Charming
Disclaimer: I don't own HP or any of these characters. That belongs to JKR, Scholastic Books, Warner Brothers, etc.

Chapter Seventeen : Flower Garden

As things turned out, they hadn't made it to the bed the second time either. The third time, they had finally made it to Harry's bed. Later on, they went to hers, as Hermione insisted that they needed to break it in as well. Harry really enjoyed doing it there. Hermione was nearly aggressive, as she took charge and rode him to completion. They had been too exhausted afterwards to move and slept there, snuggling together the whole time.

It was no surprise that Harry had a very big grin on his face when he awoke. He rather expected his face to hurt by the end of the day from smiling as he didn't see how he could stop. Hermione's birthday yesterday had been one to remember.

And he wanted to get a billiards table when they got a bigger place. Which ought to be sooner rather than later. So that way the next time she decided to strip like that, he could take her on the table rather than having to wait until they got back home. Just the thought of shagging Hermione like that was enough to get him excited again.

Harry settled back down, hugging Hermione closer to him and wishing that she were awake. Not that he was going to wake her up, as she needed her rest after last night. He supposed that it was just as well otherwise he'd be too knackered to make it to practice on Monday, though he could always call in sick. How long that excuse would work, however, he did not know.

"Again?" mumbled Hermione sleepily as she turned around to face him. It appeared that she hadn't been sleeping as deeply as he had thought. "Don't you ever get tired?" she asked.

"Yes, on occasion, but it takes awhile." He kissed her softly. She was utterly charming when she was half-asleep like that. "But I know you need your rest, love."

That set something off deep within her. She shot a glance at him, plainly conveying her discontent with that remark. "I do not need my rest. I'll have you know that witches have a much quicker recovery time than wizards and—"

"I know, Hermione," he began, but she wasn't about to be stopped.

"And so if you're ready to go, I assure you so am I," she finished.

There wasn't much he could say to that and actions spoke louder than words anyway. Neither of them had any trouble keeping up with the other that morning.

Later that day, when they finally tumbled out of bed and were able to stop acting like a pair of lovesick fools – which took some doing considering the fact that they were lovesick fools – they turned to go to the kitchen as if they were of a single mind because they both were ravenous. Harry didn't want to suggest going out again, because he enjoyed having Hermione all to himself, and he thought that Hermione felt the same way about him. Unfortunately, there was an owl awaiting Hermione when she reached the kitchen. It patiently waited for her to remove the message before taking off once again. His hunger momentarily forgotten, he watched as Hermione opened and read the letter.

She sighed when she finished and put it down. "So should we eat here or go out?" she asked. "Do we have anything that we could eat here?"

"Yes, we do, and I'd vote for staying here all day," said Harry. He nodded at the letter. "So who is it from?"

Hermione groaned and thumped her head down on the table. "Can we not talk about it right now? It's not something I feel up to dealing with without a bit of nourishment in me."

"Fine, fine. Shall we skip breakfast all together given how late it is or do you still—"

"You decide." Hermione smiled at him. "You are the cook, after all. I'll just do you the favor of not getting in your way."

"I appreciate that. Tell me again. What did you do to burn the toast yesterday?" He turned to the fridge, pulling out some eggs. Breakfast would be easier to make, and it required less time. He could think of better things to do with that time, and they all involved getting closer to Hermione.

"I didn't do a thing." She glared at him. "That toaster is possessed. It is out to get me. It is determined to see me humiliated before your very eyes."

"Hermione, it's a toaster, not a minion of Voldemort," he said reasonably, noticing Hermione's shudder from the corner of his eye. "It's an inanimate object. It can't do anything like that."

"How do you know that?"

"If it is, why don't you get rid of it? We can always get a new one, you know."

Hermione sighed. "It'd be no use. Every toaster has treated me like that since I was a little girl." Harry smiled at that picture. He could just see a little eleven year-old Hermione burning the toast that day she went to Hogwarts. She would be frantic and wishing she already knew magic to put out the fire with. "You can stop grinning like that," Hermione added. "I didn't burn down my parents' house at any time while growing up."

"That's good to hear. Makes me feel much safer." He ducked almost sub-consciously in case Hermione decided to lob something in his direction because of that remark. She did not. He turned around to face her, so he could watch her emotions at his next question. "But I'm curious. Did you burn toast that first morning, when you were due to catch the Hogwarts Express?"

Hermione grimaced. "I did! It was horrid, Harry! I was sure I was going to miss that train, and I'd have to spend another awful year with my old classmates! Thank goodness I was up so early that day. Otherwise, I might not have made it."

"And we would have never met," he said softly. "I think that would've been a small sort of tragedy."

"Oh, I have no doubt that we would've met eventually. I can't imagine us not."

"I know. I don't think I'd want to anyway." Finished at the stove, Harry plated the food and brought it to the table. "And I guess I shouldn't ask you to have any dealings with that toaster? Or any toaster from the sounds of it?"

"I am perfectly capable of putting out fires on my own now, you know."

"I know. But why waste perfectly good bread by letting you wreak your own special brand of havoc on them?" he asked. This time he didn't duck when he should have. Hermione playfully hit him on his shoulder.

"You're not ever going to let me forget that, are you?"

"Yes, probably," he agreed. His mood turned serious as he continued. "I'd have to forget all of yesterday for me not to remember how it started in the morning. And I don't ever want to do that. Though I won't tease you about it, if it upsets you . . ."

Hermione shook her head furiously. "It doesn't upset me." She reached out to take his hand in hers. "I don't mind it when you tease me . . . you don't do it to be mean, just to get me to relax and have some fun. And I'd worry if you'd stop. It'd make me wonder if you still liked me."

"You shouldn't ever worry about that," he said. "I wouldn't be me if I didn't have Hermione to look after me." He cleared his throat. "So what was that all about?" he asked, pointing at the letter, needing to change the subject before his emotions got the better of him.

Hermione frowned. "It's nothing for you to worry about."

"Okay. I was only curious," he said.

"I know. I wasn't going to not tell you . . . but before I did, I wanted to say that it was nothing for you to worry about." She took a deep breath. "It's from Malfoy. He's not happy that I canceled doing anything with him yesterday and he wants to know if I'm up to spending some time with him today."

Harry sat in silence as he took that in. Now Hermione's comment made sense. Nice of her to let him know that he needn't worry about it . . . except that he couldn't help but worry. He almost felt sorry for Malfoy, the way Hermione had agreed to spend so much time with him. It must have got his hopes up, only to have them dashed yesterday. But first things first – Harry needed to see where they were at.

"You're not thinking of going out with him, are you?" he asked in a small voice.

"Of course not!" Hermione looked shocked at the suggestion. "I want to be with you, Harry, not with him. My first response was to tell to sod off because I want to spend the day with my boyfriend, but I thought I'd be more tactful than that."

Harry's face lit up. "Am I? Your boyfriend, that is."

"I certainly hope so," she replied. "You are, right? And I'm your girlfriend?"

"That sounds right to me." He beamed at her. "And that calls for a celebratory snog." He leaned towards her to press his lips against hers. She responded so fervently, so passionately that he wished he had said shag instead of snog. Though there was no reason why they couldn't shag here and now. Might be good practice for when he finally got that billiards table.

Harry dragged himself away from Hermione and pushed their plates and that blasted letter aside. He reached for her and hoisted her up on the table, pressing himself eagerly against her as she opened her legs and clasped them around his waist. He crushed his lips against hers once more, before trailing kisses down her neck. "Harry," she half-moaned. "That feels so good."

"Do you know what will feel even better?" he asked, as he rubbed himself against her, groaning as she bucked up against him. Oh yes she did know what would be even better. That suspicion was only further confirmed when she reached out and grabbed his right hand, pulling it downwards.

He gasped as he realized that she wasn't wearing anything down there.

"No knickers?" he asked.

"No. Didn't see the point in putting on any as I knew you'd be trying to get me out of them later." She smirked smugly at him.

"Too bad. Would've been fun getting them off. One of the best parts really. Kind of like unwrapping presents."

"In that case, there's only one thing to do."

"And that is?"

"Get back to my bedroom to pull a pair on." At that suggestion, his hands settled back down on her hips, tightly holding her in place so she couldn't leave.

"No," he said firmly. "Want to shag here."

"That impatient, are you now, Harry?"

"Need to work on my technique."

"Technique? You seemed to have it down last night." Harry felt a swell of pride from that compliment. Yeah, he did, if her reactions were anything to go by.

"Yeah, but I want to practice. So when I get that billiards table, I can shag you there without any mishaps."

Her breath hitched as he said that. "You could have done that last night."

"In public?" he asked, his breath hot against her neck.

"Maybe not. But Harry, our table is nothing like—oh!" Hermione quivered as he entered her, and soon, she was not capable of any rational thought at all. Later, after they had both climaxed, they both returned to his room to relax and curl up in his bed.

"So I believe you were saying something then," said Harry, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over them.

"I was?"

"Yes."

Hermione's brow wrinkled. "I can't remember right now." She frowned at him. "And it's all your fault. You shouldn't shag me when I'm trying to think of something."

Harry laughed. "Hermione! If I followed that rule, I'd never be able to touch you. Because you're always thinking."

"I am not!" Hermione then considered what she had said. "Okay, usually I am thinking of something but . . ."

"Don't worry," he said. "I love you anyway." He gently kissed her. She sighed and closed her eyes, relishing the moment.

"I love you too." He grinned at her. "And what was I going to say before you distracted me?" She bit her lip as she tried to recall.

"Distract you? Did you know how distracting you are? Especially when you're doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Biting your lip when you're trying to think." He leaned towards her, with a glint of longing in his eyes. "Makes me want to shag you again."

She blushed. "But you . . . oh! That's what it was. I was going to say that our table is nothing like a billiards table. There's no ridge for one, and it's less sturdy. And you don't have to wait to buy one. You could Transfigure it instead."

"Excellent." A smug smile covered Harry's face. That was an absolutely brilliant idea. There were some advantages to dating the smartest witch to have ever passed through Hogwarts. "And I'm happy you didn't mention that before. It gives us something to do later."

"You're incorrigible," said Hermione.

"But you love me anyway," he replied.

"I do," she said. The two of them cuddled closer and eventually feel asleep, with Harry's arm curled up possessively around Hermione's waist.

When Harry woke up again, he found Hermione was no longer at his side. Sitting up quickly, he cast about for his glasses, only to find it being handed to him by her.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked, feeling a sudden surge of panic rise up from his stomach. "Trying to leave me behind?" He knew that he had nothing to worry about, but he couldn't convince his heart. Their being together was too new for him to have that kind of assurance.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm still here. And before you say anything, I wasn't planning to try cooking either." She sat down beside him. "Though as much as it pains me to say this, we can't stay in bed forever."

"Of course not. A little Transfiguration and we've got a—"

"I meant that there are other things we ought to do today."

"I suppose so. Ought to research that spell first, right?" Harry looked at her with puppy dog eyes, which prompted Hermione to ruffle his hair. That wasn't quite the response he had been hoping for, but it would do. For now.

"Once you grab a hold of an idea, you never let it go, do you?" she said. She rolled her eyes. "But if that what it takes to get you up and out of bed . . ."

"Hermione, you should know that you're all it takes to—" She laid a finger on his lips, stopping him in the middle of that thought.

"Hush. And go get dressed. It's already past noon. Don't you remember Ron telling us yesterday that he'll be dropping by some time today?" she asked.

"Yes . . . but I figured if we were occupied when he came by, then there'd be no one to let him in."

Hermione shot him a look of pure disbelief. "So are you telling me that you completely forgot that you set up our flat to have limited Floo access? And that he's one of the few who can come in here at any time?"

"Damn!" That was right! He could get in that way. Harry was going to have to fix that. "Fine, fine. I'm getting ready. But there's got to be a way where we can restrict access easily when we don't want to be . . . interrupted." He snapped his fingers. "Is there a library some place where we can research these spells, or do we have to go out and buy the books ourselves?" he asked.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "If you had ever been paying attention while in class, you'd know that yes, there are several libraries we can use. And you could go back and use the one at Hogwarts, if you want as well. That's probably the best option as it has the widest selection of reading material." She shook her head. "And if only you were this dedicated while at school!"

"Well, I have more of a reason to want to bury my head into a book," he said. He grinned. "Should've tried shagging me before. That might have perked my interest in studying."

Hermione didn't return his smile and turned away from him, sighing. "You weren't ever interested in me like that," she said in a small voice.

Harry wanted to protest, to say that was wrong, but he couldn't. It was true. He hadn't ever shown the slightest bit of interest in Hermione at Hogwarts. To try and say otherwise would only insult Hermione's intelligence. There had been occasions when he had been struck by how lovely she looked and he had definitely noticed some of her finer assets (though every wizard in their year had), but on the most part, he had never considered her as anything other than a friend. It was strange, now that he looked back on it, given how close they were and how much time they spent together. She was the only witch who he ever really felt comfortable with, who he thought tried to look at him, rather than at his scar. Yet the fact remained, he didn't see how much he loved and needed her, until after she had moved in with him that first time.

"I know," he said finally. "I . . . what can I say? I was stupid." He tugged at her arm, pulling her into his embrace. "But I'm not now . .. or not as much, at least. And I . . . I love you." That last confession managed to bring a smile to her face.

"I love you too, Harry Potter," she said. She tilted up to kiss him, and soon they were aware of nothing else in the world but each other.

It took them awhile after that to get dressed. In fact, that might have never happened if Hermione hadn't rushed over to her room and shut the door, insisting that he'd be too much of a distraction. They eventually wound up on the couch in the living room, with Harry lying down flat on his back and Hermione on top of him, the two of them exchanging languid kisses. Her kisses were becoming more passionate, as she reached to unbutton his shirt so she could run her hands across his chest.

Of course, that was when the doorbell rang.

Hermione jolted back, startled by the interruption. Harry pulled her back towards him. "Just ignore it," he said.

"But that could be—"

"So? Does my ego harm, the way you're eager to see another man like this."

"Harry." She looked at him reproachfully. "There's no one else I'd rather be with than you."

"Good."

"But we can't ignore our friends simply because we want some more time alone together."

"We can't?"

For some reason, she blushed. "Okay, we can. But we shouldn't. Especially when said friend could lose his patience and get in here another way."

"I hate to admit it, but you're right again," he said. Harry let go of her, and she rose from the couch, with him following after. They walked towards the door to meet their friend.

"Your life would be much easier if you'd realize that I'm right most of the time," she said.

"What would be the fun in that?" he asked. He yanked open the door, and as expected, it was Ron waiting outside.

"About bloody time," said Ron. "What were you two doing?" He looked between the two of them. "Oh. Of course. Shagging the day away." He grinned slyly. "Had a good birthday, Hermione?"

"Yes," she said.

"Thought so. But you might want to give him a rest every now and then. You don't want to break him." Ron dodged Harry's mock-blow and stepped inside. "You're too predictable at times. You've got to do better than that to take me by surprise."

"I'll remember that next time," Harry promised.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure. Don't worry. I'm just here to give Hermione her present. Though I wouldn't be adverse to lunch if you've not eaten yet." All three of them made their way to the living room, where Hermione promptly sat down on the couch, with Harry taking the seat next to her. Ron raised an eyebrow at that and handed Hermione a small package. "Here. It's for you. I thought it might come in handy now."

Hermione carefully ripped through the wrapping to reveal a book. "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Quidditch, But Were Too Stubborn To Ask? Ron, only you'd give me something like this."

"What? You don't like it?" Ron looked flabbergasted. "And here I thought you'd like a book to read."

"Oh, I do, I do." As if to prove that, she propped open the book and began to read. "But most people get me spell books. Only you would get me one on Quidditch."

He sniffed. "I thought that now you're dating the most famous Seeker in the world, it'd be good for you to know your terms." He glanced in Harry's direction. "Wonky Feint," he said. Both he and Harry started chuckling at that one. They had developed a sense of humor over the years over Hermione's incredible inability to never remember the name of that particular maneuver.

"Gah!" Both men immediately turned their attention to Hermione, who was staring at horror at her new book. "There's a foul for attacking another player with an ax!"

Harry exchanged a glance with Ron, before answering. "Yes, there is," he said.

"You need one?" Hermione was shaking.

"You think that it should be legal?" Ron asked.

"No! Just that . . . someone could really get hurt! I can't believe that you'd need a rule for that!"

Ron shrugged. "Yeah, well it's amazing what some people will try to get an edge." Hermione glared at him, and he put his hands up in apology. "Bad pun, yes, I know. But I wouldn't worry much about that one in particular, Hermione. It's obvious when people try to stick an ax under their robes."

Harry nodded his agreement. "Especially when they accidentally cut themselves and are trailing blood, like that one—"

"I do not want to hear that," said Hermione. "Do not make me hex you into silence."

"Fine, fine," said Harry.

"You know, it's times like these that I'm grateful that Hermione never took up Quidditch," Ron said.

"Why?" Harry and Hermione both asked.

"Because she'd be downright scary, with the spells she knows. She could just Transfigure herself an ax."

"Ron! I'd never do that!"

"Too bad," said Harry.

"I know. It would have come in handy in any game against Slytherin," Ron added.

Hermione stamped her foot. "You two are being impossible."

"Come on, Hermione, we were only teasing," said Harry. He reached out to lift up her chin, so her eyes would meet his. "All in good fun."

She continued to pout.

And that was just too tempting. Especially when there was only one way to stop her from pouting.

"No," said Ron firmly, before Harry could kiss Hermione senseless. "I know what you two are planning next, and you are not going to start snogging and Merlin knows what else in front of me. Not in your own flat especially. I've a better sense of self-preservation than that." He shuddered. "Quick affectionate kisses are one thing, but there are some things I'd rather not be subjected to. Come on. Let's go." He began herding them out the door.

"Go where?" Hermione asked.

"Out. To lunch. Because you have got to be more restrained when we're in public."

"I don't know about that," said Harry, with a wicked grin. "Hermione was trying to get me to shag her in a Muggle bar last night."

"Harry!" Hermione turned bright red.

"Gah! I did not need to hear that!" Ron covered his ears. "That's it! We're going some place with lots of ickle kiddies. Even you two wouldn't be that shameless." The three friends continued out the door, laughing all the while and leaving behind that letter that Hermione had completely forgotten to answer.

Author's note: That's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd appreciate it if you could leave a review to let me know what you think. Also, just for your information, there is an outtake between the last two chapters that I took out that might go up on my Y!Group later; it's still being edited but can't go here because of the rating. Once again, the next chapter should be posted next Friday. Finally, I'd like to thank Shawn Pickett, Rebeca, Carolyn, Leah6 (yeah, I knew people would think that, but Hermione wasn't that eager to jump into bed. And still isn't really when she thinks about it), LeslieGlady (thanks, but sometimes it's hard enough just updating on Fridays), SquorpionLady, Sheilalein (trying to get Hermione to admit she wanted to win anything aside from the pool game is a hard proposition), Scarlet Emma, Megan, augusam, ears91 (for me, writing angst is harder as I'm always afraid I'm making it too corny), darkfairy905, sinta1, mikeus (you just know he's going to break down in tears and cry), Akshara, Brazilianfan, Pinku-koneko, kyc639 (while I'm not trying to scare you, I don't believe in happy endings. Just happy couples), Fatima, lee74, Ramy, Bulma Queen of Saiya-jin, MasterDeath (if the bunnies comment was a prediction for the next chapter, you were dead on), Wirez, Blood57, Mistress Desdemona, Daintress (yes, I feel bad for him to, but he's destined to remain single at the end of this fic. I think he'll get over it as he starts to enjoy the wonders of bachelorhood), Dillon, TheWraith1 (Harry's too scared to talk to Hermione's dad directly, especially with what happened to Ron before), TheSilverLady, Jen/Irish Dancing Girl, Izabel, myman-harry526, tearsofher, v-weasley (I always think that I ned to give more detail! Thanks!), Fire-bound heart (there was suspense at the end of that chapter? *blinks* Where?), EuphoniumGurl0, spacey-me90, danielerin (I didn't but I can't post it here. And congrats on getting it right on Seasons! Finally, someone got it -- I thought it was obvious), Lil-Frankie14, malu, stephen, hpfanmelissa, Star19, Amynoelle (I think I've finally figured out how your username is pronounced -- two words right?), liliacfrog, luvingRON*182hp, tOmLoVeR17, Psy-Girl, Kage Miko, Sam8 (Hermione will feel the aftereffects later as their carpeting isn't plush), megan, sally, avada kedavra (LOL! For the last fifteen chapters, people have been complaining that it's taking them too long. It was faster than Hermione wanted though), HolyMotherofPearl, agent_honeydew, Crinos-X, TheKidWonder*LadyMistress, Disco Duck, Emma-Lee14 (Luna is still in Hogwarts, so that's not an option for Ron right now), and elvenprincess17-imladris for their reviews of the last chapter. Thanks so much! I enjoyed reading each and every one of them.