Hermione let out a long sigh of happiness. This past week had been one of the happiest of her life. A week ago she had finally married the only man she could ever imagine spending the rest of her life with. Ron had planned a lovely trip touring the some of the wizarding historical sites of Europe. They had gotten side tracked in Germany, and stayed there the entire week. Seeing the Alps in the distance had made her awed that such places could exist. Ron had booked them a room at Neuschwanstein Castle.
Muggles thought that the castle was unfinished. What they didn’t realize, was that there were parts that only wizards and witches could get to. Ron and Hermione were staying in a room built into a mountain. Hermione stood on a balcony that looked down a sharp cliff. Muggles would just see a sharp cliff. When Hermione had learned where they had gone, she had to find out all about the place. She started with the normal Muggle texts, but later found out from a book in their room that they were off from the truth. Many Muggle books were like that, but then they were discouraged from learning about the magical world for a reason.
King Ludwig II was a Muggleborn wizard. His cousin, Duchess Elisabeth the Empress of Austria, was a witch. They studied together the wizarding arts. Because they were such public figures, they had to learn without going to a wizarding school. Trying to hide what they were from those around them tended to be a tricky thing. When Ludwig had moved into Neuschwanstein Castle he had bewitched part of the castle so only those with magical powers could find it. That was usually Duchess Elisabeth and Robert Wagner and family.
That was about all Hermione had learned before Ron finally distracted her away from the books. She did want to spend the week with him; it was their honeymoon after all. Deciding to do the research after they were home, Hermione put all her attention on spending time with Ron.
Ron took Hermione through the Muggle part of the castle the second day. The first day was spent otherwise engaged. She was awed by all the art work. Having studied Robert Wagner since her father was a great fan of his, made the trip even more fun for her. Knowing all the tales that inspired Wagner really helped as she toured the castle.
As they entered the Lower Hall, Hermione’s face lit up in glee. “This shows the story of Sigurd! He gets a cursed ring that leads to his death.” Then whispering in Ron’s ear she added, “I’ll have to look through my books to see if the legend has any truth to it in the wizarding world.”
Ron smiled at the happiness on her face. He knew that he was better off bringing her somewhere with some history, then taking her to just some romantic get away. Hermione told him the entire legend as they walked through the castle. Some of the other people in their tour group listened in. Even the tour guide was impressed with her knowledge.
As they walked through the “unfinished” second floor to where they were staying, Hermione leaned on Ron’s arm. “Thank you so much for bringing me here! It is truly a perfect place for us.”
Ron pulled her in to a long, drawn out kiss.
They moved quickly to their room. It was decorated in very luxurious linens and paintings covered the walls. Their room had lots of fairies and other magical creatures painted all around it, but as they fumbled for the bed they didn’t even see the wonderful and fantastic paintings all around them.
The third and fourth days they went out and explored the area. Ron had some problems on some of the steeper paths, but they managed as long as they took it slow. Together they took in the nature and wildlife of the surrounding areas. Hermione couldn’t believe how beautiful the mountains were. They would often stop in secluded spots and just hold each other.
Hermione couldn’t help but think back on the previous two years. After Ron had been hurt during the final battle, no one had been able to wake him up. The hexes that had hit him were unknown, and though they tried all the normal counter-hexes, he still slept on. Hermione was in despair for most of that time. No one else was going to ever take Ron’s place in her heart. Several acquaintances had tried to set her up on dates, to have her run home in tears. Harry and Ginny were the only ones that had managed to give her hope and even made her smile on occasion. Finally one healer was able to wake him up, but that was just the beginning of his rehabilitation.
Ron’s leg never did heal correctly. It pained him much of the time, but over time everything else had healed. He said he remembered Bellatrix Lestrange firings several spells at him, and then everything went black. The next thing he remembered was Hermione’s anxious face looking into his. It was the prettiest site he had ever seen.
A year later, he had proposed to her, out in the garden of the Burrow. The entire family had been anxiously waiting for that day. A huge celebration broke out that lasted the entire night.
Hermione turned back into the room. She crossed to where Ron was finishing shaving. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pulled him into a great big hug. Tomorrow they went back to their new life together. Longing to start a family and enjoy the years ahead, Hermione smiled up into Ron’s face. Brown eyes met Blue and both saw a future together. They would disagree and follow their different interests, but they would always have moments like this week where they could just delight in each other and what they had in common. Living through a war had made them realize what all they had to loose. Together they could face anything after that fear and destruction.