Loves Embrace (Companion to 'Stepping Back')

Unhindered, he arrived at the room and entered to find that Bellatrix was indeed waiting for him, sat upon a plush sofa, the room itself illuminated by only candlelight.

"Hello," she greeted him, an air of shyness around her.

Harry crossed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms, revelling in the feeling of wholeness having her gave him.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. He knew that she was still plagued by moments of difficulty and she would begin to withdraw into herself.

She nodded against his chest.

"Have you thought about what we spoke about at the wedding, before everything happened?" she questioned, worrying her lip with her teeth as the words left her mouth.

Harry sighed slightly and returned her nod.

"I have," he replied, attempting to control his composure.

"You don't want to," she stated flatly.

He shook his head as he pulled away from her and tucked an errant lock of her behind her ear, looking into her violet orbs.

"It's not that I don't want to," he denied gently. "I want to, more than anything, but, I'm scared," he whispered.

Bellatrix was taken aback by his answer and frowned gently.

"What is there to be scared of?"

He gave her a weak smile.

"What if you were to fall pregnant and I die?" he asked. "I grew up an orphan, I wouldn't want any children of mine growing up without me."

Bellatrix cupped his cheek and nodded her understanding.

"That's why we take precautions, Harry. We have both charms and potions we can use."

"But they are not completely flawless," he returned.

She sighed lightly.

"Harry," she implored, "if I were to fall pregnant, that child would be the most loved little thing you could ever imagine." She grabbed his other cheek firmly, her eyes boring into his own. "I believe in you, more than I could ever have faith in anyone else. You won't die, I won't allow it," she promised, her words laced with utter confidence in him.

She kissed him briefly and pulled away.

"If it did happen, I would rather spend the rest of my days knowing that I had every part of you before you were taken from me."

Harry felt his heart sink at her realistic declaration and felt a wave of fury roll through him; fury towards any that would dare to cause such pain he saw in her eyes in this moment, fury that would take away what he had worked so hard for. He couldn't assure himself of his survival, but Tom, and any other that dared stand before him, attempt to hurt this woman in front of him by taking him away from her, would face the full wrath of Harry Potter.

He relented with a nod and kissed her with abandon, determined to give this beautiful woman that had his heart everything that she desired.

Although the kisses had been frantic, desperate at first, the ferocity slowly ebbed away into a tender, more sedate pace, their tongues meeting with drawn out encounters, their need for air making them breathless and drawing it in with sharp intakes, exhaling slowly through their noses to not interrupt the moment with such frivolity and hindrance that wold only serve to ruin the moment.

Surprising her greatly, it was Harry that took the lead as he glided his nose across her cheek, his tongue finding a sensitive spot just below her ear, causing her to shudder as he worked his magic, his warm breath dancing over the flesh. She could only gasp as she worked a hand into his messy locks and gripped tightly under his ministrations, the hunger she felt aching with the want of him pleading to be sated.

She groaned in both pleasure and frustration as he continued to tantalize her neck using only his mouth, his hands slowly working on the buttons of her blouse, her breath hitching as the cool air of the room reached the exposed skin of her torso, but she was certain the prominent goose bumps where there before this, courtesy of his touch.

He placed a few more kisses upon her collarbone before holding her firm as he stepped behind her, relieving her of the outer garment and allowing it to pool on the floor below. He felt her tense slightly as he swept her hair away from one shoulder and began his former activities across the firm muscle, smiling slightly as she trembled and leaned into his embrace, the mixture of tangy, sweet perfume and the saltiness of her skin leaving his lips tingling. This itself was not new to him, the pair had been here often and ventured much further but knowing the outcome of his efforts this time made him slightly more hesitant than usual, more attentive to her. He wanted her to remember this for the right reasons and live to have no regrets in these moments. He knew that he wouldn't regret such a thing, was equally certain that she wouldn't, but he would not leave anything to chance. He was not expecting perfection, he was merely seeking her happiness.

Not allowing himself to dwell too much on what was happening, he released the inhibitions that he had held at bay for so long and let his own desires come forth. Giving into his own carnal urges, he spun her to face him and was met with the reflection of his own needs in her eyes; unguarded, exposed and raw for him to see. He kissed her again and pulled her flush to him, attempting to bring her within his own being as he unclasped her bra. She paused in her efforts to remove his t-shirt and shrug it off, returning to and completing her own endeavour.

She marvelled at his partially nude form, the way that the creatures now part of him seemingly came alive in the flickering light, the scars born from battle puckered but varying in degree of depth and marring colours. To her, they were beautiful, they were a sign of his achievements and a reminder that, no matter how accomplished and above the norm, he was still human, flawed but perfect in his imperfections to her.

She felt him begin to waver under her scrutiny and slid her lips over a jagged line on his chest, setting him at ease once more as she wrestled with the buckle of his belt and managing to remove it hastily despite the initial difficulty of such a simple thing. As it unclasped, she inhaled suddenly and wrapped her legs around his waste instinctively as he hoisted her into the air and flicked his wand into his hands, his own breathing slow and deep. He gave the wand a negligent series of waves and the sofa was no longer there. In its place was a very large, very comfortable looking bed complete with furnishings and a large fur blanket draped across the surface. He carried her to it and laid her down as his questioning gaze met hers, his eyes glowing. She swallowed deeply and gave an encouraging smile, the only thing she felt capable of doing. She melted into the kiss he placed on her lips, her body twitching as the skin of his chest skimmed against hers eliciting sporadic waves of mild pleasure throughout her. The twitching soon progressed to another shudder as he grazed the length of her side with his fingers, her posture quickly stilling suddenly as he took one of the dark protrusions of her peaks into his mouth and began working circles with his tongue, his teeth rubbing them into further arousal. An involuntary, throaty moan escaped her as she encouraged him wordlessly, both of her hands running through his hair as he worked his way down her torso, pausing as he reached the uppermost hem of jeans. Before he could seek permission, her hands bunched into fists and he proceeded to undo the button with nimble fingers. When the zip followed only a few seconds later, she raised her hips and, with his assistance, wriggled herself free of the final piece of clothing maintaining what had been left of her modesty. Almost entirely bare to him, she felt a myriad of things. Emotionally, she was excited, the hunger fiercer than ever, yet she felt vulnerable, a little fear even. It was not him she feared but his reaction to her in the state of undress. She had never been one to seek the approval of others, but with Harry, it mattered more than anything else. She waited, unmoving as his eyes roamed over her, taking in every inch of her body that still trembled, the contradictory feeling of the coolness of the room being met by the warmth that had pooled in her core.

He drew closer as he observation came to an end and he kissed her again, something she returned with less vigour than the previous ones.

"You really are beautiful," he whispered, his voice uncharacteristically husky.

A breath of relief was exhaled and a smile graced her lips as he worked his way down once more, his lips meeting various points of her until he was perched between her legs, his lips and tongue working in tandem on the sensitive skin around her underwear and the inside of her thighs.

Harry could only revel in every part of her, every inch of her creamy skin nothing short of perfect. Just the sight of her alone was enough to almost drive him over the edge of control, but her scent was something else entirely. He had always been aware of it, muted by the clothing she wore, but it lingered around her, nevertheless. And now, with only her underwear still adorned, it permeated the air around them. It was a feminine musk, strong but pleasant and he breathed it deeply allowing it to wash over him as he removed the final garment and exposed her to him completely. Before, it had always been present, enticing and alluring, but such words would fail to comprehend the effect it had on him now. Unleashed and untampered, it was intoxicating, addictive, something he knew he could not be without now that he had experienced it in its fullness. It made the blood race in his veins as his heartrate quickened, pumping through every limb and appendage recklessly, uncontrollable, untameable. He couldn't fight it if he wanted to, and the fact that he didn't made it that much easier to lose himself to it, lose himself to the most primal of urges.

A satisfied growl rumbled in his throat as he unashamedly demanded more. Although his inhibitions were no longer there, he maintained enough semblance of control to be slightly cautious and tentative in his approach.

His attention shifted from the thighs to her mound where a single strip of dark hair guided his eyes downwards and to where the aroma was strongest, the point in which it poured from. He gently pushed her legs, opening them wider, her most womanly parts glistening with her own desire. With a slight frown, he probed the inner folds with his tongue experimentally, savouring the unique taste and the way the way her dense juices coated it. There was a sweetness to it with a gentle tang, incomparable to anything else he had ever experienced either by texture or taste. Although unfamiliar, it was not unpleasant and could only be described as quintessentially Bellatrix, both the scent and flavour screaming of her.

His prying had elicited another shudder and gasp from the girl, encouraging him to delve further into this new practice. He soon found that she reacted differently to what he did, but soon found her bucking beneath him as he found a particularly responsive nub of flesh towards the top of her darkened skin. He rhythmically rolled his tongue around it, aware that the bucking became more erratic, her grip in his hair tightening to the point of pain. He did not allow it to deter him, however. He continued, his pace increasing to match that of her own, and with a muffled scream and a few more, longer thrusts of her hips, she fell almost still, the rapid falling and rising of her chest the only movement she seemed capable of.

"Don't ever stop doing that," she almost pleaded.

Harry snorted.

"I don't even know what I did."

Bellatrix smiled at his innocence and pulled him closer to her, wrapping him in her arms. She remembered what her mother had told her all those months ago and shook her head at the truth of the words.

"This is the one thing we get to learn together," she whispered.

He pulled himself away from her and nodded before he kissed her.

It took only a few moments to lose themselves in each other once more, their hands exploring as their baser instincts emerged again. Bellatrix not only wanted him but needed him. She had recovered from his earlier attentions and was ready for him, the nervousness she had felt lost in her state of lust. She returned the favour of unbuttoning his trousers and pushing them past his hips as far as she could reach.

Granting her wish, Harry stood and removed the remainder of his own clothing. Now nude himself, a measure of insecurity and nervousness came over him as he perched himself between her legs, kissing her to seek both comfort and her touch. He pulled away and their eyes met, but it was no longer the lust each felt that was prominent upon doing so.

In his eyes, she could see his hesitance, but more than that, she could see the love he felt for her and her own heart melted, the lust remaining, just no longer the primary thing plaguing her hormone-fuelled mind. She loved him irrevocably and she needed every part of him the same way he needed her. It wasn't merely about the pleasure each sought from the other, but the completeness they found in themselves courtesy of them. Oh, she wanted him as he wanted her, but it was beyond the seeking of release, it was to bring them together, as close as they could possibly be.

There were no words needed between them as he lined himself up against her, teasing her entrance. He pushed gently, his eye closing automatically as she began to envelope him, stopping when she clamped tightly around him. Unable to move further, he took in the sight of her below him, her eyes watering as she winced in discomfort from his invasion and he allowed her the time to adjust to his presence inside her. She gave a shaky nod after a moment and he eased himself in further as her nails clawed at his back causing him to grit his teeth against the maiming of the skin. But he did not vocalise his pain and allowed her the relief it brought. He met further resistance as he reached the hilt and her eyes widened at the sensation before he began extracting himself slowly and finding a rhythm that did not cause her to grimace.

He watched her with concern in his eyes, her own gaze encouraging as she accepted him, the pain slowly dulling from the sting she had felt. She knew her maidenhood was gone as it became much more comfortable to accommodate him and she smiled, her eyes no longer watery from the pain but from the warmth she felt.

"I'm okay," she assured him as she stroked his cheek gently.

He smiled and nodded as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

He kept his right hand flat on the bed next to her hip as he slid his forearm under her neck to support himself increasing the pace between them. Her hips slowly, but surely raised to meet his thrusts, her gentle moans building as they rocked backwards and forwards to their respective ends, her gripping his back tightly and biting his lower lip and him grunting relishing the mixture of pleasure and pain.

Both spent, he rolled away and pulled her into his arms, a layer of perspiration leaving the skin sticky and shining, their hair a perpetual mess.

Bellatrix sighed in contentment as she rested her head on his chest, listening to his still-pounding heart.

"I love you," she whispered into the darkness.

Harry squeezed her, unwilling to consider losing this amazing woman in any capacity.

"I love you, Bella, more than I could ever show you."

It was only a few minutes later that they allowed themselves to be taken by the sleep that hung over them, wrapped in the arms of the other for the first time in such a way and in complete and utter bliss.