"Wow, you wouldn't believe how much I missed this. Missed you."

Hermione giggled and gave Susan another gentle kiss on her tummy before joining her on her canopy bed. She gently circled Susan's left breast with one finger while she rested her head on the other. The two enjoyed the close physical contact and after a short while, Hermione heard rhythmic breathing above her head from Susan, who had fallen asleep. She smiled and thought about all the things she had missed in the last few months.

A short time later, however, thoughts of the past were replaced by anticipation of the events to come. Professor Dumbledore had taken over the idea of the Dueling Club from Professor Lockhart and had scheduled a new meeting of the club for tomorrow, Monday. To her great delight, the Quidditch season had been suspended during her absence. Primarily because of the events surrounding the Chamber of Secrets.

So she had two Quidditch games to look forward to. She had also resolved to work even harder to improve her elemental spells. Luna had also approached her to continue practising spells with her, even though she no longer had any problems with other students. Hermione, who had enjoyed the practice sessions with Luna very much, had immediately been hooked by her suggestion.

Lost in thought, she let a finger circle Susan's belly button and grinned as she noticed the slight goosebumps spreading across her stomach. Susan awoke with a sigh and was surprised to find that she had fallen asleep. She pushed herself up on her elbows and smiled down at Hermione, who had turned her head so that she was now lying with her left ear on Susan's stomach, looking up at her. Susan stroked her cheek.

Glancing at the clock beside Hermione's bed, she heaved a sigh and rose further, at which Hermione pouted briefly.

"I know, I'd rather lie here with you all day too, but I have Quidditch practice in ten minutes."

She rose from the bed and slipped into her yellow and black Quidditch uniform. Then she pulled Hermione into a hug, opened the window and got on her broom. Hermione touched her on the shoulder, whereupon the disillusionment charm spread across Susan and her broom.

She giggled as the image of her window took off and flew outside at a snail's pace, where it immediately blended in with the bright blue sky. Hermione dressed and gathered her belongings before heading to the library to finish her homework.

Fortunately, she had no trouble keeping up with her lessons, as she had reviewed everything during her petrification period and had also gone back through her second-year textbooks.

She was engrossed in an essay for Transfiguration when someone sat down at the table next to her. She looked up and smiled when she recognised Ginny, who smiled back and in turn pulled out a parchment and the book for Charms. When Hermione had finished, she read through what she had written again, correcting some spelling mistakes that had happened to her in a whisper with her wand.

When she had finished, she looked over at Ginny, who was staring out of the window with a glazed expression. Her quill had left a large circular ink stain on the parchment, which made Hermione suspect that Ginny had been absent for some time. Gently, she put her hand on Ginny's forearm, which made her wince. She glanced briefly at Hermione and then at her sheet of parchment, at which she blushed.

Hermione grinned and whispered 'Tergeo', soaking up the stain with her wand. She then gathered her things and signalled to Ginny with a sideways motion of her head to leave the library. Ginny packed up as well and the two left the library.

"What do you think about a little bit of relaxing by the lake?" asked Hermione and Ginny nodded. The two of them settled down on the shore of the lake shortly after, where numerous students were lolling in the warm spring sunshine. "It's far too hot for these robes!" said Hermione, pulling her robe over her head. Given the high temperatures, she had taken Susan's advice to wear her bikini under her school cloak instead of underwear.

Ginny did the same and Hermione realised that apparently she too had got the tip from Susan. Ginny, however, like all the other witches who had grown up in magical families, wore a one-piece bathing suit that was very old-fashioned for Hermione's taste.

"Last one in the water is a stinking cave troll!" exclaimed Hermione and ran towards the lake. Ginny laughed and ran after her. Almost simultaneously, the two arrived in the water. They both let out high-pitched whoops as the water of the lake was quite cold despite the warm sun. Hermione screamed as Ginny pushed her in the knee-high water and she lost her balance. Gasping, she emerged from the cold lake and took a leap forward that Ginny hadn't expected. She grabbed Ginny's ankle and pulled, whereupon she too plopped backwards into the water.

Screeching and laughing, the two splashed water on each other and swam a lap around the lake when they had calmed down a bit. When they reached the shore again, Luna, who had settled down on the grass next to their bags and clothes and was reading the Quibbler, waved at them.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" she asked as Ginny and Hermione approached them, looking up at the castle.

"Yes. Is that the new one?" asked Hermione and Luna nodded, beaming. Hermione had taken a bit of a fancy to the Quibbler. There wasn't much informative or investigative information written in it, but it had all the more charm and was perfect for when Hermione needed a break from textbooks.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Ginny had to force a little smile. She read into her emotions and could sense disappointment, though Ginny's face showed the opposite. Hermione pulled her briefly out of earshot of Luna, who was already engrossed in the Quibbler again anyway.

"You want to talk some more, right?" said Hermione and Ginny looked at her with wide eyes, but nodded immediately. "I'll find us a place later," she promised and Ginny's mood brightened noticeably. Hermione smiled at her and lay down on the warm grass with Luna.

She put a protection charm on the three of them, shielding their skin from the sun. It was one of the helpful spells from Penelope's sister's book that made her life as a witch a lot easier. She enjoyed the warm sun on her skin and dozed a little on her stomach.

She woke up when she could feel movement at her back and raised her head. There was nothing in front of her, but when the turned her head she could make out a grinning Susan, still wearing her Quidditch clothes.

"Hi Susan, well how was your ..." said Hermione, but the last word of her sentence was replaced by a yelp that escaped her as she sat up and noticed that her bikini top had slipped down. "Just you wait, you little minx!" she shouted, running after the guffawing Susan as she hugged the loose bikini top to her chest with one arm. Realising that barefoot she would not catch up with the still boot-wearing Susan, she fired a tripping curse after her with a wave of her hand.

As the spell hit its target, the still laughing Susan stumbled and landed nose down in the grass, though softened by Hermione's cushioning charm, which she had sent off immediately after the tripping curse. Susan was still rolling on the ground laughing when Hermione reached her.

"Very funny," Hermione said in a playfully offended tone. Susan stuck her tongue out at her teasingly and held out a hand as if expecting Hermione to pull her up. "You can forget that, it's just another trick," Hermione said and Susan rose under her own power with a mischievous grin.

"Come here, I'll tie it back on you," she said and Hermione willingly turned around so Susan could tie her top at the back. "Nice view," Susan commented, which now elicited a soft giggle from Hermione as well. "I'll have to buy something like that in the Muggle world this summer too. It really turns me on."

"Are you going to lie down with us?" asked Hermione, getting goosebumps at the last comment and walking back towards Luna and Ginny. She blushed slightly as she noticed that all the eyes of the students lying by the lake were still on her. "Thanks Susan," she thought and lay back down next to Ginny who was grinning at her.

Susan went to cool off in the lake first and then lay down with her friends. Hermione read a few chapters in the Quibbler while Ginny and Luna compared what they had written in their essays. When it became late afternoon, Luna said goodbye to them.

Susan also headed off to the library a little later, when she was approached by Hermione about the Charms essay and blushed in response. Hermione giggled and gave her another book tip so that Susan could progress more quickly.

"I managed that cleverly, didn't I? Susan always forgets one of her essays," Hermione said and Ginny laughed. Hermione turned on her side and propped her head on her arm to get a better look at Ginny. "What do you want to talk about? About the diary again?" asked Hermione and Ginny nodded.

"You're the only one besides Professor Dumbledore who makes me feel like it's not my fault," Ginny said and Hermione looked at her with a furrowed brow. "Most people have been avoiding me since it became known that I was possessed by the spirit of the diary. Even in Susan's gaze, I can see suspicion sometimes. But you are so kind to me. What you said in the hospital wing really helped me," Ginny said and Hermione could tell she was trying hard not to shed a tear.

"I think you need to give them some time. The others will quickly realise that you didn't want any of it if you just show them the real Ginny and don't bury yourself. And if you have any problems, you can always come to me. No matter when, no matter where," she said and at her last sentence Ginny lost the fight against tears. Hermione reached out and stroked her shoulder.

"Thank you so much, Hermione. You're the best friend anyone could ask for," she said after a brief recovery pause, brushing the tears from her eyes. Hermione smiled encouragingly at her and decided to talk to Susan about Ginny the next time she saw her too. What Ginny needed most of all now was an unconditional feeling of safety, which only her friends could give her at the moment.

They talked a little more about Ginny's family, who had no doubts about Ginny's innocence but could not give her the support she needed at the moment. A little later, the two went to dinner together, where Hermione joined Ginny at the Hufflepuff table, having read in her feelings that she wished she could.

Happy to have helped Ginny, Hermione went to her first individual lesson with Professor Dumbledore since she had awoken from petrification. She was making steady progress in conjuring air swirls and by the end of the lesson had even managed to create a small thundercloud from one cold and one warm air swirl, scattering tiny little hailstones on Dumbledore's carpet and thundering softly. Proud of the all-round success of the day, Hermione went to bed that evening completely exhausted and immediately fell into a restful sleep.

The next day, Hermione waited in anticipation with her classmates in the Great Hall for Professor Dumbledore to arrive. The Dueling Club was a complete success, unlike last time. Professor Dumbledore, unlike Professor Lockhart, did not need the help of another teacher to guide them. He managed to keep on top of things by skilfully positioning the groups around him and was able to be on hand immediately if a student needed correction.

"Protego!" exclaimed Hermione, fending off Susan's disarming spell. "Very good. Only my protection spell prevented me from being disarmed," she said encouragingly to Susan.

"Except you can't really be disarmed, even without a protection spell," she said and the two grinned knowingly at each other. Now it was Susan's turn to fight off Hermione's disarming spell. She managed it on the second try and while she and Hermione waited for Dumbledore's next instruction, Hermione stood by Susan and whispered to her.

"Listen, Ginny said to me that she feels that since she came back from the Chamber of Secrets, the others are afraid of her or don't believe her, that she didn't act of her free will. We must show her that we know she is not to blame," she said quietly and Susan looked at her in surprise.

"Of course, I don't think she's to blame!" she said, upset.

"I believe you, but we need to talk to her about it. She still has so much to process herself that we need to actively support her. I've already thought about inviting her to my house in the summer so she can have a little distraction. But I'm in France for the whole holiday," she said.

"Then I'll invite her! Of course!" said Susan and Hermione beamed at her.

"Thank you, Susan. Promise me you'll talk to her again."

"Of course! Thank you for telling me that. Ginny didn't mention much to me about what happened with the diary either. I'll talk to her. Expelliarmus!"

Hermione laughed aloud as her wand was snatched from her hand. "I finally got you too!" said Susan with a grin.

The two listened as Professor Dumbledore raised his voice and gave them new instructions. They were next to try and break their partner's shield charm by sending as many spells at it as possible. Susan's shield charm grew stronger each time, and in the end, she managed to deflect four of Hermione's tickling charms before her shield broke on the fifth, leaving her writhing on the floor laughing.

"If I remember correctly, there was a little exhibition match at the end of the last duelling club. An excellent idea!" exclaimed Dumbledore just before the end of the double lesson. He had a few groups compete against each other in the middle of the Great Hall, which this time was much more civilised and with fewer snakes than last time.

Hermione competed against Harry at Dumbledore's request, who broke away from the group of Gryffindors and bowed with Hermione. Harry produced a good shield charm, resulting in quite a respectable duel in which a few spells were exchanged. Hermione, however, disarmed him with a feint at the end. The rest of the students applauded, but as the applause died down, Hermione could see Malfoy say something in Goyle's ear and they both laughed.

"You're welcome to try it yourself if you're not satisfied with Mr Potter's performance, Mr Malfoy!" Dumbledore said and Malfoy's grin froze on his face. With a red head, Malfoy stepped forward and Hermione struggled to stifle her laughter and put on a serious look.

She couldn't help but let Malfoy's wand fly out of his hand with a barely noticeable twitch of her finger, as she had done before in the first Dueling Club. She put on a confused look and pretended not to know what had just happened. When Malfoy had picked up his wand again with a flushed face, he was getting ready to cast spells and Hermione could read him like an open book. Spell after spell she playfully fended off and faked a spell, only to send a disarming spell at Malfoy just as his protection spell was dissipating.

"Well, I guess we'll practice that again at the next Dueling Club, Mr Malfoy," Dumbledore said dryly, ending the lesson shortly after. Hermione also spoke to Luna at the next opportunity to let Ginny feel the full support of her friends.

Then it was time. The Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor Quidditch match was coming up and Hermione walked down to the Quidditch stadium in her Quidditch attire and her shouldered broom. It was a beautiful early summer day and snowy white fleecy clouds stretched across the sky. When she had almost arrived at the stadium, a hand grabbed her shoulder and someone whispered in her ear.

"I want you to do the first dare of our bet," Susan breathed and Hermione didn't have to turn around to notice the mischievous grin on her face. She scowled at Susan.

"I'm not going to do anything that affects the game," Hermione said firmly and stopped.

"I don't want you to, either. Well, let's just say your game might be affected." She stepped closer to Hermione again and whispered, "I want you to play without underwear" Hermione blushed but laughed in relief.

"How is that going to affect my game?" she asked and Susan grinned.

"If all goes well it won't, but what if someone makes a mistake and grabs your jersey instead of the quaffle? Have you seen what some of the Slytherin and Gryffindor players look like after the games?" said Susan, twitching her eyebrows. Hermione felt a little queasy. Indeed, jerseys did occasionally get ripped in the heat of the moment.

"Betting debts are debts of honour!" said Susan in a busy tone, but she couldn't hide her gloating. "Look at it this way, I'll have to take off less of your clothes after the game too, either to celebrate the win, or to cheer you up." Hermione grinned and nodded.

"Have a breezy game, don't get too distracted," Susan said with a wink and made her way to the spectator tower. Hermione shook her head and hurried into the changing room to fulfil her dare. It actually felt liberating to be playing in just her thin jersey and protective gear, and in the cool wind of the stadium, she kept feeling goosebumps move over her body.

Susan's tactic of using it to distract her from the game didn't work, however. Hermione had lost none of her dexterity on the broom in her petrification and scored some spectacular goals. Despite her goal thunderstorm on Oliver Wood, who was not in a good shape that day, Harry was able to secure victory for Gryffindor with a spectacular catch of the Snitch.

Hermione hung her head a little at the close score of 130 to 160, but the fact that her jersey had remained intact and she had fulfilled her dare to Susan diminished her sadness somewhat. The fulfilment of Susan's promise did the rest.


"You have become really good," Hermione said, inspecting the impeccable knitting needle that Luna had just transformed from an apple. Luna smiled broadly and sank exhaustedly into a chair that stood behind her in the classroom where Hermione and she were practising for their exams.

Hermione spoke the formula for the re-transformation and bit a large piece out of the apple. "You shouldn't have any trouble pleasing Professor McGonagall," Hermione said, offering Luna her free hand to pull her up. Together, the two of them made their way to the common room, as curfew was imminent.

They found an empty sofa and settled into the soft cushions. Luna let herself fall to the side and landed with her head on Hermione's lap. She turned onto her back and looked at Hermione smiling, which made Hermione giggle.

"Thank you for always being there for me. You're like a big sister to me."

"And you're already my little sister," Hermione replied, playfully pinching Luna's nose. She enjoyed this special closeness to Luna, which was quite different from the sexually driven friendship with Susan or the purely platonic friendship with Ginny. Luna awakened in her the protective instinct Hermione imagined siblings would have.

She wanted Luna to do well, to succeed and to develop as best she could at Hogwarts. Smiling, she stroked her blonde hair and massaged her head with her fingers. The two of them cuddled for a while longer and Hermione stared into the fire somewhat absently.

Again and again, her thoughts returned to the suspicion Dumbledore and she had about Harry's lightning scar. Dumbledore had impressed upon her not to say a word about it to Harry, but she hadn't intended to anyway. Harry already had enough on his plate. Somehow he seemed to magically attract trouble and there was always Voldemort involved somehow.

It was as if they were the only two moons orbiting rapidly around a planet, inevitably meeting again and again along the way. Hermione felt a tear roll down her cheek at the thought of Harry's fate and quickly wiped it away.

"What's wrong?" asked Luna, who had been watching them from her lap the whole time.

"Nothing," Hermione said, but she knew full well that she couldn't fool Luna with that.

"Is it because of a boy?" asked Luna, grinning. Hermione giggled and shook her head. Luna obviously realised that Hermione didn't want to talk about it and left it at that. A little later she headed off to bed and Hermione wished her good luck with her exam tomorrow. Hermione remained sitting by the fireplace for a while, staring into the crackling fire. Somewhere out there was probably the part of Voldemort's soul that had once been bound to his body, plotting something.

When her own thoughts became too dark, she too went upstairs. As her gaze fell out of the window on the star-filled sky, her desire for freedom was awakened and a minute later she closed her eyes with a sigh as the pleasant night air brushed through her feathers.

"Hello, anyone still awake?" she whispered as she arrived at the oak tree by the Black Lake and peered into the knothole where Lancelot and his little family had their nest.

"Keep it down," Lancelot whispered back and only a moment later he was gingerly stalking out of the knothole towards her. Hermione cooed softly as she saw the cute young ravens that had hatched a few weeks ago and now looked like little fluffy versions of Lancelot. They slept snuggled close together, melting Hermione's heart.

"Would you like to go for a little night out?"

"I'd love to," Lancelot said, stretching once before they both took off and flew towards the Highlands.

"Your young ones are soo cute! How long do you think it will be before they are fully fledged?"

"Not long at all, they're feeding well and growing every day," he said and Hermione could hear the fatherly pride in his voice.

"No wonder, when they take after such a glutton."

"Very funny."

"You're a great dad," she said, giggling as Lancelot puffed out his chest proudly in flight.

"How are you? You seem sad," Lancelot said, proving once again how he himself paid attention to nuances in her voice and could read her like a book.

"Yeah, I don't know. It's because of Harry Potter. I feel so sorry for him," she said, telling Lancelot the details she had learned since she had been petrified.

"Do you think he's the lion?" asked Lancelot as they paused for a moment on the shore.

"It's very likely. At the moment I don't know anyone else who comes to mind. I don't know what to do. I want to help him, but how, without telling him?"

"Maybe you should help him like you help your friends. I see you so often with them at the lake and the castle, but you hardly speak a word with him."

"That's true, he was kind of a fool last year, but he was really nice at the last Duelling Club. And he beat the Basilisk all by himself and saved Ginny."

"Sounds like you could help him by letting him into your life. Your friendship alone is quite an improvement for anyone."

"Stop it, you old charmer!" exclaimed Hermione, giggling. Lancelot laid a wing over her back, laughing, and Hermione was happier than ever to have someone to talk to about anything, be it her destiny or her friends, in her animal companion. She enjoyed the flight back and resolved that next term she would no longer see Harry as the boy she had seen in the first term.


"Accio!" said Ginny, snatching the last chocolate frog from under Susan's nose. Susan looked at her with squinted eyes and instead reached out for a gummy worm that was about to make a wriggly escape.

"If you keep being cheeky, I'll let you clean the loo in our house when you come to visit," Susan said, laughing as now Ginny scowled at her. They taunted and teased each other while Luna and Hermione read the Quibbler or the Daily Prophet. Ginny, Luna and Susan did some more magic before they arrived in London and weren't allowed to use their wands again until September. There was a tearful goodbye on the platform, but the joy of reunion pushed aside the sadness moments later as all four fell into their parents' arms.

"Where's Lancelot?" asked Hermione's father, looking up and down Hermione's luggage.

"He's settled down!" said Hermione with a grin, telling her parents about the cute raven children Lancelot had gotten at Hogwarts. Lancelot had actually wanted to accompany her home, but Hermione's holiday to France for the entire summer holiday made it almost impossible for the two of them to spend much time together.

Hermione had also reminded him of his parental duties. Hagrid had also been pleased that Fang's playmate would be staying at Hogwarts during the holidays. Just as Hermione was about to leave with her parents, Susan came up to her again and pulled her away a little. She had her mischievous grin on again and Hermione didn't suspect anything good. Susan pulled her into a tight hug but used it to whisper something in her ear.

"Dare number three. I want you to lose your virginity in France."

Hermione's mouth dropped open and felt all the blood in her body instantly rush to her head. She freed herself from Susan's grasp and looked at her with wide eyes. Susan grinned smugly at her and twitched her eyebrows.

"Only if an opportunity arises, of course. I don't want you to do anything stupid on your last day if nothing has come up, but if you meet a cute French boy, you know what to do," she said and Hermione pressed her lips together. Contrary to what her face had suggested, her body had shown a definite reaction and a lustful tingle rose from the centre of her body.

"I'll see what I can arrange," Hermione finally said, putting on a composed face as she looked at her fingernails, which made Susan laugh. The two of them gave each other a proper farewell hug and Hermione, along with her parents, left Kings Cross where, to her surprise, they immediately set off by car for France. Her parents had bought a van earlier in the year to make the road trip through France more relaxed for everyone involved.

After Hermione had briefly unpacked her Hogwarts trunk at home and packed two holiday suitcases with the Packing Charm, they immediately set off for Dover. Hermione made herself comfortable in the spacious back seat during the journey and finished reading the Quibbler she had started on the Hogwarts Express.

"What's a shrunken-horned snarker?" her mother asked a few hours later, when she had grabbed the magazine on the empty sun deck of the ferry.

"No one really knows," Hermione said with a laugh, and her mother looked at her, puzzled. Hermione explained to her that Luna and her father were always on the lookout for undiscovered creatures and curiosities, and her mother agreed that the magazine really did have charm if you didn't take everything printed in it seriously.

It turned out to be a wonderful holiday. Hermione's parents spent a week with her in Paris, where she was able to see the city and explore on her own without rushing. However, after a week in the noisy metropolis, she was glad to see the countryside and soak up the sun on the Côte d'Azur.

She feasted on the wonderful French cuisine with her parents and discovered her new favourite drink, Sirop de Grenadine. Whenever the opportunity allowed, Hermione ordered herself a glass of the sweet and fruity juice. Contrary to Susan's expectations, the French boys did not storm after her and Hermione was also happy to be able to spend the holiday with her parents, as her planned winter holiday had fallen flat.

It felt like the old days when she had gone on holiday with her parents before she became a witch and Hermione enjoyed not worrying about anything except whether to order bouillabaisse or quiche for dinner. As the penultimate week of the holidays approached, the anticipation of seeing Amelie and Philippe also rose within her.

As she had learned from a letter earlier, the two of them were now working for French television as interpreters, having graduated last year. When Hermione caught sight of the small stone house where they now lived from the window of the van, she was immediately enamoured.

It was an old house, built with grey bricks, which was surrounded by lavender fields. The rows of purple, bushy plants looked as if they had come straight out of a travel guide. As she got out of the car, a lovely scent wafted towards her.

She rushed up to Amelie, who was just opening the front door and hugged her tightly. Laughing, Amelie wrapped her in her arms and praised her French as Hermione greeted her and immediately peppered her with questions.

"Look at you, Hermione! You've grown beautiful!" she said and Hermione smiled broadly at her.

"And you still are!" said Hermione and they both laughed.

Hermione had made an effort to learn the language to the best of her ability during her time in France and had used some trances to improve her pronunciation and vocabulary. Her parents had been very pleased with her rapid progress, as the French, who were sometimes a bit of their own, were often reluctant to speak English. Hermione also hugged Philippe, who was just coming outside. Her parents also greeted them warmly and Amelie invited the three Grangers in.

It was a very old house that was in the middle of a renovation. It was easy to see which rooms had already been renovated by them and which had not. A wonderfully fragrant bread was baking in the old stone oven, which Hermione had smelled as soon as she got out of the car. Her parents stayed for dinner at Amelie and Philippe's invitation and then drove on. They would spend another week in Brittany, while Hermione would fly straight from Marseille to London after spending two weeks with Amelie and Philippe.

"Do you own the lavender fields around the house?" asked Hermione after dinner as the three of them were comfortably playing a board game.

"No, they still belong to the farmer we bought the land from. He asked us if we needed the fields and we got a nice discount because he can keep farming them. We will get one of the fields as a garden next year when it has been harvested," Philippe explained.

"Great, the house is really lovely!" She immediately felt at home and was already looking forward to the next two weeks. Amelie and Philippe had planned a few hikes in the nearby French Alps and a few trips to the beaches and coastal towns of the Côte d'Azur, which were also not far away.

Hermione fell asleep that night full of anticipation and woke up far too early the next morning. Unable to get back to sleep, she decided to take one of the bikes outside the house to shop at a bakery for breakfast. Her parents had given her more than enough money so that she wouldn't be too much of a burden on Amelie and Philippe.

She couldn't really remember if she had seen a bakery in the last village they had passed through when they had driven to Amelie and Philippe's house, but she hoped that, like the rest of France, there would be at least a small boulangerie there too.

She enjoyed the still pleasantly lukewarm air in the early morning before it would get really hot towards midday. The old bicycle squeaked a little, but she arrived without incident in the picturesque village, where she could actually follow the smell of fresh croissants to the boulangerie.

Looking at her wristwatch, she realised that she was too early and so she rode another leisurely round through the little village. She was then the first customer and was warmly greeted by the elderly gentleman who opened the door for her. A wonderful smell of fresh baked goods wafted towards her.

She took some croissants and pain au chocolats and stowed them in the basket attached to the handlebars of the bicycle. Happily, she rode back to the house at a leisurely pace, enjoying the beautiful landscape dotted with fields of lavender and herbs.

She tried not to be too loud while she set the breakfast table and searched the fridge for butter and jams. She also tried the coffee machine but soon realised that she had no idea how to operate an espresso machine and let it go.

"Good morning. Oh, wow!" said a tired voice behind her as Hermione examined the espresso machine. Smiling, she greeted Amelie, who stretched and yawned profusely. "You're up early! And you went to the bakery! That smells wonderful. I'll go wake Philippe," Amelie said and went back through the door to fetch her boyfriend.

It took a few minutes for the three of them to sit at the table and eat a lively breakfast. Philippe had still been so tired that he had made an espresso for Hermione too without thinking. Hermione grimaced as she tasted the coffee and Amelie and Philippe laughed uproariously.

"I think I'll stick to tea," Hermione said with a grin after finishing the espresso. After breakfast, first Hermione, then Amelie and Philippe went to have a shower and then set off for the mountains. They had chosen an easy route so that Hermione could get used to walking again. It turned out to be a nice day, even though they were caught in a downpour on the way down, which completely drenched them. The rain was pleasantly warm and Hermione suggested they hike a little further so that their clothes could dry in the sun, which by now was shining again. Dry again, they rode back home in Amelie's old Renault.

"Get on your bike, we're going to the village," Amelie said as the three of them had unpacked their backpacks. Hermione looked at her questioningly, but Amelie just reached out and Hermione took her hand. They drove into the village where Hermione had been to the bakery earlier that morning and stopped in front of a nondescript stone house with an ivy-covered barn next to it. Hermione looked at them both questioningly again, but again Amelie just held out her hand with a smile and led Hermione down some stairs. She was surprised to suddenly find herself in a cosy guest room with large barrels and numerous bottles of wine lying in small niches in the walls.

"Surprise succeeded?" asked Amelie and Hermione nodded with shining eyes. They were greeted by a man Hermione estimated to be about 40.

"Good evening, Amelie and Philippe! And who is this enchanting young lady you bring with you?"

Amelie introduced the two and they sat down in a cosy corner. Louis, the owner of the wine cellar, handed them two menus each. The selection of food was small, but even so, it took Hermione a long time to decide, because everything sounded wonderful. She finally decided on a rack of lamb in a herb crust.

"Would the young lady like to join the wine tasting?" asked Louis when they had placed their orders. Hermione looked a little uncertainly at Amelie and Philippe, who exchanged a few brief words with Louis in such rapid French that Hermione couldn't keep up. Louis smiled and took the wine lists from them again.

"What did you say?" asked Hermione, but Amelie only replied that she would find out for herself in a moment. Louis came back two minutes later with a tray bearing their drinks. One by one he placed the juice glasses on the table first and Hermione began to laugh.

With a sly grin, Louis placed the two wine glasses in front of Amelie and Philippe before placing the smallest wine glass Hermione had ever seen in front of her. It looked exactly like the wine glasses of the two adults, but was the size of a thimble.

"That will be enough to taste," the innkeeper said with a wink and the three of them laughed. They raised a toast and Hermione took the tiny glass between her thumb and index finger. The wine took a little getting used to, but immediately tasted better to her than the beer she had tried on holiday with her father.

The food was perfect and Hermione was on cloud nine. She could completely relax here after the hike and enjoyed every moment. Amelie and Philippe talked a lot about their work and Hermione told a bit about Hogwarts, disguising the school as a Muggle boarding school. She still managed to tell a little about her teachers and friends without having to bend the truth.

It became a very enjoyable evening and Hermione was given a new miniature glass with each new round of wine. Unlike Amelie, who turned a little pink around the cheeks after a few rounds, Hermione didn't feel any of the alcohol due to the tiny amount. When the last guests who had been sitting in the wine cellar apart from them had gone home, Louis sat down with them with a large glass of red wine and invited Amelie and Philippe for another glass.

Louis was very funny and Hermione was amazed at how many projects he had in the area. It turned out that he was a winemaker and had grown all the wines they had tried himself. He also owned the lavender fields outside Amelie and Philippe's house, which he had sold them. He also had a share in a gourmet shop in Marseille that his brother had opened and where his wine was sold. Hermione liked it so much in the wine cellar that she asked if it was open every day.

"It's only closed on Mondays, so I seem to have done everything right," he replied with a laugh. The four toasted and when Amelie and Philippe had finished their drinks, the three paid and headed home. Hermione could not dissuade Amelie from inviting her and eventually gave up. It was a fun ride home as Amelie giggled in a spree, which was extremely infectious to Hermione. They made it back to the house without incident and Hermione thanked them both for a great day before getting ready for bed. Hermione fell asleep happily, dreaming of endless lavender fields.

For the next day, Amelie and Philippe had planned a day at the beach to recover from the hike. What Hermine loved about Provence was its proximity to both the beach and the mountains. As a city kid from the south of England, she had never experienced anything like it. Philippe drove them to a beach less known to tourists, making it very relaxed compared to the crowded beaches she had visited with her parents.

When the three of them had chosen a spot, Hermione took off her summer dress and took the sunscreen out of her backpack. Philippe briefly eyed her body in the bikini, but then turned to the glittering sea. Unlike him, Amelie had put on a look at the sight of Hermione that she knew only too well from Susan.

Hermione smiled at her and Amelie blushed as she seemed to realise that Hermione had noticed her stares. Hermione pressed the sunscreen into her hand and lay prone on her towel. Amelie understood immediately and began to apply the sunscreen to Hermione's back, legs and bottom. She did her best to keep it respectable though.

Hermione grinned into her arms folded on the towel and then closed her eyes. She enjoyed the sun on her back and dozed a little until she was reminded by Amelie to turn around so as not to get sunburnt. Hermione, who had become a little sleepy, thanked her and looked around after sitting up. The beach had become a little more crowded, but nowhere near as crowded as the tourist beaches.

"Are you coming into the water?" asked Hermione and Amelie stood up while Philippe went to look after their things. The two of them walked through the hot sand and first walked a few metres in the wet and pleasantly cool sand before entering the water.

"Do you like it with us?" asked Amelie and Hermione nodded eagerly.

"It's beautiful, everything so far!" said Hermione, beaming at Amelie who looked relieved.

"Please let me know if you get bored," Amelie said in a serious tone.

"Why would I get bored? As far as I'm concerned, we can spend the rest of the holiday taking turns going hiking and swimming. It's lovely with you!" said Hermione, shivering slightly as a wave caught them both at belly button height.

"I'm glad to hear that. But promise me you'll let me know if you get bored. I remember being your age when my parents took me on holiday," Amelie said and Hermione laughed.

"But you're not my parents," she said and pushed Amelie, who fell backwards into the water, shrieking. Gasping for air, she resurfaced and laughed uproariously.

"Just you wait!" she cried, leaping forward and pulling Hermione under with her. Laughing, they both resurfaced and let the waves carry them back towards the beach.

They frolicked in the waves and swam a little too, but let the waves carry them most of the time and soon returned to Philippe, who was reading a book in the shade of his parasol. Hermione dried off and asked Amelie and Philippe if they also wanted an ice cream.

The two declined with thanks and so Hermione went off alone to buy ice cream at a nearby shop. As she stood in line, someone tapped her on the shoulder and when she turned around, she looked into the face of a boy she estimated to be about 18. He wore a short moustache and designer sunglasses.

"Hello, Cherie. My friends and I were wondering if you'd like to party with us for a bit. We noticed you before," he said in French, glancing conspicuously at Hermione's chest.

"No thanks," Hermione said curtly and turned back around, but she immediately noticed that the young man had stepped even closer to her.

"Come on, sweetie. We'll give you anything you want," he said in her ear and Hermione took a step to the side.

"Listen! No. Beat it!" she said loudly and clearly as if she were talking to a monkey. As the boy took another step towards her, her patience snapped.

"Take care!" she chanted after him as he took off after her nonverbal Revulsion Jinx. Out of the corner of her eye, she realised that someone else was approaching her and she turned to the person with an annoyed look on her face. She could only just restrain herself from shouting at Philippe, whom she only recognised at second glance.

"Are you alright? The guy was staring after you and followed you as soon as you started going," Philippe asked, putting an arm around Hermione's shoulder.

"Yeah, the guy was a bit dense, thanks Philippe," Hermione said. She was pleased that Philippe would have come to her rescue if she hadn't scared the boy away herself. She decided not to let such a slippery fellow ruin her day and bought Philippe an ice cream, whether he liked it or not. He grinned at her as she wordlessly thrust the ice cream into his hand and walked back to their towels.

"Are you okay?" asked Amelie anxiously as the two returned and was relieved when they both nodded. Now seeing her boyfriend with an ice cream, Amelie put on puppy eyes that made Hermione laugh. Philippe willingly shared his ice cream with her and didn't take his eyes off Hermione for the rest of the day.

In the evening, at Hermione's request, the three of them had dined at Louis' again, as she wanted to try the other dishes on the menu. Amelie had agreed immediately and today they sat in the beautiful wine cellar until late into the night again.

Amelie was clearly more drunk than the day before, whereupon the three of them preferred to push the bikes home. Amelie sang a French song and Hermione giggled almost the whole way back at the young woman's exuberant mood, who didn't really seem drunk to her, however, but mainly in a good mood.

After about half an hour's walk back, they put the bikes in the shed and sat down in the living room for a while. Amelie put on some music on an old record player and danced a little with Hermione, who enjoyed the exuberant mood very much.

Philippe sat on the sofa with another glass of wine and watched the two of them smiling. Amelie and Hermione kept making the other do a pirouette with their hands. Hermione had never really danced before, but simply let herself be infected by Amelie and tried to translate her joy into movements. It was wonderful to just switch off her head and let the music and the beautiful Amelie lead her. The two danced to song after song until Hermione dropped onto the sofa, exhausted but happy. Amelie got them both another drink and then joined Hermione on the sofa.

"That was a great day, you're both really sweet to me," Hermione said, sipping her water.

"Glad you like it, Hermione," Amelie said with a twinkle in her eye, which made her look even prettier to Hermione for a moment.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to have a relaxing day here tomorrow. We could cook something delicious and play some board games," she suggested after yawning once heartily.

"Great idea!" said Amelie, giggling and giving Hermione a goodnight kiss on the forehead. Hermione said goodbye and brushed her teeth. Just as she was about to enter her room, she heard a noise, something she had heard before in a French mountain hut. She felt a tingling sensation spread through her body.

Again she heard Amelie moan, followed by a 'Shh!' from Philippe. Hermione giggled softly and put a Silencio spell on herself so as not to disturb the two of them. Given the four weeks of holiday in which she had not experienced an orgasm due to the presence of her parents, it was out of the question for her to go to sleep now.

She tiptoed down the stairs, which she also covered with a Silencio so that the old steps wouldn't creak. She peered around the corner of the living room lit by the light of a single candle. She shivered a little when she saw the two bodies fused tightly together on the couch.

From her corner, she could see the back of the sofa. She saw the back of Philippe's head, with Amelie's slender fingers clawing into his hair as she kissed her boyfriend passionately. Hermione couldn't make out much through the sparse candlelight, but the romantic mood, perfectly matched by the music Amelie had put on, made Hermione's hand move down immediately.

Trembling, she watched the passionate lovemaking right before her eyes. Amelie closed her eyes and placed Philippe's hands on her breasts, who immediately began to gently massage them. Hermione began to read Amelie's emotions and was filled with a wonderful feeling of arousal and comfort. She was sure she was feeling true love right now. Her hips trembled and she closed her eyes briefly in arousal. Suddenly she was overtaken by such a violent lust from Amelie that she tore her eyes open again.

She gasped inaudibly as she looked directly into Amelie's eyes, which fixed her with their gaze as she bobbed quickly up and down on Philippe. Hermione was frozen in place at the fact that Amelie had spotted her. Still, the young Frenchwoman fixed Hermione with a gaze that showed unbridled lust.

Amelie bit her lower lip and closed her eyes in arousal. Due to her extreme arousal, which Hermione was still part of, she was shaken by a violent orgasm that made her legs go soft like pudding, despite her completely frozen hand on her belly. She had to hold on to the corner of the living room wall to keep from losing her footing.

Amelie still fixed her with her gaze and moaned loudly as she watched Hermione's silent climax. Amelie's orgasm dragged Hermione's out even more, bringing tears to her eyes. Her eyelids contracted uncontrollably and her body was shaken hopelessly.

Amelie was still bobbing up and down quickly on Philippe, pulling him into a passionate kiss as he too came to a close. Still, Hermione could not take her eyes off Amelie, nor her emotional connection. Amelie smiled at her in satisfaction and pulled Philippe's face up to her breasts. She then placed a kiss on her palm, breathed it towards Hermione and beckoned.

Hermione smiled and retreated to her room. When she had quietly closed the door behind her, she had to pinch herself for a moment to be sure that Amelie had really reacted that way to her watching them have sex. She lay awake for a long time thinking about how the next morning would be. Still unable to sleep after an hour, she put herself into a redemptive trance.

When she woke up the next morning, she stayed in bed for a while, although she was already wide awake. She had some jitters, not knowing how to deal with last night. Despite the intense climax and Amelie's apparent positive reaction, she was very anxious when she came to the breakfast table where Amelie was sitting with a cup of coffee.

"Good morning!" greeted Amelie with a smile and got up to make Hermione breakfast. Hermione greeted back curtly and was glad that Amelie had her back turned for now. The more she thought back to last night, the more embarrassed she felt that she had been so led by her lust.

"Philippe is helping Louis at his vineyard, he probably won't be home until evening. Did you sleep well?" asked Amelie, without turning away from the pan in which an omelette was now sizzling.

"Mmm," Hermione hummed, finding it hard to separate her lips. Amelie prepared the omelette without comment and served it to Hermione along with a glass of orange juice. Hermione thanked her and immediately started eating to keep her mouth busy.

Amelie, suspecting her strategy, looked at her smiling with her head tilted. As their eyes met, Hermione felt the blood rush to her head and she lowered her gaze back to her breakfast, which tasted truly fantastic. Finally, Amelie broke the silence.

"Hermione. You don't have to be ashamed of what happened last night," she said and Hermione, who had just stuffed a second bite into her mouth even though she hadn't even swallowed the first, looked up at her with her cheeks full. She choked as she tried to swallow the huge mouthful in one go.

Amelie looked at her worriedly, but Hermione managed to get the situation under control with a sip of orange juice. She sighed in relief and looked at Amelie with an embarrassed expression.

"You really are adorable," she said grinning broadly and Hermione averted her eyes with her head still red. "Look, I'm serious! You have nothing to be ashamed of about what happened last night. Rather, I have to, because we're in charge of you right now. I didn't behave very maturely last night, but the horses just ran away with me after we had such a nice evening," Amelie explained.

"You don't mind that I watched you?" asked Hermione, looking up shyly at Amelie who was looking at her with wide eyes.

"Did I make you feel that way?" she said with a sad look, but Hermione shook her head. "Good, because it was just the opposite," Amelie said confidently and Hermione looked at her with wide eyes.

"You're not mad at me?" asked Hermione again and Amelie shook her head decisively. Hermione exhaled in relief and only now noticed that Amelie's hand was still on her forearm.

"Listen, Hermione. It wasn't that long ago that I was your age, although for your age you are considerably further along than I was then. Don't think I was a pious church mouse when I was your age," she said, winking at her. Again Hermione blushed.

"You really love him, don't you? I felt it yesterday," she said and Amelie nodded with a smile. "It was really hot watching you, even if I didn't see that much," she said, blushing again as she looked at Amelie, who closed her eyes briefly. "Less than when we were at the cottage, anyway," Hermione said, suddenly feeling the need to confess to Amelie her then-secret voyeurism. Amelie opened her eyes and looked at her first in disbelief, then with a mixture of lust and interest.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed, explaining to the perplexed Hermione that she had seen a shadow at the door at the time, but that she hadn't really expected the younger Hermione to watch her have sex yet. Hermione looked at her a little ashamed, but Amelie immediately told her that she shouldn't be ashamed of it.

"Did you enjoy being watched?" asked Hermione and Amelie nodded. This confirmed the intense feeling of pleasure Hermione had felt when their eyes had met. "Have you told Philippe about this?" she asked, blushing again as Amelie nodded with a grin. "What did he say?" she asked anxiously.

"He didn't believe me," Amelie said dryly, shrugging her shoulders with a laugh. "You must know, we always leave a crack open in the door because we like the feeling of being caught or watched at any moment," Amelie explained, and this time she blushed slightly at Hermione's look, which clearly signalled that she had suspected as much.

"I had sex with Philippe once when we were caught by my grandmother," Amelie said and Hermione looked at her with wide eyes. "She left immediately, but Philippe and I got such a kick out of it that we haven't wanted to give it up since," Amelie explained.

"You handle the subject so naturally," Hermione said in amazement, but Amelie's look turned serious.

"Many more people should be open about their sexuality. There is nothing more unhealthy than declaring such a beautiful part of life taboo!" said Amelie firmly. Hermione nodded with a smile.

"Hermione, promise to tell me the truth. If you're uncomfortable or just didn't tell the truth out of fear, I can never forgive myself," Amelie said and Hermione could see her eyes glaze over.

"No, it was beautiful. You guys are beautiful. And I enjoyed every second of it. That was the best orgasm I've ever had," Hermione said firmly, but could feel her ears getting hot and throbbing. Amelie nodded and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Now I feel guilty for being so irresponsible. What if we had disturbed you and you left," Amelie said and Hermione interrupted her.

"Amelie! But it wasn't like that. You don't have to justify anything. Especially not for sleeping with your boyfriend in your own house. Even a six-year-old can figure that out," Hermione said sternly, now grabbing Amelie's hand and squeezing it tightly. Amelie seemed to slowly regain her composure.

"Listen to me, I'm only going to say this one more time, you have nothing to apologise for. Hell, I'd love to rip your clothes off right now and do it with you myself," Hermione said, not realising until the next moment what she had said. Amelie looked at her incredulously with her big, round eyes. Then she looked at Hermione with the same look with which she had breathed the kiss to her last night.

"But Hermione, you're only thirteen," Amelie said after a brief pause, but Hermione snorted.

"Don't think I was a pious church mouse when I was your age," Hermione said, perfectly mimicking Amelie's tone from before. Amelie scowled at her.

"That's different, I didn't have anything with older people," she said.

"And how exactly is that different? Don't you think I know exactly what I want and what I don't want? If you think I'm a little child, then we should indeed change the subject," Hermione said, exasperated. Amelie was a little caught off guard, but squeezed Hermione's hand tightly.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. You're right. You don't deserve to be treated like a child who knows nothing about life. But look at my situation. You're not even fourteen yet. Legally, I'm even committing a crime, if only because I let it excite me last night that you were watching me."

"I don't give a damn about the law!" cried Hermione, standing up so abruptly that her chair fell over. Amelie winced, but a moment later she sighed softly as Hermione's lips touched hers. "Now you know what I want and don't want," Hermione said, walking back to her seat. Sullenly, she picked up the chair and flopped down on it, arms crossed. Then it struck her that she had reacted very childishly to not being treated like an adult and when their eyes met, Hermione couldn't help giggling. Amelie laughed too and it took them a while to get their composure back.

"I'm sorry about the kiss," Hermione said with an apologetic expression, but Amelie shook her head.

"You convinced me you were telling the truth with that. As for the clothes-ripping thing, though, I'll have to talk to Philippe first," she said in a serious tone and Hermione choked on her sip of orange juice. "Unless you weren't serious," Amelie said with a slightly disappointed look on her face.

Hermione coughed and this time had to use a spell to help herself clear the juice from her windpipe. Amelie looked at her worriedly, but Hermione was able to take a deep breath again after her spell. She really hadn't expected that now. Amelie looked at her with her head tilted and Hermione understood that she was expecting an answer.

"I... um... well..." stammered Hermione, struggling for words for the first time in a long time.

"You really are incredibly cute," Amelie said, looking at her as if she were a little kitten. Hermione felt simultaneously flattered, but also a little exposed.

"Yes, I meant it," Hermione finally said, her head red, and this time instead of surprise there was a little twinkle in Amelie's eyes.

"I really didn't expect that. Philippe won't believe it until he sees it. Come, let's sit outside," Amelie said and stood up. The two of them lay down on two old deckchairs with drinks and let the sun shine on their faces.

"I want to have a relationship like you and Philippe someday," Hermione said as she was putting sunscreen on her arms.

"Is there anyone you can imagine more with already?" asked Amelie and Hermione nodded after a moment's hesitation. She told her a little about her crush, not mentioning that he was a teacher and almost twenty years older. Amelie smiled at her and encouraged her to approach him.

"I think it will take some time," was all she said and Amelie looked at her with an understanding expression.

"It took a while with Philippe and me too. We knew each other since childhood, but I only saw him with different eyes a few years ago. And that was the best day of my life," Amelie said dreamily and they both giggled. Hermione imagined buying a house in Scotland or Ireland and enjoying time there with the love of her life.

A small tear rolled down her cheek as she realised that would probably never happen. She was destined to fight in an upcoming war. She had to work hard to be ready when that time came. But glancing over at Amelie, who was lolling relaxed in the sun, the gloomy thoughts were driven from her mind.

"Why not enjoy life while it's still normal?" she asked herself in thought and closed her eyes.

"You know what would be great? If we could go shopping sometime," Amelie said after a while and Hermione twitched up from a pleasant half-sleep. Amelie giggled and repeated her question. Hermione nodded enthusiastically and they decided to drive along the coast a bit in the next few days and look for some nice dresses. Yawning, Hermione stretched and sat up.

"Shall we have a little siesta? The sun is quite high already," Amelie suggested and the two of them went into the house.

"Have you had your first time yet?" asked Amelie suddenly out of the blue as Hermione had just opened her book. Hermione looked at her over the top of the book and shook her head. "But you're not entirely innocent either, that' obvious," Amelie said with a knowing smile.

Hermione raised the book in front of her face protectively, which made Amelie laugh. Hermione didn't know why she was so embarrassed about the whole subject in front of Amelie. With Susan, she was confident, demanding and rarely minced words. She could only explain it as Susan and she had been friends before.

Hermione was always a little nervous around Amelie, there was something angelic and at the same time frivolous about the young Frenchwoman that Hermione couldn't explain. Finally, she put the book down and took a cushion, which she held in front of her and hugged. Then she looked Amelie in the eye again and nodded. Amelie giggled and gestured for her to tell her about it.

"I was visiting my best friend last year during the summer holidays. And well, eventually one thing led to another and we kissed after I found out that she likes women. And in the process, I also found out that I am attracted to women as well as men. Apart from the fact that before that I only had eyes for you when I watched the two of you at the cottage. But I only noticed that afterwards."

"Wow," Amelie said and Hermione grinned as she recognised the red cheeks Amelie got at her story.

"We experimented a bit then, to put it in PG terms," Hermione said and they both blushed at the same time.

"I've never had anything with a woman, but I've imagined it many times," Amelie said and Hermione got an idea. She stood up and walked slowly towards Amelie. It was difficult to swallow her excitement and follow her feeling. She stopped beside her and briefly enjoyed the rare moment of uncertainty written on Amelie's face. She leaned down to her, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and whispered in her ear in the most lascivious voice she could muster.

"Then maybe this is your chance," she breathed, smiling as she saw the hairs on the back of Amelie's neck stand up. Amelie inhaled sharply and turned her face so that their noses were almost touching. Amelie closed her eyes and turned her head, but Hermione pulled her head back.

"You were going to speak to Philippe about it. Remember?" she asked and Amelie turned bright red and looked at her with a guilty expression. "I loved it when you said that earlier," Hermione said, walking back to the sofa. "It shows how much you love him and how much trust your relationship is built on," she added, flopping back down on the comfy sofa.

"Even though I almost forgot that just now," Amelie said, guilt still written all over her face.

"You wouldn't have let it get that far, I'm sure," Hermione said, smiling at her. She thought it was very funny how quickly the two of them had switched roles. Now instead of Hermione, Amelie was the nervous girl and Hermione was the one who knew what she wanted. Amelie nodded, smiling, but still red-faced.

"How about we eat something small and then go shopping in the village? I'd love to cook something delicious!" suggested Hermione, and so two hours later the two of them were standing together in the kitchen preparing a Quiche Lorraine from Amelie's grandmother's recipe while they danced boisterously to French music.

Philippe came home late in the afternoon and was very much looking forward to dinner. He looked exhausted and had a severe sunburn on the back of his neck.

"You're lucky I like lobster," Amelie said to him and pressed her finger on the back of his neck, which made Hermione laugh. The quiche was delicious and Hermione enjoyed the rest of the evening, which they spent dancing and playing board games. Hermione said goodnight a little earlier than the night before and read some more in the comfortable guest bed.

When she woke up the next morning, the smell of fresh croissants filled her room and she was greeted joyfully by Amelie sitting on the edge of her bed with a tray on her lap.

"You look like an angel when you sleep," Amelie said, winking at her as she set the tray down on Hermione's lap. Hermione felt herself blushing again, but hunger quickly made her forget Amelie's comment and she took a courageous bite of a croissant.

"Bon appetit. Do you mind if I stay a little longer?" asked Amelie and Hermione shook her head. Amelie sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed and watched Hermione enjoy her breakfast with a happy expression on her face.

"Would you rather go to the beach today, or to the mountains?" asked Amelie and Hermione, after a moment's thought, decided on a hike. "I spoke to Philippe, by the way. He didn't believe me again, of course. I think he needs to see for himself that you're not as innocent as you look," she said, grinning. "But he said he didn't mind in general if I wanted to gain experience with a woman, as long as I talked to him," she said and Hermione could see the excited pleasure on Amelie's face. She put the tray aside on the small bedside table that stood beside the bed and pushed a few crumbs from the blanket. Then she sat up forward so that she was now kneeling in front of Amelie.

"Do you really want this?" she asked, still not quite sure if they wouldn't break more by doing this than putting together. But Amelie just grabbed her by her pyjama top and pulled her close. For a brief moment they gazed into each other's eyes, then they melted into a hot kiss and Hermione was overwhelmed by how right it felt to kiss Amelie.

When they broke away from each other again, Amelie inhaled sharply and looked deep into her eyes. Hermione buried her hands in Amelie's hair and immediately pulled her into the next kiss, which Amelie returned passionately. Their tongues circled each other and Hermione enjoyed the feeling of connection that the intimate kiss triggered in her.

After what felt like an eternity, they broke away from each other and Hermione playfully stroked Amelie's still curly hair, which she always wore in two small braids during the day.

"That was beautiful. Your lips are so soft," Amelie said, beaming her beautiful smile at Hermione. Hermione nodded and dropped back so that the two of them were now sitting cross-legged facing each other.

"You're a really good kisser," Hermione said. Amelie smiled shyly at her and Hermione could tell she was more excited about having kissed a woman than she wanted to let on.

She checked briefly into Amelie's feelings to see if she had really enjoyed it. Relieved, she let herself fall backwards as she was confirmed by Amelie's arousal. But she could also sense that Amelie was unsure how far she wanted to go. She seemed to enjoy the kissing, anyway, because only a moment later Amelie was sitting on top of her and their lips melted together again in a long kiss.

Hermione moaned softly and she could feel Amelie getting goosebumps. After what felt like another eternity, Hermione closed her eyes contentedly and stretched. Amelie looked at her happily and stroked her cheek.

"That turned me on more than I expected," she said, sitting down on Hermione's pelvis, who enjoyed the pressure of Amelie's body.

"That was really hot, but take as much time as you want," Hermione said, who could sense in Amelie's feelings that her insecurity hadn't gone away yet.

"Thanks, Hermione. Goodness, you're so much more grown up than I would have thought," she said and Hermione smiled in flattery.

"Can we snuggle for a bit before we get up?" asked Hermione, raising her arm invitingly. Amelie smiled and lay down with her, where she was immediately pulled close by Hermione.

"Mmm, this is great," Hermione breathed, closing her eyes contentedly. The physical closeness was what she had missed the most during the last few weeks and she enjoyed every second of them lying close together in Hermione's bed, feeling each other's warmth.

After about ten minutes, Amelie became a little restless and finally got up. She pulled Hermione out of the warm bed and gave her another kiss before opening the door and telling her that she and Philippe would be waiting for her in the living room. Hermione got into the shower and then braided her hair into her by now daily worn braids which she couldn't imagine life without.

She smiled briefly at the thought that it had been Amelie who had given her the idea to wear her hair braided and that she had shown her back then. As they drove up into the mountains in the car, Amelie's and Hermione's eyes kept meeting in the rear-view mirror as Amelie, who was driving, glanced behind.

It was turning out to be a glorious day. They had chosen a more challenging route than the first time and Hermione was enjoying the wonderful view as they all sat on the bench at the summit cross.

"Thank you for everything, you are so kind to me!" she said, putting as much heartiness as she could into her voice.

"You're welcome! It's really nice with you. If I ever have a daughter, I want her to be like you," Amelie said and Hermione hugged her tightly. It was a beautiful moment that Hermione would remember happily for many years to come.

They enjoyed the sun a little longer and Hermione put a protection charm on the three of them so that Amelie and she wouldn't end up like Philippe's neck and he wouldn't get any worse. As the three of them climbed back down, Hermione kept deliberately brushing against Amelie, who grinned at her when their arms touched or Hermione gently stroked her bum.

When they arrived at the car, they decided to spend the evening at Louis' again. The friendly innkeeper invited them in thanks for Philippe's help the day before and sat down with them when the last guests had left the wine cellar. The three of them taught Hermione a French card game and so the evening flew by.

Hermione, Amelie and Philippe later sat relaxing around a bonfire that Philippe had lit in front of the house at Amelie's request, watching the sparks float above the fire into the star-studded night sky and slowly burn up. Hermione could think of no place she would rather be. They enjoyed the romantic scene in silence and Hermione felt her body, where arousal had been building all day, yearn for release. She wished them both a good night and got up to make her way into the house.

Amelie gave her a look that reflected exactly the lust she was feeling. She winked at Amelie and went into the house where she brushed her teeth. From outside she could hear Amelie laughing teasingly and grinned. She left her bedroom door ajar because if she had interpreted Amelie's look correctly, there was no way around her day ending in climax.

A little later she could hear the front door slam into the lock. She pricked up her ears and was filled with a pleasant tingling sensation throughout her body. She got up and, as a precaution, put the Silencio spell on her body again. She crept down the stairs and peeked around the corner again, leading from the hallway into the living room.

Hermione saw the back of Philippe's head and above him Amelie as the two kissed passionately. Both still had their clothes on and Hermione moved a little further forward to be able to see the whole scene. The two became more and more passionate and when Amelie raised her arms for Philippe to take off her top, their eyes met.

Amelie smiled and pushed her beautiful breasts into Philippe's face again, which he immediately covered with countless kisses. She signalled Hermione with her index finger to come into the living room. Hermione felt the adrenaline flood her body and freeze her to the corner for a moment.

It was now her decision whether to accept Amelie's invitation or to remain a silent spectator at the corner. After a moment, she overcame herself and took a step forward. Amelie got up from the sofa and danced a little for Philippe as she held out an arm for Hermione.

Philippe only realised Hermione was in the room when she grabbed Amelie's hand. Eyes wide with surprise, he looked back and forth between Hermione and Amelie. Amelie pulled Hermione into a kiss and let her fingertips glide gently over Hermione's stomach, giving her goosebumps.

"I told you so," she said with a mischievous grin to Philippe as they broke away again. Hermione looked shyly over at Amelie's boyfriend, who was still glancing back and forth between them. Hermione smiled at him and pushed Amelie back towards him, who landed in his arms with a surprised whoop.

Hermione settled down in the armchair opposite the couch and gazed lustfully at the two of them. Amelie returned her gaze and let her hand wander down Philippe's chest and stomach into his trousers. He gasped and looked uncertainly from Amelie to Hermione again, but when he saw Hermione biting her lower lip lustfully, he threw his head back and moaned as Amelie released his cock, which quickly grew to its full size.

Hermione stripped off her pyjamas and massaged her breasts as she watched excitedly as Amelie and Philippe got more and more into it. Amelie kept eye contact with Hermione almost the whole time, who soon couldn't stand it any longer and let her hand wander between her legs, moaning.

Amelie winked at Hermione and gave Philippe's cock a gentle kiss, which made him tremble and Hermione too. Hermione let her hand move back up and caressed her breasts and stomach, trying not to come too quickly. She wanted to enjoy every second of the hot show Amelie was putting on for her.

She avoided sharing in their feelings, for her own arousal was already great enough to carry her over the edge at any moment just at the sight of them. Again and again, her whole body trembled and the two of them also seemed to be so aroused that they immediately got down to business.

Amelie released Philippe's cock from her mouth with an audible 'plop', grinned mischievously at Hermione and sat on it a moment later facing her. Hermione moaned softly as she watched Amelie slide smoothly down Philippe's cock. She spread her legs as wide as she could and let her fingers run free as she lustfully watched Amelie's naked body bounce up and down on Philippe.

Amelie still gazed deeply into her eyes and leaned back as she was held by Philippe's hands on her hips. The moans of the three of them and the rhythmic slapping of their bodies against each other grew faster and faster. Hermione couldn't stand it any longer and let the wave of release roll over her as she looked deeply into Amelie's eyes across the living room table.

Hermione was shaken for what felt like minutes and only very slowly did the pleasurable tingling ebb away, radiating in waves from her pelvis to her body, sending it into ecstasy. Amelie had also come in the meantime, trembling violently along with Philippe, whereupon she sank down on top of him, exhausted.

Philippe stroked her belly from behind and looked at Hermione with an intense gaze that sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. After a while, Amelie stood up with trembling legs and staggered over to Hermione, a little dazed. Hermione stood up too and was immediately pulled close to her naked body by Amelie. Their lips touched in tender kisses and Amelie's hands gently stroked Hermione's back.

Hermione covered her neck with soft kisses, eliciting a pleasurable moan from Amelie.

"Isn't she gorgeous?" asked Amelie, and Hermione smiled shyly over at Philippe, who nodded with a smile. "Good night," Amelie breathed into her ear and turned away from her. She took Philippe by the hand and walked with him to their bedroom while Hermione picked up her pyjamas from the floor.

Grinning, Hermione shook her head as she walked up the stairs to her room. She really couldn't have asked for a nicer holiday.


Author's Note: Hey everyone, Kasing here with a new chapter! I stepped it up a bit to finish the second year, mostly because I'm excited for what I have planned in year 3. This time, I felt that me and Hermione needed more mental holiday, so I decided to give it another chapter, which will come soon.

If you liked this chapter, I would be happy to read a few lines from you. Also thank you to all the people that already left reviews, it really means a lot!

See you next time!

Kasing