Just a Wizard

CHAPTER TEN

The next week passed by at a crawl. Hermione tried to do as Remus had suggested and think of things they could do when Ron got there, but it just made her think about him more. She was quite surprised at the difference in temperature in London compared to Majorca. It was December now and Remus and Emmeline had been making all sorts of plans for the Christmas, making sure to include Ron in them, much to Hermione's delight. Remus had remodelled number twelve Grimmauld Place, after it was left to him in Sirius’ will, and Hermione had been totally speechless when she had first seen it, unable to believe the drastic changes in the old mansion.

Remus had been amused by her response to her first look at her new home and he had taken great pleasure showing her around. He and Emmeline had taken her upstairs and shown her into a set of rooms that they assured her were all hers. There was a huge bedroom all decorated in varying shades of cream and her own bathroom, along with a sitting room that seemed to have every muggle and wizarding entertainment item known to man, and the door from the hallway opened straight into this room, giving her privacy in her bedroom.

"We flooed ahead and had it kitted out for you," Emmeline told her, putting her arm around her shoulders and steering her into the bedroom. The bed was a huge four poster with soft voile drapes hanging from the posts and wrapped around them. It looked just like something out of a fairy tale, and Hermione said so.

Emmeline opened the wardrobe doors and Hermione's jaw dropped when she saw that it was full of clothing in every colour. She went closer and looked, finding that they were all in her size.

"I don't understand," she said, looking confused and Emmeline gave a big grin.

"Hermione, I noticed you didn't have many things, so I stole a couple of them and got all these in your size. You've got everything you could possibly need, knickers, shoes, sports clothing, a swimsuit...I don't think I've forgotten anything. You'll need a new dress for the Christmas party, but I thought we could go shopping together for that. What do you think?"

"I can't believe it," she murmured, trying to find a way to voice her thanks. "I don't know how to thank you enough, there's so much, too much..."

Remus saw her trying to hold back tears and pulled her to him for a hug. "You deserve all of it, Ninny. It's about time you had nice things happen to you again, and we're happy to be the ones who make them happen. Now come on, don't get all watery on me, we can't have you crying all over the dinner can we?"

Hermione gave a wobbly smile and turned to give Emmeline a hug. "Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome. But how about that shopping trip?"

"I'd like that very much. I've never really gone on a shopping trip with another witch, except Ginny really...but I'd love to."

Emmeline smiled and nodded, taking the younger girl’s arm and leading her from the room.

They all went down and sat in the enormous dining room whilst Remus' housekeeper bustled about setting food in front of them. It was all a bit of a culture shock for Hermione and she just stared around her, bemused by the luxury she now found herself in. She swore that she would do everything she could to make sure they were glad they'd taken her in.

The first evening, after dinner, they were sitting in the main living room watching television when Hermione heard her shell phone start making weird hooting noises from out in the hall. She went out and picked it up from the table and looked at it. It had never made any noises before, no one had phoned her on it and she looked carefully at the screen.

"It's an express owl, a message," Remus said, coming up behind her and looking at the small screen. "Press that button there, and then you can read it."

He made himself scarce whilst she brought up the message on the tiny screen, grinning as he walked away, knowing full well that he had only given her number to one person.

'Hope you made the journey okay Ninny. Just finished an undercover op with Carter and he was acting crazy. I can't stand it anymore. Come and rescue me!' the message read and Hermione found herself grinning like a fool when she read it. She fiddled around with the phone for a few seconds, getting the hang of the menu on it, then she typed in a quick reply.

'I'd love to come and rescue you, but then you'd have to promise to become my slave!' she typed, biting her lip as she sent it.

She sat down in one of the nearby chairs and waited, wondering how long it would take to get a reply. The phone hooted at her again just a couple of minutes later and she eagerly opened the message.

'I don't mind being your slave, as long as it's your sex slave. I have to go get some sleep now, but I miss you. xxx.'

'I miss you too. Have sweet dreams. xxx.' she typed back and sent the message, rejoining Remus and Emmeline by the telly.

"Who was it?" Remus asked, his tone knowing, and he grinned broadly when she blushed.

"It was Ron," she said, trying not to look pleased and failing.

"I suppose he sent you a soppy message? Something like 'Oh, I miss you so much, my heart is going to wither and die without you'," Remus said in a stupid voice, laughing at her heightened colour.

Hermione laughed with him. "I can't imagine Ron ever sounding like that!"

"Oh, but I notice you didn't deny that he had sent a soppy message? Ah, isn't love grand?" he asked Emmeline, winking at her.

Hermione found herself really relaxing for the first time in years and enjoying the friendly teasing, rather than feeling baffled by it all. She felt like part of a family.

Ron and Hermione continued sending messages for the next few days and Hermione spent a lot of time walking around the grounds of Remus' estate which had been aptly named ‘Wolf’s Grove’, traipsing through the snow and delighting in it. They hadn't had a lot of snow in New Zealand, except in the Mountains and she didn't often see it. This stuff was fluffy and deep and she loved it, even if Emmeline did keep telling her not to stay outside for so long. It gave her a chance to think about Ron and what the future might hold. In the evenings she watched the concerts via wizarding video wireless on television, worrying every time he took after a rowdy fan and then cheering him on whenever he caught up with them and tossed them out, much to Remus' amusement.

"You're becoming a vicious little thing!"

"Yeah, well...they were trying to hurt him!" she protested, smiling.

"Well, that is the name of game. By the way, I hear you had a bit of trouble with Theodore Knott?"

"Who?" Hermione asked, wrinkling her brow in mock confusion.

"Who, she says," Remus asked no one in particular, rolling his eyes. "The stocky guy, blonde hair, made a pass at you the other week? Ring any bells?"

"Oh...oh, him," she muttered realizing playing dumb wouldn’t work.

"Yes, him. I don't need to ask if it was true then, your face tells me everything I need to know. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't important really, no harm done. Ron came along and...er...dealt with him."

"Yes, I heard about that too. I'll have to call Theodore in and have a word with him I think," he said holding up a hand when she went to protest. "No arguments. You're not the first one he's come on too strong with, so it's time he was told." He gave a chuckle. "I hear he lost virtually all his colour when Ron threatened him and then Carter told him who you were. I wish I'd seen that. Still, I will when I call him in, won't I?"

Hermione shrugged. "I guess so." She rubbed her temples and grimaced. "Have you got any pain potions?"

"What's up, headache?"

"Yeah, feels weird, like a migraine or something. I think I might take some and go to bed, if that's alright?"

"You do what you feel like doing Ninny," he said, going through his store cupboard and handing her a vile brilliant blue liquid. "You know, you look pretty flushed, maybe you're coming down with something."

Hermione shrugged and gave a small smile. "Maybe it's the cold weather?"

"Hmm, could be. Get some sleep and feel better okay?" he said, watching her walk out of the door before he turned back to the sheaf of parchment in his hands.

Hermione made her way upstairs and took the potion, swallowing it down through a throat that felt sort of bruised. Great, she thought, I'm getting a cold. Now I'll look awful when Ron gets here!

She had a quick wash and slipped into her nightgown, sliding her body between the cool sheets and praying that what she had was simply a bad headache and nothing more.

Unfortunately, it seemed that no one was listening to her prayers, because when she woke up the next morning she could barely lift her head off the pillow and her throat hurt unbearably, as did every muscle in her body it seemed. She started to panic when she realised she really couldn't get out of bed and she forced herself to calm down, taking a deep breath. The pain in her chest sent her into a fit of coughing that went on for what seemed like forever, leaving her even weaker than before. She let her heavy eyelids close and relaxed, wondering how long it would be before they noticed her missing.

It was about an hour later when Emmeline knocked on the door. "Hermione? Are you up honey, we missed you at breakfast? Hermione?" she called, waiting for a reply that didn't come. All she could hear was a slight raspy sound, and she opened the door and peeked her head around it, thinking that maybe the younger girl was in the shower. "Hermione?" she said when she saw her laying in the bed, her eyes open and her face pale, all except two bright spots of colour high up on her cheeks. "Oh my," she said, rushing over to the bed and feeling Hermione's forehead. "You're burning up!"

When Hermione whispered how awful she felt Emmeline immediately took charge of the situation and pretty soon Hermione found herself dosed up with cold potions, having been efficiently bathed and dressed by both Emmeline and the housekeeper, Tilly, her bed remade and a drink forced down her throat. She had to admit she felt a little bit better, even if it did feel like she was swallowing razor blades.

"I told you not to stay out in the cold for so long! Good grief, you were like a popsicle when you came indoors! You wait until I tell Ron what you've been up to!" Emmeline admonished, walking around the bed and making sure everything was tucked in and Hermione was comfortable.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said, grimacing when her voice came out all grating and husky.

"No need to say sorry to me, sweetie, save it for Remus!"

"He won't be mad will he?"

Emmeline brushed the hair back from her forehead, frowning when she felt how hot Hermione still was, despite the potions she had taken. "No, he won't be mad. Not while you're ill anyway. When you're better he'll probably lecture you for hours on the right amount of time to spend in the snow and the appropriate clothing to wear, blah blah blah!" Emmeline smiled. "I'll go and get him, he'll be wondering what's going on by now."

Hermione wearily watched her go out of the room and sank back against the pillows, letting her feverish eyes close and drift off into a fitful sleep. Some time later she became aware of a big cool hand on her forehead and forced her eyes open again, seeing Remus looking down at her with concern. He looked up at Emmeline. "I'm calling a healer, she's been like this for two days now and we should have done something sooner. That damn cold potion doesn't do a thing!"

Two days!? Hermione couldn't believe her ears. She felt as if she'd only just closed her eyes! Looking down at herself she noticed she was wearing different nightclothes and her bed had been changed again, maybe more than once. She frowned when she tried to recall the previous two days. She had vague memories of being taken to the bathroom, of being cooled down with a charm at some point. Other than that her mind was a blank. She looked bewildered and Remus patted her arm. "We'll soon have you better Ninny, don't worry."

She tried smiling and then found her eyes closing again, her last thought being to wonder how much time would elapse before she next opened them.

Two more days passed and Remus was busy working in his study when a floo call came in. "Hello," Remus said absently from his desk.

"Hey, Remus. Is Hermione about?"

Remus stopped what he was doing when he heard Ron’s voice and looked over to the hovering head in the fire. "Er...yeah, I guess so," he said, frowning.

"What's up?"

"Nothing, why do you ask?"

"Well, y'know, I've been sending messages to Hermione for the last couple of days and she hasn't replied to a one of them. And then there's the fact that you sound weird. What's going on?" Ron demanded, and Remus could see him frowning.

"Hermione isn't well. She's not going to die or anything, the healer said it's just a muggle flu, but it's a bad one. She's been in bed for four days, and she's been pretty out of it, that's why she probably didn't reply to you."

"Is she okay?" Ron asked, his voice conveying his worry.

"Yeah, yeah, she will be. Don't worry about her. You know we'll take care of her. Anyway, you'll be here at the weekend," Remus pointed out, smiling as he heard Ron muttering.

"Yeah, but that's another two days yet. Dammit, I can't get there any sooner. Are you sure she's okay?"

"Yes, stop worrying, for Merlin's sake! Anyway, seeing your ugly face will probably make her worse, if anything."

"Thanks a lot. Look, tell her I...er...tell her I called okay? See ya."

Remus grinned as Ron’s head disappeared from the flames. And he had been worried that Ron might string her along. 'Tell her I...' he thought, tell her I...what? Maybe Ron was more smitten than he had thought. Good. It was obvious to him that Hermione had lost her heart, now he wanted to make sure her feelings were returned. He looked forward to what the weekend might bring.

The next couple of days passed by fairly swiftly, especially for Hermione. She still felt awful and they'd called the healer in again, but he said she was well on her way to recovery. It had just been a particularly nasty case of muggle flu. He remarked that it was fortunate no one else had succumbed to it, prescribing a course of muggle vitamins and iron to help boost her immune system and saying that it would probably be gone as quickly as it had appeared.

Hermione had time to look forward to Ron's arrival and she read all the messages he had sent when she felt well enough, the affection he showed her bringing a smile to her face. She couldn't wait to see him again and she just hoped she'd be better by then.

Ron stepped out of the floo office and apparated straight to number twelve Grimmauld Place impatient to see Hermione now that he was this close to her.. He hoped Remus would be okay with him arriving a day early, but as soon as the concert finished he had jumped at the next available floo opportunity. The last two weeks had been torture. He had missed her more than he had imagined possible. When Remus had told him she was sick he had been almost beside himself with worry. Carter had had a hard time calming him down. He made his way through the heaps of snow and walked the block as fast as he could to Remus' house, getting buzzed through the large entrance gates by Remus himself and only just refraining from hammering on the door quite as hard as he wanted to once he reached it.

"Ron! Good to see you, come on in," Emmeline said as she looked up at the large man standing hesitantly on the doorstep. "You're here earlier than I thought. Or should I say later?" she asked, looking at her watch since it was nearly eleven at night.

"Hi, Emma. Yeah, I couldn't hang about waiting until tomorrow. How's Hermione?" Ron asked, not bothering with any niceties, wanting to see Hermione for himself.

Emmeline smiled up at him, carefully masking the glee in her eyes. "She's doing okay. She's in the third room to the right, just up the stairs. That's her room now, so I suppose you'd better know where it is, huh?" She laughed at his slightly embarrassed expression. "She's in bed, but she was awake half an hour ago. Go on up. But you better knock first, okay?"

Ron looked relieved. "Okay, thanks."

Emmeline watched him take the stairs three at a time and shook her head. She couldn't wait to tell Remus.

Ron stood outside the bedroom door and wiped his palms down his jeans, surprised that he was nervous about seeing her again. It had only been two weeks, but he had been worried about her since he heard she was ill. He knocked on the door and waited, but no sound came from the room so he tried knocking again. Still nothing. Maybe she was asleep, he thought, and he risked opening the door a crack and peering into what turned out to be a sitting room. He made his way to a door at the far end of the room, dropping his bag on the floor, knocking and then opening the door into a decidedly feminine bedroom.

Hermione was lying in bed, fast asleep and obviously still suffering from a slight fever, if her colour was anything to go by. He walked into the room and closed the door quietly, moving to sit down on the edge of the bed where he could take her hand in his.

She stirred at the first touch of his fingers and he watched with concern as she went into a coughing fit, helping her sit up so she could catch her breath. She opened her eyes as she calmed down and stared at him blearily. "Am I dreaming?" she asked huskily, staring blankly at his face.

Ron smiled softly and cupped her face in his palm. "Nah, love, you aren't dreaming."

"You're really here?"

"Yeah, I'm really here. Where else would I be?"

"I missed you," she said softly, her eyelids still drooping. She frowned suddenly. "I look awful. I wanted to look nice when I saw you again."

"You look just fine to me, Ninny. How are you feeling?"

"Ok, I guess. I'm tired," she replied.

"Maybe you should lay down again and get some sleep. You need to get better for me," Ron said, stroking her hair out of her face.

"I don't want to go to sleep," she grumbled as he pushed her gently back against the pillows.

"Why not?"

"You won't be here when I wake up."

"Oh love, ‘course I'll be here. I'd like to see anyone try and move me," he said, running his thumb down her cheek as her eyes slid slowly closed.

"You promise?" she mumbled, already half asleep.

"I promise. Go to sleep."

He watched her for a while until he was sure she was sound asleep and then eased himself down next to her, trying to fit his large frame on the regular sized double bed, his feet hanging over the end. It didn't matter, he thought, because he was exactly where he wanted to be. He found himself feeling drowsy, because he hadn't slept well for the last two nights since Remus had told him how she was, and then there was the rushed floo over here. He had been imagining all sorts of things being wrong with her, and he was relieved now he was finally with her and he could see how good or bad she really was. He let his eyes close and put one arm over Hermione's waist pulling her closer to him and finally relaxing in sleep.

When Hermione woke up a couple of hours later it was to find a heavy weight pinning her to the bed and she looked down to see what it was, smiling slightly when she saw it was a very large freckled arm. She lifted her eyes to his face and studied him as he slept, surprised at how innocent he looked, the frown lines almost completely absent.

"I'm glad you're here," she whispered, reaching out and touching his mouth, running her fingers up over his nose and eyes and then returning once again to his full lips. She gasped when his mouth opened and he nipped gently at her fingertip. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was. Maybe I should have pretended to be asleep longer, just to see where else those busy little fingers might go," he murmured, opening his eyes and pinning her with a cobalt stare. "How are you feeling?"

"Better actually. Maybe it's because you're here?" she said, her throat feeling better and her chest feeling much clearer. Perhaps he was a miracle worker, she thought.

"I'd bet on it," he murmured, watching her as she yawned and snuggled closer to him. "Go back to sleep."

Hermione sighed and opened her eyes a little. "What about you? You can't be comfortable like that," she said, looking at his fully dressed body. "Why don't you take your shirt off?"

"Oh I like that. You want me to get naked huh? You little hussy!" he chuckled, but all the same he moved her gently away from him and stripped everything off save for his trousers, and even those he unbuttoned, patting his stomach happily. "Have to let my gut out, haven't I?"

Hermione giggled as he rejoined her and arranged them so they were both under the covers with her head resting on his chest. Ron sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, glad that the two weeks of waiting were over.

He awoke slowly to the sound of hushed voices and he cautiously opened one eye, the other one popping open suddenly when he saw Remus and Emmeline standing in the doorway, staring at him.

"Good morning," Remus said, trying to look stern. "Want to tell me what the hell you're doing in here?" He looked Ron over, pursing his lips when he saw he had no shirt on. "Want to also tell me that you have some clothes on under there?"

Emmeline smacked him on the arm and shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Leave him alone!" she said to Remus, tut-tutting. She turned her attention to Ron, seeing how he was looking down at the girl in his arms, one hand coming out from under the sheets to brush her hair back from her face and feel her forehead.

"How is she?"

Ron looked up and gave a small smile. "She seems better, her temperature's down. As for your question, yes, of course I'm wearing something!" he said to Remus, looking disgusted at the insinuation.

"Ah, don't give me that look!" Remus said, grinning. "You can't tell me it didn't cross your mind?"

"She's ill, even I wouldn't take advantage of someone who was ill," Ron pointed out, trying not to smile. "Although, now I think about it..."

Emmeline laughed and the sound woke Hermione up. She opened her eyes and looked to see where all the noise was coming from, her face going beetroot red when she saw Remus and Emmeline standing there grinning at her, and Ron holding her close to his bare chest. She turned and hid her face against him, groaning. She felt him shake when he laughed and she peeked up at him. "It isn't funny!"

"Yeah it is, Scarlet," he replied, his voice rumbling pleasantly in his chest. He looked at Remus. "Care to get the hell out of here so we can get dressed?"

Remus raised his eyebrow "I thought you said you had something on?"

"I have. But apart from a nightgown," he murmured, looking under the covers at what Hermione was wearing, "she doesn't."

"You shouldn't be looking!" Remus growled as Emmeline started pulling him out of the room. "I will be back up here in ten minutes, so you'd better both be dressed by then!"

Emmeline succeeded in getting him out of the room and leaned her head around the door just before she closed it. "Twenty minutes, okay?" she said with a wink and Ron laughed, pulling Hermione closer to him as soon as the door was shut.

"Are you feeling okay this morning?" he asked her, gently stroking her face..

Hermione smiled, nodded and then wrapped her arms as far around him as she could get them, squeezing for all she was worth. "Oh, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, love, more than I thought I would," he said heavily, his arms wrapping her in a bear hug that almost took her breath away. He frowned when he felt how much weight she had lost, she felt frail. "You feel even tinier than normal," he murmured, running one hand up and down her back, the soft satin of her nightgown sliding between his fingers. "I guess you're not up to a bout of lovemaking just yet?" he asked wistfully.

Hermione pulled back from him and saw the wicked gleam in his eyes, realising he was teasing her. "Not really. But I'm getting better!" she said enthusiastically. "So maybe soon?"

Ron laughed. "Eager aren’t you?"

Her face was suddenly serious and she studied his rugged face. "Yes I am."

"Good, I'll make it worth your while, but not just yet. What I want to do right now is clean my teeth so I can kiss you properly and then take a nice shower," he said, kissing her forehead and then sliding out of bed to grab the bag he had dumped in the sitting room the night before. He brought it back in the bedroom and dumped it on the end of the bed, rummaging through it and coming up with clean clothes and a toothbrush.

"You got a spare towel in there?" he asked her, nodding towards the bathroom.

"Yes, on the shelf," she murmured, watching with obvious appreciation as his torso rippled when he moved.

He caught the look and raised an eyebrow. "Want to join me?"

"In the shower?" she asked, her mouth dropping open.

"Yes, in the shower. Not feeling adventurous?"

"Er...no...I..." she shrugged and bit her lip, torn between hiding under the covers and rushing into the bathroom with him.

"Don't panic, you don’t have anything I haven't seen, remember. Although, after being ill so long I guess you'd probably like a bath?"

"It would be nice," she agreed, her gaze dropping to his chest again.

"Okay, well I'll just run you a bath, okay?" he asked, not bothering to wait for a reply before he disappeared into the luxurious en-suite bathroom she now had.

She listened to the sounds of him cleaning his teeth and generally pottering about and couldn't stop herself from going to see what he was doing. She didn't even think about putting on a robe over the flimsy gown she was wearing.

She found him dipping his hand into the tub and checking the temperature. He hadn't seen her yet and she stayed perfectly still, watching him laying out towels and then sniffing at a bottle of bath oil before adding a bit to the running water. He stood back from the bath and stared down at it for a second, a small smile playing around his mouth. "Having a good time watching me work?" he asked, his head turning suddenly to pin her with his glittering gaze.

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

He sauntered over to her and pulled her face up so he could study it. "I don't mind you looking lustfully at me Ninny, I have every intention of doing some looking of my own!" He punctuated his words by looking down and staring at the outline of her body, clearly visible through the thin material of the nightgown.

"Stop that," she said, blushing.

"Aw, come on, Ninny. I will be seeing a lot more of you in a minute, anyway, now clean your teeth," he murmured, grinning at her bewildered expression. He turned away from her as she did what he told her to and he finished filling the bath, testing the temperature once again and then moving back to her and tugging her away from the sink. "Bath time," he said, his smile turning wicked.

When she meekly followed him he gave a slight frown. "Aren't you going to argue with me? Tell me to get out?"

"Would you listen to me if I did?" she asked, shrugging and trying to make her heartbeat slow down.

Ron seemed to think about that for a moment. "No." He gave another dazzling grin and then whipped the gown over her head before she could say another word, chuckling when she automatically tried to cover herself with her hands. "Not feeling quite so brave now then huh? Now come on, I've seen it all before," he said, picking her up and lowering her slowly into the scented water, his big arms taking her weight with no problem whatsoever. His eyes devoured every inch of her as she disappeared beneath the bubbles, and he felt his body react predictably. "There," he said, when she was laying back. "Now you're covered up again. Want me to wash your back? Maybe join you in the bath? Huh?"

He sounded so eager that she couldn't help laughing. "I wouldn't mind you washing my back," she said.

"Oh, but I can't join you?" he asked, looking sulky. His eyes ran the length of the tub. "Mind you, I wouldn't fit in there," he admitted, shrugging. "Ah well, you have to take these knocks sometimes. Come on, don't get lazy, lean forward for me," he said, grabbing a sponge and lathering it up.

Ten minutes later Hermione found herself wrapped in a huge towel, her face as red as it had ever been. He had been very thorough about washing her back, and had ended up washing every square inch of her, oblivious to her half-hearted protests. Now here she was standing watching as he stood under the shower, quickly washing himself and grinning every time he turned and looked at her.. She tried to keep her eyes above his waist, but it was impossible not to look, hence her red face. He had told her not to move an inch and for some reason she had done exactly what he said, unable to uproot herself when such a tempting specimen was standing just a few feet away from her. She watched as he shut off the shower and stepped out of the cubicle, drying himself slowly with another big towel. "You know," he drawled, wrapping the towel around his waist and sauntering towards her, "I believe I've asked you this before, but I'm asking again. See anything you like?"

Hermione looked up into the deep blue pools of his eyes and couldn't bring herself to joke this time, not when all she wanted in the world was to jump into his arms and let him carry her off wherever he wanted to. She was in love with him, and she was only just realising it. "Yes," she said softly, all her longings clear for him to see, and she heard him take a sharp breath.

"Hermione, your eyes are telling me secrets," he murmured, leaning down to pick her up and carry her through to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and came down next to her, his hands framing her face as he looked at her intently. Was he really seeing what he thought he was? He wondered. He saw the emotion there again and brushed his lips gently over hers, coaxing them to open for him so he could kiss her, his tongue shooting into her mouth as soon as it was able.

Hermione groaned under the tender assault, opening her mouth a bit wider for him and running her hands down his sides and around his back. She toyed with the edge of the towel, stroking her fingers back and forth over the material and then gathering her courage and dipping her fingers under it. She felt him jerk as she did that and almost withdrew her hand again, but he started kissing her deeper still, his hands tangling in her hair and altering the angle of her head to give him better access.

She pushed her hand over his firm, warm buttocks, caressing him tentatively, thoroughly enjoying the feel of his smooth flesh and the firm muscles underneath it. His body had hardened against her thigh and she experimentally rubbed her leg against it, hearing him groan deep in his chest as he broke the kiss and took a deep, shuddering breath. "What the bloody hell are you doing to me?" he asked her, his eyes closed as he savoured her movements.

"Don't you like it?" she asked, watching his expression and trying unsuccessfully to read it.

"I love it, and if you keep on I'll have to do something about it," he said on a groan as her leg rubbed him again. His eyes opened and his hand shot out to still her leg. "You're not up to this yet, you're still unwell."

"But I want to," she said, so pleased to have him back with her that she didn't care that she still felt a little weak.

"Hell, so do I, and you can feel how much. But you will need all your strength to take me, little one, don't you realise that?"

She frowned and realised he was right. She did feel tired already, just from having a bath. "I guess you're right," she grumbled. "What about you though? I've made you all...er...you know..."

"Hard as a rock?" he said wryly.

She blushed, but she was worried. "Well, yes. Won't it hurt if you have to stop?"

"It just aches, it'll be okay," he told her, his eyes taking in all the delicate features of her face and tracing the freckles that ran across her nose.

"Couldn't I help?" she asked, red-faced.

His eyebrows arched in surprise. "You want to make it all better huh?"

She nodded and bit her lip as he took her hand and kissed the palm, rolling onto his side and placing her fingers on the towel. "Go for it," he said, smiling crookedly at her and relaxing back as she immediately let her hands wander. In the end her weakened muscles in her arms weren't much help, but he assisted her some and soon found his release, kissing her until she could barely breathe as he wallowed in the pleasant aftermath.

It was another fifteen minutes before the two of them made it downstairs and Remus looked pointedly at his watch when they sat at the table to have breakfast.

"I had to dry her hair, didn't I?" Ron asked. "We wouldn't want her flu getting any worse, would we?"

Remus gave him a deadly look and then studied Hermione's averted face, not missing the flush on her cheeks or the marks on her neck where Ron had been kissing her there. He saw Emmeline glaring at him and gave a slight nod, knowing she was warning him not to say anything to embarrass them. He looked from one of them to the other as they kept giving each other covert glances and then Ron entwined his fingers through hers and rested their joined hands on the table, giving Hermione such a loving look that Remus felt he was intruding on them.. He opened the Daily Prophet and began to read it, ignoring them as they got on with eating breakfast.

Ron had heaped his plate up so high that the food was in danger of toppling off onto the table and Hermione couldn't help giggling, comparing her own meagre portion to what he was about to consume.

"Well, look at me," he defended himself, one hand going to his waist and patting. "I'm wasting away! If I don't feed myself up I'll soon be too thin to be an effective agent!"

"Yeah sure you will," she scoffed, looking him up and down incredulously. "I'm surprised the chair can take all that weight!"

"Hey!" he said, looking offended. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"Oh, just huge!" she agreed, eating her food slowly and realising she still didn't have any appetite.

"Well, you've told me that once already," he murmured, referring to something else entirely and she blushed, quickly looking at Remus and Emmeline to see if they had noticed his comment. But they were engrossed in their separate newspapers and hadn't heard him.

"Just eat your breakfast," she said, frowning at him as he grinned unrepentantly.

She watched him put the food away with incredible speed while she just pushed hers around her plate.

"What's up, not hungry?" he asked her, nodding to her plate.

"No, not really. This is the first solid food I've had for days, but...I just don't feel like eating," she shrugged.

"Yeah, well you're going to," he said, finishing his and then taking her fork away from her, loading it up and then holding it to her mouth.

"Ron, I really don't think I can..." she began, only to find the fork being put in her mouth as soon as she had opened it.

"Yes, you can. You've lost enough weight since I last saw you, now I have to feed you up. A man likes something to grab hold of ya know!"

Remus' paper hit the table and he glared at the other man amusedly. "You're not grabbing hold of anything!"

"Not at the moment," Ron agreed pleasantly, smiling at the older man.

"Not ever," Remus teased.

"Well, then, how will you ever be a grand-werewolf...or whatever the bloody hell you call it?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

Remus was speechless for a minute and his eyes darted to Hermione, seeing the look of astonishment mingled with longing that she couldn't quite conceal.

"That sounds pretty serious," Remus murmured, trying to gauge Ron’s feelings.

"Doesn't it though?" he replied, smiling slightly and continuing to feed Hermione, the conversation obviously over.

Hermione obediently opened her mouth for the food each time he put the fork near her and pretty soon she had finished the entire plateful. In all honesty she was still bemused by his mention of children and all she could see were images of a miniature him running about, and she couldn't help smiling.

He eyed her curved mouth and then narrowed one eye. "What are you smiling about?"

She shook her head, the grin getting wider. "Nothing. Thank you for feeding me," she said, looking at her empty plate.

"That's my pleasure, Ninny. About time someone fed you up. Now I'm making it my mission to get you healthy again, starting with a bit of gentle exercise to get those muscles going," he said, pursing his lips as he picked up one of her arms and squeezed the non-existent bicep. "Like a bit of spaghetti," he grumbled, sounding disgusted.

"What sort of exercise? Don't you go wearing her out," Remus warned him.

"Nothing too strenuous, I thought maybe some swimming. Your pool's heated right?"

Hermione sat listening to them and felt her stomach turn over when he mentioned swimming. She had been hoping not to ever be pressed into going into the pool and she didn't know what to say, especially with everyone sitting there listening. She would wait and talk to Ron on his own later.

Unfortunately, later was a bit optimistic. It had barely been an hour before he hustled her upstairs and told her to get changed into her swimsuit and that he'd wait for her by the pool. Remus and Emmeline had gone to the company offices and Ron had the day off, so at least there would only be the two of them. She stared at herself in the mirror, tugging at the swimsuit as she tried to get it to cover a little more flesh, then she gave up and slipped on a robe over it before grabbing a towel and making her way down to the indoor pool.

Ron was already in the water and Hermione found herself staring at him enviously as he swam cleanly through the blue water, his arms propelling him swiftly from one end to the other. He stopped at the edge and wiped the drops from his eyes, before giving her a grin. "Don't just stand there, get in," he said, waiting for her to do so. When she showed no signs of taking her robe off he frowned, watching her move nervously from foot to foot.

Hermione's eyes shot from the water to him when he hauled himself out of the pool, her fascinated gaze taking in his splendid physique as he walked towards her. His torso was all rippling muscle and he had the most beautiful legs she had ever seen on a man, not that she had ever really looked before. But he was perfect to her eyes, and she couldn't stop looking at him. He stood in front of her, one hand coming to grab her chin gently. "What's the matter?"

"I...er...isn't there some other sort of exercise that I could do?" she asked, delaying the inevitable.

"No, this is the best sort, it works the whole body," he explained, undoing the belt of her robe and slipping it from her arms to throw it on a nearby chaise. His eyes did some looking of their own and he had to force himself to remember she was still too weak for what he wanted to do, because the amount of tanned skin he could see was turning him on quicker than he would have imagined possible. He took her hand and started pulling her towards the edge of the pool and she completely panicked, trying to tug her hand out of his.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" he asked, surprised by his reactions.

"You're not going to throw me in?" she spluttered, her eyes big and wary.

"Why the bloody hell would I throw you in?" he said, frowning and then narrowing his eyes as a thought occurred to him. "Hermione, I know you can swim."

"Not really," she said quietly.

"Not really? You used to swim at the burrow all the time,” he told her, then it dawned on him that this was probably yet another residual side effect from her attack.

“Ninny,” he whispered, stepping forward, and crouching to look into her face. Hermione’s eyes were glazed over and the colour had drained from her skin. Ron rubbed his hands up and down her arms comfortingly. “Tell me what they did love,”

Hermione didn’t answer for a moment, seemingly lost in the memory before her eyes flicked to his. She squeezed them shut and began to stutter. “t-t-they t-threw me into a tank… tied weight to my feet… couldn’t breathe.” She rasped, her breathing becoming laboured.

Ron’s eyes widened “Fuckers!” he exclaimed before he straightened up and pulled her to him, crushing her against his chest. “Shhh, it’s okay.” He said soothingly. “Do you want to be able to swim again?”

"I think so, I don't know. What if I sink?"

"Then I'll be there to catch you, won't I? Come on, we'll get in the shallow end and take it slowly," he said gently, leading her to the steps and helping her down them into the warm water.

Hermione had to admit she enjoyed the feeling of being in the water, but she knew that as soon as she tried stretching out to swim she would sink like a stone and she couldn't hide her trepidation from Ron.

"Do you really think I'd let you drown?" he asked her, pulling her inexorably out from the shallow end until she could no longer touch the bottom. "Don't panic, just let yourself float."

She tried to do as he said, but not being able to put her feet on the bottom was making her feel nervous. She grabbed hold of his shoulders, holding onto the only solid thing in the vicinity, and let out a shaky breath once she felt safe again.

"Now don't be a coward, Ninny, you have to get over this sometime," he said, unwrapping her arms from his neck but putting his hands under them so she still felt safe.

"Right, now I'll take you in so it's a bit shallower okay? Then you're going to lay on your front in the water to get used to it. I'll hold onto you okay?" He was speaking to her as if she was a child, but she didn't mind at that moment, his voice sounded soothing.

After fifteen minutes of practising floating and kicking out with her feet, Hermione was delighted that she could actually move in the water and not sink straight to the bottom. "I can swim!" she said when she regained her feet again after another floating session, trying to ignore the heat of his palm where he had been supporting her stomach.

Ron couldn't help grinning at her enthusiasm. "Well, not quite yet, but we're getting there. Want to keep going or are you too tired?" he asked her, not having missed the fact that she was getting more than a little puffed out.

She grimaced. "I am a bit tired, but I don't want to get out yet," she admitted.

Ron pulled her towards him and placed his hands on her waist, grinning wickedly down at her. "I could suggest a few things we could do!"

"Pervert," she said, her lips curving in a smile.

"How do you know it was something rude? Who's the pervert here, you or me?" he asked, trying to sound outraged.

"If I am becoming perverted then it's only because of your bad influence!" she retorted, laughing at his thunderstruck expression.

"Oh you've done it now!" he roared and began walking out into the deeper water, still clutching her. "Now what are you going to do?" he asked, once he was up to his neck and she had no hope of touching bottom.

"Don't you dare let me go," she said, looking worriedly down.

"Hermione, I haven't got any intention of ever letting you go," he murmured, pulling her arms around his neck and staring pointedly at her mouth. "You could always wrap those beautiful legs around me, just to make sure you don't drown."

She dropped her own eyes to his sensuous lips and hoped he was going to kiss her again, even though she knew she could initiate it herself if she felt brave enough. She decided she did, and she leaned forward the inch needed and pressed her lips to his, flicking her tongue out to lick curiously at the corners of his mouth, learning him. His shape and his texture intrigued her and she pushed her mouth up against his harder until he parted his lips for her and allowed her access inside, his chest rumbling in a deep groan when she instantly delved inside and traced the edge of his teeth, meeting with his own tongue and rubbing softly against it. She lifted her legs up and slowly wrapped them around his hips, using the buoyancy the water gave her as support, stilling the involuntary withdrawal of her body when she felt how hard he already was.

Ron had allowed her to do her own thing, but as his body became more aroused he couldn't help taking over from her and deepening the kiss, thrusting his tongue repeatedly into her mouth much as he would like their bodies to join, holding her tightly against him so that her breasts were pressed hard against his chest and he could feel every curve and outline of her warm body. Before too long he was grinding himself against her softness, and it was only the faint whimpers she was making that brought him to his senses.

He broke off finally and took a deep shuddering breath, closing his eyes as he buried his face in her neck.

"Love, you do things to me I'm not sure are legal!"

"I only kissed you," she pointed out breathlessly.

"Yeah, and if you weren't still recovering..." he broke off and lifted his head, puffing out a soft breath.

"Come on, let's get you dried and dressed, I don't want you having a relapse."

He lifted her out of the water with him as he got out, and slowly set her on her feet, his eyes dropping to her breasts. She heard his breath catch and wondered why, looking down herself to see what he was so entranced by. Her nipples had hardened due to the cold air making contact with her wet body and his eyes were riveted to them, his gaze so intense and full of meaning that she blushed and went to cover herself.

"No, don't you dare," he murmured, pulling her arms back down and lifting her up so his face was on a level with her chest. "I think I have a death wish, but I can't help myself..." he broke off and then put his mouth directly over one hard peak, suckling her through the cloth.

Hermione arched backwards so violently that he had trouble holding her there, not that it once stopped him from enjoying her body. Her hands went to his head and threaded through his wet hair, half holding him to her and half attempting to tug him away, but eventually all such thoughts left her head. The pleasure his mouth caused her was intense and she was shuddering and nearly crying from frustration when he finally stopped and stared at her with glittering eyes. "I guess I'd better stop," he said, smiling grimly at her dazed expression, his breath panting out roughly. "Even if neither of us really want to. Come on," he continued, putting her down on her shaky legs and taking her quickly out of the room so she could cover her tempting body with clothes.