Chapter 29

Hermione emerged from the bathroom with four brochures and two maps in her hands. Her hair was still wet from having just washed it, and they hadn't had breakfast, but already she was rattling off everything they were supposed to do on their first day in Croatia.

Ron hadn't known this until they'd checked in — well, Hermione had checked in, because he still wasn't completely comfortable in dealing with Muggles in unfamiliar settings — but Hermione hadn't just organised a hotel for their week away together. She had also organised things to do, booked tours, and scheduled in plenty of alone time, including dinners, visits to the beach, and times where nothing in particular was planned.

She'd presented it to him before he'd even had a chance to set his bag down in the room (which, in Ron's opinion, was very nice), beaming and excited about it all. In fact, she was so excited that Ron didn't have the heart to tell her that he would have been happy with a whole week staying in the hotel room — so long as it was with her.

"We have breakfast scheduled for seven o'clock every morning," Hermione said, sitting on the bed with her nose still buried in the brochures. "Today, we're going for a wander around the shops, then a walk down to the beach. And then — Ron!"

"What?" Ron said, tossing the brochures he'd just taken from her, off the bed and shrugging. "You talk too much."

Hermione glared at him, but it seemed she could only maintain her anger for a few moments, for a smile played at the corners of her mouth. Ron beckoned her towards him so that he could kiss her. She happily obliged.

"Why don't we just wing it?" Ron suggested, pulling away from her. "We don't need to plan everything."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again and nodded. "But I've already organised some stuff. Paid for it and everything…"

"That's fine," Ron said, "but everything else we don't need to plan. We'll just do… what we feel like. It's a holiday, we aren't trying to schedule study time in between classes. Long past those days."

Hermione grimaced, and Ron chuckled. "That's going to be hard for you, isn't it?" He leaned forward and kissed her again. "That's why you have me."

"Well, when Mum and Dad took me on holiday, they always planned everything. Down to the finest details. Winging it, as you say… well, I've never done that before."

Ron laughed again. "Of course you haven't. Have you ever — for anything?"

Hermione flushed.

"Really, I love everything about you," Ron said. "Including that part of you, but let's just try to relax while we're here, okay? I mean, maybe after exploring the city, we just won't feel like... the beach today." He picked up the stuff he'd thrown on the floor a moment ago and looked at her day one itinerary. "It's cold out there."

Hermione smiled at him. "Are you hungry?"

"When am I not hungry?" Ron said, and he climbed off the bed, making his way towards the bathroom.

Hermione had chosen well with the hotel. It was a modern hotel that had been upgraded recently to fit all of the latest things in it — like a new bathroom, a larger television (which he'd had fun playing around with last night), and new carpet on the floor.

It even had a large balcony that gave them an unobstructed view of the water and also of the many streets below. It truly was a beautiful place, and Ron was glad they had the chance to get away together where there'd be no interruptions and no discussions about their real lives.

He couldn't believe that this was their first actual holiday together. They were coming up to two years together. It seemed ridiculous that they'd not even escaped for a weekend before, let alone a whole week.

Once he'd showered and dressed, they headed down to the ground floor where breakfast was being served. Ron was immediately impressed by the amount of food that was on offer, and according to Hermione, they could eat as much as they wanted.

"For the whole week?" Ron asked as they were led to a table by the window.

"Yep!" Hermione said brightly. "Every morning we're here."

"I thought this was only offered at Hogwarts," Ron muttered.

"Humans can cook, too," Hermione replied. She nodded towards the buffets where people were queued up waiting to get their food. "Come on."

Ron had more fun than he should have, piling on bacon and eggs and toast and anything else he could fit onto his plate. Hermione showed him how to use the commercial toaster after receiving a few funny looks when he'd failed the first time, and soon he was back in his seat, enjoying the view, his food, and Hermione's company.

"You know," he said, "I really wouldn't be disappointed if we just stayed here all day."

"They don't serve food all day, Ron," Hermione said, sounding amused.

"I don't mean here, I meant the hotel. While you were showering, I was reading some information. They have a swimming pool, some kind of 'games' room — is that like the Muggle version of chess or something? — and all this other stuff. Who needs to explore when I have all I want or need back up in the room? I mean, so long as you're there, of course, because you're all I want or need."

Hermione gave him that look where she was trying to be annoyed with him, but seemed to find his words flattering instead. "Wouldn't that be boring?"

"With you there?" Ron asked. "Never."

Hermione smiled. "Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I'd kind of like to get out and explore a little. See a place we haven't been before. You know, before we have to go back to real life."

"Yeah, I know," Ron said, looking out the window. "I am, too. But a hotel room with you would also be nice."

They took their time with breakfast, both going back for more, and then returned to the hotel room to finish getting ready. By nine-thirty, they were in the streets of the old city, awaiting the walking tour that Hermione had booked them.

The city of Senj was small in comparison to other places Ron had been, but it was populated just enough to not be overwhelming. The main part of the city jutted out on a small bit of land (according to the maps Hermione had collected, anyway), their hotel sitting right by one of the beaches. It was a short walk into the heart of the city, where they now stood in a small crowd of other tourists.

As they waited for the stragglers, the Croatian tour guide saying she needed three more people, Ron took note of who was already there, absently wondering if anyone else were wizards in disguise. He doubted it, for many of them were accompanied by Muggle contraptions such as cameras and video cameras and other things only a Muggle or Muggleborn would know how to use. In fact, Ron felt rather out of place by not having a camera.

"Maybe we should have brought a camera or something," he whispered to Hermione as the final three people — a middle-aged couple with a teenage son — showed up, apologising for their lateness.

"I did," Hermione said, and from within the backpack she carried, she pulled out a camera that looked very much like the one Colin Creevey had owned.

"Good thinking!" Ron said, grinning.

"We are being tourists this week," Hermione said. "In all forms."

There was no more time for talking, for the tour guide began by introducing herself as Petra and then going on to rattle off all the places or things they'd be seeing on their three hour walking tour.

"Three hours?" Ron said to Hermione as they set off.

"You've walked longer," Hermione said. "Besides, this one will be more enjoyable."

Ron doubted that, but an hour into it, he had to admit that it was fairly interesting. They stopped at many ancient buildings, where they were told the history or the purpose of it, and even though the tour guide didn't realise it, Ron could spot the ones used by wizards in a heartbeat. He found those the most interesting — not because they were familiar, but because he enjoyed learning about them from a Muggle's perspective. He now kind of understood why Hermione had been interested in doing Muggle studies at school.

There were little charms and enchantments to some of them — as old as magic itself, almost — that only he and Hermione noticed. On one occasion, there was even a building that all the Muggles' eyes brushed over, nor did the tour guide stop to talk about it.

"Huh," Ron said, nodding toward it, "disguised like St Mungo's."

The rest of the walking tour was enjoyable, but there was nothing else obviously magical about it (which was perfectly fine for Ron). They finished it where they'd started, the guide suggesting some nearby cafes that were good for a lunch stop.

"Come on," Hermione said, offering her hand out for Ron. "Let's see what else is around. I noticed some little alleys we didn't go down. Maybe there are some interesting things down there."

Ron took her hand, and as everyone else began to separate, heading in various directions, Ron and Hermione found themselves down a little street where three cafes were located next to one another. As it was reaching the end of winter, people were sitting outside, taking advantage of the slightly warmer weather.

"All that walking made me hungry," Ron confessed. "And it's almost one."

"I'm a bit hungry, too," Hermione said, so they entered one of the cafes, where they were greeted by an enthusiastic waiter, happily leading them to a table at the back of the shop.

Before they were even seated, he began rattling off the specials in broken English so quickly that Hermione had to ask him to slow down.

After he'd explained the menu again, Hermione cast a glance to Ron which made him rather nervous. He knew that look, and it was one he rarely saw, because it rarely occurred, but he could tell that for whatever reason, she had a spark of mischief about her.

"Bring us your finest wine!" she told the waiter. "It doesn't matter how much."

"Hermione!" Ron admonished, staring at her.

"What?" Hermione asked as the waiter scuttled away. "It's a holiday, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but not one where we can afford to be… where we can… splurge."

Hermione shrugged. "I think just this once, we can treat ourselves. And if we buy the whole bottle, we can take it back to the hotel."

Ron just stared at her, knowing that he couldn't change her mind. He supposed growing up with her parents, she'd learnt to be a little less cautious with how she spent her money. But she'd paid for this whole holiday, and now she was…

He sighed. "At least let me buy lunch. Just show me how."

Hermione beamed. "Okayl!"

It ended up being a rather pleasant lunch. The wine wasn't great, but he tolerated it for Hermione's sake. Though, next time he would definitely prefer the goblin-made wine that he was used to. Well, really, he'd prefer a Butterbeer if he had a choice.

The food wasn't anything fancy, but pleasant, and after they'd finished and paid, they left with Hermione placing the remainder of the wine bottle in her bag.

Ron cast a sideways glance at her, smirking. "Did you just want to get drunk?" he asked.

"What? No!" Hermione said through very flushed cheeks. Half the bottle had been emptied, and Ron had only had a very small glass.

Ron grinned.

"I just thought we could —"

"I'm just teasing," Ron assured her, and he stopped on a bridge that overlooked a small channel of water. "Besides, you're quite amusing when you drink too much. Not that you do it too often, but I think it's cute."

Hermione also stopped, turning to look up at him. Rather than looking upset or offended, she smiled. "I'm glad you picked me," she said.

"What?" The abrupt change of topic surprised Ron, but perhaps it was the wine in her that was talking.

"Me," Hermione said. "I mean… us. I'm glad it's… us. You and me, together, happy, in love… at least I hope —"

"I'm so in love with you," Ron said. "But you know that. I've told you a million times. You probably just can't remember because you're incapacitated right now…"

"I'm not!" Hermione protested, though her cheeks were very red now. "I'm just… I'm glad it's me you're in love with. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't there to… to pull me in sometimes. You know, remind me that there are other important things out there that don't involve trying to be the best at something…" She smiled again. "I love you."

"I love you too," Ron said. "Drunk, or not drunk —"

"Stop!" Hermione said, shoving him playfully in the chest and laughing.

"This has been a good day," Ron said, and they started walking again.

"And it will be an amazing week," Hermione added. She turned her head and smiled at him. "You really bring out the best in me, Ron."

"No, I do —"

"Yes, you do!" Hermione argued. "I mean, work, having a job, it really brought out a bad side of me that I didn't even know existed. A neglectful side, someone who couldn't even prioritise a single day with her boyfriend over things that didn't need to be done immediately. And it took you almost breaking up with me for me to even realise something was wrong."

"I didn't almost break up with you," Ron said, brushing the topic aside. He'd thought they were done talking about this. He didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"Yes, you did," Hermione said. "Well, you at least made it sound like you would, and I think that was a good thing, because it made me see a lot of things more clearly."

"Like?" Ron prompted. He gripped her hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Like how happy you make me, how you make me smile, and laugh, and make me feel loved… everything between us doesn't feel forced at all. It never has. It's always just been… things have happened exactly when they were supposed to for us. And you've helped me find a balance between all the good things — making sure that I don't become obsessed with one thing or another. Thank you."

They walked through the streets in silence, Ron unsure how to respond. What was he supposed to say to her other than 'you're welcome'? She'd made the effort herself and he loved her for it. He'd done nothing.

"It's alright," he said after a moment. "Let's not spend this week dwelling on things that don't matter anymore. That's in the past. Let's think about more important things."

"Like what?" Hermione asked, her tone brightening.

"Like what we're going to do now," Ron said, grinning at her.

"Oh, yes, of course —"

Ron stopped walking again, turning to face her for a second time. They had found themselves down a little cobbled street with building that appeared more residential than business. He He took her hands in his. "And I suppose the next one hundred or so years I plan on spending with you."

She laughed — probably something she wouldn't have laughed at had she not had wine in her.

"And what do you see the next one hundred years entailing?" she questioned, and he sensed genuine curiosity in her voice. Her brown eyes peered up at him eagerly, waiting for an answer.

Ron didn't know what possessed him to blurt it out. But she was looking at him with such tenderness, like she already knew… "Everything, I guess. But I do know — I've known from the moment you kissed me for that very first time, really — with one hundred and ten percent certainty that we will last. And one day soon, I'm going to ask you to marry me, and I just hope that you say yes when I do."

His words surprised Hermione, because her eyes widened momentarily, but she disguised it well with a smile. Still holding hands, it was her turn to squeeze back. "That will be my only answer," she assured him.

Ron grinned. "Good. I'm glad."

Her smile grew and for a moment, they just stood in the street, holding hands and looking at one another.

He didn't know what was going through Hermione's head, but for Ron, all he could now think about was just how far away 'one day soon' was going to be.

The next about 9 chapters, Ron (in my opinion - the rest of you may disagree) is an adorable idiot, and I honestly love him so much, and I can't wait for the next phase of their relationship. I remember writing it and enjoying it so much!

I hope you all enjoyed this one :) Thank you each and every one of you for your amazing reviews! I so very much appreciate them all!