Iwik Prompt- Ginny gets injured on the Harpies and needs regular massages to keep the pain away. Potters Massage Parlor is highly recommended by fellow athletes. Thing is, Harry is having trouble keeping it professional, mostly because Ginny is hellbent on getting her happy ending every time.
This is that, except dialed down. Sorry Iwik, no smut here, just the illusion of it.
Sometimes things are best left to the imagination.
()()()
Calming Massage
()()()
"Just through here and your masseur will be with you shortly," the lady gestured Ginny into the room with a wave of her hand. The room was dark and lit with candles, it smelled faintly of vanilla and there was a table in the middle with a hole through the head of it, meant for her to lay down on.
Ginny had been to several different masseurs over the years and she hadn't yet found one that really did the trick. They were either too gentle, too rough, or too aggravating.
She'd tried a mix of Muggle and Magical spas, then a friend suggested she give this place a go; Potters Tranquil Massage and Spa.
It was in a secluded area with small get away/bed and breakfast type hotel stays all around it. It catered to both Muggle and Magical clientele, which she found interesting because it was usually one or the other. Not that there had been any great difference she had noticed, one would simply opt for warming charms and potions over hot towels and lotions. What was also interesting was that it was a family owned and operated spa. The owners were one of several generations of wizards that had practiced this form of therapy, going back four generations at least.
Massage Therapy.
She had heard of family's having generations of Healers or politicians in the family, but not massage therapists.
Ginny had come to understand that Massage Therapy had been part of Healer training for several centuries, but not for the Muggle equivalent of Healers. The Muggle's had a few different forms of health and wellness that weren't covered by Muggle Healers and some of them were considered pseudo-science. At least, that was how her friend Hermione had explained Acupuncture to her.
This spa hadn't been on the list of recommendations from her team Healer, those she'd tried. This place her friend had stumbled upon when her boyfriend brought her to a nearby cottage for a weekend away. She said it had been the most relaxing hour of her life, better than back to back oral-gasms. A comment which had made Ginny snort water out her nose when she heard it.
Even if they didn't turn out to be as experienced a massage therapist as she was hoping for, at least she could request they switch over to a regular massage half-way through and enjoy some oral-gasm type relaxation for herself.
There was a towel lain over the table and she hung her robe up on the back of the door and settled herself down, trying to straighten out the towel behind her as best she could. Finally resting, she noted how comfortable the table was, like it had a slight warming and cushioning charm on it.
That was a very nice touch considering she had her naked front pressed against it.
The sound of the doorknob turning slowly was her indication that the masseuse was wanting to come in and her body tensed up. It was her immediate reaction to tense up whenever a new person was going to touch her; hairdresser, Healer, and any other form of professional capacity touching and she immediately stiffened.
"Hello," he greeted her in a soft voice.
Oh, it was a male masseur this time. That was going to be different.
She heard the door close and the sound of paper shifting. "I see from your form you are a Quidditch Player and regularly feel tight around your neck and shoulder blades?" he asked quietly as he walked around her.
Ginny hummed in response. All he would need was affirmation.
"I'm sure there are a few other problem areas but I'm going to build up to focusing on those today." She could hear him rubbing his hands together. "Let me just get you in an ideal position." Then it was with a feather light touch that he guided her hands down towards her side, giving a gentle shake to them as though to encourage her to loosen up.
"I'm going to start down at your feet and work my way up to your neck, alright?"
Again, she gave a hum of acknowledgment.
There was a small click and the sound of ocean waves and chirping birds started echoing softly through the room. Then his hands were on her feet and one by one he worked them over. And it felt so good that she couldn't stop the moans of appreciation, then he moved up to her calves, applying just the right amount of pressure and making these circular motions with his thumbs.
This was more of a massage, not massage therapy.
The difference was, one had her leaving the spa in a state of relaxation that would devolve into her feeling her aches and pains a half hour later, the other would have her feeling sore all over, but feeling like she could take on the world tomorrow and the day after.
Her goal with these sessions at all these different places she'd tried was to find the place to go before she had a big match coming up so she would be in peak performance.
When he moved up to her thighs, she gave another groan of appreciation and adjusted her form so he would have better access to the inside of her thighs, not thinking about what else it would give him better access to. She didn't really care how much he could see of her under the towel right then though. Hell, he could have kept working his way up her legs, over her arse and then down between them and she wouldn't have cared. He'd massaged her into a state of bliss and he hadn't even touched her upper body yet.
That wasn't what he did though. He got to her upper leg, then gently pulled back on the top of the towel so that it would fold and drape over her bum only, then his hands started working on her lower back. He was even more gentle there, coaxing her to relax even more.
The sounds that were coming out of her mouth! She didn't moan this much ever! It just felt too good to hold back.
He worked his hands higher, then back down, higher, then back down, applying more pressure with each pass. Then he focused on her arms all the way down to each hand and giving that a massage until she was a complete puddle of goo.
By the time he got to her neck and shoulder blades she'd forgotten there was even a part on her body that did hurt.
Again, he started off slow and gently between her shoulders, then up her neck and gave a gentle tug at the base of her head to elongate her neck and they both heard an audible pop of her spine adjusting into the correct position. Then he did it again, and again.
Then her moans started turning into small whimpers as he really worked at her muscles. It hurt, but it still felt nice too, like when you are doing a stretch and your body tells you that you don't normally bend this way and makes you question whether you should even attempt it, but your skin tells you that you've got this; that was what it felt like.
Her muscles were protesting but it was like even they knew that this was necessary.
After a few minutes of this sweet torture of his, he started massaging gently again and making her whimpers turn back into moans. Then again, the process would repeat.
She knew her hour had to be close to up now. The ocean sounds that were filling the room changed and it was more the sound of a breeze through leaves with birds chirping. That was when he stopped trying to work out her muscles and began working his way back down her arms, her back, and her legs.
Then the sound stopped, and so did his magic hands.
"That's our time for today. How are you feeling?" he asked softly.
"Like they need to re-define the term hand-job," she moaned softly. He was pulling the towel back so it stretched over her back again.
"We aim to please." She could hear the grin in his voice.
He sounded like he was about her age. It was different for someone in his profession to be a man, but Merlin, was he born for it!
"You should consider throwing the 'happy ending' option in there then," she joked. Well, she half-joked.
"Not that kind of establishment," he stated wryly.
"Hmm, it should be," she said dopily.
"I'll leave you now so you can get dressed in your own time. Samantha at the reception desk will assist you with your billing." With that, she heard the door shut.
Ginny lay there for another minute having an argument between her brain and body over whether she aught to have a nap there or get up, like she was supposed to, and head on her way.
That was the best massage she'd ever had. It had been relaxing and worked her over properly.
Finally, she managed to get to her feet and saw that there was a glass of water laid out for her, which she drank down, not realizing how parched she was until the cool liquid was cascading down her throat and filling her belly.
She left the towel on the table and wrapped herself up in her robe, putting on her slippers and essential sleep-walked her way back to the change room for a long shower before putting on her clothes.
"Enjoyed your massage then?" a lady restocking the towels in the changeroom asked. She was middle-aged with red hair and lovely eyes.
Ginny was still feeling sore yet relaxed and in a half daze. All signs of a very enjoyable massage. "So good," Ginny told her. "I don't even know who my masseur was, but fuck if he didn't put me a state of near nirvana."
She grinned at her. "Sounds like we might be seeing you again then?"
"Absolutely." She was going to go out to the reception desk and request the same masseur next week and then two days before every game she had scheduled.
"Glad you enjoyed yourself, Miss Weasley."
"You know who I am?" Ginny asked in surprise. She knew this was a swanky place, but it was a bit odd that all the staff would know the names of every client coming in.
The lady responded with another grin and a wink. "Go Harpies," she said before leaving the room.
Ginny grinned at her retreating form. She still forgot that there were people that recognized her on sight.
()()()
Harry had to try and mentally calm himself outside of the room. He saw her name on his schedule again and felt some trepidation over how excited it made him to see it there. He'd been a fan of hers since he'd first seen her in a Tornado's vs. Harpies game three years ago. She was an amazing Chaser! She was also incredibly attractive.
He'd had a hard time not feeling pervy about how much he had replayed how he'd run his hands all over her body when she'd been in there last week. He'd kept mentally kicking himself, trying to keep on track for what he should have been doing while he was giving her the massage and not simply ogling her, wishing that she'd been completely nude and comfortable with him giving her bum a massage as well.
He was a professional! He'd done this three to five times a day for four years and not once had he done anything that toed the line of that professionalism.
Then again, he'd never had a thing for the women he'd massaged before they'd wound up on his table either. Nor after. There had been several lovely women that he'd massaged, but he'd never wanked to the thought of any one of them.
Ginny Weasley though…
One more deep breath outside the door and he slowly turned the handle, stepping inside the room. She was already face down on the table again. He could tell by how her muscles had tensed in her calf that she'd heard the door open. Her head already resting on the table made it easier for him, she hadn't looked at him last time she was here, and he hadn't seen those lovely freckles and cheeky smile she usually sported that had attracted him to her in the first place.
Her towel was slightly askew and he adjusted that. "Welcome back," he greeted her as he fixed it.
"Oh good, it is you again. I did put in the request, but you never know. I've had a hard time finding someone who was as good as you are at…"
"Giving you a hand-job?" he asked, it slipped out of his mouth before he could pause to think.
She chuckled though. "Yes. Been looking forward to this hand-job all week."
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself in check. "Let's get started then." He turned on the hour-long musical track and moved down to her feet.
He'd been doing this for several years now and had known that he was going to get into this profession since he was young. It was a family business and his parents and grandparents had seemed to love it. After he'd finished up at his private school, a magical one, he took a year off and did a normal 'gap year' experience that he understood was common for Muggle students and he visited a lot of mainland Europe. Some of the people he'd come across and befriended while staying at hostels and the like complained about their shoulders hurting from carrying their backpacks and he would immediately offer to give them a bit of a massage, it had been instinctive to him.
And he'd enjoyed doing it too.
Something about the scents and sounds, the repetition, knowing that you were making someone feel so good.
His mum and dad tried to tell him that he wasn't obligated to go into Massage Therapy, they did hope he would be involved in the business in some capacity, whether managing the business or the supplies or simply stepping in at reception every now and again, but he assured them he wanted to.
Now he was more grateful than ever that he opted for this profession since he was rubbing down one of the most attractive Quidditch players there was out there. He'd got to touch her all over and make her moan the way he had, and it had been amazing to him. To hear her request, even though she was just trying to be funny, that he give her a 'happy ending', it had spurned some dirty thoughts later that night.
As he worked his way up her legs he tried to quelch the feelings stirring in his groin, particularly when he got to her thighs and she moved her legs apart a bit so he had better access. In the fantasy he'd played out in his mind from the last time she'd been there, when she did that he'd climbed onto the table and proved to her just how easy of access that had been.
Here and now though he was doing his level best not to lower his head so he could try and see up under her towel. He desperately wanted to know if she was wearing any knickers, and what color they might be.
'Professional, not pervy. Professional, not pervy,' he repeated to himself over and over again.
He had her moaning again. Each time she did it would send this vibration through his hands and right down to his groin, and each time that happened he started reacting. He felt his tongue starting to swell in his mouth as he fought back against the desire to drool over her or place a kiss against that exposed neck of hers.
He folded back the towel again and started in on her lower back, trying not to pay too much notice to how he could make out the side of her breasts where they were pressed against the table.
"Fuck, you make this feel so good," she murmured when he was on his second pass, working from her lower back up along her spine and applying slightly more pressure than the first time. "You sure you don't do the happy-ending part? Because, fuck, I'm considering it."
He closed his eyes and focused really hard on maintaining his breathing and hand movements.
"Like I said last time," he tried to keep his voice calm and light, "it isn't that kind of establishment."
There was a playful whine that she gave. "What about after-hours services? Could pay you to come to my place and give me a rub down with a happy ending to put me right into dreamland. I had an internal struggle last week about whether I should stay here for a kip or head to the changeroom for a shower."
He bit his lip hard at that request.
The image of her laying face down in a bed covered in white linen came to his mind, then he'd flip her over and give her a once over of her whole body, breasts included, before lowering himself between her legs and massaging her with his tongue.
That image was going to take him places tonight.
"If you'd like, I can set a ten-minute timer once we're done and you can stay and relax until that goes off," he offered quietly, his hands now doing their third pass over her lower back.
"Hmm, yeah, that sounds good," she said sleepily. "And I didn't hear a no to the after-hours service."
He couldn't help his smile then. "No tempting the staff please."
"Mmhmm." Clearly, she didn't care what he said, she was too relaxed and sleepy to give any more of a response.
He did her arms, then started in on her problem area at her shoulders and neck. It wasn't as bad this time as it had been when she came in before but there were still a few groans and whimpers. Then the music changed and he switched back to a relaxing massage for the last five minutes. Once that was up he set the timer for ten minutes and let her know it would sound off when she had to wake.
Harry looked down at himself before he left the room, wanting to make sure that it wasn't obvious how aroused he was, and had to adjust himself, holding back a groan when his hand made contact with his erection.
'Not yet,' he mentally told his erection. He got into the hallway and let Samantha, the receptionist, know that Miss Weasley had requested a small nap before she left, so they should hold off on cleaning the room right away. Then he made a beeline for one of the staff bathrooms, locked and silenced the door then gave a great groan when he could finally dip his hand into his trousers and start relieving the hour of built-up excitement.
()()()
"Back again, I see?" It was the same lady that had been in the woman's change room the first time Ginny had visited.
This was Ginny's third time coming here.
"I would be here every day if I could," Ginny told her honestly. "Have you ever had a massage by the same guy that does me? It's incredible. I feel fantastic for days after." She was really needing it today too, her back was one big block of pain today from her intense work-outs this past week.
"No," the lady grinned and shook her head. "That would be too awkward. I just get my husband to take care of me if I need it."
"Why would that be awkward for you?" Ginny asked her. "Because you work with him?" He'd been very professional. Too professional. Ginny hoped he didn't mind her suggesting he follow up the massage with something a little extra, she had only been half joking about it.
"No, because I birthed him," she laughed.
"Birthed?" Ginny asked in surprise. "My masseuse is your son?" She gave the lady another looking over. She was an attractive woman with a very healthy overall shape, and her skin looked so healthy. The only true signs of age she showed were the crinkle lines around her eyes from years of smiling. Ginny hoped to look that radiant when she was in her forties/fifties.
"Yes. He is just one of the many Potter generations that are excellent at it," she told her proudly.
This wasn't just one of the staff members! She was the proprietor.
Ginny stared at her for a moment, halfway through taking off her trousers under her housecoat. "I had no idea! I knew his name was Harry from the appointment booking, but I didn't know his surname. Yeah, I suppose that would be awkward. It'd be like me getting a massage from one of my brothers." She gave a shiver at that thought.
"I'm Lily," she held out her hand for Ginny to shake. "And you didn't happen to notice how my son has my eyes?" she asked teasingly and batted her eyelashes at her. "People say it makes it entirely obvious we're related."
Ginny shook her hand and went back to stripping off under her housecoat. "I actually have no idea what Harry looks like. I always find it a bit odd when people have to touch me in a professional capacity, particularly when I'm naked. Makes it easier to not look at them."
"Oh, you need to leave your shyness at the door when you walk in here," Lily waved her off and started checking the soap dispensers by the sink were full, wiping around the sink and such. "There are several saunas over on the continent where you aren't allowed to wear clothes and they are co-ed. I wanted to try that over here but James, my husband, knew it wasn't the right market for it."
"Sorry, but I have to agree with him," Ginny told her wryly.
Lily didn't look offended and simply gave her a shrug. "I know. It's just quite liberating. Though, I might enjoy it more because I know I won't be running across my neighbor or someone from school when I'm in a German bathhouse."
"I would certainly be more likely to try it if I were somewhere like that," Ginny agreed with her. And it was now time for her appointment. "Well, it was nice chatting with you, Lily. I guess I'll just go let your son rub me all over now."
They both gave a laugh over that.
Ginny went to the reception desk and Samantha showed her to the same room she'd been in the other two times.
"He'll will be in shortly."
"Thanks," Ginny replied and started situating herself on the table, with a bit more trouble this week than the previous two considering she was so stiff. She didn't lay her face down flat in the head hole this time though, she crossed her arms and rested her chin upon them. She wanted to know what this guy looked like now. Was he a ginger like her? He apparently had those gorgeous green eyes that Lily has. They were a true emerald color that you don't really see in people. Not that she paid much attention to people's eye color, but the ones that she did remember that were green were usually a pale green that could pass for a sea-blue in certain lighting.
She wouldn't even be able to tell the color with the lighting in here though; still just the candles along the wall that were giving off faint light.
The doorknob turned slowly again, and she couldn't help but smile at the sound of it in anticipation for getting her thoroughly relaxing rub down again.
And this time, she turned to look at him as he came through the door.
And, my lord, was he a good-looking bloke.
He wasn't ginger at all. He had a mess of shaggy black hair and while he wasn't anywhere near as tall as all her brothers, he certainly had a good few inches on her. And his shoulders! Plus, the arms attached to them. It must have been a bit of a workout working with his hands all day and it showed in his biceps.
He was wearing scrubs and they hung nicely on him.
Harry paused as the door closed behind him and appeared startled that she was looking at him.
"So, this is what you look like," Ginny smiled in appreciation. She was tempted to make another comment about 'hand-jobs' and him coming around to hers after hours. It was one thing to have said that before she knew what he looked like though, now that she had a visual it would sound a lot more pervy. Instead, she opted to simply bite her lower lip and hope that he couldn't properly read her expression considering the lighting.
She could feel a blush coming to her face.
Twice now she'd had this fine specimen rubbing her all over, that alone sparked something in her. Now she didn't know whether she was going to be more tense on the table, or if she'd be close to getting off because of how she very much liked the look of him.
Truth be told, she didn't have much experience with men. There were several rumors shared about her when she was in school, probably because she'd had a few boyfriends and had always been very comfortable hanging around with the guys and sharing dirty jokes, but she didn't have much in the way of romantic experience.
Actually, Harry had touched her more places and for longer than any of her past boyfriends.
Well, save for her breasts. But she'd flip over and let Harry massage her front if he asked when she was at her optimal state of bliss.
And, well, she wasn't a virgin, so there was that area too. And she'd already put the option out there of him touching her between the legs. She wanted desperately to let out a giggle recalling that.
Only a moment had passed and Harry got over his surprise. "This is what I look like," he said with a crooked grin.
Oh, cute smile. She could see he had a dimple on one side.
Ginny decided now was a good time to hide her face again, but she was no longer interested in simply remaining quiet throughout her session.
"I didn't realize you were the heir of the establishment."
"It isn't something I broadcast." He straightened out her towel and filled the room with ocean sounds again.
She let out a soft hum as his hands met her feet. "I just properly met your mum in the changeroom. She was trying to sell the idea of a fully nude coed sauna."
Ginny couldn't help but chuckle as she felt his hands falter.
"Don't worry, she told me her husband had already talked her out of adding one here."
"Yeah, we are not in the right country for that," he told her. "She tried to get me to go to one in Finland with she and my father and I gave them a hard pass."
"Not keen on the sauna part, or the naked part?"
"The 'visiting one with my parents' part. I've been to them before, just not with either of them."
She bet he would look quite nice naked. "And is it a liberating experience, like she said?"
"Yes," he said, sounding honest. "After a bit you forget that there is a stigma about being completely nude in front of other people. It isn't like the men are all walking around with an erection. Everyone is entirely too relaxed and warm to be wanting to get up to any funny business."
He started working his way up her calves and she felt goosebumps rise all over her.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"No," she managed to get out. In fact, she'd just had an image of she and he at a sauna, both naked and him rubbing her down like he was right now, except it wasn't too hot there and he was very obviously aroused.
Attempting to will her goosebumps to go away caused a shiver to go through her.
"Are you sure? I have a warming lotion I can use."
"No. It's fine. Just a stray thought is all. It'll pass. I'm not cold."
"Alright," he said in a very calming voice. "Just try to relax."
Despite her telling him she wasn't cold, she did feel a little more warmth against her front and from the towel. He must have added warming charms.
She tried to shut off her mind and melt into the experience like she had done the last two times. He finished up with her calves and moved higher to her thighs, again, she moved her legs apart a little more to allow him room to work with. As his hands were doing passes along her inner thigh, going higher and higher she started growing warm again for another reason.
"Hmm, is this where I bring up the hand-job idea again," she mumbled.
"Still not that kind of place," he told her. She could swear his voice was a few decibels lower than it had been though.
Then he pulled her towel back and folded it over her bum again and his hands were on her lower back.
Now, she knew it had been a particularly hard week of practice but she didn't realize until that moment just how much her muscles in her back were bothering her and cried out when he applied the normal amount of pressure near the base of her spine.
"Wow, you are very sore this week," he exclaimed softly.
She could do no more than whimper in response and blow slow breaths out of her mouth as she tried to deal with the pain.
"Did you realize how bad it was?" Harry asked her.
"No," she groaned.
"I'll try to be as gentle as possible."
His touch grew feather light and he started adding more and more pressure with each full pass along the muscles on her back.
"I have to ask; did you have a fall this week?"
"New kind of exercise," Ginny ground out. "Something called 'arm lifts,' or something. It's supposed to help us swing back onto our brooms if we are holding on by only our hands."
He gave a loud sigh, almost of disapproval. "Yeah, that'll do it. You should try doing yoga after, that'll stretch out your muscles and make you feel better. That or a nice hot bath."
"Or I can call you over to take care of me," she said again without thinking.
She didn't hear a 'no' from him on that one. Though, she hadn't been seriously asking, the slowly relaxing tension in her back was too distracting. And she could almost hear him cringing from how much pain she was in.
"Did you want me to see if there's time to extend this session?" he asked her. "We usually leave a half hour to an hours gap between clients in the rooms, I can see if this one is available for an extra half hour.
"Yes," she practically begged.
"Okay. First, I'm going to put some weighted heat on your back, a compress." He pulled the towel over her back again and a moment later she felt something warm and heavy being draped across her back. It felt good and she let out a moan letting him know that. "There you go. This should help loosen you up more. I'll be back in a moment."
The heat and weight and pressure were helping her melt further into the table and by the time Harry came back into the room she felt only a minute had passed, but it had been a really good minute.
"This is helping," she muttered.
"Those must have been some exercises you were given," he commented and put his hands back on the top of her shoulders, starting to massage there and relax her more.
"I may have a tendency to push myself too much," she admitted. "I'm a little hyper focused on my career."
"And your performance proves that. But you need to take it easy, especially when doing exercises or new moves on your broom that aren't familiar to you. The expression 'you need to walk before you can run' is around for a reason."
"Yeah, yeah. You sound like my mother."
She felt his hands vibrate a bit, likely from trying to hold back laughter.
"We are good for an extra half hour, by the way. So just keep resting there and I'll see what I can do to take care of this for you."
The pressure and warmth on her back combined with the gentle massage on her shoulders and up near her neck had her slipping back into a blissful state that got her imagining him using those fingers for a different kind of relaxing activity. That would likely turn her whole body into a pile of goo as well.
"Do you get a lot of your clients making passes at you?" she suddenly blurted out.
"What?" The surprise in his tone was justifiable. She'd just brought that up out of nowhere.
"Well, I mean, your job is to relax people, sort of 'de-stress' their whole bodies, and you're damned good at it. I was making suggestive comments and that was before I'd even seen what you look-" She cut herself off and bit her lip then. It had been too late to backpedal on that one though.
There was a slight pause in his ministrations then and they both simply let the silence linger, only the ocean sounds filling the room.
She'd just crossed a line, she was sure she had.
It could have been construed as an innocent question and comment though, couldn't it?
Then finally, "I'm sure you get a few suggestive comments from fans with what you do as well."
Ginny frowned and opened her eyes to look down at the comfortable slip on shoes Harry was wearing as he stood near her head. She'd gotten a few fan mail items over the years, but those were usually screened first before they came to her, so they had mostly been from girls aspiring to be as good as she was, all motivational stuff that their publicity team wanted making it through the channels.
There had been things shouted at her by a few men when she was out though.
"Never when I'm stuck in such a personal situation like you are. I mean, your clients are naked under a towel, meanwhile I'm generally out with friends or family having something shouted at me."
"No, I don't get a lot of my clients making passes at me," he told her finally. "Also, with this being my family business, I wouldn't want there to be any signs of impropriety that could negatively affect the business."
"I didn't ask if you acted on the passes that come your way," she started.
"I think the heat has been applied to your back for long enough now." It sounded like he was looking for a change of subject.
She was glad her face was already buried in the table because she was sure her cheeks were a bright red. She felt the warm weight be lifted off of her back and a second later the towel was being folded back over her bum again. Then his hands were at the base of her spine once more. It didn't hurt as much this time. Even if it did, she was already biting her lip over what she'd said, how she'd alluded to him following through on her come-ons.
It was still painful, but a good kind of pain, he did his usual few passes, then his fingers started applying direct pressure to her problem areas and she bit her lip even harder and tried to breath through it.
"Don't do that," Harry told her.
"Don't do what?" she gasped, trying to keep the pain out of her voice.
"Hold your breath, don't do that. Slow, deep breaths." He started breathing loudly, showing her the rhythm she should be trying to copy. "There you go, in time with the waves."
She did as he said and let out a breath with every crash of the waves she heard and after several minutes she had relaxed back into the puddle of goo she was familiar with being while on this table.
"Fuck, you are so good at this," she moaned again.
"Still wishing I made house calls?" he asked in a tease as he came to stand near her head again and work over her persistent problem area.
"Hey, if I'm not supposed to make inappropriate comments to you, then same goes for the other way around, buddy."
"I didn't say you couldn't make them, just that I can't follow through."
His thumbs began pressing into the tight muscles at the base of her neck and she gave a loud groan. "Don't tempt me, Green-Eyes. There's got to be some way to work around that policy and if you aren't going to play fair then I might be tempted to search for it."
There was a definite pause in his movements. It only lasted for a second, but she felt it.
"You are supposed to be relaxing, not feeling tempted." There was still that tease in his voice.
"I can do both," she teased back. "Your hands are marvelous; they are making it possible." Then she was forced to let out a loud cry from the way he'd pressed his thumb down on her left side.
"Bad?" he asked as she was still whimpering.
"No, no, not bad. It hurts but I can feel it making things better too! Keep going."
In terms of massage versus massage therapy, this session had turned out to be more massage therapy. He kept working her over and rubbing out the knots all over her back and shoulders.
"Ten minutes left," Harry told her. "Do you want me to rub your back or your legs?"
"Both?" she asked weakly. "Maybe a quick rub down of my legs and then my back?"
"I can do that. And I'm also going to recommend you do some yoga before you come in next time. That is, if you come in again."
"Of course, I will. Just because this time was more punishment than pleasure doesn't mean I'm going to go off and find another person to work it out of me."
For some inexplicable reason, she was pretty sure she heard him whimper quietly at that.
They were silent for the remaining ten minutes and he managed to get her good and relaxed with her leg rub so that by the time he was at her back she wasn't too tense from the anticipation of pain and felt pretty good.
"A nice hot bath," he told her, more like ordered her as though he was a Healer giving out a prescription, "and give yoga or at least a few stretches a try."
"Yes sir," she smiled down at the floor.
()()()
It was two days before a Harpy game. Harry knew this because he had tickets to this one. It was Harpy's versus Puddlemere and he wasn't sure who he should be cheering for. He had been a Puddlemere fan for as long as he could remember, but there was obviously one Harpy in particular that he was a huge fan of.
Currently that Harpy was in a yoga class in the Potters Spa Oasis Room following along to the teachings of their yoga instructor. Harry had decided that enjoying his tea break out on the balcony that happened to overlook the class was a good idea.
He'd recommended she try it and he was glad she took him up on that advice.
The last time she was in hadn't just been painful for her, he'd cringed at every tight muscle he came across on her back, and there were so many of them. She had likely been sore for days after that. She was booked in to get another hour-long massage with him that started in thirty minutes. Just an hour long, not an hour and a half, so she must have been feeling better. Though, as he watched her attempt a few poses he could tell she was holding herself a bit stiffly, like she was working overly hard to support her neck.
She had her hair plaited down her back for this, it showed off just how nice and long it was, the spot where she had it tied off with the elastic was right where her bra clasp was showing through her tight shirt. When she was on his table her hair was always piled up in a hasty bun on top of her head to keep it out of the way.
He saw her wince again while in warrior pose and took another sip of his tea.
The class was finishing up and the instructor, Chelsea, spotted him on the balcony and gave a wave that he returned. Ginny caught that and looked over at him as well. Harry returned her gaze and gave her a smile; he was sure he saw some color coming to her cheeks as though she had just been caught doing something she shouldn't.
Then his break time was up and he went to get back to work, looking forward to the next hour.
Ginny was face down this time when he came into the room.
"I'm glad to see you took my advice," he told her softly as he shut the door. "Was that your first yoga class?"
"Second. In the last week anyhow. I'd tried it before with a Muggleborn friend of mine a few years back but hadn't ever thought of it as a form of exercise or stretching until now."
"You found it helpful then?"
Her shoulders made a movement like a shrug or silent laughter. "I guess I'll know once you get to my back again."
"I promise I'll be gentle."
He could have sworn he heard her give a soft moan then, but he hadn't even started touching her.
"I'm going to put the heat pads on your back while I start on your feet, just in case."
She hummed in response and he draped them over her lower back.
He didn't normally instigate conversation in these rooms, it was a place people came to for quiet and relaxation, not to have a casual chat. He really wanted to get to know her better though. The last time she'd been in they had bordered on the line of impropriety with her suggestive words.
"I'm going to your game in two days. Really looking forward to it," Harry told her as he massaged her right foot.
"Really? Who are you cheering for then?"
He should have expected that question, it didn't make him cringe though, it made him smile. "I may not show up wearing your colors, but I will be cheering you on, don't worry about that."
"Oh no, a Puddlemere fan. I'll have my work cut out for me converting you." He could hear the smile in her voice. "You'd better not do a poor job today and put me at a disadvantage."
"Never. If anything, I'm going to make sure you're in peak performance. That way I can brag and say you couldn't have done it without me."
She gave a moan as he slid his hands up her smooth calf, "well, that would be true. Though, if you really want me in peak performance you'd make a house call tomorrow night," she teased.
Harry closed his eyes and willed himself not to be aroused by the suggestion. "Miss Weasley," he said in a mockingly warning voice.
"Yes, yes, no besmirching the name of the Potters. I'll try to be a good girl."
'Oh, fuck,' that sounded so much more suggestive to his ears than she'd meant it. 'Better switch back to asking about her pain level.'
"How has your back felt this past week?"
"First two days were a bloody mess. I was taking baths and doing any kind of stretch I could think of. The third day I caved and took a yoga class at a gym near my flat. A Muggle one. It seemed to help. I even had a sauna and a hot shower after. The gym has better water pressure than mine at home and was able to hit my muscles more forcefully, that felt pretty good."
Now he was simply picturing her standing in a shower stall with her back to the water, completely naked, her hands up around the back of her neck, sort of like they were massaging the muscles there, her elbows were bent in front of her and blocking her breasts in the most teasing way.
That was a nice picture to save for later.
Right now, he moved on to her left foot, because he was still at work and had a job to do.
"How did that yoga class compare to ours?"
"The atmosphere wasn't nearly as nice. That rainforest room you have."
"The Oasis Room."
"Yeah, it's beautiful, and there is this soft fragrance, not perfume-y."
"Honeysuckle."
"That's it. It reminds me of home. We had all kinds of wildflowers that grow around my parents' house. It was really nice."
"And what about Chelsea, the instructor? Do you think she did a good job?"
"Trying to get an employee rating out of me?" she teased. "She was good. Patient. Had that whole 'breathe in, breathe out,' thing down. Which is amazingly helpful because I swear with every new pose I just automatically start holding my breath. No idea why."
Harry chuckled. "Everyone does. It's some kind of reflex, particularly when you're new to it."
"She's pretty."
Harry wasn't sure what to make of that comment, or why Ginny would say it. "Er, yeah. She's a good-looking girl." There were a few good-looking girls around the spa, including the receptionist.
"I wonder what the interview process for a yoga instructor would be? Did she have to give a class first so you could judge it?"
"Er, my mother poached her away from another place actually. She likes to go and visit other spas and gyms to see what they are doing better than we are so we can work on areas to improve. She found Chelsea at another spa and witnessed the manager there talking to her in a way that wouldn't be tolerated here, offered her a job on the spot because she'd just taken her class and thought she'd done an excellent job."
"I find it hard to tell who is a Muggle and who isn't around here."
"Chelsea is," he confirmed. "I know it's a bit odd, mixing magical and non-magical staff in a place like this. There are only a few rooms, like this one, that we use magic in. Samantha and our two other receptionists are witches though and they always remember to remind our magical clientele of where they are and the Statute of Secrecy. We haven't had an issue yet, fingers crossed it stays that way."
"I guess there isn't much magic needed here. There wasn't at some of the other massage parlors that didn't allow Muggles, but they still didn't bother lowering that restriction."
"We're happy being able to cater to both markets. Their money works just as good as anyone else's, we simply have a different currency."
He was standing at the base of the table and began rubbing his hands over the back of her thighs, up and down, and she moved her legs apart just a bit, like she did every time.
He wasn't sure if it was him, or her moving back against his ministrations, but his fingertips grazed under her towel, his thumbs on the inside going higher than they had before. And her skin was so much warmer there.
"Mmm, feels good," she whispered blissfully.
He gave a hard swallow and wet his lips before biting down on his bottom one, then he dared to make that particular move again. His hands weren't that high on her leg, he reasoned. If she'd been on the table in only her knickers, which he'd had ladies opt for before, then he would have been going higher on her legs than the towel allowed.
The thing was, she'd told him on one of her previous appointments that she wasn't wearing any knickers.
He started working his way back down her thigh rather than risking the temptation any further.
He moved to her lower back after that and started out very gently.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?"
"For just… knowing."
He grinned down at the back of her head. "It's amazing how much I remember of my clients needs."
"Awe, and here I was thinking I was special."
You are, he almost said aloud. "There are some that I prefer more than others. And you are one of the preferred."
"Am I?" She sounded very intrigued.
"Of course. When you absolutely dominate the other team at your next game, I'll be able to know I helped get you in top shape."
"Oh, it isn't just because you like my body?"
She was teasing him again. And he didn't know whether to lie and say it wasn't.
Honestly though, after doing this for so long, flesh was flesh. If it was just the sounds of ocean waves and birds chirping then he would only be noticing the feel of the muscles under that flesh and working at getting his client in the more relaxed and stretched out state. With her though it was becoming common for them to have conversation. And he was just… aware.
And he wasn't sure what to do about it. He wanted to keep her as a client, but he thought it was wrong to keep pleasuring himself after their sessions.
He couldn't help himself after though.
"I enjoy having the conversation," he lied. Lying was the safer bet to go with here. "After doing this for so long and having only the ocean sounds for company, you being in here and chatting is a nice change of pace."
He wasn't sure if he saw a slight slump of her shoulders or if it was just his mind showing him what he wanted to see. He had been looking at her lower back and putting a little extra pressure along the sides of her lower spine with each pass when he thought he saw it.
()()()
Ginny felt so good and stretched out before her next massage therapy appointment. She was fresh faced, very hydrated, and completely ready for an amazing rub down by Harry.
Maybe this time she could get him to flirt back with her a bit. Their last session ended a little more quietly than she would have liked. She had tried to get him talking a bit more, he'd said that he enjoyed the conversation aspect of their appointments, yet he'd been more quiet than usual after that comment.
She was led to the regular room by the receptionist and lay down on the table.
He'd said he was going to her last game, which her team had won! She wanted to get his thoughts on it.
The door opened, but not with the usual soft turn of the door knob, and she turned to look at him, except it wasn't him, it was someone else; a dainty looking woman with short dark hair that lay straight except for the slight curl at the end.
"Is something wrong?" Ginny asked.
"What do you mean?" she asked as she closed the door behind her.
"I mean I normally have Harry as my masseur."
"Yes, I saw that. He asked if I would switch with him today. My name is Stephanie." She had an accent that Ginny couldn't place, it wasn't British or from anywhere on the isles, but there was a bit of a familiar accent there. Not quite Irish. "I've read over your chart about your problem areas."
"Is he sick?" Ginny couldn't stop herself from asking.
Stephanie looked surprised and confused. "No, not sick."
"Oh." Ginny put her head down so she could hide her expression from this woman she was now stuck with.
Why would he just opt to ask someone else to take care of her? Was she supposed to read into that? He'd been the perfect person for her; not too soft, not to gentle. He made her feel in perfect shape, and he'd said that him being the one to put her in perfect shape for playing was one of the reasons she was his preferred clients. Was that a lie?
Maybe her time spent with him had come to mean more to her than it should have.
She liked him.
A lot.
Now she had to let Stephanie be the one to rub her over, and it wasn't fair.
She felt like crying now and it was because she felt rejected, which was ridiculous!
"Ow!" Ginny cried out in pain and quickly came up onto her elbows in reflex.
While she'd been overthinking things in her head, Stephanie had started getting to work on her and put way too much pressure on her back.
"Sorry! I'll do it gentler."
"Okay," Ginny said through gritted teeth and sank back down into the table.
Stephanie did go softer on her, but she was strictly focusing on her back and Ginny wasn't able to relax, it didn't matter how many times Stephanie repeated the word 'relax' to her. Then, at about the forty minute mark, she switched to a relaxing massage, still only focusing on her back and shoulders though.
And it was good, for a back massage, but being so tense during the first part meant that it wasn't an enjoyable experience.
Maybe it was because she kept comparing it to the way Harry did it.
When her time was up, Ginny felt lousy.
She had sat up and wrapped the towel around herself before Stephanie was even out of the room and frowned the whole way to the changeroom.
"That's not your usual expression when you come in here." Lily was in the changeroom again.
"Are you in here at this time every day, or is it just when I'm here?" Ginny wondered.
Lily let out a laugh. "Oh honey, don't get too big a head there. I'm in here four times a day, every other hour. And you are normally getting ready to leave when I'm on my second visit of the day."
"Okay," Ginny nodded.
Lily gave her a curious look. "What's wrong? Was it not a good massage today?"
Ginny wasn't sure what to say at first. Lily was part owner of the spa so she didn't want to make it seem like Stephanie didn't know what she was doing.
"I guess I was just expecting a different experience than I got. Harry has a special touch and Stephanie… she's… not quite on his level."
"Harry wasn't your masseuse today?" she looked surprised by that information.
"No, I was told he needed to switch." And she had no other information than that. She grabbed her shower kit from her bag and headed off to wash the potions or lotions or whatever off of her and intended to turn the water as hot as it would go to try and work some of this tension she still felt out of her.
()()()
Harry was playing with the spoon in his teacup when his mother came into the staff room, he gave her his usual half smile and went back to staring at the spoon as it went around and around.
She then sat down across the table from him and he could feel her eyes on him.
"Yes?"
"Just curious, why did you have Stephanie massage Ginny Weasley today?"
"You are in charge of scheduling now? I thought you liked doing the behind the scenes things and left that to the receptionists."
"Harry," she said sternly.
"I just, don't think I should be massaging her anymore. She needs a firmer hand and Stephanie has that."
That was a complete lie. He was perfect for her, and wanted to be perfect for her as more than just her masseuse. He'd watched her flying at the Puddlemere vs Harpies game and knew he was becoming obsessed, and that was a problem.
He didn't just desire her, he was starting to long for her, wistfully longing for her.
"Well, she didn't look like she needed a firmer hand when she came into the changeroom, she looked like she'd just had a disappointing experience and we want to keep clients like her happy."
His jaw locked hearing that. Stephanie was a decent masseuse, but she was better with the heavier set clients that really needed the extra pressure applied. "You think she's going to start sending all the Quidditch players here?" He was trying to make this conversation strictly about the business. He needed to stop thinking about her.
"She could. She's really making a name for herself and we'd be idiots not to think about the potential there. This is a business after all." There was something else she wanted to say, he could sense it. "And… I think she likes you."
He stared at his mum then. "Likes me," he repeated.
"She certainly looks more than simply relaxed when she comes into the changeroom after a session with you."
He took a sip of his tea and put it back down on the table, then gave it another stir. "It didn't feel right to keep… being her masseuse."
Lily raised an eyebrow at him, then a slow smile came to her lips. "You like her," she was now grinning.
He felt himself cringe internally. "Yes," he admitted. "And now you see why I can't keep on being the one to massage her. It isn't right."
"It could be," she shrugged, giving him an all-knowing look. "If you told her that you wanted something more than a business relationship."
He opened and closed his mouth a few times before responding. "You'd be okay with that?"
"Harry, you can't be all about work all the time, and you clearly like her enough that you are willing to stop seeing her all together because it could be seen as impropriety." She put her hand on top of his. "Thank you for putting the reputation of our business first, but will you please go and ask the girl out? I doubt she's left the building yet."
She seemed so sure she was right. And she did have the female perspective, and usually her instincts were correct.
"What's the worst that could happen?" she asked him by way of encouragement.
He grinned at his mum and gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting up and leaving the break room, his feet moving as fast as they could without breaking into a run.
He didn't have to go far though, Ginny was at the reception desk talking to Samantha and booking her next appointment. Cautiously, he moved closer to her.
"I'm not saying she was bad, she just wasn't… right, for me. So, if Harry's unavailable, or going to trade me off without notice, can you just tell me now?"
Samantha glanced over at him and subtly raised an eyebrow in question.
It wasn't so subtle that Ginny didn't catch it though, and she turned her head to see him there; surprise written all over her face.
"Can we have a chat?" he asked quickly, before he could change his mind.
"Okay," Ginny said tentatively.
He indicated with his head towards the door that led to the exit. Once they were outside and off of the company property, he started feeling a bit more able to do this.
"The thing is… I like you. That's why I asked Stephanie to take over your session today. I was starting to feel awkward about how I've grown to like you so much and it was getting a bit…" he really didn't want to say the word 'pervy', "erm… self-indulgent?" No, that was still the wrong word, but now it was out of his mouth and he wanted the ground to crack open and swallow him whole.
And Ginny was just standing there, staring at him.
It was a nice change to be able to look her in the face rather than have her simply face down on the table before him. He did wish she would say something back to him though.
"You traded me off because you like me?" she said.
He felt that his tongue was now two sizes to big and merely nodded.
It was insane how nervous he was about telling her this. If she was just some random girl he'd bumped into at a coffee shop he wouldn't have been so nervous, he'd have just asked her out and things would have gone from there. Now though, it felt like there was something on the line. Random coffee-shop girl turning him down he could shrug off, Ginny… her rejecting him would have made him want to hide under his blankets on the couch eating crap food for a day or two from the sting of it.
"Oh, good," she sighed, her tense shoulders sagging with relief, "I thought I'd scared you off!"
He couldn't resist smiling at that response. "Scared me off? How?"
Ginny grinned and rolled her eyes at him, "I had been rather suggestive, hadn't I?"
"Yeah, I caught that, it was part of what was making me feel awkward about it, because I was tempted to take you up on it!"
"Could have fooled me!" she accused in jest. "You didn't act receptive to it. And let me tell you, going into the changeroom after and running into your mum every other time, didn't help me feel better about making, what I assumed was, unwanted advances on you."
"Well, I'm glad you ran into her this time, because she found me right after and nearly smacked me upside the head."
Ginny tilted her head back to let out a loud laugh. "So, does this mean that you'll come to mine and give me a 'private session'," she asked coquettishly.
This was where he needed to make things clear. "I promise not to trade your appointments again, but any 'private sessions' won't be anything like what you experience on my table," he grinned and gave her a wink.
Ginny stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'll take whatever you want to give me," she purred.
()()()