A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! :) I'm glad to see that people here at Portkey have open minds about what's going on and I really hope this continues! :) Without ruining anything, you might have some questions answered in this chapter :) Enjoy!
Harry woke the next morning, still curled in a ball. Tonks was sleeping behind him, an arm protectively draped over his side and her slow, even breathing tickling his back. He stretched gingerly, not wanting to wake her, but Tonks woke with a start.
"Are you ok?" she asked sleepily, breathing deeply through her nose and looking around for the clock.
"I'm fine, thanks for last night," he whispered and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She smiled and pushed into the kiss, deepening it slightly before Harry pulled away and sniffed the air experimentally.
"I smell bacon," Tonks said after a sniff of her own.
"Hermione must be cooking breakfast," Harry said as he sat up and slipped into a set of sweat pants and a T-shirt. Tonks followed shortly thereafter and they made their way to the kitchen.
"Good morning," Hermione said with a smile. "I thought I'd make breakfast since you helped me last night," she turned back to the frying pan, folding an omelet masterfully and slid it onto a plate. "Did you sleep well?" she asked as she offered plates filled with an omelet and bacon to each of them.
"Like a rock," Harry lied as he started the tea. "I was so stuffed after tea that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow."
"This one can sleep through most anything," Tonks teased. "There could be explosions just outside the door and he wouldn't bat an eyelash."
Hermione chuckled as she set her own plate on the table and Harry served them all a steaming hot cup of tea.
"Did you sleep alright?" he asked concernedly.
Hermione smiled slightly after she'd taken a bite of her bacon and shrugged. "As well as can be expected," she said with a sigh. "Thank you for letting me stay the night."
"Anytime," Tonks said with a dismissive wave. "Our friends are welcome to stay whenever they want... within reason..." She grinned at Harry. "Remember Frank?" she prompted with a sparkle in her eyes.
Harry caught on and let out a laugh. "Do I? That man let off the worst smell imaginable. I don't know what he ate before he stayed the weekend, but he hasn't been extended an invitation since."
Hermione laughed and smiled at the banter her two newest friends shared as she shook her head. "That must have been horrible!"
"I'm just glad we didn't have to do his laundry!" Tonks said with another laugh. "No telling if that smell was him, what he was wearing, or what died on him!" Harry and Hermione joined in the laughter as well, relishing the few moments of bliss it brought them.
Hermione finished off her tea and the last bite of her eggs before clearing her dishes. "I should be going now," she said apologetically. "I'm meeting my friend later this morning and I don't want to keep him waiting."
"I'll Floo with you to my office. If there's anything that needs to be explained, I can vouch for you," Harry said as he cleared his empty plate from the table. "I'll be back in a little bit, dear," he said with a kiss to Tonks' cheek.
"I'll help myself to more bacon!" she said with a roguish grin. "Take care, Hermione," Tonks added with a serious look. "If you need to talk, you know where we live."
Hermione smiled and hugged Tonks tightly. "Thank you so much, Marion," she said quietly before joining Harry in the sitting room.
"It's a direct connect, so all you have to do is step into the flames," he explained. "I'll follow after."
Hermione stepped into the green, magical fire and Harry followed directly afterwards. When he arrived, he cleaned them both off with a quick scouring charm and unlocked his office door.
Hermione hugged him tightly and whispered, "Thank you for everything, James." She kissed him gently on the cheek and went to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow at tea," then, with a wave, she stepped into the classroom, closing the door behind her.
Harry waited for a while before deciding it was fine to head back to the house and with another burst of green flames, stepped into his sitting room where Tonks was lazily reading a book on the sofa.
"You better get ready," she said absently as she flipped the page. "You still need to send Hermione the directions to your place."
Harry smiled and raced upstairs for a quick shower before returning to the sitting room. "I should be home around nine or ten," he said with a smile and a quick kiss.
Tonks returned his smile and waved. "Enjoy your day," she said before returning to her book.
Harry stepped back and apparated to the entrance hall of his ancestral home with the instructions for Hermione firmly clutched in his hand. He reverted to his normal self and after finding Dobby, had the house-elf prepare the castle for Hermione's arrival. Hedwig was sitting on her perch in the kitchen and looked excitedly at the letter in Harry's hand.
"I'm sorry we had to leave you here without company, Hedwig," he said apologetically as he stroked her white feathers. "Could you deliver this to Hermione for me?" Hedwig answered by gently nipping his finger and offering her leg to him. Harry smiled and tied the note to her then opened the window. "No need to wait for a reply," he said with laugh as Hedwig hooted and flew into the blue sky.
Harry spent the majority of the morning pacing along the marble entry way. He knew Hermione would be arriving shortly after Hedwig had returned and claimed her treat. The white owl had returned barely a half hour prior and Harry was beginning to worry.
"Trying to do your laps without me?" Hermione said with a laugh from the entrance. She was bogged down by three bags of food and with a laugh Harry grabbed two of the bags from his grateful friend.
"Sorry, I had a feeling you'd be here right after Hedwig got back," Harry said with a smile. "Let's get these to the kitchens and I'll give you a tour."
"How long have you owned a castle?" she asked as her wide eyes took in the sights around them.
"My twenty-first birthday," he said with a shrug. "I received both Potter and Black estates and trusts. I'd much rather had other things, but that was beyond my control."
A sad look crossed over Hermione's face and she looked to him apologetically. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't here for you," she said quietly. "It must have been difficult having to relive everything."
"I can honestly say that I'm fine with Sirius' death now," he admitted as he opened the door to the kitchens. "I just wished that you two could have shared it with me. But we can't do anything about the past..."
"Miss Hermione Granger, Dobby is happy to see her again!" Dobby said then snapped his fingers, relieving the two of their bags.
"Thank you, Dobby," Hermione said with a smile. "I haven't seen you in ages! How have you been?"
Dobby smiled sheepishly. "Then Dobby has been doing his job properly! Dobby has been well," he said, laughed nervously and looked between his two human friends. "Is there anything Dobby can do for, Harry Potter?"
"Hermione has offered to cook today," Harry said with a smile. "I've decided to give you and Winky the day off."
Dobby's eyes went wide. "Th-the day off?" he asked incredulously.
"Don't worry, Dobby, just from the cooking," Harry said with a reassuring smile. "I thought you might like the extra time to work on the stables like you've been talking about."
Relief visibly passed through Dobby's body. "Then work on the stables Dobby and Winky will do," he said with determination.
"I'm going to show her around the castle. If you need me, we'll be on the grounds most of the day," Harry said as he opened the door for Hermione once again.
"Dobby understands, Harry Potter," Dobby said with a nod then disappeared with the snap of his fingers.
"I didn't know you'd employed Dobby," Hermione said with a smile, "and Winky too?"
"They're a package deal," Harry laughed, "and they kept talking their wages down." He shook his head, remembering the negotiations. "Well, you've seen the kitchens and the main hall, let's get you acquainted with the rest of the place, shall we?" He offered her his arm and she took it hesitantly. He noticed this and smiled softly. "If that makes you uncomfortable..."
"No, it's fine," Hermione said quickly. "Just some things have happened recently, that's all," she admitted quietly.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Hermione shook her head. "Not just yet, but soon, I need some time to think about everything."
Harry didn't push the matter and Hermione seemed to be relieved that he chose the course of action he did. He instead focused on the tour and after an hour of walking around the castle, the gardens, and a brief glimpse at the outside of the stables, they were back in the kitchens sipping on mugs of tea.
"This is a wonderful place!" Hermione said with a wide smile.
"It's warded against wizards as well as Muggles," Harry explained. "I don't know why mum and dad took us to Godric's Hollow... But when I found out about this place and saw the library, I thought how ironic everything was."
"I know," Hermione said softly, "I shouldn't have listened to him, Harry..."
"It's ok," he said quietly and patted her hand, "we'll work everything out and get back to being best friends again. I just pictured you spending hours reading up there, that's all."
"I would like that," she said with a wistful smile. "I don't think I'd be happy until I've read and reread every single book up there!"
Harry laughed. "I think you'd have to use a Time-Turner to read them all, not to mention the ones I have from the Black estate as well!"
Hermione pretended to swoon at the news and they both laughed genuinely for a time. The clock on the kitchen fireplace's mantle signaled noon and Hermione smiled widely.
"I hope you like Greek food," she said as she got out of her chair. "I thought I could make some spanakopita, kebobs, and some pastes for dessert."
"That sounds delicious," Harry said with a smile. "Do you need any help?"
"I can handle it," she said confidently, "and I thought we could try some Spanish dishes for tea." She bustled around the kitchen with more energy than Harry had seen from her previously and he leaned back in his chair, smiling at her.
"What?" she asked nervously when she'd caught the look on his face.
"I was just admiring the amount of energy you've got," he admitted truthfully. "How's your stomach doing, by the way?"
Hermione blushed slightly and smiled. "You were right; Madam Pomfrey is a miracle worker!" She went back to bustling around the kitchen, grabbing pots, pans, baking sheets and other necessary tools. "Aside from being overweight, she said that I'm back to being perfectly healthy. I just have to stay away from overly acidic foods for a while."
"I'm relieved," Harry said with a grin.
"Thank you for pushing me in the right direction, Harry," she said with a slight smile. "If it weren't for you showing me the truth, I wouldn't have had the strength to leave."
"It was the least I could do," he said with a shrug, refilling their mugs with fresh tea.
"Why's that?" she asked, turning to him. "All Ron and I ever did was ignore you, even during the final days of the war..."
"That didn't matter," Harry said quietly with a shrug, not looking up from the counter. "You were both safe, that's what mattered to me."
"Harry..." Hermione said gently as she turned him to face her.
"It's ok," he said with a shrug, "I won, he didn't and we're all alive..."
"What I did wasn't acceptable," Hermione said softly, tilting his face to hers. "You needed me, you needed Ron, but we did nothing. I believed his lies and misdirection when I should have been helping you."
"You did," Harry said emphatically, "for five years, you pushed me to study and I learned those habits after having them hammered into my skull."
"I used to watch you in the library," Hermione admitted quietly, "When you quit the Quidditch team after your ban was lifted, I knew something was wrong."
"What was more important?" he asked with a smirk. "Learning how to actually use magic or chase after the snitch?" Harry shook his head and laughed gently. "I wasn't going to let my ignorance destroy everyone else I cared about or the rest of the world."
"You weren't ignorant, Harry," Hermione said quietly, looking into his eyes. "You were and still are the greatest wizard I've ever read about or known."
Harry blushed and found his hand cupping her cheek without his control. "Thank you, but I wouldn't be anywhere or alive if it hadn't been for you, Hermione," he said softly. The look in her eyes had his heart beating rapidly and he could swear that his palms were slick with sweat. Subconsciously, he inched his face towards hers, their eyes still locked and he felt her stiffen at the movement. Harry's daze cleared immediately, he dropped his hand and stepped back from her, cursing himself quietly for what he was about to do. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, "I shouldn't have done that."
"I-it's alright, Harry," Hermione said hurriedly, going back to preparing lunch. "I don't think I'm ready for something like that yet..."
Harry's heart sank a bit and he nodded. "I understand," he said, dumping the now cold tea into the sink and refilling their cups.
Hermione stopped what she was doing and shook her head. "No, how could you?" she asked quietly. "Ron decided to hunt me down last night," she said, her body trembling slightly. "If it weren't for James, I don't know what would have happened. He even raised his hand to hit me."
Harry knew the story but was still angry for what Ron had done. He decided it would be in his best interests to let that anger out now. "HE WHAT?!" Harry growled, pretending that it was the first time he'd heard the news.
"After tea with the Bakers," she started, going back to preparing the food, "Ron snuck up behind me and tried to force me to go home with him," she reached for something, stopped, and instead leaned on the counter. "The things he'd said... I couldn't believe that he even had it in him... James showed up just before Ron could hit me and stunned him," she continued quietly. "I found out that he'd beaten two girls at one point..."
Harry gently set his hand on her shoulder, expecting a similar reaction from his attempted kiss, but Hermione turned and buried her face in his chest. "I talked to Arthur and Molly this morning and they told me they'd promised not to tell me..." she whimpered quietly as his arms wrapped around her. "He told them some story about me being jealous and I'd leave him if I knew..."
"Shh," Harry cooed as he rubbed her back, "he can't hurt you, not as long as I'm still around or this James fellow," he said quietly. "It looks like you've got more friends than you realized..."
Hermione sighed and wiped her eyes. "I do, don't I?" she asked in a whisper, a small smile caressing her lips. "But what if Ron just won't take the hint?" she asked feebly, visibly trembling at the thought. "He's starting to frighten me, Harry," she admitted in a terrified voice. "I've never seen him act like this, not even when talking about you..." Harry winced and she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, "I shouldn't have..."
"No, that's alright," Harry said, defeated, "There was still a part of me that hoped Ron would get over whatever it was he's got crawling around inside of him... I guess I was wrong."
"I don't know what happened with him, Harry," Hermione said quietly, caressing his cheek with her fingers. "You two were so close it felt that I was intruding on you most of the time."
"You never intruded on us," Harry said quietly, "I'm sorry you felt that way..."
"I was the girl of the group," she said with a sad smile, "there's only so much that you could talk to me about..."
"We talked about everything!" Harry said with a snort. "Even Cho and her wet kiss!"
Hermione let out a weak laugh. "I remember that," she said wistfully after a moment. "I hope you can talk to me like that again," she said, gazing into his eyes.
"I hope you can as well," he whispered in reply. Harry felt his emotions begin to take hold again and with a tremendous amount of willpower gently pulled her hand from his cheek then stepped back. "Why don't we get to tea?" he asked with a smirk. "It's a bit late to be eating lunch."
Hermione chanced a glance at the clock and smiled sheepishly. "Would Greek for tea be ok?" she asked with a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry I took up most of the afternoon..."
"Don't be sorry," he scolded playfully, "and that would be wonderful! Would you like my help at all?"
Hermione frowned at him but couldn't hold back the smile that wanted to break free. "Why don't you chop the vegetables while I work on the spanakopita? Large cubes if you please," she said with a smile.
Harry grinned in response and took the offered knife. "Is this big enough?" he asked after a few, deft strokes of the blade.
Hermione's eyes widened slightly and a smile spread across her lips. "That's perfect, Harry," she said with a laugh. "I didn't know you were so good in the kitchen..."
"I've been cooking since I was seven," he admitted with a shrug.
"Seven? That'd put you..."
"Back at the Dursleys', yeah," he said with another shrug. "They had me doing chores like cooking and cleaning since I was young. Whatever Aunt Petunia didn't feel like doing, I got stuck with..."
"That's horrible, Harry!" she said, laying a hand on his arm.
Harry let out a soft chuckle. "It's ok, Hermione," he reassured her, "that was a long time ago, my life now compared to then is completely different and I don't have to deal with them anymore."
Hermione nodded quietly and went back to work. After a few minutes she stopped and looked back to him. "I can't believe that Ron told you to stay there... I was looking forward to seeing you on the train that summer..."
"I know," Harry said with a sigh, "but you know what happened and they got me to school by Portkey... That's the past, why don't we concentrate on something else?" He smiled and flashed a wink at her which made her blush slightly. "If we don't get this food cooked, we might have to turn it into a midnight snack!"
Hermione laughed slightly and Harry joined in as they went back to preparing their meal. It didn't take long once the food was ready to go into their various cooking places and they talked about what they were doing in their lives.
"How's teaching?" he asked, taking sip of his fresh tea.
"It's great!" she said excitedly. "For the most part, the students actually pay attention to me, not like you when we were in school."
Harry scowled at her playfully. "I listened," he said in a huff, "I can't help it that it took me five years to apply myself..."
"You did, and you were third in the class..." she said with a smile. "I was proud of you!"
Harry blushed and hid his smile with his mug. "Well, I also had to bring my marks up to get into Auror training..." he said with a sheepish grin. "And I thought we were going to concentrate on talking about the present and future, not the past," he said with a laugh.
Hermione smiled shyly and nodded. "You said that... but there's so much that I missed these last five years..."
"Not much really happened," Harry said with a dismissive wave. "I spend most of my time with Tonks either on or off assignment. We're usually on assignment though, but that doesn't matter much to me..." he trailed off with a twinkle in his eyes that Hermione had seen once before.
"Harry, are you and Tonks close?" she asked quietly, a bit of a nervous twinge to her voice.
"She and I made a promise to each other during the war," Harry said after a moment, "that neither of us would be alone again."
Hermione nodded. "So you're together then?"
Harry thought for a moment and nodded slowly. "Sort of," he admitted, "for company, support, friendship... things were rough after the fighting and you saw my condition when I got back... She and I both needed someone and since we were on assignment together the majority of the time, we became more intimate than you'd think friends would be."
"I'm glad you had someone, Harry," Hermione said softly, a slight smile on her lips, "I was hoping that you weren't alone, dealing with everything by yourself."
Harry smiled and set his hand on Hermione's arm. "We took care of each other when we needed it, and we still do," he explained. "She told me to tell you how I felt... I'm glad that she pushed me, I listened, and now I've got you back in my life."
Hermione looked at Harry with mild confusion but before she could say anything, the timer went off signaling tea was complete. "We need to get that before it burns!" she said quickly, bustling over to the stove, then the oven.
Harry watched her prepare their plates and got up to help with fresh drinks and flatware. Once they were both seated, Harry looked to her with a raised eyebrow. "What did you want to ask before we were interrupted by the bell?" He popped a fresh piece of spanakopita in his mouth and smiled at its savory texture. "This is divine..." he said with a content sigh.
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "It's not important, Harry," she admitted quietly. "The trick with spanakopita is the way you prepare the butter for the filo dough." She smiled again when he let out a grateful groan and then she looked to her plate. "You knew I would ask you anyway, important or not... D-do you love Tonks?" she asked quickly.
Harry stopped midway through taking another bite and he looked to Hermione in surprise. "Do I love her?" he asked, stopping to think about the question. "I love her, yes," he said without much hesitation and he saw Hermione's shoulder's drop slightly. "But I'm not in love with her and she's not in love with me," he added quickly. "We've been close friends for some time now and haven't really gone beyond that."
Hermione visibly relaxed and nodded. "I was just curious," she said softly as a slight smile began to caress her lips.
Harry finished the task he was interrupted from and smiled slightly as well. "Is this about the kiss to her forehead at the hospital?"
It was Hermione's turn to be surprised and she looked up. "Why do you ask that?" she asked quickly.
Harry shrugged. "Tonks told me about your reaction," he said with a bite of his kebob, followed by a smile that made her blush.
"Well, it took me by surprise..." she lied quickly and Harry nodded, letting her think that he'd believed her.
They finished their meal in companionable silence, enjoying spending time with one another as they had before Ron's mysterious changes split them apart. Harry quickly set the dishes to cleaning themselves and the two of them walked up to the library.
"I thought we could finish the night off with a little reading," Harry said with a smile. "You can borrow whatever you start, of course."
Hermione's eyes lit up at the prospect and gave him a tight hug before running over to the shelves, and browsing eagerly for something interesting. Almost immediately she returned with four thick tomes and sitting on a nearby sofa, began to greedily scan the pages of the first in the stack.
Harry laughed and sat next to her on the Gryffindor replica furniture. "I didn't think you'd take long," he snickered, watching her eyes flit from line to line, page to page in rapid succession.
"I have a lot to catch up on!" she said eagerly, looking up to smile genuinely at her friend before returning to the book.
Harry laughed again as his mind began to wander. Their conversation about Tonks had him reminiscing about the previous night when he suddenly remembered something he'd forgotten. Harry glanced at the clock quickly and noted that it was only six.
"Is anything wrong?" Hermione asked concernedly from her end of the sofa. "You look worried."
Harry brought himself out of his thoughts and smiled reassuringly. "I'm not worried," he replied with an apologetic smile. "I just remembered a deal I had with Tonks about going out Sunday..."
"Do you have to go?" she asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice.
Harry sighed and nodded. "To spend the day with you, I had to shuffle some stuff around, I almost forgot and I don't want her to be upset." He smiled apologetically again and stood from the sofa. "Please stay as long as you like, Dobby and Winky can help you with anything you need."
Hermione stood with him and pulled Harry into a warm, tight, hug. "Will I still see you tomorrow morning?" she asked quietly as he returned her embrace.
"You can bet on it!" Harry said with a laugh. "I don't want to leave, but I really should," he said softly. "If you ever need to talk, I'm only an owl away."
She pulled away enough to look into his bright, green eyes and smiled when she saw the truth reflected back at her. "I'm sorry I can't return what you have for me, Harry," she whispered apologetically. "It's just going to take some time... c-can you be patient for me?"
Harry smiled and fought the urge to kiss her once again. "I can wait..." he whispered back quietly, forcing himself to leave their embrace. "I'll see you in the morning, Hermione."
"Goodnight, Harry," she said with a wave. "Tell Tonks I said 'hello.'"
Harry smiled and with a wave and a nod, left the library in a hurried walk to the kitchens. He arrived to find Dobby and Winky enjoying their meal at the large table he and Hermione had sat at earlier.
"I need a big favor, if you'll help me..." Harry announced pleadingly to his house-elf employees. Their ears perked up at his words and they listened intently to his request.
An hour later, Harry apparated down the street from his house in Hogsmeade as James Baker then nearly ran back to the house, hoping that Tonks was still out and about doing their citizenly face time. His hopes were rewarded when he found the house empty and with a quick round trip to his castle, he returned with Dobby and Winky apparating in directly afterwards. Harry ran to the window to see if the coast was clear and spied Tonks walking down the street with a bag in her arms.
"We don't have much time!" Harry said quickly. "Winky, can you handle the bedroom while Dobby takes care of tea?"
With a nod and a crack, Winky disappeared while Dobby immediately set to work magically dressing the table with Gryffindor colors, flatware, and china from the castle. He rushed into the kitchen and retrieved the cooked meal from the castle, filling the plates with savory meats and other foods.
Harry raced upstairs to change, stopping by the now finished bedroom, completely decorated for a romantic evening. He smiled at Winky's efficiency and decorating skills before throwing on a clean set of clothes and robes.
"Dobby is finished, Harr... err James Baker," Dobby squeaked from the doorway. "Winky tells Dobby that she is finished as well."
"Thanks for the help!" Harry said with a clap to the elf's shoulder before patting on some aftershave. "Remind me to treat you two to icecream next time I'm at the castle!"
Dobby's grin spread from ear-to-ear as Harry smiled and raced down the stairs. He'd just gotten to the door and opened it when Tonks stepped onto the porch.
"James?!" she squeaked in surprise. "What are you doing home so early?"
Harry relieved her of her bag and took her hand. "There was a promise that I needed to keep," he said with a smile.
"What promise was that?" she asked, bemused, as he led her into the sitting room to the meal that awaited her. "What?" She looked at him completely surprised as he set the bag on the sofa.
Harry laughed and pulled her into a hug, kissing her tenderly before pulling back again. "I promised to take you out tonight, didn't I?" he asked with a grin then led her to her chair. "I botched the going out portion so I went for eating in instead. Have you eaten yet?"
Tonks' face flushed bright pink as she looked over the table. "N-no," she stammered, "I just got back from the market..."
Harry kissed the top of her head and slid her chair out for her. He helped her sit then took his seat as well, grabbing the bottle of wine that was waiting to be poured.
"You didn't have to do all of this..." she said, still taken aback by the surprise.
"I know, but I wanted to make it up to you for forgetting," he admitted as he filled her glass. "Dobby and Winky helped though," he said with a nervous laugh.
"But your day with Hermione..." She looked up at the smiling man across from her and her cheeks went pink again.
"It went fine," Harry said with a smile. "We discussed a few things and she's still working through her feelings..." he explained hurriedly. "She's in the library reading, which she hasn't had time to do since we were in school." He shrugged and began plating Tonks' food without a second thought. "I gave her free reign of the library and anything connected with us or the case has been secreted away to the castle vaults."
Tonks nodded dumbly, a smile spreading on her lips as she watched Harry deftly fill her plate with the correct proportions of what she would have chosen. She looked up at him again and set a hand on his arm. "Thank you," Tonks said quietly.
Harry smiled and shrugged. "I might have forgotten, but I got here in time. I'm sorry I had in the first place..."
"Not for the meal, James, for being you," she corrected and leaned in for a kiss.
Harry blushed and shook his head after kissing her tenderly. "You don't have to thank me for that... I'm a right git at times..." He smiled and motioned to her plate. "Go on and tuck in..." he said with a chuckle.
Tonks laughed and they soon found themselves comfortably full, not as full as they were with Hermione's cooking, Harry saw to that, and he smiled at her stifled yawn.
"Tired?" he asked with a mischievous grin.
"Slightly," she replied with a goofy grin of her own.
"Why don't you take a nap? I'll even tuck you in," Harry suggested as he stood and helped her up.
"What did I do to deserve this treatment?" she asked skeptically, but the smile on her face belied any irritation at the way Harry was doting on her.
"I've been ignoring you for some time now," Harry explained as they walked up the stairs. "I thought it was time to remedy that..."
She laughed as he opened the door to their bedroom and led her inside. Her eyes went wide at the decoration and she spun around to see a smirking James Baker.
"You like?" he asked, amused.
She turned around slowly, taking in every detail, the blush in her cheeks rising and the smile on her face widening as everything began to sink in. "You did all of this... tea and this," she started with a feeble wave of her hand, "all of this for me?" she finished quietly.
"Why shouldn't a husband dote on his beautiful wife?" he asked cheekily before she turned to face him properly once again. He frowned and quickly wiped away the tears that were gliding down her cheeks. "Is everything ok?" he asked in a concerned whisper.
Her reply came in the form of a beautiful, auburn-haired woman wrapping her arms around him tightly, pressing her lips against his in a fiery kiss. He felt her smile against his mouth and noted her freshly wet cheeks. "I'm fine," she whispered, pulling herself closer to him. "Nobody's ever done this for me," she said through a sob. "I've always fulfilled their dreams, not the other way around..."
Harry wrapped his arms around her in what he thought was a bone-crushing hug but she seemed to not care. "Shh, don't cry," he whispered gently, stroking her long, silky-soft hair. "Why don't we test the new bed that Winky transfigured for us?" His smile curved into a roguish, lop-sided grin as she hungrily tore at his clothes and a few minutes later, they were under the covers exploring each other once again.
Tonks rolled to the side of her partner, savoring the taste of Harry's sweat-laden body as she nipped and licked his neck. He was panting due to their activity but still let out groans of pleasure as she hit all the right spots on his skin.
"That was amazing," she whispered hotly in his ear, causing him to be aroused once again. She smiled at his reaction and decided to nibble on his earlobe to give him a rest before they did anything else.
"I'm glad you're enjoying 'tea,'" Harry said with a smile, running his fingers over her sweat-covered body, eliciting a moan from the woman in his arms.
"Tea?" she asked incredulously. "No, this was dessert!" she said with a fierce passion and hungrily devoured his lips once again. She pulled him atop her, wrapping her long legs around his waist and buried her fingers in his short, brown hair.
They enjoyed themselves for the majority of the evening when a knock came at their front door.
"Let them go..." Tonks moaned as Harry lifted his head. "Mmm... Don't stop..." she whined, taking his head in her hands and guiding him back to his previous task.
The knocking at the door came again and Tonks groaned in frustration. "Be right there!" she called through the house before throwing the blankets off of her and Harry. They both got dressed and made themselves presentable before heading to the front door.
"Hermione?" Tonks asked incredulously.
"S-sorry," Hermione stammered quickly, "i-is this a bad time?"
Tonks looked to Harry then to her regret shook her head. "No, come in, is everything ok?" she asked concernedly, leading their friend to the sofa.
"Do you want anything to drink?" Harry asked quietly. "Water, pumpkin juice?"
"Do you have anything a bit stronger?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Be right back with wine then," Harry said as he dashed into the kitchen for three glasses and the wine he and Tonks shared for tea.
"Is this for women only?" Harry asked as he handed her a glass and filled it to her liking.
"If you don't mind?" Hermione shrugged apologetically.
"Of course not, I'll be in my office here if you need me," he said with a warm smile and disappeared upstairs with his glass. Just as he sat down, he heard a quiet hoot from the window and he looked up to see Hedwig sitting quietly on the sill, a rolled parchment tied to her leg.