Unofficial Portkey Archive

Love, Lies, and a Secret

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

AN: Happy Birthday, Hermione Granger!

Chapter 17: Pieces of Bliss and Sorrow

10:30 PM
November 28, 2000
A Muggle Inn, London

Harry was sitting down on the middle of the bed, his back against the headboard. He had his arms curled around Hermione, who was sitting between his legs, leaning back against his chest.

Harry and Hermione had decided to place their `meetings´ in that Muggle Inn until they thought it was okay to make their relationship public. It wasn't an easy decision; Hermione didn't like to lie to her friends, especially Susan and her parents.

Harry didn't like that either. If, from one side, the Inn's bedroom could give them all the privacy they wanted...

He felt a silly hope to be able to tell the word how amazingly happy he was.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," Hermione said quietly, nuzzling against Harry's arms. A low and content sigh escaped from her parted lips as she closed her eyes.

"Me too, love," Harry whispered back into her curly hair, "me too." He gently kissed the top of her head, and breathed in the scent of vanilla. Harry smiled as he felt Hermione sliding her fingernails up and down his arms.

Harry had had lived some other moments of happiness before, that was truth. However, it had never been like this in his life; so happy and so fully alive. He felt complete.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Harry spoke again. "Love?"
"Huh?"

"It has been over a month since-" he began tentatively. "I was thinking... I know mine and Ginny's break up is still on papers, but...at least our closest friend-"

"Ron came to see me last night," Hermione blurted out, and immediately she felt Harry's body tense.

Hermione moved her body, placing herself in a position so she was able to face Harry. She was now sitting on his lap, not noticing the small groan that had just escaped from Harry's lips. "He wanted to talk," she answered his unspoken question. Harry pursed his lips in a thin line, his green eyes boring intensely into hers.

"What did he say?" hey asked tersely, the words sounding clipped and controlled. His eyes began to scan her face as if he wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong. "D-Did he do something? Because if-"

Hermione reached out a hand and placed it gently on Harry's cheek caressing it slightly.
"He wanted to say sorry, and-" Hermione lowered her gaze, taking a sigh. "Didn't he say anything to you?" She looked back at Harry.

"I don't think he even had a chance, really," Harry replied, shaking his head. "Ron is trying to get me about mine and Ginny's break up."

"Honestly!" Hermione huffed. "Can't he understand that Ginny is a grow up woman and all this is your and Ginny's problem not his?!"

Harry smiled faintly. "You know how Ron is, Hermione," Harry said. "Although I could say I'm being lucky-" He shook his head in fake amusement. "The rest of the family seems to have accepted the break up pretty well." Hermione eyed him, an eyebrow raised. "Er, Mrs. Weasley doesn't seem very happy either."

"I suspected." Hermione paused for a moment, as if she was trying to unsettle some thoughts. "Um, and about Ginny, Harry? I-I haven't seen her..." Hermione trailed off. Truth be told, the young brown haired witch had been avoiding any contact with the Weasley family since hers and Ron´s not so nice break up. Hermione knew she wasn't the main reason for Harry and Ginny's split up; their relationship was doomed for a long time.

However, she couldn't help but feel she might have contributed to accelerate things.

"Well, I told you," Harry responded wistfully, "I saw her couple of weeks ago. She said she was fine, but still needed some time." He shrugged. "I can't say she looks happy, but she isn't angry either."

A small sigh escaped from Hermione's lips. "She still loves you, Harry," she whispered quietly.

"No." Harry shook his head. "She cares, yes, but love? No, I don't think so. Ginny and I were just dragged into this ridiculous and unrealistic dream of a big happy Weasley family-

" He suddenly stopped and narrowed his green eyes at her. "You little witch! You're avoiding telling me about Ron, aren't you?"

Hermione had the decency to flush. "I don't know..." she stammered.
"Hermione," he warned, his voice firm, "what did he do?" Hermione gazed at him and saw a shadow cross over his face, his green eyes darkening.

"He did nothing, Harry," she said, but Harry didn't seem convinced. "I swear! He just wanted to-to t-talk and..." She looked away as her voice trailed off. Harry then crooked a finger under her chin and gently turned her head toward him.

"Hermione," he whispered softly.

"He said he loved me," Hermione replied loud enough for him to hear. "He said he wants to try again, that he's sorry for everything he might have done, and- and he will try to be a better boyfriend."

Harry pursed his lips into a thin line. "Oh." He gave her a half smile, somewhat trying to not look concern. "Well, er, and what did you say?" Harry asked in a false careless tone of voice.

Hermione looked straight into his eyes. "What do you think I said, Harry?"

The young wizard shrugged. "´Don't know." He turned his head away, his eyes staring at the bedroom's window. "He was your boyfriend for so long," he muttered.

Unable to control herself, Hermione let a small smile cracked on her lips. It was amazing, she thought, how that young man in front of her could be a powerful wizard and at same time could act like a confused teenage boy.

"Harry," she spoke softly, "look at me." Harry slowly turned his head to her, facing her once again.
"I told Ron that there wasn't a coming back," Hermione said to him, "that I loved him only as a friend."

Harry's eyes visible brightened. "Y-You..."

"I love you, silly boy," she said, dropping her voice caressingly, "only you." Hermione cupped his face in her hands and caressed the corners of his lips with her thumbs. One thumb rubbed across his lower lip, twice, three times before she placed a softy kiss.

Harry smiled, sliding one hand up her back in a long, leisured caress; his other hand on the back of her neck.

Harry pulled her even closer to him. "It's good to know," he whispered against her mouth, before kissing her.
The kiss started out very gently but slowly grew very passionate. When the air started to become an issue, Harry unhurriedly let go off her lips, and began to gently kiss her jaw line and then her neck to her throat.

"Harry," Hermione moaned breathless.
"I love you so much," he smirked against her skin, "god, so much..."
Then, in a swift movement, he rose over her and whirled her body, making her laid flatly on the bed, bracing his arms on either side of her.

Harry bent his head towards her. "Love," he moaned as he kissed her neck, eliciting shivers from her.

Hermione put her arms over his shoulders her hands joined behind his neck. Her eyes were darkening in desire.

"Say you love me again," he said huskily.

"I love you," she whispered, nipping gently at his bottom lip, "I love you-" she began to ran her wet tongue against his mouth. "I love you," she said for the last time before kissing him on the mouth, leisurely opening her mouth as she accepted his tongue slipping inside.
As the kiss continued, Hermione was half aware- and surprised- of the changes in her. Never, in all her life had a kiss made her feel so alive- and burning.

Obviously, that in the beginning of her and Ron´s relationship they had shared a few good snog moments, but never like this.

With Ron, her mind was always set in first place; it wasn't rare the times when Ron started to become aroused- and each time she couldn't feel more uncomfortable.

However, now, feeling Harry's hard pleasure against her hips was everything but uncomfortable. One part of her was telling- screaming, actually- her to touch him, to release the pain she knew was building up.

Yes, she wanted to feel him in her hands, but she wasn't confident enough to do it. Not yet, anyway.
"S-Sorry," Harry whispered sheepishly, pulling away off her as his arousal was turning too painful for him to control. "I-I need to go to the bathroom..."

Hermione gave him a short nod, a small smile on her lips.

Harry pulled out the bed and went to the bathroom. "I-It's just a minute," he said awkwardly, opening the bathroom's door and stepping inside.

`Damn,´ he thought angrily to himself as closed the door behind him, `what are you, Potter? A bloody teenager unable to control himself?´

**

Lavender's apartment.

Laying in her bed, her naked body wrapped in the sheets, Lavender heaved a sigh as she sadly watched Ron finish dressing. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, putting his shoes on.

"She just said she loved me only as a friend!" he complained out aloud, shaking his head. "After so many years and she suddenly realized that she doesn't love me!"

Lavender pursed her lips, unconsciously covering her stomach with her arms. A month ago, when Ron had come to her home saying that Hermione had broken up with him, she thought it was her chance to be finally- and completely- happy. She and Ron would be together.

Really together.

But it didn't happen.

Ron didn't want to be with her, not in the way she wanted- and needed. And each time they got together, she had to force herself to talk about Hermione, and how he loved the brown haired witch.

Lavender didn't know how much more she could take.

Didn't he realize how he was hurting her?

Merlin, she was pregnant! Pregnant with his child- still, she couldn't even find a chance to tell him because they were shagging or he was talking about fucking Hermione Granger!

"But tomorrow I'll try to talk with her again," Ron continued to talk, "it's Bill's birthday party and I know she will-"

"STOP!" Lavender screamed as tears began to run down on her cheeks. "Stop!"

"Lav?" Ron turned to her, mildly surprised by her outburst.

"Stop, can't you?" she said hoarsely through her tears. "We just made love and you're there- talking about her!"

"Lavender, we shagged- that's what we do. We shag, fuck. And I love Hermione."

Lavender was suddenly feeling hard to breathe properly. "Y-You can say it's only a shag, Ron. W-We are..."

Ron shook his head lightly. "We're nothing, Lav," he said quietly. He didn't want to sound harsh, but it was better to make things clear. "We just shag. It's good, yes, but nothing more than that. I love Hermione." He got up from the bed and walked towards the bedroom's door, opening it.

"She dumped you!" Lavender hurriedly pulled out of the bed, holding the sheet tightly around her body.

"We'll be together again. I'm sure of it," he said stepping out of the bedroom.

"A-And what about me, Ron?" Lavender asked in a small voice, standing up in the middle of her bedroom. She felt low. "What about me?" Lavender let the sheet slip down her body.
Maybe, just maybe, he could stay.

"Maybe it's time to stop," he replied, looking at her naked body, but not moving in her direction. "I want to make things right with Hermione this time." And without saying anything else, Ron left.

Alone in her bedroom, Lavender brought a hand to her mouth, suffocating a scream, as she let herself plunged down to the floor

***

Thanks Oliver for the beta and everyone who read and review last chapter.

Ah, if you want to take a look, I also drew a Hermione pic on my LJ.

http://sweet-lemmon.livejournal.com/167534.

ETA: It's only me, or Portkey is being a pain in the *&¨%! to update today?