Astoria's Secret

Disclaimer: All things pertaining to Harry Potter are the property of J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books/Scholastic Press and Warner Bros. I just like to play with them!

A/N: Hello again! It feels like forever since I've posted anything, but real life is so busy at the moment that I barely get time to read fics let alone write them. This idea has been knocking about my head for a while and the last couple of days, my muse seems to have woken up so I present the fruits of my labour (and a couple of rather late nights!) Please review!

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good...

***

Harry Potter was enjoying his weekend off.

It was the first weekend that he hadn't had to work in months. As an Auror, he was supposed to have one weekend off every month, but for the last three he had been heavily involved in rounding up a group of neo-Death Eaters who wanted to pick up where Voldemort left off, causing the department no end of hassle and ensuring that his scheduled weekends off were either spent in the office amid a mountain of paperwork or in the field dodging numerous curses. Those pure-blood supremacists really needed to learn to take some time off.

Like Harry was now finally able to do. Though he had slept in until noon (something he knew a certain friend of his would consider a waste of a morning), he planned to make the most of his two days of freedom before being back in the office on Monday. He was planning to meet Ron in a couple of hours to go and see a Chudley Cannons match, before heading out tonight to The Lucky Leprechaun, or Lucky's as it was known to its many patrons, the bar owned by his former schoolmate, Seamus Finnegan.

After waking up, he'd made himself a cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich and sat down on the sofa to enjoy his leisurely brunch, while reading today's issue of the Daily Prophet, his feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him. He was examining the latest Quidditch scores, when he saw green flames flash in his fireplace and seconds later, Hermione Granger, heavily laden with shopping bags, stepped into the room.

“Oh, Harry,” she said, when she saw him. “I'm so glad you're home.”

Harry raised a sardonic brow as he put down the paper. “Well, it is my weekend off.”

Hermione failed to notice his sarcasm - in fact she seemed rather flustered. “Oh, yes, of course it is.”

“So, do what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

Taking a deep breath, she dumped her shopping bags on the armchair and took a seat next to him on the sofa, where she sat for several seconds, wringing her hands.

Harry was intrigued (and a little apprehensive). He'd never seen his best friend so nervous in all the time he'd known her. Of course, back at school, she'd been pretty bad around exam time, but never like this.

“I...um...wanted to talk to you about something.”

He could see that she was struggling with what to say next, so he leaned over and took her hand in his.

“Mione, you know you can talk to me about anything. It says so in `Friendship For Dummies.”

He hoped by injecting a little humour into the conversation - with a Muggle book reference no less, it would help her to relax and he was pleased when her mouth curled slightly at the corners.

“It's just that...well, the thing is...oh, hell, I'm just going to say it...”

She bit her lip and took another deep breath.

“I'm going to lose my virginity tonight.”

Of all the things Harry might have guessed she'd say, that had been nowhere on the list. And he wasn't entirely sure what he should say, what she wanted him to say.

“Oh. I mean, good,” he stuttered slightly, suddenly wondering if anxiety was contagious. “It is good, right?”

Hermione looked up. “Yes.” Then she looked down again. “I mean, I think so.”

Harry frowned. “Mione, if you're not sure about this...”

She shook her head. “Oh, no, I am...I mean Alex and I have been together for almost eight months and I love him and I just...I've waited a long time and I'm just a little on edge at the thought of finally taking our relationship to that level.”

Alex, or Alexander Juno, was Hermione's boyfriend. They had begun dating at the beginning of the year, after meeting at a Ministry ball. Alex worked in the International Magical Office of Law and he was handsome, charming and above all, a very intelligent wizard - a seemingly perfect match for Hermione. Even so Harry had never overly warmed to him - he didn't know why, there was just something about him that he wasn't quite sure about (an opinion shared by his other best friend and Hermione's former boyfriend, Ron Weasley).

“Er...look, Hermione...wouldn't it be better to speak to Ginny about this?”

She pulled a face. “Um...I'd rather not. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Ginny to pieces, but her advice tends to be a little questionable. Plus, every conversation with her that is even remotely related to this topic ends up with her divulging more than is ever necessary for me to know about Draco Malfoy.”

Harry grimaced. “I can imagine. And now I wish I couldn't.”

Contrary to the expectations of many, he and Ginny Weasley had not rekindled their relationship after the war. So when after leaving school, Ginny joined the Holyhead Harpies as a Chaser, she went through numerous Quidditch players (much to her mother's despair), before hooking up with one Draco Malfoy (much to her whole family's despair). Since the war, Draco had kept a low profile, working for the Malfoy Corporation and trying to prove to the wizarding world that he regretted his past actions. And after eighteen months together, he and Ginny were still joined at the hip (with her family and friends eventually coming to accept the relationship).

Harry cleared his throat. “So it's just nerves then? I mean, you really are sure about this?”

“Well, yes, I mean, I've given this a lot of thought. I'm twenty-three years old, I have a great relationship with a wonderful man and I don't think there's any reason for me to keep waiting.” She looked up then and caught Harry frowning slightly. “What?”

“Oh, nothing...I just have to admit I'm a little surprised by this whole thing. I mean, I always assumed that you and Ron had...”

Hermione blushed slightly. “Oh...well...I...no. I mean, Ron and I were only together for a few months and things fell apart before I was even ready to think about that with him.”

Hermione and Ron were another couple everyone had had high hopes for and they had enjoyed a brief relationship in the aftermath of the war. But despite their mutual attraction and affection, the things about each other that had often irritated them when they were friends seemed only magnified by their new-found intimacy, until it became apparent that a future together was not on the cards for them.

In fact, Ron was now happily engaged to Luna Lovegood and Harry could easily see they were much better suited. Ron was pretty laid-back about life, a trait which had exasperated a very driven Hermione, whereas Luna's carefree nature was much more complementary.

“Anyway,” Hermione continued. “I don't know why I'm so nervous about it. I mean, I guess the first time is kind of a big deal for a woman, with the pain and everything, but in the general sense, if you love someone, why not express that love in what is a perfectly natural way?”

“I suppose so, yes.”

“I mean, you and Melinda must have...”

It was Harry's turn to blush. Melinda Smythe was his last girlfriend, a Ministry stenographer who he'd dated for five months.

“Well...um...she was my girlfriend, so...yes.”

“She wasn't your first, was she?”

He reddened further. “No...no, she wasn't.” He continued, sensing the direction she was going. “My first was Cho Chang.”

He knew he'd surprised her. “Cho?”

“It was a couple of years ago. I ran into her at Lucky's one night and we decided to have a drink together for old time's sake. One drink became two and Seamus eventually kicked us out and Cho invited me back to her flat for coffee.”

Hermione looked slightly amused. “You lost your virginity in a one night stand with Cho Chang?”

“Hardly a one night stand,” Harry said with mock indignation. “She was my first kiss, remember?”

“I guess it is fitting somehow,” Hermione remarked.

“Anyway,” Harry said. “It wasn't just one night. We got together again a couple of times after that, but neither of us was really looking for a relationship.”

“Were you nervous? You know, about it being your first time?”

Harry looked thoughtful. “I don't really remember. I did have quite a bit to drink that night though. Cho didn't seem to be, but then, I don't think I was her first.”

“I guess experience makes a lot of difference.” She bit her lip again. “I think Alex has quite bit of experience and I suppose I'm a little worried that I won't know what to do...that I won't be any good.”

This, it seemed, was the root of Hermione's nerves - the girl whose worst fear was to be told she'd failed at something was scared of failing at sex.

Harry took her hand again. “Mione, look, I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm pretty sure that for most people, the first time they have sex, is one event in their lives where they feel totally inept and awkward - the reason I don't remember, is probably because it was so traumatic that I blocked it out.”

He was pleased to see Hermione smile slightly.

“Actually, I happen to think you're pretty lucky. You get to have your first time with someone you love - that's pretty rare these days. As for not being any good, I can't imagine he wouldn't like anything that you would do. And I'll let you in on a little secret,” he said as he leaned closer. “Men are pretty easy to please - we like just about anything.”

Hermione's smile grew a little wider and she squeezed his hand.

“You're right, Harry, you're absolutely right.” She grinned suddenly. “You're not usually right.”

“Hey!” He lightly slapped her on the arm as she laughed out loud. “Prepare for some competition, Little-Miss-Know-It-All.”

She continued grinning but curbed her laughter. “Seriously, Harry, thanks. You're a great friend. And I'm sorry if I embarrassed you - I mean, this is hardly a desirable topic of conversation.”

“Well, no more than discussing Malfoy's bedroom antics with Ginny.”

“Oh, please don't start that again,” she said with an expression of distaste. “Now, I really ought to get going. Alex is working today but he's coming to mine afterwards and I'm going to prepare a candlelit supper for two.”

“Sounds nice.”

“Can I just use your bathroom before I go?”

He nodded. “You know where it is.”

As Hermione headed to the bathroom, Harry stood up and stretched. Once Hermione had gone, he needed to get ready to go and meet Ron. Spotting her bags on the armchair, he picked them up and groaned slightly under the combined weight. What kind of witch carried around such heavy shopping bags without casting a weightless charm? Maybe it was a woman thing?

Suddenly, one of the bags slipped from his grip and fell to the floor. Putting the others down on the coffee table, he bent to pick it up, stopping when he noticed the insignia printed it.

Astoria's Secret

Harry knew of the popular lingerie shop located down a side street off Diagon Alley, which was owned by Astoria Greengrass, sister of his former Slytherin classmate, Daphne Greengrass. According to Ginny, if was Malfoy's favourite shop and every time they went in, he spent an obscene amount of money.

Picking up the bag, he couldn't help looking inside and amidst the white tissue paper, he glimpsed something pink and lacy.

He had never thought Hermione was the type to shop in Astoria's Secret, and then he shook his head at his own idiocy. Of course - she had obviously bought something to wear for her special night with Alex.

Unbidden, his brain suddenly conjured an image of Hermione laying on her bed, naked except for some pink lacy lingerie covering her slim curves and he was shocked when the picture made his cock twitch unexpectedly inside his sweat pants.

What in Merlin's name...?

He shook his head to try and rid himself of the image. He suddenly felt appalled with himself. Hermione was one of his best friends and like the sister he had never had the chance to have. And the thought of her wearing her newly purchased garments was definitely not something that a brother should be thinking about his sister.

In the eleven years they'd been friends, he'd never once thought of Hermione in that way. Ever since the night of the Yule Ball in fourth year, he'd been aware that she was a beautiful girl, but he'd never felt any kind of attraction to her before now.

His speculating was disturbed then by Hermione's return and he quickly picked up the rest of her bags and handed them to her.

“Thanks, Harry,” she said, smiling. “For everything.”

Moving her bags into one hand, she leaned forward, hooking her other arm around his neck and pulling him into a hug, before placing a kiss on his cheek.

“Will I see you tomorrow for Sunday lunch at the Burrow?”

Every Sunday, Molly Weasley invited all her family, extended family and surrogate family to lunch, though Harry had been kept away for the last few weeks due to work.

“Um...yes, I'll be there.”

Hermione smiled again, gave him another brief hug and then taking a handful of Floo powder from a pot on the mantelpiece, she threw it into the flames, stepped in, uttered the word `home' and disappeared.

Harry simply stood there, recalling the way that her breasts had pressed against his chest when she hugged him, the scent of her shampoo lingering in his nostrils and his cheek burning where she'd kissed him, as his mind buzzed with questions.

Firstly, how could he explain this sudden and unexpected attraction to his best friend? And secondly, what the hell was he going to do about it?

***

Mischief managed!

Hope you liked it! Don't make me shamelessly beg for reviews again...ok, well I'm going to anyway - pretty please with Harry on top (or maybe Hermione - you'll have to review to find out more!)

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Disclaimer: All things pertaining to Harry Potter are the property of J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books/Scholastic Press and Warner Bros. I just like to play with them!

A/N: Thank so much for all the reviews! Especially to Dinmenel who noticed the typos - these have now been corrected and I have been through this chapter carefully before posting it so I'm pretty sure there aren't any in this one (just a note - I live in England so I will be writing using the English spelling of some words rather than the American English spelling). Anyways, hopefully any questions raised by the first chapter will be answered in the following - this chapter will exploring the situation from Hermione's POV. Hope you like it and please review again!

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good...

***

Hermione sighed as she relaxed beneath the bubbles filling her bathtub.

She was definitely feeling a lot less anxious about the forthcoming evening than she had been this morning and she was grateful to Harry for his advice and for putting her mind at ease.

Most girls she knew would rather die than discuss their sex life, or lack thereof in her case, with a male friend, but Harry was different. Everything they'd been through together during their Hogwarts days, the treacherous hunt for Horcruxes and the final battle, had created a strong bond between them and she knew she could trust Harry implicitly.

He was also different to most other males his age - while someone like Ron wasn't able to discuss the topic of sex without making some puerile comment, the events of Harry's teenage years had forced him to grow up way before his time and as a result he was mature enough to handle such a conversation.

And also when it came to relationship issues, she felt it was important to have a male perspective.

But regardless of her reasons for going to Harry for advice, her instincts had been right and she was now feeling much more enthusiastic about taking her relationship to the next level.

Not wanting to remain in the bath for too long for fear of ending up looking like a prune, she quickly washed and cast a hair removing charm on her legs, underarms and bikini line, before getting out, wrapping herself in a towel and going through to her bedroom.

She'd wanted to create a romantic atmosphere for tonight and hence had bought several candles this morning. After returning home from Harry's, she'd set about positioning them around her bedroom and at various spots in the lounge and dining room. She'd then got to work on preparing the meal - the chicken was now roasting nicely in the oven, a platter of oysters and a homemade tiramisu were chilling in the fridge, and a bottle of elf-made wine was waiting to be opened just before Alex was due to arrive to allow it time to breath.

After drying herself and applying her favourite lavender scented body lotion, Hermione sat down in front of her dressing table mirror and set to work fixing her hair and makeup.

She had always been a decidedly low maintenance girl, generally having much better things to do than spend time worrying about her appearance. For a long time, her hair had been a nightmare to maintain, although she now used an anti-frizz hair potion which transformed its customary bushiness into a torrent of soft curls. She wore very little makeup, just a bit of mascara and lip gloss for work or when she went out.

Tonight, she had decided to be slightly more adventurous - the witch manning the cosmetic counter at the apothecary had convinced her that a forest green shade of eye shadow would really brighten up her eyes and a rose hued blush would give her a natural looking glow. She had also chosen to wear her hair up, securing it with two sticks in a style she had seen in a copy of Witch Weekly that one of the secretaries in her office had left behind yesterday.

Walking over to her bed, where she had left some of her other purchases from her shopping trip this morning, she picked up the small white bag from Astoria's Secret. She had never visited the shop before today, despite Ginny and Malfoy's many recommendations, but she had once heard that wearing sexy lingerie, even if no one would be seeing it, did wonders for a woman's confidence and she felt she could use all the confidence she could get tonight. Plus she didn't want to be wearing her usual white or black cotton underwear the first time that Alex saw her without her clothes.

Astoria Greengrass hadn't been around during her visit, but the salesgirl had been more the attentive in helping her select a gorgeous baby pink lace bra with matching panties.

She slipped them on, loving the feel of the fabric next to her skin - so different from the cotton garments she was used to. And best of all there were no visible lines under her new black dress, despite its snug fit. After sliding her feet into her favourite pair of black heels, she stood in front of the full length mirror to assess the end result.

Overall, she was pleased with what she saw, proof that she could scrub up pretty well when she made an effort. She knew she was no real beauty, especially not in comparison to her friends and former schoolmates. Though she had always asserted that personality was much more important than looks, sometimes she wondered what it would be like to have Ginny's gorgeous titian hair, or Luna's deep blue eyes, Parvati's mile long legs or Lavender's very ample chest.

Not that it really mattered - the important thing was that Alex was attracted to her and she had never had any cause to doubt that. On numerous occasions, he had told her she was beautiful and more importantly, he genuinely showed admiration for her other good qualities, often praising her for her intelligence (the biggest compliment he could possibly pay her). Most of her friends had commented on how well matched they were - Ginny even called him a male Hermione. In addition to them both being highly intellectual people and skilled in their use of magic, they were both pursuing careers in the field of magical law - Hermione currently worked as an advocate in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement - and they shared a great love of books and reading.

They had met eight months ago at a Ministry party. Alex had only just returned to Britain after spending the previous ten years working at various foreign ministries. He had been educated at Hogwarts and sorted into Ravenclaw House, though as he was four years older than Hermione, they'd never become acquainted while at school. He was good looking in a scholarly kind of way - he had light brown hair and hazel eyes and was always well-groomed and smartly dressed.

He'd asked her to dance at the party and after hesitating for a moment, she'd agreed. The Monday after, she'd run into him in the Ministry cafeteria and he'd invited her to join him at his table. They'd then begun meeting for lunch on a fairly regularly basis (a big change for Hermione who had previously eaten in her office while continuing to work through the mountain of paperwork always covering her desk) and one day, he'd asked if she would go out to dinner with him.

She'd been rather uncertain at first, especially since she hadn't dated anyone since her unfortunately brief relationship with Ron. But eventually he wore her down and their successful first date was followed by a second and a third and before long they were an official item.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a buzzing sound and turning she saw that her wand, which she had left on her bedside table, was vibrating, indicating that the dinner was ready.

Going through to the kitchen, she took the chicken out of the oven and covered it with foil to stop it burning, before putting it back in and turning the heat down low, to keep it warm. The table was laid and with a flick of her wand, she lit the candles, before opening the bottle of wine.

Alex had said he would be there about half past seven and it was now quarter past. She poured herself a glass of wine to abate any lingering nerves about how this evening would be ending and took a seat on the sofa to await his arrival.

About five minutes later, she heard a tapping sound coming from over by the window. Frowning, she got up and went to investigate, immediately spotting the brown owl hovering outside, tapping on the glass with its beak. When she opened the window to allow the bird entry, it flew inside and landed on her coffee table, holding out its leg for her take the folded piece of parchment it was carrying.

After accepting a handful of owl treats, the bird left and Hermione opened the letter, her smile disappearing as she realised it was from Alex.

Hermione,

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to take a raincheck on this evening. Something's come up at work and I have to stay late.

Maybe we can go out to dinner tomorrow night?

I'll owl you in the morning.

Alexander

Her heart sank as she read his missive and looked around at her wonderfully prepared romantic dinner. Her wonderfully prepared surprise romantic dinner.

She supposed she couldn't blame him. As far as he was concerned their plans for the evening had been little more than a night in with a takeaway from the restaurant down the street and then cuddling up on the sofa to watch a Muggle film.

But she could hardly deny that she was disappointed - she had finally plucked up the courage to sleep with her boyfriend and now he had to work late. What did they say about the best laid plans?

With a sigh, she went through to the kitchen to turn off the oven. The chicken could probably be eaten cold and the tiramisu would be fine, but the oysters wouldn't keep. It was a shame - she was a big fan of shellfish and she had read somewhere that they were considered an aphrodisiac.

Alex had suggested dinner tomorrow evening, but since it was summer, maybe they could go for a picnic in the park instead. It would be much more romantic than dinner in a busy restaurant.

Then suddenly an idea came to her.

Why didn't she just pack up the food and take it to the Ministry now to share with Alex? Ok, so it wasn't as romantic as the dinner she'd planned but at least she wouldn't be on her own on a Saturday night.

The little that he'd shared with her about the case he was currently working on was enough that she knew it was particularly complex and was taking up a lot of time and resources. She knew Alex well enough to know that he would probably be at the office most of the night and he was unlikely to bother taking a break to get anything to eat.

So with a smile, she took out a picnic hamper and began packing the food into it. Then slipping on a pink cardigan to keep her warm, she picked up the hamper and threw a handful of Floo powder into the fireplace. She stepped into the flames, uttered the words `Ministry of Magic' and moments later, she appeared in the Atrium.

Even though, like Alex, a few Ministry employees sometimes worked late, the Atrium was pretty quiet. Alex's office was located on the fifth floor so she headed through the golden gates and into the lift.

When the lift arrived at the floor which housed the Department of International Magical Cooperation, she got out and walked the familiar route down the main corridor. Upon reaching Alex' office, she saw that the door was slightly ajar and smiling, she pushed it open.

The tableau that greeted her was one that would stay lodged in her mind for a long time to come.

The `work' that had caused her boyfriend to remain at the office and abandon their plans for an evening together, had absolutely nothing to do with international law and everything to do with the blonde woman currently straddling him in his chair, her blouse unbuttoned and her sizable breasts practically climbing out of her bra as they kissed.

Her intake of breath and the sound of the hamper falling from her hand alerted to them to her presence and Alex froze when he saw her, his hands immediately taking hold of the other woman's hips and lifting her off him, before moving out of the chair towards her.

“Hermione, I…”

She held up a hand, cutting him off and he fell silent, coming to a standstill in front of her. The other woman hovered in the background, slowly rebuttoning her shirt with a slight smirk on her face, making it clear that she did not feel one iota of shame at the fact that she'd just been caught fooling around with a guy by his girlfriend.

Hermione didn't know what to say and wasn't even sure if she could speak - it felt as though there was a lump in her throat the size of a Bludger.

“Hermione, it's not…”

“Don't,” she said, her eyes bright with unshed tears and her voice wobbling slightly. “Don't insult my intelligence by trying to deny that you're a lying, cheating bastard.”

She didn't know what was worse - what he'd done and what she might've done with him if she hadn't found out about this.

“Who is she?”

“She is Camille,” the blonde woman spoke up from behind Alex, her French accent thick. “I used to work with Alexander in France and I have come over for a visit...and to help him out with a little problem.”

Despite her deliberate choice of phrasing, Hermione knew exactly what she meant - she had come over to give Alex what he wasn't getting from his girlfriend.

He wasn't even bothering to refute the claims and the knowledge that he hadn't cared about her enough to wait until she was ready increased her anguish tenfold. She knew she had to get out of here before she really broke down.

“Well, I hope she's worth it,” she said, casting a final glance at her now ex-boyfriend and not even bothering to pick up the hamper, she turned around and ran back down the corridor.

Her speed picked up as she heard him calling her name and only when she was safely in the lift did she allow the tears to fall.

***

Mischief managed!

Good? Bad? Ugly? Let me know.

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Disclaimer: All things pertaining to Harry Potter are the property of J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books/Scholastic Press and Warner Bros. I just like to play with them!

A/N: Thanks again for your reviews! Sorry if some of you found the last chapter a little predictable, but it was how I planned it from the start. I've been in a similar situation and it can be hard to accurately convey the emotions caused by that kind of experience. Hope the next chapter meets your expectations and please review again!

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good...

***

Harry Apparated into the alley next to Lucky's.

It was a few minutes before nine, the time he'd agreed to meet Ron when they'd parted ways earlier after the Cannons match.

It had been a good game with an unexpected victory for the Cannons over the Pride of Portree. Harry had actually won a bet with Ron over the result - in their student days, he would have thought twice about entering into such a wager, but now that Ron was working with George at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, he was earning a good wage and Harry didn't feel so bad about taking his money.

Still, he didn't think Luna would be too impressed - after all, they were supposed to be saving for their wedding and though she was reasonably well paid as deputy editor of The Quibbler, Harry knew that every girl dreamed about the perfect wedding and despite her indifferent attitude to most things feminine, Luna was no exception.

Lucky's was located in Muggle London, and although protected by Muggle-repelling charms, most of its patrons dressed in Muggle clothes. Harry was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a dark green t-shirt and a black leather jacket. As usual, his jet black hair had refused any attempt to style it.

Walking out of the alley and around the corner to the entrance, he strolled inside and over to the bar, where Seamus was polishing some glasses.

“Hey, mate,” he said with a grin. “Ron not here yet?”

“No,” Seamus said. “But, um, someone else is.”

Harry followed the direction that Seamus had inclined his head and saw Hermione sitting at the end of the bar, nursing a glass of Firewhiskey.

“Sorry, mate,” Seamus said, shrugging apologetically. “But she threatened to hex me bollocks off if I Flooed you and I happen to want to keep me family jewels where they are.” He picked up another glass. “By the way, that's her fifth drink in about an hour.”

Harry thanked his friend and walked down the bar to where Hermione sat. She looked up when he reached her and he saw that in addition to being red-rimmed, her eyes also had the glassy look of someone who was more than a little drunk.

“Mione, what are you doing here? What happened?”

She didn't answer him and instead picked up her glass and drank the remaining contents.

A number of different scenarios flashed in Harry's head. Hermione wasn't a big drinker so he knew it had to be bad to bring her to this. Had she and Alex had an argument? Had they broken up? And had they - he shuddered at the thought - had they slept together?

“Um, Mione, did you...”

She looked up again. “Catch Alex shagging his whore of an ex in his office? Not exactly what I had planned for this evening but life's full of surprises, isn't it?”

Harry was stunned, immediately feeling the anger course through him and wanting to go and find Alex and cause him an extraordinary amount of pain. But he managed to suppress it - however much he wanted to hurt Alex for what he'd done to Hermione, his best friend needed him, whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not.

He took a seat next to her. “Mione, I'm so sorry...”

She cut him off, her words dripping with sarcasm. “Well, I can hardly blame him. After all men have needs and Alex's clearly weren't being met.”

Okay, so he'd always thought there was something not quite right about Alex, but he'd never have said he lacked intelligence. Yet clearly only a stupid man would cheat on someone as amazing as Hermione and for such an utterly pathetic reason as because he wasn't getting his oats.

She signalled to Seamus, holding up her glass to indicate she wanted a refill, but he wisely chose to ignore her, even at the expense of his `family jewels'.

“Damn it!” she said, slamming the glass down. “I want another drink.”

“Don't you think you've had enough?”

She glared at him. “No, I haven't had enough, Harry. I haven't had nearly enough. And if Seamus won't serve me then I'll find somewhere that will.”

She stood up, wobbling slightly and then stumbled past Harry to the door. Harry jumped up and telling Seamus to give Ron his apologies, he followed Hermione outside, hoping to Merlin that she was going to hail a cab and not try and Apparate - in her present state of drunkenness, she was liable to splinch herself.

But she hadn't done either. Instead he found her in the alley, crouching down, her hand pressed against the wall for balance as she emptied the contents of her stomach. Moving behind her, he took hold of her hair, pulling it out of the way, while his other hand rubbed her back until she began to retch.

Then he helped her to stand up and offered her a tissue to wipe her mouth. She met his eyes and he saw her lip begin to wobble before she burst into tears. He pulled her into his arms and let her sob into his t-shirt as he stroked her hair.

“Shh, it's going to be okay,” he whispered. “I promise.”

He held her until her tears subsided and she pulled away. When he saw her shiver, he took off his jacket and slipped it onto her shoulders.

“Let's get you home,” he said, taking out his wand and preparing to Apparate.

At his words, her eyes widened and she shook her head. “I can't go back there tonight, Harry. All my preparations for…I can't deal with them right now.”

“It's okay,” Harry said, taking her hand. “You can stay with me.”

He waved his wand and they disappeared, reappearing almost instantly in his living room. Taking his jacket off of her, he hung it up and then shepherded her towards the bathroom. Nipping into his bedroom, he returned with a clean pair of boxer shorts and a faded Gryffindor Quidditch t-shirt from his Hogwarts days.

“Feel free to use the shower. You can change into these.”

She flashed him a grateful smile, took the clothes and closed the bathroom door.

While he was waiting for her, he fixed himself a coffee and Hermione a cup of her favourite jasmine tea, adding a potion to counteract the effects of any alcohol remaining in her system.

When she emerged from the bathroom, he was sitting on the sofa and she sat down next to him, folding her legs underneath her and hugging a cushion to herself.

He cursed himself silently as his eyes darted to her smooth golden legs. His afternoon at the Cannons match with Ron had taken his mind off of his sudden attraction to his best friend and he'd almost managed to convince himself that it had just been a random episode, a normal male reaction to seeing sexy lingerie.

But looking at her now, he knew that was a lie. He felt downright awful for even pondering it at a time like this, but he just couldn't understand how his regard for Hermione could change so dramatically in such a short space of time. If someone had asked him yesterday, he would have given an objective acknowledgment of her attractiveness as a woman, but asserted that he saw his female best friend as a friend rather than a female.

And now not twenty four hours later, his objectivity had been skewed by the sudden realisation that he could be turned him on by that same best friend - and not just by the thought of her wearing skimpy, sexy lingerie but as she was now fresh from the shower, with no makeup on and wearing his clothes.

To the casual observer, her hair and eyes were an unremarkable brown. But to anyone bothering to look closer, her hair was scattered with natural golden tints which were picked by the light when she moved her head and her eyes had an almost imperceptible ring of gold around the pupils.

Her body was another thing entirely. Though not athletic like Ginny, she was still slender with curves in all the right places and from what he could tell from the numerous times he'd seen her in a swimsuit, her breasts were the perfect size.

Add to that all her other qualities that made her his best friend and he couldn't help but wonder whether, once she'd gotten over Alex' betrayal, they could be more than just friends. Though he'd never even entertained the notion before, he realised then how right it felt - he already loved Hermione as a friend and given that he now found himself attracted to her, it was easy to see how he could fall in love with her.

He suddenly became aware that neither of them had spoken for a couple of minutes and decided he had to curb his thoughts of a potential future with Hermione and focus right now on being her friend.

“So, um, how are you feeling,” he asked and then cursed himself for his idiocy. “I'm sorry...stupid question.”

“No, I'm okay...I guess,” she replied, biting her bottom lip in a way that he knew meant she was trying not to cry. “I just feel so numb, like it's not even real. And then I keep seeing them together in my head and it brings it all home to me.” She looked down at her hands. “I just don't know how I could have been so blind.”

“Blind? The only one who's blind is that git, for not seeing what he was throwing away.”

Hermione shook her head. “I thought everything was going so well between us. I mean, I know in this day and age, eight months might be considered a long time to be in relationship before having sex, but he never tried to pressure me - I thought he really must have loved me to be so content to wait until I was ready.”

Part of Harry wished Alex was here right now - his wand hand itched to try out a nice curse on him.

“I guess it was foolish of me to expect any man to remain celibate for so many months.”

“Mione, you are not to blame for the fact that he couldn't keep it in his trousers.” He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “Sex does not define a relationship and if you were...I mean, if I had a beautiful girlfriend who I loved and she told me she wasn't ready to sleep with me then I would wait. I may on occasion get a bit friendly with my right hand, but I wouldn't cheat.”

“Not even if...”

“Not ever. No matter what he said, Alex didn't care about you enough to suppress his own selfish needs. He didn't love you and he didn't deserve you - you're worth a hundred of him.”

“Thanks, Harry,” she said, managing a small smile and finishing the last of her tea. “Um, look, I'm pretty tired...do you mind if I just head to bed?”

“Of course not,” Harry said, standing up. “Now I'm afraid that the spare room is still full of boxes, but you can have my bed.”

Harry hadn't living in his flat long, having previously shared with Ron before he moved in with Luna following their engagement, and he'd been so busy with work that he hadn't found the time to finish unpacking.

“But where will you sleep?”

“Oh, the sofa's fine for me,” he said, smiling as she hovered, seemingly undecided.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” he replied. “Now go, before my chivalry runs out.”

She murmured her thanks and headed down the hall to his room. Trying not to think about her curled up his sheets, he turned on the TV.

Even though he was an inhabitant of the wizarding world, he still embraced certain areas of Muggle life, such as driving a car, using a mobile phone and owning a television.

A typical male, he flicked through the channels until he found one that was showing three back-to-back episodes of an US crime series he sometimes watched.

When the credits began rolling after the last episode ended, he stretched and stood up, turning off the TV, picking up the empty cups and taking them to the kitchen where he loaded them in the dishwasher.

Then tiptoeing down the hall, so as not to wake Hermione, he headed for the bathroom, stripping off his clothes and stepping under the hot shower. After soaping up and shampooing his hair, he turned off the water and towelled himself dry before pulling on a clean pair of boxer shorts, his usual sleeping attire.

Heading back to the living room, he was walking past the door of his bedroom when he heard Hermione's voice from inside.

“Harry?”

He pushed open the door. “Are you okay?”

She sat up in the bed with a sigh. “I can't sleep.”

“Do you want me to fix you a potion or something?”

She bit her lip. “No, I…I was wondering whether you could sleep in here with me? I just really don't want to be alone tonight.”

She clearly had no idea the effect that her request would have on him. The thought of lying in a bed with her, being so close to her and not being able to touch her would be the worst kind of torture, but he was swayed by his loyalty to his best friend and would do whatever she needed him to do, regardless of whether he wanted to.

Harry cleared his throat. “Um...sure.”

He moved to the chest of the drawers and pulled out a t-shirt, slipping it over his head. If he was going to be sleeping in the same bed as Hermione, he needed to minimise the chance of skin-to-skin contact.

Taking off his glasses and setting them on the bedside table, he got into the bed beside her, cursing silently as her scent immediately teased his nostrils and calling upon every ounce of willpower he possessed to stop his body reacting to her proximity. He moved around, trying to get comfortable, eventually settling on his side facing away from her and praying for sleep.

It was going to be a long night.

***

Mischief managed!

Surprised? No, this is not the end! When I originally set out to write this fic, I planned on three chapters, but clearly my muse has other ideas! This is not going to turn into a long story - I don't think I have the energy for that, but there will probably be at least a couple more chapters - we haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet ;o)

Please stick around - I'll try to update soon, though right now, I'm exhausted from trying to finish this chapter so I'm going to bed.

Nox

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Disclaimer: All things pertaining to Harry Potter are the property of J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books/Scholastic Press and Warner Bros. I just like to play with them!

A/N: Ok, I'm so so sorry for the delay in posting this next chapter. It's taken a lot of work to get it how I wanted it plus I'm been ill recently. But all good things come to those who wait and I thank you for your patience. The next chapter will be the last one except for a little epilogue - some of you have given me some good ideas that don't fit into my plan for the fic but that I can't bear not to use. Hope you enjoy this one and please review again - it might inspire me to write the last chapter more quickly!

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good...

***

Hermione was roused from sleep by the sunlight filtering through a gap in the curtains.

The first thing she was aware of was that she wasn't in her own bed. The second was that she was pressed up against another body.

The memory of the previous evening's events began to filter into her brain and she remembered how she'd asked Harry to stay with her last night. And although they had fallen asleep on opposite sides of the king size bed, Hermione now lying on her side next to Harry, her head resting on his chest and his arm around her, holding her in place.

Despite her inexperience, she had always loved the feeling of being held in a man's arms. It made her feel safe and protected - despite being a characteristically independent woman who could definitely take care of herself, deep down she liked the idea of someone else taking care of her. Ron hadn't really been one for cuddling and while Alex had always seemed happy to just cuddle her, she realised now that he must have just tolerated it.

The heart-numbing pain she had felt upon the discovery of Alex' betrayal was still fresh and she was infinitely glad that Harry had been there for her last night.

Everything had happened in such a short space of time - one moment she had been at her flat preparing for a romantic night which would have ended in the loss of her virginity and the next she was at the Ministry discovering that her oh so perfect boyfriend had not only been cheating on her but that he'd been doing so because she hadn't been ready to sleep with him. The pain and humiliation had been so overwhelming that even though she rarely drank, she'd just wanted something to numb her senses.

It didn't surprise her that Harry had found her at Lucky's - the bar was his and Ron's favourite retreat - or that he had refused to allow her to drink anymore than she already had, that he had followed her outside when she left and that he had taken her back to his flat and offered her his bed while he only had the sofa to sleep on. Harry was hero, plain and simple.

He had always been her hero and not for the first time, she realised how lucky she was to have him as her best friend. He was so kind and caring and generous and one day he would make some lucky girl very happy.

She wondered if she would ever have that kind of happiness, if she would ever know the kind of love that Ron shared with Luna or that Ginny had found with Draco. She wondered now if she even knew what that was. Her feelings for Ron had developed in her hormone-driven teenage years, hence lacking the maturity of real lasting love, whereas with Alex, she had actually believed that she was in love with him. Still it wasn't true love unless you had total and complete trust in the other person and she clearly hadn't trusted Alex enough to take that final step in their physical relationship. As it turned out, she'd been right not to trust him - and she'd had a rather lucky escape in that she found out the truth before taking that step - though in this instance, the knowledge of being right didn't give her quite the same sense of triumph as it usually did.

She wasn't eager to jump into another relationship, but she did yearn to find true love. She just wished it wasn't so hard to find a good guy - and the fact that the bad guys were obviously now masquerading as the good guys made it even harder. It was said that the best relationships grew out of friendships, but unfortunately for her, with the exception of Harry, all of the men she was friends with were either married or in long-term relationships.

And while Harry was single, he was also like a brother to her and being more than friends with him would probably feel incestuous. She supposed it was rather a shame that they were effectively siblings - in addition to being a good guy, Harry was also a rather good looking male, from an objective point of view.

As she silently contemplated the physical attractiveness of her friend in whose arms she was currently lying, the man in question began to stir, his hold on her tightening. And all of a sudden her world shifted as still in the final stages of slumber, he obviously failed to realise who he was holding - as he pulled her closer so that she was all but lying on top of him, her breasts were crushed against his hard muscular chest and her hips came into contact with something else that was equally hard.

She gasped and his eyes opened and locked with hers. His molten emerald gaze drew her in and she couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't think about anything except the fact that his mouth was only inches from hers and the feel of his hard cock pressing against her was causing heat to spread through her body and pool between her thighs.

And then Harry lifted his hand up to her face and brushed away a curl before softly caressing her cheek and then cupping the back of her neck and pulling her towards him until their lips touched. His kiss was slow and soft, coaxing her to respond and her lips soon parted to admit his tongue. The heat between them grew steadily until Harry rather expertly flipped them over so that Hermione was on her back, his hips easily fitting between her parted thighs and his hand sliding up and under her t-shirt to cover her bare breast.

Her intake of breath made him pause for a moment and he pulled back and looked at her. And as if suddenly realising exactly what he was doing, he cursed under his breath and pulled away completely, all but leaping off the bed. He stood there looking at her laying amidst the sheets and blankets, his cock still noticeably hard beneath the thin cotton of his boxer shorts.

He looked positively stricken. “Merlin, Mione, I'm so sorry...”

The look of shame on his face was awful. “Harry, you don't need to...”

He held up a hand to halt her words. “Yes, I do. I don't know what possessed me to even...look, I'm, um, I'm going to take a shower. There's, um, plenty of food in the kitchen, so if you're, um, hungry, just help yourself to whatever you want.”

And with that he escaped the room, leaving Hermione still lying in the same position on the bed, her body still tingling slightly and her mind going a mile a minute.

What the hell just happened?

Even being a virgin, she knew that most men wake up with, as Ginny termed it, `their wand ready to duel', but that still didn't explain why Harry had kissed her. Or why she had enjoyed it.

She had felt more aroused by a single fleeting kiss from Harry than by all of kisses she had ever shared with Alex and she wished it hadn't have ended so abruptly. Or at all. And for the first time in her life, she hadn't felt uneasy about where a kiss might lead. She'd actually wanted more. She'd actually wanted Harry.

Her rational mind tried to tell her that she couldn't trust her feelings, that she was clinging on to Harry because he had been there for her when she needed him and that given the circumstances of her split with Alex, she obviously needed to prove that she could still be desired.

But her rational mind was wrong - her sudden feelings for Harry weren't borne out of emotional vulnerability. She had never felt at ease in either of her prior relationships, not the way she felt at ease with Harry and it now felt as though those relationships had merely been like northern stars pointing her towards the one man she was destined for - the man who was her best friend, the man she trusted with her life and the man that she knew she'd been waiting for - the one who would make her body sing.

Desperate now for Harry to continue where he had left off, she got up and padded barefoot across the hall to the bathroom, where she could hear the shower still running. Slipping through the door, she saw the silhouette of Harry's naked body through the glass walls of the shower and her pulse quickened. Moments later, he shut off the water and turned to open the door and step out of the cubicle.

He stopped when he saw her and not giving him a chance to speak, she moved closer to him, sliding her hands over his wet chest and up to his shoulders. As she reached up to kiss him, he took hold of her upper arms to stop her.

“Hermione, I...”

“I want you, Harry,” she whispered, their lips now millimetres apart and their breath mingling. With a boldness she didn't know she possessed, she slid her hand down his body and curled it around his rock hard cock, making him groan, before he pulled away from her again.

“Mione, you're killing me. I want you too, you've no idea how much...but I can't.”

“Feels like you can to me.”

He gave a short chuckle. “You know what I mean. Hermione, you don't know what you want right now and I'm sure as hell not going to take advantage of you when you're still hurting from what Alex did to you.”

“My noble Harry,” she said, smiling as she brushed a lock of hair out of his face. “It does still hurt, but it's more what his betrayal represented than the betrayal itself, if that makes sense. Because Alex wasn't the one for me. You think that I'm vulnerable right now, that I'm confused, but I've never been more sure of what I want. You're my best friend, Harry, but I want us to be more than friends. And I'm finally ready to take that step...with you.”

He lifted his hands to cup her face, his eyes holding hers. “Merlin, are you sure about this?”

In answer, she leaned forward and kissed him softly, before pulling back and smiling at the ridiculous grin on his face.

“Um, I'd kind of like to take a shower first.”

He seemed to understand that she needed some time to prepare herself, physically and mentally, and picking up a towel, he wrapped it around his hips.

“Okay,” he said, heading for the door. “Yell if you need me to scrub your back.”

She grinned and when he'd gone, she pulled off the t-shirt and boxer shorts she was still wearing, pinned up her hair to stop it getting wet and stepped under the shower. After washing herself, she turned off the water and wrapping her body in a towel.

Walking back across the hall to the bedroom, she found Harry sitting on the bed, the towel still covering his modesty. He looked up when she entered, her smile mirrored on his face.

He held out a hand and she didn't hesitate to take it, trusting him completely. He drew her down onto his lap and slowly removed the pins from her hair, which tumbled to her shoulders. Cupping the back of her neck, he brought her mouth to his and kissed her with lingering gentleness. He didn't attempt to remove the towels or force intimacy, but as his kisses fanned the flames within her, she grew restless, her hips shifting in his lap and she felt his hard cock pressing insistently against her thigh.

“Mione...” he whispered against her lips.

“Mmm, Harry...”

“What do you need, sweetheart?” he asked as his mouth hovered over his pulse point.

“Need you...”

In response to her plea, he took hold of her hips and flipped them over so she was lying on her back. With a slightly wolfish smile, he tugged at her towel until it fell open, revealing her naked flesh to his hungry eyes.

“Merlin, Mione, you're so beautiful...”

She never believed herself to be beautiful and if it had come from any other man, she would have been sceptical of such a statement, but she knew that Harry wouldn't lie about something like that.

Then her thoughts scattered as he covered her breasts with his hands, teasing her aching nipples into hard points, before taking first one and then the other into his mouth, causing breathy moans to escape her. Leaving her breasts, he began move down her body, pressing open-mouthed kisses to her stomach and his tongue circling her navel along the way.

When he reached the space between her legs, she tensed slightly. No one had ever touched her there before - she hadn't even experimented on her own. Harry must have sensed this, because he looked up at her and then reached out one hand to lace his fingers with hers.

“Relax, sweetheart. I'm going to make you feel so good.”

He bent his head again and she cried out at the first stroke of his tongue. She had heard enough of Ginny's comments about Malfoy's `talents' to understand that the act was supposed to be very pleasurable for a woman, but this was beyond anything she could have imagined.

She gasped as he eased two fingers inside her, her body immediately clamping around the digits. His tongue focused on a particularly sensitive spot, teasing her slowly until she arched her back and her free hand twisted in his hair, silently begging him to give her the release her body craved.

Although she was a virgin, she wasn't completely ignorant of the mechanics of sex - having of course read extensively - and as the most delicious sensations skated through her body and pressure began to build in the pit of her stomach, she realised that she was moments away from experiencing her very first orgasm.

And then Harry began to suckle her clit while crooking his fingers inside her and her legs started to shake. As she came with a scream, stars burst in front of her eyes and her body shuddered uncontrollably, his name escaping her lips in whispered praise.

***

Mischief managed!

I'm sorry for stopping there but I didn't want to rush this part of the story because it's so important, so I've given you a taster (excuse the pun!) of Harry and Hermione together to whet your appetite!

The climax is up next...

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Disclaimer: All things pertaining to Harry Potter are the property of J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books/Scholastic Press and Warner Bros. I just like to play with them!

A/N: Ok, sorry once again for the time taken to post this. I had planned on finishing over the Easter break but I was visiting with my eight-month old nephew and he needed lots of cuddles. This is the last chapter (except for a short epilogue) and while you may have noticed that the previous chapters which from either Harry or Hermione's POV, this has been split into two parts, one for each. Hope you enjoy and I look forward to your comments.

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good...

***

Harry had accomplished many things in his young life.

He'd won the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth year at Hogwarts, achieved an Outstanding grade in his Defence Against The Dark Arts O.W.L., graduated top of his class in the Auror program and even defeated the greatest Dark wizard of all time. But none of these had given him as much pride as the knowledge that he had given Hermione Granger her first orgasm.

He moved up the bed and lay on his side next to her. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she opened her eyes and smiled lazily, before turning on her side and pulling him to her for a kiss.

Her hand slid over his chest and down his body to curl around his now throbbing cock. He groaned and gritted his teeth as he gave her the opportunity to explore, her fingers tracing the ridges and her thumb teasing the tip. The thought of her untutored hands on him learning how to please a man soon had him pulling her hand away for fear he would come before he even got inside her.

Moving her onto her back again, he settled himself between her thighs, loving the way she instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips. The head of his cock brushed her wet entrance and they both moaned.

Pulling back slightly, he reached for his wand on the bedside table and pressed it against her belly, whispering the necessary incantation. Her smile told him she appreciated that he had remembered the contraception charm.

Anchoring himself above her with one knee pinned to the bed, he cupped her face in both hands, green eyes meeting brown.

“Mione, sweetheart,” he said, his thumbs stroking her cheekbones. “Before we do this, I want you to know how amazing I think you are, how much I care about you and how much I cherish this gift that you're giving me.”

He had experienced more than his fair share of pain in his twenty-three years and consequently had always found it difficult to express his emotions. But with Hermione it just felt so natural.

“Oh Harry...” she whispered. “I'm so glad I waited. I'm so glad I'm doing this with you.”

Their lips met and slipping a hand down to take hold of his cock, he slid it inside her a couple of inches.

He slowly moved deeper until he met the barrier of her maidenhood and as he pushed forward, locking their bodies together, her mouth pulled from his as a cry left her lips.

“Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry...”

He'd heard that the first time for a woman was usually painful, but he'd desperately wanted to avoid hurting her.

“It's ok, it's ok, I...I just need a moment.”

Even though his body was screaming at him to move, he kept still, waiting for the pain to subside. Aside from Cho and Melinda, he'd only had one other lover, but he'd never been with a virgin before. Merlin, she felt incredible. So tight and hot and wet.

The clenching of her muscles around him as her body began to adjust to the invasion was threatening to tip him over the edge and he had to silently recite potions ingredients in an effort to regain control.

Little by little, her body began to move under his and he tentatively withdrew before pushing back inside her, pleased when the motion yielded a soft moan of pleasure from Hermione.

He moved slowly in and out, determined to draw out the experience for them both. He wanted her so badly, but he didn't want it to be over too quick. He hadn't known it before, but she was the woman he'd been waiting for his whole life, his soulmate, his other half and he wished he could make this last forever.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” he asked, the friction of his movements causing a fire to start burning in the pit of his stomach.

“It feels...strange,” she whispered.

He rested his forehead against hers. “Strange good, or strange bad?”

She closed her eyes and moaned as his pubic bone hit her clit on a downward stroke. “Ohhh...strange good...”

He grinned before kissing her softly. “Mmm...I aim to please.”

Her hips began rising to meet each thrust of his - she was catching on quickly, but then she'd always been a quick study. Her breathy moans were spurring him on and his thrusts quickened. She seemed to welcome the change in tempo, her ankles locking together in the small of his back.

“Oh...Harry...oh...”

He shifted his hips, changing the angle of his thrusts and if her sharp intake of breath was anything to go by, he had succeeded in finding the elusive bundle of nerves inside her that was guaranteed to transport her pleasure to the next plane.

He knew he wasn't going to last much longer - looking down at her lying beneath him, her eyes closed and her body flushed and covered in a fine sheen of perspiration. He was actually surprised that he'd lasted as long as he already had. He knew it wouldn't be long for her either, he could already feel her beginning to pulse around him and he wanted to last long enough to bring her to completion before letting himself go.

“Please...Harry...oh, please...”

“What is it, sweetheart? What do you want?” he asked, his body now moving like quicksilver. “This?”

His hand ghosted over her right breast, tweaking the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, causing her to gasp.

“Or this?”

His hand moved down and slid between them to the point where they were joined and centred on her clit, drawing tight little circles around it with his thumb.

“Harry...I need...I can't...”

He knew she was teetering on the edge of what promised to be a mind-blowing orgasm and he knew exactly what to he had to do. Never stilling his thrusts, he lowered himself until their bodies were touching at every point and suckling briefly on her left earlobe, he whispered in her ear.

“Come for me, sweetheart.”

The words had the desired effect and a spasm shot through her, her body arching beneath his, before she dissolved in a mass of tremors. The feel of her vice grip around him, milking him, snapped the thin thread of his control and with a couple of thrusts, he surrendered to the sweet bliss she had brought him to.

As they slowly came back down to earth, he withdrew from her body and collapsed beside her on the bed, his heartbeat still racing and his cock still semi-erect, proof that just one time with Hermione would not be enough to satisfy his desire.

He moved onto his side to watch her as her breathing slowed and she opened her eyes, a smile full of understanding gracing her lips.

“So, sweetheart, what's the verdict?” he asked her, his hand finding hers and bringing it to his mouth, brushing her knuckles with his lips.

“Are you kidding me?” she answered. “That's what I've been missing?”

Her smile grew wider.

“Let's do it again.”

***

Hermione sat in the living room at the Burrow.

She was trying to listen to what Luna was saying - her friend was talking about her wedding plans with Fleur and Angelina, the wives of Ron's brothers, Bill and George - but all she could think about was Harry.

He wasn't here yet. They had stayed in bed until midday beckoned and they knew they couldn't forgo lunch with the Weasleys without raising questions. Having only the outfit from the previous evening, she had had to Floo home first to get changed and had arranged to meet Harry at the Burrow.

Already she had been cornered by Ron and Luna who inquired about what happened at Lucky's the previous night and for a second she wondered what they were talking about. When she remembered, she almost laughed at the notion that making love with Harry had nearly made her forget about Alex and his betrayal.

Her body still throbbed with remembered pleasure and the muscles she had never used before were aching slightly. Beyond girlie chats with Ginny and Luna and the ever faithful written word, she hadn't really known what to expect from the experience, but making love with Harry had exceeded any expectations she might have had. He had been tender and gentle when she needed it and passionate and skilled when she wanted it. And the way he looked at her when he was inside her - as if there was nowhere else in the world he'd rather be at that moment.

Her attention was suddenly caught by the back door opening and Harry entering, immediately catching her eye and smiling, before coming over to greet Luna, Fleur and Angelina with hugs, earning himself a whack for his comment about not being able to get arms around the latter, who was eight months pregnant with her first child.

“I'm just glad it's not twins,” Angelina said. “Anyway, you'd better get out to the orchard. Some of the others are playing Quidditch and Draco's kicking up a stink because the teams are uneven.”

“Sounds dire. I just need to speak to Hermione for a second.”

Standing up, Hermione followed him out into the hallway where he promptly pressed her up against the wall and kissed her.

“Oh, I am liking this conversation,” she whispered, when he pulled back.

“I've missed you.”

“It's only been a couple of hours.”

“Too long,” he muttered, his mouth searching out hers again.

Their tongues intertwined as they tasted each other and Harry's hands slid into her curls, while hers teased the hair at the nape of his neck.

“So, what do you think we should tell everyone,” she asked, when he ended the kiss this time.

“Well...I was thinking we don't,” he suggested. “Not yet at least. I'd kind of like to keep you all to myself for a while.”

“Me too,” she said with a smile. “Now you'd better go and live up to your reputation of whipping Draco's ass at Quidditch.”

With a grin, he headed out to the garden shed to find a broomstick, while Hermione returned to the living room.

A short time later, Ron's mother, Molly announced that lunch was ready and everyone present assembled outside in the garden. In addition to Molly and her husband, Arthur and six out of the seven Weasley children and their partners (Percy and his wife Audrey had been unable to make it), there was also Bill and Fleur's two daughters, three-year old Victoire and one-year old Dominique.

After a delicious spread, including numerous desserts and an attempt by Harry to play footsie with her under the table, the Quidditch enthusiasts resumed their game and Hermione and Luna went to cheer them on, while Angelina went for a lie down and Fleur helped Molly clear up.

As the day wore on, the numbers dwindled as first George and Angelina and then Bill, Fleur and the girls said their goodbyes. Eventually, she and Harry also made their excuses, leaving Luna discussing bridesmaids' dresses with Ginny, Ron and Charlie playing Wizard's Chess and Draco reading the Sunday Prophet.

They Apparated directly into Harry's living room and Hermione gasped at the sight that met her. Candles littered every available surface and there was a fire burning in the grate. The coffee table was surrounded by cushions of all shapes and sizes and a bucket of ice containing a bottle of genuine French champagne sat on it next to a plate of strawberries. Harry's Muggle stereo was playing a soft jazz tune.

“Harry...what on earth is all this?”

Harry grinned as he ran a hand through his hair. “Well...I think I read somewhere that most girls want their first time to be steeped in romance. Now, I know this isn't technically going to be your first time, or your second...or even your third...but I figured you deserve to have it done right.”

“Oh, Harry...” she whispered, pressing her lips against his, before pulling back suddenly. “But how did you...?”

She was interrupted by a throat being cleared and she turned and saw Kreacher standing in the kitchen doorway. Although Harry didn't live at Grimmauld Place, he hadn't sold it - it being his last connection to his godfather, Sirius Black - Kreacher lived there, maintaining the house until Harry had need of him.

“Does Master and Miss require anything else?” he asked.

“No, thank you, Kreacher,” Harry replied. “You can go home.”

With a low bow, Kreacher Disapprated.

Taking Hermione's hand, Harry lead her further into the room and they settled themselves on the cushions. He then poured them each a glass of champagne and proposed a toast to their burgeoning relationship.

Picking up a strawberry, she brought it to Harry's mouth. He took her offering, his tongue brushing her fingers as he did so and causing a shiver to race down her spine.

They continued to feed each other until all the fruit was gone and then she saw a wicked grin cross Harry's face before his fingers dipped into the bucket and pulled out an ice cube. He placed it on her pulse point, causing her to gasp as it quickly melted from the heat of her skin and trickled down the valley between her breasts. Pulling her to him, he kissed her, his fingers moving to the hem of her dress, pushing it up and over her head, before removing her bra and then taking more ice and rubbing it over her already hardened nipples.

Their clothes melted away like snow on a hot chimney as they tortured each other with the ice, including, to Harry's groaning approval, when Hermione decided to tease his hard cock and then take him into her mouth, bringing him to a swift climax. After making love in front of the fire, Harry carried her to the candlelit bedroom, where the bed was strewn with rose petals and made love to her again.

“You know,” he said, as they basked in the afterglow. “I never would've thought I'd be lying here with you like this.”

“I know,” she agreed. “But you know sometimes the best things are the things you least expect.”

Harry brought his fingers to her chin and tilted her face towards his. “And this is good, isn't it, sweetheart? Us?”

Hermione smiled, moving closer and pressing a kiss to his chest. “It's perfect.”

***

Mischief managed!

Well, this is almost it. Thanks to all of you who stuck around. I've always had mixed feelings about my writing so it's been good to know some of you enjoy it (though this was not my best work). Stay tuned for the epilogue...

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Disclaimer: All things pertaining to Harry Potter are the property of J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books/Scholastic Press and Warner Bros. I just like to play with them!

A/N: Ok, well, I thought this would be relatively easy to write, since I knew pretty much what I wanted to say, but I just haven't been feeling very inspired these past couple of weeks. So sorry it's taken me a while to get this out, but now it's done - yay! This is actually longer than I was planning for it to be - though not as long as the other chapters (sorry to disappoint those of you who felt the other chapters were not long enough!) Anyways, thanks to those of you who've stuck with this and hope this wraps everything up for you - please let me know what you think!

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good...

***

Harry and Hermione sat at one of a dozen round tables under a marquee in the garden at the Burrow, drinking elf-made wine.

It was Ron and Luna's wedding day and the pair watched the happy couple as they mingled with their guests. Luna looked beautiful, her dress white with crystal beading and a fishtail skirt, while her new husband looked resplendent in black dress robes and didn't look in the least like his Great Aunt Tessie.

Harry's arm was resting on the back of Hermione's chair, his thumb stroking the curve of her shoulder, while her hand rested lightly on his thigh. Both gestures spoke of the intimacy of their relationship, which had recently reached the six month mark. Despite both wishing to keep said relationship under wraps for at least a time, thanks to Ron, that time had lasted less than three weeks.

The third member of the Trio had come by Harry's flat unannounced one Saturday morning to see if Harry wanted to go out for breakfast with the pretence of discussing his upcoming stag do. In fact, Luna had put him on a diet in preparation for the wedding - ironic considering her nickname at Hogwarts was Loony Lovegood and any sane person knew never to try to come between Ron Weasley and his food.

Nevertheless, for one of only a handful of times in his young life, food was the farthest thing from Ron's mind when he walked in on his two best friends in flagrante delicto on the kitchen table. Though for the most part, they were both still dressed, Harry still teased Hermione about grabbing a pair of oven mitts to cover her naked breasts. And while it had understandably been an embarrassing experience, the look on Ron's face and how he'd subsequently turned around so fast that he walked into the doorframe, had been priceless.

And since Ron was as good at keeping secrets as he was at dieting, the news spread like wildfire through the Weasley family, with a few choice comments coming from certain members of the clan. And a couple of months later, a photograph of them kissing after the Chudley Cannons won the League Cup for the first time in over a hundred years beneath the headline `The Boy Who Loved', took the wizarding world by storm.

Given Harry's status, the media had always been interested in his associations with women, but they paid infinitely more attention to his relationship with Hermione, perhaps due to her own notoriety following the war. Or maybe the story of two best friends falling in love was like a fix for those members of the public who thrived on celebrity gossip. Whatever the reason, Harry, who had more than a little experience in dealing with Rita Skeeter wannabes, used his considerable influence - which was considerable - to shield Hermione from the media circus.

Alex' response to the news had been predictable. Initially, he'd tried to persuade her to take him back and on the Monday morning following that Saturday night, he'd come by her office, although her secretary had turned him away on Hermione's prior instruction. Unperturbed, he'd later cornered her in the canteen, only to beat a hasty retreat after Harry arrived and began making his way over, his hand reaching for his wand.

But when he found out that Hermione and Harry were a couple, he began by making insinuations that Hermione had been seeing Harry while they were still together, before arriving the Ministry's annual summer ball with the French ho-bag on his arm. Hermione almost literally had to restrain Harry from subjecting him to, in his words, `a hex that would wipe the smile right off that smarmy git's face'.

When Harry asked her how she could be so calm, she told him with a smirk worthy of Malfoy that she'd hexed both Alex and his date so that at precisely the stroke of midnight when Minister Shacklebolt stood up to give his speech, the words `BASTARD' and `SLUT' would appear on their foreheads, glowing and blinking like neon signs.

Harry's pride at his girlfriend's method of revenge was only surpassed by his amusement of the demonstration of said revenge, especially when she later told him that the hex would last for a whole year and would appear whenever the pair were in public, conforming to the language of each person who saw them or talked to them - ironic considering they soon left for France, Alex taking back his former job at the French Ministry.

Ron and Luna were now sharing their first dance as a married couple and before long they were joined by Arthur and Molly and Bill and Fleur. Harry and Hermione were heading for the parquet dance floor, when their attention was drawn to the entrance to the marquee, where Ginny was standing, her green dress looking a little creased and her hair sporting a few more tendrils that earlier.

Suddenly Draco appeared behind her, his dress robes decidedly rumpled. Add to that the fact that his cravat was undone, his shirt was unbuttoned at the neck and his normally slicked back hair was sticking up in a few places and it was clear that Ginny had meant what she said earlier when she'd whispered to Hermione that she wanted to sneak Draco upstairs for a quickie in her childhood bed.

Harry looked at Hermione and rolled his eyes, before pulling her into his arms and starting to move with the music. The pair of them were absolutely incorrigible. When Ginny found out about Hermione and Harry, she'd insisted on her and Luna coming over Hermione's flat for a girlie night in to get all the gossip - and was sorely disappointed when Hermione failed to `kiss and tell'.

Saying that, the couple did have one thing for which to be thankful to Ginny and her tendency to overshare. Not long after their relationship was made public, they were shopping in Diagon Alley, when they stumbled upon Astoria's Secret. Seeing a blush to rival Ron climbing up Harry's face, Hermione's eyes had narrowed and she'd pestered him until he confessed to peaking in her bag the day she came over to his flat and told him her plans to lose her virginity.

Hermione's laughter at his admission and her reminder that if he hadn't looked in the bag, he might never have started out on the path of realising he found her attractive, had him following her into the store. Once inside, she teased him to within an inch of his sanity and he ended up purchasing every item she picked up, before Apparating them directly back to his flat for a private fashion show, audience of one.

After dancing three numbers in a row, the pair decided to take a break and returned to their table.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?” Harry asked, as they sat down.

Hermione grinned. “Yes, I think that was the fifth time.”

“Well, have I told you how much I love you?”

Even though it wasn't the first time he'd said it, her heart still skipped a beat.

She pretended to think. “No, I don't seem recall anything like that.”

Harry chuckled. “Well, I do. I love you, Hermione Granger.”

He leaned forward to kiss her softly, before pulling back to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. Then he stopped, seemingly waiting for something.

“Well, don't you have something to say to me?”

Her face was a picture of innocence, but upon closer inspection, there was a wicked glint in her eye.

“Oh, I'm sorry...would you like some more wine?”

Harry chuckled. “Minx. If you don't say it, I'm going to have to torture you until you do say it.”

He squeezed her knee, his fingers playing with the hem of her dress, making it clear exactly what kind of torture he had in mind.

Hermione's eyes sparkled with a mixture of mirth and anticipation. “Mmm, before you do, I think you ought to know…” she leaned forward to whisper in his ear, giving him a great view of her cleavage. “…I'm wearing something new from Astoria…custom made.”

She bit gently on his earlobe and then flicked out her tongue to soothe the sting.

“Okay,” Harry said, standing up. “Time to go home.”

“But they haven't cut the cake yet,” Hermione protested.

Harry threw her a look of pure, unadulterated lust. “The only thing I want to taste right now is you.”

It was a look that would have had her agreeing the sky was orange if he asked her to.

“Yeah, home sounds good.”

They drifted between the tables, saying goodbye to the other guests, before locating the newlyweds to apologise for cutting out early, claiming Hermione had a headache - to which both Ron and Luna gave knowing smiles.

Leaving the festivities behind, they Apparated back to Harry's flat and the second they arrived, Harry pushed Hermione up against the wall and dropped to his knees, before pushing her dress up to get a look at his girlfriend's latest purchase from Astoria.

When he saw the red lace with gold trim encircling her hips, he grinned and looked up at her. “Exploring your Gryffindor roots, huh?”

Hermione smiled. “You like?”

“Very sexy,” he said, noting with satisfaction the damp spot between her legs which had darkened the lace and the scent of her arousal filling his nostrils.

She licked her lips. “There's more.” When he raised an eyebrow, she whispered, “Touch me.”

He chuckled at her demand, but obliged, trailing his right hand up her leg until he reached the crevice between her thighs. His hand shifted to trace her through the material of her knickers, but as soon as he touched the garment, it disappeared and his fingers slid unhindered over her hot, wet flesh, making her gasp as they brushed against her clit.

Getting over his momentary surprise, Harry flashed a wicked grin and before she had a chance to think, he was back on his feet ravishing her mouth. “So vanishing knickers, huh?” he whispered against her lips.

Hermione bit back a moan as his fingers continued idly playing in her wetness and nodded. “If a wizard's...wand is used...to cast...Evanesco...on them...they're charmed...to respond only...to that wizard's magic and touch.”

He pulled back for a moment. “So that's where my wand disappeared to this morning? I knew I didn't leave it in the bathroom.”

“Um...sorry,” Hermione mock pouted. “Forgive me?”

“Well...” Harry appeared to be considering his response. “A little punishment may be in order...”

Without warning, he slid two fingers inside her and she cried out.

“Now, wasn't there also something you were supposed to say to me?” he asked, as he moved them rapidly in and out, the pressure building quickly, while he nipped at her neck.

“I don't think...” she panted.

He pinched her clit and she came, clenching around his fingers.

“Oh, Merlin...I...oh...Harry...love you...oh...”

He kissed her softly as she came back down, before pulling his fingers from her and licking them clean. “Now that wasn't so hard, was it?”

Hermione looked at him from under half-closed eyes, before sliding her hand down to cup the bulge in his trousers. “I beg to differ...”

Harry groaned, placing his hand over hers. “Well, sweetheart, that's a given around you.”

She smiled, secure in the knowledge that Harry never stopped wanting her, before tugging at his cravat. “So what say we go do something about it?”

He pulled back and gestured in the direction of his bedroom. “Lead the way, sweetheart.”

And as she took his hand and lead him towards his room, where they would undoubtedly spend the next few hours making hot, passionate, orgasm-inducing love, Harry Potter silently gave thanks to Merlin and Circe and most of all to Astoria Greengrass, whose `secrets' had lead to his discovery of the most amazing secret of all: that he was now and always would be...in love with Hermione Granger.

***

Mischief managed!

Well, that's all folks!

Hope you liked it and a BIG thank you to `dennisud' for giving me the idea of how Hermione could get revenge on Alex - loved it, hun (though I made a slight addition)! I'm currently working on a few ideas for my next fic but nothing definite as yet so just keep an eye out...

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