It's new chapter day!

Thank you for the reviews I had on the last chapter.

Disclaimer: all characters are owned by JKR.

'That was really nice, Ron,' Hermione said with a smile as she put her knife and fork down.

Of course, Hermione knew that Ron hadn't really cooked the meal; Leena –the Italian witch who Ron paid to clean his house and take care of Pigwidgeon when he was away- had cooked the delicious tortelli but Hermione didn't let on that she knew.

'Thanks,' Ron said with a grin and then he frowned at her. 'Aren't you going to eat anymore?'

Hermione had left at least half of the meal; she hadn't been hungry when she had started eating and the pasta was filling.

She shook her head. 'I'm too full.'

'But I've got tiramisu for dessert,' Ron said in disappointment.

'Maybe later,' Hermione said.

Ron nodded. 'Shall we move into the lounge now?'

Hermione stood and followed him from the dining room into the living room. Ron sat in his usual spot on the right side of the sofa and Hermione sat down next to him.

Ron had been intending to take Hermione out for a meal at a restaurant but she had cancelled because she was feeling too tired. Instead, he invited her over to his house where they could have a quiet night in.

Ron's house was a large, detached property in Chester and it must have cost a considerable amount of money to buy. It was one of the first things Ron had bought when he began his Quidditch career and over the years he had made it his own. The huge master bedroom was decorated in Gryffindor red and gold and Hermione didn't mind it. What she did mind was his living room, which had almost become a shrine to the Chudley Cannons. There was a very large poster of the team stuck on the wall and surrounding it were various photographs of Ron with his many fans. There was also a large cabinet in which Ron displayed all the things his fans had made or sent him including a little clay figurine of him on his broom and several sketches and paintings of him in his Quidditch uniform.

Since about a month into their relationship Ron had been regularly asking Hermione to move in with him but she had refused repeatedly. She knew that if she lived with Ron they'd bicker all the more and she also knew that he'd expect her to give up her let him 'take care' of her financially. Although her apartment was small she loved it and was reluctant to give it up. She knew that she'd had to move in with him when they were married but she had resigned herself to that when she agreed to his proposal.

Hermione sipped her juice and curled her legs under on the sofa, watching Ron as he opened his fan mail that had been waiting for him all day. Leena was always in when the post arrived so she put it all on the coffee table for Ron to find when he got home.

'That's sweet,' Ron said, showing her a letter written by a seven year old boy who obviously regarded Ron as his idol. 'Oh, and another crazy one.' He had opened another letter and Hermione leaned over to read it. It was from an obsessed female fan asking him out on a date- even though his relationship with Hermione was public knowledge- and she'd also included a lock of dark brown hair, presumably her own.

When Hermione had first begun dating Ron, the creepy, slightly borderline-stalker letters Ron received made Hermione feel uncomfortable. In the early days, she often worried that Ron would take up one of these women on their offer of casual sex because he obviously greatly enjoyed the attention he got from women. To his credit, he had never given her cause to think that he'd cheated on her but she still felt uneasy about her fiancé's popularity.

'That reminds me,' Ron said as he finished opening his fan mail and turned to look at her expectantly. Hermione had the feeling that she was about to ask her if he could do something she might not agree with. 'About the wedding, can I invite some of my fans to the ceremony?'

Hermione frowned. 'How many?'

'Just a few of the regulars from the Cannons' Club. Not loads, I swear.'

Hermione sighed. When she and Ron had begun planning the wedding they agreed that they would just invite family, friends and a few close work colleagues. If Ron's fans were in attendance the wedding would turn into a circus, it would become the Ron Show and it was supposed to be their day. It was about them as a couple, not just Ron.

'What happened to just inviting friends and family?'

'I know but we still have seats left for the ceremony, you've hardly invited anybody,' Ron said. 'And, er, I've kind already told a few fans that they can come to the wedding.'

Hermione glared at him and Ron grinned at her sheepishly. They both knew that he'd get what he wanted. Even though Hermione didn't like it she would still agree to it. If Ron didn't get his way he'd sulk and Hermione had had considerable past experience with this. She had learned to comply reluctantly with his wishes even if it was only for the sake of her sanity. She knew it was wrong to always give in to him but she barely had the energy to argue with him these days.

'Fine,' Hermione huffed.

'Thanks, babe,' he said, putting his arm around her and drawing her closer to his side. 'While we're on the subject of the wedding… Ginny told me you'd picked your wedding dress.'

Hermione nodded. 'You'll love it.'

'Yeah, that's what Ginny said. She also said that you looked very sexy in it. Am I in for a treat on our wedding night?' He asked seductively, giving her a wink.

Hermione felt tired and wasn't in the mood to talk about the wedding or their wedding night but she tried to act flirty. 'Maybe…' She said, smiling a little.

'Mmm,' Ron said, shifting on the sofa so that he was facing her properly. 'I can't wait.'

His voice had become slightly deeper and a blush was forming on his cheeks, always a sign that he was turned on. He reached down and rested his hand on her knee, just below where her skirt came down to.

'Would you like to, you know, practise for our wedding night… it could be fun,' he said, leaning closer to her.

Before she could respond, his mouth was against hers and he was kissing her. He tasted of beer. He didn't seem to notice that Hermione wasn't kissing him back. He slid his tongue inside her mouth and moaned.

He stopped kissing her and leaned closer to her ear. 'You're so sexy, babe,' he whispered roughly. 'Feel what you do to me.' He grabbed her hand and pressed it against his erection.

'Ron,' Hermione said in protest and pulled her hand away.

'I want you so badly,' he murmured. His hand began slowly stroking its way under her skirt and up her thigh.

'Ron, I'm tired, I don't want-'

'Oh, 'Mione, please let me,' he said and she knew that he was trying to sound alluring but the whine in his voice irritated Hermione.

'Ron, I'm not in the mood tonight,' she said firmly and she tried to push his hand from her thigh but he gripped her harder. 'Ow, Ron, stop it.'

'Shh, 'Mione,' he said, leaning his head towards hers again.

'But-'

Hermione couldn't finish her sentence because Ron's mouth had collided with hers, his tongue probing inside her mouth. His hand on her thigh tightened even more, and Hermione knew she'd have a bruise there. His other hand grabbed her breast rather roughly and squeezed. She struggled against him but he wouldn't stop, he only pressed himself against her more insistently.

Fearing how far Ron would go against her wishes, Hermione realised that she might have to use magic to get him away from her, but remembered with dismay that her wand was still in her handbag. She continued to struggle and Ron continued to kiss her carelessly, his grip on her as tight as ever. With a sudden surge of strength Hermione put both hands on Ron's chest and shoved him far enough away from her that she could leap up from the sofa. Ron stood up swiftly and a split second later, without even thinking, Hermione swung her palm up and slapped him. The sound of her hand making contact with his face broke the silence in the room.

Neither of them said anything. Hermione's heart hammered in her chest and Ron simply stood there shocked and red in the face. He reached out as if to touch her and she backed away from him warily.

'Don't touch me right now, Ron!' She said indignantly. And without even looking at Ron she ran from the room, snatching her coat and handbag before flinging open the front door and fleeing the house.

''Mione, wait!' Ron shouted. 'I'm sorry!' But Hermione ignored him.

She ran through the dark streets of Chester for a couple of minutes before she realised that she needed to calm down so that she could disapparate. She stopped on a well-lit street and leaned against a brick wall, catching her breath. A group of Muggle youths walked past and she eyed them warily but they didn't even give her a second glance. An old lady emerged from one of the houses to put the rubbish out and peered curiously at Hermione. Hermione, feeling calmer but still shaken up, thought of her apartment and within a few moments she was spinning gracefully in the air as she disapparated.

Hermione let herself into her apartment and locked the door behind her. She leaned against the front door and closed her eyes. She tried to compose herself- she didn't know if she should tell Remus what had happened. After a few minutes she went over to the mirror and she saw that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes had a slight startled quality but she looked more or less normal.

She went to the spare room, confident that she'd find Remus in there but it was empty. She went into the kitchen, thinking that Remus might be sitting at the kitchen table, reading, but that room was empty too. She checked her bedroom and the bathroom but Remus was nowhere to be found. She swallowed, beginning to feel the unpleasant sensation of unease. She went into the living room and checked the little table by the front door. The Resurrection Stone was still there. She frowned. Where was Remus?

She checked every room again even though she knew it was futile and she became more and more frantic. Remus wasn't there. She came to the startlingly realisation that he must have slipped from this world back to that awful place he had been trapped in. Tears welled in her eyes. She had lost him.

She picked up the Resurrection Stone, turning it over and over in her hand, hoping that he would reappear again but the room remained empty and silent, apart from her quiet sobs. A sharp pain formed in her chest; she felt as though her heart had been wrenched from her. Her throat ached and her eyes stung from crying. It was all too much. First, what had happened with Ron and now this. Her mind was stuck thinking the same thought over and over: he's gone, he's gone, he's gone.

The silence in her apartment became oppressive. She couldn't be here. She went outside and began to walk through the town, not really noticing the cold rain that had begun falling, not even noticing where she was going. She walked past houses until she reached the limits of the residential area and was then passing shops. She didn't have a hood or umbrella so her hair was soon soaked and her clothes were drenched. She was now in the centre of town, near the little grassy area that had been built for shoppers and workers to relax on the benches. The grass squelched as she stepped on it. The rain made visibility poor. She looked up and could barely see the moon but she stopped and watched it, letting rain drops and tears intermingle on her cheeks. She began to shiver even though her mind hadn't registered the cold.

'Hermione?'

She looked towards the source of the voice and there was Remus, standing six feet away. His hair was dark and plastered to his head and his clothes were as soaked as hers were but he had never looked more alive. His grey eyes were bright despite the weak light given by the moon. He smiled when he saw her but his expression quickly became concerned when he realised the state she was in.

'Hermione?' he said again and moved closer.

'Remus,' she said in relief, her voice thick with tears. She noticed that she was still clutching the Resurrection Stone. She gazed up at him. 'I thought you were gone. I got home and you weren't there. I searched everywhere for you and I thought you were gone.'

He shook his head slowly. 'No, I went for a walk. I realised that the Resurrection Stone wasn't keeping me in one place. Once I started wandering I couldn't stop. I didn't realise how long I'd been out.'

'I thought you were gone,' Hermione said again, angry and tearful.

'I'm sorry, Hermione,' he said. 'I'm so sorry, my love.'

Even though she tried not to, Hermione burst into fresh tears again. Remus pulled her into his arms and held her as she tried to stop crying. It took a while but finally her sobs subsided and she shuddered. He tilted her head so that he could look into her eyes. With one thumb he brushed the tears from her cheeks.

'I'll never leave you again,' Remus whispered, his grey eyes were tender and sincere.

He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers very gently. He didn't move and Hermione stood up on tiptoe so that she could kiss him properly. He sighed softly and wrapped his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss. She reached up and entwined her fingers in his wet hair. He felt as solid, as real as had done the last time Hermione had been in his arms all those years ago. His lips were warm and ever-so-slightly rough against hers. His arms were strong and she felt safe within them.

They stood there for a long time in the moonlight in the pouring rain kissing like they hadn't in years. Eventually, without breaking the contact, Remus gently scooped Hermione into his arms with one arm under her legs and one around her back. He slowly eased the kiss until he pulled away and looked at her tear-soaked face and wet hair. He didn't smile but his expression softened, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

Hermione forgot all about the moment when she thought she'd lost him again. She forgot all about what happened with Ron. She forgot everything other than the feel of his arms around her and his grey eyes gazing down at her. She sighed and settled in his arms as he carried her home.

I hope you enjoyed

Until next week...

Gryffindork11