AN: Based on two challenges!
Manjusha Sharma asked me once if I could write a fic with the following elements: Harry and Hermione get married, and it's their wedding night. Conclusion: smutty fic, but! Hermione can't be the confident one this time! She isn't the 'knowledgeable' one, Harry on the other hand is… Harry must take charge completely and take care of Hermione!
When this challenge was presented to me I had no time to fit it in, also… I still do have more fics going on then I can actually handle, but I needed a diversion, and when I decided to check out the challenges posted at Portkey.org, I was reminded if this request…
So I'm combining two challenges, of sort:
The one Manjusha Sharma gave me eons ago, and the one Emerald_Lorett posted at http://www.portkey.org/talk/index.php?showtopic=8681, it's called "If we get really old..., Harrys' pact with Hermione". You'll see, that title is pretty much self-explanatory…
I'm adding this to the angst factor of this fic: when the trio was still in Hogwarts, Hermione couldn't remember a time she hadn't loved Harry, but Harry is oblivious to all of it. Even after Hogwarts and defeating Voldemort, Harry finds a new way to forget his sorrows, which makes Hermione almost bitter with desperation…
***
Two warnings, though, it may seem Harry is the bastard and Hermione the hurt one… but they're both the victims of their choices.
Please don't judge Harry to be an ass, even though his actions may seem like he is, he never means to hurt anyone, and he's blind to the real thing that could be Hermione, mainly because of his upbringing. He's unwillingly hurting himself too by denying himself to dream…
As for Hermione, she isn't just a virginal old spinster, bitter by her unrequited love… Her hurt is her strength and she (friendly-)loves Harry despite his choices. As for how she turned out cold, but ONLY in the romantic way, that is her choice, as for not letting anyone touch her even if she was 35 by then, also a choice in life. She just tried to cut of the romantic feelings she had and only lived on love for friends and family.
In fact they're both doing the same thing but in another way and for different reasons.
And then the age of 35… They're wizard and witch! And the pact was supposed to be: they get married when they get really old… At 17, 35 seems already old, but in wizarding terms, they're still very young at that age!
A final remark: the challenge was to have smut where Hermione wasn't knowledgeable… The only situation I could see Hermione letting Harry take full lead on a wedding night was this scenario…
Oh, and by popular demand, I decided to give you all a short epilogue… watch out for it!
***
Spring of 1997
"Harry! You can't be serious!"
"Of course I am! Come on, Hermione! It's just a friendly thing to do! You know Muggles do it all the time!"
Hermione looked at her best friend like he had grown a second head. This really was the evening of surprises. She briefly retraced her steps as to be sure this wasn't a dream…
As Head Girl, she had rounds that evening, and she had ran into Harry. Well, not really, but she had witnessed him use that Invisibility Cloak for so long now, that she could feel him, despite not seeing him. He had been on his way to the kitchens, or so was his excuse… Hermione hadn't pressed him into telling her the real reason he had been up, because she knew why. They were at war, and he was supposed to be the answer to the end of it… Such a burden would cause anyone to worry themselves into insomnia.
He had accompanied her on the rest of her round, still covered under the Cloak, since it would spare them from lying and coming up with an excuse as to why he was there, would they run into a teacher. She would never admit it out loud, but she loved his presence. Just having him near made her feel safe, even if he was a magnet for trouble.
Checking the snogging places, she had the surprise of her life: Ron Weasley was fondling a very eager Luna Lovegood!
She hadn't had time to formulate any reprimand, because Harry had grabbed her elbow and dragged her out of there, before either of the two lovebirds could notice they had been discovered. He had dragged her all the way to the kitchens. On the way there, Hermione had tried to reign in the emotions that were coursing through her: shock, disappointment, relief, no jealousy, but disapproval of their actions nonetheless…
Of course she was relieved Ron had finally chosen to show interest in an other girl. It saved her the awkward scene she had dreaded since fourth year: the one where she had to explain to Ron that even though he had a crush on her, she just didn't have those kind of feelings for him. But she felt a bit disappointed also: in truth, Ron had been the only one who'd ever shown any interest in her. Well, maybe Viktor Krum, but he proved to be too jealous for her taste.
But Harry had dragged her into the kitchen, and had been asking for ice-cream and such. While Hermione got the distinct feeling he was trying to cheer her up, she hadn't the heart to tell him she had never had any romantic notions towards Ron. Besides, she enjoyed the attention Harry was giving her. Why would she give that up by telling Harry she didn't need comforting?
But then he had to come out and say that!
"Hey, Hermione! You know what: let's make a pact! If we get really old… and we're still alone… You and me, we'll get married!"
Hermione had coughed on her ice-cream at that… Of course, she could only hope he was serious, but that belief had been shattered instantly by his statement that it had been a friendly gesture. Hermione shook her head: Harry didn't like her that way, and she needed to get over that! She couldn't help but hope, though.
First she tried to tell him it was a crazy idea, but he had said it was innocent, and a show of how great their friendship was…Harry didn't relent. He explained he'd heard about a tradition between Muggle best friends of the opposite sex to make that kind of pact. It was to ensure they wouldn't end up alone, and really, it was more of a fun thing to do.
"Don't be a spoilsport Hermione! Now come on, we do this the right way!"
He dug out a pocket-knife, and made a superficial cut in his palm, Hermione watched it bleed with wide eyes.
"Harry, what in Merlin's name are you doing!"
But Harry just smiled at her. She could feel her heart going a mile an hour, as he looked at her like that. When he grabbed her hand she didn't stop him, and she barely felt the cut when he slid the blade over her skin. She was lost in his eyes, and for a moment she allowed herself to believe, that maybe, one day…
Harry pressed his injured palm against hers. His green gaze locked with Hermione's, and he said in a grave voice:
"Now, I'll go first: I, Harry James Potter, solemnly swear that if we're not married … or engaged to be married, by the time we're… 35… I'll take you, Hermione Jane Granger, to be my wife!"
He ended with a boyish grin. Hermione felt her cheeks flaming, and she had to fight very hard not to let any tears escape. To her the moment was magic, even if her brain implored her to use her common sense and logic, and not read too much into it.
"Come on, Hermione, it's your turn now!"
Clearing her throat, she started shakily in a whisper:
"I, Hermione Jane Granger, solemnly swear that if we're not married, or engaged to be married, by the time we're 35 I'll take you, Harry James Potter, to be my husband…"
Harry beamed, and let go of her hand. He put his arm around her shoulder:
"See, Hermione, you'll never be alone, I promised!"
Though Hermione knew he couldn't make that promise, especially as long as Voldemort was alive, it gave her hope…
***
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