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Expressions of Gratitude	By : emnorth2002 Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 21458 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Expressions of Gratitude
- 1
Title: Expressions of Gratitude

Author: Emily North

E-mail: emnorth2002@yahoo.com

Pairing: Harry/Hermione, with some Harry/Hermione/Cedric

Rating: NC-17

Spoilers: Through GOF

Disclaimer: JKR invented them,
Scholastic publishes them, and Warner Bros. profits off of them. I just play
with them when no one�s looking.

Summary: Hermione is determined to help Harry prepare for
the second task . . . even if those preparations include an egg, a bath, and an
utter absence of clothes.

Warning: Underage smut! This takes place in the middle of Goblet of Fire, so Harry is fourteen and
Hermione is fifteen. If that�s a problem for you, then stop here.

~*~*~*~

�Oh honestly, Harry, you�re being silly.�

�And you�re being barmy!
I never should have told you about this in the first place; that way you
wouldn�t��

�Wouldn�t what? Try to help you? What nonsense; of course I�m going to help you, I always help you, and this is no
different from how I helped you for the first task.�

�We weren�t naked
when you helped me on the first task!� Harry growled in frustration.

Really, he didn�t get why she was having so much trouble
understanding this. Hermione was a smart girl. Surely she realized that there
were some things that a fourteen-year-old boy simply didn�t feel comfortable doing in front of his female best friend.

Especially now that
I�ve realized just how pretty that friend is . . . he thought to himself,
but quickly pushed the thought aside. That wasn�t the point. It didn�t matter
that ever since the Yule Ball, he had found himself shocked into awareness that
Hermione was a very pretty girl; just as pretty as Cho, even; and maybe, just
maybe, even better than Cho, because she was easier to talk to, and didn�t
surround herself with a gaggle of giggling girls all the time, and she already
liked him, maybe even liked him, and
. . . But no, that wasn�t the point, either.

The point was that she had used the password he had been foolish enough to tell her,
and had snuck into the prefect�s bath before he even got there so she could
help him decipher the egg. When he arrived, she was wearing a bathrobe (tied
loosely enough so that he was damn near positive
she wasn�t wearing anything underneath) and a bright smile as she told him to
hurry up and get his clothes off so they could get down to work. (A statement
that should not have made that
traitor between his legs perk up hopefully . . . but did, anyway. The foolish
piece of flesh never listened to him, anyway. He�d been trying to tell it ever
since the Yule Ball that it wasn�t supposed to respond to thoughts of Hermione
that way.)

When he remembered how to breath again (which took about
thirty seconds) and got through his sputtering and stammering stage (which took
another minute or two) and finally managed to demand of her what exactly she thought she was doing there,
she had coolly informed him that she was there to help him decipher the egg, and then she started unfastening her robe.

Not even on his Firebolt had Harry ever moved as quickly as
he did in that moment as he shot across the tiled floor to Hermione side to
yank Hermione�s robe closed and inform her that she was not, was most
definitely not going to be taking off
any more clothes, and that he wouldn�t be stripping down at all until she got dressed and left.
Whether Cedric�s suggestion of taking a bath worked or
not, it was a suggestion he would be trying alone,
thank-you-very-much.

And then she told him he was being silly. Silly, as if he had suggested dying his
hair purple, or attacking the golden egg with humus.

She was going mad; that was the only explanation for it.
Really, if Ron was to be believed, she�d been halfway along that road for quite
some time now, and Harry was finally inclined to agree. This was more than just
�brilliant but scary�, this was absolute insanity. Never mind that she had a
point about always being the one to help him. This was just one thing that he�d
have to do without her help. There would be no naked helping. There would be no
naked anything. Not with Hermione.

�Well really, Harry, climbing into a
bathtub fully dressed does seem a bit excessive . . .� Hermione replied,
clearly hiding a smile.

Smiling.
She thought this was funny. She was amused at the way his erection was
straining tighter every minute, and the way that he couldn�t quite manage to
drag his eyes off of the vee of her bathrobe, and the
way it parted a bit when she put her hands on her hips, revealing more of the
smooth curve of an absolutely lovely
pair of breasts, and the way the whole thing reminded him of the dream he�d had
the previous summer after accidentally walking in on Hermione in the shower,
and . . . where was he going with this? Surely there was something he was going
to say, but for the life of him, he couldn�t think of what it was. Fortunately,
Hermione filled the silence.

�I�m not leaving until I�ve helped you figure this out, and
nothing you can say is going to change my mind. This is the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Harry. People
have died in this before; people who
were several years older than you, and with a lot more training. If you think
you can stop me from doing absolutely everything in my power to make sure that
you�re prepared for this, then think again. You make
think you�re stubborn, Harry, but trust me: you haven�t bloody met stubborn. Now if you don�t want to
see me take my robe off, then I suggest you turn around.�

Any sensible, logical, utterly persuasive arguments Harry
might have had slid right out of his head as Hermione unfastened the belt of the
robe, allowing the folds to part just a few inches, revealing a bit more of
those spectacular breasts, leading down to a smooth stomach, and a dark shadow
. . . no, make that dark hair, visible between her . . .

Blushing scarlet, Harry spun quickly around so that his back
was to her. He heard the brush of fabric against skin and knew that the robe
was being discarded. He tried very hard not to picture it in his mind, not to
match the sounds with mental images of Hermione completely and unashamedly nude,
hanging the robe up on a hook, followed by a splashing sound that meant that
she was stepping into the tub, with the water washing around her ankles, then
her calves, then her knees, then . . . oh god . . . her thighs . . . and then .
. . and then . . . and th�

�All right, Harry,
I�m up to my neck in bubbles, and my eyes are closed. It�s your turn to come
in.�

Acting purely on autopilot, Harry found himself undressed
and climbing into the tub with the egg with no memory of undressing; no memory
of anything, really, other than how gorgeous Hermione looked, covered in
bubbles and absolutely relaxed with her eyes closed and her head leaning back
against the cushioned edge of the tub.

�So . . . erm .
. . what now?�

Hermione�s eyes slid open slowly as she grinned at him. It
was her I�ve-solved-the-puzzle-aren�t-you-proud-of-me grin: a personal favorite
of Harry�s, even though it gave him squidgy feelings somewhere between his
chest and his stomach that, oddly, had nothing to do with the eager twitching
of his cock in her direction.

�Well,� Hermione began eagerly, �what the difference between
now and all the other times you�ve tried to open the egg?�

Somehow, Harry was fairly certain that �we�re naked and I�m
horny� wasn�t quite the answer she was looking for.

�Um . . . the bath?� he suggested weakly. After all, Cedric
had told him that the bath would help him figure out the clue in the egg. He
just neglected to mention exactly how
he could use the bath.

�Yes, exactly!� Hermione beamed at
him. �Water! All those other times, you opened the egg
out in the open air. Put it under water,� Harry obeyed, �and open
it again.� Harry flinched, not looking forward to what he was sure would be
another round of ear-piercing, incomprehensible screeching, but with Hermione
looking at him like that, all hopeful and expectant, there was no way on earth
he could tell her no, so, bracing himself, he opened the egg.

He expected noise. He expected shrieking. He did not expect the soft strains of something
like music, followed by Hermione�s voice saying �Hold your breath, Harry!�
while her small but undeniably strong hand pushed his head under water. He
could see Hermione�s wide open eyes on the other side of the opened egg when he
finally caught the words.

�Come seek us where our voices sound,

we cannot sing above the ground,

and while you�re looking ponder
this,

we have taken what you�ll sorely
miss.

But pass an hour, the prospect�s black,

It�s gone, it�s lost, it won�t come
back.�

Hermione started bouncing excitedly as she gestured for
Harry to resurface. He obeyed eventually, but paused for just a bit first to
enjoy the sight of Hermione bouncing. She should bounce more, he decided. It
was . . . fun to watch.

�Merfolk!� she announced with a big grin when Harry finally
resurfaced. �That must be it! You�ll have to go and get something from the
merfolk in the lake; they have a community there, I read all about it in
�Hogwarts, a History�!�

�Oh, that�s excellent,� a voice announced from the other
side of the bath. �It took me much
longer to figure it out.�

Startled, the two fourth years spun around to see none other
than Cedric Diggory reclining at the other end of the tub, watching the two of
them with a smile.

�You�re lucky, Harry, to have Hermione on your side,� Cedric
added. �She�s quite a clever girl.� He winked at Hermione who blushed brightly
in response.

�W-when did you get here?� Harry stammered out.

�While you were under water,� Cedric explained. �I�ve been
coming by every night since I dropped that hint to see if you would take my
advice. I figured I�d be able to help you once you got here. Of course, if I
had known top-student Hermione Granger was with you, I wouldn�t have worried.�

Hermione�s blush darkened, but she managed to pull herself
together enough to speak in turn. �Cedric, without your hint I don�t even know
what we . . .� She shook her head firmly, refusing to think of what might have
happened. �How can we ever thank you?�

�There�s no need for thanks, really,� Cedric insisted. �If
it hadn�t been for Harry, here, I would have faced that dragon completely
unprepared.� Hermione beamed at Harry, reaching over to squeeze his hand, and
he fought back a blush of his own. It was always so satisfying when Hermione was proud of him. �It was only fair that I
return the favor,� Cedric concluded.

�But really,� Hermione argued, scooting around so that she
was closer to Cedric. �Isn�t there anything we can do?�

Cedric laughed. �Well, if you insist . . .� Hermione nodded
eagerly to show that she did, indeed, insist, �I never turn down a kiss from a
pretty girl. I�d consider us more than even after that.�

Frowning slightly, Harry crossed the tub to sit next to
Hermione again and take hold of her hand. He wanted her to know that she didn�t
have to kiss Cedric if she didn�t want to . . . but he didn�t get a chance to
tell her that before she scooted closer to Cedric to place a feather-soft kiss
against his lips.

�I never knew a Gryffindor to kiss so shyly,� Cedric teased.
Harry bit his lip as he braced himself for what he knew was coming. Cedric
hadn�t meant anything by it; Harry could tell that by the look on his face. The
Hufflepuff was just teasing Hermione because, well, that�s what boys who were
charming apparently did. But Cedric
didn�t know Hermione like Harry did. And Harry knew from the look on Hermione�s
face that she saw Cedric�s joke as a challenge. Challenge received. Challenge
accepted.

Hermione pulled her hand away from Harry�s as she literally
sprung into action, straddling Cedric�s lap, tangling her hands in his hair,
and attacking his mouth with hers. Though he was clearly startled, it didn�t
take Cedric more than a moment to respond: his hands rose to wrap around her
body, and Harry could see his mouth open against hers.

Harry gasped, less from shock than from a sudden,
inexplicable, undeniable surge of lust from the sight of the two of them eating each other�s mouths. They were
gorgeous, both of them. Hermione�s wild hair was weighed down by the water and
the candles highlighted the droplets of water on her skin spotlighting her
beauty as she damn near undulated in
Cedric�s lap. She looked like a siren: like seduction personified. And Cedric,
usually all boyish smiles and effortless charm, had an
intensity to him when he kissed, a focus and a hunger to him that seemed to suck all of the oxygen out of the
room. Unconsciously, Harry slid a hand down to his aching erection and squeezed, groaning at how unbearably
good it felt, reaching his other hand down to play with his balls while he
continued stroking and squeezing his cock. He wanted to take Cedric�s place and
kiss Hermione. He wanted to take Hermione�s place and kiss Cedric. He wanted to
crawl in between them and have both
of them surrounding him, completing him, devouring
him the way that they were currently devouring each other.

Even with the support of the water surrounding him, Harry�s
legs weren�t quite able to hold him anymore, and he collapsed next to Hermione and
Cedric�s seat on the steps, whimpering slightly with his eyes tightly shut as
he tried to gain control of himself to continue his wank. Nothing that felt
that good could be allowed to end so
quickly; he wanted his body to be in a position to enjoy every moment of intimacy it could view between Cedric and
Hermione. But when he opened his eyes, his floorshow had come to a stop. Cedric
and Hermione had stopped kissing (though they hadn�t bothered to untangle their
bodies) and they were both watching Harry with hungry eyes.

�It occurs to me, Harry,� Hermione stated as she peeled
herself away from Cedric, �that I never properly thanked you for all those
times you�ve saved my life. How remiss of me,� she continued, settling herself
on his lap with a wicked grin of appreciation when she felt his erection
between their stomachs. �It�s time for me to do something about that.�

With no further warning, her mouth was on his, open, and
wet, and positively wonderful as she
coaxed him to respond. His first kiss and holy Merlin! Nothing could ever be better than this, especially when he
remembered that he had two perfectly serviceable hands, and that from the way
she was kissing him, it was highly unlikely that she�d mind if more than his
tongue went exploring.

One hand stayed tangled in her long hair, but the other hand
. . . oh, the other hand slid up her side and across her torso and up, and
around, and over until it enclosed, perfectly enclosed, one positively perfect
breast. He felt her hard nipple against his palm and rubbed it, delighting in
the way it made her shiver. He was just about to experiment with how she�d
react if he pinched it, when the world turned upside down again.

A lean, hard body pressed up against his side and a somewhat
breathless voice echoed in his ear as Cedric whispered, �I want to show my
thanks, too.� A large hand snaked over Harry�s hip, sliding between Harry and
Hermione and grabbing hold�oh yes!�grabbing
firm hold of Harry�s cock. Instantly certain that his brain had exploded,
Harry�s head fell back away from Hermione�s as he tried to remember how to
breathe.

�Is this all right, Harry?� Cedric asked as his thumb
swirled tight circles over the head of Harry�s cock. Harry couldn�t quite
manage words in response; truthfully, he couldn�t quite manage anything above a
gurgle, accompanied by more than a bit of drool, but the look he gave Cedric
made it quite clear that he had permission to continue.

Hermione, meanwhile, had scooted over to give Cedric more
room, and was pressed up against Harry�s other side, her breasts rubbing
against his arm and the side of his chest as she sucked and nibbled on his
neck. �Just enjoy it, Harry,� she whispered in his ear. �You�ve more than
earned it.�

Mustering reserves of strength and fortitude that every hero
possesses, Harry lifted his hand to cup her cheek and bring her lips back to
his. Oh, how he loved kissing her. It warmed him from head to toe and filled
his body with so much pleasure, he thought he would burst . . . especially with
the encouragement toward bursting he was getting from Cedric�s very skilled hand. His mind went blank,
his fears disappeared, and the weight of all his troubles; the weight of his
parents� death, the weight of Voldemort, the weight of the Dursleys, and Snape,
and Malfoy, and �Potter Stinks� badges, and Sirius on the run, and Pettigrew at
large, and homework for Divination, and the venison stew that the elves seemed
to serve once a week that Harry just didn�t like, and Cho rejecting him, and
the fight with Ron, and articles in The
Daily Prophet, and Rita Skeeter, and Dumbledore�s expectations, and the
Tri-Wizard tournament, and dragons, and merfolk, and Dementors, and the way
that Viktor Krum looked at Hermione, and�;

It all simply vanished. For once, for this single, solitary
moment, Harry Potter forgot everything else, and was just . . . happy.

Orgasmically happy, as a matter of
fact.

He came so hard that he cried,
gasping into Hermione�s mouth and thrusting into Cedric�s hand as he spasmed so hard that if the edges of the tub hadn�t been
padded, he probably would have knocked himself unconscious. And while that
might normally have been a gruesomely appropriate fate for The Boy Who Couldn�t
Get A Lucky Break Until The End Of The School Year And Couldn�t Always Get One
Even Then, Harry didn�t worry for even a second that this would end badly.
Hermione and Cedric were there and he knew, without even pausing to worry or
question, that they�d take care of him. He was safe with them.

When colored lights stopped exploding behind his eyes, Harry
finally managed to open them again. He wondered fuzzily if the orgasm had
knocked something loose in his brain, leaving the world out of focus, when he
heard Hermione�s familiar voice next to him.

�Occulus reparo.� The familiar frames were settled onto his
face with her gentle hands, and the world came into focus again. �Honestly
Harry, we need to find you sturdier glasses. You�re far too hard on these.�

�You�re amazing,� Harry gasped out, grinning at her widely.

�It was just a simple reparo,�
Hermione stammered, clearly confused.

Harry chuckled. �That wasn�t what I meant, but thanks for
that, too.� Leaning forward just enough to put his face level with hers, he
kissed her very gently. �You�re amazing,� he repeated, in a firm tone that bore
no arguing. �Thank you.�

Hermione smiled shyly. �Of course I helped you, Harry,� she
whispered. �I always help you, remember? And I always will. There�s . . .� she
blushed a bit and looked away. �There�s nothing I wouldn�t do for you.� She
followed up her words with another soft kiss and Harry smiled against her lips
as he kissed her back as thoroughly as he could without moving his hands or
arms. His bones felt like they�d been magically removed, leaving him utterly
limp and incapable of motion . . . in a good way.

�Like I said,� Cedric stated, drawing their attention back
to him, �you�re very lucky to have her.�

Harry felt his face go red at the thought of what he was
about to do, but not for nothing was he a Gryffindor. �And t-thank you, too,� he
stammered, leaning over to brush his lips against Cedric�s. �I, um, really
needed that.�

Cedric�s smile in return was a mite strained, but perfectly
sincere. �Not a problem, mate. Glad I could help. I did owe you my thanks.�

�But it looks like we left the job incomplete in thanking
you,� Hermione noted, sliding around Harry to stand in front of Cedric. Bubbles
blocked Harry�s view of what, exactly, Hermione was doing, but the way that
Cedric gasped and thrust his hips forward gave Harry a fairly strong idea. �You
deserve a little gratitude yourself, doesn�t he, Harry?�

�T-that�s right,� Harry agreed hesitantly. It was clear that
Hermione expected him to join in the . . . thanks-giving, but he wasn�t quite
clear what exactly he should do. Sliding his hand into Cedric�s lap, he found
both of Hermione�s hands busily at work.

�I�ve got this covered,� she told him, �but his lips look a
little lonely.�

�His lips?� Harry repeated,
frowning. Hermione wanted him to kiss Cedric? Wasn�t that a little . . . intimate?
Not that the hand-job Cedric had just given him wasn�t intimate, but it was
different, somehow. Hand-jobs felt almost detached, in a way. If he�d wanted
to, he could have closed his eyes and pretended it was anyone else in the world
stroking him off. It was about pleasure, it was about sex, but it wasn�t really
about connection. Kissing Cedric would be about connection. He�d have Cedric�s
body pressed against his, Cedric�s lips against his skin, Cedric�s taste in his
mouth. The idea wasn�t unappealing, but it took a minute to adjust to it.

�I�ve thought about it before,� Hermione confessed, in a
low, purring voice. �Alone in my room, grateful
for the solitude, I�ve thought about what the two of you would look like,
together. And I would be so very grateful to you, Harry, if you�d let me see it in the flesh, just this once.�

Vixen.
Hermione was getting awfully smug
already about her power over him. She needn�t think that all she had to do was
put on a sexy voice and Harry would do whatever it was that she wanted. But
still, when she put it like that . . .

Cedric tasted quite good, actually, and it was fun to see
the usually composed Hufflepuff writhe and moan as they teased him to
completion. He still couldn�t see what Hermione was doing (wizard bubbles,
apparently, didn�t dissipate the way muggle ones did; or maybe Cedric or
Hermione had turned them back on at some point when he was . . . distracted
with other things) but Cedric�s response made it quite clear that she was doing
a very good job. He seemed to like
Harry�s kiss, as well, if the way he sucked on Harry�s tongue was any
indication.

He bit Harry�s lip as he came. It didn�t really hurt;
Harry�s lips had reached a nice, tingling stage of numbness by that point; but
Hermione insisted on kissing it all
better, and who was he to tell her no, especially when she responded so
enthusiastically to Cedric�s taste in his mouth.

When she pulled away, she looked over the two of them and
began to laugh. �I�ve watched you both play Quidditch for hours without wearing
down,� she teased, �but a little gratitude
leaves you both barely conscious.� She shook her head in mock disapproval, but
couldn�t hold back her grin. �I guess I�d better get the two of you back to
your dorms before you fall asleep in here.� She started to step around them to
release the drain to the tub, but Cedric snatched her wrist from the air like a
snitch and refused to let her go.

�Not so fast, princess,� he scolded with a teasing grin, �you�ve
shown your gratitude to us, but you haven�t given us a chance to show our
gratitude to you.�

�M-me?� Hermione stammered
uncertainly, �But you don�t have to�I mean, I didn�t
expect you to�I did this because I wanted
to; you don�t owe me anything.�

She was really rather adorable when she babbled like that,
Harry decided. If she didn�t sound so worried, he might have been tempted to
let her continue. But she did sound
worried, and Harry simply couldn�t allow that.

�We want to, also,� Harry blurted out. �Not just because
we�re grateful, because . . . Merlin, Hermione, you know I�m�I mean, I wouldn�t
have gotten this far alive if it
weren�t for you, and I don�t know what I�d ever do without you, but that�s not
why; I mean, I want . . . It�s not just gratitude. Really, it isn�t. Please,
Hermione. I want this.�

�So do I,� Cedric added, tugging
Hermione�s wrist until she was seated once again between Cedric and Harry.
�You�re so beautiful, Hermione,� he whispered, pressing a soft, soothing kiss
into the curve of her throat. �Of course we want you. Now, just relax, and let
us take care of you.� Capturing her lips with his, his hands went up to her
neck and shoulders, rubbing and squeezing all the tension away until she was
relaxed and pliable under his touch.

�Your turn, Harry,� he stated as he pulled away, and Harry
felt a sharp, strangely pleasurable stab somewhere between his chest and his
belly when Hermione turned her head toward him, blinking her eyes half open and
giving him a sleepily seductive smile while she leaned in for his kiss.

He didn�t notice at first when Cedric took hold of one of
his hands, but he caught on in a hurry when Cedric brought it between
Hermione�s parted thighs. �Just rub it gently at first,� Cedric instructed,
guiding his fingers in a soft, petting motion that made Hermione shiver
delightfully, �and then, when she starts moving against your hand,� which she
was, thrusting her hips rhythmically into their touch, �you part it, still gently, and touch
inside.� Hermione shivered at that as well, and pulled away from the kiss to
moan and arch further into the touch, but Harry didn�t notice. She was so . . .
so . . . soft. There was nothing on a
boy�s body that was soft like that: yielding and silky smooth and impossibly
warm, making the heat of the bath water seem cold in comparison.

�Just stroke up and down here for a bit,� Cedric continued,
�and give a little attention . . .� Cedric�s voice trailed off a bit as he
dragged Harry�s fingers up higher to a little bump, �to this.� The effect on Hermione was electric as she gasped, shooting
her hips forward, before whimpering in what sounded like pain as much as
pleasure with her eyes clenched tightly shut.

�Shhh,� Cedric soothed her,
planting little kisses all over her face and guided his and Harry�s fingers
away from that incendiary nub. �It�s okay, love, just relax.� Hermione�s eyes
stayed closed, but the tense lines around them faded away. �She�s
very sensitive,� Cedric explained, �and incredibly responsive.� He
grinned at Harry. �I say again, you�re a very
lucky wizard. Just remember to be gentle with her. But,� he continued as he
deepening his rubbing a bit, �I think she�s ready now for a
bit more, aren�t you, love?� Hermione nodded and whimpered again,
pleadingly this time.

Cedric reached around Harry�s hand, folding down all but his
index finger and guiding it to an entrance that twitched at their touch.
Slowly, carefully, with a lot of retreat and advance, retreat and advance again
before another retreat, then advance, advance, and then . . . oh god, then . .
. his finger was inside her, and if he thought she was soft before, and warm,
and welcoming, and silky, and perfect, then that was nothing compared to how it felt when he was really inside her.

�You�re amazing, Hermione,� he whispered in her ear, softly
kissing everything he could reach. �Abso-bloody-lutely
amazing.�

�That�s good,� Cedric praised as Harry picked up on the
in-and-out, back-and-forth, stroking rhythm Cedric set for their fingers inside
Hermione�s perfect pussy. �Keep doing that.� Cedric slipped his finger out,
guiding Harry�s second finger in its place, �while I try this again . . .�
Harry felt Cedric�s hand right over his, and knew his fingers had returned to
Hermione�s clit. She seemed more ready for it this time, and while she thrust
her hips against it, arching her back again, the whimpers that she made held
nothing but pleasure.

�And who could resist such a lovely offering?� Cedric
grinned, catching Harry�s eye and nodding at the way Hermione�s arching and
twisting had lifted her breasts above water level. �One for
each of us,� Cedric noted before leaning in to capture a breast in his mouth.

Harry was quite sure he was drooling, and was, in a distant,
non-sexually-stimulated part of his brain, grateful that Hermione wasn�t quite
aware enough at the moment to notice. But good lord, what male with functioning
hormones wouldn�t drool? She was a living, breathing pheromone, inflaming all
of his senses with lust so powerful, it felt as if the blood in his veins was
vibrating. The world ceased to exist outside the confines of the bathtub as
Harry lost awareness of anything but the ravishing sight of Hermione�s
pleasure. Utterly without conscious thought, Harry followed Cedric�s example
and captured her untended breast in his mouth, exploring it with his lips and
tongue and teeth in every way his libido could think to suggest.

Her reactions were delicious
as she simultaneously gasped, thrust her breasts further into their mouths and tightened
her channel around his fingers. Harry could tell she was close, and he pulled
back a bit on her breast, leaving only the nipple in his mouth to be nibbled
and sucked so he could see her face absolutely transformed with pleasure. He�d
never dreamed anyone could look that beautiful.

She let out a little gasp as she came, freezing utterly
still for a moment before shaking from head to toe. Harry kept one hand between
her legs, stroking her gently to ease her through her pleasure, but his other
arm wrapped around her body, holding her tightly against him as he abandoned
her breast utterly to bury his face in her neck, muttering words of praise and
adoration to muffled too be understood, but visibly soothing to Hermione, all
the same. She wrapped herself around Harry as the shudders faded, and snuggled
into him as her breathing slowly returned to normal.

�That was beautiful,� Cedric whispered, causing Harry and
Hermione to jump slightly. They had been too wrapped up in each other to
remember that he was there. �Thank you for sharing it with me,� Cedric added.
Leaning in closer to Hermione, he planted a lingering kiss on her forehead.
�You�re a treasure, Hermione Granger, and never let anyone tell you any
differently. If any idiot lucky enough to have you,� he shot a teasing glare
over at Harry, �isn�t smart enough to appreciate you, just send
him to me, and I�ll straighten him out.� He planted a kiss on Harry�s forehead
as well before climbing out of the tub and grabbing a towel.

�Cedric,� Harry called out as the other boy exchanged his
towel for a robe and started to head for the door. Cedric turned to look at him
questioningly.

�Thanks,� Harry said simply.

Cedric grinned in reply. �No need for thanks, Harry. I�d say
we�re even for the moment. But should either of you ever find yourselves
feeling grateful to me in the future, just let me know.� With a wink and a wide
smile, Cedric left the bathroom.

�We should probably go, too,� Hermione sighed, pulling out
of Harry�s arms. �It�s late.�

Harry frowned, but reluctantly followed her out of the tub.
He didn�t bother averting his eyes this time, but discovered that it was a lot
less fun watching her clothes go on when all he wanted was for her to leave them off.

The two of them didn�t speak as they dressed, and once they
were ready to go, Harry wrapped his invisibility cloak around the pair of them
silently, speaking only to activate the Marauder�s Map as they made their way
through the halls.

He wanted to kiss Hermione again, wanted to tighten his arms
around her, and whisper sweet words in her ear, and let her know just how much
she meant to him . . . but the moment seemed lost, somehow. Away from the
intimacy of the bath and the bolstering influence of Cedric�s confidence, he
felt unsure, and shy. Hermione was silent, as well, and he couldn�t help but
wonder if she was regretting what she had done; if she was sorry that she�d let
him touch her like that.

If she said she regretted it, Harry knew instinctively that
it would destroy something inside him. That�s why he couldn�t bear to ask her
what she was thinking, what she was feeling. Better to suspect than to know for
certain that she was going to break his heart. Thus, he stayed silent as they
arrived at Gryffindor tower, speaking only the password to the Fat Lady and a
muttered goodnight to Hermione before rushing away from her up the steps to the
dormitories. He�d had one night, one night in all of his life, when he was
truly happy. If it was going to be ruined, if Hermione was going to break his
heart, it could happen tomorrow. If Hermione was going to break his heart,
there was no harm in waiting for it to happen another day.

Of course, he had no way of knowing that at that exact
moment, the heads of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang were conferencing in
Dumbledore�s office over who to choose as the hostages for the champions in the
second Tri-Wizard task. He didn�t know that Karkaroff, out of sheer frustration
with his closed-mouth student who never talked about his emotions, was unable
to put forth any candidate for Krum�s hostage except for his Yule Ball date:
Miss Hermione Granger. Harry had no way of knowing that his chances to talk to
Hermione alone the next day would vanish when Ron and Hermione were
mysteriously called away by Professor McGonagall, and that the next time he saw
her after that, she would be unconscious, underwater, and held prisoner by the
decidedly-less-attractive-than-legend-had-them merfolk.

It�s probably just as well that he didn�t know. If he�d
known that they�d have to go through a life-or-death test before he�d be alone
with her again, he probably would have seized the moment to talk to her then,
that night in the common room. And as nervous as he was about what they had just
shared, as certain as he was that she
would tell him that it was all a mistake, he probably wouldn�t have gotten
around to mentioning his feelings for her at all. In his fear of losing everything by asking for more than what
they�d always had, he�d have pushed for things to go back to �normal� with
them, and for both of them to forget what they�d just shared (as if forgetting
something like that was truly possible). In short, he would most likely have
made an enormous hash of it, and possibly botched things up between the two of
them for quite some time.

No, it was for the best that he kept his silence. That way,
he didn�t have a chance to ruin things irreparably before he saw her there at
the bottom of the lake, imprisoned and helpless. At that sight, Harry the
Timid, Harry the Uncertain, Harry the Unbearable Awkward When Dealing With Emotions disappeared. Harry Who Charges Forward Like A
Bull In A China Shop stepped in, and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to
tell Hermione exactly how he felt
about her, whether she smashed his heart immediately afterwards or not. There�s
nothing like seeing the girl that you love looking right next door to death to
put things into sparklingly clear perspective.

Unfortunately, she wasn�t in much of a state for conversation
with her life on the line and all, and even when Viktor rescued her and brought
her back to dry land, Harry couldn�t follow. Damned scruples. Damned moral fiber. Damned conscience that
wouldn�t let him leave any of the hostages alone and unrescued.
By the time he resurfaced, everyone was swarming around, and the only way he
could have a conversation with Hermione was if he didn�t mind all of Hogwarts,
part of the Ministry, a chunk of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, and a reporter
from The Daily Prophet hearing every
word that he said. Just because he was willing to run the risk of Hermione�s
rejection didn�t mean that he wanted to invite half the bloody world to watch
while his heart got broken. Plus, for added annoyance, Viktor was being most
annoyingly persistent in his attentions to Hermione, and couldn�t seem to take
the hint that she wanted to focus on Harry,
not some overgrown Bulgarian who had nearly taken her leg off with those shark
teeth of his underwater. Prat.

Finally, finally, Madam Pomfrey began herding the
champions and their hostages back into the castle to change into dry clothes,
and Harry seized the opportunity to pull Hermione aside, ducking with her into
an empty classroom where they would (hopefully) be left alone.

�You�re sure you�re all right?� he began, pushing her
waterlogged hair out of her face to check for any scratches or bruises Madam
Pomfrey might have missed. Sure, he knew the mediwitch was thorough, but all
excuses were good excuses that ended in him touching Hermione.

�I�m fine, Harry, really!� she assured him with a smile. �A
bit eager to get into dry clothes, of course . . . was there anything�anything else you wanted to ask?� Harry was sure
he hadn�t imagined the hopeful note in her voice, and felt his own hope rising
as well. Maybe she was nervous about this, too? Surely that was a good sign.

�Y-yes, actually,� he stammered. �I wanted to ask . . . that
is, I wanted to say . . . or rather, I wanted to tell you . . .�

�Yes?� Hermione interrupted eagerly, smiling up at him with
hope clearly shining in those beautiful brown eyes as she took a step closer,
taking hold of his hand in hers. Her touch grounded him, as always, and he
began to speak.

�When I saw you down there,� he began, more confidently this
time, �I panicked. I know you�ve been in danger before; usually because of me,
as a matter of fact, but I�ve never seen�I never thought�Merlin, Hermione, you
looked dead for a minute there, and
it made me realize�� The sentence was suppose
to go �it made me realize just how much you mean to me�, but he didn�t get
a chance to finish.

�If this is going to be a �maybe you�d be better off without
me� or a �you�d be safer if we weren�t together� speech than you can bloody
well stuff it,� Hermione spat out,
dropping his hand to place both of hers on her hips, looking as angry as he�d
ever seen her, even angrier than she�d been at the Yule Ball when Ron accused
her of betraying Harry. �Merlin only knows what would happen to you without me
around, Harry James Potter, and I for
one have no intention of ever finding out! If you don�t,� her voice broke a bit
here in spite of obvious efforts to keep it smooth, �want me as anything more than a friend, then that�s your choice,
but I am never leaving you for as
long as you need me, and anyone who thinks I am, you included can go hang!�

An angry Hermione was a dangerous thing to admire;
especially when she had her wand close at hand; but Harry couldn�t help but
think that she looked glorious with her eyes shining and her cheeks flushed
with her resolve. Her chin stuck out mutinously, making her lips purse up in a
way that made him ache to taste them. He knew he should say something
comforting or soothing, something about how he�d never want to lose her
friendship, or that he�d never try to send her away, but his heart was all
tangled up with his hormones and his sheer happiness
was downright overwhelming at her determination never to leave him, to the
point where the words he said next simply flew out without any real thought or
planning at all.

�I love you.�

For a moment, Harry had the rare pleasure of seeing Hermione
Granger struck absolutely speechless.

�I beg your
pardon?� she managed a minute later.

�I-I love you,� Harry stammered again, nervousness springing
back up when she didn�t reply. She loved him too, didn�t she? That was what that whole rant was about,
wasn�t it? Oh mercy, he hadn�t misunderstood the whole situation, had he? Had
he just mucked up the best friendship he�d ever had, and the first real chance
he�d had for more than friendship
just because he couldn�t keep his stupid mouth�

Hermione�s tongue in his mouth moments later made him
profoundly grateful that his mouth wasn�t
shut, and he put aside thinking for several long moments just to enjoy kissing
his, yes, his witch.

�I love you, too, of course,� she informed him when they
pulled away for some sadly needed oxygen. �Just so you know.�

�I kind of figured, but thanks for the clarification,� Harry
replied, grinning.

�And speaking of thanks,�
Hermione added with a not-in-the-least-bit-innocent smile, �I haven�t had a
chance to show you any gratitude for your . . . upright moral fiber.�

�Upright . . . yes,� Harry gasped as Hermione�s hand stroked
a certain part of his anatomy that was rapidly becoming very upright, indeed.

�And I really could use a warm bath after being in that cold
lake for so long.�

�Grab a change of clothes and meet me in the prefect�s bath
in ten minutes?� Harry offered with a quick kiss.

�I�ll be there in five,� Hermione challenged.

�I love you.�

�I love you back.�

�On your mark.�

�Get set.�

�Go.�

THE END
- 1
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Expressions of Gratitude