AN: A one short HHr, R&R
The sun was shining warm in the early hours of the morning. The grass beneath his bare feet still wet with dew, dragonflies and yellow butterflies were making most of the spring which broke after the long cold winter, as they all were.
They were all having a day out on the hill near to the Burrow which wasn't too hilly for a picnic.
Harry heard laughter, silly complains and some wise mollification only a mother could come up with from behind him, one voice particularly sounded like his own from when he was younger.
Breaking his gaze from two other children he knew as well as his own, he turned to see Ginny, older, with a boy slightly younger than the other helping her wordlessly by placing food carefully on the checkered, worn, blanket.
Then he heard the laughter from a distance which made his stomach clench to look at his family. He loved his wife and three children, he had it all, a stable job, respect, a beautiful family but only one person made him ache the way he did when he was at the Dursley's, like he had nothing, like he was empty and unloved.
Harry tried to not look but it was futile. Hermione, beautiful, warm, soft, always smiling reached for his best friend pulling him down for a kiss which broke when a little girl with the trademark red hair pulled at her father's hand.
The clench in his stomach was now gripping his chest and throat. For so long he had overlooked the intimacy between his two friends, never thought much of it, purposely, avoided it but now it hurt. He wanted to be in the shoes of the man who she pulled down for a kiss who she shared all those intimate moments with, who she made a family with.
Hermione turned to look at him with the warm brown eyes as comforting as the weather. He realised he was standing between what he had and what he wanted. With it a pain shot through his whole body as if he was cruciated by more than one person. Then it was all black.
"There are things in life you want after a certain point but it's too late, there is a lot at stake and if you don't make the right choice now you will lose the opportunity forever."
Harry did not recognize her voice nor could he concentrate through the pain coursing through his body but it was like a whisper against his ear, a soothing hum that caressed body.
Soon the pain diminished replacing it with a pull to be held in arms which both relaxed him and put him on an edge.
Harry opened his eyes. It was dark, he tried to make out his surroundings and for a minute he thought it was the Hogwarts hospital wing a nurse soon came forcing him to take that awful healing potion. He tried to get up but he was too numb to feel anything.
He woke up to someone stroking his hand, glad he could feel it.
Ginny didn't see the disappointment that passed through his sleepy eyes when he saw her. Flashes of how he ended up in the St. Mungo hospital came to him and he asked "How is Ron?" He sipped some water to wet his dry mouth. Just then Hermione walked in from across the room, Ginny squeezed Harry's hand and shifted her chair back to let their friend greet him.
She didn't disappoint the wounded. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry and squeezed him tightly. Harry leaned forward but the bed kept some distance between the two. Hermione sat on the bed next to him and held his hand in hers.
"I was so worried; they wouldn't let us see you last night when the aurors brought you in." She looked at Ginny who nodded. Harry's mind was still clouded from his best friend's scent which hit him as strongly as the hex because of which he was lying in the hospital.
He asked about Ron once again, "he is not hurt, you need to rest harry!" Hermione insisted and stood up "I will come back after work I will leave earlier than usual." Harry nodded and opened his arm to let her know he wanted a hug.
She gave him a small smile and this time leaned forward, Harry buried his face in her shoulder feeling the pull in his chest for the hundredth time that woke him in the middle of the night.
/
After a few days of Harry's recovery Molly finally invited everyone for a Saturday dinner which she had been planning for a while.
Five years since the war had passed so quickly…Harry thought.
He pocketed his hand and held a beer bottle in the other, Ginny clearly didn't approve.
He fingered the cool metal of the gold diamond ring he chose to propose to Ginny with, almost a month back. He carried it with him everywhere he went.
Hermione saw the hidden movement of his hand in his pocket and smiled encouragingly. He smiled back confirming that he was carrying the ring which she helped him choose. Tonight might be the night when everyone else saw it, she thought.
"Ginny can I talk to you for a sec?" She smiled, nodded and stood up. He emptied the remains of the bottle and walked out the door.
The night was cooler than usual but he broke into a cold sweat.
"I need to talk to you." he repeated when she stood in front of him, closer than he liked, he stepped back.
Ginny's stomach was filled excitement, Harry wondered if she knew but then decided that there was no way of her knowing.
"I ..." he started, gripping the ring in his pocket. "I cannot be in a relationship with you anymore Ginny."
The excitement died and made her heart thud in her chest, she heard what he said but was unable to wrap her mind around it.
"Why? What's wrong?" She questioned him and herself.
Harry gathered his courage, "I love someone else." he said looking her in the eye.
"Who?" she asked in a cold voice.
"It's better if no one knows."
She frowned, "I have a right to know Harry" she forced, "it's the least you could do."
A minute passed, "Hermione" he whispered.
Ginny sucked in a breath. That name was like a slap across her face, she took a shaky step back, the recent memory of Harry and Hermione hugging at the hospital flashed in front of her eyes, followed by many other through the years.
She now saw the way he embraced her each time, like he never wanted to let her go.
"Since when?" she asked with tears in her eyes.
"More than two months" he said looking down.
Before he could say anything Ginny ran back into the house and Harry saw the door slam against the wall, he turned his back to the house which was very close to being a home. All the time he had the ring with him he felt like it weighed a ton now it meant nothing.
Not more than ten minutes passed when Ron strode in the front yard, wand in hand, he raised it and aimed a hex right in the middle of Harry's back.
Harry turned in time to see it come closer but not soon enough to react.
Surprising them both the hex hit an invisible shield. Harry still refused to draw his wand against his friend whose anger made it clear that Ginny told them the reason of their break up. He looked over Ron's shoulder, Hermione was standing by the door she was too far for him to see her face and gauge her feelings.
Another attack was blocked by a shield and the next which followed.
When his wand didn't work to hurt Harry, Ron got physical. The first punch landed on Harry's jaw.
"How dare you hurt my sister? How the hell can you say that you love Hermione? YOU ASSHOLE!" Ron roared trying to get past his defense and started hitting harder.
The aurors also trained for physical fights and Ron had his height and built over Harry who was comparatively small but fast.
When no one interjected the one sided fight, Hermione rushed to stop Ron. She pleaded and begged for him to stop but he didn't until she screamed on top of her lungs, "STOP IT! JUST STOP HURTING HIM!" Her face was red with her outburst and wet with tears.
Ron pulled Hermione by her arm and yelled in her face, "DONT YOU DARE FUCKING DEFEND HIM. AGAIN!"
Hermione was too stunned to get out of Ron's unforgiving grip but Harry did it for her.
"Don't hurt her Ron!" He said standing between his two best friends bruised and bloody, which served him a punch in the face and he almost fell on his ass but Hermione kept him upright clutching the back of his t-shirt in her hands and not letting go.
Ron seethed and looked at the two of them, vaguely recollecting a memory with reversed position, then it was Hermione standing in front of Harry and this time she was behind him.
"Yeah you will always choose him, doesn't matter with who you are. Right?"
Her grip on Harry's shirt loosened and he closed his eyes, he was losing her before he even got a chance to try and get her.
\
Harry was staring at the ceiling of his bedroom lying on the bed, arms crossed over his bare chest.
With his action he had not only ruined his own life but also the lives of three other people. People he loved and cared for.
For nights he dreamed the same dream. Him seeing the future which he was likely to have with Ginny but the older him burned and ached to have Hermione. Every time he woke up he felt the need to see her, be with her in ways he wasn't entitled to. He had similar dreams again and again, specifically since he brought the ring for Ginny which was now lying on the nightstand for days.
It was a week since Hermione had left him and Ron standing in front of each other after Ron accused her for choosing Harry. He had not seen her since and had no idea how to approach her.
The week at work was filled with tension; no one knew what happened over the weekend to strain the two aurors also known as the best mates.
Some day between he received a letter from Ginny asking him to return everything she gave him in the past five years of their steady relationship, stating that she wanted to burn everything relating to them. Ginny also wrote that she would have been fine if he'd 'like' some other witch but the fact that he 'liked' Hermione was something she couldn't get past. Why? Harry had no clue. He collected everything as she asked and sent it to her through Kreacher and a letter apologizing, which he was sure burnt in flames too.
He was glad he didn't have to face Ron for two days; he also knew he acted selfishly but his only intension was to not be unfair or disloyal to Ginny and a future family they might have created. He never planned on telling Hermione or Ron about his true feelings... not immediately at least, he confessed to himself.
It was not late enough to sleep but the lack of it for days had left him tired to the bones.
Kreacher appeared in his room telling him that his friend was waiting downstairs and left immediately before he could ask who it was.
'Friend' is what Kreacher referred to everyone who came to see him including Ginny, a fact that she hated incredibly.
Harry pulled a black round neck t-shirt over his grey tracks and went to the living room. He missed the last step when he saw the back of Hermione's head on the couch.
She turned to see him as he was straightening himself and wondered if he was drunk. Harry quietly joined her and sat on the couch next to hers.
He saw her, meeting her eyes briefly, sad eyes, pale face, and hair out of place. He swallowed, suddenly found himself at a loss of words, but the need to have her close remained.
When she realised that he wasn't going to say a word she was forced to ask "Why?"
"It was just a matter of time." he answered, this time holding her gaze.
She frowned.
He stood up and offered her his hand, Hermione looked up at him and his out stretched hand before giving in and standing up. Harry gently squeezed her hand in his, silently thanking her.
They went upstairs to his small home office and he let go of her hand heading to the simple basin of his pensive. Hermione was feeling nervous and curious, she walked closer to him.
Harry concentrated on his dream which felt more real than many incidents in his life; he pointed the wand to the side of his forehead and drew the thin silver thread of his memory, depositing it in the clear water of the pensive. The hill and Hermione's face swirled into it before going still. Harry gestured her to look into it. Hermione nodded taking a step further she leaned forward.
She was transported to the hill Harry had seen so many times in his dreams, she saw Ginny with a small blue eyed boy on the blanket helping her, then heard the voices of two more children but it was a blur of a memory with unclear faces, she recognized the laugh to be Harry's but the Harry in the memory was older and staring at other two children. She gasped at the sight, the little girl she was a spitting image of her own childhood and the boy was very, very similar to Ron. Before she could turn to face Harry from the present she saw an older version of Ron and herself walking up the hill hand in hand until they kissed each other.
She almost felt a pull behind her; she turned to look at the older Harry, fists clenched as though he was in physical pain to see his friends…being intimate. His eyes were so bright and green it caught Hermione's breath until everything went black.
She took a moment to look at Harry, who was not looking at her. "What was that?" she breathed.
Harry inhaled deeply and sat in old chair, Hermione followed suit feeling at edge with what she had just witnessed. It was something Harry had truly seen and not just an imagination bluffed to be a memory.
"Give me a minute." He muttered. No matter how many times he revisited his dream, each time it made his knees go weak.
Hermione looked at him, staring unabashedly as his eyes were closed. Harry had removed his glasses and pressed his palms to his eyes, rolling them in a circular motion to ease some of the pain. She saw how tired he was, three days of stubble grazed his firm jaw and he always needed a haircut. His face had healed almost completely leaving behind a small cut on his lips from the last punch Ron threw at him.
Before she could go back to the night which was a pure disaster she noticed his lips, probably for the first time. He had full lips, she could almost imagine them against hers pressed fully softly but firmly. It took her a few seconds to register that the lips she was so intensely staring at were moving and obviously saying something.
"Huh?" She broke from her trance. "Sorry" she muttered when Harry smiled at her with a knowing look.
He sobered quickly, though he purposely licked his lips making Hermione blush something he had never been a cause of before.
He rubbed his temple and started, "the memory you saw was in fact a dream I have been having regularly for over a month." He cleared his throat, "it has been difficult for me to ... to see you and Ron together recently... even before the dreams I mean. And when I think of it I remember that whenever the two of you got intimate I avoided looking at you or distracted myself with something, initially it was easy but recently it wasn't.
Add to that the voice in my dreams telling me to make the right choice... I couldn't pretend to be happy with Ginny, Hermione I couldn't betray her that way."
When she stayed silent, Harry continued, "She asked me why I was breaking up with her, I told her I was in love with someone else, then she insisted to know who it was, I didn't see the point in lying, I ... I didn't expect her to say it in front of the whole family either. When I broke things off I wasn't even sure if I wanted you and Ron to know, it will be his biggest fear come true if you choose me and I ... I don't know how I would have approached you but..." He stopped talking, taking a moment to collect himself and not sound desperate.
There are many things I regret not doing and many other I regret." he chuckled humorlessly "there is a whole list of it actually...but I live with them. I am not sure how capable I would have been to live without trying to tell you, I couldn't imagine reaching that stage from my dream when years would have passed with an opportunity lost." He remembered the voice saying something similar.
Hermione said nothing and Harry couldn't take it anymore, he rounded his small table and kneeled in front of her taking her hands in his. "Say something please." he whispered.
Hermione looked at him and then at their joined hands, she'd never let herself think of Harry as more than a friend it was a strict no in her mind but her loyalty was always to him, it was a unspoken vow for her to be by his side no matter what. But this time her mind was clouded with doubt, what if his feelings were temporary, what if they were better off as friends?
"I need to think Harry..." she saw the disappointment before he could mask it with false understanding.
They stood up simultaneously and walked to the main door, their mind and heartbeat going a mile a minute.
Before she could walk out the door Harry stopped her, "I ... I am okay...I will be okay even if you decide that we should remain friends, I don't want to force you Hermione I wish this had happened differently but...it hasn't and ... I just want you to be happy okay? No matter what you choose." Harry briefly hugged her and opened the door. Hermione walked out before she took any rash decisions like kiss him on his full lips.
/
"You went to see him yesterday, didn't you?"
Hermione looked up from the newspaper she wasn't reading and took a minute to process his words, she was so lost. Her silence was enough for Ron to confirm his gut feeling.
"How did you…" she started but Ron scoffed, "You may think I am dumb Hermione, but trust me I am not that dumb. Tell me did you fuck in the tent after I left you? Or did you fuck him yesterday?"
Hermione's heart started pounding with anger, "How can you say that?" she asked disbelief lacing her voice. She stood up and went to stand in front of him. "I know you are angry with what happened but that doesn't give you right to say such things to me when it's not my fault."
"THEN WHY DID YOU GO TO HIM?" Ron yelled making his girlfriend cringe.
"Because I wanted to know why he did it!" Hermione yelled back and immediately regretted saying the truth, she was never going to share the dream Harry showed her.
"Yes I am sure he had real good reason to ruin Ginny's and my life!" his face and ears red with anger. "Hermione its good if you leave, the past week showed me what I knew so it's better for you and me to separate," Better for whom she wanted to ask but didn't "you want him go have him but don't come to meet me or any of my family members." He left the house without giving Hermione a chance to speak, not that she had anything to say in her defense...
Hermione had a long tiring day the ministry and wanted nothing but to sleep. In her daze she almost apparated to the apartment she shared with Ron, well now he'd have to manage the rent on his own, she thought bitterly and dropped in front of the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, she entered the Inn which was surprisingly busy on a weekday. She was too drained to have any dinner hence decided to head straight to her temporary room until she found something affordable.
"Hermione?" she froze by the entrance when she heard Harry's voice and hoped she was very, very wrong and that it was someone else.
A hand on her elbow turned her around and she saw her confused friend. "What are you doing here?" he inquired still dressed in his work clothes.
She racked her brains for a believable lie but nothing came. "I moved out of Ron's place" she whispered and sighed in defeat.
Harry's frown deepened, "If I remember correctly you shared the apartment with Ron."
When a group of slightly drunk men approached laughing too loudly Harry and Hermione moved to stand in the corner. He stared at her for a long time and Hermione was too embarrassed to keep looking him in the eye given her current predicament.
She'd be lying if she said she didn't think of going to Harry's when she left her previous home with her belongings compressed to fit in the beaded bag. But she decided against it, not wanting to come off as helpless. Going to her parents was not an option she fancied.
"Let's go home; you don't need to pay to stay when all rooms in my house are empty." He said firmly yet softly.
She looked up at him, wondered how she was supposed to feel about him being...whatever he was being. Her brains had certainly disappeared in the last two weeks.
But she tried pushing him away, "I don't think that's a good idea and I still need some time for myself."
His gaze remained, "You have all the time in the world, you want space I will make sure you won't see a glimpse of me until you want to but you are coming home with me, you can either checkout or we apparate from right here, accio your things when we reach."
"I will be back in ten" she murmured and turned to leave.
Harry saw her disappear and leaned back against the wall, he summoned Kreacher and asked him to ready the first floor for Hermione since he was on the third which will put a good amount of space between the two. His eyes closed behind his glasses and arms folded over his chest. He wondered what was going to happen next, his friendship with Ron was no more and the stress under which Hermione was wasn't making their relationship any better. Regret hit him hard as he replayed the events since his break up and thoughts of how things could have gone differently if his course of action was slightly well planned.
Hermione looked at Harry from the reception desk and saw from afar how rigid he was. With a few sickles returned to her for an early checkout she moved closer to him and observed his clenched jaw making her nervous and aware that he was angry and most likely beating himself over what's happened, which might not be entirely misplaced. Hermione was in no position to make him feel better and she was not completely blameless either. Her silent decision to stay with him was just the other side of the coin.
Sensing a presence and the familiar perfume he opened his eyes and stood up straighter.
"Ready?" he asked and she nodded, quietly following him out.
/
When they reached Grimmauld Place Hermione was surprised to see a lot had changed, from the previous lighter tones of blue and green wallpaper it was changed into warmer tones of browns and white. She looked around some more before they headed upstairs.
"It's your floor if you need anything call for Kreacher and you know where I am. Have dinner where ever you like in your room or at the table just let Kreacher know okay?"
"Harry..." Hermione started in a nervous tone. "Don't." he said evenly, "take your time I will stay out of your hair and please, please don't feel obligated to tolerate me, you don't have to." he gave her a small smile and lightly brushed her arm on his way up.
Hermione went into the room she once shared with Ginny but it had changed too. Now there was just one queen sized bed in the middle of it instead of two and a medium sized wardrobe with light blue walls and an aligned pattern of spades in white and dark blue border. Kreacher appeared in front of her a bowed standing with a hunch. "Miss has dinner down or up in her room?" he asked in a shaky aging voice.
"I will have some here, just a little bit though. Did Harry eat?"
Kreacher shook his head and said, "Master ate at work."
"Kreacher set the wardrobe for Miss if miss like." He offered, his Master had ordered him to take care of his friend, be respectful towards her and make sure she feels at home.
"Umm... I am not sure." Hermione answered. She then gave him the details of her work schedule so he could plan the breakfast and dinners accordingly.
It was a sunny day in contrast to Hermione's mood. She left early for work but Harry had left earlier. Kreacher let her know that she missed him by just a few minutes, she made a mental note to see him at dinner or next day's breakfast, she did want some space but not at the cost of Harry's discomfort in his own house.
/
When her work day came to an end she headed out alone and saw Harry with two other aurors walking into the ministry. He stopped abruptly when he saw her, his colleagues had enough sense to give them some space, knowing that the unsolvable tension between Weasley and Potter was due to their friend Hermione Granger.
"Hey" he said scratching his head "you off work?" he asked the obvious, smacking himself mentally for the stupid question.
Hermione just nodded, "You going to be late?" she asked, wondering how it was possible that they escaped seeing each other for three days under the same roof. Harry had still not answered her question.
"You want me to come early?" he asked carefully.
"Umm ... no ... I mean, yes" she huffed at her confused state and started again. "You don't need to rush work because of me but please don't stay just for staying out of my way back home."
"So you want to see me?" Harry asked need to hear the exact words and not taking things, her for granted.
"Yes" she whispered looking down, "I wanted to see you for a few days now but..." she trailed off.
Harry gave a short nod but they stood facing each other, he cursed inwardly that he wasn't leaving on time today. There was a lot he could have said to her but the place was not at all right.
They almost walked into each other moving forward at once. Hermione gave a short laugh at their silliness and Harry's lips curved at the corner just a bit. They parted ways but looked back at the same time.
"Will you be there for dinner?" she asked, running her hand through her hair, feeling weird at asking such a casual question.
"Yes, let Kreacher know whatever you want to eat, I will see you...soon."
She nodded and waved at him, she could feel his eyes on her back as she walked away, a small smile gracing her lips after too many days. Just seeing him, talking to him made her feel better than she had staying alone.
Harry closed his eyes taking a minute to breathe, he had been strung too tight trying his best to not be seen by Hermione, making good on his promise. He started quickly to the aurors office wanting to reach home sooner than he planned.
If eyes could kill Harry and Hermione had been dead. Cold blue eyes watched their run in closely glaring all the while.
Harry was waiting for the lift to arrive when Ron came and stood beside him.
"So she readily jumped from my bed into yours?" Ron stated casually, Harry clenched his fists knowing he was the one and only person responsible for what was happening. "We should compare notes on how she likes to be fucked, it will come..." He couldn't finish the sentence.
Harry had pinned him against the wall adjacent to the elevator, "Don't fucking dare to insult her in front of me Ron" he said through his teeth.
"Can't blame you entirely if she was so ready to whore herself to you, is she any good?" Ron went on.
"For all these days I hated myself for my actions" Harry stepped back from his former friend. "But now I am glad for what I did, she is better off without a sick pig like you."
Ron's eyes hardened, he scoffed. "You are one to say." he spat, "wanting to fuck her now when you said that she was like a sister to you huh?"
Harry stayed silent, saw the elevator approach, "I was wrong Ronald, and I am sorry about that but you need to grow up, respect the choice she makes and think twice before you insult her in memory of what you two had." Harry said looking at him with sad yet sharp eyes.
"It's easier to say that when you are the one who she chooses... again and again." Ron replied coldly.
"In that case do you know why she chooses me... again and again? Because I care for her, I respect her and everything she stands for; I love her for what she is, the good and the bad. You made her laugh Ron the way I never could, but you also made her cry, the way I never will. You hurt her and left her again and again never learning from your mistakes...your loss is my gain."
Harry waited for his words to sink in Ron's head. He saw the anger turn into hurt.
"What 'bout Ginny?" Ron asked feeling pain course through his body for his sister.
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Sooner or later I was bound to realise that I was in love with Hermione, would you rather that it happened when Ginny was married to me probably with a few kids?" he asked.
"You wouldn't know that Harry, you never gave Ginny a chance."
Harry smiled ruefully, "Trust me I know, and no girl...no woman ever stood a chance against Hermione."
He left Ron standing there and stepped into the elevator which had arrived for the second time. Through his work he was thinking whether to tell Hermione about his run in with Ron.
Harry picked a half dozen of cupcakes Hermione once got for his birthday from a muggle bakery. He just wanted to be careful to not over step the line of friendship even a little.
Kreacher was happy to know that his master and friend would be eating together. He could see that his master made special effort for his friend. Harry was making breakfast every morning since Hermione arrived waking early to accomplish the task even before Hermione woke up.
Harry first entered the dining room and placed the box of cupcakes in the refrigerator then headed to the basement. Kreacher was moving around at a slow pace but his magic was still strong. He bowed to his master "dinner will be served shortly Master."
"Take your time Kreacher." Harry said softly and headed to his room for a quick shower.
"Harry." Hermione called when she saw him heading upstairs. But she had nothing to say to him, he turned and walked down the few steps he'd taken. "Hermione." He said softly taking in her homey look. Long white pajamas with pink hearts on it and a white tank top hugging her body, hair tied in a messy bun. He had an urge to embrace her and kiss all the bare skin.
"You came just now?" she asked lamely.
"Yes." He answered, "I will be down in a few minutes for dinner should I call you then?"
"Umm no I will head down now and see if Kreacher needs any help and we could talk later."
Not touching any serious subject through dinner, Harry and Hermione shared their work day with each other and fell into a comfortable silence until they finished eating.
Hermione was getting comfortable on the couch when Harry came and sat by her placing a familiar box in her lap. She squealed when she saw an assortment of cupcakes from her favorite bakery. She rested against the arm of the couch and Harry sat crossed leg facing her.
"Harry you didn't have to…" but she was already talking a bite of the blueberry cake.
Harry chuckled, "Looking at your face right now I am glad I did." She sheepishly offered him the box to pick his choice.
"I ran into Ron, when we parted. I think he saw us talking and guessed you are staying with…staying here. He was pissed at first and insulted you I gave him a piece of my mind and I don't know but I hope he understands eventually."
Hermione kept the box aside, "I hope you know that we are still friends Harry … I mean I am staying here until I find something." She had a sharp edge to her voice.
Harry sighed, "I meant that I hope he understands why I did what I did, the last thing I want to do is fight with you Hermione. And as much as I'd like for you to stay here…as my friend, I respect your choice to have something of your own." He said softly, making her feel bad for thinking otherwise.
"I have been thinking," He continued, "we never really got a chance to just be by ourselves for a long time. After the war we got back with Ron and Ginny and never took a chance of meeting someone new. And now I did this to us…so it will be good to take a break you know."
"Are you having second thoughts?" she asked looking down at her hands.
"No!" was his quick but firm reply. "I want us to be together if you want it too that is, but I just want you to know you have a choice. Whatever we do we will do it your way."
Hermione had let her hair down and was fidgeting with the hair tie, she looked up at him first noticed his caring eyes and then his soft lips. Without thinking she moved forward on her knees and locked lips with Harry. He moved quickly gripping her waist and holding her at the nape. They kissed deeply; Hermione opened to him immediately, both tasting like blueberry and chocolate with their own unique flavor. She towered over him gripping the long strands of his hair and moaning as he massaged her waist and the back of her head. He got on his knees in level with her and pulled her soft body against his bending down to kiss her jaw and neck, all the bare skin, like he wanted to earlier. She was breathless and hot and wanting, needing to be touched and taken.
He felt her nipples harden as he kissed the edge of her top and squeezed her hips, he drove her crazy as he sucked on her collar bone, "Harry" she gasped, "I …I want you."
He pulled back, it was one thing to make out and completely other to have sex. "Let's take things a bit slow Hermione I can't ruin us even before we start." When she started to pull away, he grabbed her and pulled her on his lap, both groaning as the connected over their clothes.
She wanted to be reckless and with him she knew she could, he'd be there to catch her as she fell of that Hermione was doubtless. Her eyes conveyed her want and need, she pulled at his t-shirt and he compelled. Holding the back of his head in both hands Hermione started kissing him and grinding against his hard cock. He squeezed her ass and jerked upward, Hermione broke the kiss and looked down at him lips swollen, eyes greener, hands all over her body, but it wasn't enough.
"You say you love me Harry? Then show me how much you love me." She challenged.
He closed his eyes and inhaled. Standing swiftly, Hermione wrapped her leg around his waist and hands around his shoulder. "Are you going to carry me till your room Harry?"
"Yes" he grit through his teeth as he walked up the stairs harder than he had ever been. "Are you sure about this?" he asked wanting to give her a last chance to backtrack.
She leaned in curtaining her hair around his head, he stopped at the foot of the stairs to his floor, he thought she was going to kiss him but she bit his chin and sucked on his lower lip. He grew impossibly hard and weak in his knees; she knew she had managed to snap his control.
"Make love to me Harry and then fuck me all night." Her stomach clenched at her own words but she was shameless in front of him.
Harry abruptly changed her position and flung her over his shoulder, Hermione gasped at the sudden change in position and wonder if he'd smack her butt. To her surprise and shock he bit the side of her ass, the clothes softening the sting of his bite.
Harry deposited her on his bed and pulled off her pajamas with a flourish. His bed was higher than hers a perfect height for him to fuck her while he was standing. As she scooted to lie in the middle of the bed he stood at the edge with his hands on his hips.
"Tell me to stop now." He warned. He saw a damp spot on her white cotton panties. "I told you what I want." She whispered taking off her tank top to reveal a white bra. Harry pulled at the drawstrings of his pants and pushed them down, he was wearing nothing else. Hermione bit her lip hard and squeezed her wet core in anticipation of taking in his thick long length. Harry crawled on top of her and did quick work with her bra and underpants.
He cupped her sex sliding in two fingers at once making her moan louder than before. He sucked hard on her breast fondling the other. Hermione was slick with sweat and writhing in need of a release. "Faster…ah go fast Harry" she urged but his kept his pace steady. He wanted to find a spot in her or on her to drive her over the edge of ecstasy.
She felt his heavy hard cock at her thigh and looking into his shining eyes. He gave her a cunning smile and withdrew his finger from her pussy. She groaned in frustration but gasped as he licked his wet fingers. She was breathing short and fast as he lowered his mouth to her aching pussy, Ron found it gross to go down on her so it was her first time and no matter how much Harry wanted Ginny never let him. Harry buried his face in her bare pussy and started sucking and licking, with no previous experience he should have been uncertain but he only wanted to consume her, eat her, Hermione's hand found purchase in his hair riding his mouth moaning and groaning in pure pleasure.
He bit her sensitive clit lightly and she screamed at the prick of pain down there, he squeezed her round ass hard in his hands and sucked her wet lips harder hollowing his mouth. "AHHH" she screamed, hands pulling his hair painfully but he kept licking her cum, all of it until her body stilled and her hands lay limp in his hair. Harry sat in middle of her spread legs and caressed her warm, soft and sweaty body. Hermione opened her eyes, he looked different, she felt different. His chin wet with her fluids, she sat up and pulled him down to lick her cum and his chin and kissing him to taste herself, him and a hint of chocolate. Harry felt being pushed on his back and he surrendered, "Let me return the favour." She said in a hoarse voice. He shook his head, "I want to cum in your pussy Hermione." Her heart skipped a beat but then she pouted, "I want to taste you" she complained. He crooked his fingers to call her closer and she straddled his cock with her pussy. "We have all night darling…"
They were far from being each other's firsts but the first time together was anything but predictable. As Harry waved his wand to clean them and the sex infused sheets, Hermione was exhausted and asleep as he covered her in light duvet he didn't wish to make his morning wood obvious, he slipped his tracks back on and slid in next to his girlfriend, hoping that was what she was now.
Albeit the long eventful night Harry woke up after an hour's of extra sleep than the usual. He first took a shower and set some clean clothes for Hermione along with a shirt of his, giving her a choice to wear what she saw fit, and making it clear that what happened was certainly not a one night thing for him.
Harry decided to make Hermione's favourite banana pancakes; Hermione certainly had a sweet tooth, he thought with a grin on his face as he started collecting the ingredients.
When she finally opened her eyes, the events of the previous night came rushing back to her. She turned her head slowly to an empty bed and a clock on the bedside table adjacent to hers. It read 10:00 AM in red dotted line. Hermione sat up slowly, stretching and feeling a dull ache throughout her body especially at her core which clenched in memory. Hermione stood up wrapping the duvet around her, not bold enough to parade around naked. She didn't wish to face Harry until she saw her clothes neatly piled at the foot of the bed along with a shirt of his. A folded paper lay atop in his scrawny script.
"Your clothes look pretty good and comfortable on you, but my shirt will look better and be a lot more comfortable. I took the liberty of going through your clothes to find suitable bottoms to complete the outfit. See you soon. Love H."
She lifted his shirt and her black boy shorts fell to the floor.
Hermione couldn't have showered any faster even if she tried. She rushed through the stairs but slowed down as she neared the kitchen smelling as tempting as her man did.
/
Epilogue 1.
Everyone who met the three year old James Sirius Potter could see the perfect mixture of Hermione Potter and Harry Potter. But Hermione knew their son was just like his father, the features, eyes, hair, even the brains were all Harry's.
"I am warning you Harry you will be solely responsible for this little man here." Harry chuckled and nuzzled his neck in James's little shoulder making the toddler giggle and wriggle in his mother's arms.
"He is going to be as great as his father and grandfather combined!" Harry boasted taking his healthy and jumpy boy from Hermione and started down the busy street towards the orphanage.
"Well then he better meet a life partner like his mother and grandmother to contain his greatness." Hermione teased.
"Birdie, ello birdie!" James called out to a yellow bird sitting on the gate of the orphanage, which flew in fright as the family neared.
"Hello Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter." The nurse greeted the couple, "Wish you a very happy birthday Mr. Potter, we are glad you chose to celebrate it with us even this year."
"Thank you very much." Harry smiled. He left James to play with the other boys and girls some of his age and some even younger under the watchful eyes of the nurses around. He and Hermione then headed to the main office to make a yearly donation and hand over the boxes of sweets they gave as a small surprise to all the orphans.
The older children greeted the couple with respect and awe while some teenagers ignored them. As there was no funding for their education the nurses and healers did an excellent job at teaching them at the orphanage itself which functioned well. There was no sorting into houses just a difference of age group which created a barrier between the young witches and wizards.
When Harry and Hermione were done, they headed back to the room where James was left to play. It took them a minute to spot him at the far end of the room by a lone wooden cradle. Hermione kneeled by him and stroked his head lovingly.
"James, baby why aren't you playing with the others?" she asked.
James turned to face his mother and answered, "No one played with him Mommy so I come to play."
Hermione smiled at her boy's good heart, "Darling, not him it's her, she is a baby girl not a boy, see she is wearing a little frock…" she pointed.
"Yes! Yes! He is…She is Rose Mommy she is Rose." He clapped feeling proud at having recognized the bright red flowers on the baby's white dress to be roses.
The baby in the cradle made little noise at the clapping making James giggle, "Can I home him Mommy? No one play with her!" He complained in a sad voice.
Hermione turned to look at Harry who was watching the baby girl with all the love in world. She knew it would only take a nudge for him to agree to adopt the baby as they had planned to adopt one three years back, but were surprised with Hermione being pregnant with James.
Their son had managed to gift Harry with a little baby girl on his birthday a present he'd treasure for the rest of his life.
/
Epilogue 1.
"Mom can we talk for a minute?" Hermione looked up from the book which had just got interesting; she kept it on the bedside table and nodded at her eldest teenage daughter. Rose loved her parents, even more after they told her that she was adopted before she started Hogwarts so that she wouldn't hear it from a stranger. Rose was wearing a pair of shorts with an old t-shirt and socks, not because it was cold but it kept her in the mood of Christmas, which made her look good for all the wrong reasons, Harry was soon going to be disturbed by her clothing or lack of it, Hermione thought.
Rose played with the end of the afghan on Hermione's lap but tried to muster some courage. "I had my first kiss" she said in an inaudible voice.
"Come again." Hermione said with a frown. Rose looked up to see if her mother was testing her or she really didn't hear. Unable to judge she said exasperatedly, "I had my first kiss mom!"
Hermione's brows almost reached her hairline but she quickly recovered. More surprised that Rose was telling her about it than the fact that she had kissed.
"Who is he?"
Rose started worrying her lips; this was harder than the first part. "He says you and dad won't like him."
Well any boy, who even looks at you the wrong way, won't be your dad's favourite for a long, long time. As for me, I can promise you to be open about it."
"He says you and dad hate his family."
Hermione ran a hand through her daughter's hair, a natural brown with a hint of red, strongly suspicious about the boy in question.
"There are many people who we didn't like from the Slytherin House but we are a long way since then so tell me..."
"It's Scorpius...Scorpius Malfoy. He was distant this year, but I tried asking him what the matter was but he never gave me a sensible answer, then just before the Christmas vacation we had a big fight when he told me why we can't date and suddenly he was kissing me and I him. " she said it all in a rush, unable to look at Hermione.
Hermione shifted closer to Rose and hugged her, who hugged her back with all her might.
"I don't want dad or James to hate me mom!" She said with a cry in her voice.
"Shhh hush baby…listen to me." They pulled back but held on to each other's hands.
"First things first, your dad and James will never hate you…Ever! You understand?" Rose nodded, brushing her hair back.
"Secondly, Draco Malfoy and we have our differences but we don't hate each other…It's just that we never really got a chance to be on the same side and get to know each other. When you were sorted in Slytherin, I was minutely worried about Harry's reaction. But he was immensely proud…James was not angry but he was sad and anxious that he couldn't be there with you if you ever needed help. So this you and Scorpius getting together will not be held against you in any way. We can even talk to Mal… Draco and have him clear his son's doubts."
Rose couldn't help but smile at the picture of their parents meeting and talking. She broke out in a giggle, "Scorpius told me that when he spoke to his dad a few days back about what happened between us his dad said to him – "any minute I expect Harry Potter to barge in through the door and hex us both but I am sure that Hermione Granger will first punch us in the face and then hex us."
Hermione chuckled, "Who is hexing whom?" Harry asked as her entered the room with a smile. Rose squeezed Hermione's hand willing her to not say anything. "We are hexing Draco Malfoy and his son." Harry scoffed at the idea of it, "Oh why so?"
"Because Rose had her first kiss with Scorpius Malfoy just before the vacations." Hermione stated in a calm voice.
Harry stopped mid nod as he made sense of what his wife said, he was shocked momentarily missing the protesting cry of his daughter.
"You, you did what? You Rose Granger Potter are absolutely not allowed to kiss a boy till…till you turn thirty! Hermione why are you so calm about it? Ground her! This is unacceptable!"
Hermione rolled her eyes and kissed Rose's forehead, "you see darling, the fact that you kissed Scorpius doesn't even cross his mind, does it?" she turned to ask Harry. He frowned with a hand on his hip, "Well now that you mention it, it does but you cannot kiss him!" "But Harry they can be friends…right?" He answered after a bit, "Yes, yes you can certainly be friends; James told me he is really good at being a chaser Quidditch better than his father ever was at seeking!"
"Harry!" Hermione admonished and stood up and Rose followed saying goodnight to her mother then moving to her father. She flung her arms around his waist and hugged him tight, "I love you Daddy!" Harry chuckled "I love you too baby" rocked her back and forth, he saw Hermione smiling and knew that it was okay no matter how much he didn't like it. He mouthed I love you to Hermione and got a flying kiss in return.
Hermione knew there was no point in returning to her book now, Harry locked the door as his daughter left and jumped onto the bed snuggling his face in Hermione's afghan covered lap.
"I am worried about Rosy." He said looking up at her, as she leisurely stroked his hair. "So am I." She replied softly. "But there are certain things we can't shield her from, love, heartbreaks are one of them. I just want her to be careful."Harry sighed and kissed her palms, agreeing to what she said.
After all these years Harry looked at Hermione with an intensity that made her blood rush through her veins. He pulled her head down for a kiss which promised a night, more interesting than her book.
AN: The story is complete so far, but I am likely to add short pieces exploring different incidents of Harry and Hermione's life.