The Replenishment Decree

Hermione stretched her neck and turned her head to look at Narcissa, “this is insanely comfortable. How do you not spend every afternoon here?”

“What makes you think I don’t?” She smirked and flicked a bit of water at the other woman.

Hermione laughed, “I guess that’s a good point but you’ve been spending most of your afternoons with me lately and we haven’t been in the tub together before now, so, that makes me think you don’t.”

Narcissa’s smile gentled a bit and she just looked at Hermione, “you’re right. I do like to come here and soak when I’ve something on my mind. If I close the door and let the room steam up a bit with a few candles it’s perfect for me to think through whatever may be going on. Though I think this is the first time I’ve ever fallen asleep in the water.”

“That’s good. Doesn’t seem like the smartest thing to do by oneself. I wouldn't have felt safe enough to relax that much if you weren’t about to come in.” Hermione gently squeezed the hand entwined in her own.

Narcissa, looking intently into Hermione’s eyes, was quiet for a long moment. “You...you really feel safe with me, Hermione? Truly?”

“I do.”

Narcissa smiled, ear to ear, it lit up her whole face, “You just keep practicing that. You’ll be ready in three months, one week and six days.”

“I don’t need to practice, Cissa. I could say it tomorrow.”

“Do you know I physically feel it when you say things like that to me? My heart does this funny thing and it kind of drops and squeezes and stops and pounds all at the same time. My head goes light.”

Hermione, eyes shining with tears, leaned forward to kiss her fiancée.

“No. You stop right there. I’m not kissing you naked in a bathtub. I’ll never be able to stop with a kiss and I’m not ready to go further than that.”

“Right. Right,” Hermione agreed breathing heavily. “Right. I just. Let’s get out then so I can kiss you and...and hold you. I need to hug you, Narcissa. Okay?”

“Yes,” Narcissa whispered, her pupils wide, breath fast, she nodded. “No,” she shook her head. “I want to wash my hair and I haven’t actually bathed, Hermione,” she laughed, “we’ve just sat in the tub. There’s a flannel next to you on your towel you can use, and here I’ll bring over some soaps.” Narcissa silently summoned a tray of bathing essentials from a shelf Hermione hadn’t noticed. “You’re, of course, welcome to use anything you like. We have very different hair types but you can try my shampoo and conditioner. There are a few different body washes and facial cleansers there as well.” Narcissa blushed, “I tend to choose a different scent depending on how I’m feeling that day.”

“I haven’t noticed that,” Hermione smiled quizzically as she sniffed each soap bottle choosing the scent she recognized as the one Narcissa had been using recently, lavender and vanilla with just a hint of clove. Hermione put some on the cloth she was using and set the bottle back on the tray, noticing out the corner of her eye that Narcissa picked it up right after her. “I’m not going to wash my hair, so I’ll be done in a minute and you’ll have more space to wash yours.”

“Alright, darling. I’m facing away, so you can climb out whenever you like, I won’t peek,” Narcissa said, the smirk clear in her voice.

Hermione chuckled and finished up, dipping beneath the water up to her neck to rinse off. “Ugh, this bathtub is divine, Narcissa. Is the tub charmed or do you charm the water to keep the temperature this warm the whole time? And the bubbles, how are there still so many?”

Narcissa was taking her time washing and smiled, explaining that the bathtub itself had been charmed and that she used a very particular bubble solution from a shop in Edinburgh that was well known to maintain it’s bubbles until the bath was drained and only then would the bubbles dissolve.

“Brilliant,” Hermione said from somewhere near the door, Narcissa could tell. She sunk lower into the tub and turned to look at Hermione. “I’m just going to wash and condition my hair before I drain the tub. It’ll take a few minutes.”

Hermione grinned and nodded, off to find comfortable clothing for a quiet evening in the manor together. By the time Narcissa came out of the bathroom, Hermione was wearing what looked to be Narcissa’s oldest sweater and tartan pants Narcissa had never seen before.

“Where on earth did you get those?”

“Um, well, you said I could look in the closet or in the chest and I found this sweater buried in the chest and it looked like you don’t often wear it so it might be oka-”

Narcissa interrupted her with a kiss.

“I don’t mind you wearing my sweater. I like it. Probably more than I should. It simply caught me off guard; I was wondering where you found the pants. I don’t think I have anything like that.”

“You don’t,” Hermione blushed. “I hope it’s okay, I asked Pepper if she wouldn’t mind popping into my room at the flat and grabbing a few pairs of these for me. She said of course and did it immediately.”

“That was a good idea. If Pepper was unavailable, you could also have used the Floo.”

“I know but I was actually trying to avoid putting my dirty clothes back on,” Hermione laughed, “I don’t think the mines of Gringotts or the newsroom of the Prophet made for the least smelly day we’ve had together.”

“Quite right,” Narcissa nodded, lifting the lid on the chest to find a sweater for herself.

“Um, I pulled out a sweater for you if you like and I have a pair of these pants there with them,” Hermione said, pointing to a neatly folded pile on the bed. A dark green, slightly oversized sweater and gray plaid flannel pyjama pants along with a simple white shirt to go underneath sat there if Narcissa wanted them. “I did not, of course, go through your drawers for any socks or undergarments; that felt a bit like an invasion of your privacy.”

“That was thoughtful, Hermione, thank you. You do look rather comfortable, I think I will put this on.” Narcissa picked up the stack and stopped at her chest of drawers to select a pair of black silk panties and thick green socks to go with it. She took note of Hermione’s burning red cheeks as she walked away. “I’ll just be a moment behind the screen dear.”

With Narcissa behind the screen, Hermione took a moment to fan her face to attempt to dispel some of the heat there. Goodness, they were just a pair of underpants, Hermione, get a grip.

“Narcissa, could we go over some ideas for our wedding this evening? Maybe talk about who could be the officiant?”

“Absolutely, Hermione,” Narcissa answered immediately. A few moments later she stepped out from behind the screen in her sweater and flannel pants, running a paddle brush through her long, beautiful hair. “Before we go down to the study, though, I believe you said something a little while ago about holding one another?”

Hermione bit her lip and nodded, watching Narcissa move closer and closer. The older woman set her brush down on her dresser and reached out for Hermione’s hands. “Darling?”

“Yes,” Hermione whispered.

“Can I tell you something?”

“Always.”

“After this morning, I was so worried we wouldn’t find this balance again. I was so scared I’d ruined this by being so cold. That I’d broken this connection by being too distant. When you were able to talk to me and be honest with me about how you were feeling, when you were still able to smile at me and spend the day with me and let me sit with my arms around you at Gringotts and hold your hand in Diagon Alley...it meant...I don’t know if I can find words for what it meant, Hermione. To be trusted by you. It meant...it means...just...everything. Please, can we just lie down together and hold one another for a little while tonight before we work on the wedding?”

Hermione said nothing, not able to trust her voice, instead she led Narcissa to the bed and, once they were right next to it, pulled the other woman to her for a kiss. She turned them, so Narcissa’s back was to the bed and gently leaned the other woman back until she had no choice but to sit or fall. Narcissa sat, her hands on Hermione’s waist, looking up at the younger woman.

“Slide back,” Hermione whispered, “I’ll get a blanket.”

The tears spilled over then. Just a few. Not sad tears, not even happy ones. Just, extra feelings that couldn’t stay inside. The women met in the middle of the large, soft bed, surrounded by pillows and under a blanket. They lay facing one another, holding silent eye contact. Communicating a lifetime of thoughts without a single word. Hermione slid her hand down Narcissa’s arm to rest on her hip and pulled the other woman closer; to keep her balance, Narcissa’s legs tangled between Hermione’s. She reached around her young fiancée to press her hand to the small of Hermione’s back, keeping her near.

They shared a kiss, chaste, gentle, soft.

Their foreheads touched.

They rested.