happy or loved.

She was panting and finally gasped in slurred words, "God, Ron, I need you in me now. I can't take much more and I really, really want to feel you in my tonight. Please, Ron. Please. I need you. Now. Please."

In an instant, she heard him groan and shove off his trousers and pants. Then in one swift movement he entered her, cussing in relief of his own painful arousal.

"Fuck, Hermione," he grimaced as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. "I love you so fucking much."

While her body felt like the consistency of jell-o, she focused every ounce of her remaining energy on clamping down tightly around him as he pulsed in and out of her. She moaned in exquisite agony with each thrust as he pounded deep inside of her, and soon she was coming again, screaming out as she went limp, floating on the edge of awareness at all. He continued his rhythmic pulsing into her until he found release, screaming out her name as he collapsed against her.

They lay there in each other's arms, slicked with sweat and each other as they panted and recovered, still connected intimately. Hermione slipped into the sleep of blissful exhaustion. When she awoke hours later, she felt his arms protectively around her. He was snoring slightly, naked except for his wedding ring, which made her smile as she fingered it. Snuggling back against him, she realized while she'd known he'd loved her, for the first time she finally felt amazingly beautiful.

(A/N: Hopefully you were ok with a long chapter with lots of sex. It's their honeymoon. What did you expect? But the story is far from over. Hope you'll stick with me for their adventures ahead...carrytheotter)