Learning to Be a Good Husband

That Sunday, the extended Weasley family gathered at the Burrow for their weekly lunch and get together. Harry had arranged that he would talk to Molly and Arthur around 4 o'clock, after the rest of the family had gone home.

The lunch started off with the usual general milling around and saying hello. Then, Ron asked for everyone's attention, and Hermione quietly moved to stand beside him. She silently tapped her finger with her wand and the disillusion spell ended, showing her new engagement ring topped with a large diamond surrounded by small amethysts. There was congratulations all round, and Molly ran downstairs to retrieve the bottles of champagne which she had got long ago for just such an announcement (leaving a few, just in case Harry and Ginny had some news as well).

Harry had kept the news of his situation to himself, but of course, Hermione had talked to Ginny and Ron, and Ginny had talked to her parents. Molly had seen enough of her daughter's heartbreak when Harry, Hermione and Ron had gone hunting the Horcruxes, and so knew enough to keep quiet about her hopes for Ginny and Harry (just in case things hadn't been smoothed out between them). She knew there was nothing so damaging to a couple who were unsure of themselves as an incorrect announcement of impending nuptials that weren't going to happen.

Ginny had been watching Harry as Ron and Hermione made their announcement. She saw the pain in his eyes even while he was leading the cheers for them. She knew how much he loved Hermione, as she had been a constant companion during the hunt, and that regardless of how close the trio would remain, there was now a barrier between Harry and his closest friends. Ginny suspected that there was more to his pain than that as well, and that one door was closing on Harry's future, and one possible dream was over.

After lunch, Harry and Ginny went for a walk around the park on the Burrow, and into town. Harry was obviously a bit uncomfortable with the situation, as he and Ginny had never talked of marriage, and Harry was still not sure where they stood. And Ginny wasn't Hermione – Hermione, he could talk to about anything and everything, but he and Ginny had not got to that level of intimacy.

So Ginny did a lot of the talking. Sometimes she spoke, and sometimes they just walked along together. Harry found that he was comfortable with her saying things, and with her silence. She was not the constant motor-mouth that her brothers were, for which Harry was thankful.

Finally, they were wandering around the pond where they had spent time in summers swimming and relaxing. They joked a little about Harry's lack of skill swimming at first, as he had never swum when he was living with the Dursleys, while Ginny had been swimming since she could walk. They talked and laughed about the first time Harry saw Ginny in a bikini, when her top wouldn't stay in place as she did not yet have much to hold it in position. And they talked about Harry's circumstances.

Ginny appeared to know a good deal about the Ancient and Noble House traditions, and the multiple marriages and inheritance laws. She said "Harry, girls talk to each other about things that matter. Not just about fashion, or who they are wanting to ask them to go to Hogsmeade with them. Important stuff."

"Harry, when it really comes down to it, women's bodies are baby factories. Most of us girls are going to be mothers, and we look forward to it. From the time we're about twelve or thirteen, we can get pregnant. Our breasts are not just eye candy for the boys, and between our legs, we manufacture new people! These are fact, critical facts, in every girl's life, so we talk about it. We talk about marriage, we talk about divorce, we talk about unwanted pregnancies, we talk about what names we are going to give our children. And we talk about boys, because the boys are going to become the men we marry and have children with."

"Harry, one of the primary things in a woman's life is to get the best possible father for her children. A lot of girls see this as the guy having enough money to support them and feed them for twenty years or so. With some arranged marriages, that is enough, and in some of the marriages which are essentially political alliances between the high and mighty houses, that's all there is. And for some this is enough. But if that's all there is, it can be a dismal life for both of the poor idiots who settled for it."

"And Harry, to be perfectly honest and frank, you're prime goods! Say the word, and there will be a line-up a hundred miles long."

"The Patil twins in your year were high-caste girls, and both had arranged marriages to go to, as soon as they graduated from Hogwarts. Ah, didn't know that, did you? Their family made the best arrangements and matches they could, as they had two beautiful intelligent and talented witches to offer as bargaining chips. In societies where arranged marriages are common, it is the families duty to make the best match possible, and good fathers take the future happiness of their daughters very seriously."

"Harry, you and Hermione and me, we grew up in what you might call middle class families. Sure, your's stunk like a week old fish, but the arrangements were similar. One mum, one dad, and no thought about any other arrangement. In fact, anything different was considered aberrant and perverted. But that's not going to work for you, it can't. I know it, Hermione knows it (she resents it, and thinks it's wrong, but she know it), and you know it. That's the way the world works in the upper classes. Take a look at the goings-on in the muggle royal family, for Merlin's sake! Whoever marries you has to be prepared to share."

"Pansy was right. You need people around you who know how these things work, and how the real world operates. I am a smart girl from a relatively poor family, which means I have always needed to know what was real and what was illusion. For you, the single wife in a little cottage with a white picket fence around it is an illusion. The witch who marries you has to clearly know that she is going to have to share you; anything else is an illusion. Actually, any witch who thinks her husband will love no other woman is going to have some real trouble with her mother-in-law."

"You are wealthy and powerful. You are the man who killed old Lord Moldy Shorts, with help of course, but you were the one who did him in. You have the capacity and the opportunity to do amazing things, with the right people at your side."

"And Harry, as you are standing there blushing at me being very forward, and not getting around to it, I would be pleased to accept your offer of marriage!"

Harry sputtered and coughed. Ginny started giggling and then laughing heartily. "Oh Harry, you look like a deer caught in a beam of wand-light."

"Harry, I am not saying things will be perfect between us. I can be selfish, and I can be a right bitch a few days each month, and my brothers taught me to be a prankster and that sometimes hurts people's feelings. I am saying that I probably understand you better than perhaps anyone besides Hermione. I know that I may not be your first choice. But I also know I will be good for you, and that I will try my very best to make you happy with your choice."

Harry sputtered "My 'Choice'?"

Ginny stood up straight, and put her hands on her hips, and looking like she was in a right huff, said "Mr. Potter! You mean you've been walking me all over town on a cold November day and you had dishonourable intentions? What kind of a girl do you think I am?"

Harry stuttered, and babbled "You, walk, me, us, town, us..." as Ginny broke down laughing. She said, "You'd better kiss me before you pass out." And she reached up to pull his head down towards her, and kissed him as she had only done once before, on his seventeenth birthday.

Harry reached around her back and pulled her into a tight embrace. He said, "Thank you for saying what I haven't been able to find the words to say." He dropped to one knee, and said "Ginevra Weasley, will you marry me?" Ginny frowned at him and mockingly said in a disgusted tone of voice "I thought we had already settled that!" Harry said "You said that you 'would be happy to accept my offer', not that you 'were happy to accept'. So now I am offering." Ginny looked at him and said "You have been hanging around with Hermione too much, to get that pedantic." Then laughing her bright cheery way, she said quietly "Okay, Harry. Yes. Oh yes!"

Then with a twinkle in her eye, she asked "So, which one do you want me to be? Lady Black, Lady Potter, or just one of your harem of thousands? I know there are a lot of girls at Hogwarts who are dying to be asked to join up."

Harry smiled into Ginny's face. "I think Lady Potter. After all, Potters have always been Gryffindors, so maybe any Gryffs should be Potters. No?"

Ginny looked at him in horror. "The Blacks have always been Slytherins, except for your godfather. Does that mean you have a Snake lined up for Lady Black? Ron will kill you, and I'm way too young to be a widow." She paused. "Are you thinking of Pansy as a possibility?"

Harry looked stunned at her rapid and calculating analysis of the situation. "I'm not sure. It would have its advantages. As she said, 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer' and the spells around a marriage would prevent any disloyalty. Of course you are right, Ron will kill me, and I'm too young to be dead. Tried it once, didn't care for it. But you don't seem to mind the idea as much. How is that?"

Ginny looked at him and said "Well, for one, I'm not my brother, and Harry Potter get that smile off your face - you're not drafting Ron as one of your wives, regardless of how close you are. Somehow, from watching you closely for the last few years, I'm pretty sure you don't swing that way. Anyway, you have to remember that your year seemed to have most of the Death Dummy-suckers in it, while I had some good friends in Slytherin. Astoria Greengrass was nice, and her family was very carefully keeping their heads down so they didn't get dragged into the whole pureblood crap. Her sister Daphne was in your year, and she's pretty nice too, and she is one knock-out babe! Maybe one more candidate?"

Harry laughed "Now that you've started, I can see the house filling up fast. But seriously, Ginny, I still don't know how this all works. I'm supposed to go talk with your parents about things. Maybe you should be there with me." He then told her his plans for the education that they don't teach in school. She thought this was a very good approach to a very difficult subject.

Harry suggested that they not announce their engagement until the next Sunday's family lunch, both to give him time to get a suitable engagement ring for her, and to not steal Ron and Hermione's 'thunder'. He said "This is their day, and I would never want to take that away from them. I don't want to take anything away from them. They deserve their happiness." Ginny agreed to this plan.

Harry wondered aloud "Does this mean that you get veto power over my other wives now?" Ginny smiled and said "Damn straight, Potter, you'd better believe it. Anyway, we should go in and tell Mum and Dad, and then have your talk. But first, please look over toward the house for a moment."

Harry heard some rustling behind him, and sensed a warming charm being cast. Ginny spoke quietly, "Okay, Harry, you can turn around."

Harry turned and saw Ginny standing nude, with her clothing piled beside her on the ground. Her bare breasts seemed to play hide-and-seek through her long red hair. Ginny said, "I think it is important that my husband gets to know my body, and hopefully, he will find it attractive." Harry gathered the naked witch into his arms, and kissed her fervently, saying "I find your body very attractive, and I do like looking at it, I like it a lot. Now you better get dressed before we see your parents," and with a smirk continued, "unless you feel that they would be more comfortable with you dressed like that."

Harry and Ginny walked into the living room at the Burrow, hand-in-hand. Molly Weasley looked at the smile on her daughter's face, looked at Harry and asked "Yes?" He nodded happliy, but said "We don't want to steal Ron and Hermione's day, so we're going to hold off making an announcement until next week. That also gives me a chance to get a proper ring for Ginny. I hope that's okay with you."

Harry was immediately smothered in a massive hug from Molly, while Arthur seemed keen to rip his hand off shaking it, as he said "Welcome to the family, and not just because we have thought of you as our son already."

Molly said "I see she used the old quidditch strategy." At Harry's puzzled look, Molly said "You have to remember, I was a Chaser too when I was at Hogwarts. The chaser strategy was a way to distract the other team. It's based on the technique most girls use – you chase the boy until he catches you."

Arthur started, "First off, Harry, I have a severe conflict of interest here. I think you should know that the scuttlebutt at the Ministry is that some of the old Malfoy hangers-on seem to be behind the way they are trying to enforce the laws - Marcus Foofaller seems to be the ring-leader of them. They seem to think, quite rightly in my opinion, that you are just as likely to tell them to shove their laws and run off out of their jurisdiction. Essentially, this would cause all of the Black properties to be given to Draco Malfoy, thereby restoring his family's power, and the value of the connections of all the family leeches. As much as I love my daughter and want her to be your only wife, for the health of our nation and the wizarding world I have to ask you to take on this 'burden', and prevent that from happening." Ginny immediately objected to being called a burden.

"I think that, as Lord Potter and Lord Black, you can do a lot to heal the wounds our society has suffered under Voldemort and his minions. I know our family has been so-called pure-blood on both sides for a long, long time, but this pure-blood supremacy nonsense must be stopped. And you, my new son, are the one who can do it, with your wives by your side."

Harry thanked them for their confidence and warmth, and asked his questions.

Arthur and Molly both thought about it for a bit.

Arthur spoke first "I think that the primary way to be a good husband, or a good wife for that matter, is to respect your partner. If you cannot respect them, you really should not have married them in the first place. Listen to her. You need to hear her ideas, and her wants and needs. You need to hear her advice. You don't have to take it, but you have to listen to it."

Molly said thoughtfully "Even when you listen to your partner, you have to stand up for yourself as well. If all you do is what the other tells you to do, very soon she will lose her respect for you, because she can walk all over you. That being said, sometimes you need to let her have her way, if it is important enough to her, and even if you disagree – but only on the small things. If it's important to her, but not to you, give in, but if it is important to you, stand firm, at least until you have talked it out.

Arthur took his turn "Fight fair. You may not think it will happen, but you will fight. Do it fairly, and with respect. An unfair fight can destroy everything you have. Don't say things that will cause irreparable hurts. The fact that you are committed to fighting fair says 'I love you'."

"This one is important, because your situation requires that you have lots of children, either for just the two of you, or Harry with his other wives (and Ginny love, I know that is going to be hard on you). Love them, but stand up to them. Children are the most devious creatures you will ever encounter, and take it from a man with seven kids (including the beautiful witch sitting by your side – she was a right little hellion)! They will try to play divide-and-conquer, over and over and over. If they find a point where you disagree, they will exploit it to get their way. You have to talk between yourselves, and then present a united front, otherwise, they are in charge. Your job as a husband and father is to raise the children to be good people, not just someone who has everything they want."

"Harry, you are wealthy, and I have seen wealth become a trap. Some men find it easier to give the kids things, than to take time to interact with them and bring them up right. As a father, your time is your most precious commodity. Use it well."

Molly now spoke, "One other critical thing. Be fair. If you are wrong, admit it," and smiling she added "and the husband is always wrong!" She and Arthur chuckled at this shared joke, while Harry looked like he was sinking rapidly into a deep morass.

Molly smiled at him and giggled "Don't worry, Harry, you will be right once in a while too, although Ginny would be a fool to admit it. But more seriously, be fair with your time and your love. It will be difficult, but love your wives equally (Sorry about that, Ginny, but it's the truth). Love your children equally. Not necessarily the same, because every person is different and needs different things and different love. Equally! Otherwise, someone is getting cheated, and you will suffer the fallout because of it."

"And Harry, this is very, very difficult to do, to be fair to your children and your spouse or spouses. There will be times when one of your wives, or one of your children, will need all your attention, when they are sick, when they are in trouble, or whatever. That's when you have to make an extra effort to care for the rest of them too."

Harry asked, "But what about making love?"

Arthur looked at his wife fondly and quietly asked "What do you think we have been talking about? Making love isn't just the sex. Making love is looking after your partner's needs and wants, letting them know that they are special to you. Even when you fight, if you fight fair and with loving consideration of the other, you are making love."

Molly said "Harry, Ginny, when you are 'making love', that is having sex, the most important thing is to listen to your partner. Find out what they like you to do to them, and tell them what you like them to do to you. Unless you can read minds (and I know you have been working on that), you can't know what makes the other person tingle with excitement, and what hurts them."

Arthur came in again "One of the most important aspects of the physical acts of love is to enjoy it. Men focus on only one part of their bodies (and you know which part), but women love with their entire bodies. Our bodies are made to enjoy the act of loving. Don't take yourself, or it, too seriously. Have fun. It's supposed to be fun. Be silly, do something outrageous, laugh. If you fall off the bed, laugh at yourself."

Harry smiled and said, "Okay, that's a challenge. Mr Weasley, what little thing does Mrs Weasley like you to do to her, and Mrs Weasley, what does Mr Weasley like?"

Arthur looked at Harry sternly, and said "If you're going to marry my one and only daughter, I am either Arthur or Dad. Got it?," and indicating his wife "and she is either Molly or Mum." He added with a little smirk "and calling her 'Mollywobbles' is my privilege, and mine alone." Molly blushed pink.

"Getting back to your impertinent question, she likes it when I nibble her neck when I come up behind her in the kitchen."

Molly blushed at this "Yeah, that's rather pleasant. There have been times, when he did that and I turned around and ravaged him right there in the kitchen! And he likes it when I touch his back very, very lightly, as if with a feather – I think he was a cat in a former life." She reached over and squeezed Arthur's hand.

Harry and Ginny both smiled at this exchange. Then Harry asked "Okay, how about romantic? What or where was the most romantic place you have made love?"

Molly looked a bit stunned as she thought about this, "Gosh, after seven kids, and having to sneak around so that they don't burst through the bedroom door at the wrong time. We never tried to hide it from the kids, but it was private time. Our time together is what made it a family for them to be part of."

Arthur commented, "We can't really say that the loo on the Hogwarts Express was outrageous – all the seventh years did it there. Broomclosets, same thing." He laughed, ""Molly, you remember that closet on the fourth floor hall?" She laughed, and looking at Harry and Ginny's puzzled faces, continued "you will remember that the fourth floor hall in the west wing of the castle was pretty well deserted most of the time, so an awful lot of the students used the closets up there for their trysts. It was the custom that the couple cut a notch in the handle of one of the brooms 'afterwards'. The caretaker had to keep replacing the broom handles every month or so 'cause they kept breaking off from all the cuts in the wood."

Molly then smiled, reminiscing, and said "You know we eloped just out of school – the war with Voldemort was starting and so we figured, why wait. I think the most romantic was the day Artie came home from work, and I had just found out from the Healer that our Bill was on the way. Arthur had just turned 20. I was pregnant for the first time, knowing that all the years of cramps and monthly bleeding was preparing me for this, and I was feeling very 'womanly'. I had put on a pretty dress and my favourite undies. I had just set out a nice supper to celebrate, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and mashed potatoes. I was really excited, and horny as hell, and when Artie came through the door, I pounced on him, kissing him thoroughly. He took me right there on the kitchen table. I remember looking sideways at the dish of Yorkshire puddings, and my hair was wet with gravy and burning with the horseradish sauce. And I had this load of warm mashed potatoes up my bum!" Arthur laughed "I clearly remember licking the gravy off your breasts, and then we had a shower together, and made love again in the shower, and having to hang on to the curtain rod for balance."

Molly smiled and said "Ruined my favourite pink silk knickers, too." As Arthur looked at her with a question on his face, she continued "When you lifted me up and set me on the table, you put me down right on top of the mustard – I never could get those stains out of the silk. I did keep them as a souvenir of that lovely day."

Ginny asked "Were those the stained silk pants you keep in your memoir drawer? You always told me that someday, when I was older, you would tell me the story about why you kept pink panties with bright yellow stains on them." Molly smiled, and reached over to hold Ginny's hand. "Today's the day, my girl", and smiled at her husband.

Molly smiled at her daughter, who was looking rather shocked. She had never thought of her parents as passionate lovers. Molly winked and asked "Romantic enough for you?"

Harry smirked and said "Thank you. Okay, how about the most outrageous?"

Molly looked at Arthur and laughed. Arthur blushed brightly. Molly said, "In seventh year, it was a warm evening at the start of June. There was a bright full moon, and we snuck out to the quidditch pitch with my broom. Arthur sat on the broom, I slipped off my knickers and climbed onto his lap, plugging him in, you might say. We took off, and I accelerated and decelerated to assist in our movements. Didn't work out so well."

Ginny asked why didn't it work, it sounds like it could be fun for a couple of good quidditch players (and it was obvious to Harry that she was thinking in the back of her mind 'like Harry and me').

Arthur was blushing and laughing, shaking his head at the memory. Molly said "Ginny, you know your Dad didn't play quidditch. He gets airsick." Ginny said "Oh." Then she thought about the implications and started to giggle "Oh!"

Molly winked at Harry and asked "Outrageous enough for you?" Harry nodded as he joined in the laughter.

The next Sunday, as the Weasleys all gathered around the lunch table, Harry and Ginny entered the room together, and Ginny extended her left hand showing the platinum ring, holding the flawless emerald surrounded by a spray of forest-green tourmalines. Molly opened the icebox, and pulled out the champagne which she had been chilling. Hermione rushed over and kissed Harry (and whispered "Hello, my brother-in-law and brother"), while Ron kissed Ginny, and then George kissed Harry, setting off gales of laughter.

Ron looked at Harry, and announced "Mate, now you're officially my brother, on top of the family having adopted you years ago." George piped in "If he's already our brother, isn't this rather incestuous?" at which point his mother hit him and told him to shut up. The room was filled with joyful laughter.

Later that afternoon, Ginny and Harry apparated over to the Granger's house. Ron and Hermione were already there, having drinks with Hermione's parents, Gil and Elly. They congratulated Harry and Ginny on their engagement, and then they got down to the interrogation.

Gil Granger was much taller than his wife, being over six feet tall with a husky build, where Elly was only about five feet tall, and 'petite'. Elly wore her hair long and straight, while it was apparent that Hermione had inherited her bushy hair from her dad.

Gil started off, by saying "Well, Harry, HermiJean here has told us a bit about your situation. First, because of some weird wizardy laws, you are going to have to live out what a lot of men would consider a dream, but in reality could turn out to be a nightmare, if you don't do it right. That is your fear, isn't it?" Harry nodded, with a terrified look on his face.

"Right. Your second query is, 'how do I be a good husband, even to one wife?', correct?" Harry nodded again.

Elly began, "Hermione says you have already talked with Molly and Arthur Weasley about this. Do you just want a second viewpoint, or is it more that we might have a more, shall I say, medically technical understanding?" Harry said, "I hadn't thought of it in that way, but that would be good. Yes. Both, please."

"I asked you for this advice, because you and the Weasleys seem to me to have wonderful relationships, and I would very much like any pointers you can give me. You know a bit about my upbringing, and have heard about some to the problems I have had almost losing all of my closest friends over the last few years. I have to say that I have very little idea about how to get along with people. I would appreciate any help you can give me."

Elly smiled with a wicked gleam in her eye. "Okay, how about we cover the physiology first. We are going to be completely frank and honest. We don't think you should be embarrassed at anything we discuss, because these are simply facts that you will run into in your married life. Now, do you want the book version or the lab version?" Harry blinked and answered "What?"

Elly grinned at her husband, and said "Okay, the lab version. Undress please, all of you," as she reached for the buttons on her blouse.

Harry responded "What?" and blushed bright red.

Elly looked at your daughter and laughingly said, "You're right, he does blush spectacularly. Okay, don't undress. As they say in textbooks, we will leave the lab work as an exercise for the students."

Gil said "This may get a bit technical, and we don't want you to get embarrassed by what are just facts. There are many just plain facts of living together that you will have to deal with, not just sexual things, but when one of you gets sick and the other has to clean up after a particularly nasty round of vomiting or diarrhoea, or just needing a backrub when she's having monthly cramps. I gather that your classes did cover some basic anatomy, so you have some idea of how men and women are built differently, but you haven't really covered how things really work. So the first question to answer is this. Do you masturbate?"

To Harry and Ron's surprise, both girls immediately answered yes. Ron nodded, as did Harry, who said "When I was living at the Dursleys'place, Uncle Vernon kept telling me it was a bad thing to do, so of course I had to try it out. In the dorm at Hogwarts, all the guys did it occasionally (which for Seamus, 'occasionally' was a couple of times a night)." Hermione shook her head saying "Way too much information!"

Harry continued "How do girls do it? They don't have a willy to rub."

Elly spoke "Girls have a little bump near the front of their vulvas, those folds between our legs; it's called the clitoris. It works kind of like a boy's penis, because it has a whole lot of nerve endings in it. My mother called it 'a girl's best friend', because at that time, they didn't tell boys about what makes girls feel good, and good girls weren't supposed to know anything about sex, much less enjoy it – they used to say to girls before their wedding 'Lie back, close your eyes and think of England'. The idea that women could enjoy sex was horrifying to them, so girls had to, shall I say, 'take their problems and frustrations into their own hands'."

Gil continued "There are a lot of people who still feel that young people should learn nothing about sex or their bodies, and honestly believe that youngsters won't think about sex if they are not told about it. Idiots! They expect two virgins to get into the marriage bed completely uneducated, and somehow have a wonderful time first time out. Harry, you don't know how to drive a car do you?" Harry shook his head. Gil continued "Okay, now I'm going to put you in a very powerful race car and send you into a Grande Prix race. You'd be killed, right? I have seen people I care for go into marriage completely unprepared, and they make a bloody mess of it. That's why Elly made sure that our Hermione knew about her own body." He snickered and added, "A woman can be a lot like a high-powered race car sometimes, too." Elly blushed, but with a lusty smile on her face.

Ginny said "My Mum said essentially the same thing. She taught me too." Ron said "Dad told me how, too. Of course, that was about two years after George and Fred told me about it, and made it seem like parts of my body would fall off if I did it, or if I didn't do it, I can't remember which. I think they kept changing their story, just to keep me confused."

Gil nodded and continued. "The reason that I asked that question is simple. We have established that you all know what an orgasm feels like."

Ron asked "A what?"

Gil said, "Medically it's called an orgasm. Some people call it 'coming', or 'climaxing'. It's that wonderful tension-and-release muscular spasm when your body hits the peak. For men, that's when you ejaculate, or unload your sperm."

Elly spoke up "Boys tend to orgasm just once, and then need to relax for a bit. Women can have multiple orgasms in a row. However, boys excite quickly, and are ready for action almost immediately, while girls take a while to get ready, but then can go on and on and on. Men seem to need their orgasm to enjoy sex. Women don't, but it's very nice when it happens. You need to be aware of your partner's level of excitement, and you will want to help them feel good."

"Now, Harry and Ron, if you come home, and your wife is wearing a sexy outfit, or nothing, she has already been getting herself ready, even if she has just been thinking about it all day, and she may just have her wonderful wicked way with you right then and there on the floor. So if you're going to bring friends over after work, be sure to call ahead first. Other time, it takes a little bit of time for her to get up to speed, and that's when you do what's called 'foreplay', hugging and kissing and fondling. Sometimes you can have a completely satisfying time, without 'penetration', just by mutual masturbation. You don't have to do the horizontal hula every time."

By this point, the two young couples were blushing furiously. Gill and Elly nodded to each other and Gil remarked "I think our work here is almost done, my love."

Elly pulled out a couple of books, and handed one to each couple. She said "This is a book that came out years ago, in the early seventies. It gives a lot of ideas on different things you can to with each other to make your marriage bed your playground, and help you be happy with each other. Some stuff you will like, and some you won't, and what one couple likes, the other may not. It's up to you to find out what you enjoy, together. It has helped us have a lot of fun together."

"Sex is supposed to feel good. That's what keeps our species in existence, indeed all life that uses sex for procreation. If it hurts, that's nature's way of telling you to stop because you are doing damage. Some people enjoy hurting or being hurt; I do hope that's not any of you. I don't think that makes for an enjoyable life, and it certainly doesn't make for a strong family, which at the end of the day is what you want to achieve. At least, I certainly hope that's what you want. And Ron, if you hurt my baby girl, I will kill you."

Gil spoke up "And please remember, your most important sexual organ is the one between your ears, not the one between your legs. Your brain! In my work as a dental surgeon, I have known people who were injured horribly in accidents, and they were able to have satisfying sex lives, in spite of 'not being able to perform'. Think, listen, talk about your needs and wants. Care about each other, and you can't go wrong. Now, enough technical stuff."

Gil smiled and said, "And boys, I will tell you the most critical sexual practice there is. The most important thing a husband can know." He looked expectantly as Harry and Ron leaned forward, not wanting to miss a word. "Shave before going to bed! There's nothing that kills the mood like whisker-burn!" Laughter filled the room.

Elly added "Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione. One thing you have to remember. We are people. We are not perfect. We do and will make mistakes that hurt each other, sometimes very badly. Remember that your partner has pledged their life to you – they have pledged their lives and their entire genetic heritage to you, both what came before, and the children that will come after. This deserves your utmost respect. You need to remember to forgive each other. Some things are unforgivable, and will end your marriage, as they should. But I have seen people give up on their marriages for petty reasons. Please don't give up on each other. Remember to forgive."

"Now, anything else you would like to ask about?"

Harry asked Gil, "Is there anything specific that you like Elly to do to you?" Turning to Elly, he said, "And anything specific you like Gil to do?"

Gil looked at Elly, as she looked at him. She hesitated, and then said, "Well, we did agree to this meeting. Okay, me first. I really like it when we undress each other standing up and kissing. Gil undresses me slowly, kissing my body as he does. He slips his hands into the back of my pants, cupping my bum, and then pushing them down from inside, very slowly, sometimes stopping with them only partway down my legs. The anticipation and the just plain naughtiness is very stimulating. As he is lowering my knickers down, he kisses my neck and shoulders and breasts and belly. Once they are all the way down and off, he holds my waist and lifts me up in the air, sliding me down his body as he continues kissing mine. He enters me as I come down, sort of impaling me. The slow anticipation is fantastic, and I have 'come' even as I was just sliding down onto him." The younger couples were all breathing hard at the description, and Elly herself was looking rather flushed. It looked like she was going to drag Gil out of the room and have him right then.

Gil looked at his wife, and was obviously having similar thoughts. He said, "Please excuse us", as he took Elly's hand and led her from the room. About half an hour later, they returned, with Elly tucking her blouse back into her skirt.

Gil said in a voice that was still a bit shakey, "Okay, my turn. I'm a bit ticklish along the bottom of my ribs. Sometimes, Elly will nibble on the tickle spots while she tickles my crotch with her fingers."

Harry decided he had better stick to his script. "Could you describe the most romantic place you have made love?"

Gil looked at his wife "The beach off Papa'ete?" Elly nodded. Gil looked at his daughter and her fiancé. "You remember when you and Harry were bringing us back to England from Australia a couple years ago. When we stopped in Tahiti for a couple days, you had us staying in that lovely hotel on the north shore, with the big garden in the middle of the property. There was that black volcanic sand beach where we went swimming. Well, one night, after we had parted company, Elly and I went done to the beach for a midnight, moonlight swim. You remember that the water was so clear, that we could see our feet, even in the moonlight. We got into the water up to around our waists when the urge to merge came over us. We slipped off our suits and made love standing in the warm water. Then we went over and lay down on the beach making love again. I think that was the most romantic."

Elly giggled, "Afterwards, we couldn't find our bathing suits, which we had just left floating in the water. We had to go out the next morning around dawn to look for them. We finally found them about half a kilometre down the beach where the current had taken them. Also, it took about four days before I got all the black sand out of my hair." Gil laughed and added "and other places."

Harry asked. "Okay, where was the most outrageous or bizarre place?"

Elly immediately started to laugh. "The Lab." Gil nodded. Elly said, "We got married while we were in dental school. As part of our coursework, we took some serious anatomy courses. We did dissection of corpses in the anatomy lab, which was deserted a lot of the time. One night, about two months after we got married and after we had gone swimming, we were feeling really amorous and impatient, and didn't feel like going all the way home as it was a kilometre from the college buildings. We knew no-one would be in the lab, and there were these nice large tables there. We snuck in, and gathered up to big sheets for padding, peeled off our clothes and lay down to get it on. The only light was from the fire-exit sign, so the room was filled with dim red light. After a few minutes, I happened to look over to the side, and saw this jar on the side table, holding a pickled penis in it, glowing red. I completely froze up." Gil continued the story, "I didn't know what happened until later, but I could feel Elly seize up, and thought 'Oh my god, she's epileptic and she never told me.' Her lower muscles locked up totally and trapped me inside her. At first it felt great, and then I started to worry about what had happened to her. Eventually, she relaxed and told me what had happened. We laughed for days, and for years when one of us was feeling a bit randy, we would look at the other with bedroom eyes and say 'Want to check out the lab?'"

Ginny grimaced and said "Now there's an image I want out of my head."

Harry thanked them for the information, and was about to wish them good night, and apparate back to the Manor.

The faces of both young couples were looking quite flushed. Elly said, "You know, now that you're officially engaged..." Gil added "Hermione, your bedroom is still made up, and Harry and Ginny, the guest room is prepared, if you want it."