Chapter 11: Wrong assumptions

"Percy! Hermione! How was your honeymoon?"

Percy should have known that the whole family would be at The Burrow when he and Hermione came back from their honeymoon, intending to move Hermione's belongings into his flat. They had arrived just after the family lunch and everyone was still sitting in the garden, enjoying an enormous cake his mother had baked.

Everyone except Charlie was there, sitting together with their respective partners while enjoying the summer sun. And going by the looks he and Hermione were given, his mother expected Percy and Hermione to join them outside. He didn't mind sitting with his family of course, not after they had so readily accepted him back into their midst. He just wasn't sure how Hermione would feel about sitting with him on the blanket that already waited for him and twelve pairs of curious eyes, ready to observe them.

"It was great! We had a good time exploring Paris, didn't we, Percy?" Hermione answered, her hand coming to rest on his arm. The sudden contact made his skin tingle and it took all his willpower to not let his surprise show on his face. His wife rarely touched him, even after almost one week of being married. It bothered him of course, so he was immensely pleased to suddenly have her be more receptive.

"Yes. We've been to the National French Wizarding Library as well as to the Louvre," he answered, noting the flicker of amusement in his family's eyes. He hardly cared, not when it had made Hermione so happy. "It has a whole floor that is only accessible to wizards and witches. It has portraits of many famous personalities. We probably spent about an hour chatting to Aristotele and Nostradamus." Somewhere in the background, he saw Ron and his wife roll their eyes at his comment, while Harry politely nodded. Percy had no doubt that, apart from Bill, none of his siblings would understand the appeal of spending hours at a museum, which made him appreciate Hermione's company even more. She not only understood but shared his interest and for someone feeling as lonely as he had in the past this truly was a blessing.

"They also have a portrait of Nicholas Flamel and his wife," Hermione added, sitting down on the blanket in the grass with a smile. Percy followed her, careful to not touch her as he sat down at her side. He didn't want her to flinch at his touch, but he hoped that after a week of massages and keeping his distance, she had learned that he had good intentions towards her.

"Flamel was such an amazing man. I'm so glad they added his portrait after he died," Hermione chatted on, her foot accidentally brushing against his. It was enough to send his heart into a gallop, his mind starting to analyse the situation. Hermione had no reason to pretend with his family. They knew about the marriage law and therefore no one would blame them for keeping their distance from each other. Did this mean she was starting to warm to the thought of them being a couple? Were they finally making progress?

Mentioning Flamel certainly got Ron's and Harry's interest, even though it quickly waned after Hermione had told them of Flamel's reaction to her retelling of their first year's adventures. Percy had known some of it, of course, yet he couldn't help but marvel at what little Hermione, Harry and his brother had already been up to at the age of twelve. And he had thought her so respectable back then. What other adventures had they been on that he had no idea about?

Fred and George snickered. "Walking through museums and libraries surely isn't the only thing you've been up to," they said, winking at them.

Hermione avoided their gaze, blushing. Percy wanted to groan in frustration. Hadn't it been enough for the twins to tease him in the past? Did they have to target his wife now as well? But before he could say something to reprimand them, Hermione already answered.

"Of course not. We've also done a lot of late-night reading and discussed magical theory. Paris also has a very lovely shopping alley. You should visit it sometime. It even has a magical joke shop…"

From there on the conversation shifted to different topics and slowly, he felt Hermione relax at his side. He, too, found that he was starting to enjoy sitting outside in the garden, enjoying the sun and the easy conversation that was flowing back and forth. Strangely, he suddenly felt included, even though it was Hermione who did most of the talking, her thigh brushing his whenever she moved beside him. Every little touch from her reminded him that the first week was almost over, which meant that it would soon be time to fulfil the requirements of the law again. There was no denying that he nervously anticipated the next time he'd be allowed to touch Hermione in such an intimate way. He could only hope it wouldn't end in such a disappointment for her, as it had the last time.

ssssss

"Alright, Hermione. What's wrong?"

Hermione had gone into the house to use the loo and she certainly hadn't expected George to follow her inside. But here he was, waiting for her in the corridor after she left the bathroom again, brown eyes studying her with worry.

"I don't know what you mean. Nothing's wrong," Hermione found herself saying, realising that the redhead was blocking the way down the staircase. There was no squeezing herself past him and therefore she had to hope he'd accept her answer and leave her alone. She should have known better.

"No? Then why do you keep avoiding Percy's gaze? Or Mum's? You forget that Freddie and I design products with the intention of making people happy. That means we're very good at reading them as well. And you, Hermione, are lying."

She wanted to groan in frustration. George was the last person she wanted to discuss this with. He and Fred had been the ones who sent that horrible present to them. It felt like they had been laughing at her, at them, because using those things would probably be the last thing she and Percy would ever do.

"So? Maybe I am lying. Maybe I'm not okay. But what do you expect after I've just been forced to marry because of some horrendous, medieval law?" Bollocks. She hadn't planned on saying this so loudly, but luckily no one but them seemed to be in the house.

George seemed to have thought the same thing, as he looked down the staircase, before reaching for her hand. "Alright, Hermione. I think you and I need to have a little conversation. Come along," he said, tugging at her hand.

"What? No! Where are you even taking me?"

George did not answer and instead pulled her upwards, towards his and Fred's old bedroom. Opening the door with the other hand, he motioned her with his head to step inside. She didn't want to, yet she felt like her brother-in-law would be stubborn and not let her go. Sighing, she stepped inside.

The twins' bedroom was still very much like she remembered it from the last time she'd been in there. It had been years since she'd gone through their old things, earning herself a blue eye from an old punching telescope they'd left behind.

Sighing, George closed the door behind them, walking over to the bed that was standing against the right wall of the small room. Without hesitation, he sat down on top of the brown woollen blanket, motioning towards the other bed to prompt her to sit down as well.

"Alright, love. Spit it out, what happened? Did my ponce of a brother hurt you?" George asked her, his brown eyes as serious as she'd never seen them before. Gone was the permanent glint that seemed to reside in them, or the smirk in the corner of his mouth.

"What? No!" Hermione shook her head, staring at the redhead in shock. "That's not what I meant. Percy's been very kind. He'd never hurt me, or at least I don't think he would."

"Good." Immediately, George's posture deflated, relief flickering over his features. "I didn't think he did. But I had to make sure."

Hermione nodded, unsure of what to say. "I see."

"So what happened? You seemed happy enough at your wedding…"

"My parents don't know this is an arranged marriage. I couldn't tell them, not after… everything I've already put them through."

George nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. "You faked it, didn't you? Didn't know you had it in you, Granger."

"Not Granger any longer…" Hermione reminded him sadly.

"Right. Sorry."

"So… can I go now? Your family will start wondering where we are…"

The redhead shook his head. "Not so quickly. So, what about the sex? That working out at least?"

"George! That's… none of your business!" Hermione protested, her face heating up.

"Probably not. You don't have to give me any details, mind… just… do you want me to talk to Percy?"

"About what?"

"Sex, obviously. Because no matter how little you like it, you're stuck with my big brother. So I should at least make sure you aren't missing out…"

Hermione could only stare at the man. "Missing out what? It's not like we're having sex for fun! This is a Ministry requirement, nothing else."

"To repopulate the world with little wizards and witches, I know. Doesn't mean you can't have some fun while you do that though…"

She pulled a grimace. "I'm not you, George. For you this might not be a problem, but…"

He tsked at her. "Angie and I have an arranged marriage, too. We've been through all the awkwardness of having sex with someone we don't know very well for the first time. We were friends before, yes, but never like that." He pulled a face. "Things rarely go smoothly, especially in circumstances like these. Why do you think I pulled you aside for this little chat?"

"Oh. Is this why you and Fred sent us those toys?"

George nodded. "Absolutely. Did you use them?"

"George Weasley! That's really none of your business," Hermione protested.

"That's a no then. Maybe you should…" He sighed, shaking his head. "Whatever. It's your decision. You and Percy are both clever people. You'll figure things out if you just give this a try."

"This?" Hermione frowned at him. "Are we talking about sex or your brother?"

"Both. Sex can be fun and Percy might surprise you, you know?"

Hermione didn't even know what to say to that and so she simply kept her mouth shut. Silence stretched on between them and after what felt like minutes, the man sighed, rising from his bed.

"Let's go back downstairs. We wouldn't want your husband to come looking for you because he suspects I pulled a prank on you. Not that I'd do that, mind… I'm not that much of an idiot."

Hermione nodded, quickly getting up from her bed. She was glad this conversation was over because even though George had probably meant well, she couldn't help but feel the need to quickly get back to the garden. But there, Percy would be waiting…

Hermione sighed. George was right, she was stuck with Percy for now. The two of them would need to find a way to deal with their weekly obligations in a way that was acceptable to both of them. Unfortunately, those things weren't as easy as her brother-in-law made them sound to be.

ssssss

It wasn't long after that Hermione and Percy returned to their flat, Crookshanks jumping out of Hermione's arms as soon as they stepped out of the floo. At first, the cat froze on the floor, its flat face turning in all directions, sniffing the air. Percy found himself watching the animal, his heart pounding heavily in his chest as he waited for its reaction. An irrational part of him was afraid that Hermione might leave should her familiar dislike his place and he couldn't shake the feeling, no matter how ridiculous it was. Luckily, Crooks' assessment of his new living quarters only took a few seconds, because as soon as Hermione put down his small basket next to the sofa, her furry companion hurried towards it with a yowl, its bushy tail standing up behind him like a bottle brush. Percy released a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding.

"You already made a cat tree for him," Hermione marvelled, looking at Percy in wonder. "This wasn't here the last time I was at your flat. When did you…"

"The night before our wedding," Percy answered, smiling at his wife. "I knew the next time you'd come here would be the time you moved in and so would he." Motioning his head towards the ginger cat he walked towards the hallway. "Building a cat tree was the least I could do to make you both more comfortable. It's what a good husband does. Do you want help unpacking your things? I've made some space for you in the bedroom closet already."

His wife smiled at him. "Thank you, Percy. But I think I'll be alright on my own. Or wait… I'll quickly unpack my clothes. There really aren't many. Afterwards, we could go through my books if you like."

"Of course." Percy smiled at his wife. He liked the idea of going through her books together, in fact, he couldn't wait to find out what treasures she'd brought along for him to read. "How about I start expanding the shelves in the meanwhile? Do you have a rough estimate of how many books you brought with you? A hundred?"

"More like three hundred," Hermione admitted, her cheeks blushing as he sought out his gaze.

"Three hundred," Percy repeated, his heart fluttering with excitement. Never before had he struggled to resist the urge to kiss her but right now he did. Luckily he was a man with restraint and therefore all he did was nod before getting to work.

ssssss

Percy had carefully avoided the topic of their marriage and the duties they'd soon have to fulfil and therefore he was grateful when Hermione approached him in the evening, after they'd barely settled down on the sofa. He'd poured each of them a glass of red wine, feeling the urge to celebrate the fact that Hermione had now moved in with him.

"Percy? I was thinking… It's almost been a week since we last… had sex and as you're about to go back to work tomorrow, we probably shouldn't wait until tomorrow morning. Or would you rather…"

As soon as Percy shook his head at her, Hermione's mouth snapped closed. "No, tonight would be preferable for me as well. I usually leave the house quite early, which would mean I'd have to wake you very early."

"Alright. Tonight then," his wife said, clearing her throat. "How about I go and take a quick shower then?"

"Or I could run you a bath," Percy suggested, expecting her to decline his offer. Sipping at his wine he watched her over the rim of his glass.

Hermione didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached for her cat, who was now resting right next to her on the sofa and stroked its fur, seemingly lost in thought. "A bath sounds lovely, " she finally said, her voice sounding a little odd. "You could join me if you want…"

He couldn't help but stare at her, because for a moment he thought he'd misheard. For the last week, it had felt like he and Hermione were caught in a strange sort of limbo between married life and companionship. They'd been friendly with each other, having animated discussions and glasses of wine. But he couldn't help but notice her complete disinterest when it came to touching him in any way. Therefore her sudden change of mind didn't make any sense at first.

"The bathtub is a little small but I could place a temporary extension charm on it. That is, if you're indeed sure you want me there…"

Hermione shrugged. "I admit that I feel a little shy about it, but then again we are husband and wife. And you probably want to get cleaned up as well so… it's only efficient, right?"

"Right," Percy nodded, clearing his throat. Efficient wasn't the first word that came to his mind when he thought about taking a bath with his wife, but he wouldn't admit that aloud. After all, he didn't want to ruin the moment by saying something stupid like 'Screw efficiency, I want to take my time. And what I have in mind will not be efficient at all.' No, such a comment probably wouldn't be helpful at all, even though that was exactly what ghosted through his head when he made his way towards the bathroom.