Author's Note: Hey, look is that a lemon tree over there? One must have rolled over here. In other words, sexy times. ;) As always many thanks to Narukoibito for her beta. And to DeadWoodPecker for letting me know that Au smut is still hot. ;)

Chapter 4:

For the entire day, Harry was nervous. He tried to hide it, but it was no use; Sirius eventually yelled at him to leave the kennel and go. Even the dogs were picking up on his anxiety. He came home and opened up his email, smiling. Red had left him a humorous short story of how she would sneak outside with her brother's gear and practice football when she was only five years old. She admitted to being a bit of a tomboy, and Harry liked that. It meant that she didn't let things hold her back or get in the way if she really wanted something.

He shot off a short email of his own, telling her again he couldn't wait to talk to her. He knew he wasn't being as careful with his heart as Sirius had warned him to be – she could have no doubt how much Harry was interested in her – but he didn't care. It made him happy. And Harry could admit it was nice to have butterflies in his stomach about a girl. It'd been a long time. He had only ever felt small, tiny, fluttering nerves about Cho. Of course, Harry had never realized that at the time. But now, looking back and comparing the two experiences, …it was like apples to pears.

He played some music, tidied his bedroom, and tried to read, but his eyes kept glancing at the clock. It was four o'clock. Then it was four-thirty. Then finally, it was five. He heard Remus and Sirius downstairs and got up to visit with them, hoping it would make the time fly by quicker.

"Well, as I live and breathe, my godson, who is not walking around with his mobile in his hand acting fidgety. It's a miracle, Remus," Sirius said as Harry came into the kitchen.

Harry made a face at his godfather and didn't encourage him. The smell of food hit his nose, and he looked at the colorful bags his uncle was putting on the table.

"Oh, did you two stop by that new takeaway place again? Did you get more of that teriyaki chicken?" Harry went over to the bags and started eagerly looking through them.

"Yes, we did," Remus said, as Sirius went to grab some plates. "And the chicken you like is in the bottom container."

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed. They all made themselves busy, and soon the sounds of them happily eating filled the tiny area. Harry was just glad that the food was so good it had made Sirius stop teasing him.

"So, Harry," Sirius began, almost on cue, and Harry groaned to himself. "Tonight's the big night, eh? Some sort of phone call about to take place?"

Remus gave Harry a look of commiseration, but Harry could see his uncle was curious, too. He sighed and put down his fork.

"Yes, and you know it is. She's going to call after six. We'll just…chat for awhile. It's nothing earth-shattering. Men and women talk on the phone every day."

"True," Sirius said, smirking at him. "Although at this rate, you and the mystery girl will physically meet again around Christmas time. Make sure you ask what sort of takeaway she likes. It's a busy month, what with the holiday parties and such."

Harry rolled his eyes at his godfather. "Hilarious."

"Do you have some subjects written down in case the conversation falters?" Remus asked.

Harry stopped eating and felt his stomach drop. "Er, no. I mean…no. Should I? I just thought we'd er…talk for a bit. I thought the conversation would happen…you know, naturally."

"I don't know, Harry," Sirius said, giving him a calculating look. "That's leaving a lot to chance. And I know you can be charming when you want to be, but how are you ever going to convince her to actually meet you if you don't prepare?"

Harry gulped, suddenly not feeling right about his upcoming phone date. "Er, should I do that? Do you think I need to?"

"Sirius, stop making him nervous," Remus admonished his friend. He patted Harry on the arm. "Don't mind him, Harry. If you two haven't run out of things to say via email, then I am sure you'll be fine on the phone."

"Good point, Moony," Sirius said, raising his fork at them. "Just be your normal self, Harry. And who knows, maybe you'll get lucky tonight. I'll play the television extra loud later."

Harry frowned at his godfather, completely confused.

Sirius raised his eyebrow at him. "You know, in case you two…" His voice ran off suggestively. It took Harry a moment to understand his meaning.

"Sirius! That's…we're just talking. Like friends."

"You two can be friends. Friends with phone benefits. Besides, she already snogged you the first time you met her. You two clearly have chemistry."

Harry rested his head in his hands. "We are not going to have phone sex or anything! This is our first time talking, come on, Sirius."

Sirius shrugged at him, and Harry stared at him as though he'd never seen the other man before. Remus was trying to hold in a laugh while looking down at his food. Finally, Sirius met Harry's gaze.

"Is it so wrong of me to want my godson to be getting some sort of excitement in his life? You've been living like a monk even before you and Cho broke it off. You and this bird are doing this whole thing backward, you now. I figured you could at least get in a bit of Mrs Palm and her five lovely daughters tonight." Sirius raised his own hand and waved it at him, wagging his eyebrows.

Harry glanced up at the clock, realizing how late it had become. He growled at his godfather. "Brilliant, it's almost 6, and now you've got me thinking of wanking."

Sirius gave him a full and toothy grin. "Just doing my bit, Harry."

"Ugh," Harry said as he cleaned up after himself. He headed upstairs and unplugged his phone from its charger, getting ready. He ran his hand through his hair, suddenly thinking about what Sirius had said.

He honestly hadn't even considered the idea until just now. Phone sex. Hah. Harry had, of course, done it before, with Cho. There was no way they could not have done it while he was away during the football season. Harry had actually enjoyed it. Sometimes it was easier to say things on the phone than face-to-face. And Cho had always seemed to respond better to it, to be honest. Maybe because she'd been busy thinking of someone else while he did all the talking. Harry frowned. Damn his godfather anyway, now all he could think about was Red's voice and if it was sexy and what if it wasn't sexy and what if he didn't like the way she sounded and what if they really did have nothing to talk about-

Harry's anxious thoughts were put on hold as his phone began to go off in his hand. It was five after the hour, and he took a deep breath to steady himself. Without even realizing it, he answered the phone using a deeper voice than usual. He cringed at himself.

"Hullo?"

"Harry! So how did the phone call go? You two hit it off?" Ron Weasley's voice babbled at him.

"Ron! She hasn't even called yet! She is supposed to be calling now."

"Oh, sorry, mate, I thought you said it was earlier. Er, how you holding up?"

"Fine!" Harry exclaimed. "Listen, I'll tell you all about it later, and I'm sorry for sounding rude, but I really have to ring off now, okay?"

Harry heard Ron say something that sounded like, "Fine, goodbye, you grumpy sod," and disconnected the call. Honestly. What was wrong with people?

A moment later, the phone rang again, and Harry swore as he tapped the answer button. "Listen, I told you, I'm sorry for sounding like a rude prat, but I need to keep this line open, okay?"

"Um, all right. I'm sorry to bother you. It's just that I was expecting to talk to someone tonight. Er, Harry, is that you? It's Red."

Harry closed his eyes, a million curse words flying through his head. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I answered the phone that way. It's just that people have been giving me a bit of a hard time about this phone call, and oh, hello. Hi. It's me. Harry. Hey."

Smooth, Harry thought. Real smooth.

The woman on the other side of the line laughed - a soft musical sound that nevertheless had Harry's stomach doing loop de loops, and his heart felt like it was doing the conga.

"Hi," she said, sounding amused. "It's nice to finally put a voice with…all the words. Even though we spoke in the club. This feels…closer."

Harry smiled as he sat back against the pillows on his bed. "Yeah, it is. You sound lovely."

She laughed again, and Harry's heart speeded up its conga rhythm. "Do I? I've only said maybe twenty words at the most. How can you tell?"

"A bloke can just tell," Harry said, causing her to laugh even more. Oh, yeah, Harry thought. I really needed to hear that laugh of hers.

"How was your day?" she asked him.

"It was good. I tried working with my godfather with his dogs, but for some reason I was too anxious to be much help."

"Oh? Why was that?"

"I think you know why," Harry said, laughing. He adored the teasing quality of her voice. It did something to his insides.

"Just couldn't concentrate?"

"No, I had something on my mind."

"Something about work?"

"No, something much more pleasurable."

"Ah. A certain phone date you'd made with some random woman from the internet?" Her soft laughter tinkled over the line and went right through Harry. It made him feel warm and gooey inside.

"Perhaps," Harry said. "Actually, you're just my first call of the night, I have three other girls lined up after this."

She laughed, a full-blown sound that pleased Harry down to his toes. "You seem like you have quite the stamina, then."

Harry sucked in a breath. It felt so natural to be talking to her like this. "Oh, I have the stamina, trust me." Harry couldn't believe how forward he was being. He'd either have to thank Sirius later or throttle him.

"Yes, I know," Red said, sighing. "I've seen your games. I'm aware of exactly how long you can go. And how single-minded you can be."

There was a heated and pregnant pause then, and Harry felt his skin warming and his body starting to respond. He swallowed roughly and was about to reply when she beat him to it.

"Oh, listen to me. I honestly don't mean to come across so…brazen. It's just…you were right, we needed to talk like this. I like your voice, Harry."

"I like yours. It's pretty brilliant, actually."

"So, tell me what you did instead of helping your godfather at work. What did you do to while away the hours today?"

Harry went into his day, a bit relieved they had pulled back from that edge of theirs. She told him what she had done as well - cleaning her flat from top to bottom to expend some energy.

"Do you work?" Harry asked, realizing he couldn't recall her ever mentioning a job.

Red sighed. "I did. I was made redundant. But I am considering going back and taking a few courses over at Exeter. Sort of figure out what else I would like to try. Usually, while working, that's all I do, twenty-four hours a day, practically. It's been an interesting few weeks being left to my own devices, now, I have to admit. I need work soon, though, or I may have to move in with my brother and his wife."

She made a sound as though that unnerved her, and Harry smiled. "Let me guess, you don't get on with his wife?"

"Oh, no, I do. She's brilliant, he's brilliant…it's just…they're trying to have a baby, and I don't really want to…"

"Be around them while they're trying, I get it," Harry said.

"Well, actually, I was going to say I don't really want to walk-in on them shagging or even just hear them shag. It'll just be another reminder of my own sad, sex life."

"Oh, I don't know, I think things might be looking up for you sooner than you think," Harry said, smiling.

The was another pause, and Harry swore the next time she spoke, her voice had dropped an octave. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. But definitely in a good way.

"Oh? Do you think? And how about for you? Are things…looking up?" Red said, her voice soft. Harry swallowed roughly.

"Well, they could be, if you keep talking like that."

Red laughed, breaking the tension that had crept into the conversation again. "But what about those other three girls you're calling later? Won't they be upset?"

Harry chuckled. "I think we both know there are no other girls. I'm all yours."

"Hmm, you're turning my head," Red said. He could hear movement as though she was changing position.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"In my flat."

"No, I meant, where in your flat? Any place interesting?"

She chuckled. "I just moved to the bedroom, if you must know. The settee in the living room was hurting my back. The bed is easier to stretch out on."

"Not to sound like a total prat, but what are you wearing?"

"Why? Trying to get an image in your mind?"

Harry laughed. "Maybe. I'm in my bed too, by the way. If that helps you out any."

"Oh, it does. I was hoping you weren't pacing back and forth in front of the shops."

Harry chuckled. "You still haven't answered my question, Red."

She sighed happily. "I like it when you call me that. Do it again."

"Okay, but only if you answer the question…Red." Harry tried to make his voice sound as sensual as possible and was rewarded by the sound of her exhaling loudly in his ear.

"Oh, you're good," Red said, sounding breathless. "All right, since you asked so nicely. I have on a pair of old football shorts that belonged to my brother, once upon a time, and an old jersey, from your previous team, I might add. It may or may not have your name and team number on it, too."

Harry felt his heart beginning to beat faster again. "Is your hair up or down? Or are you wearing that horrible turban again?"

Red laughed. "Hey, what do you have against my headwrap? You didn't like it in the nightclub that night either. But no, it's down. And freshly washed too."

Harry closed his eyes, trying to picture her. "So..Red, is your hair dark, like an auburn shade, or is it more of a light, fiery red?"

"Lighter. Definitely not auburn. I reckon you could call it fiery."

Harry groaned. "You are saying all the right things, you know."

Red giggled. "And you? What are you wearing?"

Harry opened his eyes and looked down at himself. "Well, I really didn't dress for the occasion. Just some jeans and a jumper. Should I get more comfortable?"

"That depends, do you want to get more comfortable?"

Harry did and said so. He put the phone down and pulled off his jumper, tossing it aside. Harry kicked off his shoes and then looked at his jeans. He might as well go all in. He removed them quickly and left his boxers on. He settled back into the bed and picked up his phone.

"Okay, much better."

"Do I even need to ask? You just stripped down, didn't you? Men. What kind of phone call do you think is going to be?" Red asked, her voice full of mischief.

"I think it's a phone call that requires us both to be comfortable," Harry teased. "No pressure. We're just chatting, two able-bodied people, in bed, with nothing but our apparently dirty minds to entertain us."

Red bubbled with laughter. "Oh, that's nice, Harry. I thought you said you were a bit bollocks with women. You really are quite clever, did you know that?"

Harry smiled. "I do now. And I'm glad you think so. And trust me, if we were face to face at a restaurant, I'd have put my elbow in the butter dish or something. I reckon I feel less inhibited talking this way. Also, you really have a way of putting me at ease."

They chatted a bit more, and Harry turned on his side. He felt as though he could honestly listen to her talk forever. She was so witty and fantastic, really. He'd known it would be like this. Harry couldn't believe he had ever doubted that their connection wouldn't translate outside of their emails.

"So, do you like sour or sweet?" Harry asked as their topic turned towards food.

"Hmm, definitely sweet. You?"

"Yeah, me too. In fact, I love a good treacle tart, almost better than anything."

Red laughed. "Duly noted. And my mum makes an amazing treacle tart. She may or may not have passed this talent onto me."

Harry chuckled. "You already know the way to my heart then, Red."

"Fantastic! I knew all those years toiling in the kitchen, learning how to make it would pay off!"

"So, what position did you play in football?" Harry asked as they continued moving from subject to subject. Harry realized it didn't matter what they were talking about, he just liked to hear her. The inflection of her voice, her way of telling a story… he knew if he could see himself now, he'd see a great big, dopey grin on his face and absolutely wouldn't care.

"Harry, how long have we've been talking?" Red asked, after a slight break in the conversation. He glanced at the clock on his desk.

"Wow, about two hours. I don't feel like stopping yet, though."

"No, me either," she said, sounding like she was stretching. "I'm a bit hot in this jersey now, should I… remove it?"

Harry smiled, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Don't let me stop you."

"Not that you would know if I really had or not," Red said, laughing.

"True, but my imagination is quite…healthy. It can take it. And it approves of you supplying me with this information."

"All right, hang on." Harry heard a few muffled noises, and then she was back, chuckling.

"This may be the first call I have ever taken while topless."

"I'm glad to be of service to you, Red. Let's see what other firsts we can discover together." Harry honestly didn't know where his suave attitude was coming from. But he had never felt so at ease talking to a woman before.

"I have a question to ask," Red said, sounding amused. "It's really none of my business, but…was Cho Chang really your only girlfriend? Sorry, I know that's a bit of a tabloid question for you. I don't mean it that way. I'm just naturally curious."

Harry sighed. "I could lie, I reckon and impress you with stories of how many women I've romanced, but…yeah. Cho was it. We were together for a long time. I was faithful to her, and, as far as I know, she was to me, too. We had already broken up before she'd gone public with her new bloke. And you?"

"Oh, I've never been with any women."

Harry laughed. "That is both disappointing and heartening at the same time. And you know what I meant."

Red chuckled. "Well, all right. I've had boyfriends, here and there. But only two I've actually, you know, shagged. My latest boyfriend was a bit of an arse. But honestly, I don't want to talk about him because it'll put me in a tetchy sort of mood that I don't think either of us wants."

"Right, well, all I heard was that you had one boyfriend, many years ago, and all he ever did was hold your hand, and now you're practically dying to be touched by someone with stamina and who's clever and funny and wears glasses. I'm pretty sure that's what you said."

Red laughed, and it was such a sweet sound to Harry. He felt his skin warm again. There was a moment or two as they both listened to each other breathe.

"Harry?"

"Hmm, yes, Red?"

"Are we…well, that is…is this phone call going to end like I think it's going to end?" Her voice sounded soft, and Harry could hear the underlying vulnerability in it.

"We do seem to keep coming back to it, but…we're only going to do what you want to do. I blame my godfather, really. He put the idea in my head before I'd even thought of it. But talking to you and hearing your voice and the way you laugh, Red, it's doing things to me. You sound sexy as hell. You are sexy as hell to me, no matter what. I mean, we know each other, yeah?"

"Yeah," she said. "I do feel that we sort of know each other without knowing each other. No one else would understand that, but you, I suppose. I feel like I can tell you anything, and I hardly ever feel that way with blokes. I am also experiencing a severe lack of shyness tonight a well."

"I know what you mean," Harry mused, thinking about it. It was nice to know she felt the same way as him. It was a thrilling yet strange sensation.

"Are you wearing your glasses?" Her voice had dropped lower again, and Harry suddenly felt flush.

"Yeah. I do all the time now. Something about how someone I know likes gits who wear glasses."

Red protested. "You don't look like a git in them. You look…sexy. And your hair…is it standing up?"

Harry chuckled. "Probably. It usually is. But I'm too comfortable to get up and check for you, Red."

"And did you… you did strip down earlier, didn't you?"

"Hmm, sort of. I left my boxers on. Still got those shorts on?"

"Yes," Red said, her voice sounding husky. "But I like them on, they're a bit too small for me, if you catch my meaning. I like the way they…bunch up between my legs."

Harry sucked in a deep breath and then released it. The silence from the other line seemed to grow in intensity. "Are you… are you sure you're okay with this? We could go back to talking about food again. Or football. Or…anything, really."

Red sighed, and he heard her moving. "Yeah. I didn't think I would be, but…will you at least pretend to still respect me in the morning?"

Harry laughed, unable to stop himself. "Are you kidding? I'll respect you more. Did you change positions? I thought I heard movement."

"I'm laying on my stomach," Red said, casually. Harry smiled at the phone.

"Oh? Is that your preferred position?"

"No, not especially, but it does make it easier to hold the phone one-handed," she said, laughing.

"So…" Harry paused, letting his mind wander down intimate avenues. He really shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself. "How do you usually…release some tension?"

"Why? Doing a survey?" Red asked, her voice sounding husky again.

"I'm just trying to paint more pictures, Red. I want to know how you go about it. I mean, I know what I do, but you're a whole new thing to consider."

Red laughed. "Well, usually, I employ a toy to help me out if you must know."

Harry felt excitement at her words. "Oh? Really? Do tell. Please."

"I only have the one, and it's shaped like… I can't believe I am telling you this, honestly. What has got into me?"

"Go on," Harry said, trying not to sound like he was begging, but encouraging. "I like the idea of you…well, really, the idea of any woman doing that is sexy, but especially when it's you. What it's shaped like?"

"When you get a chance, internet search something called the Rabbit. Then you'll see. Let's just say it's very good at hitting all my favorite areas."

"Do you have it out now?"

"No, would you like me to get it?"

"Do I really need to answer that? Should I take a picture of how what you just told me made a part of me perk up and take notice?"

Red laughed. He listened to her moving around, the sound of the drawer opening. A moment later, a soft buzzing sound was heard, and he grinned.

"That sounds bloody fantastic," Harry said. "I definitely approve."

Red laughed. "I can't believe we're going to do this."

"We still don't have to, Red. But I may have to cut the phone call short and take care of something. It's finally grown to the point of no return."

She laughed. "Oh, Harry, you know how to turn a girl's head. Have you…have you touched yourself yet?"

"No, I've been waiting. But it's getting harder. Excuse the pun," Harry said, feeling giddy.

"Should I unzip these shorts and see how the weather is down there? Although honestly, I can already tell. I've been rocking back and forth on the bed over that little bunch of material, just listening to your voice. And your laugh. Your laugh is dead sexy, Harry. You're dead sexy, Harry."

Harry groaned, imagining her on her bed, moving over the tight little bundle of her shorts. "You're absolutely killing me."

"Don't die yet, Harry," she said softly, her voice sounding breathy and full of hunger. "I've never, well, that is, I've never done this on the phone before. Do we just…"

"Let me tell you what to do," Harry said, closing his eyes. "Take off your shorts, Red." He heard her move, and then a moment later, her voice sounded utterly lust-filled to Harry's ears. It did things to his insides to listen to her like this.

"Should I leave the knickers on? They're pink, by the way just so you can get a clear picture in your mind. I know how much you like that."

Harry chuckled. "You're already brilliant at this, Red. Does that toy of yours fit in underneath them?"

"Yeah," She said, sounding worked up. He heard the sound of buzzing again.

"Before you slip it in there, use your finger, tell me how wet you are." Harry bit his lip, feeling as though his heart was beating too fast, but he didn't want this to stop.

"Ohh," she made a soft, little whimpering noise. "I'm so…goodness, Harry. So wet. Just your voice has done this to me. I think I am definitely in trouble with you."

"Music to my ears," Harry said, his imagination growing wings and starting to fly. "Now slip the toy under your knickers and just touch your clit."

She sucked in a breath at his words, and then released a low 'hmmm' noise in his ear. "I like how commanding you suddenly are, Harry."

"Do you?" Harry asked, intrigued. "Do you normally like a bloke to take charge?"

Red laughed, a deep and throaty sound again, and Harry felt his pulse start to race. "Sometimes. But sometimes I like to tell him what to do, too."

"That's brilliant," Harry exhaled, feeling unbelievably hot. "How's it going over there? Are we still being a good girl?"

"Of course," she said softly. "I follow directions quite well, you'll find. Should I keep…" her voice trailed off, but he heard the quiver in her voice.

"Yeah, keep at it. Just rub yourself back and forth. Or maybe move your toy in little circles," Harry said as his own hand finally slipped beneath the rim of his boxers. "Do you like to make a lot of noise when you do it, Red?"

She gasped, and then laughed softly. "Not when I'm by myself, usually. Would you like me to change that?"

"Oh, God, yes," Harry said, taking himself in hand. "Let me hear you just lose control."

They listened to each other breathe for a moment, and Harry heard her whimper again. "Now put it inside you, Red."

"I can do both," she said, sounding breathless. "It goes inside and keeps stimulating me. It really is a girl's best friend."

Harry swore, just thinking about it. "Oh, you are a naughty thing, aren't you? Put the phone down by your body, let me hear it."

He heard her sigh and then silence for a moment. Then he heard the louder sound of the vibrator. Harry gripped himself tighter, responding to the noises he was hearing. He could just make out the sound of what had to be the wetness of her body, and it sounded fan-fucking-tastic to his ears.

After a moment, her voice was back in his ear. "Hear enough? Did you hear how wet you've made me? And what are you doing over there? Describe it to me, Harry."

"I'm gripping myself, I'm already so…full and thick with need. I haven't wanked in ages, Red, I don't think I will last long. Just listening to you and God, I'm so hard, just imagining your face, your body, your legs…widen your legs for me. Touch your breasts…how does that feel?"

"Oh, God, Harry," Red's voice almost sounded distraught, but he knew that she wasn't. She moaned, low and full of need in his ear, and his hand sped up. "Oh, my breasts, my body is so warm, I feel like I'm going to just erupt into fire over here. Let me hear you; let me hear the sound of your body meeting your hand."

Harry groaned and then lowered the phone towards his cock. He tried to make it extra loud for her, switching up his hand speed, the sound of flesh meeting flesh sounding through the room. He was close, so close, and he wanted to hear her come before he did.

"Oh, goodness, that was so…I did that to you?" she asked, sounding desperate.

"Yeah, almost from the start of this bloody conversation," Harry admitted. He groaned again and was rewarded by a dirty word being uttered in his ear. He grinned.

"Oh, that sounded hot, hearing you say that, Red. Come on, repeat it for me."

She did, and Harry knew he was seconds away, and he tried to concentrate on something else, but it went out of his head the moment he heard her gasp and loudly moan his name. She panted in his ear and swore again, and Harry let himself go, exploding into his own hand quite joyfully.

Neither of them said anything, the sound of their breathing filling up the spaces between them. Harry closed his eyes, his chest moving up and down as he took in air. He wasn't sure, but that could have possibly been the single most amazing wank of his life.

"Harry?" Red's voice was soft and now sounded sleepy.

"Yeah?"

"That was…that was…fantastic. I haven't come that hard by myself in a long time. Thank you."

"No, really, thank you. I was just thinking that was the best wank of my young life. I'm glad I got to share it with you."

Red giggled softly and made a soft mewling noise. "Do you…do you think it'll be like that when we…well if we do ever meet again. It's a little scary for me to think on, actually."

"I know," Harry said thoughtfully. If they were this good on the phone, then how sexy would it be when they actually met?

"I don't want to…ruin this moment by talking about it now," Red said, something in her voice he couldn't recognize. "But just know I am very happy right now. Very happy and very un-stressed. I'll write to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, of course," Harry said.

"Goodnight, Harry Potter," Red said, her voice taking on a lilting quality that made him smile.

"Goodnight, Red. Do you think you could actually tell me your name soon?"

Red chuckled. "Soon, Harry. I promise."

They rang off, and Harry put the phone down on the floor next to his bed. He knew he should get up and clean himself off, but he felt too relaxed and too happy to be bothered. His blood pressure and heartbeat were finally returning to normal, and he couldn't help the huge grin that filled his face. He heard the television from downstairs and laughed. There'd be no living with Sirius now.

o-o-o-o-o

Harry –

Good morning I woke up feeling amazing this morning, I hope you did, too. That was…a new experience for me. I'm trying not to be a nervous Nettie and worry about whether I said the right things or not. But while our conversation may have taken a few sexy turns, can I also say that just talking with you, in general, was amazing? Even about the run of the mill, non-sexy stuff. ;-)

I feel like you get me without me having to explain myself. That's a rare thing, I think. I am so glad I slipped my email address into your pocket that night. I'm also thankful you weren't really going out with Romilda Vane.

I have some family coming in for a visit, and I might not be around as much, but I do want us to talk again. I think I dreamed about your voice last night as I slept…I woke up very randy, indeed. I may have to get a new rabbit (have you searched that yet?!) because this one will be worn out before long!

I will call again at the end of the week, the next time I'm assured of some private time. Just in case we get carried away again. ;-) (Although I can't see why two upstanding, perfect angels like us would get carried away, can you?) Until then, let's keep writing letters. They are becoming the best part of my days.

-Red, who may or may not have gone out early and bought a new coffee maker today…

Red-

You were bloody fantastic last night. So fantastic, that even after what we did on the phone, I had to do it again later, just thinking of you (Hey, I'm a bloke. Apparently a sex-crazed, indecent sort of one). I even had to have another go when I woke up this morning. It's like you've made me 17 again. ;)

Your voice, your sighs…the way you said my name as you…it was brilliant. And yes, I did a browser search for 'the rabbit' what do you think inspired me this morning?!

But in all seriousness, I know what you mean. I, too, feel as though you just "get me." We don't even have to do anything sexy on the phone again, I would be happy just listening to you talk about your day. I think I like all of you, not just the sexy you. Although I will say that part is ace too. ;)

-Harry, who won't let the idea of you getting a coffee maker go to his head…

o-o-o-o-o

"Morning, sleepyhead," Sirius said as Harry entered the kitchen. Harry smiled and made a beeline for the coffee machine. He paused and then looked at his godfather.

"Do we have any Earl Grey?"

Sirius blinked at him. "As in the tea?"

Harry nodded.

"Um, I think there might be an old box around here somewhere. Why? You've never been much of a tea drinker, Harry."

Harry shrugged. "Just thought I might try to cut back on my coffee intake."

Sirius snorted and then appeared to really look at him. "Harry!"

"What?"

"You had sex last night!"

Harry groaned and put his hand up over his face. He peered at Sirius between his fingers. "I didn't leave the house last night, and you know it. Can we just drop this conversation?"

"No, but you and that bird talked for a long time, and heh, you did it, didn't you? The phone? Ooh. Okay, spill it. How did it happen, who mentioned it first, who got starkers first, I bet it was you, wasn't it?"

"Sirius!" Harry bellowed, more loudly than he meant, and his godfather closed his mouth with an audible pop! of noise.

Harry sighed as he poured himself some coffee and sat down at the table, nodding at Sirius to join him. After taking a long sip, he felt better and fixed his godfather with a look.

"I don't want you taking the piss out of me because of this, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Harry…you know I didn't mean it that way. I reckon I was just…excited for you."

"We had a very nice conversation, actually," Harry said, wrapping his hands around his cup. "It was brilliant, Sirius. She's so funny, and she thinks I'm funny and she's got this amazing laugh. And we talked for hours about everything and nothing, and yeah, we got…turned on by each other." Harry took another drink of his coffee to hide his face. When he looked back across the table, his godfather had a massive grin on his face.

"She was that good, eh?"

"Sirius…" Harry warned. His godfather held up his hands.

"Sorry, you're just so…cute like this. You reminded me so much of James right then. So, when are you two going to meet in person?"

Harry frowned. "Well, we didn't really discuss it. We just sort of…you know, finished and said goodnight."

"But you do want to meet her, yeah? Again I mean, and preferably in daylight? She could be quite different looking in sunlight, you know."

"Of course, I want to meet her! And it wouldn't matter if she looked like a troll, I'd still like her. She gets me, Sirius. Like you or Remus get me. I've never known it could be like this with someone of the female sex. With soft laughs and giggling." Harry shut his mouth, suddenly embarrassed.

Sirius gave a low whistle. "She's made Cho a long-forgotten memory in just one phone call. Now, this is a girl I have to meet."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes."

Sirius laughed and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "As long as you know what you're getting into, Harry. Are you driving over to the new Dawlish Center today? When do they break ground on it?"

"Yeah, Ian wants me to make sure the new site is where I want it. And if I'm happy, then in a few weeks. We're doing something different this time, focusing more on what some of the girls would be interested in. Ian sent me some reports indicating that Dawlish has an unusual high number of female runaways and pregnancies. This Sports Center is going to have more of a health focus geared towards young girls. Maybe try to stem the tide a bit."

"That's great, Harry. Your mum would be proud of you. I think I'll cook tonight. Are you going to be around, or do you have a hot phone date again? Should I just set a tray of food outside your door and put earplugs in?"

"I'll eat with you," Harry said. "Although I don't know why. Since you're being so nice to me about everything."

Sirius laughed and ruffled Harry's hair as he always did. "Just keeping you on your toes, kid. Just keeping you on your toes."

o-o-o-o-o