The Dew of Strawberry fields: Forbidden Kisses
Hermione was a mess as she waited outside the courtroom of the Ministry of Magic. She had never imagined that SHE, a model citizen of the Muggle and Wizarding world would be facing a trial and the prospect of losing everything that her life stood for. All because of one man – two men, actually.
'Wait!' she corrected herself, mentally. They weren't entirely to blame, 'It was I who caused so much pain for one man and the mixture of confusion and sense of duty for another, and it was I who had betrayed my husband and my close friend and fallen for another – my best friend.'
In her mind she reassured herself that it couldn't be helped. It had just happened and it had been more natural, beautiful and pure than anything she'd ever felt before, even her first time with Ronald.
The way those hands caressed her, lovingly touching her in places she had only ever let Ron go before….
'Stop it, Hermione! This is serious. There would be plenty of time for beautiful fantasies after the trial was over and she had her sentence handed down. Even if the real thing was an obscure impossibility, due to a stay in Azkaban, or worse if she was exiled and forced to reside only in the Muggle world without her magic or her amazing job as Hogwarts'Arithmancy Professor.
But those eyes….that amazing hair that shone, in the moonlight in the forest on the outskirts of the property, adjoining the Burrow. How she longed to run her fingers through it once more and caress the body of the one she loved and feel those hands… caress her beneath her robes, brushing the side of her small breast, the warmth of their touch sent shivers down Hermione's spine…. even now, when she should have been concentrating on her case.
How could she deny that loving someone so much would eventually lead to their worlds crashing down around them? It began years before when they were at Hogwarts. Hermione was in her fifth year.
That was the year when that toad, Umbridge, began teaching at – no, controlling Hogwarts. The ministry had stepped in out of denial that Voldemort had been resurrected and was rapidly rising to power. Defense against the Dark Arts lessons were strictly taught from the textbook and not at all useful in those terrible times.
That was when Dumbledore's Army was formed and Harry began teaching what Umbridge had failed to. That was the year that Hermione had done the unthinkable – broke school rules.
Nobody knew that Hermione was beginning to have strange feelings about her best friend. They would spend hours together at a time, in dark corners of the library – where no other students dared to go, the Gryffindor common after lights out, while knitting hats for the house elves – something the others had ridiculed and refused to take part in.
Their hands had touched accidentally, as they sat by the crackling flames and Hermione had never felt such an amazing sensation, like a phoenix awakening inside of her. Then their lips touched for the first time. Their kiss was like dew that covered a field of strawberries.
Following that they spent weeks trying to find time alone together, stealing kisses, when they were sure that no one would see, using Harry's invisibility cloak, on many occasions.
Then Dobby showed Harry the room of requirement. With the Marauders'' map in hand and starving to feel each others touch, they sought out the room that they had all used to practice Defense. They entered the room and placed a protection spell on the room, so that no one would find it.
There, their lips met once more and Hermione felt the hands as they touched her aching body, slipping under her school robes, creeping under her blouse, and caressing her breasts. She felt the trembling fingers as they pushed the cup of her bra aside and gently stroked her nipple. Hermione shuddered from the amazing sensations, wanting more. She wanted to stay there forever, but she knew that the DA would need the room soon and would all be wondering why they couldn't find the entrance.
Defying her overwhelming need, Hermione whispered "Stop. We can't. The others will be coming along soon." They'd fixed themselves up and regained composure before undoing the protection spell. Almost immediately the door opened and the DA filed in. There was neither time for anyone to ask any questions, nor did they feel the need. They returned many times following that day, each time exploring the beauty of each others body and soul. The loving energy flowed between them filling the room with light, as they made love. It was the first time for both – something that they would remember forever, even after they left Hogwarts and married different people.
It had pained Hermione to know that what they were doing, long after she married Ron, would hurt so many people if they knew. In that forest, near the Burrow, they reignited a passion they tried to leave behind at Hogwarts. They were both married, both with children, respectable jobs. Everything they could have wanted – almost everything. They didn't have the one thing they needed the most – Each other.
Under the moonlight they shared the sweetest forbidden kiss. Hermione felt those hands caress her beneath the robes, once more, touching the most secret parts of her body, feeling the tingle of ecstasy, tasting the familiar sweet dew of strawberry fields as their tongues met. They promised that no more would they deny each other and themselves, the love they shared. So pure and so amazing….
How could something so beautiful be so wrong? 'Because, Hermione, you've hurt a lot of people, 'she lectured herself, 'not to mention broken a centuries' old law.' If only they been able to keep it quiet, just a little longer. If only Ron had not caught them, that night in Harry's bed. If only they'd been more careful, not to be discovered, by anyone, least of all her husband.
She'd told him earlier that she was leaving him for another, but fear of the embarrassment and shame that was sure to follow prevented Hermione from telling Ron who it was, as well as the knowledge that it was better for all involved if Ron didn't know who the other lover was. He knew the person too well and the amazing closeness that the four people – Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny had would be destroyed.
Who was she kidding, trying to hide the truth? Of course the curiosity would burn Ron enough to follow Hermione to Harry and Ginny's Home at Grimmauld Place, formerly the Order of the Pheonix Headquarters.
He had expected to find his wife in bed with his long time best mate, Harry and was ready to pound him into the next dimension, when he got there. What he'd found was something far more shocking. There was Hermione, locked in a loving embrace, kissing, not Harry but….
"Ginny?" Ron shrieked in horror? This was far worse then his encounter with Aragog, Hagrid's giant pet spider, or even Grawp, Hagrid's giant brother. Two pairs of stunned eyes bore into him.
Shattered by the sight he'd flown into a rage like no other that Hermione had ever seen. "All that time that you had spent over here at Harry's, when you should have been home with me, you were spending time with Ginny? Doing this?"
"Ron, it wasn't like that I swear," was all Hermione could say.
"Well then how was it, then you tell me – actually I don't really want to know. How could you, Hermione? I have loved you, gave you three children, protected you, put you ahead of myself! And you!" He turned to Ginny, who was now crying into the Gryffindor red and gold satin pillows."You're my sister – Family!"
What was worse was that if it had been Harry, he could have pummeled him for it, and felt somewhat better, but this was his sister and a girl, and regardless of how badly this had hurt him and would scar him for the rest of his life, he could never dream of hurting her – not physically anyway. "Expect a phone-call from my lawyer. This is not over, Hermione. I can assure you that." With that he'd aparated from the room.
Ginny's eyes were red from crying so hard. She was in no way ashamed of what she had done with Hermione, only that she'd hurt her brother in way that he would never forgive her for, and the repercussions would be phenomenal – worse than a howler from mum, or the reaction she'd got from Harry earlier. Poor sweet Harry who had loved so deeply and was always hurt and abandoned…..
The thought made Ginny cry harder.
"Its okay, Darl', we'll get through this, I promise." Hermione sobbed. The two women sat on the bed, comforted by each other's embrace, as they kissed away each other's tears.
Soon their tears were briefly forgotten as their kisses became more intense and more passionate. Once more Hermione ran her fingers through that soft flaming hair, while Ginny traced her own finger from Hermione's cheek, down her neck, lingering for a few moments on those beautiful breasts. Hermione felt the tingle as Ginny ran her palm over the erect nipples and cupped the soft mound of skin in her hand. Hermione's own hand trembled as she explored Ginny's breast, a little larger than her own, but still more beautiful than anything she'd ever touched. She could hardly contain her excitement as Ginny's hand travelled down to the cave between her warm thighs…...
"Hermione," Ginny's voice echoed breaking the revere. "Hermione? It's time to go in, now." Instantly Hermione was forced to return to the present and face what consequences lay ahead.
"No matter what happens, Ginny, I will always love you. Forever." Hermione uttered those last words as a Ministry official escorted her into the large courtroom. There she stood, like a criminal in bulky chains in the middle of the room next to her lawyer, surrounded by witches, wizards, hags, goblins elves and centaurs. They all glared at her, especially one wizard, the recently appointed Minister of Magic, who was filled with a mixture of sadness, anger and a sense of duty to up hold the laws which shaped their world. To him she was no better than a death-eater.
Bang!
Harry Potter lowered the mallet onto the desk in front of him. "Silence!" he hollered. Immediately there was a hush in the crowd. "Hermione Granger, you are here-by charged with adulterous conduct of a homosexual nature!" 'with my wife,' he thought to himself angrily. "How do you plead?"
What else could Hermione say? "Guilty." Then, once again the tears began to fall.
"Then I sentence you to five years in Azkaban! Following that I condemn you to live, in exile, in the Muggle-world and stripped of your employment at Hogwarts!" Hermione knew it would be so. Upon command she handed the wand over to the ministry official who had escorted her to her impending doom. He then handed it to Harry. Holding it high in the air between his two shaking hands he never hesitated for a second.
SNAP!
'There!' Harry thought. 'You ruined my world. Now I've ruined yours.'