Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter or any of the Harry Potter characters, and we make no profit from this story.

A/N: Have you seen our new cover phot that Freya_Ishtar created. Holy shite, its ah-mazing!

Please know this chapter includes marijuana use, and adult sexual nature. Enjoy the lemony fluff!


Chapter 11 ~ Old Habits Die Hard ~

After their night on the town, it was hard to concentrate in class, especially when that class was Defence Against The Dark Arts with Mr. Oliver. Hermione didn't like to think ill of a teacher, but he really was an unpleasant man, and he had treated the Hogwarts students with suspicion and thinly veiled contempt since the day they'd set foot on campus. By and large they'd managed to stay on his good side as they were well learned in the subject matter. The worst part for Hermione and Harry was that this man didn't seem like he'd seen a grindylow let alone a dementor, and since the subject of today's lesson was the patronus charm, she doubted the lesson would be even remotely illuminating. She looked over at Harry as class began and grinned, knowing he too would have a hard time with this class and was glad she'd sat beside him. Perhaps they could play a game of tic-tac-toe on a spare bit of parchment to pass the time.

They'd gotten about halfway through class when Hermione's attention was dragged away from the running line of knock-knock jokes her and Harry were coming up with, by something Mr. Oliver had said. Her hand flew up in the air, almost of it's own accord.

"Excuse me, Mr. Oliver?" she said clearly, when he had ignored her hand for the third time while scanning the classroom.

The professor gave a protracted sigh before saying, "Yes, He… Helen, is it?"

"Hermione, sir. Would you mind repeating that last bit that you said? About the youngest known wizard to cast a corporeal patronus?"

Harry groaned and pulled on Hermione's hand trying to get her to take her seat. "Leave it, Hermione!" he hissed.

"Certainly. I said that the youngest known wizard to cast a corporeal patronus was Antonius Aldridge who cast a fully formed field mouse patronus at the age of 18, though there are rumors that this was a false account made by a good friend whom he paid to tell the story," he finished, clearly skeptical that this story had any basis in fact. "Now, if I may continue…"

Hermione's hand shot up again and she used the other to bat away Harry's attempts to drag her back to her seat. Neville had perked up at Hermione's last question, and Draco was riveted looking back and forth between Hermione and the professor.

"Excuse me, sir?" Hermione said again, when he tried to ignore her a second time.

"Really Hermione, is there a reason why you are so intent on interrupting my lesson!?" he fumed, clearly not used to being questioned in his classroom.

"Yes sir, I apologize sir, but I thought you'd like the chance to correct yourself, as there are several accounts of wizards as young as seventeen casting a corporeal patronus. In Britain, sir," she said evenly.

Mr. Oliver scoffed and said quite sternly, "That'll be enough of that kind of story telling Miss Granger. I don't teach fiction, I teach fact, and the fact is that younger wizards are not capable of this kind of magic. Why do you think this lesson is a theoretical one?"

"I'm not sure sir, are you not capable of producing a corporeal patronus?"

The entire room gasped, though Hermione's friends were looking at her with renewed interest. The Hermione that they had gotten to know respected all teachers, so this Hermione, this was something to behold. Draco's grin was growing by the second as he anticipated what was coming next.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Granger?" Mr. Oliver asked, dangerously quiet. "I believe this is my classroom, and I'll thank you to keep a respectful tone when you speak to me in it. I can most certainly produce a corporeal patronus, though since it's a particularly powerful charm, I only do so under strict circumstances. Showing off for a bunch of seventh year students is not one of them. Now, sit down."

"I'm sorry sir, but I really can't sit down unless you acknowledge that younger wizards are capable of casting a corporeal patronus. Mine, for instance, takes the shape of an otter."

"Miss Granger, I will not have you spouting falsehoods in my classroom. You must not tell lies!" he shouted, incensed at her insubordination.

Harry's chair falling backward against the tiles was like gunfire and every head in the room shifted in his direction. "Expecto Patronum!" he yelled, and his characteristic silvery stag shot from the end of his wand and ran straight for the professor who screamed shrilly and ducked behind his desk. Neville, Ginny, and Hermione stood up, cast their charms more quietly, and the beautiful, fully formed stag was joined by an ethereal otter, a galloping horse, and a magnificent ram. Hermione looked at Neville, startled, as she'd never seen him cast a corporeal patronus.

"I found something to be really, really happy about after our… trouble, last year," he murmured, so only she could hear. Hermione found herself grinning from ear to ear.

At this point, Draco, Pansy and Theo came to stand behind their other classmates. They'd never been apart of Dumbledore's Army, so they didn't know how to cast the patronus charm, but they knew their friends were right, and that's what counted.

Mr. Oliver's mouth continued to open and close like a fish while he watched the four animals wander around the room, brushing up against the other students who were absolutely enamored with their silver, glowing shapes. Finally, he stood up, pulled down his shirt and vest, and addressed the class.

"Well. It seems you no longer need me as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher since you have these students to teach you. Mark my words, they are not here because some accident blew up their school - it's probably because they let students like these run amok!" he finished leaving the classroom and slamming the door behind him.

"Well… that was interesting!" Sarah said, looking at Ginny in a whole new light.

"Where the hell did you guys learn how to pull off that kind of magic?" Chris asked, eyes narrowed with jealousy.

"The patronus charm is quite advanced," Ben chimed in, clearly impressed. "How long have you been casting it?"

"Since my third year," Harry said, shuffling his feet. He was clearly uncomfortable with the subject matter as it was so intertwined with the past they had all agreed to leave behind. He looked at Hermione, eyes wide with fear that people might start asking him questions he really couldn't answer.

"Harry taught us in his fifth, my fourth," Ginny spoke up, only to have Harry round on her, the exasperated look on his face clearly saying that this was not the direction he had been hoping to move this conversation. It wasn't until Draco spoke up, that Harry started to relax.

"Hey Potter, think you could teach the rest of us? I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that that's some fantastic magic, and I wouldn't mind learning it myself."

When a chorus of, "hell yeah," rang out around the classroom, Harry rubbed the back of his neck thinking, and finally agreed asking them to move their desks around the edges of the classroom.

By the end of the period, the entire class was exhausted. Neville, Ginny, and Hermione had all helped Harry instruct the others on how to properly cast the charm and which types of memories would give them the power they needed to create a corporeal patronus. Near the end of class, Ms. Carter came in just in time to see a flush faced Pansy finally gasp with delight as a delicate, but fierce looking Maine Coon cat erupted from the tip of her wand, only to start chasing Ben's patronus which had taken the form of a stork. Nobody noticed her entrance except Harry as they were all so entranced with their productions. Draco's patronus had taken the form of a rather large snow leopard, while Theo had only managed to produce a wisp. Sarah and Chris hadn't managed to produce anything at all, but were having a great deal of fun watching Jake's coyote chase Kate's fox until they both disappeared.

The newer casters of the charm weren't able to sustain their patronus for extended periods of time and they tended to be a bit wispy and transparent. Harry had been incredibly proud that as many of them had been able to get a sustained shape at all. I guess it's easier to focus on happy memories when you don't have so many bad ones in the way he thought, regretful that his experiences had been so dark, but unable to begrudge these kids their normal childhood.

"I see you've all been incredibly busy this period," Ms. Carter said finally, amazed at the sight before her. Startled, every patronus in the room except for Harry's stag disappeared in a whisper of silver mist. With a smile, Harry whispered, "finite," and his patronus disappeared as he came to a stop in front of Ms. Carter, putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Yes ma'am. There was a certain… disagreement about the core course material. It seemed some of my classmates and I had some expertise on the matter, so we decided to share it with our new friends," Harry said calmly, trying to feel out the situation.

"I see," Ms. Carter said, pursing her lips and looking around at each of the students. "Is that how all of you see how this went down here today?"

Ben stepped forward, clearing his throat, "Dean, Mr. Oliver was wrong and all Hermione did was point that out. 'One repays a teacher badly, if one always remains nothing but a pupil.'"

Ms. Carter raised an eyebrow. "I'll let the matter drop if any one of you can tell me whom Ben has just quoted," she said with a smirk.

"Friedrich Nietzsche," Hermione said immediately, standing tall.

"That settles it then. Apparently I need to find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, know of any good ones?" Ms. Carter asked, flippantly.

At this, a chorus of chuckles and sniggers wormed their way around the room as the Hogwarts students attempted to control their laughter.

"Respectfully Miss, I'm not sure anyone from Hogwarts could provide a good recommendation there, our professors don't usually last longer than a year," Neville managed to get out, as Ms. Carter looked at them all quizzically.

"Well alright then, I suppose I'm on my own. Now don't any of you think that this kind of subordination will be tolerated here at WAM. It just so happens that I found Mr. Oliver a complete d-" she stopped herself. "A completely disagreeable man, and therefore I had been searching for his replacement come the end of term. As it stands, I have a bit of knowledge on the subject, so I will take over his class for now. That is, if none of you have any objections?" she asked, staring at them all pointedly.

"Of course not miss!"

"No ma'am."

"Absolutely not."

"Alright then. Class dismissed."


"That school day was intense," Jake said, flopping into a common area arm chair, loosening his tie.

"Too fucking right," Chris said, following suit while dropping his backpack on the floor. As the girls walked in, followed by Harry, Draco and Theo. They all flopped in different seats and just sat there, completely zoning out.

Kate finally sat up and said, "Who's hungry? I'm always famished after powerful magic like that and we missed supper while we were hanging around perfecting that charm. I need sugar!"

Everyone perked up at this point thinking that an evening of treats and relaxation was exactly what the mediwitch ordered. Hermione loved the idea as it reminded her of a PJ party she'd had with her muggle girlfriends at school before Hogwarts, and she said as much.

"Oooooh, PJ party!" Sarah said, loving the idea. "OK everyone, go get into your comfiest clothes, and meet back here. Kate, Jake and I are going to drop down to the kitchens and get some edibles. We may, or may not have an arrangement with a couple of the house elves in the kitchens," she said with a wink.

Hermione looked ready to launch into her spiel about house elf welfare, but Harry was quick to pop a hand across her mouth and change the subject. "Right then, back here in half an hour?"

Kate, Jake, and Sarah made their way back to the seventh year common area about twenty minutes later, arms full of sweets and other munchies. Jess sat on the couch, braiding Hermione's hair as she sat on the floor in front of her. Neville sat next to Jess talking to Harry who was sitting in the chair next to them.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Kate. She unloaded her arms of food onto the table and opened a bag of chocolate candies and taking out all of the red ones.

"What are you doing Kate?" Jake asked curiously, watching as she separated her candy by color.

"Eating the red ones last, of course!"

Harry and Hermione laughed while the majority of the group looked confused. "Don't worry about it…" Harry said, still chuckling to himself. Her sense of humor kills me, he thought to himself, looking at her fondly.

"My most recent letter from home," answered Harry, running a hand through his hair and getting back to her original question. "Seems as though Ron is enjoying Auror training, though from the sounds of things it's a bit more than he bargained for," he said, casting a side glance at Hermione who snorted ungraciously.

"I'll bet," she murmured, tight lipped.

Ginny, catching the tail end of this conversation as she walked in holding two letters in her hand. "George is asking if we've found a premises for the American chapter of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes yet," rolling her eyes. "And Mum wants a detailed explanation of every move I've made since I stepped on the continent, and insisted I say hello to both you and Harry," she finished, gesturing at Hermione with her chin while looking at Harry, who shook his head.

"No, I didn't get one, Ginny," Hermione answered knowing what Ginny was silently asking Harry. "Not that I expected one anyway."

"I'm sure he just got busy Hermione, I wouldn't take it personally -" Harry started.

"Oh Harry, please stop defending him. Ron looked over me yet again, and I'm completely fine with it," she finished, stern, but not unkind. Harry and Ginny traded worried looks until Hermione looked up and they hastily looked away from each other.

"Alright, enough with back home, let's just… paint our nails, or something," Hermione waved her hands toward the girls and went back to her room ostensibly to grab the needed supplies.

She walked back in the room carrying two predictably neutral nail polish colors, just as Pansy walked in. The two paused, looking at one another, Hermione with a slightly apprehensive look on her face, and Pansy's completely aloof.

"There's no way I'm painting them the muggle way! Honestly Granger, are you a witch, or aren't you? I have the perfect charm to color them."

Kate sat up, "Oh, I want to learn this charm!"

Jess picked up her wand as Hermione resumed her seat to tame the flyaways already trying to escape from the braid she'd finished just moments before. "Oh me too! Jake let me do your nails!"

"Uh, no, I don't think so! You girls do your girl things."

Sarah looked hopefully at Harry and Neville, which they both took as their cue to get out of dodge. Harry got up quickly, "C'mon Neville, Jake. Let's go find the other guys and leave these girls to do… whatever it is girls do," he finished quickly, ushering the other boys out and clearly hoping no one would elaborate on what it is exactly that girls did when they were alone together.

"Oh, perfect, I never thought they'd leave," Sarah snickered as the guys walked down the hallway in search of the others. "Ok, so spill it Kate. What's going on with you and Harry? I mean really going on?"

"Well, he has very nimble fingers," she answered with a straight face. Even though her honesty came naturally on most occasions, she felt herself not really wanting to divulge how slow her and Harry were taking things. They hadn't had sex, but that is what she actually found quite attractive. He wasn't just trying to get a piece of ass. She liked him, a lot more than she cared to admit right now.

Sarah rolled her eyes at Kate. "You know that is not what I mean. You like him, don't you? I've never seen you spend so much time with the same boy for more than a week."

Kate turned to Sarah cursing her for knowing exactly what she was thinking, "Well, Sarah, tell me. What's really going on with you and Ginny?"

Ginny flushed bright red, but Sarah wasn't daunted. "I like spending time with Ginny. I think she may be my new best friend."

Laughing, Kate rounded on Hermione, "What about you and Draco? There is definitely something going on there!"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know honestly. I like being around him, but we have a history."

Pansy coughed audibly. Kate mistaking Pansy's cough, wagged her eyebrows and asked, "Oh, what kind of history? A fun one?"

Pansy answered before Hermione, "No, not a fun one. I am, however, really loving fucking Theo everywhere around campus."

All the girls squealed with laughter and Hermione was, for the first time ever, grateful for Pansy's loud mouth. "Pansy, so how do you charm your nails?" Hermione asked quickly, hoping the girls went along with the change of subject.

Pansy taught them the spell, which was really quite simple in Hermione's opinion. The girls sat around for the next half hour changing the color over and over again. Hermione finally decided on teal, while Ginny picked a candy apple red. Kate was having so much fun, her nails resembled a shocking lime green one minute then a bright yellow the next. Sarah and Jess chose colors that matched their pajamas, while Pansy having created the spell had gone a little more complex and charmed her nails to be tipped with a pink zebra print.

Manicures and pedicures complete the girls sat around trading gossip, looking at muggle magazines that Kate had bought and debating whether Brad Pitt, or Johnny Depp was better looking. Sarah sat braiding Ginny's long hair into pigtails when Jake peeked his head around from the hallway, "Is whatever girls do when guys aren't around over yet?"

"Depends on what you really think we do when you aren't around," Sarah smirked at Jake giving him a look of mischief.

Jake returned the look, and shouted over his shoulder, "All clear, guys."

The guys proceeded to litter the rest of the common area, taking up seats wherever they could. Ben argued tirelessly that Johnny Depp was by far better looking than Brad Pitt with anyone that would listen. Theo surprisingly took part in this argument and interjected that Leonardo DiCaprio could outstrip both guys.

When Jess made a groan inducing comment regarding real men who wore leather jackets and rode motorcycles, Neville decided they'd be first to say 'goodnight' and walked them back to Jess' room blushing furiously.

"Great," Pansy whined, staring down the hallway as they walked into her room. "Theodore, I'm sleeping in your room tonight," she demanded, half annoyed. "I'm not going anywhere near that room with Neville and Jess doing Merlin knows what in there."

Grinning and using this moment to his advantage, Theo asked, "Ready for bed, then?" Pansy stood up, grabbed his hand and walked towards the boys hallway. Ben glanced after them, slightly forlorn expression on his face, until Hermione and Draco pulled him into their debate regarding the theory of hieroglyphs and logograms. Harry and Kate sat together in a chair quietly talking, and in a world all their own.

Jake, Sarah, and Ginny took up a game of Spoons in the corner. "OK Sarah, if I win this game we go back to your room and smoke that joint I have," Jake gambled.

"And if Ginny, or I win, then we go back to my room and smoke that joint you have," Sarah offered with a wink.

It didn't take long for the game to finish, and the three of them got up and gathered their things, Sarah calling over her shoulder to Kate.

"Hey Kate - you want in?"

"You're damn right I do, c'mon Harry," she said, grabbing his hand and joining the group. Harry, not sure how to proceed given his awkwardness with Ginny, caught her eye and raised an eyebrow silently asking if she was OK with this development. She thought for a moment and shrugged good naturedly, obviously not too concerned about it. In all honesty, they were both so tied up in their new relationships that they hadn't given a second thought to one another. I guess, if nothing else, this just confirmed that they were better off as friends.

Kate having not missed a beat, was looking between the two with an increasing look of suspicion when she heard Hermione giggle. She whirled pinning Hermione with her fiercest glare and demanded, "What am I missing?"

Hermione, loving the chance to get back at Ginny for all the trouble she'd caused her over the years was all too happy to share, "Oh nothing, just that Ginny and Harry used to date."

Ginny and Harry both turned on Hermione wearing twin looks of utter betrayal. Hermione was feeling incredibly pleased with her payback until she noticed the looks one both Jake and Kate's faces. Uh oh she thought guiltily, looks like I've caused trouble in paradise. Before she could pull her foot from her mouth, Kate laughed loudly and said, "Oh, is that all?" And grabbed Sarah and Harry's arms, dragging them back to Sarah's room with Ginny and Jake following in their wake.

"Ginny, have you ever smoked weed?" Sarah asked casting an odor preventing charm as she walked in and shutting the door behind them all.

Watching her, and noticing Sarah had a devious look in her eye, a look she was quickly becoming accustomed to, she said with some trepidation, "No, I haven't."

"It's kind of tricky to get the hang of how to inhale. It depends on whether you're smoking from a pipe, a joint, or a bong, but either way, you inhale it down deep and try to hold your breath letting it really sink in. This is a joint," she said, holding up what looked like thinly rolled paper. Sarah looked at Ginny and noticed the frown of concentration she had, like she was worried she wouldn't do it right, and decided to take a different tact. Kate looked at Sarah's devilish grin, and knew which way she was going with this. Catching Sarah's eye, she nodded with a grin of her own spreading slowly, ear to ear. She decided that this would be a perfect introduction for Harry as well.

"There is another way though, let us show you..."

Sarah took the joint in her fingers, licking her lips and then sliding the joint in and out of her mouth against her lips, moistening the paper. "You have to 'christen it' as we say, it keeps it from canoeing - burning unevenly on one side," she clarified. The joint now ready, she held the tip of her wand to it until it burned amber. Smoke swirled from the wrapped cigarette, filling the room with a rich, herbaceous smell which quickly evaporated by what Ginny assumed was the charm Sarah had cast when she shut the door. She licked her lips again, pinching the end and pursing her lips on the tip. Ginny watched as she inhaled, cheeks sucking in. Why am I suddenly turned on. Is this what weed does to you? Ginny thought.

She watched as Sarah passed the joint to Kate, who did the same thing and started leaning into Harry. Her head snapped back as Sarah leaned close to her, still holding the smoke in her lungs. She came closer to Ginny's face, softly grasping her face between both hands until her lips brushed hers. Instinctively, Ginny opened her mouth and Sarah moved in, completely covering her mouth and let the smoke drift between them. Sarah used her tongue to push smoke and tease Ginny all at the same time. Ginny, shocked at the contact, drew a deep breath and inhaled the smoke that tasted of the herb that created it, but also subtly of something sweet that Ginny knew was just... Sarah. It burned pleasantly as she felt her lungs expand. Sarah's tongue gently licked her lips as she held the smoke in. Finally, she pulled away giving Ginny a nod to blow the smoke out.

Harry was remarkably turned on from the illicit kiss, yet feeling incredibly awkward like they were intruding on a private, and intimate moment. He reached over and squeezed Kate's hand as she smiled at him, and rose. Harry looked up at her quizzically, but one look at her face and whatever he saw there had him standing quickly and following her from the room. At the threshold, Kate looked back and waved her fingers at Sarah who'd gotten concerned when she'd gotten up to leave. She mouthed the words, "I'm fine, just tired," followed by, "Be safe," nodding towards Ginny and Jake, who were leaned together, talking quietly, unaware of what was going on around them. Sarah, appreciating her friend, and eager to get back to Jake and Ginny, smiled softly and nodded, watching Kate close the door to her room behind her.

Ginny, remarkably turned on, stopped talking as Sarah rejoined them. She caught Jake eyeing the two of them and drew a deep breath thinking, What the hell - when in Rome? She quirked an eyebrow at Sarah, holding her hand out for the joint. Sarah, totally intrigued, passed the joint to Ginny, holding her breath slightly. Ginny pursed her lips over the end of the joint as she'd seen Sarah do, and sucked lightly, pulling a small cloud of smoke into her mouth. She tilted her hand, put it on the side of Jake's face and leaned down, putting her lips over his, giving Jake his very first shotgun kiss.


Harry didn't say anything as Kate led him down the hallway towards her room. His head was fuzzy, but he'd be lying if the look on Kate's face hadn't shot straight to his gut. She'd looked sad, Harry thought to himself, and the idea sobered him immensely. What could be making her sad? He asked himself, trying to dissect the past few days for anything that could have made her upset. If there was one thing Harry prided himself on, it was avoiding moments like this by protecting the feelings of the people he was with. Ginny had found it suffocating, and had lamented his apparent inability to be vulnerable with her because he was too busy trying to protect her from his own anxieties and fears. It was something he vowed to work on when they broke up as he could see it being a problem in future relationships. He lost a good woman in Ginny, though he suspected they would have ended up here in the end, but that didn't mean he'd make the same mistake twice. Especially not with Kate, never with Kate.

They entered Kate's room as they'd done many times before, only this time Kate was restless. She went to her desk that was covered with spell books and rolls of parchment that she kept picking up and putting back down, clearly at a loss.

"Kate love, what's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned by how quiet she was. The Kate he knew didn't enjoy silence unless there was some serious snogging going on.

"How long were you and Ginny together?" she asked quietly.

Stunned, Harry answered honestly, "About a year? I'm not really sure honestly, things were… hectic."

She nodded like she understood though he knew she didn't. He wasn't sure what all Hermione had told her, but he knew his friend and she would have spared Kate as many details as she could.

"Kate, why are you asking me about Ginny? You know we're over right? It was ages ago, we're both much happier where we are now. Honestly, looking back, we never would have worked."

"Why?"

Exasperated and feeling hopeless with this line of questioning. Harry rubbed the back of his neck furiously, then switched to his face hoping to clear his head. "Ginny… She wanted more from me than I could give her. She had expectations of what a relationship should be like because of the ones she'd had to emulate and I just couldn't be that for her," he said sadly, feeling the hurt that he just couldn't be enough all over again. Taking a deep breath, he finished his thought, "I… had a shite childhood." Stumbling over his thoughts, "It can make it hard for me to have these types of conversations honestly."

He shrugged his shoulders like his shirt was too tight and grew quiet, lost in his thoughts. How do I tell her I'd never have been able to have this conversation with Gin?

"If it's so hard for you, why are you having this one with me?" she asked quietly, permeating to the crux of the issue with such precision that Harry's head whipped up to look at her, certain she was reading his mind. He stayed quiet for awhile, contemplating his answer, and he couldn't say how much he appreciated Kate's ability to wait for him to collect his thoughts.

"Because… I've learned some things," he said wryly, sitting on the bed and thinking of all the arguments he and Gin had had near the end of their relationship. "I… appreciate that it's difficult to be in a relationship with someone who keeps all of their feelings close to the vest. I'm not good at expressing myself mind," he warned, obviously scared that she might overestimate his ability to change.

"I dunno, I think you're doing a pretty good job at the moment," she said kicking him lightly. She sighed deeply, and then held her breath, gearing up for her final question. "Did you love her?"

Harry met Kate in the eye, and let every shield he'd ever had drop, hoping she could see the depth of his feelings there. "Yes, I did, but I don't anymore," he said firmly, grabbing Kate by the hand and silently pleading for her to believe him.

Kate's eyes had closed when she heard the word yes leave his lips, but she gave a deep sigh when he'd finished his sentence. Satisfied, she move closer to him, nudging his feet apart so she could stand between his knees. She hugged his head to her abdomen, running her hands through his hair. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and had been rubbing her back softly, rhythmically. She looked down at him, just as he looked up at her and she just knew.

This is the moment I've been waiting for, she thought to herself. She'd been surprisingly upset upon learning that Harry and Ginny had been an item. Her and Ginny seemed so different that she couldn't imagine him being interested in the pair of them. The biggest surprise in the whole debacle had been how insecure she'd felt. Ginny was a beautiful girl, and clearly very talented. The bat bogey hex she'd cast on Theo had been the work of a genius, so she'd already felt a little bit intimidated by her skill. Then she'd really gotten to know her and she was just so… honest, and nice! Kate was honest, but she never really felt nice. Everyone tended to tease her about her honesty like it was a character flaw, but no one ever said that about Ginny. I think part of me always thought he was just up for a quick lay she thought to herself, slightly ashamed at thinking that poorly of him. I guess that's what I get for dating Americans, she thought with a smile. Looking down into his bright green eyes, Kate saw nothing but… admiration there. Harry adored her, he treated her with respect, and asked her opinion like he really cared what she had to say. This was completely new to her and she was learning to trust it. Perhaps it's time to show him I trust him, she thought putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him backwards onto the bed.

She crawled up his body, pressing hers as tightly against him as she could manage and still keep going until she reached his mouth and kissed him, long and soft. Sitting up, and moving her body so she was straddling him, Kate reached down and grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulling it slowly up, and over her head. She heard Harry gulp, and smiled smugly, knowing that the image of her clad in nothing but her pyjama bottoms had done that to him. Done a little more than that she thought, rubbing herself against the prominent bulge in his own set of pyjama bottoms.

Harry hissed, trying to maintain the iron grip he had on his hormones. He'd been trying incredibly hard since Kate and him had first started getting close to be respectful, maintaining firm control and working with any boundaries Kate had set. He needed her to know that he didn't launch into things like this lightly, and going straight for the quidditch hoop wouldn't do that. They'd fooled around, but it was like Kate had known he was trying to be good, and so she hadn't pushed him. She was pushing him now though, and it took everything in him not to grind up against her as she moved causing delicious friction against his length. If she kept this up, especially if she kept kissing him in that way that drugged him better than the pot ever could, he'd never be able to keep himself in line.

Kate stopped kissing him and looked down at the slight beading of sweat that had started to accumulate on Harry's forehead, not to mention the fierce look of concentration he wore as he kept his hands locked to her hips as she continued her ministrations with her pelvis. She smiled, feeling warm bliss work its way from her heart right down to her toes. Taking his hands from her hips, she placed them on her stomach and slid them up her torso until he was cupping both of her breasts. His eyes never left hers once as she guided him where she wanted him.

"Are you sure?" He asked, breathless, and the look of hope in his eyes warmed her heart even further, though she hadn't thought it possible.

"Absolutely."

The word hadn't even completely left her mouth when Harry had switched their positions, thrusting his knee between her thighs and started kneading her center while kissing her senseless. His one hand had a firm grip on her hip, while the other one found it's way unerringly to her breast, softly working her, grazing her nipple and generally driving her mad.

Not one to be out paced, Kate reached down and slid her hands down his trousers, searching for the hardness she knew would be waiting for her there. When she heard him groan, she was sick of all of this clothing. Reaching over to the bedside table, Kate managed to get her hands on her wand and cast a nonverbal evanesco. Harry broke their kiss in complete shock as skin met skin. He took the moment to take a deep breath, and lock eyes with the beautiful witch below him, his witch, he thought, and asked her again.

"You're sure? Be sure, Kate."

In answer, she rocked her hips forward so his hardness found her core and he slid home.

Perfect.