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Pat re on. c om(slash)belleveela(delete spaces)
Harry didn't stick around to meet any of Hermione's roommates that first morning—he wanted to get back home to Sirius. He knew it might sound lame, but he was really attached to that mutt. Besides, he had never been away from him overnight and wanted to make sure his roommate didn't have any issues. So, he declined Hermione's offer to make him breakfast and simply headed home. He needn't have worried.
"Hey, boy," Harry said as Sirius nearly knocked him over at the door to their apartment. He was excited but not frantic, from what Harry could tell. "No trouble?" he asked his roommate, Jake, who emerged from the bedroom rubbing his eyes.
"No trouble," Jake replied, yawning. "What happened to you? Get lucky?"
"It's better than it was," Harry admitted, surprising himself. He wasn't particularly close with Jake, even though they'd shared the same bedroom since Hogwarts. Jake worked from home most of the time, and Harry was out most evenings, so they rarely saw each other except in the mornings. He hadn't told Jake about Hermione, knowing Jake wouldn't really be interested, but here he was asking, so Harry risked a few details. "I ran into someone I hadn't seen in over a year."
"And it turned into a hookup?" Jake perked up significantly. "You dog!" Harry was sure Jake would've punched him in the shoulder if he didn't have to get up and cross the living room. "I had no idea you were a player, Harry," he said with a sly grin.
"I'm not," Harry replied, a bit too defensively. He wasn't sure why Jake jumped to conclusions about Hermione, whose name he hadn't even shared. More than anything, this conversation was just another reminder that he really had nothing in common with Jake or any of his other roommates. "It's not like that."
"Damn, man," Jake said with a shit-eating grin. "Since you moved in, you've been moping about your ex. Are you gonna jump right back into being whipped when you just got free?"
Harry didn't respond.
"Anyway, Dean and Seamus are talking about throwing another party this weekend if you want to take a night off for a change." Harry's roommates were much more social than he was, mainly because they all considered themselves ladies' men. Harry had all the social interaction he needed at his job, so he wasn't thrilled with the news, although he was somewhat intrigued by the idea of taking Hermione to a party.
"I'll think about it." Harry grabbed Sirius's leash and picked it up, looking at Jake. Jake shook his head.
"Sorry, man. I got a bit drunk last night."
"You walked him before you passed out, right?" Harry asked, attaching the leash to Sirius's collar. "You didn't make him wait too long?"
"Yeah, yeah," Jake said, waving his hand. "He was fine. Don't worry, Har."
Harry had asked Jake half a dozen times not to call him Har, but Jake ignored him, so he stopped asking. He checked his watch and realized he had plenty of time before Hermione would probably be in the dog park with her roommate's dog.
Just before Harry closed the door, Jake called out to him. "You can bring your new friend to the party. And see if she has any friends. We're always interested in fresh meat." He laughed as Harry slammed the door.
For the rest of the week, Harry and Hermione didn't have much free time to spend together outside of the dog park. Harry worked late at the Underground every evening, and Hermione seemed reluctant to come to the bar alone, so they were content with meeting up as they had last year—sitting on a bench and watching their dogs run around the fenced area.
Harry couldn't tell if he waited until Thursday to invite Hermione to the party in hopes that she wouldn't be able to attend, but he had a feeling that was the case. He almost apologized for waiting so long but managed not to come off as a complete idiot. If Hermione was suspicious, she didn't show it. More surprisingly, she accepted the invitation enthusiastically.
"I'd love to come," she said, snuggling against his arm. "Is there anything I can do or bring?"
Suddenly it dawned on Harry what he had been subconsciously aiming for—he wanted to wait until the last minute so she could invite her roommates, and they would almost certainly decline. He wasn't eager to meet them.
"They probably won't be able to make it," Hermione said when he suggested it. "They're always so busy."
"Well, don't hesitate to bring them if they turn out to be available."
It turned out they were available.
The party was in full swing in Harry's apartment and the one across the hall when Hermione arrived, fashionably late, as she put it. He was excited to see her dressed up, something he wasn't even used to. She wore a black dress, sprinkled with sequins and looking expensive as hell—it left her shoulders completely bare but had long sleeves that were somehow attached but barely. The dress was short, almost scandalously so, which he hadn't expected but very much appreciated. She also wore red high heels that must have added at least three inches, maybe four, and they looked amazing too. Harry told her so when he saw her at the door.
"I wasn't sure if you'd like it, but Tracey and Fleur convinced me to wear something sexy." She touched his arm and leaned in to kiss his cheek, then wiped it with her thumb. "Oops," she added with a giggle. "They also made me wear lipstick. Sorry." Harry stared at her in admiration—she looked stunning.
"Where are your roommates?" he asked, a bit too quickly in hindsight, as he saw the sadness in Hermione's eyes as soon as he did.
"They're on their way," she replied defensively. "They wanted me to make an entrance for you."
"Well then, by all means," he said, offering his arm. "Let's make an entrance." He led her into the noisy living room and was more than pleased when heads turned to look at her. How could they not, he thought—she looked incredible.
"Harry, you old dog!" Jake shouted as soon as he saw them. "Who the fuck is this?" Harry winced at his crude language, but Hermione seemed to take it in stride, squeezing his arm and looking up at him with a shy smile. "And what the fuck is she doing with a loser like you?" No wonder Jake was already slurring his words. "Hey, Seamus! Check out Harry's new hottie!"
Seamus, one of Harry's other roommates, came running into the living room from the small kitchen where he was mixing drinks. The music pounded in Harry's ears, but Seamus apparently had no problem hearing Jake's comment.
"Fuck, Hawy. What the hell?" Jake practically shouted to be heard over the thumping beat of some generic EDM, their favorite, which Harry couldn't stand, but it wasn't his sound system, so he was always outvoted. "How did you convince this stunning woman to spend time with you?"
Harry glanced at Hermione, and although she smiled, he could see it was forced. When she looked at him with those sad, beautiful eyes, he felt an overwhelming urge to pull her out of the room, but not before punching Jake and Seamus in the face. Of course, he didn't.
"Come on, guys. Lighten up, will you?" he asked in a hoarse voice, hoping no one heard. Hermione just clung to his arm and said nothing until Seamus offered her a drink. She asked for a glass of white wine.
"Wine? We've got beer and schnapps, sweetheart," Seamus said with an annoying laugh. Then he turned to Harry. "Where'd you find her, Hawy? At work?" He laughed again before turning back to the kitchen, while Jake detached Hermione from Harry's arm.
"Dance with me, gorgeous," Jake said, pulling her into the circle of people swaying to the music, if you could call it that.
Suddenly, someone cut the sound system, to the collective dismay of the dancers, until everyone turned to the front door, where two women stood looking in from the hallway.
Two stunning women, tall and completely out of place at a twenty-something party, one where even Harry felt out of his element.
"Hey," Hermione called out, rushing away from Jake towards the women.
"What the fuck?" Jake called after her, but he fell silent when he saw the women. "Holy shit," he whispered, which Harry could now hear because the place had suddenly gone as quiet as a church.
"Hermione, girl," the brunette said, reaching for Hermione's hand. Hermione hugged them both, wrapping her arms around their necks, even on her tiptoes in heels, as the women towered over her. "I'm so glad to see you," Hermione said clearly, and the entire room watched her without making a sound. The blonde, shorter than the brunette but taller than Hermione, looked around with a disdainful expression, leaving no doubt about what she thought of Harry's humble apartment and everyone in it.
"Which one is yours, Bette?" the blonde finally asked, and Hermione turned towards Harry. She reached for him, and he timidly walked over.
"This is Harry," she said with a mixture of pride and embarrassment that he completely understood. He felt like he was being judged and wasn't handling it well, though the brunette seemed less imperious than the blonde. "And these are Tracey Davis and Fleur Delacour," Hermione said, introducing her roommates to Harry. He extended his hand to shake theirs, but only Tracey took it—Fleur continued to survey the room with a grim expression.
"Beer or whiskey, ladies?" Jake said with a slur and a grin, stumbling through the living room towards them. "We also have Jack and Coke."
The blonde glanced at the brunette before turning back to Jake. "I'll need a double." She didn't seem to be joking, and Jake rushed back to the kitchen, while Seamus took his place, staring at the brunette.
"Haven't I seen you before?" he said, his eyes roaming over her. "No, seriously. You look really familiar."
"Tracey is a model for several local Muggle department store catalogs," Hermione explained. Seamus looked at her and laughed.
"Seriously? They still print catalogs these days?" At that moment, the music came back on, and Seamus pulled Tracey into the crowd of people dancing again. Surprisingly, she allowed it, but not before giving the blonde a glance.
"They make a lovely couple," the blonde said in a tone so sarcastic that Harry had to look at Hermione to make sure she wasn't taking it too seriously. But she gave him a look that surprised him—she was smiling. He glanced at the blonde, who frowned, then shrugged and took her drink in a red Solo cup from the returning Jake.
"Come on," she said, dragging him onto the dance floor, and he gave Harry a look as if he'd just won the lottery.
Harry pulled Hermione to the side. "I'm confused. I thought you said your roommates were lesbians."
She looked at him as if he had two heads. "I never said that." She looked back at the dancers. "They're bi." She nodded towards them, and when Harry looked, he was shocked to see the brunette making out with Seamus as they danced. They weren't doing it too aggressively—more like teasing him, and he was playing along.
Harry should have mentioned earlier that the brunette, Tracey, was stunning in a Latina way, with bedroom eyes, luscious lips, and long dark hair. She was dressed to attract everyone's attention, which she did—her skirt was impossibly short, showing off her long, shapely legs to incredible effect. But it was her top that was truly eye-catching. She wore a red halter top that barely covered her ample breasts but showed all kinds of side boob and cleavage. How she managed to keep her erect nipples covered was beyond Harry. If he had to guess, he'd say it was taped on somehow. Even as she moved across the dance floor, he knew every man in the room was checking her out—some discreetly, others not so much, trying to get a glimpse of what lay beneath the thin layer of fabric.
Suddenly, it hit Harry that he was one of those men. He looked at Hermione with concern and saw what he dreaded. She was looking at him with those sad eyes, as if he'd betrayed her. She quickly looked away when she saw him looking, but Harry knew he'd messed up. He reached for her hand, and she allowed him to take it, which surprised him, as any of his previous girlfriends would have slapped his hand away and stormed out of the apartment in fury. Hermione simply let him hold her hand. He pulled her close and apologized. She responded with a sad smile.
"It's okay, Harry. I know she's beautiful. They both are."
They both are. In those three words, Hermione told him more than he realized about herself, her relationships with her roommates, and the struggles she must go through every day and for years since they moved in. "I'm not interested in them, Hermione," he whispered, and she looked at him again with a hint of gratitude. "I'm here with you." He leaned in to kiss her, and she allowed it, surprising him again but also giving him immense pleasure.
"So your roommates also like men?" he asked as they came up for air.
"Oh, yes," Hermione said with a knowing look. "Very much." Harry glanced at the blonde and was once again surprised by what he saw. She was dancing with Jake, eyes closed and arms above her head, while he wrapped his arms around her waist. Harry expected her to push him away any moment, but she didn't. He was grinding his body into hers, and from what Harry could tell, she was enjoying it. Talk about shattering his preconceptions about who she was.
"How old is she?" Harry asked Hermione, nodding towards the blonde.
"Fleur? She's thirty. Why?"
"No reason," Harry said as nonchalantly as he could manage. "No boyfriends?"
"None that lasted more than a week or two." Hermione looked at him with a furrowed brow, and he had to laugh.
"So she's like a cougar or something?"
"I guess you could say that. Both of them." She nodded towards Tracey, who was once again kissing Seamus.
"Should I warn them?" Harry asked, not taking his eyes off the scene unfolding in their apartment. He wasn't the only one watching them closely.
"Would it make a difference?" He looked back at Hermione, but she was also staring at Tracey and his roommates. "No, probably not. Do they do this often?"
"All the time," she said in a resigned tone.
"It bothers you, doesn't it?" he asked, and she looked slightly surprised.
"Yeah, I guess it does."
"Why?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. I guess because it feels like they're using the guys." She kept her eyes on the two couples dancing suggestively in the living room.
"They like breaking hearts, is that it?"
"Bingo."
Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ,11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 are already on Pa tr eon
If you would like to read the next chapters faster, see exclusive content, or support my work, please visit
Pat re on. c om(slash)belleveela(delete spaces)