Learning to talk

Hermione helps Mikey deal with talking his anger out. More memories, some good, some bad. Mikey and Hermione get reacquainted with each other. What do our Slytherins have in store for Umbridge and Filch? Stay tuned.

After calming down, Hermione pulled her seat closer to Mikey. He knew what came next. His family had tried this, also. Now she wanted him to talk about how he 'felt.' 'How the hell did she think he would feel?!'

To his surprise, she did something different. "Your dad says that you couldn't say your sisters' names clearly. How did you say their names?"

"My oldest sister was Michelle. I called her 'Chelle' and my other sister was Bridget. I called her Bird. I never knew them long enough to say their names right." He ducked his head as he answered.

"Did you ever watch your sister ask permission that day?" she asked. He frowned and shook his head.

"I did. She made it sound like you and Alex were the ones who wanted to go to the park that day. Did you want to? You didn't act too thrilled when she pulled you off your broom." She asked gently.

"No, I wanted to ride my broom, Ally did, too. We were having a race, I was winning." He laughed. She chuckled. "I noticed that."

"She didn't seem too thrilled herself about leaving the yard. I didn't think your dad was going to let her for a moment. He told her to bring you and Alex in, if you were getting bored with flying." She watched closely as his face clouded with confusion.

"She, she DIDN'T want to go? Why did she take us then?" his eyes widened. "It was 'Licia, wasn't it? She wanted to go see Antonin. He tricked her! He made her think he was interested in HER! He wasn't! He used her to get to me and Ally!" Mikey was breathing heavily, his beautiful blue eyes were slowly darkening in anger. Hermione leaned forward and kissed him, taking him completely off guard. They kissed until they had to come up for air. She was pleased to see that his breathing had slowed and his eyes were calm again.

"They didn't seem to think you knew about Antonin. Did you?" she asked next.

"They were always gossiping about him in their floo calls that summer. It was hard NOT to know about him. I was really good at pretending I didn't hear them talking. My sisters were who had me the most in summer. Peach had to surrender me to them because she got me while they were at Hogwarts." He smiled fondly, "Peach was never too thrilled about surrendering me." Hermione smiled, picturing the beautiful little elf.

"She loves you, like her own little baby. She's already asked if she can help us, by the way. I told her yes, of course." Hermione told him.

"Hopefully, she'll let me hold our little one earlier than six months. My dad told me about that." He sniggered.

"So, your dad sent your sisters off in a completely different direction in your other memory. Did that happen a lot?" she changed memories.

"Yeah, from the time I could walk, until they finally realized I didn't run from them, unless they were holding clothes. After that, they didn't play dress up using me as the dolly anymore." He shook his head. "Fen actually was at the house, one time. He picked me up, put me on his shoulders, he had long hair, Granger, still has it. He actually let me burrow under his hair and I heard him growl at my sisters." He cackled out loud. "It's the only time he ever growled at them and not me. Before and after that, it was always me he growled at."

"So they were getting you ready for Hogwarts and dancing?" her eyes were dancing with laughter. He ducked his head. "Yeah, my dad didn't believe that, either."

"After they stopped putting makeup on me, they would let ME put make up on them. I would brush their hair, they taught me how to braid, French braid, ponytail." He was lost in thought.

"You seemed to listen when they mentioned Antonin and Bella. Did you recognize the names at that time?" back to the bad memory.

"No, not his. I recognized hers. Because of Uncle Lu and Aunt Cissy." He was quiet, thinking. She waited, sensing he needed to say something.

"I always thought Mum and dad blamed ME. For 'Chelle and Bird dying. Because they thought I was the one who wanted to go to the park." He whispered quietly.

"They didn't blame you. Your dad sounded like he blamed himself. In the memory, he really didn't want to let them go. He looked at your mother first, then told your sister fifteen minutes was all she had." Hermione blinked back tears. 'Fifteen minutes was all it had taken to destroy the lives of two families.'

"I wanted to tell them we wanted to stay home, but by the time I woke up, we had already left Ireland and were set up in London. I missed their funerals, Granger, I didn't get to tell my sisters goodbye. That's when mum and dad started fighting like cats and dogs. Mum wanted to leave it alone. Dad wanted to hunt them down and kill them. That's also when me and Ally decided we were going to be Aurors, so we could hunt them down legally." His eyes pierced through her. They were the eyes of a trained Auror.

"So, Granger, now you know why I hate the Crucio. I hated it before I ever came to Hogwarts, long before we learned it in Defense." He stated.

He pulled another memory. They dived in and were at Hogwarts. The brown haired boy and blonde haired boy were at the edge of the forest. They watched the skeletal horses for a while. Suddenly a huge shadow fell over them. It was Hagrid, the gamekeeper for Hogwarts.

"What are they, Hagrid? Nobody else sees them. They think we're crazy." The brunette told him.

"Those are thestrals, boys. The reason why you can see them is because you've witnessed a death. That's the only way they can be seen." Hagrid told them sadly. He laid a huge hand on each boy's back. The boys looked at their feet.

"Can you see them, Hagrid?" the blond asked.

"Yeah, I see them. I was with my dad when he died. You want to talk to Professor Snape?" Hagrid asked. Both boys shook their heads. It didn't matter what anyone said, they were responsible for getting their sisters killed. Talking about it would only make everyone else feel better, it wouldn't help them feel better.

They came up out of the memory. They, he and Alex, had only been first years. They could see the animals, pulling the 'horseless carriages.' Nobody else could, so they didn't believe them.

"I couldn't see them until fifth year. That was when we fought the death eaters at the ministry. The order came to our rescue. Bella and Sirius were fighting. She shot the death curse. He dodged it but stepped through the archway, into the void." Hermione would never forget the anguished screams of Harry as he realized Sirius was gone forever. It was all Remus could do to hold onto him, keep him from dashing in after him.

She pulled that memory and they viewed it. Mikey was swearing as they came back out. "Damn, he didn't even have a body to bury!"

"No, all he has is a stone with a name on it." Hermione said sadly. "He has survivors guilt over Cedric. He swears he should have just left Diggory win. But if Cedric had touched the cup by himself, he probably would still have been dead. The cup was a portkey. It took them to a graveyard on the Riddle estate. If Cedric had been pulled there, he would have laid there forever. I seriously doubt they would have sent him back, at least not in one piece."

Mikey sighed. 'Poor Hufflepuff! He didn't deserve to go like that.'

"Is that what you think this is, survivors guilt?" he questioned her. Hermione thought about how she wanted to word this. "Yes. We all have survivors guilt. Yours and Ally's is your sisters. Harry's is Sirius, Cedric, his parents and everyone who died in the battle. Mine is everyone who died in the battle."

"I don't know. That just seems too simple." He scratched his ear.

"That's why it's so hard to understand how it works. It's so simple. You don't think something 'that simple' can have any effect. But it can and does have an effect. It starts simple, then you start doubting yourself, then you start doubting everyone around you. Before long, you don't trust anyone. Lies start to seem like the truth. And truth sounds more like lies. Then you're caught in a never ending cycle of self doubt, mistrust and paranoia. And, remember also, you've been carrying this around your whole life, Mikey." Mikey thought it over. It sounded about right. Maybe this talking thing wasn't so hard after all.

He pulled another memory. They were at the Quidditch pitch. He's a Chaser. Alex is a Keeper. Its Slytherin vs Gryffindor. He hears screams from the Gryffindor stands. He looks up and blinks rapidly. 'What the bloody hell is Potter doing?! It looks like he's trying to be a bloody cowboy!' Then he sees the look of fear on the boy's face and realizes Potter isn't in control of his broom.

He looks over at Flint, who motions him closer. "Change positions with Pucey. Take the bat, give Pucey the Quaffle. You stay right below Potter, if he falls, catch him!" As he circles slowly beneath the boy, the broomstick starts bucking more and more violently. Pretty soon, Potter is literally hanging off the side. One more good buck and he'll be down. Mikey braces to catch the boy. Then suddenly, the broom stops bucking and starts flying again. He and Pucey change positions back and the game continues.

They come up out of the memory. Hermione recognized it as soon as she saw the bucking broom. First year, Quirrel was jinxing Harry's broom, though at the time, she and Ron thought it was Snape. It was strange, seeing the memory from someone who had actually been playing that day. She'd known Mikey started that game as a Chaser, she hadn't seen him and Pucey change positions, by the time she had got back to the game, he was a chaser again. It was weird to think the Slytherins had been prepared to catch Harry if Quirrel had succeeded.

"Thank you." She said. He looked at her. "For being ready to catch him, thank you."

"It wouldn't have been a game without him, it would have been a bloodbath. We were just giving Gryffindor a sporting chance." He waved off her thanks.

"A sporting chance, yeah? If I recall that game, Slytherin knocked our Keeper, a Chaser and a Beater out of contention." She giggled.

"Yeah, but we weren't trying to kill them, were we?" he countered.

"True, very true, ok, you get that point." She conceded. He smiled smugly.

He thought hard, then pulled another memory. He dropped the memory into the pensieve. Before he let her go in, though, he held her tightly and kissed her. As she dropped into the memory, she understood.

She was standing in the aisle, at the foot of a bed in the Hogwarts infirmary. She looked beside her at the fourth year Mikey. He looked scared. She looked down at the bed. It was her, laying there, mirror still in her hand. She'd been petrified. She'd never realized he came to see her. Looking around, she saw why. It was dark. It had to be after curfew. He'd risked detention to come visit her. She watched as he moved to the side of her bed. He leaned down, stroked her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. "I'll come back tomorrow night, sweetie, I won't leave you until they can wake you up. I promise." She looked at the window and realized the sun was coming up. 'Had he actually sat there all night with her?!' she watched as he placed a Disillusion spell on himself and waited until Madam Pomprey open the doors for visiting hours. Harry and Ron rushed in as he slid out past them.

She came up gasping. "You, you stayed all night with me? Why? We didn't even know each other that well, aside from talking on the train."

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. All I remember from then is that I knew you and I hated that you'd gotten caught up in another dangerous adventure. I remembered your first year. Those boys were constantly leading you into danger. I didn't like it!"

She had to admit, he was right. On her own, she would have stayed away from adventures, preferring reading to action. The library would have been her second house. "But if I hadn't been one of the 'Trio', we wouldn't have met again. You'd be a big time Quidditch player and I'd be working in a bookstore somewhere."

He leaned forward. "Or you might have been sorted into Ravenclaw and I would have courted you all through school. Then we'd be married. I'd buy you a huge bookstore and you'd cheer for me at every game." He pulled her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You know, there's a perfectly good bed right over there. We could test it out, make sure it's sturdy." He pulled the hem of her shirt loose. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She ran her fingers into his hair and pulled it out of the neat ponytail he'd been keeping it in lately. He groaned as she pressed closer to him. It shocked him when she whispered in his ear, "Yes, let's go test the bed. Enough memories for now." He wasted no time. Holding her against him, he stood up and went to the bed. Laying her down, he went down with her as she had two hands full of his hair. She pushed herself to the center of the bed with her her heels. He had no clue as to when she'd managed to remove her shoes. He made quick work of removing her shirt as she began pulling his shirt loose. He sat up, pulled it off, then dived down and kissed her breathless. She was running her hands all over his chest and shoulders. He started to tug her skirt down but glanced at her first, as if asking permission. She raised her hips to help him in his quest. After tossing the skirt off into a corner, he stared down at his beautiful witch, now clad in a simple pair of white knickers and matching bra. He couldn't believe this beauty was not only his but was also carrying his child. He lowered himself down and kissed her under the ear as he laid a hand on her ribcage. Kissing down her neck led him straight to the pulse, beating wildly, at the base of her throat. He raised up and kissed her again. His hands slid under the bra and he rubbed her breasts gently. She gasped as he continued massaging them, all the while kissing her. She arched her back slightly, moaning, as he played with her breasts. Gently squeezing them and then rubbing them, he didn't bother trying to unfasten the bra, he simply pushed it up out of his way. He slid down and licked across a beaded nipple. She grabbed his hair and pulled him against her as he slowly licked one, then the other nipple. She was slowly losing her mind as he took his time, swirling his tongue around. She felt his hands down on her hips now. Again raising her hips, he was able to remove the final article of clothing in his way. Now it was her turn to be impatient. She was nearly bare but for thigh high stockings and he had yet to remove HIS pants! He laughed softly as she growled at him. He reached down, unfastened them and rolled to her side to remove them. They hit the floor as he rolled back over her and bent her knees, gently easing her legs apart. He knew, now that his memories were restored, that this particular event had been too fast, rushed and rough too many times for his liking. He'd never wanted to rush her first time, nor force his way into her body, but it seemed that was how fate had wanted things to go. No more. This time, he was determined to take his time and do it right. He started kissing her again as his hands went back to her breasts. He pushed his hips against hers and was pleased to feel her trying to push back. After he had her moaning again, he moved his hands to her hips as his mouth returned to her breasts. He slid both hands to the inside of her thighs. One hand slid over her wet folds as he pushed a finger inside. He groaned softly at how wet she already was but he didn't want to rush her anymore. It didn't matter that this was technically their third time together. He wanted to make it as special as if it was actually her first time. He owed her that much. While teasing her with a finger, he was also pumping himself and rubbing his tip against her. He tried a second finger and felt her shuddering and arching. "Now! Please, Mikey, now, please!" she whimpered with pleasure. It was time. He slid himself slowly into her. As he felt her tense, he stopped. Little by little, he pushed inside, stopping each time to give her time to adjust to his size. Finally he was fully sheathed. He looked down and saw her gazing, enraptured, at him. He smoothed her hair down and kissed her. "Ready?" she smiled and nodded. He started out slowly, with shadow strokes, giving her still more time to adjust. Finally, she was pushing back, wanting more. As she began crying out and pulling his hair, he quickened his pace and together they went over the edge. He could feel her nails scratching down his back and he was amazed to feel her bite him on the shoulder. They were both shivering as they laid there.

"That. Was. Amazing." She panted. Now, she could understand why all the girls whispered and giggled after doing this. She took a few minutes to recall that she hadn't planned to do this yet. Then she wondered why she'd ever thought of waiting. She realized her hands were tangled in his hair and giggled. He snorted out a laugh as he reached back to help her get loose. "That was much more than amazing. That was how it should have been from the start, darling. But I still owe you a weekend, maybe our honeymoon?" she stretched and realized he was still inside her and already hardening again. It didn't take much more than a few strokes before they were, once again, swept away in their emotions

Down in the library, the other Slytherins were describing detention to the assembled company of Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs gathered around their table. They were deciding on a new prank to pull on Umbridge. The other eight years couldn't wait until dinner, it would be hilarious if Umbridge came in with ink all over her face. Alex had a small box with him. It contained what looked like an ordinary puff pad. He assured them to not be fooled by appearance. They would get to see the little puff in action tomorrow.

"Oi, we need to let Mikey and Hermione know." Ron began to stand up.

Alex grabbed him. "Nope, not a good idea, Weasley. This is the first time he's been alone with her in months. He'll be wanting to get closer acquainted. Dinnertime will be more than soon enough to let them in on the plan."

Ron reluctantly nodded. Parvati noticed his reluctance and narrowed her eyes. "If the git was still hung up on Granger, he'd better learn right now Parvati Patil played second banana to nobody!'

"Ron, she was going to try and get him to talk about his memories. He doesn't need to be rushed and they do need alone time, especially if she wants to talk to him about the baby, as well." Parvati said sweetly. She clamped her hand securely onto his arm.

Neville was quietly working on an essay for Herbology. He was totally shocked when Pansy sat down next to him. "Hello. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you last night. I think I was still in shock. What did you do on your essay? I did Mandrakes."

Neville blinked at her before answering her question." Oh, uh, Venomous Tentacula. It's no problem. I was shocked as well. Um, listen, the seventh and eighth years are allowed to go to Hogsmeade anytime. We can't go right now, obviously, with the new threat out there but as soon as everything is straightened out, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me sometime?"

Pansy had a small smile on her face. "I'd love to, Neville. As soon as everything is cleared up."

At dinner time, all the eighth years except Mikey and Hermione were there. They all exchanged glances. 'Where were they, were they ok?'

'Oi, check it, she hasn't noticed!" Alex whispered excitedly. They looked at the Head table. It was all they could do to hold back their laughter. All the teachers were very carefully avoiding looking directly at Umbridge. Mike had his face buried on his wife's shoulder. Just then, the doors opened and everyone turned to watch Mikey and Hermione walk down the aisle to their spots. 'Oh hell, I forgot! Mikey has no filter! He's gonna let the cat outta the bag! Damn, why didn't I remember that?!' Alex groaned. Mikey looked up, saw Umbridge, and faltered.

He looked away from her and his gaze landed on his parents. He looked at Hermione, grinned and whispered, "Watch this."

'Oi, get a room already!" he laughed as his dad immediately tipped his mum's chair over and took her to the floor. It simultaneously worked to keep both him and his dad from spilling the beans and alerting Umbridge. He sat down and Alex showed him the puff. He burst out laughing, evidently familiar with the product. 'Poor Umbridge would regret attempting to keep him away from his girl. She would really regret pissing both him and his cousin off.'