Categories > Books > Harry Potter > One Wizard Too Many
A/N: Standard disclaimer. I don’t own this. It would seem everyone but the lawyers knows that.
One Wizard Too Many
Ch 15
Watching the Submarine Races at Inspiration Point
The happy duo ran through the corridors of Hogwarts towards their destination on the Fourth Floor, giggling all the while. They shouted a quick greeting to Neville, who was returning from a Charms tutorial. The usually solemn boy laughed and waved to Harry and Hermione’s rapidly retreating forms, happy to see his earlier interruption hadn’t angered them.
The couple sped down the hallway and skidded around a corner, only to pick up their pace in the straight. Mister Filch and Missus Norris emerged from an intersecting hall in front of them, and the scraggly looking janitor began yelling.
“Oi! No running in the halls! I’ll ‘ave your knuckles broken for this!”
Harry was ready with a ‘Champion’s Card’ to flick at the disgruntled man, while Hermione hurtled a hissing Missus Norris. The pair barely broke stride.
The irate shouting eased as they rounded another turn. No Filch detentions for them tonight!
Down the hall and up some stairs they ran their energy seemingly limitless. They called out to Professor Dumbledore as they passed; only hearing him respond pleasantly and sigh.
“Oh, to be so young again!”
They caught a shifting staircase just as it had stopped moving, and took the steps two at a time, just incase it happened to change it’s mind.
Across the landing and through a portal, they continued. A ‘sorry’ shouted over their shoulders and a shiver was their reaction when the Bloody Baron seemed to drift into their path. It usually wasn’t nice to run through ghosts, but they were in a hurry!
Finally, they reached their destination. A non-descript door near a statue of a wizard attempting to woo a mermaid.
Harry spoke the password ‘Pine Fresh’ to the painting next to the door, a witch enjoying a footbath.
Said witch nodded, and the door opened.
“Success!”
Finally, they could have that bath.
They entered quickly and shut the door.
“Holy cricket!” Hermione exclaimed. The sentiment covered both of them.
They both poked around the ornate chamber for a few minutes, reveling in the obvious luxury and tasteful décor. The room was dominated by a very large tub, nearly a small swimming pool in actuality. It seemed to bottom out at around five feet in depth and had a very nice tile design depicting mermaids and sea life. The mermaid theme was reinforced by the large animate window framing a be-finned lass sunning herself on a rock.
“Seems very much like the sculpture in Copenhagen Harbor commemorating Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid.” Hermione was impressed.
The mermaid in the window smiled and waved a shy hand at the witch. Hermione, naturally, waved back.
Further exploration of the room revealed two changing rooms, taps by the pool that dispensed several types of bubble bath suds, and an ever-replenishing pitcher of water on a side board with cups.
Harry chuckled. At an odd look from Hermione, he explained.
“For three years I always wondered why Percy and the other prefects looked so smug and superior. Figured it had something to do with that silly badge or something. Now, I think I can see why!”
“Yeah, it would definitely bolster one’s sense of self worth to have regular access to this. What do you think our chances are to be voted prefects next year?”
Harry snorted. “You’re a shoe in for it. Me, they’d have to be smoking large quantities of muggle crack. And that was before this whole tournament nonsense!”
Hermione approached him by the edge of the pool and took his hands in hers, giving him a very significant look.
“Guess I’ll just have to sneak you in then, won’t I?”
Harry met her steamy gaze and blushed very strongly. Her smoldering look seemed to paralyze him. She let go of his hands and began to caress his chest. She looked down at her wandering hands for a moment, then back up to his green eyes, biting her lip slightly as she stepped slightly closer to him.
It was all Harry could do to gulp and remind himself to breathe.
Hermione’s eyes flicked to her left for a moment, then back to him, pinning him in place with the strong emotions swirling within.
Harry brought his hands up and caressed the outside of her arms. He leaned his head down slowly to approach her pouting lips with his own.
Suddenly, those gorgeous lips of hers went from a sexy pout to a smirk.
“Whaa?” Harry’s thoughts were a bit vapor locked at that moment.
A solid shove caused him further confusion, as well as changing his viewpoint from Hermione’s beautiful face to a quick blur of the wall and ceiling before being replaced by a great deal of water.
“I am so going to get her for that!”
He broke the surface to the sounds of raucous laughter. Hermione was bent double and clutching her stomach, her mirth having taken on the sounds of sniggering and mewing.
“Hermione, that was very mean.”
He tried to glare at her to make the laughing stop, but his heart wasn’t in it. It was kind of funny, after all.
Hermione composed herself and faced Harry.
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist. You should have seen your face!”
“Hermione, Mister Potter is not amused.”
She smiled. “Oh relax; I’ll make it up to you.”
She caught his eye with a bold look and shed her school robes, revealing a white oxford shirt with Gryffindor tie and grey skirt underneath. Knee high stockings and leather ‘Mary Jane’s completed her outfit.
Harry gulped and tried not to stare. The vision before him was just about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. And things had only just begun.
Hermione pulled one shoe off, followed by its mate. She then began to roll down one stocking slowly, before pulling it off her dainty foot.
“My God. She’s doing a striptease!” Harry was in awe.
She smiled at his gob smacked expression before attending to the other stocking in a similar manner as the first.
Harry didn’t consider himself a ‘foot man’ by any means, but for hers, he’d make an exception. It helped that her legs were fantastic too.
Donning a sexy grin, she un-tied her school tie, then began to unbutton her white oxford.
“Mmmmh.” Harry began to make yummy noises as her lacy white bra appeared.
Hermione reveled in his completely undivided attention. Usually she would be very modest and shy in a situation like this, but Harry in his words and actions seemed to do something to her. His very aura and his calm self confidence fed that ‘something’. Something that made her feel bold and brazen and incredibly sexy. She loved Harry deeply, and still would adore him even if she remained a retiring bookworm. This unbridled animal magnetism, though, made things a lot more fun!
Her oxford completely unbuttoned, she slipped one arm out of its sleeve followed by the other. The shirt fell in a pile next to her shoes. She stood up straight and pushed out her chest a little.
She knew she didn’t have the biggest bust ever, but they were firm and proportionate with the rest of her thin frame, and looked nice constrained by her bra.
Harry clearly thought they were quite marvelous, thank you very much.
Hermione favored him with a warm smile. His adoring looks were heavily colored with lust, but not a hint of uncomfortable leering.
Finally, Harry found his voice.
“Hermione, you are so beautiful!”
Her smile widened at the praise, but she didn’t respond. Instead she leaned down a bit to unbutton her grey skirt, exposing her white panties. Somewhat practical, they had an understated sexiness about them. Much like their owner, really.
Harry, while he would really have liked being up on the pool deck to help Hermione remove her uniform, was at least thankful that the shoulder deep water he was in would manage to hide his ‘reaction’ to her disrobing!
The skirt joined the rest of her clothing in a pile, and she stepped over to the edge of the pool and sat, dangling her legs and feet in the warm water. She looked at Harry for a moment while idly kicking her feet.
“Well, aren’t you going to take off anything?”
Harry snickered. “Why? To keep my stuff dry?”
Hermione giggled. “Well, it is a bit late for that. Might make things more comfortable though?”
“Riiight, now you’re worried about my comfort!” His smile belied any rancor he may have injected into that sentence.
Hermione just pouted.
“Oh, okay. Just give me a minute here.” Harry was, as always, powerless before a Hermione pout.
He pushed himself out of the pool, and shucked off the soaked robe. It landed with a wet ‘thwock’.
Tie and shirt were next, leaving a sodden undershirt sticking to his well defined chest. Wet trainers and socks were followed by trousers, leaving him in red boxers.
Here he paused to gauge her reaction. His disrobing was much quicker than hers, but she seemed to be enjoying the view all the same.
It was all she could do not to lick her lips at the sight of him.
“Who knew that such a ‘scrawny’ boy could be so filled out under those Hogwarts robes?”
He grinned as he stripped off his undershirt, showing off his musculature as well as an impressive set of scars. He knew he would never have a body builder’s physique, but he was lean and strong.
“Looks like all those summer ‘workouts’ at Camp Dursley are finally paying off!”
His scar collection was more troubling though, as many of them had bad memories associated with them. If he had to show them to anyone, though, it would be Hermione. He knew she would understand.
Hermione just gazed lustfully at him as he slipped back into the water. He paddled out to the center and motioned her to follow.
She grinned and slipped into the warm pool, joining him in the middle.
They came together and clasped hands under the water, gazing at each other from close range.
“Hermione, you are so beautiful and so smart. Sometimes I can’t believe you are my best friend. What did I do so right?”
“Oh come now, how can you say that? I think you’re pretty great too!”
Harry blushed. “You know, I’ve been dying to ask you something all day. Each time I gather the courage to ask it though, something weird happens to mess it up.”
She giggled. “Too true! I thought we were cursed or something.”
“Well, I think I know what’s wrong. And more importantly, I think I have an answer.”
“Oh? What would that be?”
He smiled. “I think I just have to show you.”
With that statement, he gathered her into his arms and kissed her. She contentedly melted into his kiss and responded in kind.
After a good few minutes, they both broke for air. Harry looked into her eyes as their foreheads touched.
“Hermione, this may sound cheesy, but will you be my girlfriend?”
She smiled hugely. “Yes and yes!”
“Hmm? Why yes twice?”
She giggled. “Yes that was cheesy and yes I’ll be your girlfriend.”
He laughed, and then continued kissing her.
Their making out started innocently enough with closed mouth kissing, slowly was moving to open mouth, then tongues. When they needed to stop for air, Harry moved his kisses to her neck and behind her ear, eliciting moans that drove him onward. Their hands stayed restricted to each other’s backs, until Harry massaged her scalp during a heavy kissing session. She reacted very positively to the new stimulus, moaning and scratching his back in ecstasy. The full body contact with minimal clothing also drove the pair wild, each more than aware of the other’s obvious arousal.
In the back of Harry’s mind, he couldn’t help but wonder at all the new and delightful sensations going on.
“I know we’re not nearly ready for full on shagging yet, but that’s more than okay! We seem to have plenty of territory to explore right here.”
Hermione, for her part, knew Harry would be respectful of her boundaries. Everything about him screamed ‘nobility’. But she was pleasantly surprised he kissed so well! And his touch seemed to inflame her like nothing else.
“They didn’t say anything about that in the manuals!”
Not that she was disappointed or anything.
Eventually, the new couple eased their frenzied kissing and just held each other in the warm water. They weren’t exactly spent, but they were enjoying the warm glow of shared intimacy.
Hermione leaned back into his embrace and just started to close their eyes when a strangely familiar voice rang out.
“Oh, about time you two finished!”
Harry’s eyes shot open.
“Ah, Moaning Myrtle. Been a long time, hasn’t it?”
The annoying ghost pouted.
“Yes, it has! No one ever comes to visit me anymore!”
Hermione really felt bad for the deceased witch. After all, she knew exactly what it was like to encounter a horrifying beast unexpectedly in the loo.
“Hello Myrtle, how have you been?”
The ghost grimaced. “Bad, thanks for asking. I’m lonely all the time and the other ghosts are jerks! The only fun I’ve had recently was watching that dishy Hufflepuff prefect take a bath with some weird egg.”
Harry sat up in surprise.
“We were supposed to be trying to figure out that stupid egg, weren’t we?”
Hermione sighed, but settled back into him.
“Yes, that was out original intent, wasn’t it? I don’t think I want to move though, too comfortable.”
“Well, I don’t really want to do work either, but the sooner we figure out that silly clue, the sooner we can come up with a solution and recommence snogging each other stupid!”
“Indeed. For the snogging, Harry.”
“Yes, the snogging.” Harry began to rise, but stopped suddenly.
“Wait. I have an idea.”
He called out for Dobby. A few seconds went by before a loud pop broke the silence.
“Yes Master Harr… Oh my!”
Dobby had popped in and noticed their state of dress to his consternation.
“Dobby, it’s okay. Hermione and I have clothes on… Just not too many of them.”
Dobby nodded, but kept his large eyes covered.
Harry sighed. “Dobby, do you think you could retrieve that golden egg from my trunk?”
“You means the one Master Harry’s Wheasey keeps rubbing on his self and cuddling whens Master Harry isn’t there?”
“Yes… Wait, what?”
The self-blinkered elf nodded again. “Yes, Master Harry’s Wheasey be often acting strange when Master Harry isn’t around.”
Hermione looked faintly ill and Harry sighed.
“Okay, one day soon Dobby we’re going to have a long talk about whatever ‘Wheasey’ has been up to. For now though, do you think you could grab the egg and disinfect it before bringing it here?”
“Yes, with bleach please.” Added Hermione.
“Right away Master Harry!” The elf popped away and returned within five seconds.
“Thanks Dobby! That was really fast! “
“Yes Dobby, you’re a superb elf!” Hermione chimed in as well.
Myrtle just looked on, faintly amused.
“Well, now that you actually have the egg, maybe you should put it in the water. That’s what the other boy did.” Myrtle’s tone indicated she was either scandalized or jealous.
Hermione took the egg from Dobby and shot Myrtle a slightly superior look.
“Ha! Don’t you wish you were me!"
Hermione submerged the egg and popped it open.
She and Harry shared a look before simultaneously dunking their heads into the water.
One Mermish riddle later, both surfaced with wildly different looks on their faces.
Harry looked equal parts confused and worried.
“I really don’t like that part about ‘what you’ll sorely miss’.”
Hermione was thoughtful.
“Hmm, let’s hear it again.”
Another rendition leaves Harry looking even more concerned.
“What I’ll sorely miss! I really don’t like the sound of that!”
Hermione was busy parsing the possible meanings.
“Well, ‘where our voices sound’ must mean a submarine environment, which is further emphasized by the ‘cannot sing above the ground’. ‘One hour’ must be the time limit to search, and ‘prospect is black’ seems to indicate the Black Lake.”
Harry wasn’t quite so calm.
“Hermione! ‘What I’ll sorely miss’! There’s only one ‘thing’ I’ll ever ‘sorely miss’!”
“What is it, Harry?”
He looked her in the eyes, his fear and anger at the tournament evident.
“You. The only thing I’d ever sorely miss is you.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘oh’! They can’t take you, I won’t let them!”
“You might not have a choice Harry.” She said softly.
“Bullshit! Anyone who so much as lays a finger on you is going to Saint Mungo’s in a dozen sandwich baggies!”
She enfolded him in an embrace, which he returned in force. His magic was roiling the waters like a miniature typhoon. Myrtle looked a bit frightened and retreated through the nearest wall. Dobby had popped away some time ago to allow his ‘underdressed’ employer some privacy.
Hermione tried to soothe the upset wizard, cooing in his ear and holding him tightly.
When he calmed somewhat, she spoke.
“You know love, ordinarily I’d be scolding you for your language, but I know your heart is in the right place.”
Harry managed a muffled ‘thanks’, muted due to his nuzzling into her neck.
“It’s okay though, we’ll get through this together, just like we always do. I have no intentions of leaving you anytime soon, we just got together after all!”
He leaned back from his tight embrace, and then kissed her sweetly.
“I know, I just hate seeing you get put in harm’s way.”
She grinned. “Welcome to my world. I’ve felt that way about you since First Year!”
“Heh, kinda sucks on this side of the fence, doesn’t it?”
“It’s not the most fun in the world; but as long as you come as part of the package, I’ll be here.”
“You always are.”
“And always will be, don’t you forget it. But anyway, I think you know what our next step is here.”
Harry sighed. “While I could hope you might mean more snogging and an intense tongue wrestling match, I’m going to take the high road and assume you’re implying a floo call to Remus and Sirius followed by a trip to the library.”
“Well, yes, I was hinting at the latter actually. But since you mention it, the former does seem to have some appeal as well.” Her grin seemed positively feral.
Harry’s wild grin matched hers measure for measure.
“Oh goody.”
A/N: Next up- More strategizing and a Yule Ball
One Wizard Too Many
Ch 15
Watching the Submarine Races at Inspiration Point
The happy duo ran through the corridors of Hogwarts towards their destination on the Fourth Floor, giggling all the while. They shouted a quick greeting to Neville, who was returning from a Charms tutorial. The usually solemn boy laughed and waved to Harry and Hermione’s rapidly retreating forms, happy to see his earlier interruption hadn’t angered them.
The couple sped down the hallway and skidded around a corner, only to pick up their pace in the straight. Mister Filch and Missus Norris emerged from an intersecting hall in front of them, and the scraggly looking janitor began yelling.
“Oi! No running in the halls! I’ll ‘ave your knuckles broken for this!”
Harry was ready with a ‘Champion’s Card’ to flick at the disgruntled man, while Hermione hurtled a hissing Missus Norris. The pair barely broke stride.
The irate shouting eased as they rounded another turn. No Filch detentions for them tonight!
Down the hall and up some stairs they ran their energy seemingly limitless. They called out to Professor Dumbledore as they passed; only hearing him respond pleasantly and sigh.
“Oh, to be so young again!”
They caught a shifting staircase just as it had stopped moving, and took the steps two at a time, just incase it happened to change it’s mind.
Across the landing and through a portal, they continued. A ‘sorry’ shouted over their shoulders and a shiver was their reaction when the Bloody Baron seemed to drift into their path. It usually wasn’t nice to run through ghosts, but they were in a hurry!
Finally, they reached their destination. A non-descript door near a statue of a wizard attempting to woo a mermaid.
Harry spoke the password ‘Pine Fresh’ to the painting next to the door, a witch enjoying a footbath.
Said witch nodded, and the door opened.
“Success!”
Finally, they could have that bath.
They entered quickly and shut the door.
“Holy cricket!” Hermione exclaimed. The sentiment covered both of them.
They both poked around the ornate chamber for a few minutes, reveling in the obvious luxury and tasteful décor. The room was dominated by a very large tub, nearly a small swimming pool in actuality. It seemed to bottom out at around five feet in depth and had a very nice tile design depicting mermaids and sea life. The mermaid theme was reinforced by the large animate window framing a be-finned lass sunning herself on a rock.
“Seems very much like the sculpture in Copenhagen Harbor commemorating Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid.” Hermione was impressed.
The mermaid in the window smiled and waved a shy hand at the witch. Hermione, naturally, waved back.
Further exploration of the room revealed two changing rooms, taps by the pool that dispensed several types of bubble bath suds, and an ever-replenishing pitcher of water on a side board with cups.
Harry chuckled. At an odd look from Hermione, he explained.
“For three years I always wondered why Percy and the other prefects looked so smug and superior. Figured it had something to do with that silly badge or something. Now, I think I can see why!”
“Yeah, it would definitely bolster one’s sense of self worth to have regular access to this. What do you think our chances are to be voted prefects next year?”
Harry snorted. “You’re a shoe in for it. Me, they’d have to be smoking large quantities of muggle crack. And that was before this whole tournament nonsense!”
Hermione approached him by the edge of the pool and took his hands in hers, giving him a very significant look.
“Guess I’ll just have to sneak you in then, won’t I?”
Harry met her steamy gaze and blushed very strongly. Her smoldering look seemed to paralyze him. She let go of his hands and began to caress his chest. She looked down at her wandering hands for a moment, then back up to his green eyes, biting her lip slightly as she stepped slightly closer to him.
It was all Harry could do to gulp and remind himself to breathe.
Hermione’s eyes flicked to her left for a moment, then back to him, pinning him in place with the strong emotions swirling within.
Harry brought his hands up and caressed the outside of her arms. He leaned his head down slowly to approach her pouting lips with his own.
Suddenly, those gorgeous lips of hers went from a sexy pout to a smirk.
“Whaa?” Harry’s thoughts were a bit vapor locked at that moment.
A solid shove caused him further confusion, as well as changing his viewpoint from Hermione’s beautiful face to a quick blur of the wall and ceiling before being replaced by a great deal of water.
“I am so going to get her for that!”
He broke the surface to the sounds of raucous laughter. Hermione was bent double and clutching her stomach, her mirth having taken on the sounds of sniggering and mewing.
“Hermione, that was very mean.”
He tried to glare at her to make the laughing stop, but his heart wasn’t in it. It was kind of funny, after all.
Hermione composed herself and faced Harry.
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist. You should have seen your face!”
“Hermione, Mister Potter is not amused.”
She smiled. “Oh relax; I’ll make it up to you.”
She caught his eye with a bold look and shed her school robes, revealing a white oxford shirt with Gryffindor tie and grey skirt underneath. Knee high stockings and leather ‘Mary Jane’s completed her outfit.
Harry gulped and tried not to stare. The vision before him was just about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. And things had only just begun.
Hermione pulled one shoe off, followed by its mate. She then began to roll down one stocking slowly, before pulling it off her dainty foot.
“My God. She’s doing a striptease!” Harry was in awe.
She smiled at his gob smacked expression before attending to the other stocking in a similar manner as the first.
Harry didn’t consider himself a ‘foot man’ by any means, but for hers, he’d make an exception. It helped that her legs were fantastic too.
Donning a sexy grin, she un-tied her school tie, then began to unbutton her white oxford.
“Mmmmh.” Harry began to make yummy noises as her lacy white bra appeared.
Hermione reveled in his completely undivided attention. Usually she would be very modest and shy in a situation like this, but Harry in his words and actions seemed to do something to her. His very aura and his calm self confidence fed that ‘something’. Something that made her feel bold and brazen and incredibly sexy. She loved Harry deeply, and still would adore him even if she remained a retiring bookworm. This unbridled animal magnetism, though, made things a lot more fun!
Her oxford completely unbuttoned, she slipped one arm out of its sleeve followed by the other. The shirt fell in a pile next to her shoes. She stood up straight and pushed out her chest a little.
She knew she didn’t have the biggest bust ever, but they were firm and proportionate with the rest of her thin frame, and looked nice constrained by her bra.
Harry clearly thought they were quite marvelous, thank you very much.
Hermione favored him with a warm smile. His adoring looks were heavily colored with lust, but not a hint of uncomfortable leering.
Finally, Harry found his voice.
“Hermione, you are so beautiful!”
Her smile widened at the praise, but she didn’t respond. Instead she leaned down a bit to unbutton her grey skirt, exposing her white panties. Somewhat practical, they had an understated sexiness about them. Much like their owner, really.
Harry, while he would really have liked being up on the pool deck to help Hermione remove her uniform, was at least thankful that the shoulder deep water he was in would manage to hide his ‘reaction’ to her disrobing!
The skirt joined the rest of her clothing in a pile, and she stepped over to the edge of the pool and sat, dangling her legs and feet in the warm water. She looked at Harry for a moment while idly kicking her feet.
“Well, aren’t you going to take off anything?”
Harry snickered. “Why? To keep my stuff dry?”
Hermione giggled. “Well, it is a bit late for that. Might make things more comfortable though?”
“Riiight, now you’re worried about my comfort!” His smile belied any rancor he may have injected into that sentence.
Hermione just pouted.
“Oh, okay. Just give me a minute here.” Harry was, as always, powerless before a Hermione pout.
He pushed himself out of the pool, and shucked off the soaked robe. It landed with a wet ‘thwock’.
Tie and shirt were next, leaving a sodden undershirt sticking to his well defined chest. Wet trainers and socks were followed by trousers, leaving him in red boxers.
Here he paused to gauge her reaction. His disrobing was much quicker than hers, but she seemed to be enjoying the view all the same.
It was all she could do not to lick her lips at the sight of him.
“Who knew that such a ‘scrawny’ boy could be so filled out under those Hogwarts robes?”
He grinned as he stripped off his undershirt, showing off his musculature as well as an impressive set of scars. He knew he would never have a body builder’s physique, but he was lean and strong.
“Looks like all those summer ‘workouts’ at Camp Dursley are finally paying off!”
His scar collection was more troubling though, as many of them had bad memories associated with them. If he had to show them to anyone, though, it would be Hermione. He knew she would understand.
Hermione just gazed lustfully at him as he slipped back into the water. He paddled out to the center and motioned her to follow.
She grinned and slipped into the warm pool, joining him in the middle.
They came together and clasped hands under the water, gazing at each other from close range.
“Hermione, you are so beautiful and so smart. Sometimes I can’t believe you are my best friend. What did I do so right?”
“Oh come now, how can you say that? I think you’re pretty great too!”
Harry blushed. “You know, I’ve been dying to ask you something all day. Each time I gather the courage to ask it though, something weird happens to mess it up.”
She giggled. “Too true! I thought we were cursed or something.”
“Well, I think I know what’s wrong. And more importantly, I think I have an answer.”
“Oh? What would that be?”
He smiled. “I think I just have to show you.”
With that statement, he gathered her into his arms and kissed her. She contentedly melted into his kiss and responded in kind.
After a good few minutes, they both broke for air. Harry looked into her eyes as their foreheads touched.
“Hermione, this may sound cheesy, but will you be my girlfriend?”
She smiled hugely. “Yes and yes!”
“Hmm? Why yes twice?”
She giggled. “Yes that was cheesy and yes I’ll be your girlfriend.”
He laughed, and then continued kissing her.
Their making out started innocently enough with closed mouth kissing, slowly was moving to open mouth, then tongues. When they needed to stop for air, Harry moved his kisses to her neck and behind her ear, eliciting moans that drove him onward. Their hands stayed restricted to each other’s backs, until Harry massaged her scalp during a heavy kissing session. She reacted very positively to the new stimulus, moaning and scratching his back in ecstasy. The full body contact with minimal clothing also drove the pair wild, each more than aware of the other’s obvious arousal.
In the back of Harry’s mind, he couldn’t help but wonder at all the new and delightful sensations going on.
“I know we’re not nearly ready for full on shagging yet, but that’s more than okay! We seem to have plenty of territory to explore right here.”
Hermione, for her part, knew Harry would be respectful of her boundaries. Everything about him screamed ‘nobility’. But she was pleasantly surprised he kissed so well! And his touch seemed to inflame her like nothing else.
“They didn’t say anything about that in the manuals!”
Not that she was disappointed or anything.
Eventually, the new couple eased their frenzied kissing and just held each other in the warm water. They weren’t exactly spent, but they were enjoying the warm glow of shared intimacy.
Hermione leaned back into his embrace and just started to close their eyes when a strangely familiar voice rang out.
“Oh, about time you two finished!”
Harry’s eyes shot open.
“Ah, Moaning Myrtle. Been a long time, hasn’t it?”
The annoying ghost pouted.
“Yes, it has! No one ever comes to visit me anymore!”
Hermione really felt bad for the deceased witch. After all, she knew exactly what it was like to encounter a horrifying beast unexpectedly in the loo.
“Hello Myrtle, how have you been?”
The ghost grimaced. “Bad, thanks for asking. I’m lonely all the time and the other ghosts are jerks! The only fun I’ve had recently was watching that dishy Hufflepuff prefect take a bath with some weird egg.”
Harry sat up in surprise.
“We were supposed to be trying to figure out that stupid egg, weren’t we?”
Hermione sighed, but settled back into him.
“Yes, that was out original intent, wasn’t it? I don’t think I want to move though, too comfortable.”
“Well, I don’t really want to do work either, but the sooner we figure out that silly clue, the sooner we can come up with a solution and recommence snogging each other stupid!”
“Indeed. For the snogging, Harry.”
“Yes, the snogging.” Harry began to rise, but stopped suddenly.
“Wait. I have an idea.”
He called out for Dobby. A few seconds went by before a loud pop broke the silence.
“Yes Master Harr… Oh my!”
Dobby had popped in and noticed their state of dress to his consternation.
“Dobby, it’s okay. Hermione and I have clothes on… Just not too many of them.”
Dobby nodded, but kept his large eyes covered.
Harry sighed. “Dobby, do you think you could retrieve that golden egg from my trunk?”
“You means the one Master Harry’s Wheasey keeps rubbing on his self and cuddling whens Master Harry isn’t there?”
“Yes… Wait, what?”
The self-blinkered elf nodded again. “Yes, Master Harry’s Wheasey be often acting strange when Master Harry isn’t around.”
Hermione looked faintly ill and Harry sighed.
“Okay, one day soon Dobby we’re going to have a long talk about whatever ‘Wheasey’ has been up to. For now though, do you think you could grab the egg and disinfect it before bringing it here?”
“Yes, with bleach please.” Added Hermione.
“Right away Master Harry!” The elf popped away and returned within five seconds.
“Thanks Dobby! That was really fast! “
“Yes Dobby, you’re a superb elf!” Hermione chimed in as well.
Myrtle just looked on, faintly amused.
“Well, now that you actually have the egg, maybe you should put it in the water. That’s what the other boy did.” Myrtle’s tone indicated she was either scandalized or jealous.
Hermione took the egg from Dobby and shot Myrtle a slightly superior look.
“Ha! Don’t you wish you were me!"
Hermione submerged the egg and popped it open.
She and Harry shared a look before simultaneously dunking their heads into the water.
One Mermish riddle later, both surfaced with wildly different looks on their faces.
Harry looked equal parts confused and worried.
“I really don’t like that part about ‘what you’ll sorely miss’.”
Hermione was thoughtful.
“Hmm, let’s hear it again.”
Another rendition leaves Harry looking even more concerned.
“What I’ll sorely miss! I really don’t like the sound of that!”
Hermione was busy parsing the possible meanings.
“Well, ‘where our voices sound’ must mean a submarine environment, which is further emphasized by the ‘cannot sing above the ground’. ‘One hour’ must be the time limit to search, and ‘prospect is black’ seems to indicate the Black Lake.”
Harry wasn’t quite so calm.
“Hermione! ‘What I’ll sorely miss’! There’s only one ‘thing’ I’ll ever ‘sorely miss’!”
“What is it, Harry?”
He looked her in the eyes, his fear and anger at the tournament evident.
“You. The only thing I’d ever sorely miss is you.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, ‘oh’! They can’t take you, I won’t let them!”
“You might not have a choice Harry.” She said softly.
“Bullshit! Anyone who so much as lays a finger on you is going to Saint Mungo’s in a dozen sandwich baggies!”
She enfolded him in an embrace, which he returned in force. His magic was roiling the waters like a miniature typhoon. Myrtle looked a bit frightened and retreated through the nearest wall. Dobby had popped away some time ago to allow his ‘underdressed’ employer some privacy.
Hermione tried to soothe the upset wizard, cooing in his ear and holding him tightly.
When he calmed somewhat, she spoke.
“You know love, ordinarily I’d be scolding you for your language, but I know your heart is in the right place.”
Harry managed a muffled ‘thanks’, muted due to his nuzzling into her neck.
“It’s okay though, we’ll get through this together, just like we always do. I have no intentions of leaving you anytime soon, we just got together after all!”
He leaned back from his tight embrace, and then kissed her sweetly.
“I know, I just hate seeing you get put in harm’s way.”
She grinned. “Welcome to my world. I’ve felt that way about you since First Year!”
“Heh, kinda sucks on this side of the fence, doesn’t it?”
“It’s not the most fun in the world; but as long as you come as part of the package, I’ll be here.”
“You always are.”
“And always will be, don’t you forget it. But anyway, I think you know what our next step is here.”
Harry sighed. “While I could hope you might mean more snogging and an intense tongue wrestling match, I’m going to take the high road and assume you’re implying a floo call to Remus and Sirius followed by a trip to the library.”
“Well, yes, I was hinting at the latter actually. But since you mention it, the former does seem to have some appeal as well.” Her grin seemed positively feral.
Harry’s wild grin matched hers measure for measure.
“Oh goody.”
A/N: Next up- More strategizing and a Yule Ball
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