Lord of the Land

Chapter 20

Harry poured the tea into the teacups.
Hermione sat down just noticing how tired she was.

Her hands and clothes were dirty from picking fruit all day, but all she wanted was to sit and relax.

Harry gave her a hot cloth to clean her hands and face.
It was refreshing wiping away the dirt. She slid off her shoes and stretched sitting in the chair.

Harry was looking her over,
“Hermione, I want you to take it easy. You’re working too hard.”

“Oh, I’m just little tired, that’s all,” Hermione said.

“I bet you’ve been up on your feet all day,” Harry said.

Hermione sat up and arched her back to stretch out her spine; her arms reaching out above her head, elbows bending, her hands falling behind her head, landing on her neck.

Her hand rubbing her neck for a moment as her head tilted to one side.

Hermione’s fingers slid down her neck to her collarbone, slowly running down her exposed bare skin and then across the soft material of her dress, over her soft round curves.

She watched Harry with half close lids.

He had an uncertain expression on his face as watched Hermione's hands glided over her body. His eyes showed his desire growing for her.

She drank down more tea and bit into a biscuit to ease her hunger pang.

“You’ve harvested all your crops I gather?” Harry asked.
“Yes. Everything’s picked. But now I have to pickle or preserve .. dry things out, so I can store them for the winter and next spring. But I’ll start that tomorrow.”

“Can you get help?” Harry posed.

“Yes a few of the women want to get together and trade recipes.” Hermione replied.

She thought about the kiss he had given her as she looked at her teacup.
“Harry?“

“Yes?” He said looking at her.

“Why did you kiss me in front of all those people?” she asked.

“Well, let’s see“ he paused for a moment, “I claimed you on your wedding night and bought you on the auction block. I think the villagers know I desire your company. And after your display, I’m pretty sure they figured out, you desire mine. Draco has to know as well, the way he’s been watching you.” Harry paused and peeked at Hermione with an awkward expression.

“Viktor can’t wait to see you at the match. He’s awestruck of you.”

“Will you sit with me at the match?” she asked leaning towards him.

“I don’t know if I’m going.” Harry admitted.

“Do you still desire my company my lord?” she asked in a soft, teasing, seductive tone.

Harry’s eyes widened as he stood up. He took a sharp breath, in and out quickly.
He stepped towards Hermione and exhaled
“Yes,” as his mouth caught hers as she rose from her chair.

Harry’s hands explored Hermione’s form and then suddenly broke the kiss.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” Harry commented.

“Why not?” Hermione posed.

“You keep having fits. I want to know why. I want to know what’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong. Between the potions, the heat and this little one here,” she rubbed her belly, “it’s a bit much. Add on I happen to live with that disgusting family.” Hermione explained.

“It happens every time we make love,” Harry pointed out.
He continued looking into her eyes,
“Is it something I’m doing? I’m I hurting you?”

Hermione smiled and shook her head,
“No. You’re not doing anything wrong. I’m sure it will pass. It’s one of those pregnancy things no one talks about.”

Hermione reached up and drew his lips down to hers. Her hands moved to his trousers, caressing his bulge.
Harry broke the kiss reluctantly, and groaned,
“Hermione. No. Your fits bloody scare me. What if you have another and stop breathing?” Pulling Hermione’s hands off his neck, he shook his head.

“I promise, I won’t,” she said wrapping her arms around his neck again playfully.
Pulling her arms off of him again and pushing her away to arms length, “Hermione I’m serious.”

Hermione felt disappointed, ‘he doesn’t want to make love ‘ she thought.
“Fine!” she said and folded her arms in frustration.

Harry turned to sit down again.

She had a thought that might entice him.
Hermione gathered her skirt from the bottom and pulled down her knickers. They fell to the floor, but Harry hadn’t noticed.

She stepped out of them and squatting down, picked them up and preceded to sit down in her chair, saying
“Just as well, I need to take a bath and I think I scratched my thigh,” slowly raising her skirt, up to her knee.

Harry looked at her leg and his eyes went to the hem of her skirt
Hermione slowly lifted her skirts.
Concerned, Harry knelt down to get a better look at the so-called scratch on her thigh.

Slowly, with one hand, she raised the fabric of her skirts.
With the other hand, she unlaced her top, exposing a bit more of her cleavage.

She pulled up her skirt all the way to her waist and opened her legs a bit wider,
“There. See the scratch now?” She said leaning back in the chair.

“You wicked little thing you. Yeah, I see your scratch.” Harry said sliding his hand up her thigh, “I guess, I’m your scratching post.”

“Well I could scratch myself.” Hermione teased.
Harry laughed with a light in his eyes.

Hermione leaned over face to face and looked into Harry’s eyes and said with a tremor in her voice,
“I want you Harry.” Tears welling in her eyes as she said it.

His eyes glimpsed into hers and without a word he nodded.

His lips took hers as if they were wonderful piece of fruit. Harry pulled Hermione off of the chair and down on top of him, lying back on the floor.
Hermione shed her clothes as did Harry. They kissed and caressed each other. Harry rolled Hermione onto her back.

Hermione felt his erection and weight on her belly and it didn’t feel right. She pushed him off of her and broke the kiss.
Harry hovered over her with a puzzled look in his face,
“What‘s wrong?”

“My belly is too big, it’s not comfortable having you on top,” Hermione explained.

“Then you be on top,” and he gently pulled her on top of him.

Hermione mounted him slowly taking his cock inside her.
Harry moaned and Hermione panted a sigh of relief.
She felt him inside her. He filled that space so well.
Hermione could feel the baby moving.
Her hips moved in circles… slowly gyrating.

Hermione closed her eyes as her head fell back, holding on to Harry’s hands. He kissed one of her palms sending a wonderful wave through her body. Harry kissed her other palm and she felt herself climaxing as Harry’s hips thrust upwards to impale her.

Once again, in her mind’s eye she was riding a horse, galloping away into darkness, up into the heavens toward the stars. She felt cold and then hot.
Her eyes burned and watered as she gazed into an enormous orange-gold sun in the black heaven. Hermione galloped towards it, moving faster and faster, her legs and belly becoming part of the horse. She leaned forward, urging the horse to go faster. She started melting into the beast until she became the animal itself.

Hermione heard her name being called out aloud. She saw the sun explode, as she opened her eyes.

Harry bucked her into the air as he was exploding inside Hermione, still holding onto her hands he said aloud,
“Hermione. Oh God.” Harry puffed out.
“God your heavenly, Hermione.”

His hips still thrusting her up a bit, then pulling her down to him,
“Are you alright? I thought I lost you for a moment.”

She panted out,
“I’m fine.” letting go of his hands she put them on his chest resting her forehead on his collarbone.

“Hermione did you see anything this time? Like before?”

She lifted her head up and rested her cheek on her hands.
“No I didn’t see anything this time but …some have come true,” she said nervously.

“Like what?” Harry asked, running his fingers through her hair.

“Being on the auction block and my finger getting injured when the jeweler was trying to cut the ring off, I saw that,” Hermione said.

“Do you remember anything else?”

“Yes….hands grabbing at me….. seeing myself in the mirror and seeing my body diseased and “she took a deep breath and looked at Harry and sat up. Tears formed in her eyes and she began to shake,
“I saw you,” she said. Taking in another deep breath,
“Hanging. A noose around your neck. You’re hanging in the square.”

Tears ran down her face and Harry sat up. He looked nervous asking,
“Do you have any idea why?” Wiping away her tears.

“No. I don’t.”

“Do you think there’ll be another plague?”

“I don’t know,” Hermione replied shaking her head.

“Do you remember why they were grabbing at you? Were they helping you up? Were you climbing stairs?”

“I don’t know, it all goes by too fast to see any details,” she explained putting her forehead back down on his neck.
Harry wrapped his arms around her.

“Do you have an inkling of when you’re going to have these visions do you hear something, do you get dizzy or feel sick …anything?” He asked.

“No it just happens. There’s no warning,” Hermione answered.

“Maybe next time we make love you’ll allow me to do a Legilimens charm on you so I can see it too?” Harry purposed.

“Maybe, we’ll see how I feel.” Hermione replied.
She didn’t want to say no but she wasn’t sure if she wanted Harry to have access to all her thoughts.

The sunlight on the kitchen wall was getting orange as the sun was setting.
“Harry, the sun is setting, I have to go soon. Draco will be back from quidditch practice soon,” she got up on her feet. “He’s been drinking with his mates a lot lately. The grey liquor makes him mad. He’s worse when he drinks it, he put me up for auction that day because he was drunk on it.”

“Try to stay away from him.” Harry warned her

“You don’t have to tell me that.” she commented.

Hermione’s carriage was waiting on her, so she quickly got dressed and kissed Harry goodbye.

When she got to the estate Draco and his teammates were terrorizing the servants, both men and women.

The maids were hiding in Hermione’s bathroom, in her closet and in the secret passages and they stayed there all night.
Hermione put a strong charm on all the doors of her rooms so no one could get in.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The women from the surrounding farms were at the door the next morning with baskets of apples, pears and assorted berries.

They made jams and sauces. Dried out the fruit for the holiday pies and cakes. It took a few days to do all the fruits and two more to preserve and pickle the vegetables.

The women traded recipes and foods.
The upcoming tribute discussion was traveling around.
Everyone had to bring something to the tribute but because of the drought many were going to bring what ever they could give.

Hermione admitted she going to bring a jar or two of jam and perhaps some carrots, spinach and a bag of oats.

A few of the woman looked at Hermione and said,
“All the food we have we got from you. That may see us through the winter months, but what shall we give his Lordship?”

Hermione thought for a moment.
“There are rabbits in the woods and fowl. Surely your husbands or sons can catch them?” She remarked to the group of women.
“That’s a great idea. We’ve always just given some crops, but that’s a wonderful idea.” the women agreed looking relieved.

Hermione felt relieved too. She was sure the women would share the idea with others and everyone could bring something to the tribute.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hermione was in the library late that night looking up what other wild game was in the area. There were pheasant, geese, grouse duck and partridge that would be easier to catch and keep alive until the tribute. Deer would be harder to catch and kill.

Hermione was making her way to her bedroom when she heard something banging. She looked down to the other end of the hallway and saw Posy leaning over a table half naked having sex with one of Draco’s drunken teammates.

She backed away quickly not wanting to see any more.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hermione went back to the farm the next day to reorganize her goods. She brought up the oldest ones into the kitchen cupboards and put the newer ones in the cellars.
She then made a new cellar for the cheese next to the barn where it would be shaded.
That afternoon her neighbor brought over the cheese they had made out of the milk from Hermoine’s cows.
Hermione told her neighbor about the other wild game in the area and suggested that she tell the other villagers.


Later that afternoon Hermione went back to her husband’s estate.

She was in the library reading when Draco came in yelling,
“What happen to the farm? Where are the crops? The wheat, the fruit, and the vegetables? Where are they?”

Pushing Hermione to the wall, pinning her there.

“I harvested them days ago. If I had harvested next week there’d be nothing left to them. Everything was drying up.” Hermione admitted.

“You harvested the whole farm?” He yelled.

“Yes.” She declared.

“Where is all of it?” He barked.

“I put it in the cellars, the barn and the green house. Where else would I put it?” Trying to reason with him.

“All of it?” he asked loudly.

“Well I let the farm hands have some. I didn’t have any gold to pay them with and most of their own crops failed as mine were about to,” She argued.

“You gave the crops away. Stupid girl. You still had the best harvest around. I could have made a fortune,” he said talking through his teeth pushing her harder against the wall.

“Draco no one has any gold or silver. People are just trading things now. It wouldn’t have brought much money.” Hermione explained.

“No. But they would be in debt to me, I‘d have more serfs or new girls working for me in the brothel.”

“You, low life, slithering snake; Draco, I’m glad gave the harvest away.”

“Fine, if you going to help the inferior peasants then you will be treated like one.” Draco hissed.

Draco dragged Hermione down to the kitchen.
“Here cook dinner by yourself. Oh, yes, we are having guests tonight. Some of the Quidditch team and Posy’s mother is coming too, so there will be thirteen to cook for,” he snarled at her.


She looked around the kitchen and all the kitchen staff had disappeared.
Hermione pulled down several chickens, cut off their heads, plucked their feathers, cleaned them out, and put them on a spit.

She peeled and cut up potatoes, carrots and snapped the ends off the green beans.

She quickly made rolls and sweetened the butter with honey.

She set out the food at six o’clock and returned to the kitchen to eat her own dinner.

Hours went by so she looked into the dinning room.
It was empty.
She cleared the table of the dirty dishes and floated the dishes back to the kitchen.

Hermione heard a noise in the hallway and looked to see who it was.

She saw Lucius Malfoy with a woman, who had very blonde hair and light blue eyes talking softly on the stairwell.

The woman was on the step above him, making her a bit taller.

The two kissed ‘good night’ ending the conversation, but Lucius moaned and pulled the woman closer. The next moment they were in a passionate kiss.

Hermione slipped back into kitchen.
She waved her wand. The dishes got washed, dried and put away.