A/N: I know, I know. I'm sorry. But I hope this chapter makes up for the long pause. And don't worry, I've already written the next chapter and the one after that is half-written. Anyway,...

Thanks to kyresar for beta-ing and thanks to my wife for getting rid of a bunch of commas.

And now, enjoy your chapter and let me know what you think in the reviews. Thanks.

Chapter 15

Hermione woke after what felt like barely an hour of sleep because she heard someone tip-toeing on the stairs, someone who didn't know that the third step creaked and the last one too: Valerie.

Slowly her brain kicked into gear. Why was her friend sneaking downstairs? Yawning, she decided to go after her. She had meant to talk to her and if her friend was awake anyway, why not do it now.

Hermione slid out of the bed, careful not to wake her girlfriend. She picked up her wand from the bedside table, silently left the room, and sneaked downstairs, carefully omitting the steps that creaked.

When she arrived downstairs, she saw Valerie standing in the kitchen, facing the front door, the handle already in her hand, but not moving an inch, obviously debating something in her head.

Hermione cleared her throat to let Valerie know she wasn't alone anymore.

"Hermione, what are you doing up? I thought everyone was fast asleep," Valerie said, turning around.

"What am I doing up? I'm not the one secretly sneaking downstairs to stare at doors!" Hermione answered, a smirk playing around her lips.

She walked over to her friend and led her to sit on one of the kitchen chairs, "So what were you discussing up there?" Hermione asked while softly poking Valerie's forehead with her index finger.

"I couldn't sleep. At least not without dreaming weird stuff. You know I'm not good with dealing with…stuff. Normally, I would just go out and meet someone, flirt a bit, and get incredibly drunk. You know the drill. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, I'm very fond of this wonderful family, but they have nothing in the way of a little dysfunctional trauma therapy," Valerie explained, giving Hermione an insecure smile, "I thought I might like to sit outside and watch the stars for a while or go for a short walk, but I wasn't sure about the risks. That's why you caught me hesitating at the door," Valerie finished, shrugging her shoulders apologetically.

"You know, I wanted to talk to you about all of this, even before you got kidnapped. You seemed like you were handling everything swimmingly: The revelation of a whole new world out there, then the threats, and now the kidnapping. I admire how strong you are," Hermione softly said, tucking her feet under her body for warmth.

"Are you kidding? I was so afraid; I thought I'd die in that room. I was afraid of the guy outside my door, I was afraid of being stuck in that room, I was afraid because I didn't have anything to distract me from my fear, and I was afraid I'd not be important enough to be rescued. I was afraid I'd be just one more person to simply vanish, like people did a couple of years ago, when you had that war. I was afraid I wouldn't even be on someone's list of vanished people. I was driving myself mad," Valerie whispered, a few tears running down her cheeks. Hermione knew this was a rare moment of honesty. Not that Valerie usually lied to her, but they rarely shared those candid moments where she wouldn't hide behind sarcasm or preferred to pretend everything was fine.

Hermione put her arm around her friend and Valerie leaned her head on the witch's shoulder, "Don't be silly. Did you really think we would've left you there? I was turning into a complete nutter because I didn't know how to get you out of there and because of my guilty conscience. Just ask Ginny. I don't think I would've been able to forgive myself had anything happened to you. I might be a bit wrapped up in my emotional world at the moment, but you're my best friend too!" Hermione tried to reassure her friend and squeezed her shoulder to make sure she understood.

They had always been very physical in their friendship. Not because they secretly felt an attraction for each other, but, simply, because Valerie just worked that way. Hermione, coming from a rather restricted environment, had always enjoyed the warm hugs of the Weasley family, and after her pulling away from Ginny, she had welcomed that physical side in Valerie even more.

"Don't worry. These are just my fears of insignificance coming out to play at night. I'll be fine in the morning. I just need to distract myself a bit and I thought the night sky would help, but your company is even better," Valerie said, and her cheeky grin returned to her face once more, "So tell me, how are things with you and Ginny? Shagged her yet?"

Hermione pulled away and playfully punched her in the arm," I can't believe you just said that!"

"Can't you, now? Because it's something I'd never ask, right?" Valerie continued to tease.

Hermione tried her best to keep looking scandalized by Valerie's question but couldn't, "Ah well, I should've expected that question sooner or later." She wrapped herself into a blanket she had found on the chair next to her and answered, "No, nothing has happened yet. I mean, apart from words and kisses. But we haven't…you know…yet."

"Oh my God, are you twelve? If you can't say it you're definitely not ready to do it!" Valerie found another opportunity to tease Hermione. Valerie knew that the brunette had a reputation of being a stuck up book worm. George had told her about it a few times. But Valerie also knew that Hermione had grown out of that quite a bit and found it only fair to tease her when she fell back into old habits.

"Oh shut up, you!" Hermione said in mock anger and playfully swatted Valerie's arm again.

"Why are you so interested in my sex life anyway? What's going on between you and George?" Hermione diverted the conversation away from herself and Ginny.

She wasn't sure because there was hardly any light in the room, but it looked a lot like Valerie was blushing, "Nothing. Nothing at all. George and I are just friends," Valerie stammered.

"Of course, sure, right, uh huh…If you don't show me yours I won't show you mine!" Hermione smirked, amused by the sudden loss of cheek Valerie displayed.

"I fear that's going to be a short conversation. You don't have any juicy details and I have none either. Usually, I would have had him in my bed and moved on already, but he's different. He's not my usual kind of daily flavour," Valerie explained.

"Are you saying you actually fancy him?" Hermione asked. She couldn't believe it. In the years they'd known each other Valerie had only ever had one-night stands. Something about a bad breakup with an ex-girlfriend she never spoke much of.

"I don't know," the young photographer whispered.

"You don't have to know. Don't stress about it. But know this: George is a great bloke. He wouldn't hurt you." Hermione tried to reassure her friend, giving her shoulder another reassuring squeeze. Secretly, she was very happy that her friend had finally found someone she liked for more than just a quick shag. She had been hoping that one day she'd get over it all and find someone too.

Hermione yawned. The excitement of the last few weeks caught up to her, "I should probably go back to bed, and so should you!"

Valerie nodded, "Yes, you're probably right. I'll head up as well."

A few moments later Hermione was back under her blanket and cuddling up to Ginny who seemed to automatically wrap her arms around the brunette witch to spoon her. Hermione felt a warm fuzzy feeling spread through her body. This was where she felt safe and at home. Ginny's arms would always have that effect on her. But she could also feel the familiar tug of another feeling. Ginny's toned body pressing against hers made her skin tingle.

"You were gone," she heard the younger woman whisper, "I missed you."

"I was downstairs talking to Valerie," Hermione replied, "why are you awake?"

"I woke up because you were gone," Ginny replied and placed a kiss on Hermione's neck from behind. Hermione's breath caught in her throat at the unexpected contact. She felt Ginny smile against her skin.

"I'm glad you're back," Ginny breathed into Hermione's ear.

Merlin, Gin, don't do that. I won't be able to catch any sleep if you keep doing that.

But Ginny didn't stop. She trailed soft kisses down from Hermione's ear to her neck and shoulder until the hem of her t-shirt blocked her access. Hermione softly moaned and turned to face her girlfriend. All her resolve to finally get some rest after the excitement of the last few weeks started to crumble.

"You have really soft skin," Ginny declared.

"Would you like to see more of it?" Hermione asked, not quite innocently. She was beyond waiting and taking it slow. All she cared about was giving in to what her body wanted.

Ginny grinned, but didn't answer; she just kept kissing her girlfriend.

Hermione broke the kiss and flashed Ginny the brightest smile, "I take that as a yes, then." Swiftly, she took off her t-shirt and tossed it to the side. When she lay back, she saw the redhead licking her lips at the sight she offered. "You are beautiful," she pronounced before leaning in to kiss the topless woman underneath her again.

Hermione moaned when she felt the weight of her girlfriend on top of her. She let her hands roam and slipped them under Ginny's pyjama top. She needed some skin contact and she wanted to see the redhead naked too. Hermione grabbed the hem of Ginny's pyjama top and quickly pulled it over her head. This was what she had been fantasizing about for two years. Ever since she had realised that Ginny was who she wanted to be with she had spend her nights dreaming about this.

She gasped at the sight of Ginny's naked upper body. Her arms and abs were toned from all the Quidditch and her small breasts looked perfectly round and soft. And particularly desirable. She had seen Ginny naked before and therefore technically knew how she looked, but this was altogether different. This time she was allowed to look, to enjoy, and to touch. She started feeling a bit nervous and insecure.

But Ginny's ministrations effectively shut down Hermione's mind; bit by bit she had to let her body take over. Hermione smiled. This was the kind of control she didn't mind losing.

She kept exploring Ginny's toned body with her fingers, not ever growing tired of the silky feel.

"You feel so good," she breathed as she ran her fingertips up and down Ginny's sides, "I don't want to stop."

Ginny ceased her kissing and looked at Hermione. The brightest witch of her age looked back and couldn't make head or tales of the look Ginny gave her.

"You don't have to stop. I don't want you to stop. You can have me," Ginny said, taking Hermione's hand, "I love you."

Hermione's heartbeat doubled. She had waited so long to hear those words. Bittersweet tears sprang to her eyes but she fought them back. She didn't want to cry over lost time. A strand of red hair hung loose and she tucked it behind Ginny's ear, never taking her eyes off the young woman in front of her. "I love you too," she said before capturing Ginny's lips with her own and pouring all her emotions into that kiss. All the love, all the passion and lust of that moment went into it. And she was sure Ginny was doing the same. They got lost in each other. Hands started roaming and fingers went walkabout.

Hermione could feel Ginny's breath quicken and then noticed her own heartbeat going faster.

She took charge and flipped them over. Ginny's eyes flew open and she gave Hermione a cheeky grin, "Quite assertive, are we?"

"I've waited two years for this. I'm done waiting," Hermione answered, running her hand through Ginny's silky red hair. Her lips found Ginny's collarbone and she started sucking the soft skin just below it.

Hermione heard Ginny draw in a sharp breath followed by a soft moan. She made a mental note to remember that spot.

"No more waiting," she heard the redhead mumble before she felt her squirm underneath her. She had found another particularly sensitive spot that made Ginny draw her nails down Hermione's back. Hermione rolled her eyes back in her head at the sensation.

Merlin, this is even better than I thought it would be.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the younger witch underneath her as she feverishly kissed every inch of skin she could find.

Hermione watched as Ginny's eyes grew darker with desire and guessed her own eyes showed the same.

She broke eye contact and sucked at that soft spot she had discovered earlier, eliciting hushed sounds from her girlfriend that she'd never in her best dreams imagined to turn her on so much. She kept kissing Ginny and let her lips wander until she reached her breasts and couldn't hold back any longer. She took one of the redhead's nipples into her mouth and gently sucked.

Ginny pressed against Hermione's body, moaning more loudly now. She ran her fingers through Hermione's hair and ran her other hand across her back.

The older witch couldn't help herself but moaned against Ginny's breast, which from the sounds of it drove the redhead even wilder.

While still sucking on one nipple, Hermione carefully massaged Ginny's other breast with her free hand. She couldn't tell if it was the movement of her second hand or the additional weight she had to put on the younger witch but Ginny seemed to positively brim with desire.

She stopped her tongue from playing with Ginny's nipple and moved up to play with her tongue instead. She still had her hand on Ginny's other breast which seemed to further the young witch's craving.

Hermione could feel Ginny's hips rolling into her own and couldn't keep silent. She moaned into her girlfriend's mouth.

Ginny used Hermione's distractedness to flip them over. The brunette witch gasped when she felt Ginny caressing her breasts, her soft tongue playing with one of her nipples while the other one was being teased by Ginny's long slender fingers.

"Oh Gods, Gin," she got out between moans of pleasure.

Ginny smiled a cheeky grin and began moving south, setting Hermione's skin on fire with every kiss.

Hermione ran her fingers through Ginny's hair and found she couldn't remember when she had closed her eyes.

She looked down and saw Ginny enjoying herself, grinning and softly biting the sensitive skin next to the brunette's hipbone. So, Ginny had discovered another one of her sensitive spots, and Hermione made that clear by moaning a bit more and quite a bit louder, too.

Hermione felt Ginny push down the waistband of her shorts and lifted her hips a bit. Ginny got the message and helped her girlfriend out of her pyjama shorts.

Suddenly, Hermione was very aware of her nakedness. And as Ginny took a moment to look at the naked woman before her, Hermione felt vulnerable and exposed but at the same time very turned on by the way Ginny let her eyes travel. She had never felt sexier or more desirable.

She sat up to kiss the woman kneeling in front of her, giving her undivided attention to Ginny's breasts and abs.

"Take those off. I want you naked. Now," Hermione ordered, tugging down Ginny's pyjama bottoms.

She looked at the gorgeous redhead in front of her. Flaming red hair, freckled pale skin that felt softer than anything she could come up with at that moment. The brunette lay back again, giving Ginny time to look at her and doing just the same herself. For a moment the room went silent and only the ragged breaths of the two women could be heard.

Then there was no going back.

Ginny was all over Hermione. The brightest witch of her age felt her brain shutting down, drowning in a sea of sensations. She wasn't able to tell where her body ended and where Ginny's began.

Realising that she was fighting an uphill battle, she finally gave in and let her body fully take control over her mind.

A guttural groan escaped her mouth when Ginny dragged her nails up Hermione's inner thigh, agonisingly slow.

She felt her legs begin to tremble, and her pussy was craving to be touched so much it almost hurt.

"Oh Ginny, please," she cried out. "Please," she added in a whisper, panting heavily.

Ginny moved up again and captured the brunette's lips in a heated kiss that did nothing for Hermione's need for oxygen or the throbbing between her legs. It made it even worse. It drove her insane.

She grabbed Ginny's hand and roughly put it on her breast, giving the redhead a clue to turn things up a notch and hoping to quench some of the need rising in her.

Ginny pinched Hermione's nipple to show her she had understood her message and then bit Hermione's lower lip when she heard her gasp. She was done holding back.

Ginny saw Hermione grab the headboard. The brunette witch was writhing underneath her, giving her her best come hither look. And of course, it worked.

Ginny kissed her way down Hermione's body in a straight line, the most direct way to where she wanted to be. When she arrived she started licking Hermione's clit. Slowly at first, but when she felt Hermione lift her hips to force more contact she picked up her pace. Sucking and licking and occasionally biting her girlfriend, making her moan out loudly. This was the single most sexy thing she had ever seen.

"Gods, Ginny. Yes. Right there," Hermione said, her voice coarse from panting.

Ginny had never heard her sound more alluring.

The redhead felt Hermione's hips buck and her legs shivering. She could feel her own arousal throbbing between her legs and thought she wouldn't be surprised if she came just from watching Hermione desperately grab at the sheets.

Ginny kept her fast paced rhythm until Hermione's breathing got even more ragged. She felt her body go rigid for a second and then the most wonderful sound filled her ears. Hermione screamed her name as she came, her whole body shaking and one hand threading through Ginny's flaming red hair, the other one holding on to the headboard. Ginny kept going, licking until Hermione seemed to come down from her orgasm.

Hermione sat up, grinning madly, taking Ginny's head in both her hands and pulling her towards her, kissing her full on the lips.

She could taste herself and she was still out of breath but she didn't care. All she wanted was to give the woman she loved a taste of what she had just given her.

She flipped them over and set out to find all of Ginny's sensitive spots. She felt Ginny writhing underneath her, begging for release.

"Hermione, don't make me wait any longer. I need you. I need you to make me come," Ginny got out between panting and moaning.

That was all Hermione had needed. She ran her fingers along Ginny's throbbing centre but felt that wasn't enough contact for either of them and let her tongue do the work, devouring the sweet and tangy taste that was her girlfriend.

Ginny was very vocal and it sounded like music to Hermione's ears. She felt Ginny come and dug her hands beneath the writhing redhead, grabbing her bum to keep her steady.

Never once stopping, she sucked and kissed Ginny through her orgasm until both of them lay next to each other, completely sated.

"I love you," Ginny said, lazily dragging her fingers across Hermione's body.

"I love you too," Hermione answered, smiling idiotically.

Slowly Hermione's brain started working again and she realised that the sun was starting to come up. The red light came in through Ginny's bedroom window virtually setting the room on fire and playing with the hue of her already flaming hair.

"This light really suits you. You look even more gorgeous," she said.

"So do you. I love what it does to your eyes," Ginny answered.

The two witches continued to lie there, not speaking much but simply enjoying each other's company, occasionally running their fingers over the other woman's body. After a bit they both dozed off though. After all, they hadn't gotten much sleep.

After a while, they were woken by the familiar clanking of pans and pots down in the kitchen and decided it was time to get up.

Before Ginny could actually open the door Hermione grabbed her hand and pulled her back for a kiss. "I'm so happy that I ran my mouth that evening in my flat. I can't believe we've been so dumb all these years. We lost so much time," Hermione said and played with a strand of Ginny's hair.

"We've got the rest of our lives to try and make up for our stupidity," Ginny answered, when suddenly her stomach growled.

Laughing, Hermione tucked that strand of hair behind Ginny's ear and said, "I think we should better get down before I'm the reason you're too weak to play Quidditch."

"What are you suggesting? I'll never be too weak to play Quidditch! I'll play until I'm 150!" Ginny answered, pretending to be offended but flashing Hermione a winning smile.

"Sure, Ginevra, sure. Whatever you say," Hermione answered and opened the door, "after you, my Quidditch star."

"That's better!" Ginny answered playfully, making a show to proceed through the door and down the stairs.

Suddenly, Hermione jumped up her back, laughing madly, making Ginny almost stumble before she carried her down the stairs piggyback.

Shrieking with laughter, they both arrived in the kitchen. Hermione jumped back down to stand on her own feet.

"My, my, someone's in a good mood this morning," Valerie said, giving them both the dirtiest look in her repertoire.

"Oh, shut up," Hermione countered and stuck out her tongue.

Mrs Weasley put two cups of steaming hot tea in front of the newly arrived witches and then sat down with the girls.

"Ginny, I don't expect you to know, but Hermione, maybe you could help me out on this one," Molly began while she gave the two women a sleepy look, "there is this spell, and I can't seem to remember it."

"What does it do?" Hermione asked, not quite sure where this was going.

"It makes rooms soundproof," Molly deadpanned and got up to do something in the kitchen, leaving the two women beet red in embarrassment.

"No juicy details, then?" Valerie said with a smug look at Hermione.