Different Meanings

Summary – Hermione Granger seeks the haven of her good friends after a bad date and she thought her embarrassment would stop with them. Inspired by an episode of the TV show Frasier.

01

Hermione Granger hated dating.

For the past five years, she had had the worst run of luck that she had ever had before over her entire lifetime and it didn't seem to be running out. Her last real boyfriend was Ron Weasley, a good long-time friend turned partner; but they had always fought, and in the end they had mutually agreed that they weren't compatible as a couple. They had remained friends, sort of – she didn't really see much of him anymore, only when surrounded by the same group of friends.

This evening had been another disaster of a date – some uptight businessman that a friend at the Daily Prophet had set her up with and their date had only been five minutes old when he had been called away for an urgent meeting. It was probably for the best, she did not like the way he dressed or talked to her and she felt like all he had wanted out of the evening was to sell her health insurance.

She wandered the streets of London until her feet carried her to a familiar place, and she climbed a bunch of steps and knocked on a door. After a short pause, the door opened, and a red-haired girl appeared at the threshold, wrapped in a bath robe and looking slightly sweaty.

'Hermione?'

'Hi Ginny.'

Ginny Potter brushed her cascading red-silk hair from her eyes and fashioned a smile at her friend, despite being completely surprised of her being there.

'I thought you had a date tonight?' Ginny asked curiously.

'I did,' Hermione said, and Ginny checked her watch to find it still only eight thirty, 'it was a bust.'

'I'm sorry,' Ginny said truthfully, 'do you want to talk about it?'

'I don't know,' Hermione said shrugging.

'Come on in,' Ginny said encouragingly, and Hermione nodded.

Ginny closed the door behind them and guided Hermione over to the sofa – she sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa and crossed her legs as Hermione sat back and took a deep breath.

'I feel like giving up on this whole dating thing,' Hermione said, making Ginny shake her head.

'You shouldn't,' she said firmly, 'you're Hermione after all, there's a guy for you out there, you'll see.'

'It will take me a lifetime to find someone like your brother,' Hermione said to her, 'someone like him, who isn't him. Has his characteristics that I like, yet also doesn't have the ones I dislike.'

'Hermione, I know I asked if you wanted to talk about it,' Ginny said sounding very uneasy, 'but I'm not sure I can have the conversation about Ron again.'

'I'm sorry,' Hermione said apologetically, but Ginny shook her head.

'It's fine,' she said, 'just don't give up.'

Ginny looked up and spotted her husband come out of the bedroom, tying his own bath robe and spotting Hermione sitting on their couch.

'Hello Hermione,' Harry Potter said, reaching the sofa and sitting on the armrest, 'and to what do we owe this visit?'

Hermione looked up at her friend but didn't say anything.

'Bit unfortunate actually,' Ginny said instead, 'another dead-end date I'm afraid.'

'Oh I'm sorry,' Harry said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

'It's fine, don't worry about me,' Hermione said, and her eyes moved from Harry to Ginny, and she noted they were both in bath robes. 'I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?'

'Oh no,' Harry said reassuringly, 'we're in these robes because we both had a shower.'

'Separate showers,' Ginny said, correcting her husband, 'we just had a rather expensive massage that was heavenly.'

Hermione sighed. 'Sounds lovely.'

'Oh it was,' Ginny said without tact, 'we were just saying it'd be great as a birthday gift for you.'

'Way to ruin the surprise,' Harry snapped at her, Ginny shrugged and Hermione laughed.

Harry patted Hermione on the shoulder and then got up and headed to the kitchen.

'So Hermione,' he said, causing the bushy haired witch to look around, 'seems your date failed, would you like to stay with us and make it a threesome? Or don't you feel up to it?'

Hermione blinked and looked at Ginny in confusion – she was amazed the redhead could keep such a straight face after her husband just asked such a ball-dropping question.

'I'm sorry?'

'Oh you should stay, you'll love it,' Ginny said with a wave of her hand, 'Harry has become really amazing at it.'

Hermione looked from one sweet smiling face to the other, utterly petrified.

'Err… what?'

'Unless you have other plans?' Harry asked with a shrug, he was still standing at the threshold of the kitchen.

Hermione stared off into space for a moment. 'Well… no, I don't… but I-'

'Great!' Ginny said with a smile and she looked up at Harry quite happily.

Harry nodded. 'It should only take me ten minutes or so to get everything sorted,' he said to them, 'why don't you two get everything setup?'

Hermione was standing up awkwardly as if to follow instructions, but she wasn't quite sure what was going on; they weren't seriously asking her to do what she thought they were asking her to do, were they?

'I'll get what we need,' Ginny said to her, 'you just stay here and relax. It's been a tough night for you I know, but it will all feel better soon.'

Ginny wandered off into the kitchen and Hermione felt anxiety run over her; she paced the small area between the couch and the coffee table, not being able to believe what was happening right now. She could not believe her friends would be so relaxed about asking to participate in something so intimate, something so peculiar, and especially after the night she has had.

'Here we are,' Ginny said, returning after several minutes with a table cloth and some cutlery.

'What's this?' Hermione asked nervously.

'Just the necessities to set the table,' Ginny said to her nicely, smiling. 'Here, help me with the table cloth.'

Hermione felt utterly relieved as she stepped forward the help Ginny set the table – and then she felt herself turn red in embarrassment, feeling stupid that she should have known that her friends of course would have asked her to stay for dinner, not sex. Harry wandered back from the kitchen with some bread rolls in a basket to place in the middle of the table, once the cloth had been put down.

'Are you alright, Hermione?' Harry asked after glancing at her, 'you look a little flushed.'

'I'm sorry,' Hermione said honestly, 'I'm just a little bit embarrassed.'

'About what?' Ginny asked curiously.

'Well… no it's stupid,' said Hermione shaking her head, but her friends encouraged her, 'well… you'll think I'm dumb- when Harry asked if I wanted to stay for a threesome, I thought he meant… something else.'

Ginny gave her an odd look but Harry stared at her, blinking. 'What else would I have meant?'

'Harry, dear,' Ginny said, getting his attention, and then using her hands to give the universal signal for sexual intercourse.

'You thought I meant sex?' Harry asked in amusement, turning back around at his friend as the side of his mouth began to twitch.

'Well you weren't very clear!' Hermione said furiously, as the two Potter's began to chuckle at her.

'I assumed a smart girl like you would know what I meant,' Harry said with a chuckle.

'I'm sorry, OK?' Hermione said with a snap, she was still red in the face, 'I had a rough night, you caught me on the back foot… I did keep asking myself though, surely they weren't serious?'

'Rest assured,' Ginny said as she continued to place the cutlery on the table, 'we would have offered you something better than Harry's roast chicken to get you in the mood.'

'Hey,' Harry said, resenting that remark immediately.

Hermione continued to be red in the face as she and Ginny set the table and Harry served the chicken. Once they had all sat down and started eating, Hermione felt the initial embarrassment leave her, and she had high hopes that the whole thing had been dropped by the two of them, as no more comments had been made. She enjoyed the meal and Ginny wasn't wrong when saying that Harry had become quite the accomplished cook. His chicken and roast veggies were probably better than anything she would have eaten at the restaurant her slime-ball-of-a-date had taken her too. The comments about her wanting a threesome were pushed into the back of her head, until after the meal, when Ginny was clearing the table.

'You know what, Harry?' Ginny said, glancing curiously at her husband, 'when you asked if she'd like to join us in a threesome, she didn't say no.'

Harry raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth. 'You're right, she didn't!'

Hermione sat upright in her chair immediately. 'It was only because it was so weird… I didn't know what to say!'

'Are you sure that's why?' Ginny asked as she wandered into the kitchen to dispense of the plates.

'I think someone has a little crush on us,' Harry said, putting his elbows on the table and grinning across at Hermione.

'I think someone does,' Ginny agreed happily.

'You wish,' Hermione said angrily at Harry.

'Don't be like that, Hermione,' Harry said in retort, 'it's perfectly natural to be attracted to a beautiful young couple like us.'

'OK, OK,' Hermione said firmly, putting her foot down, 'can we talk about something else please?'

'Fine,' Harry and Ginny agreed, yet both still had a smirk on their face.

'What are you guys going to do this weekend?' Hermione asked them casually.

'You if you get your way,' Harry said back immediately, and both he and Ginny began roaring with laughter.

'Stop it,' Hermione said impatiently, but the couple continued laughing for several more minutes.

'So if we had of asked for real…' Ginny said after a moment, holding her ribs because it had become so painful to laugh, 'what would you have said?'

'No, of course,' Hermione said truthfully.

'Why? What's wrong with us?' Harry asked curiously.

'You find us unattractive?' Ginny asked also.

'Alright you guys, stop it,' said Hermione with narrowed eyes, she was standing up from her place at the table and indicating that she wanted to leave, 'I'm sorry I didn't realise sooner you were using the word "threesome" in a non-sexual way, it was a completely innocent mistake.'

'OK, we're sorry,' Ginny said sympathetically, she moved over to her friend in attempt to stop her from leaving, 'please, stay. We'll stop.'

'No it's alright; I'm not that hungry,' Hermione said firmly, 'I'll just go.'

'Oh come on,' Ginny said with encouragement, and Hermione stared at the two them.

'Well, OK…' Hermione said with a shrug, and she sat back down, 'if you promise to drop everything… I guess I could stay for the company.'

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other as they sat down too – they did stop for a moment from making comments, but as Hermione picked at the tablecloth, Harry and Ginny leaned closer together and began whispering.

'Stop talking about me you two,' she snapped angrily, as husband and wife leaned away and smiled at Hermione.

'We were just discussing something,' Ginny said to her friend truthfully, 'and yes it is about you, but don't be mad.'

Hermione glared at both of them in turn before replying.

'OK, what is it then?' she asked.

'When was the last time you actually had sex?' Ginny asked.

'Excuse me?' Hermione said outraged, and she stood up.

'Wait,' Harry said, 'we're only asking because, you've had so many failed dates. We want to help you.'

'Please, Harry, I know when I'm being mocked,' Hermione said, 'I said I was caught off-guard, I never really believed that you two were attempting to court me into a threesome.'

'What if we are now?' Ginny asked, she had also stood up beside her husband, 'forget all the little remarks we made about you wanting us, would you really not even consider giving it a go?'

Hermione was turning red again. 'I can't even believe you're asking me this,' she said at them, 'if you're considering this on the back of my mistake, you really shouldn't be. You're married!'

'Our marriage is perfectly fine,' Harry said pointedly and Ginny nodded, 'trust us when we say nothing that we do tonight is going to affect what we have.'

'I really don't think it's appropriate…' Hermione said.

'Maybe if you watched Harry and I having sex first,' Ginny said to her friend, 'perhaps it'd help you get into the mood?'

Hermione felt her stomach drop at these words, like she'd missed a step going down a flight of stairs.

'Perhaps I should just go,' Hermione said finally, but even before she could begin to move towards the door, Harry and Ginny pulled off their bath robes, and Hermione was shocked to discover they were both naked underneath.