a/n: I can't believe I'm updating this after almost two years! Urgh, I don't even know what to say other than thank all you wonderful readers for all the love and your patience! It is hard to go back to a fic after so long. And I am honestly worried, I might not be able to do justice to the love ISoH has received, that the sequel will somehow fall short.

Anyway, with this small chapter, I'm trying to get back in tune with the Ron/Hermione dynamics of ISoH. Do let me know what you think of it.

xoxoxo

Chapter 3: A Dream Come True

The blush on her cheeks was visible despite the low lighting of the corridor. Unable to look anywhere but at the girl in his arms, nothing but familiarity guiding his steps, he carried her out of the kitchen towards the corridor and then towards the staircase. He had always dreamt of a time when Hermione would love him back, a time when he'd be able to see their future in her eyes. It struck him suddenly, that the day he had been waiting for what seemed like a lifetime, had finally arrived- Hermione was with him. Overwhelmed, he stopped abruptly on the steps.

"You should really put me down, Ron," she whispered quietly, placing her left palm over his chest, eyes clouded with love and happiness.

He adjusted his hold on her before proceeding to climb up again, careful not to trip. "Why on earth, should I do that?" he asked, smiling.

"Because you've had a long day and your bedroom is on the second floor perhaps?" she replied, trying her best to hide the blush.

"Our bedroom," he corrected her, and her eyes dipped as her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. He loved that she had gotten some colour back. Sighing quietly to himself, he paused for a moment to press his lips to her forehead, soaking in the fragrance of her shampoo, her skin still warm from the time she spent near the fire down in the kitchen.

His footsteps echoed in the silence of the house, and he was inexplicably reminded of the time when they had walked down these very steps the first time, hand in hand, her eyes bounded. He pulled her closer to himself at the memory and she placed her head on his shoulder.

"You really should put me down. I don't want you to hurt your back," she added after pressing her lips to his chest.

He paused, leaning against the wall; they were almost at the second-floor landing, barely a few steps from his room. Slowly he lowered her on her feet, her arms still around his neck. Ron wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her snugly to himself, and tucked the errant curl behind her ear, allowing his finger to linger on her cheek before tracing it delicately on her nape.

"Remember the time we sat here chatting?" he asked, his voice deeper. He could never forget how much he craved her back then, how agonising it was to stay away- love and hate her in equal measure.

"Yes," she whispered back, stifling a moan as his finger pried the neckline of her, heck no- his jumper to expose more of her skin before pressing his lips to it. The oversized article was easy to pull away further and it came down to her upper arm, exposing the strap of her bra.

"Rron… we might be seen," she managed, fisting his shirt at his chest, automatically angling her face away to make it easier for him as he traced his lips across her nape to her shoulder, sucking and biting softly as he wished.

"Harry knows better than to come upstairs now," he chuckled, pulling the jumper lower, moving his face to press kisses at the hollow of her throat, the slight rumble of a moan vibrating through her skin and sending sparks down his spine. "The twins had tricked you to drink one of their concoctions, remember?" he added, breathing erratically as he recalled the way her eyes had darkened, a glazed look had come over her features. He distinctly remembered how much he had panicked before the effect of the Daydream Charm had died down and Hermione had almost dashed away from the kitchen. The feeling of guilt and jealousy were still vivid in his memories- all he had wanted to know was who she might have dreamt about...

"It- it was you…"

He snapped out of his thoughts at her voice, left arm pulling her closer still, while his right cupped her face to look into her eyes. "Really?" he asked, fearful that he had heard wrong, that it was just his deepest desires that he had heard aloud.

Her eyes roamed over his face, and she bit her lip in the familiar way she always did when she was trying to hide a smile. Her arms snaked around his neck as she placed her sock covered feet on his, tiptoeing still to accommodate his height and nodded a smidge, "I dreamt about you and-" she looked away, "and we were right here- on these very steps..." she added in a whisper.

Fuck…

He pressed his lips to hers in urgently, feeling the calm her closeness always provided, and yet, the brewing of a storm of need in his veins. "Tell me," he growled in her ear, biting her earlobe as her nails raked his back over his shirt, breathing fast to make up for his thudding heart, realising instinctively that her need was mounting too.

….

Her jumper was now bunched just above her breasts, his arousal digging into her core through her pyjama bottoms as she sat facing him on his lap, both of them still sitting on the staircase, a couple of steps below the second-floor landing. The house was eerily silent, almost reminiscent of her daydream; the quiet only broken by their ragged breathing and occasional moans.

She was barely holding on from flopping over him, her body a bundle of nerves as his long fingers were placed on her left breast, his thumb playfully running over the sensitized nipple over the soft cotton of her bra. She felt her fingers digging into the skin on his shoulders as she arched herself, shuddering and pressing her lips shut in an effort to hold back the cries of pleasure that would surely breakthrough Ron's muffling charms. She felt his other hand find their way under her jumper to touch the bare skin of her back, the tip of his little finger just under the elastic of her pyjama bottoms.

She wanted to see him, see the way his eyes professed his love for her but her eyes kept fluttering shut in pleasure, especially when he deftly unhooked her bra-hooks and pulled them away by pinching the cloth at the centre of her breast. Her arms still within the straps, the stupid article wouldn't come off but that didn't deter Ron in the least as he bent to kiss the cups before placing his lips directly on her right nipple. She moaned aloud, and as if on cue, he took it in his mouth, sucking torturously slow. Her fingers threaded through his hair at the back of his head, pulling him closer as she heard the soft sounds of his mouth on her skin, a rumble in his throat, making her literally cry with need. His right hand was prodding deeper into her knickers from the back, running his clipped nails over her arse, while the thumb of his left mimicked the action of his lips, caressing her free breast. She came with a loud cry when he began to rock them together, his hips thrusting against her clothed core.

…..

Later that night, snuggled deep into his arms and buried in the warmth of their shared body heat, she managed to bring up the topic haunting her.

"Ron, are you awake?" she asked very softly, pondering whether it was the right time to bring the topic up. The candles in their brackets cast a faint light on the room which was now home to another trunk and a few bags, most of which held books.

"Yeah," he replied sleepily before kissing her on top of her head, pulling her deeper into his chest. Their naked bodies fit in seamlessly like always, and both muttered a small moan in unison as his groin pressed against her core, hardening.

"Again?" she asked bemused, although not really surprised, as he pulled himself away a smidge to see her better.

"You know me," he grinned sheepishly.

"Don't forget you have training again tomorrow, Mr Ron Weasley!" she teased, and he laughed, the rumble of his muscles soaking into her and giving her the courage she needed.

"Ron, I am planning to go back and assist in the restoration of Hogwarts," she said, watching closely for his reaction, hating herself a little as his smile faded. He watched her for a while, running his palm over her bare arms.

"They are starting the restoration already?" he asked.

"In a few days, yes," she replied, snuggling closer and pressing her face deeper in the crook of his shoulder.

"Will you be okay? Going back, I mean?" he asked, and she gripped him harder around the waist.

"We have to, don't we. Professor McGonagall wrote to your mum. They need a lot of volunteers."

"Harry and I were talking about it too. Let's see if we can make it on Sundays."

"So you won't mind if I help?" she asked again, and Ron arched his head back to look at her.

"Why would I mind? Moreover, you don't need to ask me, Hermione! Just- just be safe, a'right?"

She nodded and snuggled closer, coaxing herself to say the rest.

"Ron?"

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering- if-if y'know, I claim my inheritance…" she managed, dreading his reaction. For a while, there was only the gentle rise and fall of his chest, but Hermione found herself holding her breath. "I won't if-"

"It's yours to decide anyway, love," he replied and this time, she pulled away to look at him in the eye, to see for herself if there was even the slightest trace of … she didn't know what exactly she was looking for. Doubt perhaps? But the person looking back at her was just her Ron.

"You won't mind?" she asked carefully.

He sighed, pulling his hand away from her waist to rub across his stubbled jaws. "What I actually mind is you asking me about stuff that you should be free to decide yourself."

"What you think matters to me," she replied earnestly.

He met her eyes, and for a while, she wondered why there was so much regret in his eyes. He caught her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "You are not a prisoner anymore. This life, the freedom we fought for belongs to all of us. You are free to decide how you want to spend your life and no one, has to right to interfere, not even me."

She ignored the moisture that had pooled in her eyes, but Ron brought his hand to her face and wiped them off for her.

"There are too many kids who have no family to fund their Hogwarts education anymore," she said after a while, once she had managed to reign in her emotions. "I was thinking of setting up a Fund Trust for them, you know to take care of all their educational expenses."

"That sounds good," he agreed, and she placed a quick kiss on his shoulder before turning on her back, head resting on his arm. "And Hogwarts needs money for the restoration too, not everything can be sorted by magic. And I was thinking of doing something for rehabilitating the muggle-borns who lost it all."

"You should ask Bill, he'll help you out," he suggested and wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. She could sense him getting drowsy. A part of her was coaxing her to say the rest, while another, the insecure bit, was telling her to stop. Planning about using the funds was all good and easy- but that would only happen after she submitted her claim- after her inheritance rights were probed and proved. She shuddered a little at the thought. Was she ready to bear the scrutiny of the society that would accompany her claim to her inheritance? No matter what she did, it would always be a Death Eater's money, and her motive would probably be considered a way of buying grace from the public.

"Ron?" she called haltingly. She knew the poor guy needed sleep, but then again, her anxiety would not let her rest, quite possibly trigger another panic attack later in the night unless she dealt with it.

"Not sleepy yet?" he replied, eyes still closed.

"Bill reckons, Kingsley will have to stand witness to my case if I claim the Granger vaults- and...and you will have to too…"

He let out a sigh, rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn before he spoke. "I'm just worried it will be hard for you to relieve those days, Hermione. Will you be okay?"

"This is the only way I will be able to redeem my parents, Ron," she managed, sniffing away her tears.

With a gentle tug, Ron turned her towards him before pulling her into himself. "We'll do it for them, I promise."