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The weeks went past and Harry and Hermione became a lot less awkward about changing in front of each other or climbing into bed at the same time and cuddling up together. Hermione frequently joined Harry in the shower of an evening to kiss and touch each other when she wasn't too caught up in her reading or studying, though never in the morning, and they'd begun washing each other's bodies after getting off some nights, other nights Hermione preferred to wash herself though she stayed and talked to Harry as she did and it was in the shower that they were able to talk about what they were doing, which encounters that each of them particularly enjoyed or felt more awkward about, as well as other emotional things. Harry pleasured Hermione orally several times and after her initial embarrassment at the idea of his head being down there and him looking at her so intimately, she admitted that that was one of the things she'd like to try one day in bed, but she was unable to return the favour. Harry told her that it didn't matter that what she was able to do with her hands or rubbing her body against his were both fantastic enough in his opinion and he never wanted her to do anything that she disliked or would cause her distress. Still the inability worried her, from the girl talk she'd overheard over the years most other girls seemed able to tolerate a penis in their mouth without gagging. The books Harry had brought were no help in this circumstance so Hermione took the problem to her favourite way of finding a solution, the library. Of course, there weren't any books on sexual relations at all so blushing madly she tried to search the bookstore in Hogsmeade.

Finally, desperate Hermione asked the one female friend she was sure would probably know the answer who wouldn't gossip about her not knowing or make too much fun of her for it. Katie didn't take offence at Hermione's assumption that she would know those sort of spells for sexual use and had never been a gossip or malicious, she was happy to teach her the charm to suppress her gag reflex for Harry's sake and to warn her to make sure she cancelled it before trying to eat or drink to avoid the risk of aspiration or making a fool of herself in front of their housemates.

That night Hermione was visibly nervous as she joined Harry in the shower.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Nothing is wrong Harry, I'm fine," Hermione said.

"You never believe me when I tell you I'm fine," Harry said gently. "Please talk to me."

"Seriously Harry, it's nothing," Hermione insisted.

"No it isn't, Hermione. You're nervous about something. What is it?" Harry asked.

"I want to try something new, and I'm a bit unsure if I can do it," Hermione admitted.

"You don't have to do anything you feel uncomfortable with. I'm perfectly happy with what we've been doing," Harry said reassuringly.

"I know but I wanted to try something and I've learned the spell that should make it possible to do it properly but I've never been able to before and it's not the type of thing I can practice on my own," Hermione said softly.

"Okay then, you can try. If you don't like it, that's okay. What do you want me to do?" Harry replied encouragingly.

"Um, Katie said it might be better if I get used to the spell before I did this in the shower…" Hermione began.

"So, you want me to get clean and get out and wait for you in bed?" Harry asked.

"Please," Hermione said not looking at him.

"Do you want me to make you come first? It might help you relax," Harry asked, washing himself efficiently.

"Umm, no" Hermione stammered.

Harry nodded. He finished showering and pulled on his dressing gown, lighting the fire in the grate and casting warming charms on the bedroom and the sheets on the bed before sitting down to wait.

Hermione came out wrapped in her dressing gown with her arms almost wrapped around herself.

She made no move to approach the bed and after a moment Harry came over and wrapped his arms around her. "Nothing you want to do is worth stressing yourself out like this," he said gently.

"I want to do it," Hermione said. "I want to try."

"Then you can, but it isn't worth getting so upset over. Either it will work and we'll have some fun or one of us will decide we don't want to try it again, either way it will be okay," Harry said gently. He led her back to the bed and pulled off his dressing gown laying on his back calmly.

Hermione looked at him lying there patiently and squared her shoulders, pulling off her dressing gown she enlarged the fire and climbed onto the bed. She kissed Harry then slowly moved down, kissing his jaw and then his neck leaving a lovebite once she was low enough for his shirt to cover it.

"The guys on the team will still see it," Harry warned.

"Do you really care?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry admitted. The team got along well and any teasing he received would not be malicious, he could handle it.

Hermione bit his nipples gently sucking on them. She'd done this before and Harry loved the feeling arching his back and moaning his appreciation as he began to understand what she was going to try to do. She then bit around his belly button making him squirm and giggle.

"Sorry," Hermione murmured.

"It's okay," Harry said stroking her cheek softly and relaxing back again.

Hermione moved downwards again and went to take the head of his erection into her mouth.

"Please don't bite it," Harry exclaimed hurriedly.

Hermione almost chuckled. "I won't," she promised running her tongue around the head before sucking in as much as she could. The spell prevented her from gagging but the feel of him down her throat was still uncomfortably odd and she swallowed. It was difficult to swallow with such a huge thing in her mouth without biting but she thought she'd managed okay. Harry's groans certainly didn't sound pained and she could feel the blood vessels throbbing against her tongue.

"Hermione I'm going to…" Harry said hurriedly before exploding into her mouth, his hips thrusting involuntarily.

Hermione almost choked. The spell stopped her gag reflex but his thrusts sent him so far down her throat that she couldn't breath and she frantically threw her head back letting him drop from her mouth, the last of his eruption coating the outside of her throat and into her hair.

Harry watched in concern as she coughed and panted. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah. Just need to catch my breath," Hermione said recovering. "Did you like it?"

"It felt amazing," Harry said grinning. "Did you?"

"Yes, the spell worked well I just couldn't breathe at the end," Hermione replied.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to thrust so far," Harry apologised.

"It's okay, I'll expect it next time," Hermione said grinning.

"Or hold me down so I can't," Harry suggested. "That is, if you do want there to be a next time. You don't have to, you know."

"I didn't mind doing it, I just think I need a little more practice to make it better," Hermione said blushing.

"Hermione, it was amazing. I don't think that you could make it better from my end," Harry said sitting up to hug her. He reached up to cup her cheek to draw her into a kiss. "But you might want to tie your hair back next time, you're going to need to wash it again."

Hermione groaned, her hair would be totally unmanageable after being washed twice in one night, "Yeah, I better do that," she said, sliding off the bed.

"Want some help?" Harry asked softly.

"Not help, you make too many tangles but I wouldn't mind some company," Hermione replied blushing.

Harry realised that she hadn't come and quickly got up to join his wife in the shower and reward her for her efforts, glad that she was now comfortable enough to have him there even when she didn't feel she had something to prove. Hermione greeted him with a smile and he grinned, and cast warming charms on the walls before dropping to his knees.

-o0o-

The other married couples in Gryffindor seemed to be slowly sorting out their problems and getting along more amicably as well or at least managing to keep their squabbles out of the great hall and the common room, and everything was going relatively well. Every week or so one of the upperclassmen that were still single got a letter from the ministry announcing the name of their soon to be husband or wife and while most of these letters were greeted with anger or disappointment and a whole lot of nervousness the ministry seemed to be taking compatibility seriously now and nobody was truly disgusted with or frightened by the name of their match this time, though very few were actually happy with them. Nobody was desperate enough to approach the married students to ask them to recreate the marriage ritual they had used.

In April

Neville was married over the Easter break and Harry and Hermione were invited to the wedding. His bride, chosen for him by his grandmother was a pretty girl, shy and polite, at least in public. She and Neville had had four chaperoned meetings over the last couple of months but he was yet to have a private conversation with her. They had been corresponding but Neville had privately told Harry that he believed that her mother probably read the letters he sent and received, which stilted the things he could write about.

The ceremony was very formal and straightforward, Hermione found it disappointing and was glad that if they did have a ceremony to make her parents happy it would be a muggle ceremony and far more romantic than this one which seemed to her to be more like formalising a business agreement than a marriage.

"I don't see how this is better than a ministry match," Hermione said quietly as she watched the two of them make their rounds greeting their guests.

"From Neville's point of view, it isn't. Though the fact his Gran approves of his wife might help to keep the peace in the house," Harry replied.

"She didn't marry his Gran, she married Neville. He might have been better with a ministry match now that they seem to be done on genuine compatibility," Hermione said.

"Perhaps, but it's too late now. She seems nice enough but I can't see anyone who wanted you for a wife being happy with such a submissive wife but then again Ron thought he wanted to marry you too and a wife like that would be perfect for him, maybe it will be for Neville too. Build his confidence by letting him be the strong one. His Gran always over-dominated him." Harry said.

"He will need to start to stand up for himself. Augusta Longbottom has chosen herself a granddaughter-in-law that will let her continue to rule the roost," Hermione commented.

"You think she chose the girl that was in her own best interests rather than what was best for Neville?" Harry asked.

"When has she ever put Neville's needs and wants above her own best interests?" Hermione asked pointedly, and Harry had to admit she was right.

-o0o-

Neville joined them towards the end of the night. "Is Elsie coming back to Hogwarts with you, Nev?" Harry asked.

"Not this year, her mother home schools her but her family have agreed that she can attend Hogwarts next year," Neville replied.

"Does that mean you're not coming back to finish the year?" Hermione asked concerned.

"I'll be back during the week. I have permission to go home on weekends, well to stay with Elsie and her family." Neville said, not looking very excited about the prospect.

"And will she be a sixth or seventh year next year?" Hermione asked.

"No McGonagall said she can come and attend the end of year exams to see where she will fit best but I think she will be a fourth or fifth year from what little I've seen and heard about what she's studying at the moment, she isn't ready to sit her OWLS," Neville replied.

Harry and Hermione were both a little surprised because Neville had previously told them that Elsie would be seventeen in September but they didn't know how to ask why she would be in the lower class without it sounding rude or judgemental.

"Then why did you marry her now rather than waiting for the summer you had at least five weeks after we break up before your birthday?" Seamus asked.

"I would have preferred to wait and get to know each other a little better but Elsie is seventeen next week," Neville replied.

"So you've finally got to talk to her without her mother hovering over your shoulder, do you like her a bit better now?" Harry asked quietly.

Neville sighed. "I don't know yet. It hasn't made a difference. Her mother has still been hovering close by all night and Elsie still seems to feel she needs to be on her best behaviour. The only clear opinion I've heard from her all night was that she preferred the chicken over the lamb and the chocolate dessert."

"I'm sure she's just shy, none of her friends are here, poor thing. I wonder why not?" Leanne said.

"It isn't fair that she couldn't have her friends come to her wedding. Bring her over to meet us properly, hopefully we can get her to talk like normal teenagers," Parvati suggested.

"Be nice to her. I don't think she knows many people our age," Neville pleaded.

"Don't worry Neville, I won't let Hermione bite," Harry said teasingly, earning an elbow to his ribs. But Neville chuckled and relaxed a little so it was worth it.

"Come and meet my friends," Neville said.

"Okay," Elsie said nervously.

"They're all nice, don't worry. You'll like them," Neville said encouragingly, realising that he couldn't promise that she would like his friends or even that they would like her because he simply didn't know her well enough.

"Hey guys, I'd like you to meet Elsie, my wife. Elsie this is Harry and Hermione Potter, Dean and Leanne Thomas and Seamus and Parvati Finnegan. Harry, Dean, Seamus and I used to share a dorm room before they were all married in November.

"You all got caught by the ministry law? I thought a lot of those matches were invalidated," Elsie replied.

"They were. We all took advantage of Hermione finding a way for us to get out of the ministry matches by getting bonded before the notifications came," Leanne replied.

"The bond we used is permanent so it couldn't be invalidated or annulled by the ministry," Hermione added.

"So you chose your own husbands and wives," Elsie said shocked.

"Yes, we were lucky to be able to make our own choices. Harry and I have been best friends since we were first years. Marrying so young isn't easy but knowing each other so well has made it a little less stressful," Hermione replied.

"Though not with the parents. Hermione's Dad was ready to forbid her from ever speaking to me again when we first told them," Harry said chuckling.

"Yes, I could never have married a wizard my parents didn't approve of," Elsie said.

"It's fine, my family came around and warmed to Harry quickly enough once we explained why we'd bonded, the new law and who I'd been paired with instead. They quite like Harry, it was just the situation that shocked them. They weren't ready for me to be married and were very upset that they weren't able to be present for the wedding or to be asked for their approval beforehand. Are you looking forward to coming to Hogwarts next year?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure. I really wanted to go when I was eleven. I did get a Hogwarts' letter but my parents wanted to keep me at home," Elsie replied. "Now I have to be tested to see what year I'll be in unless I sit my OWLs at the ministry this summer and I don't know that I'm ready. It will be embarrassing to be in a class with younger students and none of them will be married either and they've already spent years together and I'll be an outsider so I don't know how I'll make friends with them if I'm not sharing a dorm with the same girls I'm in class with."

"You'll will be in the same dorm as your class unless you share married quarters with Neville," Leanne said.

"Hogwarts will let me choose where I stay?" Elsie asked surprised.

"Well it's a decision you and Neville should talk about and make together but yes of course. The staff really did not approve of the new law applying to school aged witches and wizards. They're not going to force you to live as a married couple unless you feel ready. It's a way of trying to reduce the stress that newly married teenagers are facing in the hope they can then concentrate on their studies," Hermione explained, hoping that if she didn't choose the married accommodation, Neville would never find out that it was her fault.

"Do any of you still live in the girls' dorms?" Elsie asked.

"No but then we all chose our husbands for ourselves so of course we wanted to be with them," Leanne replied, smiling at Dean.

"There's nobody at all left in our dorm so if they put you in the dorm your supposed to be in for your age you'd have it to yourself, of course it's still warded so boys can't get in so Neville couldn't visit you"

"Why wouldn't they put me in the seventeen year old dorm?" Elsie asked.

"Dorms aren't allocated by age but in class levels, you haven't taken OWLs so you'll be placed with the fourth or fifth years, most of the younger years aren't married so it will help you get to know your classmates," Hermione explained.

"I don't know that I want to share with a bunch of little girls, it will be embarrassing enough going to class with them, maybe I should just stay here," Elsie said.

"Going to Hogwarts is the only chance you'll have to learn to live with Neville without any of your relatives or his grandmother watching and judging your every move, I'd move in with him if I were you," Leanne said encouragingly.

"Yeah it will give you time to get to know each other and to quarrel and work things out without both sides of the family interfering with every argument. Building a relationship is tough enough without that," Parvati said knowledgeably.

"You want me to talk to Neville about sharing a room?" Elsie looked terrified.

"You just married Neville, you should be able to talk to him about how you want your marriage to work," Hermione said firmly. "If you want to be happy then the two of you need to talk and make decisions together and not let your mother and Neville's Gran make them for you."

"Oh, I couldn't! Don't your parents make decisions for you?" Elsie asked surprised.

"No they don't. Well they did have some say in where Harry and I slept while we were in their house when we visited at Christmas but I let them do that to help them come to terms with the idea Harry and I are married and let him stay with us so they could get to know him. They had no say in Harry and I sharing a room at school and I won't let them dictate to us like that over the summer," Hermione replied.

"What if they don't approve?" Elsie asked.

"Either they'll accept that Harry and I are married, with all that entails or I'll stay with Harry for the summer instead of him staying with me and my parents. They liked Harry once they got to know him a bit better and they know what the consequences would've been if I'd let the ministry choose my partner. The ministry's first choice before they rooted out the corruption in the matching process was disastrous, I would've been lucky not to have been permanently harmed or murdered by the time the ministry relented and annulled the marriage and I don't know that they would even have looked into it and invalidated the first set of matching if so many of us hadn't found a way around the ministry matches and put up a resistance," Hermione retorted. "But you don't even have to give your parents time to accept the idea since they obviously approve of the marriage already."

"It was grandfather who chose the match for me," Elsie said softly.

"So, your parents don't approve of Neville?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"Why not, Neville's a great guy?" Harry said surprised and a bit insulted on behalf of his friend. The last thing Neville needed was to feel that he'd been forced into a marriage where his wife and in-laws didn't approve of him.

"Neville's the heir to the most ancient and noble house of Longbottom, not to mention wealthy and will become Lord Longbottom as soon as he finishes his NEWTs. I would've thought your parents would be delighted by the match, he was the second most eligible light wizard in our generation" Parvati added, sneaking a sly glance at the number one most eligible wizard and his wife. Hermione huffed in annoyance as she realised the significance of her look.

"It's not that they don't approve exactly. I think Mother and Father quite like Neville, they just aren't happy that we had to marry so quickly. They didn't want an arranged marriage for me at all and we barely know Neville," Elsie said blushing.

"But that is in no way Neville's fault, your parents are being incredibly unfair if they take it out on him. If you hadn't married Neville you would've been matched up by the ministry by now and had to marry someone else anyway," Hermione said decisively.

"Was there someone else you would have preferred to marry? Leanne asked bluntly.

"Or someone else your parents wanted you to marry?" Hermione asked.

"No, I just always dreamed of marrying for love, which I know seems foolish now but it's not nice to have your dreams shattered like this," Elsie said miserably.

"Even half of the pairs who used the marriage ritual at Hogwarts to thwart the ministry matches didn't marry for love unfortunately, they married for fear and desperation and friendship but most of the marriages are successful. Love will come if you let it," Parvati said.

"You should concentrate on building a friendship with Neville, learn to communicate with each other before you worry about romance," Hermione replied encouragingly.

"That's Hermione, always taking the practical route, she's usually not wrong though," Parvati said sighing. "Just don't go developing a crush on someone else."

Elsie giggled, "I can't imagine doing that, most of the boys my age and older will already be married or engaged anyway."

"But the boys in your class and those a couple of months younger than you won't be yet," Leanne warned. "I'm older than Dean and it really doesn't make much difference."

"The boy-who-lived is at Hogwarts isn't he? What's he like? Neville refused to talk about him," Elsie asked.

Harry and Hermione just looked at her in shock that she didn't seem to realise who Harry was, enabling their friends to get a few digs in.

"Utterly besotted with his wife," Parvati said warningly.

"Led around by the nose by her too" Dean added laughing.

"Totally henpecked, he's even turning into a bit of a swot to make her happy," Seamus said grinning.

Hermione huffed at them but Harry just laughingly protested, "Guys, really."

"He's the bravest person I know and totally cool in a crises but in everyday situations he's just a normal boy, not full of himself at all, but yes we all know his wife is the one person he would do absolutely anything for," Leanne said.

"He hates being called the boy-who-lived, and he hates being stared at or gossiped about because of his fame, just treat him normally and he'll become one of the best friends you could ever have," Hermione said.

"I'm just me, a normal person," Harry said when Elsie looked at him for an answer.

Elsie looked shocked and Harry laughed, I'm guessing you missed that part of Nev's introduction," he said ruefully.

"I didn't talk about him because he's my friend, he's not some fancy icon, just a normal guy and a good friend," Neville said to her earnestly before grinning. "But everyone else's descriptions were pretty spot on. It's definitely Hermione who rules the roost in that marriage, and Harry's more than happy to let her."

"Oi!" Harry exclaimed playfully shoving his friend.

"I do not. We have a democracy!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Face it Hermione, your personality is naturally bossy and that man worships the water he believes you walk on. There isn't anything he wouldn't do for you," Parvati said bluntly.

Harry and Hermione both blushed causing their friends to laugh again.

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed followed or favourited this story for your support.

I wish everyone the best in this time. Please stay safe and keep your distance, stay at home if you can and keep in contact with family and friends on line.