Devon

Harry and Hermione checked into the small vacation cottage in Devon to the vague feeling that something was missing. Sometimes Hermione would double-check to see if she had her purse, Harry would check for his wallet, or both of them absentmindedly would check for their wands - but that wasn't the issue. What was different was that this was their first real vacation without Ron, who had ended up taking an offer to do an off-season Quidditch tour the continent. Because the Devon reservations had been made over a year in advance, he had talked his partners into enjoying the vacation without him.

The three of them had made the journey from friends to lovers and then committed partners during their last year of schooling at Hogwarts. Following their NEWTs and the defeat of Voldemort, they had purchased a home and had been together in a committed relationship for the last ten years. Both Hermione's and Ron's parents had a vague understanding of the nature of the closeness they shared and though both families would have preferred a more conventional lifestyle for their children, each felt their child's happiness came first, and since Ron, Hermione and Harry seemed to radiate such happiness, who were they to argue?

Hermione began unpacking by hand, and Harry watched her bend over to reach into her suitcase and then stand up to hang up her garments several times until he couldn't handle it anymore. He walked up behind her and pulled her round bottom against his pelvis and kissed her neck before speaking, "I don't know if I should remind you that there are much easier ways to unpack, or if I should just keep watching you bend over."

Hermione wiggled a bit and felt evidence of his excitement against her. "I think you're a bit late for that, Harry." She smiled and wiggled again while whispering, "Besides, this is a Muggle cottage...."

"They aren't going to be looking in the windows checking for unpacking charms, love," Harry countered and grinned. "I can go sit back down and watch you bend over in that little skirt of yours for the rest of the afternoon if you like." Harry let go and lounged on the bed.

Hermione grinned back at him. "Oh, honestly Harry! I only brought a few nice things with me and I wanted to make sure to hang them up right away." She bent over one more time to grab the last outfit that she wanted to hang up, exaggerating the motion to put on a little show for him. "There!" She flopped down on the bed next to him. "The rest can wait!"

Harry pulled her close to him. "More than a whole fortnight of just the two of us in this quaint seaside town. Whatever will we do with ourselves?" Harry asked suggestively.

Hermione caught the suggestion, but decided to answer more literally. "I plan on making myself sick and fat from eating far too much fresh clotted cream with all of my meals, and then I'm going to bathe in the sea under the pretense of exercise and burning off the calories, but I'll end up sunning myself on the beach."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Now I'm hurt. It's one thing for super-brain Hermione Granger to not want to spend all of the time making passionate love to me, but I thought I'd be cast aside for local museums and libraries...."

Hermione's eyes sparkled and she smiled while she decided to start out the vacation correctly. She began unbuttoning Harry's shirt slowly, one at a time, making sure to kiss the exposed skin with each new button that was undone. The unfamiliar location added so much to the eroticism of the activities that they enjoyed so much. Not wanting to have to worry about such things latter on, Harry picked up his wand to cast a contraceptive spell, but Hermione placed her hand on top of his and looked in his eyes pleadingly before taking a quick break from her activities to speak. "Harry, let's start trying again?" she requested and asked at the same time.

Harry wasn't sure how to respond. "Sweetheart, I thought we had come to a decision about that."

Hermione moved up the bed and kissed him tenderly on the mouth before continuing the discussion. "I know what we said, but it's almost been a year since..." Harry stroked her head and she continued. "I know Ron was devastated because he was the biological father and all. And I know it sounds good and noble of us to say he gets to have that role next time, but I'm not comfortable with it."

"And you are comfortable with the possibility of Ron coming home and finding out we've made this life changing decision without him?"

"YES!" Hermione snapped, surprising both herself and Harry with the intensity of her answer. She tried to back peddle a bit, "...no, maybe? I don't know. I don't want to feel like some sort of eugenics experiment with the paternity of my progeny determined by a show of hands." Hermione got out of bed and adjusted the clothing she had started to remove and put her shoes back on. She noticed Harry watching her silently without a clue of what to say. She walked to the door.

Harry couldn't believe she would actually leave a conversation like this in progress, not to mention the other activities they had begun. "Where are you going?" he asked and instantly regretted it.

"I didn't know I needed to discuss it in committee," Hermione sarcastically replied.

It was all that the movie lover in Harry could do to not respond, 'I am not a committee!' but he was so startled by Hermione's emotional shift in mood and considering the subject he wisely decided that it wasn't the time for jokes.

"I need some air, Harry," she answered before he could say anything. "I noticed there are some stairs leading down the cliffs to the sea at the end our row of cottages. Give me a little bit of time, maybe a half hour or so, and then come walk with me if you want." Hermione grabbed a hair elastic and her room key before heading out the door. She didn't turn to look at him before leaving their room.

***

Hermione kicked a rock in the path as she walked to the wooden stairs leading down the cliffs to the beach. She had pulled her hair back in a high ponytail to keep the wind from turning her thick brown locks into a snarled mess. She cursed to herself and thought, 'Oh what a tangled web we weave....' She had been counting the weeks then the days until this vacation since she heard Ron would be on tour rather than accompanying them to Devon. She descended the stairs down the cliffs and began walking the beach.

Everything had been so simple back when they were teenagers and then in their early twenties. Even back in school, she had been so madly in love with Harry, but she never believed that she, or anyone else for that matter, could give him enough love to make up for what he missed as a child. Even though Harry had been dating someone else the beginning of their last year at Hogwarts, his nightmares led him to the sanctuary that was her private Head Girl's bedroom. For several months, the platonic warmth of his friend close to him kept the night terrors away, but Voldemort wasn't one to give up easily and soon his other relationship faltered as more physicality from Hermione was needed to keep the nightmares in check.

When even that wasn't enough anymore, a late night study session in Hermione's room had led to the three friends otherwise known as 'the trio' sleeping cocooned together with Harry in the middle. After that, this became their permanent sleeping arrangement as it allowed Harry to sleep through the night. Hermione truly missed the intimacy she and Harry had only just begun to explore, but she couldn't remember ever seeing him so comfortable and anxiety free. Over a very short period of time, goodnight kisses began to be exchanged, sleepwear became less formal and the cuddles and caresses became far less careful and touching the 'wrong' places became unavoidable and then welcome.

Hermione remembered how she felt the first time the three of them made love. Physically, it had been amazing. The combination of Harry's tenderness and Ron's briskness had played such counterpoint on her senses. Still, she knew in her heart that she would have preferred that this had happened in the 'normal' way, and had just been between her and Harry, but it was then that she had her epiphany. As she watched Harry cuddle in Ron's arms and kiss him, she knew she would never be enough for him. He needed more love than any one person had to give and if she wanted to be in his life, this would be her reality. Once the realization hit her, it had been an easy decision.

Ron seemed to bring something to the relationship that she just couldn't offer and it didn't seem to be a matter of sexuality as in homosexuality. Even though he was by far the least mature of the three, something that was becoming agonizingly more apparent over the years, his physical size and strength had seemed to give Harry such a sense of safety and comfort in an almost parental way. Ron was a full foot taller than Hermione and eight inches taller than Harry and outweighed him by almost six stone.

Hermione had been so careful, but she had a secret. A terrible, guilty secret. Once the three of them had decided to have a family she had been still using birth control charms any time there was a possibility of Ron being the father. It had been a good idea in theory, but when she became pregnant and a paternity test that Harry and Ron had insisted on showed evidence of that Weasley ultra-fertility, though she had hidden it, she had almost had a complete breakdown. What everyone had been told was miscarriage was actually the result of a visit to a Muggle clinic when she was ten weeks along.

***

Harry reclined on the bed and stayed undressed for a bit. Perhaps Hermione would come back sooner than expected and they could go back out for that walk together? She was usually so logical about this kind of thing. Sure, any woman would be afraid after a miscarriage, but she couldn't blame Ron for it.

Once he realized she wasn't coming back right away, Harry got up and got dressed, but waited around to give Hermione some more time to herself before heading out. He didn't want to admit how much he had been looking forward to spending time together with just the two of them. Imagine, quiet intimate 'adult' time where the discussion around the dinner table wouldn't descend into the latest jokes from the Professional Quidditch locker room or even worse, still finding it amusing to stick peas up one's nose. Yes, Ron was most definitely Fred and George's brother!

Yet Hermione needed Ron to make their relationship whole; Harry alone just wasn't enough for her. Perhaps Ron's lack of maturity and the fact that he hadn't grown up at all in at least the past ten years was the perfect balance to her own maturity? When she said that she wanted to start trying for another child it had taken all the will power Harry had to remember the agreement and commitment they had with Ron for him to have the next shot at fatherhood. Harry would have given anything to be enough of a 'whole' person for Hermione so she didn't need Ron as well. The three of them still had their moments and overall, life was still quite happy most of the time, but he'd give anything for Hermione to be Mrs. Potter and for any children to only be theirs alone.

***

Harry left the cottage and headed for the sea. He approached Hermione from behind and cuddled her close. After a few minutes, they walked together and found a secluded spot; they sunk to the sand and quietly watched the sunset and gently made love, each longingly dreaming of a world where they could have only each other, but knowing deep inside that it would never be enough to keep the other happy.