Chapter 5
Ever so slowly Harry drifted back into consciousness. The first thing he realized was the throbbing soreness in his legs-he felt himself smile at just the thought of it. Then the sensation of being wrapped in something large, fluffy and warm came through to register with him and he groaned while trying to pull the source closer.
His fingers, try as he might, just wouldn’t grab hold long enough to pull it closer. Thankfully, something did manage to push the soft thing-blanket his brain supplied-closer to him. He snuggled down and drifted in and out of sleep, the distant idea that someone was rubbing his back lulling him into a sense of safety and calm.
Eventually, though, Harry did manage to wake up enough to open his eyes. The lights were no longer red, but a softer yellow and dimmed down just enough that you could see without hurting your eyes. He shifted and Neville squeezed him around his shoulders.
“How’d you sleep?” His soft voice was soothing to Harry’s ears. Eloquent as ever, Harry groaned. “That good, huh?” Harry nodded.
“Yeah.” Harry was shocked to hear his voice. It was raspy and far too quiet for what Harry had intended.
“Relax, you’re okay. You got quite loud when we switched to the braided flogger, it’s only natural for your voice to be strained. I can get you a healing potion for it, if you’d like.”
“No, that’s okay. I like the reminder-maybe later.” A cup was then pushed into his face with a reusable straw poking his cheek.
“Then you need to at least drink this. It’s just water, but I don’t want you causing yourself permanent damage.” Harry drank, surprised by just how thirsty he was.
The two spent the entire morning just talking quietly about the evening prior and they readily agreed to get together later in the week to discuss their next scene.
“What exactly do you mean by that Harry?” Draco’s voice didn’t allow for argument and Harry rolled his eyes.
“I mean I plan on asking him if he’d like to explore an actual relationship or if that’s off the table for him.” Draco looked flabbergasted.
“Exactly who are you and what the bloody fuck have you done with Harry? The-Man-Who-Doesn’t-Date? The wizarding world’s most eligible bachelor? Harry Potter, the man who’s more than happy whilst single, thank you very much?” Harry couldn’t help it and started laughing at the overly pompous voice Draco was putting on.
“Seriously Draco, relax. I’m not going to start flaunting shite around to the Prophet first thing and besides that, I’ve never once told you I refused to date. Just that I was happy being single. And if Neville isn’t interested then I can still be happy whilst single, but I’d also be happy if he decided to give us a go. It’s not going to break my heart if I don’t get to date him, you know.” Draco huffed and plopped down in his favourite spot on the couch.
“I know, I know. I guess I’m just worried that you’ll suddenly find yourself too busy to do anything with me anymore. I don’t know if I could manage half the shite I do in my life if you didn’t have time for me anymore.” Although Harry had expected Draco to be a bit jealous at Harry spending more time with someone else-he’d always been that way-he hadn’t quite imagined that he’d ever admit to it.
“You know, my relationship status won’t be enough to ever pull me away from our friendship. Sure, life gets busy but it won’t deter me from spending time with you when you need to vent or if you want to hang out. It’s hardly the end of the world; you’ve nothing to worry about.”
Hermione, needless to say, was relentless.
Ron was still out at work. Apparently he’d been put on the field for the week and was coming home later than normal to finish his paperwork and reports and Hermione wanted the company.
“-still don’t see why you don’t tell me what it is that you and Draco have been up to lately. You tell me all the time you’re expanding business but you never elaborate. I don’t even know what this business caters to!” Deciding to go for the shock factor to get her to finally stop asking questions about it, Harry threw her a bone.
“We opened up a bar to host munches at for the kink community and we’re expanding the bar to connect to a dungeon that we’re building. Does that satisfy your curiosity?” Hermione looked flabbergasted. Her face had gone pale and her mouth practically hung on the floor whilst bright red spots bloomed on her cheeks.
“You’re...what?”
“Wow, you’re speechless. Cause for celebration, that is!” Harry grinned at her and she started laughing.
And then she just couldn’t seem to stop laughing at all. Not until tears streaked down her face and Harry was laughing with her.
“Merlin, I didn’t ever think that you’d ever even entertain the idea of anything remotely kinky let alone throw yourself into their community.” Harry got the feeling that she was so giggly because she was nervous and the only thing that made her nervous was conversing about a topic she didn’t know about.
“Hermione, do you even know what all that entails? Or are you rather in the dark about it?” She blushed harder and looked away.
“Ron isn’t exactly one to do anything untraditional in the bedroom, which means I haven’t really needed to look any of it up. In short, I know that things like spanking happen but not much more than that, to be honest.”
Harry spent the next few hours explaining what kink was, how he got into it and the basics of navigating the kink community along with what dungeons were and what he and Draco were planning on doing for it. She was incredibly supportive and swore herself to secrecy about Harry and Draco having a part in it. Both of them had pasts and reputations that would utterly destroy them if word ever got into the public’s hands in the wizarding world.
When the conversation changed, it was when Hermione asked Harry if he was going to start dating anyone or if he was still happy being single.
“Well, actually...I’ve started talking to Neville again. He’s really sweet-I planned on asking him if he wanted to give it a go. I figured it couldn’t hurt, at any rate. The worst that happens is he says no and we continue being friends.”
“Oh, but that’s wonderful to hear! I do hope he decides to give it a try with you, I’ve heard from Luna that he’s quite lonely in his personal life.”
“You still talk to Luna?” They’d had a falling out a few months prior when Luna had told Hermione she’d have beautiful children with blonde hair in the future. Since neither Hermione’s nor Ron’s family had blonde hair genes, she dropped Luna like a tonne of bricks.
“Oh, I started talking to her again last week. I’m starting to think that every time that woman opens her mouth with something ridiculous she’s trying to tell us something so I let it go.” Hermione didn’t exactly look happy and Harry gave her a shrewd look.
“Alright, tell me the truth now.” With that, Hermione burst into tears.
“Oh, it’s been awful! I-I don’t think Ron is staying late at work for paperwork. It was never an issue before-I mean, when he was promoted for field work he never had to stay this late! And on top of that, sometimes when he comes home he’s in street clothes instead of his uniform and that’s just not normal.” Harry’s eyes narrowed as his suspicions grew. He’d never imagined Ron to be capable of hurting Hermione in such a way, but the more he thought about it the more he realized that Ron-while a good man-was a selfish being and often didn’t think before he acted. Consequences meant little until after the fact to him. It made Harry worry that their trio might finally be at its breaking point.
While Hermione was sobbing into Harry’s shoulder, the floo flared to life and Ron walked through the green flames only to stop in his tracks at finding Harry holding his sobbing girlfriend.
Harry couldn’t help but notice that Ron wasn’t in his auror robes.