A/N: I'm not really sure what this is...

Disclaimer: Don't own them or the books.

He offers to come to Australia with her after seeing how anxious she is about it, and though she says yes, she can't help but feel even more nervous with him beside her. A never-ending supply of butterflies swirls in her stomach. Of course she's nervous to see her parents, terrified that she can't reverse the effects of the Memory Charm, that after all this they simply won't remember her ever again. But logically she knows that none of this is true; she'd never met a spell she couldn't master, so why should this be any different? No, the butterflies are for something far more foreign. The reality is, though she's spent the better part of this last year travelling with Ron, they've never really truly been alone. And now that they've progressed to snogging, she's not so sure what happens next.

They were flying there simply because Hermione's parents would have to fly back, and she wanted to familiarize Ron with this mode of transportation. Plus, since she'd never actually been to Australia, she was afraid to apparate there, especially after what had happened to Ron with his splinching. Thus far he was doing surprisingly well, looking around with a mixture of pure incredulity and sheer wonderment that reminded her somewhat of his father. After telling him the purpose of the metal detector and making sure he'd removed all the offending objects from his pockets, he glared at the machine as he walked through, practically daring it to beep.

"But how does it stay in the air without magic?" He whispered later as they took off. She grinned at his slightly anxious face.

"It's called physics, Ron."

His blank face and her sheer nervousness launched her into a rather long rant about aerodynamics and how engines work. His expression went from pure befuddlement to amusement as she continued until he finally cut her off with a kiss. The headiness of the feeling rendered her speechless and he chuckled before stating, "I'll never understand how Muggles do things."

"You could if you applied yourself Ron, you know…" But he cut her short. "Why would I need to? I have you."

That shut her up effectively as she blushed slightly; she couldn't even meet his eye to see that his ears were a brilliant shade of red.

The rest of the trip passed slowly. She tried reading her book after teaching Ron how to use the TV on the seatback, but after reading the same line fifteen times, she finally gave up with a huff. Ron looked over in concern, but she brushed it off, telling him she was just nervous about seeing her parents. She fell asleep at one point, and woke up on his shoulder, covered with a blanket. In that moment she realized that there really was nothing to be worried about; being with Ron was so comforting and easy that despite whatever they ended up facing, she knew they could handle it.

And as the plane landed and she let out a shaky breath, he reached out for her hand; she was not alone, and she would never be again.

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