FicWad

A/N: I recently received an e-mail requesting that I send out an alert whenever I post a new chapter of this story. I've decided to do so, starting with Chapter 5. If you'd like me to notify you when new chapters are posted, e-mail me at mayorhaggar@gmail.com requesting that I add you to the alert list.



Harry Potter: Still not mine. Duh.

Chapter 4:
The Education of Hermione Granger

By MayorHaggar (mayorhaggar@gmail.com)

“That’s good. Well, I’m not all that hungry, and I need to work on my Potions essay, so I think I’ll head up to the girl’s dorms for a bit. Bye, Harry. Bye, Parvati.”

Hermione Granger did not wait for a response from either Harry or Parvati before darting up the stairs to the Fourth Year girl’s dorms that she shared with Parvati and her best friend, Lavender Brown. Lavender had already left for supper, so Hermione had the room all to herself. The bushy haired witch was quite thankful for this, because she desperately wanted some privacy at the moment.

Hermione had a lot on her mind, but very little of it revolved around her argument with Ron. No, she had rowed with Ronald Weasley so often over the years that it was almost habitual at this point. Certainly nothing to agonize over.

No, at the forefront of Hermione’s mind was her other best friend, Harry Potter. Nothing new there. Harry had been a vital part of her life ever since that Halloween encounter with the troll back in their first year. But lately, that blasted boy had begun occupying her thoughts with alarming frequency. At first, she had been able to rationalize it as simple friendly concern. After all, he was being forced to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which was meant for older witches and wizards. His health, and even his life, was at stake. It was perfectly natural that helping her best friend through this dangerous experience was of paramount importance to her.

Except it wasn’t helping Harry with the tournament that was invading her thoughts and dreams. Not entirely, at least. Sure, she spent much of her free time trying to help Harry with his preparation. But when her mind wandered unchecked, the search for an underwater breathing charm was all but forgotten.

Hermione wasn’t sure exactly when it started, but the first time she was consciously aware of the change was at the Yule Ball, when she saw Harry in his green dress robes that perfectly complemented his emerald eyes. When she first got a glimpse of Harry in those robes, the thought was in Hermione’s head before she could censor it: 'Harry is handsome'. She immediately shook herself mentally, reminding herself that Harry was her friend, and nothing more. Besides, it had been very kind of Viktor to ask her to attend the ball as his date, and spending the evening pining for another wizard didn’t seem fair to him, even if she and Viktor were not involved romantically.

And yet, Harry had continued to pop into her mind unbidden throughout the night. She couldn’t help but notice Harry’s apparent misery, despite having the beautiful Parvati Patil as his partner. She wished she could do something to help Harry, just like always—and then she asked herself, exactly how was she supposed to help him in this instance? The answer that her subconscious provided brought a blush to her cheeks, and she decided right then that she would put a stop to this foolishness. ’No more strange thoughts about Harry’, she reminded herself. A distraction soon arrived, thanks to Ron. She and Ron got into a particularly vicious row over Hermione’s decision to attend the ball with Krum, and that had been enough to take Hermione’s mind off of Harry and the strange thoughts he had provoked in her throughout the night.

And then, mere hours later, Hermione was forced to confront these confusing thoughts and feelings again. She and Lavender confronted Harry and Parvati after they got back from their late night excursion, and Parvati announced that she and Harry had had sex, and were going to begin dating. Hermione’s immediate reaction had been that of sadness and loss, but she quickly reminded herself that she had no reason to feel that way. Harry was her friend, and if he wanted to date Parvati, that was his business. He deserved some joy for a change, so as long as he and Parvati were careful, she should feel nothing but happiness for her friend and his new relationship. And aside from that, this solved her own problem rather neatly. Now that Harry had a girlfriend, those absurd thoughts from earlier would surely cease.

Of course, it was one thing to say that to herself, but quite another to get her brain to go along with the plan. Harry may have been taken off the market, but the unwelcome realization that Harry was quite an attractive young wizard did not become any easier for Hermione to deal with. Not only did that traitorous brain of hers completely ignore her ’Harry is only my friend’ edict, it had even begun forcing her to experience Harry-centric dreams that were anything but platonic and friendly. As hard as she fought during the day to remind herself that Harry was strictly her friend, not to mention involved in a relationship, Hermione was powerless to stop the dreams. She would wake up the next morning experiencing a myriad of emotions. Anger at her inability to control her subconscious thoughts. Confusion as to why it was always Harry with her in the dreams; never Krum, or Ron, or even a faceless bloke who she could fantasize about freely. Self-deprecating amusement that her brain had locked in on Harry; Harry, who didn’t even realize she was a girl. Harry, who had a beautiful girlfriend with exotic looks, a figure most girls their age would die for, lustrous hair and self-confidence, all attributes she herself was sorely lacking. She couldn’t hold a candle to Parvati, so why was she dreaming about Harry in that way? He’d probably laugh in her face if he had any idea what she was dreaming about.

But what stood out most to Hermione was the sheer passion of the dreams. Even hours later, as she went about her day, she would struggle not to think about the vivid pictures painted by the dreams. Harry staring into her eyes longingly, his green pupils never wavering from her brown ones. Harry’s lips crashing into hers, claiming her mouth in desperate need. His arms wrapping around her, pulling her body flush against his before gently, reverently removing her clothing, bit by bit. And then…

’NO!, Hermione scolded herself. Her brain was overloaded enough after her conversation with Parvati minutes earlier; dwelling on that would certainly not help matters.

Hermione tried to take her mind off of her problems by working on her Potions essay, but she knew full well that not even her school work, usually a top priority, could distract her from her foolish infatuation towards her best friend. She huffed in frustration at her complete lack of progress, and was just about to give it up as a bad job when her solitude was interrupted.

“How’s that essay coming?”

Hermione’s head jerked up to see Parvati standing near her bed and smiling down at her. A fresh wave of guilt assaulted Hermione at the sight of Parvati. Though there had been some awkward situations, Parvati had really gone out of her way to be kind to Hermione since she had begun dating Harry, and Hermione had started to think of her as something of a friend. Which made her ongoing erotic dreams all the worse. When Parvati had softly commented on Hermione’s strong feelings for Harry as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione had felt guilty beyond belief. If Parvati only knew just what it was she felt for Harry…though, in fairness, even Hermione herself was at a loss when it came to labelling or categorizing her rapidly changing feelings for her best friend.

Shaking her head to clear herself, Hermione merely shrugged in response to Parvati’s question.

“That bad, huh? Well, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to start working on it right after we spent hours working in the library. I bet it’ll go a lot better for you if you take a break to clear your head a bit, and come back to it later.”

“Yes, you’re probably right,” Hermione agreed. She didn’t think a break would help her at all, actually, but she wasn’t about to tell Parvati that, given the reason for her sub-par effort. “So…how’s Harry doing? Did you manage to cheer him up at all?”

“I got him to crack a smile or two, but he’s still ‘brooding’, as he says. I actually just came up here to freshen up a bit before I try again. I think I’m going to have better luck this time,” Parvati finished, grinning as she moved towards her own bed.

“I hope you do. Harry could certainly use it,” Hermione said sincerely. She watched as Parvati rummaged through her belongings, and eventually pulled out a perfume bottle. Parvati gave herself a few light sprays from the bottle before she put it away. Parvati was not done just yet, though, as she pulled out her wand and cast some sort of charm on herself that Hermione did not recognize.

“What was that charm?” Hermione inquired, puzzled. It was quite unusual for any of her fellow fourth years to perform charms and spells that she didn't recognize.

“Oh, just a little glamour, that’s all,” Parvati answered, not quite meeting Hermione's eyes.

“I see,” Hermione responded, watching as Parvati gave herself a quick once-over in her little bedside mirror before she stepped away from her bedside and began walking back towards the stairs. Hermione was a bit confused as to why Parvati seemed embarrassed about performing an apparently routine glamour charm on herself, but she deemed it unimportant and put it out of her mind.

“Well, I’m off to go cheer Harry up. See you later, Hermione.”

“Good luck, Parvati,” Hermione called to her newest friend’s back as she walked down the stairs. She envied Parvati in so many ways, and wished she had half of her self-confidence. Parvati always seemed very comfortable in her own skin, and very aware that she was a beautiful witch, but she never flaunted her beauty, or belittled the appearance of others. All in all, Hermione could find very little at fault with Harry's girlfriend. She was undeniably beautiful, she was kind, she was intelligent, and she was just as determined as Hermione was to help Harry through the dangers that always seemed to follow him. The more time she spent around Parvati, the more Hermione became convinced that she was a perfect match for Harry, as much as it might hurt her traitorous, confused heart to admit.

Hermione shook her head, endeavouring to put thoughts of Harry, Parvati and their perfect relationship out of her mind. She picked her quill back up and returned her attention to Snape's Potions essay, determined to use her love of academics and learning to take her mind off of this...whatever it was that she was feeling for Harry.

Unfortunately, her work on the essay was no more productive than it had been before Parvati's arrival. Her usual academic enthusiasm was nowhere to be found. If she tried to force herself to write this essay while she had Harry-on-the-brain, the result would be an incoherent mess—and she knew Professor Snape would take great pleasure in publicly humiliating her if she turned in something below her usual standards.

Hermione threw her quill down and let out a deep sigh of frustration. She dropped her head into her hands, exasperated with herself. It was one thing for her dreams to be Harry-centric, but the recent effect he had had on her academics was another matter entirely. In her three-and-a-half years at Hogwarts, Hermione had worked harder than any of her classmates, and her diligence and dedication had led her to stand alone at the top of her year. After her seven-year stint at Hogwarts was finished, her years of hard work would give her the skills and the knowledge to make a difference in the wizardry community.

That was the plan, at least. But these emerging feelings for Harry were making it harder and harder for her to focus on her work, which she found disconcerting. Unlike the vast majority of her fellow students, Hermione actually enjoyed her studies. She enjoyed learning new things, and enjoyed putting in the time and effort to excel in all of her subjects, with the belief that it would all be of great benefit to her later in life. But her studies just hadn't held the same appeal to her since the Yule Ball, and as hard as she tried to fight it, she was falling behind. Sure, she was still ahead of the rest of her classmates, but the gap was not as wide as usual. Hermione was a perfectionist when it came to academics, so any decline in her work, no matter how slight, was unacceptable to her.

And yet, she was powerless. Over the last two months, Hermione was truly happy and content only when she was around Harry. She had always enjoyed his company, for the most part, but now, it was as if her entire life revolved around him. Helping him with the Tri-Wizard tournament. Doing what she could to encourage him not to fall behind in his studies, even as she fell behind in her own...well, fell behind by her lofty standards, that is. And, above all else, trying to figure out just why in the hell she could not shake these feelings for him, which seemingly grew stronger with each passing day.

Her brain was, once again, focusing on Harry rather than her studies. She frowned as she remembered Harry's outburst in the library. Much to both her and Parvati's displeasure, Harry had been losing his temper more and more over the past several weeks, as they continued to come up empty on their underwater breathing research. It was quite distressing for Hermione to watch Harry lose it, while all of her knowledge and determination failed to provide a solution.

Like Parvati, Hermione had spent quite a bit of time racking her brain, trying to come up with some way to cheer Harry up. She had yet to come up with any ideas, and since she didn't share his fondness for flying and couldn't converse about Quidditch for more than 30 seconds, her options seemed limited. But Parvati seemed to think she was going to be able to raise Harry's spirits this time around, so perhaps she had come up with something.

'Maybe I can help. It's not healthy for Harry to be so angry all the time, and I did just say that I'd always do whatever I could to help Harry out, after all.'

And so, Hermione put her quill and parchment away, and prepared to see if there was anything she could do to cheer her best friend up. After putting her Hogwarts robes in her dirty clothes pile, she tried to smooth her hair, but quickly gave up and left it to remain in its natural state of bushiness. As Hermione straightened her skirt and walked down the stairs back to the Gryffindor common room, it never once occurred to her that Harry and Parvati could be up to anything private—ironic, considering how often her mind had been in the gutter recently.

When Hermione reached the bottom of the stairs, she found the Common Room to be empty. Frowning, she briefly wondered if Harry and Parvati had decided to go down to the Great Hall to eat. But Parvati hadn't mentioned it when they had talked just a few minutes ago...

Shrugging her shoulders, Hermione decided to head up to the boy's dormitories and see if they had decided to go up there while it was deserted. She didn't think anything of it, because she had gone to the boy's dorms in search of Harry or Ron several times throughout the years (always during the day, of course.) She walked up the steps towards the fourth year boy's dorms, her overtaxed mind wandering from one point to the next in the silence of the abandoned dorms. When Hermione reached the fourth year dorms, she took several steps inside, her eyes on the floor as she was lost in thought.

Nothing could have prepared Hermione for what awaited her when her eyes rose from ground level. There, sprawled out on his bed, was a completely naked Harry Potter. He was panting, and seemed to be breathing at least as heavily as he did after a Quidditch match. The cause of Harry's breathing difficulties was quite obvious. Parvati, still in her white collared shirt and black skirt, was hovering over Harry, her head bobbing up and down rapidly on his member, the only part of Harry's naked front that was hidden from Hermione's view.

After the few seconds it took for Hermione's brain to register what it was she had walked in on, she stopped in her tracks, her body completely still. She let out a gasp of utter shock, unable to stifle the noise. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, and her eyes widened as she noticed that Parvati's head had stopped moving. Had she heard the gasp?

Hermione's first instinct was to turn around and get the hell out of the room, but she was afraid that, if Parvati really had heard her gasp, she wouldn't be able to make it back through the doorway before being spotted. Despite the extreme awkwardness that would have resulted, perhaps being spotted on her way out wouldn't have been the worst thing. It had been an accident, after all. But, in the heat of the moment, Hermione did not make a move for a hasty retreat. Instead, she dropped down on all fours, ducking for cover behind the bed that was nearest to the doorway. Hermione's body hit the ground with a thud, but fortunately for her, she was out of sight before Parvati could locate the sound of the noise. Hermione heard Harry begin to question Parvati as to why she had stopped pleasuring him, but Parvati cut her boyfriend off quickly.

“Quiet, Harry.”

Though she could not see either of the room's other occupants from her position behind the bed, Hermione could hear Harry's bed creak. Reasoning that Parvati was probably scanning the room for the source of the noises, Hermione held her breath and remained perfectly still. As she waited, her brain went to work on an excuse should she be caught. Hermione's frayed brain failed her yet again, but she was in luck.

“I thought I heard a noise,” she heard Parvati explain.

“Well, of course you heard a noise. You were slurping, and I was panting and groaning,” was Harry's response. Parvati chuckled before responding to him.

“Not any of those. It was something else. Like—a gasp, maybe? Or maybe a thud, I don’t know. But I guess it was just my imagination. Well, anyway, no time to dither—I believe I have a blowjob to finish,” Parvati said teasingly. Harry must have then done something amusing, because Parvati let out a laugh.

That was the last thing either of them said for quite some time, but Hermione didn't need either speech or vision to figure out that they'd gone right back to what they'd been doing when she walked into the room. The loud slurping noises emanating from Parvati's mouth, as well as Harry's deep breathing and occasional moaning, told the bushy-haired witch all she needed to know.

Now that she had had a few minutes to adjust, Hermione was seriously regretting her split-second decision to duck for cover, and wondering just what had possessed her to take that course of action. The longer she stayed in this room, the more awkward it would be should her presence be discovered. She decided that she should take advantage of the current preoccupied states of Harry and Parvati, and get out while she had the chance.

Taking a look at her surroundings, it didn't take Hermione long to figure out that she had ducked behind the bed of her other best friend, Ronald Weasley. The plethora of Chudley Cannons merchandise and Chocolate Frog Cards visible in his wide-open trunk was a dead give-away, of course. But she also noticed something else included among Ron's possessions: Harry's Invisibility Cloak, which Ron sometimes borrowed when he wanted to create some mischief around the castle. And, though Hermione frequently lectured him on such behaviour, she was at that moment profoundly grateful that Ron rarely listened to her. With this, she could make her escape unimpeded, so long as she didn't make any noise.

Hermione used the familiar material to cover herself up, and she took a deep breath as she prepared to make her move, doing her best to ignore the obscene sounds coming from her best friend's bed. As Hermione carefully got back on her feet, the first words in several minutes were spoken.

“Parv...I’m going to...”

It was Harry, in a pleading, almost desperate tone of voice that Hermione had never heard in all the time she'd known him. Hermione was so startled that her eyes instinctively shot over to Harry's bed.

Hermione froze as she took in the activity on her best friend's bed. Parvati was still sucking him, but her head was bobbing up and down even faster than it had been during Hermione's first brief eyeful. Hermione's wide eyes travelled upwards, and in spite of the bizarre circumstances she found herself in, she couldn't help but smile at the look of utter bliss on her best friend's face. She had never seen Harry look so...content. It warmed her heart to see Harry so happy, even if it did sting that it took someone other than her to make it happen. She blushed and averted her gaze when she saw Harry and Parvati share an intense glance. Hermione's brain reminded her that she was supposed to be leaving so the couple could have their privacy, and she prepared to make her slow, cautious departure from the boy's dormitories.

Before Hermione could take a step, though, she was once again startled as Harry moaned loudly. She knew she should keep right on walking, but on this day, her brain and her body simply refused to cooperate with each other. Her eyes once again wandered to the bed, and she was surprised to see Harry's hands gripping Parvati's hair tightly, a contrast to the passive behaviour she'd seen from him earlier. Hermione could see and hear Parvati swallowing Harry's semen as fast as it shot into her mouth, and she blushed at the explicit sights and sounds. Still, her feet remained rooted to the spot, and her eyes never wavered from the couple on the bed.

Once Harry was finished, Parvati pulled her mouth off of him with a slurp. As Harry came down from his high, he noticed the grip he had involuntarily taken on his girlfriend's hair. While Harry offered his apologies and Parvati assured him she was fine, Hermione was mentally berating herself. Now that the logical side of her brain had broken through the haze and taken control once again, she was kicking herself for not getting out while she had the chance. Now that Parvati's mouth had finished its task, the couple would be regaining their senses, which would make it much more difficult for Hermione to leave without being heard.

Hermione's eyes remained on the bed as she waited for another chance to get away undetected. Her stomach clenched slightly as she watched Parvati snuggle into Harry's side. Harry wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and kissed her forehead tenderly, and Parvati responded by sighing and laying her head across his chest. Hermione's vision suddenly blurred as her eyes began tearing up upon witnessing the intimate, loving exchange. It took great control on her part to hold back the sob that threatened to emerge, but she managed it. Hermione rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, harshly brushing away the tears before they could trickle down her face. She angrily reprimanded herself, both for her foolish, uncontrollable feelings for Harry, and for not having the common sense to leave the room while Harry and Parvati were preoccupied. As it was, it would be far too risky to try and sneak out now. She'd just have to wait for another opportunity.

“Thank you, Parvati,” Harry murmured appreciatively. Hermione racked her brain trying to remember a time where Harry had ever thanked her so sincerely, and she quickly decided that he never had. Of course, she thought to herself bitterly, all SHE had ever done for him was help him through the obstacles set in place for the Philosopher's Stone , help him figure out what awaited him in the Chamber of Secrets, and help him save the life of his wrongfully-imprisoned godfather. How could any of that compare to putting his...putting that in her mouth?

“Don’t mention it, Harry. Truth be told, I rather it enjoyed it too,” Parvati replied, her head never moving from its spot on Harry's bare chest. The tightness in Hermione's chest was similarly immobile, and she sent a silent prayer to Merlin or whoever else was listening that the affectionate couple would doze off so she could get the heck out. But Hermione's wishes were not going to be granted.

“I didn’t mean for that—but thanks for that, too. What I mean is—you’re just so amazing. A few months ago, I never thought I would ever really open up to anyone. You’re the first person that I’ve really felt completely comfortable around. And with as crazy as this year has been with the Tri-Wizard Tournament, with Ron and I not speaking for what felt like forever, with most of Hogwarts thinking I’m a liar, and everything else that’s happened, I still think this is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. And that’s all down to you. So thank you.”

Harry's heartfelt, emotional words to his girlfriend hit Hermione like a blow to the chest. She had to clamp one hand over her mouth to keep from audibly sobbing, and the tears that had been threatening now trickled out of her eyes and down her face, forming twin tracks of moisture down her cheeks, invisible to all thanks to Harry's cloak. She didn't bother to wipe them away, so consumed was she in what had just been said. She wasn't quite sure what it was she was feeling for Harry. Could it be love, a deeper love than the love towards a best friend? Quite possibly, but how could she know for certain? What was certain was this: what he had just said wounded her deeply.

Even if she and Harry were never going to be anything...more than friends, she had thought she could always count on their everlasting friendship. He was far and away the most important person in her life. More important, even, than her parents, who, for all the love and support they had provided since learning she was a witch, would never be able to fully understand who and what she was. Though she and Harry certainly had different interests and different personalities, she considered him her very closest friend. Hearing him say that Parvati was the first person he'd ever felt truly comfortable around was crushing. Before the Yule Ball, she had considered herself Harry's closest confidant, and felt secure that he would always be willing to turn to her when he needed something. Now, she feared she was being replaced. And it hurt like hell.

Hermione heard Parvati sniffle, and realised the girl was fighting back tears of her own...though Parvati's tears were of a decidedly happier nature than hers.

“Thank you, Harry. That means a lot to me. And, just so you know, this is the happiest I’ve ever been, too.” Parvati said. After a brief pause, during which Hermione berated herself yet again for her hopeless (and obviously unrequited) feelings, Parvati continued. “But, when you say I’m the first person you’ve felt completely comfortable around—what about Hermione?”

'YES, what ABOUT me?!', Hermione silently agreed. She didn't know whether Parvati was trying to stick up for her, or if she was just trying to reassure herself that she was the only girl for Harry. Either way, Hermione was grateful to her for broaching the subject. Surely Harry knew he could open up to her about anything? Hermione watched with bated breath as Harry took a few moments to think about Parvati's question before he gave her his answer.

“Hermione’s great. I’d trust her with my life—I have trusted her with my life. But sometimes, she just pushes too hard. She’s so used to having to tell me and Ron what to do that it seems like she thinks she needs to tell me how I’m supposed to feel, how I’m supposed to think. It’s hard to really open up to someone like that.”

Hermione shut her eyes tightly as Harry gave Parvati his honest opinion of her. Harry was generally more considerate of her feelings than Ron, and she knew he would never have knowingly said those things to her for fear of hurting her feelings. But at the moment, she found herself wishing Harry were a bit more like Ron. At least she knew Ron considered her a bossy know-it-all; he had no problem telling her so. It hurt far more to hear it like this. Even if she recognized the truth in some of what Harry said, she still felt the ache in her chest become even more pronounced.

“I understand, Harry. I do think you should try and remember that, even when she’s being judgemental and bossy, Hermione usually has your best interests in mind. She’s a great friend, and you’re lucky to have her in your life. She just needs to learn how to listen and be supportive without always trying to push her own opinions forward.”

Any doubts Hermione had about the intentions behind Parvati bringing her name into the conversation were put to rest. In the midst of her sadness, she felt a surge of gratitude towards Harry's girlfriend. Parvati had defended her far better than she herself could have. Yes, she knew she had a tendency to demand things of both Harry and Ron, and was not shy about voicing her disapproval if they said or did something she did not like.

But she behaved that way because she cared about them, and she only wanted what was best for them. She thought Harry, at least, understood that. But apparently, her well-meaning prodding made Harry feel like he couldn't trust her and open up to her unconditionally. Perhaps she ought to take Parvati's comments about simply listening, without automatically offering up her own her thoughts and opinions, under consideration.

Hermione's introspection was cut short when Harry broke the silence after mulling over Parvati's words for a few moments.

“I guess so. But enough about that. I was trying to thank you. And I thought that, maybe, I could thank you by...returning the favour? I mean, I’ve obviously never done that before, but I’d like to give it a shot...if you want to, that is...”

Harry's offer brought a flush to Hermione's cheeks. Many times in her dreams, her make-believe Harry had done exactly that for her. And, even though she would be mortified if caught, the idea of getting an up-close view of the real-life Harry performing something so erotic definitely appealed to his best female friend. At the moment, she was too emotionally frazzled to remind herself that she really had no right to be anywhere near the couple while they engaged in such an intimate activity, much less sit back and watch it.

Parvati, however had other ideas.

“It’s sweet of you to offer, Harry, but I don’t think we have time for that right now. But, if you can “get it up” again soon, we might be able to fit in a quickie before people start heading back.”

Hermione may have never been intimate with anyone before, but she knew full well that no hormone-fuelled teenage boy was about to pass up an offer like that. She watched on as Harry gently manoeuvred Parvati onto her back and reached out for her skirt in order to pull it down. But Parvati caught both of their attention by speaking up.

“Leave it on, Harry. Just pull my panties off, and leave everything else on. We need to hurry.”

Hermione watched Harry simply shrug in response before his hands went underneath his girlfriend's skirt. He pulled Parvati's pink cotton Panties off of her body in one hurried motion, and chucked the undergarment onto the floor near his own clothes. The eyes of both Hermione and Harry were drawn to Parvati's bare pussy, already glistening wet in anticipation and excitement. Hermione was briefly embarrassed at the sight of Parvati's shaved core, which differed greatly from her own, rather hairy pubic area. Thanks to sharing a dorm with them for the last three and a half years, she was already well aware that both Parvati and Lavender trimmed down there regularly. Personally, she had never seen the point in it, but she had to admit that Parvati's neatly trimmed genitalia looked quite attractive.

Harry was obviously in agreement. He rubbed his length against Parvati's slit, and Hermione watched in awe as he quickly worked his way back to full hardness. Now that she was not trying to escape or ducking for cover, Hermione was able to get a good look at Harry's fully erect penis for the first time. Though this was obviously the first penis she had ever seen, Hermione could not help but be pleasantly surprised by Harry's size. Her best friend may have been wiry and slim, but she could now attest that Harry's slight build did not carry over to all parts of his body.

Hermione was simply enthralled. Whether her brain had overloaded thanks to everything that had happened from the Yule Ball up to this point, or whether she was simply reacting out of desperation with the belief that this would be the only time she would ever see Harry like this, Hermione Granger's morals and inhibitions were nowhere to be found.

Once Harry was fully hard, he pushed himself past Parvati's entrance and into her wet folds, causing his girlfriend to grunt and wrap her smooth legs around his waist. Hermione, body seemingly on autopilot, quietly plopped down into a seated position on Ron's bed, her eyes locked on the two oblivious lovers. As Harry gave Parvati a few moments to adjust before slowly pushing more and more of his length inside of her, Hermione watched in the same eager fashion she always had at the prospect of learning something new.

Parvati pulled Harry's face down to hers in a passionate kiss, and Harry responded by picking up his pace, rocking his hips back and forth, driving all three teens into a frenzy.

Any reservations Hermione may have had were long gone, and it was without any trace of shame that her left hand rose from her lap and came up to fondle her right breast through her white shirt. While Parvati's tongue slipped past Harry's lips, exploring her mouth, Hermione's right hand did a little exploring of its own. Slowly, carefully, Hermione's hand snaked its way underneath her skirt, and soon came to rest on the crotch area of her plain white knickers. Her knickers may have been conservative and modest, but there was nothing conservative about the ever-growing wetness between her thighs, and she was anything but modest as she slowly began rubbing herself through the cotton, all rational thought absent as she gave in to this forbidden temptation.

Unaware that their most intimate activities were being observed, Harry and Parvati continued their passionate joining. Harry thrust his hips forward continuously, driving into Parvati over and over again while their tongues continued their own pleasurable dance. Parvati eventually broke off the kiss, her body's need of oxygen giving her no choice. After sucking in a few deep breaths, Parvati spoke up.

“Keep it up, Harry,” she demanded. “Faster!”

Hermione's lust grew as Harry did exactly as he was asked. Harry's thrusts sped up and became more forceful, and Hermione's touches followed suit. Her left hand, which had been rubbing and groping her small breasts through her shirt, ceased its activities just long enough for her to undo the top few buttons, exposing her bare breasts. Her hand quickly resumed its previous activities, fondling first one bared breast, and then the other.

Hermione's nipples hardened with arousal as she continued to grope her chest, but it was nothing compared to the proverbial magic her right hand was working underneath her skirt. She rubbed herself furiously through her cotton knickers, which were thoroughly soaked by this point. She fought back a whimper as Harry slammed himself into his girlfriend with more force than Hermione had ever expected from him. Harry's grunts and groans, audible to her despite his face being buried in Parvati's neck, drove Hermione mad with desire. She hurriedly grabbed the waistband of her knickers and pulled, getting the undergarments low enough for her to reach her intended target.

Hermione let out a quiet moan as she began rubbing her exposed mound, but Harry and Parvati were unable to hear it over the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, not to mention the squeaks the bed was making underneath them as they continued their enthusiastic shag. Hermione took full advantage of their distraction, running her hand over her mons. Any feelings of insecurity she felt earlier when seeing Parvati's smoothness were forgotten, as she was simply too focused on her pleasure to care about her comparatively hairy pubic region. She teased herself with more intensity than was usual, as her peeping had her more turned on than she had ever been in her life.

Growing bolder, Hermione stopped rubbing her mound and turned her attention to her entrance. She ran a finger along her pussy lips, feeling the wetness that made it clear just how much she was enjoying herself. Her other hand, meanwhile, continued to focus on her breasts. She had moved on from simply massaging and palming them, and was instead playing with her nipples. She rubbed, pinched and tweaked herself, alternating regularly from one nipple to the other. Never before had she used such force on her sensitive nipples, but the eroticism of the situation was bringing out a side of Hermione Granger she hadn't even known she possessed.

“Come on, Harry! Time’s almost up—not even Ron can stuff his face forever! Let’s finish it!”

Dazed with lust, Hermione paid little attention to Parvati's words. But Harry's non-verbal response certainly registered. He took Parvati into his arms and dropped onto his back, pulling Parvati with him so she was now on top.

“You want me to get you off, Harry?” Parvati asked playfully. Harry nodded yes, and Hermione watched in delight as his hands travelled up her smooth legs until they reached her bare bottom. His hands cupped Parvati's cheeks, and Hermione's eyes closed momentarily as she imagined her best friend's hands gripping her bum instead.

Parvati quickly got going, bouncing up and down on Harry's prick while her hands roamed his shirtless abs and chest. While Hermione would certainly have loved to rub Harry's naked stomach given the chance, her hands were plenty busy as it was. She stopped merely rubbing herself, as she was ready to advance to the next level of stimulation.

Hermione slowly slipped her index finger past her lips and into her wetness, and opened her mouth in a silent pant at the feeling of penetration. She watched through eyes darkened with arousal as Parvati happily rode her best friend. She took in the sight of Harry's familiar hands gripping Parvati's arse, helping her bounce harder and faster on his rod, and it spurred Hermione on. She began lightly stroking her walls with her index finger, her entire body shuddering with excitement.

Any other time that Hermione had touched herself down there, one finger had been more than enough for her satisfaction. But this time, her body demanded more. She worked her middle finger inside of her snatch, marking the first time Hermione had ever had more than one finger inside of her at once. The new finger joined the original in stroking her soft walls, and she shuddered in exquisite pleasure. Never before had Hermione felt so...full. It occurred to her that Parvati was feeling even fuller, and she sighed in envy, wishing that it were her that was bouncing on Harry's lap, her that was feeling his bare chest underneath her fingertips, and her bum that Harry was cupping. But, she knew that this taboo front-row seat was as close as she would ever get, so it would have to do.

While Hermione's fingers worked their magic inside of her, her eyes remained locked on her fellow Fourth Years. She took in the look of intense focus and concentration on Harry's face, and absent-mindedly noted that he occasionally wore a similar look during the life-threatening situations they seemed to get themselves into every single year. But seeing that determined look in this more intimate setting turned his best friend on even more, something she would not have thought possible. She decided some more stimulation was necessary. With one hand busy playing with her rock-hard nipples, and two fingers on her other hand rubbing her walls, there was only one last step for Hermione to take.

Hermione's thumb made its way to her clit, and the moment the digit reached its destination, her entire body quivered in pleasure. She ran her thumb across the sensitive button, slowly at first, before gaining speed. Before long, her thumb was making circular motions against her most sensitive part, and this new pleasure, combined with the two fingers stroking her walls and the hand playing with her nipples, meant that Hermione was on the cusp of what was shaping up to be the most powerful orgasm of her young life.

She wasn't the only one nearing her breaking point, as she was about to find out when Parvati's hands ceased their rubbing of Harry's chest and went to his face, coaxing him to lock eyes with her.

“Don’t hold back, Harry. Come for me,” Parvati urged.

“But...you’re not...”

“Don’t worry about me. We don’t have time. You can make it up to me some other time.”

“But...”

“Just do it, Harry. Let go.”

Hermione watched with more than a bit of jealousy as Parvati put the exclamation point on her demand with a deep, passionate kiss. Both girls recognized Harry's wordless submission, as his eyes closed and his hands gripped Parvati's arse more firmly, helping her speed her bounces up even further.

Realizing that the show was about to end, Hermione knew that if she wanted to reach her own climax, she needed to get moving. The two fingers in her pussy began moving with urgency, and her thumb's movements against her clit picked up. She brushed against it in quick circles before she pressed down on it a bit, and she was helpless to silence the slight gasp that escaped her lips upon this additional pressure.

But Harry and Parvati were in no position to hear Hermione's gasp. Harry's hands left his girlfriend's butt and gripped her hips possessively, and he let out a primal grunt that easily drowned out Hermione's gasp of pleasure.

Hermione's eyelids fluttered at the sheer ecstasy audible in Harry's grunt, and gave her own quiet, muffled moan as she watched her best-friend-turned-erotic-fantasy lose all control. Seeing Harry hit his climax was enough to push Hermione over the edge. Her walls clenched clenched tightly around the pair of fingers still buried inside of her pussy, and she bit down on her lip to keep from screaming as she came. She continued to tease herself, drawing out her pleasure as long as she possibly could.

Harry and Hermione finished their respective climaxes at roughly the same time (and both of them silently cursed the fact that it had ended so soon, though they obviously had no way of knowing this.) Hermione slid her fingers out of her snatch and gave them a slight sniff as she watched Harry's hands relax their grip on Parvati's hips, and she smiled to herself somewhat wistfully as Parvati gave Harry another kiss before dismounting.

Parvati stood next to the bed, and she, like Hermione, soaked in the sight of a naked, exhausted, sated Harry Potter. Both girls smiled to themselves at the blissful smile on Harry's face, all of his pent-up frustration and anger forgotten.

Now that she was coming down from her high, Hermione knew that she needed to be prepared to get the hell out as soon as the opportunity arose. Some part of her knew that in a few minutes, she would be plagued by guilt and shame over what she had just done, but all she could focus on at the moment was preparing for her impending flight. As she pulled her knickers back up, Parvati's voice caught her attention.

“So? Did it work? Are you feeling relaxed now?” Parvati asked, obviously teasing him.

“Oh, without a doubt. I’m ‘brooding’ no longer,” Harry said, his exhaustion obvious as he yawned. “Though I hope you realise what you’re getting yourself into with this whole relaxation business. Now, whenever I start to lose my temper, I will fully expect you to do this for me again. The Tri-Wizard Tournament, Malfoy, Ron and Hermione’s bickering, that terrible chicken dish they serve for supper—it’s going to be up to you to make it all better.”

Hermione grimaced to herself at the mention of her bickering with Ron as one of Harry's sources of frustration, and vowed to restrain herself around the redhead, for Harry's sake. She smoothed out her skirt and moved her hands up to redo the buttons on her shirt as the unaware couple continued their banter.

“I think I’m up to the challenge, Potter,” Parvati answered. Hermione watched her grab her panties and slip them back on, and flushed slightly in embarrassment. Even Parvati's knickers were more appealing than hers were. She shook her head, once again wondering why she had to go and develop feelings for her best friend after he had gotten involved with a witch who blew her out of the water.

“You might want to get dressed, Harry. It can’t be long before people start coming back from supper,” Parvati suggested as she tossed Harry’s boxers at him Hermione watched Harry stand up and prepare to put them on, and she instinctively pulled the cloak tighter around herself, nervous about being discovered now that they were both off of the bed and back on their feet.

“Well, I think I’ll be heading down to the common room. Don’t want to get caught up here with you when Ron comes back,” Parvati said. On this point, Hermione could not agree more.

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be good, not with his blabbermouth,” Harry agreed. “Thanks again, Parvati.”

“Any time, Harry.”

“Not just for that. For...everything. I feel so much better now, thanks to you. It’s no wonder I love you.”

Hermione felt her heart thud erratically, and tears stung her eyes. She supposed that she had already known the words were true, but hearing them out of Harry's mouth affected her nonetheless. She watched as Harry and Parvati stared at each other, wide-eyed, and realised with a jolt that this was likely the first time he had said those three words to her. Of all the things to witness...

Parvati was the first to react, her face breaking out in a huge smile. Feeling both ashamed and saddened that she was having to witness this moment, Hermione glanced down at the bedspread beneath her as Parvati flung herself into Harry's arms.

“I love you too, Harry.”

Hermione flinched, but continued to stare down at the bed beneath her, willing herself not to cry.

“You do?” Harry said, seemingly in awe. Hermione shook her head—only Harry would be surprised by that declaration after what she had just done for him.

“Of course I do, silly. I wouldn’t have given myself to you that night after the Yule Ball if I didn’t. I’ve loved you for longer than you can possibly know—even before I really knew you. And the more I get to know you, the more I fall in love with you. You’re an amazing man, Harry Potter.”

“You know...you’re the first person to ever tell me they love me. I mean, I’m sure my parents did, but I don’t remember that, obviously.”

Despite her own pain, Hermione still felt a pang of sympathy for Harry, and the life he had led. How could this wonderful, kind, caring human being go so long without hearing those words?

“That doesn’t surprise me, given how wretched your Muggle relatives are. But I’m not the only one who loves you, you know. Hermione loves you, even if she does get bossy sometimes. Ron loves you, even if he has a temper even greater than yours. From what you’ve told me, I’d say your godfather Sirius loves you. And all of us will do whatever we can to help you through this tournament, Harry. We’ll all be by your side, no matter what.”

Hermione lost her battle with her tears during this speech of Parvati's, and they streaked down her face, though fortunately she was able to keep herself from sobbing. Parvati was right, of course. She knew that, her own differences with him aside, Ron loved Harry like a brother—maybe even more than he loved his actual, blood brothers. She knew firsthand that Sirius loved Harry, and thought of him as his son. And as for herself? She'd known she loved Harry, of course. She'd loved him for years, in fact. But now, as hard as she tried to fight it, she was falling in love with him.

It was going to be hard to deal with these new, deeper feelings for her best friend, but Hermione resolved that she would just have to suck it up and keep them to herself, no matter how much it hurt. She was going to be by his side, no matter what. He was going to make it out of the Tri-Wizard Tournament in one piece; she would make sure of it. She would do anything for him.

“I believe you, Parvati. I know that, no matter what, I’m not alone.”

'No, you're not,' Hermione silently agreed, the tears continuing to flow.

–
4/14/2011 UPDATE:
You may have noticed that it's been over a year since Yule Ball Debauchery was updated. Things were progressing just fine in the 5th chapter...until I got to the smutty portion of the chapter. Suddenly, I could not write smut for the life of me anymore. I put it on the shelf and began writing some regular (ie: not smutty) Harry Potter stories, always intending to go back to YBD some day.

I personally feel that the quality of my writing has improved quite a bit since I started this story. When I went back recently and read the already-published chapters, I honestly cringed at parts. I think the idea is sound and parts of it were good, but there are also parts of it that I dislike or think were poorly written. I'd still like to come back to this story eventually, but if and when I do, I'll probably do a full rewrite. Like I said, I like the premise behind this story and think it has the potential to be pretty good, but there's no way I'd be able to just jump right back in where I left off, given my mixed feelings towards the chapters I posted previously.

So, that's where we're at in a nutshell. Sorry to disappoint those of you who were enjoying this story, but I don't think there's any way I can continue it in its present form. Hopefully I'll be able to begin this "reboot" once I finish my already in progress story, "No More Mysteries." That story still has quite a ways to go, though, so don't expect to see anything any time soon.

If you'd like to be added to the YBD alert list so you can receive an email notification if and when I begin publishing this reboot, email me at mayorhaggar at gmail.com (if you were already on the original alert list, don't worry: you're still on it.)


A/N: Well, that was a bit...different for me. Thoughts?

A/N 2: Regarding the potential demise of Ficwad: I also post this story on both adultfanfiction.net and hpfanficarchive.com, so you can head over to either of those sites if this place disappears.

EDIT: I posted Chapter 4 over six hours ago, but the story is still all the way back on Page 3, rather than going to the front as it should have, so I'm inserting this edit in the hopes that the site will realize it needs to give this story a bump.