A/N: THANKS to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I hope you guys
like this one!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it, of course.
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"So, we have a ton of catching up to do." Hermione sat down on the couch in the sitting room after returning from an early lunch in the kitchen.
Ron nodded and joined her on the couch. "Ten years worth."
Hermione glanced down at her hands a bit shamefully. It was because of her that they had ten years to catch up on. "Sorry," she muttered.
He just shook his head, though. "It's fine. Tell me what's been going on with you. Do you live totally in the Muggle world?"
Hermione looked up and nodded just a bit. "Yeah. I don't really do much except watch Emmy and Kyle. Before I got married, I had a job at a restaurant, but I haven't worked since then…" Her voice trailed a little.
Ron looked as though he was going to say something, but he obviously thought better of it.
"What about you?" she asked, hoping to change the subject. "What have you been doing?"
Ron grinned at her. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
She laughed. "Yeah, that's why I asked."
"Well, I bet you never thought Harry and I'd make it through Auror training together, did you?"
"You're an Auror?" She smiled genuinely. "That's great!"
"Yeah," he was still smiling. "Most of the time it's great anyway. Sometimes it's really tiring. But you should have guessed- how did you think Harry was supporting a family of five, soon to be six, kids?"
Hermione laughed and answered him. "I honestly thought maybe Quidditch…"
"Are you serious?" Ron laughed with her. "He's too involved in turning Crystal and the twins into star Quidditch players to play for himself anymore. Since Crystal's birthday is in September, he has this wild idea that if she can make it onto the team in her first year, she'll break his record as the youngest player in a century." He shook his head. "Yeah… He's becoming a bit obsessed." His eyes were laughing, though.
"Is she any good?" Hermione really wanted to know everything she could about what had transpired in the decade since she'd left.
Ron nodded. "Oh, she's really good! Best seeker that age I've ever seen! The twins are pretty good, too. They make better chasers, though."
"Well, I'm sure McGonagall will be pleased." She then thought of a better question, though, and said, "She's still at Hogwarts, right?"
Ron nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty much the same as when we left. Bill's two oldest go there, and so does Percy's oldest. You remember them, right?"
She did. Bill had gotten married in their fifth year and had two children- a boy and a girl- by the time they graduated. Preston and Elisabeth. Percy had gotten married to his long-time girlfriend Penelope in Harry, Ron, and Hermione's sixth year, having a son in their seventh- Thomas.
"All Gryffindors?" she asked curiously.
"Of course. There's never been a Weasley that wasn't." Ron looked quite proud of this fact.
Hermione looked down at her hands. "Emmy got a letter yesterday," she said quietly.
"From Hogwarts?" Ron smiled at her. "That's great!"
But Hermione shook her head. "She doesn't know."
"Doesn't know that she got her letter?"
Hermione shook her head again. "No, she doesn't know that she's a witch. She doesn't know any of it."
Ron's eyes widened just slightly. "None of it?"
"No." Hermione's voice was quiet. "I tried to hide her from it."
"But why?"
"Because I was scared for her. I didn't want Malfoy and all his Death Eater buddies to come take her. That's why I ran away in the first place…"
Ron placed a soft hand on her back, causing a tiny shiver to run up her spine. "He's dead," he said, even more quietly than Hermione had spoken.
She looked up. "Malfoy?"
Ron just nodded.
"But… but how?"
"His father had him killed." Ron glanced down at his own lap. "A year after graduation…"
Shocked was not an adequate enough word to describe Hermione's reaction to the news. "Why, though?"
Ron shrugged and looked back up at her. "I don't know all of the details."
Hearing this made Hermione ask the most important question. "Whatever happened with… with everything?"
"With Voldemort?" Ron said the name as though he'd never shuddered at the sound of it. Hermione nodded carefully, and he continued. "A few months after Malfoy got killed, there was a huge battle, and Dumbledore sent Harry and me to the center of it. It was scary," his eyes darkened at the memory, "but we got through it. And I guess there really is a God because we both made it out alive. The final battle was between Voldemort and Dumbledore, though, and not Voldemort and Harry."
"And Dumbledore won?" Her eyes were watering slightly, though she had no idea why.
Ron nodded. "Yeah… We saw it all happen."
"I should have been there," Hermione finished softly.
He just looked up at her silently, choosing not to comment on her statement. "But everything's fine now."
She nodded slowly. "Hogwarts is safe?"
"Safe as it ever was," Ron said with a shrug. "You are letting Emileen go, right?"
He had touched on the very subject Hermione had been struggling with. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "I… I don't know how to tell her…"
"I'll help you," he spoke up quickly. "I mean, I'll help you explain everything to her. Surely, she won't be anymore shocked than you were when you first found out, right?"
Hermione grinned slightly, remembering the moment her own letter from Hogwarts had arrived. Her parents had been more than shocked, but Hermione had finally understood all the strange things that had been happening to her. It'd been a blessing to finally find out that she wasn't just a freak who could make things happen without even meaning to. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she admitted finally.
Ron locked his eyes with her and caught her with a grin. They're eyes stayed attached to each other for a few moments, both smiles slowly fading as they stared at each other intently.
"I can't believe you're finally back," Ron said quietly. "I've missed you so much." His voice was full of nothing except the utmost seriousness.
Hermione was affected more than he could possibly know by his simple words. She had been waiting to return to him for as long as she could remember, but she had finally done it. She'd finally gone and returned, and she was never, ever going back. She knew that right then and there.
"I've missed you, too,' she admitted, just as quietly.
Ron looked at her silently for a long moment. Finally, he spoke again. "Please don't ever leave again." His eyes were as pleading as his voice.
Tears formed in the corner of her eyes, and she shook her head solemnly. "I'm not, Ron."
Time seemed to stand still as the two of them sat on the couch just staring at each other, each wondering what the other was thinking and both praying that it was the same thing they were thinking. Hermione had been dreaming of a moment like this for years.
"Hermione…" Ron's voice was soft and gruff.
She raised her eyebrows just slightly at him. "Hmm?"
"I know that you're married…" his voice trailed slightly. "You don't… love him, do you?"
Her eyes broke from his, and she immediately looked down at her lap. Shaking her head slightly, she answered him quietly. "No. I never did."
"Hermione?" he asked again, showing no response to her answer.
She looked up at him, her breath catching slightly in her throat as she saw the look on his face. "Yes?"
Quietly, barely audibly, Ron leaned forward and softly whispered, "Can I kiss you?"
She felt something in her stomach flutter, but determining what it was would be too difficult of a task as she stared into his blue eyes. The same blue eyes she'd never stopped dreaming of for years. Not saying a word, Hermione nodded slowly.
Ron leaned forward even more, and she could feel his warm breath on her face. A million tiny memories flooded her mind- a million tiny memories of moments exactly like this one. Taking it upon herself to close the remaining distance between them, she leaned forward and softly pressed her lips to his.
It was as though ten years hadn't happened- as though they were still seventeen kissing in the back of the library. All of the memories were so right. They all proved what she already knew- he was the only person she'd ever want to kiss.
Ron's hand found its way to her cheek, and he stroked it softly as his lips stroked hers just as softly. It was Hermione who deepened the kiss, parting his lips with her own and slowly sliding her tongue into his mouth. His other hand snaked to the back of her head, and he let it slide gingerly down her neck, causing her to shiver slightly. Her breath was growing more ragged as she struggled to lengthen the kiss for as long as possible, but eventually the need for oxygen took over, and they reluctantly pulled apart.
They stared at each other in shock for only a moment. The shock being over the fact that one kiss could spark so many memories, so many thoughts, so many desires in a person. They each knew that all these things were being shared with the other, and this revelation was enough for each of them to forget that things had ever ended between them and make them want to start right where they'd left off.
"Ron…" Hermione spoke, finding her breath slowly. "I… I…"
Ron shook his head, silencing her search for words. "It's you, Hermione. It's always been you." He whispered the words quietly.
Hermione could barely breathe. Without thinking, she pressed her lips to his for a second kiss. This one was deeper and more passionate than the first one had been, and it took them no time at all to get caught up in each other. Kissing Ron was like finally finding home again. Hermione wasn't sure why the analogy entered her head, but it had. And she trusted it.
She was home.
Ron Weasley was all she'd ever needed. Why hadn't she realized it before?
Her arms circled his neck as she pulled him closer in an attempt to deepen the kiss even more. His own arms curled around her waist, one of his hands stroking her back in rhythm with the kiss. Her body was lighting on fire with every passing second, and she instantly knew that she was getting in too deep.
But bloody hell, she didn't care.
She couldn't believe how fast the kissing got out of control, and she was shocked to suddenly find herself half-reclined on the couch with Ron's body damn near close to covering hers. Her whole body was tensed, and she couldn't quite believe that she'd gone ten years without feeling this. She never wanted to stop kissing him.
Of course, breathing is a necessary part of living, so they were forced to pull apart. Hermione could feel her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to calm herself down a bit. Ron was breathing heavily, and he locked his eyes with hers in what had to be the most smoldering look she'd ever witnessed. He was staring at her with a look that was melting her insides, and she didn't even think twice about saying exactly what her head was screaming.
"Ron…" She did, however, have to draw in a breath in order to find her voice. "Make love to me…"
The blue in Ron's eyes deepened to a dark shade of navy as he stared at her. He didn't speak for a long moment, his eyes pouring into hers. Finally, in a voice that was little more than a whisper, he said, "Are you sure?"
She nodded, absolutely positive.
"You're married…" Ron took a slow breath as he said this, the serious expression never faltering from his face.
She didn't want to think about anything except for the moment they were in. Raising a finger and pressing it to his lips gently, she said, "Shh… Just be here with me… right now."
He was silent for another long moment before pressing his lips to her finger and kissing it softly. She felt her breath catch just a bit, and she slowly dragged the finger down his chin and to the center of his neck as he leaned in to kiss her once again. It was the sweetest and most tender of kisses. Hermione could have died in his arms.
She shifted just slightly so that she was lying completely, and Ron moved with her, never breaking the contact that their lips held with each other. They continued to kiss, and Hermione's hand slid from the front of his neck to the back, pulling her to him even more than before.
Suddenly, though, Ron pulled away and sat up.
"This isn't right," he said quietly.
How could she have been so stupid? Hermione felt her heart drop, but she sat up and nodded timidly. "I'm sorry. I just thought that you wanted…" She looked away, not finishing her sentence, realizing how silly it sounded. Of course, he didn't want what she wanted; she'd broken his heart ten years before.
But Ron shook his head rapidly. "No, no," he reached for her hand. "I do want to. God, you have no idea how much I want to…" His voice trailed, and he raised her eyebrows at him. He gave her a very small smile and continued. "I've dreamed of making love to you more times than you could imagine."
She felt her heart lift slightly. "Really?"
He just nodded. "So many times… And it has to be perfect." He finished earnestly, his eyes locked with hers.
"Oh, Ron…"
"I want it to be everything you've ever dreamed of. Everything I've ever dreamed of." As Ron spoke, Hermione felt herself falling fast. "I'll make it perfect." She couldn't even think of anything to say. Her heart felt as though she'd finally found everything she'd ever been look for. Ron kissed her lips softly and said, "If Harry and Ginny will keep you children tonight… Will you stay with me?"
She bit her lower lip unconsciously and simply nodded.
Ron finished with yet another soft kiss and a promise. "It will be perfect."
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No Emmy, I know. But this part was meant to be serious- I hope it was. Please leave feedback!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it, of course.
**************************
"So, we have a ton of catching up to do." Hermione sat down on the couch in the sitting room after returning from an early lunch in the kitchen.
Ron nodded and joined her on the couch. "Ten years worth."
Hermione glanced down at her hands a bit shamefully. It was because of her that they had ten years to catch up on. "Sorry," she muttered.
He just shook his head, though. "It's fine. Tell me what's been going on with you. Do you live totally in the Muggle world?"
Hermione looked up and nodded just a bit. "Yeah. I don't really do much except watch Emmy and Kyle. Before I got married, I had a job at a restaurant, but I haven't worked since then…" Her voice trailed a little.
Ron looked as though he was going to say something, but he obviously thought better of it.
"What about you?" she asked, hoping to change the subject. "What have you been doing?"
Ron grinned at her. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
She laughed. "Yeah, that's why I asked."
"Well, I bet you never thought Harry and I'd make it through Auror training together, did you?"
"You're an Auror?" She smiled genuinely. "That's great!"
"Yeah," he was still smiling. "Most of the time it's great anyway. Sometimes it's really tiring. But you should have guessed- how did you think Harry was supporting a family of five, soon to be six, kids?"
Hermione laughed and answered him. "I honestly thought maybe Quidditch…"
"Are you serious?" Ron laughed with her. "He's too involved in turning Crystal and the twins into star Quidditch players to play for himself anymore. Since Crystal's birthday is in September, he has this wild idea that if she can make it onto the team in her first year, she'll break his record as the youngest player in a century." He shook his head. "Yeah… He's becoming a bit obsessed." His eyes were laughing, though.
"Is she any good?" Hermione really wanted to know everything she could about what had transpired in the decade since she'd left.
Ron nodded. "Oh, she's really good! Best seeker that age I've ever seen! The twins are pretty good, too. They make better chasers, though."
"Well, I'm sure McGonagall will be pleased." She then thought of a better question, though, and said, "She's still at Hogwarts, right?"
Ron nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty much the same as when we left. Bill's two oldest go there, and so does Percy's oldest. You remember them, right?"
She did. Bill had gotten married in their fifth year and had two children- a boy and a girl- by the time they graduated. Preston and Elisabeth. Percy had gotten married to his long-time girlfriend Penelope in Harry, Ron, and Hermione's sixth year, having a son in their seventh- Thomas.
"All Gryffindors?" she asked curiously.
"Of course. There's never been a Weasley that wasn't." Ron looked quite proud of this fact.
Hermione looked down at her hands. "Emmy got a letter yesterday," she said quietly.
"From Hogwarts?" Ron smiled at her. "That's great!"
But Hermione shook her head. "She doesn't know."
"Doesn't know that she got her letter?"
Hermione shook her head again. "No, she doesn't know that she's a witch. She doesn't know any of it."
Ron's eyes widened just slightly. "None of it?"
"No." Hermione's voice was quiet. "I tried to hide her from it."
"But why?"
"Because I was scared for her. I didn't want Malfoy and all his Death Eater buddies to come take her. That's why I ran away in the first place…"
Ron placed a soft hand on her back, causing a tiny shiver to run up her spine. "He's dead," he said, even more quietly than Hermione had spoken.
She looked up. "Malfoy?"
Ron just nodded.
"But… but how?"
"His father had him killed." Ron glanced down at his own lap. "A year after graduation…"
Shocked was not an adequate enough word to describe Hermione's reaction to the news. "Why, though?"
Ron shrugged and looked back up at her. "I don't know all of the details."
Hearing this made Hermione ask the most important question. "Whatever happened with… with everything?"
"With Voldemort?" Ron said the name as though he'd never shuddered at the sound of it. Hermione nodded carefully, and he continued. "A few months after Malfoy got killed, there was a huge battle, and Dumbledore sent Harry and me to the center of it. It was scary," his eyes darkened at the memory, "but we got through it. And I guess there really is a God because we both made it out alive. The final battle was between Voldemort and Dumbledore, though, and not Voldemort and Harry."
"And Dumbledore won?" Her eyes were watering slightly, though she had no idea why.
Ron nodded. "Yeah… We saw it all happen."
"I should have been there," Hermione finished softly.
He just looked up at her silently, choosing not to comment on her statement. "But everything's fine now."
She nodded slowly. "Hogwarts is safe?"
"Safe as it ever was," Ron said with a shrug. "You are letting Emileen go, right?"
He had touched on the very subject Hermione had been struggling with. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "I… I don't know how to tell her…"
"I'll help you," he spoke up quickly. "I mean, I'll help you explain everything to her. Surely, she won't be anymore shocked than you were when you first found out, right?"
Hermione grinned slightly, remembering the moment her own letter from Hogwarts had arrived. Her parents had been more than shocked, but Hermione had finally understood all the strange things that had been happening to her. It'd been a blessing to finally find out that she wasn't just a freak who could make things happen without even meaning to. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she admitted finally.
Ron locked his eyes with her and caught her with a grin. They're eyes stayed attached to each other for a few moments, both smiles slowly fading as they stared at each other intently.
"I can't believe you're finally back," Ron said quietly. "I've missed you so much." His voice was full of nothing except the utmost seriousness.
Hermione was affected more than he could possibly know by his simple words. She had been waiting to return to him for as long as she could remember, but she had finally done it. She'd finally gone and returned, and she was never, ever going back. She knew that right then and there.
"I've missed you, too,' she admitted, just as quietly.
Ron looked at her silently for a long moment. Finally, he spoke again. "Please don't ever leave again." His eyes were as pleading as his voice.
Tears formed in the corner of her eyes, and she shook her head solemnly. "I'm not, Ron."
Time seemed to stand still as the two of them sat on the couch just staring at each other, each wondering what the other was thinking and both praying that it was the same thing they were thinking. Hermione had been dreaming of a moment like this for years.
"Hermione…" Ron's voice was soft and gruff.
She raised her eyebrows just slightly at him. "Hmm?"
"I know that you're married…" his voice trailed slightly. "You don't… love him, do you?"
Her eyes broke from his, and she immediately looked down at her lap. Shaking her head slightly, she answered him quietly. "No. I never did."
"Hermione?" he asked again, showing no response to her answer.
She looked up at him, her breath catching slightly in her throat as she saw the look on his face. "Yes?"
Quietly, barely audibly, Ron leaned forward and softly whispered, "Can I kiss you?"
She felt something in her stomach flutter, but determining what it was would be too difficult of a task as she stared into his blue eyes. The same blue eyes she'd never stopped dreaming of for years. Not saying a word, Hermione nodded slowly.
Ron leaned forward even more, and she could feel his warm breath on her face. A million tiny memories flooded her mind- a million tiny memories of moments exactly like this one. Taking it upon herself to close the remaining distance between them, she leaned forward and softly pressed her lips to his.
It was as though ten years hadn't happened- as though they were still seventeen kissing in the back of the library. All of the memories were so right. They all proved what she already knew- he was the only person she'd ever want to kiss.
Ron's hand found its way to her cheek, and he stroked it softly as his lips stroked hers just as softly. It was Hermione who deepened the kiss, parting his lips with her own and slowly sliding her tongue into his mouth. His other hand snaked to the back of her head, and he let it slide gingerly down her neck, causing her to shiver slightly. Her breath was growing more ragged as she struggled to lengthen the kiss for as long as possible, but eventually the need for oxygen took over, and they reluctantly pulled apart.
They stared at each other in shock for only a moment. The shock being over the fact that one kiss could spark so many memories, so many thoughts, so many desires in a person. They each knew that all these things were being shared with the other, and this revelation was enough for each of them to forget that things had ever ended between them and make them want to start right where they'd left off.
"Ron…" Hermione spoke, finding her breath slowly. "I… I…"
Ron shook his head, silencing her search for words. "It's you, Hermione. It's always been you." He whispered the words quietly.
Hermione could barely breathe. Without thinking, she pressed her lips to his for a second kiss. This one was deeper and more passionate than the first one had been, and it took them no time at all to get caught up in each other. Kissing Ron was like finally finding home again. Hermione wasn't sure why the analogy entered her head, but it had. And she trusted it.
She was home.
Ron Weasley was all she'd ever needed. Why hadn't she realized it before?
Her arms circled his neck as she pulled him closer in an attempt to deepen the kiss even more. His own arms curled around her waist, one of his hands stroking her back in rhythm with the kiss. Her body was lighting on fire with every passing second, and she instantly knew that she was getting in too deep.
But bloody hell, she didn't care.
She couldn't believe how fast the kissing got out of control, and she was shocked to suddenly find herself half-reclined on the couch with Ron's body damn near close to covering hers. Her whole body was tensed, and she couldn't quite believe that she'd gone ten years without feeling this. She never wanted to stop kissing him.
Of course, breathing is a necessary part of living, so they were forced to pull apart. Hermione could feel her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to calm herself down a bit. Ron was breathing heavily, and he locked his eyes with hers in what had to be the most smoldering look she'd ever witnessed. He was staring at her with a look that was melting her insides, and she didn't even think twice about saying exactly what her head was screaming.
"Ron…" She did, however, have to draw in a breath in order to find her voice. "Make love to me…"
The blue in Ron's eyes deepened to a dark shade of navy as he stared at her. He didn't speak for a long moment, his eyes pouring into hers. Finally, in a voice that was little more than a whisper, he said, "Are you sure?"
She nodded, absolutely positive.
"You're married…" Ron took a slow breath as he said this, the serious expression never faltering from his face.
She didn't want to think about anything except for the moment they were in. Raising a finger and pressing it to his lips gently, she said, "Shh… Just be here with me… right now."
He was silent for another long moment before pressing his lips to her finger and kissing it softly. She felt her breath catch just a bit, and she slowly dragged the finger down his chin and to the center of his neck as he leaned in to kiss her once again. It was the sweetest and most tender of kisses. Hermione could have died in his arms.
She shifted just slightly so that she was lying completely, and Ron moved with her, never breaking the contact that their lips held with each other. They continued to kiss, and Hermione's hand slid from the front of his neck to the back, pulling her to him even more than before.
Suddenly, though, Ron pulled away and sat up.
"This isn't right," he said quietly.
How could she have been so stupid? Hermione felt her heart drop, but she sat up and nodded timidly. "I'm sorry. I just thought that you wanted…" She looked away, not finishing her sentence, realizing how silly it sounded. Of course, he didn't want what she wanted; she'd broken his heart ten years before.
But Ron shook his head rapidly. "No, no," he reached for her hand. "I do want to. God, you have no idea how much I want to…" His voice trailed, and he raised her eyebrows at him. He gave her a very small smile and continued. "I've dreamed of making love to you more times than you could imagine."
She felt her heart lift slightly. "Really?"
He just nodded. "So many times… And it has to be perfect." He finished earnestly, his eyes locked with hers.
"Oh, Ron…"
"I want it to be everything you've ever dreamed of. Everything I've ever dreamed of." As Ron spoke, Hermione felt herself falling fast. "I'll make it perfect." She couldn't even think of anything to say. Her heart felt as though she'd finally found everything she'd ever been look for. Ron kissed her lips softly and said, "If Harry and Ginny will keep you children tonight… Will you stay with me?"
She bit her lower lip unconsciously and simply nodded.
Ron finished with yet another soft kiss and a promise. "It will be perfect."
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No Emmy, I know. But this part was meant to be serious- I hope it was. Please leave feedback!