Hermione took a deep breath as she awoke in the darkness, where only a street lamp from outside drew soft shadows on the walls of her room. She clutched her throat and coughed heavily as she heard a flutter beside her. It took another second for the snow-white, dead-looking hand to disappear in her mind's eye. The soft cooing of Lancelot slowly brought her back to reality.
"Thank you, Lancelot," she said softly, stroking her raven's back as he settled in her lap and spread his wings over her legs. "I mustn't forget to put myself in trance again," she said, wiping the sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her pyjamas.
Ever since she had destroyed the diadem, Lord Voldemort had haunted her dreams on every occasion when she had been too tired to remember to go into a trance. At the thought of the hand that had grabbed her by the throat and pulled her close to the snake-like face with the red eyes, Hermione felt an icy chill run down her spine. She took a sip of water from the glass that sat on her bedside table and slumped back into her pillows. She put on her glasses and a quick glance at the clock above her bedroom door told her that it was only just after midnight.
"Would you like to go for a trip? I need some fresh air," Hermione asked in a whisper and Lancelot crowed delightedly. "Shhh," she whispered giggling before getting up and opening the window. Lancelot fluttered out without hesitation and Hermione followed him, having taken the precaution of using a Disillusionment Charm to protect herself before leaving her room in raven form. When she was far enough from her parents' house, she let the spell fall away from her and glided quietly beside Lancelot over the lit streets of Fulham.
"This looks really beautiful," she exclaimed to Lancelot as she saw the illuminated London from above for the first time.
"I'll show you my favourite place, follow me!" exclaimed Lancelot and Hermione followed him. They made a sharp turn and flew above the Thames for some time. Hermione enjoyed the air of the balmy summer night and her eyes grew wide as Lancelot flew directly towards the illuminated Big Ben, which for a change was not shrouded in construction scaffolding. They settled directly over the great clock face and looked down at the equally illuminated Palace of Westminster. Hermione, who had seen little of her old home town in recent years, enjoyed the spectacular view and wrapped a wing around her animal companion.
"I can see why you like this place," she said, turning her head to get a good view of Westminster Abbey. She had visited quite a few parts of London on several trips with the Muggle school and her parents, but never at night and especially not the top of Big Ben. "It really is incredible how different the Muggle world is from the wizarding world. Would you have thought that somewhere here, in the heart of London, with all the technology and underground tunnels, the Ministry of Magic is hidden?" she asked Lancelot and he shook his head. "I'm really curious about the Ministry. I'm sure it'll be terribly bustling with everyone deep in preparation for the Quidditch World Cup. Hopefully, I can still get a good first impression," she said thoughtfully, snuggling up to Lancelot as he nuzzled into her under her wing. The renewed bond she felt between her animal companion and herself since she was able to transform into a raven gave her strength and courage to face the time ahead with confidence.
"Have you thought about accompanying your parents by now?" asked Lancelot, alluding to the holiday her parents would be embarking on in a week's time. A round trip in a camper through Canada with her parents sounded extremely tempting, but the Quidditch World Cup and her friends had made the decision easy, although she was sad about not being able to go.
"I'm staying here. I want to concentrate on the parchment and I'm looking forward to Harry and the World Cup. Mum suggested I could come to Vancouver for a few days when they get there, so we'll see. And Canada is really far away."
"You miss him, don't you?" asked Lancelot as she jolted up from her thoughts after a pause.
"Yes, very much so," she said and sighed as Lancelot stroked her beak encouragingly.
"I miss my mate too, but that makes the reunion all the more wonderful. I'm sure he misses you just as much," Lancelot said cooing and Hermione's heart lightened a little.
"Thank you, Sir Lancelot," she said and snuggled up to him. "We should fly home though, the bell will toll in a minute," she said and they dropped from the edge of the ledge at the same time.
Hermione enjoyed the free fall before spreading her wings and elegantly flying a wide arc as Big Ben chimed on the hour.
"Thank you so much, Lancelot! I needed that," she said as the two of them landed back on the ledge of her window and Hermione fluttered onto the bed before turning back. "Let's get some more sleep, I don't want to face the Minister of Magic with bags under my eyes," she said, braving her hand invitingly onto her mattress. Lancelot understood immediately and a few moments later only his head peeked out from under the covers.
Hermione wished him a good night and this time charmed herself into a trance to escape her nightmares. The next morning she woke up well-rested and the excitement didn't leave her all morning. Her leg shook nervously as she ate breakfast and even her parents' words of encouragement and pride couldn't change that. She took twice as long in the bathroom as usual as she kept spotting a part of her hairstyle that she didn't like. When she was finally called downstairs by her father, she came to terms with her wide, Dutch middle plait and stormed down the stairs.
A car journey through Fulham and Chelsea later, they finally arrived at the broken phone box, the visitors' entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Her father gave her a hug and wished her well before Hermione stepped into the phone box, heart pounding, and told the voice that echoed throughout the booth her name and the reason for the visit.
She checked the fit of the beautiful eagle pendant on her necklace, given to her by her parents on the day she arrived in London for her O.W.L. graduation, as the lift descended. It was lightly enchanted so that it strengthened the wearer's ability to concentrate. She was pleased that her parents showed her so much support through these gestures. Her mother had proudly told her that she had bought the pendant together with Susan's mum in Diagon Alley.
When she arrived in the Atrium, she was amazed at the colourful hustle and bustle that prevailed in the Ministry's pompous entrance area. She walked past the innumerable chimneys where Ministry officials were arriving or leaving at intervals of seconds. She let herself drift a little with the crowd, which moved past a large fountain with golden statues towards the numerous lifts. For the first time, she realised how many wizards lived in the shadows of the Muggles.
She turned right in front of the lifts, as described in Cornelius Fudge's letter, and joined the queue of visitors waiting for the security guard to check her and her wand. When it was her turn, she pulled her wand out of her forearm holster, the second gift her parents had given her at the beginning of the holidays. When she finally got her wand back, she heard someone call her name.
"Miss Granger?!" a young wizard in a blue robe called out, beckoning her to him as Hermione waved. "Pleased to meet you," he greeted her curtly and led her to one of the lifts, where only a slightly older wizard in an orange robe was standing. They greeted and Hermione was fascinated by the myriad of memo paper aeroplanes whizzing through and out of the lift at their floors.
"I wonder how much time that wastes? The ministry could have use for my parchment too," she thought, taking it upon herself to work even more assiduously over the next few days to bring her idea to fruition. The young official finally led her down an elegant, long corridor towards a red door.
"The Minister will see you as soon as he is available," he said, taking his leave. Hermione looked around the corridor a little and recognised former ministers and great figures in wizarding history in some of the portraits hanging on the walls. She was in the middle of a conversation with an interested witch who had been a minister in the fourteenth century when, after about ten minutes, the door at the end of the corridor opened.
Hermione said goodbye to the witch in the portrait and stepped a little nervously towards a small witch who wore a bow on her hair. She seemed insincerely friendly to Hermione and hesitated for a moment as Hermione held out her hand in greeting. Hermione didn't have time to think about it, however, because the next moment the Minister greeted her, beaming broadly at her from under his lime green bowler.
"Miss Granger! What a pleasure to finally meet you," he said, shaking her hand enthusiastically.
"Thank you, Minister! I hope I'm not keeping you from important appointments," Hermione said, taking a seat in the chair Fudge offered her. "Not at all, my dear! I'm honoured to host the most talented witch in decades and show her a little of my everyday life," he said, but his smile froze for a moment as the short witch behind Hermione cleared her throat.
"May I introduce Dolores Umbridge, Head of Wizarding Gamot Administration and my personal advisor," Fudge said and Hermione greeted the witch again, who had put on an even more artificial smile than when she had first greeted her.
"Pleased to meet you. Minister, I just wanted to bring to your attention that Bertram Fletcher from the Daily Prophet has just arrived," the witch said in an unpleasantly piercing voice.
"Excellent, this will be an outstanding opportunity for you to make a name for yourself early," Fudge said, clapping his hands together. Before Hermione had even realised what was going on, the door had opened and Fudge had pulled her behind his desk to pose with her for a photograph. In less than a minute, the reporter had disappeared again and Hermione slumped back in her chair.
"Really excellent. I can only offer you my great compliments," Fudge said, but he was interrupted again by the clearing of Dolores Umbridge's throat.
"Minister, a memo has just arrived from the Department of International Magical Cooperation, your presence is urgently requested," the witch said and Hermione thought she could see a little satisfaction in the witch's eyes as she looked at Hermione.
"Oh, is it really that urgent?" asked Fudge and Umbridge confirmed his question. He looked a little awkward and looked to his advisor for help. When she remained silent, however, he cleared his throat and Hermione couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at the way she had been treated so far. "My apologies, Miss Granger. I'd like to take you to lunch to make amends," Fudge finally said and Hermione nodded. "If you're interested in a department of the Ministry, I can arrange for them to give you a tour," he said with a smile, which was probably meant to seem fatherly.
"I don't want to get in the way of the Quidditch World Cup planning," Hermione said, trying to hide her disappointment. So far, it seemed to her that the Minister had only invited her to be photographed with her for the Daily Prophet.
"Not at all, my dear. Many offices don't have much to do with planning, such as the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office," Umbridge said with a smile and Hermione had to hold back hard to remain calm and not turn red with anger. It was obvious that Umbridge was making a snide reference to her heritage. Fudge, who seemed oblivious to this, continued to look at her with a smile.
"Then I would like to have a look around the Auror Headquarters," she said, putting on her best smile as she looked Umbridge in the eye.
"Excellent, I'll set up a memo right away and see you at lunch," Fudge said, seemingly relieved that Hermione had accepted the suggestion. She remained silent as Fudge directed the quill with his wand and a moment later the little paper plane disappeared through a small round hole in the wall beside the door.
Hermione shook the Minister's hand in farewell as they stepped out into the corridor and also held out her hand with a smile to Dolores Umbridge, who hesitated for a moment, probably not wanting to appear unfriendly in front of the Minister. She beamed at Umbridge, firmly grasped her small, thick-fingered hand and delayed the end of the handshake as long as possible. With satisfaction, she could see in the witch's eyes that she had achieved her goal.
"Bitch," Hermione thought as she watched the two of them walk towards the lift and Umbridge wiped the hand Hermione had shaken on her robe. She felt humiliated and used, but refused to let it spoil her day at the Ministry. She had only chosen the Auror Headquarters because she knew it would annoy Umbridge the most if she was interested in the profession that required the best degree.
She chatted a little more with the nice witch in the portrait until she was called by a friendly voice from the direction of the lifts. She said goodbye and walked towards the young witch, who was wearing an olive green robe. She had brown, long hair and looked vaguely familiar to Hermione, but she couldn't remember where she had seen the woman before.
"Miss Granger?" the pretty witch asked and Hermione nodded.
"Yes, but please call me Hermione. I can't take the whole 'Greetings, Miss Granger, pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger' anymore. I'm hoping my day will be a bit more exciting than a stupid photo with the Minister," she vented her annoyance, briefly afraid she'd said too much, but the witch sighed in relief.
"Thank God, you're cool. I'm Tonks," the witch said, extending her hand to Hermione for a high five. Hermione smacked it with a laugh.
"Thank God? Do you descend from muggles?" asked Hermione, the expression still slipping out of her own mouth at times.
"My father is Muggle-born," Tonks said, grinning at Hermione as her hair turned a bright pink and shrank into a sassy short hairstyle.
"Wow, you're a Metamorphmaga! That's so cool!" exclaimed Hermione and the young witch's eyes lit up. She put an arm around Hermione's shoulder in an elegant movement and led her to the lift.
"Thanks! I'm glad you're not a cocky pureblood model student with a stick up your arse," she said and Hermione giggled. "That's pretty," Tonks said, pointing to the pendant hanging from her necklace. Hermione thanked her and was glad that she had hit it off with the young witch right away.
"Now that I see you, I remember well when you were put into Ravenclaw by the Sorting Hat. I just couldn't remember the name. You've been a hot topic in the Ministry these past few days," Tonks said and Hermione's eyes grew wide.
"You were still at Hogwarts at the time?" she asked and Tonks nodded.
"I was in my final year when you came to Hogwarts. I don't think we crossed paths much."
"Then you're still in training?" asked Hermione and Tonks nodded again.
"My exam is in two months," she said, raising both fingers in front of her face with the victory sign, which made Hermione giggle.
"And I'm a hot topic?" she asked, frowning, and Tonks laughed.
"The examiners have pretty much stormed through all the departments raving about you. I know from Kingsley that they briefly considered introducing a new grading level above Outstanding because of you," she said, laughing when Hermione couldn't help blushing. "So you're interested in Aurors? We're pretty cool, I have to admit," Tonks said, twitching her eyebrows, which made Hermione chuckle again.
"Actually, I'm interested in all departments, but I wanted to spite that toad who thought she had to reduce me to my origins," Hermione said and Tonks' eyes narrowed to slits.
"Umbridge?" she asked and Hermione nodded. "Be careful with that one, she's more dangerous than she looks. But she's a rotten toad, no doubt," she said and Hermione snorted.
"I can handle racists," she said, thinking of Malfoy, but Tonks raised her index finger in warning.
"I believe you, but you shouldn't be on that woman's enemies list, believe me," Tonks said seriously and Hermione swallowed. Had she already gone too far with the toad-like witch? She nodded and was glad when Tonks pulled her out of the lift and showed her to the Auror's office. She introduced Hermione to a crowd of high-ranking Aurors, who received her with considerably more warmth than the Minister and Dolores Umbridge.
"We're having a very quiet day today, but we expect more work when the World Cup gets underway. Our security arrangements were completed last week and are being tested by a team on site," Kingsley Shacklebolt, a very tall wizard with a deep, calm voice, explained to her when Hermione had asked him why it was so quiet on their floor compared to the Atrium.
"That sounds exciting, is there any way I can watch?" asked Hermione hopefully, but Kingsley shook his head. She slumped her shoulders a little, for she had imagined her day to be a little more exciting than it had been so far.
"We can get a practice room ready though," said Kingsley, who seemed to have noticed her disappointment.
"YES!" exclaimed Tonks, making a jump in the air, which made Hermione laugh. Tonks was very lively compared to her colleagues and yet didn't seem like a foreign body in the large team. Hermione nodded and followed Kingsley and Tonks, who led her through the offices to a gallery where one could look down over a railing through large panes of glass to several rectangular rooms. In one of them, two young Aurors were currently engaged in a practice duel and Hermione watched in fascination at the frequency with which the two were casting and deflecting spells.
"Wow," Hermione said, looking at Tonks who was hopping excitedly from one foot to the other.
"How about you and me?" asked Tonks, eyebrows twitching, and Hermione was about to agree when she remembered that she wasn't officially allowed to do magic during the holidays.
"I'm not 17 yet, I still have the trace on my wand," she said and Tonks looked at her with wide eyes.
"I totally forgot about that! You look so much older than... How old are you anyway?" asked Tonks, scratching the back of her head.
"Almost fifteen, so I have to wait another two years," she said with a laugh, but a hand on her shoulder made her look up.
"I think we can send Mafalda a memo giving you permission for practice purposes. Only if you wish, of course," Kingsley said and Hermione considered for a second, but the fire in Tonks' eyes and the fatherly touch from her mentor made her nod quickly and she grinned at Tonks, who offered her hand for a high five and smacked it. A new nervousness settled in her as Kingsley put up the memo and Tonks summoned all of her free colleagues to watch their duel. Hermione wondered how far she could and was allowed to go. She had used nonverbal spells in the O.W.L. exam, as it was beginning to be plausible for an ambitious student, so she could use nonverbal spells here too.
She glanced over at Tonks, who had euphoria sheerly shooting out of her now dark red hair. She liked the young witch. Hermione was eager to see if Tonks would push her to her limits. As the practice sessions after the incident with the diadem in Dumbledore's office had shown, she had retained the enhanced magic she had developed by putting it on and wearing it daily.
When the response memo arrived from Mafalda Hopkirk, Head of the Improper Use of Magic Office, Tonks took Hermione's hand and literally pulled her towards the entrance of a practice room. They stowed all the jewellery and their bags in a small locker at the entrance and entered the rectangular room. Hermione was surprised that nothing could be seen or heard of the spectators from inside, but she was glad to be able to concentrate entirely on the duel as a result.
"Any special rules?" she asked as Tonks drew her wand. She briefly checked Tonks' mental barrier by reading her emotions and found that Tonks, like most wizards, did not know Occlumency.
"No Unforgivable Curses, no Black Magic, nothing that does internal damage to the body," Tonks said and Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Not that I expect you to, just a general rule around here," Tonks added, putting on a mischievous grin that rivalled Susan's. "Don't worry, I won't be too hard on you," she said, and a fire of competitive fervour was kindled in Hermione that she usually only knew from Quidditch.
"We'll see about that," she thought to herself and thanked Tonks for her care in a feigned over-the-top nervousness. She stood opposite Tonks and bowed, which Tonks returned with a giggle. Apparently, it was not customary in the Ministry to bow to one's opponent. She then drew her wand from its holster on her forearm, which earned her an appreciative look from the young witch, and readied herself.
"Silencio," Hermione thought as Tonks flicked her wand forward and opened her mouth. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she recognised Hermione's spell and after a second of her cheeks turning pink, she flicked her wand again almost imperceptibly and Hermione was able to set up her shield charm at the last second to ward off Tonks' stunning spell.
A few Jelly-Legs jinxes followed, which Hermione had no trouble deflecting, and it took her a few seconds before she was able to extricate herself from the barrage of spells bearing down on her and counter them herself. She made a mental connection with Tonks' thoughts and was better able to anticipate what spells would come at her next. She moved on to switching from conventional spells to elemental magic after a few unsuccessful attempts, noticing that Tonks was deflecting the standard spells without much trouble.
Hermione started with the least dangerous element and conjured a large bubble of water over Tonks, which she didn't see coming and drenched the young witch from head to toe. Tonks gasped for breath for a moment and just managed to ward off the stunning spell, which Hermione immediately followed up with. Hermione saw two blue curses flying towards her, which she only recognised through her mind link, and ducked, knowing that together the spells were too strong for her shield charm.
Looking up, she couldn't see Tonks in front of her and before she could whirl around, she felt the tip of Tonks' wand between her shoulder blades. Laughing, she raised her hands and turned around. Standing in front of her was the still-drenched Tonks, beaming at her.
"That was phenomenal, Hermione! That water bubble almost cost me the win!" she said and Hermione bowed again, smiling. "Do you like what you see?" asked Tonks with a grin, and with horror Hermione realised that she had apparently gazed for a few moments too long at the figure showing through the wet, thin fabric clinging to Tonks' skin. Immediately she fought against blushing.
"And if I was?" she asked with a grin and Tonks, who reminded Hermione more and more of Susan, grinned back mischievously.
"Stop hitting on me," she said in a feigned indignant tone, covering her mouth and nose like an embarrassed lady. For a second, Hermione thought Tonks' cheeks had turned slightly pink. Hermione giggled and dried Tonks' robe with a wave of her wand.
Hermione, unable to gauge how well she had done against the young apprentice Auror, was showered with praise by the Aurors who had been watching. At the same time, no one seemed to doubt Tonks' abilities, which pleased Hermione greatly. The last thing she had wanted was to make Tonks look bad in front of the other Aurors. She had to turn down several challenges to more training duels as it was time for lunch with Fudge, although she would have preferred to stay there. However, she didn't want to upset the Minister by cancelling the lunch.
Hermione arrived back on the floor where the Minister's office was a few minutes later, where she was ushered by a bored-looking wizard with far too much fixture in his hair into a room where there were a couple of finely set square tables. Already exhausted by the pomposity, Hermione had to force herself to smile as she walked towards the Minister and Umbridge, who were already seated at one of the tables.
She imagined what Severus would look like in her place here and just managed to keep from snorting. She greeted the Minister and briefly recounted her positive impressions of Auror Headquarters, to her satisfaction much to the displeasure of Dolores Umbridge, who was not really in control of her face. The Minister asked her a few perfunctory questions and soon descended into a sermon about the preparations for the Quidditch World Cup, which Hermione found exciting at first, but was quickly annoyed by Fudge's self-promoting traits.
He spoke as if he alone was responsible for the World Cup and everything to do with it. She behaved impeccably, however, so as not to also confirm Umbridge's belief that Muggle-borns were what she thought they were. When the Minister left for another appointment after the admittedly delicious meal, Hermione groaned inwardly as Umbridge remained in her chair and, with one hand, commanded her to remain seated as well.
"Answer me one question. How did you pull this off?" she asked in a cutting tone when the Minister was out of earshot.
"Pull off what?" asked Hermione in surprise, just managing to keep her question from sounding cheeky.
"How you managed to get someone to do the exams for you. Polyjuice potion?"
Hermione stared at the witch with her mouth open. For a second she was again the young Hermione who had been humiliated by Debbie in primary school. She felt the stinging in her nose that heralded tears and with all her willpower she resisted showing weakness in front of this vile witch. It was enough that she had managed to get under her protective armour, but Hermione would not stand for it.
"Excuse me?" she asked, unable to stop the indignant tone in her voice.
"How else would a Muggle-born get such marks if not by cheating," Umbridge hissed and Hermione now felt anger flare up inside her.
"Are you serious?" she asked, trying to control herself. At the same time, she was looking for a way to escape this insolent woman. She still had Tonks' words of warning in her mind and wanted to avoid being escorted out by security on her first visit to the Ministry.
Umbridge didn't reply, just eyed her with a snide look. Hermione had to control herself not to cast a hex on the witch or pry into her mind to try and fathom where this dislike of Muggle-borns came from. Instead, she stood up and turned to leave without a word. She took one deep breath to calm herself, but when she heard a derogatory hiss behind her, her patience finally snapped.
"You want to know how I passed my exams? Like this!" said Hermione calmly, but loud enough for the entire room to hear, and with a quick flick of her drawn wand, made the table and everything on it disappear nonverbally. Then she wrinkled her nose and pocketed her wand. "Don't worry, I have Mrs Hopkirk's permission to use magic today," she said as Umbridge opened her mouth with a red face distorted with anger. She turned without another word and walked past the other wizards and witches sitting and chattering at other tables and left the room.
She took a deep breath as she stood alone in the lift and decided to return to the Auror's office.
"She did not say that!" exclaimed Tonks indignantly when Hermione had told her what had just happened at lunch. Hermione was glad Tonks didn't chide her for the way she had shown this witch what she could do. "That was really badass, you've got cojones, young lady!" she said appreciatively, putting an arm around Hermione's shoulder as they strolled back to the practice rooms.
"Stop hitting on me," Hermione said, which made Tonks laugh.
"What if I don't?" said Tonks teasingly, and Hermione decided to push her to her limits.
"Depends, do you live nearby?" she asked, putting on a look that she knew would drive Susan completely mad. Sure enough, Tonks blushed and stared at her open-mouthed for a moment until Hermione redeemed her and Tonks quickly joined in her laughter.
"Gosh, you're really cool," Tonks said and Hermione couldn't help checking in her mind if it really had been just a joke. She had to control her features because she could sense attraction and interest in Tonks' emotions.
"Thank you, you too," Hermione said, avoiding looking Tonks in the eye as she knew she would blush if she did. The fact that she now knew Tonks wasn't just messing around dealt a small blow to her confidence and she didn't know what to do.
"Chelsea," Tonks broke the silence. "I have a small flat in Chelsea," she explained when Hermione looked at her questioningly. "And where do you live?"
"Fulham."
"Oh, that's super close! Do you want to hang out sometime?"
"Um, sure!" said Hermione after swallowing down the lump in her throat and smiling sheepishly at Tonks. What had happened? Just a moment ago she had confidently made an entire table, including dishes, disappear in front of Dolores Umbridge and now she was getting weak in the knees because a witch had asked her if she wanted to hang out sometime?
"Deal! Oh look, Kingsley's in the practice room!" exclaimed Tonks, tugging Hermione's hand so they could get a better look at Kingsley's duel. Hermione was pulled from her thoughts and marvelled at the two wizards who didn't even give each other a second to catch their breath and instead shot curses at each other without pause, apparating around the room and trying to outdo each other with feints.
"Kingsley is the best, Dawlish doesn't stand a chance, you'll see," Tonks said and Hermione, watching both wizards admiringly, could see after a few minutes that Tonks was right. Kingsley was slowly but surely managing to tire Dawlish out while he himself remained alert. He seemed to be in control of the duel and it seemed only a matter of time before Dawlish was defeated. Hermione learned a great deal, as she had in her duel with Tonks, and resolved to repeat the day with the Aurors in her Pensieve to study Kingsley's technique, even if she had to limit herself to what she was seeing. Hermione was surprised when Kingsley came to her after the duel and handed her a small parchment.
It was an invitation from the Head Auror of the Office, Rufus Scrimgeour, to spend a week interning at Auror Headquarters whenever she had time after the Quidditch World Cup. Hermione was overjoyed and stayed with Tonks and the other Aurors for a bit until the office slowly emptied as more and more Aurors were called out on assignments. Hermione was glad that the visit to the Ministry had not ended after lunch. She was leaving the Auror's office when Kingsley also called Tonks to an assignment and was almost to the lift when she was grabbed by the hand.
"Hey," Tonks said, smiling for a moment as Hermione turned to look at her a little apprehensively. "Um, do you have plans tonight? My shift ends after the mission and I was going to grab some pasta on the way home, would you like to..."
Hermione's mind raced. She strained not to blush and looked into the pink-haired witch's blue eyes, her mouth still moving, but Hermione's thoughts were louder.
"What's happening here? Get a hold of yourself or she'll notice something! What am I going to do? What about Severus?" the questions raced through her head in record time. Had she really just been asked out, or not? Was that what she was wishing for? Tonks had triggered something in her that Hermione couldn't control. Her eyes fell on the young witch's lips, still forming words as if in slow motion, as Hermione's mind continued to race. She noticed the corners of Tonks' mouth tugging slightly upwards as she spoke and one last look into her eyes silenced her thoughts as if they had been blown out of her head by a violent gust of wind.
"Sure!" said Hermione a little breathlessly, clearing her throat. "When and where?" she asked, straining again not to show how nervous she was. Tonks pressed a piece of parchment into her hand and waved goodbye over her shoulder as she walked back to Kingsley.
"Wow, she's really confident," Hermione thought as she read the address and time on the parchment. She felt a tingle in her stomach as she thought about being alone with Tonks in just a few hours in Tonks' flat. Her thoughts returned as quickly as they had been swept away. Immediately, she thought of Severus again. He had explicitly asked her to live her life and had made her promise not to hold back for him. After an excruciatingly long bus ride home, she jumped into the shower as soon as she arrived home, having briefly told her mother about her experiences in the Auror's office, leaving out Dolores Umbridge. When she came back down the stairs, her mother was just sitting on the couch with a book.
"Hey Mum," she said, settling down next to her on the couch. She didn't know where to put her hands and inwardly cursed herself when she couldn't think of anything better to do than to brush a non-existent strand of her hair, which was neatly braided, behind her ear. Martha Granger eyed her daughter, who reminded her a lot of her husband when he was nervous. She closed her book and smiled at Hermione. "I... I met a witch at the Ministry, she's really cool! She invited me to pasta dinner at her house," she said, avoiding her mother's gaze for a moment. Why was this all so hard? Everything was so much easier at Hogwarts. No one was allowed to know about her relationship with Severus, which thankfully kept awkward conversations like this to a minimum.
"Oh! A date? And how old is that woman?" her mother asked curiously, and Hermione's blood rushed to her head without her being able to stop it.
"Mum! Not a date, she's just nice and I think we could be good friends," Hermione fibbed, sighing inwardly as she saw the knowing look on her mother's face.
"Okay, okay. This 'friend', how old is she now?" she asked again with a smile and Hermione thought for a moment. Tonks had graduated when Hermione had been in her first year at Hogwarts. That had to mean she could only be 19 at the most, but Hermione couldn't judge her on the outside as she was a Metamorphmaga and could change her appearance as she wished.
"She graduated when I got to Hogwarts, so about 18 or 19," Hermione said, giggling at the surprise on her mother's face. "Wizards and witches are of age at 17, remember?" said Hermione and her mother nodded.
"Where does she live?"
"In Chelsea, I'd go by bus."
"Alright," her mother replied and Hermione jumped up happily, hugged her, and because she didn't want to hang around at home until it was time, she decided to take another walk along the Thames. She was already on her way to the front door when her mother called her again. She waited at the door, as she could already hear her footsteps.
"Hermione!"
"Yes?"
"I know we've discussed this several times and of course, it's different than with a boy, but..."
"Mum! I said she's just a friend!"
"Hermione, don't forget that I was once a teenage girl too. It's written all over your face and it makes me really happy. Just be careful and don't do anything you don't want to, ok?" her mother said, stroking her cheek with the back of her hand.
"I... Thank you, Mum," Hermione said, bobbing from one leg to the other in embarrassment.
"Do you want me to pick you up later?"
"I don't know, I'll call you if I need you to pick me up, okay?"
"Oh, she's got a phone?" her mother asked in surprise and Hermione nodded.
"Her father is Muggle-born, she told me earlier that she has a phone to keep in touch with her grandparents."
"Good, then don't you want to pack some pyjamas and a toothbrush?" her mother asked and Hermione could feel the blood rush to her head again. She couldn't get a word out, so she just nodded and stormed up the stairs to her room. She packed her pyjamas and some clothes while she wondered if she was getting her hopes up too much.
She had sensed attraction in Tonks, but was that attraction strong enough for Hermione to spend the night with her? Perhaps she had misinterpreted Tonks' feelings and she just wanted to have a cosy evening. For a brief moment, she questioned everything that had happened that afternoon. She dropped onto her bed and thought about the invitation.
Tonks had said she'd like to hang out with her. And picking up pasta on the way home from work wasn't typical for a romantic date either, but more for friends or flatmates. Hermione sighed and decided to shrink her bag and hide it in the sleeve of her new hoodie so as not to send Tonks the signal right away that she thought their meeting was a date where they spent the night together.
"Well, that took a long time, aren't you late?" her mother asked when she finally arrived back in the living room.
"I still have time," Hermione said sheepishly and sat down next to her again. "Hey Mum, you really are the best, thank you," she said and rested her head on her mother's shoulder, who put an arm around her.
"You've grown up so fast since you went to Hogwarts," her mother said, stroking Hermione's shoulder with one finger. "So you... like women?" she asked cautiously and Hermione's head shot up.
"Um, well, I don't differentiate. So you don't have to give up hope of grandchildren so soon," Hermione said with a grin and gasped as she was closed into a tight hug by her mother. She returned the hug, enjoying the closeness she'd rarely had with her since their time at Hogwarts.
"Just know that your parents love you no matter what," she said and Hermione nodded as she blinked away her tears. "Have fun, Cupcake," she said, waving at Hermione as she rose and headed for the door fifteen minutes of quiet togetherness later.
"Thank you," Hermione said, stepping outside the door with her heart pounding. She was once again glad that she had such great parents. Her excitement rose as she thought about possibly having her first real date on the top floor of the bus to Chelsea. If Tonks had actually meant it as a date. She tried not to drive herself crazy and thought about Severus.
She felt a slight twinge in her stomach as guilt rose in her. Was she doing something wrong? After all, she was now in a relationship with Severus. Then, however, she thought of Susan. He hadn't had a problem with it either when she had told him about it. It was a difficult situation, but she was so happy that he had engaged with her in the first place that she would come to terms with it.
She took a deep breath, realising how extraordinary and special Severus was. He could show her how much she meant to him with just a few words and gestures. When the bus stopped at the stop where she had to get off, she was abruptly jolted out of her thoughts and she barely made it through the door. She almost tripped over her own feet and stopped abruptly as she almost ran into a person coming towards her.
"Hey," said the familiar voice of a woman standing inches away from her. Hermione had gotten off the bus so hastily that she had taken a few steps with rising nervousness without paying attention to who was in front of her and had almost knocked Tonks over.
"Oh! Hi," Hermione said, giggling sheepishly as she took a step back.
"Perfect timing," Tonks said with a smile, holding up a white plastic bag that she must have been carrying their dinner in.
"Yes," Hermione said curtly, still reeling from the feelings and thoughts she'd had since the conversation with her mother. One look into Tonks' eyes, however, put those thoughts far away and were replaced by the tingling in her stomach.
"Perfect, my place is this way," Tonks said, leading Hermione past a few apartment buildings before unlocking a front door to a nondescript, multi-storey apartment building and allowing Hermione to step forward to the lift. Hermione smiled sheepishly as they faced each other in the lift and giggled when Tonks' stomach growled loudly and she gave her an apologetic look.
Tonks unlocked her flat door and invited Hermione into the spacious flat. Her suspicions that Tonks had magically enlarged the flat were immediately confirmed, for the living room alone was larger than the building was wide. Hermione looked around with interest, for Tonks's flat was unlike any flat Hermione had ever entered.
The walls were painted very dark, almost black, and a gallery of huge pop-art-style graffiti stretched across the walls. Where there was no graffiti, there were posters of rock bands from both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. Hermione, who knew at least a little about music through her father, recognised the logos of Nirvana, Metallica, Iron Maiden and the Weird Sisters. The latter waved at Hermione from the poster.
"Do you like it?" asked Tonks as she came out of the kitchen with three floating plates.
"This is so cool," Hermione said, pointing at the decorated walls. She then eyed the third plate that had just floated onto the table with a questioning look. Had she really misjudged Tonks that much and a second guest was coming?
"I forgot to ask you which pasta you like. So I bought my three favourite dishes, hoping you'd like one of them," Tonks said sheepishly and Hermione giggled at the witch looking shy for a change.
"You have great taste! I like all three of them. Shall we share?" asked Hermione and Tonks nodded, beaming. She conjured two empty plates and lined up the three plates of pasta between them so they could help themselves. She handed Hermione a can of Coke and they toasted to their morning duel at the Ministry.
"The pesto is amazing," Hermione said and Tonks' eyes lit up as she enjoyed her portion of the ravioli. "How was your mission?" asked Hermione.
"Nothing special. A ghoul scared an old lady when he wished her a bon appétit from the fireplace. We handed him over to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He was quite sad, apparently, he really liked it there."
"Sounds harmless at least," Hermione said and Tonks nodded with a smile. They enjoyed the meal and Hermione happily slumped back in her chair as she finished the last bite. "That was really delicious, thank you, Tonks," she said smiling and toasting her with her can of Coke. Tonks let the empty dishes disappear with a wave of her wand and also sank a little deeper into her chair.
"You really blew me away today, Hermione. Your Silencio at the start! I never would have expected that. And then nonverbal too. I was a bit sceptical at first when I heard the tales of the O.W.L. examiners, but you haven't even shown half of what you can do," Tonks said and Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise at her last comment. "Oh, come on. It wasn't hard to notice that you didn't want to make me look stupid. Thanks for that, by the way," she said, raising the can of Coke towards Hermione in thanks.
"I don't know what you mean," Hermione said, looking feignedly clueless at the wall behind Tonks, who was laughing loudly. "Will you show me the rest of the flat?" she asked, giggling as Tonks beamed and knocked over her chair as she stood up stormily.
"It had to happen at some point," Tonks said, her head red as she waved her wand and levitated the chair into place. "I'm a little clumsy. Actually, there's not much to show, this is the bathroom, very exciting. Up the stairs is the bedroom and here..." she said and Hermione's eyes widened as she entered the last room. The room was also surrounded by black walls and would probably pass for the smallest pub in London.
A small bar stretched along the wall with countless bottles on a long shelf, a counter and three bar stools. Opposite, a jukebox stood on the wall, and next to it hung a dartboard. The centrepiece of the room, however, was a billiards table. As in the living room, the wall was peppered with posters, graffiti and concert tickets.
"I may sound like a broken record, but this is so cool," Hermione said, stroking the green fabric of the pool table.
"Glad you like it!"
"Are you my bartender?"
"Absolutely, but no alcohol for you, Miss Granger. Unless you can show me a letter of consent from your guardians," Tonks said and they both laughed.
"Not even a small glass of wine?" asked Hermione with a pout that made Tonks falter for a moment. She seemed to think for a moment, then nodded and poured Hermione half a glass of white wine before mixing a cocktail for herself. Hermione walked over to the jukebox and switched it on, whereupon rock music echoed around the room, and then settled down on one of the bar stools. The two clinked glasses and Hermione sipped on her wine.
"So, tell me how you manage to have such good grades and be so chilled out at the same time? Sorry if I'm a bit direct, but all my nerd classmates from my school days were rather boring or stuck up."
"Oh. Um, I guess I just like magic. Everything about it fascinates and interests me. Professor Dumbledore was quick to see that and really nurtured me. And thank you for not finding me boring."
"Are you kidding? You're funny, quick-witted and probably would have beaten me with your hands tied behind your back if you had meant business. You're anything but boring."
"I can only return that."
Tonks smiled and took a sip from her glass. There was silence for a few seconds, during which Tonks looked deeply into Hermione's eyes.
"Do you party here often?" asked Hermione, looking around the room as she imagined it filled with numerous young witches and wizards dancing to music, drinking cocktails and playing pool.
"Sometimes," Tonks said curtly and Hermione was taken aback as she looked a little crestfallen. "My colleagues have been here a few times," she said at Hermione's look.
"'Wanna teach me Billiards?" asked Hermione, realising that Tonks had been uncomfortable and jumping off her bar stool.
"Absolutely! You've never played before?" she asked cheerfully and Hermione shook her head.
"It's actually quite simple, you bump the white ball against another ball to sink it into one of the holes. Everyone gets assigned a type of ball after the first ball is sunk. There are the balls with solid colours and the striped balls. When all your balls have been pocketed, you pocket the black 8-Ball to win. If you sink the 8-Ball in a hole before that, you lose. Got it?" During the explanation, Tonks had been moving the balls with her wand to figuratively show Hermione what she was talking about.
"I think so. Why don't you start and we'll feel our way along," Hermione said, taking the billiards cue from Tonks. She waved her wand, whereupon the balls lined up perfectly again for the bump, and pushed the white ball against the triangle of the remaining balls.
"I have the striped balls," she said and lifted the ball briefly out of the pocket in which it had landed. Now it was Hermione's turn. She aimed a little with the cue, but her first shot hit the white ball at an angle, whereupon it just eked a little across the table and barely touched a couple of balls. "Try to centre the ball at the start," Tonks said and Hermione watched her closely as she made a precise shot at another ball and sank it.
"You're really good!" said Hermione, watching Tonks sink a few balls in a row. When the cue ball also squirmed a little on Hermione's next shot, Tonks stood next to it.
"You're moving your arm too much as you lunge," she said, instructing Hermione to lunge again. Then she took Hermione's hand and guided it forward in a straight motion. Hermione felt a pleasant tingle at Tonks being so close to her and couldn't really concentrate on what she had shown her.
"Can you show me again?" she asked when Tonks had sunk two balls again and it was Hermione's turn again. Tonks showed her again how to guide her arm and Hermione hit the white ball better this time, but the other ball just missed the corner.
"That was good!" said Tonks and then sank one ball after another until only the 8-Ball was left for her. However, she narrowly missed and Hermione sank her first ball. She high-fived Tonks and slowly got the hang of how to poke the white ball, but hit the black ball on her next move, which just barely bounced off the rail at the edge of a hole.
"Close call," Tonks said with a laugh and then sank the 8-Ball.
"That was really fun, we need to do that more often," Hermione said and Tonks beamed at her.
"You're very welcome. I'm glad you like it here. Is there anything else you'd like us to do? What do you think about a second drink? I get a lot of compliments on my pina colada, no alcohol for you of course," she said and Hermione nodded. Tonks mixed a non-alcoholic pina colada for both of them and they toasted.
"So what do you do in your spare time?" asked Tonks as Hermione took a sip of the wonderfully sweet drink.
"I read a lot, I'm around the castle a lot with my friends, and we often go swimming in the summer. Oh, and Quidditch!" she said and Tonks' eyes widened.
"You play Quidditch? Cool! What position?"
"Chaser."
"Yeah! What's your goal record?"
"Twenty, but that was a really long game where the Snitch didn't show up forever," Hermione said with a grin.
"Wow. My 10 really pales in comparison," Tonks said and they both laughed. "I was a slayer on the Hufflepuff team for three years too until I had to go full focus on the N.E.W.T.s. But at least we won the Quidditch Cup in my last year as a player! That really took our best effort from all of us. The Gryffindors with Charlie Weasley were almost unbeatable back then. He just didn't win the Quidditch Cup that one year," Tonks told her, eyes shining.
Hermione told her about Susan and Ginny, who were almost unstoppable now, and Tonks proudly held her hand to her left breast, where a Hogwarts robe had the house crest sewn into it.
"Let me get this straight, you're incredibly talented, pretty as a picture and you play Quidditch successfully. Why are you here in my dark den instead of spending the holidays with your boyfriend?" asked Tonks and Hermione couldn't help blushing at the compliments. She nervously played with the straw in her glass and had to gather the courage for a few seconds to look Tonks in the eye.
"Because I think you're really great and I don't have a boyfriend," she said, looking into Tonks' momentarily green eyes.
"Cool," Tonks said dryly and Hermione giggled. "Another game?" she asked and Hermione nodded. She stood behind Tonks and waited her turn. She watched Tonks but was quickly distracted by her body and a few seconds later was snapped out of her thoughts for the second time that day.
"Do you like what you see?" asked Tonks with a grin, just as she had in the morning, and Hermione looked into her eyes. She decided to approach the little game differently this time.
"Very much actually."
"Um, thanks," Tonks said, a little caught off guard, her cheeks turning pink. It was obvious from the look on her face that she had expected Hermione to join in the teasing joke and counter her as she had done in the morning. Hermione walked up to her and placed the cue on the pool table. She tried to conquer her nervousness and thought feverishly about how to keep the situation from becoming awkward. She couldn't think of anything good to say, so she reached out and stroked Tonks' short pink hair.
"WHAT AM I DOING?" she screamed into her head, trying to salvage the situation somehow. "Is that your natural hair colour?" she asked with a serious face, and a moment later joined in Tonks' roaring laughter. She took heart and forced herself to regain her usual composure. She used their cheerfulness to close the distance between her and Tonks. "You haven't shown me your whole flat yet," she said, looking up at Tonks, who was half a head taller than her and now standing inches away from her.
"Why do you want to see my bedroom?" asked Tonks with a mischievous smile. Hermione was briefly tempted to read her feelings and thoughts to make sure, but she decided to listen to her intuition.
"There are several reasons."
"Okay," Tonks said softly and Hermione smiled at her before closing her eyes. A pleasant tingling spread across her face as Tonks' lips met hers and kissed her demandingly. They were both breathing heavily and Hermione was electrified by Tonks' demanding nature. She pressed her body against the young witch and moaned softly as she nibbled her lower lip lightly with her teeth and tugged on it. Tonks sat down on the edge of the billiards table and pulled Hermione between her legs where they continued to kiss.
"Stairs," Tonks said tersely and Hermione reached out with an innocent look to be led. It felt good to hand over the lead to the confident young woman. Tonks took her hand and led her up a small spiral staircase to a simple bedroom with only a bedside cabinet beside the large bed.
"Do you like it?" asked Tonks and Hermione nodded. She let out a surprised sound as Tonks pushed her onto the soft bed and a moment later sank back into a kiss with her. Tonks also moaned softly and gently tapped her tongue against Hermione's lips. She willingly let the young witch have her way and buried her hands in Tonks' short hair.
"Do you like it?" asked Hermione this time and Tonks purred softly as she nodded with a smile, sending a wave of pleasure through Hermione's body. She let Tonks' hands do as they gripped the hem of her shirt and lifted her arms to allow Tonks to remove her top.
"It's getting better and better," Tonks said, covering Hermione's stomach with kisses. It excited Hermione that Tonks was taking what she wanted and was gentle and loving at the same time. A moment later Hermione was free of her bra too and moaned as Tonks' soft lips touched her breasts. Hermione pulled her to her and they melted again in an intense kiss that sent light shivers through Hermione's body.
She tugged on Tonks' t-shirt, freeing her upper body. Like most witches who had grown up in wizarding society, Tonks wasn't wearing a bra. She gently stroked her soft skin, which contracted slightly at the touch. She looked into Tonks' face again and felt her nervousness return as she felt a desire arise within her.
"Tonks?" asked Hermione gently as the young witch was about to turn her attention back to her breasts.
"Is something wrong, sweetie?" asked Tonks. Hermione nodded with a smile and took heart.
"You really are incredibly pretty, but can you do me a favour?" she asked, recognising immediately from Tonks' eyes that she had hit a nerve with her wording. That was exactly what she had wanted to avoid. Tonks glanced to the side, avoiding her gaze. It was obvious that she was not as comfortable as she had been before and Hermione immediately sat up underneath her. She put her hand on Tonks' cheek and applied light pressure to get her to turn her head again and look her in the eye. "Hey, listen to me. That's not what I meant. I wanted to ask you if you could show me what you look like when you're not changing to please others. The way you were born and the way you feel most comfortable."
"You... you really want to see that?" asked Tonks in astonishment and Hermione nodded with a smile.
"You look really hot like this, but I can tell you're hiding behind your changed body."
"Are you sure?" asked Tonks, and it nearly brought tears to Hermione's eyes when she saw the uncertainty in the eyes of the woman who had been so confident a moment ago.
"I want to be with you as you really are," she said, giving Tonks a small kiss on the nose. She nodded after another shy look and Hermione watched in fascination as the body above her changed. The change started with her breasts, which shrank a little. Her curves also became a little straighter, but Hermione was amazed when she looked up into Tonks' face. Her face didn't really change, only her features had become much more girlish and she looked at least five years younger. A gasp escaped Hermione when she saw Tonks' final transformation.
"Oh my God!" she cried, knocking Tonks over so that she was now lying under Hermione, looking at her fearfully with her now brown doe eyes. " You've got freckles! That's the cutest thing I've ever seen and you hide that from me? Are you insane?" exclaimed Hermione. Tonks looked back and forth between her eyes as if searching for the lie behind Hermione's words. "You're gorgeous," she added firmly, kissing the young woman beneath her, who had become even more attractive in her eyes, but she sensed that something was wrong. Tonks' lips were trembling and when Hermione lifted her head, she could see tears streaming down the left and right sides of Tonks' face.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed and Hermione shook her head. She lay down beside her and pulled her close. She hugged Tonks, who had rested her head on Hermione's shoulder. She was crying very softly, but Hermione could feel the warm tears on her chest. She gently stroked her back, enjoying the physical closeness as she whispered soft words of encouragement to her. She enjoyed the physical contact and closed her eyes. She hadn't wanted to upset Tonks like this, but her desire to know the real Tonks had been too strong. She wondered if she had been tactless. Should she have just left Tonks in her comfort zone? Had she crossed a line with the young witch?
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I messed everything up," Tonks said after a while, during which only their soft breathing and soft sobs from Tonks had been heard in the room.
"Nonsense, you were really brave," Hermione said, stroking her cheek with the back of her hand. Tonks turned and sat up. Hermione let the new sight sink in and smiled.
"It's just, everyone else has always..." she said, her voice breaking.
"Always just told you what they wanted to change about you to please them?" asked Hermione, who, even without her powers, thought she recognised the reason for Tonks' emotional outburst. Tonks looked her in the eye and nodded.
"Yeah, I mean, it also felt good when someone got really turned on by you, but it was just never me. You really surprised me with that. Actually, you've been doing so all day, if I'm honest," Tonks said, taking a deep breath.
"I hope in a good way."
"Are you kidding? Of course in a good way! Look at you, the youngest O.W.L. graduate in centuries and then with absolute top marks. The absolute coolest girl I've met in a long time and you look ridiculously delicious. This isn't the first time tonight I've wondered if I'm dreaming."
While it wasn't the first time Hermione had received such compliments, she was more than flattered and felt her face grow hot.
"Oh God, that reminds me, when do you have to be home? Do your parents know you're here?" asked Tonks, glancing over her shoulder at the clock above the door. Hermione raised an eyebrow, momentarily unsure if Tonks was trying to kick her out.
"I've packed sleeping clothes. We have all night. If you want, of course."
"Wow, someone knows what she wants," Tonks said in surprise. Hermione sat up as well and looked at her questioningly. "That's really hot," Tonks said, pushing Hermione back onto the bed where they sank into a long, soft kiss that made her doubts disappear.
"So you really want me like this? This would be your chance to make a wish. No false modesty," Tonks said and Hermione shook her head.
"I want you, nothing else," she said, cupping Tonks' breasts with her hands. She massaged them gently and felt arousal flare up in her body again as Tonks moaned softly and closed her eyes. Tonks seemed to feel the same way too, for she opened her eyes and looked down at Hermione with a demanding gaze. Something in her gleaming eyes made Hermione feel the need to be led by the young witch again. "Take me," Hermione said, biting her lower lip as she saw that this flipped a switch in Tonks.
"Oh my God!" she growled, grinning, and grabbed Hermione's hands, which were still massaging Tonks' breasts. She slumped forward and pressed Hermione's forearms firmly above her head on the mattress. A comforting shiver ran through Hermione's body and her pelvis trembled slightly. Tonks watched her with bright eyes and her confidence seemed to have returned entirely. "Are you going to be a good girl?" asked Tonks and Hermione nodded breathlessly. She felt her skin tighten on her torso, forming goosebumps. "Oh, you like that, hmm?" asked Tonks, lowering her head to kiss Hermione's chest while still pressing her arms into the soft mattress above her head.
"Yes," Hermione moaned, shivering as Tonks licked her breast with her tongue. She arched her upper body to experience more of that electrifying touch, but Tonks clicked her tongue reprovingly as if Hermione had been naughty.
"Oh no, you'll have to ask for it, I'm afraid," she said, grinning mischievously at Hermione. Hermione groaned as Tonks nimbly parted her legs with her feet and pressed Hermione's calves firmly onto the mattress as well. There was now no escape and an electrifying shiver ran through Hermione's entire body.
"Please," she pleaded, closing her eyes as Tonks gripped Hermione's forearms a little tighter. She shivered and was completely overwhelmed by the lust that the dominant Tonks aroused in her. She shuddered as she felt her warm breath on her neck and closed her eyes. Terribly slowly, Tonks kissed her neck and Hermione sensed that she was enjoying making her squirm. She repeated her request and was rewarded with a tender nibble on her breasts.
"Leave them nice and still," Tonks said as she let go of Hermione's arms to massage her breasts. She obeyed her without reluctance, moaning softly as Tonks' hands moved lower and lower. Her eyes snapped open as she felt something cold at the level of her belly button and realised that Tonks was holding her wand and gently running it over Hermione's skin. A shiver ran through her as she felt her jeans give way with a ripping sound and fall off her. Tonks must have also cut her underwear with the spell because Hermione felt her fingers gently caressing the skin of her pelvis a moment later.
"You're so beautiful," Tonks said, pausing for a moment to take in Hermione's body. Hermione reared back again and grinned as Tonks reprimanded her with a raised finger. "Beautiful, but naughty. I'm not sure you deserve all the things I want to do to you yet."
"Oh please, Tonks! Please take me," she moaned, trembling slightly as Tonks applied a little more pressure to her legs trapped beneath her. Tonks purred and Hermione exhaled sharply as suddenly the weight was lifted from her body and she felt Tonks' hot breath between her legs. Her pelvis trembled violently as the warm tongue ran over the centre of her body and she could feel that she was not far from her climax. Tonks clutched her thighs and pulled her onto her mouth, causing Hermione to let out a long drawn-out moan. It didn't take long for her to reach the edge.
"May I come? Please!" pleaded Hermione, and she heard Tonks herself become so aroused by her request that she gave a muffled moan.
"I'll allow it, for once," she said and Hermione could see the pretty grin on her face in front of her despite her closed eyes. It took Tonks only a few more movements of her tongue to carry Hermione over the edge, watching her lustfully as she shuddered so violently that she had to hold her down. Strong waves of wonderful tingling spread from her pelvis and travelled to the tips of her hair. She was breathless for several seconds and it took what felt like an eternity for the intense waves to subside and her pelvis to calm down.
"Wow," she heard Tonks' voice muffled against her left ear and she opened her eyes. The light from the bedside lamp beside Tonks' bed blinded her slightly, but she smiled as she looked into Tonks' bright eyes. "That was intense, would you like some juice or a glass of water?" asked Tonks and Hermione giggled.
"Juice would be great," she said and exhaled in relief. Tonks again fished her wand from the bedside table and waved it, whereupon two glasses of orange juice appeared. Hermione gulped the juice down greedily and dropped onto the mattress, exhausted.
"Are you all right?" asked Tonks, and Hermione giggled at the worried tone in her voice. She nodded and propped herself up on her elbows.
"More than alright, that was amazing!" said Hermione, sighing as Tonks gently pushed her down onto the mattress and a moment later rested her head on Hermione's shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered and Tonks giggled. She was about to sit up to attend to Tonks when she took her hand and gently placed it back on the bed.
"Relax. You said earlier we had all night," Tonks said, gently kissing the skin where her cheek had been a moment ago.
"Okay," Hermione laughed, nuzzling through Tonks's pink hair. "That was really hot," she said, wincing as Tonks gently pinched one of her over-stimulated nipples.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it too, you look really hot when you come," Tonks said. "That was the first time anyone had ever given themselves to me like that."
"You saw what you did to me, didn't you?"
"Oh yes. Thank you so much, Hermione!"
"For what?"
"For wanting me the way I am without magical change."
"I still want you exactly like that! I can't wait to kiss every single freckle on your body," Hermione replied, sitting up.
"That sounds good," Tonks breathed and Hermione giggled when she saw the shy look on her face. It was obvious from her face that she was still unsure of her natural body, even though she claimed otherwise. She gently stroked Tonks' face and neck as she made a mental connection with her. She knew now that Tonks had enjoyed dominating her, but she didn't yet know how she wanted to be treated herself.
She began to cover Tonks' cheeks with soft kisses, inching her way forward. When she reached her earlobe, she nibbled on it lightly and grinned when she felt Tonks getting aroused by it. So she had found the first erogenous zone. She let her hand wander over Tonks' breasts while she continued to stay at her ear.
"How does that feel?" she breathed into Tonks' ear, sending another wave of pleasure through her body. Tonks sighed and bit her lower lip. It was such an arousing sight that desire rose in Hermione again too, but she wanted to take care of Tonks now.
"So you like that as much as commanding me? When I whisper in your ear?" breathed Hermione and smiled when Tonks nodded with her eyes closed and sighed softly. "Then how about I look at what you've been hiding from me so far? Run my hand along your flat stomach?"
Tonks moaned softly as Hermione did exactly as she whispered in her ear. She nibbled lightly on Tonks' earlobe once more and let her hand wander lower. Hermione enjoyed being in control in such a gentle way. She undid the button of Tonks's jeans and took as long as she could with the zip. With each click of the zip, she could feel the arousal rising in Tonks.
"How about a little massage? Do you have any oil?" asked Hermione, enjoying the slow pace and wanting to hold on for a bit longer. Tonks seemed to like the suggestion as well, for she smiled and nodded. She pointed to the bedside table. Hermione stood up and removed Tonks's jeans first before walking over to the bedside cabinet and opening the small door. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when she caught sight of the collection of sex toys.
"Wow, you naughty girl," Hermione said, smiling at Tonks, who grinned cheekily at her and shrugged. Hermione found the massage oil and with a circular motion of her hand commanded Tonks to turn onto her stomach. After turning around, Tonks rested her head on her arms and Hermione sat on her bottom. Tonks gasped softly as the cold oil covered her back.
From Tonks' feelings, she could quickly guess how much pressure she needed to massage with. She worked her way from her shoulder blades lower and lower down her spine as Tonks sighed softly. She leaned forward and gently kissed the back of her neck, whereupon the fine hairs on it stood up and Hermione was pushed upwards by Tonks's bum.
"Do you want me to massage your sweet little butt?"
"Yes, please!" replied Tonks, lifting her pelvis again. Hermione slid back a little and sat on her thighs.
"You really do have a beautiful butt," she said, giving her a pat on it that made Tonks whimper softly. She stroked the area, which had turned slightly red, sending goosebumps down Tonks' body.
"Oh, you like that!" said Hermione and repeated it on Tonks' other cheek, a little harder this time. Again Tonks whimpered lustfully and trembled slightly as Hermione stroked the spot where her hand had hit her bottom. Sensing that this was the limit of pain for Tonks, she continued to gently stroke her bum and began to massage her thighs.
She could feel Tonks' arousal slowly but surely rising to the point where her whole body was begging to be touched by Hermione's hands. She dropped back down beside Tonks and turned her onto her back.
"That was really nice," Tonks said, pulling Hermione into a passionate kiss.
"Oh yes, but we're far from finished. I can feel your body demanding my touch. How a gentle caress makes you tremble," she whispered in Tonks' ear, watching with satisfaction as she squirmed under the gentle touch of her fingers. "I'd really like to know how much more I can increase your pleasure by teasing you further with sweet words and gentle touches," she breathed as her finger traced circles over Tonks' belly button.
"Please!" pleaded Tonks, moaning loudly as Hermione immediately buried her hand between her legs and began to massage her.
"Do you like that? Oh yes, I can see that. Would be a real shame if I stopped again, hmm?" whispered Hermione, removing her hand again to gently caress her breasts. Tonks's pelvis quivered and she grabbed Hermione's hand to pull it back between her legs. Hermione giggled and allowed herself to be persuaded. They melted into a passionate kiss and Hermione disconnected mentally as she could feel Tonks getting closer and closer to her climax.
Again and again, she stopped in her tracks, causing Tonks to tremble more and more violently. She nibbled lightly on her earlobe again and sped up the movement of her hand, making Tonks groan loudly. She was shaken by her orgasm and Hermione smiled as she watched Tonks climax. She gently stroked her stomach until Tonks's breathing slowed and she relaxed, crossing her arms behind her head.
"That was amazing, Hermione!"
"You're so sexy," Hermione breathed in Tonks' ear, making her shiver again.
"God, you have to give me a break, I can't take it otherwise," Tonks said and Hermione giggled.
"Only if you mix me another cocktail."
"A terrific idea!" exclaimed Tonks, leading Hermione by the hand down the stairs as they were. It felt new and unfamiliar to be so free and open with another person in a flat, but she quickly got used to it and enjoyed the company of Tonks, who seemed more liberated than before. The jukebox was still playing and Hermione settled herself on the bar stool. A pleasant shiver ran down her spine as her bare skin touched the leather cover of the stool.
"You've been a good girl, I'll let you have another small shot in your drink if you like," Tonks said and Hermione nodded with a grin. She giggled as Tonks teasingly jiggled her breasts while shaking the cocktail.
"I like what I see," she said and Tonks turned slightly pink around the tip of her nose as she looked shyly at Hermione. She came around the bar and sat down across from Hermione on one of the bar stools. "Is that so hard for you to believe?" asked Hermione, sipping her cocktail, which tasted of lime.
"Well, a bit. Don't get me wrong, I don't think you're lying, but I've had different experiences so far. Most men have dated me only to have slept with a Metamorphmaga once," Tonks replied, looking a little sad.
"I can imagine that. To be honest, the idea that you can grant my every wish is hot, but it's much more important to me that I'm here with you and not some image of my imagination. And you really have nothing to hide."
"Thank you for your honesty, Hermione. You really blow my mind."
"I can only return that! That was my first date and you were really sweet to me!"
"Really? You seem much more experienced. That definitely wasn't your first time with a woman though!"
"True," Hermione replied, giggling. "So you like men and women?"
"Well spotted!"
"I'm not the first woman you've slept with either, am I? Did they all want you to change for them too?"
"You're the first witch. I dated a Muggle woman for a while, of course, I wasn't allowed to tell her. So I had to stay the way she met me. So far, I haven't met any witch my age who is interested in women, apart from you. And until just before, I wasn't quite sure if you were interested in me either."
"I was also unsure if you didn't just invite me to hang out. I was really nervous and I specifically hid my bag so I wouldn't seem like I thought this was a date and expected to sleep over."
"That's really sweet. But now it's definitely a date! Cheers," Tonks said and the two clinked glasses laughing. "Are you sure you're not a Metamorphmaga too? You look so good."
"Oh come on!" said Hermione sheepishly, unable to stop herself from blushing. Tonks winked and demonstratively let her gaze wander over Hermione's body.
"Okay, you want the proof? Here," she said, reaching behind her head to untie her braid and shaking her head to free her hair. She combed her fingers through her unruly hair a few times to present Tonks with her open hair.
"Wow, what a mane! But you still look forbiddenly sexy! I wouldn't mind messing your hair up even more," she said, biting her lower lip, which set off another slight tingle in Hermione's stomach.
"I haven't kissed every freckle on your body yet either," Hermione replied, playing along with the lascivious game.
"You're absolutely right," Tonks said, slowly leaning forward. Hermione closed her eyes and again her stomach tingled as Tonks' soft lips kissed her invitingly. She got goosebumps as Tonks stroked her hip and thigh with her hand cold from the cocktail. She placed a hand on Tonks' cheek and pulled her even closer, ending in a fierce kiss. Hermione whimpered slightly as Tonks bit her lower lip and pulled on it.
"Bed," Hermione said, pulling Tonks by the hand towards the stairs.
Hermione woke up the next morning well rested and relaxed by her trance and without nightmares. She smiled when she saw Tonks beside her, sleeping with her mouth open and all fours stretched out from her. It looked like not even an earthquake could wake her. Hermione decided to put a Silencio on herself anyway, to minimise the risk.
She crept down the stairs and took a look inside Tonks' fridge, which was bulging with everything she needed for a hearty breakfast. She set to work immediately and a quarter of an hour later she came up to Tonks with two plates and cutlery, who hadn't moved an inch and was still slumbering peacefully. Hermione giggled and waved her hand over the plate, bringing the smell of fried egg with bacon closer to Tonks. A few moments later, Hermione burst out laughing as Tonks abruptly opened her eyes and sat up.
"Good morning," she said, placing the plate and a cup of tea in her hand.
"Holy Hufflepuff! You're amazing!" exclaimed Tonks and the two of them hungrily devoured their breakfast.
"Aren't you on duty today?" asked Hermione as the two of them had slumped back into the pillows, gazing into each other's eyes after Tonks had waved her wand to make the crumbs disappear from the bedspread.
"Yes I do, but not until tonight. Night shift" Tonks explained. Hermione's heart began to beat faster as she gathered the courage to have the conversation that had been inevitable since she had woken up.
"Hey, um..." she began, feeling terribly green from being so nervous. "It was really great."
"Oh yeah! You gave me so much security and confidence. I've never been able to let myself go like that before, thank you, Hermione," Tonks said, giggling as she caught sight of Hermione's apparent panic. "If you ever want to hang out again, my door is always open to you when I'm not in a relationship."
"Oh. I'd love to," Hermione replied, relieved that Tonks had made it clear that she didn't want more from Hermione. "I'm really glad you said that."
"Don't get me wrong, you're definitely marriage material, but that would never work if you were still going to Hogwarts and not of age yet. I'm just starting out in my career and I like my life the way it is right now. I'd really like it if we could see each other more often, though, whether we end up in bed or not."
"Thank you, Tonks," Hermione said, unable to stop herself from blushing at the compliment. She rolled to the side and rested her head on Tonks' chest. She giggled as Tonks grew her breasts. "That feels fantastic," she said, snuggling down on the large boob.
"Another satisfied customer," Tonks said and they both laughed. Hermione played a little with her other breast and giggled when Tonks moaned softly. "Don't start anything you don't want to continue," Tonks said, exhaling sharply as Hermione pinched her nipple gently.
"Don't worry," Hermione said with a smile.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well and that you liked this Chapter!
Also thank you to all the people that already left reviews, favourites and follows, it really means a lot!
See you next time!
Kasing