"Why can't these people invent a pleasant form of travel, honestly?" Dan grumbled when the Grangers plus one landed back at home. Hermione and Ginny once again had to help them to their feet while they were still disoriented.
Hermione just smiled as she helped steady her father. "I mean come on? Spinning around in a dirty fireplace, flying through space while your insides are trying to fly out of your naval, or sitting on a broom? This is the best Magic can offer?"
"Don't forget the Knight Bus Mr. Granger." Ginny told him, "They fly across the country and fling you all over the place, it's the best!" He just stared at her in horror.
"And Apparation daddy, from the way it is described you have the rather unpleasant feeling of being squeezed through a hosepipe." Hermione added while trying to hide her grin.
"Mental, all of you!" He cried out as he left the room, but they could see the smile on his face.
"That really wasn't very nice of you two." Emma commented.
Hermione and Ginny turned innocent eyes on the older woman. "I have no idea what you mean." Hermione said.
"Right… Hermione, can I speak with you for a few minutes?" She asked her daughter who's eyes suddenly went wide, trying to decide what she had done wrong this time.
"I'll meet you upstairs then Mione." Ginny said as she turned and bounced out of the room, still on a high from her party.
Hermione turned somewhat frightened eyes on her mother. "What is it Mum? I am fairly certain you know everything I do about the situation in the Wizarding world now."
Emma smiled and pulled Hermione toward the kitchen, once there Hermione watched curiously as her mother unlocked and opened the liquor cabinet. She pulled down the vodka and apple schnapps to make Appletini's. "Have a seat dear, these will be ready in just a second."
She sat and watched her mother measure out two glasses before sliding one across the table toward her. "Now dear, I know you and I already had a talk about sex."
"And I remember it all Mum we really don't need to do this again." Hermione said getting more nervous by the minute, she quickly took a sip of her drink and resisted the urge to cough.
"I have no doubt of that dear, what I want to talk to you about is Harry."
"Oh…" Was all she managed to get out before taking another sip.
"Your poor father is very confused. He doesn't know whether to thank Harry or hit him, you must have noticed his 'Kill anything male near my little girl' attitude at the party?" Hermione only nodded as her face flushed, she hoped it was from the drink.
"Now I on the other hand thought you were with Ginny." Hermione did cough this time as she spluttered into her glass.
"Whatever do you mean?" She asked through her tears of pain.
"Dear, I had a girlfriend at University, please don't think that your generation invented sex." Hermione quickly drained her glass before coughing once more. Emma just smiled and stood to make another.
"You what?" Hermione asked as soon as she caught her breath.
"I haven't always been with your father dear, I was once young too. Now I trust you to be responsible, and to make good decisions. I just need you to do one thing for me?" She slid the fresh drink across the table.
Hermione drained half the glass before taking a deep breath and composing herself. "What would that be?"
"Spill." Her mother said with a huge grin and Hermione had to double check to make sure this was really the woman who raised her.
"I'm sorry?" She asked still feigning innocence.
"You my dear, have at the least, a lesbian lover, and at the party tonight I could almost feel the chemistry between you and Harry. Now out with it, this is just to juicy to keep to yourself!" Hermione just stared at the woman across from her for a minute. There sat the woman who raised her, who taught her right from wrong, and who had gifted her with her thirst for knowledge. But she also saw the woman who had been her friend since she had gotten her first period. They used to be able to talk about everything, before she had left for Hogwarts.
She drained the rest of her glass and held it out across the table. "Not without at least one more of these." She said with a smile, Emma's grin seemed to double as she quickly refilled both of their glasses.
Over the next half an hour Hermione told her mum all about the failed relationship with Ron, leaving out the sex. How he had only been using her and did not respect her as a person, just as something that could bring him pleasure. How Harry had made her realize that the only reason they even talked to one another was because of their friendship with him. How Harry would hold her as she cried, and finally she went into a few of the juicier details of their early Occlumency training before revealing how she had professed her love to both Harry and Ginny. How it had come as a shock to her that she had feelings for another woman, and that she was willing to share the man she had held a crush on for so long.
Once Hermione had reached a stopping point, two drinks later, Emma began asking clarifying questions. "So let me get this straight, you expect me to believe that in order to meditate, you needed to be nude?"
"The honest truth Mum… okay it was true when I first began on my own, it ended up being more of a distraction with him at first…"
"Oh I'm sure it was!" Emma said with a laugh getting a genuine blush from her daughter. "And Ginny was having trouble, so you convinced her to do the same?"
Hermione nodded, "I honestly forgot to lock the door, I never meant for Harry to see us like that!"
"But he did, and you just acted as if there was nothing wrong?" The girl nodded.
"Ginny had been begging me to help her get Harry to notice her, I had given up on him years ago so I was all about helping her, anything to make him happy…" She trailed off a bit.
"So you hatched this master plan using Occlumency to trap him, and ended up getting caught yourself?" Hermione nodded and blushed again.
"There were… incidents along the way that threw all of us together, but it feels like this is the way it was meant to be."
"So when are you going to tell your father?"
She blanched and looked down at the table, "Um… well that isn't the whole of it…"
Emma turned her head to the side as she pondered her only child. "So?"
"Harry doesn't know what true love is… so we are ." Unfortunately Emma was fluent in unintelligible run-on sentence.
"You're sharing the man you both love, with every other girl who wants a piece of him?" She exclaimed.
"Shhhh Mum! Yes okay, there is a prophecy about Harry, and he has to know how to love properly if he is going to fulfill it. That means he needs to experience as many different types of love as possible. We hope he will choose us when he figures it out." She said quietly.
Emma was stunned for a moment, and then she drained her glass. "I assume you may have… participated at some point with these other women?"
Hermione had permanently turned Weasley red, and almost none of it was the alcohol. "Mum, there is nothing sexier than watching the man I love with another woman, please don't think badly of me?"
Emma got up and hugged her daughter, "Hermione you are a grown woman, and my best friend besides, I told you I trust you and I still do. As long as you are safe and know the risk of heartache I won't say anything. You aren't um…" She trailed off as she blushed as well.
"Mum?"
Emma took a deep breath. "You don't share yourself with other boys as well do you?"
"Oh heavens no Mum! It's always and is still only Harry, I won't ever have another if I have my way!" Her mum breathed a sigh of relief as she hugged her daughter tighter.
"I may be a hypocrite but I find nothing wrong with the thought of you and all those girls, I would have been very uncomfortable with multiple men though." She breathed out.
"Never mum, as far as I know none of the girls Harry will be dating this year are slags like that." Emma arched an eyebrow. "Well I agree with you! I think it is fun to share with those other girls but the only man I want is the one I love!" Emma nodded as she stood on shaky legs.
"Alright dear, thank you for being honest with me. I miss this."
Hermione stood as well, catching herself on the table before she could fall. "Me too mum, I'm glad you made me talk." She hugged her and they carefully made their way up the stairs together.
*************************SFTP************************
Gabrielle had delighted in sharing Harry with Susan for the past week. Susan had delighted in having Gabrielle in one hole while Harry filled the other, and in returning the favor in reverse. Today was Friday and Hannah was coming over again, Susan could not wait to share her new skills with her favorite girlfriend. Harry had enjoyed himself, and made sure they enjoyed themselves as well, but his thoughts kept returning to the disappointing yet informative letter Hedwig had brought him from Hermione.
Harry My Love,
I took the photo you requested, however my Father has decided to take another week on the Riviera. Honestly I believe he just didn't want to stay in a Wizarding household for the remainder of the summer. I do not know how Ginny will react to going to Topless, though I think she will get a secret thrill out of it. I worry for my father's health however if she decides to do so.
This means that it will be yet again a week before we can see you. We leave on Friday and we do not have time to develop and deliver the photograph until we return on twenty-third of August. We both look forward to stories of your time with Susan and Gabrielle, and especially the evolving situation with Hannah when we return so make sure you have stories to tell.
Upon our return from your home on the eve of Ginny's birthday you will be happy to know that my father called the entire Wizarding world "mental" because of the way we choose to travel. It took everything Gin and I had not to burst out laughing as he talked about why we insisted on making all forms of magical transportation uncomfortable.
My mother sat me down that night and over a few drinks she managed to pull the information from me that we are a trio. Worse yet I admitted to my perversion of liking to watch you with other women. Luckily for me my father does not have a clue, and my mother is completely on board with my decision. Please do not worry about any awkwardness between you two, as she loves you to pieces.
I sincerely regret not being able to spend more time with you this summer, and the coming school year will bring many challenges. Above all know that we both love you completely and wish nothing more than for you to be happy. I plan to see you in my bed no later than the twenty-sixth, and hopefully we can make up for lost time before boarding the train for Hogwarts.
All of our Love,
Gin and Mione
So Harry had thrown himself into his studies with a passion. He had progressed through fourth year material, including much of the extracurricular material he had learned for the tournament. Each spell required a slightly different power level to cast properly without verbal incantations and he had built up a rather impressive set of triggers set much like a card catalogue for each spell. Though he was now dreading the process of retuning his magic once again when he began removing the wand movements.
His attempts to corner Tonks or Moony and find out what was going on had been foiled as well. Remus was hardly at the house any longer, having accepted an Order mission to join a local Werewolf pack and attempt to sway them to the side of Light. Tonks was supposedly his bodyguard, but she had taken to hiding under an invisibility cloak just to avoid him. He could not figure out what had happened between those two, or why Tonks would suddenly want nothing to do with him.
Susan had progressed rather well in her Occlumency, no thanks to Gabrielle who spent most of the days trying to coax Susan into bed. Harry knew first hand that those kind of distractions worked very well to focus your mind quickly once you were able to block them out somewhat. He concluded that if her shields were just as sturdy that night he would be telling her the prophecy.
Besides his self-study in magic, Susan had helped to prep him on Ministry of Magic regulations and proper etiquette for the Wizengamot. He planned to spend the last week before school, and coincidentally the week before Amelia's confirmation, making a full assault on some of the more conservative members. Susan was a wealth of knowledge when it came to each swing vote as well. Amelia had been grooming her to enter Ministry service for half her life, and her knowledge had become invaluable to him.
If it were not for his Occlumency exercises he knew he would be a complete basket case by now, not that he put much store by sanity as it seemed overrated. He had begun devouring books from the Black Library along with his other studies and had taken in far too much information in far too short a time. All to keep his mind away from thoughts of a Topless Gin and Mione on a beach somewhere with men and women drooling over them. His latest research project, funny enough, Magical forms of transportation.
It had started in part due to the mention in Mione's letter, but if truth be told, it was more to do with needing a distraction after a particularly difficult training session. He had begun by wanting to know about the charms that made a broomstick fly and segued quickly into the other forms of transport. Some of the theory included was actually interesting as well as the mechanics of how the spell worked.
Portkeys worked by tying an object to a specific place magically. Once activated the object could bring along a predetermined number of people or people and objects, the problem was that it literally pulled them along thus the feeling of being 'hooked'. There was mention of arches being tied together between locations but Harry had quickly avoided that subject as it brought forth bad memories.
The subject that had really fascinated him was of course the subject he was best at, Apparation. Wizards did not seem to know how it was accomplished, you simply willed your magical essence to another location and you simply appeared at the other end. None of the authors he had read seemed to know where or who invented it, nor why it required no incantation or wand. It simply worked, and most wizards were not inquisitive enough to find out how.
Almost by accident a theory had formed in Harry's mind one night while watching the Telly with the girls. True to his word Remus had installed the cable television throughout the house and Harry had been captured by a 'Star Trek' marathon earlier in the week. He much preferred 'Star Wars' for entertainment value, but the ideas in the television show actually seemed to be based somewhat in reality. His mind already captivated by Apparation had instantly identified with the idea of 'Beaming' people around. Just the night before however he had stumbled across the Discovery Channel and an entire two hours dedicated to the idea of teleportation.
He had hardly been able to study this morning and was planning to ask Gabrielle, Susan and Hannah once she arrived, to accompany him for lunch in Muggle London where he wanted to stop and purchase a few books on the subject. Hermione would be drooling if only she knew how much she had..er..Rubbed off on him. And of course, thoughts of Hermione brought him back into a melancholy mood.
And so Susan and Hannah found him sitting cross-legged in the middle of the training room feeling depressed as he attempted to focus his mind once more.
"Hey Harry." Hannah said shyly.
"Hey yourself." He said with a large grin, it was extremely funny to him that no matter what they had shared in the past, they were both still nervous when they met again. He secretly enjoyed the tension and had a feeling she did as well. It seemed to make everything more exciting for them during their brief trysts.
He got up and stretched out his sore joints and muscles before pulling the girl into a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Susan as usual just shook her head at her suddenly shy lovers. "So Harry, what's the plan for today?" Susan asked.
"Well, I was thinking we could head into London for a meal and do some shopping, there are a few books I want to pick up. If that is alright with you three?" They all nodded and smiled back at him but Susan had to poke fun.
"Harry Harry, you have been spending too much time with Hermione, have you developed a book fetish or something?" She asked him.
He remembered the fantasy he had fed to Hermione in the book section of Harrods and promptly blushed. "I have no idea what you mean, if you must know I have a bit of a research project going on and Wizards seem to have failed me."
"I still am thinking zere are better things to do during ze day zan to read!" Gabrielle said, getting a giggle from the other girls.
"I suppose Harrods sounds as good as any other place. They have food and Shopping." Susan said.
"That's fine but I think when we get back you can take a break for the rest of the evening, um, if you know what I mean?" Hannah asked a little hopefully.
He offered her his arm, which she promptly took, and he led the girls toward the stairs. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said with a grin.
He led them downstairs but as they turned toward the front door, he turned toward the kitchen. "Harry?" Hannah asked.
"Oh, I thought we could travel in style today ladies. If you will consent I would like to Apparate us to an alley across the street." The girls looked at each other a little surprised but Susan had no doubts that he could do it so she promptly took his proffered arm. The other two marched out behind them into the back garden.
"All right ladies. Apparation is my best subject but I would still like you to concentrate feeling your magic. Susan you are basically Apparating and I am just guiding you. If you'll just imagine the outside of the Store I think that will be close enough."
They each took hold of a part of him and he pulled up his magic. He felt with it until he knew he was surrounding all four of them and then pulled his magic in until he knew he was encompassing only them and their clothing. He turned and with just a small pop the group arrived in an alley facing the front of the store. There was strangely almost no feeling of movement at all; they had simply been in the garden once second, and in the alley the next.
"Holy Crap!" Hannah exclaimed. "Is that what Apparation feels like?"
Susan shook her head. "I don't know what that was, but that isn't what it felt like when I was learning anyway." She said turning to look at Harry.
"Don't ask me." Harry said feeling just as at a loss as they were. "Super Magic?" He asked hoping to ignore whatever he had just done.
"You said you were doing a research project, would this have anything to do with it?" Susan asked skeptically.
"Not consciously no, I don't think I did anything different that time?" Harry said. He wasn't sure if he was asking a question or making a statement.
Susan and Hannah shared a look, Gabrielle was just smiling, she knew nothing was impossible for her Master. "Well, shall we?" Hannah asked and the group headed across the street and into the store. Inside they headed all the way up to the roof where there was a small deli. They each ordered some light snacks and had juice while they talked about everything and nothing. All considered it was a very nice break from the monotony of Grimmauld Place.
They wandered through the store toward the book section on the third floor. Once there, Harry quickly purchased a selection of science fiction, non-fiction, and reference materials pertaining to the idea of teleportation, wormholes, and quantum theory. He had glanced through the last and decided that he could understand the maths well enough with the basic algebra knowledge he obtained at his Muggle grade school. The higher-level maths he could always get help from Hermione with if needed.
Finally they were back on the first floor and headed for the door when he saw in the jewelry case another pendant necklace like the ones he had purchased before. The clerk recognized him from making such a large purchase the last time he was here and Harry was able to motion to the man asking how many he had in stock this time. The answer came back that he had another four. He sent the girls in to look at the Candy Shop in the food hall before he turned back to the man.
"How many more of these are there?" He asked the salesman as he motioned toward the carved jade lightning bolt.
"Actually there are only these four and the four you purchased. They were hand made in China and from a reliable source, the person who crafted these just died at the ripe age of 179." The man whispered. That caught Harry's attention, if true the man was surely a wizard, which meant these pendants could be magical in nature, or at the very least suitable to hold protection charms.
"I will take all four of these as well then," He glanced across the hall to make sure the girls were not spying on him, "And I would like something that fits high up like a collar, um…" He trailed off trying to articulate what he meant.
"Ah yes sir, you refer to what is known as a choker. We have a variety over here in silver, which would match one of these pendants quite well. Harry glanced over them until he found one that was made up of interlocking flat disks of sterling silver.
"I will take this as well. Thank you." He said pulling his Barclay's card and placing it on the counter. The man hustled to complete the transaction for his best customer. Soon Harry was standing behind his ladies as they selected chocolates one at a time, which were then being placed in a massive heart shaped box.
"Chocolate Craving?" He asked quietly to let them know he was there.
"Always, and what were you up to Mister Go on ahead and leave me alone in the Jewelry section ?" Hannah asked.
Harry passed his card to the cashier as Susan picked the last chocolate. "Was I really that transparent?"
"Well, I think all three of us knew what you were doing, but since none of us expects you to be buying an engagement ring, we decided to let it slide this time." She said with a dazzling smile.
"Have I told you about my weakness?" Harry asked her as he leaned in and whispered in her ear causing goose bumps to rise on her shoulders and neck.
"Um, no but Susan did. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She whispered back into his ear causing much the same reaction, also causing a sudden diversion of blood.
"Right then ladies, unless you have more shopping to do how about we head home?" He asked quickly getting a smile from Hannah.
Once they were back in the alley Harry shrank all of their purchases, which they stowed on their person. And concentrating on the feeling of Apparation the group returned to the back garden with a Bang feeling a bit sickly. Harry had been tempted for a moment to attempt to jump them into the bedroom, just to get them naked that much faster. But hoped that patience would be it's own reward.
An unsteady group walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table; Winky soon appeared and placed a smoothie in front of each of them. "Uhg, if that's what Apparation is supposed to feel like I would rather learn whatever it is you're doing Harry." A green looking Hannah told him.
"It isn't usually that bad, must have been the multiple side-alongs…" Susan trailed off as she tried to catch her breath, she decided four people should not attempt to Apparate all at once.
"Sorry, I wanted to feel the difference between normal Apparation and whatever it was I did on the way there. I didn't know it would be that uncomfortable." Harry commented as he tugged at his clothes. If normal Apparation felt like being squeezed through a hosepipe, that felt like all four of them had been shoved through a straw, he was feeling a bit claustrophobic at the moment. "I think I need to get out of these clothes." He commented quietly.
"Zat sounds like a wonderful idea!" Gabrielle said from behind him and the other two giggled at him as his face turned red.
"Not what I meant… why in the world did I have to get a sex crazed Veela for a girlfriend." He asked the ceiling, they could all see the large grin he was wearing however and Gabrielle simply leaned over his upturned face and gave him an upside down kiss.
"Well then ladies, what say we put our new things away and watch some Telly?" The three quickly agreed and headed upstairs.
*************************SFTP************************
Susan had explained to Hannah that Gabrielle would be leaving on Sunday and the two had made certain to put Harry at the end of the couch with her in his arms. The other two sat at the other end with Susan lying against Hannah's shoulder. They watched "101 Dalmatians" which embarrassed Harry to no end; he actually sniffled a bit when the puppies had to walk through the snow. He was chuckling as he tried to hide his sobs, "The poor little frozen paws and tails!" He laughed out, the girls pretended to ignore his un-manliness.
After that they switched over to an all cartoon channel and enjoyed some 'Tom and Jerry'. Harry who had never been allowed to watch cartoons suddenly had a new favorite channel though the Discovery Channel was still high on his list. Finally they dragged him off to bath time and bed with Gabrielle excusing herself for the evening despite protests from all three.
Hannah left at lunch on the next day and Harry split his time between research, training his magic, and working out whatever it was he had done to transport the group to Harrods the day before. It was a rather exhausted Harry who joined them for dinner that evening. Molly and Arthur had taken that vacation and were currently in Romania visiting Charlie, which left only Tonks, Harry, and the girls at the table.
"So Nym, are you ready to talk?" Harry asked.
Tonks looked up and sighed. "You ain't gonna let go of it are you?"
He smiled at her, "What kind of friend would I be if I did? Now what's going on between you and Moony?" He asked as he moved to an empty chair beside her.
"Nothing is going on between us, that's kinda the point." She said with a growl.
"I thought you two were doing so well?" Susan asked.
Tonks turned toward the girls as she replied. "We were, up until we had to choose sides."
Harry's face suddenly went white, "Sides in what?" He asked quietly.
She turned back to him and seeing his face she pulled him into a hug. "Remus loves you Harry, even respects you as an adult, but Dumbledore has done so much for him he can't just turn his back. We had it out when I told him I thought you had the right of it and Dumbledore wasn't fit to lead us any longer." She whispered as tears began to flow down her cheeks.
Suddenly she was in Harry's lap as he turned the tables and she was crying into his shoulder. She pulled back a bit and looked up into his face. "How did that happen?"
He smiled down at her. "I have plenty of practice comforting crying witches, and you need it more than I do right now." He said quietly as he pulled her back into his shoulder. "Though I admit having a full grown woman cry on my shoulder is a bit different."
She slapped his shoulder and chuckled a bit through her tears. "I ain't that much older than you squirt, I was still at Hogwarts when you started!"
He laughed along with her, "I wasn't calling you old Nym, just commenting that you're um… fully grown?" He said as his face turned red. His embarrassment seemed to cheer her up.
"Why Harry, are you making a pass at me?" She said grinning through her few remaining tears as he looked away. Deciding to fight fire with fire he quickly unlocked his memories and looked into her eyes, only inches from his own.
"I'm not the one who keeps offering to touch your bits." He said quietly, suddenly she was kissing him again and his hands which had previously been rubbing circles on her back went one to her bum and one to the back of her neck, trying to pull her closer. He pulled a way quickly, "I didn't mean… I mean..Sorry?" She looked at him and smiled.
"You play with fire Harry and you might get burned, it's not like you haven't kissed me before." He was totally lost as to what to do with a sexy witch in his lap kissing him. He did notice though that her hair was pink once more.
"So is that all it took to brighten your mood a bit? Just a little snog?" He meant for that to come out in a sultry tone, it came out more as a squeak.
"It really isn't the kiss Harry, it's feeling like you care about me. Thank you." She said as she pulled away and sat back down on her chair. "Now you gonna be alright? Like I said it isn't anything against you that is keeping Remus from helping."
He was still a bit dazed, "No I understand where he is coming from, he never would have gone to Hogwarts if Dumbledore hadn't bent the rules for him. I think Fawkes said it best. He was once a great man. That doesn't mean he can't make mistakes and get people killed for his Greater Good." Harry finished with a rather scary look on his face.
"Since when can you talk to Fawkes?" Tonks asked looking at him like he was crazy.
Harry's eyes went wide and Susan was looking at him funny as well. "Uh..During the summer I sort of um… learned I could talk to intelligent birds and hear them when they talked back…" He said quickly.
Susan eyed him with some suspicion. "Super Magic?" She asked. He nodded quickly trying to avoid the topic.
"Super Magic and a bit of cabin fever. I think it was related to my Legilimency…"
"You're a Legilimens?" Tonks exclaimed.
Harry dropped his head to the table with a Thwack. He mumbled toward his lap, "I would appreciate if you kept that to yourself, didn't you wonder what I did when I calmed you down to teach you how I Apparate?"
She shook her head, "I thought you were just really good at making me relax…" She suddenly blushed the brightest he had ever seen. "So you read my mind?" She asked quietly.
"No Nym, I try very hard not to read anyone, I'm a Natural as far as I can tell, which means even with good shields I still pick up stray thoughts. I helped calm you down by pulling calming thoughts to the surface but I did not read any of them." He whispered. "And I don't plan to start so whatever thoughts are turning you that pretty shade of red are still safe.
She tried to throw him an angry glare, but couldn't keep the grin off her face. "Prat." She said quietly.
"Anyway, Natural Legilimens start to develop the skill during the teen years, trust me I thought I was going nuts at the time just like you, though I am not certain I'm entirely sane now." He said with a smile.
"Whatever, anyways thanks for cheering me up Harry." She said as she stood to go.
"Anytime Nym." He said with a smile but he paled again when she gave him a sultry look.
"Don't make promises you can't keep." She then grinned and flounced out of the room.
Susan and Gabrielle looked back and forth between the hallway door and Harry, who was simply staring after the Metamorph. "What have I gotten myself into now?" He asked the air. The girls just giggled at him as they finished their meals.
They finally dragged him back up the stairs playfully, all the while he was complaining that he was perfectly capable of walking on his own. They pushed him onto the corner of the couch and Susan pushed Gabrielle down next to him before she sat herself at the other end and grabbed the remote. She tuned to cartoons once more and seemingly ignored the couple on the couch next to her.
Gabrielle snuggled into his shoulder as they watched, Harry's hands had recently developed the habit of running up and down the girls' arms and backs, and playing with their hair any time they were near. Both Susan and Gabrielle relished the attention but being "Petted" by her master was the ultimate turn on for the Veela. As the colorful characters began to run by on screen she surreptitiously turned against him so that his hands were now running across her breasts instead of up and down her arm. Harry noticed but said nothing, enjoying the feel of her beneath his palm. She was wearing a sleeveless cashmere sweater and somewhere along the line she had lost her bra if she had even worn it that day.
All those factors made her nearly irresistible to his touch even before he noticed what he was doing. Now that he knew he pretended he didn't, and his hand slowly worked their way lower. Gabrielle didn't make any sound except her normal purr of contentment. He fingertips were now brushing across her stomach and slowly getting lower. His member had long ago awakened and was starting to strain against the fabric of his shorts.
Finally deciding this is what she wanted as much as he did he turned and began kissing her neck as his hand slid beneath the waist of her knickers and his fingers quickly found her already wet folds. As he touched her clit he placed his lips against her own and began playing as she moaned into his mouth. It did not take him long to get her off and he withdrew his hand back up to her chest where he hugged her against him and continued to watch the movie.
Susan watched the whole scene from the corner of her eye and longed to touch herself but didn't. No matter that she had seen them shagging like bunnies, and even joined in a few times. For some reason this felt like a private moment and she felt honored to be allowed to watch as Harry showed Gabrielle he loved her in his own small way. They continued to watch re-runs of 'Yogi Bear' for another hour, with Harry for no reason at all bringing Gabrielle to orgasm every so often. Finally Susan excused herself and headed for her room after kissing Gabrielle. "Tonight is for you." She whispered before walking off to bed.
As the door closed Gabrielle began to cry silently, trying not to let Harry know but he was too perceptive. He pulled her into his lap and simply wrapped his arms around her, placing his nose into her neck he breathed deeply. And realized she didn't smell like the other girls any longer, she just smelled clean. "I love you Gabrielle." He whispered into her ear.
She nodded, "I love you as well Master."
"No you don't understand, do you know what you smell like to me?" He asked quietly.
"You told me, I smell like Vanilla and Strawberries, just like Mine and Ginevra."
"Not any more, I just smell you now. Tell me what that means?"
She began to cry once more, but they were tears of Happiness. "It is said that if the bonded smells nothing else, zat he is truly in love with her, though there is now way to know for sure." She whispered.
"I wish you didn't have to go Pet, but you must still have a life outside of me for me to be happy. You understand that right?" He whispered back as he tried to fight his own tears. Was he truly In love for the first time?
"Thank you my mas… Harry, I know you only want me to be happy. Zis is why I love you so much." She sniffed sadly.
"You have to leave tomorrow, what do you want to do tonight?" He asked.
"I just want you to hold me, and make love to me. Zat is all I ever wanted." She said quietly.
He stood and picked her up along with him before whisking her away into the Masters suite. They made love until they collapsed in exhaustion at nearly three in the morning wrapped tightly around each other.
*************************SFTP************************
Breakfast was a very somber affair on Sunday. Fleur was in attendance along with Harry, Susan and Gabrielle; Ron was sleeping in as usual these days. Finally the meal was done and Fleur stood quietly and walked over to the fireplace. "Come along Gabrielle, eet iz time to go home."
Harry and Susan stood along with her and gave her long hugs. Harry then kissed her sweetly as he reached into his back pocket pulling out a long velvet box. "My Pet, will you please wear this?" He asked.
She opened the box slowly with reverence before jumping into his arms and kissing him rather soundly. "Yes Master! Please will you put it on me?" She asked excitedly. Both Susan and Fleur looked on with confusion.
From the box Harry pulled the necklace with was a silver band about half an inch wide and thirteen inches long. Dangling from the center of the piece was a jade lightning bolt. She pulled her hair up and turned so that he could fasten it around her neck. It was a perfect fit and he leaned in after clasping it and kissed the back of her neck as he breathed in her scent one last time. He whispered in her ear. "My Pet needed a collar if she was going to be all the way in France."
She turned and kissed him once again before Fleur cleared her throat. With a sigh Harry released the girl and tried to control his tears as he watched her step into the fireplace and disappear for at least the next four months. He didn't know how it snuck up on him, before last night he had known for certain that what he felt for Gabrielle was less than what he felt for the other three, and suddenly he was in love with her.
He didn't feel like he loved her more than the other three did that mean he was in love with all four of them? "Harry?" Susan asked pulling him from his thoughts.
"Hmm?" He asked distractedly.
"Are you alright?"
"I… think I might be better than alright… let me think about it okay? It's nothing bad I promise." He said smiling and pulling her into a hug.
She hugged him back with a silly smile on her face. "Okay then, whenever you're ready." She sighed into his shoulder.
The rest of the day was spent as normal; Harry however was having an increasingly hard time concentrating on his studies. Lunch came and went and though he kept up the conversation with Tonks and Susan his mind was elsewhere. After Dinner Susan had finally had enough and pulled him up the stairs and into a Snuggler, which sat opposite the couch, they normally cuddled on to watch TV. She straddled his hips and forced him to look her in the eye.
"Alright Mister, what's going on in that head of yours?" She asked.
"Not really sure… what does Gabrielle smell like to you?" He asked throwing her for a loop.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Just play along with me for a second alright?" He asked.
She nodded and thought hard, she hadn't consciously thought about how the other girl smelled and had to pull up memories using her Occlumency. "A little sweet like honey and a little like… I don't know how to describe it, like clean sweat and wind?" She asked with a confused look.
He pondered her answer for a moment before continuing. "Look through your other memories, can you tell me if anyone else tastes or smells like that to you?"
She sank into herself again for a moment before her face lit up with a smile. "Hannah tastes like honey…" She blushed. "And the other one is you…"
He nodded as she opened her eyes, "Gabrielle told me that she would taste or smell like my favorite things, if anyone took her without my permission she would be revolting to them, but if she was doing what I wanted… like making love to you, then she would taste and smell like their favorite things." She nodded but still looked confused about how this was causing him an issue.
"So…" She asked.
"So as of last night she didn't smell like anything or anyone else to me, I just smelled her clean scent… um and that's how she tasted as well…" He blushed causing her to smile.
"And that means?" She asked coming to her own conclusion.
"Gabrielle said if the bonded actually falls in love with his Veela he would only smell her, as she is his favorite thing…"
Susan gasped, "You mean you're In Love, in love with her?" Her eyes had gone wide, hoping he wasn't about to end things with her.
He had missed her expression as he was staring off into the corner of the room. "That's just it, I don't know. She told me that's what is said, but couldn't tell me that it was proven fact. So now I am more confused than ever."
She pulled him into a hug and just held him for a few moments. "Do you want to be with her… because if you found true love then I guess I can…" He cut her off with a kiss and when he pulled away she could see the pain in his eyes.
"Please don't finish that, I know it isn't fair but I love you and I don't want to lose you Susie." This time she kissed him, showing him just how happy she was with that statement.
"Didn't we already have this conversation? Whether it's Hannah, Hermione, Gabby, and Ginny or every girl at Hogwarts I am willing to share, I knew what I was getting myself into so stop guilt tripping already!" She kissed him again and felt his smile against her lips.
He pulled away and looked her in the eye; she thought she felt something like a wind blowing, before he pulled her back into a hug. "Your shields are pretty good, are you ready to hear the Prophecy?" She gasped again and pulled back to look at him.
"Are you serious?" She asked.
"No that would be my godfather, but I do mean it." He said with a large smile. He waited for the pain that used to accompany the memory and found none, if anything he felt like he could hear Sirius groaning at the joke he hated unless he was the one telling it.
Meanwhile she slapped him on the shoulder as usual calling him a prat before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I want to know Harry."
So he nodded and told her the whole of it, he then patiently waited for her to reach her conclusions. "So The Power He Knows Not must be love? That is why you have to find true love, or at least find as much love as possible?"
"Something like that, Dumbledore told me he though it was my ability to love that was the Power, and yet the old fool put me with the Dursley's where I never learned what love is or how to love properly. It's amazing I'm not a dark wizard with my upbringing."
She nodded, "So you have to kill him, or die trying, or you both have to go…" She said with tears in her eyes. He pulled her to his shoulder again.
"Yeah, I blew up half of the Headmasters office when he told me." He just rubbed her back as she sobbed herself out. A few minutes later she dried her tears and kissed him softly.
"I guess it makes sense why Ginny and Hermione would be willing to share you, I honestly thought they were bonkers after finally getting you. But if you're in love with Gabrielle then I guess you don't need to keep dating…" She trailed off wondering at the sense of loss she felt, even knowing he wanted her to stay with him as well.
" If I am in love with her, which I don't know for sure, I don't feel all that much different for her than I do for the rest of you. I don't know if that means I am in love with all of mmph." He couldn't continue as she was kissing him again and grinding in his lap. Finally she had to get more air than she could breath through her nose and pulled away with fresh tears in her eyes. "Wow." Was his only comment as his eyes had glazed over. "I should tell all the girls I date I might be in love with them if I get that kind of kiss!"
She rolled her eyes but was smiling when she looked back at him with a crooked grin. "So you might be in love with all four of us, that's definitely an upgrade from 'I love you but I'm not in love with you.' Isn't it?"
"I suppose." He said smiling back at the girl in his arms. "Now what are we going to do for an entire week alone together?"
She ground herself into his now erect member once more and smiled. "I can think of a few things, but at least one of them will just have to wait until Friday when Han is here again." She said mysteriously.
"Well, shall we make a list or shall we just figure it out as we go?" He asked playfully. In response she stood and offered him a hand up. As she pulled him toward his room and into the bathroom she smiled evilly.
"I think we can feel our way through it." She said as the door closed behind them.