A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews and for liking the story. I appreciate it more than you know. Another special thanks to Elysium for her help, guidance and wisdom. Hope you all enjoy.
MATCHMAKERS TO THE RESCUE
CHAPTER EIGHT
Hermione could not believe the question and sat watching him quietly for a few minutes, intrigued by the conflicting expressions crossing his handsome face.
"Is there a reason why you think I haven't forgiven you?" she finally asked, ending the silence that had taken over the room.
"Not really. It's just that since our last day at the resort I've had all of these doubts and Ginny suggested I talk to you about it," he explained avoiding her eyes.
"I didn't say anything that day that concerned you. I was a bit mad at Harry and Ron for what they had done in the past, Draco, because they were my best friends."
"I know it had nothing to do with me, but thinking back on our school days, I remembered how badly I treated you for all of those years. I was an insufferable arse and it still amazes me that we are friends now."
"The past is in the past, Drake, and I thought you knew that. You are not your father's son, so to speak. I hold no resentments and no hatred for anyone in my life since I consider it a waste of my time and energy. I chose to forgive you once I saw how much you had changed. I see you with Ginny and I do not remember the boy you used to be. I did not like that Draco. But the man you are now, Drake, that man I have learned to love and consider my dear friend."
"You promise?" he asked still a bit uncertain.
"I promise, you silly man! I don't even think about those times anymore. You hurt me more than once back then, that is true, but you have more than made up for it in recent years. I think we've been acquainted long enough by now for you to know I wouldn't speak to you, let alone invite you into our home, if I felt otherwise. I can even assure you that Harry feels the same way."
Draco nodded, got up, and went to her. "Thank you," he said as he hugged her.
Harry found them like that a moment later when he walked back into the room.
"Hey, ferret, get your hands off my girl," Harry commanded him.
"Jealous much, scar-head?" Draco said as he dropped his arms from around Hermione and kissed her cheek.
"Oh, and you dare to kiss her in front of me too?" Harry exclaimed feigning outrage.
"She seems to have liked it if we're to judge by her smile," Draco explained to him grinning widely.
"She likes it better when I do it," Harry told him as he put the tea service on top of the desk. "Allow me to demonstrate," Harry said as he grabbed Hermione by the waist and dipped her back, planting a loud kiss on her lips while she laughed.
"Yeah, I can see her melting at your feet," Draco observed joining in their laughter.
Harry lifted Hermione back up and she was smiling at both of them. "I'm going to get a big ego if you two keep on going. To be the object of affection of such lovely and handsome men can go straight to one's head," she pointed out as she started serving the tea.
Draco stayed with them for another hour before leaving. When he left, it was with a light heart and a smile on his handsome face.
XOXOX
Once Draco had left, Hermione took Harry's hand and led him to their bedroom, where she proceeded to ravish him for another hour. She had forgotten how tired she'd been when she arrived home and just the sight of him in bed, wearing nothing but his smile, had been her undoing.
Now they lay cuddling and Hermione smiled as she lifted her head from his chest and looked at him.
"Hello, gorgeous," he said smiling back.
"Is it me, or does this keep getting better and better?" she asked him with a dreamy look on her face.
"I agree. I never knew making love could be so overwhelming and all consuming. I don't think I'll ever tire of making love with you."
"Me, either. I was so tired when I got here tonight, but all it took was having you close to me to make me forget the tiredness. I wonder if that is part of our new powers," she finished frowning a bit.
"Speaking of that, how did it go with the research? With Draco here I forgot to ask."
Hermione's expression changed from frowning to dreamy in an instant. "I have a memory to share with you. I don't know how you will feel about it, but it was a bit of intense magic Luna performed on me earlier to give me an idea of what our future holds."
"Show me," Harry asked excitedly.
Hermione closed her eyes and did just that. She transferred her memories of the conversation as well as the images of the baby boy into Harry's mind little by little. She concentrated on his feelings trying to gauge his reaction when he realized what he was looking at.
All of a sudden, all kinds of feelings came at her at once, making her gasp a bit. Confusion, exhilaration, fear, happiness, anxiousness, and a love so powerful it astounded her. His reaction had been similar to hers. He looked a bit longer, concentrating the most on the image of their baby. He seemed to be taken by it and was unable to stop looking at his image.
Finally, after minutes of exploration, he stepped slowly out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes to find him looking back at her, surprised etched in his features.
"Merlin's pants, Mione, was that really our baby?" he all but whispered.
"Yes, Mr. Potter, that was our little boy. Isn't he absolutely beautiful?" she responded in a wistful voice.
"He is the perfect mix of us. Are you carrying him now?" he asked placing his palm against her stomach in such a protective way that she fell in love with him for the hundredth time.
"No, love. He's not coming just yet. Luna says we have to learn how to fully control our powers before we stop using the contraception charms," she explained while she covered his hand with her own.
"How long do we have to wait?"
"She didn't say."
"Are you excited?"
"I don't think I can fully explain just how much," she responded smiling tenderly at him. "How about you? Think you're ready to be a daddy just yet?"
"I'm ready when you are, love. Nothing would make me happier than to have a family with you. I would be a dream come true for me. I've always wanted a family to call my own, you know that."
"I wonder how we'll know when we are in control of our powers since nothing much has changed. We communicate better, but there are no magical outbursts because we don't really argue. When we do, it's over something silly and it never escalates into anything major. At work, things are the same. We relax when we are home."
"Are you saying we should stop using the contraceptive charms?" he asked.
She smiled at him. "Maybe not just yet, but we can practice while we wait a little longer," she suggested as she climbed on top of him and licked his lips sexily.
"Woman, I love the way your mind works," he told her as he pulled her head down and kissed her. His other hand moved down and cupped her bum, bringing his hips up to rub suggestively against her. She opened her legs wider as one of her hands moved between their bodies to cup him.
"He seems eager," she purred in his ear and then bit the side of his neck, making him growl.
"Of course he is! What did you expect after kissing me like a wanton?"
"Then we best take care of him," she suggested as she guided him into her opening once again. She put her hands on his chest and pushed herself down on him, moving seductively up and down while he played with her breasts.
"I love you, Potter," she whispered as she leaned down and took his mouth in another overwhelming kiss.
He responded to her passion with his own, and before they knew it, the white orb was around them again and the light shone behind their pupils as it had before. But it no longer scared them. They had learned to accept it as part of their new closeness. Instead, they took advantage of it, basking in their passion.
"I want to try something new," he told her slowing down a bit.
"What?" she asked, looking down at him.
"I want you to open your mind to me completely so I can feel what you feel as I move in and out of you. And I want you to also know how I feel."
She just nodded and did as he asked. This time, there were no fears of what he would see. She had nothing to be ashamed of and he knew the most important parts. She concentrated fully, opening her mind, heart, and soul to him as never before.
He gasped when he felt it. It was almost as if he was inside of her body. He could feel every sleek push in and out of her, her walls expanding to accommodate him, the fast beating of her heart, her raspy breathing, the blood coursing through her veins, and her love. He could feel her immense love and it took his breath away. He concentrated then on letting her feel his own emotions.
She moaned when she was hit with the waves of his own excitement. Like him, she felt as if she was suddenly inside of his body and all of his movements under her became her own. She could feel how good it felt for him to thrust in and out of her. How different it felt for him than it did for her. How he trembled inside, how his lungs refused to work properly, how his heart pounded non-stop, and how his body tightened every time she clenched her inner muscles against his hardness.
As they were reaching their peak, they melded their minds together and came at the same time, and it was truly amazing. Hermione could feel herself clenching and unclenching around him as well as his own release. Now she knew what it felt like when he came inside of her. He could feel himself spilling himself into her and her own powerful release. It was almost like climaxing twice and he almost lost his mind.
The magic that was emitting out of their bodies was so powerful it made the lights flicker in the room. As they finished, the bubble burst with a flash of bright light and they were suspended from the bed for an instant. They floated back down the few inches a moment later, their eyes still closed.
After, she lay panting on top of him, unable to move as her mind focused back on their surroundings. She finally moved to his side, but he kept her close to him.
"Are we still alive?" he asked lazily.
"Barely," she mumbled against his chest. "I don't think I can move."
"I'm going to watch what I suggest in the future," he joked.
"Oh, no, darling; suggest away," was her response.
"You're just a glutton for punishment."
"No, Harry, I'm just addicted to your loving."
"As I am to yours, love."
XOXOX
Two weeks later
"How long will he be gone?" Luna asked as she picked delicately at her salad.
"Almost a month," Hermione groaned as she sipped her wine. "How I am going to stand this?"
Since Harry had been gone for a little while, Luna and Ginny had decided to meet Hermione for dinner at their favorite restaurant to keep her company and take her mind of his absence. Two weeks on her own were taking their toll on her sanity.
"Have you tried communicating with him?" Ginny asked.
"Everyday. But he is so busy that we don't get to talk much. Sometimes the time difference is also a problem."
"I'm sure he misses you as well. I can't be any easier for him," Luna said.
"Oh, I know he does. I'm just being silly."
"Like part of you is missing?" Ginny asked.
"Exactly like that. The worst part is when I go to bed. I even sleep in one of his shirts. We haven't been together all that long, but I love sleeping with him."
"Why didn't you go with him, then?" Luna wondered.
"One of us had to stay behind to run things."
"You've been doing this for over three years now," Ginny reminded her gently. "Aren't you used to it by now?"
"No. I always missed him, even when we weren't together. Now it's just worse."
"Have you thought about changing jobs?" Ginny inquired.
"No. We both love what we do. Our department was added after the war ended and it is important to keep the relationships between our neighboring countries intact. I knew being an ambassador for the Ministry would mean a lot of travel. I guess I just have to get used to it."
"You could always meet him over there on your days off. And if the time difference isn't that great, you could just apparate to his hotel room and spend the night with him," Luna suggested.
"I don't want to seem like a needy woman, Luna. I'm a mature adult and should act as such, don't you think?"
"Being mature has nothing to do with it. I don't think I could spend a month away from Draco. The most we spent apart was a week and I was dying for it to be over," Ginny told them. "However, the shagging was fabulous the night he came back!"
They all laughed at the face she made and the mood relaxed some.
"I'll remember that," Hermione told her between laughs. "Although I can't complain about our sex life. If it gets any better, we will end up at St. Mungos. Can you imagine the headlines now?" she said blushing a pretty shade of pink.
"That great, huh?" Luna asked looking very interested.
"The night before he was leaving we managed to make a light bulb explode," Hermione confessed quietly.
"You did what?" Ginny asked surprised by the unexpected news.
"What else has happened?" Luna asked curiously.
"Promise you won't laugh?" Hermione asked shyly.
"I don't think we can laugh at all," Ginny answered her. "I'm too astounded to do so." Luna nodded as well.
"It's a bit scary at times. Sometimes we manage to float a few inches from the bed. Other times we make the lights in the house flicker. I'm able to feel exactly what he feels and vice versa. The white orb is always around us and our eyes shine from within," she finished and took a deep breath.
"Sweet Mother of Merlin," Ginny whispered. "And that doesn't put you off?"
Hermione shook her head. "On the contrary, it makes us want each other more."
"That's understandable," Luna said. "I was waiting to hear you confirm it, but I had already figured it would happen. Since you get along so well, I was not expecting many rows. At the Ministry, you work together, but independently at the same time, so I wasn't expecting trouble there either. It was in the shagging department that I figure your powers would manifest more fully."
"Who would have thought that our little bookwork would become a shagging maniac, eh, Luna?" Ginny asked elbowing her.
"Indeed!"
"Oh, come on, like you two aren't sex crazed witches as well," she protested.
"No one is denying that fact, Mione. But at least it was expected of us," Ginny explained with a grin.
"So you're saying people think I'm repressed?"
"Not necessarily, but I don't think anyone would believe just how much you love shagging Harry!" Luna said with a laugh.
"Not funny, ladies. And to prove that point I'll confess to having had the most delicious afternoon romp on top of his desk while everyone around us was hard at work! I just love private meetings."
"That's why they say you have to watch out for the quiet ones. That's never been truer than in your personal case," Ginny commented as she raised her eyebrows at Hermione's confession.
They were still laughing when the waiter came by and removed their dinner plates and put a new bottle of wine on the table. They told him they wanted to look at the dessert menu a few minutes and he left.
"He keeps looking at us and it's bothering me," Hermione observed when he was gone.
"Read his mind and see what he wants," Ginny suggested.
"I can't do that," Hermione exclaimed surprised.
"Sure you can. Whom better than you? You're so subtle and good at it he won't notice a thing."
Hermione looked at Luna and she nodded her consent. Hermione looked down at her lap and closed her eyes. Little by little, she penetrated the waiter's mind for a few minutes. She frowned, and with her eyes still closed, her hand shot up and grabbed Ginny's as she was about to grab the bottle of wine.
"Don't drink it. It's been altered with something," Hermione whispered as she continued to prove the waiter's mind.
Ginny jumped back as if burned. Luna stared at Hermione in surprise. After a few more minutes, Hermione opened her eyes and stared at her friends, worry imprinted on her features.
"He put some sort of potion in the bottle. Something that along with the alcohol would make us weak."
"Is ours the only bottle he did this too?" Luna asked her.
"Yes. He seems to be getting off soon and figured he and his friends would have a bit of fun with the three of us. They are planning to follow us out of here and force us to have sex with them."
"Rape us, you mean," Ginny asked crudely.
"Yes," Hermione confirmed.
"Then I say we teach them a lesson," Ginny continued, her eyes flashing with fire.
Luna nodded as well. "We can't let them get away with this. Who knows how many times they have tried this before and succeeded?"
"I guess you are both right," Hermione finally conceded. She looked around them and then at the wine bottle. Its contents disappeared almost completely. Then a small glass vial appeared next to her plate and she filled it discretely with the remainder of the red liquid. At the looks of confusion on her friends' faces, she explained she wanted it as evidence.
"Then let's pay and get out of here. The sooner we get this over with, the better," Luna said, also getting mad.
Hermione signaled for him to come over and he smiled at them. This little rat is going down, she thought furiously and then asked sweetly for their check explaining they had changed their minds about dessert.
XOXOX
They walked outside and lingered for a few minutes by the sidewalk, planning their strategy. There was a dark alleyway ahead and Hermione figured that was probably the waiter's intended destination. Luna and Ginny agreed and they decided to walk slowly that way. Night had fallen and it would be perfect if they used a silencing charm. No one walking by would notice anything amiss.
As they were nearing the entrance to the alley, Hermione tensed a bit. "They are right behind us. There are three of them, all about the same height and built. This is going to be a walk in the park for us," she whispered.
A moment later, they were upon them and wasted no time grabbing them and pushing them into the alley. As Hermione had predicted, one of the men put up a silencing charm as soon as they were inside. Not only were they fast, they seemed to have a practice ease that confirmed Luna's suspicions as well. They had done this before.
Before they could utter a word, one of the men pointed his wand at them and murmured a spell that left them speechless, quickly followed by binding ropes that tied their hands behind their backs. Luna and Ginny's eyes widened, but Hermione was not worried. She was glad, and not for the first time, of her new powers. She could do wandless magic as well as quickly break spells thrown at her. Luna and Ginny seemed to relax once she looked at them both and nodded slightly. Even thought her arms were behind her back, the binding ropes had already disappeared. She was just playing it safe for now since she knew she had the upper hand.
The men were looking at them lasciviously and Hermione felt like hexing them right then and there. However, she wanted to wait to see what they would say and do first. The vial of the poisoned wine plus a good memory would put the men in Azkaban for a long time.
The man that had been their server walked up to Hermione and ran a finger down her cheek and she drew back from his touch with disgust. He laughed at her.
"Resist all you want, witch. I like it better when I have to be a little rough," he leered at her.
The other two walked over to Luna and Ginny and stared doing the same to them.
"We don't always get so lucky to have a witch for each of us. Sometime we only get one or two and take turns," he said to her making it clear he was the leader of the pack.
Hermione resisted the urge to spit in his face and hex him good right then. She just wanted a little more and then she would be ready to take on all three of them. She exchanged a look with her friends and noticed they were scared, but underneath it all, they were furious.
They really had chosen to mess with the wrong witches this time, she thought amusedly. With just one look at each of them, she was able to break the spells on them as well, willing them with her mind not to react. She was damned if she would let the men touch them in any obscene way. Both of her friends nodded at her confirming they were lose and could speak.
"Why do you keep looking at each other, huh?" he asked them. "Is not like you have any way of escaping us. And when we are done, no one will know this happened, since we will put a memory charm on you and you will not remember a thing. It's come in handy all these months and we're having lots of fun," he finished laughing.
His friends joined in as they removed Luna and Ginny's wands, throwing them on the ground and kicking them away. Hermione thought it was high time someone taught them a lesson or two.
"Let me get this straight," Hermione spoke surprising the hell out of their captors. "You are so useless as men that you have to poison women, rape them, and then erase their memories so you don't get caught? Talk about a problem with self-esteem."
-->