A/N: Well here's the chapter that a lot of you have been looking forward to! Heehee you'll definitely enjoy this one!
After you're done reading and reviewing this, make sure you check out Ryoko's and my co story, The Art of Seduction. Our pen name is under my favourites list.
Thanks for all the fantastic reviews on the last chapter!
On with the story!
"Hey Mum?" Hermione poked her head into the living room. "I just wanted to let you know that I won't be around this weekend."
"Oh?" Jane looked up at her daughter. "Where are you going?"
"Harry's invited me to the Caribbean!" Hermione's voice was filled with excitement. She stepped fully into the room and grinned widely. "What do you think about that?"
Jane looked back down at the novel she was reading. "He's not going to marry you…" she said mildly.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about marriage at all; I'm just talking about a weekend away."
Jane set her novel down and got up from the sofa. "Hermione…just be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."
Hermione stepped back from her mother. "You can't ever JUST be happy for me can you?" she shot out before she could stop herself.
"It's not that I'm not happy for you, I'm just worried! You spend all your time with Harry and none working towards any sort of career. Look at your cousin, look how hard she works for herself!" Jane felt herself grow irritated.
"I am nothing like Lavender, don't you dare compare me to her!" Hermione snapped, her eyes blazing. "You're always comparing the two of us, why can't you accept how I am? I'm NOT going away to college, so you'll just have to deal with that!"
"Hermione, I don't want you to feel like I'm comparing you to your cousin." Jane's voice grew softer. "I know that you are your own person, but I just want you to make something of yourself. I get worried about you sometimes."
Hermione bit her lower lip. "Look…I'm perfectly fine with myself. And I…appreciate…your concern but I can take care of myself." Her voice also lowered in volume. "I'll be fine, with or without Harry." She turned and walked up the stairs.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Susan took a deep breath as she knocked on the door to Ron's house. When no one answered, she knocked again, and then heard footsteps approaching.
"Hi Susan." Ginny Weasley's red head peeked out from around the door.
"Hallo Ginny." Susan replied softly. "Is your brother home?"
Ginny's eyes widened. "Are you sure you want to talk to him?" she asked, opening the door so Susan could step through.
"I have to." Susan replied. "Why?"
"Well the other night he came home in such a rage, I've never seen him so angry before…but he wouldn't tell any of us why. He's still furious about whatever it was." Ginny said, her voice hushed.
Susan paled. "Ron saw me with another guy, it was a favour I was doing for Hermione and he got the wrong idea." She leaned up against the wall, putting her hand to her forehead. "I just need to tell him…that what he saw was a mistake. I need to tell him how much I love him and that I want to be with him so badly I can't stop thinking about it."
"Well he's on the roof right now; at least I think he is." Ginny said. "Things stopped banging around in his room about an hour ago."
"Thanks." Susan said as she began to climb the stairs. The door to Ron's room was shut but not locked, and she inched it open slowly. His room was empty, but the ladder descending from the ceiling indicated that Ginny had been right; he was up on the section of roof right above the room.
"You can do this." Susan coached herself softly as she began to quietly climb up the ladder. Her head came through the hole and she saw Ron sitting near the edge, his knees pulled up tight against his chest and his arms locked around them. He was wearing the ratty green sweater she had made for him when they had been going out for a year; Susan took that as a good sign. She stepped out on the roof, trying to be quiet so he wouldn't hear her, but her foot came right down on a creaky shingle.
Ron was startled out of his trance by the loud creak. He turned and saw the last person he expected to see coming up the ladder. He looked at Susan for a very long moment, and then wordlessly turned back away. She was probably coming to tell him all about the new man in her life, and he didn't want to hear any of it.
Susan sucked in a breath; well perhaps this would not be as easy as she thought. Still, she kept moving until she was right next to him, and then sat down. They were silent for a few more long moments, until Susan finally spoke.
"Ron, can we please talk?" she asked, settling back on the roof.
Ron grunted. "What could we possibly have to talk about?" he asked, his voice sharp.
"A lot of things." Susan replied. "I want to tell you the truth about what you saw last night."
He only shrugged and continued to look straight ahead. "What is there to tell? You've moved on." Ron's tone was flat and emotionless.
"Well for starters, there's the fact that last night I was only doing Hermione a favour, that man you saw me with was a friend of Harry's." Susan said, her voice growing stronger. "I was telling him about you and I got upset."
"Sue…." Ron said, his voice trailing off. "I just don't know what I should believe about you anymore. We've been through too much to be together."
"Ron that's not true." Susan said, a flurry of panic rising up in her. "Please, just let me tell you everything."
"Everything?" Ron turned to her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean everything. About last night, about why I fainted, about how I missed you so much…." Susan said. She gently put her hand on his arm and was relieved when he didn't shrug away. "Last night, like I said, I was just doing a favour for Hermione. She asked me to double with her and Harry with this guy Dean. He and I aren't together. Ron, there is no way I could get over you in just a week's time."
"Really?" his voice came out somewhat thick, but hopeful.
"Yes, really." Susan replied. "We've been together since our 6th year at Hogwarts, and that means the world to me."
"Then why are you so scared to marry me?" Ron asked.
Susan paused for a moment before replying. "It's just that I'm scared of how our lives will be once we ARE married…what if I have kids and grow fat and ugly and you get bored with me?"
"Susan, I'll never be bored with you." Ron said immediately. "How could you think that?"
She hung her head. "I don't know. And I wish I hadn't thought like that." Now she inched closer and rested her head against his shoulder. "Ron, I can't keep on going without you."
"I don't like being without you either." Ron admitted. "But I can't just keep up the relationship the way it's going. I don't like having this casual sex; I want to start a family with you."
Susan was quiet. "I've done a lot of thinking over the last few days, and especially after last night. I need you Ron. I really need you in my life. You still want to get married? Then let's plan a date and do it."
"How do I know I can believe you?" Ron asked. "I mean, say we get back together, in one week you could be back to the way you were."
"Then let's go right now." Susan stood up. "Get your broom and we'll go right this second and get married somewhere."
"What?" Ron looked flabbergasted.
"I mean it." Susan looked determined. "Let's go get married."
Ron reached his hand out and grabbed hers. "Susan…we don't have to get married right this second. I believe you when you say you will."
"You do?" Susan asked, sitting back down but not removing her hand from his.
"Yes, I do." Ron finally smiled at her. "That you are willing to go and do this right now proves it to me."
Susan stared at him a moment, and then a huge grin broke across her face. "Ron Weasley I love you!" She shrieked, flying over at him. Ron fell back, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She put both her hands on the side of his face and held it as she brought her mouth to his. Susan shifted her body on top of Ron's as he responded to her kiss, opening his mouth to invite her tongue inside.
She moaned softly as his hands splayed across her back and moved up and down. Ron's touch was making her mad, she wanted to be with him so badly she could almost taste it. Susan pressed her mouth harder against his and fisted her hands in his hair.
"Sue…" Ron said breathlessly as he regretfully tore his mouth from hers. "Susan want to go back to my room?" his eyes were extremely lustful as he looked up at her.
"You want to?" she was surprised.
"Uh huh…" he answered huskily, kissing her again, then pulling her to her feet. Susan jumped down the ladder, pulling her wand from her pocket and muttering a locking charm. Ron tripped down after her, pulling the door to the roof shut.
"Get over here!" he grinned, pulling her body tightly against his. Susan giggled softly and raised her lips to his again. They kissed passionately for a few more minutes, and then Ron pushed her over onto his bed. Susan landed with a soft oomph and he fell on top of her, hooking his fingers under the hem of her shirt and lifting it over her head.
And a few moments later, the two of them were indefinitely 'back together'.
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Harry's hand was resting on her waist, his thumb stroking up and down absentmindedly on her back through her shirt. Hermione smiled to herself and tried not to fidget as he dutifully filled out the information on the hotel slip.
At the next station, Oliver Wood was trying to fill in his own slip, but his eyes kept darting to Hermione's legs sticking out beneath her short skirt she was wearing. She was gorgeous, that was for sure. Oliver bit his lip to keep from smiling as he noticed Harry's hand on her waist, as if staking his claim.
"She's pretty." Jenn was saying. "Don't you think, Oliver?"
"Uh…yeah." Oliver muttered. He bent over the slip once more as Jenn sidled up next to him.
"Hurry up…" she whispered in his ear. "I can't wait to see our room."
"Right." Oliver said, grinning at his girlfriend, his thoughts of Hermione flying from his head as Jenn leaned against the counter.
Hermione drummed her nails idly on the counter as Harry signed the slip with a flourish. The clerk took it and handed them two cards, one of which Harry handed to her.
"What the hell are these?" she asked, turning the card over in her hand.
"Apparently some sort of key." He replied. "Strange, how these Muggles do things." Harry added quietly. Oliver and Jenn joined them a few moments later. "What are you two up for tonight?"
Oliver looked at Jenn. "Want to go walk around the town for a bit?" he suggested.
Harry nodded. "Sure, that sounds great…how about we meet up in ten minutes?" he asked as they approached their adjoining rooms.
"Okay…" Oliver and Jenn waved as they disappeared into their room. Harry turned to their door and shoved the key in the tiny slot.
"How the bloody hell did they do that thing?" he muttered as the door buzzed but refused to unlock. Harry jammed the card back in and yanked it out quickly, but the door still remained locked. He looked up at Hermione who was smirking. "Think that's funny do you?" he asked.
"Quite." She answered, taking her own card out of her pocket and sliding it into the slot. A moment later, she pulled it back out and the little light on the lock turned green. "Ta da!" she announced, opening the door. Harry stared at her as she picked her up her small bag and proceeded inside.
"How did you do that?" he asked, bringing in his own suitcase and settling it against the wall.
"I followed the instructions on the back of the card." She replied smartly. "It's really not hard." Harry flipped the switch and soft, dim light filtered through the room. Hermione's eyes widened in appreciation as she glanced around, taking in the large, king size bed, the open doors to the balcony outside, and the large hot tub in the bathroom. "What a room…this must be where celebrities stay…OOOH!" she let out a squeal as Harry grabbed her around the waist and spun her body up against his.
"Who cares where celebrities stay?" he asked as he pressed his mouth against hers. Hermione immediately wrapped her arms around his neck as he slid his hands around her and up her back. She kissed him back with a passion that surprised even herself. Harry began to back her up so that he could push her against the wall, but Hermione stumbled over his suitcase and would have fallen if it weren't for his grip.
"Ouch." She muttered as she rubbed her ankle. "I cannot believe you have a bigger bag than I do, shouldn't it be the other way around? Will I have enough clothing for this weekend?" Hermione's tone turned worried.
Harry laughed. "I'm sure you will, and if you don't, you can charge anything you want in the shops downstairs to the room. This whole weekend is on me."
Hermione's lips curved up in a smile. "Everything is ALWAYS on you." She said, poking him with her index finger.
"You know what I like best on me?" Harry asked, his emerald eyes lighting up as he brought her body up to his again. "You."
Hermione snickered and raised her lips to his. "I'll agree with that." She said, as he whirled her around the room for a few moments then gently dropped her on the bed. She pulled on his shirt and he fell down on top of her, immediately ravaging her lips. Harry loved kissing Hermione; to him it was the greatest feeling, well, next to making love to her.
After a few minutes of some deep, heavy snogging, Hermione suddenly pushed him away.
"We forgot about Oliver and Jenn!" she said, looking up at him. Harry smirked.
"I doubt we'll be seeing them again tonight, you put those two in a room together and it's only a matter of moments before they're going at it." At that moment, almost as if on cue, a loud thud was heard against the wall, followed by some feminine giggling. Harry looked back down at Hermione, an 'I told you so' expression on his face.
"I see." Hermione's own expression was one of amusement. "Maybe we should follow their example later."
"Later?" Harry asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "What do you mean, later, we were doing pretty well just a second ago…"
"I'm hungry." Hermione said, pushing Harry up so she could sit.
"Oh." Harry felt at a loss for words as she walked across the room to the table. "I'm hungry too." He got up from the bed and came up behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder as she opened the menu. "Here get that." Harry brought one hand around and pointed at the most expensive item.
"I don't need to get that." Hermione said. "Besides, it cost too much. You're just spoiling me." She turned her head halfway and smiled at him.
Harry pulled back from her. "Well if you don't like it…" he turned away and started to walk back across the room.
Hermione dropped the menu on the table and grabbed his hand. Spinning him back around, she kissed him hard. "I didn't say I didn't like it." She pushed Harry back across the room, onto the bed. Practically leaping on top of him, Hermione straddled him and leaned down. "I don't feel so hungry anymore, not for food at least…" she whispered in his ear.
*** The Next Morning***
Harry stretched as luxuriously as possible without waking Hermione, who was sleeping with one arm slung across his chest and her head on his shoulder. He smiled as he looked down at her, she was such an incredible person and he had never been happier since the day he searched her out. He leaned over to kiss her awake when a flourish of wings distracted him.
A large white owl was swooping in the open window. Harry immediately recognized it as his family's owl, Theseus. He groaned inwardly and sneaked his arm out from underneath his peacefully sleeping girlfriend.
-Harry
I have arranged with your school that you shall return in two weeks time. The record of your test shall be taken from your record. Do not mess up this chance; it's the only one you have left.
-James
Harry snorted as he read the note. "He couldn't even sign it as Dad." He muttered and balled up the note. He was about to throw it across the room when Hermione yawned loudly.
"What's the matter?" she asked, mid yawn. Harry silently handed her the ball of paper and rolled out of bed as she unfolded and read it. He went across the room to look out the window at the early morning sun of the calm, quiet Caribbean island.
"My guess is that you don't want to go back." Hermione said, coming up behind him.
"Good guess." Harry replied. He folded his arms over his bare chest and sighed, thudding his forehead against the glass. "He's trying to run my life again."
Hermione sighed too; she didn't want Harry to feel bad. "I have an idea!" she exclaimed a moment later. She crumpled the note back up and threw it into the wastebasket.
"What's that?" Harry asked, turning around, a slight smile crossing his lips.
"Well for starters, since we never got any food last night, let's have breakfast in bed, then we'll get our bathing suits on and go out to the beach…." Hermione started.
"I like this idea so far…" Harry wrapped his arms around her waist.
Hermione grinned and continued. "Then we rent one of those…what do you call them…those little things you ride out into the ocean…. um…"
"Wave runners?" Harry asked. "I think that's what they're called."
"Yes that's it." Hermione said. "And then we'll lie on the beach again, then come back here and shower…." She rattled on and Harry grinned. Hermione was perfect to help him forget his troubles.
"…and then we'll all have dinner somewhere quiet and…" she was cut off by Harry's mouth on hers.
"How about we try that shower idea out first?" he asked softly.
A/N: Well woo hoo, look at those two! Actually, both couples ;) Hahaha
Don't forget to leave a review!
Next up: Lav and Henry have an 'evening'…dum da dum dum…. And someone comes home from a trip…eek!