Chapter 9-Moving On
Harry stirred sleepily, wondering if his eyes were open or closed. Experimentally he blinked and found that at some point he had half carried, half dragged a sleepy Hermione up to his room where they both collapsed onto his bed. A steady drumming noise penetrated the silence hitting his roof with an energy he hadn't heard from rain in a long time. He now realized that it was this noise that woke him up. Not wanting Ben and Janie to be woken up at such an early hour, he reached for his wand, pointed it in the direction of his daughter's room and cast a Muffliato charm so they wouldn't hear the pounding drops of rain.
"Awake?" he heard Hermione mumble sleepily as she turned over, her leg bumping his.
"Yeah. The rain." Harry placed his wand back on his nightstand feeling the mattress move as Hermione stood up and somehow managed to make her way to the loo without turning on any lights.
It was at that moment that his body caught up with the notion that here he was, in pitch black darkness with Hermione who had been sleeping next to him.
Closing his eyes he took a few deep breaths, trying to quell the feeling of desire running through his body. He wondered what she'd do, after she returned, if he just reached over and kissed her…and not stop at that. Something told him that she'd be just as willing to see where the kisses led. And with that realization every nerve stood up on alert. He could hear her soft footsteps back to his room, vaguely heard her mutter something about `being happy there was an extra toothbrush in there' before he turned onto his side holding the sheet up for her. She settled in under the sheet so Harry slid his hand across her hip, up her arm, finding her neck and finally cupping her cheek. Not so gently, he pulled her towards him and found her lips on the first try, waiting for her to be hesitant or pull back from him. When she didn't do anything to detour him he slid on top of her, feeling her gasp against his lips as he not-so-shyly told her what he wanted without any words. Her hips lifted greedily against his as her hands pushed him down from behind. The thought of taking this moment slowly, trying to make it so different from last time, left as hormones and overflowing emotions took over.
Somehow, he managed to grab both of her wrists, hold them above her head and balanced himself on his knees. He found the button of her pants and deftly flicked it open. (He wouldn't remember until later that morning while he was in the shower the conversation he had with her about how she didn't like to be dominated in the bedroom by Ron.) He only knew now that her soft moans and twists underneath him were positive and made him only want her more.
Not being able to get as close as he needed while holding her hands he let go and they immediately slid down his arms, found the zipper on his jeans and tugged. Alternately they undressed each other, kisses becoming fiercer, bruising, teeth scraping, hands making sure movements until there was nothing left between them. Harry only took a moment to slow down and savor the skin beneath his hands. Her stomach was as soft as Janie's back and as he slid his hand lower, Hermione spoke for the first time only uttering his name and punctuating it with a thrust of her hips into his hand.
He rolled on top of her groping for her hands and threaded his fingers through hers pinning them above her shoulders. He felt her lips move under his but couldn't hear her over the rain. He recognized the movement though and could hear the Infertility Charm spoken in her voice but in his head. Figuring that was all that was left to be done before doing what he so desperately wanted, he pushed into her quickly both moaning in unison with the wind that now rattled the windows. She struggled to remove her hands from his and he let her, feeling the warmth of her arms wrap around his back. She had more movement now and with each thrust of his that she met he could feel the pressure build between them. Trying to slow down, trying to savor this moment was not going to happen. He couldn't control himself, not with Hermione's hands where they were, her legs wrapped around his hips and with her encouraging him with sounds that sounded so soft compared to Mother Nature outside.
The sudden realization happened in only a few seconds. Together they pressed and pushed together and for a moment he froze above her…aware of only her, blocking out all other sounds, feeling his soul intertwine with hers and a rush of love flood his heart as he collapsed on top of her, pressing his lips to her neck feeling the remnants of their lovemaking shudder through both of them.
Her body slackened under his, but her hands ran lightly up and down his back giving him some time to recover. One leg remained possessively looped around his hip and as he rolled to the side, he remained inside her. Her hands found his shoulders and pushed him flat against the mattress and, when he thought he couldn't move from the weight of her hands and body, she flicked her hips backwards, bringing out a sharp gasp and arching of his back.
This was new, barely stopping before starting up again. He never thought this would happen and, before it was over much too quickly, his hands grasped her hips stilling her movements. She got the message and froze, statue like, as he pushed himself up slowly into a sitting position. His lips grazed her breast as they coordinated their movements in such a way that made Harry wonder if she knew exactly what he was thinking. On her knees she pressed against him, pulling his head to her breast, roping her fingers through his hair as he let her move her own way. Gently he pulled her hair, arching her neck towards his lips as they moved upwards.
He could feel the pleasant vibrations in her throat, noise lost to the wind and rain…the digging of her nails into his shoulders gave him a moments notice and he held her tightly as he timed his release with hers. He felt weightless, lightheaded for seconds afterwards and together they fell back onto the bed, her leg falling from his hip, her forehead pressed against his as they held each other, but not seeing one another. He didn't want to let go of her warmth, her strength so he cradled her head against his shoulder, lightly kissing her ear.
"Hermione?" he whispered wondering if she could hear him. He felt rather than heard the, "Hmm?"
He paused a moment, not quite sure if he should be so forward but the voice inside him insisted on it being said. He had to say it, had to let her know before it consumed him and he blurted it out in public embarrassing them both.
"I love you," his whisper quavered waiting for her response. Her head tilted back against his hand and her hands moved his head until her lips were pressed against his ear.
"I love you, too," she answered, then buried her head between his pillow and his neck. He felt her hot tears drip onto his shoulder, but knew that they weren't unhappy tears. Just like the ones pricking the back of his eyes, these were tears of happiness, of letting go of the past. Her arms tightened around him and he held her close until the rain subsided, each anxious to begin this new part of their lives together.
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As they were both parents, what ever romantic notions they had of waking up the next morning and continuing what had barely started in the middle of the night were thrown out the window. Blessedly, they had remembered to pull back on most of their clothes before sleep overtook them because Janie, followed by Ben, woke them up by climbing into bed with them. Knees, elbows and hands pushed and pulled until the toddlers managed to sandwich themselves between Harry and Hermione. In the dim morning light, Harry caught Hermione's eye over Janie's head who was giggling in excitement at having all three of her favorite people in bed with her. Hermione smiled shyly, then leaned down and planted a kiss on top of Ben's head.
Right then, Harry knew that the hole that Ginny had left was now healed over. It was still there, whenever he thought of her he'd feel a slight ache, but the sight of Hermione, Ben, and Janie, snuggled up in his bed, a softer rain falling on the roof lulling them all back to sleep made him feel fulfilled. The last thought he had before he dozed off again was whether or not they'd drive each other crazy if they worked all day together, and then came home to spend their evening and nights together.
That was an adventure he couldn't wait to start.
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A/N: This is not the end…just a transition chapter into the last part of this story!
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