Hogwarts Shuffle! (on Hiatus)

by GinnyMyLove

Unfortunately on Hiatus as I have no motivation to continue at the moment. Two mysterious doors have been opened, gateways to the realms of the Gods and the Devils. The Princesses of each show up at Hogwarts pledging to marry Harry Potter. Harem: Crossover with the anime Shuffle! (multicross only includes ideas and settings from other fandoms)

25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, plot and interactions are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Hogwarts Shuffle! Chapter Twenty-Five

Friday 11/1

Not having anything else to do, Harry tested his magic; and found what he expected. After a night of healing, sharing his magic with Rina, the blocks on his control were either gone or overrun once more; he was lucky if spells performed at all in the neighborhood of what he was intending.

So it was that Hermione, being the first down that morning, found Harry meditating on the couch. She sat down beside him and put a hand on his arm, "Harry?"

When he didn't respond she squeezed his arm gently, "Harry, we should head down to breakfast soon."

He was slow to respond, but she noticed an immediate change in his facial expression. Within a minute, his eyes fluttered open and she gasped slightly as the green glow faded back to his normal emerald. He stretched and looked around, "Where is everyone else?"

"They should be down shortly; Gin was already in the shower and the other girls are usually fairly punctual. Luna will drag Neville out of bed, I'm sure …"

Harry noted her tone, "You still don't approve of them sleeping together?"

She nibbled her lip a bit, "I don't disapprove … so much as I just feel like everything is moving so fast. Not to mention that as a former prefect I am completely scandalized by the sharing of beds at all."

He placed his hand on her leg and squeezed softly, "But you don't seem to have any problem with sharing your bed with me."

She seemed to choke on her next words for a moment before replying, "That's completely different, you are like a sibling to me, plus I am simply taking a night to keep you sane. That way you don't get carried away with all of those crazy girls."

He smiled, and his hand slid further up her thigh toward the hem of her skirt, "But you like what I do with those crazy girls; I bet you really want to hear a story right now."

Her breathing was getting short as she placed her hand over his, "Harry! What has gotten into you!?" She exclaimed quietly.

He shook his head suddenly and withdrew his hand, "I … I'm sorry, I don't know what that was. My heads just a little muddled at the moment."

She was still looking a bit ragged as she began her reply, but Sia slid on to the couch on his other side, and hugged him, interrupting the conversation.

"Good morning, Harry!"

He turned to her with a smile, and when she leaned in toward him, he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Causing her to blush even as she smiled prettily.

"Good morning, Sia; I'm sorry for worrying you last night."

The goddess shook her head, "It's okay, Harry. It was Nerine who fixed you up; so no harm done."

"No harm done!?" Hermione nearly shouted, "He came back looking like he'd been run over by several lorries; and a bus! I don't know why we always seem to get rid of one threat only for you to go out and find the next biggest one!"

He was screwing up his face in guilt as she finished, "You know I don't go looking for trouble …"

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms, "You are a trouble magnet; which is why you shouldn't let your guard down."

"What kind of date would it have been if I'd been on guard for an attack all night? As it was, we had a wonderful time watching kids go door to door and even played a few party games. I can't live my life always preparing and watching for fights; I have to live it between them. Or would you rather I ended up like Moody?"

She didn't seem to have a reply for that, luckily Gin and Gabby came in and interrupted the moment. The smaller of the two sat down on Harry's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck; leaving him to awkwardly put his arms around her back. He looked up at Gin apologetically, but the redhead simply smiled and turned to check her bag.

He heard a very light hiccuping sound and Gabby hugged him tighter. A sudden feeling of despair overcame him as he realized she was crying. Hugging her tighter to his chest, he closed his eyes, and held her. "Hey, I'm alright. Nothing is going to take me away from you now."

She nodded into his chest and he found himself drifting off; listening to the sound of her breathing. The ache in his chest lessened and the headache he had gotten used to over the last week began to fade; surprising him as his head cleared.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting like that when he heard Hermione clear her throat softly. "Harry, we need to go if we are going to eat. We may not have classes until later, but breakfast is only served until eight."

Gabrielle extracted herself, from his lap, leaving him feeling empty at the loss of contact. He also realized he had absolutely no appetite at the moment. He noticed Nerine standing nervously behind Sia and found himself at a loss for words. As his thoughts chased themselves around his head, he felt a pair of breasts pressed against the back of his head, a pair of arms circling him from behind. The blonde hair in his peripheral vision gave him a clue as to who it was.

"Hello, Luna."

"I'm sorry I didn't get to see you last night, Harry, Neville and I were dead asleep when you woke up."

He nervously patted her arms, "It's alright, thank you, for worrying about me."

"Oh, I wasn't worried. It would take more than a hollow to get the best of Harry Potter."

He looked confused as he turned his head, uncomfortably close to her chest, as Neville watched on from beside her, "You know about hollows?"

She stood and put her arm through Nevilles, causing him to relax visibly, "Oh yes, mummy used to tell me all sorts of stories about the different creatures she'd come across in her research."

While it really didn't explain anything, he knew better than to question Luna; unless he wanted a headache. When Hermione cleared her throat again Harry sighed, and looked up, only to see Nerine trying to exit the tower without being seen, "Why don't you go on ahead, my magic's gone wonky again and I need to sort myself out. I'm not especially hungry right now anyway."

Sia looked back and forth between the door and Harry, before getting a determined look on her face, not-quite storming toward the exit herself. Hermione looked like she wanted to argue with him, but Gin and Gabby each took an arm, leading her from the tower. Once he was alone, Harry lay his head back on the couch and grunted as his headache began to return.

After an indeterminate amount of time, he had almost succeeded in dropping back into a meditative state; when he was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their voice. He opened his eyes in annoyance to find Eustus and Forbes standing before him; sighing as he laid his head back on the couch once more.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

The King of Devils stood to his full height and startled Harry by speaking loudly, "Harry, Reaper of Souls, please stand before us!"

Surprise coursed through him as he found himself standing, and only increased when the man bowed his head slightly in respect. Eustus did the same, but remained quiet. "Soul Reaper, it has come to Our attention that We are once more in your debt. Would you request a boon?"

Harry looked around nervously, "Um, no; not this time. I think the one you gave me before is more than enough ..." he caught himself, "Your Majesty."

Forbes raised his head appraisingly before nodding, "Very well then, Soul Reaper, please know that you continue to hold Our gratitude. We have placed Our trust well in you, protector of Our daughter; as well as Representative and Ambassador of the Wizard World."

The King of Gods smiled then and clapped his hand to Harry's shoulder. "Sorry about all the formality, Harry, but this is a situation that really does call for it. Gods and Devils alike do not like being indebted to mortals, but for you we can make an exception. After all, you are basically family now!"

Harry sat back down and both kings did as well; sitting in arm chairs across from him. "Honestly, sir, protecting people seems to be something I do regardless of the situation. Especially those I personally care about. I'd be dead at least once over if not for the amulet you gave me before, and the Strength granted by my bracer."

"Nerine has told us what she knows of the battle, but there are things she was not able to explain. Would you mind walking us through what happened?" Forbes asked with an easy smile.

After a deep breath, and a moment to clear his head, Harry told his story. Once he was done, the Kings looked lost in thought and Harry was starting to get upset at how close-mouthed they seemed to be. "Do you mind if I ask a few questions now?"

Eustus' head snapped up at the sound, but quickly shook off his lingering thoughts, "Of course, Harry."

"First of all, why are you calling me a Soul Reaper?" Harry began asking his questions with earnest enthusiasm.

"A few centuries or so in the past, our worlds were still in a cold war. Many amazing and terrible weapons were created during the millennia long struggle between us; one of the worst were the Hollows. When a soul refuses to depart the world of the living you call them ghosts. Ghosts typically remain on this plane of existence due to having goals they did not meet, wanting to watch over loved ones, or having some form of unfinished business.

"If a ghost remains too long in this world however, they can often become bitter or enraged at their inability to achieve those goals; unable to interact with the living. When a ghost loses heart, it becomes a Hollow. The transformation grants them a certain power boost and allows them to affect the world of the living again, however they become obsessed with protecting the goals they had in life, or keeping people away from a loved one; often ending with the death of others in their attempt to achieve those goals. Eventually they can lose their humanity entirely, forgetting the reasons for their despair, and simply become an evil entity."

Harry was keeping up, but only barely, "So a soul reaper is …?"

Forbes picked up the explanation, "Soul Reapers were those soldiers who specialized in dealing with Hollows. They were responsible for sending the soul on to the next realm, or if that became impossible, destroying them so that they could no longer pose a threat to the living."

"But it was Nerine that purified that Hollow; all I did was beat it half to death." Harry pointed out.

Eustus nodded, "True, but only because you did not have the skills, nor the tools, to do so yourself. Under normal circumstances you should not have been able to sense it; let alone have been able to disable it. We would like you to attempt becoming a proper Soul Reaper, though most of the techniques and teachings have been lost to time. We could only take you so far, at which point it would up to you to discover the rest."

Harry looked to Forbes who nodded, "We too would offer our assistance in your training. Hollows were never created or used by the Gods during our battles, but We are well aware of how to fight and purify them due to a need to control them once created."

His head was swimming, so he gave up thinking about it for the moment, "Next question: What about the ghosts here at Hogwarts? Some of them are hundreds of years old!"

Eustus looked to Forbes before answering, "We believe that because these are Wizard Spirits, and are able to interact with Wizards, that they do not hold much threat of hollowing. Even in their despair, they are able to interact with the living and so still have hope."

"What about the one I fought? Are they all that strong? I mean … Nerine could barely stand against those things, and I couldn't until Sia granted me her blessing."

Forbes nodded, "Nerine has only ever known a peaceful world, she has never experienced soul pressure at that level. Both Eustus and I are fully capable of forcing an entire room to their knees when prompted, but hardly ever had occasion to. Nerine actually has quite a presence when she gets upset as well; I believe she cowered your school nurse quite easily when you were injured the first time."

Eustus nodded, "All of that is to say, you will be trained to recognize and stand against spirit pressure. Through your training you will be able to increase your own to hopefully match it; so that you are not fighting at a disadvantage."

"You mean like my Aura?" Harry asked.

"Not exactly," Forbes answered, "The aura you have begun expressing is purely magical, or was until recently …"

He paused at that, and Harry waited expectantly for a few seconds, before prompting the man to continue, "Until recently?"

"From the description my daughter gave of your battle, it would appear that you have begun to exhibit a fairly large amount of spirit energy yourself. As I said before, mere magic should not have been able to affect such a creature, and physical attacks should only have angered it; if not passed right through it. For all intents, and purposes, fighting a Hollow is much the same as fighting a Ghost."

Once again, Harry put the information away for later examination, "Are all Hollows as powerful as that one?"

Eustus laughed, "Oh Me, no! Most Hollows are weak and pathetic things; easily banished or purified. As we said before, there are naturally occurring Hollows which are more like wraiths or banshee's than what you faced. No, Harry, what you faced was an order of magnitude stronger than the base class."

Forbes picked up where Eustus left off, "As a Hollow ages, it begins to feed on other ghosts and the souls of the humans that it kills. The more spirit energy a Hollow devours, the stronger it becomes. Eventually they begin to get back some of their intelligence, but lacking heart they are evil beings intent on destruction, consumption, and consolidation of power."

"So the one I fought was fairly weak?" Harry asked.

The Devil shook his head, "Actually, the one you fought sounds like it was at least an Intermediate-level Greater Hollow; though only barely based on it's displayed intelligence. There are a few different classifications we can get into later, but for now you should know that the one you nearly destroyed with a steel pipe, of all things, was only one step below the highest class of Hollow."

"Great, that means there are even bigger and badder ones out there; plus they are likely coming for Nerine and myself." He sighed; laying his aching head on the couch again.

"All the more reason to train as a Soul Reaper, Harry. If you are going to protect my daughter and your friends, you should have the tools to do so." Forbes interjected.

"I need to think about this, right now my head is full of information and I have only barely understood everything you've told me."

Eustus nodded, but soon a grin replaced his solemn look, "I hear you lost your sword in the fight …"

Harry had actually forgotten that, and after a second of concentration, the Sword of Gryffindor appeared in his outstretched hand. "You know ... I probably could have summoned it back to me during the fight … "

The King of Gods sat forward, "May I examine that blade, Harry?" Harry turned the sword around and presented the hilt. "Interesting," he muttered as he wielded the weapon, "Goblin made steel … Basilisk Venom?"

Harry looked surprised at that, "How did you know?"

"Goblin steel is very good at conducting magical energy, and it absorbs anything that will make it stronger. One scratch with this blade would be enough to poison almost anything. Likely the Klax would have succombed to it's wounds not long after you dispatched them anyway. You should be very careful with this weapon, Harry."

Harry swallowed hard, realizing he could have easily poisoned any of his friends by accident. "I know I had to have nicked myself at some point, how am I not dead?"

Forbes smiled, "I believe the story goes that you were bitten by the same Basilisk, and then healed with Phoenix tears? It is quite possible you are now immune to Basilisk venom."

Eustus swung the sword experimentally before grinning like a mad man and going into a kata, "Oh, that is wonderful! Harry did you know that there are instructions on how to wield this thing; magically buried in the steel?"

"There are what in the what?" Harry asked dumbly.

"The memories of every person who has ever wielded this sword are permanently etched into the magical signature of this blade. The first user was a blade master of some prominence who could fight using any weapon, but especially anything with an edge."

"Godric Gryffindor!" Harry exclaimed.

"Indeed, and he passed that knowledge onto every one of his successors. If you have need of this sword, and it presents itself to you, it also grants you all of the skills and knowledge of the predecessors who wielded this blade. Amazing really."

Harry was floored, it was suddenly not so impossible to think that he had slain a Basilisk at twelve; or that he was suddenly a master swordsman when fighting the klax beetles even though he hadn't held the blade in four years. Part of him was excited at the explanation, and happy that it made him more normal than he thought. Another part of him was a bit sad that it was not just some innate skill that gave him his prowess.

"So all of that stuff I have done with the sword, wasn't really me?"

Eustus looked like he was about to nod, but paused, "To be fair you had to be worthy in order for the sword to choose you, and based on your last battle you have great instincts for weapons beyond this one. Since this is Goblin Steel it would have had little effect on a Hollow anyway. It's ability to channel and store magic makes it highly incompatible with spirit energy. You are lucky you picked up that pipe, as Human Steel is fairly inert; so you were able to force spirit energy through it. If it had been Blessed or Spirit Steel …"

He paused and looked at Forbes for another moment before the devil nodded in assent, "Harry, if you would like, I would grant you a boon in Forbes' place."

Harry stood up, sensing the situation was getting somewhat formal again, "What kind of boon?"

"I would like to summon a weapon for you; forged of blessed steel and spirit energy. It will serve as your personal weapon until you have reached a high enough level of power to create your own. Now ... simply think of the first weapon to pop into your head. I can create a hand-and-a-half sword like this one, or any other weapon. Close your eyes and picture a weapon, Ah-ha, that one works. I should have known."

"Wait, what?" Harry asked in confusion, "I didn't even start to think about a weapon yet."

The God smiled, "Yes, you did. Not consciously, of course, but your subconscious knew exactly what was best suited to you."

He held his arms apart and created a swirling vortex of purple energy; waiting until it had reached a self-sustaining level before reaching inside. From within he drew forth six feet of glowing white material that hurt Harry's eyes to look at, but as the far end exited the light it began to soften to a silvery sheen decorated in runes. Eustus waved a hand and the vortex collapsed in on itself; then wiped his brow of the sweat which had gathered there.

He handed the staff to Harry, who held it reverently, as it seemed to hum in his hands; it's weight felt perfectly balanced. He spun it a few times like he'd seen done in the movies, impressed with himself for not dropping it, and spun back toward the Kings with a smile on his face. "It's amazing, but I have no idea how to use a staff."

"We'll fix that, Harry, there are reasons you need to start working on your physical training in addition to magical, but we can discuss that later. Right now there are more important things to discuss." Forbes stated solemnly.

Eustus nodded, also appearing solemn, and Harry swallowed hard once again. These two jumped from extreme to extreme and it made him dizzy at times. "What would that be?" He asked.

Forbes began, "I believe that you and Nerine had somewhat of a falling out."

"And that you had my daughter at your mercy, and yet did not wind up taking her." Eustus stated.

Harry felt the need to run away, very fast and very far, and yet … he hadn't actually done anything they hadn't told him to. "Why is that a problem?"

"You have been cooped up in this castle for months now, with perfectly willing females, and yet you have not once had sex with them! That is absolutely unbelievable!" Eustus said loudly.

"Indeed, Harry, we are beginning to get worried."

"Maybe I simply don't want to jump into sex! Did you think about that? Maybe it means a little more to me; especially with a girl that I care about!"

Forbes shook his head sadly, "I don't buy it, Harry, are you sure you are being perfectly honest with us?"

"That is to say, are you a pouf?" Eustus asked.

"WHAT!?" Harry asked; his voice rising an octave, "Why would you even ask that?!"

"Well, you haven't slept with anyone; even though they obviously want you to. Your best friend is a beautiful girl, but you treat her like a sister. I mean, you are a great gal-pal Harry, but are you straight?" The God asked seriously.

"Yes, I'm completely straight!"

"Are you a virgin?" Forbes asked.

"What? What does that matter?"

"So you haven't had sex before, that should make you all the more excited at the possibility. I'm surprised you aren't tearing their clothes off at every opportunity!" Eustus said.

"I told you, maybe sex means something more to me!"

"So then you aren't a virgin?"

"No!" Harry cried out.

Both of the kings looked at each other inquisitively, "So you have already had sex; at least once?" The Devil asked.

"YES!"

"With a girl?" asked Eustus.

"YES!"

Silence descended on the room for several moments as Harry caught his breath and slowed his heart rate, eventually Eustus smiled and Forbes followed suit. "Oh! Well that makes some sense then. If you've had sex before, and you understand how it affects a relationship, then of course you are going to be more cautious about it."

Eustus nodded, "Exactly! Not that you should be overly cautious, you are being a bit of a prude, regardless of it all. Honestly, I think getting laid would do wonders for you all around, and improve your relationships."

"But I think we've covered everything we came here to cover; we should be going now." Forbes said with a smile as he started for the door. "Have a good day at school dear."

Harry froze and slowly turned around to find the Princesses, Gabby, Hermione, and Ginny staring at him.

"You too…" Nerine said as her father walked past her and out the door.

"I uh … I need to take a bath," He looked at the girls and narrowed his eyes, "Alone …"

With that said, a red-faced Harry stormed off up the stairs in embarrassment.

All eyes turned to Ginny, who was suddenly looking flustered at the attention, "What?! It wasn't me!"

After a quick scan of the other eyes around them, everyone turned curiously toward Hermione.

"Oh, you have to be kidding! That's … That would just be … I mean. It wasn't me!"

"Then who was it?" Sia asked quietly.

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

Harry was overheated and pruny an hour later, where he had been thankfully left alone with his thoughts. He also found the hot water relaxing for the deep lingering pain in his muscles and bones.

His thoughts had been circling non-stop through his head, and he hadn't yet been able to get hold of them. Hollows, Soul Reapers, and Blessed Steel; his situation with Rina and crying women in general; and his sexuality being called into question; followed shortly by an accidental confession in front of all of the girls he cared about.

Speaking of girls, Harry had realized ten minutes or so into his soak, that he couldn't get them off his mind. Despite everything else that was weighing him down, his brain was determined to linger on all the women in his life, and his body was happy to respond. He'd been in some form of medium to rock-hard state since his near miss with Nerine in the early morning, and was badly in need of release.

Normally, he would be able to meditate away the distracting thoughts, but for the past couple of days and in the past few hours especially, his meditation had been hampered by images of blondes, reds, blues and brunettes. For a time, he even found his mind completely stuck on Cho no matter how hard he tried to banish the images that were brought before his mind's eye. It almost made sense to him that the girls he had been at all intimate with would appear; Sia, Nerine, Ginny and Cho; but Luna was beginning to guest star in his imagination, then Hermione and Gabby brought out a side of his mind he wasn't entirely sure he knew had been there.

The two women he firmly held in the "sibling" category were always present in some way: Gabby being an active participant, though pretending she didn't know what effect she was having on him; Hermione, standing off to one side of his brain, was watching the action and trying hard not to touch herself ... and failing. He couldn't get these images out of his head, even when he tried to replace them with Sia, Nerine, or Ginny; whom he had all, but shagged.

He slid out of the scalding water to lay back on the cool tiles, leaving his feet dangling in the water to help regulate his body temperature. His erection presented a perfect tent in the flimsy bath towel he had wrapped around his waist in case someone decided to join him; despite his request to be alone. He felt perfectly justified in playing with it, trying to see what shapes he could make out of the material, and how interesting it felt to wrap his hand around it with the wet towel in the way.

His playing soon turned to stroking as images began to swim through his head again, and he closed his eyes and laid his head back. Confident after all this time that the girls were respecting his wishes, he was no longer able to deny himself the pleasure his brain and body were asking for. It was to Gin his thoughts went first; she had been the first girl he'd spent any real time with in bed, and had been the most adventurous ... at first. Lately though she'd pulled back on him, and he wondered if she'd come to some decision or if he'd done something wrong to push her away.

Those thoughts were not helping and were quickly replaced by his roll in bed with Sia; the other night. The feeling of her wet folds sliding up and down the length of his cock was heaven, and he longed to find out what it would feel like to be inside her. He could imagine how easy it would be to ask her up to her room, for a talk, only to seduce her. Of course, he then remembered her reaction to him that next morning, and her strange not-quite-avoidance to being close to him since then. Granted, a lot had happened in the two days that followed, but he wondered if she was expecting something from him; and he'd forgotten it.

Having so many women in his life was more than a bit tiresome; if only because he felt like he was walking a tightrope of feelings and one misstep could cause broken hearts all around. That melancholy thought led him to thoughts of Nerine; he wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed the strangeness between them before it had gone too far, and now he didn't know what the status of that relationship would be. He really didn't want to lose his new friend; especially as he had finally admitted that he was falling in love with her.

Sighing, as his arm and wrist began to get tired, he focused on the next female in line. Unfortunately, Hermione was the next face he saw and he quickly tried to push her into the corner of his mind; as it would be awkward enough sleeping with her the next time it was her turn in the rotation. Gabby made an appearance after that, and he felt an extremely guilty surge of hormones; as he remembered the way she tasted on Gin's fingers, and the sounds she made when Ginny had gotten her off in front of him. The Hermione in the corner of his mind began to play with herself; even though he tried to ignore it. If he didn't watch then it didn't really count…

Both girls were suddenly replaced with Luna, coming up behind him in the bath and wrapping her arms around him; as she had done in the common room. Her breasts free to wrap around either side of his head. She spoke with that slightly husky yet airy voice, and asked him if she could watch him play with himself. His cock grew harder at the idea of being watched, and he redoubled his efforts to cum soon after. He could almost feel her arms running up and down his chest as she spoke into his ear.

"That's right, Harry, cum for me. I've never watched a man do this; my you have a lovely cock don't you. Would you like to try cumming on my chest some time? I've heard it is very nice and acts as a natural moisturizer. Did you know that semen has been found to cause bonds to form between ordinary couples, and that it contains anti-depressants? Women who do not use condoms are far happier on average than women who do; possibly because cum makes them happy. In fact, women don't always synchronize their cycles unless at least one of them is having unprotected sex. Lesbians almost never synchronize because there is no cum inside them. Cum actually changes the way a woman smells to other women and even the way their bodies react. Would you like it if I smelled like you? What if you cum inside me, and then I go back to bed with Neville? Then I'd be twice as happy, wouldn't I?"

That last thought pushed him over the edge, even though he felt extremely guilty for thinking it, some part of his libido REALLY liked the idea of having sex with another mans woman. He knew he should feel bad about that ... but he didn't. So he was feeling bad, about not feeling bad, at the same time as he was feeling REALLY good. He felt himself explode and actually seemed to be at the center of a cum shower with the way the spooge hit him on the forehead and chin; some even covered his shoulders and the crook of his elbow. With the release of his pent up orgasm, his cock began to wilt and dribble onto his thigh and stomach, till a small pool began to form where his shaking arm was resting after all that effort.

He was still panting when a voice was cleared near the door of the bath room.

"I hope you are planning on showering again before you get back in the water …"

Harry spun around so quickly he could almost feel his brain bounce inside his skull. "Neville! It isn't what it looks like!"

Neville raised an eyebrow, taking in the cum still dripping down his forehead, "What I am thinking is you should shower off before this gets more awkward."

An extremely embarrassed Harry hurried to the nearest shower head, and washed off his shame, before preparing to leave the room. Neville called out to stop him, "Harry, they asked me to come … to stop in and check in on you. You don't have to leave just because I came in. Same parts and all …"

Harry hesitated, then with a huff he replaced his towel and climbed back into the bathtub, cursing Neville for using his own argument against him in a situation like this. They sat in awkward silence for a while without meeting the other's eye until Harry, always hating those awkward moments, decided to pretend it didn't happen.

"So … I'm guessing Herbology is over then …" He stated more then questioned.

"Yep."

"So how was it? All the plants being … er … planted?"

"Except for the hydroponics in greenhouse 5; yes."

Another long silence ensued, this time with Neville breaking it.

"So … Hollows, eh?"

"Yep, nasty buggers. The Kings want me to train to be some sort of Soul Reaper in case any more of them show up."

"Ah. There might be more?"

Harry shrugged, finally looking at Neville again, as he replied, "Seems there are natural hollows that pop up, but the type I fought are bred somehow by a Necromancer so they don't think this was the only one we might face …"

"Ah … Well, good on you mate, sounds more fun than anything Hogwarts has to offer you."

That comment caught Harry by surprise, as he hadn't even considered what taking on the additional training might mean to his NEWT studies. Of course, the fact he'd taken out a mid-class hollow was apparently a big deal, so maybe he didn't need Hogwarts as much as he thought.

It was several more minutes of silence, and Harry thinking increasingly deeper thoughts, before Neville spoke again, "Everyone does it, so there isn't anything to be embarrassed about, right?"

Harry's heart jumped into his throat, "WHAT!?"

"I mean … everyone has a wank once in a while. You have more reasons to do it than most blokes, so I don't know, I guess it didn't really surprise me other than seeing you pulling on your todger and spraying that firehose all over the place …"

Harry's jaw worked soundlessly, as he tried to think of something to say to that.

"I know, I should feel awkward about watching you crank one out, but I … don't for some reason. If you are embarrassed on my behalf then don't worry about it."

"How do I not worry about it? I feel like some line has been shattered in our friendship, and I really don't want to know what that means moving forward. How long … er … were you … I mean; I didn't say anything, did I?"

Neville did blush at that and avoided Harry's eyes as he replied, "Only at the end there, I wasn't just standing here watching you in fascination for a full minute or anything."

"Oh. Okay, then."

More awkward silence ... Harry was about ready to give up and get out. He hated when a conversation died and nobody was willing to admit it was dead. "Right, then, I think I'll go get dressed and ready for Transfiguration."

"Sounds like a plan, I didn't really need another bath; just was supposed to talk to you since the girls said they couldn't. I thought it was a little crazy the way they reacted when I suggested they check on you themselves. I guess they do listen to your orders occasionally."

Both of them got out of the bath with nervous chuckles and quickly dressed in the changing room; in silence. When Harry opened the outer door, Gabby, was just passing by. She looked at the two of them without stopping on her way to the stairs and softly said one word, while whipping a trickle of something red from her nose, that made Harry uncomfortable; even though he didn't know what it meant.

"Yaoi."

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

After a rather uncomfortable Transfiguration lesson of dodging questioning glances, while trying to dodge status updates on the paper McGonagall wanted him to write on implanting instincts into animate-to-animate transfigurations at the same time, Harry was in search of any possible way to avoid facing the girls where they could question him.

His first thought was to head to the room of requirement, even though he was sure that would be exactly what they would expect him to do. He reasoned though, in a completely reasonable and psychological way, that if that was exactly what they would expect. Then he figured they would know, that he would expect, that they would expect that ... and so what they would actually LEAST expect is for him to actually go to the Room of Requirement.

His logical reasoning was all for naught though, as he came around a corner on the seventh floor and ran into a third year girl; who dropped her telescope and stood staring at him in fear.

"Hey, I'm sorry for that. I really should have been looking where I was going." He said with a smile. As he bent over to pick up the telescope for her, she turned and bolted down the hall, "Hey! You forgot your … telescope …"

The whole scene began gnawing at his memory, and he soon recalled the same girl, in the same passageway, with the same telescope. It wasn't just deja vu, he had only spoken to her twice now, but he'd seen her multiple times, and it was always when he couldn't get into The Room. With a growing suspicion, he walked the rest of the way to the painting of the dancing trolls, and tried to open the door.

Nothing.

The room is being guarded by a third year girl, is she playing lookout for an amorous couple?

A little voice floated into his head to answer him, 'Come on really? Same girl, Same telescope, Same situation. That is a little too convenient don't you think?'

He nodded to himself, Then what is the connection? Why would a third year even be up here this time of day? Divination?

'No, Divination is on Monday and Wednesday mornings for third year;, in fact she should be in Defense right now.'

How do I even know that? He asked himself, And why Defense and not Potions?

'You glanced at a schedule when they were being passed out and have a really good memory now; plus … Hufflepuff. Adds up to Third Year Hufflepuffs should be in Defense this period.'

He nodded along to himself, as he turned away from the room, and began walking. So if that wasn't actually a third year girl playing hooky, then who could it be?

'Malfoy!'

Of course it isn't Malfoy, it doesn't always have to be Malfoy you know?

'Crabb or Goyle then!'

It isn't … actually when was the last time I saw Crabb anyway?

'A week, maybe two? You stopped paying attention to the Slytherins when you found out Voldemort was on ice.'

Harry turned the corner and meandered down the stairs, still lost in thought, skipping the disappearing step halfway down the first flight.

What about Goyle, or Malfoy for that matter?

'Dinner last night … no Crabb ... and they both looked worried; if you remember.'

I don't remember … He thought to himself, only for an image of the Slytherin table to appear ,with Goyle looking distraught and Malfoy looking gaunt; as if he hadn't slept or eaten properly in days. Ah! I remember now. I wonder what's keeping Malfoy up at night, it isn't like Voldemort is around to be worried about.

'Does anyone know that though? Did the ministry ever actually admit Voldemort had been captured and jailed, or was the matter just quietly dropped, then everyone assumed the worst was over?'

Right, so … Crabb ran away, and … didn't Dumbledore say something about Nott?

"… it would seem that Mister Nott has decided to leave the castle and his education behind. I wonder that perhaps, he might have run to escape becoming a death eater as his father was."

So Nott has been missing even longer than Crabb, is anyone else missing? Is it just Slytherins?

'I don't remember anyone else missing, but it is hard to tell since not everyone makes it to every meal.'

To summarize, Malfoy has been missing every possible minute we might have seen him; including most classes. Crabb is missing as well as Nott, and Goyle looks scared … a lot like that third year 'Puff with the telescope.

'Ah ha! Obviously Malfoy is performing some dark ritual in the Room of Requirement, he already sacrificed Crabb and Nott, and Goyle is afraid he will be next!'

Oh, come on, that is ridiculous even for you. It doesn't always have to be a sinister plot, and it isn't always Malfoy at the center of it!

'How often are you wrong though, your gut has kept you alive every year at Hogwarts.'

He thought hard on that one as he slid off the bottom step into the entrance hall. He pressed himself up against the wall and slid into an alcove behind a suit of armor. Music began playing in his head as he took exaggerated footsteps to keep from making any noise, reminiscent of a spy movie.

Da da da; stop.

Several step; Da dum. Dun dum Nanana; stop.

Step; Da. Step: Da. Several steps; Daaaaa dum. Stop.

Stop that! It's not helping!

'Sorry.'

Harry slid along the wall to the entrance of the Great Hall and peeked around the door frame to make sure the coast was clear, before tiptoeing quickly across the threshold, and pressing himself flat against the wall once more. He turned his head sharply left and right, then up just in case, before proceeding across the hall and ducking out of the front door. It was getting rather chilly out, but casting a quick warming charm fixed him up quickly; not even realizing he hadn't drawn his wand.

First year he had bolloxed up the theory that Snape was the one trying to kill him and steal the Philosopher's Stone, but the fact that someone was in fact trying to steal it had been correct. Second Year he had known Slytherins Monster was inside the walls but not How or What. Third Year, part of him had never feared Sirius Black though that could have just been sheer stupidity. Fourth Year …

Fourth year he had never suspected Moody was an imposter, but had suspected his own involvement was a trap of some kind; which had unfortunately been later proven correct. If he'd listened to his gut then he would never have let Cedric take the cup with him at the end of the third task. Fifth year was a complete cock up thanks to Umbridge being at the school and Voldemort in his head; he really couldn't be blamed for missing the obvious.

'Holy crap, you just admitted that the Ministry and Sirius weren't your fault!'

Yeah? But I'd already done that.

'You told Hermione and the others that sure, but you didn't actually believe it; now did you?'

Okay, point taken. I still should have thought it through, then maybe I'd have used that mirror, and saved us all a trip.

'But you see the point, you should listen to your gut as much as your reasoning. So what does your gut tell you about the current mystery?'

He thought about it as he walked down the hill toward Hagrids hut, Malfoy is definitely up to something in the Room of Requirement, and Goyle is standing guard polyjuiced as a third year girl.

He stopped in his tracks and thought about that for a second: Gabby looked like a third year at one point … what would he have done if he'd found himself wearing her body? Would he …

'Stop that, you don't need to guilt trip yourself, and you don't need the image of Goyle-girl touching that body!'

Blimey, now I'm thinking it anyway you arse!

'Sorry!'

Shaking his head, he continued down the path, but branched off and headed along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He kept walking, lost in thoughts that wouldn't quite form completely, when he noticed a foot path that looked familiar. This was the place they had entered the forest with Hagrid during detention in first year, and if he remembered correctly there was a clearing about twenty meters inside.

You know, this would be a great place to train with your staff.

'Yeah, if I'd remembered to bring it down with me. I don't have an inconspicuous way to carry it with me so it is sitting in the corner of the common room.'

You could summon it, this is closer than the dragons were, and your broom made it all the way.

'But I left the window in Gryffindor open that day. I don't fancy smashing a window in Royal Tower just to summon my staff. I don't even know what I'm doing with it anyway.'

Thus the need to TRAIN with it.

'Mental Note'

Taken.

'Good.'

As he stood at the edge of the forest, peering into it's depths, he realized that maybe talking to himself wasn't quite normal. Or if it was normal, maybe it wasn't normal that he himself was answering back …

He caught a chill down his back that had nothing to do with the temperature; the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. He got the distinct feeling that while he was looking into those woods ... the woods were looking back.

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

As bedtime approached, Harry found himself at the center of an impromptu house meeting in the common room. He assumed this was about his statement earlier, as well as his disappearance for the rest of the day, and was working up a full head of steam; angry at them invading his privacy and as much as them pushing for information he wasn't willing to give at the moment. He had half a mind to deny it all and say that he had just been confused, which was at least half true, but quickly decided that denial in this case served nobody except him. And he wasn't willing to lie to any of his girls.

He did wonder at why Neville and Luna were present, but chocked it up to them having nothing else to do; and nobody wanting to kick them out of their own common room. Hermione cleared her throat ... and Harry cringed in anticipation; still not knowing what his reaction was going to be to the conversation at hand.

"I've called us all together to address a topic of some concern to all of us; well with the exception of you two." She announced; while indicating Neville and Luna.

"Don't mind me, I'm just working on a plan for next Monday, when Professor Sprout asked me to teach her first years while she runs to Diagon Alley to pick up some new plants."

The brunette was sidetracked for a moment as she stared at the boy in question, "You get to teach?"

He seemed to shrink in on himself a bit, as he answered, "Well, she talked to me about starting my Mastery early. I'm taking my N.E.W.T exam this year, instead of next year, and she wants me to get a head start …"

"Wow, that sounds amazing mate!" Harry commented; happy his friend was getting some acknowledgement at long last.

"It isn't all that impressive, I just have a green thumb …"

"Yes," Luna said with a dreamy smile, "He is very good at plowing."

Neville seemed to choke on the air and began coughing. Hermione looked like she wanted to ask more about the Mastery program, but was brought back to the topic at hand by Sia coughing into her hand.

"Right," the bookworm said "Congratulations, Neville; well done. That isn't why we are here though, some information came to light this morning and we all need to discuss a few things."

This was it, Harry had decided on a bit of denial mixed with anger, "Now see here, Hermione, my private life is private and I don't think we need to have a council meeting about it."

The girl looked at him oddly, "But, Harry, this is really for the best. We all discussed it while you were hiding from us and decided on a course of action."

"Without my input? Gee thanks." He huffed. "And I wasn't hiding …"

He nearly missed her next point as he suddenly realized why the theme song from a spy show was going through his head earlier.

She wagged a finger in his face, snapping his attention back to her, "Now you listen here; Harry James Potter! I put a lot of effort into getting this schedule just right; so that it was fair to everyone! There were so many changing variables that I had to throw out my first two pre-plans, and come up with this one on the fly!"

Harry stared at her finger, near the tip of his nose, for several seconds as his brain rebooted, "I'm sorry, did you say schedule?"

"Yes! The sleep schedule!"

He snapped his mouth shut after another few seconds and tried to suppress his embarrassment, "Oh, well then. Carry on."

Hermione eyed him for a few more moments before pulling out a piece of parchment with a month calendar on it. "We've all taken a day, and will maintain that order until you decide something should be different. I did take your feelings into account after all; this is just a rough draft.

"The reason this came to light was because I realized, this morning, that both Rina and Sia had jumped the queue in front of me to have a night with you again. I need my alone time with Harry as much as anybody else … I mean … "

She looked around nervously for a second, "I miss my sibling, we aren't talking enough for my liking."

He let a bit of his confusion bleed into his features as his eyebrows came together, "But we have so much time between classes that we spend together. Honestly, it feels like we are together a little too often, doesn't it?"

She rolled her eyes, "That is still class time, Harry. We are working on homework, studying, or you are meditating; which, by the way, does not make you the best of company."

"So you made a schedule?"

"Of course!"

He shook his head as the humor of the situation replaced his misplaced defensive posturing. "Of course you did."

"Now may I continue?"

He motioned toward the calendar, "By all means."

"Tonight is my night with you, Harry; as I've been skipped twice in a row now. Ginny and Gabby have the next two nights …" She was interrupted by Nerine who looked nervous.

"Actually, I changed my mind, I don't need to be in the rotation any longer."

Harry cringed internally, Sia snapped her head in the direction of the bluenette, and Hermione growled softly as she waved her wand, the names floated off the parchment to rearrange themselves. A very handy bit of magic she had learned for fixing her essays without having to rewrite them. "We discussed this over the course of several hours, you couldn't have said something earlier?"

Nerine blushed and looked down, looking like a beaten puppy, and Hermione relented with a sigh, "It's fine, Gabby has tomorrow night, followed by Lisianthus and Ginny…"

Ginny raised her hand shyly, "Actually, I don't think I need my night either … "

He turned his head to look at her, but she wouldn't meet his eye; Hermione sighed and repeated her previous performance. "If you or Rina want your spot back, we will have to get together and work this out again. I'm sure you remember some of the … womanly concerns we shared while making this schedule and now that is all blown away. I'm half tempted to require a vote for you to get your spot back. Harry will need a bit of lead time as well, so he doesn't get confused."

Ginny looked resigned to the fact, but Nerine was suddenly looking very nervous, "But I don't know if this is permanent or not … I just … nevermind, it is probably for the best anyway …"

Harry tried to meet her eye, but spoke anyway when she wouldn't look his way, "If you decide you want your spot back, you will get it back."

"Of course, you have the final say …" Hermione trailed off in thought before shrugging, "So Harry, that means the current sleeping arrangements are Myself, then Gabby, and finally Sia. If you decided to change that up it will be up to you, but we will stick to the calendar otherwise. I expect to have time to bond with my adopted sibling at least once a week. Am I clear?"

Her forceful attitude was a bit off putting, but he admitted that he did miss spending time alone with his oldest friend in the tower. "I think that is fine for now, this whole thing would be much easier if I had my own room, but the Kings, and the Tower, seem to disagree with me."

"If we are done here, I miss my sibling and I'd like to call it a night." Hermione said pointedly.

Harry looked up at her from the couch, "But I'm not even all that tired, yet."

"Don't worry, I can think of ways to tire you out."

Harry was glad he hadn't been drinking, or he'd have done a spit-take, Ginny was not so lucky as water spurted from the lithe redhead.

"Hentai ..." Gabby said with a slightly disturbing smile.

"What?" Hermione asked in confusion; as all eyes turned toward her. Her face suddenly turned bright red, as she realized the double entendre, "No! I meant TALKING, I want to talk him to sleep!"

-~Hogwarts Shuffle!~-

As the door closed to Hermione's room, Harry felt the awkwardness beginning to creep upon him once more. This time, however, he found the willpower to completely shunt it aside. He had bathed with this woman, he'd slept with her in the same bed, and he'd shared secrets with her that he'd never told anybody.

So without preamble he began stripping down to his now usual sleepwear choice of t-shirt and boxers; leaving them along with his shoes in the corner of her room. He thought he had achieved something, for all of ten seconds, until he turned and found Hermione had already removed her skirt and blouse ... and was in the process of removing her bra.

"Eeep!" Harry eeped; then promptly turned away in embarrassment.

"Harry?" She asked from the other side of the bed.

"Sorry! I didn't realize you were changing out here this time …"

"Is that a problem?"

He rubbed the back of his head nervously, "No, of course not. I just … guess I'm not as used to this as I thought."

She walked around the bed, and touched his shoulder, gently turning him around to face her. Her bra was undone in the back, but still hanging from her shoulders; only barely encasing her pert breasts. He tried not to avert his eyes, settling for looking into hers.

"Harry, you've already seen me completely nude in the bath. There is no reason for us to be modest when we are alone in my room."

"I know that! It's just … you are like my sister, and I still feel like this isn't normal for our relationship."

She put her hands on her hips, "Would you say that Sia and Nerine are as close as sisters? That they are cousins at the very least?

He nodded.

"They bathe together and even slept together, with you, in the nude several times; did they not?"

He tried to deflect the question, "I don't remember the sleeping arrangements, plus that was an emergency!"

"Harry, look at me."

Harry hadn't realized he had looked away, and quickly snapped his eyes back to hers. Once Hermione was certain she had his attention, she put her elbows together (also pushing her cleavage up toward him) and slid her bra from her shoulders. Bearing her chest to him. "Now you take off your shirt, I-I don't want to make a habit of this, but I think I need to make a point."

"Hermione, I really don't think this is the best idea …"

She got a determined look in her eyes and crossed her arms beneath her breasts, setting them on a shelf of her own flesh. "Harry Potter, I dare you to take off your shirt."

His eyes widened, "What?"

"You. Heard. Me." she replied; poking him in the chest to emphasize each word.

"Just because you dare me to do something, doesn't mean I have to do it!"

She grinned, "Yes, it does, those are the rules."

"The rules?"

"Of the game, Truth or Dare. Now off with the shirt or I get to think of a forfeit that could be rather embarrassing."

He rolled his eyes and pulled the t-shirt off over his head, throwing it into the corner with the rest of his clothes. "There, are you happy now? We are both topless."

"Good!" She chirped with a grin; and went to sit on the bed, "Now it is your turn."

He halfway gaped at her in his confusion, "My turn to what?"

She patted the bed beside her and he cautiously went to sit down across from her, "To play truth-or-dare. You ask the other person which they want, then you either get to ask a question and they answer truthfully, or you get to make them perform an act of some kind. Now it is your turn."

"Um, okay. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." She said with a smile.

"But I just got a dare!"

"And next time you can pick truth."

He sighed, "I don't even know what to ask; this game is annoying."

"Ask me anything, Harry, I'd tell you anyway, but the game gives us a chance to ask directly without having to bring it up in conversation." She said gently.

He wracked his brain for a full minute before giving up, "Is it true that you … shave … well, everywhere?"

She turned scarlet and wide-eyed for a moment, "Harry!"

"What?! You said I could ask anything and your arms and legs are always so smooth." He crossed his arms petulantly,"It amazes me every time I see you in the bath."

She nibbled on her lip for a moment, trying hard not to blush at the fact he had been looking at her legs, before taking a breath, "Actually, it is a charm for removing hair that works like a razor. Surely you use the same one for shaving your face?"

He shook his head, "Actually, I've never even had stubble, guess I just naturally don't have any facial hair."

Hermione turned her head inquisitively to look at him, "It's quite obvious you have at least started puberty, though the growth spurts you've experienced lately may mean you haven't completely gotten through it yet …"

"Growth Spurts?" He asked; studiously ignoring the puberty comment.

"Harry, you have grown at least 5 inches this year already, hadn't you noticed? You are almost as tall as Ron now and, if I'm being honest, your shoulders and chest have filled out … very nicely."

"Your's too." He thought aloud. Hermione actually did blush at this one; as Harry quickly tried to cover up his slip of the tongue.

"I-I had the growth charms worked into my uniforms, and my regular clothes were a bit big when I bought them. The sales girl said baggy was more in style than tight, though she was happy to hear I wanted to burn the rags I wore into the store.

"In any case, the depilatory charm can be used to remove hair anywhere on the body. And yes, I shave everywhere … I like being smooth all over …"

"Except for that patch, um … there …" he pointed out nervously; eyes dropping toward her crotch quickly; and then away.

"Well, I was a late bloomer, and I'm rather proud I finally got anything there. So I keep a little token patch of hair to remind myself. I keep the rest smooth though, " She finally blushed, "Mostly for hygienic reasons."

He'd reached the limit of his embarrassment and nodded, "Okay, your turn."

"Truth or Dare?"

He decided to take the safer path this time, "Truth."

Hermione smiled, "Is it true you are not a virgin?"

SHITE! "Uh … what do you mean?" He asked.

Her eyebrows knitted together, "Harry ... Is. It. True. Are you a virgin or are you not?"

He took a deep breath, and decided to be honest, "Yes."

She sucked in a deep breath; he wanted to run away and hide somewhere, "But … Who? … When?"

"I think it is my turn again, isn't it?"

"Harry! I answered more than just one question with mine, now tell me!"

"Fine," He sighed. "It was Cho …"

She gasped.

"Last year, just before Valentines Day … and once afterwards. Neither was very good and she was crying both times. I think I'm absolutely pants at it, honestly, and I'm afraid I hurt her or something …"

"Before Valentines Day … but that means …"

"Yeah, she accused me of cheating on her with you, as in actually cheating. Not just fooling around or kissing in a broom closet. Not at all comfortable; by the way."

"The broom clo …" Her eyes widened again, "Oh, Harry, please tell me you did not lose your virginity in a broom closet!"

His face scrunched up like he was getting hit, and responded in a very small and questioning voice, "I didn't lose my virginity in a broom closet?"

Hermione rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and sighed, "Harry, it is no wonder your first time was awful. I can only imagine how bad that must have been for her … it was her first time too?"

He nodded.

"Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry, I didn't know. I wouldn't have made you leave your date if I'd known you were that serious!"

He shook his head, "We weren't though; not really. She pulled me into the closet for a snog, and we did. Then like usual she began crying, but she started pawing at my clothes, and asked me not to leave her. She unbuttoned her blouse, and I got to see my first pair of breasts … and she was so beautiful, Hermione, but sad ... I couldn't say no …

"I had no idea what I was doing, and neither did she, but she told me what she wanted; I tried to do it to the best of my ability. She was crying the whole time, but it was the first time I'd seen her crying with a smile on her face instead of a frown. I hope that meant she at least enjoyed it …"

Hermione leaned forward, forgetting that she was topless, and pulled him into a hug. Little Harry was overjoyed at the contact, but Big Harry tried desperately to think of anything besides Hermione's breasts pressed up against his chest; or the feel of her smooth back beneath his hands. "Harry, I think she enjoyed it a lot more than you will ever know. I wish for both of you that it had been a bit more romantic and comfortable, but I don't think her tears meant anything was wrong. I think you gave her exactly what she needed just then."

Harry was nearly tearing up now, remembering the scene and seeing it in a new light.

"I always hoped that someday they would be happy tears."

"They were once, Harry."

"Oh, Gods, I screwed that relationship up! I think she's still in love with me!" He exclaimed with a choked back sob.

Hermione just nodded into his shoulder, "As well she should be, you are an amazing man, Harry, and she knows just how badly she messed up by letting you go; especially over a friend. It isn't your fault that she chose badly."

He pulled back, and quickly wiped a single tear from his cheek, before smiling at his sibling. "I thought this game was supposed to be fun! Truth or Dare?"

Hermione's emotions were still all over the place, but she appreciated his trying to change the subject, "Truth, I think."

He nodded, if they were being this open then he had a question that had been bothering him, "You know how you … um … how you can get off just from me telling you a story?" He blushed at mentioning it.

It was Hermione's turn to blush and stutter, "I- I don't know what you mean …"

He shook his head, "Truth, why do you get off on hearing my stories? How can that be enough without even … um … touching yourself?"

She went quiet for a while, and he thought he might have to prompt her again, but she finally opened her mouth to speak; only to begin quietly, "When I was little, we used to visit my Gran and Grampies house every weekend on Sundays. My cousins would all be there and we would go out into the woods nearby, and play truth or dare."

"With your cousins?"

She shrugged, "I was 6 or 7, and I didn't have any of my own friends really. So my cousins were the closest thing I had. I didn't think there was anything wrong with it at at the time."

"And now?"

She looked away for a long moment, "I guess, I still don't think there was anything wrong with it, even though some of it went a little far."

"A little far?"

She nodded nervously, "So from age 6 to 10, we'd go out in the woods and play truth or dare around the circle. I had three boy cousins there, and two girl cousins. Michael was the oldest boy and a real teenager, then Travis and Jeremy were only slightly older than me. Sarah and Christina were slightly younger than Michael. I was the youngest and so didn't really get to play along with everyone else as much."

He didn't interrupt her as she paused for a few moments, but his boner seemed to know where this might be going. "I don't remember anybody ever having sex, but I think maybe Michael and Christina did at some point. There were a lot of kiss dares though, and dares to show your body parts to the group. Then there were sometimes when the dares went further, I still don't know exactly what they were doing, but I was told to go stand in the corner while they did it, and not to turn around.

"So I would stand in the corner, and listen to what was going on, imagining it. Soon enough, I couldn't help, but try to rub myself to help … they caught me and said I couldn't do that unless it was a dare. So I just had to listen and imagine … and well, I guess my body found a way to make me feel good without any help."

He didn't know how to respond to any of that truthfully, he was very obviously turned on by the idea; even though he knew he should think it was wrong. He supposed having Hermione as a sibling, sitting toppless on the bed in front of him, made him more tolerant or something.

"There is kind of a trade-off though," She said in a quiet voice; surprising him out of his reverie, "I can get off on just a story, but without it … it is actually really hard for me to ... um … do that. I have to have my imagination fully engaged in order for it all to work, or it is totally unsatisfying at best and incredibly frustrating normally."

He found himself nodding in agreement, "So is that why you like … uh …"

"Storytime?" She asked with a shy smile; looking at him through her bangs and pushing her hair behind one ear the same way that Cho had ... and it had the same effect on his libido; causing him to gulp quietly.

"Right, so is that why you like storytime with me so much? Because otherwise you can't really …"

"Get off?" She confidently asked; grinning at the way he blushed.

"Yeah, that."

She nodded, "I can do it reading a trashy romance novel, but your stories are so much better …"

He suddenly felt himself getting dizzy, and inhaled a sharp breath as his eyesight tunneled for a brief second. It seemed that his heart rate and blood pressure had suddenly spiked, his throbbing erection told him exactly why.

"Oh … okay … well, um, your turn. Unless you just want to go to bed now … "

She shook her head, and noticed how uncomfortably he was sitting. "Harry, are you okay over there. You look like you can't get comfortable."

He nodded, "I'm fine!" He managed to get out; while trying to discreetly adjust himself inside his boxers, which were suddenly way too tight.

"Harry, truth or dare."

He wasn't sure he was ready to answer whatever next question she might come up with. "Dare."

Her eyes lit up, "Really?"

He looked at her curiously, discomfort momentarily forgotten, "Yeah, really. Does that surprise you?"

She shook her head, "I guess not, it's just … I never got to give dares. They always chose truth."

"Ah …" He squirmed again slightly.

"I can see you are having issues with your boxers, Harry, no use trying to hide it."

He shook his head, "I'm fine!"

"Harry, I dare you to take your boxers off."

He froze, and cursed himself for choosing dare instead of truth, "I told you, I'm fine."

She shrugged, and he averted his eyes from her quickly, "Harry, I told you it's the rules. You might very well be fine, but I dared you; so you have to do it. Unless you want me to think of something more embarrassing for you to do in its place?"

Part of him wanted to find out just how devious his best-friend-turned-sibling could be, but another part of him REALLY wanted out of his boxers, "Fine!" he stood up, then went to remove them, only to have to reach in and adjust himself in order to get the waistband over his now throbbing erection. Hermione actually went speechless for a few moments.

"Do you want to take a picture?" Harry asked her in slight annoyance.

She shook her head and tried to look away from his crotch, "Um … not that I would notice such a thing, but … did it get … bigger?"

"It's a cock, Hermione, it does that …" He was really hating whatever it was that was keeping his libido on the edge of ludicrous.

"No." She licked her suddenly dry lips and looked him in the eye, "I mean physically bigger … like your height and your shoulders. I think you've actually gotten, er …" A blush finally caught up to her.

He still wanted to be annoyed, but looking down, he did think the perspective might have shifted a bit. He had a hand around the base before he realized what he was doing and quickly tore it away. "Actually, uh. Yeah it might have … you know what. I'm not answering that. It isn't your turn to ask a question!"

"Sorry!"

"Truth or Dare, Hermione?" He asked; sitting down and trying to hide his erection by crossing an arm over his knees. The tip still poked just above his elbow.

"D- Dare." She responded.

"I'm not going to be the only naked one, if its going to be awkward then we are both going to be awkward. I dare you to take off your knickers."

Hermione stood up and placed her fingers in the waistband, sliding them part of the way off, before seeing that his eyes were riveted to the slowly revealed skin. A thrill shot through her that he might be enjoying this, even if they were never going to be an item. "Actually, Harry, I don't find it awkward at all."

She took a step forward, away from him, turning her back to him as she began to slowly bend over at the waist; pulling her knickers down as she went. Revealing first her backside, and then her now engorged nether-lips to him. The brunette congratulated herself as she heard him catch his breath, but then nearly fell forward in a heady lust. She quickly stepped out of the undergarment and tossed them casually at her closet. His eyes were still glued to her when she turned back around, though he quickly averted his eyes once more.

"Like what you see, Harry?" She asked teasingly; the same way she had in the bath.

He cleared his throat, "Is that a truth question?"

"If it has to be."

He shook his head, "No, it doesn't …" He turned back toward her and looked her in the eye. "Hermione, I think you have grown into an amazingly beautiful woman, and yes, your body does things to me just by seeing it. It really is a shame we are too close to ever get together that way … isn't it?"

She was flushed and her heart was beating so hard she could feel her shoulders rocking, "Right … this would be incredibly more awkward, and just … wrong … if you weren't like a sibling to me. I couldn't do this with just any guy."

Harry swallowed, "Right, I couldn't do it with just any girl …"

She rolled her eyes at that, "Oh please, Harry, you don't have to lie to spare my feelings. We are siblings, its okay to tell the truth. You have at least 5 or 6 girls who want you just in this school, probably a lot more than that, and a fair few blokes. You are telling me you don't want to play this with Ginny?" He adjusted the way he was sitting again and she smiled, "Or Rina and Sia? Maybe Gabby?"

He groaned, "Don't do that, Hermione, Gabby is a little sister just like you are a big sister. I don't see her that way?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "This time it is Truth, unless you want a dare?"

Harry sighed, "Fine, okay … At first I was freaked out because of how old she looked, but then that grew on me … now she is looking older, and yes, I'm starting to see her the same way I see you. That doesn't mean I want her … just that I can appreciate her beauty."

"Your turn."

He sat up on the bed again, trying to find a position that was comfortable. Truthfully he was feeling that either standing or laying down would be the only way to relieve the pressure in his loins. "I … I don't know what to ask for either one… I'm out of ideas."

Hermione scooted closer to him, and tucked that loose strand of hair back behind her ear again; driving him crazy. "Do you …" She licked her lips, "Do you want to look at me?"

"I am looking at you …" He said in confusion.

She shook her head, "I mean … like a doctor … do you want to see what I look like on the … the inside? I don't think you've seen me like that yet, and it would only be fair since I've seen you in various states of turgidity."

He almost lost himself, and kissed her, when she was talking about seeing 'inside of her'; until she used a word like 'turgid' and reminded him that she was Hermione, his sibling and best female friend. He smiled at her, "I guess tha-" His voice cracked and he cursed himself, "Er, I mean that wou ... that would work."

Hermione, blushing madly all the way to the tops of her breasts, laid back on the bed and raised her knees up so her heels were touching her bottom. "This is a lot more embarrassing that I thought it would be …" She said quietly.

He smiled at her encouragingly, "Well, you were right, it is only fair … plus it is a dare now; unless you want me to think of something more embarrassing …"

She shook her head, "Why don't … why don't you get on your knees, in front of the bed. So you can see better?"

The rational part of his brain had taken a vacation, and right now he was living in the moment. So he obeyed and moved down between her legs on the floor. She scooted her bottom until her feet were slightly hanging over his shoulders with her heels on the bed; her thighs lined up with the edge of the mattress so he was truly "ring-side".

She covered her face with her hands, and slowly spread her knees apart, as he watched in awe at the slightly pink slit parting open like a flower; only to bloom before his eyes into a beautiful pink blossom. Her lips were still engorged from being so incredibly turned on, so he couldn't see much toward the top of the slit, but he could see into her entrance towards the bottom; and below that he could see her arse puckered up.

He was apparently quiet for too long, as Hermione spread her fingers to look through them, "Harry? Is everything okay? I know I'm probably really ugly down there compared to the others …"

"What? No! I mean, no you are actually more beautiful than I imagined …"

She moved her hands away from her face, looking at him gazing upon her for a long moment, then moved a hand between her legs and pulled the lips apart slightly with two fingers. Slowly revealing her clit, standing out proudly from its hood, and causing a dribble of arousal to escape from her now gaping opening.

"You're dripping a little …"

Her legs snapped shut, "No! Don't look at that, that isn't supposed to happen during this …"

He reached up and slowly pushed her legs apart, "During what? Isn't it perfectly normal to be turned on and gushing when you have your legs spread for someone?"

She shook her head, "If we are playing doctor, then it is supposed to be clinical … My doctor doesn't turn me on at all when I see him like this."

Harry was suddenly extremely jealous for some reason, "You have a male doctor who makes you do this?!"

"He's a gynecologist, Harry … female parts are his specialty. I've seen him every year, at least once a year, since I turned 12. Not that I don't trust magic for birth control, but I've been on the pill since then and I have to have a doctor renew my prescription."

"You're on the pill?" He asked in confusion.

She nodded, "I talked Gin and Molly into it as well, magical birth control didn't keep Molly from getting pregnant with Bill in her seventh year. It isn't that I planned on having sex, but if I had sex I wanted to know I was protected."

He nodded, "That makes sense …"

Before things could get awkward again, she pushed forward, "So ... doctor … do you want to examine me?"

Harry remembered talking to Gin about playing doctor, and the tenuous control on his libido gave up entirely, "Sure …"

When he didn't move, Hermione prompted him, "You … you need to use a finger to check me for sores or lesions on the outside, doctor. Make sure I don't have any diseases …"

Harry complied, forgetting that this was his sibling; who was supposed to be off limits. He ran a finger gently around each of her lips, pulling them slightly away from each other to make sure that they were clear of any signs of abuse or infection.

"S-seems," He had to stop to generate some saliva in his suddenly dry mouth, then swallow, "Seems fine."

"Now you need to check the inside …"

"How ... do I do that?"

"Well, first you can look and see if I'm still a virgin or not …"

His breathing was getting short, and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, throbbing to the same beat as his cock. He wanted to keel over and pass out, but somehow managed to stay upright. Using two fingers, he pried her pussy apart near the bottom, to leave her gaping as much as possible.

"I ... I don't know what I'm looking for … I've never looked at one that wasn't … that had …" he faltered.

"Well, doctor, just from looking you can see that the vaginal opening is really quite small, with what looks like a thin layer of skin around it? That would be gone if I wasn't a virgin."

He nodded, and kept staring, "What if I wasn't looking at it?"

Hermione shuddered, and he wondered if she had just came. The quickly opening and closing vagina, and the puckering arse, told him she probably had. He half wished he could cum so easily, but quickly dismissed the idea because it would cause embarrassment.

"If you can't see, then you should be able to f-feel it. If you try to put a finger inside, you should feel how tight it is right there …"

He found his finger reaching for her opening, before realization smacked him upside the head, and he fell backwards onto the floor. He was almost in shock at what he'd just about done with his sister.

"Okay! Your turn again!"

She looked up at him through the valley of her breasts and between her knees, "What?!"

"I said, it's your turn now, I've had enough for my turn."

The realization seemed to hit her on what she'd been coaching him to do, as her knees snapped shut again. "Oh! Right! Um, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" Definitely truth; much safer!

Hermione had to take a moment as her brain was not completely back in her head yet, "Um … so what really happened between you and Nerine? She didn't tell us, and I was surprised she decided to leave the sleep schedule?"

Compared to earlier, this was cake for him. "I don't know if she wants me to tell, so you have to keep this between us." Hermione nodded, "It wasn't Rina that I met 8 years ago, it was Lycoris, who died to save Rina's life; and I guess she kind of absorbed all of Lycoris' memories, feelings, and talents. So it was Lycoris that was in love with me, and Rina thought if she could love me then it would make it up to Lycoris for saving her life."

Hermione nodded, though she was still only able to half pay attention, "So what happened then?"

Harry blushed, which he found incredible, considering there was barely enough blood for his brain to function at the moment; let alone for skin color, "We were … almost there, after she healed me … but she started crying, so I stopped before it got any further … I made her tell me later that morning …"

"So you and Rina?"

He nodded, "Close, but not quite. After she heals me I'm always really, er … randy … this time it got the best of me. Not that I think she actually would have minded, but when I stopped; she lost her nerve. She doesn't know if she loves me, or if it's just leftover feelings from Lycoris. So she wants to find her self, and find out if what she feels for me is real or not …"

He was frowning, so she sat forward to where he was on the floor and wrapped her arms around his neck. Not realizing for a few seconds that she had just shoved her breasts in his face; before pulling back quickly. "How do you feel about her then?"

He worked his jaw for a few long moments, trying to get sound to come out after being assaulted by Hermione's chest, "I … told her I was falling for her."

"Not that you love her?"

"I don't really know what love is … I think I love her, but its different from how I feel about you."

Hermione's heart jumped up into her throat, but she quickly calmed herself. "How you feel about me?" She tried to ask nonchalantly.

He nodded, "I know I love you, you are the sibling I never had. The one I should have had; my best friend. I love you, Hermione, but what I feel for the others is different, and it is different for each of them … It … Its … I'm so confused."

Hermione smiled, "Love doesn't have to be one thing, Harry. You can love different people in different ways. Love for a parent, love for a child, for a sibling, for c-cousins, love for a spouse or significant other. All of those people are individuals, so you can love them in different ways; and for different reasons."

Harry sighed and climbed onto the bed beside her; laying down on the pillow. She scooted herself up, and lay on the other pillow to face him. "Is is incredibly wrong of me to think I might love all of them, in different ways?"

Hermione paused for a moment to try and get this answer just right, "I think that it is okay to love your friends, Harry. That doesn't have to mean you want to be with all of them romantically; or sexually."

"What if I do want all of them, doesn't that make me selfish?"

Hermione laughed, "Actually, I think that just makes you male, Harry." She scooted closer and kissed the tip of his nose, intending to bid him goodnight, but instead stopping short; as her knee slid against his still rock-hard cock.

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" She asked delicately.

"Very." He answered truthfully.

He watched as she licked her lips, and groaned internally, as he could swear he had just gotten even harder than before. "Do you want m-" She stopped and seemed to debate with herself for half a second; Harry was able to read it because he'd known her long enough to read her micro-expressions. "I mean … do you want to take care of it?"

He grimaced, as it throbbed uncomfortably again. "Yeah, I should go try it in the bathroom …"

"Try?" She asked.

He shrugged, "It doesn't work well standing up, takes for-bloody-ever and actually hurts half the muscles in my body; like a workout."

"Why don' ... don't you just, do it here?" She asked in a quiet voice; not looking him in the eye.

"In your bed?" He squeaked out; his voice going up half an octave at the end.

She nodded, "It's your bed for tonight, and any night you stay in here. You don't have a place of your own you can take care of that …"

He thought about the situation from several viewpoints, before deciding on something in-between.

"Hermione?"

She perked up at the playfulness suggested in his voice, "Yes?"

"I dare you to go stand in the corner; facing away from me."

Her eyes went wide, as she realized what he was doing. "I-I could just go into the bathroom until you are done, or I could stay here and face away from you ... or I could w-"

"Nope, it was a dare, you have to do it."

She got up and walked over to the corner, pretending to sulk while crossing her arms; not realizing how unbelievably cute she looked while doing so. "I'll remember this, Harry. I can't believe you'd use my childhood against me."

A/N: A typical off topic conversation during the writing process.

Who Should We Kill?

me

If anyone complains about needing "more plot please" I think I need to respond with "lol Plot". I think beach and hotsprings episodes are some of the most important ... plot ...in most anime

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me

1:02 AM

I could have ignored plot altogether and not added the klaxions.

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Dabonezone4444

1:04 AM

Now, now. Don't count yourself out, I have read many stories that were still good with much less plot than this.

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me

1:06 AM

I mean, come on! I got rid of Voldemort like...3 chapters in!

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Dabonezone4444

1:08 AM

Lol. Many were probably thinking that you have a real problem with killing voldemort off in an anti-climatic way.

Though he technically isn't dead.

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me

1:08 AM

haha

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Dabonezone4444

1:09 AM

Then if you kill Gabby off, they may commit suicide, after killing you of course.

They will be PISSED a little later ...

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me

1:11 AM

I know, it makes me giggle

especially anyone who hasn't played the game or seen the anime

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Dabonezone4444

1:11 AM

And makes me laugh my ass off.

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me

1:11 AM

I'm evil

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Dabonezone4444

1:11 AM

... Yes, yes you are.

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me

1:12 AM

I abuse my characters and my readers, why do people continue to read?

no...no, we already discussed this,

gin maybe, lol

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Dabonezone4444

1:19 AM

I know, I was just pointing out what the readers will think

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me

1:19 AM

I guess Hermione could die, the ultimate cock-block

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Dabonezone4444

1:20 AM

How and when would we kill Ginny, And NO we cannot kill Hermione are you CRAZy.

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me

1:20 AM

idk, Gin could off herself to add some angst to the story

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Dabonezone4444

1:20 AM

I Swear, I would put down the story if I was reading it and Hermione died.

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me

1:25 AM

if I actually put it into the story, my subconscious would go "oh, I like this idea, lets trap Russ into killing someone again"

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Dabonezone4444

1:25 AM

Then perhaps we ought to just stop while we are ahead.

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Dabonezone4444

1:26 AM

Before somebody dies

I like it.

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me

1:28 AM

haha

Names changed to protect the...guilty

saving...