Author's Note:
Hello! I'm back again. Sorry that my posting schedule has been so sporadic, and am afraid that I can't promise that will change in the near future. I've had several deaths in the family this year and a few life changes. I have been writing though, every chance I get, and I love every minute of it. This chapter, especially, has been a joy to write. It was becoming a monster though, so I decided to break it up. This way you won't have to wait even longer as I meandered through the evening. :)
One more thing- I absolutely need to shout out Amyliozora on AO3. I will never not think of Harry and Hermione in this story as a "couple of adorable kinky dorks" from now on. What a perfect description of them. 3
*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*
"Did we do something wrong?" Harry whispered to Hermione as they sat for Sunday dinner at the Burrow. Everyone was unusually quiet, and it was making him nervous.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, of course not," she replied before passing the potatoes down the table.
He didn't find that very reassuring when he could practically feel the tension in the room.
Next to him, Neville whispered, "It's not you, mate. They were like that when I got here."
Harry leaned in. "So, what's going on?"
"No clue," he answered. "Luna told me that she suspected there was a potential addition to the family. I asked who was having a baby, and she just laughed then wandered off to talk to Charlie."
"Ok," the other wizard responded thoughtfully. "Well, that could mean anything. Maybe she meant…"
Hermione elbowed Harry. "Stop it. You two can gossip later, alone. When the people you're talking about can't actually hear you," she admonished.
The boys looked up to see most at the table staring at them. Neville instantly went pink and looked down. Harry was quick to apologize. "I-I'm s-sorry….I didn't mean to…."
"Course you did, Harry," George said with a devious grin. On the other side of Neville, he'd heard the entire exchange. He slung an arm over the young man next to him. "You two seem to have a lot of questions. Want to ask them now?"
"Not particularly," he replied hoping George wasn't in a mood for mischief.
"Really?" he challenged, watching the two squirm with glee, tired of everyone scowling and moping. Besides, better out than in, as they say. "because just a moment ago you were chatting like little school girls….."
"May I be excused," Neville, now beet red, said trying to stand.
"No, you may not," George replied jovially as he kept the other man in his seat.
"George," Ginny said in warning.
"Yes, my dearest and onliest sister," he said innocently.
"Oh! We can't hide from it," Molly wailed. "Ginny is seeing someone and has chosen to hide him from us. She's ashamed of us and doesn't want him to meet the family," she cried.
"Mum!" Ginny protested.
Arthur patted his wife's hand. "Now, Molly, Ginny is a grown woman. She's allowed to have privacy, and you know how the press hounds her…" He attempted to soothe.
"We aren't the press, Arthur. We're her family, and she's hiding her life from us," she argued.
Ginny rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "I'm here every fucking Sunday," she grumbled.
Harry sat shocked at the commotion he'd inadvertently started. He looked over to his girlfriend who wore an annoyed frown. "Did you know anything about this?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered.
Surprised, Harry added, "Who is he?"
"I don't know." she replied, raising her voice. "And it's none of my business, and it isn't any of yours either."
Molly opened her mouth to respond, but Bill cut her off. "Hermione is right, Mum. Ginny is an adult, and who she sees is her own business. As long as she's safe…." He looked over to his sister in question, and she nodded her affirmation. "Then it is her decision when or if she wants to introduce them to us." He finished calmly.
"Bill's right, love," Arthur said. "She's not hiding from you. She's right there."
"It's true, Molly," Fleur added gently. "Sometimes ze young 'omen need a little time to figure zings out for zemselves. Surely you remember, Molly. It 'asn't been zat long since you were zat young."
The matriarch took a deep breath. "Of course, of course, Fluer, dear," she said calming herself. "No, it really wasn't that long ago."
Arthur smiled at his wife and brought her hand up for a kiss. "I remember you also took your time introducing me to your family, Mollywobbles."
His wife giggled at his cheek. "Oh, I was just afraid of my brothers. You know how they could be," she said leaning in for a quick kiss.
"Get a room!" George called out and the room erupted in laughter. When it had died down, conversations started around the table of Quidditch, work and the weather and everyone tucked into a wonderful meal.
*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*
Ginny flopped down on the couch next to Hermione and put her head on her friend's shoulder. "So how did this happen?" the brunet asked.
Ginny sighed. "Ron was asking me about who I'd been going out with so much lately, and Mum overheard."
"Want me to beat him up?" Hermione asked.
The ginger laughed. "No, I'll take care of that later when we get home." She looked up at her friend. "Are you and Harry available Tuesday night?" she asked.
The witch thought for a moment and couldn't think of anything either of them had planned. "Yeah, I think so."
"Mind going on a double date with me," she asked timidly.
"Oh," Hermione said surprised. "And this is the one that you told me about…" The ginger nodded. "It's that serious?" another nod. "And you want us…?" she nodded again. "So are you going to tell me their na….." Ginny shook her head.
"Ooookaaayyyy" the other witch responded.
"I just don't want you to come into it with any…bias," she explained.
Hermione frowned. "You are okay aren't you?" she asked with concern.
"Yes, of course, I am. Will you just trust me on this. I would just feel more comfortable if we just started with a fresh slate."
"Of course, I trust you," she declared. "We'll be there, but you owe me so many details after this," she said with a cheeky grin causing them both to giggle.
*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*
"You said this was casual," Harry said as they made their way to a muggle restaurant to meet Ginny.
"You look perfect," Hermione assured him.
"Yes, but you're wearing a dress, and I'm wearing denims," he responded nervously.
"Harry, this is just a sundress. It is casual," she assured him.
"Okay, but you see, you look stunning in that dress, and I look like a guy who could be stalking you."
Hermione stopped and faced her boyfriend, blushing. "You look stunning, Harry. Have I ever told you how fit you look in those denims, and I can tell you that I'm not the only person that has admired that fine arse of yours tonight," she said with a smile. "You look perfect, trust me." Harry gave her a lopsided grin and put his arm around her as they continued on.
"Someone was actually checking out my arse?" Harry asked as they entered the restaurant.
"Several someones," Hermione laughed. They'd just reached the hostess, when they spotted Ginny waving them over. Making a bee line towards her, they both stopped short as her companion stood and turned to face them.
They hadn't seen the Slithyrn in years, but they instantly recognized the pale complexion, severe haircut and impeccable dress.
"Parkinson?" Harry asked incredulously. "Didn't you try to turn me over to Voldemort?"
The woman visibly flinched as Ginny & Hermione's eyebrows shot up in shock.
"Harry!" Hermione hissed elbowing him. The man turned red with embarrassment when what he said finally registered with his brain.
Hermione, trying to recover the night that had hardly even started, extended her hand and said, "Parkinson, it's good to see you again. I hope you've been well."
The other woman took her hand and gave it a small shake. "Well enough," she started, "but I must admit, that I've had better greetings. You look good, Granger, but it would seem that your date still hasn't learned any manners."
Hermione sighed, and Harry looked as if he was hoping for the earth to swallow him. "I'd be offended," the frizzy haired witch said. "If it weren't entirely true."
"How about we sit down?" Ginny quickly interjected, trying to at least get them seated before they drew even more attention to themselves.
Once settled, an uncomfortable silence fell over the table. They each studied the menu fastidiously until a waiter came to take their drink order.
"Thank Merlin," Parkinson muttered before placing her order and slipping him a tip to "hurry back". None seemed to take any offense as they all gratefully ordered as well. They were doubly grateful when their drinks arrived astonishingly fast.
After a few fortifying gulps of his drink, Harry summoned his courage and decided to smooth over his previous gaff. "So, uh, how did, um..how did you two meet?" he asked.
All three women gave him an incredulous look. "Where do you think we met, Harry," Ginny asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh, right, Hogwarts," he answered, realizing that he'd made a fool of himself once more.
"What I think my boyfriend meant to ask is, when did you start dating?" Hermione asked mercifully rescuing Harry.
"About a year ago," Ginny confessed.
"Off and on," Pansy amended.
"Mostly on," Ginny countered with a grin that made Pansy blush ever so slightly.
"Mostly on," the other woman agreed.
"That long?" Hermione asked. "And how did you get together?"
"Oh, remember that thing the team did for Fashion Week in Milan last year?" The frizzy haired witch nodded. "Well, Pans was there to help dress us," she explained.
"Thankfully, I was assigned to her and not her brother," Parkinson added with a shudder.
Hermione laughed. "You certainly dodged a bullet, there. Ron's a nightmare to dress."
"Bullet?" the raven haired witch asked.
"Muggle term," Ginny answered before her friend had the chance to. "It's like saying…uh…, oh, it's like saying, you dodged an Avada."
Parkinson laughed. "See! I told you," she replied to her girlfriend. "And you keep telling me, he's not that bad," she crowed before she leaned in to kiss away Ginny's frown.
The other couple shared a look at the display of affection. While Harry was still a bit confused over the situation, he really was glad that Ginny seemed to be happy. He just wanted to make sure she was alright. It was the least he could do for both her and her family who would undoubtedly grill him after tonight.
"But how did this," the wizard gestured between the two witches sitting across from him. "Happen, like, how did you get together?" he asked still perplexed.
"Well, when two people like each other very much," Ginny started with another roll of her eyes.
"Ginny!" Harry whined. "That wasn't what I meant. I mean, what do you have in common, that sort of thing. I'm just trying to understand."
This time, Pansy rolled her eyes. "What's to understand, Potter? I love Quidditch, and she plays professionally. She loves fashion, and I work in the industry," she replied evenly.
"Is any of your work out?" Hermione asked with interest.
Harry and Pansy both looked at her with disbelief.
"What?" the witch asked. "I was briefly roommates with Ginny, and she may have instilled in me an appreciation of the art form. I just don't see the practicality of it in the day-to-day world," she explained with a shrug.
"No, I don't have anything out. I'm not a designer," she clarified.
"You're selling yourself short," Ginny interjected. "She's apprenticed with several designers, wizarding and muggle, and she's working on creating her own designs, and what I've seen of it is stunning!" she said proudly.
Pansy blushed. "It's all just ideas and sketches at this point," she countered.
"It's bloody brilliant," Ginny replied and leaned in for another kiss.
When Parkinson noticed the other couple watching on and Hermione in particular who wore a sappy grin, she pulled away from the other woman. "So, Granger, what does it feel like to be the only one of your little foursome to have slept with all the others?" she asked casually.
The other women looked shocked at the question. Harry just laughed for a moment until the question fully registered and it occurred to him just who his closest friends actually were. "Wait, you had sex with Ginny?" he asked his girlfriend.
"Yes, and is that a problem?" she asked defiantly.
"No, of course not," he said quickly.
Ginny abruptly jumped to her feet. "Hermione, mind coming to the bathroom with me?" she asked quickly.
The witch in question gave her boyfriend another annoyed look, then got up and followed the redhead.
*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*
The remaining two sat at the table in silence until Parkinson found the courage to break it.
"Sorry about that," she said quietly. "Ginny says that I have a bad habit of lashing out and deflecting when I feel overwhelmed," she confessed. "It's stupid muggle nonsense," she added, then sighed. "I'm working on it."
Harry was quiet for a few moments before saying, "Sorry about bringing up the whole Voldemort thing."
Pansy let out a mirthless laugh. "I deserved that one."
"No, you didn't," Harry replied, but the woman just scoffed.
"Really," Harry added. "You were just a kid in over your head like the rest of us. Listen, you were facing death, both yours and that of all your friends, and all you had to do, is get rid of someone you didn't really like in the first place."
"That's still not an excuse," she responded harshly.
"Parkinson, you should have never been in that situation," he said adamantly. "Let alone felt like you had to make such a terrible decision. So, unless you plan on turning me over to another Dark Lord, then I think we can safely leave this in the past." When he stopped, he realized how uncomfortable the woman seemed. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I came on too strong again, didn't I? Ron's always telling me that. I just get tired of people looking at what we all did as kids like it should determine the rest of our lives. We were all just doing the best we could, with what we had." Harry ran a hand through his hair. "And now I'm rambling. Oh Merlin, I do need to learn manners."
Pansy, having regained her composure said, "You're doing alright, Potter. This was always going to be awkward, but it's honestly not going that bad."
"Parkinson, our dates have left us," the wizard responded.
The woman waved away his concern. "They're just in the bathroom. Ginny has been worried sick about this, and probably snagged your date to see what she thought of me," she said.
"I think you're still doing better than I am," he conceded.
"I don't think Granger's that upset with you," Pansy consoled. "Plus, I know something you could do that would make her forgive you instantly," she said with a coy smile.
"What?" Harry asked eagerly, desperate to salvage the night.
"I'll tell you on one condition," she responded.
"Ok," the wizard said nervously. "What condition is that?"
Parkinson leaned in. "Well, Ginny may have told me just a little about the fun you and Granger have been having. No specifics, mind you, just that you're enjoying yourselves and trying new things," she started. "My condition is, that if your little explorations wander to say, a foursome or swap, that you keep us in mind." Harry's eyebrows shot up and his cheeks reddened. He had not expected the conversation to take this turn. "I'm not asking for a guarantee or commitment or anything like that," she quickly added. "Just that you keep us in mind?"
"Why?" he asked.
The woman shrugged. "I'm curious. Ginny's been with both of you and has given good reviews. You're both fit, you're unpredictable, and she's feisty. It could be fun," she explained.
"Have you talked to Ginny about this," he asked.
"No," she said nonchalantly. "The thought just occurred to me, and I saw an opportunity. Why do you think I didn't ask for that commitment. Ginny would absolutely murder me if I set something like this up without her agreeing to it first. I expect your woman is the same and wouldn't want to take you down with me."
Harry laughed. "What can I say," she said wistfully. "I like feisty women."
"And unpredictable men?" he chuckled.
"Occasionally," she cooed, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously before laughing herself. "So, are we agreed? If it comes up, remember us?" she asked again. "I want to also include that this in no way obligates myself or Ginny to participate in any way, should you choose to approach us," she stipulated.
Harry wasn't quite sure how to react to the Slithyrn. Merlin, he spent too much time with Gryffindors. After realizing he wasn't really giving anything up in this exchange, he accepted the deal.
"So, you think this will actually work?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Based on what I've observed, and what Ginny's told me, it has an…let's say, 87% chance of working," she responded. When he gave her an incredulous look, she added. "Potter, you should never guarantee something to someone when you aren't in control of all the variables."
"Why are you really helping me?" he asked again.
Pansy sighed, exasperated. "Because Ginny will be happy if you and Granger are."
Harry grinned. "That serious, then?" he asked.
The woman rolled her eyes. "So, it would seem."
Harry chuckled. "So, tell me this plan."
*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*
Author's Note:
Part 2 is well underway with a good deal already written and 100% of it planned out. Stay tuned and thank you so much for sticking with me. I swear, you keep me going.