CW: (Mildly) Explicit Sexual Activities
CW: Explicit Language

"You can't wear trousers."

Hermione tossed the three pairs of trousers in her hands onto the bed. Parvati flung open the doors of Hermione's wardrobe and insisted,

"We need to work backward. What is the goal for this date?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"What do you want from it? Is the goal a second date, is it sex, is it to be seen with yet another bloke for the Daily Mail to find a new way to call you a whore?"

"I want to make Draco jealous. I want to show him somebody is willing to go out with me."

Ginny said, "He knows."

"Does he?" snapped Hermione. "Because I've never felt as awful as I did when he was halfway to snogging me then froze. He didn't kiss me even once."

"Go out tonight and have sex." Ginny said, "Raise your hand if you support Hermione shagging a fit bloke and making Malfoy so jealous that he can't help but admit he lost out."

Parvati, Ginny, and Padma all raised their hands simultaneously. Hermione tentatively raised her own hand, and they cheered.

"That's the Hermione I know!"

"He's going to be more jealous than he's ever been."

"What if …" Hermione glanced down at the carpet and asked, "What if this bloke tonight doesn't want to have sex with me?"

"That happened once." Padma gently grabbed Hermione's arms and looked her in the eyes. "Men tend to think with their dick first, their heart second, and their brain third. Draco's heart had to catch up with his cock, and that's why he thought he wanted to snog you before realizing he wasn't ready. It has nothing to do with you, except that you need to make that boy so envious he can't help but realize you're the woman for him."

"I don't want to be. I can't stop thinking about the maybe. Maybe I'm good enough for him. Maybe I'm worth a kiss. I can still feel the disappointment in my bones. He stood there and embarrassed me, then made me blueberry pancakes, and I don't know what to do with him. I want someone who wants to be with me. Draco won't have sex with me; I was nearly throwing myself on top of him and he still wouldn't so much as kiss me. To answer Ti's question, the goal for tonight is sex. I want to tell Draco I had sex, and it was amazing because I don't need to get it from him."

Parvati offered, "Ask this bloke tonight to go down on you, then you don't even need to take off your top."

Hermione laughed and said, "An excellent suggestion."

"Complex problems require innovative solutions."

"Fuck it," Ginny said, "You're a badass and you should look like a badass. Show off the scars, wear trousers, look like a whore if you want. Who cares? I play with a bunch of lesbians and half of them would shag you at a moment's notice. The only reason the other half wouldn't is because they're married. Maybe instead of covering up the scars you got from literally surviving a bomb, embrace it. The bloke who saw your scars and rejected you didn't do it because of your arm. He left because he realized he wasn't a good enough fuck for somebody as tough as you. He rejected you before you could humiliate him."

"Wow." Parvati asked, "How long have you been keeping that in?"

"Four years."

"Nice."

Hermione frowned. That couldn't be right. The deeper she considered it, though, the more it made sense. She admitted,

"I don't know what embracing that part of me looks like."

Parvati grabbed a pair of black trousers off the bed, a simple black blazer, and shoved them into Hermione's arms. She said,

"Grab a black bra and a nice pair of heels."

Hermione shuffled through her underwear drawer and grabbed what she thought would work. Her friends clapped when she walked into the room, blazer unbuttoned to reveal a black bralette she'd bought years earlier. Hermione did a cursory spin and asked,

"Too much?"

Parvati insisted, "You tell us."

"I mean," Hermione glanced down at her chest to say, "You can barely see anything except the bits on my neck, which aren't quite as horrible. It's not great, but—"

"You look fantastic." Padma nodded and repeated, "Absolutely fantastic."

Ginny glanced up from her phone to say, "The lesbians in our team group text approve."

"You're texting my outfit to your teammates?"

"Yes."

"And they like it?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Hermione took a deep breath and asked, "But does it say, 'fuck me' or does it say 'I'm selling real estate at a mortuary?'"

"Who says blokes don't want to fuck a real estate agent at a mortuary?" asked Parvati.

Ginny looked over at her and replied, "I am scared to ask but also desperately curious about your sex life. Hermione you look like a boss ass bitch. I love it, but more importantly I think Malfoy will see photos of you and your date, look at you wearing this outfit, and know that you don't need him to have a good time."

"I agree," added Padma. "I can always get word to him via Bastien, too, if you'd like him to know the naughty details."

"If there are any naughty details." Hermione tugged on her lapels. "Are we certain this looks good?"

Padma said, "If you would just let me fix your hair—"

"No."

"Then it looks marvelous."

.oOo.

At 7:15, Colin opened the X5's door for Hermione and stared steadfastly at her face. She smiled at him and he teased,

"New look for date night?"

"This is what happens when I let my friends pick out my clothes."

"Who is the lucky chap?"

"I don't know." Hermione buckled herself in and waited for Colin to shut her door. She watched as he made his way to the driver's seat and pulled onto the road. "Another blind date. Hopefully better than the last."

"D'you mind if I ask a question?"

"No."

"Bit of a personal one?"

"You can ask."

"I've been driving you 'round for a year or so, but only the past few weeks have you been even remotely interested in dating. I was only curious what changed."

Hermione asked, "Do you want the professional answer or the honest one?"

"Whichever you want to give me."

"I met someone who liked me, and didn't mind my arm being all … Well, being what it is. He's not going to step into a relationship with me, but it made me realize I want one. I miss having someone to come home to."

"I see."

Hermione guessed, "You thought I was a lesbian?"

"No, ma'am, I've driven enough hoity toity people around to know not to ask about sexuality. My gay friends are a bit disappointed, though."

"Do you have lots of gay friends?"

"Yeah, I do. When I was twenty I started bartending at a gay club. It was an easy gig to get, I was desperate for money, and we'd host monthly nights where straight women were welcome. When you're the only option," Colin shrugged, "sometimes you get a bit lucky. It's where I met my first long-term girl, actually. But I also made loads of friends and I tend to know when to keep my mouth shut."

"A valuable skill."

"I was a quasi-homeless photographer when the rainbows took me in. Now I get to drive you around, have a steady paycheck, and take photos when I'm free. It's not a bad living. I am curious about this man who has captured your fancy, though."

"It's no matter. I'm more nervous about tonight."

"You weren't nearly as nervous stealing my car."

"I am sorry I did that. It was a poor decision on a very, very bad day."

"I know you wouldn't've done it if you were in your right head. Still, though, we both could've been in trouble."

"I know."

"That Malfoy bloke, he seems prepared. Knew all the questions to ask, didn't get offended when I told him not to take advantage of whatever situation he'd found himself in."

"He wouldn't." Hermione said, "I could've thrown myself at him and he still would have rejected me. It doesn't matter what I do, what I wear, how much I care for him …" She shook her head and glared out the window. "He won't be what I'd like him to be. Which is why I'm going on this date."

"You do what's right for you." Colin slowed to a stop. He hopped out of the driver's seat and opened the door to help Hermione out. "But Malfoy was doing everything he could to make sure you didn't get in trouble. Made sure I knew where you were. I think that means something, but I dunno what."

"Neither do I, and I don't enjoy guesswork."

"Seems to me that you're on a blind date, which is nothing but guesswork."

Hermione glared at him and said, "That's a valid opinion, but you should feel very fortunate that you can get in the car and drive away."

Colin laughed, nodded, and said, "Good luck, boss," before leaving Hermione alone around the corner from the restaurant where Date #2 was waiting.

She nodded to herself and said, "I can do this. I'm watched by a million people every day, I can handle ninety minutes with one man. I can do this." With that in mind, Hermione began to walk around the corner. Her confidence didn't wane, but it was certainly on shaky ground. Her legs were the slightest bit unsteady as she waded through the people milling about in front of the restaurant.

Hermione spotted Romilda with her clipboard resting in the crook of one arm. No nerves, no expectations, Hermione could do this. Romilda was about the same height, perhaps a little taller than the man standing next to her. He'd dressed smart, a nice suit, had done his hair, broad shoulders, and … Wait.

Hermione grinned when she recognized him. She shouted,

"Viktor?!"

"Hermione?!" he shouted back with equal surprise and enthusiasm as he turned to face her.

Hermione approached him with open arms, and he hugged her gently. He was wide where Draco was slender, and Hermione had always liked that about him. The width that made her feel completely eclipsed by these hugs. Viktor locked eyes with her, and Hermione leaned back so he could greet her the way he used to. A slow kiss, a tender hello after years and years apart. Hermione began to melt a bit, broke the kiss then pulled him closer by the lapels of his jacket. She whispered,

"My God, it feels good to be in your arms again."

"It is good to hold you, too. Like mulled rakia on a winter night. Good, and warm, taken in slow."

Hermione stood on her toes to kiss him again. Viktor had his hands on her waist and it was so delightfully familiar. It was also selfish of her, stealing a kiss from a man she knew wouldn't deny her the opportunity the way Draco had so cruelly taken it away.

"So, you two have met?" guessed Romilda.

Hermione couldn't contain her smile. She'd been so nervous, and for what? A date with her favourite … Viktor. Seeing him again brought back happy memories and took Hermione to a time when her limitations were far fewer. She turned toward Romilda, still in Viktor's arms, and revealed,

"We dated about fourteen years ago."

Viktor placed a hand to his chest as if he'd been shot.

"No, you make us sound old."

"But look at you!" Hermione stepped back to survey him from tip to toe. "You look amazing. Did you ever wear a suit when we were together?"

"No."

"I never thanked you for the flowers you sent after my accident." Hermione smiled at him and said, "They were beautiful, thank you. I am surprised we haven't seen each other since."

"Life has taken many directions."

"Your English sounds excellent, too. You've grown."

"Not my abs, though." Viktor pouted. "They disappeared years ago, as a hiker in the Balkan Mountains never to be seen again."

"I had no idea you two knew each other, let alone that you dated." Romilda paused for a moment then asked, "Am I psychic?"

"No." Viktor tucked some of Hermione's hair behind one ear and said, "We have … What is the word? Spark? Explosion?"

"Chemistry," supplied Hermione. "Obvious chemistry."

Romilda insisted, "Hermione wanted someone who wouldn't be intimidated by her. Viktor said he wanted to be with a woman established in her career. How am I a decade-and-a-half late to this party?" She ran her hands through her hair and groaned, "Narcissa is going to kill me for wasting your time."

"Not a waste." Hermione pulled out her phone and handed it to Romilda. "My friends won't believe this. Could you take a photo of us?"

"Of course."

Viktor placed his arms around Hermione's waist and bent to kiss her cheek. She felt herself blush as Romilda took the photo. Oh, it was so easy to fall back into that young love. Hermione took her phone from Romilda and began sending off texts. The first to the group chat she had with Padma, Parvati, Ginny, Angelina, and Dean:

My date looks familiar.

[photo]

From Ginny: Love that guy! Miss that guy! Please fuck that guy!

From Padma: All that worrying for a date with someone you know. I'm sure he can't take his eyes off you.

From Parvati: [eggplant emoji] [droplets emoji] [peach emoji]

Also From Parvati: He is looking fit.

From Dean: Send this to Malfoy; it'll drive him mad.

Oh. There's an idea. Hermione grinned and shot off a text to Draco.

Don't know why I was nervous. Date #2 is actually date #32.

[photo]

Hermione stuffed her phone into her pocket, not needing to see Draco's reply. Viktor walked Hermione into the restaurant, and Romilda disappeared before dinner began. Hermione knew she was somewhere off in one of the restaurant's many corners, observing them. Hermione didn't much care. If Romilda wished to tell Narcissa Malfoy that Viktor Krum is a better date than her son, Hermione didn't mind at all. Talking with Viktor through the meal was rather delightful. They caught up, delving into their own memories and sharing them. It was cathartic, in a way. Viktor had only become more handsome, more understanding, more everything. He pressed his hand to his chest twice and said,

"I've changed." He placed his hand on top of Hermione's and said, "You've changed." He leaned back in his chair and finished, "But I don't believe we changed to where we work in long-term."

Hermione conceded, "You're right. And I've fallen in love with someone else."

"Oh?" Viktor's eyes lit up. He asked, "Who?"

Hermione supposed that telling Viktor the truth was the least he deserved. She revealed,

"His name is Draco Malfoy. He's a real estate developer—"

"Yes, I know of him, he has come to games."

"We've known each other five weeks, perhaps. It's completely mad, our lives are quite different—"

"Six weeks is a long time. You know right away if you do not love someone. Why should knowing you do be different?"

"Because he's widowed."

Viktor frowned and admitted, "I don't know that word."

"His wife died nearly six years ago."

"I see."

"He still loves her very much, and while he feels something for me, it's not enough to overcome the memory of her."

"He will see what he has in you. It takes time to recover from loss. Now I, too, have the sadness of loss. This is my last season in football, and I do not know what life is without it. My knees," he made a popping noise with his lips, "when I go up stairs. My fear is my hamstring will," he made the popping noise again, "before the season ends."

"You are searching for someone to make a life with after football, then?"

Viktor nodded.

"I am afraid to be lonely. So many people love me and have for so long. I don't know how to go from everyone loves me to no one."

"Since my divorce, I've been lonely all the time. I had Ron to come home to for years when I was acting as a war correspondent, but then he wasn't there anymore. Nobody's there anymore."

Viktor raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"No loneliness tonight?"

Hermione's heart started to race. Was he really offering? After all this time? She asked,

"You want to have sex?"

"Yes."

"With me?"

"I believe the two of us were very good at sex together."

Hermione agreed, "Very good. However, I am not quite the same as I was then."

"Yes." Viktor glanced quickly down to her chest then back up. "Your curves are much different."

Hermione felt herself blush. The best thing about Viktor—well, the second best thing about Viktor was his honesty. He never said something he didn't mean, and he was incredibly gifted at making Hermione feel like she was worthy of his attention. Hadn't that been exactly what she hoped for these past several weeks? If Draco wouldn't give it to her … She'd find it elsewhere. Hermione revealed,

"I didn't fully recover from my accident." She pulled up her left sleeve and bunched it in the crook of her elbow. "The skin didn't heal properly."

"I see."

"And neither did my bones. I can't do much with this arm and I have to be incredibly delicate with my shoulder."

"How are your thighs?"

Hermione repeated, "My thighs?"

Viktor nodded.

"They're fine. Nothing is wrong with them. There's some scarring on the left one, less on the right, but nothing too horrible by comparison."

"Then I do not believe we have a problem."

"You can't be rough with me like you were, is what I'm saying."

"Fifteen years, I fucked many beautiful women. Impressive women, like you, too. When I get myself off alone, I still think of you more than anyone. The sounds you made when you sat on my face? No one can compete."

Hermione sat there and stared at him, stunned beyond belief. He added,

"If your thighs are good, I am good."

"For you? My thighs are ready. I don't know if I sound the same, but—"

"Hermione."

"Viktor."

"You and me were never going to be long-term. I fucked you because it was fun, because it was good and you made me happy. I do love you, still, and it hurts me to say we cannot be together as we were again. If we only have this date, then we should make it a happy one."

"What if I can't do things the same—"

"If you sit on my face, I will wake up a happy man."

Their waiter arrived and nearly dropped the dessert plate. Viktor looked over at him, mildly annoyed. He asked,

"You never had a powerful woman on you in that way?"

"Uh, um, no, Mr. Krum, sir, can't I'm … Can't say I have."

"Learn to do it and more will come."

Hermione tried her best not to smile because their waiter was doing his best to determine whether Viktor had meant 'more women will come to ask to ride your face' or 'there will be more come on your face.' Hermione lifted her glass and said,

"To more to come."

Viktor did the same and said, "Nazdrave!"

.oOo.

Hermione couldn't open the door to her penthouse fast enough. Sex. Sex with Viktor. Sexsexsex. Finally. Viktor held the door open, walked through after Hermione, and allowed it to gently fall closed. He asked,

"Where would you like to—"

"I have two bedrooms plus the sofa. The first," Hermione showed him the primary bedroom, grateful she'd thought to make the bed after her friends had messed it up during wardrobe selection. "It's got the better bed, but the other is where I keep the, um … Supplies."

"Brooms and soaps?"

"Durex."

"Ah." Viktor peeked into the other bedroom and his eyes lit up. "This one! I love this pillow."

Hermione knew what he was referring to, but walked to the doorway and peeked in to be sure. In the centre of the guestroom bed was her reading pillow, sat in front of the two regular pillows. It was quite large and arched at the top with arm-like appendages sticking out from the bottom. Viktor insisted,

"Let's play in here."

Hermione confirmed, "With my pillow?"

"Pillow to start." He turned to face Hermione with a massive smile on his face. "This is my first date when I don't know the woman, and it turns out I do know the woman. Except you have so many changes."

"Changes?"

"Here." Viktor placed both hands on Hermione's waist then slowly trailed down until the palms of his hands met the widest parts of her hips. "Before, we were like children, it was early love. Now you have a full body and I want to touch all of it."

Hermione felt herself flush all the way down her chest. She looked up at Viktor to see he was looking back at her like a child who had been presented their first chocolate bar. The sugary sweet excitement of their love was an enticing promise, but Hermione knew she needed to reiterate that her tits weren't the only bit to have changed.

"There are parts of me you can't move like you used to. My left arm only comes up to here." She lifted her arm to demonstrate, not quite as far as it could go. Best to be conservative with the estimate. "My head only turns to my left, not quite to the right. You can't grab my left shoulder at all."

Viktor shook his head, which Hermione knew to mean he understood. He asked,

"Is it better for you to be on the front or on the back?"

"It depends, probably on my back?"

He confirmed, "Your thighs are good?"

"My thighs are good."

"Then I am good."

Viktor unbuttoned Hermione's blazer and gently pushed it off her shoulders. She heard the fabric hit the ground behind her, but kept her eyes trained on Viktor's face. He looked at her left arm, tilted his head a bit, then placed his hand on her elbow.

"This is what you are afraid for people to see?"

She nodded.

"Hmm." He rubbed the pad of his thumb against her skin in gentle circles. "It feels fine to me."

Until that moment, Hermione hadn't realized it was exactly what she needed to hear. Not that her arm looked fine, but that it felt fine. Not great, not something either of them would have chosen, but a reality that wouldn't make the night any less enjoyable.

"Can I watch you take your clothes off?"

Hermione was mortified the moment the thought left her mouth. She hadn't meant to say it, but Viktor didn't seem to mind.

"Yes."

"Oh my God." Hermione perched herself on the edge of the bed and grinned. "This is like Christmas."

Viktor smiled back as he shrugged off his jacket. He tossed it on the floor and began to unbutton his shirt. After the top two he fanned out the collar and asked,

"Do you want me to go slow?"

Hermione considered it, then admitted, "I wish I could say yes, but I haven't done this in a very long time so I am quite keen to have you touch me."

"We are of the same mind."

Viktor didn't rush through the buttons, but neither did he make a show of it. Every bit of skin he revealed made Hermione more excited, when she'd only expected to feel dread. His chest had filled out a bit since Hermione had seen him last, the hair there much thicker. Just as Viktor had said, they were hardly more than children when they were together. She was looking at a man, a well-seasoned athlete who wore those years well.

He pulled the shirt out of his trousers and finished unfastening the final few buttons.

"Take it all the way off, for me?"

Viktor shrugged off his shirt and tossed it on top of Hermione's discarded blazer. As he unfastened his belt, Hermione's eyes darted across his half-naked form. Broad shoulders, strong arms, muscles of his chest coated in a small layer of fat which hadn't been there fourteen years ago. The dark hair on his chest funneled into a singular path down past his navel and disappeared below the top of his trousers. Hermione found herself digging her fingernails into her palms to keep from reaching out to touch him. She said,

"I don't miss your abs."

"No?" Viktor glanced down at his stomach and poked at a bit of skin before saying, "I look around the locker room and feel old without them." He pulled off his belt and tossed it to the floor. "Then I remember my abs never scored a goal, so I do not miss them as much."

Viktor deliberately slowed as he unbuttoned his trousers and teased just a bit with the zip. Hermione felt her eyes go wide as she watched him push the trousers down and shimmy the slightest bit out of them. He toed off his socks then stood there in nothing but his pants, cock indicating the slightest interest. Hermione stood up and asked,

"Take mine off, too?"

She watched as Victor unbuttoned her trousers, knuckles brushing against the softness of her belly. He pulled the zip then stuffed both hands down the back of Hermione's trousers to give both cheeks a gentle squeeze. She pushed back a bit into his touch and groaned when he removed his hands to push the trousers down past her hips. Hermione wiggled out of them and kicked them off toward somewhere she couldn't see because Viktor wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her into a chaste kiss.

Hermione melted. She felt the warmth of his skin against her chest, his fingers spread wide across her back, legs twined together … She couldn't say the last time she was this close to another person. Viktor pulled back just far enough to say,

"I know tonight is for fun, but I am happy you trust me enough to take care of you like this."

Hermione teased, "You understood my body better than I did. Fourteen years, that hasn't changed. I know you can show me what I can do, even if it's … If it's …" She swallowed her nerves and said, "Even if it is different than it was."

"Practice for you, and a gift for me." Viktor hopped onto the bed and nestled back into the reading pillow so he was sitting nearly straight, but leaning slightly back. He rested his elbows on each of the pillow's arms then sprawled his legs out to either side. He nodded to the gap in the middle and said, "You sit there."

Hermione asked, "Toward you, or …"

"No." He patted the space between his legs and said, "You sit like me, in front of me."

"Oh."

Hermione climbed onto the bed, crawled in a rather unsexy manner toward Viktor until she could flop over and lean backward into him.

"Like this?"

He shook his head and confirmed, "Very nice. You relax and I will start."

"'Relax' is a bit of a distant concept."

"Not with me." Viktor placed his hands on Hermione's thighs and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. "You were not so tight when we were together. This is a challenge."

Viktor nuzzled at the spot just behind and below Hermione's right ear. His breath was hot against her neck. He slid his hands down to her knees and gently pulled her legs open. Hermione turned her head to the left and Viktor leaned down to kiss her. He placed his hands on her stomach, trailing the pads of his fingers around to her waist, then placed a hand on her breast. Hermione relaxed the slightest bit and leaned backward into him. He smiled against her lips and said,

"See? You're with me. It's okay."

Then his hands were everywhere. His fingers teased the insides of her thighs, squeezed her breasts, were gentle as they supported Hermione's neck … She rested one hand on Viktor's bent knee and pulled away from him so he trailed kisses down the side of her neck before moving her hair to the other side and repeat. Hermione twined the fingers of their free hands together as if to say, I trust you to make this feel as good as I need it to feel.

Viktor began massaging her breasts overtop of her bra, gently sliding his fingers underneath the fabric then removing them as a tease. He continued exploring with his lips, and every muscle in Hermione's body tensed when he made his way to her left shoulder. He gently kissed the mottled bits of skin then hummed slightly, wondering whether he had permission to continue. Hermione tapped his knee then once again relaxed into his embrace. Hermione hadn't realized how desperately she'd kept this part of herself covered until she felt the warmth of Viktor's breath on her shoulder. No one had touched her there, skin-to-skin, since Ron.

Viktor ran his hands along Hermione's thighs and said,

"You're thinking."

"A difficult habit to break."

Viktor traced a path from Hermione's right shoulder, down the side of her stomach, along the dip of her waist, then pressed the pads of his fingers overtop of Hermione's knickers. She raised her hips the slightest bit and groaned,

"That might do it, though."

Viktor hummed again, satisfied. He read Hermione so easily that she released the tension in her body. Viktor would take care of it, take care with her. He wouldn't stop halfway to orgasm then decide she was better off without it. He hadn't needed to ask what felt right, hadn't hesitated at any point throughout the evening … Hermione had nothing to prove. He placed one hand underneath her knickers and teased her clit with the slightest pressure before returning his hand to her breast. She tilted her head up for a kiss, and Viktor began to play.

It was soft at first, those gentle passes of his fingers beneath her knickers as he kissed her. Hermione let out a breathy sigh when he increased the pressure. Viktor placed his hand on her neck, ran the pad of his thumb along her cheek, caressing her as his kisses slowed and deepened. Soon, the breath was coming in short bursts from a deep part of Hermione's chest.

She felt Viktor smile as her breaths heightened in volume. He slowly pressed one finger inside her and Hermione rolled her hips. Viktor tried to pull Hermione into a kiss over her right shoulder, but she felt that too-familiar twinge in her neck so she dug her fingernails into his knee and moaned,

"Other side."

Viktor recognized the limitation, turned Hermione's head to the left, moved her hair, and dipped his head far enough to give her the wettest, sloppiest snog Hermione could remember. She closed her eyes and rolled her hips again, shifting the pressure inside of her. Viktor added a second finger and Hermione was desperately overwhelmed. She pulled his hand away, pushed her knickers down toward her ankles, then flung them off with one foot. She leaned further back and opened her legs as wide as she could. Viktor rubbed Hermione's clit and she moaned so loudly it surprised her.

God, it felt good to be wanted. Viktor continued to apply pressure to her clit, squeezed Hermione's breast, and she felt her orgasm build quickly. Her thigh muscles tensed, she dropped her hold on Viktor's knee and gripped his arm, holding onto him as she squeezed her eyes closed. Hermione bucked her hips upward to meet the pressure of Viktor's hand as her orgasm rushed through her body. All the breath left her as her chest spasmed, jerking each time the sensation rippled through her body. Hermione opened her eyes to watch Viktor's fingers coax her through the aftershocks as her toes twisted deep into the bedclothes. He slowed his pace as she began to relax again, loosening her deathgrip on his knee.

"Is three good?"

Hermione slid a bit lower and closed her eyes again. She sighed.

"Three is good, but I need more time with one."

"Okay."

Hermione pushed herself up and turned around to face Viktor, sitting back on her heels. She looked into those deep eyes that always seemed to be the perfect balance of playful and sincere. Except for the last time they'd seen each other. That was … Hard. One of the most difficult moments of her life, letting go of their love. No matter how right that decision was. She tilted his chin up the slightest bit and said,

"Thank you."

He teased, "You know how to thank me."

"I do."

Hermione shifted to one side of Viktor so he could fling her reading pillow onto the floor. It landed against the wall and Hermione watched him slide down, down, and down until his neck was resting at a forty-five degree angle against the traditional pillows. The nerves made a quick return, tying her stomach up in knots. The noises you make … What if she didn't do it properly? What if he didn't enjoy it as much—

"Hermione, will you stop thinking and please sit on my face?"

She laughed. Hermione shook her head and said,

"I never thought I'd hear you say that again."

He conceded, "In better English this time."

"Every bit of you has gotten better, it seems."

Viktor nodded toward his cock and said, "You'll get to feel just how much for number three. You owe me number two first, so please—"

"Yes, alright."

Hermione managed to get one leg on the other side of Viktor, so she was straddling his face. She could see the excitement in his eyes and she owed Romilda a massive fruit basket for setting this up. Hermione took hold of the headboard with both hands and slowly lowered herself until she felt the tip of Viktor's tongue against her clit. She sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth and lifted herself up. Viktor wrapped his hands around her thighs and said,

"You remember how to do this."

"It's just … been awhile …"

Hermione took a deep breath then lowered herself down fully onto his face. Viktor had flattened out his tongue to begin and it was a soft, firm, wet heat against her clit. She rolled her hips back and forth the slightest bit and hummed her approval. She moved her knees outward and settled in. The first several moments were slow, but familiar. Ron had been rather adept at this, too, though no one had ever been quite as enthusiastic as Viktor. He patted the top of her bum with one hand and Hermione lifted herself up the slightest bit so he could breathe before returning to that position.

Hermione took control and pushed her hips forward, flattening herself against Viktor's lips. He began lapping at her cunt, sucking gently. Hermione closed her eyes and moaned, warmth building low in her gut. She threaded the fingers of her left hand in Viktor's hair and tugged him closer as she pressed against him.

"Good, good."

The muscles of her thighs tensed around him. She sighed and began to tremble the slightest bit.

Hermione felt Viktor's fingers tighten around her hips, so she placed her hand onto his forehead and pushed him down to further flatten him out. Hermione began to ride his face, reveling in the damp friction of her cunt against his firm lips. The squelching noise between them sounded something raw and primal. Viktor managed to spit up toward her clit and ended up making a guttural sound halfway between a gargle and a growl. Bubbles of spit formed between them and Hermione sat back on Viktor's chest to laugh. It was hot and ridiculous and so incredibly Viktor that she couldn't help it. He pulled her forward and placed his face between her legs. He sucked on her clit, then flattened his tongue as Hermione's breath petered off into stuttered groans …

She rolled her hips and used both hands around either side of his head to press his lips firmly against her cunt as she came. This orgasm was softer, muted a bit by how intense the sensation was against her clit and comparatively absent everywhere else. Viktor coughed, trying to breathe, but Hermione didn't release him until she rode it out completely. She sat back on his chest again and placed the fingertips of one hand against the wet skin of his cheek. Viktor leaned his head back and his mouth was slack, the lamplight made the lower half of his face shine.

"Was it as good as you remembered?"

Viktor closed his eyes and mumbled something in Bulgarian. He took a deep breath in, then said,

"You ruin me for other women, Hermione. We should do this once every ten years. I will let you ride my face at eighty."

She laughed and bent low to kiss him. It tasted nasty, but something about snogging Viktor after he'd just gotten her off the way he had … It was so heady that Hermione didn't need to wait for number three. As if reading her mind, Viktor asked,

"Inside or out?"

"Inside." Hermione steadfastly repeated, "Inside."

Viktor pushed the fabric covering one breast aside and palmed it.

"I do not want you to think that is the only way to make this good for me. I will come on your tits and be happy."

"Once every fourteen years?" Hermione teased, "You can come inside me; I think the risk proposition is fair enough."

I want to tell Draco you came inside me. I want to tell him he won't have that privilege because it belongs to men who love me. I want him so full of regret that on his second and third dates he can't help but wonder if they feel as good as I do.

He pulled off his pants then sat up and unfastened Hermione's bra. She took it off each shoulder with her right hand and tossed it to the floor. She pulled a Durex package from the bedside table and Viktor took it before she could so much as think. He ripped it open and asked,

"On your back?"

Hermione leaned back on the pillows and laid there for several moments. There was a dull pain in her shoulder, manageable, but Viktor was always a bit overwhelming. She asked,

"Will you get on top of me for just a moment? I want to feel if it's …"

She trailed off as Viktor positioned himself the way he would if they were going to make this number three. The weight of him on top of her … It had been far too long and she wanted to be in this position so desperately. Legs tangled together, his chest flattening her tits, her fingernails carving tiny trails down his back. Viktor leaned down to suck a mark into the place where her neck joined to her right shoulder. It felt good, so good, but the ache in her left shoulder was making itself known. Neither of them would forgive themselves if something went wrong.

"Would it be okay if I was on top?"

He sat up and said, "On top, or I can go from behind."

Hermione considered it for a moment.

"On top; if you're behind I have to turn my head for you to kiss me."

"I understand." Viktor smiled and rolled off to the side so Hermione could bracket her legs around his hips. "When I date women, so many are afraid of words. If they tell me something in the middle of fucking, they fear it will disappoint me. I have to teach them that it does not matter if you want my cock in your mouth, your ass, or on your tits … Tell me what you want and we find what is best. It was best with you because I never had to teach you teamwork."

"No," Hermione leaned forward to kiss his cheek and said, "you didn't. Would you like the pillow again?"

"No." he pulled the two regular pillows behind him and settled. "You remember where to go."

Hermione took Viktor's dick in hand and he hummed softly to himself, satisfied to finally be on number three. Three had always been their magic number it seemed. Three orgasms per shag, three nights together per week, and three months of a relationship. He sat back on his elbows to watch as she stroked him slowly with her left hand and … didn't look at her arm once? Not at all? She watched him watch her for a minute and wondered what the hell she'd been so afraid of. Hermione could still be an excellent shag, it only took a bit of extra consideration.

She shifted forward then slowly sank onto Viktor's cock. Hermione placed both hands on Viktor's shoulders and held her breath until he was fully inside. She sighed and pressed their foreheads together. Hermione rolled her hips once then Viktor bent to suck one tit. Hermione placed her hand on the back of his head and pulled him close, falling into a familiar place. Viktor rocked up into her and she moaned loud enough for him to pull back and grin.

"Good, yeah?"

She pulled him back toward her chest and said, "So good."

Viktor sucked one breast and kneaded the other nipple between his fingers. Hermione slowly lifted herself off him just the slightest bit before sliding back down. Viktor placed one hand on her hip to guide her to the appropriate speed. A bit faster, but not quick. Not yet. It was slow at the beginning and Hermione enjoyed that part of their time together. Pleasure would come very quickly for Viktor at the end, very hot, and he never intended to rush.

Hermione leaned forward so their chests were pressed flush against each other and Viktor wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her close. He nipped at her lower lip and grabbed her ass with both hands as he thrust inside her. As Viktor took control, Hermione felt that familiar pull start between her hips and build upward. His fingers wandered across her body and left a trail of fire in their wake.

She felt him everywhere on her skin as the firm muscles of his thighs tensed up. He was kissing her, grabbing her tits, palming her ass, running one hand along her side to feel the inner curve of her waist then the outward curve of her hip. He increased the speed of his thrusts, pushing Hermione closer and closer to number three—

She came by surprise. Hermione let out a needy, throaty, "Uuuungh, aah, nnnmh …" She squeezed her eyes shut and left her seemingly weightless body at Viktor's mercy. She was floating there, feeling more desirable than she had in seven years. Viktor pulled her down onto his hips with both hands on her ass and settled her there as he rode out his own orgasm. Hermione watched as he threw his head back onto the pillows and shut his eyes, concentrating on how good it felt. She felt him finish inside her and thought, I did that. I made him do that. She brought one of his hands up to her breast and rocked back-and-forth until Viktor said,

"Stop."

He patted her backside so she maneuvered herself off and back before rolling onto the available side of the bed. Viktor cleaned himself up, rolled onto his side, and draped one arm over Hermione's midsection. She sank lower into the mattress and smiled. She asked,

"Was that good?"

"It is rare that things are better than I remember them. But you are better than I remember."

"The man I told you I'm in love with? He asked me about sex in conversation and I mentioned you were the best sex I've ever had."

"To make him jealous?"

"No, actually." Hermione looked at Viktor, his eyelids drooping the slightest bit closed. "Because you are very good at this. My husband made me feel decent enough during sex, but you make me feel like I'm wanted. As a war correspondent and now the co-anchor of Ten, I'm always delivering bad news. Then I get called a bitch by someone at the network nearly every day. Being with you tonight was the first time I've felt wanted in years."

"In Bulgaria we have a saying. Starata lyubov razhda ne hvashta. It means old love does not rust. I will always love you, and I will always want you to use my face the way you do."

She felt herself blush.

"But we need new love, and you have found one. Give him time—"

"No," snapped Hermione. "No, he went to kiss me then stopped halfway there. He's not interested, and he's never going to love me. He's—"

"An idiot. But," Viktor bit down on his lip before asking, "may I speak for him?"

"You can try."

"I touch you and I don't want to stop. If this man meant to kiss you, Hermione, it is good that he didn't. He would have fucked you and felt poorly about it if he was not ready. He does not want a shag if his heart is not fully yours. My heart and my face were both free tonight."

Hermione snickered, though Viktor hadn't meant it as a joke.

"You deserve to fuck men whose hearts are yours. Maybe he didn't have a reason to heal his heart before. I know how you can come into a man's life and turn it upside-down. Give him time to get himself right."

Hermione grumbled, "I hate that you're right."

"Thank you."

"I'm still angry with him."

"You are an angry person sometimes." Viktor smiled at her and said, "A happy person, too. I wish you could use that more."

"I am happy tonight," insisted Hermione. "Would you like to stay?"

Viktor used his thumb to trace small circles on her midsection. He didn't reply.

"Colin stays until one or two, so he can take you home if you don't want to stay."

"I want to." Viktor kissed her once, gently. "But if I do, we will do this again. Again, again, again, until we are like when we last saw each other. It hurt me to leave you. I don't like leaving you. We are best short-term."

"I know." Hermione groaned, "But it feels so good when it's good."

"Am I doing the right thing with the matchmaking?" asked Viktor. "It feels desperate."

"It is, a little, but I'm doing it with you, and we ended up here, so …"

Viktor and Hermione both laughed at the ridiculousness of it. She placed her hand overtop of where his was resting on her stomach, trying to quell the giggles.

"I … I …" She paused to catch her breath. "I suppose it wasn't a loss on investment."

Viktor pulled slightly on one of Hermione's curls and said, "No. Ten years from now, perhaps your love will let me borrow you for a night."

"Maybe your lover will let me borrow you." Hermione added, "I'll help guide Romilda since I know what you like. And I'll order you a reading pillow."

Viktor's eyes lit up at that last bit.

"Thank you."

"Will you do me a favour?"

"Of course."

"Colin is a massive fan. He's trying to hold it in, but I'm sure he's going made inside. If you could, I suppose, autograph one of my dish towels or something …"

Viktor smiled at Hermione and said, "He keeps you safe. I will think of something more than a dish towel."

"Thank you. I love you so much, Viktor. If you ever need anything—"

"I need you to be happy."

It was the happiest night Hermione had in ages. When she woke up alone, sometime around eleven, her body ached in the most pleasant ways. But she was acutely aware of what alone really meant. It didn't have to be this way. Draco could have given her what she asked for. They could have kept their weekend tradition of being together and made it something even more. But no, he'd left Hermione with nothing but embarrassment and pancakes. Her heart cracked a little as she realized that no matter how nice her evening was with Viktor, she still woke up thinking about Draco Malfoy. She was in love with a man who, quite simply, could never love her without a ghost between them.

Hermione grabbed her phone, barely hanging on at eleven percent battery, and shot off a single text to Draco.

[Firework emoji] [Firework emoji] [Firework emoji]

.oOo.

The photographs of Hermione and Viktor Krum began making the rounds on social media. The entire crew of Ten was abuzz with questions, knowing full well the potential scorn from Hermione was not worth sating their curiosity. Sometime around four, as Hermione was pouring over the day's potential stories in foreign news, Ernie rushed up to her. Before he could open his mouth, Hermione said,

"Yes, Viktor and I went on a date. No, we will not be going on another."

Ernie shook his head.

"Good to know. I'll spread that around a bit so people stop asking each other. But there's a woman out front asking for you. She's quite persistent, says her name is Jami Greengrass? Dunno if you know her?"

"Huh." Hermione absentmindedly rubbed her hand against her collarbone. "I don't know what she could have to say to me."

"I wouldn't normally mention it, except she said something about having seen you a couple weeks ago and that was about the time you walked in with your arm in a sling … Putting some pieces together …"

"You've solved the first half of the puzzle. I suppose I can make an attempt to solve the next."

"I can send someone down with you, for safety, if it's that sort of thing."

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you."

Hermione took the lift down to the lobby. Jami Greengrass was milling about the tiny shop, a small box clutched between the fingers of her left hand. Hermione took a deep breath and made her way over. She asked,

"Mrs. Greengrass?"

She turned and her eyes went wide as she took in Hermione. Everyone in Draco's orbit seemed to be quite tall, Jami Greengrass was no exception, and it made Hermione feel that much smaller in his eyes. The high of her weekend with Viktor began to dissipate.

"Oh, thank goodness, I was worried you wouldn't see me."

Hermione admitted, "Curiosity got the better of me."

"I want to apologize for my husband. I could tell that he hurt you, he didn't mean to—"

"He intended to move me out of the way. I was in the way quite purposely."

"Daphne didn't tell us you are the woman Draco is seeing."

"He's not seeing me." Hermione huffed, "Nothing has happened between us romantically, not that it is of concern to you. He is still very much in love with your daughter. I don't believe you realize just how deep that love has been carved into him. Deep enough that he can't love me, and I don't know if he will ever love anyone else."

"Respectfully, Ms. Granger, I know exactly how much that boy loved my daughter. Daphne loathed him because she could never find a man who loved her as much as Draco Malfoy loved her sister. Astoria was a bit forward-thinking with her views and his proclivities never mattered to her the way they concerned us. Even so, she was happy. As a parent you only want your child to be happy. Draco gave her a wonderful life, and he was the most supportive, devoted partner to her." Mrs. Greengrass took a deep breath before saying, "Astoria was my baby girl. I simply …" She sniffled and forced back tears. "I never expected my baby would die having a baby."

Hermione could do nothing but stand there and nod as Mrs. Greengrass tried not to break down in the middle of the BBC News souvenir shop.

"I'm not proud of what we did in the moments after her death. Grief took hold of us in a desperate way."

"I am sorry that moment at Malfoy Manor was the first time you saw your grandson."

"It wasn't." Mrs. Greengrass pressed her lips together then admitted, "I used to visit Astoria's grave on Saturdays. I don't know how Draco finally found where it was; my husband was very insistent he should never know. I told him Astoria would have wanted her name on her headstone, I fought him to put Malfoy somewhere, but he wouldn't budge. I'd just lost my daughter, I wasn't going to lose my marriage, too, so I let him have control. I would go by myself to visit every Saturday, and then Draco started appearing. Every week, like clockwork, and he'd bring his son when the weather was decent. I've watched my grandson grow, week by week, hiding in my car in the car park. Draco hasn't noticed; I keep myself quite scarce. But he's stopped coming recently, and I find myself with many feelings about it."

Oh.

"She won't be forgotten, I know that, but … It's hard to see Draco moving on in a way that I can't. Astoria was the child I could see myself in, and part of me died with her. As horrible of a mum as that makes me, I wish it wasn't true, but I know that boy went through the same thing. I know there's a part of him Astoria took with her. I hope he finds it in his son. I do, but I still need this distance."

"I don't see what any of this has to do with me. Draco and I are finished, not that we ever were anything at all."

"I will tell you this, and then deny I said it. Draco has always been desperate to distance himself from his father. He isn't like Lucius in most ways, and he never loved my daughter the way his father loved Narcissa."

"I imagine loving Narcissa Malfoy is a full-time job."

"Lucius's entire purpose on Earth was to love that woman. Hell, he would've loved taken his love to the surface of the sun if she asked him to. He killed for her. He loved the darkest parts of her soul, and I know this because Lucius and I went to university together. We weren't close, but you didn't need to be to see that woman changed him. Draco didn't love my daughter that way because there was no darkness to be found in her. The word he used to describe their love was 'peaceful.' But the moment my husband touched you …" Jami Greengrass shook her head in disbelief. "The rage in his eyes? That was his father."

Hermione insisted, "That's not the man I want him to be."

"Why not?"

"Because his father was a horrible man."

"Yes, he was, but Draco's got Narcissa in him, too. He's not nearly as thick-headed as his father. He needs someone to love, and he's found a darkness he likes in you, Ms. Granger. You're not overly beautiful, but you are interesting and got a dark depth to you. Draco politics like his mother, but he can love like his father. Whether you let him is up to you."

"In the interest of not being entirely offended by everything you said, I'll point out that whether he loves me is up to him."

"In your eyes, perhaps. At any rate, I came to give you this." Mrs. Greengrass offered Hermione the small box she'd been holding. "I prefer to keep seeing Draco and my grandson from a distance, but Astoria wouldn't want these memories to be kept from him."

Hermione frowned down at the box and asked,

"Am I meant to be your carrier pigeon?"

"It's time for us all to move forward, for the sake of my family and for Draco's family. Those are two separate things now, and I am only asking you to bridge the gap this once."

Hermione hesitantly took the box from Jami Greengrass. She asked,

"What makes you think there is, how did you say it? That there is darkness in me."

"I've been watching you since you first began at BBC and you empathize with people in places I'd never care for if you hadn't told me why I should. That bravery comes with a cost. I don't think you are malicious, I think you are in pain."

"Oh."

"I should be going. Thank you for seeing me."

Then she left. Hermione was still standing in the middle of the BBC Shop as she opened the box to reveal a USB drive and a small frame with a pressed flower inside. Hermione mumbled,

"What the hell is this?"

.oOo.

The following afternoon, Hermione pulled the USB drive out of her laptop and placed it on the table. She phoned Padma, who answered on the third ring.

"Hermione?"

"Are you with Bastien?"

"He's in the kitchen. Do you need him?"

"Yes, put him on, please."

Moments later, Bastien's voice came through loud and clear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bastien. It's Hermione Granger—"

"Padma told me. Whadd'ya need?"

"What do you lot usually do to celebrate Draco's birthday?"

Bastien breathed deep and his sigh crackled through the receiver.

"Before Astoria died we'd always have a party. After Astoria died, we just try to pry him out of his house, go to a posh restaurant somewhere in London, have someone care for Scorpius so Draco won't shoulder that responsibility for a night."

Hermione hesitated to say what she'd dreamed up. It was completely mad and probably impossible, but …

"I know we only have a few weeks, but what if we all pitched in to get him a gift?"

"Look, I'm a pharmacist and Padma's a great lawyer so we make good money. Nice house, we're not hunting for Pounds every month, right? But when your best mate's a billionaire, useful gifts are a bit difficult to come by."

"What if this gift was a way to help him stop mourning his wife?"

"I'm listening."

"It's probably impossible—"

"I don't care, I'll try anything. Anything to get him to laugh again. God, you know, you haven't known him long enough. If there is even the slightest chance I can get my best mate back, I'll give you as much money as I can spare."

Hermione heard Padma shout in the background,

"Your money! He humiliated Hermione so he's not getting any of my money!"

Bastien sighed again and said, "So my budget's a bit smaller than I thought, but my offer still stands."

"Thank you! I have an idea—"

"But you and Viktor Krum, though? Is that a long-term thing?"

"Padma told you?"

"No," Bastien sighed, "she's instituted a no discussing Hermione rule since I'm Draco's best mate and Draco also happens to be a bit of a dick in her eyes right now. He told me about the Krum situation. As Draco's best mate, I hate Krum, he's rubbish, because Draco's arse over tits for you even if he doesn't understand that yet." He paused for a moment before adding, "But as a Hermione Granger fan? Nice pull, that one."

Hermione laughed.

"Thank you. I dated him before he was quite so famous."

"Long-term?"

"A summer."

"How about this go-round?"

"Are you asking me as a Hermione fan, or are you asking as Draco's friend?"

"Whichever gets me the most accurate answer."

"Right, well, no is the answer."

"Okay."

"But you can tell Draco that Friday night with Viktor was the best sex I've ever had."

"Hmm." Bastien hummed, "Not sure I'm gonna tell him that. He threw his phone at the wall when he got your text on Saturday, so I'd hate to see what else he would damage if I told him that Krum gets you off better than anyone."

Hermione laughed.

"Serves him right."

"Oh, while I'm thinking of it, he's hired your publicist."

"He mentioned that to me."

"Well, I put the idea in his brain because I thought she could help. I had no idea she would work so quickly. She's got him a big interview next week and he's anxious as hell. I'm not asking you to call, but if he calls you … Will you do me a favour and answer?"

"I'll always answer when he calls." Hermione admitted, "He answered when I needed him. I owe him the same."

"No you don't, but I like that you think you do."

"Where's the interview?"

"It's a three-part bit. In the morning they'll be at his cement plant in Tilbury, then lunch at some restaurant in London before heading to the Adelphi for photographs."

"The Adelphi?" asked Hermione. "That's Conde Nast. What magazine have they got him in, House and Garden?"

"British GQ."

Hermione dropped her phone and it made a loud clunk where it landed on the table. Penelope was excellent at her job, but Draco had been her client for all of two weeks and she'd already landed him at British GQ? She scooped it up and said,

"If he needs me, I'm here."

"Excellent. Now, tell me about this birthday idea of yours."