Ch 9

Ron rolled over in bed to reach for Hermione, but found only an empty pillow. Groggily he opened his eyes and saw Hermione curled up in the hotel chair near the window reading one of the many giant text books she'd purchased the previous day at the university bookshop. She took to that place like Ron took to Honeydukes. Any doubts he'd had about this plan had slipped away as he'd watched her eyes light up as she walked up and down the endless aisles of large text books, fingers trailing lightly over the spines of each book. Her eyes had lit up as she'd come across the books on her required reading lists, and Ron had happily held the heavy shopping basket while she filled it up.

And that had just been the muggle side.

After discreetly putting her new purchases in her beaded bag they had followed the directions to the magical bookshop. Ron had been expecting something like Flourish and Blotts, but this place was much larger. Not only did they have the texts Hermione needed for her magical courses, but there was an entire section of electronics for magical students. Ron was fascinated – they had cell phones, computers and other items the students needed and had managed to cast protection spells around them that created something like a shield that protected the electronics from magical interference.

Ron felt like his mind had been stunned – he was excited for Hermione and that she would be able to use everything for her muggle courses, but he also knew that this stuff would sell out in five minutes back at the shop. He didn't even bother consulting George, but asked to speak with the manager to figure out who the suppliers were so that he could get this stuff to sell back in London. Once Ron met the manager, he could tell the man was more of an academic than an entrepreneur, but at the very least he was able to get the contact information for the supplier. After buying each of them a cell phone Ron was able to call the supplier and set up a meeting for later that week.

Once they'd hauled everything back to their hotel room, they'd spent several hours setting up and then fiddling with Hermione's new laptop computer. You could press all these little keys and get words to appear on the screen looking like a proper typed book. And, he was delighted to discover there were things – Hermione had called them programs, but he thought that was a ridiculous name for them – these program things on the computer that made math and accounting easy to do. And Ron knew that they needed these for the shop as well, and possibly for many other things that he hadn't figured out yet. He'd asked about the looking up stuff they'd done at the library before they'd gone to Australia to find Hermione's parents and Hermione had tried to explain about how to get "on" something called the "internet" with a computer, but he knew he hadn't understood anything she'd said. She kept going on about how it was faster at the library but that they could use a special cord to "dial up" the internet on the computer. Apparently that made a terrible noise, which also made no sense to him. But, all he knew was that if you pointed the little arrow thingy on the part of the screen for the internet it would work after the horrible noise and you could look things up, but not other times. Barmy.

As he sat up in the bed Hermione looked up from her book. "Morning," she grinned.

"Morning," he smiled back. "You ready for your big move-in day?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

"Well, let me shower and we can head down to breakfast to eat before we have to move anything."

She laughed, "Ron, it is furnished apartment. The only thing we have to move is my beaded bag with my clothes and new computer in it."

"Well, true. But you have a lot of books in that little bag. I figure I need to eat a big breakfast to make sure I keep up my strength for all of those giant text books," he winked.

She just shook her head and laughed at him.

They had both been relieved to learn that the Magical Dual Enrollment Program had a small apartment building that housed the students and several faculty members. As many students came from all over the world and were of a wide variety of ages, there were apartments so that couples and families could live there. Hermione had thought she was getting a dorm room, and was happy to have a room to herself after her years at Hogwarts. But, she was thrilled to discover she had been given a one bedroom apartment due to a last minute change by another couple. But, they still had not seen the building or met any of the other students who would be in the program. Today was the first day the new students were allowed to move in, and Hermione was anxious to see the space and meet some of the people she would be spending the next few years with.

After Ron devoured the breakfast buffet and Hermione had forced down some toast and tea, they checked out of their hotel and walked the five blocks over to the magical student housing office. Hermione soon checked in and signed the necessary papers, and soon they found themselves walking another few blocks towards the residence, keys clutched in Hermione's nervous hand.

"I think this is it," she said as she noted the street address on the building.

"Hmm," Ron frowned. "Do you think muggles can see it from the street? Seems pretty easy to get into. I would have thought it would be more secure or something."

"Ron," she said trying to hide her exasperation with his question, "there is a wall, a locked gate and a locked door to the building and then a second key to the specific apartment. And that doesn't even touch the wards they said were around the building. I'm sure it will be perfectly fine. It might not be The Burrow, but I think it will be alright."

"It will be before I leave if it isn't already," he muttered ignoring her eye roll.

They made their way to the door using the password and keys they'd been given, and they found the apartment on the third floor that she had been assigned.

"This is it," Hermione said. "327."

"S'like opening a surprise present or something," Ron teased. "Come on, let's see what it looks like!"

She unlocked the modern looking door and they walked into the apartment. Immediately to the left of the entryway was a small kitchenette, and it opened into the main living area. The larger room had a small table and chair set, a desk, a sofa and a coffee table. Off of this space there were two doors – one leading to a bedroom and the other to a small washroom.

Poking his head into the loo, Ron said, "Well, it isn't quite the prefect's bathroom, but it is all yours, which is something my childhood self would never have even dreamed of."

She smiled, poking her head in next to him. "Oh my, definitely not room for two in here is there?"

"No, I don't think so," he laughed. "Not even if you were to try and shower as closely as we tend to do when we shower together," he added with a wink.

"Cheeky bloke," she grinned as she moved to the bedroom. "Oh, good – it's a bed large enough for the two of us!"

"We've managed in smaller spaces if memory serves," he grinned.

"Well, yes, but given a choice, I'll take this one any day."

"Can't argue with that. It's quite spacious for as tightly packed as New York seems to be, but it has such a different feel to it than Hogwarts. It's sort of messing with my head."

"Quite a modern, sterile feel I think. Not bad – just not at all homey."

"The paperwork said it has bed linens and towels in the closet, and there should be some pots and plates in the kitchen," Hermione said. "Will you check the closet? I'll poke around the kitchen and see what we've got."

Ron looked in the small closet, but mused that if Hermione could fit everything she owns in a beaded bag that the closet would probably be more than adequate. He saw the linens and grabbed them to make up the bed. Once the bed had been made and the towels put in the bathroom, he wandered back to the kitchen to find Hermione on her hands and knees with her head all the way into a floor cabinet.

"Not that I don't love your arse, Hermione, but what on earth are you doing?"

She instinctively startled at his voice and lightly bumped her head on the inside of the cabinet. "Ouch!"

"Sorry," he said earnestly, but then added in a cheeky tone, "should I kiss it and make it better?"

"Not if you want to be able to ever kiss me in the future," she muttered from the cabinet. Finally shuffling out, she said, "Well, I have discovered that apparently the Americans consider champagne glasses and a pizza stone proper kitchen implements, but there is not a teapot or mug to be found."

"What? That's mad."

"Yes. I agree. I suppose I could transfigure something..."

"Nonsense, there is no way you can be expected to study for three years without a proper teapot. And since most of this is provided by that scholarship, we can surely afford to buy you a proper pot and mug."

"That would be nice," she conceded.

"Well, what are you waiting for, get out the paper to make that list I know you want to write out."

"OK," she grinned and then rummaged in her bag for the paper.

Soon they had drafted a long list of items to get for the apartment as well as some pantry staples to keep in the kitchen. There was a dining hall on the first floor where she would be able to get three meals a day, but she wanted to be able to have tea and some basic snacks in the apartment. They set out to figure out which stores were where, and by the time they returned to the apartment they were drenched in sweat and very happy to be back in the air conditioned building.

After downing several glasses of water each, they set about the task of unpacking – both the items Hermione had brought from England as well as the new purchases from their shopping trip. Ron helped Hermione change the height of the bookshelves to allow for her tall text books, and then he helped her move the furniture around to have the room configured better for studying and reading near the good light from the large window in the living room. They put out the few photographs she'd brought from home, and then he pulled out a package from his knapsack that he'd shrunk down in England.

"What's this?" she asked, surprised by the gift.

"Just a few things I thought you'd need," he shrugged.

Eyeing him, she tugged on the Weasley Weezes Orange bow and cautiously started to unwrap the paper.

"Oh come on," he laughed. "Do you really think I'm mad enough to bring a prank from home to mess with you here? I've done dumb things in my life – but even I know that would be a terrible idea."

"OK," she laughed. "The bow from the shop just made me nervous."

"Fair," he conceded. "Just didn't have any other ribbon."

She pulled back the paper and found several framed posters and pictures Ron had picked out for her.

"Ron!" she said with tear threatening to spill over her cheek. "These, these – well – oh my goodness, these are perfect," she stammered as she flipped through the framed pictures.

There was a small watercolor painting of Uluru in Australia, a seemingly old painting of Hogwarts in the spring, a large orange Wealsey Wizard Wheezes poster, a Chudley Canons poster and a sketch of the view from Shell Cottage that included the small headstone of Dobby's grave.

"These are amazing," she gawked. "However did you find these?"

"Well," he smiled, clearly pleased she liked them. "The posters were no-brainers." She laughed, and he continued, and I asked Rocks to see if he could find a nice picture of Uluru for me, and this was what he picked out. I really liked it – sort of captured the colors of the sunset that night. Anyway – I found the Hogwarts one at an old shop in Hogesmeade this summer. And, the last one – well, I asked Dean to draw it. I wanted you to have a picture of the place that meant so much to both of us, but also to have a sketch of Dobby's grave for when you needed a little extra motivation to keep studying and working towards your goals of rights for so many magical creatures."

Noticing she was crying, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. "He would be so, so proud of you, you know? I can only imagine him now. Probably would have insisted on coming here himself to serve you, which would not have bothered me at all. Would love to have had him looking out for you. Anyway, I just know he would be beaming with pride for all that you have done and are doing."

She looked into his eyes and then gave him a searing kiss. "God, I love you," she gasped. "You are so amazing, Ronald Weasley."

He smiled and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm pretty damn proud of you too, you know? I always knew you would do amazing things. Well, everyone knew that, I suppose. But, I know how hard this is – what it is costing you personally to take this on, and it just makes me even more proud of you. So, even when I can't talk with you or write to you because they are running my arse into the ground at the Auror Academy, I hope when you see these you will just know I am thinking of you every minute of the day and routing you on."

He bent to kiss her, and they were soon lost in the raw emotion that hung between them. She kissed his jaw, moving her lips down his throat to the pulse point at the base of his neck. Groaning, he lifted his hands up against her stomach under her shirt, fingertips grazing her taught nipples he could feel straining beneath her cotton bra. She quickly tugged her shirt up over her head, and he unclasped her bra, tossing it to the floor. She reached for his trousers, quickly unbuttoned them and tugged at them. He shed them quickly and helped her do the same, and then he lifted her up and carried them to her new bed. Unable to break eye contact, he placed her down on the sheets and crawled over her, nestling between her legs. She moaned and arched her back when his straining cock connected with her wet center.

"Oh God, Ron," she cried. "Can't wait..."

Pausing only for a brief moment to cast the contraceptive spell, he had soon thrust into her, with their moans soon mingling to one sound. Their love making was frenetic and desperate that day, as if they both still felt a primal need to mark the other as their own. They'd both come in only a few minutes, and shortly afterward they both fell back to the bed catching their breath. Hermione turned to lay her head on his bare chest and closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation of him trailing his fingers along her bare him and arse.

After a long time Ron finally broke the silence saying, "Guess it's a good thing we waited to shower.'

She tried to chuckle, but it came out as more of a sob which caused him to quickly turn on his side in order to see her face. One glance at her tear stained face broke his heart, but before he could say anything she just shook her head no and burrowed her head into his neck and cried. Clutching her to him, he tried to maintain his even breathing so she wouldn't suspect that he was crying as well. He held her tightly as she cried, and before too long he could tell she had cried herself to sleep.

"Fuck," he whispered aloud. "How in the hell are we ever going to get through this?"

With no answer possible, he pulled her even closer and willed her to feel his strength, to be safe and to return to him as soon as possible.