Things changed quickly. It was nothing obvious, at least not to anyone that wasn't Harry and Hermione. The two acted the same outwardly. Harry held her hand. Hermione leaned into his side. They smiled at each other, shared silent conversations, and sat for hours together in companionable silence. Everything seemed the same.
Except it wasn't.
Harry's eyes lingered on Hermione. They had since the start of the Family Planning class but Valentine's Day had added a new level of intensity to his stares. He wanted her. His emerald eyes burned with heat. His fingers lingered along her waist and in her hair.
He left Hermione breathless.
She found herself leaning into him just to see his eyes darken and his pupils dilate. She loved the feel of his fingers dancing along her sides. His smile made her warm and flushed.
It was a problem. One that both were thoroughly enjoying. They teased each other, testing the waters of this sudden pool of sexual tension they'd found themselves in. They'd yet to do anything about it and neither were motivated to. Why mess with a good thing?
/\
Harry was smiling at her again. Hermione paused mid sentence in her essay and turned to him. Her eyebrow rose imperiously. "May I help you, Mr. Potter?"
He continued to smile at her. "How's your essay going?"
"Well, it was going fine but someone keeps distracting me."
Harry shook his head. "What a monster." She wrinkled her nose at him.
Jamie was fast asleep in his bassinet in front of them in Family Planning class. They were using the time to work on papers, or they were trying. Studying had become a bit more difficult since things had sort of changed.
Hermione turned back to her paper.
Harry leaned close and growled lowly in her ear. Hermione burst into laughter. "Oh, merlin." Harry chuckled as he watched Hermione's shoulders shake. She bent over her books and laughed. Her hair fell across her face and over the table.
Hermione's laughter began to subside and Harry quickly tickled her sides. Hermione gasped. "No!" He wrapped his arms around her and continued to tickle her. She tried to push him away but ended up half in his lap instead. "Harry!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and Harry finally stopped tickling her. Her face buried in his neck as she continued to laugh under her breath. "Is this what you wanted," she said into his neck, "you monster?"
Harry smirked. "Always." Hermione smiled.
"How sweet!" The young couple froze. A bucket of ice cold water might as well have been dropped on them. They slowly pulled apart and Hermione slid back into her seat. Umbridge stood on the other side of their table, her smile wide and terrifying. "And how are we doing over here, today?"
"Good," they mumbled.
"Wonderful." She peered into the bassinet at the sleeping baby. "How cute. Hmm…" She smiled at them, her eyes glinting. "Carry on." Umbridge's cold eyes lingered on them as she moved around the room.
Harry and Hermione shared an uneasy look. They did not carry on.
Hermione turned back to her essay, one Harry only just then realized she was writing with muggle pen and paper. He leaned closer. "What are you working on?"
"Oh, uhm… a paper for one of my university applications." Harry nodded. Hermione's parents had pushed her to take her GCSE Exam over the summer. She'd studied nonstop for weeks and now that she'd passed - with flying colours - Hermione was working on applications to continue her muggle education. Harry had nearly forgotten about it since Hermione didn't like talking about it much. Anyone she'd told hadn't understood why she'd wanted to continue her muggle education - which was useless in the magical world. Ron figured it was because Hermione loved work. Harry knew it was for her parents.
Ever since Hermione and he had come back from Australia with her parents, she'd been on a drive to regain their love. Harry was of the opinion she'd never lost it, but Hermione wouldn't be swayed. She felt guilty for rearranging their memories for a year, uprooting their lives and lying to her extended family. It had protected the Grangers, but at the cost of their relationship with their daughter.
Things had been tense in the Granger household ever since their return from Australia. When they'd come to her with plans for her to fast track or as they put it "catch up on the schooling she otherwise would already be enrolled in if things had gone according to plan," Hermione had jumped to accept.
Harry had misgivings about the whole thing. But so far, Hermione hadn't seemed stressed about the university applications. The baby had stressed her out more than anything. Hermione thrived on having lots of things to do. But Harry was aware that - just like in third year - Hermione had a limit.
"That's going well?" Hermione's brow furrowed and she looked up at him. "Your muggle applications, I mean?"
"Oh! Yes, I'm enjoying it a lot actually. I need to send some of the last of it in, it's already fairly late. I was going to do it when I went home for Easter Hols but…" They both turned to look at their sleeping baby. There was no way Hermione would be able to get away for more than a day, not while she was still breastfeeding, which she would be.
"We could work something out?"
Hermione shook her head. "It's fine, I've already mailed my parents. I told them I need to stay to work on a magical project I can't take home." They shared an amused glance. "I'm going to mail them my papers. They'll send everything in for me that hasn't already been taken care of over Christmas break."
"That's really exciting." He was proud of her, despite his misgivings about her motivations. "Are you still leaning towards studying law?"
Hermione nodded and her eyes lit up in that beautiful way they always did when she talked about things she was interested in. "Medical studies as well. It's a double major. I can't decide which I want to do."
Harry smiled Hermione's favourite smile; a soft, loving smile. "You'll be brilliant no matter what you do."
She kissed his cheek.
/\
"Okay! Okay. It's done." Hermione finished editing the last part to her muggle essay. She'd needed to finish her last one that weekend and it had taken up the entire room, quite literally. Scrap papers, muggle pens, and several empty teacups were strewn across their bed. Harry and Jamie had been relegated to the floor for play time. Her only real breaks had been food for her and food for Jamie.
Harry sat up from where he was playing with Jamie on a blanket surrounded by baby toys. "Really?"
Hermione's eyes were still frantically scanning the pages. She nodded. "Yes, I think so. I'll mail it to my parents and they can type it up and email it in." Hermione sighed heavily. "This is so complicated. Why doesn't Hogwarts have a computer? They should really update the Muggle Studies classroom."
"Probably." He picked Jamie up and stood. "But maybe we should save that battle for another day." He held the baby against his chest and nodded at the mess on the bed. "I'll clean this mess up, you can feed Jamie and put him down for a nap. Then I'll mail your paper off and you can take a shower."
She narrowed her eyes. "Are you telling me I smell, Mr. Potter?"
He nodded. "100% - the same amount you're going to have for your acceptance rate."
Hermione smiled. She raised her hands and gestured to him. "Give me my baby." He passed Jamie over to her and went about cleaning up the multitude of scrap papers. A few muggle books that had been referenced were placed back on the shelves in alphabetical order by the author - the only way Hermione allowed her personal library to be organized.
"We need another one," Hermione commented from the bed where she was feeding Jamie.
Harry snorted. "We're not getting another bookcase. That'll just give you incentive to bring more books into our room and I think the place will combust if you do that."
Hermione sniffed. "There's no such thing as too many books." He turned to smile at her but froze when he found her topless. No matter how many times he saw her breastfeeding Jamie, it never failed to freeze him up. She rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention to the baby.
"I'm gonna go send this off to your parents." Harry scrambled for the essay and folded it carefully. "Have you got a letter to go with it?" Hermione nodded and pointed to a piece of parchment by her bedside table. Harry took it and headed out of the room.
Hermione shook her head. Harry never said anything when Hermione breastfed, but he was often visibly uncomfortable when she did it topless. Somedays, she did it just to rile him. He needed to get over his childish phobia of the female body. Or maybe it was just her body, a vindictive voice whispered in her ear. No, she knew that wasn't true. Harry's very interested reaction to her body on Valentine's Day had proved that.
Hermione turned her attention back to Jamie. He'd grown incredibly since they'd first got him over two months ago. He was still tiny, especially in comparison to the older babies, but he had gotten longer and his tummy rounder. His dark curls had grown a bit, or Hermione thought they might have. It was hard to tell when the curls simply got curlier as they grew. They were certainly darker and covered more of his head. His eyes were still a startling blue. Hermione was still holding her breath for them to change green, no matter what colour the gem on her bracelet was. She looked down at the thin gold chain on her left wrist. She smiled.
Jamie's eyes slowly fell shut. Hermione waited until he was fast asleep before she set him in his crib. She sighed. Paper done. Baby fed. Shower was next on her list of things to do.
By the time Harry returned to their room, Hermione was showered and changed. She glanced over her shoulder when she saw him. "Brilliant, Jamie is asleep. Want to study a bit before-"
"-Study?" Harry was incredulous. "You just spent the last three days on that essay. Don't you want to relax a bit?"
Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."
"You haven't read Hogwarts: A Historysince the Family Planning class started up."
She paused. Her eyes narrowed on him. "How did you know that?"
He leaned forward, his smile far more enticing than Hermione would ever be willing to admit. "I'm observant."
She smiled playfully. "Well, I guess it had to happen eventually."
"Oh, ho!" he laughed as she brushed past. She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, barely touching him, as she went by him. "Wait a second-" he grabbed her wrist and spun her around. "You call that a kiss?" He ducked his head to kiss her cheek as Hermione turned her own head to kiss his and - they were kissing. Their lips lingered against one another as they both slowly realized what had happened. Their eyes fluttered shut and they revelled in the simple touch. The exquisite feeling of their lips touching.
They both pulled back a fraction of an inch. A breathless second passed.
And then they were kissing again. Harry cupped Hermione's face in his hands, holding her jaw tenderly as he kissed and nipped at her lips. Hermione's fingers grasped the front of his shirt. She pulled him closer. Harry's tongue teased her lips and Hermione eagerly opened her mouth. She only barely managed to keep her moan in as Harry thoroughly snogged her.
Hermione's fingers trailed downward. She grasped the bottom of his shirt and pushed him back a bit before pulling the shirt over his head. Harry blinked and barely had time to fix his glasses before Hermione was grabbing his face and dragging his lips back to her own again. Harry pulled her close and lifted her up. She let out a gasp and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Her fingers dragged through his hair, lightly scraping across his scalp. Harry groaned. He turned and the two fell back onto the bed together. The mattress squeaked as it bounced. Hermione pushed Harry onto his back and quickly straddled him.
Shit. Harry had never been so turned on in his life. She stripped her shirt off. Scratch that, Harry thought. Now he'd never been so turned on.
Hermione's hair fell over the pillows, curtaining their faces as she kissed him. Harry's fingers touched her cheek gently as they glided back and threaded through her curls. She pulled back a fraction. Her smile sent a thrill through Harry's body.
She kissed his chin. His chest. Her lips trailed kisses down the length of his torso. His muscles flexed as he tensed. Harry sucked in a breath through clenched teeth when Hermione's fingers grasped his belt. She sat back on his thighs and quickly unbuckled his jeans and undid the zipper. Harry lifted his hips to help her as she slid his trousers off.
They hit a snag when she got to his ankles and both realized he still had his runners on. Harry sat up and they tried to get his shoes off. "Christ," he cursed and Hermione laughed. She kicked off her own shoes as Harry finally pulled one off. He'd just managed to free himself of his other shoe and his socks when Hermione straddled his lap in nothing but cotton panties and her nursing bra.
Harry's breath left him. Her skin was smooth. Her eyes warm and glowing. She flipped her hair over to one side. She was beautiful. "Are we really doing this?"
Hermione paused at his question. Her only response was to silently unhook the front of her bra and let it slide from her arms. Harry's eyes widened. He smiled. "Yes," he breathed in victory. They were doing this. Hermione laughed and kissed him. He fell back against the bed, bringing the witch in his arms down on top of him. His fingers skimmed the side of her breasts.
"No longer scared of them?" she teased as she pulled back to smile down at him.
"Oh, 'Mione," his hand cupped the back of her head, "it was never fear in my eyes." Her cheeks turned pink and Harry got the infinite pleasure of watching her flush down to the top of her chest. Hermione closed the distance between them once more. Harry's fingers curled in her hair and she sighed into the kiss.
Hermione squealed in surprise when he flipped her over. He kissed her deeply before his lips travelled down her body, following the same path as hers had on him. He made a detour towards one of her breasts and Hermione hissed. Harry pulled back. She shook her head. "Too sore."
"Okay," he nodded and pulled his weight off of her, "we can stop."
"No," she grabbed at his shoulders. "Don't stop."
"Are you sure?" Hermione grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. He took that to mean she was very sure. He pulled back. "That's a yes, then?"
Hermione groaned and kissed him again. "Yes, it's a yes, stop talking." Harry smiled. He pushed her back down and continued his kisses down her body. He bypassed her chest and moved down to another area he knew could get her exactly as aroused as he already was. Her fingers tangled in his hair as he played with her over her panties. She gasped when he lightly added his teeth. His fingers hooked into the sides of her knickers and he slowly slid them down her long, tanned legs.
He pressed his lips against the soft skin at her inner thigh before moving to the juncture between her legs. Hermione sighed and her body relaxed into the bed as Harry's tongue and lips gently played with her. Her head fell back against the pillows and her fingers tangled in his hair once more. He sucked on her clit and she gasped. "Harry…"
Her toes curled into the soft bedspread. Harry's mouth on her was hot. Tingles shot through her body as her nipples tightened. The muscles in her stomach tensed as quickly as they'd relaxed moments ago. Hermione bucked her hips. Harry wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her hips back down to the mattress. He continued his ministrations, lingering where she gasped and moaned. Her fingers tightened in his hair. Her back arched and she cried out.
Harry's eyes glittered. He looked up at her - face still between her thighs - as he watched her come down from her high. Hermione laughed breathlessly. Harry wiped his mouth and chin before sitting up. He took off his boxers and held out his hand. His wand flew into it and he pressed the tip to Hermione's stomach before whispering the contraception charm. He tossed his wand to the side and grabbed her hand before pulling her up to a sitting position. "You good?"
"Oh, I'm fabulous." She shook her hair out and loosely wrapped her arms around Harry's neck as she straddled his thighs. "You're very talented, Mr. Potter."
Harry laughed. "Would you like to see another talent of mine?"
She smirked as one of her hands slowly trailed down his chest. "I think I already have." He gasped when she wrapped her hand around his impressed length and smiled when she kissed his mouth. He grabbed her thighs and helped her up. Hermione hissed as he entered her. Harry paused, letting her adjust before he pushed on. She gasped. Her nails bit into his shoulders and a little line formed between her brows.
They breathed. Their bodies flush against one another. Hermione's eyes fluttered shut. His hands felt along her spine. She rolled her hips. Harry's gasp turned into a low moan. They moved together, finding a rhythm as naturally as they did everything in their relationship. Friends, family, lovers.
Harry swore as she increased her pace. His fingers pressed into her hips hard enough to leave bruises. He thrust up from beneath her. She clenched down around him, dragging out a long groan from him. Harry closed his eyes, feeling the edge coming closer. His hand slipped between the two of them as he tried to push Hermione there first. She gasped his name.
"Come on, love," he whispered. Hermione cried out. Her head lolled back as she groaned in bliss.
It happened in a flash. She didn't notice, in the throes of her orgasm, until she realized Harry had paused. She met his gaze and her eyes drew downwards at where he was looking. "Oh my god." She'd lactated mid-orgasm all over the both of them.
"Uhm…" Harry didn't know what to say. He was trying desperately not to laugh.
Hermione covered her burning face with her hands. "I'm so sorry."
"It's - Hermione it's fine." She groaned. "Did we know this would happen?"
She shook her head. "I forgot," she mumbled into her hands.
He waved his hand and the breastmilk disappeared. "It's fine." He pulled her hands away from her face and kissed her. "I'm not upset but I think Jamie might be when he wakes up." She groaned in further embarrassment while Harry chuckled.
/\
Harry rested his head back against his clasped hands, perfectly satisfied. He turned and smiled charmingly at Hermione in all her tousled glory. Her hair was a mess and Harry couldn't be more proud of it. "So who was it?" She raised an eyebrow. "I know you never slept with Ron."
Hermione raised her other eyebrow. She tried to hide her amusement. "Past relationships, really, Mr. Potter? Right after sex? Isn't that a faux pas or something?"
His smile turned into a smirk. "Well versed on all the faux pas of sexual exploits, are you?"
She rolled her eyes. "During the trip, I had to France with my parents. They spent a lot of time at conferences or doing, Merlin knows what, and I met this boy." She smiled. "He took me all around Paris."
Harry turned onto his side and mirrored Hermione position with his head in his hand. "What was his name?"
"Jean-Paul."
Harry nodded in approval. "Good, classic French name."
Hermione laughed. She hit his arm. "What about you? You may be a natural at most things, Mr. Potter, but even I know thatwasn't a first timer's natural ability." He wiggled his eyebrows. "So come on then," she cajoled with a laugh, "because I know you didn't sleep with Ginny."
Harry couldn't deny that. "This past summer, you remember Fleur's cousins came to visit to celebrate her pregnancy." Hermione's eyes widened. "You remember Jolee?"
"You didn't!"
Harry made a face. "If it helps any, she came on to me."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course she did, you're you." Hermione shook her head. "I can't believe you slept with Jolee. I can't believe you slept with Jolee and didn't tell me."
"You didn't tell me about Jean-Paul," he shot back.
"That was just before fifth year, there was a lot going on and… it's not exactly like we ever talked about sex." He raised his eyebrows and she sighed. "Okay, fair point."
Harry pushed her hair back from her face. "Are you really upset about it?" She wrinkled her nose as she thought about it. She shook her head. "Good." He kissed her nose. Hermione didn't say anything. "You're going to go over every interaction I had with you this summer, aren't you?"
"I want to know when it happened!" she exploded. He rolled onto his back as he laughed. She smacked his chest. "I can't believe you kept it from me."
"Said the girl who claimed she was fine with it."
"Oh, shush you." She leaned her head down on his chest and snuggled up against his body.
Harry's fingers trailed along her spine. "Is this the new sleepwear protocol because I have to say, I'll be perfectly okay with it." Hermione snorted in amusement. She smiled.