Hermione let her head fall back against the peeling wooden door. She bite her bottom lip between her teeth, and the taste of copper soon flooded her mouth.
She squirmed against the splintered wood, trying to create space between herself and the mouth latched around her cunt. The effort was futile as a toned arm wrapped itself around her thigh and pulled her closer , and she felt the warm tongue slide through her wet folds.
The pleasure in her lower belly grew tighter and tighter and she tried to focus on the feeling of the scratchy door against her bum rather than the increasing orgasm that demanded to be heard.
"Mmm, Merlin," the voice groaned against her, the vibrations causing the pleasure to increase tenfold. "You taste…"
"Her…mione," she breathed back. "Not Merlin."
A hand came down sharply along the side of her bum, and she was suddenly grateful that she wore a skirt today.
The white fabric was pooled around her waist and over her lover's head. She typically wore trousers, finding that skirts weren't practical and often limited her mobility. But as she was getting dressed that morning, some part of her brain kept drawing itself to the white skirt and floral blouse
She suddenly felt the burn along her bum from the smack and groaned at the delicate pain and release it provided.
"Hermione, dear?" Molly's shrill voice rang from somewhere in the house. "Are you there?"
Her eyes widened slightly at the sound of her future mother in law, and the tongue pressed against her clit stopped flicking immediately: all too aware of the precarious situation they were in. They were absolutely fucked if anyone caught them like this.
Hermione pushed Ginny's head from between her thighs and watched the redhead pulled her knickers from the floor and pulled her skirt back down, her chin covered in sheen, and her eyes wide as she looked up at her desperately.
"I've got to get out there before she finds us," Hermione hissed nervously, the passion from the moment dissipated quickly.
"Come to mine tonight?" Ginny asked quietly, nervously. "We could watch a movie."
"I'll see… I'll let you know if he plans on 'working' tonight."
"You always say that. Just be honest with me. Tell me what this is, what we are. I don't deserve this - WE don't deserve this," Ginny said, reaching for Hermione's hand and she felt her chest tighten.
Hermione wasn't stupid. She could tell Ginny fancied her, could tell by the way she looked over dinner, or how she'd leave the house when the wedding planning started. Hermione should have never let it get so far. If she had any sense at all she would have ended it long ago.
Of course they didn't deserve this. But it didn't matter. It wasn't fair that her fiancé had been having an affair. It wasn't fair that she'd started her own in the aftermath. And it wasn't fair that she'd fallen into an impossibly miserable situation of fighting her own growing feelings for Ginny in the process.
"Hermione!" Molly called again and the stairs began to creak as the woman neared the kitchen.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to Ginny before slipping out of the pantry without another glance back. "Truly."
The Burrow dining table was too long, the meal too bland, the room too cold, and conversation too dull.
As Hermione sat, she felt like she were merely existing. The night had dragged on for too long once again. It was a feeling she'd found herself experiencing rather frequently. She nodded dutifully as Molly discussed wedding plans for her and Ron.
The colour? Yellow.
The music? Jazz.
The guest list? Long.
The evening went the same as every other Friday night. She arrived at 4 pm on the dot, found some semblance of happiness in the form of Ginny Weasley, fought the pull in her chest, then sat at the table while Molly and Fleur poured over wedding magazines and fabrics and cakes. Hermione would drink three glasses of Pinot Noir, ignore her pain, and do long division in her head.
Her mental maths had grown rather impressive over the course of wedding planning. Her mental state had not.
She wasn't sure what she agreed to, and she didn't really care. She hadn't cared in a long time. Instead she'd nod when Molly or Fluer showed her something, her eyes trained on the back door as she waited for the moment when her night would turn around. The moment never came.
Instead, around 7 pm, Ron would show, smelling of cheap perfume and cigarettes, and leaving Hermione utterly disappointed once again. She'd pretend she didn't notice the perfume of her fiances lover that he had been cheating on her with for months.
Hermione pretended the pain didn't affect her, just as Ron pretended he still loved her. They had become good at that - pretending.
Instead, they sat at a family dinner, something that had become established purely out of convenience from their weekly wedding planning, and she stared at the faded green wall ahead of her. Ron would talk about work, would explain how he was working long hours, that the new Auror recruits just couldn't understand the skill set needed.
He'd act as if the work were taxing, like his tardiness and lack of interest in the wedding were because of his long hours and not the illicit affair.
Hermione would nod, would touch his arm at the right times and express faux sympathies. And she'd try desperately to ignore the hateful glare Ginny made at her pretending.
"That sounds atrocious," Hermione heard herself mutter, though she hadn't any idea why.
"Yes, it was. Shacklebolt hasn't the faintest idea what a 100,000 galleon budget will provide the department," Ron said through a mouthful of chicken thigh.
"He expects us to hire another FOUR Aurors but won't provide us enough to give them a livable salary! I've got a full vault and even I feel the effects of inflation," Harry added.
"You poor boys," Molly cooed, and Hermione felt her throat tighten as she tried to refrain from rolling her eyes.
Molly was too lenient on them, babied them too much, and it was evident through her youngest son's belief that cheating on his childhood sweetheart were a perfectly acceptable thing to do. Like it were something he could justify through the bread crumb trail if he so tried.
Hermione knew she was bitter, she'd been growing bitter for years. And she wished she weren't able to narrow down when her hopes and dreams died, but she could; it was something she spent a lot of time dwelling on.
Maybe things would have been different if she didn't put her future on hold, didn't turn down the apprenticeship in Japan for Ron. And then the unfamiliar knickers in her wash was the nail on the coffin of their dying relationship.
Maybe she'd have been happy, wouldn't come to these dinners as if she were floating through life, like her mere existence didn't exhaust her. Or maybe she'd stop the ridiculous fantasy that she could find love in a relationship with Ginny.
But she turned down the chance to study ancient runes with the Oceania Ministry of Magic, chose to stay here and fulfill her duty to Ron and their relationship. A duty he never seemed to prioritize.
"Hermione," Arthur asked her distantly, pulling her from her thoughts and back to the room. "How's work been for you?"
"Fine, I suppose," she muttered. "Though, Minerva has asked that I teach potions next year. The current potions teacher is expecting a baby a month before term begins and Minerva is offering her a year of maternity leave."
Hermione turned her mind back to the maroon liquid in front of her and took a long sip of the velvet wine. No one would ask her to elaborate, no one ever did. They asked her questions out of obligation, never interest.
"Oi! Gin," Fred called across the table to the redhead sitting near Angelina. "Didn't McGonagall ask you to be the flying instructor?" Hermione looked over to Ginny who struggled to peer around Angelina's pregnant belly to see her brother. Their eyes met and lingered for a little too long, and she felt her breathe catch, though no one would notice but them.
"Well, yes. But I haven't agreed to it… I meet with the Harpies Healer next week to see how long I'll need for recovery."
Hermione's eyes automatically moved to the horizontal pink scar that covered Ginny's collarbone. She'd seen it numerous times before, was actually very intimate with the light pink flesh Ginny had acquired nearly 2 months before.
She remembered the night Ginny got the scar well. Because that was when this whole thing began. Her entanglement with her fiancés little sister. Hermione hadn't expected any of it to occur, truly. But it was a moment of weakness, and she'd found herself craving the girl's touch more often than she should.
Hermione had found Lavender's knickers in their wash the night before, and had shown up to Ginny's quidditch game utterly smashed. Ron had yelled at her over it, had said she'd embarrassed him around all the other Ministry folk.
She didn't care.
Her imagination was running wild every moment she looked at her fiancé, imagining him falling into bed with his first girlfriend.
It stung… a lot. Though, Ron didn't notice. He was so hung up with keeping a good appearance for everyone that he'd forgotten her. When she'd cried midway through the match, muttering incoherently about the knickers, he left.
The rest of the night was fuzzy. Her memories had faded in and out for hours as she downed more wine. But at some point, the game ended, and the wine no longer left behind the dull feeling of numbness.
She followed the crowd out of the Harpies private box, dragging her feet beneath her as the stadium began to empty. She ought to have gone home, but the thought of being alone in a house with her Fiancé made her skin itch.
How was she supposed to face him after knowing all he'd done? Or all that he hadn't done.
So instead of letting the crowd take her to the apparition point, she veered off the path and walked until her feet were sore and eventually curled into a stadium seat.
She focused on the hard plastic that dug into her spin, on the sticky substance that was left on the arm rest, and leaned her head back until the edge of the seat dug into her neck.
Hermione closed her eyes and let the smell of stale popcorn and fresh air fill her nose for several moments as she focused on nothing but breathing.
"Hey," a voice said quietly and she groaned at the thought of getting kicked out of the stadium and being forced to face her fiancé.
She opened her eyes nervously and was surprised to see a familiar redhead standing near her, smelling of sweet sweat and tequila.
"Hey," she responded with a smile. "You can go on without me, I just needed a minute."
"That's alright, I can wait," Ginny answered before sitting down.
Hermione closed her eyes again and felt the world shift under her as Ginny sat in the chair beside her.
She let the breeze brush across her skin and they sat in silence for a few minutes before Ginny asked the dreaded question.
"It's Ron, isn't it?"
Hermione let out a measured breath and considered her next words carefully. Ginny was his little sister, she needed to be sure she wasn't inappropriate in what she said.
"How can you tell?" Hermione asked as she opened her eyes. And noticed that Ginny was watching her carefully, like she might crack at the mention of Ron.
"It's how Harry was… he pulled away slowly, never something I noticed until it was too late. Ron seems like he's been pulling away for quite a while," Ginny answered quietly.
Hermione thought for a moment, considering all the little events that contributed to his affair. The late nights at work, the lonely anniversary and holidays and birthdays she'd spent over a microwave meal, the constant inability to get him to just seem happy to see her. "Yes… I think he has,"
Maybe he had been pulling away for a while, and maybe Hermione had been too blind to notice.
"He's cheating on me," Hermione admitted. "Or cheated? I dunno… I found Lavender's knickers in the wash."
She pushed her palm against her eyes, felt the stinging of tears that threatened to break the surface, and she willed them to stay back.
"How do you know it was Lavender?" Ginny asked. A completely legitimate question which unfortunately caused Hermione to snort at the absurdity of it all.
"She once told our dorm she would only buy lavender colored lingerie, she thought it would become like, a trademark of hers, or something. Something the boys would talk about to each other, would want to fantasise about," she replied through uncomfortable laughter.
How odd that's what she used to identify her fiancés mistress? The shade of her knickers.
"I would never pick lavender as my trademarked colour… even if it was my name," Ginny said with a quiet laugh that was a mixture of shock and amusement.
"Neither would I… it seems so…"
"Childish," Ginny finished.
"Completely."
Hermione closed her eyes once the tears had subsided and she could safely assume they wouldn't streak her cheeks. She noted the cool air across her skin and felt the goose-pimples form along her arms. It must have been nearly 2 am now, and though Ron would surely be wondering where she was, she found she didn't care.
Maybe she was pulling away too.
"You don't deserve that," Ginny whispered into the night air.
"No one deserves to be cheated on," Hermione said gravely. "These are just the cards I've been dealt."
"Well it's a bullshit hand," Ginny said as she reached over to take Hermione's hand within her own.
"And I'm bloody rubbish at poker," Hermione said softly.
Her and Ginny had sat in the stands for another hour or so before Hermione decided it was time to face the troubles plaguing her at home. She let Ginny continue holding her hand, despite her usual proclivity to avoid touching at all costs. But for some reason, Ginny's hand was warm, and she found it brought an unusual comfort to the situation.
They walked to the apparition point in silence while Hermione reveled in the comfort Ginny was providing. For the first time in a long time, she felt like her presence wasn't a burden.
When they reached the apparition point she stopped, suddenly unable to will her feet to move.
"You can come back to mine for the night?" Ginny offered as her thumb brushed against Hermione's knuckles.
"I really should go and face this…"
Hermione pressed her lips together, forming a thin line as she mentally prepared for the conversation that faced her. She didn't think Ron suspected she knew, though he was bound to be upset for her behaviour tonight. She pulled her hand from Ginny's and wrung her hands nervously before turning toward the apparition point. She looked back at Ginny briefly to say goodnight, to express her thanks for being with her these past few hours.
But she couldn't.
Not when Ginny suddenly looked like that. Like the moon couldn't come close to radiating like she did, like the stars filled her eyes as they twinkled beneath the sky.
Hermione couldn't explain exactly why her perception of Ginny changed, though she assumed it had a lot to do with the conversations they'd had throughout the span of the night.
And though she had tried to blame the alcohol for her recklessness, she knew that it was nothing other than pure stupidity and an undying want that filled her stomach.
So, instead of saying thank you or goodnight, Hermione took two steps to close the distance, and kissed Ginny with everything she felt that night.
All of her betrayal, sadness, and anger were fueled by that kiss. Along with the comfort, happiness, and security Ginny had made her feel. As the explosion of emotion left her body, she was left with the shock and realisation that she was KISSING Ginny.
She pulled back, ready to bolt to the apparition point before she subjected herself to further embarrassment, but was stopped when Ginny wrapped her fingers around her wrist.
"Please," Ginny breathed desperately. "Please, kiss me again."
"Goodbye, Arthur," Hermione said with a hug to the man and let him place a chaste kiss to her temple.
"Same time next week?" Molly shouted from the kitchen, the sound of running water drowning out her voice.
"Yes! I'll see you Friday!" Hermione yelled back before moving to the door and wrapped her hand around the rusting knob. Hermione turned around and waved briefly to the remaining Weasley's, and she did her best to avoid the longing stare from Ginny. Her promise to Ginny about going over tonight had been empty for she knew it would only hurt them both.
Instead, she skimmed the room, looking at no one in particular if it meant avoiding Ginny's heated gaze. Hermione pushed herself from the room once her chest began to tighten.
She was leaving alone of course, Ron had left under the excuse of leftover paperwork nearly an hour before. He had slipped out just a little after dinner after glancing at his watch with wide eyes and hastily kissing his mother goodbye.
He hadn't even looked at Hermione. Though she probably shouldn't have expected him to.
Hermione walked toward the edge of the property, towards the tree line that marked the end of the wards. She was about to apparate home, towards the familiarity of her house and away from the confusion Ginny brought forth.
"Wait!" she heard Ginny's voice ring out from behind her in the darkening sky. Hermione swallowed deeply and took an evened breathe before turning towards the girl. "I can't do this anymore," Ginny panted, still winded from the run.
Hermione hadn't expected these words to sting, she actually hadn't expected them at all. She opened her mouth briefly before shutting it again, "okay... okay," she said with a nod.
She knew this was for the best even if it wasn't what she wanted. She let the pain wash over her, it was all she could do.
Hermione wanted Ginny. Hell, she needed Ginny. But Ginny wasn't hers... Ron was, and that was something she needed to accept.
"Hermione-" Ginny began before Hermione cut her off - she had heard enough and she didn't know what more she could take. The pain was crippling her now, and she wanted nothing more than to escape this conversation. Hermione found she was actually grateful for Ron's disappearance tonight.
"No!" Hermione exclaimed quickly. She didn't want Ginny to explain, the bandaid had already been torn off - there were no words that would end the anguish she felt.
"Hermione," Ginny said again. "Let me finish," she begged before grabbing Hermione's hand. Hermione felt her body betray her immediately and the pain subsided quickly upon Ginny's touch.
"Fine... okay," she said with a nod as the tears began to sting her eyes.
"My heart hurts when I look at you. And I haven't been looking at anyone but you for years. You're all I can think about, and I'd do anything to end the pain my brother's caused. I want you, Hermione. I don't want half truths and hiding. I want you. Please... give this a chance," Ginny breathed quickly, pushing the words from her mouth as if they might never get the chance to come out.
She looked at Ginny with a sadness. She wanted to give them a chance, they deserved a chance. But she'd have to give up on Ron and the history they shared.
"Ginny..." Hermione started to explain. "This... we can't. It would kill Ron."
"What has Ron done for you? Ron's out shagging your old roommate as we speak! Do this for you," Ginny said angrily, and Hermione watched as the anger danced around her eyes. "For us."
Ginny was right of course... Ron didn't do things for her or their relationship. She had spent months of her life wedding planning for a man who had been sneaking out to sleep with another woman. Hermione had spent birthdays, anniversarys, and holidays alone while convincing herself it was okay. She had put her happiness aside for Ron, she didn't do things for her.
"I'm scared," Hermione admitted to Ginny as she squeezed the warm hand gently, hoping to pull any soft of comfort she could.
"You won't be alone," Ginny said genuinely and Hermione felt all fear wash away from her. It was amazing how quickly Ginny could ease her nerves, how the woman in front of her knew exactly what she needed to hear. "I will be by your side as long as you'll have me."
Ginny pulled Hermione towards her, their body's crashing into a soothing embrace while Ginny ran her fingers over Hermione's hair. Hermione let herself breathe in the scent of grass and laundry soap and felt happy for the first time in a while.
She wasn't afraid to admit that their future terrified her, but perhaps the leap of faith wouldn't be so terrifying if Ginny was there to catch her.
Hermione swallowed her apprehension down and decided to take that first step towards freedom. She was bringing Ginny home.
"Oh, Merlin... Merlin," the witch panted beneath her and Hermione felt herself growing wet as Ginny's cries filled the room.
Hermione continued her ministrations, her thumb drawing frantic circles across Ginny's clit while her fingers moved harshly into her throbbing cunt. She felt powerful like this, nothing else mattered in these moments besides the pure bliss that crossed Ginny's face as Hermione went down on her, showing her just how much this meant to her.
She could feel Ginny's walls beginning to clamp around her fingers, and Hermione wanted nothing more than to enjoy that orgasm on her tongue, to kiss the pink flesh that was splayed in front of her. She dropped her tongue to Ginny's center and removed her fingers, letting her tongue take their place as she kissed and licked the warm crevice.
Ginny tasted divine. Like musk, and sugar, and sin. And Hermione wanted to get high on it.
She let Ginny's cries guide her movements and continued to devour her as Ginny wriggled beneath her on the couch. Hermione pushed her hand up Ginny's torso, moving to the soft peaks of her flesh and pinched her nipple. This caused Ginny to buckle, and Hermione knew Ginny was close to finishing. She continued to pinch and massage Ginny's breasts, and moaned as the witch came onto her face.
"My gods... I could do this forever," Ginny exhaled blissfully as Hermione wiped the juices from her mouth and chin.
Hermione moved out from between Ginny's legs and laid down carefully next to Ginny, tucked between the girl's naked body and the back of the couch.
"We should take half days more often," Hermione said before placing a light kiss on Ginny's cheek.
It wasn't something they did often - kiss - but Hermione found she couldn't help herself in the moments after they'd been intimate. She had tried her best to distance the relationship they were forming, to try and establish boundaries. But those boundaries had come crashing down as she decided to follow her heart for the first time ever.
So instead of denying herself this small pleasure like she might have previously done, she allowed herself to be vulnerable and didn't protest when Ginny's smooth fingers ran along her spine before she placed a timid kiss against Hermione's shoulder.
"I want to kiss you," Ginny said quietly, and Hermione looked up to see her eyes were wide, nervous as she admitted this to Hermione.
Hermione wanted to kiss her too, she wanted to fall into that feeling of bliss and comfort that Ginny had given her their first night together. But she was scared. Hermione was scared of what a kiss could mean, and how she knew that there was no going back for them now. Her heart stupidly wrestled over the guilt of Ron, though she tried to argue against it.
She knew a kiss from Ginny would could stop the torment, it would bring her clarity, but she was afraid of what she might see after being blind for so long.
Because that first kiss with Ginny hadn't been sweet, it had been shattering and completely devastated all she had thought possible about love. It was a kiss she reflected on for months after, the kind of kiss that had her touching her lips subconsciously as she thought about the feel of her lips. It was also the moment she had begun to question the future of her relationship with Ron.
Hermione hadn't thought a kiss could be so powerful - that the kiss would cause her to question more than Ronald's cheating.
She leaned forward slowly, but stopped herself before their lips could touch. Hermione felt Ginny's breath across her lips and held that position for a few moments longer.
"Please," Ginny begged.
Hermione smashed her lips against Ginny's and pushed her tongue between hers before tasting the inside of her mouth. Hermione never knew a kiss could feel so good or could be so sweet. She wanted to drown in her taste forever.
Ginny moaned against Hermione, the sound vibrating her lips and sending and undying hunger to her core. Hermione had never experienced such desire from kissing, at least never with Ron.
She wanted to feel this way forever, and briefly considered telling Ginny as much when the angry voice of her fiancé broke the spell she was under.
"Are you fucking joking me?" Ron said angrily, and Hermione pulled herself away from Ginny immediately and turned to it. She could feel her face growing red and her heart rate increasing rapidly as Ron stared at her with a hatred she had never expected.
Hermione shouldn't have been surprised to see Lavender, especially since she knew of the affair - but she was, so much so that the shock caught in her throat and made her choke. She hadn't expected him to bring her into their home, and the realization that this probably wasn't the first time hurt more than expected. Hermione wanted to be calm, mature, and levelheaded, but she found it was increasingly impossible when her head created imagery of Ron and Lavender defiling her bed.
At least Hermione had the decency to cheat on him on their couch.
"Oh that's bloody rich coming from you, Ronald!" Hermione said as she stared at the blonde beside her fiancé. Lavender looked at Hermione with surprise, like she hadn't expected Ron to fall victim to any consequences.
"ME?!" Ron shouted back as he stormed toward them from the doorway, and moved to the front of the couch.
Hermione helped cover Ginny, leaving herself uncomfortably exposed in the worst possible outcome of this scenario.
"I know you're cheating on me! And I know you've been doing it for months!" Hermione yelled back to Ron, the blood heating her cheeks as she stared at him. Had he really expected her to be so naive? So stupid?
"I have not! But for you to accuse me of that as you're shagging my sister is hilarious. You're mad," Ron exclaimed as he motioned over to Ginny whose face was now matching her hair.
"I found Lavender's knickers in the wash!" Hermione said with disbelief.
Hermione wished she hadn't seen Ron glance at Lavender quickly, wished she hadn't seen the girl turn her head away quickly, or the blush in her cheeks. If she hadn't seen those things, maybe this whole thing could have blown over.
Ron and Hermione could have kept pretending that they were happy. They could go to the Burrow once a week for a dinner they loved, could have curly haired babies with pale skin and freckles, they could be the couple they never had been.
But that wasn't who they were, it was never who they would be.
"We can't do this anymore," Hermione swallowed as she stared at her fiancé. "We can't keep pretending."
"Hermione… you can't do this to us," Ron stuttered, and Hermione felt her heard break for the man in front of her. They'd come to far together over the years, but they couldn't carry on with the delusion.
"I didn't do this," she answered quietly. "We've been falling apart for months, Lavender was the final straw."
Hermione watched as Lavender's cheeks reddened at the blame. She knew the girl would never accept the blame she played in the problems of their relationship. And it wasn't all Lavender's fault - Hermione knew that as well.
She watched as Ron glared at her angrily again, his eyes bounced between her and Ginny who remained half naked behind her.
"Ron… I love Hermione," Ginny said shakily, and Hermione felt herself blush under the proclamation. "Can you say the same?"
Ron's eyes widened at the question, and Hermione could see the brief flash of panic as he acknowledged the question his sister had posed. That brief look was enough for Hermione, it told her all she needed to know.
Their relationship was dead.
"I wish you the best, Ronald," Hermione whispered as she moved towards him. She pushed herself to her toes, placed a chaste kiss on his cheek; a silent goodbye to years worth of wasted time.
She let Ginny grab her hand once again who guided her to the beginning of her life.