Warning: PG-13 or R rating, depending on your point of view. This chapter contains adult situations and mild to moderate sexual references. Please close your eyes if you think you will be offended, or skip to Chapter 23. S.
Ron and Hermione began their wedding day, at three minutes past midnight, with Molly Weasley “interrupting” them.
Everything had been prepared for the day, but the preparations had frayed Molly’s nerves and she could not sleep. Walking down the stairs she heard muffled noises, the cracking and popping of green wood in the fireplace, and the familiar sounds of the parlor sofa squeaking as if someone was moving around on it. Turning the corner at the bottom of the stairs and following the noise, Molly saw Hermione, in the faintly lit parlor, tickling someone hidden by the back of the sofa. She presumed that it was Ron. Watching for a few seconds, Molly debated whether to interrupt them or not; Hermione was obviously still clothed, (at least from the waist up,) and judging by the sounds of the other person, whom she could now identify (thankfully) as Ron, the two appeared to be enjoying themselves and letting off tension before the ceremony. Molly thought back to her wedding day; she smiled and remembered her and Arthur doing much the same thing.
Though it took a long time, Molly had finally set aside her anger at Ron for getting Hermione pregnant. The main reason for this was that Ron had changed into a confident and loving man, more than he ever was. As she watched them play together, her memories drifted back to Charlie and a couple girlfiends he had brought back to that very sofa. Just like Charlie, Ron was now removing her...Merlin! For a second Molly seriously considered just walking quietly away, but that was just too much out of character for her. She did, however, retreat to the kitchen and make some deliberate noises before walking heavily back to the parlor.
“Oh! You two are still up?” Molly was not sure if her voice held enough surprise to get away with the comment, but she noticed that Hermione was, again, clothed and sitting next to Ron rather than straddling him.
“Hi mom!” Hermione replied, eyes wide, cheeks red, and breathing heavily.
Ron’s head appeared above the back of the couch, turned ninety degrees right, and he had a faint gloss of sweat on his forehead. “Yeah, wow, it must be late, maybe we should get to bed, Maya.” Looking down at himself, Ron snorted a laugh, and turned back to his mother. “Well, in a couple minutes.”
Hermione completely cracked up, understanding the reason for Ron’s last comment.
“Two minutes. You both have a long day ahead of you.” With that, Molly departed for another attempt at sleep. Walking up the stairs and turning down the hallway to her bedroom, Molly stopped at Ginny’s door and listened for a few seconds, then proceeded on her way.
“Shhhhh, Harry, mom’s coming up the stairs!” Ginny knew that Harry’s attempt to hide was absurd, her mother would see the obvious lump under her bed covers. Ugh! She would flay Harry alive...
Hearing her mother stop, and then continue down the hallway to her bedroom, Ginny jumped up and straightened her night gown. “Harry! Get up, Hermione will be here any second.” But the urgency in her voice came out more like a giggle as she pulled the covers off of Harry and started to pull him out of her bed.
“Foiled again!” Harry moaned, making sure his pajama top was buttoned correctly. Then jumping out of bed he took Ginny in his arms. “That was a lot better than our first try.”
Ginny lowered her face in embarrassment, remembering her birthday.
Taking his hands out of Ginny’s, Harry held her face and lightly kissed her. “I had no idea I could feel that way. Er”did you, um…”
Ginny’s face looked like a sepia photograph in the diffused moon light, but Harry could tell she was blushing. “I don’t know. It felt wonderful, but I don’t think so.” Then looking up, Ginny put a devilish look on her face and suggested, “I’ll ask Hermione. I’m sure she would know.”
But Harry wasn’t flustered. “Good idea, I’ll talk to Ron to see if he can give me a suggestion, or two.”
“HARRY! Don’t you dare.” Just then the two heard the bedroom door open. Hermione slipped in, she stuck her head back out the door for a few seconds, and then came back in. Fully closing the door this time, she sighed “I can’t wait for tonight.” But it came out more like a moan, then she leaned against the door frame, all the while not realizing she had an audience.
Harry crept quietly behind her and tugged on the elastic waist band of the pajama bottoms. “You know, Maya, it’s a sure give-away when you put the bottoms on backwards.”
Gasping in surprise, Hermione turned around and slapped Harry’s hand away, but she did so playfully and both Harry and Ginny saw a dreamy look on her face. Trying not to ruin Hermione’s obvious “emotional” state, Harry turned back to Ginny. “Yeah, Gin, I’d say Hermione would know the answer.” Then he gently moved her away from the door and slipped out.
“The answer to what, Gin?” Hermione said after a few seconds. Ginny just stood there, partly jealous and partly curious, not sure which emotion would win. Finally one did and she sat on her bed.
Hermione, how do I know when I’ve...”
Harry was dreading going back to Ron’s room but he was exhausted from the events of the day and an hour of heavy snogging with his fiancé, so he just plunged in. Ron was lying in his bed, wide awake, but making no comments to Harry about his little sister. Slipping into bed, Harry said goodnight to Ron and turned on his side to sleep.
“Hey Harry?”
“Yeah, Ron.”
“Hermione told me something earlier tonight about you two.”
Bugger! “What’s that, Ron?”
“She said she made a pass at you.”
Harry knew this was going to come out at some point. “Yeah Ron, she did. That Friday night after she lost the baby.”
“Ok, thanks, mate. Good night.”
WHAT? “Ron, Hermione told you everything, didn’t she?”
“Sure, she said you were a perfect gentleman and chewed her arse out two or three times.”
“Yeah, I did. Was kinda’ rough the last time; I really lit into her.”
“That’s what she said. Thanks, she needs that sometimes. Harry, do I have anything to worry about?”
“Not from me, or anyone I know about, Ron. Did Hermione tell you what I did to her last Sunday?”
“No, what?”
“After I chewed her out I, um, I used Legilimancy on her.”
“You did what?” Ron sounded more surprised than annoyed.
“Hang on, mate, she was really upset about what had happened in August between us and I had to show her what her focus was. I mean, I just made sure she knew where her heart lay; with you, mate, it’s completely with you.”
“Thanks, Harry. What’s it like to see someone like that?”
“It’s hard to explain. That was the first and only time I did it with someone I cared about. I think Hermione’s feelings of trust for me made it easier. When you first become aware you are in another person’s thoughts the sensation is almost physical. It’s like watching a movie that’s real emotional, you can feel it as well as see it. I don’t know if that makes sense.”
“I guess. I’m going to have to try it sometime.”
“Do it with Maya, it will probably be a lot easier.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
“Um, Ron?”
“Yeah Harry?”
“There is one other thing I think you should know.”
“You mean about you kissing Maya?”
“She told you?”
“Yeah, she said that next to sex it was the most sensual thing she had ever experienced.”
“RON, I DID NOT..." Harry heard Ron laughing and knew he had been teased.
“You wanker, I’ll get you!”
“Aw, Harry, I just couldn’t resist. Sorry, mate.”
“It’s ok.”
“You ready to take the plunge?”
“Yes, I am. The ceremony seems so superficial. In some ways I feel like we’ve been married for months, but without the ‘fringe benefits.’”
Harry chuckled at Ron’s reference. “Yeah, that’s something that Ginny and I have talked about, too.”
“Just talked about? I seem to remember seeing your bed empty when I came up here.”
“Ron?”
“Yes Harry, you have something to tell me?”
“No, get your mind out of the gutter. I was going to tell you that I would never do anything to hurt Ginny.”
“Yeah, Harry, I know.”
“Was it hard for you to accept me as Ginny’s boyfriend?”
“Not as Ginny Weasley’s boyfriend. As my little sister’s boyfriend, yeah, a little, at the start. But Maya put me in my place real quick.”
“She’s good at that.”
“Tell me about it.”
A long pause.
“Harry?”
“Uh, what is it Ron?”
“I don’t want to sound mushy or anything, but, well, I really appreciate your friendship and love.”
“Wow, Ron, does this mean we’re going steady?”
“Git!”
A short pause.
“Thanks, Ron. I know what you mean. Ginny and Sirius were the only two people I could have said that about until recently. I feet the same; it’s just hard to say. Now shut up and go to sleep.”
“Good night, Harry.”
“Good night, Ron.”
“No, Gin, I don’t think so. Not that I’m an expert on it.”
“But I thought that...since you and Ron...didn’t you?”
Pause.
“Ginny, I’m not comfortable talking about this, it’s really personal. I mean, not that I don’t trust you, but, arrgggg. Look...”
“No, no, it’s ok. Sorry.”
“I should be the one saying ‘I’m sorry,’ Ginny.”
Pause.
“Look, Gin, it’s very different for a female. With a guy it’s obvious when it happens, but, ahhh, here, remember when you, no, forget that.” Merlin! “I guess the best way to describe it is that you’ll know when it happens. Yeah, that’s probably an accurate description.”
“Oh, ok, thanks.”
Pause.
“That wasn’t much help, was it?”
“Not really, no.”
“Ok, let’s try it this way. What you described to me would make me think that if you and Harry had continued a little longer you would have...you know...”
“We would have had sex?”
“No Ginny! Sex and, um, that, uhh, feeling, do not go hand-in-hand. In fact, only about twenty percent of female can have it with intercourse.”
“What? How else am I supposed to?”
Oh, Merlin, help me! “Ginny, didn’t your mother ever tell you...? No, I guess not.”
“I’m sorry, Maya, I can see this is making you really uncomfortable. Look, I’ll ask Madam Pomfrey when I get back to school. Or maybe Harry knows.”
“Ginny, if Harry knew I don’t think you’d be asking me.”
“I guess not.”
“Gin, you’ll know when it happens, seriously. If you don’t, have Harry talk to Fred or George, they claim they can make any woman...oh, never mind.”
Ginny then got out of bed and went over to Hermione and gave her a hug. “Thanks, Maya, I’m really going to miss you next week. But I don’t think you will miss me.”
Laughing, Hermione held Ginny for a long time, then kissed her cheek. “I love you, Ginny. I’m so glad you and Harry are part of our life.”
“I love you, too, Maya. You know, that was the first time I’ve ever heard you refer to you and Ron as ‘us.’ Well, good night.”
“Ginny?”
“Um-hm.”
“I need to tell you something.”
“Sure, what is it.”
“Back in August, right after I lost the baby and was drinking a lot. I, um, I made a pass at Harry.”
“Yeah, he told me.”
“He did? I’m sorry, Gin. I was really messed up. Harry was a perfect gentleman. Even the night before.”
“What happened the night before?”
“Oh, he didn’t tell you?”
“No!”
Hermione mumbles under her breath, “I guess there is such a thing as too much honesty.”
“That Thursday I came back from my parents, I got really plastered, I mean, completely pissed. I drank Harry’s entire bottle of Fire Whiskey. Merlin, was I sick.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Well, um, I knew Ron wasn’t coming home so I thought that if...I’m really sorry about this, Ginny, I took my clothes off and waited in bed for Harry to come home.”
“Yes?” Ginny’s tone was more cautious now.
“But by the time Harry got home I started getting sick, frequently and violently. I don’t remember much except that Harry tried to dress me, and at one point I had my head and arm through the neck of a shirt. Ron told me later that Harry had to change me five times because I kept getting sick on everything.”
“Lucky Harry.” Said Ginny, coolly.
“Uh, yeah. Anyway, my plan obviously did not work. Ron came home to surprise me and took over for Harry. The next day I heard Harry yelling at Ron about me. It was humiliating.”
“I’ll bet. Hermione, did Harry do anything with you?”
“NO! At least I don’t think so. I think I would have remembered it if he had. I know he got an eyeful. Sorry, Gin.”
A long pause.
“Good night, Hermione.”
“Gin?”
“Good night, Hermione.”