Chapter 12

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"Have you told your parents about your marriage yet?" Terry asked.

"No I wanted to tell them in person, have you?" Hermione replied.

"Yeah, they threatened to remove me from Hogwarts but I've written back explaining that it wouldn't make a lick of difference the marriage ritual we used guarantees I can never sleep with anybody else so if they separate me and Padma they will never have any grandchildren, and explained again what could have happened if I hadn't married Padma. I'm sure they'll come around, it must have been a shock to them but they did like Padma when they met her over the summer," Terry said.

"Parvati and I told our parents too, my father is incredibly angry about the new law and was proud of me for finding a way for me and my sister to marry who we wanted. It helps that Terry made a very good impression on them when they met," Padma replied.

"Well Mum and Dad seemed to like Harry from what they've heard of him but the only time they met was when we did our school shopping with the Weasleys before second year and they really weren't impressed with the Weasleys or the Malfoys or anything else that day. I don't think they got to know Harry in all the commotion," Hermione said.

"What about the other Gryffindors?" Terry asked.

"I haven't asked but from what we've overheard, it seems that most of the wizarding parents are being supportive but the muggleborns parents are shocked and upset by the law even if they're supportive of the way we got around it they're still upset by the fact we got married without them present or even meeting their husband or wife, and even more upset by the fact there's nothing they can do about it now," Hermione said.

"Dean said his mum and dad arranged to meet Leanne's mum and dad this weekend. They wanted to know what sort of family they came from. Dean and Leanne are freaking out about not being able to be there," Harry said.

Terry laughed. "Well they must have given their parents the other parent's address or phone number, what did they think would happen?"

"I don't think they intended to give their parents the contact for each other's parents, they just sent both letters with the same school owl with instructions to wait for a reply, and whoever got their letter first realised who the other letter was to and sent their own to them as well," Hermione said.

Harry chuckled as well, knowing that that was at least one hurdle he and Hermione wouldn't need to face, Harry didn't intend to tell his relatives anything about their marriage, in fact he was determined that Hermione was never going to meet his relatives no matter what she had to say about it. He didn't want her to have to deal with their abuse.

Harry took Hermione's hand as they got out of the carriage and found he enjoyed walking along holding hands with her. Ginny had always wanted to walk with their arms wrapped around each other which Harry found awkward or used holding his hand to pull him along wherever she wanted to go. Hermione had made a plan and they both walked together in the direction of their first stop, neither pulling or trying to hurry the other. The sweet shop went peacefully enough, though Hermione huffed when she saw how much chocolate Harry wanted to buy. She was surprised, Harry never seemed to eat many sweets but he always bought a lot. She had thought he was a secret late night snacker, which would have made sense seeing as his relatives hadn't let him have any snacks or junk food at home. She was surprised that he hadn't been snacking since they moved in together, he'd occasionally share some sweets with her but the level of snacks in his trunk seemed to remain the same other than that. She realised it wasn't necessarily to eat, that having food in his trunk was a form of security for Harry.

"I don't eat it all, I share it with the guys in the dorm and with you and Ginny, and someone helps themselves to it if I leave my trunk unlocked," Harry said.

"Then you don't need that much Harry, you're living with me not in the dorms and I don't eat much chocolate most of the time," Hermione reminded him. Harry obediently put half of it back, reminding himself he could always sneak out and my more when she wasn't there to get upset if he needed to.

Hermione was pleasantly surprised how quickly they were in and out of the quidditch store. It seemed Harry really did just need polish to care for his broom, he didn't bother looking at the new brooms on the market or any of the national team's fan paraphernalia like Ron always did even when he didn't have the money to buy anything, and the stationers and pet shop were equally quickly dealt with.

The bookshop took longer and Hermione felt slightly guilty about it even though Harry was happy looking at the defence books while he waited for Hermione to make her choices, but she noticed that he didn't buy a book.

"Nothing take your fancy?" Hermione asked curiously as they walked out.

"None of them were so amazing that I felt the need to have them. I haven't finished reading all the defence books in the school library and I don't know what is in the family vault that I can't access until I'm seventeen so it seems wasteful to buy books," Harry replied.

"Well I hope you won't think it's wasteful to buy new shoes, because I can't wait to throw those ones in the bin," Hermione said.

"I wouldn't mind having new shoes but I'm going to keep these ones to wear at the Dursleys I case I'm sent back there," Harry replied.

"Surely you won't need to go back there again if you don't want to now Voldemort's dead?" Hermione said confidently.

"Voldemort was dead last summer too, and his inner circle are all in prison? It didn't make any difference, besides I had nowhere else to go until the Weasleys invite me at the end of the summer and I don't suppose they'll be doing that this year," Harry replied.

"You're my husband. You will come home with me," Hermione said.

Harry almost told her not to make promises that she couldn't keep but he didn't want to start an argument, he'd deal with it when the time came.

The boot shop was small, dusty and cramped but the shoes were everything Padma had promised they'd be. There weren't any shoes as muggle looking as trainers but Harry managed to find a nice pair of brown leather boots and a pair that looked a bit like Doc Martins that he loved. Hermione fell in love with a pair of suede boots with a three-inch heel that felt like she was walking in flat shoes. Harry wasn't so sure he liked the fact that her boots made her slightly taller than he was unless he had his Doc Martin boots on.

"We owe Padma a thank you for pointing out this place to us," Hermione said. "Will these charms work for a muggle, my mum injured her ankle a couple of years ago and has pain if she stands on it too long."

"They should do Miss, you'd have to get the dragonhide if you wanted the charms to last without ambient magic though," the bootmaker said.

"Mrs Hermione Potter," Hermione introduced herself smiling. "I think she'd like these ones in the black, they'd pass for crocodile and they're sedate enough for work and dressy enough to wear out if she wants. I'll get them for her for Christmas."

"Would your dad like shoes too?" Harry asked.

"He'd love shoes with these charms but most of the Dragonhide would stand out too much and Dad wouldn't be seen dead in what looks like crocodile hide shoes," Hermione replied.

"I have just the thing for him, these inner soles have all the standard comfort charms and they'd fit inside any shoes he wants," the bootmaker offered. "Do me a favour though and don't tell any purebloods that I'm making insoles to go in muggle shoes. I'd lose their business."

"We won't," Hermione said fervently. They ended up buying a pair for themselves and both Hermione's parents, for Harry to give them for Christmas.

"Shall we brave 'The Three Broomsticks'?" Hermione asked.

"I am hungry, it can't hurt to pop in for a moment and check out the atmosphere," Harry agreed.

"But lunch at Hogwarts might be calmer if all the senior students are in Hogsmeade."

"If it seems too tense, we'll leave," Hermione promised but from what I've seen Madam Puddifoot's seems to be doing a roaring trade with couples in and out," Hermione said.

"Yeah but they might be trying to avoid the tension at 'The Three Broomsticks' too," Harry said pessimistically. He couldn't see any other reason a male would willingly set foot in the place, though he knew several boys who did.

Hermione laughed, Maybe, we'll see."

The Three Broomsticks' was crowded with students but mostly those too young for the ministry's marriage act to affect yet and most of them seemed to have taken on the attitude of ignore it and hope it goes away before they turn seventeen, which Hermione thought was naive but Harry pointed out to her how much worse things might be at school if the fourth and fifth years had decided to try to bond. Hermione shuddered at the idea. "Most of them wouldn't have succeeded," she replied.

"And that failure now might have prevented them from trying again when they needed to, like Neville," Harry said.

"Neville was never going to succeed when two of his top three choices bonded with other people and the third refused to bond. He wasn't going to feel strongly enough about a fourth person, so it's probably a good thing that he didn't keep trying," Hermione said. "If we do make another Rune Circle, at least we will know more about how to predict who will succeed and who shouldn't try."

"Neville wouldn't have succeeded last time when he thought being pureblood would prevent him being affected by the act for another seven or eight years, it might be different now he knows he's going to be matched next year," Harry said.

"He's still a pureblood, he isn't going to be matched with someone who believes he's less human than they are, and I think after last time the oaths the matchers took will make sure the couples really are magically compatible," Hermione replied.

"There's a lot more to a successful relationship than magical compatibility," Harry said.

"Yes but from what we've seen it takes more than the honest desire to bond to the other person for life as well if that desire hasn't come from real feelings, or even sometimes if it has but they didn't know each other well enough and lack the maturity to work through the initial difficulties. I wonder how many of the couples at Hogwarts would be divorced by now if it were possible," Hermione replied.

"We will never know but I don't think it would be as many as you think. Everyone would still be worried about who the ministry would match them with," Harry suggested.

"Better the devil you know?" Hermione asked wryly.

"That's a lousy way to look at marriage and the choice of the other parent of your children but basically yes I think that's how some of the couples feel," Harry said.

"And you?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"No Hermione, I'm still not sure I feel like I'm old enough to be married but if I got to choose anyone I wanted to marry I would choose you," Harry said.

"And I would choose you, but I do understand about not feeling ready. I hadn't planned to think about marriage before I finished university or an apprenticeship and was established in my career and now I will have to put all that off to have a baby," Hermione said slightly bitterly.

"If you have a burning passion for what you want to be when we grow up and I don't it would make more sense for me to stay home with the baby until they're old enough for school, or we could use muggle childcare and both work. I don't expect you to become a stay at home mum," Harry said. "I honestly think Petunia could have been a happier and therefore nicer person if she had a job outside the house and something else to do other than gossip and worry about what the neighbours were saying about us. I would never force that small closed in life on anyone."

Hermione laughed. "Staying home like that particularly when the children were at school all day would drive me around the bend. I just couldn't do it," Hermione admitted.

"I would never expect you to. Just as well the bond didn't work for you and Ron then, he wants a wife just like Mrs Weasley," Harry said lightly.

"Except he also wants a wife who has enough money that he doesn't have to work too hard," Hermione added.

They both laughed. "I don't think the ministry match organiser is going to take that into consideration," Hermione said.

-o0o-

By returning to the castle early Harry and Hermione were able to get a carriage to themselves on the return trip. Harry used the opportunity to kiss Hermione the way he'd wanted to all week. Hermione kissed back willingly enough, even starting to snog him until he tried to pull her onto his lap for easier access. She pulled back a little resisting moving and Harry stopped in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"I didn't enjoy the sex, when we bonded," Hermione admitted miserably. "I'm sorry, I know you enjoyed it but it was just horribly uncomfortable."

Harry had to admit he was a little humiliated that Hermione hadn't enjoyed it and more that he'd enjoyed it so much that he hadn't even noticed she didn't and disappointed that if she didn't like it, it wasn't likely to happen again until they had to start trying to have a baby. But her comment didn't make a whole lot of sense to him, he wasn't planning on doing anything more than snogging in the carriage, he wouldn't disrespect Hermione like that.

"Is it just sex you don't like, or do you dislike kissing too?" Harry asked.

"I like the kisses we've shared but if you mean snogging, I've never tried it," Hermione replied.

"Ron didn't snog you before the ritual?" Harry asked surprised.

"No neither did you," Hermione reminded him.

"That's different, we were friends. I thought he fancied you. He's certainly been acting like I stole you from him," Harry said.

"You haven't tried to snog me since then either," Hermione said.

"You made it seem like it would be unwelcome, sometimes I thought you didn't really want me to kiss you at all," Harry replied.

"I have liked your kisses, I'm just a bit wary about where it's leading," Hermione admitted.

"I would never do anything that you didn't want me to do," Harry said hurt at her apparent lack of trust.

"I know Harry but I wouldn't want to get your hopes up and let you down. I'm not a tease," Hermione replied.

Harry laughed though there was no real humour in it. "You're the furthest thing from a tease I could imagine."

Hermione didn't reply and picked up one of her new books to read but Harry couldn't stop thinking about the conversation.

"Maybe we just didn't do it right. I did tell you that I didn't know what I was doing," Harry said quietly voicing his biggest fear about the whole thing that he was just hopeless at it and it was his fault Hermione was hurt, because he knew she'd only described it as uncomfortable to spare him the guilt of hurting her.

"If you're about to suggest that we just need more practice I'm going to throw something at you," Hermione said crossly.

"That's not what I meant, Hermione. I'm not trying to convince you to have sex if you don't want to. I wouldn't do that. Honestly though, maybe we did something wrong or there's something we should have done to make it feel better and we just don't know what or how," Harry tried to explain.

"I don't know Harry, maybe it's just me," Hermione said doubtfully.

"There's no reason to think that," Harry said frowning. "All the ladies in Aunt Petunia's movies all enjoyed it.

"That's acting Harry," Hermione said scathingly.

"I know that Hermione but the movies wouldn't all show women enjoying sex if most women didn't. Otherwise it would make people feel bad about their own relationships and not want to watch the movies. Maybe we should get a book about it or you could ask your mum," Harry replied. He was a little surprised that Hermione hadn't already read books like that with her never ending need to know everything about everything.

"There's nothing in the library or on the bookshop in Hogsmeade, I've already looked, not that I'm surprised since most witches and wizards can't talk about it at all. I could try at home but I can't see myself buying that sort of book while we're out shopping with my parents, especially if they are still unhappy about our marriage, and the bookshop within walking distance is run by a sweet old lady older than my grandmother and more gossipy than Lavender, I just couldn't," Hermione said.

"Yeah okay," Harry said letting the subject drop.

He continued to kiss Hermione whenever they were alone and they gradually progressed to snogging but Hermione withdrew immediately every time she realised he was aroused, even after he told her not to worry, he was more than happy to wait and take care of it himself later.

-o0o-

The next time Harry had a free hour while Hermione was in class he snuck through the secret passageway and floo'd from 'The Three Broomsticks' to 'The Leaky Cauldron' and out into the muggle world. He'd seen a large bookshop near there on his way to purchase condoms for his classmates (and himself if he had to be honest though it didn't seem like they'd ever be used now).

Even if he never showed the book to Hermione he needed to know if he'd done something wrong. And he needed to work out how to do it right because eventually they would have to try to have a baby and he couldn't bear the idea of hurting Hermione again. He found several books which he looked through quickly, most seemed to be more about how to try different things and positions not how to do it properly in the first place. Blushing furiously he went and asked the store clerk for help, this was even more embarrassing than buying ten dozen condoms. Luckily she was able to direct him to a couple of books and the bookstore bags were opaque, hiding the contents until he was able to get back to Hogwarts where he could shrink it before leaving the tunnel from Honeydukes.

-o0o-

After the trip to Hogsmeade, Harry insisted on having a date every weekend, even if it was just a walk or a picnic. It was too cold to sit outside but Harry came up with the idea of asking the room of requirement to give them a grassy meadow in the summer sun though the details around the edge were a bit blurry. Hermione suggested using a memory of somewhere he'd been and Harry turned the room into their favourite spot near the edge of the black lake. The next week Hermione used the room to show him her favourite park near her house, and one in Paris where hare parents liked to holiday. Harry followed it up by recollecting the clearing they met up with the Diggorys the morning they went to the world cup.

"You never show me anything near your home," Hermione commented.

"I don't remember my home in Godric's Hollow. I've never been taken back there since I was a baby," Harry said quietly.

"I meant Little Whinging, isn't there anywhere there you used to like to go?" Hermione asked.

"Nowhere pretty, there's a couple of places I'd go to hide from Dudley and his friends but they were chosen mostly because Dudley couldn't get through the hole in the fence or squeeze between the plants and the concrete barriers," Harry replied.

"Nowhere that you went on school trips that you want to share?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't get to go on school trips, even the ones that were free they used to keep me home so Dudley could enjoy himself without me spoiling it. I went to the zoo once though, I could try to show you that," Harry replied matter-of-factly.

"How did they explain your absence on all school trips?" Hermione asked, saddened that his relatives could be so petty but also surprised they got away with it.

"The teachers didn't care. For them it was just one less kid to look after. I don't think the Dursleys would have sent me to school at all if they hadn't been careless enough to let the neighbours see me," Harry said calmly. To him this was just part of everyday life, missing excursions wasn't anywhere near the worst thing that happened to him most days but to Hermione being forced to miss an educational opportunity was dreadful.

The next time Harry took her to the hut on the island where he'd received his Hogwarts letter and told her the whole story of the number of letters the school had sent leading to Vernon's mad attempt to escape. The beach was in dull with heavy clouds blocking the morning light and lashed by bitterly cold rain because this was Harry's only memory of the place. Hermione cast impervious charms to keep them dry as he insisted on trying to walk along the shore in spite of the wild waves. "This is the only time I've ever seen the sea," Harry admitted.

"We will go to the beach properly this summer, it's something you should experience for the first time in reality not in here, I don't want your first impressions coloured by my memory of the place," Hermione said, trying to search her memory for a beach to show him. Unfortunately, all her recent beach trips were to European beaches crowded with topless sunbathers and she didn't want to show him those, even though she couldn't admit even to herself exactly why. Perhaps she could convince her parents to take them to Brighton or somewhere in England for the day or the weekend.

"I'd like that," Harry agreed.

They left the beach and returned to their room for hot showers.

-o0o-

Sharing a room and a bed had also brought about more familiarity between the two of them. They were aware of each other's routines and respectful of them when they could be but there came a day when Hermione couldn't wait to use the toilet and after knocking heavily burst into the bathroom while Harry was showering, and Harry got more than one quick glance at Hermione's bare legs as she climbed out of bed in the morning, or her breasts pressed against the fabric of her nightdress as she brushed her hair in the evening now he wasn't pretending to be asleep when she came to bed. He was also aware of Hermione watching his bum as he bent to add wood to the fire in his pyjamas last thing before bed and occasionally if she was awake first thing in the morning.

Harry also appreciated how Hermione's nightgown tended to ride up during the night as he awoke with their legs tangled together, only his sleep pants separating their skin. Hermione didn't seem to mind, the few times she woke up before he moved away she just calmly rolled over and got up without saying anything and her manner seemed unaffected.

A/N: Thank you to Rc0321, katmom, soapcat3372, caughtinblackseyes, Ronin Kenshin, daithi4377, Firehedgehog, BMS, Ghostisreading, mwinter1, J.F.C, jkarr, Komorebi, Tyler'sPrincess, mooneysfate, Melikalilly, Jostanos, Rori Potter, Lientjuhh, gabrieljuarezl, Village-Mystic, tyrannicpuppy, rb2312, HeartsGlow, starboy454, N7SPARTAN-Commander-Jay117, mikanMD, Beyondthesea16, Guest and all thise who followed or favourited for your support.