Man, I Feel Like a Woman
All Hermione wanted was for Ron to be more sympathetic to her during her time of the month. She decided to give him an idea of she went through once a month. Cramps. She found a potion in an old potions book in the library and decided to make it to give Ron an idea of what she went through once a month.
As she paced back and forth in the Gryffindor common room, fuming. She was mad, correction, angry with her boyfriend Ron. That morning, she woke up to find in the night Mother Nature paid a visit and when she informed Ron, figuring he deserved warning if she seemed to be snappier than usual.
During her fuming, Ginny, Ron's sister and Harry's girlfriend entered the common room, realizing Hermione seemed to be fuming about something, but usually involved Ron.
"What did Ron do now?" Ginny asked. She and Harry was used to the arguments between the two
"Ron has never been sympathetic when I'm on my time of the month. I woke up this morning to find that I started my time of the month, complete with cramps."
Ginny winced. "Oh, I hate them. At least Harry helped me when I'm on my time of the month," she said.
Hermione knew Ginny was right. Harry would use his invisibility cloak and sneak into the kitchen for hot chocolate for her and himself. He brought her chocolate, keeping some back for when her time of the month came around. Ginny would borrow Harry's heat pack that she got him to use for Quidditch practice and use it to soothe her cramps. Harry also would carry the basket for Ginny as she stocked up on her feminine hygiene products, while Hermione carried her own basket while Ron complained.
Ginny approached Hermione slowly, knowing she was liable to snap at her as well.
"What are you going to do?" Ginny inquired, curious.
Hermione led Ginny up to her dorm and showed her the book she found in the library. She searched for the potion recipe and when she found it, she showed it to Ginny.
"The Sympathy Potion, it gives the drinker menstrual cramps, mimicking that of the ones their significant other experiences. For example, you get bad cramps and if Harry were to take this potion, he would experience the same bad cramps you get."
Ginny knew what Hermione was thinking. Ron was a good boyfriend, could be a little more caring when it came to Hermione's menstrual cycle. He made Harry look like a saint.
"It takes a day to brew," Hermione explained, as she looked over the ingredient list. Luckily, it included things that Hermione already had on hand. She started to collect the ingredients and began to brew the potion. "Don't say a word to anyone, especially Harry."
Ginny nodded, agreeing to keep it between them. She wanted to hex Ron when he didn't show Hermione an ounce of sympathy to Hermione when she was on her time of the month.
"I'll leave you to it. Let me know if you needed anything help."
Ginny left Hermione in the dorm and headed on down to the portrait hole, deciding to go on to dinner. As she was walking down to the Great Hall, she suddenly felt strong arms wrap around her, making her shriek.
"It's me."
Ginny let a breath of relief as she turned around and smiled as she wrapped her arms around Harry's neck.
"Hey, baby. How was your day?" She asked.
Harry tiredly laid his head on her shoulder. "Long, tiring, and I'm starving."
"Poor baby," Ginny cooed. "Let's go and get you some food and we'll head back and relax in the common room."
They headed on to the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table. When the food appeared, Harry and Ginny started to fix a plate, deciding on the chicken and potatoes. They made small talk as they ate, briefly discussing the events of the previous Quidditch practice. They enjoyed the rare moment of having dinner just the two of them at the end of the Gryffindor table. Knowing Harry was hungry, she didn't comment when Harry took an unheard of third helping of peas and carrots, potatoes and chicken.
When the desserts appeared, Ginny took an apple turnover, handing one to Harry.
As dinner came to the end, Harry yawned and laid his head on Ginny's shoulder.
"Sleepy?" She asked, placing her hand on his forehead just to make sure he wasn't coming down with something, relieved when she noticed his normal temperature. She felt Harry nod against her shoulder.
"Let's head to the common room. You can rest on the couch near the fire," Ginny murmured. Harry agreed and followed her up to Gryffindor tower. She told the Fat Lady the password and left Harry on the couch, telling she would be back in a minute. She headed up to check on Hermione to see if she needed something.
"Did you eat anything?" Ginny inquired.
Hermione replied by pointing to the plate with a sandwich on it. She explained she had Dobby bring her up a sandwich since Ron couldn't get up the stairs.
"Alright, I wanted to check on you. I'm going to spend some time with Harry."
"Okay," Hermione said.
"Good night, Hermione."
"Good night, Ginny."
Ginny returned to the common room to find Ron and Seamus playing chess. Harry was nowhere to be found.
"Ron, where's Harry?" Ginny inquired.
Ron moved his pawn before he replied, "He's in the dorm."
Ginny headed back up to the dorms, heading up the stairs to the boys' dorm, entering the sixth year dorm. She smiled at finding Harry asleep on his bed, looking as if he had just flopped on his bed and fell straight to sleep. It seemed that the only thing he managed to do was to change out of his uniform and into his pajama pants.
Ginny took off his glasses and then tucked the duvet around him. She kissed his cheek, whispering 'good night' and quietly left the dorm.
She really hoped that Hermione's plan worked for her. She knew Ron and Hermione made a great couple and everyone was glad to see them together, finally. Ron really needed to be taught a lesson or two about women. Harry made a better boyfriend than Ron was. What made it sadder was Hermione knew it but didn't seem to make her jealous.
How little did she know what was about to happen?
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The next morning, Ginny checked on Hermione to see how she was doing with the potion. She was freshly showered and in a clean uniform. She was almost done brewing the potion.
"When are you going to give Ron the potion?" Ginny asked.
"Tonight at dinner, that way it will start to affect him in the morning," Hermione explained, as she stirred the potion one final time.
The girls went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, finding that boys were already there. Hermione settled herself beside Ron as Ginny sat down next to Harry.
"Good morning, girls," Ron greeted, as he passed a plate of toast to Hermione with her favorite jam, trying to get himself back in her good graces. Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry 'good morning'
"Do you really have to do that?" Ron grumbled as he ate his breakfast. Turning to Hermione, he asked her, "Are you in a better mood today?"
Hermione glared at Ron and slowly got up and left the table, leaving the Great Hall.
"Ronald, could you be more caring?!" Ginny exclaimed. More softly, she said, "It's her time of the month."
Harry snorted his orange juice. "That's too much information, Gin," he said.
Ginny pretended not to hear Harry and continued, "Harry is a better boyfriend to me than you are to Hermione."
Harry facepalmed. "Please don't bring me into this, Gin."
Ron finished his breakfast and left the table, leaving the Great Hall in search of Hermione. He found her coming out of the hospital wing.
"Are you okay, Mione?" Ron asked.
"I just needed to get a potion for cramps. I need to get class."
"Let me walk you," Ron said, taking her hand. "I'm sorry, Mione. If I haven't been sensitive to you."
"It's okay, Ronald."
She walked with him to Ancient Runes, not knowing what was about to happen."
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The day was a long one for the four teenagers. Hermione arrived at the Great Hall first with Ginny following behind her.
"I already took the liberty of pouring Ron's pumpkin juice," Hermione stated. Ginny poured one for Harry, but Luna came over to ask about a homework assignment and she unknowingly picked up the pumpkin juice with the potion in it. She set the cup down next to the plate that would be Harry's.
"Wonder what's taking the boys?" Ginny asked.
Hermione glanced at the door, just as the boys came into the Great Hall.
"Here they come," she said.
Harry sat down next to Ginny, kissing her hello.
"Where have you been?" Hermione asked as Harry helped himself to the Cottage Pie.
"Professor McGonagall wanted to talk about the Quidditch team. "McLaggen complained to Professor McGonagall and Ron came as back up."
"Everything okay?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine."
They paused their conversation just as Ron and Hermione started to bicker again.
"Ron needs to be more sensitive to Hermione. Could you teach him?" Ginny asked as Harry took a drink of his pumpkin juice. He glanced at Ginny out of the corner of his eye.
Once he swallowed, he said, "I try to tell him. But he doesn't listen to me." Then he asked, "Should I hex him or should I tell Hermione too?"
"I think I will if either of you don't."
Harry and Ginny ate the rest of their dinner in silence. When they returned to the common room, Ginny reviewed her Charm notes.
"Harry, love, how did you survive this?" Ginny asked. She was preparing for OWLs and wanted to the well on them. She had witnessed the stress the OWLs caused the trio, especially how it had added to Harry's stress. She knew Harry got stressed easily. He was literally a walking bundle of nerves before their first Quidditch match a few weeks ago.
Now in sixth year, Harry's stress level was higher than it was last year.
"I took a breather when I felt overwhelmed. Do you want to take a break?"
Ginny's answer was closing her notebook and settled herself beside Harry on the couch, starting to massage his shoulders and back, feeling tight knots.
"I see I'm not the only one who's tense. What's wrong?" She inquired
Harry took a deep breath before he unloaded. "Dumbledore's lessons are getting harder. He wants me to get know Slughorn and get something from him. I'm trying to figure out Malfoy. I know I might be wrong, but he's been acting odd, which adds to my suspicion." Harry paused to sigh when he felt Ginny dig her thumbs deep in his shoulders. "Quidditch isn't really adding to the stress, but it's also my first year as captain and I want to make McGonagall proud and not regret making me captain."
Ginny listened as Harry vented, massaging his shoulders, releasing the knots she felt, noticing he was relaxing under her hand.
When Ginny noticed the massage was putting Harry to sleep, making her decided they would turn in early. They kissed each other good night before they headed up to their respective dorms. Meanwhile, Hermione and Ginny were getting ready for bed smiling in their dorms.
For tomorrow, Ron would get a lesson he would never forget…..or so they thought.
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Hermione and Ginny woke up with a smile on their face, the next morning. They quickly showered, dressed, and headed to breakfast, patiently waiting for the boys to come down to head to breakfast.
Meanwhile, in the boys' dorm, it was a completely different story. Ron woke up feeling fine. He had slept well the night before and was looking forward to the day ahead. He spent part of the night thinking about how he had been treating Hermione, deciding to make a change. He decided to take a page out of Harry's book and if Hermione needed it, Ron would give her his heat pack.
As he walked past Harry's bed, he noticed he wasn't up yet. Ron didn't think much of it since Harry didn't get up at the crack of dawn like he used to. When he came out of the bathroom, he saw that Harry hadn't moved or got up. Slowly, he approached the bed, preparing for a pillow to the face.
"Harry, are you awake?" He asked.
Ron thought he heard a groan.
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Harry woke up with a cramp in his stomach. He took a quick stock of himself, realizing he didn't feel sick to his stomach, but it cramped horribly. He also noticed his back hurt.
"What did I do yesterday? Did I pull a muscle?" Harry thought as he slowly got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. Ron's voice broke his thoughts.
"Are you okay?"
"I think I pulled a muscle in my stomach," Harry said. Slowly, he showered and dressed and once he was ready, he headed down to the Great Hall with Ron. Upon arrival at the table, they found Hermione and Ginny in the midst of a hushed conversation.
"What's going on?" Ron asked.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, why?"
Hermione explained the potion she had found and that she thought she had put it in his pumpkin juice and he should be experiencing some cramping similar to the ones she suffered from. Ron then informed her he wasn't experiencing any cramping.
This puzzled Hermione as she was sure she had poured the potion into the cup Ron usually drinks out of. Ginny's attention was turned to Harry when she noticed he winced. She was about to ask what was wrong before she realized what was going on.
A wave of cramps hit Harry with a force that it nearly took his breath. She noticed he was slightly doubled over, clutching his stomach.
"Um, Hermione I think I know what happened." She explained Luna had come over to ask her about a homework assignment and since she was distracted, she could have grabbed the cup Hermione had poured the potion in and had given it to Harry instead.
"Oh my goodness, Harry got it instead!" She exclaimed, not loud enough to bring attention to herself. "I'm so sorry, Harry. It wasn't intended for you."
"What's going on?" Harry asked.
Hermione explained once again what happened to Harry. Realizing what he was feeling wasn't normal cramps and he does get stomach cramps, though nothing like this, he turned to his girlfriend.
"Are you telling me this is what you deal with once a month?" He asked.
Ginny nodded and then asked Hermione what she could do.
"It only lasts for twenty-four hours. As far as pain relief, you could try a pain potion."
It was quickly decided that Harry would return to Gryffindor tower, Hermione and Ron telling Professor McGonagall that Harry got sick and had returned to the tower. Ginny didn't have class until later and decided she wasn't going, not caring if Snape gave her detention. Harry was more important.
She wasn't going to leave him to suffer alone.
They returned to the common room, heading up to change of their uniform and into comfortable clothes. When they returned to the common room, Ginny laid Harry down on the couch as he curled into a ball, gripping his stomach. Ginny sat down beside him putting his head in her lap. She watched as Harry turned over on his side and then turning to lie on back, struggling to find a comfortable position. He then turned to lie on his belly so Ginny could rub his back.
"That feels good," he sighed, mentally reminding himself to hex Ron later. Ginny watched as Harry relaxed while she rubbed his back. It seemed to not last very long before Harry asked if they could use the heat pack on his back to allow him to turn over to allow Ginny to rub his stomach.
"Sure, I'll be right back."
Harry sat up to allow Ginny to go get the heat pack. She didn't take very long and quickly returned to Harry not wanting to leave him alone for too long. She placed heat pack, wrapped in a towel on the couch and helped Harry lay down on it, adjusting it to where Harry said it hurt. She placed a pillow under Harry's head and lifted his feet up to sit down on the couch, this time with his legs across her lap.
"Sorry if that caused you pain, love," she whispered when she noticed Harry seemed to be trying to breathe through the pain. Slowly and gently, she placed her hand under Harry's shirt on his stomach and slowly begun to rub in small soothing circles, the same ones she did when he had stomachaches.
Harry would occasionally move her hand to the places that hurt the most or would lightly push on her hand, telling her to add more pressure. When he did, Ginny responded by pressing her hand deeper on his abdomen, telling him to let her know if the pressure wasn't enough or too much.
After what seemed to be an eternity, Harry relaxed. Ginny continued to massage Harry's stomach, adding pressure when he requested it. She watched him as he relaxed enough that he fell asleep. She hoped when woke up he would feel better. But she was wrong.
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Ron and Hermione came up to check on him after class, telling Harry Professor McGonagall excused him from class and told Ginny she was informing Professor Snape she wouldn't be in class.
"How are you feeling Harry?" Hermione asked.
"The pain in my back is gone, but my stomach is still cramping pretty bad," Harry explained.
"I'm sorry, Harry," She said.
"It's okay, Hermione. It was an accident."
"The potion should be wearing off sometime later this afternoon or at the latest this evening," Hermione explained. "If not, then we'll take him to Madam Pomfrey. Hopefully, it won't come to that."
"I think I should also apologize," Ron stated. "If I was more sensitive to Hermione this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry, mate."
"Thanks, Ron. I still might hex you later."
"Noted."
"Do you want to try and eat something?" Ginny asked.
"I'll try," Harry murmured. He wasn't really that hungry due to the cramps.
They declined Ron and Hermione's offer to bring them something and instead called Dobby to bring Ginny a sandwich and Harry something that would be easy on his stomach in case he did get sick. Dobby brought Ginny a sandwich and for Harry a small bowl of porridge.
"Thanks, Dobby."
Harry ate the porridge slowly, pacing himself and not wanting to make himself sick. Ginny watched him as she ate her sandwich, noticing Harry's hand lingered on his lower abdomen.
"Are you cramping down there?" She asked. Harry nodded.
"What do you say about going to the Room of Requirement? We'll have privacy and I could better massage your stomach.
Harry agreed and they headed to the Room of Requirement. Upon entering the Room of Requirement, they found that it had transformed into the Gryffindor common room, only with privacy. Before they left Gryffindor tower, Ginny collected the Marauder's Map and the cloak in case they needed it to get back to the tower after curfew.
She laid them down in one of the chairs with her bag and sat the heat packs on warmers. With that done, she led Harry to the couch and sat down, spreading her legs apart to allow Harry to sit between them.
"Here sweetie, sit between my legs and then lean back. I'll rub your stomach again."
Harry did as he was told, leaning back against Ginny, lying his head against her shoulder.
"Gin?"
"Yes?"
"Are your cramps this bad?" He hoped Ginny said no. He didn't know how anyone would stand to live with this kind of pain every month.
"Not really, anymore. I'm on the potion to help my cycles be less heavy for the lack of a better term. Between them and you, I manage."
Harry sighed as Ginny's fingers went deeper on his belly. "I try," he shrugged. "I know if I do something wrong you would either hex me or tell me."
Harry sighed as Ginny's fingers went deeper into his belly. "I try, but I know if I do something wrong, you either tell me or hex me."
Ginny smiled and kissed the side of his head. She continued to massage Harry's stomach, watching him relax.
"Are you feeling better?" She asked after a significant amount of time had passed. She felt Harry nod against her neck. Just as Ginny was thinking she needed to change positions as Harry was getting heavy, a bed appeared. She tapped Harry's shoulder, telling him to move to the bed and she had a better idea.
Once Harry was lying down on the bed, comfortably, Ginny pulled up Harry's shirt and began a deeper massage on his abdomen.
"This feels really good," Harry sighed.
"Good," Ginny murmured. Harry carried stress in his back, shoulders, and abdomen and Ginny often would massage the areas when the stress got to be too much.
When dinnertime came around, Harry's stomach growled, telling them it was time for dinner.
"Come on and let's get you something to eat. I'll rub your stomach again later if you want."
"Okay," Harry agreed.
They headed down to the Great Hall where they had a quick dinner of chicken casserole and carrots and peas and then headed back up to Gryffindor tower. As Ginny took her bag back up to her dorm, Harry returned the map and the cloak to their hiding places that only Ron, Hermione, and Ginny know about and returned to the common room to find Ginny waiting for him.
They sat down on the couch with Harry's head in her lap, lying on his back. He covered up with a blanket to cover up what Ginny was doing on his stomach. She sneaked her under the blanket and pulled his shirt up, starting to rub the same circles on Harry's abdomen.
When Ron and Hermione returned to the common room, Ginny was finishing up the massage as the cramping was now completely gone. Harry's stomach was now sore from the cramps and decided to use a heat pack after he showered to help soothe the pain.
"Are you feeling better?" Ginny asked when she returned to the common room from taking a shower and changing into pajamas.
"Yeah, a lot better. Thanks, Gin."
Ginny kissed his cheek. "You're welcome."
"And thanks for taking care of me today," he added.
"Anytime, baby, anytime."
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"I'm so sorry, mate."
"Ron, you're forgiving. I'm not mad, anymore. It's okay."
"Are you sure?" Ron asked.
"Would it make you feel better if I hexed you?" Harry inquired.
"Maybe," Ron shrugged.
"I'm not. We're good, mate."
Harry left the bathroom and headed to his bed, picking up the heat up and laid it on his stomach.
"You know after today, I can say I feel sorry for every woman who has to go through that month after month. If I didn't have Gin, I don't know how I would've made it today."
"What did she do?" Ron asked. Before Harry answered, Ron blurted, "Oh yeah, she rubbed your stomach didn't she?"
Harry nodded, smiling. "I can really get used to them. She doesn't use a lot of pressure unless I ask her to and it's really relaxing. It puts me to sleep."
"Thank you for that mental image, Harry," Ron grumbled as he climbed into his bed.
Harry removed the heat pack when he got too warm and then turned down his bed, deciding to head on to bed.
"How did it make you feel Harry?" Ron asked, suddenly.
Harry thought for a moment before he answered, "Like a woman."
