A.N.: Ooookay. This chapter will be unlike anything I've ever done. And I've no idea how this will turn out. One time on my "author's bucket list" (Yes, I have one) is to write a smut scene that's super awkward and cringy. So here we go. Let those two have some awkward sex. ;-)

Chapter 8: Unprepared

"It's done, we're married," Hermione found herself saying much later, when their international portkey had brought them to the honeymoon suite she and Percy would occupy for the next week. The wedding had gone well as they'd been able to keep up the impression of the happy couple until they'd left the party under the happy cheers of their guests. No one seemed to have suspected a thing and even though Hermione was relieved about it, a part of her couldn't believe that their magical guests so easily forgot that this was an arranged wedding. They were all aware of the marriage law after all.

Hermione would have preferred not to go on a honeymoon at all, but in the end, the urge to pretend being a happy couple had won out, together with the wish to escape the press for a while. France had been a natural choice, as they not only both spoke French but the city also provided numerous libraries and museums where they could pass their time. Going to the "City of Love" for their honeymoon also had the benefit of supporting the story of the smitten young couple they had wanted to make everyone believe. Neither of them had planned on spending the nights in the honeymoon suite though; that had been the wedding gift they'd received from Hermione's parents.

"Yes, we are married."

Percy sunk down on the enormous heart-shaped sofa, loosening his cravat with a sigh. He looked as tired as she felt, which was saying something. Not that either of them could fall asleep just yet, as the most humiliating part of the day was still to come.

Hermione stood in the middle of the room, not sure what to say or do with herself, or worse, her husband. There was a pile of presents on the dining table of the room, but she didn't have the energy to go through them now, in the middle of the night.

"Do you want to retire for the night?" Percy studied her from the sofa, the expression in his eyes unreadable. They both knew he wasn't suggesting sleep, not just yet.

"Yes. Let's… go to bed." Awkwardly Hermione motioned towards the two closed doors behind which the bedroom must lie. Nodding, Percy rose from the sofa, walking ahead and finding the right door with his first attempt. Hermione followed him slowly, her shoes long left behind at the front door.

The bedroom was huge, the monstrosity of a bed standing right at the centre of it, the pink and golden sheets decorated with rose petals, scented candles placed on every hard surface of the room. There was also a bottle of champagne and champagne flutes on one of the nightstands, the other one holding a basket with a variety of oils and lotions. Hermione froze as soon as she saw the whole set-up, her eyes taking in all the horrible details.

Percy, who had taken a few steps into the room, cleared his throat. "Should I maybe… do you want me to…" He snapped his mouth shut, his eyes studying her intensely. When he spoke again she could tell that it was with great trepidation. "You're uncomfortable. Nervous."

Hermione nodded, biting her lip. "Aren't you? This is…" She motioned towards the bed, shaking her head. "All of this feels like a bad joke, only that it's not. This is real and… completely out of my comfort zone."

Percy nodded. "Are you a virgin, Hermione?" His cheeks had formed deep, red spots, indicating how uncomfortable he was. "I don't mean to offend but I need to know before I…"

She swallowed, closing her eyes with embarrassment. "Ron and I, we did some things but… we never got as far as… that," she gritted out, looking at his shoes. "It's not a big deal, really. I mean, there's a first time for everything and I'm sure I can figure this out pretty quickly. It's a very natural process."

Percy walked towards her, his black shoes making no sound on the thick, dark red carpet. "We'll take things slowly then, try to make it enjoyable for you. Don't worry, I'll be as gentle as I can."

Hermione wasn't worried, or at least she didn't think so. Sex wasn't anything terrible, at least most people seemed to like it well enough. It was more that she'd never imagined doing this with Percy of all people, Percy who was… Her mind stilled, registering how Percy's hand cupped her chin, lifting it until she suddenly had to look at him. She did so with pink cheeks and fluttering nerves.

"I'm not worried," she repeated her thoughts to him.

"Then why are you trembling?" he asked, his tone slightly annoyed at her lie.

She sighed. "Okay. Maybe I am a little worried but that's natural, right? One shouldn't be forced to do this with someone one barely knows. We…"

"I know," Percy told her, his hand wandering to her cheek. He sighed, something like disappointment sparking in his eyes. "And I'm sorry you won't be able to experience this with someone you… like. It's also not like I'm the most experienced lover, but I'll do the best I can. Alright?"

"Alright."

"Do you need help removing your dress?"

Somehow Hermione had expected Percy to kiss her now so his question caught her completely off guard. "My dress? Oh, of course. There are like a hundred buttons on the back and I can't quite reach…" she murmured and her husband nodded, suddenly determined.

"Turn around then. I'll open them for you," he said, his hand falling from her face.

Hermione nodded. Without another word Percy did as he had promised, the warmth of his hands brushing over her skin as he worked, not even bothering to use magic. She exhaled shakily, her dress loosening more and more until it suddenly fell from her shoulders, pooling around her ankles, looking like she was standing in the middle of a small white cloud. Below, Hermione was still wearing a matching white corset, lacy knickers and hold-up stockings but they did nothing for making her feel even remotely dressed. She felt naked already, her body suddenly shivering with cold.

Percy must have noticed because a moment later she felt a warming charm settle around her like a cosy, warm blanket. Immediately, she felt better.

"Thank you," she whispered, her back still towards him. "Could you… could help me with the hair as well? There are about a hundred hairpins in there."

"Of course," Percy said quietly. He seemed a bit short of breath but Hermione was sure she was imagining it. "You might want to sit down for this on the bed. Let me help you out of this dress."

Percy stepped in front of her and offered her his hand, his eyes glued to her face, not looking at her underwear once. Hermione was thankful for it, knowing that she'd probably bolt if he had suddenly started studying her boobs. Taking a deep breath she accepted her husband's hand and made a big step, careful to not step on the fabric of her dress. Percy led her to the bed and sat down next to her, as soon as she sunk into the too-soft mattress. One by one he removed the pins from her curls, very careful to not pull at her hair. Hermione marvelled at how gentle he was, he did not yank at her hair once. After he cleared a section he would run his hand over her scalp, massaging away the tightness from the pins. She sighed happily, almost relaxed under his touch. It felt kind of nice letting him take care of her like this. It didn't take long until her long curls cascaded down her back, finally freed from the tight updo.

"This should have been the last one," Percy informed her, his slim hands combing once more through her hair. "Yes, I can't feel any others." Slowly, Percy rose from the bed, putting the countless pins on her nightstand. Then he stepped away from the bed and started to undress, his back to her. Hermione couldn't help but stare, catching glimpses of his long fingers undoing his cravat and the buttons of his shirt with practised ease. Soon his suit, shirt, undershirt and socks lay neatly folded on the only chair in the room, Percy walking towards her only clad with a pair of silky, black trunks. She couldn't help but study him, at least the parts she dared to look at. He really was thin, his ribs slightly visible below his pale, hairless skin. Hermione swallowed nervously. Hadn't Percy just told her they would do this slowly? So why were they both half-naked already?

Slowly, he sat down next to her on the bed and for a panicked second Hermione asked herself what would happen now. Then he said: "Should I do anything you do not like, I need you to tell me. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Hermione whispered, nibbling at her bottom lip.

"Good." Percy nodded. Then he reached out for her, his right hand cupping her cheek once more before he drew closer until their mouths were almost touching. "I'm going to kiss you now."

She nodded, her eyes flickering to his mouth already. Kissing Percy earlier hadn't been so bad and if it meant she was getting a reprieve from thinking, then she was all for it.

sssssss

Percy felt like he was facing the most difficult test of his life and he didn't feel nearly prepared enough to pass it. He'd known of course what would be expected of him, but apart from the few times he and Penelope had been intimately involved, he was lacking practical experience. During the last days he'd tried to make it up by studying various books on the topic, but even though he was sure to have memorized them all, he felt like he was failing already. And he'd barely started kissing his young bride. Granted, Hermione was kissing him back, mirroring the movements of his lips against hers. But as soon as he tried pushing his tongue into her mouth, he felt her flinch and he hastily pulled it back, slowing down his kiss once more. When he tried touching his wife's shoulders and her back shortly after, he felt her stiffen in his arms, their kiss coming to a sudden halt. He wasn't sure what he was doing wrong?

"Too much?" he whispered, searching Hermione's face for an answer.

"No. It's fine, you just startled me. That's all." He wasn't convinced but he decided to trust her word. After all, she'd given him her word to let him know if he was going too far. But soon Percy found that this wasn't working, because even though his wife kept kissing him back, his instincts told him that something was amiss.

"Am I doing something wrong?" he asked again, searching her eyes as he gently cupped her face. Then he suddenly had a thought, his eyes going wide with realisation. "Oh Merlin, should I maybe brush my teeth?"

"What? No!" Hermione shook her head, her small hand coming to rest on his knee. It was the first time she initiated a touch tonight and he desperately hoped he could count this as progress. "This isn't a bad kiss or anything. I just… ugh, I don't know."

Hermione stared at him, shaking her head, frustration and uncertainty clearly visible in her features. "I just want this to be over, Percy, but it's like we haven't even started."

Ouch. Percy tried not to show how the phrasing hurt but he could feel his cheeks colour nonetheless.

"Why do you want this to be over? I assumed that since you married me, you wouldn't be averse to sharing a bed with me since it is a requirement for us to…"

"I know the requirements of the law," Hermione interrupted him, anger flashing in her eyes. "We have to consummate this marriage within twenty-four hours and afterwards we have to have sex once a week."

Percy nodded, trying to be patient, careful. Maybe she was just nervous. After all, to him it was just sex. To her it was something new. "We still do have some time, so if you'd rather wait until tomorrow morning…"

"No!" Hermione stared at him with wild eyes. What on earth was going on? "I can do it, don't worry. Let's just try this again or I could just lie down and…"

"And what? Think of England?" Percy scoffed before he shook his head with a frown. "I'm sorry, but that won't work for me, Hermione. I'm not a robot and I…"

"That's not what I meant," she hastily assured him, her hand squeezing his knee. Perhaps it made him weak but the contact all but made him melt. "I wasn't suggesting… I'm sorry if that came out all wrong. Can we try again?"

He sighed. This wasn't working. He didn't want her to just tolerate it. If she was too nervous to enjoy herself he needed to relax her. "Of course. But how about we have a bit of champagne first? Not the whole bottle obviously, that wouldn't be very wise, but enough to calm our nerves."

Hermione nodded with a relieved sigh. "Champagne sounds lovely."

"Alright." Percy carefully opened the bottle on the nightstand and poured them both a glass. One of them he handed over to Hermione, before he climbed into the middle of the bed, pulling the blanket over his exposed legs. Maybe a little less naked skin would make Hermione feel more comfortable. As if to confirm his suspicion, his wife followed his example, climbing into bed right next to him, just far enough away to not touch him. He tried not to dwell on that.

Then she took a sip from her glass without toasting him and after a moment of hesitation, Percy did the same, enjoying the sour taste of the beverage in silence. He only took a few sips though, knowing that too much alcohol wouldn't make this night any easier.

"Would you be more comfortable if you could take the lead?" he asked, carefully putting down his glass on the nightstand. "Or I can give you a massage to help you relax?"

Hermione nodded, smiling shyly. "You're so considerate. Thank you, Percy. I know I'm making this incredibly difficult for you… for us. I swear I'm not doing this on purpose, I'm just very nervous. But a massage would be lovely."

He waited for her to put her glass down. "What about the corset? Are you comfortable enough taking it off? Alternatively, I could only do your shoulders, or…"

"No. I'll have to take it off sooner or later anyway so… would you mind helping me out of this?"

He didn't, not in the slightest. In fact, he very much enjoyed undressing her, not because he wanted to ogle her, but because doing so was a sensational act itself and gave him an opportunity to take care of his new wife. The same was true for a massage.

Hook by hook he undid the garment, revealing Hermione's creamy white skin. Vaguely, he could spot a scar at her left side, as well as two freckles on her back that he instantly liked. He'd be able to touch them soon, he realised, his heart fluttering with excitement at the realisation.

"Lie down on your front," he instructed, picking a bottle of rose-scented oil from the basket on her nightstand. Hermione did as she was told, her hands combing her hair aside, exposing her back. Carefully warming up the oil with his hands he spread it onto her soft skin, his fingers drawing soft, slow circles as he spread it onto her back. It felt good to touch Hermione like this, to enjoy the softness of her skin without her freezing because of his touch. He wanted his hands to be able to give her joy, not bring her discomfort.

Going by the small noises Hermione soon started making, Percy was doing something right this time. It wasn't long until he felt his wife relax under his touch, her body growing limp and her breathing slower. When he found the right spots, like between her shoulder blades or at her neck, she even gasped or purred with pleasure, and each time he did it he felt his cock grow harder. If he could now find a good way to arouse her as well…

Feeling a little bolder, he moved his hands down her arms and up again and when there was no negative reaction from her, he stroked down her back, lower and lower until he reached the hem of the lacy white knickers she wore. He'd avoided looking at them all evening but now he took them in, his fingers brushing over the silky material, caressing her arse. Still, Hermione didn't protest and Percy was about to congratulate himself, when he suddenly heard the soft snore coming from her.

Disbelieving, he stared at her, leaning down to find confirmation of the suspicion that was growing inside him. And indeed, when he studied Hermione's face he could see her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open, little quiet puffs of breath escaping as she breathed in her sleep. Groaning with frustration and humiliation he sunk down on the mattress next to her, pulling the blanket higher to cover them both. His bride had fallen asleep on him in the middle of the wedding night. Great. He could only pray Fred and George would never get wind of that little detail because then, he wouldn't hear the end of it.