Takes place in Deathly Hallows, sometime between Ron's departure and his return.
It was a particularly cold night after a particularly frosty, sunny day. Harry had been sitting in one of the larger, squashier arm-chairs, trying to keep warm whilst reading an old copy of the Daily Prophet he had managed to steal from a bin earlier that day. His mind was wandering when he felt a finger brush his neck gently, and then the chain of the Horcrux being lifted from around his neck.
"What are you doing?" He asked Hermione, twisting his head to look at her but finding her already gone from behind him. He turned to see her hanging the locket over the end of one of the bunk beds.
"I don't think there's any harm in taking it off, just for a little while. I think it's important that we have some time to feel more like ourselves... to be ourselves together." She said, not meeting his eyes. "Are you warm enough?"
Harry thought for a moment and realised that while the tight, harsh feeling in his chest had now left him along with the Horcrux, that he was indeed still quite cold. "Not really. We should maybe break into a Muggle store at some point and get some warmer clothes... we can leave money on the counter." He suggested, watching Hermione collecting a blanket from her bed and coming towards him. She stood pensively before him, wringing the blanket between her fingers.
"Harry could I... would it be alright if I sat with you?" She asked quietly, her eyes not meeting his as she continued to fidget with the blanket. Harry opened his mouth to reply but she innterrupted him. "As in... there. With you. In that chair. Would that be ok?"
Harry considered her for a moment before putting the newspaper aside and moving over in the chair to make enough room for Hermione to squeeze in beside him. He held out his arms and beckoned her towards him, helping her arrange the blanket around them both as she sat down beside him, her body pressed against him from her knee to her shoulder. Harry settled his arm around her shoulder as she leant her head gently against his head, leaning her body into his and letting out a relaxed sigh. They sat quietly together for a while, their breathing slowing and becoming deeper.
"Do you realise it's exactly four months today since Bill and Fleur's wedding?" Hermione whispered into the silence, moving one hand up to Harry's chest as she spoke.
"No, I didn't." He replied, turning over the dates in his head. "I can't believe it's only been four months. It feels like it happened in another lifetime, to somebody else. I can hardly believe I was there."
"I feel the same." Hermione said, shifting a little under his arm to look up at his face. "It makes you think, doesn't it?"
Harry frowned a little and sniffed. "Erm, I guess so."
He could practically feel the typically Hermione exasperation rolling off her and felt a sudden rush of warmth at the familiarity.
"Because, they've got married, which is wonderful, and beautiful. And Remus and Tonks, they're having a baby. It's so... magnificent that all of these things are still happening despite... despite everything going on in the world around them." She explained. Harry simply nodded, sensing that she hadn't finished her train of thought quite yet. "And it makes me think about all of the things I might not get to do. All of the things that we're missing out on."
Harry frowned and leaned away from her, tugging her shoulder a little so he could look into her face. "What do you mean, Hermione? Our last year at Hogwarts?"
He could tell she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable; her lips were pursed and it was clear she was working something over in her mind.
"Well there's that but... but there are other things, Harry. When you're little, you dream of growing up, having a family, growing old and watching your children get married and have kids of their own. But what if... what if that isn't a given for us? What if something happens and I never get to see R-" she paused and closed her eyes for a moment, looking pained "What if I never get to do any of that? What if I've spent all these years hoping that things will get better and they never actually do? I mean, is this it? He could find us tomorrow, Harry. And it's not just them, it's the entire ministry, if they find me they'll take my wand and... and..." She broke off into tears and Harry pulled her to him, twisting his body as she cried gently onto his shoulder, the blanket slipping off them and into their laps.
"We are going to survive this," Harry said, softly but firmly, as he stroked her hair and held her, "you're going to have it all. You'll have your children, and grandchildren, and they'll be so lucky to have the most brilliant witch as their mother and grandmother. We're fighting for all of mankind, Hermione, but even if we destroy him, that isn't the end. We're going to need people- all of wizard-kind are going to need people- to put our world back together. Everybody thinks I'm a hero, but that won't matter in the end. It's people like you, it's you, Hermione, who are going to save the world."
Her sobs eventually died off but she stayed leaning into him, clutching his shoulder and her legs curling up to rest on his a little.
"There's something I want you to do for me." Hermione finally said quietly, her voice muffled by Harry's jumper.
"Anything." Harry replied gently.
"It's something that's been bugging me, the only thing I really want to understand before... before it's too late." She said, her voice cracking. Harry shushed her and kissed the top of her head. "There was this time, last year in the dorm, when Parvarti and Lavender were talking about, you know, their boyfriends and things. Then they started whispering about me, and Parvarti mentioned me going out with Viktor, you know... I was about to shout at them to mind their own business but then Lavender burst out laughing and said "As if! Hermione will probably die a virgin.""
The atmosphere became very still. Harry swallowed and felt Hermione tense beside him, her fingers digging into his shoulder.
"Hermione... you aren't going to die." He eventually choked out. He felt her sigh a little.
"We're all going to die, Harry. It might not tomorrow, it might not be for another hundred years, but we're all going to die. And when I do, I don't want them to have been right about me. I don't want to live not knowing what it's like to be that close to a person." She leant back and looked into his eyes imploringly. "Please, Harry, will you do this for me?"
"Hermione... You should do this with somebody you love." Harry said, attempting to keep his composure. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Harry I do love you... and no it isn't the way people normally love the person they want to sleep with, but I care about you, and I trust you, and right now you're everything I have and I want to share this with you."
"But you... you know I haven't done this before. I don't know what I'm doing." Harry told her, blushing fiercely.
"Harry, not knowing what you're doing has been your way of life for as long as I've known you. Luckily for you, I'm well-read enough on the subject for the both of us." She replied, suddenly matter of fact and standing up, stretching out her back before holding out a hand to him. "Come with me."
She lead him towards one of the more secluded, single-storey beds; one that hadn't been used by any of them on this trip and, Harry couldn't help but think, one that Ron had never been anywhere near. Hermione dropped his hand and reclined on the bed, taking her wand out, pointing it at her abdomen and murmuring a few words before putting it on the upside-down crate next to the bed.
"What did you..." Harry asked, slowly walking towards her.
"Precautionary spell. To make sure we're safe you know." She said, leaning back against the pillows.
Harry felt himself flush. "Is there... do I need to do anything...?" He asked, vaguely gesturing towards his crotch.
Hermione smiled at him. "No. For some reason this responsibility is, much as it is in the muggle world, rested primarily on the female's shoulders." She moved herself across the bed so she was lying on her side, nearly against the canvas of the tent, and patted the spot beside her. "Lie down."
He toed off his shoes and gently laid on the bed next to her, leaning on his elbow and looking into her eyes. He felt his cheeks get hot again and was reminded of Ron's ears getting red whenever he was embarrassed. He chased the thought away and gave a hard swallow before opening his mouth to speak. "So should we, ah, how do you want to...?" he asked her. She giggled lightly and touched a hand to his neck.
"I think you should kiss me." She replied, leaning forward to meet his lips with her own.
The kiss was pleasant, Harry thought. Much drier and less awkward than his kisses with Cho had been, and while not as furiously passionate as his kisses with Ginny would be there was definitely something to be said for this; for gently kissing the soft lips of somebody he cared about deeply, for sharing something intimate with one of his best friends.
Hermione moved her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, rolling onto her back and making Harry follow her, ending up with his body half covering hers, one of his thighs falling between hers as he tried to prevent his entire weight from resting on her. He felt her fingers move into the hair at the nape of his neck and a slight sigh of pleasure against his lips. He moved one of his arms under her arm, his hand resting between her shoulder blades, and held it there as he delicately touched her bottom lip with his tongue.
She responded with the sort of studied enthusiasm of someone who has heard a lot about something but never had the chance to try it for themselves. As their lips and tongues moved together she initially tightened her arms around him, fully encapsulating him, and he felt her lower body move against his. After a while she loosened her hold and brought her hands round to undo the zip on his jumper. As he leant back to support his weight as she pulled the fleece and his tshirt up his abdomen, he broke the kiss and she released a laugh, more carefree and younger than she had sounded in months.
"What is it?" Harry said, feeling embarrassment building up in him again.
"It's just whenever I've thought about this... whoever I've thought about it with... it's just I never expected this to happen in such incredibly crap clothes." She said, laughing as she looked down at them.
Harry tilted his head to look between them and laughed as well as he took in his old jumper, older jeans and Hermione's baggy tracksuit bottoms.
"I just hope the laughter doesn't continue when the clothes come off." He smiled at her. She smiled back, and gently touched his cheek.
"Don't be an idiot." She whispered, adoration shining in her eyes. She leaned up to kiss him gently on the lips again before resuming tugging on his clothes until his shirts were removed and his chest was bare. He moved to kiss her again but she stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Together. I want to feel you against me."
He leant onto his elbows as she slowly unbuttoned her checkered shirt, kneeling back over her legs as she sat up to slide it off her shoulders. Harry noticed her cheeks pinken as she slipped her vest over her head, quickly remove her bra and drop them both over the side of the bed. He touched her under her chin.
"We should get under the covers. It's cold." He said.
Once underneath the thick soft blankets and sheets Harry laid himself over her again, this time both of his legs between hers. She looked up at him for a moment, trailing her hands over his chest before putting them over his shoulders and jutting her chin at him, an invitation he understood implicitly.
As their skin and lips simultaneously touched a moan rose from both of them at the sensation. They kissed deeply, their tongues moving sensuously together, as they touched one another's skin. Hermione trailed her hands over Harry's Quidditch-muscled back while Harry traced his fingertips down her side, over her soft skin from her ribs to her hip and back.
As they clutched one another they began to move their lower bodies, grinding against one another where their crotches met. Hermione bent her knees and curled one leg around Harry's hip, her foot coming to rest on his calf muscle and giving her purchase to push her pelvis harder up against him.
When they separated they were both gasping for breath, gazing at one another. "Pants? Harry asked hastily. Hermione smiled and whispered "Yes!" in reply.
They both wriggled around one another, attempting to help the other undress and both giggling and hindering the other a lot more than anything else. After a few moments' scuffle Harry had both of their clothes in hand and was tossing them out of the bed. They both looked at each other with smiles still ghosting on their lips.
"How do you want to... Which... Where?" Harry asked, tripping over his words.
"I want you on top. I think... I think that will be easiest and most comfortable." Hermione said, sounding like she was discussing a particularly mundane potions assignment. She moved under him, spreading her legs and moving a hand down to his hip, her fingers moving awkwardly over the newly bare skin.
He moved his body down, feeling his cock touch against her abdomen and illiciting a gasp from her at the feel of it against her; hard, hot and heavy.
"We don't have to, Hermione," Harry urgently began to say, his hand at her cheek and his gaze meeting hers.
"No, I want to. I want this." She whispered, her fingers relaxing again at his hip, one hand against his neck. "I'm fine."
He moved himself further down his body and reached out a hand to her, momentarily hesitating and seeking guidance from her; she nodded and his fingers met flesh. He touched his fingertips gently to her thigh and then moved them upwards, gently stroking between her legs and making a noise in his throat as he felt the wetness there. He braced himself more firmly above her on his arm as he took his cock in his hand and guided it to her entrance. He looked into her face and saw traces of nerves there that he hadn't seen before. "If you want to stop, at any time, we'll stop. Just tell me." He said.
"I trust you, Harry." She replied, tangling her fingers through his hair.
He began to move into her at an excruciatingly slow pace, the warmth and tightness of her around him making his eyes squeeze shut as he felt her fingers twitching, her nails digging into the base of his neck.
He entered her about halfway before retracting his hips just as slowly and beginning to thrust shallowly into her. He could feel perspiration building on his brow and back and all he could hear was the gentle humming noises she was beginning to make, her eyes shut gently and her lips parted.
"Is this... do you want?" He choked out, still moving within her as her eyes opened.
"Kiss me." She demanded faintly and he complied immediately, his lips meeting hers messily as her hips began to move in time with his. He felt her clutch at his neck and wrap her legs around him, pressing her feet into his thighs until he was completely sheathed in her. They broke their kiss with a mutual cry of pleasure as they began to find their rhythm together, looking into one another's eyes as they moved.
Harry had never felt anything like it. The way that his cock felt like it was in the tightest grip possible, and yet moving so smoothly, so wetly within it, as it stretched with his movements to accommodate him. He looked down at Hermione, her forehead furrowed as though deep in concentration, her mouth hanging open as she released moans and pants. He moved a hand to her hip to grip her, to angle her pelvis so they met more forcefully, more perfectly as he felt himself begin to reach his climax.
"Hermione," he panted, bringing a hand to her throat as he spoke, "I'm going to... I'm getting close. I want this to be good for you too. Help me, please." She took his hand and kissed his palm before settling it on the bed beside her shoulder. She reached down and took the hand from her hip and guided it to above where their bodies met.
"Just... here. There. Yes. Yes, Harry." She murmured as she pressed his thumb inside her, against a wet, hard nub above where his cock repeatedly pressed into her. He felt her rub his thumb against the nub before pulling her hand away to grip at the pillow behind her head, broken cries beginning to be drawn from her throat as Harry drove into her, rubbing his thumb fiercely against her.
He felt her knees rise around his hips and clamp around him, her hips moving frantically to move his as he moved faster in her, his own pants and gasps filling the space between them.
Suddenly her hand was at his neck, in his hair, gripping and pulling as she bucked against his hand and his cock and she let out a wild cry as she clutched him. Harry felt her clench around him and he was gone, the spiral that had been coiling in his abdomen suddenly untensing as he came inside her.
He felt himself collapse on top of her, his face buried in her hair as they both breathed deep and heavy, their heart rates beginning to return to normal. After a few minutes he felt her knees relax around him, and a gentle push to his shoulders to prompt him to pull out of her and lie onto his side, the covers falling around his chest.
He opened his eyes to find her lying on her side and smiling at him softly.
"Thank you, Harry; that was perfect." She whispered, leaning in and kissing him gently.
They broke the kiss with a smile before she leant over him, grabbed her wand and muttered "evanesco lux", causing all of the candles, torches and lamps in the tent to go out. "We'll be ok both sleeping for a couple of hours, and then I'll take first watch." She turned onto her side and pulled Harry's arm around her, spooning her from behind. She tucked her legs up and felt her feet press against his leg. She smiled daintily.
"Hermione," she heard Harry murmur into her hair. "we just lost our virginities."
"I know, Harry." She whispered back. "It feels weird, doesn't it?"
"A bit," he replied, "especially as we never took our socks off."
Hermione burst out laughing and felt Harry do the same, tightening his grip around her and burying his face further into her hair. She settled back against him and rested her hand over his on her abdomen.
"Goodnight, Harry." She whispered.
"Goodnight, Hermione." He murmured back.
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