A Terribly LATE entry to the THIRD wave
I'm terribly sorry this is so late. RL and a blocked muse conspired to leave me missing the deadline for the Third Wave. Well I finally finished it and I'm still not entirely happy with it but tarie is graciously allowing me to post it anyway. Thanks, Tarie!
Author: MononWalker
Challenge: The Trio attempt to "mark" as many rooms in the castle as possible.
Category: At Hogwarts
Title: Someone Else's Eyes
Summary: It is a few weeks after the Trio get together in their 7th year and they aren't as careful as they think they are. The beginning weeks of the Trio's relationship as seen through the eyes of others.
Warnings: Vague references to BDSM. References to AD/MM. Spoilers through OotP.
Word Count: 9753
Rating: R
Author's Note: This is a continuation of my story "Snowbound" where I tell my version of how the trio got together. The scenes in this story are inspired by the fics "Gryffindor Girls" and "Gryffindor Boys" by simons_flower and can be found here. I've always thought these were the best "outing the Trio" stories that I've read. I want to thank her profusely for allowing me to play with her stories and flesh out the background.
Also, many thanks to annearchy for the beta assistance.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, Scholastic, etc., etc., all hail the Queen of Hogwarts. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I own nothing here. Really; nothing at all.
From Snowbound:
Their breathing became ragged, their moans filling the small space. Harry could feel that familiar tingle beginning in the pit of his stomach. He was getting close; he could tell Ron was, too. In moments, he knew he would be riding the wave of pleasure that would crash through him; it was heightened by the fact it was his best friend that was bringing him so much pleasure; as much pleasure as he was giving his friend.
And they would have reached their climax, except at that moment the door crashed open. Thinking the wind had blown it open, Harry turned towards the entrance of the hut.
His eyes widened as he saw a figure framed in the doorway, silhouetted by the stars, its cloak flapping in the wind, a bushy mass of hair billowing around its head. It held a wand in one hand, its tip glowing; in the other hand it clutched a broom.
"Hermione!" shouted Ron. Yes, it was Hermione.
"Harry!" she squealed. "Ron. Thank goodness!"
"Shut the door!" Ron hollered. "The wind!"
Quickly, Hermione stepped in to the room and shoved the door closed. Turning back, she began to cross the space to them, saying, "Thank heavens you're here. You're all right! You're ..." She stopped short. "You're naked," she said, turning away.
Harry wrapped one of the blankets around himself and handed one to Ron. He wasn't embarrassed to be caught this way; he didn't want Hermione to be uncomfortable seeing her two best friends without their clothing.
"Our Hermione," Ron said, grinning as he pulled the blanket over his shoulders. "Can't pull one over on her, can we?"
"It's okay, Hermione," Harry said. She hazarded a glance towards them. Seeing they were covered now, she turned to face them again. "How did you find us?"
"Well, it was easy," she began. Harry saw Ron shake his head, giving her a skeptical look. "Well, it wasn't all that difficult. Most of the students were stuck in Hogsmeade during the storm. When you didn't come back with the others, I asked Lavender and Parvati if they had seen you two. They said they saw you leave before the storm hit.
"I checked the Marauder's Map and couldn't find you anywhere in the school or the grounds so I knew you were in trouble. I tried a locator spell for you but it wouldn't give me a specific direction, so I tried it on your wands. A locator spell works much better when trying to find an object with magical properties you know."
She continued, her words becoming a rush. "I was horribly worried when it pointed into the Forbidden Forest. So I grabbed your Firebolt, Harry -- I hope you don't mind -- and flew out straight away, but all I could find were your wands." She reached into her cloak and pulled out their wands. "Here they are, by the way." She closed the space between them and handed each of them their instruments. "You really need to keep better track of them, although seeing the spill you must have taken down that hill I don't wonder that you didn't kill yourselves." Both Harry and Ron grinned sheepishly, their ears pinking.
"So I tried locating on you again and this time it pointed me here and so here I am. You really should know better by now not to wander around in this forest," she admonished them as she glanced around the hut. It had warmed up considerably; the logs in the fireplace were now blazing away. "But I can see that you've got a cozy little setup here." She looked at them, then stared at her shoes as she said quietly, "I guess ... I guess you really didn't need me to come find you."
"Wait a minute," said Ron. "You flew Harry's Firebolt out here to rescue us?"
Harry gawked at her; Hermione was terrified of flying, especially on brooms. And in a snowstorm, no less.
"Well, yes," she said, an edge coming into her voice. "I already told you that I was terribly frightened that you were hurt and I couldn't Apparate on the school grounds and I thought you might have needed my help." Harry saw a flush darken her cheeks as she lowered her voice, "But I guess you didn't need me after all."
"Hermione," Harry said quietly. "What ever do you mean?"
She quickly turned and strode to the door. "I should be going then."
"Hermione, wait," Harry called. He felt as though he was losing her; that if she walked out the door at that moment, she'd be gone forever. "Hermione, tell me. What are you saying?"
She paused, her hand on the door latch. "It's just ..." she sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's just that I've loved you both so much for so long. I've known you practically since that first day on the Hogwarts Express. I don't know when I fell in love with the both of you; I just realized that I had and had been for a long time."
She turned and looked at them before dropping her gaze to the floor. "And since then, I've worried that someday I'd be forced to make a choice between the two of you and that would have been a disaster to our whole friendship."
She took a deep breath before continuing, her eyes closing. "But now I see that you two are together and I needn't have worried about making that choice. You've already made your choice and ..." she turned back towards the door, her voice shaking. Harry could see a tear slowly rolling down her cheek. "And you don't need me," she said so quietly he could barely hear her.
As she said those words, Harry realized that she was wrong. He did need her. She was the part that was still missing. She was his other best friend, the other one who knew him best, the other one he would miss most. She was the one who, along with Ron, would make him whole, to complete him. It would be the two of them, beside him, that would give him the strength, the courage, the love to continue, to persevere no matter the obstacles.
He looked at Ron and saw the same expression in his eyes. It was the same knowledge that, together, the three of them could conquer anything life threw at them. And that it would take all three of them to do so; that theirs was a unique bond in the entire world -- a trio, a triumvirate.
A slight grin tugged the corner of Ron's mouth as Harry nodded, acknowledging the thought that passed through their minds at the same time.
Both pointing their wands towards the door, they called out, "Accio Hermione!" She squeaked as she flew through the air, landing between the two boys. They both reached out and grasped the items she held in her hands; Ron took the broomstick and set it on the other side of him, Harry taking her wand and setting it on the floor beside him. They then both took one of her hands in theirs.
"Don't you know, Hermione," Ron said quietly. "We'll always need you." He grinned at Harry. "Who else will give us her notes from Potions so we won't fail one of Snape's horrible exams?"
"Ron," she began, a frown forming on her face.
Harry placed a finger over her lips, shushing her. "And who else would make up color-coded schedules so we're fully prepared for our NEWT's?" Her frown was quickly becoming a scowl.
"And who else," Ron continued, "would worry about us when we don't have enough sense to come in from a storm?" He leaned over and kissed her on the lips with Harry's finger still in place. A shiver ran down Harry's spine and up his arm; his finger trembled slightly on her lips. A look of confusion now crossed her face as Ron unbuttoned her coat.
Harry leaned in. He removed his finger from her lips and placed his hand on her stomach that Ron had just exposed, his fingers tracing lazy circles through her crisp white blouse. He pressed his lips to hers then turned to Ron and did the same. He heard Hermione gasp and then moan as he pulled away and turned back to her.
"And who else would conquer one of her greatest fears to come rescue her two best friends from said storm?" He began to unbutton her blouse. "You see, Hermione, we'll always need you, in every way." He saw a wave of gooseflesh spread across her as he pulled the edges of the blouse apart, exposing her creamy skin, the white bra encasing her breasts.
Harry grinned at Ron. "And we know just the proper way to reward our rescuer."
Dean and Seamus were cold, exhausted and starving. As the two seventh-year students emerged from the Forbidden Forest behind Hagrid, they both breathed a sigh of relief. While having to serve detention with the gentle half-giant for cursing Malfoy in the hallway outside the Charms classroom (he deserved it - really, he did, for the things he said about Ginny and Hermione) was infinitely better than having to scrub cauldrons with Snape, it was still difficult and fraught with peril.
On that chilly evening early in March, they had been escorted to Hagrid's hut before dinner and were informed they would be assisting him in hunting deer for the Thestrals. Dean thought this was rather barbaric but Hagrid told them that although the Thestrals usually scavenged for their meat and blood meals, things had been rather quiet in the forest lately and so they were looking a bit thin (at least according to Hagrid).
So they had spent the last four hours trudging through the thick underbrush of the forest moving several deer carcasses out to the paddock deep in the woods. Thankful that they didn't have to do any of the actual hunting themselves (Dean would wince and shudder when the sharp twang of Hagrid's crossbow would echo among the trees), it was still hard work. Levitating the carcasses themselves was an easy Wingardium Leviosa, but levitating and maneuvering several things that were nearly 500 kilos each through the dense woods all while trying to avoid encounters with centaurs was exhausting.
And the only break they had taken was when Hagrid had stopped and offered them some rock cakes and pumpkin pasties, which, once the gamekeeper had assured them that he had made them himself, they politely turned down claiming they weren't all that hungry.
As they crossed the grounds towards Hagrid's hut, Seamus leaned towards his friend and whispered. "As soon as we get back, I'm going to put a full body bind on Ron until he tells me how to get into the kitchens. It feels like my navel is touching my spine!"
The corner of Dean's mouth quirked up and he was about to agree when he suddenly bowled into Hagrid's back. He had stopped several dozen yards away from the hut, frozen in his tracks listening intently.
"What's the matter, Hagrid?" Seamus asked, a worried look on his face.
Hagrid squinted, his eyes focused towards the window of his hut. "Don't yeh hear tha'?" he said.
The boys looked at each other, a questioning look in their eyes, when they both heard it. There was a low, moaning sound drifting out of the window. It was similar to the sound Moaning Myrtle would make on one of her more depressed days. Yet somehow it was different, Dean thought: more sensual, almost...
What they heard next removed all doubt from Dean's mind as to what the sound was.
"Oh, HARRY!" a distinctive female voice cried out.
Fang, who had been standing at Hagrid's side, let out a loud "A-WOOF, WOOF! A-WOOF, WOOF!" and bounded towards the door to the hut as Hagrid suddenly moved forward, his sturdy long legs chewing up the distance.
A shocked expression was on Seamus' face. "Was that..." He couldn't say it.
A smirk began to grow on Dean's lips. "And Harry?" Grabbing the collar of his friend's robes, he started running towards the hut. "Come on. I wouldn't want to miss this for the world."
As they stumbled into the hut, standing just inside the doorway, they saw Hagrid looking at an obviously nervous Harry Potter, who was standing near the fireplace. His hair, while always messy, seemed even more tussled and tangled than usual. And there was a definite sheen of wetness on his face.
"Are yeh all righ', Harry?" Hagrid was saying, his eyes darting around the room. "What are yeh doin' here?"
Harry visibly gulped, a guilty expression on his face. "Oh...erm...I," he stuttered. "I haven't had a chance in a long time to see you and I came down after dinner for a visit and you weren't here and I thought I would wait for you and I didn't know you'd be gone so long and I guess I sort of dozed off." His words came out stumbling over each other.
With a wicked grin on his face, Dean said, "Who's with you? Where's Ron? Where's Hermione?" he asked, placing much emphasis on the name. Harry shot him a scowl, his face beginning to turn red.
Hagrid harrumphed in agreement. "Yeah. I coulda sworn I heard someone hollerin' for yeh."
"What?" Harry said, his voice squeaking slightly. "No. No. Nobody here with me. Nope. I...uh...I was just...uh...complaining out loud...some crazy first-year girl cornered me this morning and was going on and on and on about how she knew all about me and how she thought how friendship and bravery made me one of the greatest wizards she ever knew...OW!" Harry suddenly grabbed his leg and began rubbing it.
"What is it, Harry?" Seamus said, a wide grin splitting his face. "Cramp?"
"Erm...yeah. Charley horse...musta..." Harry stopped speaking, tilting his head slightly to the side. Dean could swear he heard Harry mutter under his breath. It sounded like "I'm trying."
As Harry stared at the floor, Seamus saw his eyes go very round and wide. Following his gaze, Seamus saw something very white at the edge of the hearth rug. Before he could determine exactly what it was, as quickly as if he were grabbing the Snitch, Harry pounced on it, stuffing it into the pocket of his robes. If it weren't for his black hair, Seamus would have thought that Harry was a long lost Weasley brother based on the deep red color of his entire face.
Just as he was about to comment on that, a harsh whisper came from the thin air in front of the boys.
"If you two do not remove yourselves from the doorway," Hermione's quiet voice said while they heard a rustle that sounded like a long flowing cloak. Seamus nearly jumped out of his skin as Dean jerked his head towards the voice. "I will have to hex you so badly you will miss your NEWT exams."
Both boys decided that they didn't have enough Gryffindor courage to face an extremely hacked-off Head Girl and that the sooner they returned to the castle the better.
"Well, Hagrid," Seamus began, his words quick and his voice cracking. "If that's all for us tonight, I...uh...really need to get back and finish my homework." It was a lame excuse he knew, but better to lie to Hagrid than the alternative.
"Yes," Dean said, agreeing with his roommate. "Yes. Um... Early Transfiguration class tomorrow. See you around, Hagrid." And with those words, the two turned and dashed out the door, quickly moving up the steep incline towards the castle.
"Well, Harry," Hagrid said as the black-haired boy stared out the door. "Looks like just the two o' us. Would yer like a cuppa tea? I got some rock cakes here, too...freshly made." He smiled at the young man, his black eyes glinting in the firelight.
"Wha...what?" Harry said, looking back at his good friend. "No...erm...No, thank you." He glanced at the doorway again. "Like Dean said, we have an early Transfiguration class in the morning. I really should get back to Gryffindor Tower."
Hagrid's smile faded. "Oh," he said. "Well, I s'ppose tha's right. Maybe later in the week, then?" His eyes turned sad and lonely and Harry felt slightly guilty for not coming to visit the gentle half-giant more often.
Smiling, Harry said, "Tell you what, Hagrid. How about if Ron, Hermione and I come 'round for afternoon tea this Saturday? Will that be okay?"
An extremely happy look spread across Hagrid's face, his wide smile clearly showing through the black, bristly beard. "Tha'd be great, Harry, jus' great!"
Happy to have cheered his friend, Harry said, "Good night, then, Hagrid. I'll see you later." He turned and walked out of the hut, closing the door behind him.
As he trudged up the hill to the castle, he startled only slightly when he felt someone grab his arm.
Appearing suddenly as she took off the Invisibility Cloak, Hermione said, "Shouldn't you have checked with Ron or I before you committed us to a social event this weekend? We still have to finish that NEWT Potions experiment for Professor Snape that's due in a few weeks, you know." She eyed him with her usual you-shouldn't-put-off-homework-until-the-last-minute look.
Harry frowned. "Aw, Hermione," he said. "You should have seen his face. He looked so lonely and sad. You know that it's only Professor Dumbledore and us that ever come to see him. And we haven't been down to see him in such a long while." A look of pleading flashed in his eyes. "And it will only be for an hour or two. We can stay up late that night to work our Potions. It would really mean something to him if we all came to see him."
Her face softened. "I did see his face." Smiling, she said, "And I thought it was really sweet of you to promise us to visit him." She stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose. As she pulled away, her eyes flashed in the cold moonlight. "And I know just the thing to show you how I much appreciate your thoughtfulness."
The castle was quiet this night. Mrs. Norris was silently padding her way down the third floor corridor peeking into the various rooms and hallways. So far she had not encountered any students who were out wandering the hallways after the curfew.
She paused at the stairway that would lead to the second floor. She shuddered at the memory from five years before. Even though it was that long ago and even though she knew that the basilisk was dead and that the Chamber of Secrets was once again sealed, she never ventured to the second floor unless accompanied by her master and even then only if he carried her.
No, she would let her master patrol that floor this night.
She was drawn down the hallway by the sudden sound of voices. If it was Peeves, she knew her master would want to know that he was up to mischief. She quickened her pace, hoping she would catch him in the act of whatever he was doing.
As she approached the trophy room, she could tell it wasn't Peeves. It was the voices of students. And they weren't just out past curfew; from the sounds they were making, they were engaged in very illicit behaviour.
A sudden cry ... "Ohhh! Yesss!" … and she recognized one of the voices. It was the Potter boy! In all the years that the boy had attended Hogwarts, she had never been able to catch him out of bounds. She knew he had an Invisibility Cloak and she could always tell when he was nearby, but she had never been able to actually catch him.
It looked like tonight his luck had run out. At last!
She poked her head into the room. At first all she saw was the Potter boy. He was leaning over the trophy case in the middle of the room, facing the door with his eyes closed. He was moaning and whimpering.
" Ron. That's..." His voice hissed.
Oh, thank the mother above! The Weasley brat was here, too. But where?
Suddenly, the red-head stood up behind the dark-haired wizard-boy. Mrs. Norris quickly slipped into the room, hugging the wall to avoid being seen.
What exactly are they doing? And why aren't I hearing any other voices? Where are the girls they would be trysting with? Turning the corner of another cabinet, she saw them and saw exactly what they were doing. Both boys had their trousers down around their ankles and the tall, freckled one was standing behind the other, his hips thrusting, sweat dropping off of his brow.
The other boy was thrusting back into the other, practically shouting through his gritted teeth. "Yes, Ron! Uhn! YES!"
Wait. I know what they are doing! In her long life, Mrs. Norris had seen other persons performing this act. But usually it's ... that's not ...
"MEOWRRR!" Oh, gods! Two boys! Doing that?!? Scratch my eyes out now! Let the gods take the last of my nine lives so I NEVER have to see that again! "MEE-OOOWWWRRRR!"
Mrs. Norris closed her eyes as she felt her stomach begin to heave. She felt her back arch as her belly gave a large lurch and tried to expel her dinner. A flurry of activity blurred in the room but she ignored it as she tried to wipe the images from her mind.
Her stomach was still a bit woozy a few minutes later when her master found her, her face twisted into the closest thing a cat can come to a grimace.
"What's the matter, my sweet? Have you found a bit of mischief?" Mr. Filch's eyes swept the room. As he noticed the sour puddle in front of the cat, he, too, grimaced. "Have a bit of trouble with a hairball, my darling?"
Gods, now I wish I had looked the basilisk straight in the eye so I wouldn't have had to witness that.
It was nearing midnight when Neville had been collected by Professor Sprout from the Gryffindor Common Room. He had been eagerly awaiting her arrival since dinner as tonight was the night of the full moon and he would at last be able to gather the final ingredient for his NEWT Potions project.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the help you've given me with this project, Professor," Neville gasped as they approached the greenhouses. While he had lost all of his so-called "baby fat" by the beginning of sixth year, he was still what some would call "pudgy" and not in the greatest of physical conditioning. The trek to Professor Sprout's domain was a long one from Gryffindor Tower and had left him somewhat winded as he kept up with the professor's purposeful stride.
"Well, Mister Longbottom," she said, a wide grin turning up the corners of her mouth. "When you told me of your project, I couldn't very well turn down one of my best students, could I? I know you could have gotten these ingredients at the apothecary down in Hogsmeade, but I've always believed a potion is much more effective when using the freshest ingredients."
Cocking her head slightly, she asked, "What inspired you to pick Veritaserum for your project anyway?"
"Well," Neville started, his eyes lowered so that he didn't quite meet hers, "when I leave Hogwarts I want to try and get into the Auror Training Academy and one of the most difficult potions the Aurors use is Veritaserum. So I thought that if I could learn to properly make it while I'm still here and under the tutelage of an actual Potions Master, I would be that much ahead of the game."
Professor Sprout stopped at the doorway to Greenhouse Three and considered the young man for a moment. She reached out and placed both her hands on his shoulders causing him to look directly at her. "Your parents were great Aurors, Neville," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "Two of the finest I ever knew. I know they would be proud - very proud - both of your accomplishments here at Hogwarts as well as your ambitions for the future." This time, a sad but genuine smile creased her face.
Neville felt his cheeks warm with his blush at the same time his heart swelled with pride. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I sure hope so."
They stood silent for a moment, each contemplating the unfortunate fate of the elder Longbottoms.
With a slight sniffle, Professor Sprout turned at last to the door, saying, "Let's go and collect that last ingredient, shall we?"
As she opened the door, she pulled out her wand and whispered, "Lumos." Stepping inside and holding the glowing wand high, there was a sudden yell from the back of the greenhouse and the sound of breaking pottery.
"Who's there?" she shouted, holding her wand even higher and craning her neck attempting to see further into the room. As bright as the spark at the wand tip was, it still wasn't strong enough to reach the furthest corners of the space. "Whoever you are, you had better show yourself," she demanded.
"P- p- professor Sprout?" A quiet yet shaky voice rose out of the darkness. "I- it's me, Professor. Hermione Granger."
"Miss Granger? What are you doing here in the dark?" she queried. "Just a moment. Let me get some more light in here."
She was about to cast an Incendio spell on the torches along the walls when there was the sound of much shuffling and a shout rang out from the back of the greenhouse. "No! Wait!"
Neville thought Hermione's voice had a tinge of panic to it. "Hermione?" he asked quietly. "Is everything all right?"
"Neville?" This time the voice from the shadows was deeper - much deeper; a male voice. It was quickly followed by Hermione's hissed "Shhh!"
Affecting her sternest, most authoritarian voice, Professor Sprout called out. "Miss Granger, I think you and whoever is back there with you should come out and explain yourselves." When there didn't seem to be any sounds of movement from the back of the greenhouse, she raised her voice. "Immediately, Miss Granger."
A moment later, Hermione appeared out of the darkness, closely followed by a much disheveled looking Ron Weasley. There seemed to be a few leaves and twigs tangled in his bright red hair.
With a stern look on her face, Professor Sprout demanded, "Well, Miss Granger? Mister Weasley? What excuse can you possibly have for being in my greenhouse at this time of night?"
A slight flush seemed to creep up both their faces as they quickly glanced at each other.
"Well," Hermione began. "You do know that we are in the NEWT Potions class, right?" The Hufflepuff head-of-house nodded gravely. "Well, for my project I'm working on improving the Wolfsbane potion and you do know that I need to pick the Wolfsbane leaves under the light of the full moon and only the light of the full moon so that the potion can be brewed at the time of the new moon and Ron, here you see, he volunteered to help me since I needed a lot of it and we were just finishing up when you startled us and we were so surprised we knocked over some pots of Mimbulus mimbletonia." Her words came out rushed and almost tumbling over each other. Ron appeared to be holding his breath.
Professor Sprout was nearly scowling as she looked back and forth between the two of them as they shifted nervously from foot to foot. She harrumphed quite loudly. "If you had asked me, I could have collected the both of you at the same time I came for Mister Longbottom, here. He is gathering ingredients for his project as well."
Both Hermione and Ron looked at their feet and quietly said, "Sorry, Professor."
"Hmm," the Professor said. "Well, I certainly expected better behaviour of you, especially our Head Girl." Hermione's head lowered even further with those words. "Ten points each from Gryffindor House for being out of bounds after curfew." Neville groaned at that. "And I'm afraid I'll have to assign you both a night's detention to repot the Mimbulus mimbletonia plants that you knocked over."
The two students let out a sigh. To Neville, it sounded more like a sigh of relief than one of regret.
"Now," the Professor continued. "Do you have your Wolfsbane leaves?" Hermione nodded and held up a blackened satchel that appeared to contain a large amount of leaves. "Very well. You two will wait outside while Mister Longbottom completes his task and then I will escort all three of you back to your tower. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Professor Sprout," they said together and they stepped outside the greenhouse.
When the door had shut behind them, Ron let out a long breath. "Whew! That was bloody close."
Hermione swatted his arm. "Ronald Weasley!" she hissed. "We almost got caught!" A frown turned down the corners of her mouth. "I just hope I've got enough leaves here to complete my project. If you hadn't distracted me, we could have picked a lot more!"
Ron gathered her up in his arms. "Hermione, we've got enough here to make six months worth of potion for Professor Lupin." He nuzzled her ear, his breath sending gooseflesh up and down the side of her neck. "Besides, you were very distracting to me. You know how absolutely delicious you look under the moonlight?"
"Still..." she began, only to be cut off as Ron's lips found hers. She moaned slightly into the kiss until she remembered where they were. "We... we better stop before we get carried away again. They'll be back out here very soon." She gently pushed him away.
Ron sighed. "All right. I'll stand over here and wait." He leaned against the wall of the greenhouse and quirked an eyebrow. "I'll wait until we get back to the Head Girl's room."
Hermione felt the warmth of her blush begin at her toes as she broke out into a wide grin.
It was just past curfew when the door to the Headmaster's office creaked slowly open. Two heads, one red haired, the other, a messy black, peered around the edge of the door. Seeing no one, they quickly dashed into the room and closed the door.
"Are you sure it's safe, Harry?" Ron asked, glancing nervously around the room.
"Yes, Ron," the other boy said. "I checked the map before we left the tower. I couldn't find Dumbledore or McGonagall anywhere in the castle." He was standing near a small side table that had many silvery objects.
Ron still seemed rather nervous, but it was evident from his down-turned mouth that it wasn't about the room they were currently standing in. "Um, Harry?" His eyes shifted to the floor, not wanting to meet Harry's. "How many times have you done this?"
The corner of Harry's mouth twitched slightly. "A few times," he said slowly. Seeing his friend's downcast eyes, he moved towards him and took up his hand. "Look. I understand how you can be a little nervous. I was, too, the first time. But it helped me - helps me to deal with - with all this stuff that runs around in my head all the time."
Ron looked up sharply, his eyes filled with concern for his friend, who sighed.
"By giving up control, it takes the burden of responsibility off my shoulders for a while." Harry smiled softly. "And it helps me with matters of trust. I place myself totally in her hands and I completely trust her not to do anything that will harm me." He chuckled a bit. "And it gives her a chance to indulge in her more 'controlling' nature."
He reached up and stroked the side of Ron's face. "There is pleasure, too - for both of us. And don't forget, I still have ultimate control. I only have to say a word and it will stop." His eyes took on a serious expression. "You do remember what we talked about for certain words, don't you?"
Ron swallowed noisily and nodded.
"Good," Harry said, his face softened a bit. He leaned up and brushed his lips against the pale, angular jaw of his friend. "Trust me," he murmured. "This is something I've wanted to share with you for a while."
Ron moaned loudly as Harry continued to slowly nibble at his neck, sending shivers up and down his spine. He was just about to grab Harry and ravage his mouth when a loud SMACK! was heard behind them and they jumped apart.
"Well, boys." The stern voice was quiet yet just loud enough to be scary. "Am I to understand that you have been sent to me because you were caught breaking school rules?"
Harry seemed to shrink, his head lowering as he mumbled something.
"What was that, Mister Potter?" The cinnamon brown eyes glaring at them darkened almost dangerously. "I didn't quite hear that."
Harry cleared his throat before he said, "Yes, Headmistress."
Ron stood staring at her, seemingly having lost his voice. This was a different Hermione Granger than he was used to seeing. She stood tall - taller than he ever remembered her being - maybe it was the lack of the dozen or so books she usually had weighing her down - or maybe it was the aura of confidence that seemed to glow behind her eyes. She wore black - not just her black robes, which were open in front, but a black silk skirt which emphasized her long, tanned bare legs and a black satin blouse that looked as though it may have been a size or three too small. Black leather boots encased her legs coming almost up to her knees.
She was slowly slapping a leather paddle into her hand. It obviously had cushioning charms applied to it as it was not leaving any marks on her palms. "And what do I do with students who go about flagrantly breaking school rules?"
Harry cleared his throat again to make sure he spoke clearly. "You punish them."
"Yes," she said, a smirk curling the corner of her mouth. "I punish them." Her eyes shifted to Ron, who still stared at her. Quirking an eyebrow, she said in a voice that was almost as seductive as it was stern, "And what about you, Mister Weasley? What do you have to say for yourself?"
Ron gulped. The expression on her face reminded him so very much of Professor McGonagall and that, combined with the huskiness of her voice, conflicted in his mind so much that he completely lost his nerve.
"Dobby!" he squeaked, barely pushing the word past his lips.
A slight look of disappointment momentarily crossed Hermione's expression before she stood up even straighter. "Very well, Mister Weasley," she said slowly. "You may assist me then." She then turned to Harry. "Mister Potter. Assume the position."
"Yes, Headmistress," Harry said, a subtle shiver visibly running through his body as he turned and leaned on his elbows across the large desk.
Hermione walked up behind him and slowly ran the paddle up and down the inside of his thighs, causing Harry to shudder again. "Mister Weasley. Bind his arms if you will."
Ron took his wand out of his pocket and cast the charm. Ropes shot from his wand and tightly bound Harry's arms to the corners of the desk. Harry momentarily struggled against the ropes, almost as if he were testing their strength, and then settled back on his elbows.
Ron was surprised at how enthralled he was - seeing how helpless Harry seemed and how enticing Hermione looked as she looked at them both. He felt himself stiffening in anticipation of what might happen next - not knowing what Hermione was going to order the both of them to do.
It didn't go unnoticed either. Hermione raised an eyebrow again and smiled widely. "Now, Mister Weasley, how shall we begin?"
An hour later, three rather sated teenagers (one of them slightly sore) left the Headmaster's office having accomplished their goal for the evening. Hermione was still slightly disappointed that Ron had not fully participated but still it had been entirely satisfying for all of them.
This was the first time where the three of them had been together that she had witnessed Ron coupling with Harry. She had been fascinated and incredibly turned on to watch as his length slowly disappeared into Harry. They had told her about doing it before but she still worried a bit when she ordered Ron to take him from behind like that. She didn't want Harry to be hurt - she promised herself to look up lubricating charms for the next time, or at least before she herself tried that.
As the door snapped shut with a click, there was a rustle of sound from behind a row of bookshelves. Two heads peered around the edge, one with long, flowing silvery hair, the other, dark shot through with steely gray. Seeing no one remained, they stepped quietly into the room.
As the elderly woman moved about, a near scowl crossed her face. "Well, Albus, that was ... interesting."
A look of barely concealed humor lit the Headmaster's face. "Indeed," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Indeed it was, Minerva."
Shying away from the scene they had just witnessed, McGonagall tacked a slightly different course. "Potter said that we didn't appear on the Marauder's Map when he checked." A puzzled look crinkled her brow. "How is that so? I thought the map was never wrong."
A sly grin quirked the corner of Dumbledore's lips. "Ah, yes, that's rather easily explained. You see, the map is never wrong - it's just that it is sometimes not completely correct."
When her brows furrowed even further and her lips twisted into a tight moue, he continued. "One of the times that Harry loaned me the map, I convinced the personalities within it that there would be times that it would be necessary to - erm - not reveal my location within the castle." The Headmaster smiled as he recalled the "conversation" he had with the map. "A most convincing set of arguments so logical that would have even Severus beam with pride."
A quirked eyebrow was his companion's only question. Deflating slightly, Dumbledore sighed. "I threatened it over the fireplace."
The soft chuckle the deputy Headmistress gave quickly faded into a rather uncomfortable silence. It seemed to stretch on for minutes as they studiously avoided looking at each other. Bristling, she finally broke. "Well. That was ... was ..." Her voice faded to silence again.
The old Headmaster said nothing, smiling gently to himself. Knowing that she wanted to say more and would not be able to contain herself, he waited patiently for her to crack. It didn't take long.
"But, but... Albus," she stuttered. "The three of them...together like that...a trio...a triumvirate. There hasn't been a combination like that since…"
"Yes," Dumbledore said, "since the Founders. When Salazar Slytherin left the school, Gryffindor needed the support - the love - of his two remaining friends to continue and to defend the school." He sighed. "Remember, Harry said it was a matter of trust. And they are the people he trusts most, now." A smile curled his lip. "And, apparently loves with all his heart. They obviously love him as well."
McGonagall harrumphed but she didn't disagree with him. The scowl returned to her face but this time it was laced with concern. "Do you..." she swallowed, almost nervously. "Do you think that this is a healthy outlet for him to express himself? Do you think this submissive tendency will affect how he eventually will face...?"
Dumbledore's expression became serious, although his eyes continued to twinkle. "He's also learning about control. While he ultimately controls how far it goes, he's learning that sometimes he doesn't have control over events - that not everything that happens around him can be controlled or planned for or even foreseen. And that, in turn, gives him the strength to take control when it needs to be."
He sighed, his eyes dimming slightly. "And he is learning to deal with his guilt. The guilt of not being able to control events; the guilt he feels for believing he is endangering his friends; the guilt of surviving." He sighed again, a little longer this time, before speaking quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "We must all learn ways of dealing with our own burdens of guilt."
They both stood in silence for a moment. Dumbledore nonchalantly picked up one of the silvery objects from the small table and considered it for a moment. "Speaking of assuaging one's guilt..." He peeked through his lowered gaze towards his friend and fellow teacher.
Shaken from her reverie, McGonagall raised an eyebrow at the man standing before her; he nodded back at her. "Very well," she said, rather sternly. "Where were we, then?"
Lowering his eyes again, he spoke quietly yet clearly. "I believe you were about to..."
"Ah, yes," she said. She raised her voice slightly while dropping it nearly an octave in range. "Assume the position, Mister Dumbledore."
The barest of smiles creased his lips as he turned towards the desk. "Yes, Headmistress."
Parvati paced rather anxiously about the Common Room. It was so unlike Hermione Granger to be late. And she had been waiting for her for nearly thirty minutes now.
It was the middle of April, NEWT's were rapidly approaching and Hermione had agreed to tutor her in History of Magic. "Bloody Yanks and their bloody Graduation Qualification Exams," Parvati muttered, working herself up into a full head of steam. "What bloody purpose does having a bloody NEWT in bloody History of Magic have in studying Advanced Divination?"
But she needed it; she needed it if she was to be accepted into the American exchange program she wanted. And that was why she was pacing the Common Room wondering where the Head Girl was. She had been to Hermione's private room but there had been no answer to neither a polite knock nor a heavy pounding on the door.
Parvati swung around and glared as the portrait opened but sagged in disappointment as it only revealed Colin Creevey stepping through the rounded hole in the wall.
Seeing her standing there with a frown on her face, Colin broke out in a huge grin. "Hi, Parvati. Did you get the picture of you that I sent? What did you think of it?"
Her frown deepening, Parvati said, "It was a lovely picture, Colin. It would have been an even better picture of me if I hadn't been one of a large group of people in the background of a picture of Harry leading a DA meeting."
"Oh." The boy's grin faded a little. "Well, I suppose..."
Parvati waved off his comment. "That's not really important right now," she said. "What I need is to know if you've seen Hermione this evening. I was supposed to meet her here for a tutoring session and she hasn't shown up."
Quickly forgetting his faux pas, Colin's previous enthusiasm returned. "Well, Harry and Ron had Quidditch practice tonight and you know how Hermione goes to watch them. They may be running late and could still be down there."
Not wanting to get drawn into a long conversation with the sixth-year boy, Parvati muttered a quick thanks and left through the portrait hole and headed down to the Quidditch pitch. As she moved quickly through the halls and out the Entrance Hall, she worried about her friend, the Head Girl. It was so unlike Hermione to be late to an appointment. Even if she were watching her two best friends at Quidditch practice, she was never one to shirk either her responsibilities or renege on a promise to help.
It seemed as though the Head Girl had been rather distracted lately. It didn't seem to be something huge, something that would detract from her studies (heaven forbid that Hermione Granger would be distracted from her school work), but it was enough that something seemed to be off about her behaviour lately.
Ever since the day of the blizzard in January where Harry and Ron had become lost in the Forbidden Forest and Hermione had gone looking for them, things seemed to have changed in their relationship. It wasn't anything definite, but there was a subtle shift in the way they treated each other. It was almost as if they had gone beyond the "best friends" they always claimed to be.
As she approached the Quidditch pitch, Parvati wondered if something had happened that her former roommate had been forced to choose between the two boys. She had known for a long time that Hermione had a divided heart - that she cared deeply for both of her best friends, that she couldn't choose between them, and that she was afraid of having to decide if she loved one more than the other.
Parvati was so wrapped up in her thoughts that, as she passed the Gryffindor stands, she almost didn't hear the sound, but it was just loud enough to catch her attention. She stopped suddenly and listened intently. There it was again - a grunt followed by a low moan. It seemed to be coming from under the stands. Someone is doing a little secretive snogging, she grinned to herself. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she carefully, quietly pulled back the heavy canvass that covered the support legs of the viewing stands and peeked in.
And suddenly, she felt her heart stop. Slowly, her jaw fell open and her eyes widened to the size of fifty-pence pieces. Harry and Ron were under there, still dressed in their Quidditch practice robes. Ron had his mouth firmly latched on Harry's neck, suckling at the tender flesh like a babe. Harry was clearly trying to stifle his moans of pleasure but with only partial success.
Lifting his lips to look into Harry's eyes, Ron spoke, his voice broken by heavy, panting breaths. "Do you ... know how bloody ... sexy you look when you ... go into one of your ... dives?"
Harry moaned again, wrapped his fingers in the red-head's hair and pulled Ron's lips to his own. They appeared to lazily explore each others mouth. Ron wrapped his arms around the other boy and they began to grind their hips against each together.
Parvati dropped the cloth and ran. She ran as fast as she could back to the castle and tore up the marble staircase with only one thought on her mind. Oh. My. God. This is news ... this is news! I have to tell Lavender about this. Ron and Harry are GAY!?! Oh, Merlin!
As she neared the Fat Lady's portrait, she almost shouted the password, then clamored through the hole as the picture swung away while the lady murmured, "Well, I never ..." Crossing the Common Room, she had almost made it to the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory when she was stopped by a loud voice.
"Parvati Patil," the Head Girl called. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you in the library for nearly an hour. Don't you want to pass your History of Magic exam?" She looked angrily at the dark skinned girl.
Parvati turned around and stared at Hermione. Her heart sank as she looked at the bushy-haired girl. Oh, you poor girl, Hermione. Do you know? Is this why you seem so distracted? No wonder you have been so out of it lately. She couldn't confront her with this information though, not yet. Hermione looked angry enough as it was and this was not going to be an easy, casual conversation. This was too big. She'd have to discuss it - to strategize on how to broach the subject - with Lavender first.
"I ... erm ... thought we ... um ... were supposed to meet here." Parvati stammered as she slowly backed towards the girls' stairs. Well, it was the truth.
Hermione frowned. "No," she said. "I'm sure I told you to meet me tonight in the library. We were going to go over the case study of the Salem Witch Trials and you know Madame Pince does not allow that book out of the library."
"Oh," Parvati said quietly. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I guess I forgot about that." Glancing over her shoulder at the stairs, she spoke quickly, her words coming in a rush. "Listen, Hermione. Something's ... erm ... come up. Could we do this later? I really need to find Lavender and ... um ... give her the Divination notes I promised to share with her."
"Parvati ..." Hermione began, but the other girl did not give her a chance to finish.
"Oh, thank you, Hermione," she said, her words stumbling out. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."
And with that, she spun on her heel and fled up the stairs.
Hermione looked after her, a loud harrumph escaping her lips. Divination notes, indeed, she thought. More likely some juicy bit of gossip she wants to share. "Words of wisdom for you Parvati," she shouted up the stairs. "'Do it today or later you'll pay!' are words I live by. Don't be procrastinating!"
And with those words, she left the Gryffindor Common Room to return to her quarters.
It was a week later that found someone nervously pacing the Gryffindor Common Room again; only this time it was Hermione. After her "conversation" with Parvati and Lavender in the library the night before, Harry had had a late patrol. She had ended going to bed before he returned and so she hadn't had a chance to talk with Harry about the challenge they had issued her.
"A make-out session in the Common Room," Parvati had said firmly.
She had left him a note saying that there was something that she needed to discuss with both he and Ron this morning. But when she had gotten up, Harry had already been up and gone, leaving a note for her saying he had Quidditch strategies to discuss first thing with Ron and to meet them in the Gryffindor Common Room.
Oh, how could I have let this out? she thought to herself. Harry and Ron are going to be so upset with me - we were going to keep this to ourselves; at least for a while. How could I have let Lavender and Parvati bully me into this? Ohhh, Harry is NOT going to like this at all!
So consumed by her worries and pacing furiously, she failed to notice the subjects of her thoughts quietly descend the stairs from the boys' dormitory.
"Morning, Hermione," the red-haired boy greeted her cheerily. "Sleep well?"
"Ron!" she squeaked in surprise, stopping her mad dash back and forth. She turned to face her two best friends in the world.
"Good morning," Harry said rather shyly. "What was it that you wanted to talk to us about?"
"Oh," she said, casting her eyes at the floor. She nervously chewed on her lower lip. "Well ... you see ... you know how we've ... we've been ... um ..." She couldn't quite bring herself to say it before Ron interrupted her.
"Hermione!" he whispered, shushing her. "The Gryffindor Common Room is not the place to be discussing this."
"Well, that's not my fault," she said exasperatedly, her own voice a harsh whisper. "Harry said to meet you here and we have to discuss this now."
"Discuss exactly what, Hermione," Harry asked.
"Well," she said slowly.
"Hermione ..." Harry said, his voice suspicious.
"Oh, all right," she cried. "Parvati and Lavender have found out," she said, crossing her arms protectively across her chest.
"Found out what?" Ron growled.
"About us," Harry said, a scowl forming on his face. "That's what it is, isn't it? They've found out about us, haven't they?"
"Yes," Hermione said softly.
"What?" Ron wailed. "When? I thought we were going to keep this quiet? How did they find out?"
"That," she said with some disdain, "would be your fault. Parvati said she saw you two under the Quidditch stands last week."
Ron at least had the good graces to look chagrined.
The scowl still creasing his face, Harry said, "Well, what now? What do they want?"
Hermione mumbled something that Ron couldn't quite hear, but Harry apparently caught quite readily.
"Proof? Oh, no!" he said. "No way. There is no way I am going to make a public spectacle of myself for their perverse sense of curiosity."
"Harry," she began, but she could see his cheeks and ears turning red with frustration, anger and embarrassment.
"No, Hermione," he said, his voice rising. "I don't really care that they've found out - it was bound to come out sooner or later. But I draw the line at some sort of sick display." And with that, he stormed out the portrait hole.
"Well," Hermione sighed. "That could have gone better."
"You know how Harry gets when he feels like he's the center of attention, Hermione," Ron said.
"I know, I know. But we're going to have to do something," she replied, "or it's going to get worse."
"Worse?" Ron asked. "What could possibly be worse than what Harry would feel being made a fool of in front of everyone?"
"Lavender," she said as though that would explain everything. When Ron didn't quite catch on, she continued. "She said she'd tell the whole school that she caught you and Harry together." She sighed as he raised an eyebrow.
"With Malfoy," Hermione said as she turned to follow Harry out of the Common Room.
The other eyebrow joined the first as he walked with her. "Really?" he asked, impressed. "That's cold. Even for Lavender, that's cold."
As the portrait door swung silently shut, a sandy brown head popped up from behind one of the squashy chairs on the far side of the room.
Could it possibly be true? Seamus thought as he raced up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. I had thought it was Harry and Hermione that had gotten together until I overheard Parvati tell Lavender about seeing Ron and Harry under the Quidditch stands last week. And Neville said he had practically caught Hermione and Ron in the greenhouses last month.
An evil grin spread across his face as he burst into the seventh-years' room. Just exactly what is going on with the Golden Trio?
"Dean! Neville!" he shouted. "Wake up!"
Dean Thomas sat straight up in his bed, his eyes wide open. "What? What is it? Is there an attack?" Neville moaned and whimpered from under his covers.
"No," Seamus said, the grin still splitting his face. "Do we still have that stash of firewhiskey in the loo?"
Confused, Dean looked at his best friend and roommate. "Um, yeah," he said, a quizzical look wrinkling his forehead. "Firewhiskey and some rum. What for?"
Turning to the other boy, who had peeked out from behind the curtains of his bed, Seamus continued. "Neville, do you still have some of that Veritaserum from your NEWT Potions project?"
"Er," Neville grunted, then cleared his throat. "Yes, I haven't completely turned in my project yet." A frown turned down the corners of his mouth. "What do we need firewhiskey and Veritaserum for?"
His eyes lighting up with glee, he chuckled. "We're going to invite Harry and Ron to a little game tonight."
Dean caught the glint in Seamus' eyes. "Really? Is it time?" A small smile began to break across his face.
"Yes," Seamus said as he rubbed his hands together. Neville began to grin as well. "It's time to confront our Head Boy and his best friend with a little Truth or Dare." He sat down on Dean's bed and they began to make plans for this evening.
From Gryffindor Girls and Gryffindor Boys:
Seamus flicked his wand and removed all the locking charms on the door. Harry and Ron fled the room, pounding down the stairs into the Common Room.
Hermione had talked to them earlier in the day about some sort of public display, but was too embarrassed to go into great detail. Apparently Parvati and Lavender had issued her some sort of challenge.
So when the boys descended the stairs, Harry took one look around to note it was only the older students in the Common Room. Smiling wickedly at Ron, they flopped onto the sofa on either side of Hermione.
Hermione's books slid to the floor as Ron began kissing her earlobe and whispered, "Ready for that snogging session?"
"You've been drinking," she accused, but without much heat since Harry had begun kissing her neck on the other side.
"So has Harry."
Her eyes lit wickedly. "He has?"
Ron and Hermione both felt Harry's sigh as much as heard it. "I don't know why the two of you get so excited when I've been drinking," he said sulkily.
Ron removed his mouth from Hermione's ear and pulled Harry in close in front of Hermione. "You and alcohol go well together in two instances: playing pranks and -" he motioned to the three of them "- doing this."
The crooked grin Harry graced them with made Hermione moan softly and Ron pull Harry close for a deep kiss.
Some of the more innocent sixth years were staring once Ron began snogging Harry, but the seventh year Gryffindor girls just smiled. And when Harry began exploring Hermione's mouth with his tongue while Ron nibbled at the back of her neck, Parvati Patil knew she'd never be able to look Harry in the eye again without thinking about what a considerate lover he was; and Lavender Brown knew she'd never be able to look at Ron's hands again without thinking about what other part of his anatomy was large.
The three eventually broke it up - well, took it to the Head Girl's room - only when Neville threatened to douse them with a freezing charm.
~*~ The End ~*~
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Author: MononWalker
Challenge: The Trio attempt to "mark" as many rooms in the castle as possible.
Category: At Hogwarts
Title: Someone Else's Eyes
Summary: It is a few weeks after the Trio get together in their 7th year and they aren't as careful as they think they are. The beginning weeks of the Trio's relationship as seen through the eyes of others.
Warnings: Vague references to BDSM. References to AD/MM. Spoilers through OotP.
Word Count: 9753
Rating: R
Author's Note: This is a continuation of my story "Snowbound" where I tell my version of how the trio got together. The scenes in this story are inspired by the fics "Gryffindor Girls" and "Gryffindor Boys" by simons_flower and can be found here. I've always thought these were the best "outing the Trio" stories that I've read. I want to thank her profusely for allowing me to play with her stories and flesh out the background.
Also, many thanks to annearchy for the beta assistance.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, Scholastic, etc., etc., all hail the Queen of Hogwarts. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I own nothing here. Really; nothing at all.
From Snowbound:
Their breathing became ragged, their moans filling the small space. Harry could feel that familiar tingle beginning in the pit of his stomach. He was getting close; he could tell Ron was, too. In moments, he knew he would be riding the wave of pleasure that would crash through him; it was heightened by the fact it was his best friend that was bringing him so much pleasure; as much pleasure as he was giving his friend.
And they would have reached their climax, except at that moment the door crashed open. Thinking the wind had blown it open, Harry turned towards the entrance of the hut.
His eyes widened as he saw a figure framed in the doorway, silhouetted by the stars, its cloak flapping in the wind, a bushy mass of hair billowing around its head. It held a wand in one hand, its tip glowing; in the other hand it clutched a broom.
"Hermione!" shouted Ron. Yes, it was Hermione.
"Harry!" she squealed. "Ron. Thank goodness!"
"Shut the door!" Ron hollered. "The wind!"
Quickly, Hermione stepped in to the room and shoved the door closed. Turning back, she began to cross the space to them, saying, "Thank heavens you're here. You're all right! You're ..." She stopped short. "You're naked," she said, turning away.
Harry wrapped one of the blankets around himself and handed one to Ron. He wasn't embarrassed to be caught this way; he didn't want Hermione to be uncomfortable seeing her two best friends without their clothing.
"Our Hermione," Ron said, grinning as he pulled the blanket over his shoulders. "Can't pull one over on her, can we?"
"It's okay, Hermione," Harry said. She hazarded a glance towards them. Seeing they were covered now, she turned to face them again. "How did you find us?"
"Well, it was easy," she began. Harry saw Ron shake his head, giving her a skeptical look. "Well, it wasn't all that difficult. Most of the students were stuck in Hogsmeade during the storm. When you didn't come back with the others, I asked Lavender and Parvati if they had seen you two. They said they saw you leave before the storm hit.
"I checked the Marauder's Map and couldn't find you anywhere in the school or the grounds so I knew you were in trouble. I tried a locator spell for you but it wouldn't give me a specific direction, so I tried it on your wands. A locator spell works much better when trying to find an object with magical properties you know."
She continued, her words becoming a rush. "I was horribly worried when it pointed into the Forbidden Forest. So I grabbed your Firebolt, Harry -- I hope you don't mind -- and flew out straight away, but all I could find were your wands." She reached into her cloak and pulled out their wands. "Here they are, by the way." She closed the space between them and handed each of them their instruments. "You really need to keep better track of them, although seeing the spill you must have taken down that hill I don't wonder that you didn't kill yourselves." Both Harry and Ron grinned sheepishly, their ears pinking.
"So I tried locating on you again and this time it pointed me here and so here I am. You really should know better by now not to wander around in this forest," she admonished them as she glanced around the hut. It had warmed up considerably; the logs in the fireplace were now blazing away. "But I can see that you've got a cozy little setup here." She looked at them, then stared at her shoes as she said quietly, "I guess ... I guess you really didn't need me to come find you."
"Wait a minute," said Ron. "You flew Harry's Firebolt out here to rescue us?"
Harry gawked at her; Hermione was terrified of flying, especially on brooms. And in a snowstorm, no less.
"Well, yes," she said, an edge coming into her voice. "I already told you that I was terribly frightened that you were hurt and I couldn't Apparate on the school grounds and I thought you might have needed my help." Harry saw a flush darken her cheeks as she lowered her voice, "But I guess you didn't need me after all."
"Hermione," Harry said quietly. "What ever do you mean?"
She quickly turned and strode to the door. "I should be going then."
"Hermione, wait," Harry called. He felt as though he was losing her; that if she walked out the door at that moment, she'd be gone forever. "Hermione, tell me. What are you saying?"
She paused, her hand on the door latch. "It's just ..." she sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's just that I've loved you both so much for so long. I've known you practically since that first day on the Hogwarts Express. I don't know when I fell in love with the both of you; I just realized that I had and had been for a long time."
She turned and looked at them before dropping her gaze to the floor. "And since then, I've worried that someday I'd be forced to make a choice between the two of you and that would have been a disaster to our whole friendship."
She took a deep breath before continuing, her eyes closing. "But now I see that you two are together and I needn't have worried about making that choice. You've already made your choice and ..." she turned back towards the door, her voice shaking. Harry could see a tear slowly rolling down her cheek. "And you don't need me," she said so quietly he could barely hear her.
As she said those words, Harry realized that she was wrong. He did need her. She was the part that was still missing. She was his other best friend, the other one who knew him best, the other one he would miss most. She was the one who, along with Ron, would make him whole, to complete him. It would be the two of them, beside him, that would give him the strength, the courage, the love to continue, to persevere no matter the obstacles.
He looked at Ron and saw the same expression in his eyes. It was the same knowledge that, together, the three of them could conquer anything life threw at them. And that it would take all three of them to do so; that theirs was a unique bond in the entire world -- a trio, a triumvirate.
A slight grin tugged the corner of Ron's mouth as Harry nodded, acknowledging the thought that passed through their minds at the same time.
Both pointing their wands towards the door, they called out, "Accio Hermione!" She squeaked as she flew through the air, landing between the two boys. They both reached out and grasped the items she held in her hands; Ron took the broomstick and set it on the other side of him, Harry taking her wand and setting it on the floor beside him. They then both took one of her hands in theirs.
"Don't you know, Hermione," Ron said quietly. "We'll always need you." He grinned at Harry. "Who else will give us her notes from Potions so we won't fail one of Snape's horrible exams?"
"Ron," she began, a frown forming on her face.
Harry placed a finger over her lips, shushing her. "And who else would make up color-coded schedules so we're fully prepared for our NEWT's?" Her frown was quickly becoming a scowl.
"And who else," Ron continued, "would worry about us when we don't have enough sense to come in from a storm?" He leaned over and kissed her on the lips with Harry's finger still in place. A shiver ran down Harry's spine and up his arm; his finger trembled slightly on her lips. A look of confusion now crossed her face as Ron unbuttoned her coat.
Harry leaned in. He removed his finger from her lips and placed his hand on her stomach that Ron had just exposed, his fingers tracing lazy circles through her crisp white blouse. He pressed his lips to hers then turned to Ron and did the same. He heard Hermione gasp and then moan as he pulled away and turned back to her.
"And who else would conquer one of her greatest fears to come rescue her two best friends from said storm?" He began to unbutton her blouse. "You see, Hermione, we'll always need you, in every way." He saw a wave of gooseflesh spread across her as he pulled the edges of the blouse apart, exposing her creamy skin, the white bra encasing her breasts.
Harry grinned at Ron. "And we know just the proper way to reward our rescuer."
Dean and Seamus were cold, exhausted and starving. As the two seventh-year students emerged from the Forbidden Forest behind Hagrid, they both breathed a sigh of relief. While having to serve detention with the gentle half-giant for cursing Malfoy in the hallway outside the Charms classroom (he deserved it - really, he did, for the things he said about Ginny and Hermione) was infinitely better than having to scrub cauldrons with Snape, it was still difficult and fraught with peril.
On that chilly evening early in March, they had been escorted to Hagrid's hut before dinner and were informed they would be assisting him in hunting deer for the Thestrals. Dean thought this was rather barbaric but Hagrid told them that although the Thestrals usually scavenged for their meat and blood meals, things had been rather quiet in the forest lately and so they were looking a bit thin (at least according to Hagrid).
So they had spent the last four hours trudging through the thick underbrush of the forest moving several deer carcasses out to the paddock deep in the woods. Thankful that they didn't have to do any of the actual hunting themselves (Dean would wince and shudder when the sharp twang of Hagrid's crossbow would echo among the trees), it was still hard work. Levitating the carcasses themselves was an easy Wingardium Leviosa, but levitating and maneuvering several things that were nearly 500 kilos each through the dense woods all while trying to avoid encounters with centaurs was exhausting.
And the only break they had taken was when Hagrid had stopped and offered them some rock cakes and pumpkin pasties, which, once the gamekeeper had assured them that he had made them himself, they politely turned down claiming they weren't all that hungry.
As they crossed the grounds towards Hagrid's hut, Seamus leaned towards his friend and whispered. "As soon as we get back, I'm going to put a full body bind on Ron until he tells me how to get into the kitchens. It feels like my navel is touching my spine!"
The corner of Dean's mouth quirked up and he was about to agree when he suddenly bowled into Hagrid's back. He had stopped several dozen yards away from the hut, frozen in his tracks listening intently.
"What's the matter, Hagrid?" Seamus asked, a worried look on his face.
Hagrid squinted, his eyes focused towards the window of his hut. "Don't yeh hear tha'?" he said.
The boys looked at each other, a questioning look in their eyes, when they both heard it. There was a low, moaning sound drifting out of the window. It was similar to the sound Moaning Myrtle would make on one of her more depressed days. Yet somehow it was different, Dean thought: more sensual, almost...
What they heard next removed all doubt from Dean's mind as to what the sound was.
"Oh, HARRY!" a distinctive female voice cried out.
Fang, who had been standing at Hagrid's side, let out a loud "A-WOOF, WOOF! A-WOOF, WOOF!" and bounded towards the door to the hut as Hagrid suddenly moved forward, his sturdy long legs chewing up the distance.
A shocked expression was on Seamus' face. "Was that..." He couldn't say it.
A smirk began to grow on Dean's lips. "And Harry?" Grabbing the collar of his friend's robes, he started running towards the hut. "Come on. I wouldn't want to miss this for the world."
As they stumbled into the hut, standing just inside the doorway, they saw Hagrid looking at an obviously nervous Harry Potter, who was standing near the fireplace. His hair, while always messy, seemed even more tussled and tangled than usual. And there was a definite sheen of wetness on his face.
"Are yeh all righ', Harry?" Hagrid was saying, his eyes darting around the room. "What are yeh doin' here?"
Harry visibly gulped, a guilty expression on his face. "Oh...erm...I," he stuttered. "I haven't had a chance in a long time to see you and I came down after dinner for a visit and you weren't here and I thought I would wait for you and I didn't know you'd be gone so long and I guess I sort of dozed off." His words came out stumbling over each other.
With a wicked grin on his face, Dean said, "Who's with you? Where's Ron? Where's Hermione?" he asked, placing much emphasis on the name. Harry shot him a scowl, his face beginning to turn red.
Hagrid harrumphed in agreement. "Yeah. I coulda sworn I heard someone hollerin' for yeh."
"What?" Harry said, his voice squeaking slightly. "No. No. Nobody here with me. Nope. I...uh...I was just...uh...complaining out loud...some crazy first-year girl cornered me this morning and was going on and on and on about how she knew all about me and how she thought how friendship and bravery made me one of the greatest wizards she ever knew...OW!" Harry suddenly grabbed his leg and began rubbing it.
"What is it, Harry?" Seamus said, a wide grin splitting his face. "Cramp?"
"Erm...yeah. Charley horse...musta..." Harry stopped speaking, tilting his head slightly to the side. Dean could swear he heard Harry mutter under his breath. It sounded like "I'm trying."
As Harry stared at the floor, Seamus saw his eyes go very round and wide. Following his gaze, Seamus saw something very white at the edge of the hearth rug. Before he could determine exactly what it was, as quickly as if he were grabbing the Snitch, Harry pounced on it, stuffing it into the pocket of his robes. If it weren't for his black hair, Seamus would have thought that Harry was a long lost Weasley brother based on the deep red color of his entire face.
Just as he was about to comment on that, a harsh whisper came from the thin air in front of the boys.
"If you two do not remove yourselves from the doorway," Hermione's quiet voice said while they heard a rustle that sounded like a long flowing cloak. Seamus nearly jumped out of his skin as Dean jerked his head towards the voice. "I will have to hex you so badly you will miss your NEWT exams."
Both boys decided that they didn't have enough Gryffindor courage to face an extremely hacked-off Head Girl and that the sooner they returned to the castle the better.
"Well, Hagrid," Seamus began, his words quick and his voice cracking. "If that's all for us tonight, I...uh...really need to get back and finish my homework." It was a lame excuse he knew, but better to lie to Hagrid than the alternative.
"Yes," Dean said, agreeing with his roommate. "Yes. Um... Early Transfiguration class tomorrow. See you around, Hagrid." And with those words, the two turned and dashed out the door, quickly moving up the steep incline towards the castle.
"Well, Harry," Hagrid said as the black-haired boy stared out the door. "Looks like just the two o' us. Would yer like a cuppa tea? I got some rock cakes here, too...freshly made." He smiled at the young man, his black eyes glinting in the firelight.
"Wha...what?" Harry said, looking back at his good friend. "No...erm...No, thank you." He glanced at the doorway again. "Like Dean said, we have an early Transfiguration class in the morning. I really should get back to Gryffindor Tower."
Hagrid's smile faded. "Oh," he said. "Well, I s'ppose tha's right. Maybe later in the week, then?" His eyes turned sad and lonely and Harry felt slightly guilty for not coming to visit the gentle half-giant more often.
Smiling, Harry said, "Tell you what, Hagrid. How about if Ron, Hermione and I come 'round for afternoon tea this Saturday? Will that be okay?"
An extremely happy look spread across Hagrid's face, his wide smile clearly showing through the black, bristly beard. "Tha'd be great, Harry, jus' great!"
Happy to have cheered his friend, Harry said, "Good night, then, Hagrid. I'll see you later." He turned and walked out of the hut, closing the door behind him.
As he trudged up the hill to the castle, he startled only slightly when he felt someone grab his arm.
Appearing suddenly as she took off the Invisibility Cloak, Hermione said, "Shouldn't you have checked with Ron or I before you committed us to a social event this weekend? We still have to finish that NEWT Potions experiment for Professor Snape that's due in a few weeks, you know." She eyed him with her usual you-shouldn't-put-off-homework-until-the-last-minute look.
Harry frowned. "Aw, Hermione," he said. "You should have seen his face. He looked so lonely and sad. You know that it's only Professor Dumbledore and us that ever come to see him. And we haven't been down to see him in such a long while." A look of pleading flashed in his eyes. "And it will only be for an hour or two. We can stay up late that night to work our Potions. It would really mean something to him if we all came to see him."
Her face softened. "I did see his face." Smiling, she said, "And I thought it was really sweet of you to promise us to visit him." She stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose. As she pulled away, her eyes flashed in the cold moonlight. "And I know just the thing to show you how I much appreciate your thoughtfulness."
The castle was quiet this night. Mrs. Norris was silently padding her way down the third floor corridor peeking into the various rooms and hallways. So far she had not encountered any students who were out wandering the hallways after the curfew.
She paused at the stairway that would lead to the second floor. She shuddered at the memory from five years before. Even though it was that long ago and even though she knew that the basilisk was dead and that the Chamber of Secrets was once again sealed, she never ventured to the second floor unless accompanied by her master and even then only if he carried her.
No, she would let her master patrol that floor this night.
She was drawn down the hallway by the sudden sound of voices. If it was Peeves, she knew her master would want to know that he was up to mischief. She quickened her pace, hoping she would catch him in the act of whatever he was doing.
As she approached the trophy room, she could tell it wasn't Peeves. It was the voices of students. And they weren't just out past curfew; from the sounds they were making, they were engaged in very illicit behaviour.
A sudden cry ... "Ohhh! Yesss!" … and she recognized one of the voices. It was the Potter boy! In all the years that the boy had attended Hogwarts, she had never been able to catch him out of bounds. She knew he had an Invisibility Cloak and she could always tell when he was nearby, but she had never been able to actually catch him.
It looked like tonight his luck had run out. At last!
She poked her head into the room. At first all she saw was the Potter boy. He was leaning over the trophy case in the middle of the room, facing the door with his eyes closed. He was moaning and whimpering.
" Ron. That's..." His voice hissed.
Oh, thank the mother above! The Weasley brat was here, too. But where?
Suddenly, the red-head stood up behind the dark-haired wizard-boy. Mrs. Norris quickly slipped into the room, hugging the wall to avoid being seen.
What exactly are they doing? And why aren't I hearing any other voices? Where are the girls they would be trysting with? Turning the corner of another cabinet, she saw them and saw exactly what they were doing. Both boys had their trousers down around their ankles and the tall, freckled one was standing behind the other, his hips thrusting, sweat dropping off of his brow.
The other boy was thrusting back into the other, practically shouting through his gritted teeth. "Yes, Ron! Uhn! YES!"
Wait. I know what they are doing! In her long life, Mrs. Norris had seen other persons performing this act. But usually it's ... that's not ...
"MEOWRRR!" Oh, gods! Two boys! Doing that?!? Scratch my eyes out now! Let the gods take the last of my nine lives so I NEVER have to see that again! "MEE-OOOWWWRRRR!"
Mrs. Norris closed her eyes as she felt her stomach begin to heave. She felt her back arch as her belly gave a large lurch and tried to expel her dinner. A flurry of activity blurred in the room but she ignored it as she tried to wipe the images from her mind.
Her stomach was still a bit woozy a few minutes later when her master found her, her face twisted into the closest thing a cat can come to a grimace.
"What's the matter, my sweet? Have you found a bit of mischief?" Mr. Filch's eyes swept the room. As he noticed the sour puddle in front of the cat, he, too, grimaced. "Have a bit of trouble with a hairball, my darling?"
Gods, now I wish I had looked the basilisk straight in the eye so I wouldn't have had to witness that.
It was nearing midnight when Neville had been collected by Professor Sprout from the Gryffindor Common Room. He had been eagerly awaiting her arrival since dinner as tonight was the night of the full moon and he would at last be able to gather the final ingredient for his NEWT Potions project.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the help you've given me with this project, Professor," Neville gasped as they approached the greenhouses. While he had lost all of his so-called "baby fat" by the beginning of sixth year, he was still what some would call "pudgy" and not in the greatest of physical conditioning. The trek to Professor Sprout's domain was a long one from Gryffindor Tower and had left him somewhat winded as he kept up with the professor's purposeful stride.
"Well, Mister Longbottom," she said, a wide grin turning up the corners of her mouth. "When you told me of your project, I couldn't very well turn down one of my best students, could I? I know you could have gotten these ingredients at the apothecary down in Hogsmeade, but I've always believed a potion is much more effective when using the freshest ingredients."
Cocking her head slightly, she asked, "What inspired you to pick Veritaserum for your project anyway?"
"Well," Neville started, his eyes lowered so that he didn't quite meet hers, "when I leave Hogwarts I want to try and get into the Auror Training Academy and one of the most difficult potions the Aurors use is Veritaserum. So I thought that if I could learn to properly make it while I'm still here and under the tutelage of an actual Potions Master, I would be that much ahead of the game."
Professor Sprout stopped at the doorway to Greenhouse Three and considered the young man for a moment. She reached out and placed both her hands on his shoulders causing him to look directly at her. "Your parents were great Aurors, Neville," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "Two of the finest I ever knew. I know they would be proud - very proud - both of your accomplishments here at Hogwarts as well as your ambitions for the future." This time, a sad but genuine smile creased her face.
Neville felt his cheeks warm with his blush at the same time his heart swelled with pride. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I sure hope so."
They stood silent for a moment, each contemplating the unfortunate fate of the elder Longbottoms.
With a slight sniffle, Professor Sprout turned at last to the door, saying, "Let's go and collect that last ingredient, shall we?"
As she opened the door, she pulled out her wand and whispered, "Lumos." Stepping inside and holding the glowing wand high, there was a sudden yell from the back of the greenhouse and the sound of breaking pottery.
"Who's there?" she shouted, holding her wand even higher and craning her neck attempting to see further into the room. As bright as the spark at the wand tip was, it still wasn't strong enough to reach the furthest corners of the space. "Whoever you are, you had better show yourself," she demanded.
"P- p- professor Sprout?" A quiet yet shaky voice rose out of the darkness. "I- it's me, Professor. Hermione Granger."
"Miss Granger? What are you doing here in the dark?" she queried. "Just a moment. Let me get some more light in here."
She was about to cast an Incendio spell on the torches along the walls when there was the sound of much shuffling and a shout rang out from the back of the greenhouse. "No! Wait!"
Neville thought Hermione's voice had a tinge of panic to it. "Hermione?" he asked quietly. "Is everything all right?"
"Neville?" This time the voice from the shadows was deeper - much deeper; a male voice. It was quickly followed by Hermione's hissed "Shhh!"
Affecting her sternest, most authoritarian voice, Professor Sprout called out. "Miss Granger, I think you and whoever is back there with you should come out and explain yourselves." When there didn't seem to be any sounds of movement from the back of the greenhouse, she raised her voice. "Immediately, Miss Granger."
A moment later, Hermione appeared out of the darkness, closely followed by a much disheveled looking Ron Weasley. There seemed to be a few leaves and twigs tangled in his bright red hair.
With a stern look on her face, Professor Sprout demanded, "Well, Miss Granger? Mister Weasley? What excuse can you possibly have for being in my greenhouse at this time of night?"
A slight flush seemed to creep up both their faces as they quickly glanced at each other.
"Well," Hermione began. "You do know that we are in the NEWT Potions class, right?" The Hufflepuff head-of-house nodded gravely. "Well, for my project I'm working on improving the Wolfsbane potion and you do know that I need to pick the Wolfsbane leaves under the light of the full moon and only the light of the full moon so that the potion can be brewed at the time of the new moon and Ron, here you see, he volunteered to help me since I needed a lot of it and we were just finishing up when you startled us and we were so surprised we knocked over some pots of Mimbulus mimbletonia." Her words came out rushed and almost tumbling over each other. Ron appeared to be holding his breath.
Professor Sprout was nearly scowling as she looked back and forth between the two of them as they shifted nervously from foot to foot. She harrumphed quite loudly. "If you had asked me, I could have collected the both of you at the same time I came for Mister Longbottom, here. He is gathering ingredients for his project as well."
Both Hermione and Ron looked at their feet and quietly said, "Sorry, Professor."
"Hmm," the Professor said. "Well, I certainly expected better behaviour of you, especially our Head Girl." Hermione's head lowered even further with those words. "Ten points each from Gryffindor House for being out of bounds after curfew." Neville groaned at that. "And I'm afraid I'll have to assign you both a night's detention to repot the Mimbulus mimbletonia plants that you knocked over."
The two students let out a sigh. To Neville, it sounded more like a sigh of relief than one of regret.
"Now," the Professor continued. "Do you have your Wolfsbane leaves?" Hermione nodded and held up a blackened satchel that appeared to contain a large amount of leaves. "Very well. You two will wait outside while Mister Longbottom completes his task and then I will escort all three of you back to your tower. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Professor Sprout," they said together and they stepped outside the greenhouse.
When the door had shut behind them, Ron let out a long breath. "Whew! That was bloody close."
Hermione swatted his arm. "Ronald Weasley!" she hissed. "We almost got caught!" A frown turned down the corners of her mouth. "I just hope I've got enough leaves here to complete my project. If you hadn't distracted me, we could have picked a lot more!"
Ron gathered her up in his arms. "Hermione, we've got enough here to make six months worth of potion for Professor Lupin." He nuzzled her ear, his breath sending gooseflesh up and down the side of her neck. "Besides, you were very distracting to me. You know how absolutely delicious you look under the moonlight?"
"Still..." she began, only to be cut off as Ron's lips found hers. She moaned slightly into the kiss until she remembered where they were. "We... we better stop before we get carried away again. They'll be back out here very soon." She gently pushed him away.
Ron sighed. "All right. I'll stand over here and wait." He leaned against the wall of the greenhouse and quirked an eyebrow. "I'll wait until we get back to the Head Girl's room."
Hermione felt the warmth of her blush begin at her toes as she broke out into a wide grin.
It was just past curfew when the door to the Headmaster's office creaked slowly open. Two heads, one red haired, the other, a messy black, peered around the edge of the door. Seeing no one, they quickly dashed into the room and closed the door.
"Are you sure it's safe, Harry?" Ron asked, glancing nervously around the room.
"Yes, Ron," the other boy said. "I checked the map before we left the tower. I couldn't find Dumbledore or McGonagall anywhere in the castle." He was standing near a small side table that had many silvery objects.
Ron still seemed rather nervous, but it was evident from his down-turned mouth that it wasn't about the room they were currently standing in. "Um, Harry?" His eyes shifted to the floor, not wanting to meet Harry's. "How many times have you done this?"
The corner of Harry's mouth twitched slightly. "A few times," he said slowly. Seeing his friend's downcast eyes, he moved towards him and took up his hand. "Look. I understand how you can be a little nervous. I was, too, the first time. But it helped me - helps me to deal with - with all this stuff that runs around in my head all the time."
Ron looked up sharply, his eyes filled with concern for his friend, who sighed.
"By giving up control, it takes the burden of responsibility off my shoulders for a while." Harry smiled softly. "And it helps me with matters of trust. I place myself totally in her hands and I completely trust her not to do anything that will harm me." He chuckled a bit. "And it gives her a chance to indulge in her more 'controlling' nature."
He reached up and stroked the side of Ron's face. "There is pleasure, too - for both of us. And don't forget, I still have ultimate control. I only have to say a word and it will stop." His eyes took on a serious expression. "You do remember what we talked about for certain words, don't you?"
Ron swallowed noisily and nodded.
"Good," Harry said, his face softened a bit. He leaned up and brushed his lips against the pale, angular jaw of his friend. "Trust me," he murmured. "This is something I've wanted to share with you for a while."
Ron moaned loudly as Harry continued to slowly nibble at his neck, sending shivers up and down his spine. He was just about to grab Harry and ravage his mouth when a loud SMACK! was heard behind them and they jumped apart.
"Well, boys." The stern voice was quiet yet just loud enough to be scary. "Am I to understand that you have been sent to me because you were caught breaking school rules?"
Harry seemed to shrink, his head lowering as he mumbled something.
"What was that, Mister Potter?" The cinnamon brown eyes glaring at them darkened almost dangerously. "I didn't quite hear that."
Harry cleared his throat before he said, "Yes, Headmistress."
Ron stood staring at her, seemingly having lost his voice. This was a different Hermione Granger than he was used to seeing. She stood tall - taller than he ever remembered her being - maybe it was the lack of the dozen or so books she usually had weighing her down - or maybe it was the aura of confidence that seemed to glow behind her eyes. She wore black - not just her black robes, which were open in front, but a black silk skirt which emphasized her long, tanned bare legs and a black satin blouse that looked as though it may have been a size or three too small. Black leather boots encased her legs coming almost up to her knees.
She was slowly slapping a leather paddle into her hand. It obviously had cushioning charms applied to it as it was not leaving any marks on her palms. "And what do I do with students who go about flagrantly breaking school rules?"
Harry cleared his throat again to make sure he spoke clearly. "You punish them."
"Yes," she said, a smirk curling the corner of her mouth. "I punish them." Her eyes shifted to Ron, who still stared at her. Quirking an eyebrow, she said in a voice that was almost as seductive as it was stern, "And what about you, Mister Weasley? What do you have to say for yourself?"
Ron gulped. The expression on her face reminded him so very much of Professor McGonagall and that, combined with the huskiness of her voice, conflicted in his mind so much that he completely lost his nerve.
"Dobby!" he squeaked, barely pushing the word past his lips.
A slight look of disappointment momentarily crossed Hermione's expression before she stood up even straighter. "Very well, Mister Weasley," she said slowly. "You may assist me then." She then turned to Harry. "Mister Potter. Assume the position."
"Yes, Headmistress," Harry said, a subtle shiver visibly running through his body as he turned and leaned on his elbows across the large desk.
Hermione walked up behind him and slowly ran the paddle up and down the inside of his thighs, causing Harry to shudder again. "Mister Weasley. Bind his arms if you will."
Ron took his wand out of his pocket and cast the charm. Ropes shot from his wand and tightly bound Harry's arms to the corners of the desk. Harry momentarily struggled against the ropes, almost as if he were testing their strength, and then settled back on his elbows.
Ron was surprised at how enthralled he was - seeing how helpless Harry seemed and how enticing Hermione looked as she looked at them both. He felt himself stiffening in anticipation of what might happen next - not knowing what Hermione was going to order the both of them to do.
It didn't go unnoticed either. Hermione raised an eyebrow again and smiled widely. "Now, Mister Weasley, how shall we begin?"
An hour later, three rather sated teenagers (one of them slightly sore) left the Headmaster's office having accomplished their goal for the evening. Hermione was still slightly disappointed that Ron had not fully participated but still it had been entirely satisfying for all of them.
This was the first time where the three of them had been together that she had witnessed Ron coupling with Harry. She had been fascinated and incredibly turned on to watch as his length slowly disappeared into Harry. They had told her about doing it before but she still worried a bit when she ordered Ron to take him from behind like that. She didn't want Harry to be hurt - she promised herself to look up lubricating charms for the next time, or at least before she herself tried that.
As the door snapped shut with a click, there was a rustle of sound from behind a row of bookshelves. Two heads peered around the edge, one with long, flowing silvery hair, the other, dark shot through with steely gray. Seeing no one remained, they stepped quietly into the room.
As the elderly woman moved about, a near scowl crossed her face. "Well, Albus, that was ... interesting."
A look of barely concealed humor lit the Headmaster's face. "Indeed," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Indeed it was, Minerva."
Shying away from the scene they had just witnessed, McGonagall tacked a slightly different course. "Potter said that we didn't appear on the Marauder's Map when he checked." A puzzled look crinkled her brow. "How is that so? I thought the map was never wrong."
A sly grin quirked the corner of Dumbledore's lips. "Ah, yes, that's rather easily explained. You see, the map is never wrong - it's just that it is sometimes not completely correct."
When her brows furrowed even further and her lips twisted into a tight moue, he continued. "One of the times that Harry loaned me the map, I convinced the personalities within it that there would be times that it would be necessary to - erm - not reveal my location within the castle." The Headmaster smiled as he recalled the "conversation" he had with the map. "A most convincing set of arguments so logical that would have even Severus beam with pride."
A quirked eyebrow was his companion's only question. Deflating slightly, Dumbledore sighed. "I threatened it over the fireplace."
The soft chuckle the deputy Headmistress gave quickly faded into a rather uncomfortable silence. It seemed to stretch on for minutes as they studiously avoided looking at each other. Bristling, she finally broke. "Well. That was ... was ..." Her voice faded to silence again.
The old Headmaster said nothing, smiling gently to himself. Knowing that she wanted to say more and would not be able to contain herself, he waited patiently for her to crack. It didn't take long.
"But, but... Albus," she stuttered. "The three of them...together like that...a trio...a triumvirate. There hasn't been a combination like that since…"
"Yes," Dumbledore said, "since the Founders. When Salazar Slytherin left the school, Gryffindor needed the support - the love - of his two remaining friends to continue and to defend the school." He sighed. "Remember, Harry said it was a matter of trust. And they are the people he trusts most, now." A smile curled his lip. "And, apparently loves with all his heart. They obviously love him as well."
McGonagall harrumphed but she didn't disagree with him. The scowl returned to her face but this time it was laced with concern. "Do you..." she swallowed, almost nervously. "Do you think that this is a healthy outlet for him to express himself? Do you think this submissive tendency will affect how he eventually will face...?"
Dumbledore's expression became serious, although his eyes continued to twinkle. "He's also learning about control. While he ultimately controls how far it goes, he's learning that sometimes he doesn't have control over events - that not everything that happens around him can be controlled or planned for or even foreseen. And that, in turn, gives him the strength to take control when it needs to be."
He sighed, his eyes dimming slightly. "And he is learning to deal with his guilt. The guilt of not being able to control events; the guilt he feels for believing he is endangering his friends; the guilt of surviving." He sighed again, a little longer this time, before speaking quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "We must all learn ways of dealing with our own burdens of guilt."
They both stood in silence for a moment. Dumbledore nonchalantly picked up one of the silvery objects from the small table and considered it for a moment. "Speaking of assuaging one's guilt..." He peeked through his lowered gaze towards his friend and fellow teacher.
Shaken from her reverie, McGonagall raised an eyebrow at the man standing before her; he nodded back at her. "Very well," she said, rather sternly. "Where were we, then?"
Lowering his eyes again, he spoke quietly yet clearly. "I believe you were about to..."
"Ah, yes," she said. She raised her voice slightly while dropping it nearly an octave in range. "Assume the position, Mister Dumbledore."
The barest of smiles creased his lips as he turned towards the desk. "Yes, Headmistress."
Parvati paced rather anxiously about the Common Room. It was so unlike Hermione Granger to be late. And she had been waiting for her for nearly thirty minutes now.
It was the middle of April, NEWT's were rapidly approaching and Hermione had agreed to tutor her in History of Magic. "Bloody Yanks and their bloody Graduation Qualification Exams," Parvati muttered, working herself up into a full head of steam. "What bloody purpose does having a bloody NEWT in bloody History of Magic have in studying Advanced Divination?"
But she needed it; she needed it if she was to be accepted into the American exchange program she wanted. And that was why she was pacing the Common Room wondering where the Head Girl was. She had been to Hermione's private room but there had been no answer to neither a polite knock nor a heavy pounding on the door.
Parvati swung around and glared as the portrait opened but sagged in disappointment as it only revealed Colin Creevey stepping through the rounded hole in the wall.
Seeing her standing there with a frown on her face, Colin broke out in a huge grin. "Hi, Parvati. Did you get the picture of you that I sent? What did you think of it?"
Her frown deepening, Parvati said, "It was a lovely picture, Colin. It would have been an even better picture of me if I hadn't been one of a large group of people in the background of a picture of Harry leading a DA meeting."
"Oh." The boy's grin faded a little. "Well, I suppose..."
Parvati waved off his comment. "That's not really important right now," she said. "What I need is to know if you've seen Hermione this evening. I was supposed to meet her here for a tutoring session and she hasn't shown up."
Quickly forgetting his faux pas, Colin's previous enthusiasm returned. "Well, Harry and Ron had Quidditch practice tonight and you know how Hermione goes to watch them. They may be running late and could still be down there."
Not wanting to get drawn into a long conversation with the sixth-year boy, Parvati muttered a quick thanks and left through the portrait hole and headed down to the Quidditch pitch. As she moved quickly through the halls and out the Entrance Hall, she worried about her friend, the Head Girl. It was so unlike Hermione to be late to an appointment. Even if she were watching her two best friends at Quidditch practice, she was never one to shirk either her responsibilities or renege on a promise to help.
It seemed as though the Head Girl had been rather distracted lately. It didn't seem to be something huge, something that would detract from her studies (heaven forbid that Hermione Granger would be distracted from her school work), but it was enough that something seemed to be off about her behaviour lately.
Ever since the day of the blizzard in January where Harry and Ron had become lost in the Forbidden Forest and Hermione had gone looking for them, things seemed to have changed in their relationship. It wasn't anything definite, but there was a subtle shift in the way they treated each other. It was almost as if they had gone beyond the "best friends" they always claimed to be.
As she approached the Quidditch pitch, Parvati wondered if something had happened that her former roommate had been forced to choose between the two boys. She had known for a long time that Hermione had a divided heart - that she cared deeply for both of her best friends, that she couldn't choose between them, and that she was afraid of having to decide if she loved one more than the other.
Parvati was so wrapped up in her thoughts that, as she passed the Gryffindor stands, she almost didn't hear the sound, but it was just loud enough to catch her attention. She stopped suddenly and listened intently. There it was again - a grunt followed by a low moan. It seemed to be coming from under the stands. Someone is doing a little secretive snogging, she grinned to herself. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she carefully, quietly pulled back the heavy canvass that covered the support legs of the viewing stands and peeked in.
And suddenly, she felt her heart stop. Slowly, her jaw fell open and her eyes widened to the size of fifty-pence pieces. Harry and Ron were under there, still dressed in their Quidditch practice robes. Ron had his mouth firmly latched on Harry's neck, suckling at the tender flesh like a babe. Harry was clearly trying to stifle his moans of pleasure but with only partial success.
Lifting his lips to look into Harry's eyes, Ron spoke, his voice broken by heavy, panting breaths. "Do you ... know how bloody ... sexy you look when you ... go into one of your ... dives?"
Harry moaned again, wrapped his fingers in the red-head's hair and pulled Ron's lips to his own. They appeared to lazily explore each others mouth. Ron wrapped his arms around the other boy and they began to grind their hips against each together.
Parvati dropped the cloth and ran. She ran as fast as she could back to the castle and tore up the marble staircase with only one thought on her mind. Oh. My. God. This is news ... this is news! I have to tell Lavender about this. Ron and Harry are GAY!?! Oh, Merlin!
As she neared the Fat Lady's portrait, she almost shouted the password, then clamored through the hole as the picture swung away while the lady murmured, "Well, I never ..." Crossing the Common Room, she had almost made it to the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory when she was stopped by a loud voice.
"Parvati Patil," the Head Girl called. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you in the library for nearly an hour. Don't you want to pass your History of Magic exam?" She looked angrily at the dark skinned girl.
Parvati turned around and stared at Hermione. Her heart sank as she looked at the bushy-haired girl. Oh, you poor girl, Hermione. Do you know? Is this why you seem so distracted? No wonder you have been so out of it lately. She couldn't confront her with this information though, not yet. Hermione looked angry enough as it was and this was not going to be an easy, casual conversation. This was too big. She'd have to discuss it - to strategize on how to broach the subject - with Lavender first.
"I ... erm ... thought we ... um ... were supposed to meet here." Parvati stammered as she slowly backed towards the girls' stairs. Well, it was the truth.
Hermione frowned. "No," she said. "I'm sure I told you to meet me tonight in the library. We were going to go over the case study of the Salem Witch Trials and you know Madame Pince does not allow that book out of the library."
"Oh," Parvati said quietly. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I guess I forgot about that." Glancing over her shoulder at the stairs, she spoke quickly, her words coming in a rush. "Listen, Hermione. Something's ... erm ... come up. Could we do this later? I really need to find Lavender and ... um ... give her the Divination notes I promised to share with her."
"Parvati ..." Hermione began, but the other girl did not give her a chance to finish.
"Oh, thank you, Hermione," she said, her words stumbling out. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."
And with that, she spun on her heel and fled up the stairs.
Hermione looked after her, a loud harrumph escaping her lips. Divination notes, indeed, she thought. More likely some juicy bit of gossip she wants to share. "Words of wisdom for you Parvati," she shouted up the stairs. "'Do it today or later you'll pay!' are words I live by. Don't be procrastinating!"
And with those words, she left the Gryffindor Common Room to return to her quarters.
It was a week later that found someone nervously pacing the Gryffindor Common Room again; only this time it was Hermione. After her "conversation" with Parvati and Lavender in the library the night before, Harry had had a late patrol. She had ended going to bed before he returned and so she hadn't had a chance to talk with Harry about the challenge they had issued her.
"A make-out session in the Common Room," Parvati had said firmly.
She had left him a note saying that there was something that she needed to discuss with both he and Ron this morning. But when she had gotten up, Harry had already been up and gone, leaving a note for her saying he had Quidditch strategies to discuss first thing with Ron and to meet them in the Gryffindor Common Room.
Oh, how could I have let this out? she thought to herself. Harry and Ron are going to be so upset with me - we were going to keep this to ourselves; at least for a while. How could I have let Lavender and Parvati bully me into this? Ohhh, Harry is NOT going to like this at all!
So consumed by her worries and pacing furiously, she failed to notice the subjects of her thoughts quietly descend the stairs from the boys' dormitory.
"Morning, Hermione," the red-haired boy greeted her cheerily. "Sleep well?"
"Ron!" she squeaked in surprise, stopping her mad dash back and forth. She turned to face her two best friends in the world.
"Good morning," Harry said rather shyly. "What was it that you wanted to talk to us about?"
"Oh," she said, casting her eyes at the floor. She nervously chewed on her lower lip. "Well ... you see ... you know how we've ... we've been ... um ..." She couldn't quite bring herself to say it before Ron interrupted her.
"Hermione!" he whispered, shushing her. "The Gryffindor Common Room is not the place to be discussing this."
"Well, that's not my fault," she said exasperatedly, her own voice a harsh whisper. "Harry said to meet you here and we have to discuss this now."
"Discuss exactly what, Hermione," Harry asked.
"Well," she said slowly.
"Hermione ..." Harry said, his voice suspicious.
"Oh, all right," she cried. "Parvati and Lavender have found out," she said, crossing her arms protectively across her chest.
"Found out what?" Ron growled.
"About us," Harry said, a scowl forming on his face. "That's what it is, isn't it? They've found out about us, haven't they?"
"Yes," Hermione said softly.
"What?" Ron wailed. "When? I thought we were going to keep this quiet? How did they find out?"
"That," she said with some disdain, "would be your fault. Parvati said she saw you two under the Quidditch stands last week."
Ron at least had the good graces to look chagrined.
The scowl still creasing his face, Harry said, "Well, what now? What do they want?"
Hermione mumbled something that Ron couldn't quite hear, but Harry apparently caught quite readily.
"Proof? Oh, no!" he said. "No way. There is no way I am going to make a public spectacle of myself for their perverse sense of curiosity."
"Harry," she began, but she could see his cheeks and ears turning red with frustration, anger and embarrassment.
"No, Hermione," he said, his voice rising. "I don't really care that they've found out - it was bound to come out sooner or later. But I draw the line at some sort of sick display." And with that, he stormed out the portrait hole.
"Well," Hermione sighed. "That could have gone better."
"You know how Harry gets when he feels like he's the center of attention, Hermione," Ron said.
"I know, I know. But we're going to have to do something," she replied, "or it's going to get worse."
"Worse?" Ron asked. "What could possibly be worse than what Harry would feel being made a fool of in front of everyone?"
"Lavender," she said as though that would explain everything. When Ron didn't quite catch on, she continued. "She said she'd tell the whole school that she caught you and Harry together." She sighed as he raised an eyebrow.
"With Malfoy," Hermione said as she turned to follow Harry out of the Common Room.
The other eyebrow joined the first as he walked with her. "Really?" he asked, impressed. "That's cold. Even for Lavender, that's cold."
As the portrait door swung silently shut, a sandy brown head popped up from behind one of the squashy chairs on the far side of the room.
Could it possibly be true? Seamus thought as he raced up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. I had thought it was Harry and Hermione that had gotten together until I overheard Parvati tell Lavender about seeing Ron and Harry under the Quidditch stands last week. And Neville said he had practically caught Hermione and Ron in the greenhouses last month.
An evil grin spread across his face as he burst into the seventh-years' room. Just exactly what is going on with the Golden Trio?
"Dean! Neville!" he shouted. "Wake up!"
Dean Thomas sat straight up in his bed, his eyes wide open. "What? What is it? Is there an attack?" Neville moaned and whimpered from under his covers.
"No," Seamus said, the grin still splitting his face. "Do we still have that stash of firewhiskey in the loo?"
Confused, Dean looked at his best friend and roommate. "Um, yeah," he said, a quizzical look wrinkling his forehead. "Firewhiskey and some rum. What for?"
Turning to the other boy, who had peeked out from behind the curtains of his bed, Seamus continued. "Neville, do you still have some of that Veritaserum from your NEWT Potions project?"
"Er," Neville grunted, then cleared his throat. "Yes, I haven't completely turned in my project yet." A frown turned down the corners of his mouth. "What do we need firewhiskey and Veritaserum for?"
His eyes lighting up with glee, he chuckled. "We're going to invite Harry and Ron to a little game tonight."
Dean caught the glint in Seamus' eyes. "Really? Is it time?" A small smile began to break across his face.
"Yes," Seamus said as he rubbed his hands together. Neville began to grin as well. "It's time to confront our Head Boy and his best friend with a little Truth or Dare." He sat down on Dean's bed and they began to make plans for this evening.
From Gryffindor Girls and Gryffindor Boys:
Seamus flicked his wand and removed all the locking charms on the door. Harry and Ron fled the room, pounding down the stairs into the Common Room.
Hermione had talked to them earlier in the day about some sort of public display, but was too embarrassed to go into great detail. Apparently Parvati and Lavender had issued her some sort of challenge.
So when the boys descended the stairs, Harry took one look around to note it was only the older students in the Common Room. Smiling wickedly at Ron, they flopped onto the sofa on either side of Hermione.
Hermione's books slid to the floor as Ron began kissing her earlobe and whispered, "Ready for that snogging session?"
"You've been drinking," she accused, but without much heat since Harry had begun kissing her neck on the other side.
"So has Harry."
Her eyes lit wickedly. "He has?"
Ron and Hermione both felt Harry's sigh as much as heard it. "I don't know why the two of you get so excited when I've been drinking," he said sulkily.
Ron removed his mouth from Hermione's ear and pulled Harry in close in front of Hermione. "You and alcohol go well together in two instances: playing pranks and -" he motioned to the three of them "- doing this."
The crooked grin Harry graced them with made Hermione moan softly and Ron pull Harry close for a deep kiss.
Some of the more innocent sixth years were staring once Ron began snogging Harry, but the seventh year Gryffindor girls just smiled. And when Harry began exploring Hermione's mouth with his tongue while Ron nibbled at the back of her neck, Parvati Patil knew she'd never be able to look Harry in the eye again without thinking about what a considerate lover he was; and Lavender Brown knew she'd never be able to look at Ron's hands again without thinking about what other part of his anatomy was large.
The three eventually broke it up - well, took it to the Head Girl's room - only when Neville threatened to douse them with a freezing charm.
~*~ The End ~*~
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