AN: Sorry for the unforgivably long hiatus in updating this fic… But this does require some inspiration, and hmm, I will not elaborate further on that… Anyway, here it is… and I sincerely hope it meets the expectations…
By the way: Selene L. Holloway, thanks for your pointing out the correct spelling for Legilimency, I mostly work from memory, and you see, my mind's screwed up sometimes… most of the time… especially when I write this sort of chapters… As for your comment on them being OOC… Well, I do try to stay as close to their real characters as possible. Though I'm quite aware this kind of situation would not likely happen in JKR's books, I still believe the two of them could act like this when put in that situation… Especially when I read some other smutty scenes (check AdultFanFiction.Net if you don't believe me), I believe I've created something (mildly) kinky, but still true to their characters from the books… But then again, I could very well be deluding myself…
***
Looking into his eyes, she felt her heart thumping in fear. If his green gaze could've, it would've melted her with its heat and intensity.
Frozen in place, she let Harry grab her upper arms…
*
Hermione didn't know what to do… She had let herself go all evening, but now that she was faced with the repercussions… her mind drew a painful blank…
She had forgotten about why she had done all this in the first place, she only knew she was at his mercy…
***
Harry looked at her… He was starting to calm down a bit, but the blood in his veins was still pushing his limits… Some far away part of his brain informed him of the irony, that this insane situation had unleashed the very 'thing' Dumbledore had been wanting him to do all year long…
That power, that liquid magic, so strongly linked to emotions was still coursing through him… This was what he had been so afraid of letting go… this was what had cost him so much anxiety, and now it was flowing through him. Not at all satisfied with just getting to alter some restraining bonds, that power demanded more…
His fingers tingled where his skin was in contact with the shirt she had donned. She really was marvellous! Her hair was wild, just as he liked it. It was clear she hadn't a bra under that white dress-shirt she was wearing… and the top buttons were already unbuttoned… Her elegant legs were bare, and a feast to the eyes…
Unable to stop the desire to bare her completely, he turned the two of them around, and making her back up into one of the posts of the bed, he eased the magic flowing through him by putting it to good use. Sliding his hands over her arms to her wrists, he brought them up.
She was a beautiful sight, her back against the wooden post, her wrists above her head, her eyes on him… She was still too shocked to do anything, and it was no difficulty at all to get her wrists pinned above her head. Hermione didn't protest when he bound her wrists there, but she probably had no idea… sliding his fingers slowly from her wrists, over her arms, she flinched when it started to tickle.
Harry could pinpoint the moment she understood her wrists were bound. She stood for a little while, after he had stopped touching her, unmoving, but with wide eyes. Her breathing was heavy, offering Harry an alluring sight of a heaving chest before his eyes. Though he could have brought up the patience, if he really had wanted to, he grinned momentarily at the Head Girl.
That was all the warning she got when he took both sides of the shirt in each hand, and ripped it open in one go.
***
Hermione thought she was going to pass out any moment now. Though she had never felt as scared in her existence, it wasn't a panicky-scared-for-her-life-thing… It was an anxiety that was brought on by a situation where she was going to be naked in front of someone else. Not just the skin, but her everything, leaving her vulnerable in a way even Voldemort couldn't make her feel…
Harry had the power to destroy a part of her by simply rejecting her, and that was enough to make any witch scared…
Despite all of that, she had certainly never felt as aroused and wanton either… She tried to control the primal feelings Harry was lighting deep inside her, but it was a losing battle.
The fact that she had no idea how he had managed to make her wrists impossible to move from their place, made her wonder just how powerful a wizard Harry really was… The thought of him breaking out of his bonds and apparently making the magic around them do as he wished should make her at least nervous. Instead it made her want him even more…
It was like the feeling she had in her dreams, only much stronger. Feeling submissive made something deep inside her hurt in the most delicious way… When he looked at her as if he wanted nothing more than to devour her, he ripped her white blouse away from her. Instead of feeling indignant about that, she felt excitement lashing through her, threatening to engulf her.
For now, there wasn't really anything he hadn't seen in the dreams before. But she felt his gaze almost physically burn her. It made her shiver, but the goose-bumps only served to stimulate her skin into more sensual sensitivity. After what seemed an eternity, he finally brought his hands to her in real contact with her skin.
The pleasure and slight relief it gave her to feel his hands resting on her hips, just above her panties, gave her mind some room to breath…
***
Harry couldn't have been gentlemanly about it, even if he'd wanted it. He may be a powerful wizard or something like that… At the moment he was very much a teenager seeing a part of female anatomy for the first time… live… Of course he'd had the lifelike dreams… And he's seen his little share of nude upper bodies on Muggle tv and wizard pictures… But nothing could have made him turn away his eyes from the skin he'd just bared.
It was all he could do not to lose control and start fondling her like a lecherous creature… But this was Hermione, and despite the craziness of the situation, a part of him was firmly telling his itching fingers to show at least the littlest respect for this amazing girl… no woman…
After Harry felt he had been able to memorise every curve's shadow of her chest, he uncurled his fists carefully, and reached for relatively innocent skin. After all, she had been able to investigate all of him… He really wanted to see all of her, too…
Harry felt the skin of her hips, and the feeling of just touching Hermione so, made something inside him soar… Or was it roar?
He pushed his confusion and guilt about the situation aside: after all, turnabout was fair play, wasn't it?
"Just evening the score, tease…"
Harry whispered in Hermione's ear, while he gently brought his fingers under the waistband of her white-cotton knickers, and slowly pushed them down a few millimetres. He was careful to hold her gaze for any sign she wanted to stop this… All he met, though, was an uncertain and confusing gaze.
He had just gotten the posterior side of her knickers over her soft globes; Merlin, that skin was soft… when he saw the littlest of flicker in her eyes. Remembering what she'd said to him before this whole evening had started, he whispered in her ear:
"You know you can trust me, don't you, love?"
Their gaze was intense, but even without any vocal protest of Hermione, Harry proceeded with his explanations. All the while keeping his fingers feathery light on the skin he'd just bared, but couldn't see.
"You see, there's something that's been bothering me ever since you told me, how it was those dreams came to order… Now you blamed me for using Legilimency… And I can see that… it could be that I unconsciously used it in my dreams… But I don't think that would be enough for us to have those kind of dreams…"
Breaking the gaze, Harry brought his mouth close to her ear, whispering he continued:
"I know you practised Occlumency… So, the dreams could've never happened by accident if you didn't want them to happen… You see, I couldn't possibly make you do anything in the dreams, Hermione… You were there of your free will, or you wouldn't have been there at all…"
***
Hermione could barely breathe when she felt his fingers caress the skin of her bum… so softly… The light touches were driving her crazy, and at the same time, she couldn't suppress the feeling of nervousness that he was about to shed her knickers…
His eyes focused back on hers, and together with his words, they were comforting her, assuring her, making her fall even more…
But the stubborn part of her started to awaken. She'd promised herself she wouldn't melt for him as easily as she had in the dreams… She should fight this… this delicious feeling… And ask him to take away the bonds, or move his fingers less ticklingly over her bare bottom… She knew he would, if she just asked him…
Her attention was slipping, and she barely made out what he was saying… Whispering in her ear… His breath was just so, wet and warm, and made her shiver in a wondrous way every time it hit her skin. Occlumency? Yes, she was quite good at it, actually… What did that have to do with… the dreams? Free will? Could it be? Maybe she'd always known it, but didn't want to… believe…
No! Come back… Harry had just moved away from her… Her ear shell feeling strangely cold… His green gaze… but she had to focus now…
Oh! Had he just… squeezed her? Hermione was thorn between wanting to slap him, or kiss him for finally stopping with the soft mind-numbing touches on the skin of her bum…
Hey! What, oh… Well, now there went her knickers. Her last barrier… She was now as nude as he was. Feeling not as uncomfortable as she thought she'd feel, she assisted him when he helped her step out of the white cotton.
Despite not really knowing what to expect next, she was rather surprised when he rubbed her feet, and moved his touches slightly higher, but never past her knees. Hermione relaxed in the soothing caresses, and didn't really notice he had an alternative agenda to making her feel worry-free…
***
After giving her bottom a quick squeeze, Harry found the courage to take her panties from her…
Harry was in a strange place. Knowing for certain that it was the liquid power he had somehow unleashed that was keeping him from being a nervous mess, he was grateful for the confidence it brought him.
Seeing her digest the knowledge that they were both responsible for the dreams, and what happened in them, he thought he'd waited long enough to give her a chance to back out.
Without encountering any protests from Hermione, he'd slipped the innocent-looking underwear down her legs. Kneeling in front of her, he realised the amount of skin that could be explored of her, just from her legs.
Not seeing any reason not to do it, he brought his hands to her ankles, and tried to test out the effect of every touch on each little piece of skin he encountered. While he was learning… memorising her, he revelled in the soft moans she uttered. How was it possible for Hermione Granger to have such unchecked noises coming from her mouth? And was it really all because of him?
He discovered a particularly sensitive spot in one of the hollows behind her knees. And she reacted rather ticklish when he concentrated on her toes… But this wasn't enough… And although he'd really wanted to explore higher… Discovering the most intimate, as well as the most intimidating part of the female body… of Hermione's body… he decided to reign in his impulses, with the aid of his magical, flowing power, and treat her like she'd treated him moments before…
His mind just thought up one most… interesting… plan…
He'd read about Wendelin de Weird before his third year, and he'd never thought anything about it… Until now… Yes, Hermione must enjoy a little scientific experiment just fine, why ever wouldn't she?
***
Hermione was perfectly content to stay like that forever… Well, maybe not forever, because her arms were going to start hurting at one time or another from their position above her head. But the nice caresses and massages her feet and lower legs were getting fell heavenly.
So heavenly, in fact, that she'd completely forgiven Harry about the fact that she was pretty much nude - save for the ripped shirt - and tied up by him… And really, when one thought about it… Harry did have a point… She'd 'punished' him before, because she believed he had been solely responsible for the dreams. So why couldn't he repay the favour? … Hmm, no… it wasn't a favour… what was it again? Oh, yes: revenge…
Proud of herself to have come to the right solution - what had been the problem again? - she had to drag her mind back to the present when she lost the exquisite feeling of his touches…
Wh-what?
Harry stood up straight again, and she noticed he was towering over her a little more than normally. Frowning, she realised her feet were standing apart, and that there laid the reason for her being seemingly a bit shorter. However, it seemed that her evil supposed-to-be best friend had somehow bound those too from being able to be moved, much like the way her wrists were bound.
Looking down at her feet to asses the situation, she was suddenly very much reminded about their clothing… well, lack there of… Of course, she knew before this that he hadn't anything on… Why she had shed it all herself! And she had been quite closely introduced to the part of him that was still quite hard and pointing in her general vicinity…
But, just looking down, and seeing they were both naked, together… it was just another reason to make her heart beat a little harder than it already was…
Looking up uncertainly, she tried to guess his intentions… Well, the only thing she could discover from his expression was that he was planning something naughty… uhmm… maybe mischievous was a safer term then - shiver- naughty… Trying to focus through her rebelliously disobedient thought process - really, she should be more level-headed then this! - she frowned at Harry's growing smirk.
With wide eyes, Hermione saw Harry extend his hand, and as if it were nothing extraordinary, he performed wandless magic to bring a bundle of torn sheets from somewhere on her left. While he let the dirty grey sheets fall at her feet… between her feet, really… Hermione looked at them in confusion before a moment of terror stopped her heart. A spark had ignited, and in only seconds, the drapes were on fire!
Panicking she looked up at Harry, ready to demand what he thought he was doing. But as soon as she tried to speak up, she found that he'd numbed her vocal cords… a bloody spell she'd taught him!
Not knowing what to think about this, her head tried to push away the unproductive terror, and think about this rationally…
Giving up on that hopeless trail of action, she looked at Harry pleadingly… Why was he doing this to her? Why was he looking so calm, and reassuring? He was her best friend… and he knew she loved him? Why would he hurt her? Why? … Oh!
Breathing in sharply, she felt the first flame lick on her skin. The expected pain was never registered… Though it was only after a few moments that her mind properly did register what the true feeling was… It tickled!
Looking incredulously at the black-haired fiend standing before her, she let herself relax voicelessly in the sensations of the flames infected by a freezing charm. It felt rather like the touches from before, when it had been his fingers working their magic on her skin… now it were the fire's fingers… similar… only… well, different… less purposeful… more erratic…
***
Harry watched the emotions of his bloody brilliant Hermione with care… he felt a bit guilty at her fearful shock… But just when he was going to reassure her vocally, she had already figured out just what he'd done.
He didn't really know how that piece of long forgotten information had been pushed back to the front of his memory… But it had just appeared in his conscious mind, and really, the opportunity to see how it would affect her was too good to pass up. Watching her closely, as she relaxed in the tickling sensations of the freezing-charmed flames on her ankles and lower legs, he decided to up the stakes… so to speak…
"You know, Hermione, I just know you'll be delighted that I'm taking interest in doing a little magical experimenting… I'm sure your gorgeous mind has already guessed that these flames have a freezing charm on them, and no doubt do you remember how our kind used this method to save themselves from the executions throughout the Middle Ages… So now… Well why don't we see how its effects really are from first hand experience? I know I should probably take notes, but now I'll just have to pay very close attention and commit everything to memory, won't I?"
Throughout his little speech he made the fire grow a little in intensity, letting the flames aim higher… gradually…
***
Hermione's heart was racing… Despite the 'mounting' distraction from the frozen flames, her mind suddenly registered the real effect his voice had on her… He really ought to speak like that more, almost lecturing… He didn't use this calm baritone nearly enough as he should… But maybe that was a good thing… Imagine the expanding growth of his already large fan club! All witches would be entranced if they knew the full effect of Harry's charms, like his intense green gaze, and that commanding voice, and that force behind all his gentleness, and relative innocence behind all his scars, emotional or otherwise…
Brought back to the present, Hermione was made aware of her body's impulses… Trying desperately to give up on the pointless urge to close her legs, and escape the mounting flames, she felt the tickles attacking her mercilessly.
It had started above her ankles, but now, the fire was already roaring softly up until her knees. Her knees were trembling, but even they couldn't totally give up on holding her weight, because then she wouldn't be able to escape the flames at all.
Struggling with her elbows to get her wrists to move, she moved back as much as she could… until the bedpost dug almost painfully in her back. No escape from the torture, and no vocal way to demand that he stop this, she tried to keep the flinching in her stomach stop…
Ticklish as she was, she couldn't help but laughing despite the loss of use of her vocal cords. The sensations were so intense, even her upper body reacted, without her permission. Goosebumps covered her chest, and if she weren't so preoccupied with the sensations lower, she would've desperately needed a soothing touch there…
Growing weak, and warm, and light-headed, she felt the odd flame flicker up now and then, touching her inner thighs in a most teasing way. Too content and frustrated at once, a strange numbness settled over her… She felt like a warm, twitching, boneless victim of too much… Strength leaving her, her mind was peacefully blank…
Her knees giving up, and her elbows trembling, she fell lower, her knees bent, dangling from the bedpost by her wrists… But only for a few seconds… Before she… burned…
If Hermione could've, she would've yelped… or screamed… or… something, when she felt the results of her defeat. Not at all painful, she felt a fire consume every stray logical thought that dared enter her mind. Senses on overload, her body reacted on instinct and nothing more…
Now that her body was positioned lower, but the fire was still as high and intense as ever, the flames were tickling a part of her that had never before been tickled. Her thighs trembled, her eyes bulged, and she was trying very hard to catch a breath, but she felt… ironically… like she was drowning…
Fierce pleasure cursed through her, raw and untamed, Hermione was utterly lost in the intensity of feeling the vulnerable flesh between her thighs touched by the flames, though the fire was tickling other sensitive parts of her skin, like her thighs, and her bottom, it was only there as intensely felt, and only there that she could still consciously feel it.
If Hermione Granger had ever known aggravation, frustration, and exasperation, all together, she had never quite felt it like right now. The fire's touch wasn't solid, as she craved for it to be…
Her body reacting with self-preservation urges, and with strength she didn't know were left in her muscles, she managed to arch her back as far as possible, shoving her pelvis away from the mind-numbing fire, finding extreme relief with the ticklish sensations shifting to her lower back only…
***
Harry watched the emotions playing on Hermione's face with an attention never shown before… He was just a bit surprised at how much he loved teasing her the way she had him before, and the way he had in the dreams…
Seeing her sag, and react so strongly to the overpowering feeling of the flames too close to sensitive flesh, he made to release her. Just milliseconds before he could free her from her bonds and willing the flames to cease, he saw her body react instinctively to escape the flames as he barely managed to catch her…
All those actions happened in mere moments… But by the time Harry held the trembling Hermione in his arms, she was powerless to do more then catch her breath… Because of the situation before, Harry found himself in an awkward, but very pleasurable position over Hermione.
Her feet still apart, despite the disappearance of the magic holding her so, he had rushed between them to catch her, giving him now the exquisite position between her trembling thighs… Her back arched, and her arms reaching limply towards the floor, fallen from their bound position, the torn shirt slightly clinging to her sweaty skin… He held her with both arms under her back, giving him a most powerful and beautiful sight of the flush colouring her cheeks, and breasts, her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted, in an impossible display of abandon…
This was a Hermione Granger nobody but him got to see. His heart warmed inexplicably, followed by the rest of his body. The sudden understanding of how really important she had become to him, and how seriously important it suddenly struck him to be as irreplaceable to her, as she was to him… The numbing fear, as well as the total strength those conflicting, all-consuming feelings brought him, gave his very existence reason to pause while still gazing upon the amazing sight…
***
Hermione knew the most fierce sensations must have lasted for no more then mere moments… But recuperating in Harry's arms was too delightful to actually try and move out of his embrace.
She couldn't pinpoint what exactly her body had just experienced, but while her breathing returned to normal, the sweat on her naked body made her shiver. Slowly opening her eyes, to determine the reason Harry held her like that, she almost instantly focused on green eyes.
To say his gaze had been intense before was not doing justice to the amount of energy that was crackling behind them now… Oddly, it reminded her of Dumbledore's ability to make his eyes twinkle… But Harry's definitely weren't just twinkling now… it was more like burning… only, still different as the unique way she had been burned before…
Hermione was exasperated by the limited aid language supplied to describe what she was experiencing… It was as if his eyes were branding her… Branding his claim on her heart… But not in any bad obsessive way Hermione would've protested against… No, it was different… again…
Grasping at words to formulate what this gaze meant, she lifted her previously limp arms, and cupped his face into her hands. Unable to tell who moved to get her upright first, Hermione slightly stumbled in Harry's supporting arms, moving close enough to Harry to feel every part of his skin. Clinging, a bit sweaty, to him, she was reminded how much Harry still seemed to be holding back, if his slightly flinching muscles were anything to go by…
But the games of teasing and punishment were temporarily forgotten…
***
Sorry, this is it, for now… Please, review?