May 26th: Hermione's Education
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hp_may_madnessTitle: May 26th: Hermione's Education
Characters or Pairing: Hermione, Tracey, (Harry/Daphne/Astoria)
Word Count: 1044
Rating: PG-13
Challenge: Day 26: Share
Hermione splashed some water on her face and stared at her reflection in the guest bathroom at the Potter household, trying to talk herself into being more sociable. Harry was her best friend in the world, and she needed to learn how to get over her own beliefs so she could be more supportive.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so awkward around the boy who had been her best friend since she was twelve years old. Maybe sometime over their year on the run, probably during that dark period after Ron had left and it was just the two of them crammed into that tent? She wasn't used to her conversations with Harry being so stilted, not anymore, not after the war ended and he became more comfortable in his own skin.
Well, more accurately, after Daphne helped him become more comfortable in his own skin. But it turned out that it wasn't JUST Daphne that her best friend was sharing his life with these days, and that was the source of the current awkwardness.
It had been a huge shock two nights earlier when Harry told her and Ron about Astoria's place in his and Daphne's lives. Ron was surprised, of course, but he seemed to adjust to it quickly enough. By the end of the night he was actually joking with Harry about how lucky he was to be with two beautiful witches, and Harry joked right back with him. It hadn't been as easy for Hermione to wrap her head around. The old bossy Hermione from Hogwarts probably would've given him an immediate scolding, but she wasn't that person anymore. She continued to chat with Harry as normally as she could for the rest of the night, but it had been strange. He'd obviously noticed her behavior, but he thankfully hadn't pressed her on it.
Now that she and Ron knew everything, Daphne had invited them over for a dinner party. Tracey Davis was also there; apparently she'd known for months. Part of Hermione wanted to be offended about that, but comparing her unease with Tracey's obvious comfort around the threesome, she couldn't exactly fault Harry for waiting to tell her.
She took a deep breath to compose herself, then opened the bathroom door and prepared to rejoin the party. But she found her path impeded by Tracey.
"Oh!" she said. "Sorry, were you waiting to use the restroom?"
"Nope, I'm okay," Tracey said, shaking her head. "The question is, are YOU okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Apparently Daphne is worried about how you'll take all of this," Tracey said. "So I've been watching you during dinner, and it's obvious you're acting weird. It's even obvious to me, and we've hardly ever spoken, so I'm sure Harry is very aware of it."
"Is it that bad?" Now she was worried. The last thing she wanted was to offend Harry or his wife, or their...girlfriend? Lover? Mistress? Whatever the term, she didn't want to offend her either.
"No, not bad," Tracey assured her. "You haven't been rude or anything like that, but it's easy to tell you're uncomfortable."
"I'm trying, it's just...strange," Hermione said. "I wish I could be as supportive about all of this as you obviously have been."
"Hey, you've only had two days to get used to it." Tracey gave her a smile. "I've known about it for months, and I've known about Daphne's kinky side for years, so I'm never surprised by anything she does anymore. Sounds like it was different for you and Harry, so all of this has to be a huge shock for you. And you're a Muggleborn besides, and I know that Muggles are stricter about this kind of thing than we are, so you've got that to deal with too. Just give it time, and I'm sure you'll get there."
"You really think so?" Hermione didn't know Tracey very well, but she found herself desperately hoping the Slytherin was right.
"Definitely," Tracey said. She gave Hermione a pat on the back and started leading her back to the party. "You've stood by Harry through, hell, how many life-or-death situations now?"
"I lost count years ago," Hermione admitted. Tracey laughed as if Hermione had cracked a joke, but she was dead serious.
"After all that, there's no way your friendship isn't strong enough to handle this." Tracey sounded very confident, and Hermione felt it rubbing off on her and making her feel optimistic that all of this would work out in the end.
Hermione watched Harry, Daphne and Astoria closely the rest of the night. She saw how relaxed and at peace her best friend was. A lot of that was Daphne's work, but there was something different now, something subtle. She couldn't put a defined label on it like her analytical mind would have liked, but he just seemed more, what? Complete? Was that the right word? There was just something there, something that hadn't been there before Astoria.
It was obvious that the close relationship between Harry and his wife hadn't suffered in the least with the addition of a third party, and she also couldn't detect a trace of jealousy from Daphne when her husband had his attention on her sister. The sisters had no problem being affectionate with each other either. That did weird Hermione out somewhat, but it wasn't like they were humping at the table or anything. If she hadn't known they were lovers, she might have interpreted it as normal familial affection.
She didn't know if she would ever fully be comfortable with the incestuous aspect of this, but her main focus was on Harry. The concept of polygamy had always been so foreign to her. She couldn't imagine having more than one lover, to say nothing of sharing her spouse with someone else. Hermione would never be able to handle it.
But as she watched Harry interact with his wife and girlfriend, she could see that things seemed to be going well. She'd never be able to make it work were she in his position, but if Harry was able to do it and it made him happy, all she could do was be there to support him just like she'd always been.
Characters or Pairing: Hermione, Tracey, (Harry/Daphne/Astoria)
Word Count: 1044
Rating: PG-13
Challenge: Day 26: Share
Hermione splashed some water on her face and stared at her reflection in the guest bathroom at the Potter household, trying to talk herself into being more sociable. Harry was her best friend in the world, and she needed to learn how to get over her own beliefs so she could be more supportive.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so awkward around the boy who had been her best friend since she was twelve years old. Maybe sometime over their year on the run, probably during that dark period after Ron had left and it was just the two of them crammed into that tent? She wasn't used to her conversations with Harry being so stilted, not anymore, not after the war ended and he became more comfortable in his own skin.
Well, more accurately, after Daphne helped him become more comfortable in his own skin. But it turned out that it wasn't JUST Daphne that her best friend was sharing his life with these days, and that was the source of the current awkwardness.
It had been a huge shock two nights earlier when Harry told her and Ron about Astoria's place in his and Daphne's lives. Ron was surprised, of course, but he seemed to adjust to it quickly enough. By the end of the night he was actually joking with Harry about how lucky he was to be with two beautiful witches, and Harry joked right back with him. It hadn't been as easy for Hermione to wrap her head around. The old bossy Hermione from Hogwarts probably would've given him an immediate scolding, but she wasn't that person anymore. She continued to chat with Harry as normally as she could for the rest of the night, but it had been strange. He'd obviously noticed her behavior, but he thankfully hadn't pressed her on it.
Now that she and Ron knew everything, Daphne had invited them over for a dinner party. Tracey Davis was also there; apparently she'd known for months. Part of Hermione wanted to be offended about that, but comparing her unease with Tracey's obvious comfort around the threesome, she couldn't exactly fault Harry for waiting to tell her.
She took a deep breath to compose herself, then opened the bathroom door and prepared to rejoin the party. But she found her path impeded by Tracey.
"Oh!" she said. "Sorry, were you waiting to use the restroom?"
"Nope, I'm okay," Tracey said, shaking her head. "The question is, are YOU okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Apparently Daphne is worried about how you'll take all of this," Tracey said. "So I've been watching you during dinner, and it's obvious you're acting weird. It's even obvious to me, and we've hardly ever spoken, so I'm sure Harry is very aware of it."
"Is it that bad?" Now she was worried. The last thing she wanted was to offend Harry or his wife, or their...girlfriend? Lover? Mistress? Whatever the term, she didn't want to offend her either.
"No, not bad," Tracey assured her. "You haven't been rude or anything like that, but it's easy to tell you're uncomfortable."
"I'm trying, it's just...strange," Hermione said. "I wish I could be as supportive about all of this as you obviously have been."
"Hey, you've only had two days to get used to it." Tracey gave her a smile. "I've known about it for months, and I've known about Daphne's kinky side for years, so I'm never surprised by anything she does anymore. Sounds like it was different for you and Harry, so all of this has to be a huge shock for you. And you're a Muggleborn besides, and I know that Muggles are stricter about this kind of thing than we are, so you've got that to deal with too. Just give it time, and I'm sure you'll get there."
"You really think so?" Hermione didn't know Tracey very well, but she found herself desperately hoping the Slytherin was right.
"Definitely," Tracey said. She gave Hermione a pat on the back and started leading her back to the party. "You've stood by Harry through, hell, how many life-or-death situations now?"
"I lost count years ago," Hermione admitted. Tracey laughed as if Hermione had cracked a joke, but she was dead serious.
"After all that, there's no way your friendship isn't strong enough to handle this." Tracey sounded very confident, and Hermione felt it rubbing off on her and making her feel optimistic that all of this would work out in the end.
Hermione watched Harry, Daphne and Astoria closely the rest of the night. She saw how relaxed and at peace her best friend was. A lot of that was Daphne's work, but there was something different now, something subtle. She couldn't put a defined label on it like her analytical mind would have liked, but he just seemed more, what? Complete? Was that the right word? There was just something there, something that hadn't been there before Astoria.
It was obvious that the close relationship between Harry and his wife hadn't suffered in the least with the addition of a third party, and she also couldn't detect a trace of jealousy from Daphne when her husband had his attention on her sister. The sisters had no problem being affectionate with each other either. That did weird Hermione out somewhat, but it wasn't like they were humping at the table or anything. If she hadn't known they were lovers, she might have interpreted it as normal familial affection.
She didn't know if she would ever fully be comfortable with the incestuous aspect of this, but her main focus was on Harry. The concept of polygamy had always been so foreign to her. She couldn't imagine having more than one lover, to say nothing of sharing her spouse with someone else. Hermione would never be able to handle it.
But as she watched Harry interact with his wife and girlfriend, she could see that things seemed to be going well. She'd never be able to make it work were she in his position, but if Harry was able to do it and it made him happy, all she could do was be there to support him just like she'd always been.