Chapter 4-Elevated Risk
Few things to Harry seemed as foreign as getting into an automobile driven by his best friend Hermione Granger. But standing in the car park at Heathrow, he was about to go into uncharted territory.
"Okay, Captain Granger, please tell me I'm in safe hands," said Harry teasingly.
"Have I ever steered you wrong before Harry?" she asked.
He knew that if he'd gotten into a flying car with Ron at 12 years old, he was probably in good hands today. "Okay, Okay. So you've never steered me wrong before. But considering we've never been in a position where steering was required….," Harry smiled.
"Oh, shut up, Harry. Jeez. Do you want to see my house?" she asked.
"Your house?" he replied.
"No, you're right. I meant where I grew up. My Mum and Dad are on holiday in Scotland. There was some dentists' convention in Glasgow," she explained.
"Hey, that sounds okay. It's too bad your parents aren't there so I could see them again," said Harry.
Hermione smiled broadly. "I'm hoping you feel that way when I come home in September, because that's where I'll stay during my visit on my birthday."
"Most definitely, I think it will be cool," said Harry.
"Yeah, I do too," replied Hermione as she navigated the exit to the car park.
"So, how do you like driving? I have to say I'm surprised since you didn't like flying a broom and traffic here is 200 times more dangerous," asked Harry as he looked at the prism-like ornament hanging from the rearview mirror.
"I grew up watching both of my parents drive. It makes more sense to the muggle portion of my brain, I guess," she said shrugging as she jockeyed through the late-Sunday morning London traffic.
"What's your favorite memory from school, Hermione?" he asked with a titter.
"I know you don't want me to answer with an academic achievement, right?" she said sarcastically. "I'll bet you have never heard me go three straight days before without mentioning OWLs, NEWTs, or just plain homework, have you?" she said.
"No, that's a pretty easy bet," said Harry growing slightly impatient with her delay tactics. "Are you trying to think or avoid the question?"
"Both, if I can get by with it," she smiled. "If you want me daydreaming over the past ten years of my life to give you an answer then you might want to say a prayer or two for my driving."
They laughed and Harry sat patiently waiting until traffic had subsided a bit. "Well?"
"Oh, you are a rat, Harry. My favorite memory had to be going to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum," she said. "Yeah, that's it, most definitely."
"Really?" said Harry dragging the word out in true surprise.
"Sure, it was the first time in my life I had experienced anything like real romance. Okay, I was 15 but most of the other emotions I'd felt were more like crushes compared to Viktor's affections. He was brutally physical by nature but very soothing and tender with me," she recalled. "I mean I knew it was temporary and I had no real intentions of going very far with it because of where he would eventually go and where I would remain. But for a few brief months, he was quite captivating."
"I think I would have put together a list of fifty things and I don't think I would have included that in my list," said Harry.
"Yeah, well if I were to write Viktor and ask him who he thought I'd end up with he'd have listed you first. He was really jealous when he left," she said.
"Because of something I did?" said Harry.
"No, I think it was just the way we were together," said Hermione.
Harry shook his head and looked out the windows. The sparser the traffic and the fewer the big buildings, the more beautiful the countryside became. Oxford wasn't that far from London but was more reserved and stately. He kept trying to understand how he could be such good friends with Hermione that they kissed and held hands yet couldn't talk about where they were going as a couple. They were just a more mature version of the way they were 6 years ago then.
"Ah, there's my grammar school, Harry. I went there before Hogwarts." Hermione pointed out all the changes since last year as Harry smiled patiently. He could care less, since he'd never seen the place before. He was still wrapped up in the thought of them together.
Hermione pulled into the driveway of a very nice estate home that had a small fence around beautiful garden and a circle drive at the front door. Her parents were doing well. Harry had looked around the neighborhoods and realized that Oxford was a very well-to-do city in this part of town. She parked and pulled out her keys. Harry laughed silently as she scrambled to find the right one. He thought she must be living in the muggle part of her brain right now, because one "Ahalomora" and the door would have opened.
She was excited as she showed Harry around the thousand square meter home and grounds. It was hard for Harry to imagine her working to keep her parents from struggling, yet he was sure she wasn't exaggerating.
"Sit Harry. Do you want something to drink?" she asked from the kitchen. "I have orange juice, pineapple juice, water or I can make some tea. Which will it be?"
Harry sat in at the beautiful cherry dining table admiring the intricate veneers used to cover the legs and facings under the edge of the table. The captain's chair he sat in was so comfortable he wasn't sure he would move anytime soon. "I'd like tea, Hermione."
"So what do you think?" she asked as she put the pot on the stove to heat the water.
"I can't believe you are modeling because your parents need the money," said Harry.
"At first glance it seems silly, doesn't it? But after my first year in University here, my father had a stroke and his father had a heart attack within a week of each other. The hospital and medical bills made things very difficult not to mention the lost income. They're not hurting Harry, but it proved their vulnerability and I don't want my father stressed to ensure a retirement." She explained. "See the pictures there. That's him when he was out of work."
Harry noticed an odd look on Mr. Granger's face. He realized it must have been partial paralysis. "So, he was paralyzed for some time?"
"Yes, he couldn't move his left arm and they weren't sure he'd be normal. He's made a full recovery, but diet and exercise are more important than ever now." She was bringing in a formal tea setting with cream and sugar. She never ceased to amaze Harry.
"Hermione, this is wonderful, by the way and thank you. But something has bothered me since we left Ginny today. "Why did she say she's pulling for us?"
"Harry, it's just an expression. She means good luck," said Hermione dismissively.
"What's going on between us Hermione?" asked Harry. "I mean we're acting like our relationship is starting in the middle."
"That's an interesting way of putting it, Harry. But I don't understand what you mean?" replied Hermione.
"We hold hands, kiss each other, exchange looks that tell a thousand words, but those words are never spoken. It's like we're in avoidance mode," said Harry. "Ginny said something too last night and we avoided comment."
Harry could see Hermione knew exactly what he was talking about and didn't know how to answer. Harry knew that if he were her he wouldn't know how to answer. Hermione put her hand in his as it rested on his knee.
"Harry, we are what we are, right now. Are you going to make a big deal about whether we are together or not? No, I would say not. And, the reason is that we are together. The feelings of love are mutual, but we're holding back," said Hermione. "Tell me you aren't holding back. I confess that I am."
"Why, Hermione? Why are we so happy to be just giving so much and yet not everything? It was the same when we parted three years ago." Harry said realizing it was true.
Hermione's eyes flickered for a second on hearing that. Harry couldn't tell whether that was good or bad. "How did you feel when Ginny finally said you were right? I mean you told her that you loved her but that she wasn't in love with you the same way. I remember that if you hadn't just finished the horrible business with Lord Voldemort within weeks of that, you might not have had the strength to go on."
Harry's heart grew heavy. He remembered those moments maybe for the first time in years as though they had just happened. "So what's the point?" He had been so sad he couldn't function for days.
"Do you trust that I love you?" said Hermione. "I'm speaking from the same experience with Ron. You know that. I'm still afraid to have someone make a decision in their life and assume it will change mine automatically."
Harry sipped his tea. "I must trust you; I'm still here and not back at Hogwarts."
"Harry our friendship was the only solid thing we could count on. It was the relationship that wasn't a relationship that kept us going. We could touch one another with no fear. The trust was absolute, but we hadn't committed. You can't break up, if you are never together." She smiled through her tears.
Harry didn't want to hear anymore. He hated that what he'd feared waking up Saturday was true. It was the same connection, different year. "So, when you leave tomorrow we are on the same, see ya when I see ya list that we've been on for the last three?" asked Harry.
"Harry, do you want to get married by Christmas? Do you want to have children by next summer? Do you want the excitement of being with lovely girls that you know don't require commitment to be a thing of the past?" asked Hermione. "Answer seriously. I know it's hard, because if I were asked the same question my answer would be yes too, if it were for what we have right now. But I have no guarantees that I'd be giving it up for what we have right now."
"So, we don't trust one another with our hearts is what you're saying. Or, you're saying you don't trust me with yours, is that more accurate?" asked Harry. He could feel the tension, but they weren't arguing. They were negotiating. He gave a half-hearted laugh and immediately realized he'd have to explain what that was."
"So, what's with the snicker?" said Hermione intensely but not yelling.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, I had a thought that we weren't really arguing. I laughed when I thought that it was more like intense negotiation. Truly. It seemed funny." He actually laughed out loud now that he said it aloud. So did Hermione.
"Harry, other than my parents, I don't love anyone more than you. I don't admire anyone more than you. I don't value anyone more than you. So, I can't afford to lose anyone less than I can afford to lose you." She put her hand to Harry's face. "Let's not try to go from `I wonder how he's doing?' to `Should we spend the rest of our lives together?' in one weekend. I'm horrible at love and I need to get better so we don't scare each other away."
"Harry, I have plenty of time to feel horrible but I only have a few hours to feel wonderful. When I'm with you I feel wonderful. By seven-thirty tonight, my eyes will feel like I threw sand in them and burned them with a butane-lighter. Let's have fun today. I love being with you so very much. Let's not talk about this."
Harry realized that maybe Ginny knew far more than he did. Something didn't make sense for him, but Hermione had asked him in such a sweet way to let it go. How could he refuse her?
"Sure, I'm just going to make you do something for me right now so that I don't have to beg later. I want phone numbers. I'm sure you have a cell in the States or a single point of contact. I want a mailing address or an email address. If I have to go find someone to teach me about computers I will. What I'm saying Hermione is that we can't give up. There is a life for us somewhere out there," he stood and took her hands pulling her up. "We'll find it," he said choking up slightly but clearing his throat. "Is that a deal or what?" He hugged her.
They spent the next fifteen minutes going through numbers and schedules. He wasn't going to let weeks or if he could help it, a single week go by without keeping in touch. He didn't know whether or not his insistence on doing these things right now was helping, but he could sense a Hermione loosening up a little.
The rest of the day was picture perfect. Harry told her that they needed to find a garden somewhere which after a little searching they found a garden at the edge of a public park. The sign said, "Do not pick flowers." But Harry was determined so he simply dug one up and covered the hole with dirt and put it in the Styrofoam cup from Hermione's car. "See, I didn't pick the flowers." He smiled.
"So what's for dinner? We have just a couple more hours," said Harry. As soon as he'd said that he wished he could have the words back. But Hermione didn't seem to be bothered.
"We have time," she said.
Harry was confused they were easily an hour away from Heathrow and it was 4 PM. She had to be in the terminal for an international flight by at least 5:30 PM. "What do you mean, you have time? You can't be late for those international flights can you?"
"You can if the arrangements have been changed," said Hermione as she held up the cell phone she'd kept hidden from him all day. "While you were digging up a flower for me, I realized I wasn't ready to leave you yet-especially if you went to jail," she giggled. "So I called my publicist Julie and told her I'd had trouble in Oxford and wouldn't make today's flight."
"Trouble?" said Harry.
Harry couldn't believe how slow he was to catch on. She had held that flower up no less than three times to smell it. Quietly, she was letting the tears flow. She pulled the car over to the side of the road and onto the gravel shoulder. "Yes, I'm having trouble leaving the man I love when I just found him again. And, I can't make him go away. He's says he's staying no matter what I say anyway. And, that's really all I ever needed to know. Then he picked this flower for me and…well, he's nothing but trouble…"
Harry never felt so awkward in his life as he did then trying to hug Hermione in the front bucket seats of the SUV. He felt foolish because he was choked up and couldn't talk. "Hermione, we have to do what we have to do. We just have to find the best way to do them together."
It took them almost a half an hour to find a hotel. Finally, Harry asked someone where the most elegant hotel in the area was and they were directed to the Oxford Thames Four Pillars. They took a suite which offered two rooms one of which had a hideaway bed. He would take that if she felt uncomfortable sleeping with him.
"Hermione, sleeping with me doesn't mean giving in. Husbands and wives sleep together all the time without…" Harry stopped short realizing he was making her decisions for her.
"Don't worry, Harry. I'm going to allow myself to be in love tonight and we'll see where that takes us," said Hermione.
Harry found his clothes in his bag from Friday night were still fresh enough that with a swipe of his wand no wrinkles, no odors. He suggested that they dress for dinner as though it were a special occasion. She smiled and agreed. They needed to make this the start of something new and wonderful.
Harry was unprepared to make the commitment to someone just three days ago, but their conversation made him realize that he'd better decide now. If they left things as they'd always been he was fearful they would never change. He knew now, what he was afraid to admit. Hermione Granger was the love he'd waited for. He laughed as he pulled the gold tie to overlap so that he could make the Windsor knot. He was excited and nervous. This was not Hermione, high school chum that he was meeting, he kept telling himself.
He looked at his shoes and realized he hadn't cared about polished shoes in weeks. He called the front desk and they sent up some shoe polish. He ordered two toothbrushes too, just in case. He smiled deviously.
He called to Hermione who was dressing in the bedroom while he dressed in the sitting room. "Are you ready?"
Hermione giggled. "I thought you went to sleep or something. I've been ready for fifteen minutes."
"Liar," he teased. "Will you be ready soon?"
"Yes, Harry, I'm finishing now."
Harry wondered if she'd taken him seriously about dressing for dinner. Would he even know? She was so beautiful she could show up in a burlap potato sack and make it look like an evening gown-at least in his eyes. He just wanted to stop this talk of being only friends. Yet he wondered how to proceed if they got romantic. He knew he would be excited beyond anything he'd experienced so far. He decided to be a little more passive if he could. He hoped he could. He trusted her to do only what made her comfortable.
He heard the door knob turning and the creak of the door. When he saw her as she opened the door his heart leapt with joy and love. In the two hours they'd taken to get ready, she had put her hair up with tendrils framing her beautiful face. Her off-the-shoulder dress flowed displaying her soft white skin. It was elegant and soft rose color in her cheeks offset her gorgeous brown eyes. "You look wonderful, Hermione, simply wonderful." He hoped he wasn't trying to hard, but he wanted to be charming.
They arrived at 6:30 for their 6:45 reservation and waited in the attached piano bar as other patrons clearly took notice of them as they stood giggling about how nervous they were. "Harry, I haven't dressed for a date in at least a year and the time before that was the Yule Ball." Harry didn't know whether to believe that or not at first and then realized that she had no reason to exaggerate. He swelled with pride that she felt so good about doing it for him.
"How did you get ready so fast?" he asked since he'd had trouble with things like polished shoes.
"You change clothes fast on the runways, Harry. And, you learn tricks for your hair out of sheer necessity," she smiled as an older gentleman and lady nodded their approval to them.
"Amazing," said Harry. "I just took the wan…iron and made a few adjustments," catching himself in public talking about wands. Hermione giggled too.
"Yeah, an iron can be just as good as a wand," she whispered.
Only five minutes later, their table was ready. Harry held her chair for her and slid her in gently taking the seat across from her. "Sir, may I get you something to drink?"
"Harry, it would be nice to see the wine list, wouldn't you agree?" suggested Hermione.
"Yes, that's a very good idea," said Harry to the maitre d'.
"If the lady and gentleman please, may I suggest a California Pinot Noir? It is a light red wine and very flavorful," offered the maitre d'. "Of course, I would be pleased to share the list with you."
"Your suggestion would be fine, sir. We are new at this," smiled Harry. He felt comfortable enough with Hermione to just go with the flow on that one.
"Isn't this hotel just beautiful," beamed Hermione.
"I was looking through the hotel guide and the pictures of the heated pool are gorgeous," said Hermione. "We could go there for a late night swim."
"When do you have to be in New York?" said Hermione.
"Tonight. That is just not important at this point. I can go Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday. Or, I could just offer to fly their executives here. It's my life and I want you in it. You and I will decide when I go, not just me. And, certainly, they have no say."
"When and how…" Harry started to question her.
"If you're going to interrogate me do it with kisses and find out where I like to be kissed most, but don't ask about the job. That's all it is; it's a job. I have to be confident that they will understand." She said convincingly.
"I promise, but just answer one question. Why the change of heart all of a sudden?" said Harry.
"Harry, I hope you don't think it's a change of heart. You've always had my heart. I changed my mind about accepting the consequences of losing you. I want to be with the man I love before I screw it up," she said smiling.
Harry knew that was one of those moments where a comment was totally unnecessary. She had struggled to come to this conclusion and to say anything either way other than how he felt about her would seem to disrespect the difficulty of her decision. "I love you with all my heart too." He said.
Hermione and he joined hands briefly over the table as Harry asked, "Are your parents due back tonight from Scotland?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" Hermione took as sip of water as she spoke.
Harry wasn't quite sure why he'd asked that question except for reasons of small talk, but he might as well make it a useful one, "Well, if we remain in Oxford for the day tomorrow, I thought taking them to dinner might be nice."
"That would be nice, but they will likely be tired of restaurants after the convention and would welcome a night at home. I'll call and ask later," she said receptively.
Harry perused the menu. There was quite a large selection of entrées from quite a few different ethnic cooking styles. He smiled at the personal pan pizza and spaghetti selections that he might have had were they not dressed up and making this a formal night out. "Hermione, all these Italian food dishes confuse me. The only ones I know are spaghetti and pizza," he shared his ideas with her.
"Harry, you will be surprised how elegant a restaurant like this can make those. If that's what makes you happy, then order one of those. I'm thinking of something as simple as the herb chicken," she smiled in return.
He looked at the menu for a moment more and decided that she was right. Spaghetti with some sort of red wine sauce and meat would be nice. "Good idea, Hermione. Just keep it simple."
"Isn't that what makes you and I special together? It is simplicity and openness that allows us to be ourselves," she revealed.
Harry reveled in Hermione's grasp of the world and people. It was different to analyze her own life, but once she had, she knew what and who she wanted and why. She was truly remarkable. "I guess I just need to listen to you more. My life wouldn't be so complicated."
Hermione looked a little embarrassed. "So, I figured out one thing in my life in 22 years. Now the real work begins," she giggled. Harry liked that she was happy and laughing. There were obstacles ahead concerning careers and family.
Once they had ordered, Hermione leaned across to him and said, "I'm going to go to my parents tomorrow to plant the flower, Harry. I think it's what they call a perennial. It won't die with the changing of the seasons. That way it can symbolize us-ever-growing, never wilting. There is something about not wanting to see it wilt."
Harry had no idea what plants or flowers were perennials but it seemed to make sense since public gardens would be very expensive if the flowers and plants had to be replanted every year.
Harry's spaghetti and Hermione's chicken arrived at the table smelling absolutely delicious. Harry was impressed by the amount of spaghetti and garlic bread. He looked at Hermione's and saw that she was pleased too. The food was so delicious that it inspired talk of some of their favorite foods and places they'd been since the end of school. For Harry, this was fascinating. Hermione had been to so many places including exclusive French restaurants on the French Riviera. "So, now you know I've been almost no where," said Harry. "Of all of them, what was your favorite?" He wanted to know because he was going to take her there again, just the two of them.
Hermione didn't blink or even delay a second, "Here, of course. Here with you is the most satisfied I've ever been." She smiled. "I surprised you had to ask."
Harry swelled with pride. Her answer had been so quick and so unrehearsed it made him feel alive. "You sure know how to make a guy feel like he's something special, Hermione." He took her hand and kissed it. "This is a pretty good feeling I have going right now."
A few more minutes brought their waiter and a discussion of dessert. "Sir, would we be able to order dessert later and have it brought to our suite?" asked Hermione.
"Madame, the restaurant is open until 11 PM, but food service from our Room Service menu is available 24 hours," he replied.
"Thank you," said Hermione. "Harry, let's wait for dessert. I get uncomfortable if I eat too much and I would like to go to the pool without feeling stuffed."
Harry smiled and agreed. "Thank you, could you please put everything on our hotel bill?"
"Certainly, Sir. Is there anything else I might get you?" asked the waiter.
Harry motioned for him to come closer. He knew it was rude to whisper in front of Hermione, but he had to find out something. "We chose to stay at a hotel at the last moment, is there anywhere I might get some swimming trunks? I know you're not the exact person to ask."
The waiter didn't whisper but said, "I'll find out for you Sir. Will you be in your room?"
"Why, yes, we should be there in just a few minutes," said Harry.
The waiter crossed to the Maitre`d who took the phone and made a call as he raised is eyebrows with a brief smile toward Harry. Harry wondered what was going through their heads as they stood by that phone. His bet as he looked a still surprised Hermione was that they were thinking how wonderful it would be for him to go to the pool with her. He smiled to himself thinking, "Eat your hearts out, mates."
"Harry what was that all about?" she asked.
Harry would tell her. He hadn't whispered so much to hide it from her. It had been the people at the tables around them that he'd not wanted make a scene in front of in that setting. "I'll tell you in just a moment, Hermione." He stood pushed in his chair. He pulled hers out and took her hand. They walked out toward the Lobby.
"Sir, yes, would you like that brought to your room?" said the waiter.
Harry was shocked that he'd gotten an answer so quickly. He realized that the waiter also had the check for him to sign. He'd forgotten. He put an extra 10 pounds as gratuity for the service. He hoped he wasn't over doing it or being cheap.
"Okay," he said as Hermione started to ask again. "I don't have any swimming trunks with me. So I asked where I might get some. This hotel has brilliant service. I just didn't want the tables around us thinking I came unprepared."
Hermione smiled as he closed in and whispered, "I wasn't too worried. I hadn't planned on wearing a bathing suit. And if it was too busy, we'd use our own Jacuzzi in the room."
She kissed his cheek. "So what do you think of that?"
Harry's heart pumped like a kettledrum. Until that very moment, he'd only had mild flashes of true erotic excitement thinking of Hermione. This moment was exciting as it was uncomfortable. "Don't bite off more than you can chew?" he teased. "You heard Luna, I'm aggressive."
They'd just arrived at the elevator as it opened. Harry pressed the button marked `Suites' and looked at Hermione who was pressing him to the wall. "That's what I'm hoping, because I'm scared to death," she smiled. "Thank you for dinner. I love you, Harry. I'm not being forward. I'm sticking to my theory that we have to tell you what we want or we won't get it." She smiled. Harry pressed stop on the elevator button and pulled her close.
Their proper behavior ceased. Their hands began exploring one another. Harry could hear Hermione's breathing pick up as he felt the softness of parts he'd never touched before. The whole interlude lasted maybe two minutes. "Harry, you know it's not happening here if it does." He caught her words in his mouth as he kissed her again lowering her dress and patting her bum.
"This is criminal," he said. "You could have killed me." He laughed as he hit the `Start' button again and the `Suite' button.
Hermione looked at him breathlessly. "I'm thinking one place down and four to go," she said. "Three rooms in the Suite and the pool. By that time you will be dead. Just because I'm a virgin doesn't mean I haven't fantasized." She whispered.
She moved quickly down the hall with Harry in tow. "If you really want me, now you'll have to catch me." She swiped the key card. Opened the door and was swooped off her feet by Harry and carried to the bedroom.
"You didn't make that too hard," he said.
He looked at her and smiled. She said playfully, "I'm not sure of your choice of words there because I think it was as hard as it needs to be." She kissed him again and giggled.
Just as Harry and Hermione got comfortable, there was a knock at the door. Harry looked at Hermione with a pained look. "Don't look at me. You ordered the swimming gear," she giggled breathlessly.
Harry went to the door. Harry couldn't think of a more aggravating moment in his life. The messenger had a box and insisted that Harry check and make sure it was what he wanted. He was beside himself. All he could think of was Hermione's soft lips and the softness of her thighs. "Sir, is this what you ordered?"
"Yes, yes. Can we make this any quicker," he pleaded.
"Just a moment, Sir," said the messenger as he took out three or four hotel vouchers and sorted through them. Harry was not a violent person but the feeling of excitement was leaving him as this bumbling idiot was groping for a clue.
Harry grabbed them all. "Look, I'll sign them all. I'll pay for everyone's. Bill them all to me. I have somewhere to be," he said frantically. He initialed each one and stuffed them into the messenger's arms and took the box. "Good evening, sorry for the rudeness, you just have no idea how bad the timing is."
Harry closed the door and threw the box half-opened on the sofa and walked quickly to the bedroom removing his shirt
and pulling at his socks. She was gone and the door to the bathroom was closed. Harry was absolutely devastated. He
heard water running.
He called out, "Hermione, Sweetheart, I'm sorry. That stupid messenger…." He told the story. There was silence. He was imagining everything from Hermione being angry that she was making herself available and he didn't ignore the door. Or, that she'd had second thoughts. Or, worst she felt so guilty she was washing the smell of him off of her.
"Hermione, I'm sorry. Please don't be angry," he pleaded. Time seemed to have dragged forever as his thoughts raced.
"Angry, who could be angry? Did you put on your little trunks? Are you coming?" she said with a giggle.
He pushed the door open and the steam rolled out. He heard the powerful jets of the Jacuzzi. The moment he'd never expected arrived in a flash as he saw Hermione wrapped in a towel with her beautiful dress lying at her feet. I'm ready for the Jacuzzi, she said as she smiled at Harry and dropped the towel. Harry couldn't breathe. Chills of anticipation and hunger grew as he looked at her kick her high heels off toward him. "Are you dead?" she teased.
"It's a definite possibility that I made need mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in about twenty seconds," he said as he pulled his pants off as well as his shorts.
"Well, I can't do that very well if you're over there and I'm over here, now can I?" she smiled turned. He sighed as the beauty of her breasts gave way to the curvature of her gorgeous behind as she stepped into the Jacuzzi. He followed.
He didn't know why he was choked up as he touched her. The warmth of the water and their bodies filled him with a sense of fulfillment. He kissed her as they stood pressed together in love like they'd never imagined. "Harry, I love you."
"Hermione, we don't have…" he said. "I love you too."
Her finger went to his lips as she coiled around him.
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