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“Why on earth did I think this would be a good idea?”
“Because you liked the thought of going back to your ‘muggle roots’ for a bit and you wanted me to get a taste of it.”
“Next time I have a stupid idea like this, please honestly just tell me.”
Gideon smiled at her, pulling Hermione closer still.
“Did you, Hermione Granger, really just admit you had a stupid idea? Am I hallucinating?”
Grumbling, Hermione did not reply to his gentle mocking and instead pushed her cold nose into Gideon’s chest.
Yes, it really had been her idea to leave their wands in the hotel this one time. She had wanted to experience this night without added magic - because it was supposed to be magical all on its own. It was magical for thousands, millions of people every year. It was magical because of Mother Nature.
All those arguments she had used persuaded her love and since there was no immediate threat around, Gideon had agreed to leave their wands back in their cozy hotel room.
“No danger around, my arse,” Hermione grumbled. “We’re in danger of dying of hypothermia here.”
“We’re not going to die, don’t be so dramatic,” Gideon chuckled. “They warned us it was an especially cold night and that we’ll probably be very uncomfortable. But did my sweet little witch want to listen to them,” he added with a grin. “No, of course not.”
“Because you can’t just postpone our anniversary,” Hermione whined with a pout. “It had to be tonight.”
Instead of replying, Gideon raised her chin and looked into her eyes for a long moment. When he leaned in, his hot breath ghosted over her lips right before he softly pressed his own against hers, leaving just the barest of kisses - resulting in a craving for so, so much more.
When he pulled back, she leaned forward, deepening the kiss. She could feel his warm hand sliding up and down her back, her body melting against his - and suddenly, she didn’t care about the cold any longer. Or that they were huddling for warmth in a sleeping bag, surrounded by nothing but the arctic wilderness and the star-sprinkled night sky. With no magic to aid them.
She was certain they could find their own way of warming up…
A little while later, they still lay huddled together, but now with a serene smile gracing both their faces, staring up at the clear night sky. Hermione gasped when it finally lit up.
“Oh, Merlin. It’s beautiful.”
“It really is,” Gideon agreed.
For a second, Hermione looked at her boyfriend of two years, wondering if he was pulling one of those cheesy scenes from a romcom on her - the ones where the guy replied in kind but was really looking at the girl - but no.
No, thankfully, Gideon was not that kind of romantic. The cheesy, cringy kind. His eyes were glued to the spectacular array of the Northern Lights and it made Hermione smile.
No, her man wasn’t cheesy. But he was romantic in the sense he would trek out into the arctic cold with her so they could see the Aurora Borealis for their second anniversary; humour her when she suggested they leave their wands behind, and then keep her warm all night, chuckling good-naturedly about her complaints at her own stupidity. That was the kind of romantic he was.
It was exactly the kind of romantic she adored and Hermione loved him even more because of it.
Cuddling back against him, she followed his gaze, and together, they watched the wonderful, magical spectacle Mother Nature had created.