TWENTY

Saturday, 24 October 2020; nineteen weeks

It was the rumble of thunder in the distance that brought Hermione out of her slumber. For a moment, she couldn't place her surroundings, but the panic was quickly subdued by the feeling of James pressed against her backside. The steady pitter-patter of raindrops against the window in combination with his fingers dancing over her side lulled her back to a peaceful mindset.

She was still numb from yesterday; having spent the rest of the afternoon as a sobbing mess in his embrace. He had waited until she stopped, just before she went catatonic for the rest of the night. Instead he had brought her to the kitchen and made her eat something. They barely spoke, but she was just grateful he for his presence. Afterwards, as he led her upstairs, drawing her towards his room instead of parting ways, she didn't protest.

Much like all their other nights, he was quick to curl up along her back, wrap his arms around her, and pull her close. Hermione couldn't even recall closing her eyes or falling asleep, but there was enough light pouring around the curtains to show it wasn't nighttime anymore. Even if the storm was determined to keep the sun from shining completely.

Wanting to cling to the blissful ignorance sleep had provided to her mind, Hermione went for the only other thing she could think of to achieve that. She could already feel his hardened length pressing against her rear. She shifted her hips, the movement eliciting a breathy groan from him; one that warmed her skin. She reached one hand back in the confines of his embrace, her fingers slowly dipping behind the waistband of his shorts until she could wrap them around the velvet flesh of his cock.

He thrust into her palm, his arms tightening around her waist as his teeth nipped at her shoulder. "Hermione…" The restrained desperation of his voice had her fingers flexing around him. "This isn't-"

"I need you," she interrupted, the words coming out as more of a whine. "One more time," she added, rotating her wrist in time with his thrusts.

"One more time," he repeated, his breath warming her ear from having kissed his way up her throat. As soon as the words were would of his mouth, he caught her earlobe between his teeth and moved his from her waist, hand falling on her thigh. His touch burned as it slid up beneath her nightshirt, his fingers curling around the band of her knickers to make quick work of pulling them down. She lifted her hips enough so that they could be removed altogether and then kicked them down her legs once they reached a certain point.

When they were gone, he reached for her knee, drawing her leg back to drape over him, leaving her core exposed. Having had to let go of his cock, her nails dug into the skin of his hip as his fingers brushed through the folds of her nether lips, two of them slipping inside of her body without hesitation. The heel of his palm rubbed against her clit as he increased the pace of his ministrations. His lips were pressed firmly against her curve of her shoulder where he alternated between languid kisses and gentle nips.

It wasn't long before she crested. Her hips continued to buck against his hand, desperate for him to make her come again and again. Until she didn't even know her own name. It was when she felt the beginnings of her second one that he pulled away, quickly removing her leg from his and scooting further down. She adjusted herself, angling her hips as best she could towards the mattress. His hand gripped the flesh of her rear as the tip of his cock nudged her entrance. It took a few gentle probes to find the right spot, both of them letting out a sigh when he finally slid home.

She wasn't the only one not in the mood for something slow or sweet. While his thrusts weren't necessarily as fast as she would have liked, his angle allowed him to hit hard and deep. The way her thighs were pressed together, she was getting just the right amount of friction with each stroke, bringing her closer and closer to her second release.

He didn't stop when she came; didn't care that his hip would be littered with crescent shaped marks for the rest of the day. He just continued to rock in and out of her, tweaking his movements with each thrust. She tried her best to keep up with him, rolling her hips as much as she could given the angle of them. A sharp cry escaped her lips as he rubbed against her cervix, sending her into an unexpected third release. She could tell by his grunt against her shoulder and the way his hips stuttered mid-thrust that she had triggered his release with hers.

She could feel both of their bodies convulse as the last tremors of pleasure surged through them. Her inner walls clutched around his cock, drawing every last drop of his release. She would have stayed there all day, relishing the way he felt inside of her, but when her hips started to ache, she turned, pulling herself off of him. Not wanting to lay in the aftermath when it started to drip out of her, she slid off the bed and without a word, took leave of his room in favor of her bathroom down the hall.

After a quick shower, Hermione had every intention of staying in her room, curled up in bed with a book while the rainstorm carried on outside. Ginny, however, had other plans. Instead of having the rain keep her in a somber mood all weekend, allowing herself to wallow while simultaneously trying not to think about the what she'd done the day before, she was now shopping. Shopping for a party she had no intention of attending this year.

Yet another piece of décor was thrust in front of her face, snapping her out of her thoughts. She shrugged and gently pushed Ginny's hand away. "Sure. Looks good."

She could tell from her friend's uncharacteristic silence that she was trying hard not to be her usually bossy self. She was under the impression that Hermione had signed the adoption papers yesterday. That she was officially handing its life over to another couple in a few months. Hermione had yet to clue her in on the fact that that was no longer the case. She wasn't ready to admit to herself what backing out of adoption meant; she sure as hell wasn't ready to tell anyone else.

To distract herself from going down that road again, she grabbed a candle from the shelf and brought it to her nose. She pulled it away as fast as she could, her other hand coming up to shield her face as she tried not to gag.

"That's the third time you've sniffed that candle, Hermione," Ginny said, reaching out to lay a hand on her forearm.

She forced a smile to her lips and put the candle back down, turning to face Ginny. "I wonder if I'll ever like the smell of cinnamon again." She swallowed hard over the lump in her throat. "It's the only thing that will make me vomit without warning now."

Ginny blanched and slipped between her and the candles. "Then I really have to suggest you stop sniffing them. I would hate to have to leave you here because you made yourself sick," she said, a smirk on her face.

Hermione was surprised when her fake smile turned genuine; even if it was just for a moment. "I'll do my best to refrain," she said with a soft nod of her head. "But let me tell you, pregnancy brain is no joke."

Ginny snorted as she went back to looking at decorations for her and Harry's upcoming Halloween party. "The day you forget anything is the day hell freezes over."

Hermione rolled her eyes at that. "Must be pretty frosty down there then."

"Speaking of down there," Ginny said, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she dropped her gaze to below Hermione's waist, making her scowl. "I heard the second trimester can make you horny as fuck. How have you been managing that?"

Her thighs pressed together before she could stop herself; her core clenching at the memory of James having been buried deep within just this morning. She cleared her throat and looked away, knowing it was too late to hide her reaction. "It hasn't been that bad."

Ginny's bark of laughter drew the attention of the two women at the end of the aisle, making Hermione's face even hotter. "You do know who you're talking to, right?"

"Ginny-"

"Do you remember Oliver Wood?"

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose as she nodded, knowing there was no getting around this conversation. "The lacrosse player, right?" she asked, though she remembered. He had been the captain of Harry's team; a Senior when they were Freshman.

"He's back in town; recently divorced too. He always did have a thing for you."

"Now's not-"

"When I invited him to the party next weekend, he asked if you would be there."

That caught Hermione off guard. She eyed Ginny suspiciously, making her grin widen.

"He perked right up when he heard you and Ron split."

"And I'm sure he'll simmer right back down when he sees me in my current state," she replied, her hands automatically coming up to rest on her stomach.

"If he's as into you now as he was six years ago, I'm sure he won't mind the tag along for a few more months. Besides, who knows, maybe someone a little older won't be bothered by that sort of thing."

Hermione's entire body seized, but she was lucky that Ginny chose that moment to pull something from the shelves. "How is thinking of something long term supposed to help me in the interim?" she asked, cursing herself for not dropping the subject.

"I said he was recently divorced, Hermione. I doubt he'll be looking for anything long term. And before you say that's not your style, I would like to point out exhibit A." She pointed at Hermione's stomach, earning a glare from across the aisle. "At least now you won't have to worry about getting knocked up a second time."

"I guess that settles it then," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm definitely not coming this year."

Ginny laughed, making Hermione want to stop her foot like a child. "Come on, it won't be that bad."

"Will Ron and his new girlfriend be there?" she asked.

Ginny paused to study Hermione's face before giving a nod, her grin turning to a full on smirk. "All the more reason to let Oliver hit on you."

Hermione shifted on her feet and took a deep breath. "I didn't ask so I could think about making him jealous, Ginny. That's not why-" she shook her head and sighed. "I haven't spoken to him since the night your mother told him about the baby."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." Hermione shrugged. "I just don't-"

"Then come over for Harry and I. Please? You don't have to stay very long, but it wouldn't feel right to have a holiday without you. Besides, you're definitely not skipping out on the big ones, so wouldn't it be better to have the first one be Halloween and get it over with now?"

Even Hermione couldn't argue with that logic.

"Fine," she said after a moment. "I'll be there, but I'm not dressing up."

"Oh come on, it's Halloween! Can I convince you to buy a headband with kitten ears on it and let me draw on a nose and some whiskers? I'm sure you have an outfit of all black you can wear?"

"Only because I love you."

"That's what I thought," she replied, an arrogant smile on her lips. "Just wait until you see what Harry and I are going as," she said as she turned the cart down the next aisle.

Later that night, when Ginny dropped Hermione off back at James' house, she walked in to find him eating dinner on the touch. He set his plate down on the coffee table and moved to stand, but she gestured for him to stay seated. "Did you eat?" he asked. "There's more if-"

She shook her head and placed a hand on her stomach. "Oh god, no thank you. Ginny keeps ordering as though Ron's there and then guilts me into eating it." She gave him a small smile. "Thanks though. I think I'm just going to lie down for a bit. Probably turn in early."

He gave a nod, wiping his palms along his jean-clad knees. She stared at him for a moment before turning and taking a step towards the stairs, stopping at the sound of her name tumbling from his lips. When she faced him again, he was on his feet, a hand rubbing the spot between his shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She swallowed hard and wet her lips. "Yesterday or this morning?"

He shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. "Either one."

Her lips parted as she debated with herself on whether or not she was ready. Slowly, she gave a slight shake of her head and averted her gaze from his once more. "I don't know where to start," she said, a bit more distress in her voice than she would have liked.

He nodded back at her and offered a small smile. "Anywhere. I can-"

But they were interrupted by the sound of his phone from an incoming call. He pulled it from his pocket and sighed as he looked at the name flashing across the screen. He flashed her an apologetic smile and answered the phone in a tone she recognized as his work voice. She smiled back and after a moment of staring at him, not wanting to eavesdrop since it sounded important, she mouthed goodnight and turned to take her leave of the room.

It was for the best, she decided as she laid down onto her bed after closing the door. She wasn't sure she was ready to talk anyway. She still wasn't when she found herself at his door for later that night. It opened when she knocked, signaling it had never fully been closed in the first place. And when her gaze sought his, he was already waiting for her with the covers peeled back, wrapping them around her when she climbed into bed next to him a few moments later. Neither of them spoke as he settled in at her back, their clothes remaining on. She was asleep before she knew it and in the morning, she was gone long before he woke.

A/N: HELLO LOVELIES! I'M BAAAACK!

I've been home for a few days and now that I've caught up on all the chores I had to leave in the middle of, I'm back to my normal posting schedule of Tu/Th/Sa for this one.

Thank you ALL for your kind words and sending all the love and good vibes my way. It helped a great deal and I'll forever be thankful for you!