Chapter 3

Understanding

After nearly running to Nox, afraid she would be late, Hermione breezed through the door and walked toward the bar. It had been a last minute request that she meet Graham Thursday rather than their usual Friday night, but he was being called away on business out of the country and wouldn't be able to meet tomorrow.

She sat down on her usual stool and ordered a glass of water while she waited for him to arrive. Sipping her water and trying to distract herself from the case she had brought home to work on, she periodically glanced at the door. It wasn't long before Theo came by to check on her, ever the observant Slytherin, he could clearly spot her agitation.

"Hermione, I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight. Everything alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she said with a smile. "It's just that I'm meeting Graham tonight, he had to cancel our time tomorrow. Anyway, I've been here for about half an hour, he asked me to be here at eight, but he hasn't shown up yet."

She noticed Theo's brows creased in confusion as he checked his watch, having known Graham in school he was familiar with the man's obsession for being on time and Graham was more than just a little late.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, I haven't heard from him. Let me go up and check with Draco, maybe he's heard from him. Sit tight, yeah?"

Hermione bobbed her head, sipping her water and watched the wizard walk back up to the office. She sat quietly watching the other patrons as they coupled up or mingled in groups. The club wasn't as busy tonight and she noticed there were a few familiar faces in the crowd.

"Princess, I meant to come down when you got here, but you slipped by me!"

She turned to see Draco taking the seat beside her and he slid a folded piece of parchment to her. The disappointment was written all over her face as she opened the page, already knowing what it would say.

"Looks like I'm on my own tonight," she sighed.

"Sorry, love. You should stay, and who knows, maybe you'll find Mr. Right."

She laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows at her and stood, holding a hand out to help her off of the stool.

"I saw Blaise and Pans, I'll probably go and find them. Thank you, Draco."

He nodded his head and looped her arm around his, guiding her through the gathered crowd as they made their way to a booth near the stairs. When they arrived at the table Draco passed her over to Blaise, who wore a wicked grin at the sight of her, and left her to get back to work.

Hermione waved goodbye to Draco and turned to Pansy with a raised brow, but the girl just rolled her eyes at her husband's behavior. "I've told you time and time again, Blaise Zabini...it's never going to happen." Hermione laughed when he began to pout and sat beside Pansy.

"What are you doing here on a Thursday night, Mi? I thought you and Graham met on Fridays," Pansy asked with a smile.

"We do, but he had to cancel. We were supposed to meet tonight instead, but he got called away for a last minute meeting so I'm on my own."

Blaise's eyes widened and that salacious grin was back. "You know, Mi, Pans and I were just discussing finding a sweet little sub to play with."

"As wonderful as that sounds, I think I am going to pass."

"Well if you won't play with us, at least come up to three and watch. Maybe you'll change your mind and want to join us after all."

With a dramatic sigh, Hermione agreed and happily followed the couple up the two flight of stairs to the third floor. There were scenes going on in two of the four rooms and she sat on the couch near the empty room Blaise had just dragged Pansy into. They were switches and she wondered who would be the top tonight.

As she waited for Pansy to undress and move into position, clearly taking the submissive role that evening, Hermione turned her attention to the others on the floor. The room to the left of the Zabini's was occupied by two men and a woman, the woman hung in the air horizontally and was currently being spit roasted.

Her muffled moans were echoing through their room, and Hermione couldn't help the spark of arousal the scene evoked. She turned back to Blaise and Pansy in time to watch as Blaise cuffed a spreader bar to both of his petite witch's ankles and bound her wrists, pulling her arms up to stretch above her head. The blindfold came next and Hermione smiled as Blaise sweetly kissed Pansy's lips and raised his brows in question before placing it over her eyes.

She watched as Blaise used the flogger lightly on his wife breasts and stomach before walking around behind her. Hermione sat there as her mind wandered to her own circumstances, she so badly wanted someone to call her own. Watching her friends only caused the longing to grow stronger and at that moment, she wanted to go home and crawl into bed.

She decided to walk around the room and see what other scenes were going on around her, the stage was being set up but it would be a while before anyone was up there. The two rooms on the right side of the floor were now occupied and Hermione's focus was drawn to one in particular.

Inside the room was a pretty sub kneeling in wait, her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes focused on her knees. Her Dom towered over her and he gathered the woman's long sandy blonde hair in his hands to put it into a ponytail. Hermione observed the gentle way his fingers brushed her temple and then grabbed a hold of the ponytail as he stood tall once more. The sub had no choice but to rise on to her knees and turn as he guided her by her hair.

There was something familiar about this man and as Hermione watched him, she felt her cheeks warm and her knickers dampen. He asked a question that she didn't hear, to which the woman nodded furiously while saying 'yes, sir' and began to unzip his trousers. After a quick correction of behavior, Hermione watched mesmerized as this man used his sub's mouth for his pleasure, unable to look away from the scene.

After a few minutes, he pulled her off of his cock and zipped himself back up before he dragged her by the hair to a spanking bench. Hermione watched the woman as she crawled into position and envied her for what she was about to experience. She could have used a thorough spanking that evening with the hellacious week she had been having.

She released a heavy sigh and focused her attention back to the scene in front of her when the man in the room finally turned to face her. In the blink of an eye, chestnut met emerald and Hermione's eyes widened at the sight before her. Her lips parted and she blinked a few times to be sure she wasn't imagining things. She wasn't. There, standing tall and wearing a sinful grin, was Harry fucking Potter.

Hermione swallowed audibly, finding her mouth suddenly dry and slowly sat on the couch behind her. He stared at her as he ran his hand up his sub's thigh and firmly squeezed her arse and she felt heat pool in her belly. Her knickers were ruined and he hadn't even done anything yet. She sat transfixed as he put all of his focus on the woman in the room with him and couldn't help the overwhelming jealousy that coursed through her with every smack of his hand.

Harry took a deep breath and walked into the room where he would be playing with Emily that evening. They had met a few weeks before and over drinks, she had expressed her desire to scene with him. He had avoided doing any scenes at all since learning about Hermione, hoping to be able to open up to her about their mutual interests but the time never seemed right.

Harry walked to the woman on the floor and began to pull his fingers through her hair, gathering it into a ponytail.

"Are you ready, girl?"

"Yes, Sir."

Her reply was breathy and he chuckled lowly before asking, "safe word?"

"Daisy."

"Good girl," he pulled her up by her ponytail, causing her to yelp in surprise, "now tell me, what do you want?"

She was quiet for a moment before quietly stating her need for his cock and he smiled down at her.

"Take it out," he commanded.

Harry watched as Emily quickly pulled her hands from behind her back and unzipped his trousers, eager and willing to follow his command.

"You want me to use that hot little mouth, little girl?"

"Mhmmm,"

He firmly gripped her chin with his fingers and pulled her attention to his face, "excuse me?"

"Yes, Sir!"

Harry nodded and released her before commanding her once more.

"Open your mouth, little slut."

She obeyed, opening wide for him, her eyes pleading with him to fuck her mouth. He was more than happy to oblige and used her until he was right on the edge, before pushing her off of him and putting himself back into his pants.

Grabbing her by the hair once more, and dragging her to the spanking bench he had set up earlier in the evening, he helped her get into the correct position. He placed her hands in front of her so that she could grip the front of the bench if she needed to but didn't restrain her and made sure she was comfortable.

"Is this alright, girl?"

"Yes, Sir, I'm comfortable."

As Harry lifted his head to begin administering the spanking, his eyes fell on someone he hadn't expected to see. Hermione stood on the other side of the glass, her beautiful eyes wide as she took in the sight he surely made. He couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face as he watched a blush creep up from her neck into her cheeks.

He slowly ran his hand up Emily's thigh and squeezed her arse cheek while watching Hermione's hungry gaze. This was not how he had wanted her to find out, but it was obvious that she liked what she was seeing. Turning his focus back to the task at hand, he decided that after he finished with Emily, he would speak to the curly haired with.

"Count and thank me for each one, girl."

At her response, he lifted his hand and brought it down with a firm smack. Her squeal was instant and she counted one and thanked him sweetly. He continued this way, alternating sides and placement to make sure her arse was warmed all over before he was finished. When the last smack landed, Emily was still and silent tears rolled from her cheeks. She quietly counted twenty and thanked him before releasing a shaky breath.

He walked back to the wall where all of the toys were placed and chose a vibrator, he was going to have her begging him to stop before it was all over.

"I have a treat for you, girl since you've been so good for me."

"What kind of treat, Sir?"

He chuckled and brushed his fingers across her soaking pussy causing her to whimper and push against his fingers. He slapped the back of her thigh and told her to be still before continuing with his slow torture.

"Please, Sir…"

"Please what, girl?"

"Please...please will you touch me?"

"Oh but I am touching you, I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

"Please fuck me with your fingers and rub my clit!"

Harry smiled, "such a greedy girl you are. Your cunt is dripping for me, did you know that?"

He slowly pushed two fingers inside of her dripping center and pumped them in and out before turning on the vibrator and putting it over her sensitive nub. She screamed and squirmed, trying to reach the bliss she craved and was soon begging to come.

"Good girls get to come, and you've been such a good girl for me, haven't you?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Come, right now."

She broke on his command but he didn't stop, his fingers were relentless and the vibrations were torturous as he pulled another orgasm from her shaking body.

"I'm not finished with you yet, girl. I'm going to fuck you with my fingers until you're begging me to stop."

Her screams filled the room as he pulled another orgasm from her exhausted body and he shoved his fingers into her mouth. She sucked them clean and thanked him as she laid there unable to move.

Harry gave her a moment to come down while he put the vibrator away, he returned to her and cleaned her up before laying her down on a soft lounge chair. He had asked her what she needed for aftercare and was surprised when she said she needed space. Even though his instincts demanded he hold her after what he'd just done for her, he made sure that she was comfortable before taking a seat across from her in a chair to keep watch over her. His eyes drifted back to the front of the room to the couch on the other side of the glass, only to find it empty and he felt his heart sink at Hermione's absence. All at once he felt afraid and excited, he knew he would do whatever it took to convince her to be his, but he worried that not telling her before she caught him would turn out to be a mistake.

Emily cleared her throat a while later bringing his attention back to her and she smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you, Harry. Tonight was wonderful and just what I needed."

Harry's smile was sheepish and he nodded his head, he was happy to have been able to help but hoped she wasn't about to ask him for more. When he looked up she sniggered and stood to get dressed.

"Is she yours? The woman who watched us tonight?"

Harry cleared his throat and shook his head before laughing. Was she his? She was in other ways, she was his everything but she wasn't his, not yet.

"No, she isn't mine...not-um. Well not right now, she isn't."

"But you want her to be."

She was so blunt that he barked a laugh, maybe he was as obvious as Neville had said. He began to wonder if the only one who didn't know his feelings was Hermione.

"Yes, very much. I only recently knew that she came here and I haven't actually found the courage to tell her that I know she's a sub...I guess now the truth is out eh."

She laughed and nodded as she pulled her shirt over her head and sat down to put on her boots.

"Some Gryffindor you are."

"Oi! I'm plenty brave...just not when it comes to her."

"Hermione Granger is one tough witch, I can see where you'd be worried. Especially before you knew she was submissive. A woman like that is likely to hex your balls off for assuming she would follow commands from anyone. Listen, Harry, from what I've heard, she's been with you through hell and back, chances are she'll be with you in this as well."

Harry rubbed his eyes thinking about the past month and how they'd been dancing around one another since having lunch.

"Not to mention that she looked like she could claw my face off at any moment, territorial that one."

She cackled as Harry's head shot up and she walked over to kiss his cheek.

"Go out there and get your witch, Sir. You deserve it."

With another quick thank you, Emily walked out the door and Harry sat in the chair wondering what his next move would be. Did he ask her to be his girlfriend or maybe they could just start with doing a scene together? His mind was swirling with questions and possibilities as he left the room and made his way down the stairs.

"Potter!"

Harry turned to the voice who had shouted over the music to see Blaise and Pansy walking toward the exit both looking very worn out.

"Hey, have either of you seen Hermione? I saw her earlier, but she was gone before the end of the scene I was doing."

Blaise's eyebrows raised in interest and he looked down at his wife who shrugged her shoulders.

"Harry, Mi was here when we went up but she seemed off tonight. She was gone before we got finished, I was actually going to see if you'd caught her. Maybe floo her? Oh, and if you see her, tell her to call me tomorrow please."

Harry bobbed his head at the witch and shouted out his thanks as he rushed out of the doors and down the sidewalk before turning on the spot and disappearing with a crack.

He landed in her living room with a loud pop and winced at the sound. The room was dark and quiet, the only light in the room shone from the hallway that led to her bedroom. He knew his arrival had been loud enough for her to hear and turned to sit on her couch to wait, dropping his head into his hands.

He took a deep breath, pulling her scent deep within his lungs and closed his eyes allowing it to fill him. She was everything, the only one who had ever stuck by his side and his resolve was strengthened by the hope that she would also be with him in this as Emily had said.

His hands dropped to his knees but his eyes remained closed as he thought about all that they had been through and all that he had done in the years since the war to become the man he was now. She was his constant, even when he was searching for himself and needed his space she had been there waiting for him to return. There would be no more waiting.

As lost in thought as he was, he never noticed the soft footsteps of his best friend padding across the carpet or the concerned look on her face as she knelt before him. It wasn't until she took his hands in her much smaller ones that he opened his eyes, and took in her expression.

How many times had he dreamt of this? Of having her in wait before him? His hand moved of its own accord, smoothing the crease between her eyes before traveling down her cheek and across her jaw. He watched as her eyes fell closed and she leaned into his touch, and there with her on her knees before him he released all of the tension over their situation that he'd been carrying. She was looking up at him with so much love in her eyes, a silent plea for him to let go and give in and he could no longer hold back.

His hands cradled her face and he tilted her head up, he paused in question. Did she really want this? Her breathy plea broke him and he leaned down to capture her lips in a searing kiss, one that had been long overdue if her sweet whimpers were any indication. He took them for his own and pulled her up into his lap never breaking contact, and relished in the way that her body molded perfectly to his.

With her legs straddling his lap and her body resting on his he could feel her heart beating frantically on his chest and the warmth of her center as she moved over him. It took all he had not to simply vanish her nightgown and knickers but he was determined to take his time with her.

When he pulled away from the kiss they were both breathing heavily and he turned her so that she was curled up in his lap with her head on his shoulder. He was quiet, enjoying holding her in this way when Hermione spoke quietly.

"How long?"

It was a simple question but one he wasn't sure how to answer, how long had been a Dom? How long had he loved her? He supposed he should answer both but went with the latter first, confessing that he'd been wishing she were his since their sixth year at Hogwarts.

He could hear the smile in her voice when she replied that she had been harboring a crush on him since their third year and his heart swelled with the confirmation of her feelings. He explained how he had come to learn about his need to be dominant while he was traveling and the steps he'd taken to get to where he was now, and she, in turn, did the same.

It was so easy, the way they fell into their roles as if they'd been this way all along and he couldn't believe that after all of the worry he'd put himself through that it had happened this way. They didn't need to say it, the unspoken change in their relationship had simply been accepted. He knew it wasn't necessary, but he needed to hear the words so he nudged her to sit up and look at him.

"'Mione, I want you to be mine. I don't want anyone else, I never have. I was afraid you would be scared off by my lifestyle and I couldn't lose you so I kept it to myself. I know now that it was foolish but you mean everything to me...Will you be mine?"

Her smile was bright as she nodded, but his raised brow communicated the silent command for her to speak the words. Her cheeks flushed and she glanced down at her lap before lifting her eyes to his once more to respond.

"Yes, Harry. Nothing would make me happier than being yours."

She gasped as he stood, lifting her up and laid her down on the couch. Standing over her supine form while she tried not to squirm was a different brand of torture altogether, and he forced himself again to slow down and savor this moment.

"Hands over your head, little love."

She immediately complied and he praised her good behavior causing her to shiver. His hands grazed her thighs as he took the hem of her nightgown in his fingers and pulled it up her body at a pace that he knew was driving her crazy. She lifted her arse and arched her back as the fabric was pulled up and over her head, leaving her in nothing but a pair of ruffly baby blue knickers. He felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her nearly naked form, she was more beautiful than he had ever imagined.

"Such a good girl for me, aren't you, little love?" he asked.

She stared up at him, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth and he leaned forward to pull it free. "Yes, Sir. I'm your good girl."

"Daddy," he corrected.

Her eyes widened and her mouth formed an 'o' as she processed the request. Harry noticed how she responded to the name, and hope to confirm his suspicions that she had a little side.

"Yes, Daddy."

He laid his hand flat on her abdomen and pushed it up the center of her body between her pert breasts, not touching her where she so badly wanted him to. All the while whispering his confessions of fantasizing about her being in this exact position on his desk at work.

She groaned when he leaned down and bit at her shoulder where he'd longed to taste her last month, soothing it with kisses before moving his hand back down her body and slowly working his way back up from her feet. He kneaded the muscles of her feet and legs carefully to work the tension caused by those heels she insisted on wearing. By the time he'd made it to her thighs, she was begging and the sound was like music to his ears.

"Please, Daddy. I need you so badly, please please please!"

"Good girls tell their Daddy what they need, little love. How can I grant your request if I don't know what it is?"

She cried out in frustration, "Oh, I'll be so good Daddy! I need you to take off my knickers and touch me. Please, Daddy, touch my…"

"Don't be shy now, love...if you want me to touch your pretty little pussy then you need to ask for it."

"Oh, my god, Harry...please!" His stern look had her backtracking quickly. "I'm sorry, Daddy...please will you touch my pussy?" she whispered.

His smile was smug as he nodded, "of course my love, all you had to do was ask."

Her entire body was quivering in anticipation as he looped his fingers into the band of the delicate garment and he carefully pulled it down her legs to reveal her center to him. She was wet, very wet and he was overwhelmed with the need to taste her. He slowly parted her and rubbed slow circles around her sensitive clit before plunging two fingers inside of her. The scream she emitted was heavenly and only encouraged him as he leaned down to drag his tongue through her folds.

Her moans were loud as he lapped at her while fucking her with his fingers and he noticed her hands were gripping the arm of the couch tightly. Before long she was crying out to him, begging him to let her come and he growled for her to do so, not wanting to pull away. Her back arched and her screams stopped as she fell over the edge, and she released a deep moan a moment later as her body fell back onto the couch completely relaxed.

Harry sat up and summoned a towel to clean them both up before he leaned down and kissed her gently. She smiled up at him, still dazed from her orgasm and he lifted her into his arms before laying down with her on his chest.

As they laid there, Hermione reached between them, no doubt eager to show him that she was much better than the little blonde she'd watched with him earlier but he stopped her. She looked up at him, hurt and confused and he quickly took her hand in his, kissing her softly.

"'Mione, tonight was about you, love. I'm well pleased just knowing that you're mine."

"But-"

"No, Hermione. I know you want to please me, but you already have. I promise, very soon I will use all of you for my pleasure...but until then, I want to hold you and enjoy just being with you this way."

Hermione smiled up at him and nodded before laying her head on his chest. They spent the rest of the night on the couch, and when he felt her breathing even out he summoned a blanket to drape over them before letting sleep to take him as well.