Captivate and Mesmerize

Mesmerize; Part 2.9

Harry and Hermione made love to each other twice more before they finally stopped. It was like they couldn't get enough of each other. They were utterly insatiable for this new feeling of closeness and intimacy. They only stopped when they realized it was late afternoon and they haven't eaten anything yet. Their plans to go out for Hermione's birthday were, suffice to say, cancelled. They ordered pizza (a perk of living in a Muggle community) and chatted over their food as they ate on her kitchen island. Hermione was dressed in Harry's green shirt since her camisole was lost somewhere in the living room. Harry threw his jeans back on (since he did need to answer the door for the pizza) but left the closures undone.

As Hermione took a bite of the pepperoni and mushroom pizza, she eyed Harry who was rummaging through her kitchen cupboards looking for hot sauce. She didn't hear his question since she was so captivated by the striations of his back muscles as he opened and closed the shelves above the kitchen counters. She also noticed a tattoo she had never seen even when they were in bed.

Behind his right shoulder was another tattoo, this one more simple than the rest on his body. It had no shading, just lines and curves. It looked almost like a sparkline or a line graph, most of it just one clean line rising, dropping, or levelling as it spanned his shoulder. Hermione didn't need to look long to decipher what it was. The three small vertical lines with circles above them in the illustration were telling. It was an outline of Hogwarts complete with the three Quidditch hoops.

"Hermione," Harry said again, pulling her out of her reverie. "Did you hear what I asked?"

She blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry, no. Did you need anything, Harry?"

He smiled at her and shook his head. "Nevermind," he said. He approached her and sat on the stool next to her. He placed his hand on her knee and took a bite of the pizza slice she was eating. "You seem distracted," he said.

She gave a small smile. "I just couldn't believe I missed seeing the tattoo on your right shoulder. It's Hogwarts, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yes it is. And don't worry, you were distracted then too."

Red spread across the skin of her cheeks and down her neck as she blushed. Harry finished eating the pizza she was holding onto and closed the pizza box. He moved it to the counter. He enveloped Hermione's waist with his arms and hoisted her above the marble island.

He grinned. "I think I want my dessert now, please."

Harry proceeded to make Hermione his.

-~-~-~-

After their kitchen tryst, Harry and Hermione retreated to the living room. They sat side-by-side on the sofa, their feet propped on top of the coffee table, and with Hermione's head on his shoulder. This time, they just talked.

Hermione told Harry when and how she realized she loved him. She recounted the night of hers and Lukas' break-up which was something she hadn't told him before. He was so angry at Lukas for how he broke up with her but Hermione assured him it was all fine. It was her ex's words which triggered the questioning in her head. What was it that she really wanted? She told Harry that the answer to the question came to her after she woke up from being cursed. She told him that as she saw his sleeping form when he kept her company throughout the night did the answer materialize in her head. It was him all along. It was he whom she wanted and loved so much. And Hermione told him that this realization of hers didn't really shock her either. She had always loved him.

She was squeezed into a one-armed embrace as Harry told his tale of how he realized he loved her. The Incident was the catalyst, for it was what knocked him to his senses that he couldn't live without her. But like her, he said that it didn't surprise him either. He had always loved her, he was just too thick to know it until she was almost wrenched from his life.

"Oh Harry," Hermione whispered and tears pooled at the corner of her eyes.

"Hey now, don't cry," Harry said, turning to her to brush away the tears which spilled. "I love you and you love me. This isn't a crying matter Hermione."

She snorted through her tears and swatted his arm. "They're happy tears, you bugger."

He winked at her. "I know. I'm happy too."

He lifted her onto his lap and wound his arms around her waist. Softly and sweetly he kissed her lips. She sighed against his mouth and melted into his touch. Her hands grabbed hold of his face as she kept his head levelled with hers.

They looked at each other, emerald eyes meeting her chocolate orbs. There was so much love, so much passion, so much joy and happiness in them. No words needed to be said but they couldn't help it. Saying those words felt so freeing.

"I love you, Harry," Hermione said softly. Her eyes were tender as she stroked his cheek.

Harry smiled. "I love you too," he said. His head moved closer to hers so their lips were just a whisper apart. "And I will never stop."

He kissed her and sealed his promise.