Warning Signs

Things with Hermione were going too well. I knew if the Ministry found out we were dating they would be furious, but Hermione and I were doing a good job of keeping it between us. Thank Merlin because if anyone important got wind of it, I would most certainly be unemployed.

Finding time to spend alone with Hermione was the difficult part. She had asked Harry to borrow the Marauder’s Map and his father’s old Invisibility Cloak so that we could meet outside of the Ravenclaw Common Room and head to the Room of Requirements on the second floor without being caught by teacher’s and prefects patrolling the halls.

I yearned to tell Hermione the truth and that underneath this mask I was Nymphadora Tonks, but I knew I couldn’t. Doing so would jeopardize my mission, though I was doing a great job of doing that already by being romantically involved with her. I felt like I was lying to her and in many ways I was.

The Room of Requirements always looked the same: inside was a plush bedroom with luxurious furniture and a blazing fire inside of a beautifully crafted fireplace. The king-sized bed against the furthest wall was what was used most.

Hermione lie underneath me as we passionately kissed, tongues intertwining and battling within one another’s mouths. My hands roamed her shoulders and arms, occasionally brushing against the side of her breasts on ‘accident’. How I yearned to touch them, but I didn’t want to rush things.

She mewled against my mouth when my hand once again rubbed against the side of her breast and this time I kept my hand there, cupping her breast over her button-up shirt. She gasped and curled her fingers in my hair, as I brushed my thumb over the hardened nipple underneath.

I pulled back from our kiss, staring into her eyes. “Is this too fast?” I asked, my hand ceasing its sensual movements.

She bit her lip, searching my eyes. “It feels good,” she said, arching her back into my hand as I resumed stroking. After a moments more of this she said, “Don’t stop, Shane…” and grabbed hold of my loosened tie, pulling my head down for another heated kiss.

When we broke apart, I was breathless. The familiar stirring between my legs was beginning to overwhelm me and I knew if we didn’t stop now I’d never be able to. Best to quit while I was ahead.

My hand left her breast and touched her cheek as I softly kissed her on the lips. “We should go to sleep.”

She placed her hand over mine with a sigh. “You don’t want to make love to me?”
I blinked, staring deep into her eyes. “Of course I do. I’ve wanted to love you ever since we first met that day on the train. But, I think it’s a little fast. We’ve just started dating, we should take it slow,” I said, feeling like I was being a bit harsh, but knowing it was best. And of course there was that voice in the back of my head telling me we were still too young for one another.

To my relief Hermione smiled and her expression softened. “You’re so sweet, Shane, and absolutely right. I don’t want to end up doing something we are going to regret the morning after.”

I nodded. “I don’t think I would, but I don’t want to take the risk. You may feel ready physically, but mentally you need to think long and hard about what we’re about to do. It’s a bigger decision than most people think.”

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, regarding me curiously behind her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. “Have you… Before?” she asked.

How was I supposed to answer that question? In this body I was a sixteen-year-old and in my real body I was twenty-four years old. There was a big age and time difference there, but I didn’t want to lie. “Yes, I have.”

Hermione’s cheeks flushed and I shifted nervously on top of her. A long silence settled between us as I rested my head comfortably in her neck. She ran her fingers through my hair as I wished silently that I hadn’t spoken the truth. It’s not like it made any difference, I was lying to her whether I wanted to or not and that’s what hurt me the most.

Hermione lifted my face and stared into my eyes. “You don’t have to be ashamed.”

I smiled. “I’m not, I just… I wish that you could be my first.”

She grinned, pecking my lips gently. “Let’s just pretend that I am then…” She whispered, kissing me hard on the lips.

I lost track of time, as I often did when lost in Hermione’s passionate kisses and the warmth of her tender embrace. When it became too late, we reluctantly departed and I fell asleep to the sound and feel of her heart beating against my ear.