Times

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters, although I wish I did. They are all property of J.K. Rowling and her business associates.

AN: A plot bunny nagged me and this is the result: A story consisting of 9 short chapters. I hope you'll like it.

1. Time to Sleep

It was over, at last. Voldemort was finally dead for good and most death eaters who didn't perish in battle were captured to be put on trial.

Harry was exhausted. He left the Great Hall, where celebration and mourning were mingling, to try and find some rest. The only rest he had since the previous morning was the few minutes he had been carried by Hagrid from his early confrontation with Voldemort, when he had been considered dead. His body was aching for some rest, his emotions needed calming and his mind needed to sort things out. This was quite natural considering the events since he last slept: breaking into Gringotts, escaping on a dragon, fighting dementors, removing the Carraws, destroying the horocruxes, dying and coming back, fighting death eaters and dueling with Voldemort.

His feet took him, just barely, to the Griffyndor tower and to the dormitory he had been sleeping in for six years. Harry stopped in front of a mirror and was appalled by the image of the dirty vagabond that looked back at him. A hot shower seemed to be just right for calming his nerves and helping him relax. Getting clean was another welcome benefit.

The water soothed his body and the heat helped him relax. He stumbled back to bed, crawled in and shut the curtains with his wand. He lay on his bed, closed his eyes and willed his body to relax, yet sleep allured him. An hour later he was still tossing and turning. His body ached for some rest, but his mind was too excited to calm down yet.

He heard some noises around but ignored them. He assumed his dorm-mates were just as tired. The noises calmed down after a while, yet restful sleep didn't come. He slipped into troubled dozing only to be awakened by some vivid images of the battle, of people tortured or falling dead, making him open his eyes in alarm with sweat shining on his body.

He started dozing once again when he felt a small hand caressing his shoulder. He turned around only to see a red blur as Ginny bent down to kiss him.

"What are you doing here, Ginny?"

"We were all sent to get some rest and I wanted to check on you. You seem still too excited to sleep."

"It has been an exciting day, you know..."

"Let me calm you down," Ginny said, climbing into his bed.

It didn't feel right to Harry. He was only wearing his boxers and being in bed with Ginny, although exciting, seemed highly inappropriate, especially when her brother was due any minute on the adjacent bed.

"Where's Ron and Hermione?" he asked. "Ron wouldn't like to find you here," he added.

"They left an hour ago, and judging by the closed curtains on my brother's bed, they are probably quite occupied." Her smile looked vicious and Harry didn't like it.

Ginny didn't let him think. She promptly removed her robes, revealing her naked body and making Harry lose all coherent thoughts as his hormones kicked in. "I always wanted you to be my first," she told him, " and I finally have a chance."

She was soon straddling him, as his boxers joined her discarded robes and he let her lead him into her awaiting body.

It felt so good... and so wrong. Ginny seemed to know what she wanted and didn't hesitate at all, while Harry was unable to do anything but cooperate, even if his head clearly told him this was wrong.

He didn't know how long it lasted. This mixture of heaven and hell reached its climax and Harry felt some kind of euphoria engulfing him. He was already asleep when Ginny kissed his lips lightly, grabbed her robes and left silently.

He was held in body-bind and forced to see Hermione being tortured by Voldemort. She was screaming his name in agony while he could only look, unable to help her.

"Harry, wake up! You're having a nightmare!"

He wasn't sure if he was dreaming or waking up, but the firm and tender hand rocking him awake was very familiar and he could identify the voice anywhere.

"Hermione?" he blinked his eyes open.

"Shush... It's alright. You just had a nightmare. Relax and go back to sleep. You deserve it."

Harry held her hand. "Stay with me..."

"For as long as you want me to," she smiled at him.

Despite the dim light, he noticed she was only wearing a flimsy robe, revealing much more skin than he was accustomed to see. Her eyes shone brightly, as if she had just wept. Harry was suddenly concerned. "What is it, Hermione?" He didn't have to elaborate. Her eyes told him she understood perfectly what he was asking about.

"It's nothing," she tried to brush his concerns away. "Move a bit, so I can join you in bed."

Harry froze. He suddenly remembered what had happened before he fell asleep, remembered he was absolutely naked under the blanket. "You can't! I'm naked!" he said panicky.

"I'm not too clothed either," she said as a matter of fact. "Move on!"

Harry moved as far as he could, turning his back to her. He heard Hermione's robe drop and she placed herself at his side, hugging him with one hand over his chest. Harry froze. He could feel her skin touching his and the two soft bumps pressing into his back. He may had still been sleepy, but a certain part of his body became wide awake.

As much as he tried to fall back asleep he couldn't. Feeling Hermione so close to him was marvelous and he just couldn't waste the moment on sleeping. It felt so wonderful and so... right! As if being so close with Hermione was the most natural thing. It was also making him horny as hell!

"Hermione..." he whispered after a while, realizing that sleep wouldn't come. He was sure she was still awake, as testified by her irregular breathing.

"Yes, Harry."

"Why are you here? I thought you were with Ron. Ginny was sure of it."

He felt her hesitate. "I'm sorry, Harry. I should not have gone with him. It was wrong in more ways than you imagine..."

Her tone worried him. He turned around, only to be greeted by the view of her naked breasts which looked somewhat blurry without his eyeglasses. It took him a moment to move his eyes from her breasts to her face, finding her smiling a bit in understanding. "Like what you see?" she teased him. She immediately turned serious again.

"Ginny said she was going to shower and then look for you. I could feel what she had in mind. I also felt like living life to its fullest, if only just to celebrate your victory."

"Our victory," he corrected her, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Ron was already paying attention to me for a while and I also kind of liked him, so..." She seemed reluctant to continue.

"So?" he urged her.

"We only snogged at first. Then I heard Ginny coming to you. Ron was oblivious, as usual. I cast a silencing spell, so he won't get mad at you. Then, when his hands started roaming I thought I should go along, just as you were doing..."

She could barely stop a sob from escaping.

"It was wrong. Even kissing him didn't feel right, but I thought it was just my exhaustion. When we went on, it became clearer. He was inconsiderate and acted quite roughly, but that was not the main problem. I just felt this was not what I wanted, not who I wanted."

"Why didn't you stop him, then?"

"I tried, but it was already too late, I'm sorry."

Harry was bewildered. Why was she apologizing when Ron should have been the one to apologize. He almost missed her whisper "It should have been you."

"What do you mean?"

Hermione blushed, but her eyes locked with his. "You should have been my first, Harry."

He didn't even think."Well, I can't be your first just as you can't be mine, but we can be each other's last."

Hermione's eyes opened wide, making Harry realize what he had just said. He started blushing. "It's not as bad as it sounds... I don't mean that to be the last time we ever..."

He wasn't sure what to say next and he had no more time to think, as Hermione's arms engulfed him in a tight hug, pressing their naked bodies together and kissing him passionately.

Harry responded with even more passion. This was nothing like what had happened an hour or two earlier. It just felt right, and when their bodies connected it was just as natural as breathing.

"Why are you crying?" he asked her some time later.

"I'm happy to have been with you. I should have not even tried it with Ron."

"It doesn't matter anymore. You are with me now." A grin crept onto his face. "Now, if you really want us to be each other's last, then you must only do it with me from now on, and I will only do it with you."

Hermione was looking at him quite shocked.

"Don't you like the idea?" he asked, some of his confidence lost.

"I love it! What shall we do about Ron and Ginny though?"

"I don't know, but right now I only want to sleep, cuddled with my... What are we now, really?"

"Boyfriend and girlfriend?" suggested Hermione.

Harry frowned. "If we promise to stay together for the rest of our lives then it should be something more. Maybe fiancee?"

"Harry, we're not engaged, you know."

"This can easily be corrected," he said, turning serious. "Miss Hermione Jane Granger, will you do me the honor and accept my offer to become my wife?"

The smile froze on Hermione's face. She was silent for a moment. "Do you really want to marry me? Do you even love me?" she asked in wonderment.

"Yes and yes. I'm still waiting for your answer, though."

Hermione threw her arms over Harry. "Yes, yes! I'll marry you if you want me!"

Harry was still serious. "Don't do it just to please me or due to feeling obliged. I want you to be happy and I'll only marry you if this will make you happy."

"Harry, I love you. I think I've loved you since we first met, only I didn't know it then. I never thought you would even notice I was a girl, though. You had your eyes on the prettiest girls: on Cho and on Ginny..."

"Hermione, they are nothing compared to you. You are not only pretty, you are beautiful and smart and brave and the best friend anybody could wish..." He looked at her partly covered breasts and added "and you are also the sexiest woman alive."

Hermione smiled thankfully. She didn't really believe all these compliments, but she knew Harry meant them, and that was all she cared at the moment. They hugged each other happily and fell asleep.

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