October 15th, 2005

Hermione's flat

What a shitty day she just had.

Hermione groans, crumbling down on her couch.

Things are crazy at the magazine and she feels like everything is falling apart. All of the sudden is too much. The new branches are sucking the will to live from her body. Hermione had forgotten how much work it takes to start things from practically zero.

And she's afraid. What if these branches fail and all they leave behind are debts? It would almost certainly ruin the magazine. She's trying to be positive but sometimes is just impossible.

Today is an example.

From the moment she stepped inside The Clever Owl's building to the minute before she apparated away, things were a mess. It's like people don't know how to do their jobs anymore and all the mechanics stopped functioning properly.

Even on their established columns things are spiraling.

And she's so frustrated. So afraid and angry. She hates such emotions.

It is true that the new columns had a nice feedback last month, but it was just a test and it didn't demand much from the editors, from her or Luke. But now that they decided to go full with it, she can't remember a day she arrived home without a headache.

There's a knock on her door and she opens her eyes. It's 1am. She frowns, her stomach hurting. Did she even eat today? She can't remember.

"Who is it?" She asks from the couch.

"It's me!"

Harry.

She snorts, why didn't he just apparate inside or use the key he owns?

Annoyed, she stands from the couch and opens the door. He has a smile on his face.

"Hey, you look awful." He says. She rolls her eyes. After her birthday things slowly went back to normal between them, which she's very thankful - even if not totally normal. Those two weeks without him were torture. Especially because she couldn't quite understand what was the problem. Well, if she's honest, she still doesn't understand- "Can I come in?"

"What are you up to, Harry?" She narrows her eyes.

He opens a mischievous smile. "Hermione, my darling," He raises his voice. "I came as soon as possible. Of course I can help you, it's going to be my pleasure." And he walks inside, practically forcing her to close the door.

"Okay, what the hell?"

He moves to tell her to stay in silence and peeks through the peephole. Rolling her eyes she leaves him there, heading to her kitchen. She has no idea what's happening but it probably involves a woman. Like always.

She shakes her head, looking for something to eat. It's hard to get rid of this feeling of total frustration and she finds herself wanting to eat some extremely fat-

Hermione takes a pint of ice cream from her fridge and sits down on a stool. Harry is still looking through the peephole. She digs into the ice cream, sighing, fed up, totally worn out. The sweetness hits her and she closes her eyes, the spoon inside her mouth. It's bliss. And she moans at the back of her throat.

Ice cream is her favorite-

She opens her eyes and Harry is right there, in front of her. His eyes are blazing and he has his jaw set, both his hands inside his pockets. He looks nice, as if he had gone out to have some fun. Licking her lips she narrows her eyes.

"So, what's going on?" She asks.

It takes him a few beats to answer. He's observing her movements, the way she scoops the ice cream and how she closes her mouth around the spoon- Hermione feels hot. It's such an intense gaze that-

"Well," He clears his throat. "I was having some fun at a club."

"Shocker." She mutters.

"And met a very nice woman." She raises both eyebrows, still eating the ice cream.

"And you naturally brought her home." She says.

"I did." He chuckles. "But it was a mistake. She wanted to talk about THE Harry Potter." He rolls his eyes.

"Bummer." Hermione says. She knows how much he hates when people are more interested in the myth than in the man himself.

"Yeah," He goes to her fridge, taking a bottle of sparkling water and sitting back in front of her. "I told her you needed my help with something, that I had just remembered you were waiting for me-" He stops talking, looking at her. "Did you just arrive from the magazine?" He widens his eyes a bit.

"Yeah." She says, sighing. Now that the sweetness from the ice cream woke her up a bit, she wants to eat something salty. Hermione stands from the stool, searching some food. "I'm going crazy, Harry. It's all a mess and I feel I might start screaming at any moment."

"That bad?" He makes a face. "But isn't Luke helping-"

"He does as much as I do." She says sharply, annoyed that he's bringing Luke into this. Since her birthday she's more than sure that Harry is indeed jealous of her editor and friend. "But at the moment things are getting out of hand."

Hermione sits back on the stool with a fresh plate of pasta. Damn. She's famished.

"Is there something I can do?" Harry asks in a low voice.

"No." She says, annoyed. "Have you learned how to run a magazine?" She says before she can stop herself.

"Wow." He snorts, standing up. "You don't have to treat me like that-"

"Oh, please." She's so irritated. "Even if you could help, Harry, I know you prefer going out every night and spending the rest of the day having sex on the few hours you're not training with the team." She says bluntly.

He widens his eyes. She's not sure why she said that.

"Is that what you think of me, Hermione?" He asks in a strange voice.

She inhales deeply. "Look, I'm just on the edge right now. I haven't slept properly in days and I'm so fucking hungry that I'm not thinking clearly. I'm sorry about what I said. And you know that's not what I think of you."

Not looking at him, she keeps eating. This is not about Harry. She's the one with a million problems. She's the one who needs some time to herself-

"You know what?" He says in a tone that makes her look at him. "You've been treating me like shit for the past two weeks and I have no idea why." Hermione purses her lips. "Every time we meet you act cold, wanting me gone as soon as possible and never talking with me-"

"What do you want me to say?" She spits the words. "Fuck! I'm extremely overwhelmed, Harry. I have to deal with a lot and excuse me if I'm a bit irritated!"

She's breathing hard and he puts both hands on the marble of the little island, leaning to her.

"And I'm here as you friend, asking you what I can do to make you feel better! You think I don't see how much stress you're under, Hermione? You think I don't care?"

"Sometimes it does seem like you don't!" She hisses, not sure why she's lashing out on him. "Sometimes I think you lost your damn head between all those red headed woman's thighs, Harry." Her tone is cold and her heart is beating fast.

This was… a bit out of line.

And he seems very shaken by it.

"What are you saying, Hermione? That I don't care about you?"

She shakes her head. "Forget it, Harry." She waves a hand. "I'm sure the woman already left your place, so you can leave if you want to."

"Fuck, stop being a bitch to me." He hisses. She snorts.

"Nice, Harry, very nice." She stands from the stool and puts the dishes inside the sink.

"Look, I'm sorry." He sighs, taking a step closer to her. Hermione leans on the counter, crossing her arms.

Suddenly she feels like crying. And she does. Putting a hand over her face she tries hiding from Harry but he's already right there, his arms around her.

"I don't know why- why I'm crying." She whines and he squeezes her, his mouth on her ear.

"It's okay."

"I'm sorry." She finally moves, embracing him, tears still falling from her eyes. "I'm just so scared and frustrated. I keep questioning my decision and dreading that I might be responsible for the total failure of the magazine-"

"Hey, hey. Stop." He pulls back, smiling, his thumbs brushing away some of her tears. "Hermione, you raised The Clever Owl from nothing. With brilliancy and amazing leadership you were able to make it one of the most important magazines Wizarding London has ever seen." She sighs, nodding, stopping her cry a bit. He kisses her forehead and she gulps. "I understand your fear, but you don't need to worry. It's going to be fine, okay?" She closes her eyes, a bit calmer. "Hey, look at me." She opens her eyes and is a bit surprised by how close they are, by how breathtaking the color of his eyes are. "Do you trust me?" She nods. "Then, listen to me. Whenever I doubted myself you kept believing in me and that meant more than I can even express." Her heart is beating so fast she's a bit startled. "And I'll do just that now, I believe you'll do just fine and if you feel like you won't, I'm right there across the hall to do it for you, okay?"

She nods, snorting. "You're never home, Harry."

He chuckles. "Send me a Patronus and I'll be there. No matter what."

"No matter what?" She whispers, feeling… hypnotized by his eyes.

"I cross my heart and hope to die." He's also whispering. And they're getting dangerously closer-

Someone is banging on the front door. Both turn to look, confused.

"Harry?" There's a woman outside. He closes his eyes and Hermione chuckles. Probably the one he took home and thought was already gone. "Aren't you coming back, babe?"

Hermione mouths the 'babe' in a mocking question and he rolls his eyes.

"Hey." Hermione says. "Go have some fun." She pats his shoulder. "I'm fine. Way better, thank you for that." She gives him a kiss on his cheek, moving away fast. "See you tomorrow?" She asks, walking to her bedroom.

He sighs and confirms, walking to the door. Before he opens it, he looks at Hermione one last time, his eyes narrow. She can tell he's thinking hard about something. She waits.

But he says nothing.

And she's still wondering what he was about to say when her head hits the pillow.

October 28th, 2005

The Clever Owl's building

Hermione feels exhausted. And tense.

It's their last day to print the monthly issue and she's trying not to freak out completely, but it feels like everything is going to fall apart at any minute.

She's inside her office with Luke, editing the final draft in total concentration. This is not the time to have fun or-

"Heeey." She looks up, at her open door.

Harry is there. She blinks.

"Harry!" She exclaims. "What are you doing here?"

His happy expression changes fast and he clears his throat, his eyes going to Luke sitting across from her.

"Luke." He greets the man.

"Harry." Luke sighs, clearly annoyed by Harry's intrusion.

Hermione narrows her eyes, still wondering what the hell he's doing there-

"You weren't at the game." He says to her.

She leans back on her chair. Luke is shaking his head.

She didn't even remember there was a game today.

"I'm working, Harry." Her voice comes out irritated but she's not sorry.

"I know, but you never miss a game and I was a bit worried-"

"Oh, please, Harry, I can't deal with this right now." She almost groans. Luke raises his head to observe her. "I'm just fine and to be honest I forgot you had a game today. It's our last day to edit this and I don't have time to waste!"

He makes a face. "Oh. Didn't know I was a waste of time." She shakes her head.

"That's not what I-"

"Doesn't matter." He cuts her. "I'm leaving so you can go back to your precious work."

He doesn't wait for an answer. Hermione doesn't try calling him back. She just watches while he walks away, everyone outside the office looking up as Harry walks by their desks.

"A bit harsh." Luke says.

She purses her lips. "Shit. I know. I- I don't know what's happening. I'm so irritated and… we're not understanding each other very well."

"Why is that?"

Hermione sighs. "I'm not sure. Since that kiss… it's like there's a growing tension between us and even if we try to deny it…"

"So?" Luke says. "Just have sex and be done with it."

She widens her eyes. "What?" The possibility never crossed her mind.

"Hermione, dear, this tension you're talking about is sexual. I could feel it the moment he entered the office."

"No, I- it's-" She blinks. "Not like that."

"Are you sure?" Luke raises an eyebrow.

She frowns. "I'm…" She doesn't know what to say.

"See? Sexual tension." He shrugs.

"No." She shakes her head. "Nonsense."

"Hermione, I'm your friend and I feel obliged to say that yes, it is sexual tension and I'm sure that if you fuck this will be gone in a second." She keeps looking at Luke with a face of total disbelief. He points a finger at her. "Fine, have it your way. Stay in denial. But we do have to finish this, so, back to work."

And as she resumes her editing, her mind slowly forgets about this ludicrous notion.

Hermione's flat

It's her third glass of wine.

Hermione got home, took off her shoes and thought that a bottle of wine would be enough to calm her down.

She wants to relax but it's a bit impossible after the day she had. The tension from earlier still lingers and she hates it.

This heaviness in her chest now is not because of the magazine… what happened with Harry is hammering her mind. She feels awful about the way she treated him. He looked so happy when he arrived at her office and-

Hermione turns around at the sound of an apparition.

It's Harry. And he looks a bit drunk.

She frowns, looking at her watch.

"Harry, it's 2am."

"So?"

"Is the party over?"

"No." His voice sounds strange.

"Look," She begins, in reality glad that he's there because they can solve things right now. "I'm sorry about earlier, okay? I- there's a lot going on and I'm very sorry I missed the game." Her voice is low and gentle.

He looks down. Pouting. He's actually pouting.

"You know," He begins, "There were other times that you were truly swamped, but you never treated me like that or missed a game." He looks up at her. There's hurt in his eyes. And his words are true, making her question if… Luke was right.

She squints, taking a sip of her wine and moving a hand to her neck, the tension killing her. He's paying attention to her movements.

"I'll make it up to you. I'm very sorry." He keeps looking at her, not saying a word and she begins to feel nervous. She can't remember the last time she had a fight with Harry and actually felt like this. "Can you forgive me?"

"Maybe." He squints.

She opens a small smile. "Did you win?"

"Of course." He puts one hand in his pocket and takes out a Snitch. "I caught it for you." He whispers.

Her heart misses a beat. And she feels lost, unsure of what to say.

"You should give one to Ron once in a while." She says in a light tone. "I mean, your preferences are showing."

He snorts a chuckle and she partially relaxes.

"Well, if Ron still doesn't know that you're my favorite then he needs to see a healer." He winks at her and Hermione chuckles.

Harry shakes the Snitch and it begins flying around inside the living room.

"Harry, you're not a waste of time. You know that, don't you?" She feels especially bad about this.

He makes a face. "I… know." They smile at each other. "But to be honest, I was at the after party and I couldn't stop thinking about you." He says so naturally that she does her best not to react.

"What about me?"

"What's happening to us?" He asks directly. "You know it's been a mess since that kiss. Don't deny it."

Oh, she was so ready to deny it. Hermione clears her throat.

"Nothing is happening to us. The last few weeks have been insane for me, Harry. The magazine is too important and I'm so afraid of ruining everything that I think I'm on the edge. I mean, my whole body is fucking sore." She makes a face.

He takes a step to her. "It's not just that, Hermione." He shakes his head. "I was hoping you were able to help me understand." She inhales sharply. He's talking about the sexual tension, oh, fuck. She thought Luke was crazy, but…

"I don't know what to say." She crosses her arms, leaving the glass of wine on the little island. "I don't think there's-"

"Stop denying. Fuck." He rolls his eyes.

She purses her lips. What he wants her to say? He wants her to admit it might be sexual tension? Is he feeling the same?

A silence fills the room.

Hermione breaks it after a while. "Look, I'm knackered. I really need to sleep and I think you should go back to your party. Aren't they playing spin the bottle again? You'll miss the kisses-"

He conjures up a bottle from thin air and she stops talking.

The way he's looking at her…

"I was at the party," He takes two more steps, there's only a tiny gap between them now, "And they indeed decided it was time to play spin the bottle." His eyes are on hers, piercing and a shade darker from what she's used to. "And after I shared a few kisses, I… understood that there was one kiss I wanted more than those others."

Her breath hitches and her heart starts pounding inside her chest. He surely can't mean what she thinks he does-

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, you see, I brought a bottle with me." Hermione wets her lips. She knows where this is heading and she's not sure…

"You're drunk, Harry."

He raises an eyebrow. "No, I'm not. In fact I'm seeing things very clearly now. Regardless, you're missing the point here."

"Which is?"

"It was my turn to spin the bottle." And he does spin it.

Hermione exhales heavily when she sees the beacon on her.

"Harry." She stops him with a hand on his chest. He sets his jaw. "This is… I mean, do we need this? To share another kiss? Aren't things awkward enough? Why do you even want to kiss me?"

He blinks, shocked, almost as if she'd slapped him.

"So, you do know what I'm talking about. You do feel this sexual tension making it harder to breathe and think, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter." She whispers. She can't kiss him again. Not that she doesn't want to. "Maybe it's not sexual tension-"

"Then kiss me and let's find out."

"You're my best friend-"

"So? You're mine too. Do you think I'm ugly? Is that why you don't wanna kiss me?"

She snorts. "No. I don't think you're ugly."

"See? Why can't we have some fun?" He wiggles his eyebrows in an hilarious motion. She chuckles and he does too. When their laughs die down, he uses a serious tone to say, "You said you're tense and I know a great way to… relax you."

Oh, well.

It sends a shiver down her body, a sudden ache between her legs seizing her completely. And she wants it. So very much. To know how it would feel to be with him like this. To have him this way. To see what the fuss is all about since every woman leave his flat practically in love-

She swallows hard. He's so damn close to her. But they're not touching and she crosses her arms to hide her hardening nipples.

"Do you want to ruin our friendship, Harry?"

He cocks his head, his eyes showing some amusement.

"Why something so fun and good would ruin our friendship?"

"If you can't see it, then we really shouldn't do this." She states, a bit more firmly.

"Oh? Are you considering? Hermione, denying what we want is already ruining it." He leans to her, his lips brushing her cheeks, her ear. She closes her eyes. She can feel the warmth from his body. Harry leaves a little kiss on her jaw. "Think of this as an improvement. We'll only be taking our friendship to a higher level." He keeps kissing her jaw, moving a bit down. She's breathing hard. "I'm very attracted to you, Hermione. And I know you are to me too." She can feel his tongue on her pulse point and she makes an effort not to moan. "We're both single." He moves his hands to her waist. She doesn't move. "And this could be good for us. I mean, friends with benefits." Hermione presses her lips together when he rubs his cheek on hers, she's completely taken by his masculine smell, her mind already betraying her, she wants to taste his skin, dig her nails into his back- "We could help each other out."

"Help each other out?" Her voice comes out hoarse.

He squeezes her waist, nuzzling her neck now… and she doesn't resist it anymore, Hermione moves her arms, her hands moving to his neck, her fingers going into his hair. Harry bites her neck gently, bringing her closer.

"Yeah, like be with each other when we don't feel like meeting new people or… to practice."

This time she snorts. "I think you have plenty of that already, Harry."

He chuckles against her skin and she feels goosebumps. Delicious goosebumps.

"But none of them are my best friend." He says and moves back to look into her eyes. There's only… affection there. "You can tell me what I do best, in what department I lack…" He raises an eyebrow. "I can do the same for you." He winks. "We can be honest with each other without any kind of feelings or promises of commitment. Think about it. It's perfect. I don't want to be in a relationship, like ever, and until you find the right guy, I'm here to… pleasure you."

Hermione searches his eyes for the hint of a joke, but she sees none.

He really means this.

"I don't know, Harry."

This could be extremely amazing or… incredibly terrible.

"It's just sex, Hermione."

She knows.

But deep down in her mind she can't quite put him and sex in the same place… not without bringing drama with it.

But maybe she's overthinking.

They're friends and they get along so well…

"I don't understand why people think sex brings emotions with it." He says in a low voice. "It's a physical act and nothing more."

She tilts her head. "It's extremely intimate, Harry."

He shrugs. "You and I have way more intimacy than I ever had with any woman I fucked."

Hermione blinks at the words. They're so very true.

And that decides it for her.

She wets her lips and opens a tiny smile, not believing Harry is convincing her. But he has pretty solid and good arguments. They can enjoy each other's company without any kind of pressure, they can have sex without wondering where this is going.

And she does need to relax.

He's looking at her, waiting.

The only thing nagging her is the… why? Harry can have any woman he wants. So, why is he here, in her flat, way past 2am, wanting to kiss her? Wanting to be friends with benefits? It doesn't quite add up. And maybe this should be a red flag, but instead, she says:

"We'll need some rules."

He widens his eyes and she realizes he was not really counting with her agreement. Harry inhales sharply, his pupils widening.

"Fuck the rules."

And in a blink he's kissing her. Their lips meet way more eagerly than she expected. It's almost like a dam exploded. He takes tiny steps forward and Hermione takes steps back, going with him, their mouths devouring each other's.

He's an amazing kisser. Almost obscenely good in a way that he should be forbidden. When they shared that first kiss at the party, she remembers how her legs felt like jelly after they separated. She remembers how hard it was to breathe properly and how freaking fast her heart was beating. She also remembers how she was throbbing for him, wanting to go through with it, wanting to take him to a room and have her way with him.

But then she saw he was about to kiss that woman and-

Her back encounters a wall and his hands move on her body, going from her waist to her butt.

And it's not awkward at all.

Harry squeezes her flesh and she bites on his lower lip. She's burning hot already, horny and almost shaking from anticipation. She pulls him even closer to her with both arms locked around his neck.

Hermione swears is the best kiss she ever shared in her life.

The mixture of his clean breath and beer alcohol with her wine is perfect. The way he's holding her is perfect. The way she fits in his arms is perfect. How his tongue moves is perfect. How fast and easily they find a delicious way of moving together is perfect. Their heavy breaths and soft moans are perfect. But mostly the way they don't seem to want to separate is what makes everything so exquisite.

She opens a smile in the middle of their kiss, her tongue stroking his slowly. And Harry slows down too, his hands moving again, going back to her waist and under her blouse. She tugs at his hair when his hot fingers and palm find her bare stomach. He squeezes her flesh, their lips pressed against each other's now, both needing the contact while Harry's hands tentatively explore uncharted waters.

He's shaking a bit and even if he said this is just sex… they are Harry and Hermione.

And when his fingers reach the clasp of her bra, Hermione pulls back, looking down. He freezes in place.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asks in a low voice. She's not looking at him. But she can feel his strong arms around her. She can taste him in her mouth. She can smell him. She can feel the softness of his hair under her touch.

Harry. Fuck, this is Harry.

The same boy she met on a train when they were only eleven. The same teenager who she saw suffering and fighting and loving and-

She looks at him, their eyes meeting.

Hermione trusts him with her life.

This is Harry.

And there's no way of this being a mistake. There's no reason for them to stop, no plausible explanation to why they shouldn't enjoy this a bit.

"No." She says. "Don't stop."

And she kisses him again. He moans against her mouth, his fingers unclasping her bra.

Hermione internally marvels at the way he touches her breast. It's gentle but sure, not hurtful but not disinterested.

She pulls back for a second and moves to pull her blouse off. Harry understands what she's doing and in a blink he's pulling his shirt up and off. She tosses the bra on the floor.

They both stop, staring at each other's naked torsos. Surprisingly… she's not blushing under his intense gaze.

Harry opens a horny smile - one that she's seeing for the first time - as if he's ready to devour her, and raises an eyebrow.

"You have amazing tits."

She laughs out loud. Hermione was not expecting that, at all. She shakes her head, he's also laughing. And she goes with it, squeezing her breasts and making a satisfied face.

"I like them too."

"You should be fucking proud of them." He says, still smiling. "You should print a picture of them at the magazine and display it in a huge banner-"

"Oh my God, Harry." She can't stop laughing. At the same time she's feeling giddy because of his words. "I mean, how many boobs have you already seen in your life?"

"Enough to say that yours are the most amazing ones." He says fast and she rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm serious." He states. Hermione tilts her head, not sure if she believes him- "What about me?" He asks, flexing his arms. "Look at these muscles." And he proceeds to show his abs and pecks and such.

Hermione laughs freely. It's not like she's never seen his bare chest. She has. Countless times. Then she says, "You're a bit ridiculous."

He opens his mouth, outraged. "You're only saying that because you have no idea the many positions I can hold you with these arms, Hermione." His tone sends an electric shock through her body directly to her clit and she wets her lips.

"Fair." She says, "You're incredibly hot, Harry, but let me say that many guys I've dated were just as strong." She winks at him and sees some irritation in his eyes. "I mean, the last one I fucked was Edward and he's a teammate."

Harry sets his jaw and moves back to her, his hand going into her hair, the other one bringing her closer by the ass.

Their mouths meet again and she exhales when their naked chests touch. The skin contact is- there's so much skin. They never touched like this, they never felt this-

She rakes her nails on his back, slowly and softly, a bit like a ghost caress. She can feel him shivering, his muscles taut. Harry changes the kiss, it's lazy now, relaxed. Their lips and tongues meet unhurriedly.

It's so good. And even if they'd never kissed like this before, it feels familiar. Which is slightly odd. She never had this sensation.

Her hands move to his belt and Harry pulls back a bit, touching her forehead with his. They share a look. Hermione knows what he's saying… they can overcome some nudity, but if she unbuckles him, there's no way they'll stop.

He's just waiting for her to decide. But there's no decision left for her to make, Hermione wants him so much she's surprised by it.

She kisses him again when her fingers unbuckle the belt. And in a second, so fast she barely notices, his hands are on the side of her skirt, searching for the zipper, unzipping. She pushes his jeans down, carefully, not touching his cock or-

Harry takes a step back, getting rid of his boots and shaking his legs to take off his jeans, they smile when he's in his boxers.

"I'm so glad you wear decent underwear." She says. Again, it's not like she never saw him only in his boxers, she often does wake him. But it's undeniable how different it feels now, mostly because she's stripping him down, and… because she can see his evident arousal marking the white piece of clothe.

How much he wants her.

"Have you hooked up with many guys with nasty underwear?" He's having some fun.

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, some. You have no idea. I can't understand how men can be so lazy with some stuff."

Her voice dies down at the way he's looking at her.

This is new ground.

They've been through so much but this is… another first.

Hermione inhales sharply when he starts stroking himself through his underwear. His eyes on her, roaming her body. She presses her thighs together and pushes down the skirt, watching him. She can see the way he controls his breathing, his hand moving slowly and… Shit. In that moment she knows he'll give her a mind blowing orgasm.

And she can't wait for it.

Only in her panties, she's kind of glad that she chose a nice one this morning. Red. Lacy.

Harry bites hard on his lower lip and she's sure he's going to take her right there, but he raises an eyebrow and says:

"I'm not sure what I wanna do first."

"What would you normally do?" She's curious. "What's Harry Potter's great move?"

He opens a slow smile. Again, horny.

"Well, I like taking my time. You see," He moves to her. Hermione is still leaning against the wall. "The secret," He says in her ear, "is the anticipation. To be honest," He kisses her ear, biting on her lobe, then his tongue leaves a hot trail on her neck, but when he reaches her mouth, he doesn't kiss her. "I drive them crazy until they're begging me. Begging so desperately that it takes no time for them to be screaming my name in absolute bliss."

She smiles, it sounds like a challenge. "Do you want me to beg?" Her voice is provocative.

He chuckles. "I know you will."

"Oh?" She raises an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He nods and she feels his fingers on her thigh in a caress. Going up and down. "Do you beg?"

"I don't think I ever had." He squeezes her thigh.

Oh, it's definitely a challenge then.

"What's your favorite position?" She asks, both playing with each other, her hand on his chest now, going slowly south.

"Um. Let me think." He makes a serious face. "I'm not sure I have one I prefer… but I would love to bend you over that table and take you from behind. Do you like it rough?" His voice is so low.

She presses her lips together, her hand stopping on his boxer's waistband. She's soaking wet, throbbing, going a bit mad from only imagining this.

"I do." She answers and he licks his lips. "Not always, though. I think there's a moment for everything."

"Of course." He bumps his nose on hers and Hermione moves her hand to his ass. "Oral?"

"The best. But only worth it when well done."

"Agreed." She squeezes his ass and his breath hitches. "Mutual masturbation?"

"Hot. Occasionally."

"Hm." He kisses her cheek and she closes her eyes, wanting so damn much for him to kiss her again-

He's playing with me.

Indeed. Like he said, he wants her to beg. And she notices that he's not touching her at all, he's only close. And her body is extremely aware of his, her hips wanting to move to meet his-

Oh, Potter.

She moves her hands on his waistband, they come and go. However, she doesn't touch him where she knows he wants her to.

"69?" He asks.

She makes a face. "Not a fan."

He raises an eyebrow. "Me neither. Overrated."

"Agreed."

"Anal?"

She snorts. "Never tried."

He raises both eyebrows. "Well-"

"I don't really want to."

He scoffs. "Okay. Favorite position?"

"You didn't tell me yours."

"I don't have one."

She can tell he's a bit restless from the way she's moving her hands on his waistband. He even moves his hips a bit.

"Okay. Missionary is actually perfect."

He cocks his head, smiling. "For real?"

"Real life is not porn, Harry. And it's not that I don't like other positions, but this is my favorite because I feel… more connected, you know? And it is delicious. But again, there's a time and place for everything."

Harry nods and then his face turns curious. "Do you like dry humping?"

She snorts a chuckle. "Are we teenagers?" He shrugs, looking down. "Oh, I can see you love it."

"I do and I have to say those who don't like it, are doing it wrong."

"Or probably not doing it at all."

"Are you serious right now? Dry humping is amazing and I'll prove it to you."

Harry takes her hand, leading her to the couch. He sits and she shakes her head, straddling him.

But- oh.

She was not ready to feel his cock this way. She stops breathing for a second. Desire and horniness stopping her thoughts and speeding her heart.

Why he's still not inside her is beyond Hermione.

"Fuck." He says under his breath.

Hermione kisses him, their mouths meeting hungrily. And instinctively, she moves her hips, rocking them, trying to find the perfect friction.

With both hands on her ass, he repositions himself on the couch, opening his legs a bit more, bringing her closer to him.

"Better?" He asks between a kiss and a nibble.

"Yes."

And- wow.

He's moving his hips slowly and firmly. Exactly right. If it weren't for their underwear he would be thrusting inside her.

"Oh, fuck, Harry."

He moans, biting her neck, holding her with gentle force.

The sensation is too good. His hard cock rubbing on her wet core, hitting her clit and driving her crazy-

He licks her nipple and Hermione thinks she might be dreaming. She never had this reaction with a guy licking her-

"Do you like it?" He asks, nuzzling her breast. "Do you enjoy when-"

"Yes! I like it." She's breathing so hard. "But don't forget that I have two of them." She jokes and he laughs loudly. To her surprise, she feels even hornier.

"Yes, ma'am."

Her hands find his hair and she tugs at it while he spreads kisses on her breasts, his tongue doing wonders, actually tasting her. His beard leaving a red trail all over her skin-

Fuck, this is crazy. This is Harry. Harry squeezing, licking and nibbling at my tits-

She moans, her hips moving a bit faster.

But he holds her, stopping his own movements.

"Not so fast." He says, taking her nipple between his teeth.

Hermione groans, frustrated. And she pulls his head back to look into his eyes.

He has a raised eyebrow and the smile of a man capable of ruining a woman's life.

"You're playing dirty, Potter."

"You've seen nothing, Granger."

She wets her lips, now doubting if she'll be able to survive this whole thing of friends with benefits.

Kissing him, she bites on his lower lip, sucking a bit. Harry squeezes her ass, moving her hips, the friction back.

"What about kisses on the neck?" He asks while they move very slowly, as if they're not insanely on the edge already.

"I love them." She says, kissing his cheek and jaw. "It gives me the best shivers. Here." She moves to kiss his neck on the spot she's referring to. "And here." He mumbles - 'good spots'. "Biting is also very welcome. But, I mean, we're not vampires."

He laughs loudly again and she feels warm inside… it's not horniness this time. It's different.

Whatever it is, she shoves it down.

"I do understand what you mean. I swear," He's chuckling, kissing her neck, their hips still meeting very slowly and increasing the delicious ache. "One time I hooked up with a girl and I think she wanted to literally eat me."

It's her turn to laugh. "I know! I mean, some guys have no clue at all." She rolls her eyes.

His hands squeeze her waist and they share a look, stopping the kisses. The moment is charged.

This is indeed fun and good and amazing.

"Can you feel how much I want you?" He asks in a husky whisper. She closes her eyes, rubbing on his cock.

"Yes." She whispers too.

"Imagine how good it's going to be when I'm inside you." He gently bites on her neck. "Till the hilt, filling you."

She moans, indeed feeling mad. She clenches her walls, wanting him- needing him.

Don't beg!

She moves her mouth to his ear, her hips meeting his. "Can you feel how wet I am, Harry?" She kisses his cheek, close to his ear. His fingers dig deeper into her ass and she knows it will bruise because it hurts a bit, but it's a delicious pain. "Just think about how tight-"

He loses it.

Harry turns them on the couch, settling her down on her back, himself between her legs.

And suddenly the contact increases so much that she lets out a louder moan, her legs open and around him, his hips moving faster but firmly, hitting just right-

"Not enough." He mumbles, breathing hard, frustrated.

She looks into his eyes. She won't beg, but she can't help agreeing. "Take these off." Her hands are pushing his boxers down and he kisses her, his strong and big body weighting on hers. She absolutely loves the sensation.

But in a swift motion he stands from the couch and she's left there.

Aching.

She grits her teeth, her eyes on him.

Harry is standing there, breathing hard and looking at her. He runs a hand through his hair and in a split second she wonders if he's regretting their decision of having sex. Maybe he's not enjoying this as much as she is-

"What's wrong?" She asks.

"I-" She can see the way he's controlling himself, calming down a bit. "I want it to last." She opens her mouth. "If we keep up I don't think it will and I just need a second to-" He closes his eyes.

She's mesmerized by his strong chest and abs moving so heavily with his breathing. Hermione gulps.

"Do you have sex with your glasses on?" She tries changing the mood and he chuckles.

"I would have taken them off by now." He makes a face. "I guess I was too busy." She laughs.

She loves his glasses. They're so Harry. Practically part of him. And so far it hadn't gotten in the way of their kisses and such. Which is truly… curious. And he seems to understand the question in her face.

"I use a charm." He points to the glasses. "It's like they don't even exist, but I can take them off-"

"Leave them on." She says. He cocks his head, smiling. "But you definitely should take your socks off."

They laugh together and Harry balances himself on one foot while he takes off one sock, then the other. She watches attentively. His thighs are so strong. He's…

"You're handsome." Hermione states, her tone serious. "Like, you've come a long way from that scrawny little boy."

He tenses a bit, and then relaxes, chuckling. "Indeed. I was so thin I thought I would break at any moment." His tone is playful, but Hermione's chest hurts for him. The Dursleys were real monsters and Harry barely talks about them-

Her thoughts change pretty fast when she notices that he intends on taking off his underwear. She stands from the couch and goes to him.

He stops. Their eyes meet.

"Let me." She says, her hands on his.

They share a hot kiss and her mind is yelling at her that she needs a release. But she'll be patient, she'll drive him crazy before he takes her sanity away.

But there's something that she needs to ask first.

"Harry, don't take this question the wrong way, but you do get tested frequently, right? For sexual diseases and such?"

He tilts his head. "It's a fair question." He gives her a peck. "Don't worry about it, I'm always very careful. You?" She wants to laugh. She does have sex on a regular basis, but not as nearly as much as he does.

"All clean."

And with that out of the way her mouth moves to his neck, kissing, biting gently. One of his hands seek her hair, fisting it.

Hermione moves, her mouth on his chest, her hands getting rid of his boxers. She lets herself rub on him while she goes down on her knees, spreading kisses on his abs.

Finally, she's in front of his cock.

Fucking shit.

The only thing she can think is that he has a very, very nice cock. If she's not crazy, is the most… beautiful cock she ever saw. Not ridiculously big, but the right size and perfect girth. She gulps, her hands on his thighs, her nails digging into him.

With a raised eyebrow, she looks up at him.

He's looking at her with a strange look. Maybe not strange. But certainly one she never saw. And she has no idea what it means. He licks his lips.

"Like what you see?" He asks, but it's serious and horny and kind of… bossy. The position they're in favors it.

"I do." She doesn't joke. And she really does like it. "Do you want to see how much?" She whispers.

His only answer is a groan.

Hermione closes her hand around him. He's throbbing and she never wanted someone the way she wants him.

She strokes him slowly. "Tell me how you like it." She says.

The hand that is not fisted in her hair moves to close around hers on his cock.

"Slowly." He says, moving with her. He's breathing so hard she's afraid he might have a heart attack. "Yes, like that."

"Hm, I see." She says provocatively. "And this?" She asks when her thumb goes over his tip in a circle. Harry moans openly, closing his eyes, tugging at her hair. She opens a smile. "I guess you like it." And still holding him, she moves to lick his length, from his balls to the tip, slowly.

"Oh, fuck." He looks at her, both his hands now in her hair. "Oh, my god." He says, biting hard his lower lip. "You look extremely sexy."

She loves to hear this. "Now, I don't wanna brag but I'm very good at this." He cocks his head. "Since this is us having some fun, I wanna a feedback, okay?" She winks.

He seems to be at a loss of words, but he nods. Hermione is not even sure if he's breathing right.

Regardless, while stroking him slowly, she leaves little kisses on his cock, using her tongue, knowing how much better the sensation might be this way.

Hermione takes her time on this, building up the expectation, which she knows is working because his little moans are a bit impatient. Eager. And his hands are fisting her hair more fiercely. She can tell he's stopping himself from taking over and steering her head.

She can't help smiling. Even if she's the one on her knees, Harry is totally in her hands right now, totally submissive to the way she's going to pleasure him.

And the notion that this man is Harry, her best friend, hits her.

It briefly crosses her mind that maybe she should stop.

But instead, she closes her mouth around him. He moans a bit louder and she looks up at him. Harry is looking back at her in a way that- Damn. She feels her own muscles tightening, a sensation close to an orgasm taking over her.

She moans at the back of her throat with his cock in her mouth. He bites harder on his lower lip. She's sure it'll bleed.

Hermione starts sucking on him, taking him in by parts. First just the tip, her tongue swirling around the head. He's shaking a bit, very responsive to her actions. Her hand keeps stroking the part of him that's not inside her mouth.

Even knowing that she nails this particular sexual activity, she avoids giving blowjobs. Mostly because she needs to be in the mood and many guys don't get her there, but with Harry… she wanted to do it the moment he took off his jeans.

And she's enjoying herself. Maybe not as much as he is, but well… that's the point.

He finally loses his control and uses his hands to steer her head. Hermione resists it, pulling back and he groans in frustration.

"I hate when guys do that. Don't." She says in a sharp tone.

"Okay." He says in a breathy voice. "Fuck, okay." He caresses her face, his thumb on her cheek.

They smile at each other. It's nice that she has the liberty to tell him whatever she wants. And she finds herself enjoying it even more when she goes back to it. This time she takes more of him, sucking, then licking, blowing a bit. He moans louder.

She decides she loves to hear him moan. It gives her an entire new desire. She wants to make him scream. She moans herself at the thought.

"My god." He says and she can tell that he's very close, his muscles taut, his posture different, his hands tugging at her hair.

She never swallows. But-

She takes all of him, his tip hitting the back of her throat.

Then she goes back to only sucking his tip, fast-

And that's it for him.

He locks his eyes on hers and Harry comes with a grunt. She swallows.

It's not weird. And she was sure it was going to be-

Harry moves, lifting her from the floor, his hands cupping her face. He kisses her in a way he hadn't so far. It's more… dirty. But deliciously so.

She corresponds but after a few beats she pulls back, needing some air.

"So?" Hermione asks, her eyes on his, their faces close.

"It was the best bj of my life." He kisses her neck, pulling her closer by the waist. "What a delicious mouth." He gives her a peck. "Sinful." He gives her another peck.

"No other inputs?" She's smiling.

"Well, Hermione Granger, 100 gazillion points to Gryffindor!"

They burst into a laugh.

She kisses him. "That was me apologizing for missing the game." She whispers with their lips together.

He snorts. "My god, you can miss all of them, then." They chuckle. When he turns serious, he says, "I want so much to taste you." He nibbles at her lower lip. "I want to make you squirm and scream." He licks her neck, pulling her head back by the hair. "I want you to say my name in a prayer. I'll make you meet God."

Any other guy saying this would make her laugh in disbelief, but she believes his words. The way he touches and kisses her is enough indication that he knows what the hell he's talking about. Her nails dig into his back, she's dizzy from how much she wants this.

Harry moves in a clear way she understands and in a second he's hoisting her up, her legs around his waist while he walks to her bedroom. They keep sharing small kisses, gentle.

She's sure this night can get better and she's eager for it.

(…)