The first thing she became aware of when she awoke was the warmth. It danced across her skin.
Then came the tickling sensation beneath her chin. Hermione smiled - she knew exactly where she was.
Sure enough, as she lazily opened her eyes, Ginny's slightly cluttered room came into view.
Sunlight illuminated everything; from the slightly damp clothes abandoned on the floor, to the books stacked neatly on the desk in the corner. Even the witch still asleep beside her was not exempt from its golden glow.
Hermione tucked a pillow beneath her head, adjusting it so that Ginny was the centre of her focus.
Ginny. Merlin, she was beautiful. Especially like this, her usually mischievous features relaxed in sleep. Her hair, a flame licking its way across her pillow. The freckles that covered every inch of her only increased her perceived innocence.
Hermione smiled; no one that… talented... with their tongue was entirely innocent. Not that Hermione had been under any delusions as to her bedmate's sexual experience beforehand. No, she'd been well informed far before Ginny's 21st birthday had intervened in their relationship. After all, they had been best friends for the best part of the previous decade.
Best friends. It was odd thinking of Ginny in that capacity. Usually, Ron and Harry had filled that gap in her life. But it's oddity didn't prevent it from being true. Ginny had fulfilled the best girl-friend role in Hermione's life since the girl had emerged from the Chamber of Secrets a complete mess and in desperate need of someone who wouldn't judge or pity her.
Ginny sighed and rubbed her cheek gently against her pillow. The sheet that covered them both slipped off her shoulder, exposing the creamy, freckled skin to the golden light of dawn. Skin that the night before Hermione had kissed her way across.
She blushed, remarkably glad that Ginny wasn't awake to question it.
Hermione fidgeted slightly in the early morning sun; recalling the previous night's adventures had reawakened the urge to repeat them.
Ginny's eyelashes fluttered, but her eyes remained closed.
"You're staring," Ginny sighed sleepily.
She opened her eyes and met Hermione's gaze.
"More… admiring than staring."
Ginny smirked lazily, raising one arm out from under the sheet, giving Hermione a glimpse of her breasts. Judging by the impish glint in her eye, Hermione assumed that it probably hadn't been an accident.
"Tease…"
Ginny just grinned and plumped her pillow up before lying back down on her back. Her body was still covered almost entirely by the sheet. Despite this, the sheet clung tantalisingly to every curve and dip of her body, all enhanced by her position.
Hermione gestured towards the sheet, " May I?"
Ginny raised an eyebrow inquisitively but nodded.
Hermione removed the sheet from herself before setting her knees on either side of Ginny's still covered legs and leaning forwards on her hands.
Ignoring that the red-head was staring at her body, Hermione lent forwards and captured her mouth in a dance-like kiss, emboldened by the evening before.
Hermione moved down Ginny's neck, her fingers already shifting the sheet down, exposing more and more freckled skin.
"We've got to do the pond again, you know…" Ginny said casually, with the tone of someone walking down the street.
"Why?" Hermione asked, lifting her head momentarily from her task before returning to take Ginny's left nipple in her mouth whilst tracing the bottom curve of her right breast lightly with her hand.
Ginny stiffened beneath her, her breathing getting more shallow.
"Mmm, don't stop. Umm, because, we didn't do it properly, of course…"
Hermione halted her ministrations, her brow furrowed.
"Not properly? What do you mean?"
Ginny groaned.
"Don't stop!"
Hermione rolled her eyes before taking Ginny's right nipple in her mouth and caressing it with her tongue. Her left hand gently traced the underside of Ginny's left breast.
Ginny's head fell back on the pillow behind her as she groaned.
Hermione extracted herself before wriggling down the bed - taking the sheet that covered Ginny with her. She paused before taking the next step and looked up the bed.
Ginny lay on her back, illuminated in the light of dawn. Her arms were spread out on either side of her like she'd forgotten they existed. As if she sensed Hermione's gaze, Ginny lifted her head to peer down the bed at her. She grinned cheekily, a mischievous glint coming into her eyes.
"You weren't naked, of course."
Hermione smiled up at her through her eyelashes, still riding the confident high granted to her by the night before.
"Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we."
She moved up the bed confidently, tracing the insides of Ginny's thighs with her fingers and lips alternately.
Ginny's breath hitched as Hermione skimmed over the patch of ginger fuzz and began placing butterfly kisses up her torso.
"Meanie…"
Hermione just grinned, moving further up Ginny's body still and brushed the girls' lips with her own. She could get used to this.
Ginny's lips parted beneath her own, her tongue brushing Hermione's lower lip.
Hermione felt Ginny's hands skim her sides before all of a sudden, she was on her back and Ginny was on top of her. Her hair hung loose, creating a wall of flame between Hermione and the light of the rising sun.
Ginny's face broke out in an impish smile.
"My turn."
Ginny's tongue danced it's way down her ribcage, her fingers skated around her breasts. Her thumbs caressed her nipples.
When she'd been younger, Hermione had always wondered what a caress felt like. How it differed from a basic touch. A caress always seemed so much more exotic. So much more intimate. Twenty-two years later, she finally had her answer.
She shifted her hips slightly as the need that they had worked so tirelessly to satisfy last night made itself known again - with renewed vigour.
Ginny smirked and ground her own hips down - obviously knowing the cause of Hermione's movement.
Hermione rolled her eyes slightly - rebellious minx.
Then Ginny's mouth was on hers again, and oxygen suddenly seemed to be a lot less necessary. It was as if everything in the world disappeared, and the two of them in this exact second was all that existed. All that mattered.
That feeling, deep inside her, grew - spurred on by the intensity of emotion in the bright brown eyes before her.
Hands roamed. Lips grazed. Areas, not usually touched, explored thoroughly.
Her breathing deepened.
She was there.
The world intensified, every colour somehow becoming deeper, richer, more then it had been before. The room was alight with colour.
She was weightless. Powerful. Exploding with feeling and energy. It was bliss and contentment and fire - burning and all-consuming.
She slumped back onto the bed with Ginny on top of her as the feeling receded and the world returned to normal. Well, as normal as it had been when she'd woken up. She doubted the world would ever return to the way it had been before the party.
Hermione smiled, even her toes tingled.
She looked down at the ginger witch smiling languidly up at her. Never going back to before sounded good to her.
AN - Ok, so I couldn't resist writing more for this one. Gonna have to up the rating though xD. Enjoy ;)