Chapter 12: Making an effort

Hermione didn't know what had prompted her to invite Percy into the bathtub with her but she blamed George and the conversation they'd had at The Burrow. The redhead's words had made her think about Percy and the year she'd have to spend with him. A year, that was fifty-two weeks, which equalled the minimum number of times they'd have to be intimate with each other, that was if she didn't get pregnant before that point. But such was very unlikely given the precautions she had taken. Yes, the law had been designed with the intent of increasing the wizarding population and therefore reproduction was the key point of the law. It was the reason she and Percy had to share the bed on such a regular basis. Also, the use of contraceptive charms or potions was strictly forbidden until a couple had produced at least three offspring. The law did not forbid the use of Muggle contraceptives though, a small loophole she had discovered while researching a way to escape this blasted law. Though she didn't discover one she realised that she wouldn't be trapped forever as the marriage could be divorced if after a year no children were conceived. And Hermione would make sure of that. Yes, she understood the necessity of increasing Britain's magical population and therefore she was willing to bear three children. But she wanted to do so in her own time and with a partner of her choice.

Yet her freedom was fifty-one weeks away which meant she was stuck in this marriage for now. Yet her conversation with George made her realise one thing: even though she was stuck, she could still make the best out of her situation. Percy wasn't unattractive and more importantly: he treated her with kindness and respect. With him, this next year would be bearable or even nice because she found that she enjoyed their quiet evenings on the sofa and the massages he gave her every night. Maybe they could enjoy other things together as well, and if sex was among them she certainly wouldn't complain. Other people liked sex and the few romantic books she'd read described it as a most intense and wonderful experience. So far she could not see the appeal but that only suggested that she hadn't quite figured it out, yet. She still had fifty-one weeks and maybe she could make good use of them.

But first, she needed to apologize to her husband, because no matter how fed up she was with that blasted law, this whole situation wasn't his fault. Yes, Percy was a Ministry employee and he kept supporting the Ministry, for his very own reasons. But that didn't mean he was happy to be married off by law. He was just more accepting of it and tried to make the best out of an impossible situation - a situation she kept making even more difficult for them.

Sighing, she made her way to the bathroom where Percy was standing next to the bathtub, which now had doubled in size. Suddenly it took up half of the room, making it appear much narrower than it originally had. Luckily there still was enough room to undress and hang up her clothes and walk around.

"This is all I could do," Percy told her, without turning around. "The spell will only last for about two hours. But I don't see us taking nearly that long as this is merely an attempt to get clean in the most time-efficient way…" he said and Hermione couldn't help but notice how odd his voice sounded. He also seemed to hold himself more stiffly than he previously had.

"Percy…" she started, suddenly feeling nervous. "I want to apologize to you. I feel like I've really made things difficult for you, last time I mean. You really tried to make this a good experience for me, but all I could see was that I was forced to do this against my will. It was the same thing for you though. You didn't ask for this either."

There was a quiet sigh from his direction before he turned around, his blue eyes looking at her wearily. "No, I did not ask for this but I feel like I don't feel as much resentment about this marriage as you do. I do understand your reasoning, but I believe that we've been matched for a reason."

"I do not resent you, Percy," she assured him, taking a careful step into his direction, then another. When she was only one more step away from him she slowly reached out, cupping his cheek with her right hand. "You're a good man, kind and understanding where others would have long lost their patience with me. You didn't and I want you to know I'm grateful…"

Quietly, Percy leaned into her touch, the water running into the bathtub behind them as his blue eyes studied her face. Where she thought his gaze unsettling only a few weeks ago, she found that he was now used to the intensity of his blue eyes. They made her feel seen, leaving no doubt that this man was currently focussed on her and her only.

"I'm trying to be a good husband to you," he told her seriously. "I know this is not what you wanted, but…"

"It's not what you wanted either, but here we are." Hermione stared at her husband, her heart full of sympathy for him. "I promise I'll try to make the best out of this impossible situation, to not make this any more difficult than it has to be."

He nodded silently and for several long seconds they just stared at each other. Suddenly she didn't know what else to say or to do. A part of her considered kissing him but she didn't want to have sex with him in a bathtub of all places. Therefore she didn't want to give him the wrong signals. Yet she felt like she had to do something, anything because she'd just promised she'd make an effort and… To hell with it all, she told herself before she took a deep breath and pulled Percy closer, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

At first, he didn't kiss back, his eyes staring at her a moment longer before they finally blinked shut and he melted against her. Ever so slowly his lips started to move against hers, his arms coming around her body to steady her as he leaned down to make it easier for her to reach him. Another wave of gratitude washed over her, prompting her to close her arms around his neck and pull him a little closer. This time he came willingly, the corner of his mouth curving into a little smile as he kept kissing her. And it felt good, right even, in a way that made no sense to her. But she had to admit that Percy was a good kisser, his lips gentle and not too demanding, his hands on her back reassuring and steadying her.

Then he pulled away, the sudden loss of contact making her heart contract in protest. "We should probably get into the water," he murmured, his eyes scanning the almost full bathtub behind them. "That is, if you still want to take a bath. Alternatively, we could retreat to the bedroom and continue this…" he suggested, his expression unreadable.

Hermione shook her head, trying to send him a reassuring smile. "I'd rather take that bath first. I could wash your back, or your hair if you want…" she added, thinking that it was the least she could do after he'd rubbed her feet every night.

He nodded, relief and gratitude shining in his eyes. "I would appreciate that."

Without another word he started to undress, his fingers unbuttoning his shirt with practised ease. At first, Hermione found herself transfixed by his movements, her heart stuttering as he shrugged off his shirt and folded it to put it down on the small cupboard next to the sink. As she kept staring when he started to unbutton his trousers she felt his eyes focus on her again, his voice calling her name in a confused undertone.

"Hermione?"

"Sorry. I didn't want to stare at you," she told him, quickly starting to undress herself. She wasn't nearly as efficient as he was, since her fingers kept fumbling with the buttons of her blouse and she lost her balance twice as she climbed out of her trousers.

Percy did not comment on it, though. In fact, he didn't even look at her but busied himself by carefully putting away his clothes and taking off his glasses. Her clothes were put into the laundry basket next to the door, knowing that she would clean them before wearing them again. As soon as she was finished she quickly climbed into the bathtub before she could lose her nerve again and disappoint Percy once more. It was right in time because Percy turned towards her only a moment later, his eyes flickering over her body as he climbed into the water at the other side of the tub.

Hermione felt her cheeks heating up under his gaze and she hastily reminded herself that there probably wasn't much of her he hadn't seen anyway. There definitely wasn't any part of Percy she hadn't seen, she realised, and she found that her eyes still returned to certain parts of him as they kept fascinating her. Indeed there was not a single scar on him, his pale skin only painted by freckles, though he didn't have as many as Ron. Not that Hermione minded them, quite the contrary. They fascinated her. The same was true for his hands and she caught herself watching them as her husband reached for the soap and she found herself fascinated by his long, thin fingers. Soon they would touch her again, she thought before snapping herself out of her thoughts. Quickly she reached for the shower gel and started to wash as well, keeping herself focussed on her task instead of ogling her husband. Doing so would give Percy all the wrong signals, because even though she had to admit that she was most fascinated by him, she watched him merely out of curiosity.

"Do you want me to wash your back now?" Hermione repeated her offer to Percy, after she had washed in silence for a while. Percy had done the same, but now he looked at her with a smile. Quietly he offered her the bar of soap he'd used before turning around so that she could reach his back. Taking a calming breath Hermione rubbed the soap onto a sponge, before rubbing it over his back. She'd never washed anybody before and therefore it felt strange for her to suddenly do so. It was unexpectedly enjoyable to take care of her husband like this, his appreciative hum filling her heart with something like pride. She remembered how good it felt when he took care of her by giving her a massage or a foot rub and suddenly she felt glad that she could finally give something back to him, however small it may be.

"This feels nice," Percy told her, his voice barely more than a hum. "Thank you. Do you want me to reciprocate?"

With surprise, she noticed that she did. "If you don't mind?"

"Not at all."

It wasn't long until Hermione felt Percy's hands on her back, washing her gently and kneading her shoulders. Unlike on the night of her wedding, she immediately found herself relaxing to his touch, knowing that he did not bestow it on her in the hope it would lead to other things. Percy was an honourable man and even though Hermione was well aware that they indeed needed to have sex again, she knew that he didn't want this any more than she did. Strangely, that made her feel better. But how did they say: pain shared is pain divided…

Without being aware of what she was doing, Hermione leaned back until she could feel Percy against her back, her head coming to rest against his shoulder. At first, he didn't react but then he quickly readjusted his position, his arms coming around her from behind while his chin came to rest on her crown. It felt like he was snuggling her from behind and even though Hermione was well aware of how exposed she was in front of him, she tried not to think about it too much and instead let go and relax. They were husband and wife, after all, and Percy had assured her that there was nothing she needed to be ashamed about when it came to him.

"I'm sorry for how things went the last time we… well, when we sealed our marriage. It wasn't just that I was incredibly nervous and had no experience, I have found it very difficult to relax and not over-analyse everything when it comes to sex. It is very hard for me to feel arousal, not just with you but also…" She winced, forcing herself to get out the next bit, knowing that it was important for him to understand. "It is the same when I touch myself. It's almost impossible for me to relax enough to… you know."

Hermione felt Percy nod against her head. "I understand. Thank you for explaining this. It does help me to understand you a little better."

"That's what I hoped," she admitted, turning her head to the side so that her cheek came to rest against his naked chest. She found she liked that it was completely hairless; not that she minded male chest hair but she enjoyed the feeling of his soft, naked skin. "I don't want you to feel bad when I don't…"

He shook his head. "Don't think about it too much, my dear. We'll figure this out, together, that is if you want to. If you'd rather be left alone to do things more time-efficiently…"

A few nights ago she would have claimed this was what she wanted but after her talk with George and the last days they'd spent enjoying each other's company, she wasn't so sure. It certainly couldn't hurt to figure this problem out. She wanted to have sex, good sex, and if she didn't want to have to wait for more than a year for it, then she needed to figure things out with Percy.

"No. I want this to work, to be fun, for both of us…" she murmured before turning her head up, her eyes meeting his ice blue orbs. Without the glasses they were even more striking, the ginger lashes framing them longer than it should be allowed on any man. Looking at Percy's eyes now she couldn't understand how she'd ever found them to be cold, as they now burned into her, making a pool of warmth appear in her belly. It was like time suddenly came to a stand-still, the only sound the sudden thumping of her heart against her ribcage. Could Percy hear it too?

"Good." His word was barely more than a whisper yet she read it from his lips that were suddenly so close. Maybe it was the tilt of her head that prompted him to lean even further down, his eyes blinking close before their lips met.

It was a little awkward to kiss him like this, her neck straining from her attempt to turn further around, but at the same time, it felt interesting and new. She definitely didn't want to stop now that she'd started doing it. Humming into his mouth she closed her eyes as well, her hand reaching out to bury her fingers into his hair, to pull him even closer. Percy didn't hesitate, his own hand cupping her cheek as he kissed her first gently, then with growing intensity. And somehow it felt right, his lips dancing against hers in this gentle and caressing way, not demanding but exploring. To Hermione, it felt like they hadn't kissed before, definitely not like this, with her heart fluttering like it was a butterfly trapped inside of her, its wings flapping faster and faster until she felt light-headed and excited.

Just when her neck started protesting, Percy pulled back, prompting Hermione to open her eyes and let go of his hair. It looked completely mussed, she noted smugly, knowing full well that it was her work. Seeing him like this definitely rang a chord inside her, one that made her want to kiss him again and again, until he felt the same level of lightheadedness she did. And why shouldn't she?

Before Hermione could change her mind she turned around and, on her knees, she reached out, cupping Percy's face once more and pulling him towards her. He followed her lead without hesitation, coming to his knees before he melted his body against hers, his lips meeting hers only moments later.

She couldn't have said how long they kissed like this, Percy letting her explore his mouth. Absent-mindedly she registered his fingers that were playing with the wet tips of her curls or drawing slow circles onto her back, as if to chase away the droplets of water running down her skin. Hermione shivered at his touch.

"This feels nice," she admitted, bringing just enough distance between them so that she could see his face.

He raised his brow questioningly. "This?" he asked, repeating the movement with his hands.

Hermione nodded, smiling at him softly before she kissed him again, saying, "And this."

His lips curved into a smile. "I certainly don't mind you kissing me. In fact, I find it quite enjoyable myself, very much so."

She could have sworn she detected the faintest blush on his cheeks, but it could as well have been the heat from the bath. "I'd also enjoy doing other things with you. Will you let me try to give you pleasure, Hermione?"

"Right here?" Hermione eyed the tub with wide eyes. Granted, it was big enough to comfortably fit them both but there was still the danger of slipping or the fact that this wasn't really that comfortable. On the pro side…

"If you'd like. We can leave the tub anytime. But there's nothing for you to worry about. You could just lean back against me and relax." Hermione swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. This sounded so very tempting but what if…

Her racing thoughts stilled as soon as Percy kissed her, his lips gently dancing against hers while his hands came to rest on her shoulders, his thumbs gently brushing up and down her neck. "Relax," he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her wet skin. "There isn't any pressure for you here. If it works it works, if not…" He kissed her again, gently sucking at her bottom lip. Hermione could feel her legs grow weak, the urge to sit back down and lean against Percy growing stronger and stronger with every second.

"Alright." Smiling at him shyly, she gave in. "You can try. Just don't be disappointed if this doesn't work," she warned, before turning around. Behind her, she felt Percy sit down, stretching out his long legs to her left and right, making enough room for her to sit down between them. She couldn't help but look at him, his slim torso and the thin line of hair that led down his navel towards his middle. There, his penis stood half-erect, signalling that he'd indeed enjoyed what they'd just done. A part of her itched to reach out and touch him again like she'd done the last time when they'd been intimate. Could she get him to moan her name? And how would he look, all aroused and panting while she brought him pleasure with her hand?

"I won't be," he promised, as he pulled her towards him until her body was resting right against him. "I could never be disappointed by anything we do today. This is already so much better than I dared to hope."

She didn't say anything to this. Instead, she kissed him once more, steadying herself with her arms against the bathtub. But Percy was right, this evening was already so much better than she'd ever thought it possible and it felt like they'd barely even started. Only in contrast to her wedding night, this suddenly didn't feel like a bad thing at all.