Chapter Thirteen: A Tropical Island Getaway

(i) Thank you everyone for the kind reviews. Please do continue to let me know what you think.

(ii) The characters and world of Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. I make no money from this.

(iii) This chapter is in response to the December 2009's OWL theme on "Yule".

(iv) And last but by no means least, a big thank you to my lovely, amazing beta, Queen_of_Stars.

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When they had made their original Yule plans, Severus and Hermione had thought to spend their time away from Hogwarts in Sydney, where Hermione's parents had been sent. But after the disappointment of rejection, Hermione could not stand to be in the same city as her estranged parents.

While they were having a leisurely breakfast in bed, Hermione brought up something that had been on her mind. "My love, I've been thinking. I really don't want to remain in Sydney or even Australia for Christmas."

Severus raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Well," said Hermione with a deep blush, "couldn't we use this time to go away somewhere on a proper romantic holiday? We might not get any real time together until summer, otherwise. And just being on the same continent as my parents and not being able to see them, to spend time with them feels horrible."

Severus stroked his lips with his index finger thoughtfully and watched with an amused smirk as Hermione's pupils dilated with arousal. He still could not get over how easy it was to rouse his witch's desire for him. No woman had lusted after him before, and he loved seeing her eyes widen, her breath quicken with her passion for him.

Pulling his thoughts back to the question, he sighed. "Now that we are so far away from Scotland and relatively in the right part of the globe, I'm actually keen to go to an ancient Ayurveda treatment centre in Sri Lanka. It's by the beach, so we could have a sort of working vacation if you will. I've been in correspondence with an experimental native Healer working on a cure for long-term curse-induced nerve-damaged patients."

Hermione's eyes widened in fascination. This was why she was with Severus. "Wow."

Severus nodded and did nothing to bite back his smile. "Gunananda Devasiri, the native Healer I've been writing to, has been conducting tests based on his research derived from ancient Sanskrit scrolls. Sri Lanka has a large number of victims of Cruciatus and other curse-induced nerve and mind damage due to their own civil war."

"Oh," said Hermione. She knew very little about the wider magical world as most of her time and attention had been focused on surviving Voldemort and then adjusting to her new responsibilities as a teaching assistant. "I'd love to go. All I know about Sri Lanka is that they have wonderful tea, which my grandfather loved. He had been based in Ceylon briefly during the Second World War, and he used to tell me stories of the beautiful beaches and mountains."

Severus smiled. Trust Hermione to be enchanted with the idea of a working holiday. Any other woman would have pouted and said there was nothing romantic about going to an experimental healing facility, whatever the location. Once their decision was made, it was surprisingly easy to arrange for a special Portkey to Colombo and then procure another internal Portkey to the specialist centre in Unawatuna.

Unawatuna was everything and more than Hermione could have envisioned. They arrived mid-morning, and the turquoise water, the pale golden sand and the warm, ocean breeze made her feel like she had stepped into paradise. "Wow," she said in amazement. "This place is gorgeous."

"It is, isn't it," said Severus with a smirk. Taking her hand, which he had now grown accustomed to holding, they walked up to the Colonial-style villa that was the only wizarding hotel in the area.

Their hotel was fabulous and perched just by the beach with amazing views of the majestic sunrises and sunsets with colours that could only be glimpsed so close to the equator. That first evening, they walked along the golden beach, watching the colours in the sky change, and the darkness descend rapidly as it was wont to do in tropical climates. Hermione sighed, "Can I tell you something really silly?" she asked quietly.

At Severus's nod, Hermione said, "The worst thing about mummy and daddy's estrangement is that now, I won't be able to get Crookshanks back."

Severus chuckled and pulled her into an embrace.

"No," said Hermione impatiently, for she could see her dark lover was not taking her seriously. Taking a step back, she looked up at Severus. His face showed his lack of comprehension. Sighing, she asked, "You've never had a familiar have you?"

Severus shook his head. As a young boy, a familiar was too expensive, and his father would never have allowed a magical creature into their home. At school, he dared not inflict the pain he was sure the other students would have heaped on a poor innocent animal. And later on, well, no Death Eater really had a familiar, not when the Dark Lord used every possible avenue of vulnerability to hurt and humiliate.

Hermione saw his thoughtful frown and said softly, "We should get you one, then you'll understand. Loosing Crooks was like losing a part of myself. The day I found him, I felt this amazing connection, like I had found a vital element that was missing in my life. Knowing that he is never going to come back home to me, that I am never going to be able to stroke him or whisper my thoughts and plans to his disdainfully singular audience is really painful."

Wordlessly, he slid his arms around her and held her tight as she looked out onto the dark midnight blue waters.

Finally, Hermione sighed again. "I'm so glad you're in my life," she said softly. "I don't think I could go on if it weren't for you and your strength."

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The next day, before heading off to the Ayurveda centre for their appointment with the Healer, they took an early morning swim in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Severus, who had never truly relaxed, found the entire experience of letting go extremely hard at first. But he could see how much it seemed to help Hermione, and her joy fuelled his own.

While Severus and Gunananda were ensconced in the scroll room, discussing ingredients and brewing techniques, Hermione learned about the restorative magical massages that the Healer and his apprentices were pioneering. It involved placing a number of spells on the masseuse's hands to soothe and restore the nerves damaged by curses. This was followed by a meditative visualisation massage where the Healer repaired and reconnected disconnected nerve links. The final stage was the re-firing of the nerves and required a combination of high impact massage and strengthening potions. The technique was still being tested, but seemed to be easing long-term patients.

The days sped by as Severus spent his time learning the brewing technique for the potion, collecting a vast stock of the ingredients, since most of them were almost impossible to find in Britain, and in general discussing research with Gunananda. But the early mornings and long, tropical nights were for the lovers alone. They took long walks along the shore, explored the magical quarter of the ancient Dutch fort in Galle and made love ravenously. Severus, after the first day, even started to develop a tan through his prolonged exposure to the sun as he worked with the Healer's apprentices to collect potion ingredients. Though Hermione found Severus' tan incredibly sexy, he was very careful to drink the sun-block potion that Gunananda insisted they both take to avoid sun burn.

On Christmas Eve, they had a special meal at the hotel restaurant. Since it was run by an old Irish couple, the food was traditional Irish and British Christmas fare. After a wonderful dinner of goose and stuffing, cranberry sauce and wonderful elf-made wine, the couple wandered on to the beach-front ballroom where the band was playing traditional wizarding Yule favourites. Listening to Celestina Warbeck's "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love" brought back poignant memories of holidays with the Weasleys for Hermione, and Severus, seeing the look on her face, pulled her into his arms.

On Christmas Day they opened their small stash of presents. Minerva's owl had found them both with boxes of traditional Scottish shortbread. Severus had bought Hermione a beautiful jewellery box inlaid with Australian opals, and it brought tears to Hermione's eyes, for she realised that it was not often that Severus gave or received gifts. She was really thankful that she had found, in one of her own forays into the shops in Galle, a beautiful tooled collection of coverings for keeping notebooks, made from dragon-hide with a matching dragon-hide satchel for his potion ingredients collecting excursions. The hide had been worked until it gleamed with a soft sheen.

They had been invited to a special Christmas meal with Gunananda's family that afternoon. After they had opened their presents and made slow, sensual love, Severus and Hermione walked along the beach road to the Healer's white-washed bungalow. The gate was set in a low stone wall, and the outside of the house was covered in night blooming jasmine and bright orange bougainvillea blooms.

As they began conversing, Hermione discovered that Gunananda's wife, Kumarilata, was an accomplished cook who was equally skilled in the magical and therapeutic arts. The older witch soon learned that Hermione was interested in learning about medicinal potions and healing and taught Hermione much about the beneficial art of food. Hermione, who had never known that food could also be used as a sort of medicinal art, was informed of the different ingredients that could help ease various medical complaints.

"Is food not taken into the body?" demanded Kumarilata. "Then why can it, too, not be infused with magical properties to aid and cure?"

Hermione, who had never thought of food in this way, was ashamed of her ignorance. "I've never really thought about it," admitted the young woman. "At Hogwarts, the house-elves do the cooking. I've learned some spells to help with the actual process of cooking, but infusing food and its preparation with magic is something that has never been mentioned in any of the books I've read."

Kumarilata chuckled at the younger woman's consternation. "Never fear," said the older witch. "Now that your eyes are open, you can begin your learning. We in Asia have always used the art of food for the benefit of our families. It cures, it calms, it does so many things. Sometimes..." and then she looked around to make sure the men were occupied in the drinking of their locally brewed arrack "...women use food to entice and seduce their men. There are lots of recipes that can only be made by a woman for her man."

Hermione blushed. She wanted so much to ask the older witch for the recipes.

Kumarilata seemed to understand the younger woman's desire. She chuckled again and said, "Before you leave, I will allow you to make copies of my family notebooks. However..." and the woman stopped, once again to ensure they were not overheard "...you must protect them and ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands."

"Of course," said Hermione earnestly in agreement.

While lunch was cooked and eaten and the lazy afternoon passed, Kumarilata taught Hermione about the use of spices and herbs. She also taught the younger woman a number of traditional charms which were sung or hummed over the food as it was prepared and served. Hermione, who had never paid much attention to domestic spellcraft, was an apt pupil once more. Much to her delight, at the end of the day, she was allowed to copy down a number of hand written manuscripts belonging to Kumarilata's family. Hermione was overwhelmed by the generosity of the Devasiri family. As the two couples said their good-byes after an enjoyable day, a life-long friendship was established between the younger pair and the older, childless duo.

Their time away from Hogwarts over, Hermione and Severus prepared to return refreshed to Scotland. Over a quiet dinner in their beachfront hotel, Severus and Hermione wondered how to handle their new relationship.

Severus was reluctant to hide their newfound closeness. "I know it would be prudent to be circumspect," admitted Severus thoughtfully, "but I have lived a life of shadows for so long that I feel it is time to be open about who I am and what I am."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "I don't want to hide our relationship, either," she said softly. She reached out to stroke his hand that lay upon the table. "I'm not ashamed of my feelings for you. Minerva is, of course, on our side, and she's assured me that there's nothing in the school rules to stop an inter-staff relationship."

Severus chuckled. "Minerva is the one who first made me aware that you might be the woman mentioned in the prophecy," he admitted in amusement. "She'll be delighted to see us in a relationship."

Before retiring to bed, they went for a final walk along the beach in the moonlight. Severus, despite his claims of wanting to be open about his relationship, worried about the repercussions. She was so young, and his past was sure to come to haunt them.

Hermione seemed to understand what was going through his mind. She slid her arms around his waist and pulled him into a tight embrace, holding him as they looked out over the water.

Finally, with a sigh, Severus pulled himself together. With a sheepish grimace, he withdrew a tiny jewellery box covered in silver satin cloth. As Hermione's eyes goggled in amazement, he opened the box to reveal a beautiful ring. As she opened her mouth to speak, he placed his finger against her lips.

"Sh...," he said, silencing her. "This is a token of my heartfelt devotion. When you are ready...if you are ever ready...I will be glad to put it on your engagement finger. I'm not pressuring you in any way. I know this is a big step. But I want you to have it, to know that I am sincere in my desire for you, in my commitment to having you in my life."

"Oh, Severus," said Hermione, tears pouring down her cheeks. "You're such a silly man. There's no need to wait. I love you; I'll be more than happy to wear your betrothal ring."

Severus was taken aback. He knew she loved him. He had heard her whisper the words to him on a number of occasions, but he had not expected her to agree to marry him so quickly. They had after all been together for only a few brief months. "Are you sure?" he asked in disbelief. "We've been together for an extremely short time. You don't know what I'm capable of, Hermione."

"Hush," said Hermione furiously. "I know how brave, how good, how loyal you can be. I'm not afraid of your Darkness. I know you will always protect me, no matter what. Of course I'll marry you, Severus."

His eyes glowing with unrestrained pleasure and pride, Severus gently slid the ring onto her finger. It was a beautiful ring. Made of platinum set with a stunningly large, shimmering, bright red Gryffindor sapphire, with smaller red sapphires and diamonds forming bands on either side, it had runes in Sanskrit etched into the inside of the band. Then, as Hermione stood with her skirt trailing in the surf, with the waves lapping at her ankles, he kissed her with all of the love, passion and devotion he felt in his heart.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back wholeheartedly. In her wildest dreams, she had not expected the dark, dangerous and intensely private man to turn into this tender, romantic lover. Even though he kept bringing up his inherent Darkness, all Hermione could see was the purity and Light of his heart-felt affection and passion.

Severus had no words to express his sense of peace and joy at her agreeing to be his wife. Instead, he returned her embrace and her kisses, expressing through his actions how much he appreciated her unconditional love. Soon they were once again caught up in their mutual passion. Severus half carried, half dragged her back to their beach-fronted room, where he slowly, deliberately stripped her off her clothes. When she was naked, he guided her to their bed before standing before her to undress. She watched him, captivated, as layer upon layer of cloth was removed.

Soon he was standing proud and erect before her. She opened her arms wide and welcomed him to her. He came to her and captured her mouth with a searing kiss. Before long, the kissing progressed to frenzied stroking and grasping. Hermione was burning with desire, almost desperate for fulfilment. She took his hard length and drew it into her. They joined together with practiced ease; they fit together perfectly. She urged him to go faster, her heels pulling him into her. "Harder, Severus," she demanded.

Severus laughed. He had never thought that he would be capable of laughter while making love. Slowing his strokes further, to the obvious annoyance of his witch, he asked, "Will I never have you at my leisure, woman?"

"No," she replied cheekily, "not when I want you so desperately all the time."

Soon, though, humour was replaced once more with urgency. He started thrusting into her with all of his considerable power, and Hermione keened with need. Faster and harder he moved, grunting with exertion until he was completely lost in her heat, her tightness. She surrounded him, and he flew into a million pieces just as she started to orgasm. They were bathed with light at their simultaneous combustion. As they came back to themselves, they noticed the soft silver glow that still surrounded them.

"What is this?" asked Hermione in wonder.

Severus, too, was astonished at the manifestation of their emotion. Pulling Hermione so that she lay with her head nestled on his chest, he tried to explain. "The jeweller Gunananda took me to said that the ring had special charms and powers built into it. I was not told what they all were, but that they were to do with love, fidelity, fertility and prosperity. He said they would be released at opportune moments. I suspect we just released the first of them, love."

Hermione raised her expressive face to gaze at him with adoration.

Deciding that nothing other than absolute honestly was required of him, Severus said, "Hermione, I do love you. You have made me happier than I ever thought it was possible for me to be."

"Oh, Severus. I love you, too. I love you with all that I am and all that I have ever been. I am so glad you decided to take the chance to get to know me."

"My love, my own sweet love," was all he could murmur into her wild and tangled curls.

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A.N. Love it or hate it, please to let me know what you think.