Chapter 8

Thursday, 19 September 1996

Pemberly, Grangershire

Hermione's seventeenth birthday party didn't begin until after classes let out that Thursday afternoon. It was small, much smaller than Neville's, Harry's, or Katie's parties. Aside from Hermione and her parents, there were only eleven students in attendance: Fay, Luna, Neville, Hannah, Susan, Harry, Katie, Ginny, Dean, Ron, and Vicki.

Hermione's parents, Dan and Emma, both played the gracious host, welcoming the partygoers into 'their' home, despite the fact that Hermione's house in Grangershire – which she'd elected to call Pemberly, in honour of Mr. Darcy's estate in the novel Pride and Prejudice – was decidedly Hermione's property.

"Welcome, Harry, Katie," Mrs. Granger said when they arrived via the trunk exchange in Middleborough. "I'm glad you could make it. I hear you're to be hosting Hermione for a while."

"Oh," Harry said, somewhat taken aback by Mrs. Granger's slip. "Erm… yes. We're happy to do it." He flushed briefly, and glanced at Katie, who was trying to supress a silent laugh.

"I'm glad," Mrs. Granger pressed ahead, either missing or deliberately ignoring Harry's mild confusion and discomfort. "I admit, this house, while impressive, can feel rather empty at times. Plus, it's so far from anywhere…"

"I completely understand," Harry informed her, recovering quickly. "I found my house to be similarly empty over the summer. I was so happy when term started again and my friends returned."

"So, you host some others, then?" Mrs. Granger asked. Harry couldn't tell if she was fishing or simply making polite conversation.

"Several members of the Gryffindor quidditch team have made Pottershire their temporary home during term as they find it easier to make it to and from practices," Harry elaborated. "Neville, Ron, and several other friends often eat at my place as well. It means my house is bustling and full of life most of the year."

"That's wonderful to hear," Mrs. Granger said. "After the party, Dan and I are decamping to the house in Middleborough. I like the neighbourhood better, and the house is more my size. I didn't realise how much my sanity depended on background noise and a kitchen I can't get lost in."

"It's good to hear you're able to get back into your comfort zone," Katie said, joining the conversation.

"Yes," Mrs. Granger agreed. "Well, I'll not keep you longer. The party's through there. We're starting in the parlour, and then dinner's in the dining room after that."

"Excellent," Harry smiled at her. With a final nod, he and Katie left the entry hall, which in Pemberly combined the main entry and trunk entry into one hall. The main door was in the centre, flanked by windows, which were, in turn, flanked by the two access trunk doors. The main trunk door shared a wall with the parlour door. The arrangement made sense for the small number of trunks. At Potter House, it would've been bedlam.

Passing into the parlour, Harry found Hermione entertaining Fay and Luna, who were the only ones to have already arrived.

"Happy Birthday, Hermione," Harry said. "Where do you want your gift?" He hefted a rather small package.

"Hi Harry, Katie," Hermione smiled at them. "Mum says gifts are over there," she pointed to where four other gifts sat on a large table in a corner. Harry placed his gift there, and Katie added hers, a limited edition book on advanced ancient runes, as well. They then joined the growing crowd on one of the sofas.

"Every time I come here, I'm amazed all over again," Fay said. "I just can't believe how incredible your library is."

"Harry's is better," Hermione demurred. "He has a far more comprehensive collection."

"I think Fay was referring to the visual appeal and overall design," Harry told Hermione.

"Oh," Hermione stammered. "Well, yes, I suppose it is."

"I also like how your home so accurately reflects styles of the Georgian period, while using them in exciting and creative new ways," Fay added. "The layout is decidedly more Italianate, but you wouldn't know it from the appearance of the individual rooms."

"It's very concise," Katie added. "It doesn't take up too much space. It's fancy, but it does what it says on the label. Honestly, I can get lost in Harry's home, it's so big."

"This is big," Fay argued. "But it's big with a purpose. Harry's is big, but it's mostly for show."

"Watch out," Katie warned with a broad smile. "I can attest that Harry's very good at using it for its intended purpose." She glanced at his crotch and waggled her eyebrows."

"I… Erm…" Fay stammered.

"I mean, come on, Harry's parties are some of the best ever!" Katie said, grinning as though she hadn't just insinuated they were talking about Harry's manhood. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes.

"How are you, Luna?" Harry asked.

"I'm fine, Harry," she replied with a smile. "I had a lovely summer in Sweden with my father looking for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. We didn't find them, but we had a nice time."

"That's great," Harry said, happy for his friend. The door opened and Neville, Hannah, and Susan joined them.

"Harry," Neville said, with Susan next to him. "I had a question about Middleshire."

"What's up, Nev?" Harry asked.

"Have you heard back from the woman who makes the trunks yet about that security issue?" Neville asked. Last Christmas, Harry had raised the issue of people passing through the trunks to gain unauthorized access to other peoples' wards.

"I checked in back in July," Harry informed the boy. "She told me she was still working on the problem. She did say that any fix she had probably wouldn't be applicable to trunks that were already created. I also found out that transferring access trunks isn't possible, so we're stuck on that front. On a more positive note, she said she could create additional access trunks which could be attached to a trunk without adding land, but she was planning on holding off on those until she fixes the security issue."

"That's something, I suppose," Neville said. Susan nodded in agreement. Just then, Ron and Vicki entered and a scowl crossed Susan's face.

"I know it doesn't help," Harry told her softly, "but he really is sorry."

"If he's so sorry, then why is he with her?" Susan snapped quietly.

"Because he couldn't be with you, and because she's not Lavender," Harry reasoned. "Lavender took advantage of him, and Vicki's as much of a victim of that as Ron."

"He shouldn't've allowed her to…" Susan whispered harshly.

"I know," Harry said, cutting her off. "I tried to get him to come with us that day, but he made the wrong choice. If he could go back and do it again, he'd do things differently, but he can't."

Dean and Ginny entered, and Susan used the interruption to disengage and went off to talk with Hannah. Neville sat next to Harry as Ginny pulled Dean, making the rounds. Then Mr. and Mrs. Ganger came in.

"That's everyone!" Mrs. Granger said enthusiastically. "Who's ready for dinner?"

Dinner was lasagne with garlic toast, minestrone soup, and a green salad. Pudding was a Bundt-shaped lemon pound cake with lemon sauce drizzled over the top and sprinkled with lemon zest. Harry made a mental note to ask Mrs. Granger for the recipe, as it was one of the most delicious things he'd ever eaten. It was nearly on par with his beloved treacle tart… nearly.

After dinner, the party reconvened in the parlour, and Hermione opened her gifts. As expected, there were a large number of books in the offerings. With one gift left to go, only one of her gifts so far, that from her mother, wasn't a book. Her mum had gotten her a jumper, shirt, skirt, and tights.

Finally, only Harry's tiny gift was left. Hermione glanced at him before opening it. Under the wrapping was a plain cardboard box, about half the size of a cigar box. Puzzled, she opened it. Inside, she saw a gold bracelet composed of a complex formation of gold chain mail rings with small discs periodically gracing the outer face. Each disc had a different rune etched into it.

"This is amazing, Harry!" she gasped, lifting the piece gently out of the fabric base and holding it up. "Are these…"

"Protection runes," Harry told her. She looked closely at the fine work, then quickly put it on, admiring it on her wrist. With the box still in her hand, she rushed over and hugged Harry tightly.

"Thank you," she said into his ear. "It's lovely."

"There's more if you look under the velvet," Harry told her.

"What?" she asked as she pulled back and dug under the fabric at the bottom of the box. "You sneaky…" she trailed off as she saw the key she'd found. "What did you do?" she asked firmly.

"I suppose you'll have to go outside to see," Harry told her. "It should be in front of the house."

"Harry Potter," she said firmly, stalking to the door to the entry hall, and passing quickly to the front door, with the rest of the party in tow. "If you bought me some sort of sports car, thinking that was an appropriate gift for a friend, I'll…" She was brought up short by the small hatchback parked in her drive.

"I hardly consider a Vauxhall Astra a sports car," Harry said. "It's more of a practical car for a practical girl. Now that you're seventeen, you can get your license, and I figured this would be much easier for you to drive around Britain than my Lamborghini." Hermione was stunned into silence, her rebuke forgotten.

"All that money and he buys her a Vauxhall?" Mr. Granger joked. "The boy could've at least sprung for a Bentley. I've had my eye on their new Azure convertible. It looks absolutely ripping."

"Dear," Mrs. Granger growled. Mr. Granger promptly shut up. Hermione ignored them and the grinning Harry as she circled the maroon hatchback.

"It's too much," she said. "The bracelet… the car… it's too much."

"Hermione," Katie said, walking up to her and putting her arm around her. "He bought me an Aston Martin. If you're worried about him showing you favouritism, remember that. Plus, Sirius bought him four cars! I think this is practically Scroogelike when you think of that." Then she leaned in and whispered so only she and Harry could hear. "Besides, the bracelet came from his vault, so it was free."

"So, Harry, can I expect a car on my birthday, too?" Ron asked loudly from the other side of the Vauxhall.

"I…" Harry stammered, caught off guard.

"Two words," Katie whispered with a grin, leaning over to him. "Reliant Robin." Harry laughed.

"Yeah," he said to Ron once he'd recovered. "Yeah. I'll get you a car." He wiped a tear from his eye and turned back to Hermione. "Are we good?"

"I suppose," Hermione sighed. "Thank you, Harry."

"That's her car settled," Mr. Granger said. "Now we just need to see if Hermione still wants to go to uni, or if we can take that two-month long trip to the States instead."

"Daniel," Mrs. Granger growled.

"What?" Mr. Granger asked, a slight smile on his face.

After the car reveal, the party moved back inside. Aside from the library, Pemberly was fairly spartan in its accommodations, though it did have a music room adjacent to the parlour, and a ten-pin bowling alley in the basement. Apparently, Mr. Granger was an avid bowler. He certainly spent the next three hours demonstrating his skill to the chagrin of Harry, Katie, and Ron.

After three games, Harry decided to pack it in and went looking for the others.

"Just keep an eye out," he heard Susan say as he ascended the stairs. He rounded a corner, and was surprised to see her talking to Vicki.

"Hey, guys," he said, waving lamely. "Everything OK?"

"Yes," Susan said shortly. "Just fine." Then she hurried off, leaving Vicki there alone.

"What was that about?" Harry wondered.

"Erm," Vicki hemmed, unsure what to say.

"Was it about Ron?" Harry guessed. Vicki looked like a deer in headlights. "Hey, it's OK," he said, trying to reassure her. "I, of all people, know Ron's not perfect. I've seen him bollocks up quite a bit in the last six years. Your secrets are your own. It's fine. But if you've got a problem with Ron, you can let me know, and I'll try to help you fix it, even if that's 'I don't want to be with Ron anymore.' Understand?"

"I… I think so?" Vicki replied, sounding unsure.

"Look," Harry pressed ahead. "I don't wanna influence you about anything, unless you're looking for advice. I know Ron enjoys your company, and fancies you quite a bit. I also know that Susan's got a chip on her shoulder because of what happened." There wasn't any sense in revisiting that Harry had seen Vicki in a very vulnerable position. "Ron might make mistakes, but he usually learns from them, at least in my experience." He tried to gauge her reaction, but she wasn't really saying anything. He tried a different tack.

"I know we haven't spent a lot of time together, but we're all sorta like a big family, yeah?" he said. "I know I'm close to Ron, so if you don't feel comfortable talking to me, or you really want a woman's perspective, you can always talk to Hermione or Katie. They'll not steer you wrong."

"OK," Vicki said, looking a little less frightened. "Thanks. Is he down there?"

"Yep," Harry agreed. "He might be aces at chess, but he's crap at bowling." Vicki laughed at that. "Where's everyone else?"

"Hermione's in the library," Vicki replied, heading down the stairs. "I think Dean and Ginny are in the music room. Neville and Hannah are in the kitchen with Mrs. Granger." Then she disappeared around the corner. Harry headed to the library.

Pushing the door open, he looked up first, and was rewarded with an arm draped over the chair back up in the dome. Harry set about climbing the stairs, and emerged a minute later, gasping for breath.

"You couldn't've dreamt up a lift?" he finally wheezed out as he collapsed into the other chair.

"I thought you were in shape," Hermione replied with a sly grin. "What brings you up here, anyway?"

"This is supposed to be a party, and you're the guest of honour," Harry reminded her. "Yet, you're up here sequestered away from everyone."

"Parties aren't really my thing," Hermione allowed.

"Ah, well," Harry dismissed her reply, and decided to move the conversation forward. "Your mum said something interesting when we arrived."

"Oh?" Hermione asked, looking like she was trying to figure out what it was.

"She mentioned that they were going to be moving to Middleborough," Harry began.

"Oh, yes," Hermione nodded. "Now that I'm of age, they said I should be on my own."

"Funny that," Harry grinned. "She also said you were planning on closing up here and moving in with us for a bit. Doesn't sound like alone to me."

"Oh…" Hermione said softly, blushing.

"Am I to understand you're taking us up on our offer?" Harry questioned.

"Yes," Hermione said, her blush deepening. "If it's still available."

"My understanding was that it was an open-ended offer," Harry commented. "Shall I have Winky move your things to Potter House?"

"Yes, thank you," Hermione agreed. "Is tonight too soon?"

"Not at all," Harry replied.

Their conversation was interrupted by the library door closing loudly. Harry leaned over the edge of the chair he was sitting in, glanced through the railing down towards the door. Katie was there with Ron and Vicki looking up.

"Are you and Hermione up there?" Katie called.

"Yep," Harry nodded. "Are we needed?"

"Mrs. Granger says it's about time to wrap this party up," Katie announced.

"Be down in a moment," Harry replied. He stood and turned to Hermione, offering her his hand. "Well, it's been absolutely corking," he said with a smile. "What time should we expect you, and will you be arriving tonight by car, train, or trunk?" He pulled her to her feet and the two started descending the stairs.

"Trunk," Hermione said after a moment's thought. "And give me an hour. If you wouldn't mind, send Winky in about thirty minutes."

"She'll be at your call when you're ready," Harry countered. "I'm glad you decided to do it."

"I'll be you are," Hermione grinned and rolled her eyes.

"Not because of that… OK, because of that," Harry allowed. "But also, because I want you to be happy."

-oooo-

"How is this supposed to work?" Hermione asked an hour and a half later. She, along with Harry and Katie were stood awkwardly in front of Harry's bed. They were still in the clothes they had worn to the party, though Hermione's extra things were now stored in a new wardrobe on the wall between the door to the dressing room and the loo.

"I'm on this side, so you'll probably wanna take the other side," Katie told her, indicating that she slept on the right.

"And changing?" Hermione wondered.

"We've all seen each other nude," Katie shrugged. "You'll be seeing a lot more, since that's how we sleep as well. You can do as you like, but we'll be changing out here."

"What about…" Hermione trailed off, unsure how to phrase her question.

"Sex?" Katie grinned. "You can say it, Hermione. Sex… fucking… shagging… cock… pussy… tits! Except for Harry, we're of age. That makes us adults. We can have conversations about adult topics. Harry's not your boyfriend, but he's… on loan, shall we say, for when you've need of him so long as I'm present. I've no objection to you shagging him in any way you can think of, so long as he's agreeable."

"You don't expect me to… shag you, do you?" Hermione asked, nervous.

"Sorry, I don't like you like that," Katie reassured her. "I mean, if you're not using his cock, I might keep it busy for you while he's working you over in other ways, but I'll not be suckling your tits or dipping into your cunny, and I won't be kissing you." Hermione nodded. "Also," Katie added, "please don't kiss Harry in public. In the house is fine, or if we're alone out in Pottershire, but not at school or in Middleshire."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Hermione agreed. "How do I know if you're agreeable?" she asked, turning to Harry.

"Well, generally, he'll be hard," Katie answered for him. "Sometimes you can make him agreeable if you ask nicely." She walked over to him and ran her hand gently along his jawline as she pressed her body up against his. Her other hand reached down after a moment and cupped the outside of his trousers, feeling him growing within them. "He's becoming quite agreeable now, if you're interested." Harry just grinned and rolled his eyes at Katie.

"Erm…" Hermione stammered, still clearly uncomfortable. "What… what's your nightly routine?"

"We come in, clean our teeth, use the loo, get ready for bed, then we talk, or shag, or read, or whatever, then fall asleep," Harry told her concisely.

"Can we just do that, and see what happens?" Hermione asked, pleading with her eyes.

"Sure," Harry agreed. Hermione practically shot into the loo. "You're sure about this?"

"I'm sure," Katie replied. "She's nervous, but she's ready."

"How d'you know?" Harry asked.

"She's here, isn't she?" Katie pointed out.

Three minutes later, Harry emerged from the loo to find Hermione standing on what was usually his side of the bed.

"I'm in the middle, then, yeah?" he asked.

"I suppose," Hermione said, looking away as he pulled off his shirt and tossed it into a basket. He kicked off his shoes. She blushed when he undid his belt and lowered his trousers. Behind him, he heard Katie come out of the loo and start undressing. By the time he pulled off his boxers, he could see Katie in his peripheral vision undoing her bra. Without another glance at Hermione, Harry slid into bed, scooting to the middle.

"C'mon, Hermione," Katie said, pulling off her socks. "Lights are out in a few minutes."

"Do you want me to… take my clothes off?" Hermione asked, hesitantly.

"It does make shagging easier," Katie grinned at her. "But you do you. I'll be having at least one orgasm tonight." Hermione reddened, but didn't respond other than to pull off her jumper. Harry had seen Hermione nude before, but he did enjoy seeing attractive girls disrobing, so he watched with interest. He felt Katie snuggle up behind him, her hand reaching around under the cover to grasp his manhood. Harry groaned and closed his eyes, missing Hermione removing her bra.

When he opened his eyes, they fell on her perky C cups. Hermione, blushing furiously, still managed to smirk at him.

"What?" Harry asked lightly. Hermione merely shook her head in feigned disbelief and unbuttoned her trousers, pushing them and her knickers off together in one go. She elegantly slid into bed next to him. "Alright, Hermione?"

"Yes," Hermione agreed, smiling. "Thanks, both of you."

"Our… well, Harry's pleasure," Katie amended.

"I love you," Harry snorted, grinning at Katie, then looked a question at Hermione.

"Can you go slow?" Hermione asked softly. "It's only my third time."

"Sure," Harry allowed. "Whatever you want, Hermione." Katie released his cock, and he scooted over to where she was laying under the blankets. He raised a hand to her cheek, pulling her face into line with his, and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I love you, Hermione. Can I show you how much?"

She couldn't speak. Instead, she gulped, steeled herself, and nodded. Harry dipped down again, tasting her lips deeper. His tongue sallied forth into her mouth, and he embraced her. His left hand found her breast, cupping it gently. Hermione sighed into his mouth. She was a surprisingly good kisser, he found.

Harry couldn't say how long they kissed, but eventually, his lips left her lips and travelled south, stopping first at her neck, then her collar bone, and finally her breasts, where he worshiped her nipples. When he dared to look up at his friend, her head was thrown back, lips parted, and her face was flush. Her eyes darted open when his hand parted the crease between her legs, and their eyes met. He could see the need there.

It wasn't long after that that he abandoned Hermione's breasts, and concentrated entirely on her cunny. By the time his lips found it, her vagina was already wet, and Harry's ministrations did nothing to dry her out. It was the work of moments only before Hermione gasped out her first orgasm of the night. Once she'd come down from her high, Harry pulled back, and was momentarily distracted from Hermione by the wet sounds of Katie masturbating furiously. She was hidden under the covers, but her shaking and the rapid movement of her arm was more than enough evidence to know what Katie was up to.

Harry turned back to Hermione, who either hadn't noticed what Katie was doing, or was choosing to ignore it. Harry politely wiped his mouth, and pulled his body up to align with Hermione's. She pulled him down and kissed him soundly. If she found her scent on his face disturbing, she didn't show it.

"Make love to me," she whispered when she broke the kiss. Harry's only reply was to kiss her. Her hand snaked out and grasped his cock, pulling it insistently toward her core. Harry eased into her slowly, careful to be gentle. Hermione sighed, and he began to move. He gradually increased the pace until he was thrusting in a steady rhythm. Hermione gripped his arms and moaned. "So good," escaped her lips, barely audible.

For three minutes, Harry showed her what she meant to him. He didn't try to change position, but Hermione didn't seem to mind. Her moans and squeaks grew in both frequency and volume. By the time Harry reached his peak, she had reached a second one.

"Oh, Harry!" she gasped as she came, her body shuddering. Unable to hold back any longer, Harry released himself into her and relaxed. He pulled his shrinking member from her and rolled over between the two girls. Hermione, hair wild and covered in a sheen of sweat, rolled over to embrace him. "That was wonderful," she said softly. "Thank you." Without another word, she kissed him lightly, then scooted out of bed and walked into the loo.

"God, that was hot!" Katie pronounced once Hermione had closed the door. Harry turned to her to see her, hair askew and panting. "Think you can go again?"

"With a little assistance, probably," Harry grinned at her. "Do I… erm… need to wash off?" He raised the sheets to look at his flacid cock, which was still shiny with slowly drying bodily fluids. Katie just grinned and reached for her wand.

"Tergeo," she cast, waving her wand at Harry's cock. It was instantly dry and clean. "I don't see a problem, do you?" With a grin of her own, she pushed the covers off them both, and slid down the bed. A moment later, her mouth enveloped his cock, and she started to suck it back to life.

Like Katie, Harry knew he liked to watch. He enjoyed watching himself and others have sex, so he was watching Katie blow him when he saw Hermione come out of the loo. It must've been quite the sight: Harry was propped up on his elbows in the centre of the bed, hair mussed, and Katie was on her hands and knees, bum pointed right at the loo door. He was sure Hermione was getting a good look at Katie's cunny.

After stopping to decide on a course of action, Hermione bravely made her way to her spot in the bed, and perched on the edge, unsure what to do.

"Budge over, Katie," Harry said, when he saw Hermione's indecision. He himself started scooting over to Katie's side. Katie, having lost her toy for the moment, leaned back onto her haunches, wiped her mouth with the back of her arm, smiled at Hermione, and moved towards Harry, settling easily into his lap once he'd positioned himself.

A quick reach between her legs, a brief adjustment, and Harry's cock was firmly seated inside his girlfriend. Katie closed her eyes, bit her lip, and grinned. Opening her eyes, she glanced over at Hermione, who had settled back into her side of the bed, but couldn't decide whether to watch or pretend to sleep.

"If you don't watch, you won't learn," Katie prompted, reasonably. Chastened, Hermione rolled onto her side to watch. It was only then that Katie began to move. "Play with my tits," she instructed, reaching out to grab Harry's wrists to place his hands on her breasts. Harry didn't fight the order, and immediately ran his fingers over her nipples, causing her to shiver. "So bloody good," she sighed.

Having just come, Harry was able to last quite a bit longer with Katie, though he was somewhat surprised at how excited he was that Hermione was watching, knowing he'd just finished with her. After a few minutes she leaned back and moaned, orgasming. Then, Katie lifted off him, and flopped onto her stomach next to him. Knowing what she wanted, Harry climbed on top of her, and slid into her from behind. It was nearly impossible to fondle her breasts in this position, but he spent quite a bit of time kissing her neck and shoulder, which he knew drove her wild.

Harry also quite liked this position, and it wasn't long before he was grunting with pleasure. Soon, he felt her shaking and whimpering, and he knew she'd come again. Seven minutes after she had brought him back to life, Harry finally emptied himself into Katie, and rolled between the girls. He looked over at her. They were both panting and drenched in sweat from their exertions. Wanting to show her appreciation of his efforts, Katie slid on top of him, pressing her whole body against his, and gave him a long and passionate kiss.

"Thanks for the effort," Katie said softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Harry grinned back. "And believe me, it was no effort. With you and Hermione here, it could never be an effort."

"You say the sweetest things," Katie smiled at him. Then she slid off, melding herself into his left side, and looked over at Hermione. "Are you OK?"

Hermione nodded. She was about two feet away, on her side, looking at them both. Harry, wanting to include her, held out his arm, offering it to her. She quickly scooted into his embrace and relaxed.

"Did you learn anything?" Katie asked Hermione.

"Quite a bit," Hermione answered. "Though I don't know whether it's what I need to be learning. For instance, it doesn't really help me to know how it feels to have Harry shag me."

"I think it does," Katie reasoned. "Harry's your best friend, yeah?" Hermione nodded. "Did sex with him feel different than sex with…" She trailed off, not wanting to say Justin's name out loud.

"It did," Hermione agreed.

"How?" Katie pressed.

"Harry was bigger, for one," Hermione answered. "He made me feel fuller. He was also… better at it? I suppose."

"Harry can't help his size, and I'd imagine he's better at it because he's had more practise," Katie laughed. "How was he better at it?"

"He was smoother," Hermione said after a moment's thought. "He had more rhythm, and was more confident. He was also gentler."

"He was making love to you," Katie pointed out.

"Of course he was," Hermione countered. "Wasn't that the whole point?"

"No," Katie stopped her. "I mean, the kind of sex you had with Harry was making love, as opposed to a wild shag, or rough sex, or whatever. He read your mood and had sex with you the way he thought you wanted. My sex was a hot shag, but it wasn't making love."

"Does that mean…" Hermione trailed off, a look on her face that she thought she was destroying their relationship.

"It means Harry gave me the kind of sex I wanted," Katie replied quickly. "We've made love plenty of times. Sometimes a girl just wants to get fucked. Harry wanted your first time to be nice. Maybe next time he'll catch you when you're horny, or silly, or whatever."

"How do you tell?" Hermione asked Harry.

"How do you know what a guy's in the mood for?" Harry countered. "Same way: learn to read them."

"You can read me?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, I've been able to read you for years," Harry laughed. "We're friends. I know what your moods are. C'mon. You know my moods, or Ron's moods, probably even Neville's moods."

"The only mood I got off Justin was horny," Hermione said sadly. "It wasn't like this at all, either time."

"Look," Katie said. "It's not always great, but the right partner should be able to read your mood, and still make it at least OK."

"This is the first time I've orgasmed from intercourse," Hermione told them. "Justin was either clueless or didn't care." Harry gave her a reassuring squeeze. She looked like she was torn between wanting to cry and wanting to rage.

"Probably a bit of both," Katie snorted. "We've established he was a tosser."

"Did you talk to him about what you wanted?" Harry asked. "Y'know, what made you feel good?"

"Not really," Hermione admitted. "I mean, what he did with his fingers felt good. He made me orgasm sometimes with that, but you were the first to give me cunnilingus. I asked if he wanted to once. He laughed and told me it was gross."

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander," Harry reasoned. "If you ladies are willing to blow us, we should be willing to go down on you. Any man who's not is an arse."

"Anyway, during sex, he just stuck it in and humped until he came, then rolled off, got dressed, and left," Hermione related.

"How long did that take?" Katie asked.

"First time about thirty seconds," Hermione snorted. "Second time I'd given him a blowjob first, and he lasted maybe two minutes."

"Did it feel good when it lasted longer?" Harry wondered.

"I was… distracted, both times," Hermione told him. "The first time, he broke my hymen and it hurt, so I was concentrating on that. The jerk didn't even slow down when I winced. The second time I had some semen on my face that was running into my eye, and I was trying to get it out because it stung."

"What a wanker," Katie swore. "It sounds like you did learn one thing of use at least."

"What's that?" Hermione wanted to know.

"That not all men are bloody useless in bed," Katie grinned. "That wanker might've been your first, but Harry's your first good experience."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed. "You're right. Thanks for sharing him, Katie. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome to borrow him for as long as you want," Katie replied, hugging him tight. "It really turned me on, watching you two."

"I don't know if I'll ever reach your level of comfort with sharing a partner," Hermione said.

"How did it make you feel when you watched?" Katie asked.

"Aroused," Hermione admitted. "But, then, he's not my boyfriend."

"No, but you love him," Katie pointed out.

"Yeah. I suppose I was happy he's happy," Hermione allowed. "I just don't know if I'd ever feel comfortable sharing a boyfriend, or husband, with another woman."

"That's not really the point of our… instruction," Katie told her. "We just want you to be comfortable with your man looking at other women. We want you to know that a man can do that and still love you."

"What about being faithful?" Hermione asked pointedly.

"Harry hasn't cheated on me yet," Katie said firmly. "Every time he's done something with someone else is because I let him."

"But what if I don't let my boyfriend have sex with someone else?" Hermione asked.

"Most blokes aren't total wankers," Katie informed her. "They'll not run off with the first woman they see nude besides you. I'm positive that Neville's not that way. Look at how he acted that day in Eden when he carried Ginny in the chicken fight." Hermione considered that for a moment, and finally nodded her agreement. "If I ever decide I'm through swinging, I know Harry will understand. He's already told me I'm enough for him. Anyway, it's late. We should get some sleep."

"Alright," Hermione allowed.

"Good night, my loves," Harry said, then, "Nox!"