None of these characters belong to me, they belong to JK Rowling. I just want to play with them.
A.N. School started too soon for me. I want more vacation time. I also hate writing Fleur's dialogues. No wonder J.K. Rowling barely gave her any lines.
Special thanks to Guest, Shaymars, and Guest for commenting on the previous chapter.
Carry On Hermione Ch. 3
Fleur should not have told her that Anthony Goldstein might have feelings for her. Despite Hermione's thirst for knowledge, there were some things she preferred she did not know.
It was one thing that they are just two friends having fun, sexy time together, but it was another when feelings were involved. Hermione thought back to all the smiles and the jokes they shared during class. She thought about their natural partnership, and she realized that someone like Ron's girlfriend, Lavender Brown, would consider it as a form of flirting.
Maybe Anthony interpreted it as flirting, which troubled Hermione. The last thing Hermione wanted was to make Anthony think that they were dating.
She tried to pretend nothing was wrong during their next Restorative Medical Potions class. However, Hermione still felt anxious, and it showed on her actions. She sat a few inches away from him than usual. She unconsciously placed her bag to the corner closest to the door, just in case she wanted to flee.
If Anthony noticed anything wrong with Hermione, he did not mention it. Instead, he gave her one of his gorgeous smiles.
"So how was the Sunday roast at the Weasley's?" Anthony Goldstein asked.
"Oh, you know, the same old same old. There are good food, good conversation, and a pick-up Quidditch game afterward, and we all went back home with enough food for the next roast." Hermione replied.
"Sounds like a great time," Anthony said.
"How was your weekend?" Hermione asked back.
"Oh, nothing special. I just visited the parents, they asked me how was my training to be a Healer, and I'm the second-best student in the class. Only second to the brightest witch of her age herself."
The compliment made Hermione blush.
Healer Oliver entered the classroom and instructed the class to brew a batch of skele-grow each. It would take two weeks to brew the potion correctly, and though each person was required to make their own, they could ask their lab partner for help.
Without saying a single word to each other, Hermione and Anthony prepared the ingredients. They took turns on using the equipment in front of them.
If Anthony did not notice Hermione's awkwardness before, he could definitely sense them now. Hermione worked too quickly as if she was eager to finish today's task. She accidentally dropped her raw ingredients, then her silver knife, and various other materials afterward. With every item her butterfingers slipped, the class glared at her. Even Theodore Nott, who was usually oblivious of his surroundings, looked up from his desk to glare at her.
With much trial and error, Hermione managed to finish today's task and prep for the next class with thirty minutes left to spare. Anthony was right behind her because he was finishing up. As calmly as she could muster, she took off her goggles and her lab coat and stored them in her in-class locker.
She left the classroom only, but Anthony stopped her by the door. He was still wearing his lab outfit, and there was a concerned look on his face.
"Hey, Hermione," Anthony called out.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Umm… I really don't know how to say this, but is everything alright?"
"Yeah, it's alright." Hermione insisted.
"Really? 'cause you seemed to be in a little bit of a hurry back there," Anthony said. "Is there something wrong? Is someone sick in the family?"
"No, nothing is wrong." Hermione insisted.
He looked pensive for a minute.
"Okay, if you need anything. I am your friend. Just come to me if you need anything."
If Sundays were Weasley Family time, Monday afternoons were teatime for Harry and Hermione. Every week, Harry and Hermione would alternate visiting each other so they could enjoy a spot of tea and some snacks. It was their own way of keeping in touch with one another without the distraction of anybody else. This week, it was Hermione's turn to visit Harry at the Ministry at his own private office.
Typically, newly appointed Aurors did not have their own offices, but Harry was… well, he was Harry Potter. While Harry wanted to be treated like everybody else but he was still the famous Boy Who Lived and the infamous Man Who Slew.
When Harry was attending Hogwarts, Dumbledore and Hogwarts's administration protected from the majority of the press's attention. As soon as the word got out that Harry was training to be an Auror, the reporters tried to capture an image of the valiant Harry Potter training, eating, and even relaxing. The Auror trainers did their best to keep the media at bay, but there was virtually no stopping them once Harry became a full-fledged Auror. After all, the Ministry was public property.
Harry's first few weeks as an Auror was memorable for the chaos it caused. The paparazzi were relentless in their pursuit to take a picture of anything and everything Harry Potter does. By the end of the week, the entire Auror department agreed that they should just give Harry Potter his own office. The amount of paparazzi presence lessened afterward, but there were still people from Witch Weekly, PlayWitch, and Daily Prophet who hang around.
When Hermione arrived in front of Harry's office, the door was wide open, and Harry was talking with Hermione instantly recognized as Draco Malfoy. Though he was sitting with his back turned against her, something deep inside her knew it was her mate.
He was wearing dark business robes, and there was a briefcase right beside him. His back was towards Hermione, she noticed that he started combing his hair back like his father. While he seemed to be as tall as Hermione remembered him, his shoulders definitely broadened.
It was the first time Hermione saw him in over three years since the Battle of Hogwarts. It was also the first time Hermione saw him since her mate dream. The effect was much more striking than Hermione could have anticipated.
Hermione's veela was screaming for him. It became difficult to stand there, looking at him, when her veela urged her to run towards him and to kiss him senseless. She imagined slamming the door shut and stunning her best friend. She imagined about claiming her mate right there and then.
When Draco stood up from his seat, Hermione held her breath. His face was as pointy as ever, but it suited him. His skin was almost iridescent against his all-black clothing.
Hermione's veela could almost soar in happiness, but the impassive look on his face broke Hermione's heart. His face showed no look of annoyance Hermione expected. Not even a glimpse of recognition.
Hermione already accepted that her mate would never have affection for her the way her veela craved. It just hurt that he did not even seem to remember her at all. As if she was insignificant.
Hermione shook her head. Of course, she was insignificant to him. She already knew that. So why did it still hurt?
Hermione moved away as Draco passed her, and it took more strength than she realized to watch him pass by when all she wanted to do was to run after him and confess everything. How she was secretly a veela and how he was her mate. And that was the tamest thing she wanted to do to him. Damn veela hormones.
But she said nothing. Her mate passed her by without even acknowledging her presence.
"Hey, Hermione. Is it tea time already?" Harry greeted.
Hermione quickly got her composure together and gave Harry her least forced looking forced smile she could muster.
"Yep. I even brought digestive biscuits from the store." Hermione said, and closed the door before she asked. "What was Malfoy doing here?"
"Oh, he's going to be one of the sponsors for this year's Ministry Victory Ball this weekend."
"Really? We have sponsors this year?"
"Yeah. We're trying to get people to donate things for a silent auction as a fundraiser for the children's orphanage."
"Hmm… that doesn't sound like something Malfoy would do." Hermione said.
"Donors' names would be featured in an article about 'their generous contribution to the Wizarding World's neediest' at the Prophet. The orphanage is also planning to put up a plaque on the orphanage's new ward. The bigger the donation, the larger the font."
"Let me guess, he donated a large sum so that the Malfoy name would be the largest one in the plaque?"
Harry smiled. "Yep. If Malfoy had his way, there would be an entire plaque for him and one for everybody else."
"Ron wouldn't like that," Hermione said.
"Hmm. Ron would probably say that the only reason Malfoy that large of a donation was because he wants to reinvent his family's image."
"That's because the reason the Malfoy family is making a donation that big is because to reinvent his family's image," Hermione said. However, she felt guilty after she said it.
She laid out the digestive biscuits as Harry prepared the tea. As she set up the teacups, she had an itch to defend her mate.
"Then again, that's the reason why most people would donate for the Victory Ball in the first place was to improve their image," Hermione said. "In that way, Malfoy is just like anyone else."
"I guess that's true," Harry said thoughtfully.
As they let the tea brew, they chatted about the speeches they had to make at the ball. Minister Shacklebolt asked them to make a speech about how they really appreciate the contribution and thank all the high society people invited for their donations. Neither Harry nor Hermione let along Ron wanted to make a speech in front of a ball. However, it was for the orphans, so the three of them agreed.
Their teatime conversation that week revolved around the ball. They decided that the three of them should come together to show a united front. They talked at length at what they were going to wear. Harry already had a set of dress-robes since the one he bought last year still fit him while Hermione needed to buy a new set of dress-robes altogether.
"I hate this societal expectation for women to have a new set of dress-robe for every formal occasion," Hermione grumbled. "I wish I could just re-use my old dress-robe from last year, but the press would have a field day."
"If it makes you feel any better, I don't mind it if women wear the same thing twice," Harry said. "I mean, I saw the price tag on Ginny's dress robes last Saturday, and she ought to wear it at least five more times."
Hermione nodded in agreement. She drank her tea and bit on her biscuit. All the while, she tried to press her knees together as hard as she could.
Sigmund Freud wrote that people deal with their libido in six different ways. Those are repression, denial, projection, displacement, regression, and sublimation.
Hermione's veela had a high libido ever since she first glanced at her mate. During teatime with Harry, Hermione managed to hold back her desire. Still, she could not get rid of it entirely just by pressing her knees together. And she definitely could not wait until her libido shuts down.
She had to get rid of it one way or another, but the only thing that seemed acceptable was to screw somebody else. In other words, Hermione quickly learned that her veela liked to deal with its libido through displacement.
As soon as she got out of Harry's office, she made a beeline towards Anthony's dorm room. She had to push away five different people on the way to the Ministry's floo networks. She practically ran up St. Mungo's dormitory stairs, pushing away the staff and students in her direction.
She banged several times on Anthony's door. She was so loud that she swore the whole dormitory could hear her.
"Hermione, what-" Anthony asked.
He looked tired, she could tell that he was reading a dense textbook. Maybe he was still busy reading a textbook, but none of it mattered to Hermione right now. She forced herself into the dorm room and closed the door.
"You said that you would be a friend to me first, Anthony."
"Yeah, but I don't know what this about-"
Hermione started undressing herself
"Wait, Wait-what are you-"
"Anthony, could you be a friend to me and sleep with me, please?"
"Wait. What-"
"I said, could you be a good friend and sleep with me?" Hermione repeated. Her voice lost its confidence; it had just a few seconds ago.
Anthony grabbed a jacket from the coat rack and wrapped it around her.
"Hermione, what's going on? What is this about?"
"I…I just needed to feel desired right now," Hermione said. This time, her voice was barely above a whisper.
For a minute, Anthony just looked at her. For the first time, Hermione could experience the phenomenon people call "silence was deafening." Embarrassment overwhelmed her as she clutched the jacket closer. She should not have come here. She should have just bought a toy from one of those sex shops in London and dealt with it herself.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have barged in like this." She bent over to grab her clothes. "I didn't know what I was thinking. This must be the dumbest thing that I have ever done."
Anthony placed his hand on top of Hermione's, his eyes staring intensely into hers. He took a step forward and kissed her forehead, her nose, and finally, her lips. Hermione dropped her clothes to the floor.
Anthony gently guided her hands down to his arousal. She could feel it hardening against her palms. His breathing was labored, and his forehead was pressed against hers. She blushed, she did not know whether because the act was so intimate or because of her effect on him. Perhaps it was both.
"Hermione, you must be the most desirable woman I ever met." Anthony's voice was raspy.
For a minute, she looked straight at Anthony's eyes, and she could tell that he was sincere, which made Hermione blush even further. She felt powerful knowing that she could make him feel this way. If her mate desired her the way, Anthony did.
Hermione quickly pushed down any thoughts of Draco and reached up to kiss Anthony. He took his jacket off her shoulders and kissed her with enthusiasm.
Anthony made sure she felt the most desirable woman in the world that afternoon. He made sure she reaches her peak repeatedly, and after each completion, Hermione was ready to go for another round.
Despite Hermione's eagerness, in the back of her mind, it all felt wrong. He was too broad, too muscular, and his face was too friendly. His golden locks were too dark.
It was way after dinnertime before Hermione's veela was fully sated. They skipped dinner, and both of them are simply too tired to eat. Without talking, they agreed to lay on Anthony's too small bed for the rest of the night. Their bodies were covered with sweat, and their breathing was labored.
Hermione could tell that Anthony was ready to sleep, she felt sleepy as well. She turned her head towards him, and she saw his satisfied smile. Hermione knew she would hate herself for what she would say next. At the same time, she would hate herself more if she did not say it.
"Thanks for being a good friend."