Endurance

~ Endurance ~

Harry was frustrated. It had been one week...a full week!...since the lubricant incident. One whole week of wanting Ron so badly that it physically hurt, yet being unable to satisfy those animalistic urges. Right now, he was feeling very animalistic: sexually frustrated and quite angry about it, to make an understatement. Unfortunately, Ron picked that particular moment to enter the room and become the target of Harry's anger.

"Don't even look at me," he grumbled as Ron opened the refrigerator and took out a butterbeer.

Ron's eyebrows shot up into his fringe.

"Me? I shouldn't look at you?" Ron shot back. "Only every time I look at you, all I can imagine is your mouth around my..."

"Shut up!" Harry screamed. "Don't say it; don't even think it! I can't take this any longer! It's been an entire week, and we've not been able to do anything about it!"

"Don't yell at me! If you haven't noticed, this is as much my problem as it is yours!"

They faced each other down, eyes blazing, Ron's face as red as his hair. With an exasperated huff, Harry broke eye contact, rubbing his face with both hands.

"We have to do something about this," he muttered, "before we kill each other."

"I told you four days ago, just go to Hermione and find out what it will take to break this spell ... or whatever the hell it is," Ron said, forcefully shoving all his pent up anger deep down where it manifested itself in a nervously tapping foot.

"That's the thing. Why should I go to her with my tail between my legs like a chastened animal? Is that what I've become? No way. I will not grovel at her feet. I should go to the Ministry and report this; that's what I should do!" Harry's temper was kicking up a notch.

Ron put his hand on Harry's arm only to have Harry jerk his arm away. Dejected, Ron stepped back and stuck both hands in his pockets as if to remind himself not to touch Harry.

"If you go to the Ministry, she'll report the kidnapping, and we'll be arrested. I, for one, would rather grovel at her feet than spend time in Azkaban." Ron sneered.

"Oh, but didn't you hear? Azkaban's so lovely this time of year. The reds and golds of the lichen on the wall are supposed to be breathtaking."

Harry stopped and stared at Ron. It was the first attempt either of them had made at humor in the past week, and although it was rather lame, it did break the ice between the two and forced a chuckle out of both.

"You didn't tell anyone, did you?" Harry asked. "I mean, perhaps we can just wait this whole thing out without giving her the satisfaction."

"Well, I lost my temper at Ginny yesterday, so unless she guesses from that, then no, I haven't told anyone," Ron answered and then, as if realizing exactly what 'telling someone' entailed, added quickly, "Are you nutters? Why would I tell anyone that I am randy as hell but my equipment won't function?"

"Don't worry, mate. I haven't said anything either." They sighed simultaneously in relief. "Like I said, maybe we can wait this thing out...." Harry trailed off. "I mean, how long can this go on for anyway?"

"With Hermione, you never know," Ron answered matter-of-factly. They looked at each other, horrified.

"True... but remember S.P.E.W.? If she fought that hard for the rights of a house-elf, do you really think she wouldn't take pity on a couple of friends?"

"Ex-friends," Ron reminded him. "Anyway, maybe we could make her come to us."

Harry was instantly interested. "Really? How?"

"We go on pretending like nothing is wrong. We've had dry spells before. We can do it. I'm pretty sure Ginny is telling Hermione everything.... Remind me to make Ginny pay for this later, by the way." Harry nodded as Ron continued. "Anyway, if it looks as though the lotion didn't work, Hermione will need to find out for herself. You know how she is."

"You're brilliant, Ron Weasley. Brilliant! We get Hermione to come to us. In the meantime, I know a doctor who can prescribe something to take off the edge. It would be much easier to live around each other if we weren't constantly wanting each other."

"How about we do that now? I sort of like talking instead of arguing, but I can't promise to keep my temper in check if I keep feeling like this," Ron admitted.

"I'm ready to leave if you are," Harry replied.

The owl tapped its beak on the window to Severus and Hermione's quarters. When Hermione opened the window, a giant ball of brown feathers came tumbling through and landed unceremoniously on the floor, feet up.

"Errol? She's still using that ruddy bird?" Hermione laughed and picked off the parchment before setting the old bird upright. It teetered and began preening its feathers.

Hermione opened the letter.

Hermione,

Remember how I told you last week that Ron seemed to be a little unstable lately, especially since he blew up at me over dinner when I asked him to pass the salt? (Okay, I'll admit now that it was about the tenth thing I asked him to pass me; I felt like baiting him a little. Haha.) Well, Ron and Harry have asked me over to dinner on Friday, which means I'll be at your their flat and have an opportunity to witness them together. For sure, I'll know whether or not they used that lotion of yours. There's no way they could hold out for two weeks and not be at each other's throats. I'll send you an update as soon as I get home from dinner on Friday.

Ginny

P.S. Sorry for sending Errol. The Avian Healer told me he needed to get some exercise, but suggested I only let him out during the day as his eyesight apparently is not so good. (No kidding.) Perhaps I'll send my next message by Floo, if that's all right.

Hermione folded the letter and smiled. In two days, she would know for sure.

It had taken two hours for Ginny to pick out a dress her brother would hate. It folded across her front and tied at her side, making the neckline plunge dangerously into her cleavage. And, it was bright red. Surprisingly, it didn't clash with her hair. She had been with Hermione in London, shopping for Muggle clothes, when she saw this dress and had fallen in love with it after the quite cute but obviously flaming salesboy had told her how beautifully it went with her orange-red hair. It put a dent in her pocketbook, but it looked as though she was about to get her money's worth.

Ginny Apparated to the front door of Ron and Harry's flat and paused to mentally prepare herself for the evening. Coming to terms with her brother and Harry as a couple was proving to be a little difficult. Not that she had a problem with her brother liking men, but seeing Harry in that light...well, before this happened, she would have bet her life savings that Harry was a staunch heterosexual.

After taking a few deep breaths and making sure that her dress showed all that it was supposed to show, Ginny raised her hand to knock. That's when she heard their muffled voices through the door.

"Come on. Ginny's going to be here any second, Harry. You took your pill, right?"

"I did, but I don't think it's working."

"Yeah. Mine neither. Think we can pull this off?"

"We have to."

"Just think of it this way, at least we'll get through this without the embarrassment of an obvious erection."

"Yeah, there's that."

Ginny stifled a giggle with her hand. This was going to be the most fun she had in a long, long while.

When Hermione laughed the third time, Severus had to say something. She had been reading the most amusing piece of parchment for the past five minutes, and he was getting the feeling that she wanted to share.

"What's so funny?"

She looked up. "Oh. Oh, you've got to hear this. This is way too funny. Ginny, she had dinner with Harry and Ron last night. This is her report on what happened."

"I'm on tenterhooks."

"Okay. Let's see. 'Dear Hermione ... Hope you're doing okay ... Say 'hi' to Severus ...' Okay, here's where it starts. She says, 'I had to wear that dress I bought when I was with you in London. You know how it shows off my assets quite well.'" Severus rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Severus. Here, read it for yourself. Start ... here." She pointed as she handed over the parchment.

Anyway, when I got there, I heard Harry and Ron talking through the door. Let's just say that I knew before I even went inside that the lotion definitely worked. The minute I walked in, Ron saw my dress and glared. He said, "Does Mum know you bought that dress?" I told him that she in fact did and suggested that I wear it on my date with that Euan fellow...you know, that supplier at work I was telling you about, the one with the tight robes? Ron hates him, says any bloke who wears robes that tight is padding. I don't really have a date with Euan, but it's fun to tease Ron. Why else did I buy this dress?

All night, they acted as though everything was normal...well, more than normal because they were really laying it on thick. I mean, you should have seen them, sitting too close to each other, brushing hands together when they passed drinks or dishes. It was sickening, really. I had to keep reminding myself of my goal...which had changed from 'find out if the lotion worked' to 'torture Harry and Ron' since I already overheard that it had worked. I knew what they must be going through, and that they probably couldn't wait for dinner to be over and for me to leave, so I did what any good sister would do; I paid a nice long visit with my brother and his boyfriend. Really, I don't get to do that too often, and I really should pay more attention to my sisterly duties, don't you think?

Oh, you should have been there. By midnight they were looking quite desperate, but you know, I just didn't feel like I had a proper visit yet. I started talking about this guy who took me out last week, Gavin, and how good looking he was. I thought it would be a perfect topic, you know, to talk about Gavin's perfectly proportionate physical attributes. Then I mentioned how sweet and romantic he was, and I went into detail. Really, I think I should go out with him again, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to have my brother's opinion first. I got his opinion all right. Apparently, I can see 'whoever the bloody hell I want if I would just stop talking and go home.'

Here was Ron, all red in the face, and Harry with sweat trickling down his forehead, and I asked (innocently, of course) if anything was wrong. I think if I would have asked this earlier in the evening, I would have gotten a completely different answer. But Harry yelled, 'You're effing right something is wrong! Your dear friend Hermione dosed us with some kind of potion, and you are in on it!'

Really, you have no idea how hard it was not to laugh. So I said (still innocently, if you can believe it), 'What makes you think that?' All Harry could do was glare at me. Ron was the one who said, 'We used that lotion you keep in your nightstand, and now ... nothing works. You knew I would borrow the lotion. It just stands to reason that Hermione supplied it.'

I swear, I don't know how I kept a straight face. Actually, I was surprised that they were smart enough to figure it out, but I wasn't about to admit to anything. So I told him, 'Well, if it was in my drawer, it serves you right for not asking me if you could borrow it. As for if Hermione was involved, I guess you'll have to ask her.'

And then I decided I had tortured them long enough and that it was time to go home. Okay, well, I didn't go home. I mean, I was all dressed up and felt the need to...

Severus shoved the parchment back in Hermione's direction.

"I think that's enough. What Miss Weasley does in her personal time is her business."

Hermione chuckled. "Yes, well, that's quite entertaining too. Really, reading one of Ginny's letters is better than watching a sitcom on the telly."

Severus gave her a blank stare.

Hermione just shook her head and said, "Never mind."

"Harrrrrry," Ron whined.

"Shut up."

"Please, just go to Hermione. Maybe she has the antidote. At least she could tell you when this is going to wear off...if it's going to wear off!"

"You go."

"I tried. She refuses to talk to me, much less see me. And Ginny won't talk to her for me. Says she doesn't know anything and she doesn't want to get involved."

"Oh, that chit is involved, all right."

"Don't talk about my sister like that."

"Well, if you hadn't stolen that lotion from her flat, we wouldn't be in this predicament."

"And if you hadn't...uh, never mind."

"What?" Harry screamed. "Say it. Say that if I hadn't wanted to fuck one last time that night, Hermione would never have found out. Say that if we had never started this whole thing way back in fifth year, none of this would even have happened. Go ahead, say it! Sure, it's all true. So what? I couldn't stand living with her for one more minute anyway. Not when I wanted you!"

"So go to her."

"No. Forget it. Relationships aren't all about sex. It isn't important."

A tense, heavy silence filled the air.

"Bugger."

"So you'll go see her then?" Ron asked.

"I'll go tomorrow."

Ron sighed. "Good."

"I told you yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, that Hermione does not want to see you, Mister Potter." Severus glared, exhausted, at the man across from his office desk. "In fact, she isn't even in the castle today, so you are wasting your time."

"It seems like all I have is time, Professor. If you think you're tired of seeing me now, just think of how it's going to be when I come back tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that until Hermione finally does decide to see me."

Severus stared at Harry. He was no longer the boy who plagued his existence while at Hogwarts, but here he was threatening to be the man who continued to do the same. The last thing Severus wanted was for Harry Potter to keep showing up in his office every day until the damn potion wore off.

"What is it you want to know, Mister Potter?" Severus asked, defeated.

"I want to know when this potion is going to wear off. Certainly, you must have some idea."

Severus toyed with the idea of feigning innocence, but remembered then that Harry would be back tomorrow asking the same question, asking for Hermione.

He sighed. "Hermione wanted you to suffer as long as you made her suffer. I trust you can do the math, Mister Potter."

Both men stared each other down for seconds on end until finally Harry seemed to be satisfied, although not entirely happy, with the answer.

"Is there an antidote?" Harry had to ask.

"No. The potion is a derivative, and no antidote was created for it," Severus answered matter-of-factly, hoping that this would be enough to satisfy him.

Harry looked down at his feet for a brief moment, contemplating, and then he decided that there was nothing else to say. He would have thanked the man for at least giving him an answer to the questions that had been plaguing him for weeks, but why thank a man who undoubtedly had a hand in his impotence?

Determinedly, Harry turned and left Professor Snape's office, not quite ready to face the next five-plus years in a constant state of enforced celibacy. And he wasn't looking forward to telling Ron.

Five years, one month, and six days later

Harry woke from yet another particularly torturous salacious dream where Ron was going down on his painfully erect cock, feeling his partner's tongue slather all over his length, consuming him ravenously. Harry moaned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, feeling the desire building like it always did after one of these dreams, and feeling the desperation that nothing could be done about it.

Suddenly, Ron groaned, and Harry felt the vibration through his groin. It was then that Harry realized that this wasn't a dream. He looked down to see Ron's head bobbing up and down over his...quite erect...erection. Wide-eyed, he watched ... and it wasn't long before he thankfully had the first orgasm he had had in over five years.

Ron dazedly climbed the length of the bed to greet a now-awake Harry, who was too spent to say anything. Ron considered the situation for a moment and then realized that he was sporting a rather large erection of his own. And so he did what any healthy, full-blooded, sex-starved male wizard would do in a situation like this.

Ron looked at Harry and said, "Turn over."

An Apparation Point away ...

"Oh, you look so beautiful as a bride, Hermione," Ginny gushed as she fixed another flower-laced curl around Hermione's headpiece. "And you look so happy. You should have done this years ago."

Hermione smiled at her friend through the mirror. "Yes, well, you know I couldn't have let the past go until my revenge was complete. I wanted to be completely free of my anger and my hate so I could give all of myself to Severus."

"I know, and I think that is part of what makes you such a beautiful bride," Ginny answered and hugged Hermione around the shoulders. "Well, are you ready to be married?"

"I have never been more ready."

"Then let's go find that handsome groom of yours and make this day complete."

"Ginny?" Hermione hesitated.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Thanks for being there for me these past few years, for helping me, for always being my friend. You've helped make these past few years bearable," Hermione said, knowing it wasn't enough. Nothing she said could sufficiently express her gratitude.

"I'll always be here for you ... and Severus too, you know that."

The two friends grinned at each other and then embraced. They were interrupted by a curt cough. They broke apart to see the head of the handsomely dressed, dark-haired groom peeking around the doorframe.

"Severus! You're not supposed to see the bride before she walks down the aisle!" Ginny admonished.

"Yes. Well, if I were to wait for the two of you, this wedding might never happen. The guests are beginning to wonder if I've been stood up."

"I think not!" Hermione shouted and grabbed Severus' hand. "Let's get married. We've certainly waited long enough."

"I'd say," he replied, smiling.

And Hermione pulled Severus to the head of the aisle, where all the guests turned to look at the pair who had waited so long to be married. Somewhere in the sea of people waiting to witness the momentous event, applause began, and it spread throughout the crowd. Face blushing, Hermione looked up at Severus and discovered that even on a day like today he could find it within him to scowl. Her laugh brought her soon-to-be husband back to the reality of the day, and with a small smile, he led his bride down the aisle.

~ The End

A/N: I felt that poor Hermione had been angry and bitter for long enough. While it was true that Hermione wasn't unhappy for the entire five years she was with Harry, he did string her along, making her think a future with him was possible when he knew all along it wasn't. Even smart girls don't always know when to let go of a relationship, and Hermione was no different. I suppose it was partially her fault for being in denial until the truth was literally shoved in her face. But I'm glad that in the end she found true happiness and was smart enough to make a clean break with her relationship with Harry before finalizing it with Severus. After all, they both deserve some happiness, and I'm glad they will finally have it.

And I'm glad this story is over. I've been working on a new story for the past couple months, but I won't be posting it until it is well on the way to being finished. I have been feeling the need to write something of more substance than I have in the past. I hope I will be successful.

Happy Holidays to you all! – 20 Dec 2006