Written for the Ron Weasley Appreciation Challenge

Part 1: The Honeymoon Period

Chapter 1: A Letter Changes It All

"Ron." Hermione sat down on Ron's Chudley Cannons-decorated bed, looking at the letter in her hands. It had arrived just moments earlier by Ministry owl.

"Yes?" Ron came to sit beside her, peering down at the letter. His eyes scanned the Ministry-stamped parchment, and moved them to Hermione. "They've located your parents."

Hermione nodded, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. "They are almost certain, at least." A tear fell onto the paper.

"You've been waiting for this moment for a month," Ron told her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Isn't it the news you wanted to hear?"

Hermione nodded, allowing more tears to fall onto the Ministry letter. "I just… didn't expect it so soon. I thought it would be harder… to find them."

Ron pulled her to him, running fingers through her bushy hair. It wasn't until a month ago, when he was first allowed to do this, did he realise how knotted it became despite her brushing it. It was uncontrollable, unless she used Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. "Where's…" Ron scanned the letter again. "Where's Wollongong?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. "But I'll find it when I get there."

Ron nodded. He'd expected this moment, but like Hermione, had not expected it to happen so soon. Despite everything that had happened since that dreadful day in May, Hermione was the one good thing in it all. That kiss they'd shared in a moment when they thought they'd both die, and the many after that, meant everything to him. Those nights where they'd lie, cuddled up in his bed, brought a feeling of serenity and blissfulness to his overactive mind. They'd been together almost everyday since, and despite his mother insisting Hermione share a room with Ginny, she always wound up in his bed, where they'd fall asleep in each other's arms.

They were moments he'd longed for, for longer than he cared to admit; a dream, a fantasy, that was finally coming true. And now, she was going away.

"When will you leave?"

"I… I'm not sure, Ron. I need some time to think."

"Okay."

Hermione pulled herself from his hold, readjusting so she was facing him. Her eyes were raw red, her mouth pierced together as if she'd forgotten how to smile. And yet, he still loved her. He loved her so much, but he'd never uttered those words before. Nor had she. But they both felt it. He knew they did.

She took his hands in hers, squeezing them tight, as if what she was about to say would be hard. He squeezed back, letting her know he was okay.

"Ron, I want… will you come with me… to Australia?"

Ron opened his mouth, but closed it again. Hermione showed no emotion, but looked him in the eye.

"Merlin, Hermione!" he eventually said, letting go of the breath he hadn't realised he was holding. "I thought it was going to be something worse than that. Yes, I'll come with you, if that's what you want."

This time, she did smile, albeit weakly. "I want you to, Ron. I wouldn't want anyone else."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Ron leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Merlin, he loved her. Why had he never told her?

Hermione pulled herself away again, and this time she looked uncomfortable. "There's another thing…" Her cheeks burned as red as his hair now, and Ron wondered what exactly she had to say next. She was hardly flustered these days. "Before we go to Australia… I've been thinking about it for a while, actually…" She peered up at him, and Ron saw that she was embarrassed. "We've been together for a while now, and we love each other… and I think I'm ready."

It took Ron longer than he cared to admit to realise what she meant. When he did work it out, the tips of his ears went redder than they'd ever been before. Though he managed to retain his dignity and said, "Hermione, you just said we love each other -"

"We do, don't we?" There was no doubt in her words, but more a reminder.

"We've never said it to each other, though. Not once. That was the first time I heard you even mention the word."

"Oh." Hermione's gaze drifted to her hands. "I just thought… words don't always need to be said."

"I love you, Hermione."

Hermione looked up, her eyes brimming with tears and a smile playing at the corner of her mouth. "I love you too, Ron. But you know that."

"It's still nice to hear it."

Hermione nodded. "But back to what I was saying…"

"I'm ready, too. I've been ready for a long time."

Hermione squirmed, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. "It's just, I'm new to this. I've never -"

"Neither have I!" Ron said.

This seemed to surprise Hermione. "But, you and Lavender…"

Ron shook his head. "I never slept with Lavender. Merlin, that would have been horrible." He studied Hermione's disbelieving look, and nodded. "Alright, not from lack of trying, I admit. But I was young then, I liked the attention for the first five minutes. We tried. Once. We didn't get very far, because I… er…" It was Ron's turn to squirm. "Well, that time I tried, I kept thinking of… you, and subconsciously maybe I knew I wanted it to be with… you." He looked away. He'd never told her how far his feelings for her stretched back. By the time he reached his sixth year, he'd had some inkling of what it felt like to feel something beyond a crush, and those feelings damned well didn't go to Lavender Brown.

The news that he'd never been with Lavender beyond snogging seemed to relax Hermione. She took his hands again. "What about… tonight?"

Ron's breath caught at the back of his throat. "To...night?" What was she playing at? They'd taken everything else slowly over the years; why was she in such a hurry for this to happen now?

Hermione nodded, smiling at him. "If you want to… of course."

"I do want to!" Ron said hurriedly. "You have no idea how much I want to, but you just caught me off guard, is all." His heart was racing, and he wasn't sure if it was all to do with the excitement of what Hermione was suggesting. Things had been going well for them so far, and he'd uncharacteristically not doubted his own worth when he'd been with her. But this… as much as he wanted to… this worried him.

"So, we will be learning together," Hermione said, her voice small.

"Right…"

"And, neither of us will have any expectations, so… it won't matter if something goes wrong."

Ron studied her, his brows scrunching together. She had a point, but he didn't want to embarrass himself either. But if truth be told, he'd never thought she would be the one to suggest it. He'd always imagined himself being the one to bring the subject up.

"Is everything okay, Ron? You can say no if you're not ready."

"No! I mean, yes! I'm ready. Tonight… tonight it is." He forced a smile. So many times he'd pictured this moment in his head; a fantasy where this would all happen. That they'd be each other's firsts, and it would all go well. But now that it was becoming a reality, the fantasy dissipated to uncontrollable nerves.

Hermione kissed him, and it was with more passion than they'd ever used before. Ron returned her kiss. Up until now, their relationship had been filled with innocent kisses in private, holding each other other at night for comfort, and spending their days together, and talking. But with the way Hermione was acting, Ron realised that in a few hours, the innocence would vanish, replaced by an actual, legitimate, adult relationship.

Merlin, I love you, Hermione.

...

Dinner that night was a quiet affair. Rather than eating, Ron played with his food, much to the concern of his mother. Molly Weasley, who busied herself so as not to think about Fred, asked him multiple times if he was feeling okay. To which Ron replied with grunts of 'fine'.

When Molly had asked Hermione if something had happened, Hermione had calmly replied that she'd asked him to travel to Australia with her, as she'd received information of her parents. That then sent Molly into a whole new rant about whether they were ready for such a big holiday together.

This left Ron to dwell on the night, and how he would conduct himself when they returned to his room at a suitable hour.

The past month had filled him with a confidence he'd not previously possessed. For the first time ever, he didn't doubt himself. He was with the girl that he fancied - that he loved - and she loved him back just as much. He had known this moment would come, when the topic would be brought up, but all that confidence building had evaporated since Hermione had brought it up.

This moment, this pivotal part of any relationship, could change everything. Hermione wasn't shallow, and deep down he knew that, but the thought kept lingering in his mind. What if she didn't like what she'd see? This was as new to her as it was to him - perhaps even newer - and she'd have certain expectations due to what she'd heard from others. What if he couldn't live up to those expectations? What if, after tonight, that blissful serenity that had accompanied the start of their relationship, vanished?

Of course, the alternative was that it went as well as any first time could, and they realised they loved each other even more. That was what he hoped for, but how likely would it be? He'd never been comfortable in his own skin until a month ago, and to reveal that to someone he loved so deeply was terrifying. A few years ago, when he'd dated Lavender Brown for those awful few months, he would have jumped at the chance to experience it and his conscious thoughts didn't care who it was with. He didn't care for Lavender anymore than he cared for the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs, and for her to form an opinion of him afterwards would have mattered little to him.

But Hermione was different. She was completely different in so many ways. He knew his body would respond in a way it never had for Lavender, and that alone was a scary thought.

Lifting his eyes away from his plate of uneaten food, he chanced a look to Hermione. She was helping his mother with the dishes, carrying on as if what they'd discussed was perfectly natural.

But it was natural. Many people did it. He understood how things worked.

I bet Harry has.

He cringed at the thought. Perhaps he didn't want to know, considering Harry's last relationship was with Ginny. Or still was. Harry had been rather absent since the war, and he'd shut even Ginny out despite the occasional visit to the Burrow. He wasn't actually sure on the relationship status of his best mate and sister.

Nodding to himself, he downed his meal and stood up, scraping the chair along the ground. Hermione and Molly turned.

"You've finished, dear?"

Ron nodded, looking at Hermione despite his mother asking the question. Hermione summoned the plate, which flew directly into the sink to be washed and flashed him a smile.

It was that smile that dissipated his fears. This was the girl he loved, asking him to share the most intimate moment of their lives with her. Him. She wanted to be with him.

He smiled, and walked over to kiss her temple. "I love you," he said, and his mother briefly faulted in her tidying of the kitchen. She'd been like that ever since she'd discovered their relationship. Ron didn't think his mother disapproved. She liked Hermione. Ginny seemed to think it was the thought of someone taking another son away from her.

A pink tinge reached Hermione's cheeks, but she said, "I love you too."

Ron went to the living room where Ginny, Percy, Bill, Fleur and a sullen George sat with an abandoned game of Exploding Snap in front of them. Perhaps he could ask one of his brothers for advice. But looking at them, Bill would be the only one worth asking, and he wasn't entirely sure Bill would take him seriously.

Even if Percy had taken that step, the advice would be highly practical and bore Ron before he even started. George, a few months ago, would have laughed and teased him, and now would probably hardly answer him. And if Charlie was here… well Charlie had never really given any indication he'd ever had a girlfriend (or boyfriend for that matter). That left Ginny.

He shook his head. No, he'd not ask his baby sister even if she was the last person on Earth.

"Bill."

His eldest brother glanced up, almost surprised to find Ron talking to him. The others also looked at him as well, which turned his ears red.

"Can I… talk to you? In private?"

Bill frowned. Ron rarely - never - sought advice from any of his brothers. But he nodded. "Sure." He stood up and followed Ron to the flight of stairs. They stopped at the landing. "What's up, Ron?"

Ron swallowed. "I was just wondering if you could… help me?"

"With what?" Bill looked at him suspiciously and Ron's whole face turned red. That seemed to be enough for Bill, for his suspicious look turned into a wide grin. Ron was glad he didn't have to explain any further. "Ah!"

"I… don't know what I'm doing…" Ron confessed.

"I didn't realise you and Hermione were so serious so soon," Bill said.

"We've, er, kind of been together unofficially for a while now," Ron explained, thinking of the near kisses they'd had in the past year. How he wished at least one of them had come to pass.

"I see…" Bill contemplated for some time. "What exactly would you like me to help you with? I mean, I'm no expert in this department, but my first bit of advice would be to either look like you want to do it or tell her you need to wait."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

Bill waved a hand in the direction of Ron. "That look you're wearing is not of someone who wants to take that step, Ron."

"I want to!" Ron protested. "I'm just… nervous."

"Mate, there's nervous and then there's you. There's no harm in telling Hermione you're not ready."

"I'm ready!" Ron argued.

"Really?" Bill raised a knowing eyebrow.

"I love her… I'm in love with her…"

This startled Bill. "Really?"

"Yes," Ron said. "She's… I just love her so much, and I don't want to screw this moment up, or give her any reason to regret being with me."

"You think sex will do that?"

Ron shrugged. "It could."

"It doubt it," Bill said with assurance. "She loves you too, of that I have no doubt." He clapped Ron on the back. "Alright! If you want some advice, it's to just relax. Just remember, you love each other, and it's a very intimate moment between the two of you. And, if you decide, or she decides, it's not the right moment then you wait until the right moment comes. Some people are too curious to wait until it's the right person, and regret it later…"

Ron wondered if Bill was speaking from experience, but decided not to ask.

"It's best if you feel it's the right time and with the right person."

"She's the right one," Ron assured Bill.

Bill nodded and smiled. "Then all you need to do is relax and let the moment take you. Er, at the risk of imposing, when do you plan on it happening?"

Ron flushed. "To...night."

"Ah, that explains your unusual quietness at dinner. Alright, but whatever you do, do not let Mum catch on. She's been fretting about the two of you for weeks."

"Why has she been doing that?" Ron asked.

"She's worried," Bill said as if the answer were obvious.

"About us?"

"Blimey, Ron, despite everything that's happened, you've been so damn happy since Hermione's come into your life in more than a friendship way. We've all noticed it. She's worried that what the two of you have is something that won't last once the pain of losing everyone lessens. She's worried for the both of you, but especially you, her son. The last thing she wants is for one of you to hurt the other, or for you to simply drift apart."

"Oh." Ron shuffled his feet. "I didn't know."

"Just don't tell Mum, alright. If she realises you love her, then it'll worry her even more."

Ron nodded. He didn't bother to mention his confession of love in the kitchen. "Thanks."

Bill clapped him on the back again. "My pleasure. Just take it slowly and don't rush it. That's what ruins relationships. Not waiting."

Ron wandered back into the living room with Bill behind him, to find that his mother and father, and Hermione had joined the others.

"Where have the two of you been?" Molly asked suspiciously.

"Ron just needed to get something off his chest," Bill said. "Something private." He looked sternly at Molly.

Ron shot a nervous look to Hermione, but she only smiled. He sat on the couch next to her.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

Ron nodded.

"You told Bill, didn't you?" Her tone wasn't accusing, but curious.

"Yes. I just needed some… advice."

Hermione kissed his cheek. "I understand."

It was Arthur Weasley who suggested they play a game of Exploding Snap, and after three games and some Butterbeers, people started to drift to bed. Percy was the first, mumbling something about having to work early. George vanished by Floo with barely a goodnight. Bill and Fleur left soon after, leaving just Ginny, Molly, Arthur, Hermione and Ron. Ron shifted on the couch, wanting them desperately to go to bed as well, and finally, by ten-thirty, Molly and Arthur said their goodnights.

"I think that's the calmest everyone has been tonight," Ginny said, stifling a yawn. "Except for you, Ron."

Ron said nothing.

"Well, I'm off too." Ginny stood up, covering her mouth from another yawn. "Night, guys."

Once Ginny was upstairs and the bedroom door clicked shut, Hermione turned to Ron. "You haven't been this uncomfortable around me in years."

"I'm bloody terrified, Hermione!" Ron said.

"About what?"

Ron hesitated. He wasn't sure whether to tell her, but they'd been honest with each other since day one. "I…"

But he was silenced by Hermione's kiss. And like earlier, it was deeper than what they'd shared before. To Ron's surprise, he found himself responding with a similar amount of enthusiasm. His heart raced inside his chest, partly due to fear, but a lot to do with the joy of the two of them being alone.

Hermione grabbed his hands and pulled him from the couch with the same calmness she'd shown all night. She wasn't worried, and it took Ron until now to realise that knowing her, she was probably already fully prepared. She'd probably even researched the matter to make sure it was all under her control.

Ron broke away, staring into her brown eyes. Only one candle still burned, illuminating her thick, brown hair and flustered face. Seeing her smile sent a wave of strong emotions coursing through him, and he all but threw himself at her, slamming his lips onto hers with so much force that she stumbled.

"What are you -"

Ron silenced her with another kiss, pushing all fears aside. When he came up for breath, he saw that she was pinker than ever. He needed no words for her to understand that he was ready.

They ascended the stairs quietly, not risking Molly hearing them enter the same room. It was completely dark in his room, and as he fumbled for a candle (his wand somewhere out of reach) the raw emotions that had overtaken him in the living room, left him. The fear he'd felt ever since Hermione had brought up the topic returned.

"Lumos."

Hermione stood only inches from him, her wand lighting the room. She went to kiss him, but he backed away.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was so gentle, so calm. Not once had she thought that his reluctance was due to her; he knew that.

Ron swallowed. "I… can't." Those two words weakened him. For the first time since he'd kissed her, he felt insecure; useless.

Hermione kept her wand near their faces. "Okay. Ron, did you agree to this because I said I was ready?"

"No." He reached for her shoulders, moving his hands to her head, and eventually to her face. "I wanted to. I still want to. I just… I can't right now."

Hermione nodded.

"It's not you, Hermione!" he quickly added, mistaking her silence for disappointment. "Merlin, the one thing I've dreamt about is this moment with you. But…"

Hermione stepped closer to him.

Ron stroked her hair. "What we have right now is perfect. You're perfect. I love you… I love you so much. And I don't want to risk ruining that. I'd rather have you now; you've helped me through… everything. You have been there ever since my brother… since we lost Fred. You've been the one joy in my life, and the innocence of our relationship… it's what I need right now."

Hermione stepped even closer, and she was smiling. "I understand."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't ever be sorry. I only want to do this when we're both ready. And it's okay if that's tomorrow, if that's next week, next month, or even a few months." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I can wait."

Ron ran his fingers through his hair and sat on his bed. "How do you do this to me, Hermione?"

Hermione sat beside him. "What do I do?"

"To make me feel so strongly about you that I say no to… to…"

"Sex?"

Ron nodded.

Hermione laid her head on his shoulder. "We can wait until we're ready. There's no rush."

Ron sighed, laying on his made bed. Hermione joined him, her head now on his chest. He subconsciously ran fingers through her hair.

"I love you."

Ron kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."

They lay there for some time. It wasn't until they were woken by the sun glaring in their eyes did they realise they'd once again spent the night in each other's arms.

Despite the summary, this is not going to be a smutty fic. It is a serious one, which will be used as a character study for Ron. He is my absolute favourite character, and there is so much I have to say about him/so much I have to explore. For this, I have decided to take this from the angle of the more serious, more gentle, caring, confident and loving side of Ron. Yet, still make it Ron.

There is so much evidence in the books to suggest Ron's kind nature, but unfortunately it is foregone for his sense of humour/funny side, or his immature side. And that's not fair. Especially in Halfblood Prince and Deathly Hallows, there are spots where it shows that Ron can love, and he can love deeply. Not just for Hermione, but toward Harry and his family as well. I hope to bring those relationships into it in later chapters, but the main focus will be the early relationship between Ron and Hermione.

Yes, this will have sexual aspects to it, but this is merely a plot device I have chosen to develop the relationship for this story. At the moment, it is planned for five chapters (so a short one) but that MAY change if I feel I have more to add at the end of the five.

For now, I hope you enjoy this and a different take on Ron to what I'm used to writing. I want to say a huge shout out to Emily (DolbyDigital) for betaing for me!