As always, the world and characters in it belong to JKR, I'm just visiting. Please let me know what you think - a few more chapters to follow.
Hermione raked her fingers through her unkempt hair and dropped her forehead to her palms with a sigh. Her elbows rested upon a musty book that appeared to be several hundred years old and was at least six inches thick. Despite spending the last six hours in the library poring over the tome, progress was slow – she wasn't even a quarter of the way through the book and didn't seem any closer to answering her question than when she began.
Hermione sighed again as she leaned back in her chair. Though she was no stranger to intensive research, she hadn't anticipated that finding the answer to her question regarding the Patronus charm would be so difficult. The issue, which had been in the back of her mind for some time and which had finally occurred to her full-fledged during her last Charms class, was not related to any assignment, but simply something she wanted to know. She attempted to speak with Professor Flitwick regarding the issue following class but, being preoccupied with wrapping things up for the holiday break, he provided what Hermione deemed to be an unsatisfactory response. And so in true Hermione fashion, and to her friends' bemused frustration, she marched to the library, determined to answer her own question.
Now, many hours later, Hermione still had no answer and began to suspect that her question was more philosophical in nature than academic. From a technical perspective, the Patronus charm was easy enough, as charms go. The difficulty in the spell lay in the caster's ability to harness happiness and joy and to funnel those feelings into the spell itself. In her seven years at Hogwarts, as part of Dumbledore's Army, Hermione had witnessed many people master the spell and use it effectively, herself included. She had also, however, seen the spell used just as effectively by Death Eaters and other Voldemort supporters during the war. Though she realized, of course, that even Death Eaters must have had joyous experiences in their lives upon which they could draw in casting their Patronuses, she wondered what impact the intentions of the caster made, if any. It seemed to Hermione that the potential existed, at least in theory, for a weakness to be found and exploited in the Charm.
Hermione drummed her fingers on the open pages of the ancient Charms book and wondered if she should return to the stacks in search of something more theoretical in nature than the current text, which, while dense and obscure, was still primarily aimed at execution. Idly, she flipped through the remaining pages, considering where to go next. The pages fluttered to a stop and she was about to close the book when her attention was drawn to the page to which she had randomly flipped. At the top of the page was a spell she didn't recall learning before – Perspecto. Curious, Hermione began reading, her Patronus question forgotten for the moment.
Almost immediately, Hermione was fascinated by the charm. The purpose of Perspecto appeared to be to allow the caster to see through solid objects. Her mind immediately turned to Mad-Eye Moody and his powerful (though somewhat revolting) magic eye. The eye must have contained an element of the Perspecto charm. Hermione read on.
After another hour, during which time Hermione's exhaustion seemed to have disappeared, she felt she was ready to give the spell a try. It was, without a doubt, exceedingly complicated, with tricky wand-work that made the days of swish-and-flick seem very long ago. But Hermione would not be cowed by any spell, even a complicated one, and she pushed aside the book, clearing herself an expanse of bare wooden table. Concentrating intently, she touched her wand to the table and traced the outline of a rectangle roughly the size of a deck of cards. She lifted the tip of the wand from the table and waved her wand in the intricate motion she had carefully studied in the text. Then, tapping the table once more, she waited. When nothing happened after a few seconds, Hermione let out her breath, dejected. She tried again.
Four tries later, Hermione realized she should not be attempting the spell non-verbally, at least not this soon. So she repeated the spell a fifth time, this time murmuring, "Perspecto," as she touched her wand to the table. And with that, the small rectangle she had outlined on the table began to shimmer subtly and then disappeared. Hermione leaned forward over the table and nearly laughed out loud to see her own feet through the apparent hole in the table. But when she touched her hand to the hole, she felt only solid, worn wood. She climbed under the table to view the hole from the other side but from the underside, no change was apparent. Returning to her chair, she touched her wand to the table once more and the wood grain reappeared.
Hermione practiced the spell several more times on the table and then got up from the table to try it out on other objects in the room. Moving to a far wall, she looked through the newly created window to view the empty corridor beyond. Delighted, Hermione cleaned up her space and practically ran from the library, eager to return to Gryffindor Tower and show Ron and Harry her new spell.
As she hurried through the deserted hallways, she was reminded that Christmas break had begun earlier that day and the castle was nearly empty. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the only Seventh Year Gryffindors who had remained for the holidays, along with only a handful of younger students. As it was the first evening of break, Harry and Ron had expected the three of them would relax and enjoy some time off before launching back into NEWT studies after Christmas and were consequently annoyed when Hermione ditched them at the first possible moment to spend more time studying. Hermione was certain, however, their annoyance would disappear when they learned of her new discovery and considered the potential use to which it could be put.
Despite her rush to return to the common room and her friends, Hermione stopped periodically to try the spell again in different locations. On various floors, she executed the Perspecto charm on walls, floors, and even suits of armor, each time exploring whatever could be found on the opposite side. Eventually, however, she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and practically shouted the password at her in her eagerness to enter. The Fat Lady looked slightly affronted but swung forward, sniffing her disapproval at Hermione's rudeness without comment. Though she would usually have apologized, Hermione made a mental note to speak to her later and bounded through the hole into the common room. As the painting swung shut once more, Hermione turned back and cast the spell against the back of the painting. The opening revealed a window the hallway outside the common room. Satisfied, Hermione thought to herself how useful this could prove to be.
The fire was burning low in the Gryffindor common room and appeared to be empty of all students. Hermione was surprised not to find Ron and Harry there, perhaps playing a game of chess before the fire or looking over the Marauder's Map, planning some mischief in the castle during the break. At the thought, she grinned to herself, for once excited to perhaps partake in the mischief, knowing she had such an interesting new tool at her disposal.
Before any mischief could occur, however, Hermione would have to locate Harry and Ron. The dying fire reminded her that it was much later than she had realized – Madame Pince had uncharacteristically allowed Hermione to remain in the library long past the regular closing time. Perhaps she was getting into the spirit of the holidays. In any event, judging by the late hour, it seemed likely the boys had already retired – at least Hermione hoped so. Otherwise, it meant they were already up to something around the castle and she'd have to wait until morning to share her discovery with them.
Hoping they would be found in their dormitory, Hermione ran towards the boys' stairwell and skipped up the steps, past empty dormitories, until she reached their door at the top of the tower. She raised her hand to knock and then stopped. Feeling a bit guilty but more curious, she traced a rectangle on the boys' door at eye level, just below the "Seventh Years" sign, and cast the Perspecto spell. The heavy wood began to shimmer, dazzling Hermione, and when her vision cleared, the window had opened in the door. Still feeling guilty, she leaned forward and looked cautiously into the room.
The dormitory was very dim, with the fire low and the torches extinguished. The beds of Seamus, Dean, and Neville sat empty, neatly made with their red velvet curtains hanging open. Strangely, Ron's bed was untouched as well, as though he had also gone home for the Christmas holidays. Puzzled, Hermione shifted her focus to Harry's bed, the only one with its velvet hangings drawn. The curtain moved slightly and as Hermione watched, Harry's foot, toes pointed toward the ceiling, pushed through a gap in the curtains, exposing his bare leg to his knee. A moment later, his foot was followed by a second foot, its long toes pointed to the floor. With its pale, freckled skin, it was clear the leg did not belong to Harry and Hermione knew well its owner – Ron.
As Hermione stared in confusion at the scene before her, Harry began to rub his foot against Ron's and then slide it slowly up and down Ron's bare leg. The curtain opened farther and Ron began to slide backwards out of the bed, his back to the door. As his feet touched the floor, the curtains parted enough for Hermione to realize that Ron was not wearing underwear and Harry appeared to be naked behind him as well.
In shock, Hermione let out a gasp and flew away from the door to the wall behind her. Pressing her palms flat against the wall, she took several deep breaths, trying to rationalize what she had just seen. But unable to reconcile the images, she turned and fled from the landing, tearing through the common room and up the girls' dormitory stairs. She burst through her door, slammed it behind her, and dropped breathlessly to her bed. She had never been so grateful to have an empty dormitory.
Hermione tried and tried to come up with a rational explanation for the scene she had witnessed but nothing sensible came to mind. No matter how she twisted it, every indication was that Harry and Ron were engaging in some kind of sexual activity. In rapid succession, Hermione felt confused, scared, angry, and finally curious. How had this occurred without her knowing? How long had it been going on? She felt like a fool for not having been aware of it.
Even as all of these questions ran through her mind, an undercurrent of desire flowed through her body. It had never occurred to her to imagine two men together before and yet, now that she had caught a glimpse, her imagination began working overtime. As much as she wanted the rest of her questions answered, more than anything, she wanted to see what else was happening in the boys' dormitory.
Hermione struggled with her conscience for only a few seconds before heading resolutely out of her room and back down to the common room. She stood at the foot of the boys' dormitory stairs for a long moment, looking up. Making up her mind, she began to climb the steps, slowly but steadily, until she reached the topmost landing, where she stopped. The window in the door remained. Hesitantly, Hermione walked over to the door, took a deep breath, and lifted her eyes to the window once more.
The curtains to Harry's bed were now pushed back partially and Harry sat on the edge of the bed, facing the door. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted back, a look of what appeared to be both bliss and anguish on his face. He was leaning back slightly with his left hand behind him on the bed, supporting his weight. His right hand rested in front of him, tangled in the shock of Ron's red hair, whose head was between Harry's spread legs.
Hermione's eyes focused in on Ron, who was kneeling on the floor in front of Harry, his bare backside resting on his heels. Both his arms were stretched up, hands resting on Harry's hips, fingers digging into his flesh. His head bobbed forward and back between Harry's knees in a regular rhythm and when he drew back for a moment, Hermione had a clear view of Harry's cock. It rose straight from his groin, achingly hard and gleaming with Ron's saliva, then curved back to lightly touch the small of his stomach. The glimpse was fleeting, however, as Ron once again slipped his mouth over Harry's penis and began devour him once more.
Hermione's attention flipped back and forth between Ron and Harry, greedily drinking in the scene before her. Harry's grip on Ron's hair had tightened as Ron picked up the pace on his oral ministrations. She watched as Ron slid Harry's cock in his mouth, swallowing its entire length until Ron's mouth rested on Harry's balls. Rapidly, Ron drew his head back, sometimes turning his head as he did so, sometimes whipping his tongue around Harry's cock, until he had released Harry almost entirely from his mouth. Then he plunged once more, each time taking the cock faster and faster. Then, just as the pace seemed to be reaching a frenzy, Ron stopped, pulling his head back and taking Harry's cock lightly in his hand. Harry's look of bliss was replaced almost entirely with anguish and he gripped Ron's head even harder, as though willing him to continue. Hermione did not miss the small smile that appeared on Ron's lips just before he parted them, letting his tongue slip out and gently lick Harry's head. Over and over, his tongue darted out and lapped at the hard cock, swirling around and around, making various patterns. Harry released his grip on Ron's head and put both hands behind him, seeming to relax into the treatment.
As Hermione watched, she became aware that her own arousal was becoming harder and harder to ignore. Her panties were beginning to soak through and she ached to slide her hand between her legs. Already, her chest was pressed against the wooden door, sliding her hard nipples against it through the fabric of her sweater and robe. She hesitated to go further, knowing she was in the middle of the stairwell. But then she remembered it was Christmas break and she was on the topmost landing of the stairwell. It was unlikely anyone would ascend to the top floor, especially at this time of night. Unable to restrain her self any longer, she slid her hand up her skirt, skimming her fingers over her lips through the damp fabric of her panties. The pleasure of the contact nearly made her groan aloud. Mastering herself, she returned her attention to Harry and Ron.
Ron had resumed his full blow job and the pace had once again picked up to the point where Harry appeared near his breaking point. Ron's head was moving at a rapid fire pace and Harry was now bucking his hips lightly, thrusting into Ron's insatiable mouth. Ron, who had been running his hands up and down Harry's sides and back, slid his hands around to the front and down Harry's thighs. Gently, he cupped his right hand under Harry's balls and began to massage them lightly. Lifting them slightly, he slid his left hand underneath, where several fingers appeared to probe gently. With that, Harry's gripped tight to the blanket beneath him, he arched his back, and threw his head back in abandon, his mouth open in oblivious gratification. His body convulsed and Hermione watched as he came forcefully into Ron's mouth.
When Harry seemed to relax slightly, Ron released his hold on Harry's cock and placed his palm on Harry's chest, pushing him into a reclining position to the bed. He stood and for the first time, Hermione saw his erection, long and hard, nearly pulsing. Ron placed his hands on either side of Harry's shoulders and lowered himself to him, stretching his body against Harry and bringing their mouths together in a passionate kiss. Hermione knew this was only the beginning of a long night to come but took a step back from the door. Tapping the small window, the wood shimmered back into place, as though the window had never existed. Hermione made her way back to her dormitory, her head spinning. Her confused mind was searching for answers while her aroused body was screaming for satisfaction. That night, she knew which demand she would answer first.