Day Thirty

Her husband was staring at her when she woke up. Feeling his eyes, she turned over onto her side to look back at him. His handsome face was made even more so by his grin. A short, but sweet kiss good morning warmed them both. He was in a much better mood than he was just twenty-four hours earlier. She was pleased he was more relaxed, but a little concerned that he was just lying in bed staring.

"You haven't been up all night thinking, have you?"

"No, I slept very well last night, thank you. I had the naughtiest dreams too."

"Care to share with the rest of the class?"

"Be nice to me and maybe I'll show you what happened in some of them."

The waggle of his eyebrows only made her even more curious.

"You know, it's technically day thirty. If you wanted to activate the bonding spell right now, you would've still fulfilled your promise to me."

He was so beautiful when he smirked she thought it should be illegal. How did she get so fortunate?

"You're right, of course, but once I have you naked and underneath me, I'm not going to want to get out of this bed for hours. Can't really spend the busiest day of the week for the shop in bed, can we?"

"Fuck the shop and fuck me."

His deep groan made her think that he might be willing to do exactly as she said. He kissed her again, deeper than the one before. Just when she thought maybe she'd convinced him, her husband jumped out of the bed to go shower.

She hated to admit that he was right even though she knew he was. Once they got started it would be hard to stop. After waiting all that time, she knew she wouldn't be satisfied with just a quick on in the morning.

A few minutes later he returned to the bedroom fully dressed to tell her he'd get breakfast cooked while she showered. As much as she appreciated how considerate he was, and she really did, she honestly wouldn't have minded if they just closed the shop for the day. She'd already missed out on weeks of daily sales. What was one more day? It was almost a shame they found Nicholas' rune before the thirty days ended. If they didn't expect customers, he would be willing to close the shop and spend all day in bed.

Deciding there was no way she was going to be able to convince Rabastan to change his mind, Hermione threw the blankets off and got out of bed. Out of the shower and dressed, she went into the kitchen to feed Buzz while her husband finished up their breakfast. It felt like an ordinary day, like nothing at all out of the norm was going to happen. They sat at the table sipping at their tea. He held the newspaper in front of him reading the articles just like he always did. It could've been a random Tuesday, not the day they finally planned to consummate their marriage.

"So would you rather I fuck you for the first time in our bed this evening or would you like me to bend you over the settee in the office downstairs after the shop is closed?"

If he timed his question perfectly for the moment she took a sip from her teacup, she wouldn't be surprised. She nearly choked. His question put very vivid thoughts in her mind.

"Our bed."

Rabastan continued to read the newspaper, acting as if nothing was strange.

"Yes, I think that's probably best for our first time. We can save bending you over the settee for tomorrow."

Hermione's cheeks felt warm. She could hardly sit still. One glance in his direction showed he was fighting a satisfied smirk. Conversation for the rest of the meal was fairly normal after that until it was over, but her mind never stopped wandering.

Just before the shop was due to open, Rabastan picked up an excited Buzz to carry him downstairs. Back inside the protective circle of enchantments designed to keep the potentially mischievous kitten safe, he carefully put him down in his shop basket. Hermione loved watching how gentle and kind he was with their kitten. That was another surprise she hadn't expected out of the big, bad, scary Death Eater.

Expecting the day to be busy just as it was the week before, both Rodolphus and Amelia arrived to help. As Hermione unlocked the door to let them inside the shop, she was tempted again to just push them outside, wish them well, and lock the door again. She was anxious for the day to be over. Rabastan's questions over the breakfast table weren't helping matters. She couldn't believe she actually had to spend the entire day at work. Why did she buy the bookshop again? If she still worked for the Ministry of Magic she would have the day off. They would already be naked. She was certain of it.

Her eyes sought out Rabastan all day long. Each he saw her staring he gave her the same devilish grin he gave her the night she was on the kitchen table. It made her even more anxious for the night. Would he want to take his time or just go straight to the sex? Oh, he was going to be the type to tease her, wasn't he?

For the vast majority of the time that the shop was open, Rabastan stayed on the opposite side of the shop. Perhaps he was struggling with the urge to kick everyone out and run upstairs himself. Distance between them felt like the only solution. But, there were times he made it a point to seek her out to whisper something delightfully naughty in her ear that made the day seem even longer. After carrying a stack of books to the counter for a customer, he walked past her and whispered.

"Should we start off face to face with the more traditional missionary position or would you prefer me to take you from behind when you're on all fours? You seem like you would enjoy it from behind."

Her damned cheeks flushed a deep red that made him smirk. He wasn't done.

"You have a great arse. I think I'll take you that way our second or third time. I want to look in your eyes when we activate the bond."

He slid his hand across her arse and gently swatted it. With another wink, he walked away.

"I think there are six more hours until we can lock the front door."

The only explanation for his behavior was he was trying to torture her into madness. Why else would he seek her out just to tease her and whisper filthy words into her ear? Well, two could play at that game. After the fourth or fifth time he whispered something shocking about what he planned to do to her body later that night, Hermione went into the office to close the door. Partially to calm her racing heart, she needed privacy for her own plan to make the man squirm. It only took a few seconds, but she knew she could get his cheeks just as red as hers.

Rabastan stood in the Divination section cleaning up a mess left by a group of giggling young witches that had just been there a few minutes earlier. Glad that she was able to catch him alone for a moment, Hermione kept her right hand in the pocket of her robes. When she was close enough to lean up to kiss him, she slipped the hand into the pocket of his robes.

"Just something to let you know that I'm thinking about you."

Confused by what she was doing, he didn't have a chance to ask before she stepped out of reach. She dared to take a peek over her shoulder to watch the consequences of her action unfold. Rabastan reached into his pocket and realized immediately that she had placed her knickers inside. He had to close his eyes for a second as he groaned. When he caught her staring again, his eyes had grown so dark they were nearly black.

It became a game for both of them to see how they could torture the other without anyone knowing. His whispers grew filthier. Her touches bolder. Half an hour before the shop closed she brushed her hand against the front of his trousers on her way to the counter. For a brief moment she thought he was on the verge of doing what he swore he would do all of those times and throwing her over his shoulder to carry upstairs, damn the customers.

Hermione sent Amelia home the moment the shop closed. A sweet witch, she had a tendency to ramble on about subjects no one was interested in if given half a chance. Not wishing to waste a single moment politely listening to some ridiculous story she didn't care about, Hermione wanted her out as soon as possible. Locking the door behind Amelia meant there was only one person they had to figure out how to get rid of.

And Rodolphus wasn't in the least bit of a hurry to leave yet. It seemed rude to thank her brother-in-law for all of his help by rudely demanding that he go away so she could fuck his little brother. Family was important to the Lestranges, something that she could appreciate. Any other night of her life she might have loved to have Rodolphus stay to chat for a while after closing the shop. That night, however, she wanted him gone.

"Thank you so much for all of your help today, Rodolphus. I don't know what we would do without you."

"It's my pleasure. I really do enjoy being in this shop. Lots of fond memories. There was this one time when Rabby couldn't have been more than four years old and Mother brought us…"

"She doesn't want to hear stories about the past, brother. They're nothing special."

Rabastan was just as anxious to push his brother outside. Perhaps more. She had been a little more vicious there towards the end of the day than maybe she should have been. It all seemed fair. If he was going to take pleasure out of making it so she could think of nothing but him, she could do the same.

"Oh, well, of course. Another time."

"Yes, I'd love to hear all about it some day, but you should go home to Andromeda. I'm sure today is a difficult day for her."

"It really is. She's been sad all week thinking about the anniversary coming up. Can't blame her. Losing so much of her family in such a short time… poor woman. I don't know how she's made it without losing her mind entirely."

A tiny part of Hermione felt guilty for not thinking about how the eleventh anniversary of the ending of the war was affecting those she cared about. With her mind focused on other thoughts entirely, she had been selfish. Poor Andromeda's entire world changed in one night only a short few months after losing her beloved husband. Life could be cruel and people worse.

"I actually wanted to talk to the two of you. Since Andy's feeling a bit sad, I thought it would be lovely if you both came over for dinner tonight. I just know that with a little bit of company and conversation, the anniversary won't be so hard on her."

Hermione and Rabastan stared at each other across the counter with big, wide eyes. How could they possibly say 'no' to an invitation like that? Rodolphus had been so kind to them to help out in the shop. All he was asking for was one evening of company to cheer up his wife. It wasn't too much to ask, especially not of family. After an entire day of torturing each other, they would have to put their plans on hold for a few more hours.

Loud laughter exploded out of Rodolphus. Unable to keep a straight face a moment longer, he was in a fine mood. Neither Hermione nor Rabastan knew what to say or what was even going on. Had the wizard gone mad?

"I wish you two could've seen both of your faces. You were about to agree to come over, weren't you? Even though it's day thirty?"

"You were joking, brother? You used your wife's dead relatives for a joke?"

Rabastan's face turned a deeper shade of red. Not noticing or not caring, Rodolphus laughed again.

"Who do you think suggested I invite you over for dinner? Andy came up with the whole thing, thought it would be funny to invite you over because she was sad knowing you two wouldn't want to do it, but probably would."

Pushing aside the fact that both her brother-in-law and his new wife seemed to know that she hadn't yet consummated her marriage or activated the bonding spell with her husband, Hermione supposed she could see some of the humor in the situation. The corner of her mouth threatened to twitch into a smile if she let it. Rabastan sighed and shook his head, but at least the color in his face was back to normal.

"That was just mean, Roddy."

"I know. But watching the two of you eye-shag each other across the shop all day thinking no one knew was a bit funny too. Honestly, I'm amazed you made it thirty days. Don't think Andy and I made it thirty minutes when we got back to her house after leaving Azkaban."

"Get out of here, big brother. Go back to your wife and tell the cruel woman her joke was funny, but unappreciated."

Rodolphus laughed, picking up Buzz to tuck him under his arm.

"And I'll be taking this little mite with me. Teddy and I will take good care of him for a few days. Afraid if I leave him here you two will forget to feed him."

He winked at them and made his way to the front door. Just before he exited out into the Alley, he turned back around.

"Don't worry about tomorrow either. I've already put a sign on the door stating the shop will be closed for a personal matter."

The wizard was endearing even if he could be a bit infuriating. Hearing the ringing of the shop bell and the click of the lock as Rodolphus locked the door behind him, the air in Flourish and Blotts suddenly grew quite thick with anticipation. When she dared to turn to look at her husband, an impish smirk on his face told her that he was back in the good mood he'd been in before the joke. Expecting that he was indeed about to throw her over his shoulder, Hermione couldn't believe him when he picked up the stack of sales receipts to carry into the office.

She thought he was just going to set them on the desk to worry about the next morning they were open. Two seconds should've been all that it took to complete the simple task. When he didn't immediately return and she thought she could hear the sound a quill scratching on parchment, she thought she'd gone mad. Storming into the office, she found her husband sitting at the desk with his glasses on perfectly content and happy to do the shop's accounting.

"You're not serious, are you?"

"What? I always add up the receipts at the end of the night. It helps to keep things organized. If I don't do it now, I might forget to do it on Tuesday. My whole day will be thrown off."

"You have my knickers in your pocket and you want to add up receipts?"

It was just more torture. He was cruel and evil. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, the amused grin on his lips proved he was enjoying himself. The urge to beat him at his own game was strong.

"Fine. I suppose I can start working on the order forms for next week while you finish up."

With his focus on the parchment in front of him, Rabastan didn't notice his wife drop her robe to the floor behind him, step out of her shoes, pull her stockings off, yank her dress over her head, and remove her bra. Every bit of clothing she had on settled to the office floor in a pile. Hermione stepped forward into his peripheral vision and reached over his head for a stack of forms on the shelf above the desk. Nearly choking on his own tongue, a strangled groan coming out of her husband's mouth when he saw her for the very first time completely naked satisfied her in a way she hadn't expected.

"Bloody hell, witch, you win."

Rabastan finally did as he'd threatened so many times before. Lifting her like she weighed almost nothing, he tossed her over his shoulder like the caveman she once accused him of being. Never before had the journey from shop office to flat gone by so fast. Even with the added weight of his wife, the wizard's sheer determination got them into the bedroom in only moments. He carefully tossed the laughing witch down on top of their bed. She allowed him just a second or two to admire the vision she made laying there before she was on her knees ripping at the clothes he still had the audacity to be wearing.

"I can't wait any longer, my love. We've had thirty days of foreplay and I'm about to go completely mad. Drop those trousers and get on this bed with me. I need to feel you inside of me."

Likely the wizard had never gotten naked so quickly in his entire life. Doing exactly as his pretty wife begged, Rabastan climbed on the bed. Never once caring that her husband would think her too wanton or inappropriate, Hermione's legs fell open to his gaze. She meant every word she said about the previous thirty days being more than enough foreplay. Her body had been primed and ready for him since they ate breakfast that morning.

"You are so beautiful."

He ran his fingertips lightly up her legs as he settled between them. Despite having literally run up the stairs with her over his shoulder, he no longer seemed to be in much of a hurry. It was threatening to push her over the edge.

"Don't you dare tease me another second, husband. I can't bear it."

Hearing her call him that seemed to be the perfect encouragement he needed to finally make it official. She could feel him shaking, with nerves or excitement, she wasn't sure, when he pressed his tip against her. Either wanting to savor every second or not wanting to hurt her after her long dry spell, he took his time sliding his cock inside. A low groan came out of both of them the second he was all in. Rabastan forced her eyes to meet his with a soft touch on her chin. There was so much emotion in his hazel eyes that she felt hers fill up with tears.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

After her response to his confession, he started to move. Careful at first, it didn't take him more than a few thrusts to want to speed up. From the very start it was more intense than any time Hermione had been with someone else. Maybe it was the bond activating or the thirty days they waited. She thought it had more to do with the fact that she was truly in love with the man. All she desired was for him to be the very last man she ever had a first with.

Their first time was everything she hoped it would be. Sweet and emotional, she knew that it would only get better from there. As she felt her pleasure building to its climax, she knew he felt the same way. She pressed her lips against his, encouraging him to keep going. His movements became more erratic, faster, and to her delight, a little bit harder. Just as he claimed he wanted that morning, their eyes stared into each other the moment the bonding spell finally activated.

Hermione wasn't sure what she expected. Gold sparks to fly around the room? Literal fireworks to explode above their heads? Magic could sometimes be a bit showy. But their bond was subtle, private, personal just between the two of them. Both able to come at the exact same time thanks to the spell, she felt a warmth flow through every cell of her body. A longing for the man still inside of her was overpowering. She would crave him until the day she died. He must've felt it too. Two big tears rolled out of his eyes that she had to immediately capture with a kiss. If she had the ability to see her own face, she knew she would have tears too. It was beautiful, far more magical than she ever hoped.

Rabastan's arms wrapped around her entire body. He rolled over on to his back and carried her with him. In a silence neither one of them wanted to end just yet, they clung to the other, recognizing all of the subtle ways that everything had changed with their bond. All fear that she would come to regret marrying the man she met through letters disappeared completely. She could only hope his same fears were gone too.

"I'm glad we waited. I think it feels more special that way."

"I agree. And the good news is that now that the first time is out of the way, we can do it over and over again as many times as we want, as often as we want."

Her reminder made him laugh. Oh, but to have a lifetime full of laughter in bed and she would die a happy woman. She kissed his bare chest, tightened her own hold on her husband, and just enjoyed the present.

"Do you remember the first words I said to you when you walked into that office?"

"How could I forget? 'I didn't know you were that young'!"

"Yes, and it's still true. You will have to be patient with an old man like me. I need adequate time to recover."

"Don't you dare call yourself an old man. I think you just proved that's not true. But I bet if I just reminded you of your filthy promise to take me from behind our second time, you might…"

"Fuck, wife!"

In one swift movement, the decidedly not old man had her on her stomach ready for more.

Day Thirty-One

He held on to her like she was the most valuable thing he owned in a sea of thieves. Once upon a time that might have bothered her, but when her husband wrapped his arms around her, in bed or out, she wanted to be nowhere else. Feeling her stir awake, he kissed the back of her head.

"Good morning, my love."

"No, that's not how we say good morning, wife."

Moving just enough that she rolled onto her back, his lips sought out hers for a deep, toe-curling kiss. They broke apart before it escalated further despite there no longer being any barrier to whatever they wanted to do. He was hers and she was his. No one could ever change that.

"The thirty days is up. You don't have to keep doing that."

He brushed his lips lightly against hers again.

"No, you're wrong. Every day for the rest of our lives, I will kiss you good morning."

The End.