.Smut at the end of the chapter with a small age difference.

Chapter 20 – Weaser Den – January 19th, 1945

The alarm clock chimed on the side dresser and freckled arm slithered out of the blankets to silence it. Ron sat up, and with a great yawn, brought the alarm clock to his face to further scrutinize it with bleary eyes. It was six in the morning, on a Friday, which was also a workday, so running a hand over his face, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and lunged himself into standing up. As he walked to the window to open the curtains, flicking his wand to make the bed, a knock on the door sounded.

"You up, mate?" Harry's voice called through his bedroom door, they had gotten a flat together right out of Hogwarts in Horizont Alley, where most residential spaces were relegated to.

"Yeah, yeah," he responded, voice still groggy, as he threw a clean set of robes over his head and began fastening the collar. Once finished, he grabbed his boots in hand and opened his bedroom door, dropping them in the living area before heading to the washroom.

"You finished with the loo?" he called out, and hearing a vague 'yeah' from the direction of the kitchen, he closed the door and locked it. He went about his business, washed his face, charmed his teeth clean before running a brush through his long orange hair, and braiding it. When he was done, he nodded approvingly to the mirror, and walked to the kitchen, hoping Harry had left some hot water for his tea.

Their flat was of an average size, with a combined sitting and dining room, with walls charmed to be a Gryffindor red. It had a small kitchen, with a seated bar, two bedrooms and one full bath, and a few scattered closets throughout.

His roommate and best mate was sitting at the bar that bordered the dining room, toast in hand and Daily Prophet laid flat against the counter with his tea beside it. His hair was it's usual unruly mess of black curls, and his collar was only half done up.

"Oh you got a letter from Géraldine, the owl came not even five minutes ago," he said, mouth full of toast, while he wiped his hands together to rid them of crumbs, before grabbing the folded and sealed parchment to his right and handing to him. Ron, finished making his tea, made to grab it while taking a sip, pinching it between his hip and the counter to pluck open the wax seal, before bringing it up to his face to read.

Dear Ron,

I cannot stop thinking of tomorrow, I'm so nervous, what if she changes her mind? What if she decides she doesn't believe us? Would she really take him away? I know if you were here beside me, you would tell me not to panic, and think myself into an anxious hole, but I cannot help it. I know we've already agreed on plans, and I know you know what to do, but for my peace of mind, remember to meet me at the portkey office tomorrow at 9, please forgive my worrying, I will see you later.

-Dine

He suppressed a grin, reading her letter, imagining her wild blonde hair frizzing with anxiety as she tried to make sure everything was perfect. He'd began courting her in August, though if he tried to remember why all he could come up with was that it had just felt right.

Though, of course, he'd bungled it all up in October when he'd begun to think of Hermione again, second-guessing his decision of breaking up with her, and he'd foolishly brought it up to her, only to be rejected and affirmed that it was better than they solely stay friends.

Ron winced at the memory, he was not proud of himself for that, and he hadn't known what had gotten into him. He'd been so ashamed of his actions that he'd confessed of what he'd done to Géraldine, and had promptly broken up with her, citing that she deserved far better than him, and she'd agreed, and then their trip to France had happened.

While they'd been together, Géraldine had told him about her siblings and how she wanted to find them, and he'd agreed to help her, and they had originally been planning to go to France in late October, as not only had France had been liberated from Grindelwald's Army in September, it had been liberated from the Germans in August.

The British magical army had taken a page out of its non-magical counterparts' book and formed an Allied Force with the US, Canada, and the French Revolutionaries to drive Grindelwald's forces back into Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany itself, by applying guerrilla tactics to sabotage their supplies, wards and bases, eventually becoming the victors of a great battle that had taken place on the French border, near Strasbourg.

Not a day after they'd broken up, had he caught her trying to sneak into the lift going towards the Department of Magical Transportation, of course, he'd followed her and confronted her.

He'd found out then that she'd been more hurt by his break up than his act of speaking to Hermione, because she considered him talking to Hermione as closure, that she needed to distract herself by doing something productive. So she'd decided she was going to go to France and start looking for leads on her siblings, stating that she hadn't wanted to bother him, especially since they weren't together anymore.

He'd felt wretched at that moment, as if he couldn't do anything right, so without thinking it through, he declared that he would come with her to France, right then and there. He was concerned for her safety, because even though France had been liberated, that did not mean she was not at risk as a Jewish muggleborn in a country she'd originally fled from.

She'd told them that she wanted to find out if her parents or older brother ever came back, as well as trying to track her siblings. So, without any more preamble, they'd disappeared upon the portkey activating in the Department of Magical Transportation dispatch office and had reappeared in an alley beside La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere in Lyon, France.

He had followed Géraldine through the streets and back alleys until they hit a road of townhouses and other residential flats. He'd watched their backs as she led him to a single townhouse, with grimy windows, and rusted door, and overgrown weeds sprouting through the brickwork of the stairs. Ron was certain that with maintenance and upkeep, it would have been a stately looking home.

He watched as she used an alohamora on the door, slowly walking in, he gazed at their surroundings to make sure nobody was watching before following her in. What he'd seen had broken his heart, the interior was destroyed, with mouldy, broken furniture, empty drinking bottles and cigarette butts littered the floor. Géraldine had been devastated, and he'd held her while she cried, before helping her try to recover anything intact that had belonged to her family.

Ron finished his tea, and placed his mug in the washbasin, then glanced back over at Harry who was watching him curiously.

"I know I've said it already, but are you sure you both aren't acting rashly?" he asked, folding the Prophet in half and linking his fingers as he leaned his elbows onto the countertop, "I mean, your brother and Fleur just got married this summer, and at this rate, your mum is gonna think her sons are being seduced by the French on purpose," he finished, jokingly.

"Listen, mate, I know what it looks like, but believe me, I'm sure of everything I'm doing," he responded, grateful that his friend still looked out for him, even outside of Hogwarts.

"If you say so," he chirped, holding his hands up in defence, causing Ron to shake his head with humour, before turning away towards the front entrance and swinging his cloak over his shoulders and heading out the door. Their flat didn't have a fireplace, and as they hadn't gotten around to getting a permit to have one put in, he needed to walk to the end of the alley where the public floos were located, he figured maybe he'd pick up a scone from the cafe near them also, maybe also grab one for Géraldine.

During his walk, he reminisced some more, back at her childhood home, they'd managed to find some intact photos, that she'd bundled and placed in her bag, and it was leaving the house, a bit crestfallen, that they had been approached by one of the neighbours who had seen and recognized Géraldine's hair through the window of her own house across the way.

He braced the cold January wind, huddling deeper into his cloak, simultaneously casting a warming charm on himself and he made a dash for the door to the cafe. The neighbour had been Marie-Claire Devereaux, she'd invited them back into her own home, and it became apparently clear on why as soon as they'd sat down in her sitting room, when a boy, no older than five, peeked his head curiously through the entryway of another room, and it was clear who he was, as he'd born a remarkable resemblance to the girl at his side.

Jean-Pierre Dubois, or Devereaux, as he'd been called since Marie-Claire and her husband had taken him in to hide him from the Gestapo, had been outside with his older sisters and a few other children from around the street when they'd first showed up at the Dubois residence, and immediately, the neighbourhood women had each picked a girl, Marie-Claire grabbing the young boy and hidden them in their homes, even going so far as to claim them as their own.

The boy had been no older than one, while the girls had been three, five and eight respectively, all of them with families who'd eventually fled and taken them with them, so Marie-Claire, unfortunately, had no knowledge of where they could have ended up. Suffice to say, Géraldine had been overjoyed at seeing her brother again, and though he didn't remember her, he'd warmed up to her immediately.

Ron, paused his recollections to order his favourite raspberry scone, with cream and jam, and a lemon scone for Géraldine, he paid the four sickles for them, before bundling them up in their paper bag and storing them in his cloak pocket.

He thought back to how Géraldine's face had dropped and paled when Marie-Claire had informed them that the Gestapo had found out about her and her husband's treachery, and they'd tried to defend themselves by saying they'd baptized the child, and truthfully, that had been the only thing that had saved Jean-Pierre's life, however, it had condemned her husband's. He'd been taken outside and shot in the back of the head, for the rest of the neighbourhood to see, for attempting to fool them. She informed them that the war had ruined her livelihood and that as soon as it ended, she would be taking Jean-Pierre and restarting their lives in Quebec, Canada.

He'd watched and for the second time that day, his girlfriend? Friend? Had broken down beside him, and she'd begged Marie-Claire to reconsider, as the other woman watched sympathetically, until Géraldine begged to let her adopt him, that he was her only family, as she still didn't know whether he parents and older brother were alive, trying to convince the other woman that she had a stable job and had even finished school in England.

Marie-Claire declined, stating that although she felt for her, that as an unmarried woman, she had no business raising a child that was not her own, and that she should look to reinventing her life, to finding a husband and starting her own family. Ron saw the absolute devastation on her face, and before he could think through his plan, he chimed in that he was her fiance, and that he'd help her raise her brother, as well as their own children whenever they made their appearance, explaining that the war was a reason he hadn't been able to splurge on a ring just yet.

Géraldine had frozen beside him, before going along with his ploy, but Marie-Claire was not completely convinced and stated that she wanted to see documents of their impending nuptials, as well as proof that they had every intention of living together and being able to provide for a child. So, they scheduled that they would return to Britain to claim all of the said documentation and send word when they'd be able to return with them, but promised that they would keep in touch via telegrams and letters, which they had.

When the portkey eventually brought them back to the Department of Magical Transportation, Géraldine had torn into him, almost lecturing his ear off for such a hair-brained scheme, but he wore her down, and he reasoned with her. Even if they wouldn't be romantically involved, was it not worth getting married so that she could have custody of her younger brother?

If they showed Marie-Claire that they were serious about their marriage, then she'd get to raise Jean-Pierre, and they'd deal with the marriage after the dust settled. Eventually, she relented, agreeing to his half-baked plan.

So, they'd started the process almost immediately, getting papers together, first looking for a three-bedroom flat that Géraldine would live in with her brother, with both their names on the lease, though she would pay for herself until they were married, where he would move out of his and Harry's flat and into her third bedroom, to seal the illusion.

They officially claimed their engagement through the ministry in December, requesting a copy of documents that would pass muggle inspection, which had taken another week to complete, announcing their upcoming nuptials to their friends and family at the new years eve celebration hosted by Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. Tomorrow, they would officially bring all documentation to Marie-Claire, which would hopefully allow them to come back with Jean-Pierre.

Truthfully, Ron was looking forward to it and was a bit proud that it was his idea, that he'd been able to help his friend with something so important. It had been during all their scheming to pull all of this off, that he'd found he'd begun to genuinely care for Géraldine, a lot.

He found himself looking for her in a room, and a part of him felt guilty for it, for Hermione, who was a shadow of guilt in his heart, for the way he'd treated her, and because he was falling in love with their mutual friend. He had hoped she could eventually support them truly because he had hope that maybe one day, it could be a real marriage, rather than an elaborate plan to adopt her brother.

When they'd announced their engagement, he knew Hermione had been hurting, though she'd put on a brave face and congratulated them, she had left the new years celebration early, and he'd felt even more wretched about how everything had gone down between them, but he felt he was doing something good here. So after discussing it with Géraldine, they'd decided that once she had Jean-Pierre, they would tell Hermione everything, and he hoped she didn't judge them too harshly, and more-so, he hoped that, eventually, they could all be happy with the paths that life had chosen for them.

Tomorrow would be the day that could make or break everything, as Marie-Claire could either agree or disagree to give them Jean-Pierre, he also felt that this was his chance to make it up to Géraldine for going after Hermione, for breaking up with her afterwards, that maybe he could actually win her back. Though, if she decided afterwards not to continue their marriage, he vowed, he would let it go, and let her go.

Grabbing a handful of floo powder, he called for the Ministry of Magic and stepped through, ready to take on the day, and every other day, thereafter.

February 14th, 1945 – Gold Realm Restaurant

Hermione took the seat that Kai offered her, allowing him to push in her chair, before placing her napkin in her lap while he took his own seat. It was Valentine's Day, which she was surprised a lot of the younger generation of witches and wizards celebrated, despite it being a non-magical holiday.

It just went to show how the UK magical world was all too happy to appropriate non-magical inventions and holidays when it suited them, while still disdaining the creators. It was hypocrisy that Hermione had noticed while at Hogwarts, and that to this day still observed with disbelief and indignation.

Kai smiled at her and she felt her stomach flutter, pleased that she'd taken her mother's advice to give the relationship an honest go. She had generally been pretending, for the last month and a half, that what had happened on new years with Tom, had not happened, regardless of the other boy's smug looks.

Her feelings for Tom were mixed, on one hand, he had awful morals and values, and he was so insufferable that it made her want to avoid him, and on the other, he'd become a bit of a staple in her life. When he entered a room, she looked to him, and she didn't know how to deal with these feelings, which brought her once more to avoiding him, which is what she did, with absolute finesse.

Another person she had a lot of confusing emotions towards, was Jaismine, she didn't get to spend a lot of time with her, as the other girl was significantly busier than she, but every time she did get to see her, her mother's words reverberated through her brain. She felt she was still not at the point in her own self-discovery and acceptance, to accept that she may not be completely heterosexual, so she relegated whatever feelings she had for the other girl and stubbornly stuck them into the friend category, and left them there.

She had, at least, managed to clear things with Ron and Géraldine, finding out that they were engaged to be married to adopt her friend's younger brother, who'd she met, as they did actually succeed in convincing Géraldine's neighbour. He was a sweet, young boy, who looked so much like his elder sister that it broke Hermione's heart, she'd even helped look after him on some days if she was able.

As January passed and February started, she began to let go of her hurt and anger and had concluded that it had hurt because it had still been a bit fresh. She still loved both her friends, so she decided she'd rather still have them in her life than cut them out for her own pride, and if they truly fell in love sometime in the future, she would support them then too.

Shaking her head, ridding her thoughts of everyone but the man sitting across from her, tonight she had every intention of having sex with him for the second time.

She had thought about what her mother had said, and for most of January, she hee-hawed on it, eventually conceding to look at it from an informational perspective. The lack of information truly never helped anyone, and if she viewed sex as a bit of knowledge she'd yet to be privy too, it made the decision to engage in it easier to digest.

Her first time had been with Kai almost two weeks ago, and suffice to say, it had been a disaster, she'd been so nervous and a bit scared, despite Kai's gentle assurances and "foreplay" to prepare her. It had hurt, a lot, and she'd bled, also a lot, and for a couple of days afterwards, despite her monthlies only having been a week prior.

She had figured that because it had been her first time, she'd been unable to relax her body enough, and that had exacerbated the 'usual' amount of pain that she'd heard was expected. She'd felt a bit embarrassed about it when she talked to Kai about it the next day, in private, but he'd reassured her that there was no wrong way to have intercourse for the first time, that it affected everybody differently due to their own experiences.

He explained, that it was easier to look at it as a skill, and any skill took a couple of tries and practices before one became confident in said skill, he then nervously relegated his own first time while he'd been attending Hogwarts. He told her it had been one of the biggest embarrassments of his school life, and hearing that had made her feel a tiny bit better about herself, once again reiterating mentally that it was information that she simply did not know yet.

Masturbation, on the other hand, admittedly she'd become quite good at. She'd managed to recreate the high from new years many times, and it had honestly helped her feel more comfortable about her body, in general. As for Kai, she'd learned before they'd attempted actual intercourse, that he was quite talented with his hands, and that despite his friendly and cheery demeanour, he would happily leave her a trembling mess by just using them only.

They took their order with the waiter, ordering a red wine to start, she decided to go with the salmon, and he went with a steak. They started by speaking of small things about the office, like how Fleamont had filled Euphemia's entire office with flowers, so much so, that she couldn't even enter it this morning, and how Hetal announced excitedly earlier today that she and her husband Arjun were finally expecting, as they'd been trying since they'd gotten married.

She thought back to when she'd first met Kai, she'd originally considered him incredibly intimidating, until she found out more about him. How he purposely became a barrister to help people, how he had four fully grown crups at home, and how he was a big softie who'd panic if he even so much as accidentally stepped on one of their paws.

The more she learned about him, the more she became attracted to him. She'd learned that he was a half-blood, whose mother was an Iranian-British muggleborn, that he, himself, was fluent in Farsi, which he'd attempted to teach Hermione a bit of it, and though he teased her, she thought she was finally catching on. She'd also learned that he was an absolute mamma's boy, who talked about her as if she'd hung the stars, and it charmed her.

"What are you thinking about, Mia?" she was sure her face darkened, but what she wasn't sure of was whether it was because she'd been caught in her thoughts or for the nickname, she attempted to hide her face in her wine glass, but he'd raised an eyebrow at her, causing a whole different type of feeling to rush to her lower belly.

"You," she replied lowly, and if his already dark eyes could become darker, they would have, and he took a sip from his wine to distract himself.

"We haven't even eaten yet." it sounded like he was trying to reason more with himself than her, she titled her head at him after sneaking a glance around at the other patrons, before whispering.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind taking our food to go and eating it after," she trailed off, to better insinuate her intentions. Without missing a beat, he signalled their waiter, asking for their ordered food to go, as they'd just been made aware of an emergency.

'Some emergency,' Hermione mentally snorted, ignoring the waiter's sardonic un-fooled expression, they waited an extra five minutes before their food was brought to them in to-go cardboard containers, before practically racing out of there.

They were back at Kai's flat in under another ten minutes, and it took another five to detach themselves from the four excited crups, upon their arrival before finally making their way to the bedroom.

Kai kissed her softly, reaching up to her shoulders to grip at her robes, but paused for a moment and broke their kiss, she looked at him questioningly, and he brushed a thumb across her bottom lip.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "You can ask to stop at any time if you're uncomfortable," he affirmed, a serious expression displayed on his face, and smiling she stood on her toes to peck his lips before nodding, grateful that her partner was respectful of her needs and comfort.

Mature themes begin

On her approval, he helped pull her robes over her head, leaving her in just her undergarments, before picking her up, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his hips, he carried her to the bed and dropped her down onto it, earning a shock of laughter from her. She went to kneel and reach for the buttons of his robes before helping pull them over his head, kissing his throat and collar when they were gone. One of his large warm hands was pressed flat against her lower back, while the other reached up to tug at her brassiere.

She huffed and broke away from him, reaching around her back to undo the clasps, before sliding her arms through the straps and tossing the unneeded article across the room. His mouth was on one of her breasts in an instant, his hand that had been splayed on her lower back had started tugging at her undergarments. She reached to undo her garter belt, but his hands stopped her.

"No, this stays." his voice was ragged and low enough to be perceived as a growl, "just these." he tugged at her knickers.

He undid the clasps on her stockings momentarily while he slid her underwear off, before redoing the clasps once more and stepping back to look at her. She didn't even have the urge to cover up as she usually would, as she knelt there on the bed in nothing but her garter and stockings, she felt both confident and desirable.

She looked down at his straining erection through the fabric of his briefs, they were tightly fitted, which complemented his muscular legs, and also displayed every inch of the length and thickness of his arousal.

Hermione was nervous for a moment, again, as he was rather large, though he was not necessarily long, more thick than anything else. They'd only managed to get half of him in the first time, and that had already been incredibly painful. As if noticing her hesitance, he held up a finger to signal her to wait, before he went over to the drawer beside his bed and pulled out a small vial of a clear gel-like substance. She tilted her head in confusion, and as if to answer her unspoken question, he explained what it was.

"It's lubrication serum, I should have thought of it the first time, and I apologize that I didn't, but this should help ease your pain a bit, and even help you enjoy penetration." handing it to her when she stretched out her hand, she regarded it for a moment, tilting it to scrutinize the consistency before nodding and handing it back to him, where he placed it back in the drawer safely. When he turned back to her, he placed a hand on her hip but paused.

"Lie down on you back, and open your legs, there's something I've been wanting to try." and she followed his directions, opening her legs, and staring up at the canopy of his bed, jolting when she felt something wet slide along her centre. She craned her neck to see that he knelt between her legs and she surmised that it must have been his tongue, unsure, she laid back down and closed her eyes, letting herself relax against this new form of pleasure he was giving her.

At first, she hadn't been certain what she should be feeling until she felt that familiar pressure begin to build. He was sucking on that sensitive nub of hers, and as soon as he stuck a finger in her, curling it slightly to massage at her wall, Hermione saw stars. Her arms reached down to grasp at his hair, as he kept applying pressure with his tongue and mouth, continuing to massage that spot inside her that had her bucking her hips and whining, while he held her down by gripping her thighs.

Eventually, after he'd purposely brought her to her peak, only to ease away, and do it a few more times, did he let her fall over the edge. She was seeing spots as she panted, and she vaguely noticed that he'd removed his briefs, and had reached back into the drawer to grab the lubrication vial.

She watched in fascination as he poured a small sickle sized amount into his hand, and began rubbing his length, which was standing erect with thick veins and a weeping tip that resembled a mushroom. She thought that they had their own primal lure, as just watching him rub the gel over his shaft and head had her wriggling her hips in anticipation.

He lined himself up, made eye contact with her, and she keened at the pressure of his head pushing against her, before nodding, answering his unasked question. With a nod and a small countdown, he slid himself in slowly and she held her breath waiting for the pain, only it never really came. He was fully in and she blinked at how much easier it had been this time, she felt full, and perhaps a tad uncomfortable, but not in pain.

He gave her a questioning glance, asking if she was alright before she nodded again, causing him to pull out and slam back into her again, and soon he began a steady pace, as her back arched against the bed. She attempted to spread her legs further, keening every time his pelvis hit her clit, feeling like a fire was building, she gripped at the bed sheets to steady herself. When he stopped and pulled out, she reared her head to look at him confusedly, .

"Let me lie down and you settle yourself on top, I think you may enjoy it even more than this," he said as he propped the pillows up and laid against them on the bed, and obediently, Hermione climbed on top and carefully helped slide him back inside her, gasping at a whole new and different set of sensations she felt. It felt like the tip of him was prodding at something painful, but, not a bad pain, more like a very good one.

She began to grind her hips, and clit against his pelvis, snapping her eyes shut in ecstasy, while Kai had his hands folded behind his head, watching her reverently as she tried to chase her high, bracing her hands on his chest.

"That's it, good girl," he crooned, and she felt the low vibrations of his voice through her core, causing her to groan at the feeling. Noticing how his voice was affecting her, he kept talking, bringing his hands from behind his head to caress to top of her thighs as they gripped on either side of his hips.

"So beautiful, taking all of me like this, you're so perfect." before jerking his head back into the pillows at his own rising climax as she picked up her pace, mewling and panting while she rode him.

A couple of more grinds and jerks of her hips and Hermione cried out as she finally reached two separate peaks, one clitoral and the other internal, and it was so strong that she didn't know what to do with herself, the sensations so powerful that she couldn't think straight. Kai instantly sat up and gripped her and began setting a pace for her to ride out her peak while he built his own, gripping and pulling apart her backside, lifting her and slamming back down at a brutal pace.

She felt another peak begin to build and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to brace herself, burying her head in his shoulder as another climax slammed through her, she cried out again and bit his shoulder before kissing his neck while he continued to slam up into her, more and more aggressively. He buried himself once more and stilled, with a grunt and a gasp, he held her in place while he came inside her, his head buried against the crook of his neck.

When he finished, he lifted her hips to carefully remove himself, before replacing her down on his lap, they looked at each other and grinned.

"I hope that was better than last time," he gruffed, his voice a bit raspy, and she bit her lip and nodded, feeling extremely satisfied.

"That was...I was not expecting it to feel so...good," she paused and stumbled, looking for the right words, and he chuckled before reaching up and wiping a sweaty curl from her forehead, before reaching for his wand on the other side of the bed, performing the contraceptive charm on her. She watched as her womb glowed a bright orange, before fading and grinned thanks at him.

For the rest of the night, they continued a repeat of their activities, eating their stasis'd food in bed before falling asleep here and there, curled around each other, and she had to admit, she was quite content.

Mature themes end.

Authors Note: anyhoo, when anybody else writes smut, do they also keep an entirely straight face? as if you're writing a scientific thesis? no? just me? lmao

anyway.

shit is gonna hit the fan, so that's a neat little warning to you readers. next chapter is gonna be a long one, brace yourself, hope you all enjoyed this, and i hope you all are staying safe and healthy.