A/N: For this chapter only, I've upped the rating to PG13 for some, well, questionable terms often found in romance books. Nothing major, just not exactly PG material. So if you're squicked out by that sort of stuff, I'd suggest skipping this one. Er, and apparently my definition of "later tonight" is about half an hour.
Harry leaned against the door jamb and watched his fiancée read. He'd always liked watching Hermione read even when they were just kids because watching the expressions on her face was like watching a Quidditch game. He could practically hear the commentary now: Ooh, that frown means a foul. The ref calls a penalty on that faulty factoid, which calls for a penalty shot. Hermione lines up her notes, she flips, she searches and she scores! Ten points to Gryffindor!
Today she had a small smile on her face as she read curled up on the couch, absent mindedly rubbing her swollen belly. She was seven months along and so far the pregnancy had been a breeze. The only thing she'd had remotely like morning sickness was an inability to brush her back molars. Every time she tried to get her brush anywhere near there she'd get nauseous and it would annoy her to no end. Thankfully that had stopped within the last few days. At the beginning she did have unusual cravings like kippers drenched in chocolate sauce or peanut butter on rye bread and she always felt like a walking stereotype. "Most women don't even get cravings! Or if they do it's for one normal thing like Luna craved chocolate and Ginny craves curry," she would sigh after swallowing her cream cheese, mustard and rice concoction. "I don't even like mustard!"
Much to her relief those cravings seemed to be petering out and settling on any form of cheese.
"Why don't you take a picture, it lasts longer," Hermione murmured not looking up from her book.
Startled from his musings he leaned away from the doorjamb a bit guiltily. "Sorry," he replied walking over to her and sitting next to her. He shifted her around so her legs were draped over his lap. "What're you reading?" he asked, rubbing and massaging her ankles.
She glanced at him with what looked, however briefly, like a guilty expression. "Nothing really," she replied, returning to her book. "Just some light reading."
"Mmm," Harry replied. She had charmed the book cover to look like something else; he knew it even if he couldn't be certain of it. "What's it called? I might want to read it too."
"I highly doubt that," she scoffed.
"Does it involve copious amounts of the phrases `turgid length' and `hot sheath'?" he asked with a knowing grin.
Hermione blushed slightly but rolled her eyes. "Honestly. For your information Mr. Potter, it does not," she sniffed haughtily.
"C'mon Hermione, you know you can tell me all about the heaving bosoms and quivering biceps," Harry cajoled, reaching to grab at her book. "I can just read it now, `Ramone ran his Quidditch roughened fingers down Philomena's silky thighs. Philomena quivered in response moaning `Oh Ramone! Let me ride your turgid broomstick of love!'" he said in a very high pitched girly voice.
Hermione laughed and held the book away from his grasp. "Nice try, Harry. There's no way I'm going to let you read my book especially after that!"
Harry made another grab for the book being extra careful of the kicking baby beneath them. "You know you want to read to me about how Ramone and Philomena shag in the Quidditch locker room while being hunted by evil pirates who're after them so they can ransom Philomena to her father."
"What? Why would pirates be at a Quidditch pitch? No, Harry! Stop! I'm too embarrassed!" Harry grabbed onto the book but she wasn't letting go without a fight. He finally swooped in and distracted her with a deep sensual kiss that loosened her grip on the book just enough for him to yank it out of her hands.
Harry sat back with a satisfied smirk and began to read aloud. "Our in situ measurements indicate that alkaline salt condensation of volcanic gases inside those plumes could be the dominant formation process for particles reaching the . . . ionian . . . exosphere -" Harry trailed off his smile fading into a confused frown. He looked back at the cover titled Astrophysics and the Cassini Project: How Muggle Science Affects Magic and Astronomy. "Light reading?"
Hermione blushed. "I had a craving," she mumbled.
"I thought you'd charmed the cover!" Harry said in an almost affronted tone.
"Perhaps you shouldn't be questioning my reading materials," she smirked up at him. "You seemed quite knowledgeable about the inner workings of a romance novel."
Harry flushed and quickly handed Hermione back her book. "Forget I mentioned it!" he said standing quickly, dumping her feet on the couch.
"Oh c'mon Harry," she cajoled in the same teasing lilt he used on her. She stood with a bit of a struggle and followed him into the kitchen. "You can't keep me hanging here. Was that really a quote from a book?"
"Yes, I mean no!" he replied indignantly, but the guilt was written all over his face.
"If you don't tell me, I'll tell Malfoy that you read -"
"Ok, ok! Ron and I borrowed some of those books from Lavender -"
"You mean you filched them off her when she left them in the common room."
"Because we wanted to see what the big deal was," he went on as if she hadn't spoken. "We had a good laugh then we returned them where we found them."
"Admit it, you found some of the scenes steamy," she grinned up at him cornering him in the corner of the kitchen between the sink and the oven.
"They were ridiculous and overblown and no woman would ever react that way to a guy who treated her the way Ramone did," he replied rolling his eyes. "I do have some taste."
Hermione continued to stare at him with a small knowing smirk, her hand cocked on her hip.
"Alright, fine! A couple of the books had pretty good tips, but I don't see you complaining about them," he sighed with a grin. "And that's knowledge that can be applied, unlike your astrophysics back there."
"Hmm, you do have a point. I might just have to read a few of these books and get some tips myself," she murmured thoughtfully.
Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Merlin, woman, on top of what you've already learned, you're going to be the death of me."
"Hooray for pregnancy hormones," she murmured taking a fistful of his shirt and pulling his lips down for a kiss.
"Hooray for astrophysics," Harry murmured against her lips.
A/N: I'm down here now, heh. I know, I know, the last chapter was short and so is this one, but I hope the two combined make up for a longer-ish chapter? Yes? *cringe* I just don't do long chapters. Dunno why. Please don't hurt me!
The quote Harry reads from the book is from an actual abstract on the Cassini Project found here: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006Icar..183..122P I did ok in science, but not that well to make up something that believable. Oh and once again, the mistakes and Americanisms are all mine. I didn't have this beta'd but I did go through it with a fine tooth comb, so hopefully it's up to par even if lacks a bit of polish.
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