I'm going away for a week so won't be able to do my usual updates every three days, but to make up for it I'll give you three chapters today! Thanks, as ever, to everyone who has taken time to read, comment or add this to their updates.
Disclaimer: Still not mine, but you lovely people make up for that!
Chapter 7
Hermione awoke to a thick wetness between her legs, and immediately hurried to the shower to remove the evidence of last nights dream of Bill. She was making herself a coffee, idly wondering how it would feel to run her hands over Bill's naked chest, when her floo jumped into action. Wandering through to her lounge, curious but grabbing her wand cautiously, she smiled as she saw Ginny's form.
"Oi," she greeted moodily, "put your bloody wand down and get me a drink."
"Um, okay, what do you want; tea, coffee, juice?"
"No. Firewhiskey."
"Ginny, it's eight am."
"Fine then, Vodka."
"Uhh, Gin, I'm not sure that it's such a good-" She was cut off by a rather alarming explosion of tears as she was thrown backwards by a small, fiery red object clutching desperately to her waist. "Ginny, what the hell is wrong with you?!" She demanded. Through her friends crying she ascertained that Harry had been spending a lot of time away from home, lying about his whereabouts or refusing to tell her where he'd been.
"He-he's obviously (sob) cheating on m-me (sob), I kne-knew (sob) he wanted some-someone better than me!"
Hermione, in an unusual act of violence, promptly slapped her cheek to snap her out of her uncontrolable distress. They both gaped at each other before Hermione started her swift string of apologies. "Look," she said after at least twenty sorrys, "I'm really sorry about that but I know Harry, and he's not a damn cheater, and he adores you more than anything. As for him wanting someone better; there is no-one better to him, and besides, he's been in love with you for over six years! Trust me, he loves you, and Harry would never cheat."
"Where's he been then?"
"Have you asked him?" Ginny shrugged, and Hermione felt herself sigh in exasperation. "Look, he loves you, and I'm sure that whatever he's been doing will make sense as soon as you ask him."
"But why would he lie to me?!" She demanded. "He's just gone out, saying he was going to meet up with Ron for the day, but then Ron appeared asking if he was in!"
"Gin, calm the heck down." She pushed a mug of coffee before her friend and dragged her arm away from the alcohol bottles on the counter, before sitting her down at the kitchen table and rubbing her shoulder calmingly. "Whatever he's up to, just ask him about it, there'll be a reasonable explanation. Besides, this is Harry we're talking about, he's-"
The flames in her lounge leapt up again, and she rolled her eyes, excusing herself for a moment and fixing her friend with a stern gaze when her hand drifted to the vodka. The Boy-Who-Lived himself stepped through the floo and embraced her warmly, green eyes shining as he excitedly bumbled that he had something important to tell her. "Uh, Harry, you should know that-"
Ginny came flying through from the kitchen, babbling incoherently. "Ginny!" Harry yelled, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Me?!" She screeched, her fiery temper and resemblance to Molly never as obvious as now. "What happened to, 'I just want to catch up with Ron, see you tonight love'. You've been lying to me!"
Seeing the domestic argument waiting to happen, Hermione ushered them swiftly to the fireplace, the rowing couple (well, Ginny was rowing at least) paying her no heed whatsoever. She called the name of their house herself, waving pointlessly as they were engulfed in emerald flames, Ginny still yelling tearfully at her boyfriend and him looking suitably alarmed.
Shaking her head and sighing, she returned to her coffee and daydreams of her gorgeous redhead, unconsciously grinning at the thought that she would see him later on. She had just decided to go to Muggle London to do a little shopping when she heard her floo activate yet again. "Ginny..." She muttered mutinously, so was surprised to see brown hair rather than scarlet when she entered her lounge. "Mum?"
Hello darling." Jean Granger replied, pulling her into a tight hug after regaining her balance; Hermione had taught her how to use floo travel a while ago, but she still found it very disconcerting. Though she was notably better than her father, who frequently found himself in various uncomfortable circumstances involving being stuck in a stranger's chimney, too embarrassed to call for help.
"It's so great to see you! But what are you doing here?"
Her mother shrugged, smiling. "I just wanted to see you, check how you were doing. Mrs Weasley sent us a letter (the woman really likes her stamps doesn't she?) saying that she hoped your father and I would join them for dinner today. Apparently she misses you, and though she understands that you want to spend time with us, she would like to see you again as soon as you were available." By now her eyebrows had disappeared towards her hairline and Hermione was flushing red, caught out in her lie.
"I just wanted some space." She mumbled in embarrassment, hiding her face under the pretence of making her mum a mug of tea.
"Sweetheart, your father and I will always give you space if you need it, just don't lie to us."
"Sorry, mum. It wasn't really you and dad I was avoiding."
Her mum gave her a knowing smile. "Ah, yes, Mrs Weasley does seem rather, um, overbearing at times, lovely woman though, of course. Or was it perhaps a certain son you've been avoiding?" Her brown eyes twinkled in a way almost reminiscent of Albus Dumbledore.
"Mum, leave it."
"Well Hermione I just think that-"
"Mum, please. I'm not fifteen anymore."
"I know, but just remember to be safe and-"
"Mum!"
"-don't let yourself be pressured-"
She was thankfully saved by the fire startling into life again, but she still groaned, yelling out, "Ginny, I swear to Merlin if that's you again-"
"Why would it be Ginny?" Came the reply from an inquisitive George, as he stuck his head into the kitchen. "Oh, hello Mrs Granger. How are you?" He held out a hand to shake her mothers, and the pair began idly chatting, until Hermione coughed in a rudely obvious way.
"Oh, sorry dear, I'd best be off now anyway." Her mum hugged her again.
"Will I be seeing you at the Burrow later, Mrs Granger?" George asked politely.
She gave Hermione an inquisitively raised eyebrow, and she replied with a barely perceptible nod. "Yes, George, I'm sure you will. Please tell your mother that it would be my pleasure to make dessert, it's the least I can do."
Hermione's ears and mood instantly perked up. "Brownies?" Her mum chuckled and, kissing her forehead affectionately, stepped back into the fireplace.
She leant back in her chair and closed her eyes, exhausted despite the fact she was sure it wasn't even half nine yet. She was so wrapped up in the idea of contacting Bill and falling asleep on his torso, that she completely forgot her other guest, causing her to jump in shock when he spoke. "So, why would it have been Ginny?" George asked.
Coming down from being startled, she sighed and shook her head. "Don't even ask." She peered at him through her eyelashes, thinking how odd it was to see the handsome ex-twin in her house completely sober; she couldn't recall him visiting her during the day before, and she found it oddly refreshing. "So, what's up George?" She asked, attempting nonchalance.
He frowned at her. "I can't take it anymore 'Mione." She immediately became cautious, knowing how quickly he could go from charming to desolate. "She's doing my head in, you need to come round."
She tilted her head to the side in utter confusion, she didn't think he and his girlfriend were having issues. "Angelina?"
"No, my mother. Every day she's asking if we've heard from you; she keeps on randomly yelling at Ron, demanding to know what he's done wrong. You have to come by today, or I swear she'll put out a missing persons report and set the Auror Department on you."
Biting back a laugh, Hermione reassured him that she had been planning to attend today's meal anyway, and swiftly ushered him out, claiming that she had to go shopping.
After he had left, she decided that she would, in fact, return to her original plan of going to Muggle London, and had just picked up her bag and had one foot through the door, when the now all-too-familiar sound of flames rang through the house. "For Merlin's sake, does my house have a bloody sign saying 'Piccadilly frickin' Circus'?!" So busy with her raging and cursing, she didn't even look at who had arrived, merely stomped through to her lounge and snapped. "What the hell do you want this time?"
"Um, hi?" A nervous voice answered.
"Bill!" She called in stunned delight. Dropping her bag, she went to swiftly kiss him, melting against his body as his arms wrapped around her. "Mm, what a nice surprise." She hummed against his lips.
He smirked. "Well it's lovely to see you too. As for what the hell I want, as you so eloquently put it, turns out the meeting I was supposed to have with the Japanese Diplomats has been moved back 'till Wednseday. I was just wondering what you were up to, if you had any plans or if you wanted to do something."
Smiling slightly and feeling relaxed for the first time since Ginny's arrival, she abandoned her previous plans and firmly told him that she was going back to bed. He looked nonplussed for a second before following her upstairs, asking her with confusion what was wrong with her, but she refused to answer until she was curled on her side, fully dressed, in her bed, and he was sat on the edge nearest to her, stroking her hair. He interrupted her only briefly to ask why George knew where she lived, but seemed to accept her statement that it wasn't her place to tell him. He chuckled loudly at her mum's attempt at the sex talk mark two, until her glare finally silenced him. Sometime through her story of her populous morning he had moved to lie down besides her, and they faced one another, her gently caressing the bare arm revealed by his t-shirt, and him still running his fingers through her wayward locks.
"So," he said once she had finished, "you're absolutely positive that Potter isn't cheating on my sister?"
She laughed. "Out of everything, that's what you focus on? You're such a typical man." She went to swat his chest lightly, but he caught her hand and pulled her towards him until their bodies were flush together.
"Would you love me if I wasn't?" He growled lowly. Instinctively, their mouths moved together, and he pulled her into a passionate embrace, his hands snaking once more beneath her vest, though staying firmly on her hips. She groaned loudly and, emboldened by the fire running through her veins and the heat she still felt from her dream last night, grabbed the hem of his grey t-shirt and pulled it over his head. He looked surprised at first, meeting her eyes inquisitively, but she silenced his unspoken questions with another hard kiss, and he was soon moaning slightly as she ran her small hands over the hard planes of his chest, making her gave a satisfied smirk against his lips. Moving down, she bit lightly on his neck making him hiss in desire, before running her tongue slowly along the scars that marked his torso. The noise he made when she tentatively ran her mouth over one of his hard nipples sounded almost painful, but the look of bliss on his face said otherwise.
Before long, he had flipped them over, so that he hovered above her, his obvious erection pressing against her thigh, him ravishing her mouth and neck. She felt one hand tentatively stroke the small patch between her knee and the bottom of her skirt, his fingers ghosting lightly over the soft skin there. At her returning gasp of pleasure, he moved his hand slightly higher, to her mid-thigh, though never going high enough to make her uncomfortable, whilst his other talented hand brushed the bottom of her bra. They made out for what felt like hours, beginning to learn one another's bodies and panting when the other found a particularly sensitive or erotic spot. Between their sounds of pleasure were the sweetly whispered words of adoration and the constant declarations of their love for one another.
After a while, Bill pulled back breathing loudly, his eyes burning yellow into hers. "Full moon tonight." He growled, before pushing himself off the bed and holding his head in his hands, to which she, frowning at his distress but remaining quiet, rested her hand on his naked chest and kissed his cheek gently, telling him that she would prepare a light snack for them. A few minutes after she had arrived in the kitchen to make some small sandwiches, he returned, eyes once again blue.
He gave her a hug from behind, resting his head on her shoulder, but as he opened his mouth, Hermione cut across him. "Don't you dare apologise Bill Weasley." She brandished the knife she held threateningly, and looking suitably abashed, he was silent.
They settled down at the garden table in the back with the plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of pumpkin juice between them, and chatted idly as they ate. She regaled him with tales about picnics as a child, and her eternal gratitude for insect repelling spells, and he told her of how he and Charlie used to sneak out at night with their mother's home-made cake and hide in their makeshift tree-house. "It was actually just a few planks of wood balanced across a high branch, and I'm fairly sure my dad used magic to stop them falling off, but we were young."
"I think it sounds great." She grinned. "I never really had any friends growing up, I would've loved to have so many siblings."
He shrugged. "It has it's pros and cons. But I wouldn't change my family for the world."
"Speaking of, is dinner at the usual time tonight?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "This is my mother's dinners we're talking about, do you even need to ask?" She merely smiled in response and leant over to brush her lips gently against his.
