Harry woke up late, much later than usual. He didn't know if it was due to taking a long time to fall asleep, being too tired after the exciting day or just the very comfortable bed. He wasn't even sure what had woken him up. Was it the light coming through the window, since he failed to close the curtains? Was it his full bladder or was it the knocking on the door? Before he became fully awake, the door opened and Hermione came in, already wearing her day clothes.
"Wake up, sleepyhead! I thought you had some important stuff to discuss." Her tone was teasing and her eyes scanned him, immediately noticing the tenting at his crotch, despite the light blanket covering him.
Harry blushed as he noticed where she was looking. "Sorry, it took me some time to fall asleep, thinking of all that happened yesterday, and this bed is really comfortable."
Hermione smiled at him. "It's alright, really. My parents have already left home and I was kind of bored. And it's not that late, actually." She glanced once again at the tent in the blanket. "I think I'll let you get ready. I'll be waiting for you in the kitchen."
Harry waited for her to close the door before moving the blanket aside. He got ready quickly and then joined Hermione in the kitchen, where she had already prepared a nice breakfast. Harry couldn't fail to notice that his plate was much fuller than hers but he didn't want to ask about it. He was quite sure that Hermione was trying to compensate for the less-than-satisfactory portions he was getting at his relatives' house.
"Since you're in no hurry to go back, I thought we could go for a swim this morning," Hermione told him as they were finishing breakfast.
"I'm not sure…" he started.
"Harry, you may have not noticed, but you got new swim trunks last night. I had my parents buy them for this purpose," Hermione cut in.
It took Harry a moment to recall that piece of clothing. He nodded reluctantly. "I still feel bad for being unable to pay for the clothes, and the pool is not free either, I assume."
"Don't feel bad about it. My parents wouldn't have offered to buy anything if they weren't sure about it. I think they would have insisted on paying even if you had more than enough money. Now, let's pack our swimwear and two large towels and go to the pool."
It wasn't far — only less than fifteen minutes walk — and the two teens walked leisurely, enjoying the fine weather and the company of each other. Hermione pointed at several places of interest along the way and Harry was quite pleased to see the school and the kindergarten where Hermione had grown up, the playground that she'd frequented when much smaller and, of course, the public library that she was still using while on vacation.
They separated when going to the changing rooms at the pool. Harry changed quickly and was a bit surprised to see himself in the mirror near the door when going out. He quite liked the way he looked, despite thinking that he could look better with some more flesh. He was still somewhat thin for his age.
He was surprised when he saw Hermione coming out of the women's changing room. She was certainly not a little girl any longer! Her bikini left very little for his imagination, and he liked all that he saw. Hermione had become curvier and more feminine than he could have imagined only a day earlier and still didn't look like an adult woman. He blushed nicely when noticing how little the bikini was really covering. His blush deepened when he noticed how his body was responding to the view.
Hermione didn't seem to care. She grabbed his hand and led him to a spot where she put her large towel on the tanning bed and had Harry put his on the adjacent one. She then took a bottle of sun protection lotion. "Smear it on your face, your shoulders, your arms your legs and your torso. I'll help you with your back. You can then help me the same way."
Hermione made sure that Harry didn't miss any spot on his front and then took the bottle and smeared his back just as meticulously. Harry enjoyed feeling her hands caressing his back. He didn't see her deep frown when she saw some old scars there.
She then smeared herself just as thoroughly. Harry couldn't take his eyes off her when she smeared her chest, making sure to protect her breasts up to the edge of her bikini top and even a bit under it, or when she did the same at the bikini bottom. She then asked him to smear her back. Harry could barely keep his hands from trembling while touching her velvety smooth skin. She made sure he smeared under the straps of her bikini top and didn't miss the top of her thighs. She didn't insist on him smearing under her bikini bottom, though, to Harry's relief. By the time he finished, there was no way for him to hide the evident tenting in his swim trunks. He quickly jumped into the water, missing the satisfied smirk on Hermione's lips.
Despite that uncomfortable tenting, Harry enjoyed his time at the pool. Hermione wanted to teach him how to swim since he had never learned it before. She moved his hands and kept close to him, directing his every movement until he was able to do everything right. Harry took his time, though, as he enjoyed feeling their bodies touch with nothing separating them. He also suspected that Hermione knew he was doing this and didn't really mind.
Still, less than two hours after arriving, Hermione insisted they leave and go back. "It's your first exposure to the sun, and even with the sun lotion, it may be harmful if you stay too long. I don't want you to burn your skin. I'm afraid it will still redden. We should have stayed no longer than an hour."
Harry really felt hot, only he wasn't sure if it was due to the sun or due to Hermione. He followed her advice, though, trusting her judgment. They separated for the changing rooms, where each took a quick shower and then walked back to the Granger residence, with Hermione choosing a different route and giving him a few more glimpses into her past.
They resumed the same positions as the previous morning after Hermione brought some snacks and drinks. Feeling Hermione holding his hand seemed to help Harry explain his concerns, although occasional breaks for some kissing made it take even longer than the previous day.
When they stopped for lunch, Harry thought his skin felt a bit tender. Hermione also noticed. "Your nose and your cheeks are a bit red. You may have not put enough sun lotion on them. Would you like to put some After Sun lotion wherever you're too red? It could help prevent burns and peeling."
"Yes, please. I'll need you to check my back, though."
Hermione smiled. "Sure! And you should check my back, just to make sure I didn't get red."
They went to their rooms. Harry stripped and put on some briefs instead of his usual boxers. Hermione arrived a moment later with the After Sun lotion, wearing only her bra and knickers. Harry turned red at her sight. Hermione shrugged it off. "You've seen more of me at the pool. My bikini covers less than my underwear, so you shouldn't get so excited."
She let him check her back first. Harry caressed her back, not skipping any point, although there was no red visible there. He then let her check his back, and she needed to smear some of the lotion there. He even asked her to treat his chest, sparing him from checking himself in the mirror. He simply enjoyed the way her hands felt on his body.
Too soon for Harry, she finished treating him. "Wait a minute or two for the lotion to be absorbed and then put your clothes back on. I'll be waiting downstairs," she told him.
They spent the afternoon discussing several more of Harry's concerns. Hermione gave the situation some deep thought and then sighed. "It looks like you need to know more about your family before you can do anything. If you're much richer than the Weasley, then you may also be more influential, once you come of age. You need to know what you have and how you can use it. I think a visit to Gringotts is a must."
"Can you come with me? I don't like going there alone."
Hermione grimaced. "Yes, the goblins can be quite unpleasant. I'll go with you, but they may not let me stay for any private conversation."
"Just come along. I may be able to let you attend anyway," Harry sounded more desperate than convincing, but Hermione didn't really need persuasion. She'd already decided to stick to Harry whatever may happen.
"I'll come. What are friends for if not to help each other when needed?"
He smiled. "Thank you. I really appreciate your friendship."
Hermione didn't let him stray. "Now, as we can't find anything else to do about your concerns, why don't we try to catch up with our muggle education? It can come in handy in the future."
Harry wasn't so sure. "I may need to catch up with three years. I don't think I can do it, even if I spend the whole summer vacation on that."
Hermione waved it off. "Oh, it's not that difficult, really, and I can help you. It may also do me good to revise material from previous years. What was your worst subject at primary school?"
Harry grimaced. "Math. Our teacher was not very good, giving only minimal explanations. Kind of Muggle Snape, almost. And History was almost as boring as Binns makes it."
"In that case, let's start with Math. I'll bring my old books first and see that you have a solid basis to build on." Hermione sprinted to her room, returning with an armful of books and notebooks. "My teacher used to add explanations that one couldn't find in the books and I wrote them down. I think they may really help you."
They spent the whole afternoon studying Math. With Hermione explaining the basic concepts and how they combined to make the more complex ones, everything seemed to fall into place. Harry found that mathematics could be interesting and even fascinating. He had to keep himself focused, or he could easily forget himself, staring at Hermione's lips while she was explaining something, remembering how they felt when kissing. She also helped him, snapping him out of staring at her more than once.
"It seems so simple now that I can't understand why it was so difficult for me at the time. Your explanations make everything much simpler." Harry felt really thankful. Exercises that used to make him sweat, he could now solve without any effort. He felt much more confident in his ability to catch up.
"I feel really thankful for your help. I could kiss you for that," he said.
"Then, why don't you?" she asked, looking expectant.
It was still a new experience for Harry and just as new for Hermione. They kissed tenderly at first, but then their kisses got hotter and their embrace tighter. Harry felt extremely embarrassed that his hosts found them kissing when returning home, although Hermione shrugged it off and Jean seemed to conceal a smile. Only Dave looked pensively at the two teens but didn't comment.
Harry helped Hermione take the books back to her room. She then asked to see his back, to make sure his skin was no longer red. Jean found them that way, and she was appalled at the sight of Harry's scars. A warning glance from Hermione made her understand that no comment was welcome.
"I think your back is almost normal now. Does it still feel tender at spots?" Hermione asked.
"I don't think so."
"Should I apply some more After Sun lotion? What do you think, Mum?"
"I'll apply a different lotion when he goes to bed. That should do the trick much better," Jean said. "And you, young man, should make sure not to expose yourself to the sun without protection. This may be even more important when you join us for a vacation in the Mediterranean. The sun there is much hotter."
"Join you?" Harry asked, quite confused.
"Harry, if I understand correctly, your relatives allow you to stay for as long as you want, and I'm sure Hermione would like a friend with her. Or are you more than friends?"
Harry felt his face redden. "I… I don't know, really."
Jean smiled knowingly. "I'll let you two find what it is by yourselves. Dinner will be ready in an hour."