Affectionately Warm
End of Chapter 10:
He had seen the tears in Hermione's eyes as she watched Will and Harry look at the pictures and had heard Harry's voice catch when he mentioned their names. Ron watched his family eat dessert around the table, noticed how big Will was getting and let his eyes rest on Fleur for a moment. She was truly glowing with her early pregnancy (he had heard his mother ask how she and the baby were feeling when he came during dinner) and for the first time he could see everyone seemed to be moving on with their life, but hadn't forgotten him or Ginny.
Turning from his family's dinner table he floated outside, wishing he could feel the humid, summer air but instead feeling a tether, which he felt had been holding him down, was suddenly cut. He actually felt a wave of happiness wash over hi,m surprising him so much he actually gasped aloud, noticing he shook the leaves on the small scraggly tree in his parent's front yard.
Quickly, he disapparated and made his way to the dungeons where Ginny was hanging out, playing cards and talking trash with Draco.
"Ginny!" Ron found her in the corner and rushed up to her.
"Ron? What's wrong?" Ginny could see the look of happiness over his face and wondered where he had been and what had happened. But all Ron answered her with were two words.
"I'm ready."
----
"Are you sure, Ron that being a Hogwarts Ghost is what you want to do for the rest of…well…eternity?" Ginny asked her brother quietly.
"You could haunt the kitchens," Draco added lightly, shuffling the deck of cards then dealing them out to the three of them.
"Yes, I'm sure. I can see everyone in my family and everyone in Harry's future family go through here. I can talk to him; talk to Hermione. I can see you on Halloween, if you decide to go to Echo, then let everyone know how you're doing."
"Do you really think that Ginny's ex and your ex are going to want to hear everything; year after year about what she's up to?" Draco asked holding his cards in front of his face and moving them around in his hand.
"You called me Ginny." She stared at him trying to figure out what he was playing at. So far, his interest lay in only his cards, although he did acknowledge her comment.
Draco glanced at her over his cards and gave her a brief, tiny smile.
"So I did."
Ron continued, "Hey…if they don't want to know then fine they can tell me. But, I think it'll be great to be a ghost! And yeah, I could haunt the kitchens, but I don't want to be taken as the Hufflepuff ghost. They already have one anyway, since their dorms are down there. Hmmm," Ron tapped a finger against his lips, "maybe the Dining Hall? I could have fun there. I'll have to tell Nick what I want to do soon."
"When will you do this?" Ginny asked, laying her cards face down on the table, paying more attention to Ron than the poker game.
"No idea yet, really. All depends on what Nick says needs to be done."
Ginny found she was having a hard time accepting the fact that she could be here without Ron. Obviously something
clicked in that formerly ginger head of his and he was sure he was making the right decision. She needed to change the
subject so she asked about their parents.
"Well…Fleur is pregnant again, but only like two months or something. And Harry found something in the basement of his house. It was some kind of magic that only he could feel. He called Bill to come take a look at it and he said it had the Potter signature. So, it could've been left by one of his relatives. Did you see anything on the chart family-tree thing you were looking for, Malfoy?"
Draco shook his head. "It wasn't out in the open. I think it was rolled up somewhere. Mum usually gets it out when someone gets married or dies, so I'm sure she'll be adding my death date any day now. I'll check tomorrow." Draco sighed and laid his hand down.
"I'm done playing this. Anyone want to go check out Diagon Alley?"
Ginny and Ron looked at each other, but Ron shook his head.
"I'm going to find Nick. You go ahead, Ginny."
"Alright. Nothing else to do." Ginny stood up and placed her cards back into the pile.
"Let's go," she motioned for Draco to go ahead of her out the wall and she followed him, leaving Ron to roam the castle in search of Nearly Headless Nick.
----
Harry laid awake in his bed, arms behind his head staring at the blurry patterns of leaves on his ceiling. The full moon shown through the trees and for a moment he thought of Professor Lupin and wondered how he was doing. Bill seemed normal enough that evening given he had been bitten by a werewolf years ago, but since the offender wasn't in werewolf form, Bill hadn't had any serious effects--except some pretty nice scars on one side of his face. Harry never even really noticed the marks anymore having seen them numerous times since the attack in his sixth year.
He could hear Hermione coming up the stairs from talking to her parents on her cell phone and she paused outside his door, looking in. He only had his bedside light on, and his glasses off, so he could barely make her out in the doorway.
"How're your parents?" Harry asked, not moving from his comfortable position on his bed. He was clad only in a pair of shorts and as Hermione walked in and got closer, he could see she was already changed into her broomstick pajamas.
"They're doing fine. They just got back from some dental convention in Wales, so they're tired."
She perched herself on the edge of his bed near his knees but didn't look at him as she continued talking. "They made some plans for retirement so I got to hear about that too. What're you doing in here in the "almost" darkness?"
"Just thinking…noticed the full moon and thought about Remus. So, I'm basically just relaxing and happy to have a week off."
"Oh yeah, I hear you on that. As much as I love teaching, I really need the break to regroup and start planning for next year."
Harry knew better than to remark about how next school year was two months away, therefore he kept quiet.
"You know, you'll be twenty one in less than a month…have you thought of anything you'd like to do for your birthday?" Hermione now turned to look at him. Harry pushed himself up so he was propped against his headboard and shook his head.
"Just have a quiet day I suppose. I'm not too big on parties, you know that."
"Yeah, I know…but I'd like to do something. Dinner out, go somewhere…you've been through a lot for a twenty one year old. You deserve something fun and frivolous!"
Harry laughed and nudged her with his knee.
"I'm fine, Hermione. If anything, it should be you getting that for all you've done for me!" he crossed his arms over his stomach and watched her shift towards him, knowing she was going to refute what she just said based on her body language. "I should be thanking you by taking you out or something," Harry continued, interrupting what he knew would be a long speech about friendship, love, loyalty and the like. "We've had this conversation and I know you don't feel that you deserve to be…recognized as the person who basically held me up the past year but you have." Harry sat forward, rested his elbows on his knees and touched her knee lightly. "So, just accept the fact that I'm eternally grateful for the support and…everything."
"Harry, you did it, healed I mean, mostly by yourself. I was just there to listen and offer advice-," Hermione began, taking his hand and tracing his knuckles but not looking up at him.
"Stop. You were there for me and if I didn't realize it then, I certainly do now. What can I say or do to make you believe my thanks to you?" Harry asked urgently, trying to get her to realize that she had intertwined herself into his life so deeply that he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to, or want to, untangle her from his life.
"You don't have to Harry," she said softly. For a moment Harry sat still and felt her fingers tracing his knuckles, then stop as she noticed him staring at her. She lifted her eyes to him, at the same time lifting her mouth in a small smile, questioning him.
"I think I do," he whispered feeling himself responding so fervently to her light touch. Right then, he realized he wanted to do something that he had never been able to finish with Ginny. He wanted Hermione to have a moment that was hers; all about Hermione Jane Granger and not about anyone else.
Taking a deep breath, Harry ran his hand up her smooth leg, feeling her tense then relax her thigh muscle under her touch. Resting his hand on her hip, he leaned in and touched his lips to hers, feeling her immediately respond by seeking entrance to his mouth with her tongue. After a bit of shifting, and lifting her up onto his now prone body, he began the slow process of kissing her tenderly, slowly relishing in the knowledge that this woman who had stood by him since childhood felt the same way about their new level of relationship. Her hand was rubbing slow circles on his chest as the other rested on the blankets beside his neck. God, it didn't take much for him to respond to her…sometimes all it took was a glance from her or a seeming innocent touch to send his blood roaring everywhere but his brain.
She was starting to pick up on the change she had brought about in him. For instance, Harry got the feeling she had meant to let her fingers trail along his leg, while under the table during the Weasley dinner, for just a little longer than normal as she picked up his napkin. Or, that she discovered that when she raised herself up on her tiptoes and pressed into him he could barely suppress a moan as every part of her hit him just right.
But now, as he carefully slipped her down to the bed and let her rest on her side, he began to force himself to control the urges he was feeling to speed things up. Slowly, he let his hand slide down to the hem of her shirt, and slid his hand under it, not hesitating in gently cupping her breast and squeezing it, feeling her instinctively arch against him.
Hermione brain screamed for him to continue and as if hearing her, he complied, squirming his hand to the other breast and squeezing, caressing so softly Hermione could feel herself turning into liquid. She almost stopped kissing him to just fall into the loving feel of his hands. He must have sensed her intense state because he trailed his hand to her back and rubbed it softly, massaging her from the neck down to her waist. She copied his movements, feeling him push against her slightly which awakened every cell in her body. In one deft movement, he slid off her pajama shorts and Hermione gave a small kick behind her to free her foot from the waistband. She is only too conscious that this is the first time she's been this intimate with Harry (Hermione now only clad in knickers and a thin, broom-stick patterned top).
She was sure that his hands were emanating unusual warmth as they moved slowly over her bum, pulling her towards him. Gasping against his mouth encouraged him to become bolder and a moment later his warm, strong hand was against bare skin where only one other person had touched before. But Ron's hands had never been this warm…this blazing hot and she could only writhe and grind her hips against Harry's, trying to quell the rising tide of fire inside her.
Some part of her brain told her to let Harry know how much she loved what he was doing; how she loved the small sensual squeezes his hands were making under her knickers and she reached a hand between them, seeking his hardness. She felt him falter in his movements for a second then actually felt him pull in every ounce of control he had to not push against her. It actually felt like static being drawn away from her and back into him. He gently pushed her shoulder down so she rolled to her back, forcing her to dislodge her hand. So, she slid it around back feeling the warmth of his skin, grabbing the back of his shorts trying to anchor herself to the bed as his impassioned kisses covered her mouth and her neck.
The light touch of his fingers trailed around her ribs, making her squirm against him. She let out a soft cry as his hand trailed up her stomach, pausing as he pushed her shirt up. The pounding she felt deep in her abdomen, she was sure, transferred to his hand as it rested on her stomach. Her hands tangled in the softness of his hair as his mouth trailed down her jaw, kissed her earlobe and painstakingly moved to her throat where he sucked gently, triggering a quiet moan from somewhere deep inside her. He then moved his mouth up and over her shirt to her breast, which he explored sensuously with his tongue and lips. She clutched his shoulders pushing up against him, softly crying out his name feeling every part of her body responding to his touch. She tried to wriggle herself underneath him but his free hand pinned her hips to the mattress. As his lips brushed the valley between her breasts she found she couldn't move her other arm because it was pinned between his body and the bed. She felt frozen- immobile- and at the same time so feverish with desire, she didn't know if she wanted him to continue or beg him to stop. She opened her mouth to encourage him as his warm, soft mouth kissed the other side of her chest but instead of his name tumbling out she whispered three words.
"What're you doing?" those words released his lips from her breast and he quickly reclaimed her mouth, demanding all her breath so she couldn't repeat herself. Very slowly, she could feel him pull away, letting air rush back into her lungs and she opened her eyes to admonish him for stopping. Hermione saw him staring at her and without the barrier of his glasses, he literally stole her breath away again. His beautiful green eyes were shining and full of the image of her.
"Being grateful," he finally answered simply, and kissed her again, stealing every last coherent thought so she couldn't question him further. The cool air that had been swirling over her chest was replaced with the pajama top he so sweetly tugged back down…but his hand didn't stop. His fingers left the hem and as she felt them touch the waistband of her knickers, they were suddenly gone.
"OH!" Hermione gasped, wondering where in the hell they went. His hand hesitantly moved down, waiting for her to give any signal for him to stop but instead the slight shift of his weight let her wrestle her pinned arm free and she reached above her, grabbing his headboard, pushing down against his hand. She could feel the heel of his hand sliding down following the torturous path of his fingers and it was all she could do to keep herself against hid bed.
"Harry, please," was all she could say against his soft but demanding lips, as sweat trickled down her back. Her heart beat in time with the throbbing ache deep inside her; trying to pound its way out of her. Her other hand clutched his arm, digging her fingers into his shoulder as his warm hand pressed against her more intimately and lovingly than anyone had done before. She couldn't catch her breath and she tore her lips from his where she had stopped kissing him minutes earlier, losing all sense of herself. She felt her body take over, pushing against his hand, creating friction which burned deep inside her. Her fingernails dug into her palm as she gripped a spindle of his headboard and the momentary flash of pain brought her back to his bed. She feels an arm snake under her shoulders half rolling her to him as his hand left imprints that burned on the insides of her thigh.
"Now, please…," she heard herself moan against his cheek. Suddenly she sucked in a lungful of air as his finger moves down a very sensitive part of her body. Then, without any more warning, he pushed his wonderfully warm finger inside her. Hermione felt like she was falling, spinning, teetering and flung her arms around his back, gripping so hard she is sure she's drawing blood with her nails but she didn't care. She only wanted him to finish what he had started. The tight knot that formed began to unravel and she moved violently against his hand, seeking something she couldn't get to fast enough. A word she rarely used flew out of her mouth as a second finger joined one inside her, pushing her to the limit of her insanity. His lips sucked at her neck and she cried out his name, jerking and moving against him: faster, harder and more furious than she knew she could move; feeling something like electric lava shoot through her veins, up through her neck and rushing back down seeking release. His name tore from her throat as the unbearable ache exploded around her, paralyzing her with a pleasure she had never felt this intensely as every part of her body, every shred of her soul, clung to Harry which was the only thing anchoring her to the bed. He absorbed her uncharacteristic yells and cries with his mouth…and slowly, leisurely, she feels him pull her back to the real world using that force she had felt weeks ago.
His hand slowly moved to her hip as he pulled her knickers back up from wherever he had magically sent them. He eased her back to the bed and she could feel the softness of his bedcovers under her bare back. Her top is twisted and barely cover her breasts, but she didn't care. The boneless, giddy feeling takes over and she lets her arm fall from his shoulders, taking deep breaths to try and fill her mind with needed oxygen.
"I died," she whispered haltingly and Harry slides down to his side, quite satisfied with the surprisingly forceful response Hermione gave him, stoking his ego quite a bit. "This is heaven, right?"
Harry chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead, feeling her curl into him, snuggling her head on to his shoulder.
"No…still in Hogsmeade…early Saturday morning, but you did travel into another day," Harry joked softly and felt her laugh weakly. She was so relaxed he was sure she had no energy to move even if a herd of wild animals came stampeding through his room.
"Why, Harry?" Hermione asked, a bit of her seriousness back. Her arm was wrapped around his waist and he hoped she wouldn't move it any lower. He was successfully calming himself down, still fully intent on making this all about her. He was sure though, if he knew Hermione, his turn would come…quickly he banished that thought from his mind, squeezing her shoulder instead.
"Best way I could think of to thank you for always being there for me," he said quietly. "For once, Hermione, let something be about you; just about you…for a change."
Hermione was silent and from the way her hand was moving against his hip, absentmindedly, he could tell she was trying to think of an argument. As the silence grew longer, he felt a small trickle of victory seep into his heart; she was speechless or finally realized he truly meant that he wanted something for her. And, he so enjoyed the way she clung to him and the sexy way she moved and called his name he was sure he would do this to her again.
"Hermione…," Harry kissed the top of her head not sure whether to say the thought on the tip of his tongue or not. His brain was running through scenarios that would happen after he told her this thought, or the particular response she might give. Nothing he could come up with was awful enough for him to not voice it. So, summoning up his courage he gently wrapped both arms around her pulling her closer to him.
"That was a first for me…doing that to a girl, uh, woman. And-," he began explaining but Hermione interrupted him with a startled, "What?"
"You were with Ginny a year and she never let you do that to her?" Incredulity filled Hermione's voice.
Harry pressed his mouth into her hair and breathed in deeply, trying to figure out how to have this conversation without faulting anyone.
"I don't know if it's appropriate to talk about her…here like this or not, but she never let me…finish what I started…so to speak," he said haltingly against her hair.
"Why? Was she stupid?" Hermione joked, still on a high. Harry choked back a laugh, disguising it as a sudden cough turning his head away from her for a second.
"No," he answered, turning back to her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Ummm…every time I got her close, she'd push me away and basically climb on top of me and finish…well, it's always lead to sex. I never really asked her why. Why would I complain about sex?" he said softly feeling slightly embarrassed for revealing this to Hermione, who was curled against him like a cat, and a very warm, soft one at that.
"Well, if we're being honest here, Ron wasn't a huge foreplay person…so, I guess you do whatever works or find common ground somewhere. I have to admit I can't imagine anything better than what you just gave me. You had to have some kind of powerful magic mixed in with…that-," Hermione said into Harry's neck. He shrugged, truly not able to reassure her that 100% of his magical powers were in check, as he was touching her, so he just nodded. He was afraid to say anything that might jinx the satiated, happy feeling he had just lying with Hermione. And he was afraid to take away that comfortableness with which they had just talked about Ron and Ginny and the personal details of their past intimate lives.
Hermione curled up closer against him, making Harry wonder why they had never discovered this side about each other sooner.
"How did you make my knickers disappear?"
He smiled and gave the shoulder she was laying on a shrug. He truly didn't know. He remembered thinking it'd be nice if they were gone and suddenly they were.
"Well, patent it because that was brilliant."
"Glad you liked it. Another first. Ginny always liked to know where her clothes were since she sometimes had to get up and go back home," Harry said before he could stop himself. `Do NOT talk about Ginny here, with Hermione in your arms! Bastard!' Harry berated himself, closing his eyes against the darkness that was now prevalent in his room. Hermione didn't seem angry or flustered in the least with the mention of Ginny.
"Feel free to do that…umm, knickers thing…again," Hermione whispered shyly and he could feel the heat of blush in her cheek against his shoulder.
"You just wait," Harry told her frankly, surprising himself with how easily that slid from his mouth. He felt her smile, then moments later her breathing evened into a steady, sleepy breathing. Smiling to himself, Harry let himself relax and felt the comfort of sleep fold over him.
----
"Basically, Ron, you just need to tell me when you want to become a ghost and we just need to recite some magical incantations, lift a ward or two around the tower or area you want to spend most time in and that's it," Nearly Headless Nick told Ron plainly. Ginny stared at Ron, realizing for the first time he fully felt that Hermione and Harry were happy and had healed past his death. She knew, as a female, she required more commitment from her friends that had recently come together in the live world. She was barely conscious of Draco's hand, steady and reassuring against her back.
Taking a deep breath, Ginny asked her brother if he was sure this is what he wanted. She had just returned from Diagon
Alley with Draco, where they had trailed a very mopey looking Pansy Parkinson for a bit before Draco said he was done
trying to figure out what was wrong with his previously on again/ off again girlfriend. Now, she had just floated back
in to the dungeons to be accosted by Ron's decision to move on, sooner rather than later. Her head was truly
spinning.
"I am sure, Ginny. I've never been more sure in my life. It's almost like…almost like," he struggled to find the words to portray what he was feeling, "hmmm…like I really drank that Felix Felicis Potion. This is right. Think, Ginny," Ron turned to her, excitement in his pale eyes as he repeated what he said earlier that day. "I can talk to Harry, Hermione or anyone else I chose to. I can relay to them how you are doing, if you chose to go to Echo. I'll still see you once a year, unless there are other times too," Ron's gaze shifted to Nick who gave a small shake of his head. Ron turned back to Ginny and smiled reassuringly.
"I'll be okay. It'll be fun for me. I can sit in on classes and not get tested, I can talk to people and they can talk back...to me. I can watch all the Quidditch I want. I can see our nieces and nephews go through Hogwarts and they'll know me."
Ginny swore if she could cry, she would; the tables had turned. She had been so sure it would be her that healed first; it would be her that made the first decision as to what she wanted to do when being Light wasn't an option anymore. But hearing Harry praise Ron had been the cement in Ron's decision.
"Just think of all the jokes Fred and George can tell me, that I can take back to school," Ron told Ginny, relieved when she gave a small, but genuine smile. She could feel her brother already distancing himself from her. She didn't realize she was leaning against Draco, searching for something solid to anchor her down; something to stop her from trying to physically keep her brother from leaving.
"I…I'll miss you Ron," Ginny whispered, watching Ron's eyes shift from hers, to Draco next to her, then back down to her.
"I'll miss you too, but it's July first now. I'm pretty sure, if I know you at all, you'll head to that Echo world and I'll see you in three and a half months." Ron laid a hand on her arm and she felt him squeeze. "Besides, since Nick is one of the few ghosts that can be seen in The Light and The Ghost world, we can communicate through him."
Nearly Headless Nick nodded silently watching Ginny struggle with letting her brother go; letting him out from under her control she had over him for most of their time as Light wasn't easy for her.
"Okay," Ginny whispered.
"Enjoy," was all Draco said to Ron. Ron nodded at him, paused as if thinking about something then took a step closer.
"You better take care of my sister," he told Draco. It sounded like a threat, command and elicit of a promise all at once.
"She could do just fine on her own, but I'll do what I can," Draco answered. Ginny felt him tighten his grip around her waist and for the first time became fully aware that she was pressed up against his side.
"Do you want to do this now?" Nick asked Ron, who nodded without hesitation. Ginny pressed her fist against her mouth, happy for once that she couldn't cry even if she wanted. That's all she needed at this moment was for Draco Malfoy to see tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I'm ready. What do I need to do?" Ron asked eagerly, touching Ginny's hand, and mouthing "I love you". His eyes rested on Ginny's face for a moment as she mouthed it back, then he turned to Nick.
"All you need to do is repeat these words after me," Nick flicked his hand and a small bit of parchment floated down from the ceiling. "Then, you'll have thirty seconds to find where you would like to pick as your resting spot in or out of the castle. The ward for that section will be down for only a short time and you'll know it as you hover outside it. You just need to float through that space you feel is open and you'll be a ghost. Probably a good time to be doing this so you don't scare an unsuspecting first year to death. I would recommend getting acclimated to life as a Ghost before you reveal yourself to anyone you may know that is in the castle. Know where you can and can't go, or pass through. Peeves and Bloody Barron all have areas they consider theirs, so you'll need to learn where they are."
"I can still visit wherever I want to right? In the castle or on the grounds?" Ron asked, reading down through the paper Nick had handed him.
"Yes. But at night, you must always return to that spot you picked until dawn or you'll be locked out, so to speak."
"Okay."
"Where are you going?" Ginny whispered, knowing the answer before he even said it.
"Why, the dining hall of course, then split my time between Gryffindor Tower and the Quidditch Pitch."
Draco snorted and Ginny realized he also had known what Ron was going to say before she had asked.
"Okay, Nick, let's go do this. Ginny, I'll let you know, through Nick, how I am in a day or two. Don't worry okay? Please?"
Ginny gave a shaky smile, crossing her arms around her waist, feeling her fingers skim over Draco's hand. She just nodded and after Ron placed a lukewarm kiss on her forehead, he turned and she watched him disappear through the dungeon wall up to the dining hall where he was to reside for the rest of Hogwarts' life.
A moment later Ginny felt a small tug from somewhere inside her and realized that Ron had indeed left The Light.
"He's gone," she whispered, turning to leave Draco's side but he held her firmly.
"I said I'd make sure you were okay and you aren't right now, so don't be trying to go anywhere," Draco said firmly, startling Ginny with the forcefulness behind his words. For a moment she felt truly lost and just spread out her arms in a helpless gesture.
"I think I need to go see how-," she began falling back on the Harry and Hermione excuse to feel in control again.
Draco shook his pale blond head, his hand still firmly gripping her hip.
"You need to process and let this sink in. Let those two be for a moment."
Ginny looked at him and wondered when niceness had entered his body. He pulled her towards him and with each inch she drew nearer the more solid she felt. And suddenly, she was in his embrace, his arms wrapped around her waist. Her hands were resting on his back with her cheek against his shoulder. And for one brief moment, she felt human, warm and alive again. He was feeling very warm to her and also hard, solid and strong against her. The thought that she could get used to standing like that with him startled her so much she pulled away and dropped her hands.
"Let's go see your mother. I wonder if she has your family tree out yet."
Draco looked at her for a moment then let his hands drop.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to hang around there and see if she pulls it out over the weekend."
"Good. Let's go. It'll keep my mind off of Ron and-," Ginny shut her mind before she spouted out Draco's name. He looked down at her as they floated through the wall and across the darkened grounds.
" `And' what?"
"Just…everything." She said it too quickly for Draco to believe that was what she was going to actually say. But, for once he stayed quiet.
"Come on, let's go see who lived in Harry's house after Phineas-- if it indeed passed down to his children," Ginny said, her voice a bit firmer. And together, they headed out to Malfoy Manor.
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