It was Harry's 25th birthday and Hermione sat in their home waiting for him to arrive back from his mission. He was due back over an hour ago and she was starting to worry. She decided to head to the ministry to see if he got held up. After covering the dress she bought for his return, she set off for the Ministry. When she arrived at the Auror Division's headquarters, she quickly found Remus.
"Hello, Hermione," he greeted her.
"Hi Remus, have you seen Harry? He was supposed to be home over an hour ago and I'm starting to worry."
"There's nothing to worry about," he interrupted. "He went to the pub with some friends. I guess they wanted to celebrate the end of yet another successful mission."
It had been two months since they had seen each other and he would rather spend time with his friends than her? The fear and worry she had been feeling quickly turned to anger. "If he comes back here tell him he'd better have a damn good reason for ditching me for his friends." She angrily responded.
"I'm sure he was only planning on staying for a few drinks…"
"Well then where is he?" She snapped.
"I'm sure he'll have a good explanation."
"That's fine… but I won't be around to hear it," With that she stomped away.
Hermione decided that she was not going back home and wait for him like a good wife; she was going to have a little fun with the girls.
~*~*~*~*~*~
As she waited to get into the jam-packed club she could not help but feel unwanted. Her husband of three years decided to spend his birthday with people he could see at anytime he wanted instead of with his wife whom he barely saw since he had become an Auror a year prior.
She was almost to the door when she noticed a guy looking her up and down. When he saw that she noticed him staring he flashed her a sexy smile and started toward her. Unfortunately, she was pulled away by her friend before she managed to speak with the stranger.
"Hermione, you made it," a slightly drunk Luna welcomed her.
"Things didn't work out so well with Harry so I decided to take you up on the offer of girls' night out," she yelled over the loud music.
"Well good. You could use a little fun in your life and what better place to find it than `Club Bump,'" Ginny said, downing another shot of tequila.
"I have to agree with you. Now, where's the waiter? I need a drink," Hermione shouted enthusiastically.
Although twenty minutes had passed since Hermione arrived at the club, none of her friends even suspected that she had not touched liquor all night. The conversation among the girls turned to the men in their lives and, more importantly, the sex they were having.
"I so needed this break. Seamus is always after me like a cat on a mouse," Ginny started.
"I know what you mean. Neville is such a horn dog, he always wants it," Parvati agreed.
"What about you, Hermione?" Lavender asked curiously.
"What about me?" She replied.
"Come on, there are no secrets here." Lavender pointed out.
"Lav's right. Besides, we all want to know how Harry Potter is in the bedroom," Luna wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Lately there isn't much to tell," Hermione informed her friends sadly. "He's been away so much that we barely see each other and when we are together the passion isn't there like it used to be. Before Harry's accident we shagged everywhere from the bed to the locker rooms. But it's like he lost his confidence when he fell off that broom, it's like my husband is still falling."
"Well he kinda is," Ginny pointed out. "I mean, his whole life changed. One minute he's a professional Quidditch player and the next he's back to fighting dark wizards. Something which he's done his entire life and deserved a break from; three years wasn't enough time for him to feel free of the burden of the world."
"I know and I agree that Harry needed a break but that doesn't mean he can shut me out. We've been together for nearly seven years now and it's like he's forgotten about me. I mean look at this dress," she scooted out from the table for her friends to check out the green silk dress that dipped dangerously low in the front and was slit up the side to her thigh. "I bought this for tonight. Do you honestly think I planned on keeping it on this long?" The girls all laughed which relieved some of the tension of the conversation.
"Well maybe he just needs to see you with another guy to really appreciate you," Ginny suggested.
"How am I supposed to do that when I don't even know where he is?"
"Maybe you should turn around and see who is sitting at that table over there," Parvati pointed across the room.
Hermione turned in her seat and saw Harry having a beer with the boys and watching the people bump and grind on the dance floor.
"I can't believe him! How dare he come here instead of coming home to me?"
"There is no excuse for it Hermione. That's why you need to show him what he's missing," Luna said.
"Oh I agree with you one-hundred percent. Harry needs to learn that I won't wait forever, the only question is who am I going to make him jealous with?"
"Well I think that guy over there at the bar has an idea."
Hermione was a little confused by Lavender's comment before she turned to see a tall, tan, very handsome man staring at her suggestively. She smiled at him before turning to her friends once more. "He was checking me out when I was in line and he is very sexy isn't he?"
"Oh yeah," the girls said in dreamy voices.
"Well I can't let this dress go to waste now can I? I mean, it was supposed to make Harry look at me like that" she looked back over her shoulder at the guy staring at her, "but I guess he's a good substitute."
She got up and made her way over to where the man was standing by the bar. "Can I get a Tom Collins please," she ordered from the bar before turning to her admirer. "I'm Hermione."
"Hayden. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said with a deep voice.
"It would be an even more of a pleasure if you asked me to dance," she suggested, taking the cherry from his drink and slowly sucking it into her mouth and pulling the stem out.
"Only if I can buy you a jar of cherries so you do that with every one of them."
"Gladly." Hermione grabbed his hand and led Hayden to a place on the dance floor where Harry was sure to see her dancing with him.
"I was so worried that I scared you outside," Hayden shouted over the music.
She began to move her hips to the music as he moved his body in tune with hers. "You'll find that I'm not easily scared." The song slowed and he moved his hands around her hips, bringing her closer to him so that their pelvises touched as they grinded to the music. "Apparently, neither are you."
"What's life if you live in fear?" He smiled at her and brought his hips closer to hers.
Harry sat across the room listening to the guys complain about their wives, laughing now and than at Seamus's dirty jokes. His mind wondered now and then to his wife and how stranded their marriage was lately. He was pulled out of his musing by Seamus shouting at him.
"Hey Harry, isn't that Hermione down there rubbing up on that guy," Seamus shouted over the pulsing music.
Harry surveyed the dance floor below him and there she was. At the sight of her with another guy dancing so provocatively, Harry quickly sobered up and made his way down to the dance floor. He approached them from behind and tapped the guy on the shoulder. When Hayden turned around, Hermione didn't realize who it was until it was too late. Harry had already administered a punch that sent Hayden to the floor. Before she could react, Harry grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the club with all eyes on them.
"Harry, let go of me!" Hermione yelled, yanking her arm from his grasp and starting back for the club.
"Where do you think you're going?" he hollered.
"To see if Hayden's okay," she shouted back.
"Oh no, you don't." Harry grabbed her arm and apparated them back to their two-story flat.
"Harry James Potter, let me go!" She tried to push him away but he refused to let go.
"How long Hermione? How long have you been cheating on me?" His grip on her became tighter as his anger grew.
"I haven't been cheating on you! Now let me go!" With one final yank, she freed herself from his grip.
"Oh, so you're just going to stand there and tell me that you just met him tonight?"
"Yes, because it's the truth," she turned and left him staring after her as she climbed the stairs to their room.
Harry wasn't going to be lied to, however. He followed her, and, half-way up the stairs, he grabbed her and turned her to face him. "Don't walk away from me!"
"And why shouldn't I? You have no problem walking away from me. Now let go of my arm." Hermione attempted to free herself from his grip but tripped and brought him down on top of her.
"What are you talking about? I have never walked away from you and I never will," he said in a calmer voice.
She was frustrated and angry and didn't want to hear his excuses so she pushed him off of her and started climbing the stairs on all fours. Harry looked up her dress as she did this and saw the barely there lace knickers she wore. His pants quickly became tighter. He reached up and grabbed her ankle pulling her back to him. As she felt his lower abdomen pressed against her back, she also felt his arousal. He moved his hands up her dress and pulled at the tiny piece of fabric she called knickers.
"Get your hands off of me," she said, turning to face him, and was quickly shut up by his lips against hers.
That didn't stop her from pushing on his chest and moving her knees between them to help push him away. But with her knickers off and his arousal growing, he simply pushed her legs apart and rested himself against her as his lips trailed down her throat.
"Harry, stop, get off me!"
Her protests only made him grind his erection into her center causing her to let out a quiet moan. He trailed his hands down her front, taking her dress with them. Her breasts were exposed to his wandering lips as his hands unzipped his jeans and pushed them down along with his boxers, leaving his butt exposed from behind and his erection between her slick folds. As he sucked her nipples into his mouth, he moved his length against her clit, making her even wetter. He was starting to lose his composure. He had to get inside her, needed to be closer to her. With one quick thrust, he was sheathed within her warm depths.
As he pounded into her, she felt her back hit the stairs in different places and knew she'd be bruised and sore when it was over but she didn't care. Harry was moving relentlessly within her, sending pleasure throughout her body. Before she knew it, he sent her over the edge as white-hot pleasure coursed through her veins; all the while she yelled out his name. She raked her nails down his back, leaving harsh red lines behind, and the pain it caused him sent him also quickly over the edge. He collapsed on top of her breathing heavily and covered in sweat.
As Hermione lay underneath him, feeling the warmth of his body, she remembered the events that led up to what had just happened between them. Suddenly she wasn't as tired as she felt and she took him off guard when she pushed him off her and ran up the stairs, pulling her dress into place.
It took him a while to recover before he followed after her. He found her in their bedroom completely naked roaming through their wardrobe.
"Hermione what are you doing?" he asked, moving closer to her and saw the bruises forming on her back and arms.
She spun around to face him, tears forming in her eyes. "Why is it Harry that we haven't made love like that in months?"
"I haven't been here for two months."
"You know what I'm talking about." She made her way to their bed and put her robe on. "Ever since your accident there hasn't been any passion between us, we make love once a week and only in bed at night."
"`Mione, my accident changed me."
"No Harry, I don't want to hear it any more. I'm tired of you using your accident as a way out…"
"I'm not trying to get out of anything. You know flying was my way of getting away from all of the troubles and burdens that I have. Now I can't --not with the way my leg is now-- I just don't have the muscle to hold on anymore, at least not for the period of time a game requires."
"I know Harry but I still can't help but feel like you're abandoning me."
"I would never abandon you; I love you to much…"
"What about tonight? I waited for you for over an hour only to find out that you'd rather go out with your friends than to come home to me."
"`Mione it's not like that. The guys cornered me; I had no choice but to go with them." Harry tried to put his arms around her but she shrugged him off.
"That's not true and you know it. They would have understood that you haven't seen your wife in two months and that you needed to be with her. But you didn't even try to explain that to them, did you? Just stop making excuses and tell me what's going on."
"It's hard to be ripped away from you every few weeks for months at a time. It's just easier to not get close to you while I'm actually here."
"And what happens when I decide not to wait for you anymore?"
He looked at her in shock he couldn't believe she's thought of leaving him. "You can't mean that."
"I don't know what else to do. There are two people in this marriage Harry and you just can't decide to stay away from me. How do you think it makes me feel?" Her tears were running freely down her cheeks.
"Don't cry. Please `Mione, I can't stand it when you cry," he circled his arms around her and let her cry into his chest.
"Then why do you insist on making me cry?"
"I never want to be the reason you cry again," he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.
He picked her up, laid her on the bed, and climbed on top of her.
"Don't cry. Please stop crying," he whispered in her ear as he trailed kisses down her neck.
He reached between them and pulled the knot from her robe, letting it fall open as his lips left her neck and trailed down to her chest. He took his time as he slowly lapped her breast with his tongue before placing open-mouth kisses down her stomach, stopping to pay special attention to her belly button. He spread her legs apart and slowly moved down so that his face was even with her center. He looked up at her as he slid his tongue between her folds, tasting her. He found her clit and, without taking his eyes off her face, he sucked it into his mouth and brushed his tongue against it over and over again. Hermione cried out his name and arched her back, trying to get closer to his mouth. He continued to do what he was doing until it sent her over the edge. Harry slowly made his way back up her body, leaving a trail of wet kisses on her stomach and breast.
"I love you so much and I'm sorry for being such a selfish git."
She looked up at him and knew he was truly sorry. "Oh Harry, I love you too. But I'm telling you know this isn't over by a long shot. We have a lot to talk about."
"I know, but it's late. We can talk in the morning."
"Okay. But you have to do something for me."
"Anything…"
"Make love to me like you used to."
And that's exactly what he did all night. She fell asleep a few hours before sunrise and he watched her sleep. The glow from the sun shone on her lightly tanned skin and Harry couldn't resist placing soft kisses along her back, causing her to stir. Hermione opened her eyes to see Harry staring right back at her.
"Good morning," she said stretching.
"It certainly is," he whispered before leaning in for a kiss.
"I hate to ruin it but we should talk before we let ourselves get caught up like we did last night," she rolled over so that she was on her back looking up at him. "Harry you need to talk to me. Tell me how you feel because if you don't it's going to build up in you until it explodes."
"I don't want you to have to worry about me."
"Well I will so you might as well tell me what's going on in your head before I go in there myself and find it," Hermione threatened.
Harry took a deep breath before looking down at her and continuing. "I feel like I did when I first found out about the Prophecy: like I'm stuck; like I have to do what is expected of me."
"And what do you think is expected of you?"
"To continue ridding to world of evil," He rolled on to his back and looked up at the sealing.
Hermione sat up so she could look into her husband's eyes. "Harry, you defeated Voldemort. You've done your part and everyone knows that. They don't expect you to continue."
"Then what else am I supposed to do?"
"What ever you want, you could be a Healer or stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet. Just do something that will make you happy."
"What if it's teaching?"
"You'd make a brilliant professor," she encouraged him.
"Even though I'd be away at Hogwarts?"
"There are houses in Hogsmeade we could buy. You don't have to be away from me."
He smiled and tackled her to the bed running kissed down her neck.
"So, best birthday ever?" she joked with a smile.
Harry shifted so that he lay next to her playing with her hair. "Best present I ever got."
She shifted so that they faced each other. "Well if you like that then you'll love your real present."
"Oh, really and where might it be?" he asked as he started to nibble at her neck.
She took his hand and trailed it down and placed it on her stomach. "Right here."
Harry pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. "You mean we're…you're…I'm…"
"Going to be a daddy in six months," she finished for him happily.
"Then it has been the best birthday ever," he said before bringing her to him and pressing his lips to hers. This began another long and pleasure filled day in bed together.
The End
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