A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones, but when you get to the end you'll see why I stopped there…. That's all I'm saying…. Oh! And that I love you all and wait eagerly your reviews!

First Comes Marriage, Then Love?

Chapter XVI: Away

In the following weeks Hermione used every chance she could think of to spend time with Haley trying to find out if Harry was losing his touch or if she was actually a spy. But after going shopping together, having Merlin knows how many meals with her and even a couple of visits to muggle London, Hermione was pretty much lost. The only think she found weird about her, apart from her obsession with snakes, was that she asked a lot of questions about Harry. Although it wasn't something unusual because people tended to want to know everything about him once they learned she was one of his oldest friends. However, Haley didn't ask the regular questions such as: is he as brave as he sounds? Or did he really face a basilisk when he was only twelve? No, Haley had doubts that were a lot more specific. It sounded as though she had obtained all the trivial information for Ron and now was fishing for those details only a girl could give. The most peculiar until now had been if Harry has already had the chickenpops. Hermione couldn't make head or tales of this question. Even if Haley was one of Voldemort's spies, was he going to attack him with germs? And when he told Fred about it he merely laughed and said that Haley had probably spent too much time with the Collin brothers and had join the Harry Potter fan club.

"Let it go 'Mione. You've done your best and found nothing. This means that either she is completely innocent and actually cares for my brother or that she is one of Voldemort's bests spies. In any of the cases, you won't be able to expose her," said Fred one evening on their way back from the movies. He had been blabbing excitedly about the comedy they had seen but his wife hadn't uttered a word, and he had guesses correctly. The reason she wasn't listening to him was because she was thinking about Haley.

"There has to be something. I reckon Harry is right. There is something strange about her. She is not normal," she said stubbornly.

"We know she is not normal. She's dating Ron!"

"She's smart," continued Hermione as if her husband had not spoken. "She watches every detail, but there just has to be something she overlooked!"

"You are becoming a little obsessed darling."

"I know I am, but it's going to bother me until I figure it out, or at least until I know I have checked everything." They were walking passed Madam Malkin's and Hermione got distracted. For some reason the time Harry, Rona and her had met Malfoy there came to her mind. That was when Harry had started to suspect Malfoy was a Death Eater. He had shouted at poor Madam Malkin because she had tried to roll up his sleeve.

That was it! "Her sleeve!" shouted Hermione out loud.

"Ok, now you are losing it," exclaimed Fred looking sideways towards her.

"No, no I'm not. Tell, have you ever seen Haley in short sleeves?" Hermione demanded.

"I don't know, I don't pay attention to what she wares. I'm a guy 'Mione."

"I know that, and I heard you talking to George about the tiny, little skirt she was wearing the other day. So you do notice what she wares. It's ok, she dresses that way to call your attention. That is why mini skirts were invented. I'm not mad. Now think, do you remember seeing her in short sleeves?"

Fred considered for a minute or two. "No, not that I remember. But it figures since we are in January. Where do you want to get with this?"

"Yes, we are in winter, but even when we are inside, in hot places… She never takes the jacket, or whatever she's wearing, off. Now I think of it, the other day while we were having lunch she complained that the heat was too high at the place, but she refused to remove her sweater… and she was wearing the t-shirt we had bought together a couple of days previously, I recognized the neck."

"Ok, so she doesn't like to show her arms, what does that mean?"

"It means she has the dark mark!"

"Baby, I love you, and I think you are brilliant; but how can you go from not knowing if she is trustworthy to proclaim she has the dark mark in only two blocks? Not wearing short sleeves is not a valid reason to say someone is a Death Eater, may be she doesn't like her arms. Or she has a hideous scar she's ashamed of."

"I'm not saying she's a Death Eater just because she doesn't want to show her arms. I'm merely suggesting that there is a reason why she never wears short sleeves."

"And which is that reason?" asked Fred obligingly.

"That she is a Death Eater!" answered Hermione simply.

Fred put his arm around Hermione's shoulders "Honey, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I've just remembered that Ron told George and my that when he met Haley he was wearing a breath-taking, mini, green top to use his words. I know my brother is rather slow, but even him would have noticed if she had a black skull with a serpent tongue tattooed in her forearm."

"That doesn't prove anything! There are ways to hide the mark. But they take time, and according to what I've read it's a very painful thing to do. So Death Eaters only do it if the have no other choice. They prefer to cover it."

"I still think your theory is too far fetched. Listen, I'm not saying you are wrong. But let's just forget about this hypothesis until you have something else on her, ok?"

"Ok," agreed Hermione, so half-heartedly that Fred was sure she was not going to let it go.

And she didn't. But a couple of days later Harry returned from his expedition trip, claiming it had been a false alarm and ready to take over his original position as private eye. Hermione told him everything she could remember about her numerous encounters with Haley, in case he saw something she had overlooked. Harry agreed that her love for snakes was something creepy and eerie, and found her question-asking about him a little unnerving as he always did. When Hermione told him about her sleeve theory he said he'd pay more attention but didn't sound much more convinced than Fred had. In any case Hermione was free to go back to her usual work and missions for the Order.

One night she arrived at the apartment around ten. She looked exhausted, her eyes were puffed and bleary and she could barely move her feet. When she apparated in the living room Fred was waiting for her. She had sent him an owl a couple of hours ago saying that she was going to be late, that he should have dinner with George and Katie.

"Hi honey," she said letting herself down on the sofa next to her husband. "Let me guess, you didn't go to have dinner with your brother."

"Nop," Fred said proudly. "I've been waiting to have dinner with my wife."

"I love you, and I would kiss you if there was any strength left in me." Fred laughed and kissed her on the forehead before going to the kitchen.

"You stay were you are, and I'll bring you a delicious plate of soup." Hermione grinned weekly and moaned as she sunk lower in the sofa.

Some minutes later Fred was back and there was a tray floating in front of him with two steaming plates and two glasses of wine.

"I know there is no point in telling you that you are working too hard and that you should take it easy. But I had an idea that you won't be able to turn down."

"What?" asked Hermione, who after half a plate of soup and half an hour on the comfortable couch was feeling a bit stronger.

"You know how we didn't have a honeymoon? Well maybe it's time we went on one. You need holidays desperately and I could do with a couple of days away. George said he could handle the shop alone, it's not a busy time anyway, and I'm sure Mrs. Hathaway won't mind either."

Hermione looked unconvinced. "I don't know if I can afford to go away. I have a lot of work to do and…"

"'Mione, I bet my part of the WWW that any report or stuff you have to hand isn't due for at least three weeks and the Order can survive without us for a couple of days, it's not like we are Harry. Come on! It'll do you good to take your mind off things for a while; you'll come back with your energy charged, ready to face any challenge."

Hermione considered the facts. It was true she needed holidays. She had barely had a break since she had finished school and that was not healthy, not even for her. And the idea of going away with Fred sounded very appealing. But on the other hand it wasn't like her to leave everything and disappear. She wasn't completely comfortable with the idea. But she knew Fred would insist until she gave in; and since a part of her wanted to accept, may be it was better to say yes and save him from having to enumerate all the reasons why this was the best idea he'd had in a long time.

"You are right," she said finally. "It's a good idea and I'd love to go on a trip with you."

Fred beamed at her. "That was too easy. Are you getting softer Granger?"

"May be I am, may be I've spent too much time with you and I should go on this trip alone."

"Just kidding," said Fred immediately. "So, where do you want to go? You have the whole world to choose from."

"We should go someplace south, where it's hot," suggested Hermione.

"Ok, the southern hemisphere it is then. Now you've reduced the option to three continents. What do you prefer Oceania, Africa or South America?"

"Which one would you like to go to?"

"I'd love to go to the beach. It's been a while since I've last been to the seaside. So let's leave Africa for another time, when we feel like going to a safari or something."

Hermione was about to say that there were a lot more things to do in Africa than a safari, but she thought it better to remain silence. She didn't have the strength to get into an argument of what one could or couldn't do in Africa, and besides, it wasn't like she was dying to go there. So he waited for Fred to continue.

"Hawaii could be a good option; or the Caribbean, like in the movie."

"We could go to Mexico," suggested Hermione.

"Is it hot there now?" asked Fred.

"It's always hot on the seaside. But there are southerner places that are beautiful as well, like Brazil."

"I like how that sounds, it's very exotic. Yes, I definitely want to go to Brazil!" exclaimed Fred excitedly.

"Ok then, that's settled. Wait; don't get too excited, I still have to ask Mrs. Hathaway if she will let me go."

"No, you don't. I've already asked her yesterday while I was waiting for you. She said she thought it was a wonderful idea."

"You had everything planned, didn't you?"

"Not everything. I didn't know which place you wanted to go," said Fred smiling innocently.

"So, who else knew about this already?"

"Well, Mrs. Hathaway, George and Katie, mum, I thing I mentioned something to Harry."

"And what were you going to do if I said no?"

"I knew you were going to accept because you find me irresistible, that's why you married me."

"If you say so," said Hermione rolling her eyes, again she was too tired to argue. "And what exactly did you tell all those people."

"I told your boss that I wanted to take you on a late honeymoon because you needed a break. I told mum that I was worried about you, that you needed a break and the only way you would really take your mind off things would be if you were far away. And to the rest I told them the truth: that I wanted to be alone with the woman I love. I think we can stick to it. For those who don't know about the mission, we are in our honeymoon; and for those who know about the mission but ignore the truth, you are just taking some time off things."

It was Hermione's time to beam, her husband was really brilliant. He had thought of everything, and she had an inkling he was going to take care of all the details so she didn't have extra worried.

"I love, so very much," she said weakly.

"If you say it like that, how can I doubt you?" Hermione glared at him. "See what I mean, you do need a break. Tomorrow I'll arrange everything and I think we can leave next Saturday. That'll give you three days to settle and pending work you might have, pack and be ready to spend fifteen wonderful days doing nothing but sunbathe and swim in the warm sea of Brazil."

"Fifteen days?" exclaimed Hermione as if the idea of being away from her desk was terrifying.

"Yes, you are going to be doing nothing for fifteen days; so you'd better get used to the idea!" he answered moving his right index finger threateningly.

And so it was that three days later Hermione and Fred arrived in a small town in the north of Brazil. Before leaving Fred had made everyone promise that they were not going to disturb Hermione with anything unless it was a real emergency. He wanted his wife to have peace and quiet and to enjoy her vacations, for he knew she was not going to do this every year. Besides, it was their first trip as a couple and he wanted to be perfect, unforgettable. He wanted to make sure she had the best time of her life with him. Not only because he loved her, but also because he still was felt a little susceptible about Ron's presence and he wanted to give her something none else, especially his brother, could.

The muggle place he had chosen seemed to be the proper one. It was a real paradise on earth. The town was small and basic, the tallest buildings were at the center of it and none was taller than three floors. It was clearly a place for tourists. It was full of modest inns, the larger one had twenty rooms; but all of them were lovely. And the beaches were simply gorgeous: the sand was white and soft with tall palm trees everywhere and the sea was a greenish shade of blue, completely clear and warm. The inn Fred and Hermione were staying was called "Sol de Verao" (Summer's Sun) and it came out right on the beach. And from their room they could see the sea.

"Fred, this is so lovely!" exclaimed Hermione when they got to the inn. "I had never been to a place so beautiful."

Dona María, the hostess, was a small, plump woman with black hair and eyes. She had the maternal type and bared a slight resemblance to Mrs. Weasley. She wore a shocking pink apron over her flowery dress and a never-vanishing smile in her round, good natured face. Her English was bad, but they managed to communicate. After they had settled in their room, they went to have a look around the town and to find a place to have lunch. After walking for an hour they found a nice restaurant a couple of blocks away from the inn and decided to stop there. None of them had ever been to America, and none of them spoke Portuguese so for a while they had fun trying to understand the menu until a waiter realized they were foreigners and gave them one in English. They ordered fish and chips but soon discovered that it was nothing like what they had back at home, still it was delicious: everything was fresh and very tasty.

It was a hot, sunny day so they decided to return to their room, change into their swimming suits and go straight to the beach. Before they left Hermione cast a spell on both of them to protect their skins from the sun. She had read that it could cause serious injuries and after all they came not only from Britain but from Britain in winter. Now they were ready to enjoy the place they had chosen for their holidays.

However, it was too hot to be under the sun, and only fifteen minutes after they had selected a stop and lay on the sand, they were already in a race to see who arrived first at the sea. Fred won so Hermione had to endure being splashed by her husband while he did his victory dance.

"Ok, I get it, you won. But I'm still better than you at fighting with pillows."

"You are not! You only beat me once!" complained Fred and contrary to what Hermione had intended, he started to splash even harder.

"You are worst than a five-year old, did you know that?" she said shaking her head to show that he was hopeless.

"Nah, I'm much more fun," he said and he kissed her. It was wonderful being in the middle of a clear blue sea being kissed by the man she loved, who by the way, was an excellent kissed. Hermione couldn't feel any happier. She had already forgotten about everything that was waiting for her at her desk. There was not room in her head to worry about anything but Fred. She had never felt so free in her life, and she loved it.

By dinner time, both of them were exhausted and hungry. It had been a long day, most of it spent outdoors. Therefore, they decided to grab a bite at the inn. One of the locals had told them that the town had very nice bar to go to at night, but they still had a fortnight to go and enough time to see them all. Dona María turned out to be a great cook, so they didn't regret their decision. After a plentiful dinner they retired to their room.

"Did I tell you that you looked steamy in that bikini?" said Fred while as Hermione came out of the bathroom, making her blush. "I can't believe you still blush every time I say you are hot!"

"Well, I'm not used to have a handsome man telling me that."

"You should, we've been together five months now. But don't worry, I'll continue saying until you get used to it, moreover, I'll say it until you believe it."

"You are so unbelievably amazing, and I love so much," said Hermione putting her arms around his neck and looking him in the eyes. Following her lead, Fred grabbed her by the waste and kissed her deeply. The kiss grew in passion and the force of it made them lose balance. They fell onto the bed, never breaking the kiss. The heat clouded their minds and yet they knew perfectly well what they were doing. They were going to place they had never been before, and yet they had never been so at home. There were no doubts, no insecurities. Nothing had ever felt so right, so natural, so beautiful and so good…

The firs rays of sun illuminated the floor scattered with close and down found Fred and Hermione sleeping in each others arms, so peacefully.

Some hours later Hermione woke up with Fred running his hand lovingly through her hair.

"Good morning," she smiled at him sleepily.

"Sorry baby, I didn't want to wake you."

"It's ok, don't worry."

"How are you?" It wasn't a good morning- question; it was intended to go beyond that.

"Excellent, and very very happy," she answered so truthfully that made his heart beat faster.

"I'm glad to hear that… So, you don't regret it?" he asked tentatively.

"Never, never, never," she said hugging him. "But thank you for asking and for caring about me like you do." And they kissed again.

It was well passed midday when they finally left the room, walking hand in hand, slowly, carefree, as if they owned the world. And that day, the world was theirs.