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Sitting next to his wife, Remus watched as she quietly slept. Yesterday their honeymoon was going well, and they were enjoying picturesque views as they backpacked their way through the Valleys of Paro, Bhutan, but one wrong step sent Peggy tumbling down the side of the hill they had climbed earlier in the day. She hadn’t fallen far, and Remus was able to slow her momentum, but she still ended up with multiple injuries. The worst of which was a compound fracture of her left fibula. The Healers at Jaaduee Aspataal Agra were able to heal the broken skin after setting her bone, but they told him the wound would leave behind a rather large scar. They were also able to treat the various scrapes and bruises that littered her body, and Remus knew she would appreciate the few that would end up scaring over just as she loved and cherished all of his scars.
Peggy stirred in her bed before she asked groggily, “Remus?”
Sitting up, Remus reached out to grasp her hand. He smiled. “Hullo, love.”
“Where am I?”
“In a private room at the magical hospital in Agra, India,” Remus explained. He sent a quick Patronus to the Mediwitch station down the hall before continuing, “After your fall yesterday, the Portkey I received from the Bhutanese Ministry took us to the nearest hospital.”
Remus had been surprised when the staff at Jaaduee Aspataal Agra had agreed to heal his wife since she was a Muggle, but he learned quickly that the magical hospital refused to turn away anyone they could help. Even if they were not of magical descent.
Peggy looked at him. “How bad is it?”
“Honestly?” At her nod, he added, “Not as bad as it could have been. Other than the broken bone in your leg and a greenstick fracture in your arm, you just have scrapes and bruises. Both bones should be healed now since the Healers gave you some Skele-gro last night before knocking you out to heal without feeling the pain as your bones knit back together.”
Making a face, Peggy said, “Thank God for small miracles to not being awake for that.”
“Very true.” Remus chuckled. He raised an eyebrow. “You’ll have a few scars from the scrapes and your leg.”
“I’ll wear them proudly,” Peggy told him. “It’ll be a fun story to tell our future children about how their mother ended up with as many scars as their father in one go on their honeymoon, which I want to get back to once I’m released from here.”
Remus shook his head. “You should be fine, but we’ll see what the Healer says when they come in to check on you.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, one of Peggy’s Healers opened the door and stepped into her room.
Peggy smirked at her husband later that afternoon. “See, I told you they would let me get back to our holiday.”
“With restrictions,” Remus reminded her as they picked up some additional supplies in the magical section of Agra to replace what had been damaged in Peggy’s backpack during her fall.
“Yes, but we can go back to the Paro Valley and enjoy just spending time together,” Peggy said.
“Stargazing and blanket cuddling is all you’re doing, love,” Remus told his wife.
Peggy raised an eyebrow. “My Healer did say that walking would be good for my leg,” she reminded him.
“Yes, but easy walks,” Remus countered. “No more hiking this trip.”
“Agreed, no more hiking, even if I’m sad about it.”
Remus kissed her cheek. “I’ll make it up to you.”
Peggy grinned. “Of that, I have no doubt. Now, let’s pay for this and get back out there.”
It was the last day of their holiday backpacking through the Paro Valley in Bhutan, and Peggy and Remus had just finished their dinner.
“If you want to grab the blankets, I’ll clean up our dishes,” Remus offered as he pulled his wand out.
“Sounds good,” Peggy replied as she stood up.
Remus watched as she disappeared into their tent before waving his wand over their dishes.
Every night after dinner since their return to the valley after Peggy’s fall, the couple would find a place nearby their camp to lay out their blankets and spend time together just relaxing, talking, and enjoying the stars above. It was an excellent way for Remus to get Peggy to stop and slow down so she wouldn’t overexert herself while she was on the tail end of healing from her tumble.
“I know it’s a little further than we’ve been going, but what do you think about heading back to that little hilltop clearing we saw on our walk today?” Peggy suggested as she stepped out of their tent.
Remus sat back and looked up at his wife. He regarded her carefully for a few moments before asking, “Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“I think so,” Peggy replied. “Plus, you can always apparate me back here if I fall asleep,” she added with a wink.
Finishing with the dishes, Remus sent them to their container. He chuckled, “How about this, we pack up here and make our way over to the hilltop and set up our tent at the bottom?”
Peggy’s eyes lit up. “That’s a perfect idea, love.”
“Just hold on to the blankets, and I’ll take care of the rest,” Remus said, standing up.
Stepping to the side, Peggy watched as her husband used his wand to pack up their camp. Once everything was packed in their backpacks, Remus lightened them both before handing Peggy’s hers.
After cleaning up the rest of the site to leave it as they found it, Remus grasped Peggy’s hand, and the couple made their way back down the path they had taken earlier in the day.
“It’s so peaceful out here,” Peggy mused as they continued on their walk.
“It really is,” Remus agreed.
The trees that they were walking through were not very dense, but they created a pleasant covering of shade during the daytime. But as the sun was setting behind the mountains, the shadow play on the floor of the valley was eerie and beautiful.
Remus knew he would need to light his wand soon as the new moon had only been a couple of nights ago, but for now, they walked under the fading rays of the sun.
By the time they reached the clearing Peggy had mentioned, the sun had completely set behind the surrounding mountains, and the valley descended into darkness. Remus had his wand out and lit as they walked the last little bit to the clearing.
Stepping out of the trees, they located the perfect spot to set up their new site.
“While you set up the tent, I’m going to take our blankets and make my way up the hill,” Peggy said as she slipped her backpack off.
“Okay,” Remus replied. “I’ll join you as soon as I’m done.”
She kissed his cheek. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”
Remus chuckled as she knew him so well. “Thank you.”
Pulling out their tent from his backpack, Remus got to work. He couldn’t wait to join Peggy as stargazing was something they both enjoyed. Part of Remus’ reason was that it reminded him of the nights he spent with his childhood best friends before they were all lost to the war. That had been nearly fifteen years ago, but it still hurt to know that they were all dead. And all Dumbledore had given Remus was a halfhearted apology. The twinkle in the old wizard’s eye had infuriated the young man so much so that he cut nearly all ties with the wizarding world. He occasionally exchanged letters with Kingsley and Minerva with the even less occasional meet up for a cuppa with the latter. Both had been kind enough to attend his marriage to Peggy recently, and Remus had promised Minerva a meet up for tea upon his return from their honeymoon.
Putting up a couple of protection wards and an alert spell around the perimeter of their site, Remus followed his wife up to the top of the little hill.
“Remus, it is stunning up here,” Peggy whispered as Remus joined her on the blanket she had laid out. “Even if it is a bit chilly.”
He grinned as he slipped his shoes off. “I think I can help you with that, my dear.”
Peggy returned his smile. “I was hoping you would say that.”
Pulling the top blanket with him as he laid down next to Peggy, Remus whispered, “Come here, love.”
She snuggled into her husband’s side and sighed, “Perfect.”
“It is,” Remus agreed as he turned his gaze skyward.