Redemption
Chapter 4
By Kinsfire
It had been about ninety minutes when there was a knock at the door, and Harry opened it to find a slightly stunned Hermione and a grinning Tonks behind her. "Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks said as if nothing had happened an hour and a half ago. They stepped through the door, and Hermione, in her more than slightly rumpled clothing, stumbled into Harry's arms. "Sorry 'bout that. She's a little weak right now."
"What the hell happened?" he asked, curiousness and worry warring within him. Hermione began to whisper in his ear, giggling occasionally, and his eyes widened. He also became rather noticeably aroused as well. "Damn! This may be the only time in my life that I've wished I was a girl," he murmured.
He got Hermione to a chair and then turned back to the group. "Before this turns into a royal cluster-fuck in both the literal and military senses, we need to get something clear. I will be returning to England soon, if only to let the people who care know that I'm still alive. More importantly, I need to apologize to Professor Dumbledore for what I did to him. In fact, I think what I did may have been a crime, so the Ministry will need to be told I'm returning, to prepare for my trial." He blew air out through puffed out cheeks. "Time to stop running from everything."
Tonks looked at him asked, the worry evident on her face and in her voice, "Have you told them what you did? I don't know all of it, so I can't speak to the legal aspects of it."
"No, I haven't, and that's as inexcusable as what I did to Professor Dumbledore. I was enjoying myself rather than being completely honest with them." He motioned and his clothes flew to his hands. "I need to take a shower before I tell you, even though I'll probably need another after I'm done telling you." He tossed them into the hamper, grabbed clean clothes, and stepped into the shower, where he found Luna preparing the water. "I'm joining you. I already know what you did, my love, and I understand why you did it. You'll need someone to hold while you're in there." She smiled at him then. "And if anything else happens while we're in there, I don't think anyone is going to complain very loudly." She blushed demurely. "Especially not me."
He stepped in behind her in the shower, absently noting once again that it was certainly a joy to stand behind this girl when his mood was better. "You say you know what it is that I want to tell everyone, and that you understand?"
She turned to face him. "Let's just say that the thing that bothers you the most took the heart out of a lot of people." She opened her arms to him as he trembled and began to cry again, great shuddering sobs.
She stroked his hair as he cried, and as the sobs slowly subsided, she said, "I know you and I love you, Harry. I am here for you, and I will be for the remainder of your days on Earth." He felt a tingle shoot through him, and he stepped back in shock and surprise. "Yes, Harry, I just swore a Wizard's Oath to you, and I swore it knowing what will happen in the many, many years to come. I would also bet with you that the others will gladly wear the same oath to you, after they know what you did, and why you did it." She lifted her lips to his and kissed him deeply, and wrapped her legs around him as the kiss progressed. "Thank you," she gasped in his ear.
Out of the shower, he cast the drying charm on both of them, and enjoyed the way it quickly ran through her hair as if a breeze had rushed through the room. He dressed quickly and led her back into the living space and waited for her to sit down.
Harry:
You four have all told me your stories. Well, it's time to tell you the one that glues them all together, and when I'm done, I'll free you from your Oath, Luna, and not hold it against you. I'm not sure I'd swear an oath to someone like me.
Don't protest until you know the whole story, okay? You can say that you couldn't feel that way, but you need to remember that you simply don't have all the facts.
Let's start at the beginning, where Luna mentioned. I came out from the W.C. in the Three Broomsticks, and noticed that you weren't at the table anymore, which was a little annoying, because I was sort of interested in snogging Luna a bit more, and then talking to Hermione and finding a spot to do considerably more than snogging. I sat down for a while to wait for you guys to be done holding Ron up while he emptied his stomach. When something like fifteen or twenty minutes had passed, I thought it might be a good idea to go check on you guys, even though I was a bit peeved — okay — pissed off that you hadn't even sent one of you back inside to tell me what was going on. I'll admit that after that kiss, I'd been hoping it might be Luna.
Anyway, I stepped outside and headed over to the nearest alley, where I found evidence of Ron's dislike for firewhiskey, but obviously no sign of you. I got worried, so I ran up to the school, and headed for Madame Pomfrey. No sign of you. On to the Gryffindor common room, and then into our room. No sign of you. Now I was pissed, and decided to go study, and planned to give you a piece of my tiny little mind when I saw you again during dinner, since you'd obviously decided to ditch me and have some fun of your own.
Yeah. While you guys were being tortured, I forgot everything I ever knew about the four of you and decided you'd gone off without me to snog or something. I stand by the tiny little mind comment for that reason alone.
When you weren't at dinner, I got really mad. I was snapping at everyone, and I was given detention for making a first year cry for no good reason. She'd be a fifth year student this coming September, wouldn't she? I ought to find her and apologize to her as well. I ended up storming back to the common room at some ungodly hour that night, and when I still didn't see you three — sorry, Luna, but being in a different House — I know you understand, but — okay, I'll finish. Well, I was feeling really pissy at the time, so I sat in the common room to wait for you. I was angry enough that I was willing to do the detentions I'd have earned for the rest of the year just for waking the entire school up. Yeah, I'd have screamed at you that loudly. I was ready to tell the four of you to go fuck yourselves in the Great Hall, and you can take that with both meanings.
Well, I was in a towering rage, and Snape gave me a detention the second he saw me, because he knew what was coming. If I hadn't felt Ron's mind snap, I would have caused that scene, too. Then Dumbledore told me that I needed to calm down if I was going to be of any use at all to you four, and it suddenly hit me, what my life had been teaching to that point. Living with a family that should have been reported to social services, and who were very certain to make sure that I was aware that they did not love me, and that no love would be accepted in return. Getting me used to a teacher who absolutely hated me because of my father and his friends. Always making sure I was aware that there were others who knew more about my situation than I did, and making sure that I was never completely brought up to speed. Having me take Occlumency lessons with a teacher who would have more than happy to have burned my brain out if he had been allowed to. Getting me used to being treated in a grandfatherly by someone I'd grown to look up to, and then withholding that affection. Not letting me visit the only people who did show me affection. Even that incredibly curvy DADA teacher in our sixth year, whose private lessons were to teach me control of my emotions in order to make my martial arts that she was teaching me more effective.
My entire life to that point was teaching me that emotions were a bad thing to have. Even what I'd been thinking just prior to feeling Ron snap contributed. 'Don't love anyone, because they'll betray you, just like your parents and Dumbledore.' So I went cold and explained the situation to Dumbledore in that same cold voice.
Okay, it wasn't cold, because that's one of the things I do when I get angry. Flat affect? Is that what they call losing all emotion from your face? Of course you read it somewhere, Hermione.
Anyway, back to the story. I told Dumbledore what I had felt, and then we all dicked around for a while as they tried to verify that I might actually have felt what I felt. And then we had to figure out where the hell they'd taken you.
Somewhere along the line. someone found that your captors had dropped one of their blowguns, and brought it to have tests done on it. I picked it up after someone announced that it was obviously a portkey, and listened to a lecture from Snape about how stupid I must be to run the risk of being sent to the same place, wherever that might be. I looked him in the eye and said "Malfoy Manor". Even Dumbledore couldn't stopping him from calling me every kind of idiot and moron for thinking that even Lucius Malfoy would be stupid enough to use the most obvious place he could think of. Still don't know how I traced it.
I remember looking at him and then turning to Dumbledore and saying "Get people to Malfoy Manor. They'll meet me there." I then touched the dart.
I guess not having anyone in that specific dungeon room was why the door was open and no one was in it. I went to the first one I saw, and found what was left on Ginny hanging on the wall. I could smell a fire, and looked carefully at the group in the room. The way they were situated it was going to be difficult for me to get in past them, so I did something else unforgivable, and woke Ginny up. She moaned and they all turned to face her. As soon as they were facing that way, I came through the door at a run, Stupefying two of them immediately, and leaping into the air to kick Crabbe and Goyle's dad's in the stomachs as they turned back toward the door. Oops, I missed and crushed their testicles instead. I Accio'd the fifth one's wand to me, and then fired it back at him. Thirteen inches of mahogany going through someone's eye tends to put a crimp in their style, you know.
I gently pulled Ginny from the wall and put her in stasis. Kind of amusing, in a sick way. The blood I was covered in when I got to Ron's torturers wasn't Death Eater blood, or mine. By the way, I don't know if anyone had told you this before, Ginny, but the fire wasn't for torture purposes, unless some of the utensils there were for you to watch as they cooked and ate parts of you. It was a cooking fire.
Okay, everyone done vomiting in the sink? Might want to be ready for further use of it, 'cause it's not going to be gentler from here on in. Thanks, Tonks, for running water through the sink — that's stainless steel, and probably wouldn't handle the acids very well. Oh, I didn't know that, Hermione. I guess it will.
That's how the other four ended up with their wands embedded in their hearts, Tonks. I saw the cooking fire and got nasty. As I recall, you also found them well cooked. That's what happens when someone casts Incendio through a wand in someone's chest.
Aren't you glad that I created those waste baskets?
Ron's torturers were next on my list. After locking Ginny's door, I headed next door. They definitely had felt secure, I guess, because they were all facing Ron, and not the door. I could tell Bellatrix from behind, which probably means something far more disturbing than I intend to think about right now.
If I ever see that elf woman again, I think I need to thank her for teaching me some of those spells. Those magical acid arrows were wonderful, and those ice spears weren't too bad either. I seemed to have some problem with my aim, I noticed. I thought I was aiming for center of mass, which is an easier target to hit, but I kept spearing people through the eyes. Trixie, as Ron was enjoying calling her, was dealing with the results of having acid splashed on her, so she wasn't exactly prepared when I cast that flesh to stone spell.
Oh, you never heard what I did to her then? Well, somewhere along the line in my training, I'd learnt a simple spell for slicing through inanimate objects, so I cut off her arms and legs, lowering her gently to the ground before reversing the spell. Oh, I forgot. In the midst of it, I smoothed out her face a little. Her lips always looked so out of place on her face, so I basically Transfigured them away. She made the most interesting sounds when she was flesh again - that Harlan Ellison story title says it all - 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream'. Oh, sorry, you three. He's a Muggle writer. Kind of dark work, which is why I took to it.
Oh, the other five? Dead. Three ice spears in three separate eyes, one who'd opened his mouth to shout as the arrow reached him, another so acid burned to have no real chance at survival, and Trixie. I knelt next to her and said, "I ought to do to you what I did to the elder Crabbe and Goyle, but you don't deserve the quick death of a wand to your heart and an Incendio. You get to lay here armless, legless, and mouthless until someone finds you."
I led Ron to the dungeon I'd entered by and gently put him to sleep, and then locked the door. Did the same to Trixie's room, and then went hunting for the next one. Luna already pretty well described what I did when I found her room. I find that I'm more than a little happy to know that Narcissa survived long enough to feel herself die, after marrying that shit and whelping that thing. Yes, Hermione, whelping - I used the word properly.
I'm still sorry that I had to leave you alone, Luna. I know you understand, but it doesn't mean that I don't feel guilty about it.
On to the one that will haunt me until the day I die. Hermione. They were nowhere in the dungeons and I was getting a little worried. I carefully headed upstairs, and began to search the Manor House. I finally found the Malfoy Manor's ... recreation room. Hermione was the recreation of the evening, apparently. Have your trash bins ready, because I'm going to try to go through this only once, and I hate repeating myself on something like this.
The younger Crabbe and Goyle and three others that I have no knowledge concerning their names were watching as Lucius Malfoy woke her up. Draco stood by her head, and when she awoke and whimpered, said, "Ah, good, she's awake again, Father. Shall we continue with our fun?" It was when Lucius moved that I realized that Hermione was naked and tied tightly to a specially built table - one obviously designed for such a purpose as they were putting it to. Lucius moved around to between her legs and proceeded to ... he began to rape her. Yes, I know I'm crying, god damn it! Lucius made a comment about Hermione's tightness, and how excited she must be, given how slippery she felt. It was her damned blood they were using as lubricant! This got Draco excited, and he proceeded to rape her mouth. I could hear her whimpering, and my heart broke before my soul shattered. I still don't remember what I cast to freeze the five watchers, and I must have done something other than Expelliarmus to throw Lucius and Draco as far away as I did.
I remember clearly how I stalked into the room, freezing Draco and Lucius before removing my robe to given Hermione some sense of modesty. You probably don't remember flinching from me as I lay the robe across you. Can't say as I blame you, for so many different reasons. It was when you rolled slightly, trying to get away, that I realized how completely that they had violated you, and I knew the punishment right then and there. You were lost to me forever, simply because I hadn't been there for you before they could destroy your life. Let me finish; all of you. I'm describing how I felt at the time, okay?
I have never been able to replicate what I did to grow those spikes up out of the floor. Then again, I've never again felt such a mixture of hatred, rage, despair, and loathing, and never want to. I rather crudely removed what little clothing any of them were wearing. Would you believe that not one of those assholes had any concept about why their wands should be with them at all times? Given Draco and Lucius, I'd have expected them to keep a spare shoved up their asses, although they'd have enjoyed that, probably. I unfroze one of the three nameless ones and gently lowered him onto the sharp spike, but he died too quickly, especially when the spike protruded from his mouth. I measured them all carefully and shortened all the stakes, blunting them. I expect you would wince, Hermione. You're the one who told me why they used short blunt stakes for impaling. For those of you still in the dark, it was why Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle survived to make it to St. Mungo's.
So, I carefully raised each one of them and set them gently onto their own respective spike. Is it wrong of me to gloat over the fact that Draco was so scared that he lost control of his bowels and bladder? I admit to having fun taunting him, as well. "I'm surprised you're not enjoying this more, Draco. I heard that you like long hard things up your ass." I then cast another spell I have no idea about, and bonded him to it, on a molecular level.
Your eyes will fall out if they go any wider, Hermione. For the rest of you, let's just say that where his internal organs ended and the stake began became difficult to tell.
Interesting. The only time any of you threw up was when I described what they would have done to Ginny. I've just described the slow torturous murder of quite a few people; things that were actually done, and nothing. Odd.
Anyway, we come to Lucius Malfoy. Him I lifted to the wall and chained there. I told you it was a recreation room. Well, just as I got Lucius locked in, I heard a commotion outdoors and realized as I heard Snape's voice that they'd gotten people to the Manor. I shielded the room like nobody's business and continued.
"Well, Lucius, it's down to you and me. Everyone else is either dead or dying. I kicked your wife in the head so hard that I broke her neck. Your bastard over there is one with his spike. Crabbe and Goyle seniors should be done cooking soon. Bellatrix is going to have trouble casting a Cruciatus Curse with no arms, legs, or mouth. Face it, you pureblood moron. I just went through twenty of you. And none of this blood I'm wearing is mine. Yeah, the child of a pureblood and a 'Mudblood' just went through twenty of you without breaking a sweat. And now he's going to kill you with his bare hands, no magic at all, in front of your puppy, on the extremely slight chance that he survives what was done to him."
It was then that I drove my hand into his body under the ribcage and reached up. I found his beating heart and tore the blood vessels one by one. The aorta was the last one, and he expired immediately after. Hell, I'd been surprised that he'd made it that far.
I pulled the still beating heart out and cast a stasis on it immediately, since I had plans for it. Ah, there we go. You surprise me, Hermione. I'd expect you to be retching.
It was only then that I lowered the barrier and let everyone into the room. I was glad that you were there, Tonks, when I went over to Hermione and all she did was shriek in horror. Given what she witnessed, I'm not surprised, honestly. And the fact that I was covered in blood wouldn't have helped any. You got her to St. Mungo's, and for that alone I thank you. I led the others downstairs, and was surprised by Aurors retching at some of what I'd done. I thought they'd seen much worse. I explained what I'd done with Ginny, and led them to Ron. I remember picking up Luna and carrying her out, where we portkeyed over to St. Mungo's ourselves.
I headed back to Hogwarts, where I chose to shower before going to see Dumbledore. Turned out I'd gotten back in time for dinner, so I chose to do it then, after most of the students were gone. Snape decided once again to cut loose on me. "Do you have any idea how irresponsible and ..."
"...and stupid, idiotic, moronic, imbecilic, and a host of other words meaning a lack of brain power. Shut up, Severus. I have no time for you." I turned to face Dumbledore but was stopped by Snape reaching over in a towering fury and gripping my shoulder. I grabbed that arm, which happened to be the one with the Dark Mark, his left one, and yanked the sleeve up. "I just single-handedly killed twenty Death Eaters, Severus. Want me to make it twenty-one?"
The room was silent, and I continued to Dumbledore. "Sir, I have something to say to you. It is certain that, without a doubt, I needed the lessons you taught me as I grew. I was put in a household with a Muggle family whose treatment of me would have landed them in Family Court, had not you felt it better I stay with them. I was given Occlumency lessons with a teacher who makes no attempt to hide his open contempt for me, or his open destruction of the potions I created in class. I have no doubt that the only reason I had successful O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s in Potions is that this teacher was not the one giving the actual test. I also have no doubt that he would gladly see my wand broken for daring to be the child of James Potter. However, I digress."
"I was also taught that I was only a weapon, and repeatedly admonished not to let my emotions get the better of me. As mentioned concerning a certain Potions professor, I was told to trust him, based purely on your say-so, despite all the evidence of my own experiences that he shouldn't be trusted. I won't even go into the fact that you are eternally the mastermind. On second thought, let's. The express purpose of the Order of the Phoenix was to fight Voldemort. You knew when you resurrected it what the Prophecy was, and that it directly concerned me. And yet I was too young to be brought into the Order. I was to be kept in the dark about everything until I was sharpened to a fine edge and then sent to slice the head off the snake, and hopefully come panting back to you, happy to have done what you wanted. Well, I killed the bastard. Voldemort is well and truly dead now. His Death Eaters weren't, though, and I was just taught today about how effective I can be with no emotions. Look at me. Not a scratch. Twenty dead, assuming that Bellatrix, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle don't survive, and they aren't likely to, what with the first having no mouth and the last three have very large spikes up their asses."
"What I wanted to say was this: your lessons through these seven years have been effective. What happened during these last twenty-four hours have finally torn the heart of out my chest. Therefore, since you were the architect of that..."
I reached into my bag and pulled out Lucius' heart and cancelled the stasis and stalked from the Great Hall, put my already packed trunk on my broom, and left Hogwarts. The screams from those remaining as blood shot from the heart as it started pumping again did make me come as close to smiling as I'd done in the last three years.
I can only assume that my wand is forfeit the minute I set foot in England again, though. Ah well. Would have been nice to have graduated, but not from that school. I couldn't even go back and finish up what needed finishing. Wonderful the lengths some idiot like me will go to make a point.
Went to St. Mungo's to try to visit you four, but Hermione screamed every time she saw me. They tried to tell me she did that with every man who entered the room, but I saw one of the doctors talking to her. I couldn't see Ron because they were trying to break the catatonic state he was in, and Ginny wouldn't see me, either. I just gave up, Luna. I'm sorry. I just assumed that you wouldn't want to have me visit either. Especially with those blank eye sockets staring at me, if that makes any sense. I am really glad you let them regenerate your beautiful eyes.
"Oh, these aren't regenerated eyes, Harry. These are just like Moody's." She reached up and popped one of them out and held it out. His face fell, and he started to tear up. "Oh, don't worry, Harry. I prefer it this way. I was given the choice, and chose this route. I made certain, though, that they were designed to look exactly like my originals, which Narcissa had so politely left undamaged." She blushed. "I hoped to look at you again and have you still love to look in my eyes."
"How much like Moody's are they?" Ginny asked.
She giggled. "Exactly. It was easier to simply copy all the enchantments on Moody's over to mine. Which means that I have enchantments on these things that only Aurors really ever need. I enjoy the see-through vision, though," she said, looking over at Tonks and wiggling her eyebrows lasciviously.
She turned to face Harry, and saw that he was downcast. She walked over to Harry and lifted his chin. "Harry, would you be happier if I had my eyes regenerated? I will if it would make you happier."
He looked at her in shock. "No! Do it because you want to, Luna. Are you truly happier with eyes you can pull out and wash?"
"Actually, yes. I don't know why, but I have much better control of my visions now. You still don't get it, Harry. I need to you hear you be as honest as you can possibly be. Would you be happier if when you looked in my eyes, you knew that they were real, and not false ones enchanted to help me see better?"
He sat down heavily, and began to think. Why do you want her to have natural eyes? To assuage your guilt? Remember, you didn't know that her eyes weren't natural until just now. Does it really matter? She's happy with these eyes, and you know damned well that she can see with them just as easily as she could with natural ones. And she does seem to enjoy what she can see that natural eyes couldn't see.
He finally refocused on her and smiled. "Luna, if I discover that you had your eyes regenerated for the sole purpose of making me happy, I will spank you." Her eyes twinkled. "Okay then, I won't spank you." She laughed, and he joined her. "You made me think. I wasn't happy that they were removed, but you seem very happy with these, and until you told me, I thought they were natural. I will be happiest with the eyes that make you happiest, Luna." She popped it back into the socket, and he gently kissed her eyelids. "That does remind me, though - I told you that you could be released from your oath if you so wished. I stand ready to release you."
"I say to you again, Harry James Potter, that I will be with you until the end of your days, even if that requires that I remain as a ghost for a time. I pledge my life and my heart to you."
Hermione walked up and softly asked, "Would you rather that Harry and I not be engaged? He would happily marry any of us; you know that."
"Hermione, I will have of Harry that which makes me happiest - his love. I need no ring on my finger to know that. Nor does Ginny, now that he knows how deeply he loves her. However, we both know that you two would probably be celebrating the birth of your second child, or the fact of you carrying his third, if not for those events. You two have been meant to be married by the gods of this world. It is a bond that transcends mere mortal understanding."
Harry stood and looked at the others in surprise as they nodded vociferously at himself and Hermione. Ron walked up to him and said, "I pledge myself to the both of you, until death separates us. I will never again abandon you, Harry, if it is within my power, and gladly accept the curse that I will deserve if I do."
Ginny also pledged to Harry and Hermione, bringing tears to both their eyes. He turned to Hermione to say something, and found her looking oddly into his eyes. "Harry James Potter, I pledge my body and soul to you, for as long as we both shall live."
Harry responded by dropping to his knees in front of the group, head bowed. "In return, I swear myself to the five of you; to do whatever it takes to protect you, even to the cost of my own life. Never again will you be abandoned as once I did to you. I swear my life and soul to this."
All five of the others gasped as they felt the power of his oath flow through them. Tonks walked forward to him. "Why'd you include me, Harry? I wasn't there for you, and didn't get taken, either."
"How long have you been living in New York, Nymph?"
She blushed as she realized what he'd called her. "Since you came here. Three years."
"So you took three years out of your life to watch a broken man sit around and do nothing except keep physically fit. You put your life on hold. You could have been home, romancing, and enjoying your job. Instead, you sat here in New York watching an emotional cripple."
"I was watching a man tearing himself apart over something that he shouldn't; a man that I ... a man that I respect a great deal, Harry." She took a deep breath. "Tell me, Harry. Will you ever forgive yourself?"
"Maybe on the day that the sun glows with pink and purple paisleys and comes down out of the sky to shake my hand."
Hermione walked over to Tonks and held the woman as she started to cry, and Harry walked into his den and powered up his computer. "What's that, chum?" Ron asked as he watched Harry.
"Computer. Muggle device for doing a lot of interesting things, one of which is getting tickets to England. Can I assume that you all bought one way tickets, not knowing when you'd be returning?"
"Well, ‘Mione did it, but yeah. One way." Ginny and Luna had walked into the room behind Ron, in order to give Tonks some privacy as she cried, and marvelled as Harry typed madly, the screen appearance changing as he accessed a number of websites and finally ordered five first class tickets to Heathrow airport. "I’ve been getting a grasp on Muggle money, Harry. Isn’t that a lot of money?"
"For a comfortable six to eight hour flight? Not really. Especially since I bought seats close together, so that we can continue to talk, rather than have to move around the cabin."
"What’s this about flying?" Hermione asked as she came into the room with a happier looking Tonks, who walked over and threw her arms around Harry and hugged him.
"Well, I need to get back to England, and I … umm … I need … Tonks, if you keep … uh … nibbling on my ear, I’m not going to … umm … oh, hell …" He reached around and gently flipped her into his lap. "Shall we do this properly?" he asked, and kissed her.
He could hear Hermione behind him saying, "I told her to tell him how she feels. She thinks that a seven year difference between them is too much."
"How did this happen?" Harry finally asked, Tonks cuddling with him on his lap. "How did I end up with four women in my life in this manner?"
"It comes from your extremely non-traditional upbringing, I think," Hermione replied. "Quite likely, the lack of love from family figures as a child, and a sense of abandonment from others whom you designated to be surrogates led you to seek love where you could find it, and you happened to be lucky enough to find bisexual lovers who all happened to return your feelings." She smiled. "If I were to get metaphysical about it, I’d say that it’s the universe’s way of making up for all the crap it put you through."
Tonks laughed as she hugged Harry. "You two are meant for each other, Hermione. While you were talking, I could feel him starting to poke me in the back. You getting pedantic was making him horny!"
Harry blushed furiously. "I was just imagining her in that business suit she showed up in, with a pair of those rimmed glasses they always picture librarians wearing, looking over the top of them. If she ever started teaching and did that, I don’t think a single male in the class would survive with dry shorts."
Tonks looked at Hermione for a moment and then laughed and said, "Oh, yeah, I can see what you mean — the sexy librarian fantasy." Hermione blushed and headed into the living room, and came back into the computer room wearing the tweed jacket, with the top buttons of her blouse unbuttoned, and she’d apparently borrowed Harry’s spare glasses, which were sitting on the tip of her nose as she looked over the top of them.
"Jesus Christ," Harry breathed. "It’s even better than I thought …" Conversation degenerated from there into the distinctly non-verbal kind.