Depressed? No, Aroused!

Harry85

Rating: NC17
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 22/07/2008
Last Updated: 16/09/2008
Status: completed

My reply to a smutty challenge that has been sent by email to me, it is the "Invitation-only KiwiMelon15 Challenge". Hope you will enjoy. After Sirius' death, Hermione is worried for Harry, and invites him over for summer. Will that bring unexpected, but very welcomed, developments between the two?

Chapters

1. Leaving the School

2. The Grangers

3. Getting Comfortable

4. An Unexpected Turn of Events

5. Telling the Parents

6. Hermione, What Is This?

7. Sardinia, Here We Come!

8. Night-Time Fun

9. Under the Stars

10. Wicked Cream

11. Return Home

12. Pool of Sex

13. Snap That Shot!

14. Epilogue

1. Leaving the School

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter One: Leaving the School

Hermione was worried. It had taken her a couple weeks to heal from Dolohov's curse in the Department of Mysteries, but thanks to Madam Pomfrey, she was in perfect shape, if you ignore the scar running through her chest, exactly between her breasts. But Hermione Granger had never been one to worry too much about her looks, so that was not a problem.

What was she worried about, then?

Of course, she was worried about the well being of her best friend Harry Potter. Harry had lost Sirius in the Battle of the Ministry, as some called that night, and not only did he lose one of the last links to his parents, he also felt it was his fault.

Which, if you consider the situation analytically like Hermione often did if not always, it was. After all, if Harry had listened to her and stayed in school instead of rushing to London on the base of a vision he had, Sirius would still be alive in Grimmauld Place. But of course Hermione wouldn't tell him that.

After all, Harry had agreed to check through the Floo if Sirius was safe, and she had to admit the Death Eaters and Bellatrix in particular had been one step ahead of them, preventing the trio from discovering that Sirius was still at home and thus perfectly safe.

They had all been played, and with a cunning enemy like Voldemort, she was sure things like these had happened before, and to skilled wizards or witches. This time round, Voldemort had proved to be smarter, but if there was something you could say about Hermione Granger it was that she never backed down from a challenge.

She would help Harry defeat the darkest wizard in history, no matter what.

But for that to work, she needed Harry alive, and possibly not depressed. So that brought her back to the matter at hand. Harry, in the time she had been in the Hospital Wing, had shut everyone out, after blowing up Dumbledore's office as she had been told by an awed Ron. At times she wondered how could the redhead find something amusing while their best friend was depressed, but after all he did have the emotional range of a teaspoon, right?

Right now, Hermione didn't care about scolding Ron for his lack of tact. She ran to the Room of Requirements, where she knew Harry would be so that he would be left alone. The dorms were too packed with students getting ready for the upcoming train ride home, and the common room was always too crowded.

She finally arrived on the seventh floor, where the Room was, and started pacing, thinking, “I need to find Harry Potter” over and over.

Slowly, a door shimmed into view, and she eagerly stepped inside.

There he was, in the middle of a completely bare room, sitting on the floor, his back toward her. He was holding his head in his hands, and from the slight movement of his shoulders, Hermione guessed he was crying.

“Just like him, not wanting to show any weakness to the outside world” she mused with a fond smile as she slowly approached him. Crouching near him, she gingerly placed her hand on his shoulder, and looked worried at his face, her mane of curly hair falling to her side.

“Harry?” she tentatively said, seeing that he wasn't acknowledging her presence.

“You managed to find me” he hollowly said. “I didn't doubt you would” he added then.

“Harry, I know what you're thinking, that it is your fault, but really…” she started, frowning at how empty he sounded.

“Isn't it, Hermione?” he scathingly remarked, finally looking at her with his green eyes, and she could see the anger in them. “If I hadn't gone there, he would be alive”

“Harry, you couldn't have known. I admit I had my suspicions, but we checked and Kreacher told us he wasn't at Grimmauld! They thought of everything to make you fall into the trap, you can't seriously think anyone holds you responsible for his death!”

He remained silent, and Hermione simply sat near him. The silence wasn't awkward, it had never been between them. They remained there, thinking, for hours.

Finally, Harry was the first to move. Standing up, he offered her his hand, which she gladly accepted, so that he helped her to her feet.

Still, they remained silent in their trip to the Gryffindor common room. Only when they were outside the Fat Lady's portrait Harry spoke.

“Thanks” he said.

“What for?”

“For coming to see me. I still feel guilty, but knowing you don't hold me responsible makes me feel a bit better” he said, giving her a weak smile. She nodded, a smile playing on her own lips.

“No one holds you responsible, Harry. I told you” she said, before they gave the password to the Fat Lady and slipped inside. They still had to pack for the trip back home.

--

That night, as she lay in bed, Hermione couldn't fall asleep. She kept remembering how broken Harry had looked in that room, all alone. She knew the Headmaster sent him back to the Dursleys year after year because of some old magic related to his mother's blood, but she wondered if given what had happened, having him be mistreated all summer was a wise idea.

She decided to go speak with the Headmaster about it. Slipping a robe on, and being careful not to wake her dorm-mates, she snuck out to the common room, then through the corridors to the gargoyle watching the Headmaster's office. Only then she realized the flaw in her plan. She didn't know the password, nor did she know if Dumbledore would still be awake.

“It would not do for a Prefect to lose points on the very last night of the term, would it, Miss Granger?” a voice startled her from behind. She hastily turned and was faced with the twinkling blue eyes of the Headmaster.

“Er…sir, I wanted to talk to you about something” she stammered, looking down.

“Well, I believe my office will be much more comfortable than a corridor then” he softly said, moving to go past her and giving the password to the gargoyle.

Hermione almost chuckled when she heard it was “Marshmallows”.

When a couple minutes later they were settled in his office, a mug of tea in front of both of them, the brunette took a long, deep breath, and launched into her argument about why letting Harry stay with the Dursleys that summer would be wrong.

It took her ten minutes, while Dumbledore attentively listened, before she finished her speech, and finally took a sip of her tea.

The twinkling eyes of the Headmaster regarded her attentively. “Miss Granger, I do believe all of what you pointed out so brilliantly is true” he finally stated, and Hermione looked at him hopefully. “But” and here she deflated, “there is a reason why I keep sending Harry there, even knowing how badly they treat him. I knew even before placing him in their care fifteen years ago, if I must be honest”

At Hermione's outraged look, the Headmaster chuckled. “I met Petunia many years ago, Miss Granger, when Harry's parents were not even married as of yet. It was a sad occurrence, the funeral of Lily and Petunia's parents, and I was there to offer support to one of my best students, and, later, friends”

Again, Hermione looked bewildered. “Yes, Miss Granger, I considered Lily and James Potter amongst my closest friends, and I was really distraught upon knowing of the fate they met” Dumbledore said, his eyes misting with sadness. “And I knew Petunia and her husband were completely against magic, and would treat Harry badly just because of who his parents were. But blood magic is very powerful, Miss Granger, and it saved Harry once already. I thought I was doing the correct thing, for the greater good, placing him with them. I also know all too well how much the Wizarding World tends to idolize people, and I did not want Harry to grow up spoiled”

“There's always a middle between being idolized and considered little more than a slave” Hermione remarked.

“Indeed, there is. I could have found another Muggle family to have him grow up with, and he would be loved, yet not worshipped. But I could not have placed blood magic to protect him there. I fear that right now is not the moment to stop that kind of magic from protecting him, so I confirm that Harry will have to go to the Dursleys after all”

Hermione slumped in her chair.

“But, he does not need to be there all summer. I am quite sure he could do with a week at most. Then, if I am guessing right about what you wanted to ask me, he will be free to spend the summer at your house” the older wizard said, again startling her with that twinkle.

Hermione sat there speechless for a moment, her mouth open like a fish out of water.

Dumbledore smiled warmly at her. “Do not be so shocked, my dear. This comes with years of experience dealing with teenagers” he mysteriously said to her, winking, before he dismissed her, assuring her he would let the Dursleys know about the new arrangements for the summer, with a couple concerns about how they treated Harry.

“I am not convinced it will have an effect, but we can try” he said with a smile, and Hermione just had to smile back. Only a week, and then Harry would be able to leave those monsters! She didn't even stop to think that her parents might object to having him spend the summer with them, they had always been worried about her never bringing friends home so she knew they would only be happy to have him.

And maybe, just maybe, she could show him she wasn't only a know-it-all…

--

The next day, the school emptied, the students making the trip to Hogsmeade to board the Express and go home for the summer. Their trunks had already been loaded on the train by the House elves, something Hermione always wrinkled her nose at, since she had decided to start S.P.E.W.

But today, she had something else to be worried about. She kept eyeing Harry now and then, to check up on him. He would seem fine to most, but not to her. She knew the telltale signs that he was still troubled and somewhat depressed.

The trip went without any particular event to be noticed. Hermione and Ron had to go do their rounds, even if the redhead would have preferred sitting in the compartment playing chess or doing anything else. Hermione wondered why they had given him the badge in the first place.

That left Harry, Neville, Luna and Ginny in the compartment, and none of his three companions tried to bother him as the raven haired boy busied himself looking outside the window. It was only a hour or so later, when their other two companions returned, that Harry looked away, just to acknowledge that they had returned, before setting back to look outside.

Hermione sat in the empty place near him, and tried involving him in some kind of conversation. She had no idea what he was going through, not directly at least as she never lost someone she was so close to. But she could imagine his pain, because she knew she would be overwhelmingly devastated if she happened to lose him.

Finally, trying to let him know she was there if he needed anything, she ran her hand gently through his hair, and he tensed for a moment before relaxing and sighing, almost contentedly. He didn't know why, but Hermione's touch always managed to calm him down, or make him feel safe.

It didn't take too much before he fell asleep, the lack of rest from the previous night taking its toll on his tired body, relaxing against the seat, his head falling onto Hermione's shoulder. She smiled warmly at him even if he couldn't see her, and whispered soothing words into his ear.

Ron met her gaze when she looked up again, and raised his eyebrow a bit. He was envious of Hermione's caring for Harry, but he wasn't stupid enough to not recognize that every effort he made to try and get with her, including him gifting her with perfume, was being brushed aside. He may fancy her, but she didn't fancy him back, and there was nothing he could do.

She shrugged, and returned her gaze to Harry's face, now much more relaxed, as if the dreams he was having were, for once pleasant ones.

When they finally got to King's Cross, Hermione gently shook Harry awake.

“We've arrived, Harry” she said to him as he regained his bearings.

“Oh” he said. “Sorry to have fallen asleep on you” he sheepishly said, giving her a grin that almost made her weak in her knees. He really had no idea how much it affected her when he did that, and how ruddy handsome he had become.

Plus, his green eyes always seemed almost magnetic to her.

Pushing those thoughts away, she smiled back, shaking her head a bit. “No problem, you needed to rest” she said, following Ron out of the compartment, as they made their way out of the train and to their families.

Ron and Ginny said their goodbyes as they went to meet their parents and brothers, considering that the twins had dropped out of school.

“Write often!” Ginny said to Harry, mostly, and Hermione. Both nodded, knowing that Hermione would, but Harry no. He never did, except to reply to letters sent to him.

And so the moment Hermione dreaded came. Harry gave a look to the side, and rolled his eyes as he saw his relatives there, Vernon almost imposing with his big figure, Dudley as fat as ever, and Petunia her old horse-faced self. Hermione narrowed her eyes at them, and wanted to hex them to oblivion, but managed to restrain herself.

Harry pulled her into a hug, surprising her with his unusual gesture, well, unusual for him at least. She blushed a bit when she stepped back.

“Have a nice summer” he said to her, sincere. She could see he was trying to be strong and show he wasn't sad, but she knew he was, and he would mope for the whole week he would be at the Dursleys, taking any insult or blow like he deserved it.

“At least it's only a week” she thought. She kissed him on the cheek, and that was when Vernon came up to them.

“Send your tart away already boy, we don't have all day” he bellowed, and Hermione turned to him, outraged.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, freak. Now come on boy or we'll leaving you here”

Harry glared at his uncle. “Apologize” he said, his green eyes flaming. “Apologize now”

“Who do you think you are, boy? You can't do any freak thing here or you'll be expelled” Vernon almost laughed.

Harry was still seething, but calmed down a bit once Hermione placed her hand on his arm. Then she turned to Vernon.

“Believe me when I say you don't want to be home the day he turns seventeen. Nor the day I turn seventeen, for that matter” she warned them, and with a last glare at them she bid Harry goodbye, telling him to expect a surprise soon.

With a wink, she was gone and Harry followed his relatives to their car, the whole trip back to Privet Drive a silent one on his part. He had grown used to tuning their voices out anyway, so whatever they were saying didn't bother him.

He was curious about the surprise Hermione had been talking about though.

-->

2. The Grangers

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Two: The Grangers

While Harry was “enjoying” the trip back to Privet Drive with the Dursleys, Hermione was in her parents' car, and was about to ask them if it was ok for Harry to spend the rest of the summer with them.

She had been hopeful till then, but right now that she had to talk about it, she felt a bit scared they would refuse. That would mean she would have to break her promise to Harry to expect a surprise after a week.

Taking a deep breath, she finally cleared her throat and spoke.

“Mum, Dad” she started. “You know about my friend Harry, right?”

“Of course, darling. He is one of your best friends” Cathleen Granger replied, while her husband Tom nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Well, yes, he is. We're really close, and these last days he's been quite depressed because his godfather died in an…accident, and Harry feels responsible for that”

“Oh, poor boy!” Cathleen gasped.

“Now, you also know that his relatives aren't too kind to him, and I'm worried he's going to become even more depressed. I talked with the Headmaster and he suggested Harry spends part of the summer there anyway, because of complex magic being in place that can reinforce his protection from harm. But he said a week would be enough” Hermione rambled, becoming more and more nervous as she neared the moment of asking them to host Harry for the remain of the summer.

“I was thinking maybe he could spend the rest of the holidays with us?” she tentatively asked.

Tom and Cathleen exchanged a look for a few moments, and Hermione was strongly reminded of the times she and Harry had managed to communicate that way too. The thought made her tingly as she realized her own parents, a married couple, were doing that.

She didn't dare to get her hopes up too high though.

“Sweetheart, we will be happy to have him” her father said. “You said he can leave his relatives in a week?”

“Yes” Hermione confirmed, a radiant smile spread on her lips as she realized Harry was going to spend the holidays with her.

The rest of the trip passed smoothly with casual chatter now that the matter had been settled.

--

As Hermione had predicted, once at Privet Drive Harry resumed his fall into depression, due to his mourning for Sirius and still thinking it was at least partly his fault.

He didn't count the days, so it was with a great surprise that one day, around eleven in the morning, he heard the bell ring. Uncle Vernon had left a few hours prior and it couldn't be him back already. Petunia was in the house, and Dudley was out with his gang, as usual. He rarely returned before dinner time, so it couldn't be him either.

Running down the stairs to go open the door, he was rendered speechless by the sight in front of him.

He couldn't help look the girl smiling up at him from head to toe, her curly brown hair, her much more relaxed stance now that she didn't have to wear robes or bring a heavy bag of books on her shoulder.

He couldn't believe how different Hermione looked in the summer, but he knew he liked it. She wasn't fully tanned yet, of course, but still her causal attire of a white T-shirt that left her belly bare and a pair of khaki shorts did wonders to show how pretty she had become in the last few years. Not to mention that her clothes underlined very well that she had developed some very interesting curves in all the right places. Harry found it difficult not to linger too much on her cotton covered breasts. Finally, he grinned at her.

“Hermione! What are you doing here?” he asked. He didn't even notice the man behind her.

“Honestly, Harry! Didn't I tell you to expect a surprise in a week time?” she mock scolded him, putting her hands on her hips.

Harry was about to laugh, but the moment was ruined by Petunia's appearance behind him.

“What's all this ruckus, boy?” she shrilly said.

“Boy?” a fourth voice said, and Harry for the first time noticed Hermione's father, who was currently glaring at his aunt. “Is that how you call your own nephew?” he said, bewildered.

“Who are you to come here and tell me how I should rule my own house?” Petunia said, affronted that someone challenged her treatment of Harry. She had been kind enough to listen to that old fool of Dumbledore and not give him chores to do. Not too much at least.

Hermione, sensing the possible explosive situation, took Harry's hand and led him up the stairs to his room, to help him pack. From his reaction, she realized he wasn't prepared to leave yet.

As she dragged him up the stairs, Harry marvelled in the sensation of Hermione's hand in his own. He found her skin to be soft, and he loved the feeling of having her delicate fingers wrapped around his rougher ones.

He was still a bit in a daze about it when they reached his bedroom. Hermione, instead, was appalled at the sight of the cat-door. The result was that they stood there, hand in hand, in front of his bedroom door, for a couple minutes, neither of them talking or moving.

Finally, the brunette regained her bearings, pushing her rage at the Dursleys away.

“Come on, Harry. We need to pack your things, you're going to spend the summer with us from now on!” she enthusiastically said. Maybe a bit too cheerfully for it to be genuine, as she was still fuming over the treatment he had to endure over the years, but was trying not to show it for his sake. She knew he hated to talk about it.

Luckily, Harry hadn't unpacked much since his arrival there, so only ten minutes later they were ready to go.

Tom Granger was more than eager to leave himself, the taste of how things were in the Dursley household enough to disgust him.

He slammed shut the door of his black BMW X5, started the engine and started driving away. Harry looked worriedly at Hermione, who shrugged. Truth be told, she would have liked to express her own anger, but she kept it hidden for his sake.

A couple minutes later, Tom finally had calmed down enough to speak.

“Sorry about that, Harry. I was just pissed at how you have been treated all these years, and I know I saw only a small part of how bad it was. I'm really glad Hermione asked us to invite you over for the summer, and I hope you will enjoy yourself” he said, looking at the teens from the mirror, and smiling at the raven haired boy.

“Thank you for having me, sir” Harry politely replied.

“Aw, Harry, don't make me feel old” Tom joked, and Hermione giggled. Harry snapped his head toward her, because it was such a rare occurrence, it startled him. Actually, he believed he never heard her giggle, and it was such a beautiful sound he found himself smiling at her, with a sparkle in his eyes.

She smiled back at him once she calmed down.

“I'm glad to see you two are having fun back there” Tom teased them, a conversation with his wife coming back to his mind. He could see why Cathleen thought Hermione might have a thing for Harry, and from what he saw, he'd wager the boy wasn't completely indifferent about his daughter either.

Both blushed and Tom laughed. “Anyway, Harry, just call me Tom, ok?”

“Ok, si…I mean, Tom”

“That's better” the older man said with a nod.

The three of them soon involved in meaningless chatting to pass the time, and Harry felt this was the best car trip he had ever taken part in. If that was the beginning, he let himself think this summer was going to be brilliant, and honestly he knew it was just what he needed.

Not that he wanted to forget Sirius, of course. But deep down he knew his godfather, and his parents, wouldn't have wanted him to live his life moping for them. They died for a good cause, and in a honourable way. He shouldn't waste his life crying or being moody, he should value what they had died for, to protect him, and live his life to the fullest.

--

A couple hours later, Tom stopped the car in front of a very well kept house just on the outskirts of London. It had a big garden, from what Harry could see, and if he wasn't mistaken, in the backyard there should be a pool too.

“Here we are, kids. Hermione, why don't you help Harry with his things while I tell your mother we're here?”

“Of course Dad” she said, and opened the door so that she and Harry could leave the car. Harry insisted to take his own trunk. Hermione huffed something like “Boys!” and settled for carrying Hedwig's cage, with the slightly disgruntled animal inside.

“Sorry for the car ride, Hedwig. I know you would have preferred flying, but we shouldn't attract too much attention to us these days” she whispered to the snowy owl, which hooted softly, as to say she understood.

Leading the way, Hermione showed Harry to his room, which was just next to hers.

Plopping down on the bed, she beamed at him. “It's so good to have you here, Harry! We are going to have so much fun!” she squealed, and Harry couldn't help smiling back.

“I'm sure we will” he quipped, “as long as you don't force me into doing all our essays in two days!”

That last comment earned him a pillow in his face. “Oh, is that so, Miss Granger?” he said, taking the pillow in his hand, a mischievous look in his emerald eyes.

“Uh oh” Hermione thought, before she was attacked. Harry had grabbed her with Seeker reflexes before she could even think about fleeing, and now he was tickling her sides.

“Harry…please…stop it…” she gasped, but he had no intention of letting her go.

“Harry, Hermione, lunch is ready!” Cathleen called from downstairs, so he had to stop. The moment he did, both the teens realized the awkward situation they were in.

Hermione was on her back on Harry's bed, him hovering over her, their faces just inches apart. Both were flushed, and locked eyes with the other, until Harry finally looked away and cleared his throat. Moving back to his feet, he offered her a hand to help her up, which she gladly took.

“We better go” she said, moving out of his room, and he quickly followed, still a bit shaken by the feelings that had passed between them.

-->

3. Getting Comfortable

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Three: Getting Comfortable

Lunch passed smoothly, with Tom and Cathleen doing their best to make Harry feel at home and include him in the conversation. Hermione and her parents had agreed not to mention Sirius' death, as the brunette wanted her friend to relax and try to get past what had happened. Especially past holding himself responsible for that.

Tom was particularly interested in Quidditch, and asked Harry about the game. “Not that Hermione wouldn't be a reliable source for the rules and how the game is played, but hearing it from the point of view of a player must be interesting” he said, cutting the roasted chicken his wife had cooked.

Harry exchanged a quick glance with Hermione, giving her a smile as he remembered just how many practices or games she attended.

“Well, considering that she was always there when I played, I'm sure Hermione would be able to tell you lots about it, but basically there are seven players. A Keeper, two Beaters, three Chasers and a Seeker, that would be me. There are three golden rings, and the Chasers have to throw a red ball called a Quaffle through them to score, the Keeper obviously tries to catch the ball. There are two other magicked balls called Bludgers, and the Beaters use bats to throw them at the players of the opposing team. They can be pretty mean if they hit you” Harry said, wincing as he remembered his encounter with one of them in second year.

“Then there is this tiny golden ball, which has wings and can fly on its own. It is called the Golden Snitch, and my job as Seeker is to find it and catch it before the other Seeker. When I do, my team gets 150 points and the game ends. Until the Snitch is caught, the game continues, so it can last just a few minutes, many hours, or even whole days. That's rare, but it happened a couple of times” Harry explained over lunch. Tom was mesmerized by his speech, while Hermione good-naturedly rolled her eyes with a smile playing on her lips, and as she was involved in another conversation with her mother.

--

In the afternoon, the Grangers had to go to work for a few hours, so once they were alone Hermione took Harry for a tour of the house. She showed him the living room, the kitchen he had just seen at lunch, her own room, the bathroom. Harry was awed, it was much better than the Dursleys', but possibly that was because of the people living in it, who gave the whole home a more welcoming atmosphere.

He liked it.

Then Hermione out of habit took his hand and lead him outside, showing him the garden. When they came to the backyard, Harry grinned. He was right, there was a pool.

“I knew I had spotted a pool when we arrived” he said, turning to look at Hermione. She was beaming at him, it was really a sight to see him so carefree, and she knew she could get used to that side of Harry very quickly.

“Well, what do you say we make the most of it then?” she suggested. “It's been so long since I've been able to enjoy a good swim” she said, a bit wistfully.

“Er…Hermione? I don't have any swimming trunks…” Harry pointed out, his eyes widening a bit. Hermione saw that, and a giggle escaped her. Harry was a bit lost about what was so funny, still he noticed, once again, that he loved the sound of Hermione giggling, or laughing in general. That brought a smile to his own face.

“You find that funny, Granger?” he smirked, and Hermione knew from his face that she was in trouble. She barely had the time to think about escaping before he had grabbed her, tossed her onto his shoulder, and was marching directly toward the pool.

“Harry, you wouldn't dare…” she threatened, but Harry wasn't the son of one of the best pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen for nothing. The brunette found herself tossed into the cool water with all her clothes on.

She emerged a few seconds later, spluttering, her wet clothes sticking to her skin. That proved to be quite an eyeful for Harry, considering she was wearing a white t-shirt with no bra, and the coolness of the water had caused her nipples to harden.

The two teens looked at each other, blushing furiously, before Hermione bolted inside to get changed. Harry stood there, rooted to the spot, the image of Hermione with the wet clothes burned into his brain.

Finally, a couple minutes later he groaned, realizing he was starting to get hard because of it. “You're a fucking pervert, Potter” he chastised himself. “Thinking about your best friend like that”

He decided to try and push the image out of his mind, sitting on a nearby chair and waiting for Hermione to return. When she did, though, Harry guessed maybe the image of her with wet clothes and hardened nipples was less arousing than what he was seeing at the moment.

Hermione had come back with only a bikini on, and had brought him some swimming trunks of her father's. “Try these on” she said, tossing them at him with a wink, before diving into the pool, giving him a perfect view of her bum as she did so, considering that back there the bottom of her bikini was little more than a strip of cloth going between her ass cheeks.

“Bloody Hell” was all Harry was able to think while he closed himself in the bathroom trying on the swimming trunks. As he found one that fit him well, it was yellow with orange small drawings on it, he rearranged himself so that his raging hard-on was less conspicuous.

Embarrassed like never in his life, Harry went back to the pool, and quickly dove in to hide his condition.

He had to admit the cool water was a nice break from the hotness of the day, and slowly he relaxed enough to start playing around with Hermione, splashing each other, and chasing her around the pool.

If this was how his holidays would be, he knew he could get accustomed to it very easily.

--

When Tom and Cathleen came back that night, Harry and Hermione surprised them with dinner.

“Harry, really, you shouldn't have! You're a guest here and I'd never make my guests cook!” Cathleen said.

Harry shrugged. “If there's something I learned from the Dursleys it was how to cook, so I wanted to do it for you, to express my gratitude for having me here for the summer. I understand it was kind of on short notice…” he said with a glance to Hermione, who grinned sheepishly.

“Harry, we're really glad to have you here. From what Hermione has told us about you all these years, and it is lots, you're a really good bloke, and we are happy our daughter is friends with someone like you” Tom interjected. Hermione blushed a tiny bit at that, as Harry gave her a questioning look.

“Well, since you've worked so hard, and from the smell I'd say you cooked us a delicious dinner, so we better not let it get cold” Cathleen finally said, and a few minutes later the four of them were around the table for dinner. Harry and Hermione told her parents they spent the afternoon in the pool.

“It's nice to be able to cool down a bit” Tom said, “this summer promises to be one of the hottest ones we've had in a long time”

As everyone ate and chatted amiably, Harry couldn't help thinking his life with his parents might have been just like that if Voldemort hadn't killed them. Or his life with Sirius, if he hadn't spent thirteen years in Azkaban.

From there to thinking about Sirius' death was just a breath away, and so he was quiet through the rest of dinner. Hermione must have sensed his change of mood, because when he excused himself after dinner claiming he was a bit tired, she soon knocked on his door.

“Come in” he said, just knowing it was her. He was sprawled on the bed, face pressed down on the cushion, and a couple tears leaking from his eyes.

“You were thinking about Sirius back at dinner, weren't you?” Hermione said as she sat on the bed, running her hand through his unruly black hair.

“Yeah” he croaked out. “Seems unfair that I'm having fun when I should be mourning him, don't you think?”

“Harry, you know he wouldn't want you to waste your life mourning for him. He knew the risks of joining the Order, he was there in the first war too” Hermione reasoned, lying on the bed near him now, and wrapping her arms around him.

That was exactly why she had wanted to have Harry with her that summer, to prevent or contain moments like this.

Harry slowly relaxed into her embrace. “I know you're right, but it's hard not to feel guilty for having fun when he is dead” he finally whispered, turning so that he was facing her now.

“I know” she said softly, tenderly caressing his face.

“Can we stay here like this for awhile longer?” Harry asked, sounding almost hopeful, and Hermione nodded. “Of course we can” she whispered.

And so they did, with no other words spoken. There was no need between them, the silence wasn't awkward like it might have been with someone else. Both felt perfectly at ease, so much that they fell asleep in a matter of minutes, Hermione's arms still around him.

When Cathleen found them like that a couple hours later, she couldn't help but smile.

“Do you think we should wake them up so that Hermione can go to her room?” Tom asked from behind her.

Her mother turned and glared at him. “Don't you dare disturb them. They look so peaceful right now…”

With a sigh, Hermione's father relented. He knew there was a strong possibility Harry and his baby would become a couple, and he rationally knew Harry was one of the best young men Hermione could find for herself, but his fatherly instincts wanted to keep her his baby forever.

That wasn't going to happen though, and he knew that he would have to let her go, eventually.

-->

4. An Unexpected Turn of Events

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat! Also, I'm really sorry, but I'll be leaving tomorrow, so for a while there won't be updates even if I have the chapters ready. I'll resume posting once I'm back from my holiday though. Hope you will stick with me all the same.

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Four: An Unexpected Turn of Events

Almost a week had passed since Harry had come to Hermione's house, and the two of them had by now fallen into a routine. Since her parents still had to work before getting their holidays, the first of the two teens who woke up would go down to the kitchen to get started on preparing breakfast.

Then, they would get dressed and study for most of the morning, after all Harry was spending his holidays with Hermione and that was to be expected, and then after lunch they would relax at the pool, or go for a walk in the neighbourhood so that Hermione could show him where she had grown up.

They would then have dinner together with her parents, who would come home around six in the evening.

Harry had to admit he was loving every moment of his holiday, even the studying was much more fun when done together with your best friend. However, there was something troubling him, and no, it wasn't the thought of Sirius' death. He had come to accept that he could mourn him but he shouldn't waste his life grieving, but he should instead live it to the fullest to honour the sacrifice both his godfather and his parents had made to let him live.

No, what troubled Harry was that he was finding Hermione more and more attractive, and he didn't know what to do about that. Of course, she didn't do it on purpose, he knew that, but her choice of clothes made of shorts, fitting T-shirts and of course her bikinis when they were at the pool, while perfectly normal for a teenage girl on holidays, was making him painfully aware that his best friend had grown to be a really pretty girl, something the school robes did a good job of hiding from everyone, himself included.

Shaking his head to try and move his course of thought to another matter, he resumed cooking the eggs and bacon for breakfast. He knew she would be up soon, and he wanted everything to be ready for her.

--

Harry was sitting on the edge of the pool, his legs swinging in the water to relieve him a bit of the oppressive heat. Hermione was nowhere in sight, and Harry wondered where had she gone, when he suddenly spotted her coming out of the house, her hair still wet from having taken a shower. His eyes widened as he realized she only had a towel on, and was walking seductively toward him.

“Feeling hot, Harry?” she huskily said as she moved closer. He gulped, as he felt his body react to the sight.

Hastily, he slid inside the pool so that she couldn't see it too, but she giggled, letting him know his condition hadn't gone unnoticed.

“Didn't know you brought your wand with you in the pool, Harry” she winked at him, now on the edge of the pool too, her hands fumbling with the towel to remove it.

Harry was at a loss for words, he could only watch as the white fabric started to slid down her body, revealing the mounds of her breasts, sticking for a moment on her hardened nipples, then falling down, exposing her belly to his view, and then his eyes darted further down…

“Ouch” Harry cried, massaging his head, as he realized he had bumped against the wall. It had all been only a dream, and it was not the first he had of that kind, with his curly haired best friend in it, since he had been staying at the Grangers' home.

“Get a grip, Potter” he chastised himself. “She doesn't like you that way anyway, so it's useless”. Still, the dream had put him in an uncomfortable situation, his raging erection straining against the fabric of his pyjamas.

He sighed, ashamed of himself, but he knew there was no way he could get out of bed with that and risk Hermione noticing it if she was already up. He took a glance at the clock and noticed it was half past nine, if she wasn't up yet she would be shortly.

Taking a deep breath, he knew he would be damned for masturbating about his best friend, but he also knew he strongly needed release after that dream.

Sneaking a hand inside his boxers, he closed his eyes, and started massaging his length, finding a rhythm, and started recalling the images from the dream, Hermione in a towel, her hands unfastening it, the luscious curves of her breasts…

He was so wrapped up in his fantasy, that he didn't even realize he was moaning her name. However, someone else did.

As luck would have it, Hermione was walking past his room just then, and thinking he was in the throes of one of his nightmares, and hearing him moan her name, she thought he was watching her being tortured, or worse, so she wanted to calm him down and reassure him that she was perfectly fine.

Pushing the door open, she called his name.

“Harry?” she said, her eyes widening the moment she did as she realized what he was doing. The raven haired boy, startled by hearing his name, hastily removed his hand from his shaft, looking toward the doorway and blushing furiously realizing he had been caught.

“Hermione, look, I can explain…” he started, worrying that he had just managed to destroy their friendship, but suddenly she giggled, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Were you masturbating, Mr. Potter?” she teasingly asked, leaning against the doorway. “And here I was thinking you were in the middle of a nightmare, while you were in the middle of something much more pleasurable” she said with an impish smile.

Harry, still embarrassed, managed to give her a weak smile. Hermione then walked further into his room, sitting on his bed. If she had heard right, there was something they needed to clear up.

“Harry, did I hear my name while you were…well, you know…” she said, making a motion with her hand, feeling a bit embarrassed herself talking about it now.

Harry wanted to lie, but he knew she would notice. She always did, so it was no use. Hanging his head, he softly admitted his sin.

“Yes” he said, and Hermione had to strain to hear it. “I…I don't know, Hermione, I've always known you are a girl, and I always thought you were pretty, you remember what I said to you last year, right?” he started explaining, feeling he needed to tell her.

“Well, you didn't exactly say I was pretty, more like I wasn't ugly” she teased him, taking his hand in her own to let him know she wasn't angry.

“Yeah, right. You know I'm not very good with words, though” he joked, and then resumed his speech. “Since I saw you on the doorstep of the Dursleys, I've been noticing just how beautiful you've become, I guess school robes aren't too flattering in that aspect”

Hermione snorted, moving closer. She had an idea of where the conversation was going, but she didn't dare get her hopes up too much.

“I know we've always shared a special bond, and many have already speculated that we might be a couple” Harry said. “Well, I've been thinking about it too, since I broke up with Cho, and I've found myself more and more drawn to you, Hermione. You don't know how scared I was about almost losing you too at the Department of Mysteries. If you had died too…I dunno, I was devastated by Sirius' death, but thanks to you I'm coping with it. If you were dead, I truly don't know what I'd do” he finally said, his green eyes boring into her chocolate ones, that had been filling with tears of happiness at his words. He might not know what he was expressing yet, but Hermione did.

“I guess I'm falling in love with you, Hermione” he finally said. “I wish I could tell you for sure, but I don't…” he continued, but couldn't finish the sentence because suddenly her arms had laced around his neck, and she was kissing him, her lips feeling wonderful on his own.

Instinctively, Harry wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her on him as he leaned back into his bed, her mane of curly hair creating a sort of curtain around their faces. Feeling bold, he snuck his tongue out to touch her lips, and she eagerly granted him access, duelling his tongue with her own as their kiss grew more passionate.

Hermione's eyes widened as she felt Harry's arousal pressing into her, but she inwardly grinned thinking she was the one able to elicit such a response from him. Her hands were now running through his unruly hair, caressing him, while he had snuck one under her PJ top, caressing her side, slowly inching closer to the swell of her breast.

Her breath hitched in her throat as he finally touched her there, his thumb moving to find her nipple, already erect from their kissing.

“Harry…” she moaned, and felt his erection twitch. He kissed her again, hungrily, almost needing the contact with her lips. She eagerly complied, slipping one hand between them to cup him.

“Hermione…” he said, shutting his eyes trying to prevent himself from exploding just from that small contact.

“Let it go, Harry” she whispered inside his ear, her tongue flicking to lick him there, and he grunted as he lost it, her hand still stroking him, now from inside his pants, the contact of her delicate skin on his member driving him over the edge, as he spurted his seed.

“Aw, Harry, you bad boy, you made us both messy” she cooed, giggling, as she watched the sticky substance land on both of them.

“That's why showers exist, you know” he said, wriggling his eyebrows. Hermione looked at him sultrily.

“What are you suggesting, Mr. Potter?” she huskily said.

“That's for me to know and you to find out, woman” he said, winking at her, as he suddenly got up, dropping her on his bed, and stood up.

“First one that reaches the shower gets to wash first” he said with a grin, bolting away with Hermione close behind.

-->

5. Telling the Parents

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

I managed to find time to post this before leaving!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Five: Telling the Parents

That night at dinner, Cathleen and Tom could easily sense that something had changed between Harry and Hermione. While the other nights Hermione had always sat in front of her friend for dinner, that night she sat on his side, and her mother could easily see a sparkle in both their eyes that wasn't there before.

She had a good idea of what had happened, having predicted it, but she didn't think it would happen so soon. Still, she couldn't be anything but happy for her daughter. In the time he had spent at their house, Harry had proved to be a really great young man, and she honestly didn't think her baby could have done much better in her choice of boyfriend.

With one of those silent communications usual between married couples, she gave a look to her husband and he half smiled, giving an imperceptible nod, to show he had understood and he had noticed too.

Tom Granger was far less enthusiastic than his wife about the new development, though. Not that he disliked Harry, far from it in fact, but one thing is to have a friend in the house, one thing is to have a boyfriend. And considering he and his wife were at work all day, he could only imagine what could happen while they were away. He had been a teenager too, and good bloke or not, Harry was bound to have horny thoughts. His baby was a teenage girl too, so he feared they may rush into something they weren't ready for.

He made a mental note to speak about that with Cathleen later.

For now, though, he focused on the conversation going on.

“So, Harry, Hermione, there's something you want to tell us?” Cathleen asked with a knowing smile. Both teens blushed, and looked at each other, until finally Hermione spoke.

“Mum, Dad, Harry and I are together now” she said, squeezing his hand under the table for support, as the raven haired boy looked at Tom expecting to be beheaded any moment now.

“Oh, that's wonderful!” Cathleen cooed. “So, how did that happen?” she asked, unable to stop herself. She had always been excessively curious and thirsty for knowledge of any kind, which was probably where Hermione got her love for books and studying from anyway.

Both teens blushed at the memory of how that had actually happened, and they realized they couldn't tell the truth. Luckily, Cathleen and Tom had no idea of how to spot when Harry was lying, not like with Hermione, so he stepped in and gave a slightly different version of the events.

“Well, this morning Hermione came to wake me up as she had breakfast ready and I wasn't up yet, but I was not asleep, I had been thinking about her, I've been doing that a lot lately, and how to tell her I had fallen in love with her. When I saw her, though, everything came much easier than I expected, and here we are now. I'm the luckiest bloke on Earth I guess, since she saw fit to have me. Wouldn't have bet a Sickle on it, really” he finished, taking a sip of water.

He feared his lie had been spotted when nobody talked for a few seconds, then Tom broke the silence first. “Well, Harry, I'm glad you already know how lucky you are, but don't put yourself down. You're quite a decent bloke after all” he quipped, winking at the boy, who exhaled a breath of relief realizing he wasn't going to be killed yet.

After dinner, the four of them enjoyed a bowl of ice cream each while watching a DVD.

“This is one of my favourites, Pirates of the Caribbean” Hermione squealed, settling on the couch near Harry, snuggling close to her boyfriend.

Boyfriend. She liked the sound of that. Looking up, she met Harry's eyes, and both smiled at each other before looking toward the TV again. Cathleen had noticed the exchange and smiled to herself. They truly seemed a good match.

As the movie ended, Hermione sighed. “Johnny Depp is sooo dreamy”

“Oi! I'm standing right here, you know” Harry said in mock outrage. “What am I, chopped liver?”

Hermione seemed to ponder that. “No, I think chopped liver looks better than you” she joked, and he growled, diving to tickle her sides. Her parents watched the exchange, clearly amused, as Hermione tried to get free from under him, wriggling.

Finally she surrendered, and Harry helped her up to her feet, before they bid her parents good night and made their way up the stairs.

As they reached Harry's room, he leaned on the doorframe, not wanting to let her go.

“Goodnight then” he said, sounding a bit dejected.

“Aren't you going to kiss me?” she pouted, and he widened his eyes.

“With your parents down there?” he asked, shocked. He didn't want to be murdered yet, besides that was Voldemort's job, and ol' snake face could get pissed if a Muggle did what he couldn't in several years.

“Aww, you're no fun” she pouted again, and made to walk away.

“Wait” Harry huskily said. “Come here” he whispered then. Slowly, he closed the distance between them, their lips touching, and soon the kiss grew more heated, their tongues entwined in a fierce dance, exploring each other's mouth, while Hermione pressed her body against his, trapped between the door and her. Not that he minded.

Finally, they reluctantly broke apart before her parents could catch them.

Harry's breath hitched in his throat as he looked at her rosy, swollen lips which asked only to be kissed again, but with a strong willpower he bid her goodnight and retreated to his room before he could fall into temptation again.

Resting her forehead on his closed door, Hermione touched her lips with her hand, a silly grin spreading on them.

“Goodnight, Harry” she finally whispered before moving to go to her own room.

--

Once they retreated to their bedroom, Tom brought up the matter that was troubling him. Well, not really troubling, but he thought it needed attention.

“So, what do you think of that?” he casually asked.

“You mean the fact they are now a couple? I think it's fantastic” Cathleen said, while slipping her nightgown on.

“Aren't you worried about what they may do when we are not home?” he asked.

“You mean you're worried they may shag each other senseless all day long while we work?” Cathleen said, to take the mickey out of him. His pained face proved to her she had accomplished her small mission.

“Yeah, that” Tom said, still a bit shaken by the mental image of his baby shagging someone senseless, even a nice guy like Harry.

“Tom, she will eventually do that. And yes, I know she's only sixteen, but I trust her. Hermione has never been one to let others make her do things she doesn't want to do. If they are going to shag all day long, and I have a feeling they will eventually, maybe not right away but before the end of the summer they probably will, then it will be because both of them feel ready for it, and we will just have to accept it, as long as they take precautions”

Tom didn't seem too pleased by that line of reasoning. But he knew deep down that his wife was right.

Sighing, he rubbed a hand on his face, feeling much more tired all of a sudden. Then he looked up, and nodded.

“So you don't think it's a problem to have them sleep in the same room when we will be in Sardinia, do you?”

“Not really, no” Cathleen replied, slipping inside the bed and turning off the light. “Besides, they have no other rooms free, so it's that or cancelling the whole vacation. And you know Hermione would be mad at you if she knew we cancelled it just because of that, because that would make Harry feel guilty and that's something she doesn't like”

“I know” Tom said with a half smile. “The boy does seem to take the blame a bit too easily. Maybe it's because of how those monsters raised him”

“And yet he turned out to be a lovely young man, and we should be happy our daughter picked him as her boyfriend. She could have done much worse, like that other bloke, Ron I think. From what she wrote in her letters in the years, I don't like him much”

“Neither do I” Tom agreed, finally turning over to get a good night of sleep.

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6. Hermione, What Is This?

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Six: Hermione, what is this?

The next day was Saturday, so Tom and Cathleen were home from work. Considering they would be leaving in little more than a week for Sardinia, and considering Harry's lack of proper clothing for such a trip, Hermione's mother suggested they go do some shopping.

It was so that the four of them got on the black X5, Cathleen excited for a day of shopping, Hermione just happy to be spending time with Harry, whatever they were doing, Tom and the raven haired boy much less enthusiastic about the trip.

When they finally reached the shops they needed to go to, the group split in two pairs.

“We have some girl shopping to do. We'll see you in a bit, in the meantime Tom please help Harry pick some swimming trunks, will you?” Cathleen almost ordered.

“Yes ma'am” her husband mock saluted, at which she good naturedly rolled her eyes while Harry and Hermione shared a smile. Then, they were off to different sections of the store.

“Let's take a look around, uh, Harry? Do you have any idea what kind of design do you like?” Tom asked.

“Not really, sir. This is the first time I'm out shopping for clothes” the boy shrugged. Hermione's father had to check his temper at hearing that. It was unbelievable how mistreated the boy had been in the years, and yet he had turned out so caring and gentle. It was a miracle, really.

“Well, there is a lot to choose from. Just take a look around, and pick whatever you like” Tom said. “After all, I don't expect the girls to be back soon. Women, what's up with them and shopping anyway?” he commented, eliciting a good natured laugh from Harry, who was browsing through many brands of swimming trunks, with their various designs.

He spotted one that particularly piqued his interest. It had a grey background, and dark blue designs of something vaguely resembling a dragon. Of course, Harry having seen them for real, knew the picture was completely wrong, still he liked it.

“Do you think they have it in my size?” he asked Tom holding it up for the older man to see.

“We'll just have to ask a shop clerk” the other man said, looking around for an someone available to help them.

--

On the opposite side of the store, Hermione and Cathleen were browsing through lingerie. “So, sweetheart, tell me everything about you and Harry” her mother gushed.

The brunette snorted. “Mum, you sound like one of those gossip girls you used to hate”

“Well, it's not everyday my little girl gets a boyfriend” her mother shrugged, handing her a group of bras Hermione wouldn't even dream wearing.

“I guess he's really a good kisser” Hermione said with a smile as she thought back to their snogging of the previous day.

“You guess?” Cathleen raised her eyebrow at her daughter.

“Well, it's not like I had much experience before, did I?” Hermione reasoned, discarding a couple of panties her mother had selected. “Honestly mum, why are you picking all lacy underwear for me? Seems like I have to seduce him or something!” she huffed.

“Isn't that what you want to do?” her mother quipped. Hermione blushed.

“Well, eventually, yes” she admitted, looking down.

“Then you better get used to wearing these kinds of things. Besides, you're sixteen years old, it's time you start to dress more like a young woman, at least with your choice in underwear” Cathleen mischievously said. “Also, you know we are going to Sardinia in a week or so, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“You and Harry will be sharing a room” her mother said, while choosing something for herself now.

“What?? Did dad agree to this?” Hermione asked, feeling a certain tingling build up in her as she let her mind fantasize about herself and Harry sleeping in the same room, and in the same bed!

“It was that or cancelling the vacation. They don't have other free rooms and I seriously doubt we would be able to find them in another hotel. Do you want Harry to feel guilty for us cancelling our trip?”

“Of course not” Hermione said, outraged.

“Then you and Harry will be sharing a room” Cathleen winked. “Now come on, go try those on, we still have lots of things to shop for!”

--

It was only a hour and a half later that the group of four reunited, as Harry was picking some T-shirts.

“I like that one” he heard Hermione say, and he suddenly looked up, grinning at his girlfriend, who was carrying two bags full of clothes. Cathleen had another pair.

“So you think I should get it?” Harry asked her, looking again at the Nike T-shirt he was holding. Cathleen and Tom watched the exchange from the sidelines, sharing a knowing smile.

“He seems fairly whipped” her father whispered into Cathleen's ear. She gave him a pointed look, then turned again toward the teens, watching them pick another couple of t-shirts.

She thought they were lovely together.

--

For the following week, Harry and Hermione kept up their routine of making breakfast for each other, but with a slight twist. Whenever it was ready, the one who had made it would bring the tray into the other's room, and they would cuddle together in bed while eating, and sneaking a little snogging here and there.

Then, they would study for a big part of the day, Hermione's reasoning being that since they wouldn't be bringing their books to Sardinia, they should get ahead with their work, so that they wouldn't be too far behind once they got back to London.

Then, in the late afternoon, they would relax in the pool. The brunette had to admit a tan did wonders for Harry. His usual pale complexion was now much darker, thanks to the sunbathing they did near the pool.

Finally, the time to get ready for their trip came, and for once Hermione was not prepared. They would be leaving early the next morning with a flight from Heathrow to Rome, then from there they would take a ferry to Sardinia, renting a car to reach the harbour.

However, Hermione still had to pack, and she was anxious she would not be ready on time.

Of course, it was only after lunch, and she had all afternoon to do it, but you know how she is. So, as soon as the dishes from lunch were done, she enlisted Harry's help.

“Harry, please, take the shirts in the second drawer” she instructed him as she chose the luggage she would be using.

He dutifully did, and passed her a stack of neatly folded T-shirts.

Then she directed him to her underwear drawer.

He stood there, frozen. “You mean I have to go through your underwear?” he said, almost fearfully.

“Oh come on, Harry, don't be such a big baby. You've seen my bikinis, this won't be much different. By the way, I keep them there too, so be a dear and take them” she told him as she roamed through her closet, choosing through her outfits the ones she would be taking with her.

Sighing, Harry set to complete the task he had been assigned.

It was merely a couple minutes later when he called Hermione again.

“What is it now?” she said, a bit annoyed.

“Er, Hermione, what is this?” he asked. The brunette turned to face him, and her eyes travelled from his bewildered face to what he had in his hand, then back to his face again, his eyes widened giving him an owlish appearance.

“Oh.My.God” Hermione breathed, snatching the offending object from his hand, blushing furiously, all the while chastising herself. “How could I forget I had put it there?” she asked herself, mortified that Harry had seen her pink vibrator.

Meanwhile, her boyfriend was still there, looking at her, puzzled. Well, not really. He had heard enough from the boys to know what that was, but he didn't expect Hermione to have one, plus he hadn't really seen one for real before, so that's why he was so shocked when he found it.

Seeing that she wasn't going to talk anytime soon, he sat on the bed near her, engulfing her in a hug. “I guess we are even now, uh?” he joked, trying to lift her spirits, referring to when she had caught him touching himself.

Hermione looked up, meeting his green sparkling eyes, and couldn't help bursting in a fit of giggles.

“We really are a pair of perverts, uh?” she said through her laughter, and he grinned.

“Maybe that's why we are so well suited” he quipped, pulling her on his lap, where she could feel his hardness at the thought of his girlfriend using a vibrator. He kissed her hard, his tongue searching her own in a needy way, as his hands slid up her sides to cup her breasts through the fabric of her top.

As they finally broke apart to get some air, he huskily spoke. “Why don't you show me exactly how that works?” he suggested, wriggling his eyebrows.

She looked sultrily at him. “Let's make a deal. Help me pack quickly, and if we have enough spare time before Mum and Dad come back from work, I might do just that” she said, kissing him again, this time much more slowly, both of them taking their time in exploring each other's mouth.

“Deal” Harry breathed between kisses. “Now let's get to work, shall we?” he said with an impish smile, getting up and pulling her with him.

She laughed, and resumed browsing through her closet.

--

It took them half a hour to finish packing Hermione's things for the trip.

“I guess it's time for your reward, since you've been such a good boy” she teased him. “Sit on the bed, and enjoy” she winked at him. She chose a slow, sexy song from her CD collection, and started swaying to the music, caressing her body through her clothes.

Harry was instantly hard, his erection straining against his shorts. He tried resisting the urge to free himself, at least for a little longer.

Hermione grabbed the hem of her shirt, and with a teasingly slow pace she lifted it over her head, leaving her chest covered only by her bra, which by chance was just one of the lacy black ones her mother had brought her a few days earlier.

Harry gulped at the sight of the fleshy orbs contained by the thin fabric. They weren't exaggeratedly big like those of the pornstars he had glimpsed on Dean's magazines, but they weren't little either, not by chance. He guessed they were a little bit more than a handful, which to him was a perfect size. Of course, the fact they were Hermione's made them perfect anyway, but that's another matter.

Then she popped open the top button of her shorts, slipping a hand inside. Harry could see it had gone straight inside her knickers, and from her face he could only guess what it was doing now. The thought of Hermione masturbating in front of him almost had him come in his pants, but he managed to restrain himself.

One by one, Hermione undid all the buttons, and turning so that her bum was toward him, she started pushing them down, revealing the by now tan skin of her bottom. Harry gulped again as the shorts slid all the way down her ass and started falling down her legs, leaving her in only her underwear.

She turned to wink at him, with a sexy look in her eyes that Harry had never seen. He would have been almost afraid, if he wasn't so aroused right now. Once her shorts were disposed of too, Hermione easily unclasped her bra, and slid the straps down her shoulders, feeling a rush of adrenaline as she realized she was stripping in front of a boy for the first time in her life.

But this boy wasn't a random one, he was Harry, her Harry, the boy she had been in love with for a couple of years now, and he loved her back. Turning toward him, she gave him a sexy smile, before dropping her hands from in front of her chest, letting the bra fall to the ground.

That was Harry's undoing. He couldn't stand it anymore, and hastily unbuckled his own shorts, opening the fly and freeing his raging hard-on.

He gave her a sheepish smile as she was drawn to look at it. Her right hand immediately slipped inside her panties, stroking her wet pussy as she imagined him inside her.

Slowly, she started inching them down, hooking her fingers in the sides, and giving him a good view of her neatly trimmed bush, and then of her pussy lips, as she stepped out of her drenched panties and tossed them in a corner with the rest of her clothes.

Then, she walked toward him, completely nude, and purposefully brushed against him with her breasts as she grabbed the vibrator that had been lying on the bed till then.

Turning it on, she almost chuckled seeing the startled look on Harry's face as it buzzed to life. Then, she started moving it from her thighs upwards, toward her core, closing her eyes, her mouth hanging open as she imagined it was Harry's erection that was brushing on her skin, not a plastic tool.

The raven haired boy watched transfixed as his girlfriend slipped the vibrator in her pussy, pushing it deep in, almost completely, then bringing it back out, building a rhythm. Soon, she backed away from the bed, toward a nearby chair, where she plopped down, never stopping her actions.

He just had to stroke himself at the extremely arousing view she was providing him, and in a few minutes, he watched her orgasm as her body shook uncontrollably, and then relaxed on the chair, the vibrator still on, and her hand still working it into her pussy.

It didn't take him long to cum too, his seed spurting and landing on the floor. Hermione was barely aware of it thanks to his grunts, but she was mostly lost in her own land, thinking about Harry fucking her senseless, as she worked the vibrator in and out of her love hole.

She was surprised, then, when she felt gentle fingers wrap around hers, and her eyes flew open, seeing Harry smiling down at her.

“Let me” he said, and started working the device himself, while she whimpered, her second orgasm approaching fast. Harry's shaft was still somewhat hard, and she wrapped a hand around it, stroking him slowly, getting used to the feel of it in her hands. She definitely liked that.

But she had no time to dwell on the matter because Harry was flicking his thumb over her clit, sending jolts of electricity down her spine, and pushing her over the edge for the second time.

Juice flowed out of her, down her legs, and she breathed heavily, her eyes closed as she caught her breath after coming down from her climax.

“I guess we both need a shower now” Harry joked, and she smiled weakly. “Go ahead” she said to him. “I need to rest a bit” she sheepishly admitted, knowing her legs wouldn't be able to bring her to the bathroom yet. She was thoroughly spent.

With a last wink and nod, Harry left, while a silly grin spread on Hermione's lips. Those two weeks in Sardinia would be very interesting, if what had just happened was a hint.

-->

7. Sardinia, Here We Come!

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Seven: Sardinia, Here We Come!

That night, Hermione added something to her luggage, something she and her mother had decided to keep from Harry and her father, to surprise them. Cathleen had found out that while they would be in Sardinia, there would be a ball at the hotel, and had helped Hermione choose the right attire.

The brunette couldn't help smiling as she remembered how much her mother had gushed over that dress and matching shoes. She was sure Harry would be speechless, and Hermione hoped she would be right.

Once she was done with that, she changed to her PJs and slipped into bed, thinking back to the wonderful afternoon she and Harry had. True, she wasn't usually so forward, but considering how long she had dreamed of being with Harry, she didn't find overly strange that she would get more bold once they were a couple.

Not that he seemed troubled about it.

With a smile on her lips, she finally went to sleep, imagining how wonderful the following days would be.

Harry, for his part, was lying in bed, thinking about that afternoon too. Who would have thought that Hermione could do such a hot striptease? Not him, that was for sure. And, a vibrator? That girl was kinky, and he suspected he was just about to find out just how erotic she could be.

And he was game. Whatever Hermione had in mind, he would be glad to try.

With a last chuckle, he turned on his side trying to fall asleep as they would be leaving early the next morning, thinking that Seamus and Dean would be hard pressed to beat his stories, if he was to tell them, which of course he would never do. He was much more gentlemanly than those two, and wouldn't boast about his sexual escapades, with Hermione nonetheless, to a dorm of horny teenagers.

--

The next morning, Cathleen woke up the two teenagers at seven o'clock in the morning. They had to have a quick breakfast and drive to the airport to catch their fly. After a cup of coffee, everyone helped Tom put their bags in the trunk of the X5, then Cathleen locked the front door, and they were off.

“Harry, have you ever flown on a airplane?” Tom asked as they were speeding along the highway.

“No, Tom. Only brooms for me till now” he joked. He had come to be much more comfortable around her parents since he had arrived there, and now he was easily joking and laughing with them as if they had known each other for years.

Harry guessed that was how a real family was, just like the Weasleys, but less crowded.

“Ah, well, then you might want to know that when it takes off, you might feel a slight pop in your ears as the pressure changes. It's perfectly normal, though, so don't worry about it, ok?” her dad instructed.

Harry simply nodded, enjoying the feeling of Hermione leaning on him, as he wrapped an arm around her. Cathleen noticed the gesture from the mirror and smiled warmly, meeting Harry's eyes. He grinned and put a finger on his lips to signal he wanted to be quiet. Hermione had just fallen asleep on him, snuggling even closer. He remembered when on the Express he had fallen asleep on her and guessed it was only fair that he let her sleep peacefully.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep too, leaning on the car door.

“They are so sweet together” Cathleen gushed once she knew they were both sleeping. Tom nodded, giving her a smile. He still hadn't gotten completely used to his baby having a boyfriend, but he could see they were good for each other, and that was making it easier for him to accept.

Once at the airport, the two adults woke the teenagers up, and the pair groggily followed Hermione's parent's inside.

Grabbing a cart, they loaded the bags on it, and started making their way to the check in counter. They had managed to get Harry a ticket, the plane wasn't really full, and with some luck they had managed to get a seat not too far from them for him.

Now it was only a matter of waiting for the boarding to start.

--

It was three and a half hours later that they landed at the Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome. Harry had been fascinated by the sight of the sea so close to the airport, after all the small city near Rome where the airport was situated, Fiumicino, was just on the coast. Hermione launched into a lecture about Rome and its monuments, that sadly they didn't have time to go visit as their ferry to Cagliari was scheduled to leave in three hours. Luckily, it was a fast ferry so they would be at their hotel in time for dinner, hopefully.

Tom, having been to that airport before, lead them to retrieve their luggage and then to the office where they could rent a car. The trip to the harbour was short and a taxi would have been fine, but then they had to reach Villasimius from Cagliari, plus a car could be useful to have there in Sardinia, in case they wanted to go explore the island.

Harry quietly followed, awed to be included in what was a family trip.

Hermione affectionately squeezed his hand as they entered the Audi A4 they had rented. Tom checked the map to see where to go, and off they went, for a short ten minute trip to the harbour. Since it was lunch time, they bought some sandwiches to eat while waiting for the ferry to start boarding. Hermione was excitedly telling Harry everything about Sardinia, and how beautiful it was, with crystal clear water, and wonderful beaches.

“We can go for long walks there, I've read that walking and running in the sand is good to build up endurance” she said, with a meaningful glance to Harry. Just because they were on holiday, that didn't mean they should completely forget about the dangers that would await them once they got back to the Wizarding World.

Harry realized he still had to tell Hermione about the prophecy, and vowed he would during this trip. He didn't know when or how, but he just had to tell her.

--

The ferry ride was interesting for Harry, who had never been on one. He had never been to the sea shore at all, so he enjoyed watching the waves created by the ferry as it sped along the blue surface.

“It's nice, isn't it?” Hermione said as she joined him.

He nodded. “Thank you” he said then, turning toward her. “This is by far the best summer I've ever had” he added then, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, and resting his hand on her cheek, tenderly caressing the soft skin with his thumb.

As forward as she had been the day before, Hermione blushed at the intensity of his gaze, and at his affectionate gesture. “Anything for you, Harry” she murmured looking down. He gently pulled her chin up so that their eyes met again, and slowly leaned in, kissing her on the lips. At the moment, he didn't care if her parents saw them, he just needed to show her just how much he loved her, and so he poured all his feelings in that gentle, sweet kiss.

She must have understood, because a tear slipped down her cheek, a tear of joy for being with him like that, but also of sadness for his troubled past. Lacing her arms around his neck, she kissed him back just as eagerly.

From the other side of the ship, Cathleen watched the exchange and couldn't help smiling.

--

Once the ship arrived in Cagliari, they got off, and there they started following the directions to reach Villasimius. Harry kept looking out of the window, enjoying the scenery, while now and then joining in the conversation Hermione and her parents were having.

When they finally reached the hotel, they were handed the keys for their two rooms, and a person from the hotel helped them with their luggage.

The two rooms were on the opposite sides of a corridor, Harry noticed, which meant they wouldn't have to worry about her parents hearing them if things got a bit out of hand, so to say. Not that he planned that, but seeing how the previous afternoon had escalated from a innocent packing to a striptease with a vibrator and him jerking off to the show, one could never know.

Agreeing with tom and Cathleen that they would meet with them in the hotel reception in thirty minutes, the young couple started unpacking.

Hermione was careful to not let Harry spot her “secret dress” as she had come to think of it, but after all her boyfriend was busy with his own unpacking.

“You know, I think I'll go get a shower before heading to dinner” the raven haired boy said, and Hermione nodded, not looking at him as she was placing some shirts in a drawer.

When he came back to the room twenty minutes later, the brunette grinned at him.

“Did you get all wet and soapy, Potter?” she teased him. Harry raised his eyebrow at her. “Would you have liked to join me, Granger?” he teased back.

“Careful what you say, Harry. Don't give me ideas” she winked before entering the bathroom herself, leaving her bewildered boyfriend behind.

--

They had dinner in the hotel restaurant. During dinner, Hermione's parents asked if everything was ok with their room, if they were settled, then they suggested the four of them go to sleep early that night, as it had been a tiring day, so that they would be able to hit the beach early the next day.

“Well, that depends on your definition of early” Hermione joked while cutting a piece of her roasted squid.

Harry feigned to be shocked. “Are you saying Hermione Granger doesn't plan to be on the beach at six in the morning?” he said, and everyone at the table started laughing as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Anyway, they all followed Cathleen's advice, also because it truly had been a tiring day. So, once back in their room, Hermione and Harry barley had time to change into their PJs and slip inside the bed, the first time they would be sharing one, before falling asleep, holding each other close. No funny business that night for them, but there would be time for that later.

--

The next day, Harry and Hermione got to the beach at ten in the morning. They found her parents already there.

“Hi Mum, Dad” Hermione greeted them, and Cathleen looked up to smile at the pair. “Hi you two. Slept well?”

The two teen exchanged a look, remembering the wonderful feeling of waking up in each other's arms that morning. Then, both grinned.

“Never slept better” Harry said, squeezing Hermione's shoulder, causing her to giggle and look up warmly at him.

“Do I want to know what happened there?” Cathleen mock admonished them.

“Honestly, mum, we just slept in the same bed and woke up snuggling, it was a new sensation, and a very pleasurable one I might add, for us” her daughter said, huffing.

“I was just taking the mickey out of you, sweetheart” her mother smiled. “Well, if you two need us, you know where to find us. I wouldn't want to make you spend all day with us, so feel free to find yourself another spot on the beach if you want” she said, realizing the two teenagers might want to spend time alone, and not with the constant watching of parents.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a look, and then nodded. “We will see you later then?” Hermione asked.

“Sure, dear. Have fun!” her mother said, saying goodbye to them.

When they finally found a spot they liked, Hermione plopped down on the towel Harry had spread on the sand. He mock glared at her as that was for him, then he sighed and set another towel, where he sat down.

There was a cool breeze, so it didn't feel too hot, but Harry was lucky he had already developed somewhat of a tan at Hermione's house, otherwise he would have been terribly burnt by the end of the day.

“Harry, please, will you rub some sun lotion on my back?” Hermione asked, passing him a bottle. He put some on his hands, then started massaging her shoulders, then her back, untying her bikini top to be able to get to all of her skin. Finally, he brushed against the bottom of her bikini, resisting the urge to slip a hand under it and caress her lovely bum, which he had already come to love immensely.

Retying her bikini, Hermione then proceeded to rub some lotion on him too, marvelling at the hardness of his muscles. That sent a tingling right to her pussy, and suddenly she couldn't wait for that night to come.

After they were protected enough from being burnt by the sun, they relaxed, chatting about meaningless things, laughing, going for a swim now and then, or for a walk along the beach. Harry had to admit it was more tiring that walking normally, but building up some endurance couldn't do him any harm.

They had with them a couple bottles of water, but as it was, those didn't last them long enough. So, when they got thirsty again, Harry offered to go buy something at the bar.

Hermione told him they could go together, but Harry insisted she kept sunbathing and relaxing.

“I'll be right back” he said, winking at her, as he walked away toward the bar. When he got back, he tensed as he saw a bloke sitting on his towel, flirting with Hermione.

As he got closer, he saw that the stranger was doing all the chatting, while Hermione was clearly annoyed. That sent some relief through him.

Finally getting near them, he placed a coke near Hermione, and glared at the bulky man. “I guess you can leave now. She is clearly not enjoying your company” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. The other man looked at him derisively.

“And who the hell are you?” he asked, amused.

“I'm her boyfriend, so I'd suggest you run along” Harry bravely said.

“Well, kid, I guess she's understanding the difference between you and a real man” the rude person said, laughing, and Hermione looked up outraged. Harry rolled his eyes.

“I guess you won't go away until I hit you, will you?” the raven haired boy said, bored. That made the man laugh harder.

“You hit me? That's a joke, right?” and with that, he tried landing a punch on Harry's face, but the boy's Seeker reflexes made him roll away, and at the same time he landed a solid kick to the man's groin, leaving him howling in pain on the sand.

“I warned you” Harry smirked, while he and Hermione took their things and moved away to another spot on the beach.

“Thanks, Harry. I didn't really know how to get rid of him” she said, rolling her eyes. “He kept talking about how wonderful he was with women, I've never met anyone more conceited than him!”

“Not even Malfoy?” Harry joked. Hermione smiled.

“Ok, maybe Malfoy is worse than him, with that “Malfoy is might” crap he keeps spouting” she said, laughing. Harry chuckled.

“I never thought I'd hear you swearing, you know” he said, teasing her. She nudged him in the shoulder, before leaning on it, as they settled once more on the sand.

“Want to go for a swim?” he suggested, and she nodded, so they walked to the cool water, and dove in. They kept splashing each other, laughing like carefree teenagers, and Harry even managed to get her underwater, pulling her down by her legs.

To say she wasn't pleased would be an understatement.

Sputtering salt water, she glared at him, while he laughed heartily at her face. “You want war, Potter?” she menaced, and he gulped. He knew he was in trouble now.

Before long, their swim had escalated in a fight of pulling the other under, with them writhing in the water, trying to avoid the other's attempts for more than half a hour. Then, Harry noticed she was starting to shiver, so he suggested they head back to the beach to warm up a bit.

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8. Night-Time Fun

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Eight: Night-time Fun

After dinner, that night, Harry and Hermione decided to go for a walk in the little town. Holding hands, they strolled through the main street, looking at the small shops still open for the tourists.

“Want some ice cream?” Harry asked. “I think I'm going to get one”

Hermione looked at the small parlour thoughtfully, before finally nodding. “Yeah, I think I'll get one too” she finally said, so they joined the queue.

When their turn came, Harry chose watermelon, lemon and strawberry, while Hermione decided to get peach, raspberry and coconut.

“You got to let me taste the coconut” Harry said as they walked away.

“Only if you let me taste the watermelon” she smiled. So both of them took a spoonful from the other's ice cream, and tasted it.

“They are really good. Best tasting ice cream I ever tried. Not that I tried many of them…” Harry said, trailing off.

“Well, if it's any consolation, I never tasted one as good as this one either” Hermione said, winking at him. She loved the feeling of being with him, and enjoying their teenage years, if only for a few days.

Once they were finished, the two of them resumed their tour of the small city, finding a couple souvenir shops Hermione wanted to point out to her mother. In the meantime, she purchased a small pendant she liked.

Once back at the hotel, they noticed her parents must have gone to bed, because they weren't in the lounge anymore, where the two teens had left them, Cathleen reading a book and Tom playing cards with a man they had met on the beach that day.

“Oh well, I guess we better go to bed ourselves” Hermione reasoned. She suddenly felt nervous. The previous night they had both been knackered, but what would happen tonight?

Harry must have sensed it, because while they were in the elevator, he gently turned her to face him, and looked directly into her eyes.

“Mione, nothing is gonna happen tonight that you don't want too” he said.

“What did you say?” Hermione asked, a bit shocked.

“That nothing…” Harry repeated, but she cut him off.

“No, I mean, how did you call me?”

“Mione? Oh, sorry! I know you hate nicknames…” Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck, ready to apologize, but she put a finger on his lips.

“I like it” she whispered, before kissing him gently. That was the moment the elevator opened, and a family stepped in. The woman eyed the two teens, who were blushing madly, with a knowing smile.

Nobody said a word, though, till two floors later Harry and Hermione stepped out and went through the corridor to their room.

“Well, that was embarrassing” Harry exhaled as he plopped down on the bed. Hermione agreed, then said she was going to get ready for bed.

Harry just slipped out of his clothes and put the bottom of his PJs on. He felt it was too hot to wear the top too.

When Hermione came back, Harry realized she must have had his same thoughts about the temperature, because she was only wearing a t-shirt, with no bra under it, and her panties. He instantly felt his cock harden.

As she entered the bed too, Harry pulled her close. “You know, nobody is here now to catch us snogging…” he implied, kissing her earlobe, and flicking his tongue inside it.

She giggled, turning to face him. “Would be the perfect chance to pick up where we left” she murmured against his lips, then kissed him, their tongues immediately darting to meet the other, and involving in a sensual dance inside their mouths. Hermione felt Harry's erection press against her thigh, and a jolt of excitement ran through her, settling between her legs.

She had solid, very solid at that, proof that he wanted her, and she knew she wanted him. She had for a long time. As their kisses became more frantic and passionate, Hermione felt her nervousness from before ebb away, replaced by love and desire. She caressed his naked torso, enjoying the feeling of his muscles twitching under her touch. She almost jumped when his hand slipped under her shirt, travelling upwards, caressing the side of her breast, before starting to play with her hardened nipple, tweaking it, rolling it between his fingers.

“Harry” she breathed “make love to me”

“Are you sure? We don't have to do it tonight, if you…” he said, but she cut him off with a searing kiss.

“Ok, I get the hint” he smirked, and slowly lifted her shirt over her head, tossing it away. Now only her panties and his PJ bottoms were the only things separating them. Harry took one nipple in his mouth, sucking on it, while playing with the other with his hand. Hermione was stroking his shaft, having pulled his pants down midway to his legs.

“Hermione” he suddenly moaned, and it was music to her ears. She still couldn't believe how turned on she could make him.

Slipping one hand inside her panties, Harry soon found her swollen clit, and started pinching it with his fingers. Hermione shouted his name when he did that, and was suddenly glad her parents' room was not the one near theirs.

But before she could think more about that, Harry had slipped one finger inside her, and then another, and was working them, in and out, his thumb still circling over her clit, sending jolts of electricity through her body. She was still stroking him, and it seemed a contest about who could make the other cum first. And maybe it was.

Finally, Harry hooked his fingers on the sides of her panties, and slid them down her shapely legs, taking his time, almost teasing her with that, and he chuckled as he heard her growl in frustration. He tossed them in a corner, and lifted his legs so that Hermione could finish removing his pants.

When she did, she smiled wickedly at him, before kissing the tip of his cock, then licking the underside, still looking him in the eye. It was such a sexy sight that Harry felt he could cum any moment. He concentrated on keeping it at bay, but almost lost it when he felt the heat of her mouth engulfing him. His eyes shot open and he found her still looking at him, almost grinning, if that was possible while giving your boyfriend a blowjob.

“Hermione, I'm not going to last long…” he warned her, still trying to hold off his climax, but failing miserably. She however was not perturbed by the warm spurts of seed invading her mouth, and gladly took them, swallowing. With a last couple of swirls around his head to catch every drop, she felt him relax and shrink a bit.

“Your turn” Harry said, pushing her on the bed, and settling between her legs. The sight of her neatly trimmed bush was making him aroused once more, even if he had just cum. He dutifully set to work to give her just as much as he had gotten. Hermione sure enough was not prepared for the assault he brought on her core, lapping at her juices, sucking on her clit, pushing his tongue deep inside her. She found herself pushing him even more close to her pussy lips, encouraging him to keep up the excellent job he was doing of going down on her. Harry inwardly grinned hearing her moan his name over and over again, knowing she was getting closer.

Suddenly, she bucked, grasping the sheets, her body quivering with the strongest orgasm she ever experienced. Catching her breath, she looked down at him through her eyelashes, grinning widely.

“That…was…awesome” she whispered. “Now, please...I need to feel you inside me…”

Harry's cock, which was already getting hard again, sprung achingly to life with her words.

“As you wish” he joked, giving her a mock salute. Sliding up to find her face, he kissed her softly as she guided him inside her.

“It's going to hurt a bit” Hermione told him. “For me, at least. But don't worry” she hastily reassured him, “it's perfectly normal”.

To tell the truth, she guessed with how well he was endowed, his at least 7 and a half inches of cock and with a good width too, it might have hurt a tiny bit even if she wasn't a virgin. As it was, though, she was, and when he pushed through her hymen, she shut her eyes, preventing a tear from falling. Harry immediately stilled, feeling awful for hurting her, and fighting his instinct to keep moving. It felt good, but if that was going to hurt her, he had to stop.

A few moments later, the sting subsided, and Hermione nodded at him. “You can move now”

Harry slowly started pushing himself inside her, until he was buried to the hilt. Then, he slowly moved back, and then inside again, building a slow rhythm that she matched with her hips.

“Faster, Harry” she growled, and he obliged, starting to pick up speed, eliciting almost animalistic moans out of her, as she clung to him, her arms wrapped around his neck, meeting all his thrusts.

It wasn't long before both of them were on the verge of another mind-blowing orgasm, and Harry wanted to make her cum before climaxing himself, so he willed himself to slow the rhythm a bit. He managed, but just barely, because as soon as he felt her cunt muscles clench around him in the beginnings of her orgasm, he lost it and it was all that he could do to quickly slip out of her and spray his seed over her belly and not inside her.

Then he collapsed on her side, breathing deeply to catch his breath, eyes closed. When he opened them, she was looking at him sexily, and with a finger she scoped up some of the cum she had on her belly, and tasted it. Harry groaned.

“You're going to be the death of me, Hermione” he exclaimed, pulling her for a hungry kiss where he could taste himself on her lips.

A few minutes later, Hermione said she was going to have a shower to wash the sweat and the remains of his cum away.

“Want some company?” Harry suggested, wriggling his eyebrows.

“Somehow, I don't think we would wash much that way” she quipped, disappearing into the bathroom. Harry laughed.

--

A couple days later, the ball Hermione's mother had told her about came, and Harry knew why she had insisted he bring a white shirt with him. She helped him pick his outfit, matching the shirt with a pair of black D&G trousers he had purchased on their shopping trip before leaving.

“There” she said, trying to flatten his hair, but to no avail. Then she spiked it even more instead, giving him a different, and she thought sexier, look.

“Now be a good boy and wait here while I get ready” she winked at him returning to the bathroom with only the white towel on. He swatted her bum gently as she went, and she turned to glare at him, but he grinned sheepishly at her, and she ended rolling her eyes at him, a smile on her lips.

As she prepared herself, Harry occupied the time reading a football magazine. He recognized the sport from what he had heard Dean say about it, and he guessed it should be exciting, for Muggle standards. Of course, it couldn't compare to Quidditch, for the simple fact there weren't brooms to fly on, and that to Harry was a huge drawback.

When he finally heard the bathroom door open, he looked up and almost fainted. There she was, her hair styled in curls falling down her back, her body wrapped in a very flattering black silky dress which hugged her breasts, her bum, and her sides perfectly. She had never looked more sexy to him, but when his eyes travelled downwards, he noticed that a pair of really sexy high heels completed the outfit, underlining her small, and yet very beautiful, feet, as they left them almost bare, only a couple of thin strips covering them, and then the shoe was laced around her ankle.

“You look…wow, I can't describe it…” Harry said, awed. Hermione blushed, but was pleased by his compliment.

“You don't look too bad either” she shyly said as he got up and walked toward her to offer her his arm.

“Shall we go then?” he said.

“By all means, yes” she smiled brightly. As of now, this summer had surpassed any dream she could have had about it.

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9. Under the Stars

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Nine: Under the Stars

In a couple of minutes, they were in the hotel ballroom, where her parents were already waiting for them. Cathleen was eager to see how Hermione looked in that outfit they had chosen together, and especially how Harry would react to it. The look in his eyes as they descended the last steps was all she needed to know, and beamed at the young pair as the two made their way to them.

Tom was a bit less enthusiastic than his wife about the outfit, but he could see it made Hermione look very beautiful, and that he liked. Anyone should realize just how gorgeous his little princess had become, and he was glad to see a look of pure adoration in Harry's eyes. The boy was clearly appreciating how lucky he was to be dating her.

“You look lovely, sweetheart” Cathleen said, pulling Hermione into a hug.

“Couldn't agree more” Harry said, smiling. Just then, music started to play, and he bowed to Hermione.

“Will you allow me this dance, miss?” he said, grinning. His girlfriend made a show of thinking about it, then finally nodded with a large smile.

“Let's go then” he said, offering her his arm.

As they started moving to the music, she looked at him amused. “You always said you hate to dance”

“Not when it is with you. I'm sure if I had asked you to the Ball, it wouldn't have been such a disaster, for either of us” he said, wistfully.

“Well, it would have been nice” Hermione admitted, with a touch of longing. Harry felt even worse, but she immediately brightened. “Doesn't matter, we are together now, and that's what counts. Plus, we are dancing together now, aren't we?” she said, winking at him, as she gently moved his hands to rest them on her waist and moved closer to him, her arms laced around his neck.

They followed the slow rhythm of the song, and Hermione rested her head on his chest, her eyes closed. She was in heaven right now, and couldn't imagine feeling happier. Harry was just as elated. He had the young woman he loved in his arms, and her family liked him, or so he thought considering how Cathleen and Tom acted toward him. A bit of fatherly worry was understandable.

Feeling her shift, he looked down and found her beautiful brown eyes looking up at him. Their gazes locked, and nothing else existed. Slowly, Harry leaned down, and met her lips in a chaste kiss.

They weren't even aware of having an audience until they heard the roaring applause from around them. Embarrassed, they shyly smiled at the crowd, and quickly made their way out of the room, and went to the nearby beach, for a walk under the stars. Hermione removed her high heels, which would have made walking difficult, and held them in her hand, as they strolled on the soft sand. Harry had removed his shoes too, and with his free hand he grasped hers, entwining their fingers.

“Sorry about that” he finally said.

“It's not your fault” she said, the blush still lingering on her cheeks as she thought back to what had happened. “I wanted that kiss as much as you so we are both at fault” she said, giving him a pretty smile.

After a while, they became a bit tired of walking, so they found a rock, and Harry sat near it, leaning his back there, and making space for Hermione to sit between his legs and lean on him. She did, and then sighed contentedly as she looked up at the starry sky.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” she said, and felt Harry nod, running his fingers through her curls. “Not as much as when you can see it from the Astronomy Tower though. It's closer there” he said.

“That's true. Still, it is pretty romantic, don't you think?” she said.

“Yeah, it is” he agreed. “I feel I could stay here with you looking at them forever”

“Aw, Harry, that's really sweet” she cooed, turning to look at him. He smirked at her. “Are you teasing me, Granger?” he asked, and she laughed.

“Maybe” she said mysteriously, resuming her previous position. A few moments of silence passed, not an uncomfortable or awkward one though.

“You know, I've always wondered how my parents were with each other. From that memory I saw from Snape, I'd have never guessed they would fall in love, but here I am, and that has to prove something. I wonder if they ever spent a night under the stars, or if the war was already too advanced to allow them that once they left Hogwarts” he seriously said, breaking the silence.

“I'm sure they had a wonderful relationship. For a while, I even thought me and Ron were destined to be together because of that, you know. Everyone was always telling you, and us too as we were there most of the time, how they couldn't stand each other in school, but then they fell in love and married. But I realize now, probably your father only wanted to catch her attention with the pranks and everything, because once he realized he wasn't going to win her over with that or acting silly, he changed quite a bit. Or at least, that is what Professor Lupin says”

“I didn't know you had such an interest in my parents” he said, surprised. He could see her blush under the moonlight.

“I've always been interested in anything regarding you” she confessed. “But anyway, Ron and I don't fight for the sake of it. We truly see things differently, and he's not going to change. He will never understand why I see the House Elves' condition as slavery, for example. You do, and that's why you freed Dobby. Then S.P.E.W. might not accomplish anything, I may never be able to change their living conditions, but at least you understand why I do it and don't ridicule me, even if you don't think I should try”

“I never said that” Harry objected, and Hermione snorted.

“Harry, didn't I just tell you I have always been interested in anything about you? I can see when you don't want to do something, and when you helped me with the hats, I knew you didn't want to because you thought it was a wasted effort. But I appreciated that you never told me so, respecting my desire to try”

After that, they remained silent for a while, enjoying the breeze and the soothing sound of the sea waves crashing on the shore.

Harry realized he might spoil the night, but he felt that was a good moment to tell her about the Prophecy.

“Hermione…there's a thing about me you don't know, and if you don't want to have anything to do with me after I tell you, I'll understand, but I just have to tell you. You know Voldemort was after a prophecy in the Department of Mysteries, right?”

“Yeah, but it was destroyed…”

“There's someone who heard it, and made a Pensieve memory of it, before that”

“Dumbledore?” Hermione immediately guessed. Harry smiled a bit sadly, nodding. “He told me about it once we were back from the Ministry. Basically, I have to kill Voldemort or he has to kill me. It won't end till one of these two things happen. So I'll be murdered, or a murderer” he dejectedly said.

“Harry, you'll never be a murderer. Even if you kill Voldemort, he's almost not even a person anyway, plus you would do so only to save the world, not because you like it” she reasoned.

“But that's the point, Hermione. I want to kill him, for everything he has done, for killing my parents, because his actions had Sirius spend thirteen years in Azkaban and then led him to his death, and for many, many more reasons…”

Hermione cradled his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. “Harry, you're not a bad person for feeling this way. Hell, I want to kill him too for the mess he made of your life, and of so many others! Does that make me a bad person?”

“You could never be a bad person, Hermione” Harry said, hugging her close, a couple tears falling down his cheeks, wondering what he did to deserve her in his life.

“Neither can you” she murmured against his shoulder, crying too, for the unfair destiny looming over Harry.

When they calmed down a bit, Harry told her about how it could have been Neville, but how Voldemort chose him because he reminded him of his past, being an half-blood. Hermione consoled him the best she could, and eventually they returned to silently watching the stars, Harry feeling extremely happy that she was still on his side, and Hermione wanting even more to help him get rid of Tom Riddle so that he could have some peace, at last. Before they knew it, they had fallen asleep there on the beach, and were woken up by Cathleen and Tom two hours later.

Groggily, they walked back to the hotel and once in front of their room, bid her parents goodnight and crashed on the bed.

--

The next morning, Harry woke up first, and realized they had gone to bed barely discarding their clothes. As a result of that, Hermione's silky dress was neatly hung, but the rest was a mess. Their shoes were dispersed across the room, Harry's clothes were thrown on a nearby chair, and the two of them had been sleeping in only their underwear. Not even all of that for Hermione, considering how she didn't wear a bra under the dress the night before, and sure enough she didn't bother putting one on for sleeping.

Taking a glance at the clock, he noticed they should hurry, or they would miss breakfast.

“Hermione” he gently whispered in her ear. “Come on, love, wake up. We are going to miss breakfast otherwise” he said, nudging her softly on the shoulder.

“'nother five minutes” she mumbled, and Harry grinned.

“Ok, I'm going to take a shower, if you aren't ready in time to get breakfast is not my fault” he said, and she looked up from her cushion to glare at him. Yawning, she slowly got up.

“Let's go take a shower then” she said, sliding her panties down her legs and tossing them away.

“What? Together?”

“You said we are running tight on time, right?” she said, shrugging. “It's not like we will see anything we didn't see before anyway” she gave him a impish smile and disappeared into the bathroom. Harry was quick to follow, and stepped into the shower, the water already running.

“You know, you are really sexy all sleepy” he said, grabbing the soap. He almost jumped when he felt her hand close around his shaft.

“Would this be a result of that, maybe?” she huskily whispered inside his ear, pressing herself against his back. He could definitely feel the softness of her breasts against his skin.

“Not yet, but if you keep this up surely will be” he said, turning and kissing her hard as she kept stroking him, smearing the pre-cum over his head.

“Sounds exciting” she murmured between kisses.

“Couldn't agree more” he said, nipping on her earlobe, and slipping a couple fingers inside her already wet, both from the water and her love juices, hole.

“Oh, God, that feels good” Hermione said, increasing the speed of her stroking his member. He inserted another finger, and she cried out in pleasure.

“Merlin, Harry, fuck me now!” she cried out, before kissing him almost savagely. He eagerly returned the fiery kiss, moving her between his legs, and lifting her with his hands under her ass, so that he could lower her on his member. Slowly, he penetrated her, and Hermione moaned her approval.

“Fuck me hard, Harry!” she cried out, and he did, the sound of her body slamming on his every time he lifted her and then let her come down filling the shower, the water running over them, but they only cared about the other, unable to think about anything else around them.

Harry leaned Hermione on the shower wall for support, and she wrapped her legs around him, her arms around his neck, as she met all his thrusts with the same intensity, an orgasm quickly building inside them both, until Hermione, who came merely instants before, cried out his name with all her might, Harry grunting as he controlled himself long enough not to spill himself inside her womb.

The two of them, then exhausted, slid down the shower walls, sitting on the floor, chuckling as they realized they were sure to miss breakfast now, but boy that had definitely been worth it.

-->

10. Wicked Cream

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Ten: Wicked Cream

That day was passed by Harry and Hermione just like the previous ones, enjoying the warmth of the sun on the beach, and basically relaxing. The revelation of the prophecy didn't change anything between them, if not the fact that Hermione was even more determined to make Harry have a great time and relax while he could.

So, while strolling down the beach in a different direction than their usual, she spotted a place giving windsurfing lessons, she grinned.

“Come on, Harry, this is going to be fun” she said, leading him by the hand to the small building on the beach.

They talked a bit with the man inside, and few minutes later they were both bringing a windsurf to the shore, while the man locked the office.

“So, has either of you two any experience with windsurfing?” he asked them with a smile as he reached them.

“I took some lessons a couple summers ago, but I haven't practiced since then” Hermione said. The man nodded.

“Very well. Then I trust you will be able to set your surf ready on your own, while I give your boyfriend some pointers?”

“Of course” Hermione said. Harry was a bit nervous about this windsurfing thing, especially when the time to try and stand on the surf came. Hermione, after a couple attempts, found her balance, as she had had some practice already. Harry took most of the hour to learn how to stand on it without falling right away.

Toward the end of the lesson, he was tentatively moving, holding onto the grip, but he wasn't steady at all. Hermione, instead, was going with a certain ease, remembering the tips she had been given when she first learned.

“Relax, Harry” she advised him, and he was about to tell her that it was easier said than done, but just then he lost his balance and fell into the water, remerging a couple seconds later, spluttering.

She couldn't help giggling at the sight, and he looked annoyed.

--

Later that afternoon, having finally come back to their room to rest a bit before dinner, Harry got hungry. Having skipped breakfast and having had only a couple sandwiches for lunch, that was bound to happen.

Luckily, their room had a small fridge, so while Hermione was taking a shower, he decided to see what was in it. Imagine his disappointment when he realized it had mostly beverages, like Coke, Sprite, and orange juice. There were some cans of beer and a couple small bottles of wine, but there was almost nothing to eat.

Luckily, though, there was a small package of crackers, and a can of spray whipped cream. Shrugging, he guessed that would have to do, and popped a cracker in his mouth.

When Hermione came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a fluffy white towel, she found him spraying some whipped cream in his mouth.

“That's something I'd expect from Ron” she quipped, and he swallowed, then grinned sheepishly at her.

“Sorry, but I was just famished” he said. “Want some?”

Hermione eyed the can, and suddenly smiled a sexy grin, which had Harry gulping. “You know, I happen to think there's a better use for that whipped cream” she said, snatching the can from him, and letting her towel fall to the floor. She was still naked under it, so Harry got a real eyeful, but nothing he hadn't seen before.

Lying on the bed, Hermione sprayed some cream on her breasts, on her belly, and finally on her center. Harry gulped again as she gathered a bit of it with her finger and leisurely brought it to her mouth, sucking on it.

“What, aren't you hungry anymore, Harry?” she cooed, and he nodded, moving to the bed. Without even asking for her permission, he started sucking on her right breast, licking it clean with his tongue, and teasing her hardened nipple in the process, making her moan as she grasped his erection through his shorts.

“Harry” she whispered, needing. He understood, and soon shifted his position, so that he was now licking clean her other breast, while his fingers played with her now clean nipple. Hermione could feel herself getting more and more aroused, the whipped cream had always been one of her kinky fantasies and now she was living it with Harry, and the mere thought sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. But Harry was not someone to leave a job half-done, not when he enjoyed it at least, and so he slid downwards, settling between her legs, and started licking her clean there too, sucking on her clit in the process.

It didn't take long for her to cum, her juices mixing in Harry's mouth with the whipped cream. When she was finally settling down from her climax, he lay near her, pulling her close, and nuzzling her neck.

“You know, that's what I call a really energizing snack” he murmured in her ear, flicking his tongue inside.

She smiled widely at him.

“Well, it's only fair I get energized too then” she said, retrieving the can from the floor, and pulling down his shorts. His erection sprang free, and she licked her lips, before spraying whipped cream over it.

Harry flinched a bit at the cool sensation, but that was soon countered by the warmth of Hermione's mouth engulfing him, her tongue flicking out to lick him clean.

She did a thorough job, just like everything she did, and Harry found himself emptying himself in her mouth soon enough. But not sooner than needed, because mere moments after he did, they heard Cathleen's voice from outside the door of their room.

“Hermione, Harry, you ready for dinner?”

The two teens looked at each other, panicked. Finally, Hermione replied.

“We will be ready in a little bit Mum, you and Dad go ahead downstairs if you want” she called, running to the bathroom so that her mother couldn't see her state of undress, or Harry's since he had stolen her towel and had now covered himself, in case she chose to step in.

“Oh, ok then dear. Don't take too long though, your father is pretty hungry tonight and I'm not sure I'll be able to stop him from starting without you if you don't come down soon” Cathleen joked. Once they heard her steps moving away from their door, both teens sighed.

“That was close” Harry commented.

“Yeah, it was. We better get into the shower fast, and no funny business” she said, starting to run the water.

-->

11. Return Home

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Eleven: Return Home

Sadly, time has the bad habit of flying when you're having fun, and so, before they knew it, Harry and Hermione found themselves back in the car, driving to Cagliari to board the ferry that would bring them to Fiumicino, where they would then take the plane to return home.

Even if it had been short, or so it had seemed to him, Harry had loved every moment of the trip to Sardinia, the first real holiday of his life. And he had loved every moment he had spent with Hermione and her parents, not to mention the nightly, but not only nightly, sexual escapades the two teens involved themselves in.

Returning to London had a clear meaning to Harry. The summer was starting to head toward its end, and with that would end his temporary happiness. Once back in the Wizarding World he would be faced with a madman trying to kill him.

Hermione must have sensed his mood, because she took his hand in hers and squeezed it, resting her head on his shoulder. Harry, despite the foul mood he was in, couldn't help smiling and squeezing back.

“Hey” he whispered softly, meeting her worried brown eyes.

“Hey” she replied, looking into his green pools. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, just a bit sad because the summer is ending” he truthfully answered. “I really enjoyed spending it with your family”

“Well, it is not over yet” she mischievously whispered to him. He must have gotten her hidden meaning because he grinned like mad. Cathleen watched the scene from the mirror, as she was a bit worried about Harry's quietness too, and smiled when she saw him grin like that. Whatever her daughter had told him, it had served its purpose.

During this holiday, she had been watching them much more closely than they imagined, and had come to think they were right for each other. Both knew how to lift the other's spirits, and they balanced each other, with the right amount of sticking to the rules and breaking them, enjoying life when it was the time to do so.

Plus, Harry was a lovely young man, and she knew she wouldn't mind having him as a son-in-law.

“Getting ahead of yourself, love?” Tom whispered to her, with a knowing smile. “You're not choosing their children's names already, are you?” he teased her, and Cathleen had at least the decency to blush because if that thought hadn't crossed her mind, already it was really close.

--

Once at the Grangers' home, the four of them started unpacking, at least for a while, before Cathleen had to go start dinner, Tom going to help her. That left Harry and Hermione alone upstairs, and since Harry's belonging, even with the shopping trip her parents had brought him on before leaving, didn't amount to that much, he soon found himself with nothing to do.

Trying to kill time a bit, once that Cathleen had refused his help with dinner, he went back upstairs to see if Hermione needed help unpacking.

“Hi, luv” he said, leaning on the doorway. “Do you need help with that?”

Hermione looked up, and smiled at him. “Well, you know, you could make yourself useful after all” she teased him.

“Oi! I already unpacked all of my things! It's not my fault you girls bring your whole closet with you when you travel!” he huffed, stepping into her room to help her.

“Ok, then, you can put those shirts away” she said.

“Anything I should know before I open the drawer?” he joked, remembering the vibrator incident. She swatted him lightly on the head, not even giving him an answer, instead she picked up a couple of trousers and went to hang them in her closet.

Harry chuckled at how she was avoiding the topic, and quickly put the shirts in the drawer, before sneaking behind her and slipping his arms around her waist.

“You know, your parents seemed pretty busy with dinner when I checked a few minutes ago” he whispered into her ear. She shivered.

“And what would you suggest, Mr. Potter?” she huskily said, turning in his embrace. He claimed her lips with his own, his tongue touching them to ask for access, which she promptly allowed. Her arms found their way to his chest, caressing his muscles under his shirt, while their kissing got more heated.

Harry cupped her lovely arse thru her shorts, and pulled her against him, letting her feel his erection, and Hermione moaned softly, feeling herself getting aroused too. It was dangerous, with her parents only a few steps down, but she couldn't find the strength to stop kissing him so fiercely. They hadn't had a chance to kiss all day, and her desire for him had been building to critical heights.

However, her arousal wasn't enough to cloud her judgement when she heard someone walking up the stairs, and Harry recognized the danger too. Quickly, they separated, Harry resuming to work on the shirts, while Hermione hid behind the opened door of the closet so that who entered couldn't spot her swollen lips, not right away at least.

“Sweetheart, dinner is ready” Cathleen said. “Oh, Harry, you're so kind to help her unpack” her mother added then, noticing him.

“Yeah, well, I was done with my things, so…” he said, scratching his head.

“We will come down in a minute, Mum” Hermione said, and Cathleen nodded, walking back downstairs. She didn't say anything, but the blush on their faces told her that they hadn't exactly been unpacking a few minutes earlier.

--

The next morning, Hermione woke up early. Checking her clock, she realized her parents should still be home, so she got up to see them off. Then, once they had left, she thought about preparing breakfast for her and Harry, but realized it was still too soon, and without a charm to keep it warm, it would get cold before her boyfriend was up. She didn't want to wake him up so early, so, returning to her room, she decided to pass some time browsing the Internet.

There was something she had wanted to search since they were in Sardinia, but there wasn't a computer there to do so. Starting her laptop, Hermione quickly started the internet connection, and after a quick search on Google, she found the website she needed.

The site was very well done, with explanations and pictures. Clicking on one, Hermione started to read to herself.

“The Eiffel Tower is a position with a woman on top. The male lays back with his legs together, with the female on top, straddling both of his legs. By opening and closing her thighs, the female can add variety to the different sensations.”

Then there was the Pussy Cat Control: “Use caution as the male's penis will be in an awkward position. The female is on top on her hands and knees and should place his penis inside her. The male lifts his legs back and around her body”

As she kept reading, Hermione quickly got aroused by the pictures and the descriptions, imagining herself and Harry trying those positions. As a result, she didn't notice the time pass.

“Wake up, sleepy…” Harry said, stepping into her room with a tray of breakfast, freezing as he saw her working her pussy feverishly, looking transfixed at the computer.

The moment she heard his voice, she stopped what she was doing, but from his expression she knew he had seen her.

“What are you looking at?” he asked, putting the tray on her bed.

“Nothing!” Hermione quickly lied, but he gave her a sceptical look. “It didn't seem nothing when I came in” he smirked, and moved to join her in front of the monitor. Sighing, she stood up so that he could sit, and then she sat on his legs.

“Whoa, Hermione, you call this nothing?” he said, bewildered, as he looked at the pictures. Then he chuckled. “Did you have anything in mind, maybe?” he wriggled his eyebrows, and she swatted him lightly, laughing.

“Well, what if I did?” she cooed.

“Then we should make sure we try what was raising your curiosity, don't you think? This “Southern Exposure” position seems hot” he commented, then read aloud the instructions.

“The male should lie down on his back as the female straddles him from the opposite position. Her weight should be supported by her hands and knees. The motion resembles swinging back and forth”

“Mmh, not bad, but I think I like the “Double Trouble” one more” Hermione said. “See, it says, the male should start off by leaning back and using his hands for support. The female can then place her hands on his legs as she straddles his body. Leaning back changes the angle of penetration”

It didn't take them much to forget everything about breakfast, now they had a different kind of hunger, and so they sat there, in front of her computer, for a couple hours, comparing positions they wanted to try, and taking notes, in pure Hermione fashion. After all, it was something they still needed to learn, right?

-->

12. Pool of Sex

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

I know “Get Smart” was not supposed to be out at the time, but I liked it so I put it here, hope this won't put anyone off, lol.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Twelve: Pool of Sex

Their morning exploration about sex position left the two teens quite aroused all day. So, when in the afternoon they decided to relax in the backyard pool, their minds kept going back to the pictures and descriptions they had read.

Since he didn't want to embarrass himself sporting a hard-on, Harry slipped inside the pool, hoping the cool water could calm him down somewhat. But he soon realized that would not be the case when Hermione made her appearance in the skimpiest bikini he had ever seen her wear. It was white, so it would become almost transparent once wet, but even dry it barely covered anything, and his eyes kept drifting up and down her body, immediately having an effect on his not so little friend down there.

She smiled wickedly at him, moving slowly toward the pool, and Harry decided she was definitely trying to seduce him. Not that she needed to, since they were already together and had had sex a good number of times already.

“You want to give me a stroke, uh?” he joked as she approached the pool.

She smiled sweetly at him. “Of course not, silly, otherwise I'd have to find someone else to shag me senseless” she quipped, sitting on the pool edge and playing with her feet in the water. Harry moved toward her, placing his hands on her thighs, giving her goose-bumps at the contrast of his cool hands on her warm skin.

“Good to know I'm good for something” he huskily said, suddenly pulling her into the water, and kissing her hungrily, her arms flying around his neck as she responded with just as much passion.

“Harry” she moaned when they finally broke the kiss. “Fuck me now”

“It's my pleasure” he replied with a mock bow, before starting to untie the strings keeping her bikini in place, first the one going around her neck, so that the top fell down leaving her breasts bare. He then untied the string going behind her back, removing the first part completely, and tossing it away, near the deckchairs. He then cupped her breasts with his hands, playing with her nipples as he kissed her deeply, their tongues fusing together in a mad dance. He could hear her whimpering softly, her arousal growing, and he grinned to himself.

Then, he dipped down and took a nipple in his mouth, sucking on it, flicking his tongue around it, teasing, leaving her wanting more, while he pinched the other one with his fingers. He could feel her rubbing her crotch against his erection, and grunted out in pleasure at the motion.

“Please, Harry” she whispered, and he nodded. Hooking his fingers in her bikini bottom, he pulled it down, while she got rid of his trunks.

His cock sprang free, and Hermione grasped it, giving it a couple strokes.

“I'm not going to last if you keep that up” he murmured in her ear, gently nibbling on it, as he slid one hand down, between her legs, stroking her pussy lips, and teasing her clit.

She glared at him for that, but he just grinned amusedly, before finally rubbing his thumb over her bundle of nerves, making her shake in pleasure as a mini orgasm rocked through her. As it did, she tightened her grasp on him, and he groaned.

“Hermione” he moaned.

“I need you inside me, Harry” she wantonly said, and he obliged. Sliding his hands to her ass, he lifted her and as she locked her arms around his neck, he gently impaled her on his manhood. Hermione still hadn't gotten used to the feeling of him stretching her so, even after all the times they had had sex already, and she could swear every time it felt better.

They started to move on the same rhythm, Harry sliding in and out of her, Hermione bouncing on his erection, trying not to moan too loud to avoid the neighbours hearing them, so she often bit her lip while she would have wanted to scream his name to the sky, but that didn't subtract from the absolute pleasure he was giving her, filling her completely with every thrust.

It didn't take them much to come, and this time Harry couldn't slip out of her in time.

“Bloody hell” he said, after spurting at least part of his seed inside her.

“Don't worry, Harry. I'm on the pill” she said, kissing him softly. “I started taking it before you came here, just in case, although I must admit I didn't really think we would end up shagging” she confessed.

He smirked. “So there was something else I could have found in your drawers while helping you unpack” he joked, and she swatted him, laughing.

“No, prat, I don't keep them there, so the drawers are safe for you to roam. Not that you would go through my underwear without me knowing, would you?” she sweetly said, and he gulped.

“Of course not” he said. She winked at him as she composed herself, then exited the pool, lying on a deckchair.

Harry soon followed suit, occupying the one next to her. “Do you want anything to drink?” he asked. “I think I'm going to grab a Coke”

“Be a dear, bring me one too” she murmured sleepily. Their activity in the pool had tired her, and the nice warmth of the sun was lulling her into a nap.

She watched him go through her half-closed lids, and couldn't help thinking he really was perfect. Sighing contentedly, she closed her eyes, and before she knew it, she was asleep, dreaming of her perfect boyfriend.

--

That night, after dinner with her parents, Harry and Hermione decided to go watch a movie at a nearby theatre. It was within walking distance, so they politely refused Tom's offer to accompany them, besides the walk would give them time together, not that they lacked it during the day, but still.

They had chosen to go see “Get Smart”, a movie based on a very successful TV series. Harry knew nothing about it, so he just enjoyed the movie, and found it pretty entertaining, while Hermione caught all the references to the series, so she might have understood the story more.

Anyway, both left the theatre satisfied. It had been a couple of hours well spent.

“I think you are quite a bit like that Agent 99, you know” Harry teased her as he put an arm around her shoulders as they walked back to her house.

“What do you mean?” she said, looking up.

“Well, you are a bit bossy” he said, but his smile betrayed the fact he didn't think it was a bad thing, “and you always want to do things your way because you know better”

“Well, if you put it like that, you're a bit like Smart too. I mean, you tend to be unprepared and whip something up as you go” she teased him back. He grinned.

“At least I know I'm unprepared though” he pointed out, “not like him who thinks he has all the solutions, only to find most of them are not solutions at all”

She laughed at that, nodding. “You have to admit his extraordinary long listening to suspects paid off in the end though. He did recognize that fellow's voice, and with that he knew how to calm him”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, he did. How did they call him? Extra-large?”

Hermione giggled, nodding. “You have to admit he was a bit imposing though”

“That's because you've never seen Hagrid barge into the hut you're hiding in, while outside there is a storm raging, crashing the door down with his hands. I have to say that was pretty scary” Harry said, remembering his first meeting with the half giant.

“I bet” Hermione nodded, taking out her keys as they had arrived back at her house. They quietly made their way up the stairs as it seemed her parents had gone to bed already.

“Goodnight then” she said, as they stopped in front of her room.

“Goodnight” he said, catching her lips with his own in a gentle kiss. She kissed him back, closing her eyes and treasuring the sensations it always gave her to kiss him. When they finally parted, they both had silly grins on their lips, and Harry walked backwards, never leaving her with his eyes, till he had to turn to enter his room. She waited till he was in before entering her own, feeling quite giddy.

She was starting to understand why the other girls liked dating so much. Of course, the fact that Harry was acting as a perfect boyfriend every single moment helped lots.

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13. Snap That Shot!

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Thirteen: Snap That Shot!

The next morning, as usual, Hermione's parents left early for work, leaving the two teenagers sleeping and enjoying the last days of their summer holidays.

Harry would have been very happy to do so, but his overactive girlfriend had different ideas, so at nine in the morning, he was yawning in the hallway, dressed for jogging, Hermione looking a him expectantly, already dressed in her work out gear, consisting of a pair of shorts, running shoes, and a sports bra.

Her attire was the only positive thing of going for a run early in the morning, in Harry's perspective.

“Mione, do we really have to do this now?” he asked, yawning for the umpteenth time, as he followed her out of the house.

“Would you prefer to go jogging at midday, when it's going to be much hotter?” she asked him, raising her eyebrows.

“No, I'd prefer not going to run at all” he quipped, sighing as he started running on her right side.

“Come on, Harry, don't be such a baby about it. A bit of work out won't do you any harm” she joked, and accelerated, but Harry was quick to catch up.

“That's how you want to play, Miss Granger?” he smirked. “Let's see who lasts longer then, since you think you're in such good shape” he dared her.

Hermione agreed, and so it was more than an hour later that they arrived home, both breathing heavily, and sweating lots.

“So, who's the one who could use some exercise?” Harry breathed, smirking with the little energy he still had.

Hermione glared at him, she hated to lose, but of course with the Quidditch training Harry had a big advantage over her.

“Ok then, smartass, I could use some training, and you are so kind accompanying your girlfriend to do it” she said when she finally recovered a bit, a few minutes later.

“You plan to do it again?” Harry asked, a bit fearful.

“Of course, one time is going to do nothing. We are going to run every morning till the end of the summer, Harry, you better be ready for it” she said. “I'm going to take a shower” she announced then.

Harry nodded, and started preparing breakfast, since they had not eaten yet.

It took Hermione more than twenty minutes to come back downstairs, and when she did, Harry had already devoured his part of the eggs, bacon, and toast with jam. There was a warm plate ready for her though, as well as warm tea and coffee, so that she could choose.

“Sorry, I tried waiting for you but I was really famished” Harry apologetically said, and Hermione looked at him almost shocked.

“You have a full breakfast ready and warm for me, and you apologize?” Hermione asked, pulling him for a kiss. “Asking you to wait for me would have been really cruel, besides you more than did your duty as a boyfriend preparing this for me” she said once they finally parted, which was a few wonderful minutes later.

“Well, since I've already had breakfast, and you've already showered, I'm going to have one too” he said, and after smacking her bum playfully, he ran up the stairs to the bathroom, where he indulged in a long time under the water spray, letting the warm water soothe his aching muscles.

It had been a long time since he had pushed himself so hard, and he had to admit Hermione was in pretty good shape for someone who rarely did any physical exercise during the school year.

As he was going to his room to get dressed, expecting Hermione to still be downstairs, Harry spotted her in her room, reading, so he decided to surprise her.

He entered the room and leant on the doorframe, still only in his towel, and after a moment or two, knowing she would probably never notice him if he didn't speak, he teased her.

“Am I so easy to replace that a book holds your undivided attention when I'm standing right here?”

Hermione suddenly looked up and saw him in only a towel, droplets of water running down his toned chest, his hair a mess even when wet, and that boyish grin on his face, his green eyes sparkling with mirth, making the resemblance to emeralds even more real.

She felt herself blushing as the first thought crossing her mind was that she'd really like to take that towel off, and she bit her lip to keep from saying that aloud. She wanted to finish reading that book after all, but the idea of shagging Harry was too tempting to pass up, and she couldn't believe how easily he distracted her from her task.

“Sorry” she mumbled, as Harry sat down on her bed, picking up her book.

“Let's see what had you so interested” he said, turning it to read the title. He almost groaned when he did.

“Seriously, Hermione…Potions and Magical Ingredients Through the Ages? I could think of much more entertaining ways to spend the time” he said, wriggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, and what would they be?” Hermione asked, knowing very well that her reading time was finished for today.

“For starters, I don't think it's fair that you got to see me in only a towel, while you came downstairs perfectly dressed” he said.

“So would you like for me to strip in front of you and remain in only a towel?” Hermione asked.

“Why not” he boldly replied. “Maybe we could even catch the rare moment that Hermione Granger does something bold with some pictures” he joked, winking at her.

Knowing he was just teasing, Hermione only feigned to be offended by his comment. “I'll have you know, Mr. Potter, that I've done a lot of bold things this summer, and you should know it as you were part of all of them”

“So are you game for this?” Harry asked, smirking. Hermione smirked back.

“Only if I get to see you do a striptease too, so go get dressed and I'll get my camera”

“Deal” Harry said, giving her a peck on the lips, and running to his room to get dressed. He was back five minutes later, wearing a pair of jeans, a tight fitting T-shirt and a pair of sneakers.

“Mmh, this won't do, we need to give you more of a “bad boy” look” Hermione said, using her hands to spike up his hair, and then she had him try some sexy expressions.

“You know more about this than I'd have thought” Harry remarked, surprised.

“Well, it's not hard, I mean, I am a girl after all, and I spend my nights at Hogwarts with Parvati and Lavender…I was bound to see my fair share of girl magazines with all these male models on them, don't you think?”

At that, Harry had nothing to say, and he let her do what she wanted with his hair.

Soon, music started to play as Hermione turned the stereo on, and handed the camera to Harry, telling him how to snap a shot. Then, she went to the opposite side of the room, and started stripping to the rhythm of the music, teasing him as she discarded piece after piece of her attire.

Harry snapped at least twenty shots of her undressing, but his favourite had to be the one where she was holding a white towel in front of her, having already discarded her underwear. He knew she was naked behind that thin veil of fabric, and the thought aroused him considerably.

But he almost had a stroke when she started lowering it, exposing her boobs first, then her stomach, and going lower and lower, until she was standing completely naked in front of the camera, and let him snap some shots of her like that, from various angles, as she spread herself on the bed for him.

“You know, you're pretty overdressed now” she huskily said to him, and Harry grinned. Handing her the camera, he got ready for his own striptease. Hermione secured the towel around her body and waited for him to start.

Harry was much more goofy in his movements than Hermione, and more than once she almost laughed at some ridiculous moves he made, but she never stopped taking pictures of him, not even when he was completely naked. After all, she already knew his body inch by inch, and while still impressive, she managed to not get sidetracked by his obvious arousal from her previous show.

Once the second part of the show was finished, so to say, Harry collapsed on the bed near her, pulling her close, and she couldn't help laughing softly against his shoulder.

“It was fun, wasn't it?” he said, and she looked up.

“Yes, it was” she said, intently gazing into his eyes. No one knew who started it, but their lips met with a fiery passion, their tongues dancing with each other, and Harry's hands slid down to open her towel, but just as he was pushing it away, the telephone rang, interrupting them.

Sighing, Hermione reluctantly got up, retrieving her towel from Harry's hands, and went to answer.

“Hi Mum” she said. “Yes, we are ok, we were just about to have something to eat for lunch” she lied, and Harry knew the mood was definitely ruined, at least for the moment. As she talked with her mother, he got dressed again, and headed downstairs to start getting something ready for lunch for real. It was quite late after all, but right now he was hungry only of one thing, he could care less about food.

It didn't take Hermione long to join him.

“I guess that spoiled the mood, uh?” she said, and he grinned wistfully at her. “Better that than having your mother enter the room” he joked, and Hermione laughed heartily.

“We risked that in Sardinia, you remember?”

“How could I forget? I was sure she would catch us, tell your father and have him kill me in five minutes flat” Harry said, which set Hermione giggling.

“Silly, my father would never kill you, otherwise he would have to face me” she reassured him as she started helping him whip something up for their meal.

Harry kissed the top of her head, and she looked up, almost surprised at such a display of affection.

“If you didn't exist, I'd have to invent you” he said, kissing her softly. “I love you so much”

“Oh, Harry, I love you too” she said, kissing him again. She had never been so sure of anything like she was about her love for him and couldn't help wishing the war didn't exist so that they wouldn't have to worry about that.

But hopefully, they would have a long future together after the war was won.

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14. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.

A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!

Thanks to my beta Gingercat! And sorry for the delay, I've been pretty busy these days…

Depressed? No, Aroused!

Chapter Fourteen: Epilogue

As all good things do, Harry's summer at the Grangers was bound to end, and so before he knew it, he found himself packing his trunk on the night before their trip to King's Cross to catch the Hogwarts Express. Hermione had already packed hers that afternoon, with some help from Harry.

Now she was returning the favour, and helping him fold his clothes.

“Honestly, I can't understand why boys have to be so untidy and always leave their clothes in a mess!” she protested as she put a couple shirts in the trunk.

She squealed as Harry's arms snuck around her waist, and pulled her against his chest.

“I don't know about others, but in my case, I know I'm lucky to have such a beautiful girlfriend helping me to put them in order” he huskily whispered in her ear, making her shiver.

“Harry…we need to finish this…” she protested, quite lamely to tell the truth, but before she could protest further Harry turned her in his embrace, and kissed her softly.

Their tongues met in a slow dance, by now accustomed to each other, they took it slow, enjoying every single moment of the kiss, Harry's hand massaging her nape, sending sweet thrills down her spine. She moaned softly against his lips.

When they finally parted, Harry rested his forehead on hers.

“How do you think the others will take the news?” he asked. He had been a bit worried about Ron's reaction, because he knew the redhead fancied Hermione. He just hoped this wouldn't cause a new rift between them like in fourth year.

“You're worried about Ron, right?” Hermione asked back, knowing perfectly well what was bothering him.

“Yeah” Harry admitted.

“Well, I hope he's mature enough to have understood by now that I'm not interested in him, but in case he isn't and he blows up, he will have to face my wrath” she said, smiling. Harry knew she meant it, and chuckled.

“I'm sure he will behave then” he teased her, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

“I believe we have a trunk we need to pack, Mr. Potter” she said, turning back to the bed where his clothes were waiting to be folded.

Sighing, he joined her in the annoying task.

--

The next morning Harry trudged down the stairs to the kitchen to have breakfast, still quite sleepy. He wasn't used to waking up so early anymore.

“Good morning Harry” Hermione's mother greeted him. “The first day back at school is always hard, uh?” she said with a smile placing a plate with eggs and bacon in front of him.

“Thanks” he said. “Yes, the start of the year is always hard, especially so this year because it means this wonderful holiday is over” he said, with a look at Hermione who blushed the tiniest bit. Her mother smiled warmly at the two teens.

Once breakfast was done, Harry hurried up to get dressed, just like Hermione, as they would be leaving in a hour. Hermione's parents would be driving them to the station in their car.

--

The trip to King's Cross was pretty uneventful, with relaxed chat between the two adults and the teenagers, and the usual recommendations once the four were in the station. Tom and Cathleen couldn't go to Platform 9 and Â¾ so they said goodbye there. Cathleen hugged Harry tightly, he was now like a son to her, and Tom did too, suggesting to him to keep his baby safe and happy.

“Daddy!” Hermione protested, blushing a bit.

“Don't worry, sir. I'll do all that's in my power to keep her happy and safe” Harry promised, and after a last round of goodbyes, the two teens pushed their carts through the barrier and found themselves on the familiar platform.

“Do you think they are on the train already?” Harry asked, referring to Ron, Ginny and their friends.

“Luna and Neville, maybe, but the Weasleys? When have they arrived sooner than the last five minutes before the train's departure?” Hermione joked, and Harry had to laugh.

“Well, let's start putting our trunks on the train then” he suggested. As predicted, there was no trace of the Weasleys yet, but they found Luna and Neville in a compartment toward the end of the train.

“Hi Harry, Hermione. Did you have a nice summer?” Neville asked. Before the two teens could reply, Luna's voice answered the question.

“Of course they did, Neville. They are together now” she said in that airy tone that was typically Luna.

“What? How…” Neville sputtered, and Harry and Hermione regarded the blonde with curiosity too.

“It's pretty easy to see, just look at their hands” the Ravenclaw replied, without looking up from her Quibbler.

And she was right. Unconsciously, Harry and Hermione were holding hands, and their fingers were entwined. Both blushed realizing just how natural the gesture had become for them, but before anyone could say another word, they heard Molly Weasley bellowing on the platform, urging Ron and Ginny to hurry so that they wouldn't miss the train.

Harry exchanged a look with Hermione, who nodded at him to reassure him that everything would be ok. The two of them called Ron and Ginny from the window so that the redheads would know where to find them, and then they sat next to each other.

A couple minutes later, the door of the compartment opened to let Ron and Ginny in. Once their trunks were safely stowed away, Ron collapsed on an empty seat.

“I swear I hate the start of the year. Not the feast, of course, but having to wake up early, the rush to catch the train…I hate it!” he complained, while Ginny rolled her eyes.

“So, Harry, Hermione, how was your summer?”

“Well, to tell the truth, it was pretty exciting” Hermione said with a smile on her lips, while looking at Harry who couldn't help grinning back as his mind went back to all the wonderful experiences of that holiday, most of which involved him, Hermione and sex in various forms.

Ginny wasn't stupid, and so she easily caught their meaning. “You two got together!” she excitedly shouted, and both Harry and Hermione's eyes looked worriedly at Ron.

After a moment of shock, the redhead realized his friends were watching him anxiously, and he chuckled.

“Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to blast the compartment to bits” he joked. “I had realized I had no chance with Hermione anyway, so I'm not angry. Only shocked because I didn't know you two fancied each other” he said. “Just try and not turn every moment we are together in a snog fest otherwise I'm going to be sick” he joked, and Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.

Harry released the breath he was holding, and grinned back. “You know, if you moved your lazy arse and found yourself a girlfriend” he said, sneaking a glance at Luna, “we could always double date on Hogsmeade weekends”

Ron followed his glance, and noticed Luna. He had to admit she was growing to be a really pretty girl. Plus, she was blonde with blue eyes, and he had always thought blondes were pretty. She was a bit loony, so what? At least he wouldn't have to fight every moment with her because of his Quidditch talk and his eating habits.

Yeah, Luna could be a nice girlfriend for him.

“You know what? I'm hungry” he said, as the train was just now leaving London. “Luna, why don't you come with me to search for the cart lady?”

The blonde looked up, blushing, almost surprised that he had talked to her. “Me?” she asked, maybe for the first time without that imperturbable expression they all had learned to see on her face.

“Yes, you” Ron said with a smile.

“I'd love to” she said, looking down, and closing her magazine. A moment later, the two of them were outside the compartment, walking in the corridor.

“I think she might be great for him” Ginny said with a smile.

Hermione and Harry nodded, grinning, relieved that their friendship with Ron was safe. As the brunette rested her head on Harry's shoulder, he looked outside at the passing scenery, and swore to himself that he would win the war. He had too much still to live for to let Voldemort win.

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