Chapter 3

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"Do you know that it's rude to watch if you're not gonna offer to help out?" Hermione suddenly heard Charlie's gruff voice behind her. She jumped, sending ripples out in the water.

"W-what?" Hermione's mind reeled. Had he seen her? What would he do now? Was he angry? He didn't sound angry.

"Sex isn't really a spectator sport," he explained, "and last night was sort of a private match."

"Um … I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione said. She could tell it was almost hopeless to lie, but some desperate instinct pushed the words out of her mouth.

"You watched Gabby and I fuck on the armchair last night," he whispered. His tone was much more sensual now, and Hermione found herself melting under his softer voice. Charlie's fingers began creeping around her hips.

Hermione gulped. There was no use in denying it now, though she was still horribly embarrassed. "How did you know it was me?"

"You're, er," Charlie paused, as though thinking of the most delicate way to continue. "You're not the quietest person when you're touching yourself," he said gently.

Hermione blushed deeply. She had never been so humiliated in her life, so exposed, unintentionally, to another.

"Does, uh … does Gabrielle know?" Hermione asked softly. At that point, she could only hope that her voyeurism could be kept a secret between the two of them.

Charlie snickered and took his hands off Hermione. He splashed her gently. "What difference does it make? She already knows what you sound like when you come."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What? She told you that?" She sank lower into the water, down to her chin, as though she could hide from him.

Charlie smirked and crouched down in the water next to her, to be at eye level with her.

"We're friends," he explained.

"More than friends?" Hermione asked instantly.

Charlie laughed, as though the question was absurd. "Of course not. Besides, Fleur told me too. She saw it as soon as you came in with Gabby."

Hermione glanced at Charlie, and then looked away quickly. He was wearing a very amused facial expression.

"Is something funny?" Hermione asked as she looked out over the beach.

"You're quite adorable when you're embarrassed," Charlie said.

Hermione splashed water at his face, leaving him sputtering, and backed away, deeper into the ocean. Charlie followed her.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked, hovering near her.

Hermione dunked her head under the water and came back up quickly.

"I don't know," she confessed.

Charlie waded over to where she stood. He towered over her as he ran his hands up her arms, a trace of a smile lining his lips. "But you liked what you saw."

An expression of shock crossed Hermione's face. How dare he insinuate such a thing? Of course, he was right, but still it unnerved Hermione that he was so blunt about sexual matters.

Charlie laughed. "Hey, I'm joking. Don't be offended."

The water sloshed gently around them and Hermione felt the sand suck her toes into itself. She could feel the familiar flush of arousal color her cheeks. She imagined her pupils dilating, but at the same time she told herself not to expect anything from Charlie—any man who slept with Gabrielle obviously wouldn't be interested, even remotely, in her. She felt like a schoolgirl with a rather obvious crush on a boy far more popular than herself, despite the absurdity of such a thing at that point in her life.

Hermione gathered as much water as possible with her arms and splashed Charlie, hitting him in the face. She retreated as he recovered from the sudden blow, sputtering.

"You're going to pay for that," Charlie warned as he pounced after her into the water.

Though Hermione knew he was joking, a small rush of adrenaline kicked in and she propelled herself farther away.

Of course, Charlie was faster, and he caught up with her within seconds. He put one strong hand on her shoulder, and the other on the crown of her head and pushed her down under the water.

Though the physical contact was friendly at best, Hermione loved the feel of his hands on her skin. He seemed to control her while exerting so little effort, which amazed her for a brief instant. She began to blush while still under the surface and then suddenly, in all her gracefulness, got a nose full of seawater, and emerged back into the sunshine gasping.

"You idiot!" Hermione joked, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

Charlie shrugged and fell back into the water. "It's your own fault. You asked for it. You should learn to breathe underwater, Granger."

His goading prompted Hermione to release some of her inhibitions. She launched herself at Charlie, trying to return his attack. He proved to be unmovable, however.

"Are you … are you trying to push me under the water?" he asked sarcastically. "Is that what you're trying to do? Do you require assistance—you seem to be having some difficulty."

Hermione just splashed water at him playfully. The sun was beginning to set, lighting the small, wispy clouds a beautiful shade of pumpkin orange. The air was beginning to chill, and Hermione heard the Delacours' dog barking joyfully from the yard, which always signaled Bill's arrival.

Charlie stood up in the waist-deep water. "Bill's home. Shall we…?" he gestured toward the cottage and Hermione nodded.

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Hermione was shivering by the time she arrived back at Shell Cottage, and she decided to take a quick, hot shower before dinner. Dressed in her warmest flannel pajamas, she enjoyed a warm, friendly dinner with some of her closest friends outside of Ron and Harry. She tried to ignore the two sexual encounters she had been present for in the last day and instead focused on the conversation and the food.

After dinner, Bill and Fleur watched the sun's last rays disappear over the ocean from their front porch. They shared what looked a bit like a cigarette, but smelled a bit like burning sage. Gabrielle had gone out for a swim with Charlie despite the cold, and Hermione curled up with her book in the armchair, the dog curled at her feet.

She couldn't focus on the book, however. All she could think about was what Charlie and Gabrielle had done on that armchair the previous night. She gripped the armrests and imagined what it would feel like to come while squeezing the soft fabric. She imagined how it would feel rubbing against Charlie's back. At one point, after double- and triple-checking the windows to make sure nobody was coming, she sat facing the chair's back, the way that Gabrielle was positioned over Charlie. She tried to move on top of the imaginary body beneath her, mimicking Gabrielle's movements; the way she arched her back and threw her head backward. It was the sort of thing Hermione was embarrassed to do even alone, and so she quickly turned back to her novel.

She read fewer than thirty pages before the front door creaked open and Bill and Fleur walked in. Bill stretched happily, yawned, and went up to bed, while Fleur crossed into living room, wearing what appeared to be nothing but Bill's large flannel shirt.

"Oh, 'erhiome!" she exclaimed, startled.

"Sorry. Did I scare you?" Hermione asked as she put her book down.

"No, no. What are your plans for ze evening?"

Hermione gestured toward the book. "Reading. Then bed, I suppose."

"Zat's boring. Let's go for a walk. Eets a beautiful night. Ze stars are lovely."

"All right," Hermione agreed. "Let me just go change."

"Why? Zer eez nobody around. Let's go."

Hermione had never taken a walk in pajamas, but she realized Fleur was right. They strolled along a cliff's edge, listening to the ocean. Fleur walked barefoot through the grass. The moon was bright enough that they didn't need additional light.

"How has work been?" Hermione asked conversationally.

"At Gringotts, I am sinking of leaving," Fleur said.

"What? I had no idea. Why?"

"I 'av been offered a teaching assistant job at Beauxbatons, and eet would pay more and eet eez more prestigious, but I do not want to leave 'ere. Eet eez beautiful 'ere, and eet 'as a certain magic about it…" She sighed deeply. "But I 'ave not told Bill yet, so do not say anysing!" she added quickly.

Hermione was shocked that Fleur trusted her with such private information. "How deeply are you considering it?" was all she could think to ask.

Fleur shrugged. "I don't know yet. I only got ze offer last week." She sighed again. "Bill got me ze job at Gringotts, and eet was so good to work next to 'im."

"I thought you only met him after starting work."

Fleur remained silent for a moment. "I was underage when we first met. Eet was improper. We decided to tell a white lie about when she met."

Hermione blushed. She had no idea their relationship had this unusual complication and she was quite at a loss for words. "Oh."

Fleur sat down on the cliff's edge overlooking the beach and the plump, white moon. "You smoke?" she asked as she took a tiny bag of weed out of her pocket.

"Er, no." Hermione had never known Fleur to engage in smoking marijuana, and it was the first time she saw the crushed, dry plant in person. She looked around instinctively as though they were surrounded by Ministry official.

Fleur shrugged and tucked the drug away. She licked her lips and turned toward Hermione.

"My sister eez so different from myself," she started. "I saved my virginity for marriage, zo' after zat I experimented." Hermione's heart started racing. Was she imagining this? "And she 'as already been wiz men and women," Fleur touched Hermione's arm with her fingertips then. "She 'as been wiz you," she cooed, her breath touching Hermione's face gently.

"You've been with other men?" Hermione breathed. She tried to steady her pulse and her breathing but for some goddamn reason it wouldn't work.

Fleur shrugged. "Bill 'as been wiz ozer women. We 'ave an open marriage. Ze only rule eez zat we share." Her eyes, almost as brilliantly blue as her sister's, glinted mysteriously in the moonlight. And then Fleur kissed Hermione, her soft lips colliding with hers. Fleur had thinner lips than her sister, and she kissed her very softly, without pressing against her insistently. Her elegant fingers rested against her shoulders, then suddenly she pulled away, and Hermione tried her hardest to resist the urge to lean in after her.

"Just like we will share you."

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All right, so this chapter wasn't too graphic, but have faith okay? I'm setting stuff up here....

Anyways, getting reviews always puts a big ol' smile on my face, so please please don't be shy--I'm always interested to hear what you guys have to say.